《The Soul Keeper》


 Chapter 1: The Transfer Student

    <h4>Chapter 1: The Transfer Student</h4>


    The Professor''s voice echoed in the lecture hall. She sounded irritated, probably because of the two girls in the very back of the lecture hall who just wouldn''t shut up. They were always like this.


    I felt someone poke my shoulder. It was Erik, the popr kid who just so happened to be very rich. Ever since I transferred here, he hadn''t given me a moment''s rest. But then again, I enjoyed hispany ¨C he was a smart guy.


    "Do you have some time after ss?" He asked quietly, while making sure the professor wasn''t looking. I nodded, then continued taking notes. While the ss wasn''t particrly important, I couldn''t let my grades fall. Not because I was about to fail or anything ¨C I was top student of my ss ¨C but because my family wouldn''t tolerate anything less than perfect.


    ss ended soon after and I followed Erik to the cafeteria, where four other people waited. "Who are they?" I asked as my social anxiety kicked in. Two girls and two guys of my age were enjoying their drinks.


    "Friends from high school, they came to this college as well." He said with a grin. "Come on, I''ll introduce you." He grabbed my arm and dragged me along to the table. I hesitated, but eventually relented. I couldn''t spend my whole university life escaping from social situations.


    "Hey guys!" Erik waved at the group as we joined them. "This is Kai, the guy I was telling you all about." He squeezed my shoulder as he spoke. I awkwardly smiled as all four pair of eyes focused on me.


    "Hello, I''m Kai Friseal. Nice to meet you." I extended my hand as my heart raced. Too many eyes were focused on me for my liking.


    "Hi!" The first to shake my hand was one of the girls. She was blonde and quite pretty. "I''m Alina. Nice to meet you." She smiled as she gestured to the other girl. "She''s Samantha."


    Samantha had short, ck, curly hair. She seemed somewhat tired and only shook my hand after Alina prompted her to. "Nice to meet you." She mumbled. I forced a smile as one of the guys grabbed my hand and vigorously shook it.


    "I''m Joshua Kestler." He had brown hair, was fairly tall but skinny. He grinned and pointed at the next guy, who seemed quite alike to Joshua. "That buffoon there is my brother, Vincent."


    "Shut up, moron." Vincent lightly punched his brother''s arm. At that point, Erik finally decided to intervene before things got out of hand. "Alrighty then! Kai, these four airheads are my friends from high school. We''ve known each other for years and I can vouch for their good hearts and empty brains."


    "Shut up!" All four shouted at him after a moment. I couldn''t help but rx a little, the environment was much more weing than I had expected.


    "So, what''s up with you Kai?" Samantha asked after a moment''s hesitation. "It''s not often that Erik decides there''s someone worth his time. Especially when that someone isn''t even willing to spend much time with him." Her piercing words caused me to tense up. I nervouslyughed while ncing at Erik. Was he going to say anything?


    He just smiled and shrugged, leaving me to fend for myself. I forced a smile as I tried to exin. "It''s not that I''m not willing to spend time with him ¨C or any of you. I just don''t have much free time between sses, studying and practice." I wasn''t lying, my schedule was really packed.


    "Practice?" Alina asked while fiddling with her hair.


    "Yeah, I''m a martial artist. I have to practice daily. Add sses and studying to that and you suddenly get a packed schedule."


    "Whoa, does that mean you can like... fight?" Joshua asked with excitement in his voice. Iughed and shook my head. "Theoretically, yeah. I can wield a sword or knife. But I''m still a beginner, my technique is... weak at best." I said as a bitter smile formed on my lips. I couldn''t help but think of my sister as I spoke. She could fight.


    "That''s still so cool!" Alina shouted maybe a bit too loudly. Clearly, the others were already used to it as Erik just sighed and Vincent quickly warned her to lower her voice a bit.


    "Thanks, I guess." I said with a half-heartedugh. The conversation soon shifted into different topics, until Erik decided it was time to get going. I felt a bit guilty as I was constantly looking at the time and he was surely just being amodating.


    We headed off to the parking lot, where I was ready to part ways with the group. But Erik put a stop to my ns almost as soon as we arrived at his car. "Alright, get in!" He said with a huge grin. I hesitated and looked at the time. It was 2 p.m. I still had about an hour before it was time for practice, but I didn''t really want to risk beingte.


    "Sorry guys, I have to go to practice soon." I did feel a little sad as Erik seemed somewhat disappointed. He hesitated as the others exchanged looks. "I can''t afford to skip it," I mumbled. Now a feeling of guilt had appeared. I knew Erik was sincere and the others seemed like good people too.


    "It''s fine." Erik finally said. "Oh hey, how about this? Why don''t you at least let me drop you off? That way you won''t have to deal with the busses and all that."


    After a moment''s hesitation, I smiled and nodded. I couldn''t see the harm in epting ¨C at worst he''d learn where I train. What harm could that do, right? "I''d appreciate it, actually." I said as we got in the car. The girls bid us farewell there, but not before making me promise to join them again tomorrow. The Kestler brothers got in the back seat and almost immediately started arguing about what I believe was supposed to be their dinner n.


    "So, where is it?" Erik asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. He waved at a few familiar faces as we left the school grounds. I quickly told him the address before remarking on his poprity. "Is there anyone who doesn''t know who you are?" While I was partially joking, I did want to know just how popr this guy was.


    "I''m sure there are." He said, but was quickly interrupted by Vincent. "Nope! He knows everyone and everyone knows him." He grinned and poked Erik''s shoulder. "What''re you buying us for dinner?"


    "Nothing." Erik responded with a deadpan expression. "We''re here," He added after a short moment. I nced out the window. We were at the training hall already. What usually took me almost half an hour of travel time had taken less than ten minutes.


    "Thanks a lot, Erik. See you tomorrow." I got out of the car and after making sure I hadn''t left anything behind, closed the car''s door.


    "Take care." Erik, Vincent and Joshua waved at me before they drove away. I sighed and headed inside ¨C there was no point in waiting out here until it was time for practice.


    If I had known how much this day would end up affecting my life, I wonder if I had chosen differently.

 Chapter 2: An Unexpected Call

    <h4>Chapter 2: An Unexpected Call</h4>


    My time at university was mostly uneventful so far. Boring, in fact. Erik and the others were the only things that brightened my days. Even though we had been hanging out for several days now, I still couldn''t get rid of my social anxiety when I was with them. And I soon figured out why, when we went to Samantha''s house for the first time.


    My mouth was agape as I stared like a tourist at the massive mansion and rich d¨¦cor. I knew Erik was rich, but it only then struck me that his friends were also rich. I was the odd one out ¨C my family had little savings and what we had was spent on our training hall and new disciples.


    I couldn''t help but feel... out of ce. These were rich people with bright futures. They weren''t like me who only barely met the standards of my family. They had loving parents and, well, everything they could dream of.


    That''s why the day after I finally figured this out, I walked home. Or, well, I tried to.


    The weather was fairly nice ¨C the wind helped lessen the heat. Summer was almost here, which meant I had to work harder. I was going to have less and less time to spend with others starting next month. As soon as university went on break, my training was only going to intensify. As I walked along the pavement with these thoughts spinning in my head, I heard the screeching of tyres as a familiar car almost hit the pavement.


    "The hell!" I shouted as I jumped back, ready to fight. Only then did I notice the driver ¨C Erik.


    "The hell to you! I was searching for you everywhere on campus." Erik shouted back. Stunned, I just wordlessly stared at him. "What on earth are you even waiting for man? Get in, you''re making me block the road."


    I hurried over and got in without thinking. As soon as I closed the door, he started driving. "Say, Kai, what was with that pose just now?" He suddenly asked with a grin. "You looked like you watched too many kung-fu movies."


    "I thought someone was trying to mug me!" I shouted as blood rushed to my face. "You looked like you watched too many racing movies!" My attempt at aeback was pitiful at best, but Erikughed, nheless.


    "Yeah, not my best moment." He seemed lost in though for a moment. "So, why did you leave? I thought we''d hang out with Vincent till dinner."


    I showed a bitter smile. "I have a few things I need to take care of today. I was actually heading home, then I have to go to the training hall." I couldn''t just say that I felt out of ce. While my words were an excuse, they were also the truth.


    "Let me drop you off then." Erik said as we approached an intersection. I nodded and thanked him. It would be rude to reject his offer and I didn''t really want to walk all the way to the house under this heat anyways. I quickly told him the address and we headed there.


    "Why are you living so far away? Your home isn''t close to the training hall or the campus." He nced at me with a curious expression.


    "Thendy is an old family friend." I exined after a moment''s hesitation. I had never met her before I came to the city, but my family knew her well. "She''s letting me rent a room and helps with dinner from time to time."


    Erik''s expression showed confusion for a moment, before returning to his usual cheerful self. "I see. Makes sense I suppose." He said as we slowed down. "We''re here." He clearly wanted to say something more, but I quickly cut him off as I saw the olddy open the door. "There she is! Thanks Erik, I owe you one. See you tomorrow." I bolted towards the house, leaving the confused Erik sitting in his car alone.


    "Good afternoon Mrs. Carrie." I said kindly as I approached her. I took a small box out of my backpack and gave it to her. "I bought your medicine. Is there anything else you need?"


    "No, no. Thank you Kai. You''re such a good kid, such a kind kid..." She mumbled as she headed inside. I stood there for a short while, with a smile that turned into a huge grin. "Crafty old woman..." I whispered before I left the house. She had fooled me the first time she did that. She was good at acting like a helpless old woman. Yet, she was smarter and more autonomous than most people I''d met.


    When I stepped on the pavement, I nced at the spot Erik had parked his car moments ago. It was gone, and so was he. I felt a little relieved. As if waiting for me to leave, my phone rang as I walked to the training hall. I hesitated as I saw the name on the screen. "Hello mother."


    "Kai," Her cold tone was the same as ever. "How are you?"


    "I''m fine. I''m headed to the training hall. How about you and dad?"


    "Your father is just fine, as am I. I already told you, there is no need for you to worry about us. Simply focus on your studies and training."


    "I know. I am." I quietly said.


    "Your sister asked me to ry a message. She wishes you good luck with your uing exams. She also wished you a happy birthday and apologised for not getting you a present." I flinched. I had forgotten about that ¨C today was my birthday.


    "Please tell her, simply remembering it is more than enough and thank her in my stead." I smiled; my sister was thoughtful as always.


    "I will. Kai," My mother''s tone shifted. Her harsh voice reminded me of not so pleasant times. "You haven''t forgotten your promise, have you?"


    My smile disappeared as my lips formed a thin line. "No. Of course not." I quietly answered. How could I? "I''m at the training hall, I should go. Please take care mother. Send my regards to dad as well." I ended the call and leaned my back against the wall of a tall building that was certainly not the training hall. I had done it again. I lied to avoid talking to her for too long. After a short moment of rest, I checked the time and hurried off to the training hall. Whether it was my birthday or not didn''t really matter ¨C I wasn''t going to skip the practice I so desperately needed.


    I passed by the huge mansions and rich houses, with my head filled with such thoughts. As I approached the training hall, I could already hear the sound of metal hitting metal. I took a deep breath to clear my head, then opened the door and headed inside.


    I quickly changed into proper clothing for practice, then headed to where my teacher was waiting. The inside of therge hall was empty, save for a couple of students and my teacher. As I approached, she smiled and stepped away from the wall she was leaning her back against.


    "You''re early, Kai. And you seem upset." She said. She had no weapons in hand. That could only mean she was going to train me in hand to handbat today. An area I was sorelycking practice in.


    "I''m fine," I said with a fake smile as she approached me. "I don''t think I''ll be fine after practice though." I tilted my head as I watched her movements. She was tense ¨C more than usual. "Are you... annoyed, by chance?"


    "I am, actually." She grinned, right before making the first strike.

 Chapter 3: A Surprising Offer

    <h4>Chapter 3: A Surprising Offer</h4>


    "What the hell happened to you, man?" Vincent shouted as I entered the cafeteria. It wasn''t surprising ¨C I looked like I had been in an ident.


    "Practice was... rough." I mumbled. I carefully lowered myself into the soft couch. "Too rough." My arms were in bandages, as was my upper body. Ms Linda had not been kind to me at all yesterday. She pulled no punches and even after we switched to our kun''s she had used the nearly two-meter-long, sturdy wooden staff to mercilessly beat me.


    "Seriously, what the hell?" Erik added as he sat beside Vincent. "Do you have any broken bones or something?" He seemed worried. He had been constantly bugging me to go to a hospital since I had arrived at campus.


    "No, just lots of bruises." I shrugged, then immediately regretted it as it sent waves of pain across my upper body. "I''ll be fine in a couple of days." I couldn''t help butugh at their horrified expressions as I finished my words.


    "This is not normal, man." Vincent mumbled. Erik vigorously nodded.


    "Wait, does that mean you don''t have practice for the next few days?" Erik suddenly asked. I nodded. It wasn''t good practice to push a battered body beyond it''s limits ¨C it would serve no purpose and would only worsen the damage.


    "Great!" Vincent grinned. "Let''s go to your house Erik."


    "Wait what?" I tried to protest. I was nning on dedicating my newfound free time to sleeping and... Well, more sleep. "I need to rest, you guys. I can''t be running around."


    "You''ll rest, don''t worry." Erik said with a grin. "Vince, call your brother and tell him to bring the girls over too. We''re leaving now."


    "Done and done!" Vincent said as he reached for his phone. Erik grabbed my wrist and gently helped me up in the meantime. I once again tried to protest, for a different reason. "I look like someone you picked off the streets Erik. I can''t be going to your house looking like this!" It was already embarrassing to be in such massive, rich houses. I didn''t want to go there looking like I had just received a beating.


    "Now you''re just being dumb." Erik said as he dragged me along. "Don''t worry so much about such little things!"


    "It''s not ''little things'' Erik!" My shouts and protests were ignored as we drove off. After a short while, I finally gave up on arguing. They''d never understand. They''d never been in this position.


    "Well how about this?" Erik said with a huge grin. "Just introduce us to your family when you get the chance."


    I flinched. I couldn''t even imagine Vincent and mother in the same room. She''d be at his throat within seconds. In an attempt to forget that mental image, I nced outside only to see a very familiar street. As I watched, we passed the very training hall I received a beating in just yesterday.


    "Wait, why are we here?" I asked Erik. Instead of answering he slowed the car and turned to pass through the gates leading into one of the private properties in the area. "Erik?" I insisted as we passed through a thin treeline. Soon, a massive mansion entered my view.


    "No..." I whispered. I knew of this ce ¨C and of the family who owned it. Mrs Carrie had told me about them. The CEO and founder of the leading technology firm, ''OTHERWORLD'' owned ¨C and lived in ¨C this ce. "Erik-"


    "Oh, you didn''t know?" Vincent tapped my shoulder. I felt his breath on my neck as he whispered. "Erik is really rich." I quickly pulled myself away from him ¨C it was just creepy ¨C and stared at Erik.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to trick you or anything." Erik said as he pulled over by the front door. "Come on." He got off the car. Helpless, I followed him. As we climbed the handful of steps leading to the front door, I looked around, my mouth agape. The whole estate was just massive!


    The gardens were filled with exotic flowers and nts. The mansion itself was huge. It was a four-story building with what seemed to be a rich history. It wasn''t a new building ¨C I could see the weathered edges of the stones used to build it. It was, however, very well taken care of.


    "Ok, stop staring like it''s the first time you''re seeing stuff like this." Vincent said as we approached the door.


    "But it is the first time I''m seeing stuff like this!" I whispered in a panic. I looked like a beggarpared all this! "Normal people don''t ever see stuff like this!"


    "You''re exaggerating." Erikughed as the door opened before we even knocked. "Thanks us." He added as he passed by a... butler. It took every bit of willpower I had to follow him and Vincent inside.


    The interior wasvishly in decorations. I could see gold almost everywhere. It was... overwhelming. Though, it didn''t entirely look good. It wasically rich, so much that it looked almost ugly.


    "Oh, is dad home?" Erik asked the old butler.


    "He is in his study, sir." The old man gently smiled. "He''s asked not to be disturbed until dinner."


    "I see, thanks. Would you mind bringing us something to drink? We''ll be in my room."


    "Of course, young sir." us bowed before leaving us in the entrance hall and heading off somewhere. As I stared around, I felt someone grab my arm. Erik grinned and pulled me towards the stairs leading up to the second floor.


    "Come on!" He was cheerful and clearly excited. I wanted to protest again, but seeing how happy he was, I couldn''t. Wordless, I followed him to the second, then the third floor. We stopped by an oak door. Erik opened it and pushed us inside.


    "Alrighty! Make yourselves at home!"


    I looked around to see a... normal room. Well, calling it normal was a stretch. It was clearly a wealthy person''s room. The huge TV and gaming setup at the corner proved that, as well as the paintings on the walls. There was a library stretching along one of the walls. Leather-bound books rested there, along with some figures and misceneous items.


    Erik lowered himself onto the couch near therge windows. "Come on, rest for a bit." I hesitated, then relented and sank into the soft couch. "You really hadn''t noticed?" Erik asked after a short while.


    "No." I mumbled. "I''m a foreigner, remember? And you never told me yourst name either. How could I know?" I kind of wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there. I felt so embarrassed!


    "He''s right, Erik." Vincentughed. "But his expression was perfect! The girls and Josh would''ve loved to see it." He giggled as he tried to imitate my surprise.


    "Oh, shut up!" I grumbled, feeling even more embarrassed. None of this was helpful even in the slightest!


    "Ok, ok. Stop teasing him." Erik finally stopped Vincent. "The others shoulde soon, but before that ¨C Vincent, if you want to see Clementine, you should go before the girls get here." As he said that, Erik''s smile widened. "Unless you want them to find out."


    "Oh!" Vincent sprung to his feet. "I''ll be back in a bit!" He rushed out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, Erik startedughing. I wanted to ask what that was all about, but before I could, he suddenly spoke.


    "Kai, would you like to stay here ''till you graduate?"

 Chapter 4: An Unavoidable Offer

    <h4>Chapter 4: An Unavoidable Offer</h4>


    "What?" I stared at him. My mind went nk for a second.


    "I said-"


    "I know what you said!" I waved my hands around as I searched for the right words. "What I mean is, what even made you ask that?"


    "Well, it''s really close to the training hall and you won''t have to walk to campus every day." He shrugged. "With all the travel time gone, you''ll have some more free time to spend with us too!"


    I stared at him nkly. What on earth was he even talking about? I couldn''t possibly ept his offer. "Erik-"


    He cut me off. "Don''t answer now. Meet my family and the workers here first." Before I could say anything, he grinned. "The others are here." He gestured me to be silent as the door swung open.


    Samantha, followed by Alina and Joshua came in. "Hey guys!" Alina shouted as soon as she saw us. I flinched; she really was loud. I nced at Erik who was already back to being his cheerful self. He smiled and waved them toe inside. Momentster, they were all cracking jokes andughing.


    Vincent joined soon after, apologising and iming he was in the restroom. Of course, Erik''s smile was enough for me to understand, that was a lie.


    "So, she beat you up because she was annoyed at something?" Samantha asked. I nodded. "That''s just cruel though! Shouldn''t that be like... against thew or something?"


    I shrugged. It didn''t matter. "It''s not as unusual as you think. Besides, I wasn''t at by best, normally I wouldn''t get beaten up so badly." I wasn''t trying to boast ¨C I was better than this. I was distracted yesterday, mostly due to Mother''s words.


    "Still..." Eric suddenly chimed in. "To us who don''t live the same way, it feels cruel and wrong." He seemed somewhat lost in thought as he said that.


    "I can understand that." I shrugged. "I don''t understand most of the things you guys see as normal either." I wanted to say more, but I stopped myself. I didn''t want to hurt them, though momentster I found out my worries were unfounded as theyughed my words off.


    "Now." Erik suddenly spoke with a much more serious tone. "I have something very important to tell all of you." He stood up and pointed in the direction of his gaming setup. "Do you guys remember the new game that''ll being out tomorrow?"


    Everyone nodded as I stared in confusion. I never had the time to immerse myself in games, so I never really followed the market or news about the subject.


    "Well, I''m going to ask dad to include everyone here in the early ess trials." Erik proudly said. He looked me in eye as he continued. "That includes you Kai." I flinched. I didn''t have the time to dedicate to a game ¨C let alone to an unfinished title. I motioned to tell him that, but he cut me off immediately.


    "You''re unable to practice your martial arts for at least a few days, right?" Hesitantly, I nodded. It wouldn''t do to damage my body further. "Alright, today''s Friday. That means you have at least two free days. I know you want to study, but you can rest for a couple of days before the exam period begins."


    I hesitated. He wasn''t wrong, I already knew most of the subjects and I really only needed to go over my notes maybe a couple more times for the exams. I didn''t have anything to do in the next two days. "I don''t have any gaming equipment or anything though," I said, gesturing at the gaming rig at the corner of the room.


    Erik grinned. "You don''t need anything like that for the game I''m talking about." He stood up and approached his desk. After rummaging through the drawers for a few minutes, he took out a brochure. As he handed it over to me, Vincent jumped at the chance to boast about the game.


    "See, this game is the product of a new technology ''OTHERWORLD'' came up with. It''s supposed to feel like you''re actually in another world. Nothing like today''s dive systems where there still are load times and clunky movements. It''s supposed feel just as real as real life. It''s even said that without the UI and HUD elements, you wouldn''t even know if you''re in the game or not." He grinned; his excitement was clear.


    His words were hard to believe though ¨C a world as real as our real lives, made with technology by humans just like us... Was that really possible? If Erik wasn''t nodding vigorously, I''d think this was just a marketing speech.


    "It sounds amazing," I said after a moment''s hesitation. I couldn''t help but be curious ¨C it did sound amazing. But I also felt a little uneasy. Couldn''t something like that be used for malicious purposes as well?


    "Yes, it does!" Alina shouted. She seemed really excited too. I wondered for a moment ¨C how long had they been waiting for this?


    "How does this work without any equipment?" I asked after Samantha told Alina to quiet down a little.


    "We''ll be using a new type of dive device. Dad calls it ''PORTAL''. He''ll provide us with it, so you don''t need to worry about that." Erik grinned again. His eyes shone with a mischievous light. They were telling me ''you don''t have an out from this''.


    "I''m really d that you want to include me, but I can''t afford to-"


    "It''s a gift, Kai." He cut me off again. "And you don''t get to refuse it. Speaking of which, it''s time for dinner, let''s go." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I flinched as my bruises ached a little. I tried to protest ¨C again ¨C but my voice was drowned out by Alina''s loud shouts. After a short moment, I gave up. Perhaps his family would be a little more understanding. Or perhaps they wouldn''t even want me to hang out with their son.


    Erik dragged me to arge dining hall, with Vincent and the others in tow. The room was decorated just asvishly as the rest of the house. Arge, long table took up most of the empty space. It was filled with exquisite meals.


    A tall, middle-aged man stood by a painting which spanned an entire wall. It depicted a battle scene ¨C blood and corpses everywhere. Why would anyone put something like that in a dining hall?


    "Hi dad." Erik said with a cheerful voice as he approached the man, dragging me along. "I brought my friends over again; hope you don''t mind."


    The man chuckled. He turned to face us. I flinched when I saw his face. He looked like an older version of Erik. Hecked his son''s blonde, wavy hair, and bright blue eyes. He was dressed formally, yet he seemed quite rxed. He looked at our group as we approached him. His voice was soft and kind as he spoke. "No, not at all. Wee again Vincent, Joshua, Samantha and Alina." He hesitated as his gaze stopped on me. "I don''t think I know this young man."


    As he stepped closer, my body tensed up. It felt as if he were weighing my worth rather than looking at a friend of his son. "What''s your name?" He asked after a short moment that felt like ages.


    "Kai Friseal, sir." Why was the air so tense?


    "He''s the guy I was telling you about, dad." Erik said as we approached the table.


    "Oh, so you''re a martial artist?" The middle-aged man asked calmly. I nodded while still feeling the need to add. "I''m still in training."


    "I see, good luck in your endeavours, you seem like you can pull off anything you put your mind in to."


    I flinched. "Thank you, sir." I wasn''t used to receiving praise. Though, this didn''t quite feel like praise anyways. I couldn''t quite wrap my head around this guy''s speech. He was... weird. Perhaps being weird was a side effect of being super rich, I thought to myself as I carefully lowered myself into the expensive, clearly handmade chair. I was terrified of breaking something.


    "In that case," He said as his dark eyes focused on me. I gulped as he continued. "I have an offer for you."

 Chapter 5: ’PORTAL’

    <h4>Chapter 5: ''PORTAL''</h4>


    "As you surely know, I''m the CEO and founder of ''OTHERWORLD'', the leading firm in dive technology. We''ve been developing a new type of interface and a game. We call the interface ''PORTAL''. It''s meant to feel more real than reality itself." He took his knife in hand and lightly pressed his finger against the sharp edge.


    "Sir!" I cried out as a drop of blood appeared.


    "Right now, even in the most realistic dive games, using the most advanced technology, you couldn''t see the detail on this single drop. Look ¨C" he allowed it to fall onto his napkin. "You wouldn''t be able to see how it spreads through the cloth. You wouldn''t be able to feel the warmth of it fade as it dries." He smiled; it was a cold smile. One that didn''t appear in his eyes. "With ''PORTAL'', you can. However, manufacturing PORTAL devices isn''t easy. So far, we''ve only been able to create two thousand devices ¨C enough for testing the game and giving the privileged few some sort of early ess."


    Erik grinned as he chimed in. "Vincent and the others already reserved their devices. I''m pretty sure they''re somewhere in the house even."


    His father nodded. "Yes. Their opinions are, of course, very important feedback for us. However, people like you are rare and, frankly, valuable. As a martial artist you have trained your body as well as your mind to always be sharp, am I right?"


    I hesitated. Being called rare and valuable made me feel like I was being bought. "Well?" He asked again. Helpless, I nodded. "You could say that, but like I said, I''m still in training. I''m by no means a master in anything."


    "But your mind is sharp, I can see it. You are the best candidate for being able to tell the difference between reality and the virtual. You''d know if your body felt off or if your sight wasn''t quite right."


    I nodded again. I would know all of that. I wasn''t quite sure what he was getting at though. "I''m sure you''ve tested all that thoroughly before. Where do Ie in?"


    "You''re also a martial artist. You could tell whether the system we use ¨C the moves and attacks ¨C are realistic. I''d love to hear your opinion on thebat, the weapons, the enemies and such details." He smiled, though it looked almost wrong on his face. "And I''m sure Erik would love it if you could join him in his adventures."


    "Thanks dad." Erik said as Vincent rolled his eyes. "Of course, Kai''s going to join us. We wouldn''t have it any other way."


    I couldn''t really say anything; the opposition was overwhelming, and I was exhausted already. Two days wouldn''t hurt, right? It wouldn''t really affect my performance during exams, and I couldn''t go to the training hall until I healed anyways.


    "I''d love to join." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "I do feel bad for taking up one of the two thousand slots though." I said carefully.


    "No, no, don''t feel bad, please. Think of it as an opportunity for both parties. I''ll get valuable feedback and you''ll get to experience something you couldn''t otherwise." He wasn''t wrong and he was really convincing. I nodded and smiled, ignoring the gut feeling I had.


    "Well, let''s eat and then we can get to calibrating your PORTAL''s and making sure you log in to the game correctly."


    "Oh, we''d prefer to do that at home." Vincent suddenly chimed in. "That should be ok, right?"


    "Of course," The middle-aged man nodded with a fake smile. "That''s perfectly fine as long as you have afortable ce toy down."


    I hesitated, I wanted to go home but since I hadn''t actually paid for this PORTAL device, it would be weird to just take it and leave.


    "Kai, you can stay here. Devices like that usually require a very good online connection ¨C I don''t think the area you live in can provide you with sufficient speed." Erik''s mischievous smile was well-deserved. I sighed and just nodded. He had yed his cards perfectly.


    We ate dinner quickly, mostly because everyone was excited to y this new game. Erik''s father was mostly silent, onlymenting on something asionally. I could feel his piercing gaze upon me every time I joined the conversation. It was weird and even a little rming. I disliked it, a lot.


    A short whileter Samantha, Alina and the Kestler brothers bid their goodbyes and left with their packages in hand. As private chauffeurs came to pick them up, I stayed behind with Erik and watched. After therge doors closed, Erik and his father finally led me into a room on the top floor.


    Erik handed me a wooden box. It had intricate carvings on it. "Open it." He was excited, as usual. I nced at his father, who nodded. After a moment''s hesitation, I opened the box. Inside, a delicate looking...thing wasying on a soft cushion. I carefully took the cushion out of the box and ced in on a nearby table.


    "What is this?" I asked as I stared at it. It was made from what I assumed was a type of metal. It had a golden hue to it with some dark patches.


    "It''s the PORTAL." Erik''s father exined. He gently touched it. "Six circr devices, so I guess I should say, they''re the PORTAL." He chuckled. "Sit down, we''ll help you put it on."


    I nced at Erik, who showed me a trusting smile. He or his father wouldn''t really do something to hurt me, would they?


    "Oh, before that." He gestured towards my phone. "Will you call or text the olddy you''re staying with?"


    I nodded and wrote her a quick text as I didn''t want to keep Erik''s father waiting. As soon as I finished, I motioned to put the phone in my pocket, but Erik stopped me. "It''s best to not have any other electronics on you."


    It made some sense, so I reluctantly ced my phone on the desk. "So, what now?" I asked.


    "You''re wearingfortable enough clothes, so I just need you to remove your jacket. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure the room doesn''t get too cold."


    Sitting with just my shirt, I felt a little vulnerable even though I could probably beat them both. I shrugged and waited for his next instructions.


    "Now," He pressed something on the circr devices, and they clicked open, like bracelets. "Before you put them on, take a good look at them. I don''t want you to feel awkward after putting them on."


    He handed one of the smaller bracelets to me. I carefully took it. It was cold to the touch and very clearly made of metal. It was about as thick as my index finger and about as wide as my palm. I couldn''t see any electronicponents ¨C even where the device opened. There was no locking mechanism, no hinges, and no buttons.


    "It''s... not what I expected." I said. I was a bit confused, how did this thing even work?


    "Well, it is a weird device, that''s for sure." Erik''s father said with a chuckle. "Now, these two pieces go on your wrists." I heard an audible click as he locked the bracelets around my wrists. I shivered ¨C it was really cold to the touch. "These, on your ankles." He mumbled.


    "Do you mind if I do it?" I asked. It was probably the best way to figure out how these things even locked. Wordless, he gave the devices to me. Carefully, I put each on one ankle. An audible click proved I did it correctly, but I wasn''t any closer to figuring the thing out.


    "How do I remove it?"


    "Slide your finger here," He pointed at one of the darker patches. "You''ll feel a small bump, just press there." I did as he told and just like that, the thing opened, allowing me to remove it.


    "Alright, thest two pieces..." Erik mumbled as he took the tworger devices out. "This goes on your head. It''s the actual device where all the important stuff happens. The other," He gave it to me. "Goes on your neck."


    I hesitated. "Weird," I mumbled.


    "It''s needed to make sure your consciousness is separated from your body. It''s also the part that measures all your vitals." His father calmly exined. "It wouldn''t do if you made the same movements here as you did in the game world."


    Fair enough, I could believe that. It made sense and honestly, I wasn''t knowledgeable enough to refuse any exnation.


    "Let me help you with that." Erik''s father gently pushed my hair back and, again with that audible click, locked the device around my neck. I immediately searched for the bump and, only after I found it, rxed a little. Well, as much as I could with a tight metal thing around my neck.


    "Slightly ufortable." Imented.


    Erikughed it off. "It doesn''t matter anyways. You''ll only be aware of it for a very short while. Once it''s active, you won''t even feel these.


    "Thest piece goes over your head, kind of like a crown." His father gave me thest one.


    Hesitantly, I ced the circlet over my head. It was heavier than the others. "Great!" He said after making sure I was wearing it properly. "Lay down and just touch this spot." He pointed at one of the gold hued areas on my right wrist. "Close your eyes and PORTAL will activate in five seconds."


    "I''ll go put on mine!" Erik shouted as he ran out of the room. I nced at his father as Iy down and after seeing him nod, hesitantly touched the bright spot. There was something ¨C like a small carving. I felt my head spin and closed my eyes.


    "Good luck in there, Kai Friseal." Erik''s father''s distant voice slowly faded

 Chapter 6: Game – START

    <h4>Chapter 6: Game ¨C START</h4>


    It was somewhat painful as my mind detached from my body. For a short moment, I had no body. My whole existence was just my consciousness I was barely holding on to. If I had a throat, I would probably be feeling a lump in it. If I had a heart, it''d be beating as if it were trying to escape from my chest. But I had none of those. I wondered to myself ¨C should I panic?


    Suddenly a light shed in the darkness and I noticed ¨C I can see! Pale blue letters formed from the light.


    ''Wee to PORTAL ¨C please wait as an AVATAR is assigned ording to your specifications''


    Unable to do anything else, I watched as the letters faded and new ones appeared.


    ''AVATAR designationplete. In a moment you will be transported into Erdrin ¨C home of the Ereth.''


    I stared at the unfamiliar words. For a moment, I felt a tingling sensation on my fingertips. I tried to move them, but I couldn''t. I was still stuck in this darkness.


    ''Erdrin has been invaded by Demons. As a yer, your goal is to take back the lostnds of the Ereth and help them rebuild.''


    I felt my head spin again. My vision faded, then bright light burned my eyes. I started feeling again. Something soft was pressing against my cheek. I opened my eyes. I wasying on a soft bed, in a simple, empty room. I motioned to get up, but immediately felt a dizziness.


    ''Wee to Erdrin.'' The pale blue text appeared once more. ''AVATAR synchronisation nearlyplete. Please try to move your limbs one by one.''


    I slowly moved my left hand. Then, my right. My body felt weird, like it was not my own. Staring at the blue text still, I slowly moved my legs one by one. Only then, the text changed.


    ''AVATAR synchronisationplete. No issues found. Wee to Erdrin, Kai Friseal. You may now move freely. Once you leave this room, you will be given the option to choose a ss. Please make sure you arefortable with your AVATAR before you leave this room.''


    I nkly stared at the text until it faded. How did it know my name?


    I heard a loud thud, followed by some swearing. I assumed it was one of the other yers. Was there something wrong with their avatar?


    I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position. I immediately noticed I was taller than before. The ground seemed so much farther away. I also noticed my skin tone as soon as my hands entered my vision. It was very pale, almost looked like I was sick or something. I could even see the purple veins in under my skin.


    I carefully traced one of the veins from my wrist, all the way to my elbow. My hand ¨C eye coordination seemed ok since I could at least do that much.


    "Well..." I mumbled. My voice sounded simr to before. It was slightly softer and quieter, but it was somewhat recognisable. I think.


    I slowly stood up, making sure to hold on to the bed for support. I didn''t want to end up like the person that thud originated from. At first, my legs were shaky. The clunky ck robe I was wearing wasn''t helping either. I slowly took a step forward, then another and another until I reached the door. I reached for the handle, then stopped as I noticed a mirror next to the door. After a moment''s hesitation, I stepped in front of the mirror.


    A tall, slim, pale man looked at me. He wore a simple ck robe. I flinched ¨C did I really look like that? I stepped closer to the mirror. I had ridiculously long, white hair and purple eyes. Even my eyshes were white.


    "Did you seriously not find a more normal looking avatar?" I asked, half expecting those blue letters to answer me. Of course, nothing happened. I sighed, what the hell was I supposed to do, looking like this?


    At least my facial features were simr to those of the real me, aside from the pointy ears of course. I was ¨C barely ¨C recognisable. With uncertain steps, I approached the door and pulled it open.


    I was facing a ratherrge hall, filled with people. There wererge windows on the walls and something like a podium at the far end of the room. Aside from that there were no decorations whatsoever.


    "Oh my god! You''re look like a monster!" A girl with bright green hair who otherwise looked human, shouted at a guy who really did look like a monster. He had horns sprouting from his head and I could see his long, w-like hands from all the way over here.


    I looked around, hoping to spot Erik, but almost immediately gave up. There were so many people, and everyone looked so... inhuman. I wasn''t even sure if I could recognise Erik if I saw him.


    Someone lost their bnce and fell. Someone else bumped into a wall. It was chaos. I stood at my door, just watching all that until I heard a familiar voice.


    "Kai!" It was Samantha. She looked identical to her real self. The only difference was her hair was longer and neatly tied up. She also wore the same type of ck robe as me.


    "Oh my god!" She shouted as our eyes met. "What the hell!" She sprinted towards me, only losing her bnce once and quickly recovering. "Erik told me the AVATAR''s would be created to fit our talents and all but..." She mumbled as she stared at me.


    "Can you please not stare?" I asked as I felt blood rushing to my face. I was already self conscious enough as it is. "Anyways, why do you look exactly the same?"


    She shrugged. "I have no idea. Why do you look like..." She paused.


    "Samantha please," I said while ncing around. "Besides, other people look a lot weirder than I do!" I tilted my head towards the guy with the horns and ws. "Look."


    She shrugged. "Well, true. But you''re definitely more eye-catching than him."


    I sighed. "Can we just find the others please?"


    "Sure," She said with a grin. "People are staring though; you should know that."


    "Please, just stop." I looked around in a panic, only to see a few people look away as soon as our gazes met. She was right. My shoulders dropped as I followed her. "How did you know who I was?"


    She grinned. "Let that be my secret."


    "Oh,e on." I cried out. "How will we find the others?"


    "I''ll take care of it." She said with that same grin and a confident tone. "Don''t you worry. You haven''t picked a ss yet, right?"


    I shook my head. I didn''t even know how to.


    "Good! We''ll all pick them together, so we won''t need any outside help. We''re six people, perfect for a game like this." She said cheerfully as she led me closer to the podium, away from most people.


    A game... It didn''t quite feel like one. If not for the pale blue letters that originally appeared, I wouldn''t be able to tell if this was a game. Even this foreign body had started to feel natural as my mind adapted to it. If my surroundings were somewhere in London and my avatar was like my actual body, I wouldn''t be able to tell the difference.


    "There they are!" Samantha said with a smile as we approached a group of four. As soon as I saw their faces, I recognised them.


    "Samantha!" Alina loudly shouted.

 Chapter 7: Class Options

    <h4>Chapter 7: ss Options</h4>


    Alina didn''t look like her real self as much as Samantha. She still had blonde hair and I was able to tell it was her, but she didn''t look quite the same. Her skin tone was slightly darker, like she had spent a lot of time under the sun. She had a tattoo under her left eye that looked like a symbol of the sun.


    "Alina, looking good!" Samantha hugged her.,


    "You look great too, much fitter than in real life!" The other girl shouted.


    "Kai?" It was Vincent. He looked more or less normal. His brown hair was much longer than before and his eye colour had changed into a dark blue, but I could easily tell it was him. Joshua was a bit different though. He had blueish ck hair and bright green eyes. He looked much better and well-built than his real self. Compared to his brown-haired old self, it was a bit jarring to see him like this.


    Erik was exactly the same as before. He had wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and that same, mischievous smile.


    "Hey guys," I said sheepishly. I was the weird one in the group again.


    "You look cool!" Vincent shouted suddenly. He sprinted towards me only to get his feet tangled up and fall. "Damnit!" He shouted as everyoneughed at his expense.


    "Dad did say our Avatars would be created ording to some secret parameters but..." Erik shrugged. "I never expected to see you turn into a ghost, Kai."


    I paused for a second before we all startedughing. "Damn you Erik!" I shouted between fits ofughter. I was so relieved to see them all here.


    "Well, let''s pick a ss and get started. Remember, we don''t have too much time. We''re not going to be seeing Kai as much when his wounds heal." Erik dered. "Let''s see what everyone can pick." He traced a symbol on the air. As soon as he did, a partially see-through interface window appeared before him.


    We all approached to see better.


    ''To get started, please pick a ss. Keep in mind that ss choices are final and can not be changed once confirmed.'' The pale blue letters lingered there as more was written beneath those words.


    We watched as he scrolled through the avable sses.


    "Fighter, Ranger, Priest, Wizard," He mumbled as he read through each ss'' description. "Oh, rogue and... What''s this?" Beneath these sses, another was listed. "Pdin?" He asked, ncing at us. "That''s a first."


    "Look what is says here!" Samantha chimed in. She read a note written in bold text. "Special ss requirements met. The PALADIN ss has been unlocked." She hesitated. "I didn''t know there were special sses."


    "Neither did I." He mumbled. "Ok, let''s check everyone else''s sses first."


    Vincent was the next to open the interface and scroll through. To his disappointment, he didn''t have any special sses.


    "Cheater!" He lightly punched Erik.


    "I''ll go next!" Joshua said. He too was soon met with disappointment. "Damnit." His shoulders dropped. I lightly patted his shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up, but it didn''t seem to have much of an effect.


    Samantha went next and, to everyone''s surprise, she did have a special ss. "Wayfarer?" She mumbled.


    I leaned forward to read the descriptive text. "The wayfarer excels at tracking foes through any kind of terrain. They are amazing sharpshooters andter may choose to couple their archery skills with elemental magic." I raised my eyebrows. So, wizards weren''t the only ones who could use magic. "Sounds strong."


    "It really does." Samantha said with a smile. "I want to pick this one, Erik." She looked at him as if waiting for approval.


    "What did the description for pdin say, Erik?" I asked. I hadn''t gotten the chance to read it. Instead of reading in out loud, he just summoned the interface and showed it to me.


    ''The Pdin excels at keeping hordes of foes at bay, while healing and buffing their allies. They take their might from the god they swear an oath to.''


    "Sounds fun." He said. I nodded as Alina quickly summoned her interface. She was clearly excited.


    "Oh,e on! Unfair!" She shouted. She also didn''t have a special ss avable. "Erik! Why does Samantha have one, but I don''t?" She red at him like a small child who just saw their friend get a better toy.


    "I don''t know, Vince and Josh don''t have one either." Erik shrugged, then stepped back to avoid a punch. "Hey, you know all sses are strong. You don''t need to have special ss, they''re the exception, not the norm."


    Aline huffed and folded her arms under her breasts. She was clearly unhappy.


    "I''m pretty sure you can unlock them as you progress through the game, right? Like ¨C a Fighter can be a Spellsword or a rogue can be an Assassin or..." Vincent hesitated. "What was the name of that magic-thief ss, brother?"


    "Uhh... Trickster?" Joshua asked. "I don''t remember. Anyways, it''s not such a big deal Alina. Just roll with what you have, and you''ll get better stuff eventually." He shrugged. His previous outburst was, as I thought, nothing more than a joke.


    "I guess I''m up." I mumbled as I mimicked Erik and drew the weird symbol in the air in front of me. Right as I finished, the interface appeared. Now that I could see it properly, it seemed to be more than just a single window, I could see faint traces of outlines, right at the corner of my vision. When I looked more carefully, I noticed there was some very faint text written on those panels.


    ''CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE''


    I wondered what they were for, for a short moment before directing my attention to the ss selection panel. I could feel everyone''s gazes focused on me. Under the header, sses were listed just like with everyone else. I scrolled down, unsure of which resonated more with me, until I too stumbled upon a special ss.


    ''Soul Keeper''

 Chapter 8: Difficult Choices

    <h4>Chapter 8: Difficult Choices</h4>


    "Soul Keeper?" Erik mumbled. "That''s an interesting one."


    I read the bold text quietly, along with everyone else.


    ''The Soul Keeper is the guardian of the otherworld. He is a vessel for the fallen, the final resting ce for the souls of the dead. The Soul Keeper''s power scales with each soul he takes. Souls of exceptionally powerful beings may grant him additional benefits.''


    "That is cool!" Vincent shouted. "It suits your look perfectly too!"


    I couldn''t disagree. Instead I chuckled and nodded.


    "I have an idea." Erik dered suddenly. "Originally, I wanted to y a Wizard. But we have an edge with three special sses at our disposal. I suggest we have two front liners, at least one ranged damage dealer, a support and a nker." His gaze lingered on each person. "I''ll pick Pdin." He said as he touched the ss name. A notification popped up:


    ''You have chosen the ss: PALADIN. Please confirm your choice.''


    After a moment''s hesitation, he clicked on the ''Confirm'' button. "I''m a front liner now. Samantha, you should probably pick the Wayfarer."


    She nodded and picked her ss. Vincent chimed in almost immediately. "I''ll be a Fighter." We nodded as he confirmed his choice. Joshua picked the Rogue almost immediately.


    "Aw,e on. I have to be the healer now?" She grumbled as she picked Priest. I was the only one who hadn''t chosen yet. After a moment''s hesitation, I pressed on the ''Soul Keeper''.


    "This is going to be fun," Erik said with a grin as I confirmed my choice. As soon as I did, a new interface appeared. This time, the previously unavable panels had also been unlocked.


    "Too much information!" Alina shouted. She was right ¨C there was so much going on!


    The first thing I saw was a status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 1 Soul Keeper.'' Seemed about right. I kept reading. ''Exp: 0/100 - - Souls: 0/100''


    I hesitated. I knew experience meant levels and that meant more power but what was this ''souls'' thing all about? Oh well, I was going to figure it out eventually. Wondering about it now wasn''t going to help with anything.


    "Chosen Deity..." Erik mumbled. "I''ll go with the God of Vengeance, Rohir."


    "What''s an elemental spirit?" Samantha asked as the Kestler brothers shrugged.


    After ncing at everyone else, I checked the next panel. It was apparently my inventory. I couldn''t see a weight limit but there was apparently a volume limit, though I couldn''t imagine ever filling it up. I did own a box, but I wasn''t sure what was in it. I didn''t dare try to take it out here, since there were still some two thousand people with us, and I had no idea what the box might contain.


    The next panel was once again, currently unavable. A small note was written underneath in fine text; ''This panel will be avable as more Souls are obtained''


    "Alright!" Erik suddenly loudly spoke to pull our attention. "Let''s get going to get a head start!"


    I grabbed his arm before he could rush away. "Wait, look." I tilted my head towards the podium. We were the closest group to it, so I was the first to notice the person heading up to it. It was a tall man. He had a pair of leathery wings on his back and was taller than anyone else I could see. His skin was a dark blueish colour. As we watched, he started his speech.


    "Wee, Heroes of our Nation. Today, we have summoned you here to ask for your help! The Demons have invaded ournds, destroyed out divine pirs and cut off our ability to use magic outside our great city!" He raised his hands as a map appeared in the air. I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my mind.


    "Here, is our city." A point on the map shone brightly. "Our empire spanned the entire continent once," A light originating from the city illuminated most of the map. Several other glowing spots appeared ¨C tens of them. "All these were once ours. Our divine pirs ¨C the source of our power!" The map disappeared. "Your mission is to drive out the demons from ournds, rebuild our divine pirs and eventually defeat the Demon Lord!"


    He pped and a notification appeared in front of me. "A gift from us, to all of you. Now ¨C go forth and reim what was once ours!" With those words, he pped his wings and flew off.


    "Cool!" Vincent said. "He gave us some stuff!" He motioned to touch the notification, but Samantha grabbed his wrist to stop him. "We can look at itter. Let''s get out of here first."


    "Yeah, look." Erik pointed at the ground. Glowing circles had started appearing before each group. I approached the circle, only to see a tooltip pop up. ''Destination: The Torchlight Woods Camp''


    "That''s a teleportation circle. It''ll send us somewhere and we''ll begin our journey." Erik exined to me. He then suddenly summoned his interface and did something. A notification popped up before me. ''Party Request Received''. I nced at Erik, who nodded. I epted the request and everyone else''s names became visible on a new panel.


    "Alright, that''s out of the way too! Come on, let''s not waste any more time!" Erik grabbed Alina and Joshua''s hands as he stepped into the teleportation circle. I hurried after him, as did Samantha and Vincent. When all of us stepped in, the circle glowed with a bright yellow light.


    "Here we go!" Erik shouted as our surroundings darkened. Only a few secondster, we found ourselves in a wooden area. The circle faded from beneath our feet. Before we even had a chance to take in our surroundings, a notification appeared.


    ''Quest: Kill the monsters before they can destroy the camp.''


    I nced around. We were in a small opening in the woods. There were two tents, a burnt-out campfire, a box, and some sort of floating crystal thing.


    "What monsters?" Alina asked as she stepped forward. The others shrugged and walked closer to the tents. I looked around for a weapon, but all I could see were thin branches that had fallen from the surrounding trees. Before I could as Erik about how to fight, I heard a howl. It came from the trees behind me.


    "Look out!" Samantha shouted as she sprinted towards me. She was looking up ¨C towards the branches of the tree I was standing under. I followed her panicked gaze to see two bright red eyes staring at me. Two ws extended to catch me, but Samantha pulled me away just in time. We fell as the creaturended in front of us.


    It had the head of a wolf and the body of a feline. It howled as more such creatures stepped out of the woods. I quickly rose to my feet and helped Samantha up as well. "We need weapons!" I shouted as the first creature leapt towards me. I had nothing I could use to defend myself ¨C my unarmedbat training would be of no use against opponents like this!


    "Look out!" Erik shouted as he pulled me away from the creature''s attack. How was he moving so fast? "Remember, this is a game!" He said as arge tower shield materialised in hands. He blocked the creature''s attack easily with it.


    "Get down!" Joshua shouted as a sh of light flew by me. The creature whimpered with pain as I noticed the small dagger sticking out of its shoulder.


    "Kai!" Samantha grabbed me and pulled away from the thick of the fight. "Open your inventory and equip the stuff the guy gave you." She pushed me farther away as a longbow materialised in her hands. "Alright, here Ie!" She shouted. She hooked an arrow and drew her bow. The arrow flew straight past the wounded monster and killed another one approaching from the woods.


    "Nice!" Erik shouted as he blocked yet another attack. He also had a longsword in hand, though he wasn''t wielding it in any meaningful way. Vincent on the other hand, was using his shortsword like he had at least a little training. He wasn''t a match for any professional, but he was easily wounding these creatures.


    I heard another howle from behind. I quickly turned to look, only to see several glowing red eyes approaching. Erik and the others were busy with the first group of creatures still. I had to do something to buy some time.

 Chapter 9: Combat

    <h4>Chapter 9: Combat</h4>


    I opened my inventory to see a couple new items.


    ''Training Staff, Simple Clothes, Magical Ink''


    I hesitated, none of these were what I was hoping for. I touched the staff icon. It materialised in front of me and I quickly grabbed it. It felt good, the wood was sturdy and smooth. It looked almost identical to the nearly two-meter-long staff I used to train with.


    I looked up and came face to face with the first monster. With a quick strike, I blocked its ws and spun the staff around to hit it in the head. I heard a loud crack as the creature fell from the branches of the tree. With the few seconds I had, I nced around. I counted three more creaturesing from this side. I could hear the battle soundsing from behind me. The others were still busy with the previous group.


    A low snarl alerted me of the approaching monster. With its ws extended and those deadly teeth reflecting the light, the creature aiming for my neck was a terrifying sight. I couldn''t let those ws touch me if I wanted to survive this. I threw myself to the side to avoid the attack and quickly rose to my feet again. The creaturended a few steps away and seeing the opportunity I struck its head. It growled and faced me, only to take another hit from my staff.


    Possibly dead, it fell to the ground. But I didn''t have the time to feel relieved yet ¨C two more creatures approached. I didn''t wait for them to attack and rushed at one of them instead. I couldn''t let them control my movements and surround me. With quick and precise strikes, I hit my target in the head several times.


    "Kai!" Samantha shouted as my opponent finally fell. I quickly turned to look at her, only to see two giant ws right by my face. I hadn''t realised thest creature had gotten this close. I didn''t have time to defend myself. I could do nothing.


    Suddenly the creature whimpered as something rammed into it. Vincent fell over as did the creature. Without skipping a beat, I bashed the creature''s throat.


    ''Quest Complete'' The notification lingered for a few seconds before it faded.


    "Wow!" Erik said with a relieved voice. "Kai, that was amazing!" He grabbed me by my shoulders and shouted. "Did you guys see that?" He was shaking me back and forth as he talked.


    I felt a little lightheaded suddenly and pushed him away. The corpses around us had a weird glow to them. As I watched, several dark shadows rose from the corpses. I stepped back, tightly grasping my staff. "What''s going on?"


    "What do you mean?" Samantha nced around. Her gaze didn''t even linger on the shadows. Could she not see them?


    "There''s-" Before I could finish my sentence, the shadows leapt at me. I raised my staff to defend myself from whatever this was. The shadows leapt through my staff as if it weren''t even there and hit me in the chest. Or that''s what I thought would happen. I felt a coldness in my chest as they dissolved into me.


    "Wait, what?" I asked as I felt the coldness spread. I shivered, what was going on? Was this what collecting souls meant? I quickly summoned my status window.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 1 Soul Keeper | Exp: 100/100 - - Souls 10/100''


    Just below that, ''Level Up Avable'' was written in bold text.


    "Nice, good job team!" Erik said as everyone gathered around me. "Go on Kai."


    Hesitantly, I touched the level-up button. The panel expanded as I was presented with a whole bunch of text and numbers.


    "Let me exin." Erik said, seeing my confusion. "There are five stats you need to worry about: Strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence and wisdom." He nced at the panel floating in front of me.


    "Think of them like this;" Samantha chimed in. "Strength is obvious, it''s your physical power. Dexterity means how well you use your body ¨C your speed and ability to dodge and all that. Constitution is basically your hit points. How long you can survive, so to speak." She hesitated. "I''m not sure of thest two."


    "Intelligence is your ability to understand magic and the arcane. It also increases you magic reserves ¨C mana." Vincent said with excitement. "Wisdom is like your sixth sense."


    We all stared at my stats. "You... Have a lot of intelligence and Wisdom."


    ''STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 15 ¨C INT: 18 ¨C WIS: 17''


    "Yeah." I mumbled. "I guess Soul Keepers are supposed to use magic." I nced at the number of souls I had and shivered. "Ok, what now?"


    "You can allocate one point to your stats and you also get to choose a spell. I think." Erik exined. I pondered for a moment before asking; "What should I pick, then?"


    "Whatever you think suits you best." He grinned. "I''m not going to tell you how to y. It''s got to be all you." He also opened his stats panel. My eyes widened as I saw his 20 Strength and 22 Constitution. He was really strong.


    I nced at everyone else. Samantha had 22 Dexterity and 18 Wisdom. I couldn''t see Alina as she was standing too far away. Vincent had a 12 for all stats, which surprised me. He seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick. Joshua grinned and hid his stats panel when I tried to look at it.


    I shivered again as I pondered. What would the best choice be? I was a martial artist but none of the stats I had were relevant, maybe other than dexterity. This body ¨C avatar ¨C of mine was more suited for a spellcaster. After a moment''s hesitation, I decided to just not allocate the point for now. Instead, I saved it and checked my spells. I had three options in front of me.


    ''Soul''s Respite'', ''Fallen Grace'' and ''Death''s Scythe''


    Their grim names sent a shiver down my spine. I read each spells description. Soul''s Respire was simple healing spell, while Death''s Scythe was something that enhanced my weapon. Fallen Grace seemed rather interesting. I carefully read the description.


    ''The Soul Keeper summons the power of the fallen, enhancing his body and mind. The effects of the spell changes as more souls find their respite within the Soul Keeper.''


    It didn''t list what the current effect would be. I had to admit, I was curious. Enhancing my weapon would only help me so much and healing wasn''t going to win us any fights. I touched ''Fallen Grace'' on the panel and confirmed my selection.


    A new panel appeared as soon as I dismissed the old one. ''Mana: 180/180'' Beneath that, I could see several dark areas. They seemed to be skills I hadn''t picked up yet. I looked at Fallen Grace, it had a mana cost of 20 and there was something written in a fine print.


    ''No extra effects.''


    "Are you done yet, Kai?" Joshua''s voice prompted me to close the interface. I nodded, even though there was more I wanted to check out.


    "Perfect!" Erik suddenly said. "I guess we''ll set up camp and check in with the crystal for more quests." He suddenly paused and nced around. "The corpses aren''t disappearing."

 Chapter 10: A Chill Down my Spine

    <h4>Chapter 10: A Chill Down my Spine</h4>


    I looked at the dead creatures around us. They were indeed still here. After a moment''s hesitation, I kneeled next to one and carefully touched its fur. It was soft, but dirty. I could see some leaves stuck in it, as well as drops of water and blood. There were even some traces of dirt.


    "I don''t think they will." I said as I stood up. Erik sighed as everyone else grumbled about quality of life and inconveniences.


    I looked at the other corpses, then at my clothes. My ck robes had some dirt and dried blood on them. I ran my finger through my hair, it felt... normal. I looked at the corpses again. How had OTHERWORLD made everything so detailed?


    "Kai?" Erik called my name. "Are you ok?"


    I nodded. I felt uneasy. I approached the camp and sat down with the others.


    "Let''s check the box we got and everything else." Vincent said as I took the clothes from my inventory. "I''ll use one of the tents to change." I mumbled and quickly hurried off there. I was neverfortable with robes ¨C they reminded me of not quite so pleasant memories.


    I took off my robes and put on the clothes the winged guy had given me. They really were simple clothes. After wearing my new getup, I stopped to check the inside of the tent. I was looking a ce ¨C any ce that looked or felt like a game. That seemed unnatural. Virtual.


    I ran my finger through the thick cloth of the tent, touched the moist dirt. I puffed at my hand, only to be amazed how real my warm breath felt. I could see why OTHERWORLD was considered the leadingpany.


    I left the tent to see Samantha and Alina entering the other tent. I shot a questioning look at Erik, who quietly answered. "They''ll change too." He stood up to enter the tent I just left. "We should all do that, actually." He mumbled as the cloth p closed after him.


    I sat down by the Kestler brothers. They were both staring at tworge wooden boxes.


    "I expected treasure." Vincent finally said. Joshua nodded as he reached into the box and grabbed a really long rope. "I don''t think we''ll ever use this. Or the hammer. Or anything else in there."


    I chuckled. "You never know." I pointed at the setting sun. "What do we do now?"


    "Wait for Erik. Probably spend the night here." Vincent shrugged. "It''s probably not a good idea to be walking around when it gets dark."


    I nodded. With creatures such as these out there, I wouldn''t want to be out there during the night either. I got up again and sighed. "Hey, Vincent. Was there a knife in the box?"


    "Yeah, why?" He pointed at a rather sharp knife.


    It was good enough for my purposes. "I''ll get rid of the corpses." I said. I didn''t want them to start dposing just by our camp. Besides, there was something else I wanted to check too.


    "They''ll go away eventually." Joshua said with a yawn. "This is a game, remember?"


    "Sure. But they''re still here. I''m not asking you to do anything. I''ll take care of it." I summoned my own box and took the knife out.


    "Whatever." Joshua grumbled and opened his status panel. Vincent just sighed and shrugged.


    I approached the farthest corpse and touched its fur. "Sorry about this." I whispered before making a clean cut along the creature''s stomach all the way to its lower lip. The smell of blood was intense. I carefully lifted its skin. The muscles were... realistic to say the least. I could see the blood oozing from the damaged veins. The body was getting cold and it was getting more difficult to move its legs.


    I quickly cleaned the knife on the fur of the creature and got up. I had to take these corpses away from the camp before the smell of death set in. I grabbed the first one by its hind legs and started dragging it away from camp.


    They were heavy and by the time I was done, I was out of breath. I sank onto the ground. I needed a little rest. Beads of sweat dropped from my forehead. I looked up as a calm breeze shuffled the leaves.


    I looked at the small pile of corpses. I could smell the blood from here. And if I could, so could any predators.


    I tried to tell myself that this is a game, that I didn''t need to go to this extent; but I just couldn''t bring myself to not take this seriously. It didn''t feel like a virtual world. With a tired sigh, I got up and looked around. Was there anything I could use as a shovel?


    After a few minutes of searching, I found a wide, broken branch. It wasn''t perfect but it would do. Right before I started digging, I thought of giving ''Fallen Grace'' a try. I summoned the interface and touched the skill. My mana decreased by twenty as the shadows that had previously entered my chest suddenly burst forth. The coldness I had been feeling had disappeared. The creature''s shadows ¨C their souls ¨C circled me for a short moment before dissolving into my legs. Almost immediately, I felt power rushing into me.


    Grabbing my makeshift shovel, I started digging a hole. The moist, fresh earth was easy to move, making my job take much less time and effort than I expected. After what seemed like half an hour, I already had a deep enough hole. I quickly rolled all ten corpses inside, then covered up the hole with dirt and dead leaves.


    "I hate this..." I mumbled. I felt nauseous. The stench of death lingered around me. I slowly walked back to the camp. The scratches on my hands hurt as did my legs. This body wasn''t made to do any heavy lifting like that. I still couldn''t wrap my head around why I was given this avatar. But more importantly, I couldn''t understand how this was a virtual world.


    "Hey Kai." Samantha waved at me from the camp. "I''m d you''re back in one piece..." She hesitated. "The others went to gather some firewood. Are you ok? You look a bit pale."


    Iughed. "Pale is one way to put it." I pointed at my long white hair and pale skin. "I''m fine. I got rid of the corpses so I''m a bit tired." I looked around. I wanted to wash the dirt away. "Is there a water source around here?"


    She nodded. "I found a river. Follow me." She led me through a patch of greenery to a small stream. Grateful, I washed away the sweat and dirt. The cool water touching my skin felt incredible. I stared on my reflection for a short while.


    "I can''t believe this isn''t real." I whispered as I dipped my fingers into the flowing stream, watching the water bend around them. "How did they even achieve such realism?"


    She shrugged. "I don''t know but it''s amazing." She smiled. "Now do you understand why we wanted you to join us?"


    I nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Samantha." I rose to my feet and gestured her to lead the way back. "It''s really amazing." I mumbled as we passed through the bushes.


    When we came back to the campsite, Erik was already back. He was standing there, motionless. He looked a bit pale. Worried, I rushed over with Samantha in tow.


    "Erik, what''s wrong?"


    He stared at me wordless for a moment before summoning his interface. He looked it over ¨C every panel, every single piece of text. "Kai." He said as his bright blue eyes met mine. "There''s no logout button."

 Chapter 11: Dusk

    <h4>Chapter 11: Dusk</h4>


    I felt something stuck in my throat as my heart skipped a beat. "What?" He was joking, right? We couldn''t be stuck in this game, right? That only happened in movies and books. Not... not to us. Right?


    With shaky hands, I summoned my interface and searched for it, or something contact anyone outside. Didn''t games have something like customer support?


    "It''s true... I can''t find it either." Samantha said with a catch in her voice. "Erik, when do you think they''ll fix it?"


    Erik shrugged. "I don''t know. This never happened before." He hesitated. "Simple bugfixes usually are fairly quickly but I''ve got no idea how something like this even made it into the final product. This will screw up so many ns." He sighed. "Worst case scenario, it''ll take a few hours for them to notice and then they''ll forcefully log everyone out till the issue is fixed."


    Samantha nodded. She didn''t seem particrly rmed or anything. "Ok, I guess we''ll wait." She quietly said as she sat on one of the logs surrounding the campfire. Erik nodded, though he still seemed a bit pale. He nced at her, then at me. I could see it in his eyes ¨C he wasn''t telling us everything.


    I hesitantly walked to the edge of camp. I couldn''t just sit there, trapped in this virtual world. "I''ll go for a walk." Erik nodded as I walked off.


    I passed through the trees and aimlessly walked around. I felt exhausted, not only physically but also mentally. It was hard to believe that my body was justying on a bed in the real world right now. I ran my finger through the leaves hanging from the lower branches of the trees. It all felt so real ¨C the drops of water clinging to my fingers, the strands of my hair blowing in the gentle wind, even the uneven dirt being crushed beneath my feet.


    A gnarl pulled me away from my thoughts. I quickly turned to face the source of it, only to find a pair of red eyes closing in on me. I jumped back, then scrambled to open my inventory to take my staff. A pair of sharp ws passed right before my face as I fell on my back. As my staff finally materialised, the creature''s fangs snapped in front of me. I felt the weight of its body press down on me as I desperately tried to keep it away from my face.


    My staff was basically useless, it was too long to use in such a closebat situation. I let go of it as I grabbed the creature''s ears. Its ws dug into my chest, but I didn''t care. I thrust my fingers into its ears as it shrieked. Momentster, blood spurted out as I felt something crack. It whimpered and shivered before finally falling dead. I felt a coldness in my chest almost immediately.


    Iy there for a moment. I felt sick. My hands were covered in blood and... something grey. The metallic smell of its blood filled my nostrils as I scrambled to get the corpse off me. I grabbed my staff and ran through the trees, without even so much as a nce behind.


    I only stopped when I reached the small stream Samantha had shown me earlier. Throwing aside my staff, I submerged my hands into the water, allowing the blood and everything else to wash away. After only a moment''s hesitation, I walked upstream. There had to be ake of something at the source of it. I couldn''t go back looking like this and just jumping into clean, cold water sounded too good.


    After a while, I finally arrived at... somewhere. I stepped out of the woods to an alcove with a beautifulke and a waterfall. The serene beauty of the ce took my breath away. The grass was a lush green and colourful crystals decorated the cliffs surrounding the ce. Theke''s water was crystal clear; I could see the fish swimming in the depths of it. Even the air felt fresh and filled with... something. With every breath, I felt refreshed.


    I approached theke carefully. I wasn''t going to let myself be caught off guard again. I touched the surface of the water, half expecting something to jump out and try to eat me. Nothing happened. Instead, I was greeted with a few scared fish scurrying away into the patches of seaweed.


    After making sure no one was around, I removed my clothes and jumped into the crystal-clear water. I knew it was risky. I knew it was stupid. I waspletely defenceless. But the cold water washed away all my worries as I felt my exhaustion slowly disappear.


    Once I was done, I dried myself and quickly got dressed. Then, instead of returning to the campsite, Iy on the lush, green grass and watched the darkening sky. The clouds reflected the purple-crimson light of the setting sun. It was almost magical.


    The moment was soon ruined by a notification. ''Beware the Night: Demonic Creatures are empowered by the darkness. Make sure you''re prepared to face them if you intend to spend the night outside of areas protected by the crystals of the Makers.''


    I stared at the pale blue words. Who were the Makers? It felt as if we''d been thrown into this with little to no exnation. I knew this wasn''t exactly a finished product but still??


    I summoned my stats panel. One more soul had been added to the ten I had gotten before. I felt a little sick as I remembered thest creature I killed. I quickly shook my head ¨C it wasn''t real, this was all a game. My thought process was soon interrupted as I saw a difference: Below the ''Fallen Grace'', there was another skill now.


    "''Explorer''?" I mumbled as I read the description. ''Explorers receive minimal experience points by discovering ces of significance. Map enabled.''


    I quickly nced at the experience gauge. It was now at ''15/150''


    "They weren''t joking when they said ''minimal''." I grumbled as I rose to my feet. It was getting dark ¨C I had to hurry back. As I took my staff from my inventory, I noticed a previously unavable panel. It was a topographic map of my surroundings.


    My eyes widened ¨C this was incredibly useful. My happiness didn''tst long however as my eyes involuntarily searched for a logout button. I forced myself to forget about that for now. I rushed back to the campsite albeit a bit reluctantly ¨C this ce was truly beautiful.


    I saw the glow of a fire shortly before I arrived. As I stepped into the light, I noticed a delicious smell ¨C meat being cooked.


    "Wee back Kai." Erik said with a grin. Everyone was sitting by the fire, with rather tasty looking pieces of meat in hand. As I approached, Samantha handed me a piece of meat on a wooden b. "There was quite a lot of food in the camp''s supply chest." She exined with a smile. "We just helped ourselves a little."


    I took a bite ¨C it was delicious. "This is great!" Everyone else enthusiastically nodded. They didn''t seem too worried. Did they not care about being stuck in this virtual world? We ate our meal in silence and once we were done, Erik spoke up. "Let''s go to sleep. Chances are we''ll wake up back at home. If not, dad will probably get us out tomorrow."


    "Yeah." Alina mumbled. "I''m really tired anyways." She got up and headed to one of the tents. Samantha followed her almost immediately, but not before looking at us and saying, "If you guys even think of doing something, I''ll put an arrow through your heads.".


    The Kestler brothers nodded in fear while me and Erik both sighed. "Alright, let''s go." Erik said as he dragged all three of us into the other tent. I was surprised by his strength ¨C his grip even hurt a little.


    I picked the closest spot to the entrance and bid everyone else a goodnight. With an uneasy feeling and a coldness in my chest, I fell asleep.

 Chapter 12: Bright Stars

    <h4>Chapter 12: Bright Stars</h4>


    Howls and growls woke me up from my uneasy rest. A bit groggy, I left the tent to check on our surroundings. The campfire had died a long time ago, I couldn''t feel any warmth from the ashes anymore. Hesitant, I approached the crystal. It was floating in the air ¨C clearly magical in nature, it radiated a soft, pale blue light.


    Erik imed that this might be one of those ''divine pirs'' the winged guy had told us about. I disagreed. This was clearly a magical device, but I didn''t think it was something as important as that. It seemed to do little more than illuminating its surroundings.


    A louder howl distracted me, and I turned to face the dark, silent forest. There were creatures out there ¨C dangerous, and deadly creatures. Hesitant, I approached the edge of the area illuminated by the crystal. The only light sources aside that crystal were the two moons and the shockingly bright starts in the night sky.


    The air was cool, the slight breeze from before had gotten slightly stronger. It was a beautiful night. Yet, I felt on edge, even after the howls and growls became more distant. Something felt off. Did I feel like this because none of this was real? Was I subconsciously picking up proof of the virtual world?


    I sighed. As I motioned to step towards the camp, something sent a chill down my spine. I felt a warm breath on my neck. Something soft touched my arm. I nced down to see a corner a of cloth, blown my way by the wind. I froze. My instincts were screaming at me to run, to get away from whatever was behind me. I gulped. The air grew colder.


    "How do you still stand?" Its voice was dry, like it hadn''t spoken in quite some time. "How does the light allow you to exist?" The simple words were enough to send my mind into chaos. I couldn''t move, perhaps out of fear, or maybe because of some sort of magic.


    "Why do you not answer me?" The voice whispered. Disgusted by the warm breath on my neck, I forced myself to move. As if something keeping me still just broke, I stumbled forward and fell. Breathing heavily, I turned to face the creature.


    It was tall, taller than me. It wore a long, tattered cloak and something that looked like armour underneath. I could see a pair of dark, feathery wings on it''s back. Its face was... almost human. Its... no, his bright purple eyes shone in the darkness as our gazes met. I couldn''t look away and he chose not to.


    "I see..." His dry voice reached my ears. He extended his hand towards me, carefully. As soon as his thin fingers touched the light of the crystal, he pulled them back. From where he touched the light, a barrier appeared.


    He stepped back. "You, who is protected by the Ereth," He raised his hand. I could just barely see his pale, blue-grey skin in the darkness. "You shall remain as you are, for today." He extended his wings and with a powerful p, lifted off the ground. A single ck feathernded before me as he disappeared into the night.


    I breathed a sigh of relief when I couldn''t hear the sound of his wings anymore. I had never felt such a powerful presence before. Unable to hold myself up, Iy on the ground. My hands were still trembling. Once I felt a bit better, I went back inside even though all that awaited me was several more hours of restless sleep.


    Hourster, the rays of sunlight touching my face woke me up. With an unhappy yawn, I crawled out of the tent. The air was still cool, the evening breeze hadn''tpletely disappeared yet. The sky was dyed red and purple as the sun slowly rose from behind the far away mountain range. I could hear birds chirping as the forest slowly woke from its slumber.


    I stretched, then looked around. The others were still asleep. Still feeling groggy and tired, I slowly made my way to the stream. I crouched by the flowing water and leaned forward to wash my face. As I saw my white-haired and purple-eyed reflection, realisation struck me, and I suddenly froze.


    "No way." I touched the water, felt it flow through my fingers. "Why are we still here?" I whispered as I became more aware of the coldness in my chest. Hadn''t Erik told us we''d be logged out by the time we woke up? I summoned the interface and frantically searched for a logout button. There wasn''t one. We were still stuck in here.


    I bolted towards the camp ¨C there had to be a way to go back home! Erik had to know a way out, he just had to. He was the son of the owner of OTHERWOLD. We couldn''t be stuck here for much longer. I didn''t have the time to spend here ¨C none of us had.


    A loud growl alerted me to a nearby enemy. I quickly pulled my staff out of my inventory as I turned to face it. It was the same type of creature as yesterday. The head of a wolf and the body of arge feline ¨C fast, but weak. Two quick hits to its head knocked it out and I continued towards the camp. The coldness in my chest grew as another shadow joined its brethren.


    By the time I had gotten back, only Vincent was awake. He was sitting by the ashes of the campfire with a troubled look on his face. He flinched as I rushed out of the greenery. "Damn Kai, you scared the hell out of me!"


    "Sorry," I said out of breath. This body was getting tired too easily, it was getting annoying. "Vincent, we''re still here." I blurted out. "Erik said-"


    "I know what he said." He cut me off. He red at me for a few seconds then sighed and got up. "Come, let''s go for a walk." He walked off. I hurried after him; what did he want, I wondered. When we entered the treeline and silently walked for a while, he finally stopped by arge tree and leaned his back to it.


    "What do you think about this world, Kai?" He reached up and plucked a leaf off one of the lower branches.


    I hesitated. "It''s beautiful." I nced at the leaf as he crushed it. I could see its sap seeping out of it. "It''s too real." I added. With a gulp, I lifted my sight and looked directly at him. "Why did you ask?"


    He nodded and let the crushed leaf fall to the ground. "It does feel more real than any other game I''ve yed. Which makes me worry." He nced around. It was almost as if he didn''t want the others to hear any of this.


    "No one''s here." I said. "You can go on."


    He flinched, then with a bitter smile, nodded. "Thanks Kai." He looked at the sky for a moment before continuing. "The others ¨C including Erik ¨C don''t know about this. So, listen carefully."

 Chapter 13: A Dangerous Secret

    <h4>Chapter 13: A Dangerous Secret</h4>


    "Years ago, when Deep Dive was still a new technology, there were many dangers associated with it. While most rumours were false, a couple of them had the potential to be reality." Vincent caught some of my hair blowing towards him. "Usually, in a normal game, your hair doesn''t move like this. You can''t feel the wind as much as we do here. Nothing is so... real. You can never confuse the virtual world with the real one."


    He suddenly pulled my hair. I flinched ¨C that really stung!


    "You don''t ''feel'' pain, like you just did. You just know that if the game were real, you''d feel pain. It''s to protect the yers." He let the few strands of plucked hair get carried away in the slight breeze. "Because, if you actually feel the pain, your mind can''t process it as anything else than what it felt like. As in, if I cut off your hand, you''d probably go through everything a normal person in the real world would." He sighed. It was clear to me that he had trouble exining what he was thinking.


    "So," I hesitantly spoke. "Whatever happens here feels real, because we can''t tell that this is all virtual." I carefully asked. He nodded. "That''s dangerous. It could cause trauma, permanent psychological damage." I hesitantly said. I had seen what a severe wound could do to a person, even going back to a healthy body might not fix that emotional and psychological damage.


    "That''s not all." Vincent said. "What happens if we die?"


    I froze. I had no idea what death felt like. No one had. If you died, you just died. That was the end of it. What would the mind do if it experienced death?


    "No way." I suddenly said. "Erik''s dad would never allow him to y this if it actually posed an actual risk to him. Or you guys!" He knew Erik''s friends for years, probably. And who would let their own son y something as dangerous as this without so much as a warning?


    Vincent nodded. "I think so too. But I think something went wrong." He summoned his interface. "What are the chances of the logout button disappearing in only this game? The only game in existence that could possibly cause permanent damage to the yers?" He shook his head. "That''s too coincidental if you ask me."


    I pondered a moment. It really was too coincidental. "So, does that mean you don''t think he will somehow get everyone out?"


    He nodded. "I don''t think it''s a matter of just a fixing a bug. My gut''s telling me something else in going on. Erik''s dad will surely want to get his son out of here, but it''s not as simple as unplugging the PORTAL. That''d probably cause permanent brain damage." He took his head in his hands. "Truth is, I don''t know what we can do from here either. We''re just stuck!"


    I stepped back. I was feeling a little sick. My head was spinning. My back touched another tree and my legs gave out. Sinking onto the moist grass, I hugged my legs. "How long do you think we''ll be stuck here?" I asked with a catch in my voice.


    He shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry, Kai. We dragged you into this." He also sat down. "I never thought something like this could happen. I never thought-"


    "It''s not your fault." I hesitated. "Aside from the logout button, isn''t there a way to... leave?"


    He chuckled. "You could finish the game, I guess?" He shook his head. "But that''s impossible. Games like these are designed to be beaten by thousands of yers all working together. We only have two thousand and most of them wouldn''t risk their lives for this."


    His words hang in the air as I let silence fall. Beating the game meant defeating the demons, restoring the divine pirs, and killing the Demon Lord. Were we capable of that?


    "Let''s go back." Vincent suddenly said as he got back up on his feet. "Please don''t tell this to the others. I only told you cause you seemed to be aware of it to some extent." His voice was filled with guilt.


    I nodded and rose to my feet as well. "Don''t worry and thanks, Vincent." I forced a smile. I appreciated him telling me this. We walked back to the group having breakfast.


    "Hey guys!" Erik greeted us with a faint smile. "Morning walk?"


    "Yeah." Vincent said with a yawn. "I''m hungry, is there anything left?"


    "Sure," Alina pointed at the foodid on a piece of cloth. "Knock yourselves out." She seemed well rested. Samantha on the other hand had dark circles under her eyes.


    "What''s the n, Erik?" I asked as I grabbed some dried meat. It wasn''t the most delicious thing, but it was the most nutritious. If this world was made to be as real as possible, then it made sense to look after ourselves ordingly as well.


    "We should get a few quests and work on them." He said with a shrug. "No point in just wasting time sitting here."


    I nodded, as did Vincent. When our eyes met, a faint smile appeared on his lips, even if only for a moment. "In that case, let me check the quests." I said and got up. "Where do I look?"


    Erik chuckled. "Touch the crystal. It''ll probably give you a couple of quests."


    "Hey Erik," Alina started talking about some dream she had. I didn''t pay attention to her and approached the crystal instead. My heart was beating fast as I reached out. As soon as my fingertips touched the smooth, warm surface of the crystal, a panel popped up before me.


    ''New Quests Avable: 3''


    I hadn''t expected this would work. With a smile, I read the rest of the text. ''Secure Supplies for The Torchlight Woods Camp.'', ''Destroy the Monster''s Lair'' and ''Map the Immediate Surroundings'' Were the avable quests. I epted all of them, then returned to the campfire.


    "Three quests?" Erik asked me. I nodded and exined them all. "In that case, let''s split up."


    I immediately shook my head. "Why? It''s safer to travel as a big group." I didn''t want to see anyone here get hurt because of something as simple as this. But of course, my suggestion was promptly ignored.


    "Securing supplies means food and water." Samantha mumbled. "Some firewood too. I can do that."


    "Great." Erik grinned. "In that case, Alina, you should help Samantha as well. The rest of us will go take care of the monster nest." He got up and equipped his sword and shield. I hesitantly asked. "What about the map thing?"


    Erik pondered for a moment. "I wasn''t nning on doing it since the reward is so little. I mean, just fifty experience points for a whole lot of walking is garbage. You can do it after we''re done with their if you want though. I''m just not going to bother with it."


    I nodded. "I''ll do just that." I still disliked the idea of splitting up, but at least this way I''d be the only one really in danger.


    "Kai," Samantha called my name as we prepared to head out. I approached her, curious as to what she wanted to say. "Why do you want to go out alone like that?" She stared at me with questioning eyes.


    "I''m curious." I said with a shrug. "Besides, I''ll be fine. I know how to defend myself, remember?" I forced a grin, but she saw right through me.


    "Stop lying to me. I heard youst night. You were petrified when that demon showed up." She sighed. "You''re no match for such a high-level enemy yet. Promise me you won''t try something stupid and get yourself killed." Her voice was low. She was clearly not as carefree as Alina.


    "You were awake?" I asked in shock. I had forgotten to tell the others about it, mainly because eof our conversation with Vincent.


    "Of course I was, you idiot. How am I supposed sleep when we''re stuck in here?" She sighed. "Just... Promise you''ll be careful, ok?"


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine." I smiled. "Take care of Alina."


    She nodded too.


    "Alright, let''s go team!" Erik shouted. We headed off into the shadows of the forest, towards their of the creatures that attacked us. I took a deep breath as I grasped the wooden staff. I could do this. I could keep them alive.

 Chapter 14: A Simple Ordeal

    <h4>Chapter 14: A Simple Ordeal</h4>


    We made our way through the thick greenery, walking in a single line. Erik was taking point while I was right behind him. Vincent was watching our back and Joshua, with all his sleepiness, was walking right behind me, constantly yawning.


    As we went deeper into the forest, the air grew cooler and the foliage around us grew thicker. The sunlight was having a hard time piercing the thick greenery above us. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was.


    "How far away is this thing?" Erik mumbled as he climbed over a fallen tree. I sighed and shook my head. I wasn''t tired yet, unlike the others, but I was feeling the mental strain of constantly expecting an attack. How long had we been walking? An hour? Two hours?


    Thankfully, before too many hours passed, we arrived at a small cave entrance. I could immediately smell the stink of animal faeces and fur. "This is it." I whispered as we approached. "Be quiet. We don''t know how many of them there are."


    "Actually, we do." Vincent quietly said as he opened the quests panel. ''Kill the monsters: 0/20''


    "Oh." I mumbled. I had forgotten about that. Erik chuckled, then slowly entered the cave. Now worried by the overwhelming numbers advantage the enemy had, I followed him. Almost as soon as we stepped into the damp, dark cave, we heard growls and howlsing from deeper.


    "Don''t go any further." I said, grabbing Erik''s shoulder. "They''re getting closer anyways. Let''s just let theme to us." Vincent was quick to support me while Joshua just yawned again. Erik hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine."


    I used Fallen Grace as soon as I heard the creature''s footsteps. As power rushed to my legs, glowing red eyes greeted us from the depths of the cavern. Many fangs and ws leapt forward, only to be blocked by Erik''s shield. With the additional speed I had gained through Fallen Grace, I used the reach my staff provided me with to strike the fatal points on the creature''s necks and heads.


    To the side, Vincent was holding off three of these creatures. His shortsword was perfect for such close quartersbat. Joshua was leaping forward to stab or sh at one of them before hiding behind his brother again.


    The bulk of enemies were attacking Erik. He was clearly having trouble holding them off. His longsword wasn''t very useful in such a narrow ce and he wasn''t very good at using it either. Instead, he almost solely focused on defence, allowing me to deliver the killing blows to the creatures.


    The bloody battle ended with us having in all twenty of them. Vincent and Erik had some minor wounds, but they were nothing more than a few scratches. "That was easy!" Erik shouted with a pride-filled voice. I sighed, how was he so carefree?


    "You guys are going back. Have Alina treat those scratches." Erik tried to protest, but I red at him. "I won''t ept ''no'' as an answer, Erik." Perhaps it was my tone that convinced him, or perhaps the purple shine of my eyes in the darkness of the cave and my pale, inhuman look; but he relented surprisingly easily.


    Vincent shot me a grateful look as Joshua approached me. "Thanks. I''ll make sure they don''t try toe after you." I forced a smile and nodded as they slowly set off. I could only hope they wouldn''t get lost.


    Once they were out of view, I sank onto the ground and leaned by back on the moist cave walls. I was tired. This body ¨C avatar ¨C wasn''t made to fight like this. It was physically weak. If I wanted to keep up with the others, I had to train my stamina.


    I reimagined the fight. I was shocked by how well Erik kept the enemies at bay. Vincent''s swordsmanship was on point as well, aside from some of the overly shy moves he was trying to pull off. I couldn''t quite see Joshua in the darkness but judging from the corpses, he did a damn good job as well. I knew they weren''t capable of such feats in reality. Could they do all this because we were in the virtual world?


    With a tired sigh, I opened the quests panel. There, two of them were marked aspleted. Alina and Samantha had apparently finished securing supplies and we had killed these creatures. All that remained was to map the surrounding area. I called forth the map, only to see a highlighted area on it. It stretched from theke I had found yesterday all the way to this cave.


    Was this the area I was supposed to scout? With a moment''s hesitation, I touched the map. A small text appeared. ''Quest: Map the Immediate Surroundings ¨C 34%pleted.'' Indeed, only about a third of the highlighted area was mapped out. It was a rather wide area ¨C I had to get going if I wanted to finish this before nightfall. I motioned to get up when my stats panel caught my eye.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 2 Soul Keeper | Exp: 225/150 - - Souls 22/100 - - Level up Avable.''


    I was given one more stat point. I chose to save it as I still wasn''t sure of what to do with it. Instead, I focused on the new skill point I was given. I could choose to learn a new skill or upgrade an existing one. I hesitated; the only skills avable were ''Death''s Scythe'' and ''Soul''s Respite''. I wasn''t too keen on upgrading ''Fallen Grace'' ¨C the skill was useful, but I felt like I needed a better offensive option. Having made my decision, I picked ''Death''s Scythe'' and confirmed my selection.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 3 Soul Keeper | Exp: 75/200 - - Souls 22/100''


    "Seems fine," I mumbled as I pushed myself up on my feet and took my staff in hand. I was going to be alone from here on out, I couldn''t allow myself to be caught unprepared again. I checked the map and decided to walk along the edge of the highlighted area first.


    I left the damp cave and slowly started to make my way east. The thick greenery was blocking my vision and I jumped at nearly every slightly unusual sound. I was on edge, perhaps a little too much. As the sun rose to its peak, I checked my map again. I had walked through most of the unmapped area by now. All that remained was the peak of a rather steep, rocky cliff.


    With a tired sigh, I lowered myself onto the ground at the foot of the cliff. I needed some rest before attempting that climb. I ran my hand through my hair. It was tangled up and dirty. It looked more grey than white now. Since there wasn''t much I could do, I just shrugged and leaned on the tree trunk.


    I listened to the birds chirping. It was surprisingly rxing. Just as I thought of getting up and moving on, I spotted a small, furry creature with the corner of my eye. It grabbed a small, red fruit from the bushes and looked around with erratic movements. When our eyes met, it froze only for a moment. Then, with an almost cheerful chirp, it ran away.


    I chuckled; it was almostical considering the grim situation we were in. I couldn''t fathom why they''d bother coding such little creatures into the game, but then again, I didn''t know much about games to begin with. If I hadn''t seen it for myself, I wouldn''t have believed such detail was possible.


    I slowly stood up and nced at the long climb ahead of me. It wasn''t going to be easy. With a sigh, I started to climb. Using therge, steady rocks as steppingstones, I easily made my way to the halfway point. The vegetation started changing after that height. There were fewer woody nts and more weak bushes growing in between therger rocks, leading to fewer spots I could grip to pull myself up.


    After about half an hour of struggling to climb, I finally relented and used Fallen Grace. As some strength flowed into my legs, I finally got past thest few rocks and pulled myself up to the peak. I felt a rush of cold air as Fallen Grace''s effect dissipated. I climbed to my knees as I noticed a shadow over me despite the ring sun. I looked up in confusion which quickly turned into fear as I saw a familiar figure standing before me.

 Chapter 15: A Drop of Crimson

    <h4>Chapter 15: A Drop of Crimson</h4>


    Tworge, ck, feathery wings blocked the sunlight. I felt the coldness in my chest grow. I watched, frozen in ce, as a w-like hand extended towards me.


    "You''ve walked right into such an obvious trap." His dry voice sent a chill down my spine. I tried to move away, but his hand grabbed my throat. His long fingers were cold, it felt as if they belonged to a corpse. I grabbed them and tried to pry his fingers open in an attempt to breathe.


    "Weak." He whispered as he pushed my long hair aside. His glowing purple eyes were terrifying to look at. They reminded me of a beast, ying with its prey. I could feel my life slowly being sapped away ¨C was it his power?


    My vision began to fade. I couldn''t think properly. I couldn''t breathe. I gasped for air, but his firm grasp didn''t loosen. If only I had a weapon, then I''d be able to defend myself. I''d at least be able to escape.


    I heard the sound of a pair ofrge, feathery wings as somethingnded behind me. "Now, what do we have here?" It was a clear, beautiful voice. Barely holding on to my consciousness, the first person I thought of was my sister. What was she even doing in this ce?


    "Let go of him, Delthur." I felt a hand touch my left shoulder as the man''s grip on my throat loosed just enough to let me breathe.


    "My Lady," He nodded. "He understands us. Be aware of your words, please." His purple eyes focused on mine. Still holding on to his wrist, all I could do was gasp for ait and look away. I felt powerless.


    "Of course he does." She circled around me, finally entering my vision. She was taller than me, had the same pale blueish skin as Delthur. I could see some markings on her left arm, but her right arm was hidden under her ck cloak. She had dark blue wings that were evenrger than Delthur''s. She was slim and beautiful. Her purple eyes reflected the sunlight. She had an air of dignity around her.


    "What''s your name, hatchling?" She asked, leaning forward. She was close enough that I could smell her. She smelled like hyacinth and... blood. I could see the drops of blood on her grey dress.


    "He''s shaking." Delthur''s voice was filled with ridicule. He was mocking me. He wasn''t wrong, though. I was shaking, their presences were overwhelming, and I could barely breathe. I was patheticpared to them. If this were any other game, I might have not been so terrified but now that we had no idea what death really meant, I was petrified. Just looking at them was hard enough.


    "He doesn''t want to die." She leaned forward, even closer. "I don''t me him." Her voice was weirdly soothing, yet terrifying at the same time. "But" I felt the grip on my shoulder tighten. "I asked you a question. I will not repeat it." Her eyes glowed with magic. I felt a rumble beneath me. Something sprouted from the ground behind me.


    "Lady Vixia, is this really a good idea?" Delthur asked with some uncertainty in his voice. "We may be found out if you keep using your magic like this."


    The woman sighed as her eyes returned to normal and the rumbling disappeared. "I''ll just do this, then." I felt something wind around my feet and knees. "Now then, your name." She said with a demanding voice.


    After a moment''s hesitation, I weakly spoke. "Kai."


    "A simple name," Was that a smile I saw on her lips just now? "I like it." She let go of my shoulder. "We''re leaving. He''s not worth our time yet." She extended her wings, then suddenly turned around and red at me. "But first," Her hand moved faster than I could see as I felt a sting on my cheek. "I''ll be taking some of this." With those words, she flew off.


    The hand around my neck finally loosened and let go. "You''re lucky, Kai." Delthur said with a grin. "You''ll get to live your pitiable life just a bit more." He also flew off, leaving me alone, tired and scared on this windy peak.


    Only after they became tiny dots in the far away sky did I dare move. I touched my throat; I could still feel Delthur''s tight grasp around it. His w-like nails had scratched my neck. Though, considering everything that could have happened, it was a very cheap price to pay for my life. I was indeed very lucky.


    I looked behind me to see what she had done. Arge tree had sprouted from the ground. It''s lush green leaves andrge, bright blue flowers were beautiful. How she did this in such a short time, I had no idea. I also had no time to spare thinking about it. The sun had started to approach the mountains. I couldn''t survive outside during the night if creatures like Vixia and Delthur roamed around then.


    I had to go back, quickly. However, Vixia seemed to disagree with that sentiment as she''d trapped me here ¨C some of the roots of the tree were wrapped around my legs. I couldn''t move my lower body at all. If she wanted to kill me, she could have done it rather easily. This, however, felt like she was toying with me. I couldn''t help but feel some resentment against Erik''s father. Why would they add someone like that to this game?


    I summoned my inventory and took my staff out. I lodged it between the roots and my leg and tried to pry them apart to no avail. "Damn it." I whispered. It was getting darker. I summoned my stats panel and used Fallen Grace. As some power rushed into me, I tried to pry the roots apart again. At first, it seemed impossible, they were as thick as my legs and really sturdy. As the sun inched closer to the horizon, I finally felt one of the roots budge just a little.


    "Finally!" I shouted as I kept working. Despite my happiness, it took a long time to loosen the roots enough to move my lower body. As the sun finally reached the horizon, my legs were freed. Exhausted, I stood up. My steps were wobbly and uneven as my legs were numb. I held on to the tree for support as I looked towards the camp. It was so far away.


    "Damn it." I whispered. I''d never make it in time. Even if it were light out, it''d take at least an hour to get there. Now, with little visibility and the dangers of the night, I''d be lucky to make it in three hours. Hesitant, I weighed my options; I''d either stay here and use my height advantage to fend off anything that approached me, or I could make a run for it and hope for the best.


    I nced at my shaky legs. I''d never make it back. I''d copse before I could even reach the halfway point. I sank into the ground. I was pathetic. Getting myself caught like this, I was stupid. But... How did they even know I''d be here? How could they have possibly set up a trap if the crystals kept them at bay?


    I summoned my interface and looked over the quests tab. Now, all three quests werepleted. Besides them, a small notice was written in pale blue text: ''Collect your rewards from the crystal.''


    Somehow, I was lured into a trap by these... demons. Had they used the system the Erdrin had created to send me on a quest? No, that was impossible. None of that made any sense. And the weirdest of all, why was I the one getting ambushed like that? This was an MMO, wasn''t it? There were two thousand yers ying this game. Why was I the one getting caught up in things like this?


    I leaned by back on the tree. Exhaustion had set in; I could barely keep my eyes open. I couldn''t fall asleep here ¨C it was too dangerous. Despite my efforts to stay awake, the sweet darkness of sleep dragged me in without mercy.

 Chapter 16: Sweet Dreams, Little Hatchling

    <h4>Chapter 16: Sweet Dreams, Little Hatchling</h4>


    "He''s smart."


    "He is." The wind carried a beautiful voice to my ears.


    "He''d have died if he didn''t stay here. The cursed one is walking around in these woods again." The dry voice cracked towards the end. He paused to clear his throat.


    "Do you think he''ll be useful?"


    "No." He coughed. "But my thoughts don''t matter. ''He'' thinks this... thing will be useful." I heard a sigh. "I don''t think he''ll live long enough."


    "Oh, we''ll just have to make sure he never lets his guard down." The soft voice giggled. "And that''s your job." I felt a cool touch on my face. Sweet sleep pulled me back into its embrace before I could make any sense of that dream.


    I woke up to a cold breeze freezing my upper body and soft sunlight warming my legs. My head throbbed with a mild headache. I opened my eyes and the view took my breath away.


    The sun was rising behind the mountain range. The sky was dyed in every colour of the rainbow. The forest below me was covered in red and golden leaves. It was beautiful. I sat there, just taking in the view, admiring this world.


    After the sky turned blue and the tree leaves green, I slowly stood up. Even now, the view was breath taking. Nature, stretching as far as the eye can see. It only then urred to me ¨C I should havepleted the mission by now. I summoned the quest panel to see a checkmark next to the quest. I couldn''t help but feel a little relieved ¨C at least all my troubles weren''t in vain.


    More importantly though, I had somehow survived the night. I couldn''t believe I slept through the whole night, uninterrupted. After a moment of pondering over how I survived, I just decided to ept the situation for what it is. I nced at the green forest before me. It was time to head back.


    Descending the cliff was much easier than climbing it. It took me less than half the time it did yesterday. Once my feet touched the dead leaves and moist earth, I used Fallen Grace to empower me and sprinted towards the camp. My body moved easily through the trees and greenery. Despite that, it still took me nearly an hour to reach the stream near the camp.


    I looked myself over and decided to wash the few scratches and wounds before seeing the others. I didn''t want to worry them over insignificant things. Kneeling by the stream, I washed my face and cleaned the wounds. I chuckled at my previous thought ¨C nothing about Vixia and Delthur was insignificant. The others needed to know about it. Once I was done, I got up and headed to camp.


    As I walked among the slightly familiar trees, I couldn''t help but feel nervous. It felt as if a dark shadow was looming over me. I hesitantly exited the treeline as the camp entered my view.


    A lump formed in my chest as I saw the empty campsite. The tents, the campfire, everything seemed normal, except for theck of people.


    "Erik?" I shouted as fear gripped my throat. "Samantha, Vincent!" I walked around the small campsite. "Joshua, Alina?" There was no answer. I looked around hoping to find some footsteps, but there was nothing.


    I peeked into the tents, hoping, but not expecting to find them still asleep. Of course, no one was there. None of their belongings were left. Not even a trace of their existence remained. With the lump in my chest growing heavier, I stumbled back outside. "Guys,e on out. Its not funny!" I weakly called out. This must be a joke, a cruel, evil joke that Erik came up with. They were going to jump out from behind some tree any second now, right?


    I stood there, waiting for them to jump out of the woods. A few momentster, after a whole lot of nothing happened, I copsed on the ground. "Damn it, Erik." I whispered. A thought shed in my mind. Could it be that they had seeded in logging out? Perhaps Erik''s father had finally resolved the issue!


    With a glimmer of hope in the horizon, opened my interface and searched for the log out button. It wasn''t there. My shoulders dropped as I sank onto the ground. How was I even supposed to find them? Were they ok? Were they still alive?


    The soft light of the crystal reflected off the dewdrops on the grass des. I looked up to the floating thing. Slowly getting back on my feet, I stumbled towards it. "If they left, you''d have a way to find them, right?" I quietly spoke as I touched it.


    An interface popped up.


    ''Received Rewards forpleted Quests:


    - 425 Exp


    - Camping Supplies Chest


    - 3 Stat points''


    I didn''t care about the rewards. Quickly dismissing the notification, I searched the interface for some sort of locator, or any clue that may lead to Erik and the others.


    ''2 Quests avable''


    I didn''t even read what they were as I dismissed that panel immediately. I didn''t care about quests right now. Wasn''t there something, anything, that could lead me to the others? I looked all over the interface, in all the tabs, yet there was nothing.


    "Damnit!" I shouted as I punched the crystal. My hand started bleeding as the sharp edges cut through my skin easily. Shaking, I stepped back and looked at the cut. On top of everything else, I had also wounded my dominant hand now. Just great.


    I watched the few drops of blood fall to the ground. All of this felt like a joke. A bad, evil joke. I turned my back to the crystal and sat down by the remains of the campfire. I ripped a strip of my old cloak and used it as a bandage around the cut. With no way to heal myself and no way to know if diseases were a thing in this world, I couldn''t risk the cut getting infected.


    I sat there, watching the trees for a while. I felt lost, I didn''t even know where to start looking for Erik and the others. For all I knew, they had logged out somehow. What was I supposed to do now?


    I sighed and headed to the stream. I needed to wash my face, refresh my mind. As I passed through the thick greenery, I couldn''t help but constantly look around in hopes of spotting Samantha or the others. All I saw was a few small rodents that ran away after seeing me. Kneeling down, I sprinkled some water on my face and tried to clear my thoughts.


    When I felt like I could think a little clearer, I made my way back to camp. Assuming they had found a way to log out was useless ¨C if they had, there was nothing I could do about it. The same applied to assuming them to be dead. The only logical assumption to have was that they had, for one reason or another, left the camp for somewhere else.


    With these thoughts in my mind, I arrived at camp again. If they had left, there would have to be tracks. None of them would have bothered to erase them. I was soon rewarded for my efforts with a few broken branches over at the eastern side of camp. The grass there was trampled on and the bushes had several broken branches. I could even see a few footprints on the moist earth.


    "Why east?" I mumbled to myself. It made no sense, all there was on that side was that monsterir we had cleared yesterday. Confused, I motioned to open my map when I spotted something beneath the crystal. With my heart racing, I approached the floating crystal.


    Arge, ck feather was stuck in the grass. As I looked at it, a gentle wind freed it. All I could do was stare at the shiny feather as it almost mockingly blew by me.


    "No!" I shouted.

 Chapter 17: Following Their Tracks

    <h4>Chapter 17: Following Their Tracks</h4>


    I caught the feather as the wind blew it past me. It was soft, it looked beautiful and elegant. I knew one person who had feathers like this. Had Delthur returned here yesterday? But... why would he do that? And how would he have gotten past the protection of the crystal?


    With numerous questions in my mind, I stared at the feather. I took several deep breaths to calm myself down ¨C panicking was the worst thing I could do right now. I nced at the tracks. I knew for a fact that at least some of them had survived and left. All I had to do was follow the tracks and I''d find them.


    Before I set off, I packed what little food was left in the box and ced it in my inventory, along with Delthur''s feather. Using Fallen Grace, I ran after them, only stopping ever so often to check their tracks. They had clearly left in the middle of the night; the tracks had already started getting old.


    I had to force myself to remember everything grandfather taught me about tracking prey. I would have never guessed his teachings woulde in handy in a virtual world of all ces. I smiled as memories shed before my eyes; his lessons were always fun. Unlike Mother, he always wanted to me have fun. He was always supportive, no matter what.


    A loud screech disrupted my thoughts. I quickly turned to face the source of the noise, staff in hand. Something passed by me. Then, something else. Many small rodents, birds, even felines and other creatures passed by me in a rush. I froze in ce, if these creatures were running, then...


    I heard a loud thud. Then, another. I felt something in the back of my mind ¨C a tingling sensation. Before I could make any sense of it, a loud and very close roar echoed. It came from the east, where the tracks lead. I hesitated, if I turned back now, I would lose the tracks. I would lose my only way of finding Erik and the others.


    I gulped and gathered my courage. I had been training for as long as I could remember. I had to be able to beat this thing, whatever it was. I couldn''t let this chance slip away. Fighting was the only thing I was good at; the only reason I even lead the life I did.


    Yet, as I stepped out of the woods telling myself all that, there was still plenty of hesitation in my heart. I passed through thest of the bushes to face the creature blocking my path.


    It wasrge. Huge, even. It had grey fur and the body and head of a lion with a pair of dangerous looking horns and a very fluffy mane. Its bright green eyes focused on me as I immediately regretted my decision.


    I was about the size of its paw. It stepped towards me. I felt the ground shake as its paw touched the ground. It opened its mouth. The sight of those razor-sharp teeth sent chills down my spine. I stood no chance against this monster. Still, I had to try. I grasped my staff as I used both Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe.


    A pale, grey light shone from my staff momentarily. I could only hope this meant the skill worked. With hesitant, shaky steps, I inched closer to the monster. It reared its head and roared. I felt my whole body shake with that roar.


    Before I could even think of a way to get past it, it pounced on me. The sight of a giant, horned lion jumping high up in the air might have beenical if I wasn''t its target. Seeing as how I could get crushed like an ant, I leapt to the side and sprinted out of its way. Momentster, it hit the ground behind me and the shockwave from that sent me flying.


    As soon as I hit the ground, I rolled to the side and barely avoided another paw strike. It roared again, it seemed slightly annoyed. Or perhaps it was having fun, I wasn''t sure, and I didn''t have time to think about it as it tried to bite me. As those giant, razor-sharp teeth snapped only inches away from me, I threw myself aside.


    It was fast, it was strong. It was everything I was not. I couldn''t keep up; I could already feel the effects of Fallen Grace wearing off. I could only evade it for so long before I lost the extra speed and strength the skill gave me. I had to do something before that happened.


    I ducked under the next paw strike and ran between its legs. It seemed slightly confused as it scrambled to find me. Taking care to not get stepped on, I swung my staff to hit the back of its front leg. I didn''t expect it to die from something like this or anything, but maybe I could hurt it enough to just run past it.


    My staff hit the lower part of its right leg and... bounced off. Loosing my bnce because of the rebound, I fell on my back. Before I even had the chance to get up or move a little, it finally spotted me. I didn''t have the time to evade its paw. I screamed as I felt the weight of it crush my body. Its ws dug into the ground as I felt my bones crack.


    I grabbed its ws and desperately tried to lift them a little. I could feel by ribs slowly giving in as I slowly got crushed under that enormous power and weight. Was this the end? I felt its ws extend, like a cat''s ws would. It slowly lifted me off the ground. I tried to reach for my staff, but it was just a little outside my reach.


    "Damn it..." I whispered. Even talking hurt. I felt the ws dig into my back. Was I seriously going to die like this? I iled my arms and legs, hoping to somehow slip through its sharp ws, but all that did was prompt the creature to make its grip tighter. I felt a sharp pain in my chest.


    I was right in front of its face. It leaned in closer with its snout and sniffed me. "I''m not tasty at all!" I shouted as fear gripped my heart. Of course, my desperate words didn''t do much. It opened its mouth and I got to see the very clear view of several rows of sharp teeth. I closed my eyes as my death approached me.


    Suddenly, it shook and let go of me. Unexpectantly finding myself in the air, I fell to the ground with a loud and painful thud. I screamed as a sharp pain shot up in my chest. I could feel something sharp hurting there.


    I nced at the creature, it seemed to havepletely forgotten about me as it stared at something in the woods. A few drops of blood dribbled onto the ground from its side. Something had wounded it.


    I didn''t hesitate. I shot up on my feet and bolted. I didn''t stop when I reached the treeline. I ran until I couldn''t properly breathe anymore. Until I copsed from the pain and blood loss. I felt a gentle, cool breeze before darknesspletely engulfed me.

 Chapter 18: Paying the Price

    <h4>Chapter 18: Paying the Price</h4>


    I opened my eyes to the sound of flowing water and birds chirping. I lifted my head and was immediately met with a stabbing pain in my chest. I moaned in pain ¨C moving was not a good idea. Laying on the lush grass, I tried to figure out my surroundings. I couldn''t see the water, but I could see a rocky cliff stretching up. I could also see some crystalline formations on the cliff face.


    I slowly and very carefully changed into a sitting position. As soon as I did, I felt dizzy. My clothes, or what was left of them were stuck to my wounds thanks to all the dried blood. I couldn''t feel my left shoulder and arm. Fearing the worst, I tried to move it.


    That helped me learn two things: It was dislocated and several of my ribs were broken as they stabbed me. Again. Letting out a little scream, I stopped trying to move my body. First of all, I needed to do something about those broken ribs. Unfortunately, as far as I knew, even modern science didn''t have a solution to broken ribs aside from a lot of bedrest and not moving. Both of which weren''t viable options at the moment.


    But this wasn''t a world where modern science and medicine applied, was it? Sure, wounds and pain were very realistic ¨C something I certainly resented Erik''s father for ¨C but Alina was a healer, wasn''t she? There were ways to heal wounds without medicine. Magic existed. And I had a locked skill that healed wounds.


    I opened my stats panel and nced at the skills. There it was, ''Soul''s Respite''. I had two unused skill points somehow, so I quickly picked it and confirmed my choice.


    ''Heals the targets wounds. The amount and quality of healing scales with the amount of souls that have found respite with the Soul Keeper.''


    I checked my mana. I had 230 mana; Soul''s Respite needed 50 for each cast. I hesitated, was my mana even going to be enough? Still, this was the only way I had.


    I used the skill. As a big chunk of my mana disappeared, the souls I had acquired leapt out of my chest and swirled around me. They each brushed against my back and chest and with every passing, I felt the pain in my chest lessen, little by little. When all twenty two souls passed and then disappeared, I used the skill again as my ribs weren''t even remotely close to being healedpletely. Again, they lessened the pain, but it wasn''t enough.


    As I watched my mana drain almostpletely, I sighed in defeat. I think the broken rib was healed, but it still hurt to move. It felt like I had at least some cracked ribs still left in there. Hesitant, I stared at my mostly empty pool of mana. What was I supposed to do now? I didn''t know how mana filled. Every day I woke up, it waspletely full, but I couldn''t wait an entire night and day here. It was too dangerous, and I didn''t think I could survive an encounter with... anything, really. Not in the state I was in now.


    The thought of survival prompted me to look around. Now that I could see more than just a cliff face, I immediately recognised this ce. I was in that alcove up the stream from camp. I had found this ce the first day we spent in this world. It seemed safe at the moment. Seeing the crystal-clear water, I decided now would be a good time to wash away the blood, dirt and stink off.


    Ignoring the pain moving my body caused, I slowly inched closer to the water and dipped my hand in. It was cold and clean. Exactly what I needed. I carefully removed my clothes, taking care not to hurt myself more. Despite me being careful, the cloth was stuck to my skin with dried blood and pulling it still hurt. When I was finally done, I reached for the water and dipped my feet in. Swimming with a dislocated shoulder would be suicide, but the area near the shore was shallow enough to allow me to sit in the water.


    It was heaven,pared to what I''d been through. I felt the exhaustion and fatigue being washed away. I carefully rubbed the dried blood off my skin. Though I couldn''t see my back, I felt the coldness of the water numb the spots the creature dug its ws in.


    I allowed myself to rx a little, then slowly crawled out of theke. Now that my body was mostly numb, with a firm grasp, I snapped my left shoulder back in its ce. The whole forest must have heard my painful wails that followed that loud snap.


    Still feeling the pain, I took my old robes from my inventory and put them on. They were tattered and dirty, but at least they still looked like clothes. After washing my normal clothes, I put them in the inventory. I certainly didn''t want to be stuck with these heavy ck robes for long. I''d have to find a way to fix the tears on my other clothes, but they''d still be more useful than these robes.


    I slowly made my way to the entrance of the alcove. It was the first time I was taking a good look at this ce. It was basically just a ratherrge crack on a cliff face with water flowing out of it. If I hadn''t tried to find the source of the water, I''d never have found this ce.


    I suddenly stopped. How did I end up here after getting tossed around and almost eaten by that horned lion thing? I didn''t remember much of what happened after, aside from running blindly in the forest until I copsed. I must have somehow found my way in here in that haze. I smiled, at least in my almost-dead state, I was a little trustworthy.


    I slowly stepped out of the crack, into the dense forest. While walking in the forest wasn''t the best idea in the state I was in, getting myself to the protection of the crystal was paramount. I moved carefully, taking care to be silent rather than fast. It took me nearly an hour to get to the campsite.


    I stared in disbelief at the ruined tents and the destroyed chest. The crystal wasying on the ground, it had lost its shine. I could see several cracks on its surface. The earth was almostpletely upturned and the nts to the east were broken and trampled on.


    I stayed in the treeline. The only thing that could have done this was that horned lion. After dealing with whatever wounded it, it must have followed my scent to where it was the strongest ¨C here. I looked around, trying to spot anything alive. There was nothing, not even birds chirping or rodents running around.


    I carefully stepped out of the woods, knowing very well this could be the death of me. Thankfully, nothing leapt out of the shadows to kill me. I hesitantly walked around the campsite. My hopes of using the crystal for protection until I healed were shattered. After a moment of pondering, I picked up what I could ¨C the broken crystal, the cloth of the tents and some firewood that wasn''tpletely shattered into small pieces.


    After putting everything into my inventory, I looked around one more time. It felt... sad. Even though I didn''t have much of an attachment to it, the crystal had been protecting us the whole time. I couldn''t help but feel a little guilty for leading that creature here, even though it was unintentional.


    I slowly made my way back to the alcove. While itcked the protection of the crystal, it was well hidden and the only way that giant horned lion could get through was by jumping down the cliff. I was fairly sure even it would get hurt if it tried something like that. For now, at least until my wounds were healed, this ce would be my new shelter.

 Chapter 19: Clear Skies

    <h4>Chapter 19: Clear Skies</h4>


    Days passed as I rested and waited for my wounds to heal. Even after four days, I could still feel a sharp pain in my chest every time I moved a little too fast. Despite using all my mana on Soul''s Respite, I hadn''t fully recovered yet.


    I spent these days trying to build basic shelter from the elements. While the overhang of the alcove protected me from the rain, the cold night breeze wasn''t much affected by it. I built a makeshift tent from the resources I scavenged, as well as preparing a spot for the fire.


    I had also looked over my interface since I was stuck here ¨C I had levelled up twice. I had also gained a new skill.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 5 Soul Keeper | Exp: 0/500 - - Souls 22/100


    Skills: Fallen Grace | Death''s Scythe |Soul''s Respite| Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    The new skill didn''t really make much sense to me. It didn''t have an exnation and I had no idea as to when and how I got it. And I was probably the farthest thing from being a ''Sage''.


    I had also noticed something else. I was no longer in a party. I remembered Erik saying something about forming a party when we first came into this virtual world. I clearly remembered epting a party request. But somehow, I was no longer in Erik''s party. Again, I had no clue as to when that happened ¨C was it something Vixia did, or was it a decision on Erik''s part?


    I felt lost and... trapped. I felt lost because that creature blocked my path, because the crystal ¨C my only source of hints about this world ¨C was destroyed. I felt trapped because... I still couldn''t log out. Seven whole days had passed since we entered this world. I had gotten somewhat used to this ''avatar'' of mine and that felt wrong in every way. I wanted my own body back, the body I had so painstaking trained for my whole life.


    I approached theke and looked at my reflection. It still felt weird, seeing my purple eyes reflect the sunlight. Everything felt wrong, my hair, my height, my skin tone, my weight.


    With a sigh, I shook my head. Thinking about this didn''t do much. I still didn''t know what death meant in this world. I had to get stronger and faster. I still worked under the assumption that Erik and the others had survived and that meant I had to somehow get past that creature and find them.


    I got up on my feet and headed to my makeshift tent. The inside was empty besides a simple nket and a bow and a few arrows. I grabbed the bow and arrows and headed to the entrance of the alcove. I had made the bow with a suitable stick and some of my long hair. It was... subpar, to say the least but it was enough to catch myself dinner.


    I used thest bit of my mana to activate Fallen Grace and moved as silently as I could as I entered the thick forest. As soon as I stepped into the shadows of the trees, all sunlight seemed to disappear. It couldn''t pierce the thick forest roof. I spotted several mushrooms growing by the tree trunks, as well as plenty of moss covering the ground. The soft moss floor was to my liking as it easily muffled the sound of my footsteps.


    I also spotted some animals I hadn''t seen before ¨C glowing butterflies that didn''t seem to fear me, snakes that seamlessly changed colours to match their surroundings. It had started to feel like this was apletely different forest than the one we first stepped foot in just a week ago.


    Sticking close to the tree trunks, I searched for something that at least seemed edible. Fallen Grace''s added strength and speed allowed me to quickly make way through the forest. I was on edge as any hostile being like those wolf-feline creatures could easily chase me down at my current state. I slowed my steps when I heard flowing water again. The stream originating from my alcove was home to many small critters, as well as somerger creatures. It made for a bountiful hunting area.


    I jumped up and caught one of the lower branches of arge tree. With some effort, I pulled myself up and climbed a bit higher, to a good vantage point. I hooked a makeshift arrow and started waiting for my prey.


    Soon, I was returning to camp with a glowing deer-moose hybrid in my inventory. I couldn''t help but chuckle as I passed through the vines hiding the alcove entrance. The inventory was probably the most unrealistic part of the game. It was the proof that this was a virtual world.


    Yet, I couldn''t help but feel a little sick as I skinned the animal, removed its antlers, and chopped it up into smaller pieces. The blood flowing onto the ground, the smell of death hanging around, everything felt so real. Once I was done with it, I washed myself to get rid of that smell.


    I also noticed my sense of smell getting keener as days passed. Perhaps it was because I was constantly on edge, perhaps it had to do with my levels, but it was unnatural. The same thing could be said about my sight and hearing. And all these were getting enhanced even further whenever I used Fallen Grace.


    Once I got dressed again, I sat down near theke and opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 5 Soul Keeper | Exp: 200/550 - - Souls 24/100 - - Mana: 230''


    My eyes widened. That deer had given me 150 experience points. The squirrel-like creature I had killed yesterday had given me 50. I couldn''t help but think that something was wrong. It would have normally taken twenty wolf-feline creatures to gain this much experience.


    I nced at the entrance. Something was changing, the creatures in the forest were bing more powerful and the rewards for killing them were increasing. I couldn''t help but feel like it had something to do with the broken crystal and that giant horned lion.


    I clenched my fists. I had to find a way to get past that creature. Looking at my map, I could see why Erik and the others had chosen to go east ¨C it was the only way out from this area. The forest we had found ourselves in was surrounded with cliffs on all sides with the only exit being a narrow passage to the east. Right past where I fought ¨C and miserably lost against ¨C that monster.


    As I am now, I had no way to kill it. Loosing my staff in that fight was just the icing on the cake. Now, without a proper weapon and very few resources, all I could do was wait until I recovered enough. Then again, that wooden staff wasn''t a very useful weapon anyways.


    I nced at the firewood I''d gathered. Wooden weapons wouldn''t do anything against that creature. I needed something sharp that could get past its fur and cut through its skin. I didn''t have any metal and even if I did, I knew nothing of forging, nor did I have the facilities needed for it.


    I nced at the broken crystalying on the ground as an idea shed across my mind.

 Chapter 20: A New Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 20: A New Weapon</h4>


    I hit the crystal with a fist sized rock. A loud, clear clinging noise echoed as I continuously hit the crystal. With every hit, my arm and chest hurt. With every hit, small pieces of it broke off. I continued, slowly carving the shape of a sword.


    It took days to carve the basic shape. I used the antlers of that deer to reinforce the sword''s guard, as well as using a portion of its fur to create a proper hilt. Sharpening and thinning the edges took another whole day. By the time I was done, my hands were covered in cuts and bruises.


    When I finally finished, I washed the stone dust off the de. It wasn''t ideal. It was uneven, heavy, and rough. But it was mine. I felt proud. It felt as if I had taken the first step towards finding Erik and the others.


    With my wounds finally healed, I headed outside. Of course, I was still no match against the horned lion, but I could take on the smaller creatures now.


    I didn''t hide my footsteps, I wanted to face an enemy head on. Naturally, I didn''t have to wait long. A two headed giant snake lunged at me from the shadows. Ducking under its attack, I cut both it''s heads off with a single swing.


    A smile appeared on my face as I used arge leaf to clean the blood off my de. I wasn''t the weakest one here anymore. I walked ahead, never letting my guard down, ready to cut down anything that dared approach me.


    I returned to the alcove at dusk and emptied my inventory of dead creatures to the ground. Skinning all this was going to take quite some time. I ced my crystal sword in the tent and started taking care of all these dead bodies. Once I removed the teeth, ws, skin, and fur, I pondered what to do with all this meat.


    There was enough food in this pile tost me for months. They''d go bad long before I could eat them. With a sigh, I decided to give back to the forest a little. I ced most of it back into my inventory and dumped some smaller bits into theke, where the fish were quick to eat them.


    The remaining meat, I went to dump near the old campsite. I knew most carnivores circled this ce simply because our scent lingered. Afterwards, I made my back to the alcove. It was dark now; I could hearrger and more dangerous creatures slowly make their appearance. I covered the entrance with severalrge branches and headed to the back of the alcove.


    I lowered myself onto the soft grass and used some flint to start a fire in the firepit. As the mes illuminated the crystals and the cliff face, I looked up to the clear night sky. The stars were shining brightly, and both moons were visible now.


    After watching the sky for a while, I directed my attention to my stats panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 10 Soul Keeper | Exp: 850/1000 - - Souls 56/100 - - Mana: 280''


    A smile appeared on my lips. The monsters here really were stronger. All this was just from one day of hunting. If I could keep this up for a few days, I could maybe even challenge that horned lion.


    New skills also had been unlocked. I read through the skills and their descriptions and finally decided on levelling up Fallen Grace and picking up a single new skill. I didn''t need a skill to locate dying creatures or a skill to heal more than one person ¨C I was alone.


    I had a total of six skill points avable, so I put one skill point into ''Dark Bolt''.


    ''The Soul Keeper fires a bolt of dark energy. The number of bolts and their damage scales ording to the amount of souls who have found their respite within the Soul Keeper.''


    I scoffed at thest few words. Finding their respite, it said. The game was taking its lore way too seriously. I quickly put four points into Fallen Grace and one into Soul''s Respite.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 10 Soul Keeper | Exp: 850/1000 - - Souls 56/100 - - Mana: 280


    Skills: Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe |Soul''s Respite Lv.2 | Dark Bolt | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    A smile appeared on my face as I looked at the pale blue writing. I could feel my power grow. I nced at my stats. I still hadn''t used any of those points yet. I didn''t need to just yet. I was doing fine for now.


    Laying on the grass, I closed my eyes. I was one step closer to getting past that creature and that was enough for now. Soon, the sweet darkness of sleep engulfed me. I weed it, as it was my only escape from this world.


    I woke up at dawn to distant howls. The clouds were dyed crimson and purple as the sun rose from behind the mountain range. It was, as always, beautiful. If it weren''t for the howls, it would have been the perfect morning.


    As soon as I woke up, I washed my face and quickly ate some of yesterdays meat. Monster meat was certainly not the most delicious thing, but it was surprisingly nutritious. Still, if I wanted to survive, I had to find some fruits too. Eating only meat would eventually take its toll on my health.


    I took my crystal sword with me and left the alcove. I didn''t have my bow today ¨C I wasn''t here to hunt from the shadows. It was time to sharpen my skills. I headed to the old campsite, taking care to not make much sound as I walked on the mossy surface.


    As I approached to the old campsite, I heard some low growls. Staying in the shadows, I peeked from behind the trees.


    Several creatures were eating the remains of the meat I had dumped here yesterday. At first nce, they looked like a smaller version of that horned lion. They were about the size of a horse. Looking at them more carefully, I could spot some differences from the giant creature. These ones left a shadowy aura behind them as they moved. It was hard to spot, but the area around them was ever so slightly darker, even though it was bright out.


    There were five of these creatures. I didn''t feel entirely confident in my ability to take on all of them, I didn''t know what they were capable of. Instead, I took small rock from the ground and threw to the other side of the opening.


    As the rock hit a tree trunk with a thud, the creatures immediately focused their attention to that side. Their ears perked up as they stared silently. Now that they were standing still, I could see that dark aura much more clearly. It was quite strong; I was having trouble focusing my sight on them.


    One of them slowly stepped forward, towards the source of the noise. The others remained still. I clenched my fist, I needed more of them to move away!


    I waited, tightly grasping the hilt of my sword. If only one more of them moved away, I was confidant in my ability to take on the remaining three. I opened the interface, ready to use Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe at a moment''s notice.


    After what seemed like an eternity, two more of them followed the other one into the woods. My lips formed a smile as I used both of my skills. Power like I never felt before rushed into my muscles as I leapt out of the shadows and dashed towards the remaining two creatures.

 Chapter 21: Newfound Power

    <h4>Chapter 21: Newfound Power</h4>


    Leaving behind a trail of dark mes, I swung my sword at the first creature and promptly overshot,pletely missing the creature, and loosing my bnce in the process.


    It took me a moment to find my footing. Both creatures stared at me in what seemed like confusion. Equally confused at my speed and strength ¨C and the fact that I missed a stationary target at point nk range ¨C I stared back at them.


    The awkward and admittedly funny situation ended with one of the creatures leaping at me. I easily sidestepped it, but at the expense of a mild dizziness. I was moving faster than I expected and I couldn''t adjust to it as easily as I had hoped.


    The battle once again came to a screeching halt as the creatures growled at me once more. I hesitated, I was much more powerful than I expected to be, but I couldn''t use that power in any meaningful way. I nced at the woods; the other creatures had surely heard themotion by now. I didn''t have much time left. With a shout, I lunged and the nearest creature. Without skipping a beat, it extended its ws towards me. I barely dodged the razor-sharp ws and finally struck the creature. As my sword easily pierced its skin, I felt movement behind me.


    My heart raced as a roll to the side saved me from what seemed like certain and very painful death. I summoned my status panel and used Dark Bolt. Feeling a tingling sensation in my palm, I quickly pointed to the creature. A dark, silent both leapt from the tip of my fingers towards the creature. With a pained wail, it tried to retreat only to be met with the sharp end of my sword.


    Now back on my feet and slightly more used to my newfound power, I stood firm as three creatures leapt out of the trees. The first, I hit with a Dark Bolt and immediately struck with my sword. Then, the deadly dance began once more. The dark mes on my sword ¨C a product of Death''s Scythe ¨C slowly wore off, prompting the creatures to strike once more.


    I didn''t need an enhancement on my weapon, my years of training were enough to take these creatures on. With a few decisive strikes, they tooy dead by my feet. Just like before, I put the corpses in my inventory and headed towards that cave we had previously cleared.


    Soon, I had arrived to see a nest full of small horned lions. Well, small onlypared to the huge one that nearly killed me. These were the size of a horse, just like the ones I had just killed. With a sigh, I used Fallen Grace and lunged at them


    After what felt like hours of fighting, I left the cave. My clothes were bloody once again, and I reeked of death. I considered going back to the alcove, but it wasn''t even noon yet, I didn''t want to waste the entire day inside the alcove. Instead, I headed to the peak where I met Vixia and Delthur.


    As I drew closer to the rocky peak, I slowed my steps. I didn''t want to get caught off guard again. There was no way I''d survive another encounter with those two.


    When I finally stepped out of the forest and looked up, my mouth was agape. The peak and cliff were different than what I remembered. A beautiful tree grew at the peak. Its branches were filled withrge, dark green leaves and bright blue flowers were blooming. It was muchrger and taller than thest time I saw it. Its roots had covered the entire cliff, along with some beautiful flowers of every colour of the rainbow that were growing from the patches of earth among the rocks.


    The scent of the flowers supressed the smell of blood and death that was clinging onto me. I found myself climbing up the rocky cliff as a soft breeze blew in my hair. The entire foresty before me as I finally stood atop the peak. It was beautiful, like a green ocean that moved ever so slightly with the wind. I leaned my back on the tree and took in the view. Even if it was just for a short moment, I let go of my fears and worries and just felt the cool breeze on my skin.


    I left the peak at dusk and headed back to the alcove. I would have loved to see the sunset, but I didn''t want to risk bumping into Delthur or Vixia.


    When I reached the alcove, I washed myself and my clothes after skinning today''s game. Later in the evening, I sat by the small fire and opened my status window again.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 12 Soul Keeper | Exp: 100/2000 - - Souls 66/100 - - Mana: 300''


    My eyes widened. The creatures had given me much more experience than I expected. After a moment''s hesitation, I opened my skills panel and levelled up Dark Bolt. It had proven it''s worth today.


    I checked on the fur of the small horned lions. I could probably use them to make myself some new clothes. Though, the thought of wearing the fur of something I killed made me feel a little sick. But looking at my current clothes, I really had no choice. If I didn''t do something, I''d soon be running around naked.


    With a sigh, I got to work. I knew very little about making clothes, only about as much as my grandfather taught me when I was little. I ruined several pelts in my attempts. After several hours, I finally had something that looked kind of decent.


    It wasn''t anything fancy. I had used the cloth of my torn robes to make a pair of trousers and reinforced it with the pelts. The same could be said for a shirt. They wouldn''t provide me with much protection from any attacks but at least I wouldn''t feel the cold as much.


    Tired, I fell asleep in my makeshift tent. Sleep was a lot less rxing this time, as I dreamt of Mother and my sister. Their disapproving looks weighed on me even after I woke up.


    Still feeling tired, I yawned and washed myself before wearing my newly made clothes, taking my sword, and heading outside. I couldn''t shake off this feeling. The thought of my sister and Mother finding out about how I got myself trapped here weighed heavily on me.


    Nearly two weeks had passed since I had stepped foot in this world. Just thinking about how much time I had lost was frustrating. Every time I thought about it, it became a little harder to breathe. With such thoughts spinning in my head and a coldness in my chest, I walked around searching for something to kill.

 Chapter 22: Moonlit Dreams

    <h4>Chapter 22: Moonlit Dreams</h4>


    "What do you think?" A soft voice asked. She giggled as I felt a cold touch on my cheek.


    "...He''ll do fine, I guess." The dry voice sounded somewhat familiar. I opened my eyes, only to be met with darkness. Something was covering my eyes.


    "Are you done?" The same dry voice asked. "He''s waking up."


    "Then put him to sleep." The beautiful voice answered harshly. "Don''t rush me."


    I knew these voices! I tried to get up and remove whatever was covering my eyes, but a weight pressed on my wrists. "I don''t mean to rush you, but he''s awake." I felt something wrap around my feet as the tingling sensation at the back of my mind returned.


    "What-" I tried to speak as something quickly covered my mouth. My muffled voice caused another giggle. "Don''t you worry," She said with a melodic voice. "You won''t remember any of this."


    The dry voice sighed. He was clearly sick of all this.


    "See? I''m done." She chuckled and a mild pain surfaced in my temples. "Now sleep, little hatchling. Don''t let these dreams disturb you in this moonlit night." Her voice faded as an uneasy sleep dragged my consciousness away.


    I woke up to the chirping of birds. A mild headache throbbed in my skull as I slowly lifted myself up. "Damn..." I mumbled as I wobbled towards theke. "I think I overdid it yesterday." I sshed some water on my face in an attempt to get rid of this grogginess. Unfortunately, it didn''t help much. With a sigh, I returned to the tent and grabbed some fruit I collected yesterday.


    A simple, yet tasty breakfast helped with my headache a little as I stared at my status.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 28 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1500/9500 - - Souls 99/100 - - Mana: 460


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    "I definitely overdid it yesterday. Damn." I said to myself. This past week had been quite intense, and my level was proof of that. I still had a fair amount of unused skill points too. I didn''t really know what to use them for, so I simply saved them. Maybe another useful skill would be unlocked soon.


    I nced at the souls section of my status. I didn''t really know what would happen once I reached the 100 souls threshold. I was kind of looking forward to finding out though. I grabbed my sword and left the alcove.


    In this past week, the forest had changed even more. Wild animals, both friendly and hostile, were everywhere. The trees had grown taller as the air grew even darker and heavier. As soon as I stepped out of the alcove, it felt as if I was breathing apletely different air.


    The downside was that even walking around had be a lot more dangerous. The upside was that with all these changes, the creatures here had grown a lot more powerful and the rewards for killing them had increased exponentially. That was the only reason I had levelled up this much in such a short timeframe.


    But my level wasn''t the only thing that had changed about me. With every creature I killed, a cold, dark aura had appeared around me. It wasn''t a skill or a spell and I couldn''t find it anywhere on the status window, but it was most certainly there. I could manipte it at will. It allowed me to sense magic in the area and it was useful for scaring anything that was weaker than me.


    With my aura spread wide, I headed to the giant horned lion with firm steps. I knew I was strong enough to take it on. I wasn''t sure if I would win, but I couldn''t waste any more time here.


    I arrived at itsir as the sun slowly climbed. There was a cold wind blowing from the east. It hid my scent from it, which I was grateful for. With a smile on my lips and my sword in hand, I used Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe. Power flowed through me as dark mes burst out of my sword. I stepped out of the treeline.


    It weed me with an ear-piercing roar. My heart raced as my steps carried me closer to it. Fear gripped at my throat as it hit the ground with its paw. The ground shook and threatened to unbnce me but I stood firm.


    For a short moment, silence engulfed the field as our eyes met. Both of us stood motionlessly as our wills shed. Not averting my eyes was challenging. Its piercing gaze was that of a hunter, looking down at his prey. Inparison, my levels and power didn''t seem to mean anything. What I expected would be a battle of swords and ws had taken a sudden turn into being a battle of wills.


    But I wasn''t about to let some overgrown lion stop me any longer. I stepped forward. It took everyst bit of determination I had, but I approached the monster. Step by step and agonisingly slowly.


    It reared its head as I came ever so closer and let out another ear-piercing roar. I responded with three Dark Bolts, aiming for its left eye. As soon as the magic left my fingertips, I lunged forward with a wordless battle cry.


    No, I wasn''t shouting to motivate myself or because it gave me more power. I shouted because I wanted the creature to look at me. As its gaze was focused on this little person seemingly running to his death, it didn''t notice the three dark bolts aiming at its eye. I leapt up as the extra strength of Fallen Grace sent me several meters into the air.


    I caught the monster''s whisker just as the bolts hit it in the eye. It reared its head and stumbled backwards as I fired another volley of bolts while barely hanging on. It roared and tried to catch me, but I let go just in time. I rolled on the ground as soon as Inded and sprinted to its hind legs.


    I only caught a glimpse of its left eye, but it was enough to put a smile on my lips. The next volley of bolts missed its right eye and hit it in the neck. Unfortunately, they didn''t do much other than destroy some of its fur and annoy it a little but having blinded one of its eyes was enough for me.


    As soon as its hind legs were within my reach, I leapt up again and shed the back of its leg with all my strength. My heart raced and my hands shook as I touched the ground again. Blood flowed from the cut as my worries were proved to be unfounded. The creature wailed in pain as I dashed to its neck, just barely dodging its paws.


    I leapt up, as I high as I could and struck its throat. For just a moment, I felt the thick fur and skin resist. I held my breath as I used the full power of Fallen Grace to sh through everything. Blood sshed on me as the resistance disappeared. I lost my bnce mid-air and hit the ground with a thud. Soon after a louder thud echoed as the beast''s body mmed the ground near me.

 Chapter 23: The Path Ahead

    <h4>Chapter 23: The Path Ahead</h4>


    I had no strength left in my arms. Iid there, motionless. A smile appeared on my lips, then slowly turned into a grin. I chuckled, then startedughing.


    I only stopped when I inhaled something between myughing fits and started coughing. "I did it!" I whispered with a dry, cracked voice. I couldn''t believe it!


    I slowly rose to my feet and put my sword back into my inventory. The massive corpsey motionless before me. Blood flowing from its wounds was slowly being absorbed by the dry earth. With uneven, tired steps I circled around the body.


    I would have liked to take its fur with me, it was soft and would surely keep me warm over theing winter. But the creature was sorge that skinning it would take days and it would start dposing by then, not to mention all the scavengers the smell would attract.


    It was kind of disappointing, it almost felt as if I wasn''t getting any reward out of killing this beast. At the very least, I wanted to get a handful of its mane as a memento. And as a reminder to myself. I took the sharp knife out of my inventory and approached the beast''s head. Taking a handful of its mane in hand, I carefully cut it as closely to the skin as I could.


    The result was a handful of over one meter long horned lion mane. I chuckled as I tied it together with a piece of cloth and ced it in my inventory, along with the knife. I had finally aplished my goal. I was free to go east and find Erik and the others.


    I took my first step towards the narrow mountain path before me and immediately stopped. Something was stuck in the beast''s fur. Curious, I approached its back, where a metallic object was just barely visible.


    I leaned forward and pushed the fur to the side. As I saw the object, I gasped. It was a scythe. Its shaft was made of a dark metal and the curved de was made of a crystalline material. Hesitant, I grabbed the shaft and pulled the weapon out of the corpse.


    It was a beautifully crafted weapon and a very unique one. It looked like the scythes the grim reaper would use. I hesitantly touched its de. It was cold to the touch. I felt a shiver down my spine as I noticed how it wasn''t reflecting the sunlight. I hesitated, was it ok if I took this with me? Something about it felt just... off. Wrong. Whatever it was, I couldn''t quite put my finger on it.


    After some thinking, I put it in my inventory. Worst case scenario, I wouldn''t be able to find a ce to sell it to and I''d just... throw it away, I guess. While the thought of walking around carrying an awesome scythe was fun, I had no idea on how to wield one.


    With that decided, I once again looked at the mountain path. After a short moment, I walked up to the nearest tree, sat down on the ground, and leaned my back to it. Before I did anything else, I wanted to rest a little. My hands were still shaky from the sheer intensity of the fight.


    I watched the mountain range stretching before me a while, then drew the symbol on the air to summon my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 30 Soul Keeper | Exp: 100/11000 - - Souls 100/100 - - Mana: 480''


    I stared at the numbers a moment. Killing just that massive creature had given me two whole levels. A smile shed across my face. Maybe the reward for killing it wasn''t too bad after all. A new text caught my attention.


    ''Required amount of Souls acquired.'' Curious, I touched the text. I flinched as all other panels in my peripheral vision dimmed and a new,rge panel appeared.


    ''Please choose a development path.''


    Under the header, I saw three symbols. There was no exnation, no description and, worse of all, no way to back off. The interface refused to close.


    One of the symbols reminded me of two fish, swimming around each other. Wasn''t there an eastern myth about something like this?


    The other looked like a path, leading up a mountain. It didn''t really remind of anything.


    Thest one was that of a feather in a broken circle. I hesitated, how was I supposed to choose anything without knowing what they did? How was that fair? I felt my resentment towards Erik''s dad grow. He may be a brilliant scientist and engineer, but he was certainly not a fair game designer.


    This game, no ¨C this world, was trapping me again. Forcing me into a choice I knew nothing of. I was sick of constantly being at the mercy of this system. Yet, it was what granted me power and it was the only thing that proved that this world wasn''t real. Even with the interface, I sometimes had a hard time remembering that this world was fake. Virtual. Nothing more than a man-made program.


    With a sigh, I relented and chose the feather symbol for no particr reason other than the fact that I liked how it looked. A notification popped up.


    ''Path Chosen. Please note that this process will take time. Do not attempt any strenuous activities until the process ispleted.''


    "What process?" I shouted, but the system didn''t respond. Instead, the panel flickered as the text changed.


    ''In Progress'' was all that was written on therge panel. I checked my status panel and my inventory, even my skills for an answer or clue as to what all this was about. Naturally, there were no answers or clues, because why would there be?


    With a deep sigh and some internal swearing, I pushed myself on my feet and set out to the mountain path. Thend seemed barren past this point. The mountain range that stretched on both sides of the pass were tall, they blocked all but the mid day sunlight. There was a harsh wind and I couldn''t spot much in the name of water.


    I thought of turning back, but if I did and some other massive creature came to take the horned lion''s ce, I didn''t think I had the mental fortitude to take it on. Not after today''s battle. With steady steps, I set off towards the other side of the mountain pass.


    To where Erik and the others had gone. To where hopefully some answersy. I could already picture the group losing their minds when they saw me. They surely thought of me as dead by now. I felt a little guilty ¨C Vincent must have felt especially bad considering the conversation we had. And Erik was surely feeling somewhat responsible. At least I had kept my promise to Samantha. I''m sure she''d be happy to see me too.


    As my steps carried me through the dry, crackednds with the howling winds twisting and turning around me, I couldn''t help but feel... something. This want to... shout at them. For leaving me behind to fend for myself. My steps came to a halt as I realised ¨C I resented them for abandoning me.

 Chapter 24: Trails of Smoke

    <h4>Chapter 24: Trails of Smoke</h4>


    I regretted not taking some water with me. The mountain pass had no water sources in or around it, at least as far as I could see. At first, I didn''t think it''d be such a huge issue. I didn''t think it''d take me more than a few hours to reach the end.


    As the sun set behind the massive mountains surrounding me, I hastened my steps. As the two moons shone brightly in the sky, I started running. Nighttime was when demons ran rampant. Using Fallen Grace, I pushed my limits hoping to find another crystal to protect me through the night.


    As my mana depleted, I finally slowed down. I wasn''t even halfway through the night yet and I already felt exhausted. My back ached from running for so long on this uneven, harsh terrain. Out of breath, I leaned on arge rock.


    How on earth had Erik and the others gotten past this ce? Even with my increased speed, it had taken me such a long time to get here and there was still no end in sight.


    I heard the sound of feathery wings. My already racing heart skipped a beat as Vixia gracefullynded before me. In a panic, I backed off and reached for my inventory to grab a weapon, but a cold hand grasped my wrist and twisted my arm behind my back.


    "The hell!" I shouted as pain shot up my arm.


    "Be gentle, Delthur." Vixia softly said as she stepped closer. She was wearing a half-dress as dark as the night sky. Her pale skin reflected the moonlight like a marble statue.


    I heard Delthur''s dry voice. "He''s stronger. I can''t afford to be too gentle, Lady Vixia." His grip only tightened as I felt a cold de on my throat. "And you," His voice cracked. An awkward moment passed as he cleared his throat. Vixia just shrugged and rolled her eyes as we waited for him.


    "Don''t try to do anything if you value your life." He finally spoke. I gulped; I could feel the de cutting into my skin.


    "Now then," Vixia approached me and pushed my hair back, revealing my face. "As I thought." She said with a smile. "Congrattions on ying the Cursed One." Her smile was gentle and warm. For only a moment, I couldn''t help but want to see her smile more.


    As soon as she stepped back, I blinked a few times. What the hell was I thinking?


    "It didn''t work." Delthur said with a monotonous voice.


    Vixia shrugged. "I didn''t expect it to. Anyways, where are you running off to in the middle of the night?" Her smile faded. "I don''t remember allowing you to leave." Her harsh, cold voice sent shivers down my spine. She firmly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. "Remember, you''re only alive because I willed it."


    "What the hell do you want from me?" I shouted as soon as she let go of my chin. I couldn''t understand why they''d let me live only to threaten me like thister on.


    She pondered a moment. "Many things." A mischievous smile shed across her face. "But nothing you can provide me with at the moment." She pped her wings, creating a small whirlwind around us. "So, what''re you doing out here?"


    I looked away. I needed to find a way out of this. Thoughts raced in my mind.


    "Answer her." Delthur coldly said. I screamed as his w-like nails dug into my arm. "Now." I felt the cold metal de pierce my skin.


    "Alright!" I shouted. "Just... let go, please?" My voice trembled.


    "Aww, look at that." Vixia ran her fingers through my hair. I felt sick, I didn''t want her anywhere near me. It took all my willpower to not shout at her to stay away. Instead, I lowered my head and looked away.


    She chuckled. "Let go of him, Delthur."


    I barely suppressed a mischievous smile. I couldn''t believe they bought such a simple act.


    "Are you sure, mydy?" His grip didn''t loosen a bit. I wouldn''t call him smarter than Vixia, but he was more wary of me for some reason. She nodded. He finally let me go. I immediately backed off until my back leaned on the cliff face. To be honest, I didn''t really think I had a chance against them. But at least this way I wasn''t constantly in pain.


    "He''s adorable." She said with a disgusting voice. She pitied me. Being so much weaker than her just made everything worse.


    "Only you''d say that." Delthur coughed and cleared his throat. "Anyways, answer her." He stared at me.


    Holding my still aching wrist, I kept looking at the ground as I spoke with as weak a voice as I could fake.


    "I was just trying to get away from there." I hesitated. Thoughts and ns whirled in my mind. Wasn''t there any way I could escape? "It''s too dangerous there, I just wanted to go somewhere safer." My voice trembled. Was I overdoing it?


    My heart raced as silence covered the narrow pass. Had I fooled them?


    I heard footsteps. A cold hand brushed against my neck. I flinched, what the hell was she doing?


    "Too dangerous, you say?" I felt her warm breath on my cheek. "Liar." Something crackled as a bolt of dark lightning leapt from her fingers towards me. My legs went numb as I screamed in pain.


    I copsed on the ground as she chuckled. "Let this be a lesson. Do not lie to me, Kai Friseal." She raised her finger as lightning danced around it. "Now, let''s try this again. Where are you going?"


    I clenched my teeth. I reached for my inventory again and this time, my sword materialised in my hands before they could stop me. Hopeless, I took a wild swing at her which Delthur promptly blocked.


    "You''re one against two. Both of us can easily crush you and you''re on the ground. On top of all that, did you really just try to attack us?" Delthur asked in disbelief. He reached down and took my sword away as if I were a small child.


    It was embarrassing. I''d never felt so powerless in my life, not even against that horned lion.


    "I asked you a question, Kai Friseal." She spoke slowly and clearly. I gulped as fear gripped my throat. I took a shallow breath.


    "I don''t know." I quietly answered. "I just wanted to find someone else. Anyone." I said with a catch in my voice. I wasn''t lying, I had been on my own for so long, I couldn''t bear it anymore.


    I flinched as she reached towards me. Had she realised I wasn''t telling her the whole truth? I prepared myself for more pain and lightning, but instead she gently stroked my head. "See, that wasn''t so difficult." She said with a gentle tone. "You''re not far from the settlement, it''s just an hour or so away." She gestured towards the east, then stood up and stepped back. "I''ll see you again soon, Kai Friseal. Do try and stay alive until then." She said with a bewitching voice.


    "You''ll be able to move in a few minutes." Delthur said, then paused and cleared his throat again. He thrust my sword into the ground, then stretched his massive wings wide. With a mocking grin, he waved at me before they both flew off.


    I stared after them as they disappeared in the dark night sky. What was all this about? I had so many questions and so few answers about all this. I impatiently waited until I could feel my legs again. Then, I slowly pushed myself on my feet and, with wobbly steps approached my sword and pulled it out of the ground. After cing it in my inventory, I nced towards the direction Vixia pointed at. Was I really only an hour away or was she lying?


    Whether it was a lie or not, I had no choice but to head that way. It was the only lead I had. My unsteady steps carried me towards the east as I racked my brain trying to figure out what their goal was. Lost in thought, I noticed a smell. The smell of smoke. I looked up to see several trails of smoke rising to the sky, slowly dissipating with the wind. I spotted something behind therge rocks. My steps hastened and I hurried towards the smoke until I finally saw them.


    Several buildings were lined up on both sides of a dusty road.

 Chapter 25: A Proper Meal

    <h4>Chapter 25: A Proper Meal</h4>


    I opened my eyes to see a wooden ceiling. I slowly lifted myself to a sitting position. I was in a small room that I rentedst night. After arriving at the vige, I had made my way to the local inn and copsed on this... not very soft orfortable bed. Though I was grateful for being able to sleep in a proper bed, unfortunately this one caused all sorts of backaches.


    I nced out the dusty window. It was light out. I could see plenty of people walking on the street below, though most of them were either Ereth or other locals. With a yawn, I forced myself up and left the room. I couldn''t waste too much time here, I still needed to find Erik and the others.


    As I made my way down the creaky stairs, I could hearughter and lively conversations. I Approached the counter and paid the innkeeper for the room.


    "Thanks." The woman was an Ereth, she had the same leathery wings folded on her back and her blueish skin was just like the guy who addressed all of us when we first arrived. "Can I get you anything else?"


    "Breakfast would be amazing," I said with a smile. I yearned for a good meal. "Also, I''d like to ask you something." I quickly described Erik and the others. "Have you seen them, by chance? We got separated on our way here and I''m trying to find them."


    She flinched. "Oh, Rohir''s Pdin and his allies?" She nodded. "They came here the day after the Cursed One appeared and the Torchlight Woods were taken over." She gestured towards the west. "They were pretty upset to have lost a friend."


    My ears perked up as soon as she said the words Rohir''s Pdin. A smile spread across my face. I was one step closer to finding them! "Do you know where they went?" I asked, hope gleaming in my eyes.


    "They''re working for the Guild." She shrugged. "Well, on paper. Truth is, all they''re doing is agitate the monsters in the northern woods. But then again, they''re supposed to y the Demon Lord, so I guess it''s fine." She sighed. "If you want to find them, I''d suggest waiting at the northern entrance at noon, that''s when theye back."


    "Thank you so much!" I said with a shaky voice. I couldn''t believe it; I was finally going to see them again.


    "How did you survive anyways?" She suddenly asked as she ced arge te on the counter. "Have a seat."


    The te was filled to the brim with bread, butter, cheese, some dried meat, and many other things that I hadn''t gotten to eat in a while. I thanked her again and sat on the stool.


    "Well, it took a lot of hiding." I said with a dismissive tone. I didn''t really want to talk too much about it. "This is delicious!" I mumbled and took a bite of some cheese. It was moist and... It was just pure bliss.


    "They said their friend never came back after he went on a quest for the Makers." She nced around. "Said they were given a different quest just hours after he left. It ordered them toe here and prepare to defend against the Cursed One." Her lips formed a thin line. "They said they''d avenge you by killing the monster." She narrowed her eyes. "Said it''d take months to get strong enough to y the beast."


    I could hear suspicion in her voice. I sighed and shook my head. "It''s dead." Of course she''d be suspicious of me. I had arrived here battered and wounded, with very little money and even less credibility. "It took me a while to kill and I almost died, but it won''t being after the vige."


    She raised her eyebrows. "Do you expect me to believe you?" She tapped the table with her nails.


    "No, not really." I responded with a defeated voice. It didn''t really matter, did it?


    She rolled her eyes. "You''re weird." She said as she took the empty te and ced it somewhere under the counter. "What will you do now?"


    I shrugged. "Sell some stuff I gathered, I guess." It was still fairly early in the day. "Then I''ll go find my friends."


    She pondered a moment before handing me a flyer. "It''s for Luhen''s store around the corner. The old man buys anything and sells the weirdest things you can ask for."


    I took the flyer, got up and then asked her. "Why are you helping me if you don''t believe me?"


    She shrugged. "For fun, I guess. Go, if you don''t want to bete to meet your friends." She walked around the counter to one of her customers'' tables.


    "And you call me weird." I mumbled as I left the inn. I nced at the flyer as the doors closed behind me. It was a hand drawn map that had a huge X on the store. A smile formed on my lips as I made my way over.


    The store was a run-down ce in a narrow alleyway. I hesitated as I approached the ce, it didn''t seem like the safest or most trustworthy establishment. Then again, I didn''t look like a trustworthy person at all. I chuckled, it was fitting, in a way.


    I pushed the rusty metal door and entered the shop. The atmosphere was... unique. The ce was filled with different items, I could see weapons, furniture, tableware and even some clothes up for sale.


    "Wee, young man." A gentle, yet dry voice called out from behind the counter. The man was an Ereth, though I could only see one of his wings folded on his back. He was clearly very old, so much that his skin had lost its blueish hue. He smiled as he slowly approached me. He was using a cane to walk.


    "Hello," I said hesitantly. "I was told this is the ce toe if I want to sell things."


    "You were told right!" He chuckled. "Come closer, let me take a look at you." Hesitant, I approached him. His face and arms were riddled with scars. I couldn''t help but wonder, why wasn''t he using magic to heal them?


    "Oh!" He slowly reached for my long hair with a shaking hand. "You''re... I see." He mumbled something with a low voice, then smiled again. "Come, let me see what you''ve got." He gently took my arm and led me through the maze of misceneous items. We arrived at an empty back room.


    "If you''re like the others, you''ll show me a bunch of shiny rocks and nice looking flowers." He smiled. "I don''t think you''re like them though. Do you have anything worth my time, young one?"


    "It''s Kai." I said after a moment''s hesitation and opened my inventory. "Are you interested in fur?"


    He grinned. "Now you''re talking."


    About an hour passed as he inspected every piece I presented to him. For some, heplimented me on skinning them so nicely while for others, I was battered with harsh words for ruining perfectly fine fur. Eventually, he agreed to buy all of them, though it took quite a lot of negotiating.


    I was ready to leave, but then something urred to me. "Sir, do you mind taking a look at this?" I took the dark coloured scythe out and ced it on the empty table between us.


    He gasped and, with widened eyes, carefully inspected the weapon. "Where did you find this?"


    I hesitated; would he even believe me? "On a giant creature''s back. Is there anything you can tell me about it?"


    He pondered a moment, then shook his head. "I won''t buy it. This thing is cursed."

 Chapter 26: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 26: Reunion</h4>


    I was sitting right outside the vige, with my back leaning on arge oak tree. Or, well, it looked like an oak tree. It was probably something entirely different.


    I shuffled around. Wearing new, clean, and professionally made clothes felt weird. Nice, but weird.


    After Luhen refused to buy the scythe, he had offered me some new clothes and weapons. While I was upset about his insistent silence about the cursed scythe, I was grateful for the opportunity to buy new clothes.


    The clothes I was now wearing were dark green and grey. I had chosen not to wear armour as to not slow myself down. Instead, Luhen had offered to give me clothes enchanted with a few simple spells. Mainly a protective spell and a self repairing spell. Both enchantments drained my mana to work.


    I nced at the few coins I had left, then at my new sword. It was made of a very light metal. I didn''t feel quitefortable with it yet. I still had my crystal sword, but I didn''t feel like it was a good idea to show it around. After all, it was made of the crystals the Ereth valued so much. I had no idea how they''d react if they saw it.


    Low voicesing from the forest grabbed my attention. My ears perked up as I sprung to my feet.


    "Let''s go to the diner!" Someone shouted. I recognised the voice.


    "We can''t. They forbade Alina from entering, remember?" It was Vincent''s voice. Leaves rustled and someone grumbled, then Alina shouted, as usual.


    "It was not my fault, ok?" Her high-pitched voice rang in my ears.


    "Yeah, yeah." Vincent said as they came out of the woods. "We all know-" He froze in ce.


    "What''s wrong?" Erik asked also stepping out from behind the treeline. He almost tripped on his own feet as he saw me.


    I smiled; it was so good to see them again.


    "No way!" Vincent suddenly shouted as a huge grin appeared on his face. Samantha ran towards me along with Erik and Joshua. Joshua was the first to reach me. "Man, you''re alive Kai!" He shouted as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.


    "You idiot!" Samantha''s quiet, yet audible whisper pierced my heart. "I thought you were dead." She said with reddened eyes. Guilt struck me; I had promised her I''de back. I had almost broken that promise.


    "Sorry," I said with a bitter smile. "I couldn''t make it back before dusk."


    Erik squeezed my shoulder and smiled. I flinched; his sheer strength was incredible. "I''m d you''re still with us Kai."


    I shook my head. "It''s not-" For some reason, the words got stuck in my throat. I couldn''t say them. "I''m d to be back." I said instead, with hesitation still lingering in my heart. I felt a little guilty for feeling as I did but... Was I really wrong to think so?


    "How did you survive?" Alina asked. She stood behind Erik and seemed to avoiding too close to me. I shook my head. "It''s a long story. One I''d rather tell over lunch."


    "Oh yeah!" Joshua chimed in. "Let''s go to the tavern. They serve some pretty good stuff there and it''s cheap too!" Everyone nodded and I soon found myself being dragged to a tavern.


    I couldn''t help but smile as they talked andughed on the way. They were excited and happy. But in the back of my mind, I still wanted something more. The resentment was still there.


    Once we were seated in the tavern with some drinks and food, they directed their full attention to me. I sipped my water; I was in no hurry to tell the story of thest two weeks or so. Instead, I looked around, taking in my surroundings.


    The tavern was on the northern side of the little town. It was arge, yet simple building. The interior was nothing special either. The floorboards were stained with what I could only assume ¨C and hope ¨C were spilled drinks. We were the only customers, which wasn''t all that surprising considering it was still noon.


    "Why don''t you try some of the local drinks?" Joshua asked. "They''re quite good."


    I shook my head. "I''d rather not. I haven''t eaten properly in a very long time. I don''t think I can handle any alcohol." Besides, getting drunk in a virtual world, by consuming virtual drinks just felt wrong. I nced at the group. They didn''t seem to share the sentiment. Alina was already done with her first drink, while Erik, Samantha and Vincent were very slowly sipping theirs.


    Joshua grinned and took a big sip. "You''re just overthinking but whatever." He sighed and leaned back. "So, are you going to tell us how you''re still alive?" He gestured to the west. "I saw that giant creature with my own two eyes. No way you''d survive a hit from that monster."


    I sighed. "Well, you''re not wrong."


    "Wait," Erik suddenly said. "Does that mean you... died?" His serious re and tone were uncharacteristic of him.


    "What? No!" I quickly stopped him as I protested, waiving my hands in the air. "I nearly died, but no."


    "How did you get past it then?" Samantha asked me. Curiosity filled her voice as she fiddled with her mug.


    "That''s what I want to know as well." Erik added. He dipped his finger in his drink and drew a very basic map on the table. I recognised it almost immediately. It was the area where I fought and killed the horned lion. "We estimated it''d take us at least a month of grinding to get to a level where we could take it out. It''d be impossible to sneak by it since it would smell you before you could see it. And no normal person can outrun the thing in such a long, wide and t mountain pass." He red at me.


    A lump formed in my throat. Was that distrust I was sensing? It felt as if something sharp pierced my heart. I felt anger well up inside me. I looked away for a moment, then took a deep breath to calm down and started to talk.


    "It was not as strong as it seems." They stared at me in silence and disbelief. I wasn''t lying though, so I simply continued with my words. "I returned to camp the day after we left for the quests..."


    I told them of my first encounter with the creature, how I almost died, how something saved me by distracting it. I told about how powerless I felt and how I had to waste a whole week just so I could recover enough to walk again. As the words left my mouth, a weight also seemed to lift from my shoulders. I felt better, even if only a little.


    Once I was done talking, I had told them everything. Everything but one detail. I left Vixia and Delthur out of my story. Something about it just felt... off. Something, a little voice in the back of my mind told me to stay quiet about the two demons who seemingly enjoyed haunting me. I took a sip from my water as I smelled a hint of hyacinth.

 Chapter 27: A Calm Dusk

    <h4>Chapter 27: A Calm Dusk</h4>


    "I''m sorry," Erik mumbled. "I''m still having trouble processing all that." He seemed lost; his expression showed a range of emotions throughout my tale. I didn''t me him for taking my words with a grain of salt, but it still hurt a little.


    "Honestly," Alina chimed in. "What were you thinking attacking the thing head on? What if you failed again?" She coughed and took another sip of her drink. Her cheeks were red. She was tripping all over her words.


    "Well," I mumbled. I didn''t really know how to respond to that. "I''m alive, right?" I forced an awkward chuckle.


    "Thankfully." Vincent added, then lightly squeezed my shoulder. "I''m d you''re with us." His words seemed genuine.


    "I''ll be the first to admit that I was lucky," I said with a bitter smile. "But why did you guys leave?" I finally asked. Someone had to address the elephant in the room, right?


    Samantha flinched. "Well,"


    "I''ll exin." Erik said with a sigh. "After we returned to the campsite, Alina healed our wounds. Since she hadn''t levelled up her skill, it took her about an hour or so. After that, I wanted to head out to find you, since it was a little after noon." He looked out the window. "I wanted to check the crystal before that, though. And that''s where everything went to hell."


    "What do you mean?" I asked. I should have just finished climbing the hill at that time.


    "Well," He opened his interface and showed me the quests panel. "Look, we got these two quests."


    It read ''Escape the Torchlight Woods'' and ''Get to Stonepatch Vige''. I raised my eyebrows. "I don''t have these."


    "We wanted toe after you, but the first quest gave us only until dusk. If we failed to leave the woods through the mountain pass by then, we''d be stuck."


    Like I was, was what I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.


    "We made it only minutes before the deadline." Samantha chimed in. "We nned to wait just outside the woods. Once the danger had passed and the quest had been aplished, we''d go back to camp and wait for you."


    "The monster didn''t leave though." Joshua added. "It just... waited there. It was massive, we had no chance against it." He sighed. "We had no choice but to leave ande here."


    "What have you been doing since?" I asked hesitantly. I clenched my fist under the table. A quest was the reason they left me behind?


    "We''ve been grinding, we wanted to kill the creature." Alina said with a yawn. "Avenge you and all that." She took another sip from her mug.


    "Just say it Alina." Samantha interrupted her with a harsh voice. The blonde girl flinched as she continued. "We got a quest to kill the monster right after we arrived here. The rewards were great for Alina and Joshua, so they wanted toplete it. The rest of us agreed because it''d help us avenge you." She red at me with reddened eyes. "We thought you were dead."


    I flinched. "I see." I sharply said. I took another deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. "I''m sorry to have worried you. It wasn''t my intenion." I shook my head. "What happened to the quest?"


    "It''s cancelled." Erik said. "More urately, we failed it." He tapped the table. "It happened at around the time you im to have killed the monster."


    I nodded, that was my proof. "I never received-" I suddenly stopped. What I was about to say was a lie. I had received two quests when I returned to camp the next morning, shortly before running into the giant horned lion. But instead of reading through and epting them, I had dismissed them in my panic.


    "What''s wrong?" Erik asked.


    "Is there one of those crystals around here?" I asked as I quickly sprung to my feet. "I need to check something."


    "The guild houses one. It''s therge building at the centre of town." Samantha also got up. "I''ll take you there."


    "Oh, I''lle too!" Vincent hurried after us while dragging Erik along with him. "You two can pay, right?" He shouted at his brother and Alina as we left through the front door. I could barely hear Joshua''s curses.


    Samantha led us through the now much more crowded main street ¨C a cobble and dirt path, really ¨C to the Guild. The building was a two story, stone building. I spotted two guards at therge doors. I nced at Erik who just shrugged it off.


    We approached the door. Samantha smiled and waved at the guards, who nodded and allowed her to pass. Erik and Vincent both greeted the guards as well. I also motioned to walk through the door, but a pair of spears to my throat were quick to stop me in my tracks.


    "Hey, hang on!" Erik quickly tried to stop them, only to be ignored.


    "Please provide your identification." One of the guards said as his spear poked my neck. I quickly raised my hands to show I wasn''t armed and nced at Erik. I didn''t have anything on me that could serve that purpose.


    "Your status. Show them that." Samantha called out from behind Erik. She was tightly grasping her bow. Worried that she''d make a scene, I quickly summoned my status window.


    ''Level 30 Soul Keeper | Exp: 100/11000 - - Souls 100/100 - - Mana: 480''


    Both guards flinched and quickly withdrew their spears.


    "Our apologies, honoured Soul Keeper. Wee to the Guild Hall." One of them said as he made a weird sign with his left hand. The other one mimicked his friend. "Indeed, please excuse our discourtesy."


    I hesitated; I had no clue as to why they were talking to me like that. "It''s fine, don''t worry about it." I said awkwardly, then rushed inside under the questioning gazes of Erik, Vincent, and Samantha.


    "What was that about?" Erik asked after the doors closed behind us. "Kai? Hey?"


    I didn''t hear him. The interior of the Guild Hall was... very nostalgic. It had a warm and fuzzy feeling; the floorboards and furniture were made of timber. It was very inly decorated ¨C there were several sitting areas with light coloured couches. Nothing in here was hard on the eyes. The soft light of the chandelier only reminded me more of our family''s training hall back at home.


    "Kai?" Erik grabbed my shoulder. I flinched. "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought." I mumbled as I let my gaze wonder around.


    "I can see that." He said with a sigh. "Anyways, the crystal is in the back." He pointed towards the door at the far end of the room. "You can go and check there. Actually, why don''t wee with you?" With his iron grip, he dragged me to the back room with Samantha and Vincent in tow.


    The crystal was, as usual, floating in the air. As soon as I approached its light, my head throbbed with pain. I staggered and massaged my temples. This was annoying, did it have something to do with the crystal, or was it because of the constant ache on my back?

 Chapter 28: Special Requirements Met

    <h4>Chapter 28: Special Requirements Met</h4>


    I pulled myself together and reached to the floating crystal. As soon as my fingers touched its cool surface, an interface popped up


    ''Quests cancelled: ''Escape the Torchlight Woods'', ''Get to Stonepatch Vige'', New Quests Avable: ''Kill the Cursed One'', ''Survive''''


    As we looked at the fading text, new lines appeared. ''Quests Completed: ''Survive'', ''Kill the Cursed One'' Special Requirements Met: ''Cleanse the Torchlight Woods''


    "Wait, what?" I mumbled as the quests disappeared.


    "Oh!" Erik said in surprise. "I heard this was a thing. Apparently, there are some secret quests that you canplete that''ll give extra rewards or something." He paused, then squeezed my shoulder. "You''re lucky."


    I chuckled and nodded as my status panel appeared in front of me.


    ''Rewards Received: 15000 exp, Gift of the Makers, 5 Stat Points''


    "Whoa, cool." Vincent mumbled. "Wait." He said as he spotted my stats. "Why haven''t you allocated any points?"


    I shrugged. "I''m not sure of what to do with them quite yet." It seemed like an important decision, I wanted to be sure of my choices beforemitting to anything.


    "Why?" Erik asked with a hint of confusion in his voice. "You should give them to whichever stat you use the most. For example, I''ve been investing them to Strength and Constitution." He grinned and showed off his muscles.


    I chuckled and closed the interface. "Wait, you are level 31 now?" Vincent asked. "How?"


    I shrugged again. "I killed a lot of monsters before finally getting rid of the giant horned lion. What level are you guys?" I asked out of curiosity.


    "We''re all 17." Erik said after a moment''s hesitation. He seemed somewhat embarrassed. "We''ve been killing creatures since we came here but I guess you did a lot more killing than us."


    "Oh." I said trying to hide my disappointment. I was sure they''d been working hard since they got here. "Well, I''m sure it''s because I killed the big one. It must have given me a lot of experience." I lied with a fake smile.


    "That must be it." Erik said with a nod as we made our way back to the tavern. I couldn''t shake this feeling of doubt no matter how much I tried. The more I thought about it, the stronger it became. I shook my head and looked around in an attempt to distract myself.


    "Did you meet any other yers?" I asked to break the awkward silence. Samantha nodded enthusiastically as she answered with a smile.


    "Yeah. It''s a group of four." She pointed towards the inn I had stayed the night in. "They''re staying there."


    "I don''t particrly like them," Erik quietly spoke. "But they''re not bad. They''re pretty set on killing the Demon Lord too." He hesitated. "Right, about that." He nced at me. "I won''t me you if you hate me but-"


    I shook my head. "I know it''s not your doing." I said with a tired sigh. "I don''t me you, you''re a victim of this whole situation just as much as the rest of us are. I''m sure your dad didn''t intend for us to get trapped in this game either." I stopped in my tracks and looked up to the sky. "I''m sure we''ll eventually get out of here."


    Erik nodded. "Thanks, Kai." His bitter smile hurt a little. I felt a little guilty for doubting him, yet I still couldn''t shake that weird, annoying feeling.


    We soon arrived at the tavern. Now, there were customers besides us too. While most of them were Ereth, I spotted two women who I suspected to be yers. One of them had scaly, green skin and long ck hair. I couldn''t see her face since she was sitting with her back turned to me. She had several meters long scaly tail. The other was petite, wore a simple brown dress and looked human for the most part. She had short, green hair and an almost childish face.


    "Yep, those are them." Samantha said with a smile. "I''ll go greet them,e with me!" Before I could say anything, she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the two.


    "Alex, Rina!" She called for them as we approached. As soon as they heard her, huge smiles appeared on both their faces.


    "Samantha, fancy seeing you here!" The snakedy spoke. She then nced at me and froze in ce. "What on earth is he?" She shouted.


    Blood rushed to my face ¨C which probably only made me seem slightly less pale ¨C as the green haired woman also focused her attention on me. "Oh, he''s interesting!"


    "When did you be so rude, Alex?" Samantha asked the snakedy. "And Rina, please don''t stare at him like he''s some research subject."


    I flinched; she really was looking at me like that. "I''m Kai. Nice to meet you what I''d like to say but..." I nced at Alex''s long tail slowly approaching my legs. "Maybe I should just excuse myself." I continued as I stepped back.


    "Aww, you''re sharp." Alex said. For some reason, her yful tone reminded me of Vixia. Except she wasn''t trying to actively torture me. I think.


    "Ok, enough." Samantha''s harsh tone put a stop to the two women''s teasing. "He''s the guy I told you about." She hesitated. "My friend whom I thought to be dead."


    Both women stopped as they quickly regained theirposure. I had thought them to be tipsy because of the drinks but they very quickly proved me wrong. Rina quickly hugged Samantha. "I''m so happy for you!"


    "I see how it is now." Alex said with a faint smile. "She was really sad about losing you." She stretched her arms, then took a sip of her drink. "I''m d you''re fine."


    "Thanks." I mumbled. This feeling of guilt struck again as I watched Rina and Samantha. "I''m d she''s fine too."


    "Oh, right. You had no idea whether she was alive or dead, had you?" Alex fiddled with some of her hair. Her gaze never left me, I felt like I was being held under a microscope.


    "Yeah." I sighed. "I didn''t know what happened to them." I nced to the back, where Erik and the others wereughing at something. "I''m d they''re fine."


    "I don''t really care much about them, to be honest." She said as she called the Ereth bartender with a wave of her hand. "The priestess is too full of herself and I wouldn''t trust the rogue with anything." She signalled the bartender for two sses, then continued with her words. "The Pdin seems like a good guy, but he''s too scared."


    The bartender put two sses on the counter. "Come, have a seat." Alex used her tail to pull a stool closer. After a moment''s hesitation, I thanked her and lowered myself onto the stool, while still being wary of that long tail.


    "It''s not alcohol." She said as she pushed one of the sses towards me. I nced in it. It was filled with an orange liquid. "It''s like orange juice." She said with a smile as she drank some of it. After a moment''s hesitation, I gave the drink a try as well.


    "It''s not like orange juice. It is orange juice." I said after nearly finishing the entire ss in one go. "Damn, I''ve missed this."


    She chuckled. "It''s better if you don''t drink alcohol in here." She added after ncing at Erik and the bunch''s table. "I don''t think getting drunk on virtual stuff is a bright idea."

 Chapter 29: Starry Sky

    <h4>Chapter 29: Starry Sky</h4>


    "It''s pretty." Rina said quietly. I nodded. Alex stretched and walked a bit ahead. "So, why are not with them?" She asked as she turned towards me. I had to avoid her tail as she tried to trip me with it.


    "Well," I mumbled as Rina finally took her ce between me and Alex. "Erik and the others are drunk."


    After chatting with Rina and Alexa, Samantha had dragged me back to the group, who were a bit tipsy at the time. Soon afterwards, everyone ¨C including Samantha ¨C had gotten drunk. Thankfully, Rina had seen my pain as I tried to keep everyone in check and dragged me out here.


    "Very drunk." Rina added with a sigh. "Seriously, even Samantha ispletely out of it." She facepalmed, her disappointment was very clear.


    "I tried to stop them but..." My voice faded. They hadn''t listened to me at all. "Oh well, there''s nothing to be done about it." I said as I pushed my hair back and enjoyed the cool night breeze.


    "You''ve got that right." Alex said with a smile. "So, Kai." Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "What do you think about somete night monster hunting?"


    I hesitated. I had only met these two a couple hours ago. Was it really safe to be going out with them? Besides notpletely trusting them yet, I also was worried about Delthur and Vixia showing up. I really wanted to avoid ever seeing them again.


    "Wouldn''t it make more sense to do that during the day?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. I didn''t want to outright decline her offer. She didn''t seem like a bad person.


    "Well, if being safe is your only goal, yes." Rina summoned her status panel. I gasped as I saw her level.


    ''Rina Woods ¨C Level 52 Wizard''


    She was just so much stronger than me. I''d never be able to guess by just looking at her. Laughter sounded from inside the tavern as I stared at her in disbelief.


    "You know staring is rude, right?" Alex said with a yful tone. I felt something sweep my legs off the ground. I fell on my back with a loud thud. "Gotcha!" She grinned. "You let your guard down."


    "I guess I did." I got back on my feet and stretched, trying to get rid of this annoying ache on my back. "Anyways, sorry." I said to Rina. "I didn''t mean to stare; I was just a little surprised."


    "It''s fine. We''re probably one of the highest levelled people around, so I don''t me you." She smiled, then started walking towards the edge of the town. "I''ll tell you how we did it if you help us out with this."


    Alex was quick to follow Rina. I rushed after them as well. I wanted to know how they got so powerful so quickly.


    As we arrived at the edge of town, I faint screeches sounded from the northern woods. While I couldn''t see as well as in daylight, the bright moon still illuminated our surroundings plenty.


    "What are we hunting?" I asked as we watched the woods.


    "A bird type creature." Rina exined as Alex led the way. "It''s been terrorising the Ereth in the surrounding area. We''ve found out it''s nest, but we can''t get close enough."


    I raised my eyebrows. "How so?"


    "Well, it''s nest is atop that cliff." Alex pointed to the north, where a massive cliff rose. It was unnatural. It was the only elevated ce on this side of the mountains. It looked as if someone just pushed the ground up from underneath with a long stick.


    "I know it looks weird." Rina said as she saw my confusion. "It''s not a natural urrence. Apparently, many years ago some mage made that ce and even intended to build a castle on top."


    "That''s... unique." I mumbled. How powerful would someone have to be to have the ability to change the topography to this degree?


    "Lacks taste if you ask me." Alex grumbled. "And it''s done nothing but cause us more issues."


    "How so?" They still hadn''t gotten to the part of the story where they needed my help.


    "Well, we were able to climb about halfway through." Rina exined. "But there is a gap that we can''t cross. If we fall, we''ll surely die." She shivered. "If we had one more person with us, we might have been able to make it."


    "Speaking of," Alex said as a sword materialised in her hands. "We havepany."


    I looked up, to see severalrge birds dive towards us. Their sharp talons reflected the moonlight.


    "Uh, I can''t see." Rina mumbled. "Can you take care of them Alex?"


    The snakedy nodded as she prepared to sh the first creature. I summoned my skills panel and used ''Dark Bolt''. Momentster, all the birds were dead. I shivered as their souls melted into my chest. I was never going to get used to this feeling.


    "I didn''t know you were a wizard!" Alex shouted in surprise.


    "He''s not." Rina said with a deadpan expression. "Am I right, Keeper of Souls?"


    I flinched. "Uh, well..."


    "She is right!" Alex shouted again. Her tail coiled around my shoulders. "I thought that was a myth!" I tried to move away, but she''d caught me off guard again. Was I losing my edgetely? Or was I just rxed because they were so friendly?


    "Apparently not." Rina''s emotionless voice sounded as she shook her head. "What the hell are you even doing here, Keeper?"


    I quickly raised my hands in protest. "No, wait." I nced at Alex; whose eyes shone in the dark like a pair of fireflies. "First of, yes ¨C I''m a Soul Keeper. But what do you mean by what I''m doing here?"


    Both women looked at each other, then Rina sighed again. "I''ll exinter." She nced at the moon. "We should take care of the bird before it gets cloudy."


    I motioned to protest, but Alex''s tail effectively put a stop to my efforts as she dragged me along. "Come on," I grumbled as I finally found my footing and freed myself from her tail. "Can''t you tell me at least a little?"


    "No."


    Alexughed as my shoulders dropped in defeat. "Fine," I grumbled. "Why do you need a third person?"


    "You see," Rina exined. "There is this reallyrge gap. Let me tell you the n..."

 Chapter 30: Of Cliffs and Falls

    <h4>Chapter 30: Of Cliffs and Falls</h4>


    "I don''t like this." I stared at the really wide gap before me. We were at about the halfway point to the summit. Standing on a very narrow path, on one side there was a deadly drop all the way down to the forest floor, on the other, an unscble cliff face. Looking down, I could see the forest below us. The trees looked more like small bushes at this point.


    "Broli." Alex suddenly blurted out. "I can''t unsee this."


    "Not that again," Rina said. I stared at the trees, then nced at the tall snakedy. She red at me with a deadpan expression. "Broli. Am I right?"


    I desperately tried to muffle myughter. I fell on my knees and held my stomach. Soon, Rina was also giggling uncontrobly.


    "What?" Alex asked with a confused and slightly offended expression. "They look like broli guys, I''m not lying!"


    It took the two of us some time to regain ourposure.


    "I''m sorry," I said as I wiped the tears off my face. "It''s just... I hadn''t talked with people for so long... And yourment was just..."


    "I get it, don''t worry." Alex said with a warm smile. "It''s always good to have a nice honestugh like that." She looked around. "Besides, the more birds are awake, the more experience we''ll get, am I right?"


    I chuckled and nodded. How could she be so positive about... everything?


    "Ready?" Rina asked me. She was holding a staff. "Should I cast it?"


    "I still don''t like this n." I mumbled as I turned towards the gap on out path. "Are you sure there''s no other way up?"


    "We''ve looked everywhere." Alex said with a shrug. "Come on, this''ll be fun."


    "For you, maybe." I mumbled, but still nodded. She took a long, thick rope out of her inventory. I lifted my arms a little, allowing her to coil it around my waist and tightly tie it into a knot.


    "Is it good?" She asked.


    "It''s a bit tight," I mumbled. "Better that than being too loose though." I added after a moment of silence. They both chuckled and nodded. Alex tied the other end of the rope to a boulder near her.


    "If you don''t make it to the other side, we''ll pull you up and try again." Rina said, then raised her staff. A blue light appeared at the tip of it.


    "I''m so dead..." I mumbled as I stepped back and used Fallen Grace. Alex ced her tail like a steppingstone right before the cliff as I ran towards it with full force. As soon as I reached her tail, she flung me across the gap. I felt Rina''s magic lighten my body as my fall slowed and I crossed therge gap with ease.


    As soon as my feet touched the ground, I heard the pping of both Alex and Rina. I could see them on the other side, they hugged each other. "You did it!" Alex shouted with a huge grin.


    "Good job Kai!" The wind carried their voices to me as I looked around to find a sturdy tree orrge enough rock to tie this end of the rope to. I struggled to undo Alex''s knot a little and even more to tie an equally steady knot to the nearby boulder.


    When I waved at them to cross the gap, Rina cast the same spell again, this time on herself. With her body lighter, she easily carried herself across the gap. Alex didn''t even need the spell to be able to do it. Though, I did fear the rope would snap from her weight. Once she too joined us over on this side, Rina spoke with a low voice. "We''ve got no idea of what we''ll find after this point. Be on your guard."


    We nodded and with Alex in the lead, continued our climb. Just like her, I summoned my sword. Anything could happen from now on. Walking around without a weapon was just asking for trouble.


    We climbed a little further with little to no issues ¨C the few avian creatures that tried to attack us were quickly killed off by my dark bolts ¨C until a smallndslide brought our progress to a screeching halt.


    "Well, damn." Alex said as she looked at the blocked path. "We either climb over this or turn back."


    "If we disrupt its bnce, we die." Rina said. Her shoulders dropped as she looked for another way across. Alex carefully touched the disced dirt and rocks with her tail. As soon as she did, the ground shifted, and even more dirt and rocks slid down, only to fall into the darkness of the forest below.


    "There''s no way we''re passing through here." She said with a defeated voice. I looked up, if only the cliff face wasn''t so... well, steep. But then again, cliffs tended to be rather steep in the first ce.


    "Hang on." I suddenly said as an idea shed across my mind. "What if we do the same thing, but vertically?"


    They paused and looked up. "I mean," Rina said after a moment''s hesitation. "It''s not a bad idea but... I can''t see anything up there. How will we know where to throw you towards?"


    "I think I can see an overhang over there," I pointed towards it. If we went towards the way we came a little bit, we''d be right under the ce.


    "I can barely see a dark shadow.??? Alex said as she looked at me with curiosity. "Kai, do you have dark vision?"


    I tilted my head, There was no mention of that in my status panel, or anywhere else in the interface. "Uh, no I don''t think so. The moon is bright enough to let me see it."


    The two women looked at each other, then shrugged. "Ok," Rina said. "Let''s give your idea a try. Alex, do you have any more rope?"


    "Of course I do, you know I alwayse prepared." Once again, she tied a tight knot around my waist. "This''ll be a little more difficult." She said as she tried to see the overhang. "I can''t see as well as you do. I might miss the throw."


    I hesitated. "Rina, can you create a small light?" She nodded. "But I can''t see it either."


    "I''ll guide your hand." It took a few tries, but we finally managed to put a small, faint light right under the overhang. "Does that work?" Alex nodded with a grin and, just like before, ced her tail on the small path like a steppingstone. Her job was a little harder this time as my own leap wasn''t going to aplish as much.


    I used Fallen Grace and sprinted towards her. As soon as both my feet touched her tail, she flung me high up in the air. At the same time, I felt my body lighten. The overhang approached me, or rather, I approached it a little too fast. I wasn''t high enough! Realisation struck me a little toote as I was nearly there. If I didn''t do something, I''d just fly past below the rocky surface and hit the cliffface.


    I summoned the scythe from my inventory and swung it towards the overhang. I heard a thud and felt the de of the scythe dig into the rocky surface.


    "Oh my god! Kai, are you ok?" Alex shouted. Considering that I was hanging from an overhang, barely holding on to the shaft of the scythe, I was ok, yeah. Let''s go with that.


    "I''ll... try to... climb..." I shouted between shallow breaths. Though, looking at the situation realistically, chances are I was going to fall. The scythe seemed to have buried deep into the ground as it wasn''t shaking or sliding too much. With a deep breath, I slowly moved my hand up on the shaft, inching ever so closer to the overhang.


    After a few minutes of struggling, I finally reached the overhang. I grabbed the edge of the rocky surface and tried to pull myself up. Suddenly, the scythe slid. Losing one of my handholds, I let out a small scream as the scythe fell into the darkness below. My left hand couldn''t support the weight of my body.


    I desperately tried to grip the surface with my right hand, but I could feel my fingers slowly slip. I clenched my teeth as my left hand slipped as well. I started falling.


    A tight, painful grip on my left hand suspended me in the air.

 Chapter 31: A Dark Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 31: A Dark Shadow</h4>


    I stared into the glowing purple eyes before being lifted up and mmed into the ground. He gagged me just in time to muffle my scared and shocked scream. I felt his w-like nails dig into my skin.


    "Can you at least try to not do something stupid every single damned day?" He whispered with his cracked voice. I looked at him wide-eyed. What was he talking about? Delthur just sighed and continued. "Don''t say a word about me being here, or I''ll kill them." He tilted his head down, to where Rina and Alex were. "Understand?"


    I nodded. He grinned. "Good." He let go of me. I pushed myself to a sitting position. My back ached from being mmed into the rocks like that. "Try not to get yourself killed here." He said before flying off.


    It made no sense. Why did he save me?


    "Kai!" Alex''s shout pulled me back to the present. "I''m fine." I shouted back. "Hang on, I''ll try to find a proper ce to tie this thing to."


    A short while ¨C and a quick Souls'' Respite ¨Cter, the others had climbed up. "How did you even climb up after your weapon fell?" Alex asked me. "I thought you''d fall for sure."


    I nervouslyughed. "I was lucky. Very lucky." I avoided meeting her gaze and helped Rina up. "Are you ok?" I asked her. She was out of breath ¨C her avatar was a lot weaker than ours. It wasn''t made for heavy physical activity.


    "I''m... ok." She said, panting. I shook my head, she was exhausted.


    "Let''s rest here for a bit." Alex said and she sat on a boulder. Rina almost immediately copsed on the ground while I also folded my legs.


    "Oh." Alex suddenly said. My scythe appeared in her hands. "I caught it before it fell down." She handed it to me. "It''s a beautiful weapon. Why are you using the sword instead of this?"


    I hesitated. "I''ve never wielded a scythe in my life. I''d be useless with it."


    "What, you wielded a sword before?" She said with a grin.


    "Yeah." I said as if it were nothing. "I know how to use a sword. I can be useful with it."


    Her smile disappeared. She seemed hesitant for a moment.


    "I''m not some soldier or anything." I said, slightly confused. "I''m a martial artist. In training," I added as I thought about the beating I received the day before I logged into the game.


    "Oh, I see." Alex mumbled. She seemed somewhat lost in thought.


    "We should keep going." Rina said quietly. "It''s almost midnight."


    "Before that," I interrupted her. "Do you mind telling me how you''ve levelled up so fast now?"


    She smiled. "At night, monsters gain power. Whatever curse lingers on them only activates then. You can get twice, maybe even thrice the amount of experience." She hesitated. "It''s risky though. These birds aren''t very strong but there are some creatures that could wipe us out in an instant."


    I nodded, it made sense. "Thanks for telling me."


    With that, I rose back up to my feet. Rina and Alex also stood up. We looked up and ahead. "We''re almost there." Alex said. I nodded again. I could see the greenery that decorated the summit. "Let''s go."


    Despite having put most of the way behind us, the unstable, rocky surface proved a challenge to climb. By the time we arrived at the summit, Rina wasn''t the only one exhausted.


    "Damn," Alex mumbled as we finally stepped on the grass. "Whichever mage made this ce; I want to kill him."


    "Same here." Rina whispered. "But we made it. Now we just have to find itsir and kill it."


    I hesitated. "How do we kill it?"


    "Well," Alex said. "You need a darkmetal de or equivalent to be able to pierce a Cursed Monster''s skin." She showed her weapon. It was a shortsword made from a lightly coloured metal. Nothing about it seemed ''dark'', but she seemed sure enough of herself. I decided not to question it too much.


    "This is powerful enough; Rina has a couple of spells that''ll do the trick and you''ve got the scythe."


    "Right, the scythe." I mumbled as I put my sword away and took the scythe. The dark metal shaft was cool to the touch.


    We moved through the greenery, towards the centre of the summit. I could already see remnants of buildings ahead. Soon, we arrived at what seemed like a small castle, touched by time. Nature had already taken over this ce as overgrown nts covered most of the ruins.


    "There." Rina pointed at what used to be the main gate. Now, it was just arge, dark hole in a wall. "I''ll prepare the spell, you two go ahead. Alex nodded. We approached the hole, taking care not to step on any dry leaves or broken branches. Despite her height and several meters long tail, Alex was just as quiet, if not more so, as me.


    The quiet night didn''t remain quiet for much longer. As soon as we were close enough to touch the stone surface of what was left of the building, a loud, ear piercing screech sounded from inside. I heard the sound of pping wings as wind burst out from the dark entrance, knocking me off my feet and causing Alex to lose her footing for a moment.


    She easily regained her bnce, mostly thanks to her tail acting as a support. I sprung back on my feet too and just in time to greet the resident big bird.


    It was massive. About the size of that horned lion, in fact. It had mustard feathers and glowing, golden eyes. I could see the curse seeping out of it. It was like a mist surrounding the creature. All in all, it looked like an oversized eagle. With two pairs of wings. And three eyes.


    My mind seemed to have trouble processing it.


    "Now!" Alex shouted as she jumped in front of it. "Don''t let it fly!" She struck the creature with her shortsword. Despite her height, she barely reached the lower part of its body. I heard Rina''s humming from behind us. Was she chanting something?


    The oversized eagle screeched again and stepped out of the buildingpletely. Alex tried to stop it but had to back off to avoid being crushed under those sharp talons.


    "It''s going to fly!" She shouted. At the same time, the creature spread its wings wide. Gathering my courage, I sprinted to the side, used Fallen Grace, and leapt high into the air, towards the creatures left wing. Leaving a trail of ck mes behind me thanks to Death''s Scythe, Inded on the creature''s wing. Without skipping a beat, I shed the area where its wing connected with its body.


    An ear-piercing scream sounded as it tried to shake me off. Almost as if they were responding to it, several smaller birds appeared in the night sky.


    "Look out!" Alex''s voice sounded as the oversized eagle tried to shake me off. Holding the shaft of the scythe with one hand, I desperately hung on to its feathers. Looking up, the sky was covered in feathers and stretched talons aiming for me.


    "Get down!" Rina''s voice sounded as I heard a loud thunder. I pressed my body against the giant eagle''s feathers. I felt something brush against my back as the defensive enchantment on my clothes depleted. Momentster, a bright light shed above me as Rina''s powerful magic sent shivers down my spine.


    The momentary silence was followed by a bunch of muffled thuds. Unfortunately, I had no time to see what was going on as the oversized eagle decided it was a good time to fly.


    "Oh no." I said as I threw myself towards its neck. I had to stop it somehow. It stretched its wings and with a loud, pained screech, threw itself into the air.


    "Kai!" I heard Rina and Alex''s shouts. I lifted my head to try and see why their voices were so far away.


    The summit we spent so long to climb looked like a small hill from this height. As the icy wind numbed my face and hands, my breath got stuck in my throat. I could even see the vige from here.


    The creature screeched and made a sudden turn. Its body shook unnaturally as I noticed its left wing move slower and more ungracefully with each p. It took me a moment to notice what was actually happening.


    We were falling.

 Chapter 32: Heights

    <h4>Chapter 32: Heights</h4>


    "Oh,e on, seriously?!" I yelled as soon as we started losing altitude. We were so high up that I couldn''t even see the building on the summit. Yet, we were approaching it so quickly that I was sure I had no more than a handful of seconds to live.


    I pressed my body against the creature''s feathers and shut my eyes. There was no way I''d survive this. Seconds passed, filled with the eagle''s rmed screeches and my shallow, panicked breaths.


    Suddenly, I felt my body lighten. Almost immediately afterwards, we hit the ground with a loud crash. The creature wailed with pain as I couldn''t hold on anymore and gotunched in the air. I opened my eyes to see the world spin before me. The branches of the trees I hit as I flew past them tore into my skin.


    "Alex!" Rina''s voice sounded. I glimpsed the ground as it approached me. Moments before I git the ground, I felt something pull my legs. I felt something crack as my descent suddenly came to an abrupt end.


    "You idiot!" Rina shouted as I saw her feet. Only then did I realise that I was hanging upside down from... something.


    "I didn''t think I''d catch you in time." Alex said with relief as her tail, wrapped around my legs slowly and carefully lowered me onto the ground.


    The world was still spinning. Iy on the broken branches and dead leaves as Alex said something about ending the creature''s misery and walked off with her sword in hand.


    Rina kneeled beside me. "Thank goodness my spell worked." She said with a relieved smile. I nodded but didn''t trust my voice enough to speak yet. Suddenly, I glimpsed arge, dark shadow. I shivered as it melted into my chest.


    "Oh, but you''re wounded." She said suddenly. I felt her warm touch on my skin as she opened her inventory in a panic. "I''ll clean the wounds and pay for the healer''s fees, ok?" Her hands were shaking a little.


    "It''s fine, just give me a second." I mumbled as pushed myself up. The world wasn''t spinning anymore but I still felt somewhat dizzy.


    "I found your scythe. Again." Alex said as she approached us. She ced it on the ground next to me and sat down, folding her legs. "It''s dead." She dered. "I''d like to say we did good but..." Her gaze focused on me. "You almost gave me a heart attack."


    "Sorry," I smiled. They both sighed.


    "Let''s patch you up and get going." Rina said as she took some bandages from her inventory.


    "You don''t need to waste those on me." I said as I summoned my skills panel and used Soul''s Respite.


    Over a hundred souls leapt out of my chest. To me, they were dark, shadowy versions of the creatures I had killed. They brushed against my wounds and disappeared again.


    "Amazing," Rina said as her gaze followed one of the souls.


    "You can see it?" I asked in surprise. Alex also chimed in. "Wait, what did just happen?"


    "Are those souls?" Rina asked me as she gently touched a previously wounded spot on my arm. "Your power is incredible."


    I flinched. "I didn''t know they were visible." I mumbled as I looked away.


    "Wait." Alex suddenly said as she grabbed Rina''s arm. "I didn''t see anything. What souls? What''s going on?" She was visibly confused. Seeing her now, like this was funny ¨C she was so dependable and sure of herself until now that I''d never thought she''s get confused by anything. I couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Hey!" She red at me. Her tail wrapped around my waist and lifted me up. She shook me around like toy as she shouted. "Don''t leave me out of this!"


    "H-hey, Alex, calm down." Rina''s panicked gaze jumped between me and Alex. I felt dizzy again, Alex didn''t seem quite aware of how powerful her tail was. "You''re crushing him!" Rina shouted.


    Alex sighed and put me back on the ground. "You''re no fun, Rina." She nced at me as if she was making sure I was ok, then looked back at Rina. "Is it because of your truesight that you were able to see something I couldn''t?"


    Rina nodded. "Yeah. I saw some shadowy figures floating around him."


    "I saw a darkness spread out." Alex suddenly said. "Pitch ck. As it spread around you, your wounds healed."


    "That''s probably what the souls look like from the outside." Rina added. They both looked at me thoughtfully.


    "Is something wrong?" I asked. Their res were somewhat disturbing.


    "Well," Rina mumbled thoughtfully. "I wouldn''t use that word but..."


    My heartbeat quickened. I felt the coldness in my chest grow and the pain on my back amplify.


    "It''s just that... Apparently the world has legends about some mythical person called ''The Keeper of Souls''," She said, still ring at me. I still felt a little dizzy. "I only know very little," She added with a sigh. "I''d never think it''d be relevant. I''ll tell you what I know though."


    I nodded. I didn''t trust my voice with this lump in my throat. Why did my back hurt still, even after using Soul''s Respite?


    "It is said the Keeper of Souls walked thesends whenever a big event happened, be it a battle, an important discovery ¨C whatever happened, he was there to witness it." She shook her head. "The thing is, I don''t see any mention of this in any of the Ereth libraries. The only ces I found mentions of the Keeper is in old demonic ruins."


    "That''s the weird part." Alex said with a thoughtful tone. I forced myself to focus on the subject despite the pain.


    "Wait," I piped up. "Demonic ruins? I thought demons came here several decades ago and attacked the Ereth. When did they find the time to build stuff and have it fall into ruins?"


    They paused, then Rina nodded. "Good point. Plot hole, maybe?" She mumbled.


    "Hey, Kai." Alex asked. "Are you ok, you seem... sick."


    Rina flinched before I could even answer her. "He does look sick! I''m so sorry I didn''t notice it before!" She ced her hand on my forehead. "You''re burning up." She said after a moment. "Kai, doesn''t that skill you used cure you from everything?"


    I hesitated, then shook my head. "It heals my wounds." I summoned the skills panel and opened its description.


    ''Heals the targets wounds. The amount and quality of healing scales with the amount of souls that have found respite with the Soul Keeper.''


    "Doesn''t say anything about curing." Alex said as she read the pale blue text.


    "We should get you to a priest." Rina said with a worried tone.


    I shook my head. I didn''t feel as dizzy as before and my heartbeat returned to normal. "I''m fine," I wiped the sweat off my face with the corner of my cloak. "I just felt sick for a bit because of everything that happened." I gestured towards the eagle''s corpse. "I didn''t expect to nearly die today. Twice."


    Alexughed at my words while Rina only smiled. I took a deep breath and rose to my feet. "Oh, and thanks for finding my scythe again, Alex."


    "Don''t make a habit of losing it," She said with a grin as she helped Rina get up and stoop up herself too. "I won''t always be there to pick it up."


    I smiled, though her words hurt a little. It was a little saddening that I wouldn''t get to spend more time with these two. They were fun and smart. But most importantly, they had good hearts.


    I approached the eagle''s corpse and gently touched the feathers on its head. Despite its hostility, it was a beautiful creature. I hesitated before plucking one of therger, golden coloured feathers on its head. "Sorry," I whispered. I couldn''t bring myself to hate it, even though it tried to kill us.


    "Kai," Rina called my name. They were standing at the entrance of the ruins. I joined them and shivered as we stared into therge entrance. When Rina finally spoke again, her words sent a chill down my spine.


    "There''s something in there. Something magical."

 Chapter 33: Cobwebs and Rot

    <h4>Chapter 33: Cobwebs and Rot</h4>


    Our slow, careful steps carried us inside. The uneven, cracked stones caused us to lose our bnce several times.


    "Well, this is disappointing." Rina mumbled as she cast a spell and illuminated our surroundings. We were standing in arge room. I could see remnants of furniture beneath the thickyer of dust and filth. The creature''s nest was at the centre of the room: arge pile of dry leaves, rotten cloth, and long wooden twigs.


    "That''s... almostical." Rina mumbled. "It looks like a sparrow''s nest."


    "An oversized, cursed, deadly one." I said with a chuckle. Looking around, I noticed a small door to the side. "Look;" I approached the wooden door. After a moment''s hesitation, I attempted to push it, only to see it fall apart as soon as I touched it.


    "At least it''s open." Rina said with a shrug. "Come on, let''s see what''s in there. Alex-" She paused and looked back. "Alex?"


    The tall, reliable snake woman was standing at the entrance. Her face was pale as her gaze seemed focused on the ceiling. Something had scared her breathless. Fear gripped my heart as I followed her gaze. We were spread out; Rina was standing at the centre of the room. If anything jumped us, we''d be at a severe disadvantage.


    "Spiderwebs?" I mumbled as I stared at a fairlyrge web hanging from the ceiling. It was about the size of my chest. The silky strands of it were just barely visible under Rina''s spell.


    "Oh no..." Rina mumbled as she facepalmed. "Alex, why don''t you wait for us outside?"


    The other woman nced at us as blood rushed to her face. "I- I''m sorry." She said with a pained voice. Her hands were visibly shaking. I smiled and shook my head.


    "It''s fine. Besides, you''ll be making sure nothing can ambush us from behind, so it all works out."


    "Yeah." She said with a shaky voice as she almost ran back outside.


    "I''m sorry about that." Rina said with a faint smile. "It''s arachnophobia."


    I shrugged. "It''s not something to apologise for. Are you sure you''re ok with spiders and dark ces though?"


    She nodded with a bright smile. "Don''t worry about me. Let''s go." She gestured me to lead the way. With a nod, I stepped through the destroyed door, into a dark, damp, and narrow corridor. I could hear the wind whistling through the cracks on the wall. Hesitant, I stepped forward as Rina''s steps sounded from behind me.


    We didn''t have to spend long walking as it soon opened up to a small, cramped room. All sorts of items littered the floor. The walls were lined up with what probably used to be bookshelves. I could see a few intact books, though I couldn''t quite make out their titles because of the thickyer of dust and the cobwebs spanning entire walls.


    "I''m d Alex didn''te in here." Rina mumbled as she walked past me to inspect the books. I nodded and looked around. Something felt off but I couldn''t quite put my finger on in. "Hey, Kai." Rina''s voice sounded. "Do you happen to be able to read this?"


    I approached her with raised eyebrows and looked at the book she was pointing at. It was a little hard to make out the writing from beneath the cobwebs. "Dorith''s Interpretation of Magic." I read text on the cover. "Why?"


    Rina flinched, then shook her head. "It''s a bit difficult to see in this dim light." She quickly brushed past me and grabbed one of the debris on the ground. "Look, some of these are still intact."


    She showed me a golden candbra. "It might be worth something. Let''s collect whatever we can." I nodded and got to work. Soon, we had over a hundred misceneous items stored in our inventories. We didn''t try to take any of the remaining books as they''d surely disintegrate if we even so much as touched them.


    "Well, I don''t think there''s anything of value left in here." Rina said after a moment''s hesitation. "I thought I''d sensed something magical but maybe I was mistaken." She seemed eager to leave. I couldn''t help but wonder, was she also wary of dark ces and spiderwebs?


    I hesitated, a little voice in the back of my mind was telling me that something was still off. There was still something to be discovered in here. I nced at the little pile of junk at the centre of the room. Since it stank of rot, we hadn''t really touched it. "Rina, do you mind waiting for a minute?" I asked as I carefully reached towards the pile.


    "Sure but... Are you really going to touch that?" She asked with disgust in her voice. I nodded and held my breath. I didn''t want to breathe too much of this stuff. I carefully pushed the rotten stuff aside, searching for something. I didn''t know what I was searching for, nor did I know why I was searching for something. But the one thing I had learned in my life was to trust my gut feeling. I wasn''t about to forget that lesson now.


    I stopped when my fingers touched a cold, metal thing. After a moment''s hesitation, I clenched my fingers around it and pulled it up. It was a thin, delicate chain made from a shiny, silver coloured metal. It was about three meters long. There was an equally delicate sp on one end of it and a simple hook on the other.


    "What''s this for?" I mumbled in surprise as I lifted it up.


    "Kai, put it down!" Rina suddenly shouted. I flinched as I felt a tingling sensation at the tip of my fingers. Dark lightning crackled on the chain, then jumped on my hand and arm. I felt it dance on my body, yet I felt no pain. Fear gripped my throat. What the hell was this? My fingers were clenched shut around the chain, I couldn''t let go of it, no matter how much I tried.


    A short moment passed, then the lightning disappeared. I threw the chain on the ground and jumped back, towards the corner of the room. "What the hell was that?" I shouted in panic.


    Rina stared at me in disbelief. "I have no idea."

 Chapter 34: What We Miss

    <h4>Chapter 34: What We Miss</h4>


    "Why should I take this thing with me?" I protested at her suggestion. The chainy on the ground still. "It could have killed me!"


    "Yet it didn''t. It''s clearly magical in nature. It could prove to be a very useful tool." Rina calmly exined. "It''d be a waste if you let it be here. Besides," A glimpse of a wicked smile appeared on her lips for a moment. "We don''t know what it did to you. It could cause you great trouble if it fell into the hands of others."


    "It could cause me great trouble if it zaps me in the middle of a fight too!" I waved my hands around. "Rina, I already have enough cursed stuff with me."


    "I''m not letting you leave unless you take it." She said with a deadly re. I flinched. She was much more powerful than me, she could easily realise her threat and then some more.


    "I''m ming you if this thing gets me killed." I grumbled as I reluctantly took the chain and put it in my inventory.


    "Of course," She said with a smile. "I''m also taking credit if it saves your life."


    "Ugh," I gave up on the conversation and brushed past her. "Let''s just go before I find more cursed stuff." She giggled and followed me.


    The cold night breeze touched my skin as we stepped outside. Alex was waiting right there, with her back leaning on a tree. She joined us as soon as she saw us leave the old ruins.


    "What did you guys find?" Her eyes sparked with curiosity.


    "A bunch of old stuff that we can sell and a magic chain that I made him take with him." Rina said with a straight face. Alex paused for a moment.


    "I''d rather leave it there but..." I mumbled. "Oh well."


    "What does the chain do?" Alex asked. Rina shrugged as I answered immediately.


    "It zaps me." Maybe it was my words, or maybe the fact that we''d survived our adventure, all of us suddenly burstughing. Once we regained ourposure, Rina suggested we go back to Stonepatch Vige. Both Alex and I agreed, we were exhausted.


    We descended the cliff much easier and faster than our climb. By the time we had reached the forest floor, we were joking around andughing.


    "So, wait." I said with a grin. "You both have younger sisters, and that''s how you met?"


    They nodded. "Rina hated my guts for a long time before we finally became friends." Alex said with a chuckle. "All it took was a thunderstorm and a burnt dish."


    "What?" I said with augh. "What kind of a weird situation is that?"


    "We ended up friends after that, so that''s all that matters." Rina smiled. They nced at each other as we passed through the forest.


    "What about you, Kai? What was your life like, out there?"


    I shrugged. "I studied, I trained. It was simple."


    Alex wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "That''s it?"


    I hesitated. "Well, I met Samantha and the others." I nervouslyughed. "I guess that''s how I ended up here." If I hadn''t met them, I wouldn''t be here. I wouldn''t be stuck. It wasn''t a pleasant way to think, but it wasn''t a lie either.


    "I see," Rina mumbled.


    "I''m sure your family will be d to see you when we get out of here." Alex said with a smile. I flinched. I wasn''t sure if I''d survive meeting Mother.


    "What?" She squeezed my shoulders. "You can tell me."


    "Ah, it''s..." I hesitated. "I''m not very close with my family. They''ll probably just be angry that I got myself trapped in a virtual world." I chuckled. "My sister will never stop messing with me for it." Despite my words, I''d kill to be able to see her again.


    Both women chuckled, though there seemed to be some sadness in their eyes. They probably pitied me.


    The rest of our walk passed in silence. Soon, the lights of the vige illuminated the path ahead. As the ground beneath our feet changed to a cobblestone path, it was time to bid each other good night.


    "I know you''ll tag along with Samantha and the others Kai, but can we ask for your help from time to time?" Rina asked.


    "Of course, I''ll be there if you need me." I said with a smile. Alex smiled and gave a rib-crushing hug. Rina was gentler than her. "Just... Don''t let them hold you back, ok Kai?"


    "Don'' worry, I won''t. I still have to catch up to you two." I said with a grin. Theyughed, then headed towards the southern side of town.


    I slowly made my way to the tavern. It was a bit past midnight, probably 2 a.m. or so. I didn''t know where Erik and the others stayed for the night. I could probably ask the barkeep though. I stepped on a loose stone and almost lost my footing. As I regained my bnce, I felt a little saddened. Alex had been helping both me and Rina whenever we stumbled during our climb. I already missed listening to their friendly banter.


    The tavern was still as lively as before. All the lights were on and I could hear the feint humming of low voices. Someoneughed every once in a while, disturbing the calm evening. I hesitated before going through the door.


    I could see about five upied tables. While most of the customers were Ereth, a particr table immediately caught my attention. Five familiar figures were ying cards. As I stood there stunned, Joshua hit the table with his palm, and with a huge grin, said something. I only faintly heard his voice, but I think he dered his victory.


    "Oh, it''s you." I looked around, trying to figure out whose voice it was. The barkeep waved at me, prompting me to approach the counter. "On the house." She said cing arge ss filled with orange liquid on the counter. "As thanks for killing the cursed bird."


    I flinched. "How did you know?"


    She smiled and gestured to the side, where two Ereth sat slouched over what seemed like a bunch of paper. "They''re with the Guild. Apparently, the Crystal let them know of what happened." She sighed. "The two girls here had been trying to get to the damned thing for a week now. I''m d you helped them out."


    I tapped the ss as I spoke with a low voice. "They helped me more than I helped them." I chuckled. "It was fun, they''re good people."


    "That they are." She nced at Erik''s table. "Can''t say the same for everyone here."


    "They''re not evil." I mumbled. "They''re not used to hardships." They had spent their entire lives surrounded with wealth. I''d bet on my life none of them had ever even learned how to cook. They didn''t have the abilities and experience to adapt to this situation.


    "Are you?" The barkeep asked with a grin. "Aren''t you like them? Don''t youe from the same ce?"


    I shook my head. "No. I''m not like them. We only happened to meet by chance." I sighed, finished my ss, and stretched my arms. "Thank you for the drink. It was delicious. I''d like toe again if I get the chance."


    "I''ll save you an open seat." She said with a smile. I nodded and left the counter. As I approached the table, Alina noticed me and shouted. "Oh hey! Look who''s back!"

 Chapter 35: A Normal Day of Hunting

    <h4>Chapter 35: A Normal Day of Hunting</h4>


    "Why on earth would you get drunk on virtual alcohol?" I red at Vincent. Clearly ashamed, he lowered his gaze. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked pale.


    "Sorry..." He mumbled. I felt like a parent scolding the child. With a sigh, I shook my head.


    "Just... Can you keep it in moderation next time? My back still hurts from carrying all of you back to the inn."


    "I think I''m done drinking." Vincent quietly said. I smiled and lightly squeezed his shoulder. The cool breeze blew my hair back.


    "You look different." He suddenly said. I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?


    "Well..." He hesitated, then dragged me to the shadow of a nearby tree. "I knew it! Your eyes are glowing in the dark, Kai." I flinched. "Wow, it''s almost as if they''re burning with magic."


    I quickly pulled my hair in front of my eyes. I didn''t want to look any weirder than I already did.


    "Aw, man." Vincent said with a grin. "Joshua is going to lose his mind when he sees this."


    I shook my head. "Can you try not to pull too much attention to it?"


    Vincent paused, then nodded. "Sure," He gestured towards the entrance of the vige. The rest of the group was headed our way. "I wonder what the n for today is." He mumbled as they arrived.


    "Good morning." Erik said with a tired voice. He also had dark circles under his eyes.


    "More like good afternoon." I said pointing at the sun. "It''s past noon."


    "Sorry," Erik said with a faint smile. "I guess we might have overdone it yesterday."


    "You guess?" I cried out. I couldn''t fathom how he could be so carefree. I clenched my fists, was he really trying to get out of here? Or was he enjoying living a fake life in a fake world?


    "Kai," Vincent grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Calm down."


    I nodded and took a deep breath. "Let''s go." I said, forcing myself to remain calm.


    "Ah, before we get going." Vincent summoned his interface and soon after I received a notification.


    ''Party Request Received''


    I epted it. "By the way," I suddenly said as I remembered. "Why did you guys remove me from the party?" The group nced at each other with confusion.


    "We didn''t." Erik said after a momentary silence. "By the time we escaped the Torchlight Woods, you weren''t in the party anymore. That''s why we assumed you died."


    "I see." I mumbled. It made no sense. At that time, I should have been fast asleep on the peak, by Vixia''s tree. "Anyways, let''s get going. I''d like to be back before dusk, if possible."


    Vincent and Samantha nodded. Erik mumbled something I didn''t quite catch. Alina seemed unhappy; she was clearly still hungover. Joshua simply followed us wordlessly.


    "Erik, you always lead everyone, right?" I asked as we entered the woods. He nodded. "Great," I said with a forced smile. "I don''t want to disrupt the way you''ve been doing things too much, so lead the way."


    "Sure thing." He said. His voice was low, and his steps were slow. He seemed lost in thought. I wondered what the matter was. What was troubling him?


    "Our quest is to clear a nest north of here." Erik dered, breaking the ufortable silence. "As usual, Alina will focus on healing while I and Vincent protect Samantha. Joshua, you make sure nothing can get to Alina." He hesitated as he nced at me. "I''d like you to be on standby. If anything unexpected happens, make sure to keep Alina safe so she can heal us."


    "I can fight just fine, Erik. You don''t need to-"


    "I know." He said cut me off. "I''d still like to do it like this though."


    I clenched my fist, hidden under the cloth of my cloak. "Sure." I faked a smile and slowed my steps, falling to the back of the group. I couldn''t fathom why he didn''t want me to fight. I was the highest levelled one, I had more experience ¨C both here and back at home ¨C than any of them. It made no sense.


    "You seem annoyed." Samantha''s voice sounded from behind me. "Is something wrong?"


    I shook my head as I matched her speed. "No, it''s nothing. I''m just a bit tired." I glimpsed at her hands. "Are you ok? You seem a little unsteady. Can you shoot properly with such shaky hands?"


    She smiled. "I''m fine!" She tilted her head towards Alina. "She''ll use a spell before the battle that''ll help us with our grogginess. She''s also got some buffs, but I don''t think we''ll even need them."


    "I see." I mumbled as I nced at Alina. She needed Joshua''s support to walk in a straight line. Her face was still a bit red and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible. She didn''t look like she''d be useful in a fight. I understood why Erik wanted to protect her ??? she was their only healer ¨C but I didn''t quite think she was sober and aware enough to heal people during a fight.


    "We''re here." Erik quietly said. "Alina, you''re up."


    I felt Alina''s magic spread to the others. The dark circles under their eyes disappeared. The tattoo under her eye glowed for a moment before returning to normal. "Done." She said with a yawn.


    "Alright. You know the n. Let''s go." Erik and Vincent took point and stepped out of the woods. After a moment''s hesitation, I leapt up, caught a low branch, and pulled myself up the tree. Now, I had a clear line of sight of the battlefield.


    It was a small area, surrounded with fallen trees andrge rocks. Our group was holding the only exit from this ce. Erik and Vincent were facing off against about twenty creatures. They were about the size of arge dog, though they looked nothing like one. They looked more like scorpions without the barbed tails. They had hard shells and their colours ranged from brown to dark green.


    Erik stepped forward with his tower shield, pulling their attention towards himself. Vincent was standing right next to him with his shortsword ready to strike. Nervous, I watched them as the creatures drew closer. I summoned my skills panel, ready to cast Dark Bolt at a moment''s notice. My simple straight sword wouldn''t do anything against creatures with such hard shells, but magic could probably pierce their defences without too much trouble.


    The first creature struck Erik''s shield with its pincers. The young man grumbled and stepped back. Vincent was facing off another one, he blocked the first few strikes with his sword. They seemed to be doing fairly well, so I held on to my Dark Bolt.


    An arrow flew past Erik to hit one of the creatures right in the eye. It fell on the ground motionless with a disgusting squelch. I flinched; I didn''t know Samantha was such a good sharpshooter.


    Almost as if she were trying to prove me wrong, she missed her next shot. The arrow struck a fallen tree on the other side of the battlefield with a loud thud. I sighed and nced at Erik and Vincent. Nearly all the creatures had reached them. They were soon going to be surrounded.


    Vincent screamed as one of the monsters'' pincers found its mark. He staggered and stepped back as blood flowed from the wound on his arm. Even more creatures approached him now, they had smelled the scent of blood ¨C they weren''t going to let their prey get away.

 Chapter 36: A Mutual Understanding

    <h4>Chapter 36: A Mutual Understanding</h4>


    I felt Alina''s magic reach Vincent. The wound on his arm healed almost immediately. Her power was useful, I had to admit. Though, it wasn''t quite as powerful as Erik and the others thought it to be. While Vincent''s wound was healed, he still seemed somewhat shaken, probably because of the pain.


    That wasn''t the only issue the group was having. Since Vincent had backed off, Erik was left alone on the frontline. While he was fairly strong, he was still only human. As more of the creatures focused their attention on him, he also started stepping back.


    An arrow flew right past him and killed another one of the creatures. I nced down at Samantha. She was focused on her archery. She hooked another arrow and released it as I watched. I followed the arrow with my eyes. She had just barely missed the eye of one of the creatures. The arrow hit its shell with a loud ng, then harmlessly fell on the ground. The creature didn''t seem too bothered by it as it continued approaching Erik.


    "This isn''t working." I mumbled as I used Dark bolt. Three silent bolts leapt from my fingers and killed the three creatures, closest to Erik.


    "What the hell?" He shouted, ncing towards me with annoyance. I didn''t care as I shot another volley of Dark Bolts. I wasn''t about to let his inexperience cause any deaths.


    "Kai?" Vincent shouted as the three opponents he was facing off against died to my magic.


    "Erik, look out!" I shouted as the remaining creatures attacked him. He tried striking one of them with his sword, but it bounced off its shell with a ng. I shot another volley, killing another group. With only five remaining monsters, I stopped casting and looked around. We''d made quite themotion; it wouldn''t be unusual to see predatorse our way.


    Soon, Samantha''s arrows finished off thest creatures. The group gathered at the little opening as I jumped down the tree.


    "What the hell was that?" Erik shouted as soon as I approached them. Confused, I raised my eyebrows. "I told you to look out for anything unexpected, why did you interfere with the battle?"


    "What?" I asked, dumbfounded. What had gotten into him? "You were in trouble, so I helped-"


    "I was not in trouble!" He continued shouting. "We''ve dealt with creatures worse than this. Why can''t you just do what''s expected of you? What if something had attacked us in the rear while you were preupied with this?"


    It felt as if he''d punched me in the gut. "What''s expected of me?" I repeated his words. Unpleasant memories surfaced as I clenched my fist. "I-" I shook my head and took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "Vincent getting wounded and being forced to fall back was unexpected. I did exactly what you asked of me." I gestured towards the forest. "I knew nothing wasing our way and even if they did, I could have alerted Joshua and Alina. Stop spouting nonsense."


    "You-" Erik clenched his fist and took a step towards me, but Vincent stopped him by stepping between us. "Erik, don''t you think you''re being too harsh?" He quietly asked. Aline quickly shut him down. "No, he''s right. We could have died if something like that happened. There''s a reason we have a leader, what''s the point if you don''t follow his n?" Her cheeks were slightly red as she spoke. She seemed angry.


    "Let''s try this again," Erik said, pushing Vincent aside. "Only interfere if something aside from what we''re fighting attacks us. Ok? Is that clear enough?" His bright blue eyes were filled with hostility.


    I responded to his hostile gaze with my own. "Crystal." Without waiting for his acknowledgement, I headed towards the next location. I heard the group scramble behind me. A little whileter, we arrived at the location of our next quest. I climbed up on a tree and watched them fight the battle. And the next one. And the next one.


    As dusk approached, we returned to Stonepatch Vige.


    "Let''s go to the tavern!" Alina shouted and started dragging the silent Joshua along with her. Erik relented easily and Samantha reluctantly followed them. I silently watched as they left, theirughter echoing between the buildings.


    "Are you ok?" Vincent asked. I shook my head, there was no point in lying. "I''m sorry about him. Erik, I mean." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "After we thought you had died, he med himself for forcing you to y this game with us. He kept saying how he''d avenge you."


    "It''s fine." I said with a sigh. "You don''t have to defend him. I know he''s a good person. He''s just going through tough times. All of us are." I didn''t say how that didn''t justify his actions, there was no point in discussing it. I turned my back to the vige. "But you guys already have a working system among the five of you. All I am doing is disrupting that." I turned back to look at the young fighter.


    He flinched and stepped back as I summoned my scythe. The crystalline curved de let out a pale shine as the sun set. "I''ll clear my head a little. You go ahead and join them."


    "I told you," He said as he carefully approached me. "I''m done drinking." His sword materialized in his hand. "If you''re going hunting, I want toe with. Do you mind?"


    I hesitated, then shook my head. "No, let''s go."


    Unlike the Torchlight Woods, the forest floor here wasn''t covered with moss. Our steps weren''t as silent as I''d like. Vincent wordlessly followed me as I went towards the faint traces of magic I could sense. Soon, we spotted a bunch of horned lions.


    I used Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe and dashed at them, leaving a trail of ck mes and a confused and somewhat terrified Vincent in my wake. He didn''t even get to lift his sword as I cut down these creatures. Once thest one fell, Vincent finally spoke up. "That was amazing."


    "I''m trying to get used to the weapon." I cleaned the blood off the de with arge leaf. Even if this was a game, it felt wrong to leave my weapons dirty. Besides, this world was so realistic that Erik''s father may had even chosen to add such a ''feature'' into it. Weapons degrading due to damage wouldn''t be outside his ability.


    "I don''t know man; you seem pretty used to it already." He said with a grin. "They were dead before I finished counting them."


    "Sorry you didn''t get to do anything." I said, feeling a little bad. The situation now felt simr to when a new disciple joined the training hall. They wouldn''t even be able to follow our movements. Both good and bad memories surfaces as a bitter smile appeared on my face.


    We continued hunting for a few hours, though Vincent seemed a bit tired towards the end. On our way back, I finally asked him something that had been bugging me for a while. "Why are you fighting so defensively?"


    He flinched. "You noticed?"


    I nodded. I had noticed the moment I saw him fight the scorpion-like creatures. He never once did anything offensive in that battle, or in the following ones.


    "Erik said that as long as we keep Samantha and Alina alive, we''d beat the game. Alina can heal insane amounts of damage and Samantha is an amazing archer. She can dish out more damage than any of us. Joshua makes for a great lookout and he''s good at keeping Alina safe." He shrugged. "Erik is a pdin; his job is to be the frontline, but he can''t do it alone. He needed someone to stand with him and the only person capable of that was me."


    I shook my head. That thinking was wrong on so many different levels, I didn''t even know how to begin exining.


    "I know what you''re thinking." Vincent suddenly said as he grabbed my arm and stopped me. His sheer strength surprised me ¨C his grip was stronger than Erik''s. "You don''t have to interfere. We''vee to a mutual understanding with him and Alina. Look," He opened his status panel.


    ''Vincent Kestler ¨C Level 19 Fighter''


    ''STR: 28 ¨C CON: 20 ¨C DEX: 18 ¨C INT: 14 ¨C WIS: 14''


    Taken aback, I stared at him. "That''s much more than Erik''s strength."


    "It is. Fighters don''t get any of the cool abilities Pdins or, well, any other sses get. We get a whole lot of stat points instead. I still have some unused points too. Once Erik is strong enough to hold the line, I''ll start working towards bing a Spellsword." He grinned. "I''ll be pretty strong when that happens."


    I forced a smile. What he said was against everything I was taught, and it was exactly what Rina had warned me against yesterday. He was letting Erik and the others hold him back and hinder his growth. Yet, who was I to butt in and disrupt their rtionship? I smiled, nodded, and let the way to the tavern.


    "Come on, we have some drunk people to carry."

 Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter</h4>


    I was sitting on arge branch of the tallest tree in the area. I had used the magical chain to climb up here. I was pleasantly surprised to see the thing lengthen and shorten as I needed it to. Leaning my back on the trunk of the tree, I watched Erik and the others fight a group of horned lions in the distance.


    My shoulders dropped as I remember yesterdays conversation. After finding Erik and the others drunk in the tavern, I had a small fight with them. Eventually, we decided that I''d work separately from the group but still keep an eye on them.


    The innkeeper had rmended me this ce as a vantage point, and I was grateful to her. It allowed me to both keep and eye on the others and do some grinding of my own.


    I spotted some small eagles ¨C much like the ones that apanied the giant eagle we killed with Rina and Alex that night. I used Dark Bolt to dispatch of them. "How does this not have a range?" I mumbled as I opened my stats panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 40 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1200/20000 - - Souls 100/100 + 53 - - Mana: 480


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    I sighed as three more souls joined their fellow dead. I had gotten somewhat used to the coldness they brought with them. It was always there, buried deep within my chest. I shivered despite the ring sunlight. It was ufortable.


    "Look who''s here!" A familiar voice sounded from below. I flinched and looked down to see Rina and Alex standing beneath the tree. I grinned and waived at them.


    "Good to see you both alive."


    "That''s my line!" Alex said with a grin as she lifted Rina up to the lower branches. I was quick to climb down and help her. She smiled as I helped her climb to the higher branches. "Thanks,"


    "Give me a hand, would you?" Alex said as she jumped and caught the lower branch.


    "You know there''s no what I can lift you, right?" I protested. I was nowhere near strong enough to do that. Just the weight of her tail would be enough to dislocate my shoulder. Alex pouted. "Don''t be so rude to ady!"


    "I''ll help out." Rina said as she cast a spell. I flinched; she hadn''t summoned her skills panel.


    "There we go!" Alex said as she pulled herself up with ease. "Thanks!" She climbed past me, then grabbed me with her tail and lifted me up to the branch I was sitting on previously.


    "Uh, thanks." I said with a nervousugh. I nced towards where Erik and the others were fighting. Everything seemed to be going fine.


    "Any time, dear." Alex said with a warm smile. "We were on our way back to the vige when a bunch of bird corpsesnded near us. We guessed it''d be you."


    "Sorry about that," I fiddled with my hair. "I didn''t see anyone else around, so I thought it''d be safe."


    "Oh, it''s fine." Rina smiled. "But why are you here, alone? What about Samantha and the others?"


    I hesitated. "We had a... discussion." I said, averting my gaze. "Our fighting styles sh a bit too much. We decided it''d be best if I kept an eye of them while doing my own thing." I faked a smile and shrugged. "It''s better for me anyways. I''ve been on my own for too long, I can''t quite adapt to fighting with others."


    Alex red at me. She seemed somewhat upset. "We all know that''s a lie, Kai. You were in perfect sync with us the night before. You''re perfectly capable of adapting. The way I see it, they just didn''t want to adapt to your existence." She said with a deep, angry voice.


    "She''s right. You did fine, saved both of our lives too." Rina added with a low voice. "Don''t put all the me on yourself. Calm down, analyse the situation with a clear and subjective view and decide ordingly."


    I remained silent, not because they were wrong but because there was nothing I could say. Part of me wished I could tell these things to Erik and the others but there would be no point in doing so.


    "Is there something else bothering you?" Alex asked.


    "Oh!" I said as I remembered. "It''s not bothering me or anything ¨C I''m just curious; how did you cast that spell without using the interface, Rina?"


    She hesitated, then lifted her palm. "I think I can teach you. I''m not sure, but I can try." A warm light appeared in her palm. "You can sense magic, right?" I nodded. I could sense the flow of her power, though I couldn''t make much sense of it.


    "Try to mimic it with your own magic." Following her, I lifted my hand and tried to focus my magic. It was... challenging, to say the least. It was like trying to move a muscle I didn''t have.


    We intently stared at my empty palm for several minutes before I gave up. "I don''t think I''m very good at this." I said as my shoulders dropped.


    "It''s fine," Rina said with a smile. "I was only able to do it once I got my truesight and the ability to see magic."


    "You can see it?" I asked in surprise. I couldn''t even imagine what it''d look like.


    "In a sense." She said with a smile. "It looks like faint, semi-transparent strings." She squinted and leaned towards me. "Yours didn''t move at all when you tried it just now." She poked my palm. "What about that aura of yours? How do you control it?"


    I hesitated as I recalled. "You know about that too?" Iughed, of course she did, why was I even asking? "I''m not sure. I just do." I clenched my fist. "I''ll figure this out somehow too."


    Alex chuckled. "Don''t be too hard on yourself. I can''t do it either." She grinned and looked at Erik and the group. They were sitting in a small opening in the woods, enjoying their lunch. "Looks like they''re having fun."


    Rina nodded as I sighed. They were taking things way too lightly. Though, I couldn''t help but feel like I might have been too hard on them. I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts and focused on Alex and Rina. "What are you two doing out here anyways?


    Rina opened her inventory to show me a bunch of different herbs. "We''ve been collecting materials for our sisters to use."


    "Wait, so your sisters are also here?" I felt bad for them all of a sudden. They had to worry about keeping family safe. "I had no idea."


    "They''re not fighting." Rina said with a smile. "My sister is doing alchemy. Alex''s little devil is an enchantress." She gestured to my clothes. "You bought these from Luhen''s ce, right?"


    I nodded. The enchanted clothes were really useful. Their protection had already saved me once.


    "My sister''s the one selling them to Luhen. Why don''t we introduce you to those two some time?" Alex said with a bright smile. I hesitated, not because I didn''t want to, but because I worried about scaring them with this look of mine.


    "Oh yeah, that''s a good idea!" Rina chimed in. "I''m sure they''ll-"


    A loud screech interrupted her words. I heard yelling and panicked screamsing from where Erik and the others were taking a break. I looked that way to see something as bright as the sun, descending towards them.

 Chapter 38: To Ashes

    <h4>Chapter 38: To Ashes</h4>


    "The hell is that?" Alex shouted. Rina seemed frozen in ce. I used fallen grace and threw myself off the tree.


    "Kai, wait!" Alex''s voice was already behind me as I rolled as soon as I touched the ground to soften my fall and dashed towards the screams. The forest roof blocked my sight for a short moment. I considered myself lucky as whatever that bright thing was exploded, burning off most of the leaves. I ran towards it as ash rained around me.


    Soon, I heard Erik''s voice. "Stay behind me! We''re retreating!" I burst out of the treeline to see them hunched down behind his tower shield. I stopped in my tracks as I saw it. The source of that screech.


    It was a giant, ming bird. "A phoenix?"


    "Kai, run!" Rina''s voice sounded from behind me. "You stand no chance against that thing!"


    Both her and Alex also came out from the woods. Rina was already out of breath while Alex seemed ready to fight.


    "Who are they?" Erik asked in surprise. Before we could say anything, the creature let out another ear-piercing screech. Its eyes focused on Rina. I felt something change around us as the forest suddenly caught on fire.


    "What the hell?" Alex shouted as she pulled her friend away from the burning trees. "It''s blocking our path!"


    I nodded; the entire forest was on fire. There was no way we''d get through it alive. Even if Alina healed us in the process, we were hours away from the vige. Her mana would never be enough.


    "We have to fight it." Rina shouted. I could barely hear her voice from the roaring fire. "You guys, be ready to support us."


    Erik and the others hesitated. They clearly were scared. The phoenix''s mes roared as it soared above us. With every p of its wings, the air around us grew hotter. We had to do something before the heat killed us.


    "Look out." Samantha shouted as the creature reared its head. I felt the magic around it change. At the same time, Rina grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Momentster, a fireball exploded where I stood before.


    "It can shoot fire?" Alina screamed. I coughed as the smoke of the burning grass made my eyes water and my throat itch. "We have to do something quickly. Samantha, shoot the thing already!" I shouted. She flinched and hooked an arrow.


    "I''ll enhance your shots." Rina shouted as a blue glow appeared around Samantha''s arrow. As soon as she released it, it flew straight to the creature and hit its wing. The phoenix screeched and wailed. The mes around us roared and the smoke got thicker. Soon, even breathing was going to be difficult.


    "Kai, use the chain to try and bring it down." Alex shouted. "If you can hook it around its neck or feet, we can pull it down." I nodded, it made sense. I took the chain out from my inventory and ran closer to it.


    "Erik, be ready to pull when I tell you to." I shouted. He nodded as he blocked another fireball with his shield. I smelt some burned skin as I ran past him. The shield was zing, it must have been burning the skin on his hands. Yet, he persevered to keep Alina and Samantha safe.


    I used Fallen Grace and leapt high up in the air. Throwing the chain, I felt some of Rina''s magic around it. With her guidance, the chain wrapped itself around the phoenix''s chest and hooked itself. The creature screeched and pped its wings in an attempt to get away. As soon as Inded, I threw the other end of the chain towards Erik. "Pull!"


    Alex and Vincent also lined up by the pdin and we pulled the chain. Despite our efforts, the creature showed no sign of defeat. It only pped its wings harder. I felt my feet slowly leave the ground.


    Another enhanced arrow struck the creature, then another. I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my mind that was quickly followed by a lighting strike that hit the creature.


    "It''s working!" Samantha shouted. It really was working. My feet touched the ground again as our collective strength lowered the creature to the ground. Eventually, it couldn''t fly at all anymore and fell on the ground with a thud. As soon as it did, the grass around it caught on fire.


    I let go of the chain and and summoned my scythe. Erik and the others also summoned their weapons as we dashed towards the creature.


    Waves of fire spread from it as Samantha''s arrows barely hit the creature. Erik was the only one who could get any closer to it as his shield was barely enough to keep him safe from the worst of the mes. Right behind him was Vincent. Rina was casting a spell way in the back and Alex seemed to be waiting for that to finish. Joshua stood to the side ¨C his throwing daggers were doing a fair bit of damage to the creature.


    Erik shouted something as soon as he was in range to hit the creature. His longsword let out a golden shine as he cut through the phoenix''s ming feathers with ease.


    "Kai, Alex, go!" Rina''s voice sounded as her magic formed a blue shield around me and Alex. The heat of the mes disappeared. A smile appeared on my face as I dashed forward.


    Joshua''s surprised scream shattered my smile. He pointed towards the creature''s left side. "It''s healing!" His words hit me like a truck. I nced at the points where Samantha''s arrows had hit the creature. There were no wounds. Erik''s shes had disappeared. The only wounds that had remained were from Alex''s sword.


    "Get back!" I shouted as the creature spread its wings wide. A wave of heat hit us. Rina''s shield blocked the heat wave for me and Alex, but the others seemed to have trouble breathing. "I can''t breathe!" Rina suddenly shouted. Her face was red, she was panting, holding her throat.


    "You didn''t cast it for yourself?" Alex shouted as she rushed to her friend''s side. "Idiot!"


    Alina''s healing spell touched Rina, allowing her to breathe a bit better and getting rid of her slight burns. I looked around; it was as if we had entered hell. Everything was burning ¨C Trees, bushes, even the dry ground itself.


    I heard the creature move. As I moved my head to look at it, fear grasped my heart. Its gaze was focused on Erik as it leapt into the air and dove right towards him. Its sharp talons reflected the light of the fires around us as they aimed for the pdin.


    "Look out!" I shouted as I rammed Erik with all my ¨C and Fallen Grace''s ¨C strength. My bash threw Erik out of the way of the creature''s talons, but I wasn''t fast enough to get myself out of the way.


    I felt the sharp talons burrow into my skin as it grabbed my right shoulder and arm. Before anyone could react, the creature had already lifted me off the ground. I screamed, trying to free myself but all that did was cause its sharp talons dig deeper into my flesh.


    "Kai!" Alex shouted. Samantha shot an arrow, but the creature didn''t even flinch as its mes burnt the arrow before it even reached it. I held on to the creature''s leg with my left arm, to lessen the weight on my shoulder and looked down as the ming bird carried me high into the air. I could only hope it wouldn''t let go, we were too high up in the air.


    I thought of trying to cut off its leg but decided otherwise. Even if I decided to that, I''d have to wait until it flew low enough for me to survive the fall. At least I was protected from its mes until Rina''s spell wore off. We flew north, past the summit where we fought the oversized eagle. Just looking down was enough to make my head spin.


    The phoenix didn''t fly for too long, though the distance we''d covered in this short time was incredible. I could see several ruins in the forest below. My shoulder and arms hurt with each beat of its wings, so I was grateful when I started to slow down.


    Unfortunately for me, the ce it had chosen tond was a ratherrge and deep crater. Before my feet touched the ground, it dropped me. I fell on the ash covered ground with a thud. As soon as I did, I used Soul''s Respite.


    I heard the creature alsond with a loud thud. As I got up on one knee, our gazes met. I felt the heat of its mes. Rina''s spell was slowly wearing off.


    I pushed myself to stand up and summoned my scythe. The creature spread its wings wide. I clenched my teeth as it reared back its head. The next heat wave destroyed Rina''s spell. Taken aback by the intense heat, I stepped covered nose and mouth with my arm. My eyes were burning from the heat. I blinked a few times, only to see a fireball approaching me.

 Chapter 39: A Mysterious Smile

    <h4>Chapter 39: A Mysterious Smile</h4>


    I threw myself to the side, just barely avoiding the roaring mes. Theyer of ash around me rose and created small cyclones. The Phoenix screeched again. I quickly got back on my feet and dashed to the side. Another fireball exploded behind me.


    I looked around, trying to find a ce where I could climb up and escape the crater. The walls were too steep, I didn''t think I could get out of here easily. It wouldn''t have been an issue if there wasn''t a bird shooting fireballs at me.


    Another one exploded behind me, sending me flying. I feel on the ash covered ground with a thud. Smoke covered the sky; it was getting difficult to breathe again. I coughed and pushed myself up. The creature screeched at me. The wound Alex''s sword had inflicted was still there, on the creature''s chest. Why was it that only her weapon inflicted any permanent damage?


    The pped its wings, sending a cloud of ash my way. I coughed and covered my face with my cloak. I had to get up and escape. On my own, I had no chance against this creature. I shot a volley of Dark Bolts at it and dashed to the edge of the crater.


    A fireball hit the ground before me, causing me to stop in my tracks. I heard the sound of wings and turned to see a pair of sharp, deadly talons approaching me. Hopeless, I swung my scythe.


    It screeched. I screamed. The scythe cut through its left wing with ease as the sharp talons pierced my chest. The enchantment on my clothes had depleted a long time ago. I used Soul''s Respite again as soon as it retreated a little. My previous wounds hadn''t evenpletely healed yet and he wounds on my chest hurt still, my healing ability was nothing like Alina''s. The souls burst out of my chest and started their ritual of circling around me.


    I nced at the creature. It was preparing another attack. I could sense its magic focus around its mouth. The souls slowly healed the wounds on my chest, but it wasn''t fast enough. I wasn''t going to be able to get up in time to avoid it.


    The phoenix breathed fire my way. I barely crawled out of its range, leaving a trail of blood on the ash covered ground. Fear gripped my throat. I looked at the wound I had inflicted ¨C how long was it even going to remain there?


    The phoenix screeched and pped its right wing. To my surprise, its left wing hadn''t healed yet. Though there was no blood, it was motionlessly dangling. It reared it''s head up and I came face to face with a wall of fire. The mes roared as they reached towards me.


    I couldn''t die right now. Not after finding Erik and the others. Not after meeting Rina and Alex. I grasped the shaft of my scythe and prayed for Soul''s Respite to heal me as the mes approached.


    "That''s quite enough." A soft voice sounded. The wall of mes hit a purple barrier moments before they reached me. I heard the sound of two pairs of wings. Delthurnded right by my side. He didn''t even look at me, his gaze was focused on the phoenix.


    Purple mes appeared around the phoenix as I heard Vixia''s soft voice, chanting. It screeched and breathed fire, only to once again be blocked by that purple barrier. As the demon''s mes burnt it, it wailed in pain. Despite almost being killed by it, I couldn''t help but feel a little bad for it. It stood no chance against Vixia.


    She finally entered my vision,nding right by the creature. She wore simple, dark green protective clothes. Her overdone makeup or extravagant clothes were nowhere to be seen. Her simpler outfit made her no less intimidating. I felt a lump in my throat as her mes danced around the phoenix. Any second now, the one wailing in pain could be me.


    I forced myself to get up. Soul''s Respite had finally finished healing me. I slowly, discreetly stepped back, only to hit a purple barrier much like the one that stopped the phoenix''s mes.


    "Stay where you are." Delthur said with a dry voice. He seemed annoyed. Unlike Vixia, he was wearing chain armour and carried arge, two handed sword with him. He looked very much like the demons in old stories.


    It took a while for the phoenix to finally fall. Motionless, ity on the ground. I half expected it to turn into ash as it died, but it didn''t.


    I noticed the barrier around me dissolve. I thought of escaping, but both Vixia and Delthur had focused their attention on me.


    "Well," Vixia suddenly said with a dark expression. "How long are you going to make it suffer?" Her beautiful voice carried the full weight of her words. "A phoenix can''t be killed by ordinary means."


    Her words sent a chill down my spine. I nced at Delthur ¨C he also had a heavy expression. "What do you want me to do?" I asked with a weak voice. It was impossible to not be terrified of her, considering that she didn''t even look slightly tired after that show of power.


    She gestured towards the phoenix''s motionless body. "Kill it. Let it find it''s peace." Purple mes danced on her fingers. I gulped, how was I going to get out of this one alive?


    I slowly, carefully approached the phoenix. The closer I got, the more sadness I felt. It was a beautiful being, despite its deadly mes. I nced at my scythe. Was it even going to work? With a deep breath, I swung the de, piercing the creature''s chest.


    The body turned into ash as my scythe passed through its flesh. I shivered as its soul dissolved into my chest. I hadn''t expected a phoenix''s soul to be this cold. Suddenly, I felt sick. How was I any different than an executioner? Killing a helpless, already defeated creature like that!


    I brushed past Vixia and ran to the nearest rock. Delthur motioned to chase me, but Vixia calmly stopped him. I bent down behind the rock and puked my breakfast. My whole being felt sick. What I had just done was against everything I was taught. It was against the principles my family upheld throughout the centuries.


    "Weak." Delthur''s dry voice sounded. He cleared his throat and coughed. "Lady Vixia, I-"


    "It''s fine." She said with a soft voice as I stepped away from the disgusting mess I created. I could still taste it. I needed water, though I didn''t expect to live long enough to find any.


    "What happens now?" I asked with a cracked voice. I probably looked funny to them. My legs were shaking, I felt exhausted. Still, I clenched my fingers around the scythes shaft. The feeling of cold, hard metal helped me calm down a little.


    Vixia smiled. "You don''t need to be so on guard, Kai Friseal." She approached me, purple mes still dancing on her fingers. "If I wanted to kill you, I''d done so the first time we met." She walked past me. "Come."

 Chapter 40: Jade Waters

    <h4>Chapter 40: Jade Waters</h4>


    I sshed some water to my face. Again. Probably for the tenth time. I just couldn''t convince myself that I wasn''t dreaming since the situation I was in was... weird, to say the least.


    The jade green waters of theke were crystal clear. I could see the fish swimming with ease. Of course, the same could be said for Delthur as he floated above the water, spear in hand. He readied his spear and skewered a fish. A calm, cool breeze carried the scent of hyacinth towards me. I looked behind me to see Vixia standing by the campfire. She was looking far away, towards the north. As I watched, she sighed and stretched.


    We were in the middle of the forest, not too far away from where I killed the phoenix. I could just barely see the summit in the distance, where Rina, Alex and I killed the overgrown eagle. It was so far away; it''d probably take days to go back. If I ever could, I thought as I nced at the chain locked around my right wrist.


    Of course I wasn''t camping with two demons because I wanted to. They hadn''t given me much choice on the matter. With a sigh, I got up on my feet. I still felt somewhat sick. I approached the camp and after a moment''s hesitation, sat down by a tree and leaned my back on it.


    I was exhausted. My muscles still ached from the strain of thatst battle. I wished this were a dream, that I''d soon wake up to find myself in my room at the inn.


    "You should rest." Vixia''s soft voice sounded. She smiled as her steps brought her closer to me. I felt my whole body tense up. This woman could kill me with ease. She chuckled and shook her head. "I told you before; if I wanted to kill you, I''d done so the day we met." She reached down and extended her hand towards me. I quickly backed off.


    "Why are you keeping me alive? What do you want from me?" I red at her. She paused then turned to face the gentle breeze.


    "Something you aren''t capable of just yet." The wind carried her whisper to me as she extended her wings and leapt up to the air. With a graceful turn, she flew towards herpanion. I shook my head. Her words made no sense.


    I wasn''t left alone for long as they both returned a short whileter. Delthur carried severalrge fish while Vixia had a bright coloured fruit in her hands. At first nce, it looked like an apple. I was pretty sure it wasn''t an apple though.


    "Eat." She said as she gave it to me. "You''ve exhausted yourself." She nced at the fish. "I don''t think you can eat any animals without throwing up right now."


    She wasn''t wrong. I was still shaken up by the death of the phoenix. Just thinking about it made me feel sick. I nodded. "Thanks," I mumbled as I bit into the fruit. I hadn''t realised how hungry I was until I tasted the sweet, delicious vour. It was unlike anything I''d tasted before.


    Vixia chuckled as I finished eating the fruit. For its size, it was surprisingly nourishing.


    "You should sleep." Delthur said, the stopped to clear his throat. He nced at Vixia, who nodded. I hesitated. I didn''t think I could sleep with these two here.


    "You took the soul of a creature much more powerful than you. It''ll take a toll on you." She said with a sigh.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, with some confusion in my voice. The horned lion and the oversized eagle were also much stronger than me. I hadn''t suffered anything from absorbing their souls.


    "The phoenix is a legendary creature." Vixia exined with a soft voice. "It''s not mortal, the only thing that can kill it is to sever the connection of its soul with its body. The only ones who can do that are Necromancers and the Keeper of Souls. You." I averted my eyes as soon as our gazes met. I didn''t want to lose myself in those bright purple eyes.


    "I didn''t intend to kill it." I said quietly. "You forced me to."


    "It was too good a chance to pass up." She said with a chuckle. "Besides, someone had to stop it, or it''d never stop going after your friend."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "Rohir''s pdin." Delthur said with a t voice. "He broke his oath. He did not extract the vengeance he swore to in the name of his so called ''god''." He coughed and cleared his throat.


    "Indeed," Vixia took over as she shot a look of pity and sadness towards herpanion. "Rohir is a vindictive old man. He probably got annoyed that the pdin borrowed some of his power and never gave anything back. I bet he cursed the poor phoenix out of spite too." She clenched her fists. "I''d love to cut him into pieces and reduce him to ashes." Purple mes danced on her as she spoke.


    "My Lady, please calm down." Delthur said with a worried tone, though he also seemed somewhat annoyed, bothered even, by the recent events.


    "Sorry," Vixia said with a bitter smile. Then, she turned to look at me. "That phoenix was still young. It could have lived for all eternity if this hadn''t happened." She gestured towards the sky. "Once cursed, it''d never be free of Rohir''s will. We couldn''t allow that old idiot to have such a powerful servant." She sighed and looked north. " And we couldn''t let the poor thing suffer for the rest of its life."


    With a serious look on her face, she approached me. I tried to back off, but she grabbed my wrist before I could. "But phoenixes don''t die. Their souls cannot be destroyed. The Ereth may have brought you here to kill us," She said with a wicked smile, "But they clearly don''t know what you are capable of. If they knew, Rohir would have never allowed you toe across a phoenix."


    I pulled my hand away and with the tter of chains, quickly got back on my feet and backed off. What was she talking about? "What do you mean? What does the god of vengeance have to do with the Ereth? I-"


    "That''s enough," She cut me off. "You need to rest, or you will not survive whates next." Her voice carried her magic to me. I tried to avert my gaze, but I was captivated by those glowing purple eyes. My eyelids got heavier as darkness embraced me. I felt a pair of cold hands slow my fall.

 Chapter 41: Blazing Dawn

    <h4>Chapter 41: zing Dawn</h4>


    I woke up to a beautiful dawn. The entire forest was a see of red and golden leaves. The grass was dyed in every colour of autumn. Even the previously jadeke looked like a golden pool. The transformation the forests in this world went through in the span of mere hours was incredible.


    "He''s awake." A dry voice sounded. Delthur was sitting on a fallen tree by the firepit. As my sight focused on him, he cleared his throat and with a bitter expression, put a small, crimson cloth away.


    "I told you he''d make it." Vixia said with a yful tone. "You need to learn to trust me more, Delthur."


    He grumbled, but I couldn''t quite make out the words. "What happened?" I asked. I motioned to get up, but a sharp pain shot up my back.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." She said with a serious expression. "You''re changing."


    I shot her a confused nce. What did that even mean? Delthur coughed, got up and headed towards theke. Vixia let out a sigh. "Just stay put. Though, I doubt you''d be able to walk with that pain." She also stood up and rushed after herpanion. Was it worry that I saw in her eyes?


    Since she''d been as enigmatic as always, I decided my best course of action was to check my interface. Thankfully, that seemed to be working properly.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 43 Soul Keeper | Exp: 6750/22000 - - Souls 100/100 + 87 - - Mana: 510


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    Everything seemed fine. I''d levelled up three times, but I guess that was to be expected thanks to the phoenix. I looked at the other panels, hoping to find a reason for this pain on my back but there was nothing. As I was about to give up, I remembered about the choice the game forced onto me after I''d killed the horned lion.


    "What was that?" I whispered to myself as I searched for that panel.


    ''Path Chosen. Please note that this process will take time. Do not attempt any strenuous activities until the process ispleted.'' The pale blue text was the same as before but there was more to the panel than before.


    ''Sacrifices taken.'' Beneath these two simple words, it listed a number of creatures. "Terror of Stonepatch Vige?" I mumbled to myself. Did it mean the oversized eagle? Beneath that, there was another piece of text: ''Core: Ember''


    "What?" There was no exnation, nothing. I scoured the panel for some more information, but my efforts weren''t rewarded.


    Since the interface was as useless as always, the next logical step would be to try and figure out what was going on with my body. I carefully lifted my arm to my head and reached to my back. My fingers touched the skin on my back. I flinched as just touching the skin hurt.


    Aside from the unusual sensitivity, I couldn''t feel anything wrong. I wondered for a moment if I had somehow broken a bone or something, but then realised how stupid that thought was. If that were the case, Soul''s Respite would have fixed the issue. Something else was causing this.


    I forced myself to remember when the pain first began. Wasn''t it right after I killed the horned lion? At the time, I had thought it was because I forced this avatar past its limits. That the mild ache would eventually disappear ¨C just like a normal muscle pain. Clearly, it wasn''t something as simple and insignificant as that.


    "You need to be more careful," Vixia''s voice sounded. With my heart racing, I quickly closed the interface. I had no idea how much of this they knew about, but I wasn''t about to give them such valuable information.


    The footsteps slowly approached, along with Delthur''s disgruntled voice. "You shouldn''t waste time worrying about me." He grumbled as they finally entered my field of view. He nced at me, then sighed and shook his head. "He''s the one who''s in danger." He pointed at me with one of his massive ck wings. Before me or Vixia could react, he leapt into the air and flew north.


    Vixia sighed and copsed on the nearest log. "Damn it." She whispered. Then, with a deep breath looked at me. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was as calm as always.


    I hesitated. "Fine, I think." I wanted to ask her what was going on, but it seemed like a bad time to do so.


    She nodded. "Good. Don''t move around. You''ve pushed your body beyond its limits way too often, so the process was constantly dyed. In the end, it was for the best, but it won''t make it any less painful."


    "What process are you talking about?" I really wanted to know the answer. Was it the same process the interface mentioned or was it something different?


    She smiled but gave no answer. Instead, she nced at the sky. I followed her gaze to see Delthur return. He was carrying something wrapped in a piece of cloth. Momentster, hended before us and gave what he was carrying to Vixia.


    "Beautiful," She said as she unwrapped the cloth. It was a small, crimson crystal the size of my fist. She raised it high up in the air. I held my breath as the sunlight seemingly danced within it. "Did she give it willingly?" She asked as she nced at Delthur. He nodded.


    Vixia seemed to lose herself in the crystal for a moment before finally shaking her head and turning towards me. An uneasy feeling came over me. "What''s that?" I asked with a worried expression.


    "There are things called primal cores." She said absentmindedly. "Cores that hold the most primal elemental powers." She smiled. "They''re not useful on their own. No one can control a primal power." She nced at me. "But power isn''t everything. This is the primal core of fire. It''s an offering to the soul of the phoenix that resides within you. It will merge your souls."


    "I don''t understand." That uneasy feeling only grew stronger as she approached me. "What does that mean?" I wanted to back off but moving hurt and even if I were able to run away, the chain was still locked around my wrist.


    "It means you''ll survive the next hour." She gestured to the east. The sun still hadn''t shown itself, but the sky was already dyed in crimson. "The phoenix revives at dawn if its body is destroyed. This will allow it to ept your body as its own." She smiled. "Don''t worry, you won''t be a primal creature. You''ll remain as the person you are."


    I hesitated; how could I ept that? How could I trust her?


    "Choose quickly," Delthur said with a dry, cracked voice. "It will start reviving soon." He coughed and turned his back to me. I noticed him wipe his mouth with the crimson cloth.


    I nced at the sky. The coldness in my chest disappeared as the first rays of sunlight touched my body. Instead, it felt as if someone had put cinders in my chest. I cried out in pain as it felt like something was burning a hole through my chest.


    "You have to decide ¨C now!" Vixia shouted. "Life, or a painful, empty death!" She held the crystal ¨C the primal core of fire ¨C before my eyes. mes danced in the crystal. It was beautiful. "Decide now, Kai Friseal." She shouted again.


    Of course I didn''t want to die. I didn''t hate myself, and despite its difficulties and challenges, I loved my life. I loved my family, even when they were harsh or borderline hostile. I still needed to get Rina, Alex, Erik, and the others out of here. I wanted to live. I wanted to see the bright smile of my sister again.


    I reached out towards the crystal. I was not going to die here.


    Vixia smiled as my fingers touched the warm surface of the zing crystal. I felt her magic envelop me and the primal core. The sunlight burnt my eyes as whatever spell she cast took effect.


    I cried out in pain as the souls created a vortex of shadows around me. One of them, as bright as the sun, lingered on my body. Vixia shouted something, but her voice was supressed by the wailing souls around us.


    The sun dawned. The forest turned green and the sky blue.


    With a pained cry, I burst into mes.

 Chapter 42: Distant Memories

    <h4>Chapter 42: Distant Memories</h4>


    For only a short moment, I smelled burnt flesh. I saw my pale skin darken and melt. For only a short moment, I was the me. I remembered soaring in the sky, leaving a trail of fire in my wake, searching someone. I felt the mark of a curse weigh on me, forcing me to hunt someone far, far away.


    I felt the pain of des and arrows cutting through my flesh, trying to supress my fire. I raged, yet they were strong, I needed to back off. I would burn them all from the sky. I''d be a second sun to them.


    I remembered escaping, carrying one of the small beings with me. He seemed just as scared as me. But the cursepelled me to attack. With a wrongful rage, I attacked. I pierced his flesh as he cut through my wing.


    I remembered the purple mes dimming my light, dousing my own mes. I felt my body weaken as I remembered her. I had saved her, many years ago. Why was she here? Why was she hurting me?


    I remembered that dark scythe pierce my heart. As my mes turned to ash, I saw the woman''s pained expression. Did she... remember me?


    Darkness, apanied by the cold embrace of death surrounded me. The pain was gone. The crushing weight of the curse was gone. I was gone.


    Memories whirled in my mind as I felt my skin tear. I was a phoenix ¨C no, I was a human. I lost sight of myself for a moment. Who was I?


    The sweet scent of hyacinth reached my nostrils. I opened my eyes to see a bright, blue sky. Suddenly, Vixia''s pale face covered my view. "You''re alive!" She said with a smile. "I knew it!" It was difficult to look away from her radiant smile.


    She backed off and gestured me to get up. I hesitated. My body felt...weird. Like something wasn''t quite right about it. I held my head and tried to reorganise my thoughts. I could clearly remember flying through the clouds and being killed by...me.


    "Kai Friseal." Delthur''s dry voice sounded. He was sitting by the campfire. "Focus."


    I shook my head. "I remember things that didn''t happen to me." I whispered. The chain ttered as I ran my fingers through my hair. "My mind is a mess." I said and pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    As soon as I did, I felt something heavy weighing down on me. Confused I tried to look at my back to where the source of that weight was. I flinched, shot up on my feet and promptly lost my bnce.


    Two massive, ck wings ¨C much like those of Delthur and Vixia ¨C were hanging on my back. The tip of the feathers looked like the embers of the phoenix. Speechless I stared at them.


    Vixia''sughter broke the silence only momentster. Even Delthur was chuckling, though that soon turned into a coughing fit.


    "What the hell is this?" I screamed as panic gripped my throat. Why did I have wings? How did I have wings? "What did you do to me?"


    "I did nothing." Vixia said with a grin. "It was your choice. I only made sure you''d survive this dawn." She gestured to the sky. It was still fairly early in the morning.


    "I didn''t-" I stopped halfway through my thoughts. Had I chosen this? I forced myself to remember ¨C What did that panel say? Something about a ''Development Path'' and ''Ember''? Was this the result of the choice I had made?


    "You will have to learn how to use them." Vixia said with a chuckle. "And how to hide them." As I watched, her wings turned into dark blue mist and disappeared. After a good ten seconds or so, they reappeared.


    I hesitated, learning to use a whole new set of muscles was going to be a challenge. I wasn''t even sure if I''d be able to do it.


    As I stood there, pondering, Vixia approached and plucked one of my feathers. I flinched and jumped back from the pain.


    "See?" She said with a beguiling smile as she stroked the plucked feather. "It''s not something you have to think about. Those wings are yours; your body knows how to move them." She tilted her head, prompting me to look at them. They were extended as if I was trying to keep them far away from her. I hadn''t even noticed that I moved those muscles.


    Delthur sighed. "We should try throwing him off of somewhere." He put the crimson cloth away. "That''s what worked for you, might work for him." I flinched and backed off while Vixia shot him a deadly re. He chuckled.


    I hesitated. I felt conflicted. I couldn''t say I didn''t like the idea of flying freely in the sky. Who would dislike it? I didn''t hate having wings and I''d be a fool to not see the sheer tactical advantage they''d give me. I was actually kind of looking forward to learning how to fly.


    But Vixia and Delthur ¨C two demons ¨C were the ones who''d helped me with this. They''d saved my life and were offering to teach me how to fly. There had to be some reason for their actions. Weren''t they the big bad enemy? I couldn''t blindly trust them.


    The cool morning breeze shuffled my feathers. I flinched; it was going to take quite some time to adjust to the new sensory inputs. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. The only course of action that made sense would be to try and take advantage of the situation as much as I could and look for an opportunity to escape.


    Gathering my courage, I asked her. "So, what do you want me to do?" I could only hope I''d get out of this alive. She showed me a mischievous smile that almost immediately made me regret asking.


    "Now," She extended her wings dramatically. Her eyes let out a purple shine that was difficult to look away from. "Let''s see how fast of a learner you are."

 Chapter 43: Training

    <h4>Chapter 43: Training</h4>


    With a loud ssh, I fell into the water. It took me a moment to find my bearing and swim to the surface. Unsurprisingly, having two massive wings on my back was quite the hindrance underwater. When I finally broke through the surface of theke, I gasped for air. I almost ran out of air just trying to get back to the surface.


    "I''d be quite funny if you drowned while trying to fly." Vixia said with a chuckle. She was sitting on arge rock on the shore, dipping her feet in the jade green water. I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the shore. "Aw,e on. It would be pretty funny."


    "For you, maybe." I grumbled.


    "Don''t be so grumpy." She sshed some water my way. "It''s been two days and you already learned how to take off and fly short distances."


    "Not fast enough," I said as I closed my eyes and focused on the embers of my wings. The embers burst into mes momentarily, evaporating most of the water on my wings.


    "You''re too ambitious." She said with a sigh. "You have all the time in the world." She extended her hand. Purple mes danced on her fingers. "Why are you in such a hurry?"


    "Who knows when you decide I''m not fun to keep around anymore?" I said with a dismissive tone. "I might as well find myself dead by tomorrow." With those words, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air. With a few powerful beats of my wings, I was already soaring in the sky.


    It was an amazing feeling. The wind touching my face, the beautiful green forests beneath me. Despite everything that happened in the past weeks, I felt free. Like I could go anywhere, do anything.


    Though that feeling was misleading, I did have more options than I did before. I still needed to train my muscles; I was feeling muscle pain all over my body. It wasn''t too surprising, all things considered. I had never used my body this way before.


    The most challenging part of flying was, funnily enough, flying in a straight line. I tended to veer towards wherever I was looking at. The second most challenging part was maintaining the proper rhythm required to actually keep flying. It actually took quite a lot of effort to move these massive wings. Whenpletely stretched out, each wing spanned a whole three meters. And none of those three meters were wasted ¨C it was all muscle. They were quite heavy.


    For now, I could only fly for about ten minutes before running out of strength, hence my frequent visits to theke. I nced around, taking in my surroundings. I was slowly getting the hang of adjusting the rhythm to adapt to the wind.


    Once I started feeling my muscles burn, I quickly turned back and folded my wings a little. The wind hitting my face only became stronger as I approached the ground. I stretched my wings and with a few powerful ps, realigned myself andnded on my feet.


    "Nicely done." Vixia pped. Out of breath, I approached theke and sshed some water on my face.


    "This is exhausting." I mumbled as Iy on my back. The sun warmed my skin, though it seemed to be unable to get rid of the coldness in my chest.


    "Of course it is." Vixia chuckled. "Did you expect it to be easy?"


    I shook my head. I''d always wondered how she never seemed to get tired, despite moving around quite a bit. Now, it made a lot more sense. "It''ll take a long time before I can fly any more than this." I clenched my fist.


    "Yes," She said with a chuckle and sshed water around with her feet. "But don''t you think it''s worth the effort?"


    I nodded. It really was worth it.


    "Now," She suddenly said with a heavy voice. "I''ve yed my part." She pushed herself off the rock and stepped towards me. I quickly stood up, that change in her tone and demeanour couldn''t mean anything good. She looked me in the eye. "We''ve saved your life many times. You owe us a debt."


    I flinched. She wasn''t wrong, but I disliked the idea of owing them. "What do you want?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "When the timees, I will ask you to meet someone." She brushed past me and walked towards the campfire. "You will not ask any questions; you wille with me." She looked at me over her shoulder. "I will promise your safety. Deal?"


    I hesitated. I could feel Delthur''s gaze on me as he gently stroked the hilt of his greatsword. I wasn''t really given a choice, was I? With a sigh, I nodded. "Deal."


    She smiled; it was bitter, almost painful. "We won''t meet again until then." She said before stretching her wings. "Survive until then, Kai Friseal." She leapt high into the air, followed by Delthur. Their wings carried them far away as I watched.


    I had survived another encounter with them, though at what cost? I nced at my wings, then at the northern sky. What the promise I made would entail, I didn''t know. I shook my head. There was nothing I could do until then. Thinking about it wasn''t going to do me any good.


    With a sigh, I looked to the south. It was time to go back. I opened my interface and checked the party panel. Everyone''s names were still there, and two more were added ¨C Rina and Alex. A smile appeared on my lips. At least they were safe.


    I nced around. I had enough food tost me a while in my inventory and Vixia had given me the chain back. All that was left of the campsite was just a bunch of fallen trees. With a sigh, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air. It was time to go back and find the others.

 Chapter 44: The Journey Back

    <h4>Chapter 44: The Journey Back</h4>


    Despite my best efforts, I couldn''t fly for more than a quarter of an hour. Even that goal seemed out of reach most of the time. Out of breath, I once againnded on the soft, mossy forest floor. With a burning sensation, the wings on my ck turned into a ck-ember mist.


    Vixia had taught me how do to this. She called it ''hiding'' my wings, though it felt more like making them disappear. Once I hid them, I couldn''t feel them at all anymore. The muscles that connected to my entire upper body also seemed to disappear. It was a weird and unpleasant feeling, like I was losing a part of my body.


    Now, with a lighter and more nimble body, I headed south. I alternated between flying and walking. After a few hours of journeying, dusk settled in. I once againnded on the mossy forest floor and checked my surroundings. I was in the middle of a very tnd, covered by this forest. There weren''t very many ces I could use as shelter.


    With a sigh, I walked around, looking for a tall tree. If nothing else worked, I could at least wait out the night on the higher branches of a tree. My efforts were soon rewarded by a nice, tall tree with a thick trunk.


    With a smile on my lips, I summoned my wings and flew to the higher branches of it. When I found a suitably durable branch, Inded and hid my wings. The fiery glow at the end of my feathers would make every creature in the general area aware of me.


    "Now then," I mumbled as I took a fruit out of my inventory. "This is rather convenient." I could see most of the forest from such a high vantage point. It looked beautiful as always. As I watched, the golden-purple glow of the setting sun slowly faded, allowing the dark night sky to take its ce. The unfamiliar stars shone as I closed my eyes to rest a little.


    I woke up to cheerful chirping and a cool breeze. As I opened my eyes, the golden sea of trees before me took my breath away. No matter how many times I saw it, I''d never get tired of it. I took some food from my inventory and ate it, waiting for the sun to rise and the forest to return to its normal, green colour.


    I still couldn''t make sense of how the leaves literally changed colours with the phases of the sun. Was it magic?


    I shook my head. I was being silly ¨C it was how OTHERWORLD had made this world. A thought gnawed at the back of my mind, but I dismissed it and prepared to fly again. Even if it was a fake, virtual world, being able to fly was amazing. I let myself fall, then with a powerful beat of my wings, took to the skies.


    I kept my pace of flying until I couldn''t anymore, then walking and once I had rested my wings enough, flying again until around noon. I''d have kept at it until dusk, but a bunch of vulture-like monsters interrupted my peaceful day.


    Honestly, I wasn''t expecting anything to attack me in broad daylight since I was now much stronger than most things in the general area. So, a sudden rush of wings took me by surprise. Unable to manoeuvre properly, I felt the scratches of their talons and their piercing beaks on my skin.


    I motioned to summon my scythe, but decided otherwise and summoned my in, metal sword instead. I wasn''t used to using a scythe or to flying. There was a good chance I''d somehow end up cutting off my own wing if I tried to do both at the same time. Instead, I swung my sword to cut off one of the vultures'' head.


    The swinging motion shifted my centre of weight, effectively messing up my fragile bnce. Not only did I miss my target, but I also found myself falling.


    Inded on the mossy ground with a loud thud and scrambled to get back up on my feet. Thankfully, the tree branches ad slowed my fall enough, allowing me to survive it with only a couple dozen scratches.


    The cultures screeched, I could see them circling the air above me, but they made no effort to chase me down. I took this chance to use Soul''s Respite and allowed the dark shadows to heal my wounds. Then, with a wicked grin on my face, I sent some Dark Bolts after the vultures.


    Several thuds sounded as the corpses fell all around me. "That''s what you get for messing with me." I quietly said as I looked at the map to find my bearings. As I walked through the forest, I couldn''t help but think about what just happened. I had no clue on how to properly fight in mid-air. I really needed to learn aerialbat if I wanted to take full advantage of these wings and their mobility.


    Thoughts and worries whirled in my mind as my journey back to Stonepatch Vige continued.


    I kind of regretted making that promise with Vixia. But then again, if I hadn''t, she probably wouldn''t let me leave. With a sigh, I gave up on that train of thought. What was done is done. Now, the best thing I could do was focusing on what I can do.


    I had to grow stronger. Strong enough to kill the Demon Lord. Once I''d done that, the game would be over, and we all would finally be released. How I''d do that was another question entirely. I needed to protect Erik and the others. Rina and Alex too, I couldn''t let anything happen to them.


    There was also the question of why Rohir, Erik''s sworn god, would send a phoenix to kill him. It didn''t really make much sense to me and I didn''t blindly trust Vixia''s words. I''m sure she hid more information than she shared with me.


    A distant shout interrupted my thought process. My ears perked up as I recognized that voice. It was Erik''s! But... What was he doing so far away from the vige?


    I sprinted towards his voice. Shortly before I reached him, I heard lightning cackle as several lightning strikes illuminated my surroundings, followed by the pained wail of the creatures it hit.


    They finally entered my vision as I slowed my steps. Erik and the rest of the group were apanied by Rina and Alex. They all seemed somewhat tired as they sheathed their weapons. Before them were the corpses of a bunch of vulture-like creatures, much like the ones I''d killed earlier.


    "This is annoying!" Alex shouted. "We don''t even know where they went!"


    "Hush!" Samantha suddenly said with a serious tone as I made my way towards them through the bushes. "Something approaches!" She hooked and arrow and without skipping a beat, shot it towards me.

 Chapter 45: Questions and Confessions

    <h4>Chapter 45: Questions and Confessions</h4>


    "Whoa!" I shouted and rolled away from the arrow''s path. It hit a tree behind me with an audible thud. "Guys, it''s me!" I called out, finally entering their field of view.


    "Kai?" Samantha shouted in a panic. "Oh my god, I''m so sorry! Did I hurt you?" She ran towards me and looked all over me. Her hands were shaking.


    "No, I''m fine." I said as I tried to calm her down. By then, the others had also reached us. Rina was the first to give me a hug, followed by a rib crushing one by Alex. "Alex ¨C can''t breathe!"


    Samantha also gave me a hug while Alina and Joshua opted to do high fives and fist bumps, respectively. "Are you wounded?" Alina asked with a worried nce. "Do you need healing?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''m good. Thanks, Alina."


    "You really need to stop scaring us like this, Kai." Vincent said with a huge, relieved grin. "If you weren''t still in the party, we would have thought you died for sure." Samantha and Alina nodded at his words.


    "I''m d you''re ok." Erik said with a low voice. "I''m really d you''re still alive." He seemed unsure of what to do. He motioned as if he wanted to hug me, but then stepped back. And nced at everyone''s faces. "Samantha, can you take us back to the river? I think we should make camp for the day."


    "Sure," Samantha said with a cheerful tone as she led the group through the forest.


    "Kai," Erik stopped me before I could follow the rest of them. He had a dark expression as he avoided my questioning gaze. I felt nervous, had something happened?


    "What''s wrong?" I forced myself to ask, preparing for the worst.


    "Thank you," He said with a catch in his voice. "I don''t think I''d have made it alive if I was the one carried off." He was referring to the phoenix. I shook my head; I shouldn''t have made it out alive either.


    "Don''t worry about it." I forced a smile as I lightly patted his shoulder. "We''re all alive, that''s what matters, right?"


    He nodded with a somewhat bitter smile. "Come on, let''s not stay too far behind or they''ll worry."


    We followed the others in silence. Erik still seemed to be feeling somewhat guilty. It was only natural since I basically almost got myself killed to save him. I caught him throwing glimpses towards me but didn''t say anything.


    We soon arrived at a small opening in the woods, bordering a shallow but wide river. Samantha was kneeling beside the sandy riverbank along with Alex. They seemed to be trying to catch fish. Alina was helping Vincent and Joshua set up some tents.


    "Kai," She said as we stepped out of the treeline. "Give us your tent, we''ll set it up too."


    I hesitated. "I don''t have one, actually." I said with a smile. "It''s fine though, I prefer sleeping outside anyways." I said as I saw her smile shatter.


    "Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "I can spend the night with Samantha, and you can take my tent if you want to."


    "Oh, no." I shook my head. "It''s fine, really." I nced at the blue sky. "I like seeing the stars and moons."


    Alina hesitated, then nodded. "Let me know if you change your mind, ok?" She gently touched my arm before going back to help Vincent.


    "Here you are," Rina''s voice sounded. "Do you minding with me a bit?" She asked with a harsh tone. I felt my heartbeat quicken. Was something wrong? I nodded and followed her along the river. Her steps had a sense of urgency to them.


    Once we were far enough away, she stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned towards me and simply stared at me with raised eyebrows. Nervous and somewhat worried, I asked her. "Is something wrong?"


    "You tell me," She said, tilting her head ever so slightly. "How are you still alive?" Her deathly serious expression sent shivers down my spine. "I can''t figure it out, how did you survive after the phoenix carried you off?"


    I flinched. I had expected to be questioned, but I didn''t think she''d be the one asking the questions. And I certainly didn''t expect she would be so blunt. I hesitated; how much could I tell her? I wanted to confide in her, to tell her about my suspicions. But what if doing so put her in danger?


    "Kai," She insisted. "Don''t you trust me?" Her voice reflected her disappointment.


    "It''s not that." I finally relented. "I don''t want to put you in danger, but if you insist..."


    "What does that mean?" She asked, no phased the slightest.


    "Well," I leaned on a tree and took a deep breath. "Two demons saved me from the phoenix," With those words, I started talking. I told her about the very first time I met Delthur, how I met Vixia, how they saved my life several times. She remained calm throughout my story as she listened until the very end.


    I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I hadn''t told anyone about this. "So, here I am now." I finished my words as I summoned my wings. They appeared on my back with a burst of embers.


    "Beautiful," She mumbled as she carefully approached them. "May I touch them?" I nodded. She carefully touched the end of my left wing with the tip of her finger. I remained silent as she inspected some of the feathers in more detail. "It looks like there is great detail to these. What does it feel like when you move them? Can you feel the singr muscles?"


    I nodded as I exined how flight worked. When I finished, she nodded in understanding. "I see." She nced at my eyes. "Your eyes are glowing."


    I flinched. I motioned to hide them with my hair, but her next words stopped me.


    "I think I know why they saved you."


    "What?" I froze in the middle of my motion. "Please, tell me." I insisted.


    "It''s a bit of a long story." She said with a faint smile. "But putting it simply, we werete to find you because we stumbled upon an old demonic ruin. I convinced everyone to help me explore it. Inside, I found several murals. One of them depicted a gate of light." She nced around as she spoke. "From it, beings came to what I assume is this world. The same mural depicted a man shrouded in shadows destroying the same gate, standing side by side with the Demon Lord."


    She stared at me as her next words left her mouth. "I think the previous Keeper of Souls stood with the Demons during an invasion."

 Chapter 46: A Blank in History

    <h4>Chapter 46: A nk in History</h4>


    "But ording to the game''s lore, the demons came about a century ago." I protested. "It doesn''t add up."


    She nodded and, with a thoughtful expression, continued talking. "If the knowledge in Ereth libraries is right, then demons invaded this world about a century ago, destroying the Ereth''s ''Divine Pirs'' and taking over most of theirnds." She shook her head. "But if the mural and other information I found in simr ruins is right, then the demons have been here for much longer. For such a long time that an invasion from a different world happened at some point, and enough time passed that not many traces of that remained."


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. I felt my heartbeat quicken. "What if," I mumbled as I reluctantly entertained the thought. "The traces are all around us, but we just don''t realise?"


    She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"


    "Well," I said hesitantly. "We don''t know what the world looked like before. You''re guessing that no traces remain because you consider the current state of this world ''normal''. But what if it''s not? What if something is very wrong about this ce, but we just can''t notice it?" It was a difficult thought to try and exin, though Rina seemed to get my point.


    "I''d agree with you, but you''re forgetting something. This is a game. It makes no sense for them to put an unsolvable mystery in a game."


    I flinched. "True," I mumbled as another thought gnawed at the back of my mind. That one though, I refused to entertain.


    "But I wouldn''t dismiss what you just said," She said with a serious expression. "I think you''re on to something, but we need more information." She hesitated, then shook her head. "Let''s go back, before the others worry."


    I nodded. "Oh, can I ask a favour?" I asked before she could leave. "Would you mind keeping what I told you a secret? I don''t want Erik and the others to worry and-"


    "You don''t trust that they will treat you the same after they hear all that." Rina said. Her uracy was frightening. I nodded. "Just say so from the beginning, Kai. Do you mind if I tell Alex?"


    "No. I know she won''t hold it against me." I said with a smile as I hid my wings again. Rina watched me with a thoughtful expression as they disappeared in a ck-ember mist. We returned to the camp soon after.


    The sun had started to set. The lively camp reminded me of the first day we came here. It was almost a little nostalgic. "I wish we had a crystal here." Erik mumbled as we all sat around the small firepit. "I''d feel much better about camping if we were better protected."


    I chuckled. "It''s fine, we''re strong enough to take out anything thates at us."


    "You say that," Joshua chimed in with a wicked grin. "But we couldn''t handle the phoenix, remember-"


    Alina punched him in the gut, effectively shattering his smile and putting a stop to his words. He bent over himself as he cried out in pain.


    "Read the mood, you idiot." Vincent said with a sigh as Alina turned her attention to Samantha. They started whispering to each other as if the rest of us weren''t even there.


    "Anyways, what happened to the phoenix, Kai?" Erik asked. A silence filled with their expectations followed. I brushed my hair back.


    "Well, I killed it." It wasn''t a lie. It was my scythe that killed the monster. I had delivered the killing blow. "I got lucky," I added as I saw their doubtful expressions. "It was already badly wounded, so once it dropped me andnded, I just waited for a good opportunity to strike." I gestured as if I was swinging my scythe.


    "It was healing though," Joshua mumbled. "How was it still wounded by the time you flew all this way?"


    "Rina''s magic and Alex''s weapon inflicted wounds that it couldn''t heal immediately." I exined carefully. They had no way of knowing that I had gotten help from demons. Rina knew, of course, but I knew she wasn''t going to expose my lie. "Like I said, I was really lucky." I forced a smile, then nced at the sky. I could see a few stars shining already.


    They seemed to have epted my exnation. I breathed out a sigh of relief as their low conversations filled the silence. I wasn''t a good liar in the real world, though it seemed much easier to lie here. Was it because of my avatar?


    "You should get some rest." Rina quietly said to me before bidding a good night to everyone and heading off to her tent. Alex waved at her but remained outside. "I''ll stand watch first." She dered with a smile.


    "Thanks, Alex." Samantha gave her a quick hug before excusing herself. Joshua and Vincent soon followed, dragging Erik with them. Though the pdin didn''t seem to be sleepy, he relented as soon as Joshua whispered something into his ear.


    "Kai," Alina''s voice sounded. I flinched; I had gotten lost in thought as I watched the others. "Are you sure you don''t want to use my tent?" She sat next to me as she asked. I nodded.


    "You don''t have to worry about me so much, Alina." I forced a smile as I turned my gaze towards the distant stars.


    "I can''t help it." She quietly said. "You''re always going off on your own. How do you expect me and everyone else to feel when you do that?" Her shaky voice prompted me to look at her. I hadn''t noticed she was so shaken up about this. As soon as our gazes met, she turned the other way. She mumbled something, but her voice was too low for me to hear properly.


    "Uh, did you say something?" I hesitantly asked. She shook her head and quickly got up. "No, nothing." She quickly said before brushing past me and running into her tent.


    Dumbfounded, I stared after her until Alex approached me. "Are you an idiot, perhaps?" She asked with her arms folded under her breasts. "Or are you enjoying this?"


    "What are you talking about?" I asked hesitantly as I stared at her tail. She seemed prepared to hit me with it.


    "Oh, I wonder what?" Her threatening voice sent a chill down my spine as I slowly and carefully retreated. "Alex, what''s going on?"


    She met my gaze and for a short moment, we were locked in a staring contest. After a solid ten seconds, she sighed and gave up. "You''re hopeless."


    Despite my confusion, I breathed out in relief. I didn''t think I could do much if she decided to beat me up with that tail of hers. Back when we killed the oversized eagle, I had seen just how much stronger than me she and Rina were.


    "Oh, Kai." Her voice sounded. I nced at her with a slightly fearful expression. She grinned when she saw my face. She was clearly messing with me. "There was something Rina and I were nning on doing. She thinks there are some demonic ruins not too far from here. She was intending to ask you; do you want toe with?"

 Chapter 47: Unexpected Visitors

    <h4>Chapter 47: Unexpected Visitors</h4>


    I woke up to a silent dawn. There were no birds chirping, no wind hustling the leaves.


    Feeling somewhat nervous, I forced myself awake. Why was the forest so quiet? I lifted my head and looked around, only to see Vincent silently staring off into the woods. With his sword in hand, he motionlessly stood there. Was he listening to something?


    Everyone else was still in their tents. It must have been Vincent''s turn to stand guard. I quietly got up on my feet and approached the young man. He flinched when I touched his shoulder. He motioned to punch me but stopped as soon as he recognized who I was.


    "You scared me, Kai." He breathed out in relief. "I could have injured you."


    I shrugged; I didn''t think he''d be able to do much to me. Despite the difference in pure strength, I was fairly sure I could beat him with my knowledge and previous training. "Did you notice something over there?" I tilted my head towards the forest.


    "I''m not sure." He sighed. "Maybe I''m just being paranoid. I thought I heard footsteps, but when I looked, there was nothing around here." He shook his head. "Maybe I''m just tired."


    I hesitated. "No, I don''t think that''s it." The forest was too silent. Something was off. "Do you mind waking the others up?" I asked quietly. "Act like it''s normal and tell Rina to look out for magic around here." He seemed somewhat confused but nodded and walked towards the tents.


    I stretched and walked to the river. I knelt by the shallow water and sshed some on my face.


    "Good morning," Rina''s voice sounded. Her hair was a mess and she had some dark circles under her eyes. She also sat by the water and washed her face. "I saw some strands of magic by therge oak tree to the west of camp." She silently said before getting up and walking towards the firepit.


    I ran my fingers through my hair, then rose on my feet and slowly made my way to the edge of camp. I didn''t approach the spot Rina was talking about, instead I walked into the treeline. As soon as I was hidden by the greenery, I used Fallen Grace and with my increased speed and dexterity, made my way to therge tree.


    I made sure to remain hidden as I approached the spot. I could hear Joshua''s loudughter back at camp, they were either doing a good job faking a normal morning, or none of them had gotten the hint. Hoping that it was the former, I arrived at the tree. As soon as I stepped into its shadow, I felt a wave of magic wash over me.


    "Why are we wasting our time here?" A woman''s voice sounded from above.


    "Because we don''t know who they are." A man said, quietly. "Just make sure to stay in the spell or they''ll hear you."


    "I know, I know." She grumbled. When I looked up, I spotted them on one of the lower branches of the tree. The woman had short, ck hair. She wore simple leather armour. The man wore his blonde hair in a ponytail. He was clearly a magic user; his enchanted robes and staff were clear evidence of that.


    "Oh, where did the weird one go?" The woman mumbled. I flinched; they had noticed I was gone already.


    "You lost him?" The man shook his head in defeat. "You''re hopeless. I-" He stopped as our gazes met. I jumped up as he started shouting. I had already reached him before a word could leave his mouth. I rammed him with all my weight as he desperately reached for something to hold on to. We plummeted from the branch as neither of us could keep our bnce on it.


    We fell on the moss-covered ground with a muffled thud. I summoned my sword as soon as I could and before the blonde man could get up, I pinned him down. Putting the pale metal de of my sword against his throat, I shouted. "If you try to stab me, he dies."


    The leaves of the branch above me rustled as the womannded a few meters away from us. "Who are you?" She hissed at me. Her eyes were like those of a cat. The dagger in her hand reflected the sunlight.


    "I''ll ask you the same." I said, then nced at the blonde man. He was preparing to cast a spell. "Stop that." Perhaps it was my cold voice, perhaps the fact that I noticed what he was doing, but something made him flinch and the magic gathering in his palm seemed to fade.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s voice sounded as the rest of the group arrived.


    "Who are you people?" Erik asked, his sword and shield in hand. With his te armour and a group of six fully armed people behind him, he looked quite intimidating.


    "We don''t mean any harm, ok?" The woman shouted. "Let him go, you demon!" She red at me.


    "I don''t trust you. Who are you and why were you watching us?" I asked. I pressed the de to the man''s throat ever so slightly. It was definitely not enough to even cut through his skin, but he immediately shouted. "Ok! Just don''t kill me, please!" I felt him struggle under me. He didn''t seem like he was lying. In fact, he seemed terrified.


    "I won''t hurt you as long as you don''t try to harm one of them." I tilted my head towards Erik and the others. The man nodded vigorously. I nced at the woman, who also nodded albeit with a slight hesitation.


    I slowly put the sword back into my inventory and moved aside, letting go of the blonde man. He touched his throat in a panic and only calmed down a little when he noticed that there was no wound.


    "Now," I said as I rose to my feet. "Let''s talk back at camp." Erik nodded. I offered my hand to the man. "Need any help?" He shook his head and quickly stood up as well.


    We led them back to camp and sat around the ash-filled firepit.


    "So," I said with a cold voice. "Who are you?"

 Chapter 48: An Attempt

    <h4>Chapter 48: An Attempt</h4>


    "My name is Asher Morgan." The blonde magic user spoke. His bright green eyes were focused on me, despite Erik''s clear position of leadership. "She''s-"


    "I''m Astrid." The ck-haired woman said with a cold voice. "And that''s all you need to know about me." She red at us, one by one. Hostility was practically dripping from her gaze. Erik seemed like he wanted to push her for more information, but Alina stopped him.


    "Why were you spying on us?" She asked, responding to Astrid''s re with her own. The two women remained locked in that staring contest for a while. I sighed and nced at Asher.


    "Would you mind answering?" I asked him. As soon as he met my gaze, he flinched and looked away.


    "We were hired by someone." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "They wanted us to find and observe the ones that killed the Cursed Lion and the Terror of Stonepatch Vige." He nced at Erik and the others. "It''s well known that the pdin''s group is the only grouprge enough to pull off such feats."


    "Right..." I mumbled as Erik seemed somewhat unsure of what to do. "Uh, so who hired you?" I finally asked.


    "I don''t know their name." Asher said with a shrug. "All I know is-"


    "Shut up already!" Astrid shouted at him. She sprung to her feet and with clenched fists, continued to shout. "What is wrong with you?"


    "Hey," Vincent approached her with a threatening demeanour. "Listen, you-"


    "No!" She shouted. "I''ve had enough of this!" A dagger appeared in her hand as she lunged towards Vincent. The young man stumbled backwards as the sharp de of her dagger shot towards his neck. She was aiming to kill.


    "Enough!" Rina''s voice sounded as Astrid''s de bounced off a pale blue shielding spell that appeared around Vincent. The short, petite wizard whispered something as distant thunder echoed. Astrid stepped back cautiously as Vincent finally regained his bnce. Erik dashed towards the ck-haired girl, immediately followed by Joshua and Samantha.


    Lightning strikes hit the ground not too far from us. I nced at Rina and flinched as fear gripped my throat. She was floating right above the ground, pale blue lightning danced on her green hair. Her previously brown eyes shone a bright blue, much like the lighting she summoned.


    "The hell!" Astrid shouted as she bolted towards the woods. As the group, including Samantha and Alina ran after her, my gaze met Asher''s just as he was about to get up.


    "Are you going to try and escape?" I asked calmly as my scythe materialized in my hands. I gripped the cold, dark, metal shaft.


    "Would you me me?" He asked with a shrug.


    A smile shed across my face. "No, not really."


    "Well then,"


    We stared at each other for a moment in the now empty campsite. Distant thunder echoed.


    He whispered something. As soon as I felt magic whirl around us, I shot towards him. As I closed the distance between us, a strong wind flung me all the way back to the treeline. I hit the moss-covered ground with a pained moan and forced myself to get up again.


    As I looked towards my opponent again, dread filled my mind. He was casting another spell. I considered using Dark Bolt, but I decided against it ¨C I didn''t want to identally kill another human. Instead, I once again rushed towards him. To my surprise, he didn''t hit me with another spell. Instead, his magic enveloped him and lifted him off the ground.


    "Sorry!" He shouted as his spell carried him off to the distance. "Hell no, you don''t!" I hissed as I summoned my wings. I had already started running towards the treeline as two massive wings sprouted on my back. With a powerful beat of my wings, I lifted myself off the ground. I just barely avoided the upper branches of the trees as I began my pursuit.


    He wasn''t too far away, though unlike me, he could fly for longer. I wasn''t fast enough to catch up to him and I was already feeling the strain my effort put on my muscles. He could fly for as long as he had mana and being a magic user, he surely had plenty of it.


    I clenched my teeth and used Fallen Grace. I had avoided using it as I flew because I didn''t want to push my body too far beyond it''s limits. The embers on the end of my feathers red up as my speed increased. I nced back, only to see a trail of fire behind me. Strength filled my muscles and the feeling of exhausted disappeared.


    I quickly closed the distance between us. As I drew closer, he flinched and turned back ¨C he''d only now noticed me. "What the hell, you can fly this fast?" He shouted in a panic as his face turned pale. I felt magic gather at his palm as the winds around us changed. He was trying to slow me down.


    A sudden chill washed over me as I felt the effects of Fallen Grace disappear. At the same time, Asher''s spell also disappeared and the magic gathering in his palm vanished. He started falling to the green forest below us. I clenched my teeth and, with a few powerful beats of my wings, reached him. He grabbed onto me as I just barely caught him. The added weight of carrying another person finally caused my muscles to give out.


    We plummeted to the ground below ¨C again. We were too far up this time, even I wouldn''t survive this fall without serious injuries. I felt him gripping my shoulders. "You''re insane!" He screamed. Only then did I realise, he couldn''t cast any spells for some reason.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. It made no sense for Fallen Grace to end. It usuallysted for a much longer time.


    "Do something!" His scream pulled me away from my thoughts. I spread my wings wide. I couldn''t fly us back, but I could slow our fall.


    The pressure on my muscles was insane, it felt as if someone was trying to pluck my wings off. With a pained cry, I managed to finally align myself properly and with a rather steep angle we glided towards the nearest body of water ¨C a shallow but wide river.


    We fell into the water with a ssh. I felt something crack as my consciousness began to fade. The cold water wasn''t enough to keep me awake as the stream started to carry me away. I heard someone shout before water covered my head. Something pulled my left wing as darkness engulfed me.

 Chapter 49: Naiveté

    <h4>Chapter 49: Naivet¨¦</h4>


    I woke up to the sound of flowing water and birds chirping. And the low crackling of a small fire was clearly audible too. I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Asher was sitting by a small fire, poking it with a stick. His long hair was dripping wet.


    He noticed me as I slowly pushed myself up. "You''re awake!" He shouted.


    I flinched, my back hurt like hell, as well as my right wing.


    I nodded. "What happened?" Why hadn''t he escaped? He had the perfect chance since I was unconscious.


    "After we fell into the river, you fell unconscious. I had to carry you out of there." He nced at my wings. "Those things are heavy. I almost gave up a few times." He sighed. "Anyways, I carried you out and decided to wait for you to wake up."


    I raised my eyebrows. "Why would you do that?"


    "Well," He tilted his head to the left. "Look there,"


    I looked to see a massive structure just standing out here, right by the river. It was clearly made with the same aesthetic as the demonic ruins I''d seen before. It was muchrger than any of them though. It looked like arge medieval fort, though most of its outer wall had crumbled with time.


    The walls were cracked, and nts were slowly taking over the structure, but all things considered, it was in fairly good shape.


    "Demonic ruins?" I asked hesitantly. Sure, it was really interesting, but it still didn''t exin why he didn''t run away from me.


    "I think so." He said with a defeated tone. "Look, I''d love to just walk away and leave you here," I flinched, that was more honest than I thought he''d be. "But as soon as we approached the damn thing, all my spells stopped working. I''m a sorcerer. I can not survive without my spells." He looked me straight in the eye. "And I didn''t want to cause another human to die."


    A smile shed across my face. "How about we get away from here, then? You wouldn''t minding back to camp, would you?"


    He sighed. "Look, I''ll tell you who hired us. But honestly, I don''t think it''s such a big deal. They were just curious about the group who took down two bosses. So, can we skip the whole sword at my throat thing and act like civilised humans?"


    I chuckled. "Sure, let''s do that. How about we focus on getting back first, and then we can talk?"


    He nodded. "Can''t you fly us back?" He said as he nced at my wings.


    "Even under normal circumstances, I wouldn''t be able to carry you for long enough. And," I said as I tried to stretch my wings. My left wing stretched nicely but my right wing refused to move properly. "I think it''s broken."


    He flinched. "In that case, we need to get you back to the camp so your priest can heal you."


    "Let''s get out of the no magic area first." I stood up and hid my wings. Asher stated at me in disbelief as they disappeared in a ck-ember mist. "Come on," I said as I summoned my scythe. I looked at the river, we''d probably reach camp if we followed the river. "Let''s go."


    We walked in silence for a short while, though it was clear there were things Asher wanted to say or ask. A while past as the sun slowly climbed the sky.


    "Oh, would you look at that? My magic is back." He calmly said as I climbed over a fallen tree. I immediately froze in ce. Something about his calm voice made me feel in danger. He was stronger than me, he''d proven it with that spell earlier. I did not want to have to fight him again. Was he going to honour our previous conversation?


    For a short while, we stared at each other. "What now?" I asked.


    He hesitated. "Well," magic gathered in his palm. "How about we make a deal?"


    I nced at his palm, then at my scythe. I would never reach him in time. "What kind of a deal?"


    "I''ll heal your wound. And I''ll tell you who hired us." The wind whirled around us. "In return, you tell me how you killed that phoenix and help me out with something." His eyes let out a jade shine. His long hair blowed in the wind.


    I slowly stepped down from the fallen tree. I couldn''t take any chances with him. He was strong, perhaps even stronger than Rina. "Who are you?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes.


    "Someone who is trying to get out of this damned game." He grinned, then his expression darkened. He raised his arm. I felt the magic around us shift and threw myself on the ground. My heart raced as a sh of light illuminated our surroundings. Several muffled thuds sounded. "And I do not appreciate those who are trying to stop me." His cold voice sent a chill down my spine.


    I nced around to see the corpses of nearly a dozen creatures. He''d killed all of them with a single spell and he didn''t have to chant like Rina did before casting it either. I motioned to get up, but a sword seemingly made from pure light touched my throat. "I don''t think I''d be very smart to let you get up, since you''re a little bit too fast for me."


    "Who the hell are you?" I asked as I tightened my grip around the shaft of my scythe. I felt the de of light pierce my skin. As a single drop of blood ran down my neck, Asher narrowed his eyes. "Put the scythe down, Kai."


    After a moment''s hesitation, I slowly ced the scythe on the moss-covered ground, then raised my hands to indicate I wasn''t a threat to him anymore. "Everything you said earlier was a lie, then?" I asked. There was a lump in my throat. "Fearing for your life was an act?" He had tricked me,pletely. I hadn''t even considered the possibility of him downying his own power.


    "No, not entirely." He said as his lips formed a bitter smile. His magic enveloped my scythe and lifted it off the ground. "I did fear for my life, you did catch me off guard." He grinned. "But you''re so na?ve. So, trusting. You didn''t even consider me a threat." I gulped as his magical winds whirled around us.


    "What do you want from me?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. I couldn''t believe I had fallen for such a simple trick. I was an idiot.


    He grinned. "Many things," He said as he gestured me to stand up. I did as he asked as I didn''t really have much of a choice. "But first," He continued with his words. "We''ll have to make sure your allies don''te after us."


    I flinched. "What do you mean?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a distant voice, calling my name. It was Alex''s voice; she was searching for me.


    "Let me make something very clear." Asher stepped closer as he whispered. "I will get out of here. And I will save as many people as I can. But I have no sympathy for the son of the man who trapped us here."


    I flinched. He knew who Erik was?


    "I will never me the child for his father''s sins." He added as the winds of magic around us quickened. "I will never hunt him for something as empty as revenge as many others surely will. But I will use whatever I find to get out of here." His cold, harsh tone sent shivers down my spine.


    "And I couldn''t have asked for a better tool than the Keeper of Souls, who just so happens to be at my mercy."

 Chapter 50: Deception

    <h4>Chapter 50: Deception</h4>


    I stepped out from behind the tree. "Hey Alex, I heard you calling my name."


    The tall woman flinched; she hadn''t noticed my approach. "You scared me!" She breathed out in relief. "We caught Astrid. Come on, let''s go back." She motioned to leave, but I shook my head. "I want to try and find Asher. You guys go ahead, I''ll find youter."


    She hesitated. "But-"


    "I don''t want to leave a mage out in the woods alone. I''m sure he''s strong, but he can get caught off guard. I don''t want to look away when there''s something I can help with." I forced a smile. "You know I''ll be fine. I''ll meet you over at the ruins you told me about. If I don''t find you there, I''ll go back to the vige."


    She crossed her arms under her breasts. "Is everything ok, Kai?"


    "Yeah. Like I said, the guy didn''t seem too strong and I scared the living hell out of him. I have to make sure he gets to safety." She seemed to believe me. With a sigh, she relented. "Fine. I''ll tell the others, just be careful, ok?"


    "You know I will." With those words, I turned my back on her and walked into the treeline. I stopped after taking a few steps as I felt Asher''s magic wash over me. I was hidden by his illusion once again.


    "Well done." I closed my eyes as his voice sounded from the side. "Shall we?" He asked softly.


    "You still haven''t told me what you want from me." I said with a sigh. "You don''t need to hold me at gunpoint." I nced at the de leaning against my throat. "Uh, or sword...point?" I said hesitantly.


    He chuckled. "Well, I don''t trust you." His magic enveloping us slowly disappeared once Alex was far enough away. "But you fooled her. I''m impressed, I didn''t think you''d be such a good liar."


    "What do you want, Asher?" I said with a cold tone. I didn''t want to talk with him for any longer than I needed to.


    "First of all, let''s go somewhere the rain won''t effect us." He said gesturing me to start moving. I nced at the sky. There were no rainclouds. I felt the de pressure my skin as he shot a deadly re at me. I let out a shallow breath and started walking.


    He led me to a cave near the ruins we were at earlier. We were right at the border of the magic-preventing area.


    "Come on," He said as he pushed me inside the cave. It was a small cave with a narrow entrance. There was nothing inside. Not even the moss that covered the entire forest floor had reached this ce. I slowly stepped inside. "Sit down, make sure your hands are where I can see them." He said as he circled around me. He was now standing an arms length away. I slowly backed away and sat on the cold hard stone surface.


    He let go of the sword made of light. To my surprise, it didn''t fall to the ground. Instead it floated right before me, with its sharp end still touching my throat. Helpless, I sat cross legged and rested my hands on my knees.


    Asher raised his hand and cast a spell on the narrow cave entrance. "It''s an illusion spell." He exined, seeing my curious expression. "No one can find this ce." He approached me and sat beside me. "Your hands." He said as he opened his inventory.


    "Look, I''ve already said-"


    "And I told you that I don''t trust you." He cut me off. "Do as I say, and you''ll live. Resist, and I''ll break your other wing." I flinched. Because my wings were hidden, I didn''t feel the pain of the cracked bones and torn muscles. I still clearly remembered it though.


    I extended both my hands with a defeated sigh. A dark coloured rope appeared in his hands. He coiled the rope around my wrists and tied them together with a tight knot. I flinched as the sturdy rope cut my skin a little. I desperately wanted to stop him ¨C to summon my sword and attack him, but the sword leaning to my throat was enough to discourage me.


    "Open your interface." He said when he was done with the rope. I hesitated, by doing that I''d be giving him ess to every bit of information about me. But then again, what other choice did I have?


    "Fine," I said with a low voice. I remembered how I had momentarily tricked Vixia and Delthur back when they caught me in the mountain pass. "Can you at least get rid of the sword?" I nced at the de leaning against my throat.


    He grinned. "If you keep behaving, sure. Now ¨C your interface."


    I opened it. It wasn''t worth dying or getting tortured and he wasn''t as easy to fool as Vixia. With a thoughtful gaze, he inspected every single panel. As he was busy with that, I rested my head on the rocky cave wall. I wish it were Rina who''d called my name. She''d have noticed his magic all around me ¨C she may have even been able to notice his illusion.


    I suddenly felt the de resting against my throat disappear. "You''re not as strong as I hoped you''d be." He nced at me with a thoughtful expression. "We''ll have to feed you more souls before you can be useful to me."


    "What are you talking about?" I asked as fear gripped my heart. What did that mean? It wasn''t the implied murder of monsters that scared me ¨C it was the thought of having to spend more time with him.


    He nced at my status panel and sighed. "I thought you''d be much stronger than this. Honestly, when you caught me off guard back at your camp, I was convinced you were even stronger than me. How did you even survive an encounter with the phoenix in such a miserable state?"


    I shrugged. "I was lucky."


    He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Instead, he gestured towards my inventory. "The swords, both of them. I''ll be holding on to them for now."


    I reluctantly summoned them. He ced them into his own inventory, along with my scythe. I wasn''t surprised, it only made sense to disarm me. Honestly, it was a miracle that he even waited until now to take them away.


    "What''s this?" He asked, pointing at my skills. "Crystal Sage?" He read it out loud. "Why is there no exnation?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t know. I never figured out what it did." I nced at him. His lips formed a thin line as he continued inspecting the panel.


    A few minutes passed in silence. I felt my body tense up every time he sighed or did anything at all. Eventually he let out a long sigh and stood up. "I''m disappointed." He said as he approached the narrow entrance. "I thought the Keeper of Souls would be a more formidable opponent. And a more usefulbatant."


    I clenched my fists. "I did well enough for myself." I hissed between clenched teeth. "At least I am a civilised person who doesn''t treat others as mere tools."


    "And look where that led you." He said with a chuckle. "If you wish to return to your normal life in our world, you can''t afford to be weak." He turned his back to the entrance and red at me. "I will get out of here. And you''re my key in doing so."

 Chapter 51: The Chill of Death and Warmth of Life

    <h4>Chapter 51: The Chill of Death and Warmth of Life</h4>


    "What the hell does that mean?" I shouted. How was he even nning to get out of here?


    "What is it that''s keeping us trapped in here, Kai?" He asked as he took a step towards me. For a moment, I could almost feel the cold metal of the ''PORTAL'' devices on my skin.


    "Summon your wings." He said suddenly. I hesitated, my right wing was wounded, I didn''t feel the pain now, but I knew the damage wasn''t little. There was at least one cracked bone. It may even have been broken. After a moment''s hesitation, I exined it to him.


    "So, at least let me heal it, please." I said, choosing my words carefully.


    He nodded, so I slowly stood up and summoned them. As soon as they materialized, a throbbing pain dropped me back on my knees.


    "Definitely broken." Asher said after a moment''s hesitation. "Don''t bother trying to heal it. I''ll take care of it." As soon as his words left his mouth, I felt a warmth envelop both my wings. The throbbing pain lessened until itpletely disappeared.


    "Thanks," I said as I felt the bones and muscles return to normal. I nced at him in confusion. "Didn''t you say you''re a sorcerer? How can you heal better than a priest?"


    He smirked. "With enough effort, you can do almost everything." He circled around me to my back. "If you fight and kill enough monsters in this world, there is little you can''t do." I felt his fingers run through the feathers of my wing. "One of those things is to just sprout a pair of wings like you did."


    "So," I asked hesitantly. "You need me because there''s something else you can''t do that I can?"


    "Precisely." Asher said with a thoughtful tone. His touch followed the muscles on my wing. "This is incredible," He mumbled. "Do you feel it when I do this?" He plucked a feather off.


    "Yes, yes I do!" I shouted and pushed him back with a powerful beat of my wings. "And it hurts!" I red at him. He chuckled. "Good to know. These seem more practical for long distance flying rather thanbat."


    I sighed; he didn''t even care about causing pain. "Normally, yes. But I can''t fly for long yet. I get exhausted after about ten minutes."


    "A few weeks of intense training should solve that issue. Or you could use, what was it... ''Fallen Grace'' to enhance your strength." He shook his head. "No, that wouldn''t solve the underlying issue. Training is what you really need."


    He was on point, and that annoyed me. He had figured out everything about me in a matter of minutes while I still knew nothing about him. "Are you done?" I asked, ncing at my wings. The small cave was barelyrge enough for them. I couldn''t even stretch them outpletely.


    "Yeah." He said with a cold smile. "I learned what I needed to." For some reason, his words struck me as odd. What could he have learned in such a short timeframe?


    "It''s almost dark,e on." He said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "You''re not strong enough to be useful yet, so we''re going to grind a bit." He dragged me outside, but not before making sure the rope around my wrists was tight enough.


    "You don''t expect me to do anything while bound like this, are you?" I asked lifting my hands up before my face.


    A smile shed across his face. "No, you just need to be there to collect the souls." With those words, he led me to an opening in the woods. We stood at the centre of it as the sun reached the horizon. Under the purple dyed sky, Asher''s magic created a small whirlwind around us.


    His eyes let out a jade shine as he raised his hand. A single sh of light blinded me momentarily. When I could see again, he was calmly waiting for... something. The wind blew my hair back as the first batch of monsters appeared in the darkening sky.


    I could count at least a dozen of them. And in the distance, even more howls and screeches sounded. I nced at the sorcerer, then at my surroundings. Without my weapons and with my hands tied like this, even if I flew off, I wouldn''t stand a chance against all these monsters.


    Asher was clearly aware of that as well. With a wicked smile on his lips, he cast his first spell. Bolts of light leapt from his fingers to the monsters. The sky filled with pained wails as anything that approached us died.


    As soon as the pained wails sounded, the first souls appeared, seeking me. The coldness in my chest grew stronger as more and more souls flew towards me. I felt my power grow as my mind throbbed with a dull, annoying pain. Asher nced at me for only a moment before once again casting that blinding light. More creatures followed, who quickly turned into more soulsing towards me.


    We continued this until a little past midnight. As the whirlwind of magic surrounding us died down, I felt the cool night breeze on my skin.


    "That''s enough for now." He said, as he put something into his inventory. "Let''s go back". He led me through the forest back into the cave. Once we stepped inside, I walked to the back and sat on the ground. It was so cold. It felt as if my heart was freezing over.


    "Hey!" Asher''s voice sounded from afar. "Don''t fall asleep." He shook me awake. I hadn''t even noticed that I was falling asleep. "Use the powers the phoenix gave you." He said as he knelt beside me. "Hurry up."


    "It only gave me my wings." I mumbled. "Nothing more." I just wanted to fall asleep. I was so tired, even though I hadn''t done anything. Even though it was Asher who did all the fighting and killing.


    "No, you idiot." He said as he once again shook me awake. "I''m talking about it''s ember. The warmth that''ll calm the souls you''ve taken in. Stop supressing it."


    I hesitated. What was he talking about? I didn''t have warmth. The phoenix''s soul did.


    Vixia''s words shed through my mind. The phoenix''s and my souls were merged, but how was I supposed to do anything with it? I pictured the scorching mes of the creature as it first attacked Erik. What did that warmth feel like?


    "I think that''s enough." Asher''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. His face was red, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Only then did I notice the warmth radiating from my body.


    "Ah," As soon as my concentration shattered, the warmth disappeared. "Sorry." I mumbled as he wiped the sweat off.


    "Why?" He asked as if I''d said something really stupid. "You learned how to do something, and no one was harmed in the process." With those words, he raised his hand. Magic gathered in his palm. "I think we both need some sleep. I just cast a spell on the entrance." As those words left his mouth, I felt the magic gathering in his palm lunge towards the entrance.


    "It''s a form of barrier." He said with a cold voice. "You can''t pass through. The spell will persist even if I die, so I suggest you don''t kill me in my sleep."

 Chapter 52: Who We Were

    <h4>Chapter 52: Who We Were</h4>


    In the end, I didn''t kill him in his sleep. I had two reasons for not doing so. First, I didn''t believe he would even give me the chance to kill him, however unlikely it was. Second, I didn''t want the blood of a real human being on my hands. Just the thought of murder made me feel sick.


    So, I slept. And in the morning, we both woke up alive and well. Somewhat well, as I was starving. Though that issue was also quickly solved since Asher left the cave for a few minutes and returned with the same type of fruit Vixia had given me.


    "Did you try this before?" He asked as I bit into the tasty fruit. I nodded as the sweet vour covered my mouth. "Really now?" He asked, somewhat surprised. "When?"


    "A few days ago, after I killed the phoenix. I didn''t have any food left, so I survived on these fruits."


    "Lucky you." He said as a smile shed across his face. "These have mild healing properties. You and I don''t really need it, but for those without healing spells, they are invaluable."


    "I didn''t know." I mumbled. Was that why Vixia gave one to me after the phoenix died?


    "Tell me." Asher''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "I know about Erik, Vincent and Joshua. I''ve heard of Alina and Samantha. But I never knew they had a friend called Kai." He red at me. "Who are you? How did you meet them?"


    "Does that mean you knew them?" I asked with narrowed eyes. If I were to give information, it was going to be a trade.


    "I knew of them." He said with a grin. "I''ll tell you who I am, if you tell me who you are." He nced at my hands. "The way you used that sword tells me you''re not a random friend from university."


    I chuckled. "Actually, that''s exactly what I am. I just happen to be that one transfer student whoes from overseas and has the highest grades." I shrugged. "Erik approached me after a few days because he''s friends with everyone. I don''t know why he decided he wanted to keep me around after that."


    "Transfer student?" Asher asked with a confused expression. "If you''re not even that close, how did you end up here? Are you rich enough to buy a PORTAL?"


    Iughed. "No, no I''m not." A smile shed across my face. "What about you? How do you happen to know ''of'' them?"


    He sighed. "I should have just threatened you." He mumbled. "I''m- no, I was the lead developer of the OTHERWORLD dev team. We created some of the biggest dive games of recent history."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "Despite being small in size and relying to outsourcing a lot, we did fine. Or at least, that''s what I''d like to think." His thoughtful expression wasn''t what I expected to see.


    "Wait." I stopped him. "Does that mean you made this game? This world?" I shouted with widened eyes.


    "No, aren''t you listening?" He said with a piercing re. "I said I ''was''." He sighed. "I technically still am, though it doesn''t feel that way."


    "What do you mean?" Was he fired? No, it must have been something else. Thoughts raced in my mind, and Asher finally pitied me and exined.


    "When development on PORTAL began, my team began to design a game ¨C a gship title worthy of the most powerful dive console ever made. The working title of the game was ''Journey Through Andromeda''. It was supposed to be a sci-fi game, where you could pilot spaceships and explore distants."


    "This... is not a sci-fi game." I mumbled as he created a small me in his palm. It danced on his fingers as heughed. "No, no its not."


    "What happened?"


    "They shut down development before it even began. Erik''s father outsourced the first game made for PORTAL. Their gship title was being made by apany I couldn''t even learn the name of." He chuckled, though it was clearly a painedugh. "Whateverpany it was, they managed to create this whole world, and everything you''re seeing in less than two years."


    I hesitated. "That''s incredibly fast, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, you could say that. And do you know what makes it weirder?" He said with a grin. "This is meant to be an early ess trial. That usually means bugs and glitches everywhere. Have you seen any? Cause I sure haven''t." He clenched his fist and the fire dancing on his fingers disappeared.


    "The only thing I can think of is not being able to leave." I said after a moment''s hesitation. He chuckled and nodded.


    "Now you know who I was." He said with a grin. "Your turn, Kai Friseal."


    I hesitated. Not because I had much to hide, but because my mind was a mess. I think I had just gotten some very valuable information, but I didn''t know the significance of it yet.


    "I''m a martial artist. In training." I added after a moment''s hesitation. "My family has a training hall back home, where Mother and my dad teach young trainees. At a certain age, they send us away from home, either via work or school. I was lucky enough to win a full schrship, so I was able to attend that university." I fiddled with hair as I spoke. "I was training under another master in the city." I shrugged. "I don''t really have anything else to say about myself."


    "Really?" He asked with a clearly surprised voice. "How did you get your hands on a PORTAL then?"


    "It was Erik''s doing. He invited us over to his house and wouldn''t take no for an answer. His father offered to let me use an extra device they had. He wanted to know what I thought of thebat ¨C how realistic weapons were and all that." I shrugged. "I couldn''t refuse. So, here I am."


    Asher seemed somewhat shocked. He pondered a short moment, then shook his head. "Interesting for sure." He stood up. "Come on, let''s go and do some more killing. You need to gain just a little more power, I think."

 Chapter 53: The Well of Souls

    <h4>Chapter 53: The Well of Souls</h4>


    "Nice," He said with a grin as we sat by the shallow river. On the other side of it, the no magic zone began. Of course, Asher made sure we weren''t near it as without his magic, he was so much weaker than me.


    Now, we were looking at my status panel. It was... surprising, to say the least.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 69 Soul Keeper | Exp: 6660/42000 - - Souls 100/100 + 340 - - Mana: 770


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    I stared at my status panel, speechless. I had shot up over twenty levels in the span of about one day.


    "What?" He said with a grin. "I told you, with enough effort and some good thinking, there''s nothing you can''t do." He opened his own status panel, though only the part that showed his level. I couldn''t see his skills or anything else.


    ''Asher Morgan ¨C Level 300 Sorcerer | Level 21 Priest''


    I gasped. "How...?"


    "After you reach level 100, you have the option to pick another ss. I only did that after I reached 300."


    "No, that''s not what I mean!" I shouted. "How did you get to a total level of 321 in just a few weeks?" I had worked hard to level up and had only gotten to 43 in all this time. I couldn''t fathom how he''d do that, unless...


    "What we did yesterday and today," He said as he closed his interface. "I did that, every waking moment. Every time I had enough mana to kill anything, I grinded." He shrugged. "You levelled up to this level in less than a total of eight hours of grinding. I had weeks."


    I couldn''t find anything to refute his words. He was right. I had levelled up incredibly fast. I could hardly believe it.


    "Why aren''t you cing any of your stat points?" He asked after a moment of silence.


    I shrugged. "I don''t know what to do with them. I mean, I don''t know what the best choice is."


    He chuckled. "Well, let''s take a look. You''re a hybrid. Your main way of fighting is your weapons -especially the scythe, I believe. But now that you''re almost level 70, you should take a look at all the new skills you''ve unlocked. Your fighting style might change depending on what''s new."


    He scrolled through the list of skills. "Most of these are fairly useless," He mumbled in disappointment. "I wonder why..."


    I shrugged. A few minutes passed in silence. He seemed more displeased as more time passed. "Seriously, what''s this garbage? No way the Keeper of Souls has such weak skills." He seemed annoyed, somewhat angry even.


    I was about to say something, but his suddenughter stopped me. "I knew it!" He said as he pointed at the ''Development Path'' panel. "Look at this. This is how you use the souls... uh..." He paused. "That ''have found respite''?" He hesitated. "Well, that''s a description that takes itself way too seriously."


    "Tell me about it." I said with a sigh. Those descriptions were almost cringy. "Anyways, what were you saying?"


    "Right." He said with a chuckle. "Look, whenever you get a powerful soul ¨C the phoenix, for example ¨C you can start a new ''development path''. Actually, wait..." He said hesitantly.


    "That can''t be right." I mumbled. "The first one became avable when I killed the Cursed Lion."


    He nodded. "Your interface is very secretive. It''s getting on my nerves." A few more minutes passed in silence, until he spoke again. "I think you choose a path whenever you have enough souls, but you need to find a powerful one that''spatible with whatever path you picked."


    "So, I picked wings, and the phoenix waspatible?" I asked. "That also doesn''t make any sense. We killed the eagle before that."


    "What eagle?" Asher seemed somewhat confused.


    "What was its name? The Terror of Stonepatch Vige or something." As soon as that name left my mouth, Asher nodded. "Did you deliver the killing blow?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. I shook my head; it was Alex who''d finished the creature off.


    "That''s probably why it''s listed as a sacrifice, but not a valid merging target." He sighed. "This is weird though. Merging souls is a dangerous concept from a game design perspective." He shook his head. "I''ll have to check this againter." He slowly stood up and stared off into the distance. "It''s almost time. Come on."


    "Time for what?" I asked as I also rose to my feet. The setting sun dyed the sky purple as he answered.


    "For the Well of Souls to open." A bitter smile shed across his face. "It''s the thing that creates that no magic zone."


    I flinched. "How do you know that?" Did he already know that zone was there?


    "Well, that is the reason I needed your abilities in the first ce." He took a deep breath as the sword of light appeared in his hand. "During the day, the ruins are protected from magic, and without magic we can not enter them. During the night, however, the souls that supress magic in the area are released. They fly around the ruins, preventing anything from getting in."


    We walked towards the ruins. As soon as we stepped close enough, he raised his sword. It illuminated our surroundings. "I doubt I have to tell you after you''ve seen my level but," His lips formed a wicked smile. "Don''t try to escape, you can''t." His shining green eyes met mine. It felt almost as if he was challenging me to try.


    "No, I won''t." I said with a faint smile. I looked towards the ruins. A whirlwind of souls had started to cover it. My chest grew colder as I stared at the shadowy figures floating aimlessly in the air. "If these souls are protecting that ce, there has to be a reason for it. There''s a good chance we''ll uncover valuable information. I don''t want to miss that chance."

 Chapter 54: Wails of the Fallen

    <h4>Chapter 54: Wails of the Fallen</h4>


    "Good," Asher said as a smile shed across his face. With a simple motion of his hand, he cut the rope tying my hands together. "Let''s go," He said as he gave me my scythe. "We only have until dawn." With those words, he turned his back on me and walked towards the ruins.


    I grasped the shaft of my scythe and hurried after him. I wasn''t going to miss this chance to learn more about this world we were stuck in.


    As the ruins drew closer, the coldness in my chest grew stronger. The souls circling the building seemed to have noticed me.


    "What happens now?" I asked Asher.


    "I''m not sure." He quietly answered, watching the souls with narrowed eyes. His lips formed a thin line. "I don''t think any of them are particrly strong."


    I nodded. I could see they were mostly weak. Or, I should say, weakened. "They probably used all their strength to maintain the no magic zone during daylight."


    "That''s a probability." He said. "Look out, they''ve noticed you." As he said that, the souls circling the ruins broke the pattern of their flight. A few of them broke off the group and lunged at me.


    "Kai," Asher calmly warned me. "Be ready." He didn''t try to protect me or do anything else. He simply waited, his sword of light in hand. I nodded as the first soul reached me.


    As it melted into my chest, an image shed before my eyes.


    A white-haired man smiled at me; his purple eyes were captivating. I reached to him with my small, scaly hand, but he shook his head. The image faded before I could see anything else. Before I could even say anything, the next soul arrived, apanied by its own image. A ck-haired young demon girl carried a basket. The image faded.


    This kept on for a while, as the souls came one by one. After the first few images, I lost count of how many I saw. They all seemed to mix. After thest soul finally dissolved and I saw a glimpse of its memories, I took a deep breath in relief.


    "So, what happened?" Asher asked calmly.


    "I saw glimpses of their memories. I... I think some of them were demons." I could swear I had seen someone that looked like Delthur in one of the images, though he seemed much younger. And that white-haired person was in so many of those images. Why did I feel like I''d seen that face before?


    He flinched. "Impossible." He said wide eyed. "This ce is at least a few hundred years old. Demons only came here a century ago."


    I shook my head. "I don''t think that''s the whole story." I hesitated. That thought once again gnawed at the back of my mind. I refused to entertain it; it was simply too oundish. "Anyways, we''ll probably get some answers inside, so let''s not waste any more time."


    He shot me a nce, but then nodded and approached the building.


    The building itself wasn''t too big. It looked like it was intended to be a simple outpost. It had a single tower that had mostly sumbed to the years and the main building wasn''t anyrger than the inn at Stonepatch Vige. The weathered and cracked stones were covered in vines and moss. Time had clearly taken its toll.


    "The ce is protected by a simple magical field." He exined as we approached the fortified wooden gate. "Look," He pointed at a carving on the gate. "It''s-"


    "''Protect''?" I mumbled as I read the text. Asher flinched, then hesitantly nodded. "How would you remove the spell, if you were me?" He asked.


    "Well," I mumbled as I stepped closer to the gate. "If this thing is maintaining the protective spell," I said as I reached towards the text. "I''d just... try to disable it?" As soon as my fingers touched the wood, I felt some of my mana drain. Momentster, the spell disappeared.


    "Nice one." Asher said with a nce. "Let''s go." He raised his hand and a floating light appeared. With that illuminating our surroundings, I pushed the gates open.


    The interior of the building was almost pristine. The wooden floorboards were still as good as new. The weathered stone walls did show some signs of damage, though that much was quite normal, considering all the years that had passed.


    There wasn''t much in the name of furniture inside. In fact, the interior was quite empty save for arge wooden table and half a dozen chairs surrounding it. A set of stairs led to the upper floors.


    "I expected more." I mumbled as I looked around inside. "I didn''t think it''d be so... empty."


    Asher nodded. "Let''s keep looking around." We checked around the room, but found nothing of note, save for a few bottles of alcohol and a wilted nt near the wall. With disappointed expressions, we headed up the stairs.


    A narrow hallway led to another set of stairs. There were three doors on this floor. Hesitantly, I approached the first one and opened it.


    "Barracks." Asher said with a sigh. There were half a dozen beds lined up. A set of wooden lockers were lined up against the wall. Unfortunately, most of these were badly damaged. The bedsheets had crumbled to dust while some lockers'' doors were hanging from their hinges.


    Disappointed, we left the room and tried the other door. This one was a more promising room. It clearly used to be an armoury. Weapon racks lined the walls as well as armour stands.


    Asher brushed past me and approached the weapon racks. There were a few swords, halberds and daggers lined up there. I even spotted a longbow. Asher gently touched one of the daggers.


    "The design is amazing." He was clearly impressed. "But you''re right about one thing," He said as he nced at me with a serious expression. "These are of demonic design. Look," He showed me the hilt of the dagger. There was a symbol on it. It was a broken circle, with a me in the centre of it.


    "This ce belonged to the demons. Can we agree on that?" I asked hesitantly. I remembered this room from one of the images I saw a little earlier. The ce was much livelier back then. Asher nodded. "We definitely can." He took the longbow from its rack and ced it in his inventory. "Let''s look elsewhere."


    The next room was also mostly empty, though this was clearly used as storage. We did find a bunch of empty crates, but there was nothing of use in the room. With our disappointment growing, we headed for the next and final floor.


    The wooden stairs creaked as we stepped on them, reminding me of the wails of the souls outside. Something must have caused them to gather here, to protect this ce. I wondered what it was, and why they''d given up on it as soon as they saw me.


    At the top of the stairs, a reinforced wooden door awaited us. As soon as my fingers touched the sturdy wood, I felt some more of my mana drain. I nced at Asher, who nodded. He was ready to cast a spell if the situation called for it. After a moment''s hesitation, I pushed the door. It creaked open, revealing a dark, circr room.


    I stepped inside and Asher followed me. His light illuminated the room, revealing hundreds, if not thousands of books on the shelves lining the walls. I felt Asher''s hand grip my shoulder. His gaze was focused on something right across the room.


    I followed his gaze, fearing what I would see. He was looking at a painting hanging on the wall. As soon as my gazended on the painting, I gasped.


    "What?" I whispered.

 Chapter 55: Let’s Make a Deal

    <h4>Chapter 55: Let''s Make a Deal</h4>


    I looked into my own eyes, staring at me from across the room. Their purple shine was perfectly portrayed on the painting.


    "So, Kai." Asher calmly spoke. "Is it just me, or is that painting depicting you?"


    I nodded. It was the same purple eyes, the same long, white hair, and the same pale skin. The only difference between me and the man on that painting was our clothes. He wore long, ck robes with silver embroidery while I still wore the dark green clothes I''d bought from Luhen.


    "How?" Asher asked as he looked at me, then at the painting, then at me again.


    "I''d like to know that too." I mumbled. I felt lost, what did this ce have to do with me? "Maybe the game glitched and gave me the wrong avatar?" I asked hesitantly, though I didn''t believe my words any more than Asher did as he chuckled. "I don''t think that''s it."


    "I think this ce belonged to the Keeper of Souls." He suddenly said as he walked around in the room. Only then did I notice everything else decorating this ce. There were several shelves filled with different coloured crystals and rocks. Several tables were ced seemingly at random and they were covered in books, papers, writing utensils and other misceneous items.


    Asher gently touched the surface of the closest table. Theyer of dust was so thick that as he ran his finger through it, a clear trail was left behind. "And I think your body ¨C avatar ¨C is designed to be the same as his." He sighed. "Though, it makes little sense, considering this is meant to be an MMO, it''s wrong to give one yer something all the others can''t ever get."


    I nodded, though I was only half listening. I was in a daze, so many of the images that shed before me made sense now. If only I could remember them properly. If only I could talk to these souls and ask them; who am I?


    "Kai?" Asher asked as he snapped his fingers before my eyes. "Hey, now''s not the time to get lost in thought."


    I blinked a few times and shook my head. "Sorry." I nced around again. "Did you find anything?"


    He chuckled. "You could say that. Not all the books are in demonic. I can read some of them, though there are so many that it''d take months to read through them all." With a sigh, he continued. "I think most of these talk about magic or this world''s history."


    My ears perked up. "That''s valuable."


    "It is, but it will take a long time to read through all this." He shook his head. "And I''m sure there are tons of things we haven''t even found yet."


    I nodded. "But we know why the souls waited here." They were waiting for the Keeper to return, so they could finally rest. And they kept his belongings safe.


    "Yeah," Asher mumbled with a thoughtful tone. "I''m d they found their respite." He nced at me. "Let''s go back outside. You''re a bit pale and this ce isn''t going to do you any good."


    I nodded, albeit reluctantly. The books in that room, all that information, I needed to know about it. But Asher was right, I felt cold and tired. We descended the stairs and left through the front gate. As soon as fresh air filled my lungs, I felt a little better.


    I folded my legs and sat on the ground. Asher soon did the same, though he cast a spell before doing so.


    "What was that?" I asked.


    "Just an illusion to hide us. I don''t want some random creatures to spot and attack us now." He said with a tired expression. "How are you feeling?" I''d never seen him tired before.


    "Cold," I said with a shiver. "But I''m fine." A smile shed across my face. "I didn''t know you cared."


    He chuckled. "I''m not some evil person who likes torturing others." He sighed. "I already told you, I will get out of here." His jade eyes met mine. "I will get answers." He said, pronouncing every world clearly. He was adamant about this and honestly, it was almost reassuring. It was nice to see someone other than me actually try to leave this fake, virtual world.


    "What happens now?" I asked after a while.


    "I need to find out more about the past of this ce." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "I need to read those books and learn what really happened a hundred years ago. I can''t let this chance go to waste."


    "Yeah." I mumbled. What I really was trying to learn was what was going to happen to me. I wasn''t so stupid to believe that I could just leave whenever I wanted. Despite my increased level and the massive amount of souls I''d gained, he was still so much stronger than me. I gathered my courage and finally asked. "What about me?"


    A wicked smile shed across his face. "Well," He said with a jade shine in his eyes. "I do have some thoughts about that."


    I nervously nced at him. That smile and his tone were somewhat terrifying. "What do you mean?"


    He looked up to the dark night sky. Clouds covered the sky, blocking the moon and stars. "I was wrong," He mumbled. "It didn''t rain yesterday."


    I flinched. I''d forgotten about that. "Well, you can''t always be right." He chuckled and nodded.


    "I believe what we found today makes things only moreplicated." He said with a sigh. "But it does support what I told you before; you''re the key to some of this world''s secrets. I can''t just let you walk off and get yourself killed somewhere."


    I felt my body tense up. Those were not the words I wanted to hear.


    "But" He said as he shook his head. "I have to admit that keeping you here would be a waste. Your potential can only be realised out there." He seemed conflicted. Unsure, even. It was the first time I''d seen him like that, and it was a worrying sight.


    "I do have an idea." He said as he shot me a thoughtful glimpse. His lips formed a wicked smile as his eyes let out a jade shine. His expression sent a chill down my spine as his next words sounded. "How about we make another deal, Kai Friseal?"

 Chapter 56: Mark

    <h4>Chapter 56: Mark</h4>


    "What kind of a deal?"


    He grinned. "Have you ever heard of familiars?"


    Hesitant, I nodded. "Animalpanions for witches, right?"


    "Not exactly." He said as the cool night freeze shuffled the tree leaves. "OTHERWORLD decided to do it differently in this game. A familiar is any willing being that epts the bond offered to it by the mage." He nced at me. "As in, you."


    I flinched. "Hey, hang on!" I protested. "That''s-"


    "Listen to me before you start yelling." He said with an annoyed expression. "It''s less of binding you to my service and more of a..." He pondered a moment, as if he were searching for the right words. "The bond I''m talking about isn''t a master-servant rtionship."


    "Well, what the hell is it, then?" I asked. I didn''t like where this was going at all.


    "It links my magic with yours." He shrugged. "Sure, it does give me some power over you, but it also benefits you."


    I red at him. "What if I don''t want you to have any power over me?"


    He chuckled. "I already do, though. That''s why we''re having this conversation." The worst thing here was that he was right. That didn''t stop me from ring at him, but I couldn''t say he was wrong.


    "The bond works both ways. It allows us to know where the other is, it let''s you borrow some of my power and vice versa. And whenever one of us gains more power ¨C as in, experience points ¨C the other also gains a small portion of it." He grinned. "Doesn''t sound too bad, does it?"


    I remained silent and continued to re at him.


    "Fine." He breathed out. "There is one thing that should interest you. If you''re ever at the brink of death, it will teleport you to me."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "And since I''m multissing into a priest, I can heal you as long as you''re still alive." A smile shed across his face. "Meaning, you basically get a single free life."


    "It only works once?" I asked hesitantly. He shook his head. "No, but the spell requires aponent, and I only have one of it." He pulled out a small, shining crystal out from his inventory. "I found it a while back. So, if you see anything like this, make sure to take it with you."


    I still didn''t like the idea too much, but I had to admit, it did sound somewhat useful. "And how does this give you power over me, exactly?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "You can''t ever harm me." He calmly said.


    "That''s it?" I asked after a few seconds. "Nothing else?"


    He nodded. "I told you, you need to stay alive. That''s all I''m trying to make sure of. It just so happens toe with a little bit of insurance." He put the glowing crystal back into his inventory. "Ites with a few more perks, such as telepathy." He looked at me with expectation in his eyes.


    "What''s the alternative?" I asked after a short moment.


    "You''ll stay here." He said without missing a beat. I flinched, that was even worse. I shook my head. "That''s not exactly an alternative, is it?" I grumbled.


    "Well," He grinned. "It''s what you get. So? What is it going to be?"


    I sighed. I really didn''t want to do something like this but... I had to admit, it did seem like it was going to do more good than harm. "Fine!" I said reluctantly. "Fine, but not a word of this to anyone!"


    He nodded as his lips formed a wicked smile. "Of course not." He stood up and nced at the sky. The clouds had started to scatter. "It''s as good time as any for it, right? Let''s get this over with."


    "Now?" I asked in surprise. I had expected him to at least wait until morning.


    "Why not?" He said as he rose on his feet. "Come on, get up."


    I sighed but did as he said. "What do I need to do?"


    "You don''t need to do anything. The spell is nothingplex. It leaves a visible mark, so tell me where you want it to be." He showed the back of his left hand. "I''m a sorcerer, so it''s normal for me to have one. I won''t try to hide it."


    I hesitated. I didn''t want Rina and the others to know about this. Mainly because Rina would be furious and probably try to make Asher undo the spell. "My back." I suddenly said. "Right between my wings."


    He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"


    "Rina has truesight. She can see magic. Put it anywhere else and she''ll immediately notice it. There, and I can just say it''s probably because of my wings." I exined, choosing my words carefully. "I''m sure you understand," I added. "Since you also have truesight."


    He grinned. "Good catch. What gave it away?"


    "You can see the souls."


    He chuckled and nodded. "In that case, I''ll make the mark seem like it''s connected to your wings. It will sting a little." He circled behind me and ced his hand on my back. I shivered as I felt his magic seep into my skin. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the spot he was touching stung, just like he said it would.


    "Done." He said as he stepped back. "See, I told you it was easy."


    I turned towards him, only to see him show the back of his hand. The mark looked like a pair of wings. It was ck and looked like a normal tattoo. Honestly, it looked nothing like a magical mark. Despite that, I could feel the magic pulsing within it.


    "That''s it?" I asked. I expected something more, considering how important and powerful this spell was.


    "Yeah." He said with a grin. Then, I heard his voice. "I told you it was easy." I flinched as his lips didn''t move.


    "That''s-"


    "Telepathy." He interrupted me, though this time his words didn''t echo in my mind. "You''ll have to get used to it." I shook my head and sighed. "Yeah, that''s going to take a while. I''m going to sleep."


    I left him there and walked inside, to the second floor. After a moment''s hesitation, I grabbed my old cloak and used that to cover the dusty bed. Iid on the bed and pondered.


    I wasn''t actually sleepy or anything. Sure, I was tired, but I didn''t think I could sleep. My mind was a mess, thoughts whirled inside my skull and there was this incredibly annoying awareness of Asher in the back of my mind. I knew he was downstairs, I knew he was healthy, and I knew he was much more tired than he let on.


    Honestly, I wouldn''t have minded this too much since the perks that came with it were amazing but knowing that he knows where I am and how I feel just... felt wrong.


    With such thought racing in my head, I watched the night sky through the window.

 Chapter 57: Cloudy Skies

    <h4>Chapter 57: Cloudy Skies</h4>


    I didn''t sleep, at all. I watched the moons disappear behind the distant mountains as the sun finally dawned, dyeing the world in crimson and golden once more.


    I knew Asher was still asleep.


    I shook my head to try and get rid of that awareness and descended the stairs. After leaving the building and approaching the shallow river, I sshed some water on my face and, after a short moment of hesitation, summoned my wings.


    I didn''t intend to leave just yet, I still had things I wanted to ask Asher about. But a little bit of training did sound great. There was no better way to distract myself.


    I stretched my wings and leapt up into the air. With a steady rhythm, I rose higher and higher, until the ground trees below looked like small bushes. The freedom of flying through the skies like this was truly unrivalled.


    I started to descend when my muscles started burning with pain. Asher was right, I needed plenty of training if I wanted to use these wings properly. As I approached the ground, I noticed a few avian creatures circling the building. I slowed my descent and summoned my interface. Without a moment of hesitation, I used ''Dark Bolt'' on the creatures.


    As the shadowy bolts hit them, they fell onto the grass fields without even letting out a screech. I felt their souls dissolve into my chest as Inded near the river again. Out of breath, I washed my face again. At the back of mind, I noticed Asher had woken up. With a sigh, I returned to the building.


    "I''m surprised you''re still here." He said as stepped inside.


    "I want you teach me how you cast spells without using your interface." I said as soon as our eyes met.


    He chuckled. "I can try. How about some breakfast first, though?"


    I hesitated; I hadn''t noticed how hungry I was until he reminded me. "Yeah." I mumbled. He took a few fruits and some dried meat out of his inventory. We took our ces at the chairs around the only table in the room and ate in silence, until I finally sighed. "This is annoying." I shouted. "I don''t want to constantly be so... aware of you."


    He chuckled. "It''ll be less the farther away we are. I doubt you''ll stick around me for much longer anyways, so you don''t need to worry about it." I rolled my eyes. That wasn''t exactly the solution I was looking for.


    "Anyways," He said as he ate thest piece of fruit and pushed his chair back. He stood up and headed outside. I followed him and stepped outside, where the newly rising sun blinded me momentarily. He raised his hand and a small, crimson me appeared.


    "I won''t exin how I do this." He nced at me as I stared at him in confusion. Didn''t he just say he''d teach me? Heughed at my expression. "You said you were a martial artist, right?" He asked as the me danced on his fingers. I hesitantly nodded, what did that have to do with my request?


    "Interesting." He mumbled.


    "So, why won''t you exin it?" I asked with an annoyed expression. Why was he making things so much more difficult?


    "You already know how to do it." He said with a grin. I tried to protest, but he stopped me. "Let me finish. You don''t use your interface to summon your wings, do you?"


    I hesitated. "No, but..." I shook my head. "It''s not the same thing."


    "It is. You just need to apply the same principle to your spells." He shrugged. "I figured out how to do it justst week. You''ll figure it out eventually."


    I hesitated. "I''ll try." I said with a sigh. "So, if we''re done here, I''d like to get going."


    He nodded. "We''re almost done." He turned to look at me as his eyes let out a jade glow. "There is one thing I want to make clear. The reason I insisted on forming the bond is clear. We can agree on that, right?"


    I nodded.


    "Good. So, I''m sure you''ll understand why I say this; when I ask you to meet me somewhere, I expect you to be there." His cold tone, serious expression made it clear that he wasn''t joking.


    I nodded. "Yeah." Then, I also red at him. "And I expect some answers, soon." I said as I nced towards the building. He chuckled. "You''ll get them."


    We stood there in silence for a short while before I finally spoke again. "I want to go find the others." I extended my hand. "My weapons." He raised his eyebrows, then understanding dawned on him. "Oh, right." He said as he took my two swords out of his inventory and handed them over to me.


    "Thanks," I said as I summoned my wings. "Oh!" I suddenly stopped as I remembered something else. "Who hired you and that girl?"


    He paused, thenughed as he understood what I was talking about. "Some guy back in the city. The alchemist. I don''t know his name. Technically, he hired Astrid and she asked for my helpter. They just wanted to know who the hell had taken out the Cursed One and the Terror." He grinned. "They thought it was Erik''s group who''d done it. I''m sure their jaw would drop if they learned you soloed the Cursed One."


    "Let''s make sure they don''t learn." I said with a sigh. I didn''t want to draw any more attention on me than I already had.


    Asher chuckled and nodded. "Well, then. Don''t die." He grinned. "I won''t say any farewells since we will talk often." He touched his forehead before heading back inside.


    I sighed, stretched my wings, and leapt into the air. I headed to where the demonic ruins Rina wanted to explore were. As I flew, I focused on the rhythm of the beat of my wings. The strain on my muscles soon turned into pain, but instead ofnding, I used Fallen Grace. As magical strength filled my muscles, each beat of my wings stopped being a challenge. I soared through the cloudy skies with ease.

 Chapter 58: Distant Rumble

    <h4>Chapter 58: Distant Rumble</h4>


    I flew until dusk. Only when the sun started to disappear behind the distant mountain range did I considernding. If I pushed myself, I could probably fly for a few more hours. I certainly had the mana to keep using Fallen Grace but doing so would probably strain my body even more and I''d already experienced the unpleasantness of that.


    I reluctantly searched for a safe ce tond. I could spot a few cave entrances and alcoves from up here, but I didn''t exactly trust those ces. Instead, I searched for a tall tree with a thick trunk and sturdy branches. I could do what I''d done before and perch on top of a nice, sturdy branch.


    Thankfully, I didn''t have to search for too long. As soon as I found a suitable tree, Inded on one of its higher branches and hid my wings. There was no need to alert the entire forest by letting its inhabitants see the glowing embers.


    I folded my legs and leaned my back on the tree trunk as I watched the sunpletely disappear behind the distant mountain range. I watched the silent forest for a while before falling asleep. My eyelid became heavy in time and my consciousness began to drift.


    "Kai," Asher''s cold voice echoed in my head. Startled, I let out a small scream as I nearly lost my bnce on the branch.


    "The hell!" I whispered as I looked around. In my drowsiness, it took me a moment to understand ¨C what I just heard was telepathy. It took me a couple more seconds to figure out how to answer him, and as soon as I did, I did the mental equivalent of shouting. "What the hell, Asher? I nearly fell down because of you!"


    I heard a chuckle, I think. Or maybe I was just imagining it, since chuckling was exactly what he''d do right now. "Sorry about that. You should be more prepared for this, though. I told you I''d be speaking with you often."


    I clenched my teeth. How did he manage to sound so smug even through fricking telepathy? "Anyways, what do you want?" I just wanted to get this over with and go to sleep.


    After a moment of silence, his answer echoed in my mind. "I just started sorting through the books here. Most of them are in demonic, so I won''t be able to read them just yet. I did find something that caught my attention though." His voice disappeared for a short moment before he spoke again. "I found a single paragraph on ''Crystal Sages''. Apparently, they were those who had the ability to draw some power from some very rare things called primal cores."


    I nearly choked on my own saliva. "What did you say?" I replied after a coughing fit.


    "The crystal sages apparently used these primal cores for something, but I''m not sure what that something is because that section of the text is borderline unintelligible. I''m trying to mend it with magic, but that will take quite some time."


    "Let me know when you find out." I replied, doing my best to sound normal. I didn''t want him to find out about Vixia and the primal core of fire.


    "Sure." His voice echoed in my mind before the telepathic connection got severed and I was left alone in my own mind. With a sigh of relief, I closed my eyes again, hoping that I''d be able to sleep tonight.


    It was only hourster that I finally fell asleep, and just a couple hours after that, the crimson-gold shine of the dawning sun woke me up. Feeling tired and groggy, I ate breakfast ¨C which was, once again, arge fruit ¨C and jumped down the tree to fly away. As my wings carried me, I checked my map to see if I was going in the right direction.


    Thankfully, I was. After a few hours of flight, and a lot of spent mana for Fallen Grace, I finally arrived at the ruins I promised to meet Alex and the others at. Inded a little ways away since I didn''t want to reveal my wings just yet and walked to my destination.


    A short whileter, I finally stepped out of the woods and onto the lush green grass. Before me stood arge, partially ruined building with simr design to the outpost Asher and I had found two days ago. Thankfully, there were no souls protecting the ce, no magic preventing fields and no incredibly powerful mages threatening me.


    I chuckled at my own thoughts before noticing something else that was missing. "Alex?" I shouted after a moment''s hesitation. "Rina? Erik?" Fear started to seep into my mind as my heartbeat quickened. Where were they? My mind shed to the first time I felt like this ¨C right after I had met Vixia for the very first time. Had I lost them again?


    A distant rumble pulled me out of my daze and I immediately summoned my wings and leapt up into the air. Lighting struck the ground not too far away from here.


    Leaving a trail of fire behind me, I flew towards the sounds with fear in my heart. Had my friends been attacked? What if it was something they couldn''t handle on their own?


    Soon, my fears were realised as they finally entered my vision. By ake with clear, jade waters, the group faced a massive serpent. It looked like a giant sea dragon as it towered over them. Its lower half was hidden beneath the surface of theke. Its head looked like that of a dragon. It had two massive horns and spikes that ran from the top of its head, all the way into the water. As I approached, it roared and struck the ground near the group. It was only then that I realised ¨C it was blind. Its eyes were scorched, the scales around them were darkened and damaged.


    It reared its head, preparing to strike again. I nced at the group to see their positions.


    Erik was standing closest to the creature. Holding his tower shield raised to protect him; his entire body let out a faint golden shine. A little ways behind him stood Vincent, his stance wasn''t firm like that of the pdin''s. Instead, he seemed ready to jump out of the way of an iing attack.


    At the very back stood Alina, Samantha, and Rina. The two spellcasters were focusing with their eyes closed and hands extended as magic gathered in their palms. Samantha was trying to aim at the creature, though its fast movements clearly made things difficult for her.


    Between them and the two front liners stood Alex. She held a rather long spear in her hands. I spotted Joshua running through the trees, circling around theke. Was he trying to nk the creature?


    The creature roared and prepared to strike again. It was aiming for the three women in the backline.


    I folded my wings a little and aimed for its head. As its downwards motion began, I reached its head. Inded on its nose and shouted. "Hey, I''m up here!" It flinched and tried to bite me. As teeth asrge as my entire body snapped only a hairs length away from me, I jumped up and with a wicked grin, fired a volley of dark bolts at its already scarred eyes.


    With that as an opening move, our fight began.

 Chapter 59: The Serpent of the Lake

    <h4>Chapter 59: The Serpent of the Lake</h4>


    It screeched as I just barely avoided getting eaten. I heard shouting from below. It was probably Erik and the others, though I wasn''t entirely sure which one of them shouted. I couldn''t afford to look, as one mistake could spell death. And I most certainly didn''t want to return to Asher so soon after I left.


    My scythe appeared in my hands as I flew towards the back of the serpent''s head. It twisted its very long body to turn with me, but a well timed lightning strike by Rina distracted it. Inded on the creature''s head and grabbed on to one of itsrge horns. They were nearly twice my own size.


    I swung my scythe. The pale crystalline de cut through the creature''s scales effortlessly as ck blood spurted from the cut.


    The creature flinched, then shook its head like a dog trying to get rid of some annoying pest. I found myself flying as I lost my grip on the horn. It took me a second to regain my bnce in the air.


    An arrow flew past me to hit the creature''s wound. I couldn''t help but be impressed, that wound was so tinypared to the creature''s body. Another lightning struck the creature as its teeth once again snapped not too far away from me.


    "Hey, Kai." I heard Asher''s voice in my head as I desperately beat my wings to avoid its next attack.


    "Not now!" I replied with a mental shout. It was difficult enough to focus on flying and fighting at the same time, I couldn''t deal with the sorcerer right now.


    "What are you doing?" He insisted as I dove down and flew under the creature''s head. I fired another volley of dark bolts as I flew past the scaly body and circled behind it.


    "What the hell do you think?" I responded as the creature''s tail finally showed itself from beneath the jade waters. With a terrifying roar, the creature flung it''s tail at me.


    "Wait," Asher''s voice sounded in my head as I dove further down to avoid getting hit, then flew up again to avoid the dangerous water below. "Kai, what are you fighting?" He almost sounded upset. I ignored him as Rina missed her next lighting strike and electrified theke.


    Though it didn''t do much to the creature physically, it did seem to annoy it a lot more than I could so far. With a roar, it struck the water with its tail and sshed nearly a quarter of the water in theke towards Rina.


    There was nothing I could do to help her. Thankfully, Alex grabbed all three backliners just in time and they didn''t lose their footing. Though all three were wet and probably cold, at least they were still alive and well.


    Feeling grateful to Alex, I approached the creature and struck the scales on its neck. To my surprise, it wailed in pain. "Don''t ignore me." Asher''s annoying voice sounded in my head again.


    "Will you please just shut up let me deal with this?" I screamed as the creature roared at me. I think he was offended as silence was all that followed my words. I was somewhat d, since it meant I could focus on the fight more.


    As I circled around the creature again, I felt more magic gather around us. Rina''s spell once again struck the creature, causing it to il its tail around. I folded my wings and flew under its head again and left a long, somewhat deep cut as I flew past its neck.


    It wailed in pain and tried to bite me. I narrowly avoided the teeth snapping less than an arm''s length away. If it weren''t blind, I''d probably be dead. Despite its wounds, the creature was incredibly fast.


    I knew we couldn''t possibly kill it with one strike, its scales were too thick, and I had no clue as to where its heart was. I nced at its head as I brushed past the iling tail. There was no way I could pierce its skull. We either had to tire it out and then somehow kill it, or just escape.


    Actually, that did make a lot of sense. We could just walk away. Since this thing was water bound, it couldn''t follow us intond, right?


    My thoughts got interrupted by a loud screech. I heard a loud bang as the creature snapped at Erik''s tower shield. Fear gripped my heart as I stopped mid air. I watched as the creature''s tail struck his shield. Just the tail itself probably weighed several tonnes. There was no way Erik could survive that!


    The loud bang echoed as the golden shine disappeared and the tail slithered back into the jade waters. I waited for the dust to settle with my mouth agape. The shock of what just happened froze me in ce. Was Erik really...?


    The dust settled to reveal Erik standing there, unharmed. His body once again let out a golden shine as he shouted something. I sighed out in relief. I had thought we''d lost him. My thoughts were interrupted with screams. I looked towards them, to see them pointing their fingers towards me. Did they not recognise me?


    "Kai!" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind again. I thought I had gotten rid of him for now. Annoyed I ignored him and turned my attention to the creature.


    Before I could evenprehend what was going on, I felt something wrap around my legs and waist. Momentster, I was underwater.


    "Kai, that thing you''re fighting, is it a water serpent?" Asher''s rmed voice sounded in my mind as the surface of theke moved farther away. I clenched the shaft of my scythe, but the water pressure made it impossible to swing it with any meaningful speed. "Kai!" His shout echoed in my mind.


    I felt my breath slowly deplete as I heard muffled roaring. My grip on the shaft of the scythe weakened as my consciousness began to fade.

 Chapter 60: Remembrance

    <h4>Chapter 60: Remembrance</h4>


    I felt magic whirl around me. It was so weak that I barely noticed it. I wondered where it came from. Was it Rina trying to save me?


    "Close your eyes!" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. I did as he said but the sh of light still blinded me. I heard a muffled roar from above the water surface as the scaly tail coiled around my body loosened. Having regained my ability to move around, I quickly ced the scythe into my inventory, hid my wings, and started to swim to the surface.


    Despite my newfound freedom, the surface was so far away. No matter how much I tried, I didn''t seem to get any closer to it. My vision began to blur as my lungs felt like they were on fire. I needed air! I had no strength left to give to my muscles.


    I felt the water around me shift and move. The serpents tail iled below me. I got caught in the currents created by its movements. The surface seemed to be getting farther and farther away. I noticed the creature''s tail moving up, towards me.


    With no hesitation, I grabbed on to it as it brushed past me. The water pressure created by the speed of it nearly crushed me. I almost lost consciousness right before we broke the surface of theke and I found myself in the air. I let go of the tail and summoned my wings. Gasping for air still, I flew up, away from the serpent''s reach.


    I couldn''t believe I almost died because of a simple mistake like that. A stupid mistake brought on by my own carelessness. As water dripped from my clothes, I shook my head. Now wasn''t the time to think of what I did wrong. We had to either kill this thing or run away. I nced at the group below, they didn''t seem like they wanted to run away.


    Still somewhat out of breath, I summoned my interface and nced at my mana.


    ''Mana: 140/770''


    I clenched my fists. This was the first time in a while that I had to worry about my mana. "Hey, Asher." I shouted telepathically. "Do you know how to kill this thing?"


    Silence followed my words. I hesitated; he wasn''t one to ignore me like this. Had something happened? I shook my head. I didn''t have time to think about him right now. He was strong, he could take care of himself.


    I focused my gaze on the creature''s movements, I needed to find a way to kill this thing. I wasn''t going to be able to keep flying for much longer and I was sure Rina and the others'' mana was also slowly depleting.


    I summoned my scythe again ¨C I didn''t think either one of the swords I had could pierce those thick, sturdy scales. I took a deep breath before once again flying into the tick of battle. The serpent noticed me almost immediately and I once again came face to face with those sharp teeth. I evaded them narrowly and flew beneath the creature''s jaws.


    "Kai, aim for between it''s eyes." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "I''ll cast a spell to enhance your next strike, so don''t miss. I can''t cast this twice." It was difficult to focus on his words in my current state, but I nodded and flew up again. Rina''s next lightning strike struck the creature''s long body.


    I nced towards her as tried to make my way towards the creature''s head. The interval between her attacks was getting longer with each lightning strike. She seemed tired. I clenched my teeth, grasped the shaft of my scythe and with a burst of speed provided by Fallen Grace, approached the creature''s head.


    "I''m almost there!" I shouted at Asher, who responded not with words, but with crimson mes bursting out of my scythe. A bright light engulfed me as my strength increased even more and for just a moment, I felt my cloudy mind clear up.


    I swung my scythe as soon as my feet touched the creature''s scales. The pale, crystalline de dug into the scales effortlessly, only leaving charred skin and flesh behind. The creature wailed in pain as it tried to shake me off. I held on to the shaft of my scythe as it finally dug into the creature''s thick skull.


    "What now? I can''t pierce it''s skull!" I shouted at Asher as the creature shook its head. I felt dizzy from being tossed around like that. "Asher!"


    "Think about the phoenix''s mes. Think of how they burn everything and then burn the creature. It''s just like how you summon your wings." His exnation was oddly calm, almost as if he was teaching a ss.


    "Now''s not the time to learn how to use spells without the interface!" I screamed as I almost lost my grip.


    "Now is the perfect time." I felt the connection sever as lightning struck the creature on its head, dangerously close to me.


    I clenched my teeth and promised myself to punch that smug idiot in the face when I next saw him. I closed my eyes and pictured the mes that consumed the forest when we first met the phoenix on the battlefield. I imagined how smoke covered the air and it became hard to breathe.


    My lungs burned as a loud ng echoed. I nced down to see Erik''s shield stopping another tail strike.


    I shook my head, now wasn''t the time to be impressed by his abilities. I once again clenched my eyes shut and tried to remember the heat I felt during that battle. How the mes nearly consumed us.


    My oxygen deprived mind refused to focus as all that shed before me was Vixia''s purple mes, overpowering those of the phoenix.


    "Is it done?" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "Of course not!" I shouted, desperately trying to focus.


    "Let me know when it is." Silence followed his words as I tried to calm myself with a deep breath. That, of course, didn''t work. Pissed off, cold and exhausted, I couldn''t even scream and shout in anger. I felt the effects of Fallen Grace diminish and fade.


    With the strength provided by that skill gone, it became so much harder to hang on to the shaft. I felt my grasp weaken.


    "Kai," Asher''s voice echoed again. "Remember the warmth of the phoenix."


    I flinched. That I clearly remembered. The warmth that calmed the souls within me, its memory was as clear as day. I felt the coldness disappear. Steam clouded my vision.


    "Now remember how annoyed at me you are." Asher''s smug voice immediately red up my temper.


    "You-" My words were interrupted as I burst into mes.

 Chapter 61: Questions

    <h4>Chapter 61: Questions</h4>


    The creature''s pained wails mixed with the roaring mes. I heard a distant shout. As the creature''s body also burst into mes, I removed the stuck scythe from its head. Barely keeping my bnce on the melting scales, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air.


    As I arrived on the shore, the creature''s charred body fell into the water and disappeared beneath the jade waters.


    A few secondster, a jade-blue soul surfaced from beneath the waves. I let it approach and shivered as it dissolved into my chest.


    "Kai?" Erik''s shocked voice sounded, but before I could even look at him, something with blonde hair rammed me. Alina sniffed as she hugged me and with a shaky voice whispered. "I thought you died when it pulled you under the waves..."


    "Alina?" I eximed as I tried to step back, but she held on tight.


    "You need to stop scaring us like that." Rina said as the rest of the group approached. Alex nodded. Only when I saw her face did I notice how much this battle had pushed them to their limit. All over them I could see scratches and bruises. Their clothes were tattered and wet. They were panting.


    "Sorry," I mumbled to Alina, then gently pushed her away. It felt... awkward. "I''m d you all made it out of this alive." I nced at Erik. "You scared me, I thought you were dead for sure when you took the full force of that hit."


    He grinned. "Thanks to Rina and Alex, we levelled up enough, so I was able to get the key skill of pdins." His smile shattered as he nced behind me. "I do believe you''ve got some exining to do. What''s the with the mes and the wings?"


    I flinched. So much for keeping my wings a secret, I suppose.


    "Can we do that after we get a bit away from here?" I asked, ncing at theke. "I''m sure plenty of scavengers wille soon."


    They nodded, but Vincent shook his head. "Wait," He nced around. "Where''s Josh?"


    "What?" Samantha asked after a moment''s hesitation. "Wasn''t he nking the dragon?"


    I forced myself to remember, when was thest time I saw the young man? "He was going through the woods, I assumed he was trying to circle around to the back of the creature but... that was quite a while ago."


    "Let''s search for him." Alex said after a short moment of silence.


    I sighed and nodded. "I''ll look through the-"


    "I''m fine!" Joshua''s voice interrupted me. "I''m back, sorry." He stumbled out of the woods. His arms were covered in blood and cuts.


    "What happened to you?" Samantha cried out in shock. He really seemed badly wounded.


    "I was circling around thete when I bumped into some creatures. I fought them off eventually, but I didn''t exactlye out unscathed."


    "That''s an understatement." I mumbled as Alina approached him. A soft light shone from her hands as she carefully healed his wounds. "Thanks, Alina." He said with a smile. She nodded, stepped back, and approached me. "Are you ok, Kai?" She looked all over me. "Your clothes are ruined!"


    "I''m fine, really. My clothes will mend themselves once I have the mana to spare. Don''t worry about me." I nced at Joshua. After Alina''s healing spell, he seemed to be fine. He didn''t look as tired as the rest of us, though I guess that was to be expected, since he didn''t fight the giant sea serpent.


    "Can we go somewhere else now?" Alina asked, ncing at all of us. I nodded, and so did everyone else. Erik ced his weapon back into his inventory and pointed in the direction I came from. "That way are the ruins you wanted to explore, Rina. How about we camp not too far from them?"


    "There''s a river close to it." I added.


    Soon, we were off to the shallow river. We were all exhausted, save for Joshua, so our short journey passed in silence. Only once we arrived and set up camp, did I hear some low conversations between some of them.


    I gathered some firewood and lit a nice, warm campfire. Soon, we all sat around it. The sun was still high, so it was a little early to be even eating, but we were too exhausted to even think about the time.


    "So, Kai." Erik finally asked. "Are you going to exin the deal with those wings?"


    I flinched. "Well, apparently, when I kill really powerful, legendary creatures, I can gain some of their abilities." I shrugged. I didn''t want to tell them about Vixia and Delthur.


    "I see," Erik mumbled. "That is really powerful. Is that how you killed the beast?"


    I nodded. "It was thanks to having killed the phoenix that I was able to do it." I smiled. "I guess it was good for at least something." I continued with a chuckle, then suddenly realised something. "What happened to Astrid?"


    "Oh, we let her go after she told us everything." Erik said with a dismissive tone. "She probably went back to report to her employer."


    "Did you tell her anything?" I asked, slightly worried. How much did she know about me?


    "No." Rina said with a cold voice. "I didn''t want her to know too much about anyone here, so I didn''t let them tell her anything."


    Relieved, I smiled. I was worried about the employer Asher had talked about. He did say they were just curious, but I wasn''t going to blindly believe his words.


    "We should rest." I finally said with a sigh.


    "I''ll make sure nothing can get close." Rina chimed in as she cast a spell. Runes appeared around the campsite. Once she was done, she nced at the girls and, with a yful voice, spoke. "Come, girls, lets get cleaned up."


    Alina jumped to her feet and dragged Samantha with her as they headed towards the shallow river.


    "Oh?" Joshua''s ears perked up.


    "Don''t even think about it." Alex''s harsh voice sounded as she smacked his back with her tail. "Keep an eye on him Vincent." With that, she also left for the shallow river.

 Chapter 62: A Moment of Respite

    <h4>Chapter 62: A Moment of Respite</h4>


    With a yawn, Iy on the lush green grass.


    "So," Vincent''s voice sounded. "Are you feeling better, Josh?" His brother nodded and I heard the rustling of his clothes as he got up on his feet. "Where are you going?" Vincent asked him almost immediately.


    "For a walk." He said dismissively.


    "No, you''re not." Vincent said as he grabbed his brother''s arm and forced him back down. "I''m not letting you go and peep on the girls."


    I rolled my eyes at Joshua''s protests. "You know Alex will drown you if you even so much as try it." I said with a chuckle. "And I wouldn''t let you try something like that either." I red at him. He flinched and looked away.


    "Fine! You''re so boring." He exhaled and threw himself on the grass. "Erik,e on. Help me out a little."


    "No." Erik coldly said as he poked the campfire with a long stick. "And stop messing around with that idea." He slowly turned towards me. "Are you sure you''re ok, Kai? You were underwater for more than a minute. And you look quite pale."


    I nodded. "I''m fine, I told you already." I yawned again. "I''ll be back to my usual self once I get a few hours of sleep." With a grin I took an old cloak out of my inventory and rolled it into a ball. "Good night." With those words, I ced the cloak under my head like a pillow and closed my eyes as Erik protested. "It''s not even dusk yet!"


    I chuckled and shrugged. The young pdin mumbled something under his breath, then sighed. The other twoughed at his words.


    "Asher?" I called out to the annoying sorcerer. Silence was all that followed. Slightly worried, I tried again. "Hey, Asher?" He was awake and healthy. I could feel it in the back of my mind. So why wasn''t he responding?


    I tried to reach him a few more times before deciding to actually attempt to sleep. Surprisingly, as soon as I stopped straining my mind with telepathy, the sweet, dark embrace of sleep weed me.


    That dark embrace soon turned into the cold depths of a jade colouredke. The fear of drowning washed over me as I desperately tried to reach the surface. Despite my efforts, my body wouldn''t move, all I could do was to watch as I dove deeper and deeper. Until the something bright illuminated the darkness.


    I couldn''t see what it was, just looking at it was enough to blind me. The bright blue glow seemed to give life to my surroundings as I spotted both normal fish and legendary sea creatures swimming about. I approached the glowing object, then suddenly turned back and shot up to the surface as a rumble shook the water.


    I woke up withughter just before I broke the surface of the water.


    "Shh, be quiet." Vincent''s low voice sounded. "You''ll wake him up!"


    "Oops," Joshua mumbled. My tense body rxed a little. That dream felt too real.


    "Kai." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. I flinched; I didn''t expect him to contact me now. "Was it your annoyance towards me that made you use your power effortlessly?" He said with a smug tone. I couldn''t fathom how he managed to sound smug through telepathy.


    "I guess you were useful for once." I replied, trying my best not to grin.


    "That hurts, you know." He chuckled; I think. "I wanted to ask about that soul you got. I think that might also enhance your body ¨C just like the phoenix did."


    I felt my body tense up again as I became too aware of myself. "How, exactly?"


    "I don''t know. Water breathing? A Tail? Scales?" A short moment of silence followed his words. "We''ll see. I''ll try to figure it out. Get rest for now, it feels like you''re exhausted." I felt the connection sever.


    Annoyed, I almost sighed. Then I remembered I was still supposed to be asleep. Instead, I cursed at the smug sorcerer for a little.


    "Should we wake him up for dinner?" Alina''s concerned voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I was starving.


    "Maybe not." Alex mumbled. "He was so exhausted that-"


    I couldn''t miss dinner, so with a loud yawn, I stretched and opened my eyes. "Hey guys," I mumbled.


    "Oh, good timing." Vincent said with a grin. He pointed towards a te full of raw meat. "I was just about to start cooking these." By cooking, he clearly meant barbecuing them on the campfire.


    "That sounds tasty." I said with a smile. I hadn''t eaten anything but dried meat and fruits in a very long time. Just the thought of juicy meat made my mouth water.


    Rinaughed and got up. She circled around the campfire and sat by me. "Thank you, Kai. I don''t think we would have been able to get through that fight rtively unscathed if not for your help." She lightly squeezed my shoulder, then with a smile, opened her interface.


    ''Rina Woods ¨C Level 58 Wizard''


    "It gave plenty of experience to all of us." She continued with a smile. "This will make our uing exploration mush easier too."


    I flinched. "Yeah," I said with a forced smile. Knowing that I was stronger than her was such a weird feeling. I just couldn''t get used to it. I nced at everyone else. "I''m d I was able to be of help."


    "Oh, please." Alina said with a bright smile. "We all know you saved us there. No need to be so modest." Before I could shake my head, she nced at the campfire. "Oh, we''re running out of wood. Do you mind helping me a little bit?" With those words, she rose to her feet. "There''s plenty of firewood over there." She tilted her head towards the woods by the river.


    "Uh, sure." I said hesitantly. I also stood up and followed her to the nearby woods.

 Chapter 63: Bright Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 63: Bright Eyes</h4>


    As soon as we were out of sight, Alina grabbed my wrist and smiled. "Come on, I want to show you something." She pulled me deeper into the greenery.


    "What about the firewood?" I asked, slightly confused, but she just chuckled. "It''s fine! They can wait five more minutes." She led me through the greenery and we soon arrived at the shallow river''s shore.


    "Look." She pointed west. "Isn''t it beautiful?"


    I looked at where she pointed. "Wow," was all I could say as the view had taken my breath away. "It really is."


    The setting sun had dyed the to a golden-purple hue. The undersides of the rare clouds reflected the crimson light of the sun. The wide river seemed like it wasn''t water flowing there, but gold.


    "I knew you''d love it." Alina softly said. I turned towards her to see a golden shine in her eyes. She showed me a small, silver talisman. "It''s a gift. I filled it with my own magic. It''s a healing spell, if you ever find yourself badly wounded, all you have to do is release the magic in here."


    The talisman was made to resemble an eye. At the very centre of it, where the pupil should have been, was a small, blue gem. She touched the gem as she spoke.


    "I can''t ept this." I protested; this was clearly valuable. I tried to step back, but she quickly followed me. "I want you to have it. Please." She reached around my neck and hooked the pendant''s chain. "It suits you." She said as she stepped back.


    "I..." I took a deep breath as I relented. "Thank you, Alina. It''s beautiful." As soon as the words left my mouth, she showed me a beautiful smile. "I''m d you liked it. Anyways," She looked away as blood rushed to her face. I glimpsed her cheeks blush as she stepped back and turned her back on me. "I''ll go back to camp, you can take care of the firewood, right?"


    I nodded and she quickly ran off.


    "What the hell was that?" I mumbled to myself as I touched the pendant. I blinked a few times and then shook my head. That didn''t mean what I thought it meant... did it?


    A short whileter, I returned to camp with an armful firewood. "This shouldst us through the night." I said as I dumped it not too far from the fire.


    "Thanks, man!" Joshua said with a grin. Vincent handed me my dinner on arge, t stone he used for a te. "This smells amazing." I said, ncing at the young man. He nodded and forced a smile.


    He was clearly preupied with some other thought. I hesitated but decided to keep quiet about it. If he wanted to share whatever he was pondering, he would do so in his own time.


    I ate in silence as the others talked about random things.


    "Oh! What happened to the sorcerer? Asher Morgan, was it?" Samantha asked all of a sudden. I flinched. I had forgotten about that.


    "He got away." I said with a sigh. "he used that invisibility of his and I lost him."


    Vincent raised his eyebrows as Samantha and Aline mumbled something under their breaths. I only caught a few words of what they were saying, but I think they said something about shooting an arrow at him.


    "That''s a shame." Erik said with a sigh. "I''m sure he knew a bit more than Astrid. She couldn''t even say the name of the guy who hired them."


    I shrugged. "I''m sure he didn''t know much more than her." Having finished my meal, I rose on my feel. "I''ll go wash myself."


    I once again walked through the greenery to get to the shallow river. Once I was there, I undressed and stepped into the cold water. The cold didn''t bother me too much this time as I submerged my entire body. I summoned my wings and washed them too. It took me a while to get rid of all the dirt stuck in my hair and feathers.


    Some timeter, as darkness settled inpletely, I returned to camp.


    "Oh, he''s back." Joshua said with a grin as I stepped out of the woods. The first thing I noticed was theck of females in our group.


    "Where did the girls go?" I asked as I sat by the fire again.


    "For a walk. Alina seemed somewhat flustered, so Rina dragged them away." Erik said with a sigh. "I''m sure they will be fine, since Alex is with them too, but I still wish they wouldn''t stray too far from camp."


    "They''ll be fine." Vincent mumbled. He seemed a bit down. "Both Rina and Alex are ridiculously strong."


    "So, Kai." Joshua chimed in with that same grin. "What did Alina want to talk with you about?"


    I flinched. "Nothing much." I said with a shrug. I felt blood rush to my face, but my ridiculously pale skin and inability to blush properly saved me. "I wonder if something happened... Wait!" I red at him. "Did you tell her something weird about me?"


    "What? No!" Joshua shouted. It took quite a lot of my willpower to not grin orugh. Now, with the attention on him, rather than me, I enjoyed the evening breeze as Erik started questioning the rogue.


    "You did tell her something, didn''t you?" He said, pointing his finger at the other man. "Stop spreading lies..." Their bickering continued as I nced at Vincent. Usually, he''d be the first to leap at the chance to shout at his brother. I wondered what was on his mind.


    "I''ll head off to sleep." Vincent said after a short moment. "Good night."


    "Good night." I mumbled while the other two didn''t even respond ¨C they were too busy messing with each other.


    I alsoid on the grass and once again let myself be taken by the dark embrace of sleep.

 Chapter 64: Midnight

    <h4>Chapter 64: Midnight</h4>


    I woke up to a dark sky filled with stars and the two moons of this world. Shivering under the cold night breeze, I pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    "It''s not morning yet, go back to sleep." Vincent''s low voice sounded. I flinched; I hadn''t noticed him. He was sitting by the embers of the campfire. His shortsword rested on his knees as he carefully cleaned it.


    "I could tell you the same." I responded as I rose to my feet. "What''s bothering you?"


    It was he who flinched this time. "I''m not-"


    "You''re a bad liar." I said as I sat not too far away from him. "What''s wrong, Vincent? You''re not acting like yourself."


    He shook his head. "It''s nothing too important. I guess, it just hit me that death is... very real." He hesitated. "When the dragon, serpent, whatever it was, dragged you underwater, we all thought you''d died. Andter, when we couldn''t find Joshua for a bit, I got scared. I thought the idiot had gone and gotten himself killed somewhere."


    I was a big reason for all their worries, so I didn''t really know what to say. Vincent ced his sword in his inventory and sighed. "I''m scared of losing someone, Kai." He looked up to the sky. "I''m scared of losing my friends and my brother. I want to go home. I want this wicked game to end."


    I hesitated then reached out and lightly squeezed his shoulder. I had no words that couldfort him, or help him even a little, so we sat there in silence. After a while I stood up. Sitting here, doing nothing was useless.


    "Where are you going?" Vincent asked me as I stretched my arms and walked a few steps away from the embers of the campfire.


    "Hunting." I said with a smile. "Since I''m awake already, I''d better make use of this time." As I spoke, my wings materialized. I stretched them and leapt in the air, leaving a confused Vincent behind.


    I soared high up in the sky, watching the ground below. My mind was, once again, a mess. But thinking about Vincent''s words wasn''t going to solve anything. I clenched my fists and folded my wings a little, heading down to theke we fought the sea serpent at a little earlier. I could already see plenty of scavengers s circling the area. They all wanted to feast on the serpent''s meat.


    I summoned my scythe as Inded on the trampled and overturned grass. I didn''t use Fallen Grace or any of my other spells. I had put it off for long enough, but it was time for me to learn how to wield my scythe properly. As my wings disappeared into mist, I clenched my fingers around the dark, metal shaft of the weapon.


    "Here we go." I whispered before putting two fingers on my lips and whistling loudly. The loud noise echoed, shattering the silence covering the forest. I didn''t have that spell Asher used to gather creatures around him, but a whistle should work just fine, I thought.


    I was not wrong as soon the howls and screeches of the local fauna sounded all around me. I stood at the centre of the grassy area and waited. My first opponents to arrive were, of course, airborne creatures. As soon as they entered my vision, I motioned to open my interface to get rid of them with Dark Bolt. I stopped myself at thest second.


    "Let''s see," I mumbled as I closed my eyes. I forced myself to remember the warmth of the phoenix, just like I''d done before. I felt the warmth with ease. The next step was turning that warmth into something else. Like a small firebolt, perhaps?


    I imagined a tiny me on my palm. The sound of the creature''s wings drew closer as I forced myself to hang on to the image of that me. I opened my eyes and nced at my raised palm.


    Nothing. I had failed, again.


    My shoulders dropped in disappointment. Why was I not any good at this?


    The first bat-like creature dove towards me with its ws extended. I got rid of it with a simple swing of my weapon, then nced around me. I could spy glowing red eyes in the woods. They were watching.


    My lips formed a grin as I spun my scythe around. I was challenging them toe at me, in their turf. This was their hunting area, and a new predator had appeared. It didn''t take long for them toe out of the woods and even less for them to leap at me.


    I danced between the ws and teeth aiming for my life, using only my scythe to kill them, one by one. I felt their souls reach out to me as the pale de of my scythe cut through their fur and flesh effortlessly. By the time I''d killed thest of them, I was out of breath and exhausted. My clothes where covered in their blood and all the small scratches and bite marks hurt.


    With the coldness in my chest growing stronger, I ced my scythe into my inventory and washed the blood off me in the jade colouredke. Using Soul''s Respite, I let the souls circling around me mend my wounds.


    These forests were seriously overpopted. At no point should a single forest this size have more than a hundred of the same predators in them. I shook my head and opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 71 Soul Keeper | Exp: 7800/44000 - - Souls 100/100 + 570 - - Mana: 790


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    "Just two?" I said, fairly disappointed. When Asher had done the same, I''d gained over twenty levels. What were we doing differently?


    With a tired sigh, I gave up on trying to figure it out and summoned my wings. It was time to go back and get a few more hours of sleep. With a few powerful beats of my wings, I was soon in the air again. I shivered as the cold night winds hit me. When had it gotten so cold? Did this world even have seasons? Was winter approaching or something?


    I once again wished I knew a little more about this world. There was so much that was unknown to me. I knew nothing about the Ereth, who we were supposed to be helping. I knew almost nothing about demons and what little I knew was challenged almost daily.


    I shook my head, thinking about that stuff wasn''t doing me any good. I needed to learn to focus on my goal and stop getting distracted by useless thoughts like these.


    The camp soon entered my vision, and I folded my wings for a propernding right outside the protective runes Rina ced.


    "You''re alive." Vincent said with a breath of relief. He was still sitting by the campfire, though as soon as he saw me, he leapt up to his feet.


    "Of course I am." I said with a smile I hoped was reassuring. "And you''re still awake."


    "I wasn''t sleepy anyways." He mumbled. His gaze was fixed on my wings. "Can I see them?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. I nodded, though I did feel somewhat odd. Vincent gently touched my feathers with the tip of his fingers. "They look too real." He mumbled, then stepped back. "Sorry. It''s probably best if we head to sleep."


    "Yeah, but are you sure you''re ok?" I asked after a short moment of hesitation. He showed me a smile that his eyes didn''t reflect. "Yeah, I''m just tired. Good night, Kai."


    With that, he disappeared in the tent he shared with his brother. I sighed andid on the grass.


    I could tell. Something was wrong.

 Chapter 65: Piles of Bones

    <h4>Chapter 65: Piles of Bones</h4>


    "So... Why were we exploring old demonic ruins again?" Joshua asked, ncing at the overgrown ruins before us.


    "Because I believe there may be some important information hidden in there." Rina replied with a cold voice. "Shall we?" She nced at me.


    "Let''s go." I said as I summoned my scythe. "Erik, will you be taking point?"


    "Yeah." He mumbled as he summoned his shield and unsheathed his longsword. "Let''s." Our group, standing by the entrance all this time, finally got moving with Erik''s words.


    Erik and Alex walked in front, with Vincent and Rina following immediately after. I walked behind those two. A bit further behind me came Alina and Samantha, with Joshua guarding our rear.


    The dark entrance to the ruined building looked like the open mouth of a dragon, waiting for us to walk inside before devouring us. The moist, rotten air filled our lungs as we stepped inside. Rina''s spell illuminated our surroundings, revealing cobwebs and... bones. Everywhere.


    "I don''t like the look of this." Erik mumbled. I shot a worried nce at Alex. She was tightly grasping the hilt of her sword. I could see her hands shaking.


    "Rina," I quietly warned. "This isn''t very good."


    She nodded but remained silent. We walked further inside as our footsteps echoed in the darkness as we came across a set of stairs leading down.


    "I think this leads underground." Samantha whispered. Despite keeping her voice low, it travelled quite the distance. Noticing this, she immediately put her hand on her mouth. With widened eyes, she looked down the stairs.


    "We shouldn''t waste too much time here." Rina softly said. "Whatever we maye across surely knows we''re here by now." She gestured Erik to head down. After only a short moment of hesitation, he stepped on the stairs and with an unsteady Alex right by his side, started descending them.


    Our footsteps echoed as we periodically stopped to get rid of the ridiculous amounts of spiderwebs covering the ce. Each time we got rid of one, Alex seemed to grow a little bit more uneasy. I wanted to suggest she stand guard outside, but I knew that would injure her pride more than anything.


    And I also knew she didn''t trust Erik, Joshua, and Alina, maybe even Vincent. She wouldn''t leave Rina''s side now.


    After a short while, we reached the bottom of the stairwell. A long, narrow corridor stretched before us, with too many doors to count on both sides. The entire area was covered in webs, so much that I doubted we could even continue.


    "Rina, it''ll take ages to check all these ces." Samantha said with a low voice. The mage nodded as her shoulders dropped. Just like the rest of us, she was disheartened.


    "Let''s begin." Erik''s words surprised me. "The faster we start, the sooner it ends." He said with a confident expression. Before any of us could say anything, he stepped forward and approached the first door.


    It was a small, wooden door that wasn''t entirely closed. He carefully pushed the door with the tip of his sword. The door creaked open and Rina''s light illuminated the interior. He nced inside, then carefully stepped forward.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind as the tiny bones crumbled beneath Erik''s feet. "The hell!" He said as he stepped further inside. Alex gulped before following him. Nervous, I brushed past Rina and Vincent and followed Alex. Something felt off.


    "Kai?" Alina''s worried voice sounded. I ignored her and looked inside the room. On the floor were several small piles of bones. They clearly belonged to rodents as they were tiny. I could spy some animal skulls in the piles. Just like everything else, those piles were also covered in cobwebs. We left the room after seeing there was nothing else inside.


    "At this point, I think we can say for sure that we''ll be encountering spiders, or something else capable of weaving webs." Rina quietly said. "I think I''d feel a lot safer if two people guarded the entrance. I wouldn''t want to be ambushed from there."


    I nodded. "Alex, would you mind?" I asked. She shook her head. "Not at all. Joshua, care toe with?"


    The young man nodded. "Sure. Then, we''ll see youter. Don''t die."


    "You too." Erik said as they bumped their fists.


    I watched them as they climbed the stairs. Joshua was a weird choice; he didn''t seem bothered by the spiderwebs at all. Why had Alex asked him to go with her?


    "Let''s not waste any time." Rina''s words pulled me away from my thoughts. "Vincent, can you guard our rear?" She asked. He nodded wordlessly and we once again moved forward. The next room we checked wasn''t much different than before. And the next, and the one after that.


    After about half an hour of checking every room, I finally sighed. "This is useless. Rina, we''re not even in the ruins themselves. We''re under them. Are you sure we''ll find something here, or should we check the ruins above ground?"


    She shook her head. "I didn''t see an entrance that led to that part of the building. We don''t really have much of a choice, do we?"


    "I could fly up there." I suggested with a shrug.


    "That''s ast resort, I don''t want to send you anywhere alone." She said, then nced towards the unexplored side of the hall. "Let''s finish searching this ce first."


    With deep sighs and not so careful steps, we continued until we reached arge double door at the very end of the hall.


    "This looks like the entrance to a boss room." Erik said with a nervousugh. Vincent nodded while I nced at Rina, Samantha, and Alina. They all seemed on edge. "Should we go in?" He asked, looking at Rina. She took a deep breath, then nodded.


    "Here goes nothing." With those words, Erik ced his hands on both wings of the door and pushed them open with a loud, painful creak, to reveal arge library.


    "Oh!" Rina said with a shine in her eyes. "Finally." She motioned to rush inside, but Vincent immediately grabbed her arm and stopped her.


    "Erik, you go first." He said with a low voice. The young pdin nodded. The noise his armour made with every one of his steps sent chills down my spine. With the sound of metal hitting metal, Erik walked forward.


    A few seconds passed as he nervously looked around. Finally, he nced towards us and shrugged. "My turn, I guess." Vincent mumbled and stepped inside. He approached Erik with slightly faster steps. Once again, nothing happened.


    "I guess it''s safe." Alina mumbled. Still feeling nervous, I shook my head. "Let''s not let our guards down." We also stepped inside, carefully.


    I felt as if I was being watched. A chill ran down my spine as I watched the group carefully look around. I chose to stay near the entrance, both to make sure nothing would block our way out, and because I felt oddly cold. Like the souls within me were restless.


    "Kai?" Alina asked with a worried expression. "Are you ok?"


    I nodded. "I''m fine. Just don''t let your guard down." After a moment''s hesitation, she nodded.


    "I don''t think anything''s in here." Erik said with a sigh as he sheathed his sword and motioned to ce his shield into his inventory.


    "Wait, no!" Samantha''s shout echoed as something dripped onto Erik''s hand. He flinched and dropped his shield. "Look up!" Samantha shouted.


    I looked up to see eight glowing orbs ¨C eight green eyes, connected to a massive shadow.


    As soon as our eyes met, it dropped down on Erik.

 Chapter 66: Ambushed

    <h4>Chapter 66: Ambushed</h4>


    Itnded on the ground, creating arge dust cloud. I held my breath as the cloud of dust settled and revealed the creature''s body.


    With it''s eight green eyes, massive body and eight long legs, it was a spider. Its entire body was covered with a ck chitinous carapace, it probably served as armour. A loud ng echoed as I spotted Erik. The creature''s long legs had pinned him to the ground.


    "Erik!" Vincent shouted; he had rolled away from the massive monster just in time to avoid getting caught. As his voice echoed in the room, Erik screamed. It was then I realised, the creature''s legs had pierced his armour. Pinned to the ground by his left shoulder and right leg, Erik desperately tried to unsheathe his sword.


    "Rina," I shouted as I ran towards the creature. Fear grasped my throat as my heart raced ¨C if I wasted too much time, no amount of healing could save Erik.


    "Now!" Rina shouted as I felt her winds around me. They lifted me up and carried me to the creature''s upper body. With a shout to draw its attention, I swung my scythe with all my strength. With the corner of my eye, I spotted Alina casting a spell while Samantha hooked an arrow.


    Prepared for the blood that would surely spill, I narrowed my eyes as my scythe reached the creature''s carapace. With a loud ng and an ear-piercing scratching sound, the pale de of my scythe only left a faint mark on the surface of its armour-like carapace. I lost my grip on the shaft of the scythe as Rina''s spell faded. I fell on the creature''s back and immediately shivered.


    "Kai!" Vincent shouted as Rina cast another spell. Lightning crackled in the air and hit one of the creature''s leg. I clenched my teeth as my body also went numb for a moment. "Rina, you''ll kill Kai too." Alina shouted. I felt the warmth of her healing spell slowly lift the numbness.


    The creature stumbled. As it did, its legs holding Erik down finally released him. Vincent rushed forward and pulled the wounded pdin away from the stumbling and screeching creature.


    "I can''t pierce its armour." I shouted. As the words left my mouth, the creature seemed to remember I was on its back and shook its entire body. I barely held on my grabbing the pointy sections of its carapace.


    The coldness in my chest grew as I noticed something. Its carapace wasn''t entirely ck. It was semi-transparent. Enough so to let me see through it. And what I saw sent shivers down my spine. Before I could let anyone else know, a low tapping sounded.


    The sound was echoed from what I assumed to be the entrance. Were Alex and Joshua also fighting? As the creature''s body shook, I reminded myself that I did not have the luxury of thinking about others right now. I had to focus on the here and now.


    I saw Samantha release her hooked arrow and hit the creature''s leg. The arrow bounded off, but it seemed to cause at least a little pain as the spider screeched and reared on its four hind legs. It raised its front legs and shot a white substance towards Samantha.


    A shield appearing right before the archer protected her. She nced at Rina and smiled as thanks, the hooked another arrow. I clenched my teeth, I had to do something from up here. I summoned my interface and used Dark Bolt.


    Not a momentter, a volley of bolts left my fingertips and leapt towards the creature''s legs. As the bolts hit it, a dark glow appeared on its body,pletely negating my attack. My body pressing against its carapace felt colder than ever. I held my breath as it screeched again and leapt towards Samantha.


    As its sharp legs struck the ground, Vincent pulled Samantha away. They ran to the side as the creature turned its giant body to follow them. Lightning once again crackled in the air; Rina was preparing another attack. I closed my eyes, but the sh of light still momentarily blinded me.


    "What?" Alina''s shout struck fear into my heart. I opened my eyes to see that same dark glow on the creature''s carapace. "It''s a shield! Rina, don''t waste your mana." Vincent shouted in response, then leapt towards the creature''s hind legs. His sword hit its leftmost leg with a loud ng. I saw him try to control the rebound.


    "It cracked." He shouted as the creature stumbled. A smile appeared on my face. "Rina, do whatever you can to enhance Vincent''s strength." I also summoned my sword, not because I was fool enough to think I was as physically strong as him, but because I might be able to distract the damn thing. With a wordless shout, I used Death''s Scythe and swung the sword towards its head.


    As usual, my strike bounced off of its carapace. But a smile still shed across my face as it stopped to try and shake me off its back. I barely held on to the bumps on its carapace as another loud ng echoed. The creature stumbled again as another crack appeared on its leg.


    "Almost done! Hang on a little longer." Alina shouted. I caught a glimpse of her, as she knelt beside Erik. His wounds had stopped bleeding and his pained expression had almost disappeared. I couldn''t watch them any longer, as the creature once again reared on its hind legs and shot a web at Vincent. A shield appeared around him as well, allowing him to keep circling around the creature.


    "This isn''t working," I suddenly said as another one of Samantha''s arrows bounced off. "Something isn''t right." The dark glow on the creature''s body only seemed to get stronger as its carapace seemed to grow colder. I clenched my teeth and tried to focus on the mes, just like I had done against the sea serpent. I knew that arge explosion wasn''t what we needed, but if I could at least get rid of that glow, then maybe we could start dealing some damage to it.


    I heard the sound of metal hitting metal and opened my eyes to see Erik back on his feet. "Now you''ve done it." He said with a dark expression. He unsheathed his longsword and grabbed his shield before rushing towards the spider with a battle cry.


    "Alina, buff them." Samantha shouted. The other girl nodded and started casting her spell. As she stood there, her eyes closed, the spider seemed to notice how defenceless she was. With a screech, it shot a towards her. Rina''s shield once again appeared just in time to protect her. Just a momentte and she''d been hit.


    I nced at Rina to see her panting. Those shields had started to take a toll on her. Before I could see anything more, the creature turned around with an unnatural speed and struck Erik''s shield. The pdin grumbled under the strength of the attack. I couldn''t believe how fast this spider was. It should have been impossible for it to move its entire body so quickly.


    An idea shed across my mind as I nced at its eight long legs. I summoned the chain from my inventory and put my sword back.


    "Rina, help me out!" I shouted as I threw one edge of the chain in the air. I felt her magic guide the chain around the creature''s legs immediately. As soon as it was within my reach again, I grabbed it and pulled both ends of the chain with all my might, even using Fallen Grace.


    It screeched as the chain wrapped around its legs suddenly forced them together. Unfortunately, the chain was only wrapped around its two front legs, but at least this way, it couldn''t shoot any mores. I kept pulling as Vincent and Erik continued their assault on its hind legs.


    "Good thinking, Kai." Samantha''s shout sounded. The spider finally fell to the ground as the carapace on its legs almostpletely shattered, leaving only a thin, defenceless shell behind. A grin appeared on my face.


    "Finish it off." Rina shouted at Vincent, but before he could do anything, the creature let out an ear-piercing screech. Darkness exploded from its body as it pulled the chain. The chain cut my palms as I lost my grip on both ends. I felt my body go numb again as its darkness spread out, towards the others.


    "Stay behind my shield!" Rina screamed as a muchrger shield enveloped the entire group. I desperately tried to hang on to the bumps on the spider''s carapace. If I fell now, I wouldn''t be able to get away from it in time.


    "What''s that sound?" Samantha suddenly asked as the darkness spreading from the creature disappeared. I regained my senses as that tapping sound from before returned, this time much louder and closer. Had Joshua and Alex lost? Fear gripped my heart.


    "Oh no, above us!" Vincent shouted.


    I looked up to see hundreds, if not thousands of glowing green eyes staring at us.


    "Shit."

 Chapter 67: Battle Beneath the Ruins

    <h4>Chapter 67: Battle Beneath the Ruins</h4>


    As soon as the word left my mouth, the creatures dropped from the ceiling. The first scream came from Alina as maybe hundreds of cat-sized spidersnded on the ground. Without even a moment of hesitation, they leapt towards the group still covering behind Rina''s shield.


    I let go of the giant spider''s carapace and slid to the ground. As soon as Inded, I used dark bolt. As five bolts leapt from my fingertips to the giant spider, arge amount of glowing, green eyes turned on me.


    "Maybe that was not a good idea." I mumbled as the giant spider finally regained its bnce and shook off the chainpletely. It let out an ear-piercing screech and reared on its hind legs. I threw myself aside at thest moment, anticipating webs being shot at me. Instead, its target turned out to be Rina''s barrier.


    "Do something!" The wizard shouted. I spotted Samantha hooking an arrow and shooting one of the smaller spiders. I held my breath in anticipation, were they also going to have that same ck glow protecting them?


    A loud screech and a soul approaching me was enough confirmation that the smaller ones were not too difficult to defeat. "Focus on the small ones!" I shouted.


    "Kai, you have toe closer!" Erik replied. "You''re surrounded!"


    It was then, I realised the hundreds of spiders between me and the group. I really was surrounded. The swarm of creatures looked like a ck sea. A ck sea that stared at me with hungry eyes. I could already see some of them preparing their silvery-white webs. I did not want to get any of that on me.


    "My barrier won''t hold much longer!" Rina''s desperate shout distracted me as I quickly nced that way. "I''m almost out of mana so do something!" She screamed as the barrier finally shattered.


    My heart raced as the ck smarm leapt at them. It was Erik who stopped them in their tracks as his shield blocked their path. They screeched and tried to jump over his shield, but he promptly killed those who tried with his longsword. Whenever one of them tried to walk past him, Vincent would meet them.


    Samantha stayed a bit further behind and rained her arrows onto the creatures. I shivered as the souls of the dead approached me. As usual, there was nothing pleasant about being the Soul Keeper.


    As the shadowy souls approached me, the giant spider suddenly screeched. The souls wailed as they stopped in their tracks. Before I could even react, something pulled them to the giant spider. As they disappeared in its giant body, I was left dumbfounded.


    "The hell?" I mumbled, before noticing movement behind me. I summoned my sword just in time to cut a spider leaping towards me in half. With that opening move, my battle also began. The giant spider seemed more focused towards the rest of the group. While I wanted to take its attention off of them, it''d probably spell my death if I tried something like that.


    "Kai, get down!" Rina''s shout prompted me to throw myself to the ground. Not a secondter, lightning crackled in the air and I smelled burnt flesh. Her lightning had killed arge chunk of the spiders around me. "Get your scythe!" She shouted.


    I looked around to see the weapon. I hadn''t even gotten the chance to look for it ever since I had dropped it. For a moment, it seemed impossible to find it as the swarm of spiders covered the entire ground. But then, I caught a glimpse of its pale metal deying amongst the corpses of the spiderlings.


    I dashed through the charred corpses and grabbed it. As soon as I grasped the cool, metal shaft, I felt Rina''s winds around me.


    "Wait!" I shouted in a panic. "I can''t deal any damage to it!" Maybe she didn''t hear me, or maybe she didn''t listen. I once again found myself floating towards the giant spider. I clenched my teeth and grabbed on to its bumpy carapace. As soon as my body touched the dark glow around it, I felt the coldness in my chest grow.


    It was much colder than before, and the power I felt from the dark glow was much stronger too. I swung my scythe and struck its carapace to no avail. I simply couldn''t get through.


    I noticed more souls approaching it. With each soul, the coldness grew. "Wait!" I whispered. It was growing stronger with each soul it consumed, just like me! My heart raced as I nced at the bunch of charred corpses. Rina had just fed it a whole lot more strength.


    Suddenly, the creature screeched and reared on its hind legs as its body shook uncontrobly. I found myself in the air as I lost my grip. Instinctively, I summoned my wings and regained my bnce mid-air. From up high, I could clearly see the reason of its sudden outburst. Samantha''s arrow was stuck right under its face, between the tes of its carapace. She''d actually wounded it!


    "Kai, under it''s head!" She shouted as soon as our eyes met. I nodded and with a powerful beat of my wings, flew towards it. I prepared to swing my scythe as lightning crackled in the air. A few more spiderlings died to Rina''s spells as the giant spider was finally within my reach. Seeing me, it reared on its hind legs and shot its webs at me.


    I narrowly avoided them by allowing my wings to lift me higher in the air. Then, I folded them and dove down, closer to the monster. It was within my reach now ¨C I was going to finish it.


    A weight dropped on my back. Then, another, on my legs. I lost my bnce in my panic and fell to the ground with a loud thud. I quickly beat my wings to get rid of the weight on me and rose on my knees, to see a bunch of green eyes staring at me.


    A swing of my scythe cut through them effortlessly. I didn''t even wait to see their souls appear. I turned my back on them and came face to face with the giant spider. With a low shout, I tried to back off ¨C such close quartersbat wasn''t ideal for the scythe.


    Lightning crackled in the air and hit the smaller creatures approaching me. "No, stop killing them!" I shouted ncing at Rina. "You''re just giving it more-" I couldn''t finish my words as the creature reared on its hind legs and shot a web at me at point nk range.


    Rina''s shield appeared a few seconds toote. I stumbled as the web stuck onto me. I tried to step back instinctively, but that only made things worse. I felt the web tangle around my legs as I lost my bnce and fell on my back.


    An arrow hit the creature. Then, another. They were charged with lightning. They didn''t seem to deal any damage to the giant spider, but at least they distracted it. It reared on its hind legs and shot a web towards them, which Rina promptly blocked with a shielding spell. I wanted to take this opportunity to get away from it. That was when I discovered ¨C the web was stickier than I''d feared. Not only couldn''t I move my legs, but it also felt as if someone had glued them to the ground. Back drops of blood dripped onto me as I helplessly tried to break free.


    My heart raced as the creature once again turned its attention towards me. It''s four raised front legs came down with force. I noticed the spot where the arrow had struck it before. That was where the blood wasing from. With a little luck, maybe I could reach it. I held on to that thought as if it was my light at the end of a long, deadly tunnel.


    I swung my scythe with all the strength I could muster. I didn''t even hear Alina''s pained scream, echoing in therge room. As the creature''s spear-like legs pierced my body, my scythe struck its exposed flesh.

 Chapter 68: Crumbling

    <h4>Chapter 68: Crumbling</h4>


    I let out a scream as four spear-like legs pinned me to the ground. I felt them pierce my wings and shoulders, and then strike the ground below. I closed my eyes, expecting a painful death, but instead, I felt something drip on my chest. I carefully opened my eyes to see the motionless body of the creature. There was a deep wound at its neck, it was where I''d hit it with my scythe. Its ck blood was slowly dripping on me.


    The giant spider was dead. Its body had seemingly frozen in ce, as it didn''t fall and crush me. I noticed its soul approach me and clenched my teeth. I didn''t expect this to be a pleasant experience, and just as I expected, it wasn''t.


    "Oh my god!" Samantha''s scream echoed in the room as lightning crackled. I couldn''t turn my head enough to see what was going on. "Alina!" She shouted.


    "Guys!" I tried to shout. Even breathing hurt. I didn''t dare move my arms as I was aware of the sharp, ck spear-like legs cutting through my flesh. It hurt like hell. "Erik!" I shouted desperately. I needed them to help get this corpse off of me.


    Nealy a minute passed before someone came to my aid. To my surprise, it was Vincent. His exhausted face entered my vision as he rushed towards me.


    "You''re alive!" He said in relief. He was panting, his face was red with the effort he put in during the fight, though that didn''tst long. He went pale as soon as he noticed my wounds and the spear-like legs pinning me to the ground. "How are you alive?" He shouted.


    "Barely." I replied. "I think I need some help." The absurdness of my statement made me chuckle, though I immediately regretted it. "I can hide my wings, so you can leave the two legs running through them be but..." I nced at the two legs that bore through both of my shoulders. "These two got me good. I need you to pull them out."


    "Are you insane?" Vincent shouted. "No way I can do that alone and the bleeding alone would kill you!" He nced back to where he came from. "If only... Damn it. Wait a minute, I''ll get the others to help you." He ran off before I could say anything.


    I tried to look after him, but the strain that motion put on my body made me give up immediately. Soon, a few approaching footsteps sounded.


    "That''s not good." It was Erik''s voice that I heard. "Samantha, get Alex, we''ll need all the help we can get."


    "Ok..." Samantha''s voice sounded a bit obtuse as she ran off. Was that a sniffle that I heard?


    "Kai, listen." Erik said as he knelt beside me. "Once Alexes, we''ll pull these things out, but we''ll have to treat you immediately-"


    "I can heal myself." I cut him off. "Rina, can''t you lift it up with you magic?" I asked. Something told me I didn''t have too much time left if I keptying on the ground like this. "And can someone get rid of the web on my legs?"


    It took Vincent a few minutes to cut it off, and that was with the help of Rina''s spells. I clenched my teeth and tried to remain patient as more than a few minutes passed since Samantha left.


    "Rina, please." I said as I barely kept my wits about me. "Just use your magic to lift it up."


    She hesitated. "I can try, but it will hurt a lot more since we can''t do it too quickly." She nced away for moment. "But you''re right, we can''t afford to wait any longer. Vincent, Erik, I''ll need your help with this."


    "Sure." Erik mumbled. Both warriors tightly grasped one of the spider legs. "Disgusting." The pdin whispered. Rina nodded and took a deep breath. "Now!"


    With her words, they pulled on the corpse with all their might. As Rina''s spell lightened the giant spider''s body, I felt the four legs piercing my body slowly move. As the group slowly freed me, it took every bit of my willpower to not scream bloody murder. As soon as I could move again, I summoned my interface and used Soul''s Respite. As the souls left my body and whirled around me, I clenched my teeth and waited for my wounds to heal.


    "Amazing." Erik whispered as my wounds started to close. It took a few minutes for me to healpletely. Once I was fully healed, I hid my wings and slowly lifted myself off the ground.


    "Kai, can you heal others with that?" It was Vincent who asked that. I shook my head. "No, why?"


    He nced behind me. "Alina, she..." As soon as those words left his mouth, my heart started to race. I turned to look where they kept ncing.


    Alinay on the ground. There was some blood around her neck and her clothes were tattered and dirty. I could spot lots of cuts and bite marks on her arms.


    "No, no, no." I mumbled as I rushed to her side.


    "She''s alive," Erik said. "I think it''s poison. The spiders got to her at thest second."


    "It was my fault." Rina said with a catch in her voice. "I was too busy trying to help Kai kill the giant spider, I didn''t see them reach Alina."


    I clenched my fists. "Let''s get her outside first." I nced at the entrance. "Speaking of, where is Samantha? Why isn''t she back yet?"


    Everyone shrugged. I felt the coldness within me grow. I could hear the wails of souls at the back of my mind. "Vincent, Erik. Take Alina outside. Rina, go with them. Make sure you''re careful, be ready for an ambush."


    "What about you?" She asked, worried.


    I nced at the giant spider''s corpse. "I''m not done here. I''ll find a way to get rid of the poison." She hesitated, but then nodded. They hurried outside soon afterwards. As soon as their footsteps disappeared, I sighed and leaned on the wall.


    "Damn it." I whispered. So much had happened in such a short time. I clenched my fists and focused.


    "Asher." I reached out to him and was rewarded with a fast reply. "d to know you survived whatever happened to you."


    "Do you know anything about spiders that... feed on souls?" I asked hesitantly. I nced at the giant spiders corpse. I could sense the hundreds of souls trapped in there. I couldn''t help but feel like freeing them was my duty.


    "No, I don''t." Asher replied. He sounded tired, exhausted even. "Are the souls destroyed?"


    I shook my head, then remembered he couldn''t see me. "No, they''re still inside its corpse. Should I... free them?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Please do. It''s your duty as the Keeper of Souls and as someone who gains more power with each soul they get." His answer made sense, though what his wording implied was less than pleasant. "Is that all? You sound flustered." He asked, with a slight bit of worry in his voice.


    I sighed. "A smaller spiderling bit Alina. She''s unconscious. I think she''s poisoned. Can you... help?" I didn''t exactly like asking him for help, but my already damaged pride was a cheap price to pay to save a life.


    A moment of silence followed my words, then he finally replied. "I can''t make promises. But I can at least try. First things first, we need to determine the species of the spider..."

 Chapter 69: Deception

    <h4>Chapter 69: Deception</h4>


    I stepped out of the ruins, into the sunlight. It had taken quite some time to check everything and free the souls trapped in the giant spider''s corpse. I nced at the sun. It waster in the afternoon; we''d spend quite some time down there without even realising it.


    "Kai!" It was Rina who called my name. She was sitting on the ground. Beside hery Alina. Her face was pale as ash and I could see the sweat on her skin. "She''s not ok. We need to do something!"


    I nodded, then nced around. "Where are the others?"


    "Erik and Vincent left to go look for Samantha, Alex and Joshua." Rina''s voice trembled. She was at the verge of tears. "I''m so worried ¨C what if something happened to Alex? I..." Her voice faded as I approached and knelt beside her.


    "It''ll be fine. I''ll find them." I said, trying my best to not let my voice tremble. "First things first; we have to get rid of the poison. Can you get me some fresh water from the river?" She wiped her tears and nodded before darting off towards the shallow river not too far away from here. I could see her almost tumble and fall.


    I waited for a short moment before breathing out a sigh of relief. "I''m alone with Alina." As soon as my thought reached Asher, I felt something drain my mana.


    "ce your hand on her forehead. Let the spell do the work." Asher replied after a short moment. As his magic, mixed with mine, started to gather in my palm, I did as he said. A soft light shone on Alina''s pale face, slowly restoring her natural colour.


    The scratches and bite marks started to heal, though the process was painstakingly slow. I summoned my interface to check my mana. It was being drained with an enormous speed. "How long will this take?" I asked Asher after a moment''s hesitation. He remained silent for a short while.


    "I''m not sure." He replied after some time. "Are you ok? You were in a daze for a while down there."


    I shrugged. "The released souls weren''t exactly kind to me." Seeing the memories of man-eating spiderlings wasn''t a pleasant experience. "But I can say one thing for sure. Demons used to live there. I''m not sure how the spider got to consume a demon''s soul, but I''m sure I saw the memories of a demon."


    Silence followed my words. After a while, the soft glow shining from my hand dimmed as the magic gathered in my palm dissipated. With worry in my heart, I immediately turned my gaze on Alina. Colour had returned to her face and she was breathing a lot easier now.


    "She''s not fully healed." Asher said a short whileter. "I got rid of the poison, but she''ll have to regain her strength the usual way ¨C resting and eating well."


    "Thank you, Asher." I said as my lips formed a faint smile.


    "Any time." I heard the exhaustion in his voice before I felt the connection end. With a sigh, I got up and stretched my arms and legs. Alina was out of the woods, but now I was worried about everyone else.


    Where the hell had Alex gone to? I''d understand Joshua running off somewhere since he was a bit too independent, but Alex just up and leaving like this made absolutely no sense. And on top of all that, Samantha had gone too.


    As I was pondering all this, I heard light footsteps. I nced towards them to see Rina approaching with a bucket of water in hand. I couldn''t help but feel guilty for deceiving her but if she knew about my rtionship with Asher, she''d be furious.


    "Where did you find the bucket?" I asked, somewhat confused.


    "It was in my inventory. How is she?" Rina asked, ncing at Alina. I smiled and replied. "She''ll be fine. Do you mind staying with her? I''d like to look for the others."


    "Oh, thank god!" Rina said with a breath of relief. I noticed a tear rolling off her cheek but decided to stay quiet about it. "But Kai, how will you even find them?" She asked after a short moment. I smiled and summoned my wings.


    "I can move faster like this and I can see farther. Don''t worry Rina, I''ll do everything I can to make sure Alex is safe, so just stay here and look out for Alina." I smiled.


    "Yeah." She said with a faint smile. "Just... don''t disappear on me, ok?"


    "You know I won''t." I said before stretching my wings. "I''ll be back soon." With those words, I leapt into the air and allowed my wings to carry me to the skies. It didn''t take me long to find Erik and Vincent at all, since the first thing I saw was them, walking down the river.


    I folded my wings and dove towards them, only slowing down at thest second. As Inded right before them, they both jumped back, ready to fight.


    "Kai?" Erik shrieked.


    "You scared the hell out of me, man!" Vincent shouted. I smiled and quickly exined the situation with Alina. As they listened to me, I could see the relief in their eyes.


    "But why don''t you want us toe with you?" Erik asked when I finally told them to go back to Rina and Alina.


    "You''ll just slow me down. I can fly, remember?" I said, gesturing towards my wings. Erik flinched, he clearly wanted to protest to my words. "He''s right." Vincent chimed in. "Let him do what he can. Besides, are you really ok with leaving Rina and Alina alone in such a dangerous ce?"


    Erik hesitated, then relented. "Fine. But be careful, Kai."


    "Of course I will. Do you know which way they went?" I asked. Vincent nodded. "I think they followed the river. You can maybe try your luck over at theke." He shrugged. "Good luck."


    "Thanks." I once again leapt into the air and allowed the blowing winds to carry me towards theke. I soon noticed the reason Vincent told me to follow the river ¨C the bushes and grass on this side of the water were trampled upon. Someone, or something, had clearly passed through here. I pictured Alex in my mind. Her long tail was certainly capable of such destruction.


    But... why would she leave Rina ande this far? It made no sense; she wasn''t someone who''d leave those she cared about behind. She was kind, thoughtful and considerate. She would risk her own life to save Rina. She''d even saved me countless times.


    I continued to follow the river until the clear tracks changed course into the forest. I sighed ¨C I couldn''t see the ground from all the leaves. I had tond to be able to continue following the tracks they''d left behind.


    Inded carefully, then hid my wings. They''d be nothing but a hindrance between the trees. With a deep breath, I stepped among the trees.

 Chapter 70: Worries

    <h4>Chapter 70: Worries</h4>


    I followed the broken branches and trampled mossy trail for nearly an hour. Walking amongst the trees, I couldn''t help but feel on edge. While I once felt safer beneath the canopy of the forest, ever since I''d gotten somewhat used to flying, the inability to do so rmed me.


    I shook my head and pushed such thoughts away. I had to focus on finding Samantha and the others. A whileter, my ears perked up as I heard what sounded like someone talking. I hastened my steps and followed the sound.


    As I approached the source of the sound, I slowed down and proceeded carefully. I didn''t want to barge into an unknown situation carelessly. A short momentter, the source of the sound came into view.


    A huge wave of relief washed over me as I saw Alex, Samantha and Joshua standing among the trees. They were discussing something with a low voice. As Samantha spoke, I saw Joshua''s face go pale. With a sigh of relief, I stepped out from behind the trees.


    "Kai!" It was Samantha who shouted. "I thought you were stuck under that monster!"


    "Rina, Vincent and Erik helped get me out of there." I said with a faint smile. "But more importantly, why on earth are you guys all the way over here? You worried us."


    Alex and Joshua nced at each other, then at our surroundings. "Let''s go back." Alex finally said. "It''s best if we talk about this when everyone is present."


    I hesitated, what was all this about? Still, Alex seemed wary of something and I trusted her, so I nodded and gestured back towards the ruins. "Let''s go then, I''d like to be back before nightfall."


    Our two-hour long journey back to the ruins passed in silence as both Alex and Joshua constantly seemed on edge as we walked. Samantha seemed just as clueless as me since she constantly nced at the two of them.


    We arrived at the ruins at dusk. As the sun dyed the sky crimson and purple, we stepped out of the woods and rushed towards the group of four, sitting by the entrance of the ruins.


    I sighed a breath of relief as soon as I saw Alina, sitting with her back leaned on the wall. She was still somewhat pale, though not as much as a few hours ago. As soon as she saw us, her face lit up.


    "You''re all ok!" She said with a weakened voice. "I''m so d!" She breathed a sigh of relief. I heard Samantha sniff. Before any of us could say anything, she darted towards Alina and hugged her.


    "I''m so d you''re ok! I was so scared that I''d lose you..." She could barely speak through her tears. Alina also teared up. "I''m ok, don''t worry."


    "Alex!" I nced at Rina, who was having her own reunion with her dear friend. She was also tearing up. My lips formed a faint smile as I took my ce at the fire.


    Only when I sat down did I notice how damn exhausted I was. The fight with that spider had nearly killed me and afterwards I had to take in those hundreds of souls. Not to mention the psychological stress I was under thesest couple of hours. I had genuinely thought we''d lost one of us, if not more.


    "So," I said after a while. By now, everyone had already cried their tears of joy. I wasn''t interrupting anything. "Alex, Joshua. Why did you guys leave?"


    The rogue fiddled with his cloak while Alex sighed. "We noticed that we were being watched." Her words cut through our smiles, shattering them. "It was Joshua who noticed it. We decided to go and have a word with them, but as soon as we made a move, they fled. We were chasing them." She sighed and shook her head. "But they were too fast. I''m sure they used spells to hasten themselves. We had absolutely no chance of catching up."


    Silence followed her words before Erik spoke with a low voice. "Were they yers?"


    Alex shrugged. "I don''t know. We never got close enough to properly see them."


    "It''s an entirely different problem if they''re human yers." Vincent said after a moment''s hesitation. "If they are yers, then why are they spying on us? Who hired them and why?" He sighed. "I feel uneasy, we shouldn''t stay out in the field for too long, Erik."


    The young pdin nodded after a short moment of hesitation. "Do you agree as well, Rina and Alex?" He asked, ncing at the two girls.


    "I only want to check the library for a bit." Rina said. "One hour is all I need. After that, I''d also like to get out of here." Alex nodded enthusiastically.


    "What about you, Kai?" Erik asked as his blue eyes met mine. I flinched. "You''re used to being alone, so I won''t pressure you toe back with us." Erik added, seeing my surprise.


    "No, I''lle with." I said, forcing a faint smile. "But I don''t think heading back to Stonepatch Vige is the right course of action here."


    My words were followed by a nervous silence. No one seemed to want to say anything, so I took a breath and continued talking. "Asher and Astrid both told us they''d been hired by someone in the city, right?"


    Rina nodded. I continued. "In that case, why don''t we go and pay that someone a visit?"


    "We don''t know who it is, though." Alina chimed in. "How are you nning on finding them?"


    "I''m sure they''ll approach us when we enter the city. Besides," I said with a shrug. "There isn''t much left for us to do back at Stonepatch Vige, is there?"


    "No." Rina said with a sigh. "But me and Alex will not be joining you."


    I flinched. "I see." I tried to not show how upset I was, but I clearly failed.


    "I''m sorry Kai. We can''t leave our little sisters alone. We came here because we were worried about you, we thought you''d die. Now that you''re fine ¨C and mostly capable of looking after yourself ¨C we have to get back to our families." Alex''s words were kind, yet they stung.


    "I know," I said with a forced smile. "Thanks, for all your help. You''ve saved us more times than we can count."


    Low conversations followed my words after a short while. We decided on setting off tomorrow at noon.


    Exhausted, Iy on the soft grass and listened to my friends as they conversed and joked around. I was sad that Rina and Alex weren''t going to be with us for long.


    With a sigh, I watched the sky. The stars shone brightly; I could never see them so clearly back at home. I watched the two moons as they travelled through the sky. It was beautiful, more so than the dark nights I''d seen back at home.

 Chapter 71: Tension Rises

    <h4>Chapter 71: Tension Rises</h4>


    The next morning, Rina''s search in the library didn''t yield any useful information. Disappointed and annoyed, we headed back to Stonepatch Vige. Our journey passed mostly in silence. We were constantly wary and on edge. Were we being watched? If so, who was watching us? Why was it us that were being targeted like this?


    With such thoughts upying our minds, we travelled. It took us about four days to reach the outskirts of Stonepatch Vige. During this whole time, there was this weird, foreign feeling in my chest. It took me a while to notice that I dreaded the time Rina and Alex would leave. I''d grown to depend on them, both inbat and as friends. They were like unshakable pirs; I knew they''d be there if I ever needed help.


    But now, they were leaving. Or, more urately, we were leaving them behind. We would move on to the big Ereth city and try to learn more about our situation, while they were going to stay behind to protect and care for their sisters.


    I clenched my fist and took a deep breath as time to say goodbye finally came. Samantha bid her farewells with teary eyes, just barely not crying. Alina was a bit more formal, though she also seemed somewhat saddened to see them leave. Erik and Vincent thanked them for all their help while Joshua remained silent.


    "Take care of yourselves." I said after hugging them both. "We''ll meet again, ok?" I forced a smile as I asked.


    "Of course we will!" Rina said with a sniff, then smiled. "We''ll meet again, and we''ll get out of this ce. All of us. Together." Alex nodded too. "Yeah, so cheer up. We''ll see you all soon!" She said with a huge grin.


    With those words, they left.


    We watched their backs as they walked on the cobble path leading to Stonepatch Vige in silence. Only a whileter Erik spoke. "We should head off too." Vincent nodded as I just sighed.


    We headed off.


    It was silent, all the way. With no Rina to tell of us all the interesting facts she''d learned from the books she read and no Alex to lessen the tension, we walked in an awkward silence. It was getting on my nerves, even the chirping birds and the asional wildlife we encountered weren''t quite enough to break the tension.


    I took to chatting with Asher, who seemed to be somewhat grateful for thepany. Though, he did poke fun at me by saying we were friends now, I didn''t mind it too much this time. He read me passages he''d tranted from demonic, though they were so disjointed it was impossible to make any sense of them.


    Only when the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains, did we set up camp. We put up the tents and dug a small hole for the campfire in silence. As we sat around the little campfire and ate fruit and dried meat, I couldn''t help but feel like something was missing. Was it the cheery chatter that was always present in these past few days, or was I just missing home?


    "Are you tired at all?" Samantha asked Alina. The blonde girl shook her head. "Not any more than you guys. I told you, I''mpletely healed."


    "I''d still like you to take it easy for the time being." Erik said with a t, emotionless voice. "We don''t know if that poison had any side effects. Your condition could still worsen, for all we know."


    I shook my head. "No, I got rid of the effects of the poisonpletely." Well, it was Asher who''d done it, but I couldn''t say that now, could I?


    "You can''t know that for sure." Joshua said with a sigh. "It''s best if we don''t do too much fighting for now." He yawned.


    "I don''t think that''s the best idea." I replied, slightly annoyed. "If we don''t fight, how are we supposed to gain levels? How are we supposed to grow more powerful?"


    "It''s not worth risking Alina over it." Erik said, shooting me a cold nce. "We can farm for experience and loot once we reach the city." Joshua nodded while the others chose to remain silent. I could feel their gazes on me.


    "I don''t think that''s good enough, Erik." I said after taking a deep breath. "I''m not saying we should take unnecessary risks, but we shouldn''t avoid fightingpletely. It''s not like Alina will be in the front lines anyways."


    "She wasn''t on the front lines when she nearly died." Joshua cut me off before I could continue. "And if I remember correctly, Rina couldn''t protect her because she was busy tying to keep you alive." He red at me. I flinched at his words.


    "That''s a bit of a low blow, Joshua." Vincent said carefully. He nced at me before continuing. "Considering you were outside chasing ¨C and failing to catch ¨C spies. Besides, if Kai weren''t with us, we''d probably die there. He was the one who killed the monster." He shook his head. "Anyways, that''s not what we were discussing-"


    "That''s exactly what we are discussing." Joshua cut him off. "Kai is powerful, yes. But we are not as strong; he can''t expect us to perform at a level on par with himself."


    "I''m not expecting anything like that." I finally spoke. "But I do expect you guys to try and get stronger so we can kill the god damned Demon Lord and get out of here."


    "Do what now?" Erik said with a surprised expression. "Kai, that''s probably impossible. The final boss in a game like this isn''t meant to be killed by one group like us. It would take the cooperation of every yer living in this game."


    "Stuck." Vincent said coldly. "Trapped. Imprisoned. Forced to partake in." He red at Erik. "I think one of those is the word you were looking for."


    Erik flinched. I held my breath, though I wasn''t sure what I was anticipating.


    "I want to get out of here." Vincent said softly. His gaze was fixed on the ground. "I don''t want to live the rest of my life in such a bloody and... awful world like this. I don''t want to constantly worry for my life, or the lives of those I care about."


    Silence followed his words. The air was tense. I could almost taste the it. With a sigh, I got up on my feet.


    "Where are you going?" Erik asked as I walked to the woods. I replied, my gaze fixed to the darkness covering the forest.


    "I won''t sit and wait when I can fight."

 Chapter 72: Uncertainty

    <h4>Chapter 72: Uncertainty</h4>


    I returned to camp sometime after midnight to see Vincent standing guard. As soon as Inded, he quickly walked up to me. He seemed somewhat nervous.


    "Where were you all this time?" He asked with a low voice.


    "Around," I said with a shrug. "I found a nice area with few trees a little ways away. I was killing stuff." I nced at the camp. Only embers were left of the campfire. Everyone else was asleep.


    "Erik was furious." Vincent said after a short hesitation. I sighed as my wings disappeared into a ck-crimson mist.


    "I don''t care." I said after a short moment. "I can''t waste my entire life here. I need to get back." I raised my hand, like I were trying to catch a star. "I will find a way to kill the Demon Lord."


    Vincent hesitated, then nodded. "I want to go back home too." He clenched his fist. "I''ve been grinding, I''ve levelled up a bit more than the others." He said with a faint smile.


    "Good." I said with a serious tone. "No matter how strong I get, I doubt I can take on the Demon Lord on my own."


    He shook his head. "Not if you want to have the slightest chance at winning." He nced at the starry sky. "Let''s sit, I''m sure you''re tired." He said, gesturing to the embers of the campfire. I wasn''t really tired ¨C not physically at least ¨C but I nodded and sat by the embers of the fire.


    "Take a look." He said, summoning his interface. He quickly navigated to his status panel, then let me look at it.


    ''Vincent Kestler ¨C Level 38 Fighter''


    ''STR: 28 ¨C CON: 20 ¨C DEX: 18 ¨C INT: 14 ¨C WIS: 14''


    I raised my eyebrows. "Your stats are the same." I said. He grinned before replying. "I''ll have the ability to be a Spellsword at level 40, so I''m holding on to my stat points."


    "Oh." I said as understanding dawned on me. Though, even If he hadn''t given me a sensible reason like this, I''d have no right to say anything since I hadn''t even allocated a single stat point yet.


    "What about you?" He asked suddenly. I flinched, I didn''t really want to show it, since it felt more like showing off. "Come on, I''m curious, you''ve been fighting more than any of us."


    I sighed, then summoned my status panel.


    Vincent''s eyes widened as he read the pale blue text on the interface.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1800/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 864- - Mana: 880


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    "How?" He asked, shifting his nce between me and the pale text.


    "I''ve been killing. A lot."


    A short silence followed my words, then he suddenly chuckled. "You haven''t allocated any stat points at all! Why?"


    I shrugged. "It feels odd and a bit wrong. I''d rather continue with the body I got used to rather than forcing it to change into something different." It had taken me ages to get used to the extra strength and agility Fallen Grace provided me with. Even now I sometimes overshot or misused my speed. I didn''t want to add anotheryer ofplexity with stats.


    "That''s fine, I guess." Vincent mumbled with a shrug, then showed me a grin. "You''re ridiculously strong anyways, you don''t need me to tell you what to do."


    Weughed, though we did take care to keep our voices low. After a short while, I yawned. "I''d better sleep a little."


    He nodded. "I''ll wake Joshua up, it''s his turn to stand watch. Good night, Kai."


    "Good night." I said,ying on the lush green grass. I covered myself with an old cloak and as soon as I closed my eyes, the dark embrace of sleep weed me.


    I woke up at dawn, just in time to see the forest turn from golden to its usual green colour. Everyone else was still asleep, besides Erik who was standing guard with a bored expression. When he saw me get up, his expression turned sour, though only for a moment.


    "Good morning." He said coldly. Was he really still angry about what was said yesterday? But... there was nothing to be angry about, right?


    "Good morning," I replied with a yawn. "So, what''s the n for today?" I asked after a short moment of silence.


    "Well," He said with a sigh. "I don''t know." His cold,posed voice shattered. I flinched. Yesterday''sposed Erik was gone. He seemed somewhat lost. "What do you think we should do?"


    I hesitated. Why was he acting like this? "Didn''t you say that we were going straight to the city Astrid told us about?" I asked after a moment of silence. "Why aren''t you so sure anymore?"


    He sighed and shook his head, refusing to answer me. I pondered a moment, before deciding not to pry. It wasn''t my ce to do so and I didn''t want to cause even more tension in the group. With a sigh, I rose to my feet and headed towards the trees.


    "Where are you going?" He asked, ncing at me.


    "I''ll wash my face." I said with a forced smile, before heading off.


    The shallow creek wasn''t too far away. As I knelt by the water, my reflection caught my eye. I flinched, since when did my eyes glow so much? With a sigh, I shook my head. I looked like that painting we found with Asher more with every passing day.


    As I let the water flow through my fingers, I had to remind myself again that this was a game. I sshed some water to my face, ran my fingers through my hair and got back up. The sun was slowly rising, it was a good time to get going.


    When I returned to camp, I heard footsteps and the sound of a fire. They were preparing breakfast. I sighed; they were too rxed. We didn''t have to eat such a rich breakfast every morning. We could chew on dried meat as we walked.


    "Hey Kai!" It was Alina''s voice that called my name. I looked around and spotted her kneeling by the campfire. "Good morning, Alina." I said with a faint smile. She seemed as healthy as always. All traces of the spider venom were gone, even that beautiful smile of hers was back.


    "I''ve got a gift for you." She said with a radiant smile. My heartbeat hastened as she approached me. With only a moment of hesitation, she took my hand in hers and ced something in my palm. "Thank you, Kai." She said, her eyes shining gold. "Thank you for saving my life."

 Chapter 73: The White City

    <h4>Chapter 73: The White City</h4>


    I nced at the object she''d ced in my hand. It was a white sphere. "It''s a pearl that I found in the river the other day." She said with a soft voice. "I wanted you to have it, as thanks."


    I felt blood rush to my face. "I did what anyone would do, Alina. You really don''t need to thank me." I tried to give the pearl back, but she didn''t take it. "It''s a gift," She said with a smile before turning away and going to where Samantha sat.


    "Man, you''re popr." Joshua''s bored, emotionless voice startled me. I hadn''t noticed him approaching me. Iughed nervously as I shook my head and ced the pearl in my inventory. "Anyways, when are we heading off?" Joshua asked after a shot moment of silence.


    I hesitated. "Well, I just assumed we''d get going after breakfast."


    "Ok," He mumbled and walked away. Confused, I stared after him for a short time. What was that all about? Why was he asking me that? I nced at Erik. He was sitting by the campfire, eating a piece of dried meat, and inspecting his shield. He seemed somewhat lost, though as soon as Joshua approached him, he quickly regained hisposure.


    After breakfast we set off. While the air was tense as the day before, I did feel a little better. I still missed Alex and Rina of course, but it didn''t hurt as much as before. I did hope they and their sisters were ok, though I didn''t really have any way of checking on them.


    "So, what do we know about this city?" I asked Erik. He hesitated before sighing. "Nothing much. We know that it''s where the majority of Ereth live. It''s rich, it''s elite and it''s beautiful, ording to Astrid." He shook his head. "Honestly, all I can really say for sure is that there''s a Divine Pir there."


    I nodded. As far as I knew, divine pirs were the source of the Ereth''s power. Without them, they were surprising weak, which was why people like us were needed to protect viges like Stonepatch Vige. The farther away Ereth strayed from divine pirs, the weaker they''d be.


    "Let''s make sure we find the person trying to spy on us." I said. Erik nodded. "Let''s."


    The rest of our journey passed in silence, save for the few times we had to stop to kill a few monsters dumb or hungry enough to attack us. We took care of them almost effortlessly as the creatures seemed to be weaker, the closer we got to the city.


    The thick foliage prevented us from seeing too far, so when we finally stepped out of the woods, our breath was taken away.


    We were standing uphill. Before usy a city, white-golden. Long spires reached for the sky, narrow bridges extending between them. At the very centre of it stood a giant pir, shaped much like an obelisk. It looked as if it was made of solid gold.


    It was eye-catching and painful to look at as it reflected the sunlight too much. Though, that could be said for the entire city. The buildings were white, with golden murals and lines embedded within the walls. The streets were white,id with golden bricks. Even the city walls were white, with golden lines sectioning them off.


    "Well," Samantha mumbled. "This is... overwhelming."


    "You could say that." Erik replied. "It''s not what I expected at all." He continued.


    "I expected a more medieval design." Joshua said with a sour expression. "This just hurts my eyes."


    We waited for a bit. Not for something, just because we didn''t know what to do.


    The city wasn''t what any of us expected.


    "I guess the ''Divine Pir'' is really divine." I said with a shrug. "Let''s go, we shouldn''t waste any more time."


    The others chuckled and nodded. As we approached the city, our smiles shattered. The entrance was guarded by a group of Ereth soldiers. I flinched as our eyes met. Those were hostile gazes that met my eyes.


    They wore chain armour, though it was clearly made from a different metal than steel or iron as it was white. It created a weird contrast with their pale blue-green skin. They each had a two-meter-long spear as a weapon. They were taller than me and their massive leathery wings were at least as wide as mine, if not more.


    As we finally arrived at the gates, one of them stepped up and blocked our path.


    "Identify yourselves." There wasn''t a hint of emotion in his voice. Erik stepped up and opened his status panel. The guard inspected it for a solid ten seconds before letting Erik pass. Then, it was Vincent''s turn. He also stepped forward and opened his status panel.


    One by one, the guard inspected each of our status panels. When it was Alina''s turn, he hesitated. Somewhat worried, I nced at Erik. He shrugged, clearly also somewhat confused. A few more seconds passed then the guard let her pass as well. We all breathed out in relief.


    It was my turn to step up and show them my status panel. The guard flinched as he read the pale blue text. His nce shifted between me and my status panel a few times before he nodded.


    "You may pass." He said with a cold, formal voice. "Wee to Baile Chailce."


    With that, we were allowed entry into the biggest city on Erdrin. We stepped through the massive golden gates, onto the golden streets with our mouths agape.


    "Well," I finally said quietly. "We''re here but... what now?"


    I nced at the others. They hesitated, then shrugged. "How about we find a ce to stay?" Alina finally asked. "The sun is setting, and I do miss sleeping on an actual bed."


    Samantha pped. "Yes! Proper sheets and a roof!" Her eyes showed her excitement. I couldn''t help but smile as everyone else also slowly got hyped up. Soon, with hope and excitement in our eyes, we set off in search of an inn.

 Chapter 74: Out of Place

    <h4>Chapter 74: Out of ce</h4>


    I woke up to see a white ceiling for the first time in a very long time. My heartbeat quickened as I shot up, was I back home?


    But no, of course not. I was in a white room, on a bed with white sheets. There were white curtains by the windows. The curtains and bedsheets had golden decorations and the frame of the bed was also made of gold.


    The only things in the room that wasn''t white or gold, were the light brown floorboards. Even they had golden flecks in them. I couldn''t say I liked the Ereth''s choice of colour and d¨¦cor.


    I took a bath, got dressed and left my room. At themon room of the inn, I saw the rest of the group. They were the only non-Ereth people in the room. Among all the white-golden clothed Ereth, their colourful apparel stood out quite a bit. And they seemed painfully aware of it as they shot up on their feet as soon as they saw me.


    "Kai,e on." Alina said, running towards me and holding on to my arm. "Let''s go outside." She had started dragging me towards the door before she even finished her words.


    The others joined her and led me outside. Only once we were on the gold paved streets did they let go of me. "Kai, this ce is weird!" Alina hissed, looking around to make sure none of the Ereth could hear her. "I feel so out of ce."


    "I agree." Vincent chimed in. "We stand out way too much here."


    I nodded, then nced at Erik. "What do you think we should do, Erik?" I had a few ideas, but I didn''t want to undermine Erik''s already shaky authority.


    "First of all, let''s go get some proper clothes." He said after a few seconds. "Then, we should drop by the guild and check in with the Crystal." While this wasn''t quite what I had in mind, I didn''t say anything.


    "Good idea." Samantha chimed in. "I''ll ask for directions." She ran off to the nearest store to ask while we waited. A short whileter she came back with the information we needed, and we set off.


    We got quite a few odd looks as we walked in the city. Samantha led us through the streets quickly and we soon arrived at the store. As we looked at the selection of white and golden clothes, our expressions only soured.


    "Yeah, I don''t think I can wear this." I said after a short hesitation. "You guys go ahead." I motioned to leave, but Vincent caught my arm before I could.


    "You''ll stand out too much!" He warned me. "Are you sure that''s a good idea?"


    I nodded. "I do want the person who''s been spying on us to contact me, so it all works out, right?" I shrugged. Vincent sighed before giving up. "Fine." He said before letting go of my arm.


    "I''ll wait outside." I mumbled and left the store. I had to cover my eyes for a bit as the sun reflecting off the golden bricks on the road blinded me momentarily.


    "Hey, Asher." I reached out to the sorcerer. Soon after, I heard his voice echo in my mind. "Good morning, Kai. Have you arrived in Baile Chailce?"


    It took me a moment to remember that this city''s name was Baile Chailce. "We arrivedst night. What do I need to know about this ce?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "Do not attempt to touch the divine pir at the centre of the city." He replied. "It''s the source of their power and they won''t hesitate to erase you if you even try to approach it."


    I flinched. "Noted, what else?"


    "Well, that''s really it. Use yourmon sense." He paused. "Oh, and one more thing. Steer clear of the pce."


    "Why?" I asked, somewhat worried.


    "Well, you''re the Keeper of Souls. I don''t want those in power to suddenly decide you''re worth their attention." He replied. "Anyways, I believe the person you''re looking for is the owner of a newly established artifact shop. I''d suggest you check it out without all of your friends crowding it, so try to get rid of them first." He severed the connection almost immediately.


    I sighed, it made little sense to try and ask him more.


    "How do I look?" Alina''s voice sounded from behind me. I hadn''t noticed her leave the store.


    I turned to look at her. She was wearing a white battle dress that allowed her to move freely. It was a silken dress that she looked amazing in. The golden embroidery fit her golden hair and the tattoo on her face perfectly.


    Honestly, she was breath taking. She smiled as she waited for my answer. I flinched. "You look great." I said with my heart beating quickly". Her smile widened. "Thank you, Kai."


    Before I could reply, the door behind her opened and the others left the store. "So, what''s next?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence.


    They were all wearing the same type of white-golden clothes. It didn''t look nearly as good on them as it did on Alina.


    "Let''s go to the guild." Erik said after a short moment of hesitation. Thankfully, Samantha had also gotten directions for the guild. With her guidance, we soon arrived at the building.


    It looked nothing like the one in Stonepatch Vige. The building was one of the spires we''d seen when we first saw the city. It seemingly reached to the sky. Standing in front of it, I couldn''t help but stare at it with my mouth agape. It was massive.


    "That''s quite the sight." Erik mumbled before stepping towards it. "Come on, let''s not waste even more time."


    We stepped through therge, golden doors.


    The interior was almost entirely decorated in white and golden as well. The only different colours were those of the light brown floorboards. There was a counter off to the side. Right before us were couches and coffee tables, arranged into several groups.


    "Wee to the Baile Chailce Guild Branch." A female voice sounded as soon as we stepped inside. The speaker was an Ereth, standing behind the low counter. She had no hair, and a golden veil hid most of her face. I could only see her crimson eyes. "How may we be of assistance?"

 Chapter 75: Where the Game Leads Them

    <h4>Chapter 75: Where the Game Leads Them</h4>


    "We''d like to consult with the crystal." Erik said, brushing past me and approaching the table. He opened his status panel, then switched to the party panel and showed her our names.


    "A moment, please." The Ereth said before checking a small leatherbound book. "Ah, you''re Erik." She said after a short moment. "Of course, please proceed to the elevation sigil."


    "Thank you, ma''am." Erik said with a half smile. "Let''s go," He said, turning to us.


    We headed to the elevation sigil, which turned out to be the magical version of an elevator. It was basically a round, stone tform that floated in the air. As soon as we stepped on it, the runes on it lit up and the tform started floating upwards.


    "This is neat." Vincent said with a chuckle. "I was afraid we''d have to climb all the way to the top."


    Soon, we arrived at a higher floor. Erik was the first to step off the magical elevator. We followed right after him and found ourselves in arge, spacious room.


    "Whoa." Alina said with glowing eyes. "This is beautiful."


    Light brown floorboards covered the floor. The walls were white, as was the ceiling. There was nothing of note in the room except for the very familiar sight of a floating crystal.


    It floated at about chest height, at the centre of the room. The pink crystal shone softly, it was almost as if it were calling us. We approached it hesitantly.


    Erik took a deep breath and ced his palm on the smooth surface of the crystal. A few seconds passed before the pale blue interface appeared.


    "Two extermination quests." Erik said after a short moment of hesitation. He was clearly disappointed. "I expected more. We didn''t even get a reward for fighting the phoenix or killing the sea dragon and the spider."


    "That''s a bummer." Vincent mumbled. Joshua just sighed. Unlike them though, Alina just shrugged. "What do we do next?" She asked with excitement in her voice.


    "We should finish the quests." Samantha chimed in as we returned to the magical elevator. "I''m sure they''ll give us some clues."


    "Why do you think so?" Vincent asked with confusion. I also wanted to ask the same thing ¨C what she said made no sense at all.


    "Well, this is a game, right? Games naturally try to push yers to the next big goal. So, all we have to do is make sure we finish our quests and it''ll eventually lead us to whatever we need." She sounded awfully proud of herself as she spoke. Her eyes gleamed with happiness, almost as if she''d found the secret to our dilemma.


    I wanted to say she was wrong, but I decided to stay silent. I just didn''t want to erase that hope from her expression. Instead, I changed the subject a little. "I want to walk around in the city a bit. You guys can go ahead and finish the quests if you want to, it''ll help make you stronger too."


    Alina''s cheerful expression shattered as Erik nodded. "But wait," She said with a worried tone. "Kai''s the strongest of us. Is it really ok to leave the city without him?"


    Vincent chuckled. "We''ll be fine as long as we stay aware of our limits." He nced at me. "Am I right?"


    I nodded. "As long as you''re careful, you''ll be fine." I was pretty sure they could take on a few small-time monsters on their own and I needed them out of my hair so I could check the artefact store Asher had told me about. "Just make sure you always put some distance and preferably someone else between you and the enemy." I smiled in a reassuring way, or so I hoped.


    "I''ll try." Alina said with a hesitant voice. I reached out and lightly squeezed her shoulder. "You''ll be fine."


    The magical elevator finally reached the ground floor again and we got off. As other groups slowly approached, we quickly moved out of the way.


    "Alright, Kai will check the city while we take care of the quests. Any objections?" Everyone shook their heads and thus, we agreed on Erik''s half-baked n. We left the guild building and bid each other our farewells.


    I watched the group as they headed to the city gates and, once they were out of view, opened my map. The entireyout of the city was before me. It didn''t take me too long to spot the shop Asher told me about.


    "Well then," I mumbled as I started walking in that direction. Both Ereth and others shot me odd nces as I walked by them. With my dark green cloak and clothes, I lookedpletely out of ce. Despite feeling the anxiety of having so many eyes on me, I somehow made it to the artefact store.


    It was arge, three story building at the very edge of the city. It had arge gardenpletely closed off by a tall wall. The building itself, as well as the wall were white, with golden embellishments. I had gotten used to the colour scheme by now, though I still disliked it.


    What I found surprising was the lush green grass covering the garden. The only piece of nature I''d seen in the city was here. I took a deep breath before stepping through the golden gate, onto the golden brick road that led to the building. I couldn''t help but feel nervous ¨C the man or woman who owned this ce had spied on us.


    I considered contacting Asher but decided otherwise. I could feel the magical aura covering the entire estate. I knew the chance that they''d be able to detect telepathy was close to zero, but I didn''t want to take any unnecessary risks.


    I finally passed through the garden and arrived at the golden doors of the three-story building. I climbed the few steps that led to the door and raised my hand to knock.


    Right as my knuckles were about to touch the metal, the door creaked open.


    "Wee,"

 Chapter 76: A Hint of Colour

    <h4>Chapter 76: A Hint of Colour</h4>


    I flinched as a middle-aged man smiled and invited me in. He looked human, for the most part.


    He was tall, though not quite as tall as me. He looked quite dignified with his greying hair. His green eyes watched my every move as they twinkled with intelligence. He wore a white suit and tie. All in all, he was the most normal looking person I''d seen in this world.


    I hesitated, unsure of what to say. Was I here under disguise of a normal customer or was I here to outright challenge the person spying on us. I decided on thetter.


    "I''d like to talk with the owner of this ce." I said with an emotionless voice. A smile shed across his face as he nodded.


    "Of course. Please, follow me, sir." He said with a deep bow and led me inside. I followed the middle-aged man while staying wary of my surroundings. I couldn''t help but feel like he''d epted way too easily.


    The inside of this ce was also white and golden, just like the rest of the city. I was getting sick of this colourbination.


    "Oh, before we head up, sir." The man spoke. "Would you be interested in any of our wares?"


    I nced at the weapon racks and armour stands lining the walls. There were some really beautiful pieces there. A smile shed across my face as I shook my head. I would have loved to get my hands on some on those weapons, but I had no money at all.


    "That''s a shame, sir." The man said with a saddened tone, then gestured me to follow him. We walked up a set of light brown wooden stairs to the second and then the third floor.


    There was a door at the very top of the staircase. It was white, just like everything else in here. The middle-aged man opened the door and stepped onto the third floor. I followed him and entered the room before stopping in surprise.


    The floorboards were a dark brown colour. It wasn''t arge room, but I couldn''t see a single white or golden thing in here. The walls were a dark grey, the ceiling was wooden, and the furniture were either ck or wooden.


    "Did you miss seeing colours already?" A female voice sounded. I looked around to see a tall, slender woman. Her long, maroon hair flowed freely. She wore simple, back clothes that created a contrast with her pale skin. "I hope you find this room rxing then." She said as she turned to face me. I flinched as I looked into her bright green eyes.


    "What?" She said with a bewitching smile. "The Ereth don''t know about this ce, so you can rx. They won''t swoop down the sky if you say you miss colours." She chuckled, the nced at the middle-aged man. "Thomas, would you bring us some tea and snacks please?"


    "Of course, ma''am." He said with a bow before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.


    My eyes met hers as my whole body tensed up. "Who are you?" I asked, clenching my fists beneath my cloak.


    "Why don''t you have a seat first?" She said as she lowered herself onto the ck couch. I hesitated; I didn''t trust her one bit. Not with that face.


    "I''d rather hear your answer." I replied with a cold voice. It took quite a lot of effort to keep a steady voice. "Who are you?"


    A smile shed across her face as she crossed her legs. "Good question." She said softly. "You can call me Thera."


    "How about you give me your real name instead?" I said as I rolled my eyes.


    She chuckled and gestured towards the couch. "Have a seat." She said again. I hesitated, then finally lowered myself onto the ck velvet covered couch. "Now we can talk," She said with a bewitching smile. "Now, allow me to ask, why did youe here?"


    "You see," I said with a cold tone. "I met a woman named Astrid a few days ago." I said as I red at her. "She said she was sent by someone from the city."


    "Oh, really?" The maroon haired woman said as if it had nothing to do with her. "And that is significant because...?"


    "She was sent as a spy." I said coldly. "And I''m fairly sure it was you who sent her."


    She chuckled, but before she could speak, a knock on the door sounded. Then, Thomas opened the door and stepped inside, bncing a rather full silver tray with only his left hand. He quickly set the table, then bowed before leaving.


    A moment of awkward silence followed. Then, the woman before me showed me a smile before taking a sip of her tea. "Thomas'' tea is absolutely perfect." She said almost as if we were having apletely normal conversation. "And his cookies are just as delicious, if not more."


    I sighed. "Stop it." I had no patience to deal with this. "Just tell me, why are you spying on me?"


    She chuckled and ced her cup back on the table. "Oh, dear. It seems you''ve misunderstood something." She clicked her tongue. "I''m not spying on you. The person I''m keeping tabs on is Erik." A wicked smile shed across her face. "The son of the man who trapped us all in here."


    I flinched. How did she know who Erik was?


    "Tell me, young man." She said, leaning forward. Her dress stretched a bit, revealing some of her skin. I could swear I spotted a green spot near her chest, but she quickly tilted her head, allowing her long hair to cover it. "Do you not want to get out of here?"


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Of course I do." Then, I shook my head. "But I don''t see how that has anything to do with Erik."


    "You''ll know when the timees." She said, leaning back again. I shook my head. "I don''t think I want to wait that long." Our gazes met. My purple eyes were locked into her blue eyes. We remained like that until she averted her gaze.


    "Maybe you were the one I should have been keeping an eye on." She said with a sigh, then she looked back at me. "You have the gaze of a demon."


    Iughed out loud. "And you''reparable to a subus yourself."


    A few seconds passed in silence before she chuckled. "Well, I''ll take that as apliment." She paused for a moment before taking a bite of a cookie. "Let''s exchange our names then." She said with a bewitching smile.


    I nodded. That was a good enough trade.


    "Kai." I said carefully as I opened my status panel, making sure only my name was visible. She did the same and stared right into my eyes.


    "Victoria Kestler."

 Chapter 77: A Cold Gaze

    <h4>Chapter 77: A Cold Gaze</h4>


    I flinched. I knew it the moment I saw her face ¨C she looked like Vincent. She had the same features, though I wasn''t sure how they had gotten tranted into the game so well.


    "From your reaction, I see that you figured it out already." She said with a faint smile.


    "What are you to Vincent and Joshua?" I asked. Was she their sister? She looked too old for that.


    "I''m their cousin." She said as she took a sip from her tea. "They don''t know I''m in the game, so don''t hold this against them."


    I shook my head. "Wait," I mumbled. "Then why are you spying on them? You know they''re good friends with Erik."


    She chuckled. "I''m making sure they survive this game." She raised her hand and a tiny me appeared at the tip of her fingers. "I''d be useless on the battlefield." The me flickered before disappearing.


    Somewhat annoyed, I directed my gaze at her. Was I the only one who still couldn''t use magic without the interface? "So, you decided to open a shop and... what?" I asked.


    She chuckled. "I don''t trust this game, Kai Friseal." She said as she once again leaned forward. I spotted that green spot again. What was that? "And I don''t like seeing my dear little cousins trusting Erik with their lives."


    I flinched. "They''ve known each other for a long time."


    She nodded. "But they''d never been in this situation before. No one has." She sighed. "I don''t want them to worry about me on top of everything else they''re worried about." Her voice suddenly turned cold. "So, I''m sure you''ll understand when I ask you to keep this secret."


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Are you insane?" I asked. "Their cousin is here, and you want me to keep that a secret? Go greet them when they return, or I''ll bring them here myself."


    Taken aback, she red at me. "You-" She started to speak with a furious expression, but I cut her off. "You''re their family. They don''t need your spies watching their every move. They need your support; they need to know they can count on you."


    "You''re looking through rose-tinted sses Kai." She hissed.


    Iughed. "Maybe. But I''m alive, aren''t I?" I rose to my feet. "You''re taking this too seriously," I said as I shrugged. "This is a game, remember? We''re in a game. You don''t need to scheme against everyone to get what you want." I stepped towards the door.


    "Do you think your words will be enough to stop me?" She asked, also standing up. My lips formed a wicked smile as I turned to face her. The room grew colder as I used my aura for the first time since I left the torchlight woods.


    "You will talk to them today, or I will bring them here." I said, locking my gaze on her. "You said I''m like a demon. Don''t make me be one."


    Her face went pale as she shivered. I didn''t wait for a response, I reached for the door, opened it, and left. Thomas was waiting at the foot of the stairs. He bowed and bid me a good day as I walked past him.


    Only when I left the premises and stepped onto the gold brick streets of Baile Chailce did I breathe out a sigh of relief. Had I gone too far? Had I gotten too angry?


    No, I didn''t think so. She''d been hiding herself from Vincent and Joshua, instead using her resources to spy on them and Eric. She didn''t need to be useful in a fight to spend time with them.


    I clenched my fists. I didn''t want to be the one who broke the news to the Kestler brothers, so I really hoped Victoria woulde to meet them. With a deep sigh, I shook my head and started wandering the streets.


    "Asher?" I reached out to the smug sorcerer after a short while. It took him a few second to respond. "Did you find the man?" He asked. His voice was groggy.


    "She''s a woman, but yes." I replied. I quickly exined what went down and what she asked of me. "Anyways, did you learn anything more about this world''s history?"


    "Nothing worth telling yet." He replied, then I felt the connection sever. It was a weird feeling that I still hadn''t gotten used to. A thought nagged at the back of my mind. Why was he in such a hurry?


    I wondered the city aimlessly for a while. Eventually, my wandering brought me to the centre of the massive city. There was more than just the divine pir here. I stood at the top of a long, wide set of stairs. They led to an enormous open za. The white, probably marble tiles shone brightly under the sun.


    At the centre of the massive za stood the Divine Pir. It resembled an obelisk, made purely out of gold. I couldn''t help but stare at it with my mouth agape. It was massive, I could barely see the tip of it as the sun''s reflection blinded me.


    There were groups of people gathering in the za, though the non-Ereth poption seemed to take care to stay as far away from the Divine Pir as possible. I watched the za for a while before finally descending the stairs and stepping onto the white marble tiles. I couldn''t even take one step before a pair of halberds blocked my way. I flinched as two Ereth guards entered my vision. I hadn''t noticed them standing guard anywhere, where had theye from?


    "Your identification, please." The one on the left said. I summoned my interface and showed them my status panel as my heart beat incredibly fast. Why were they stopping me?


    A few momentster, the one on the right nodded. "You may pass, Keeper of Souls. Do take care not to approach the Pir." He said as they lowered their halberds.


    "Thank you." I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady and passed by them, finally entering za. Feeling their gazes on my back, I started walking towards the other edge of therge area. I didn''t dare take a single step closer to the pir.


    As I walked near the low wall surrounding the za, a woman ran up to me. She was not an Ereth, though I didn''t think she was a yer either. She handed me a piece of parchment. "You''re here to help us, right?" She asked with shining eyes. "Will you join the tournament?"

 Chapter 78: Quick Decisions

    <h4>Chapter 78: Quick Decisions</h4>


    It took Erik and the others quite a long time to finish the two quests they were given. By the time they returned to the inn, I was about to fall asleep of boredom. My only pastime as I sat in themon room was watching the customerse and leave.


    "We finally made it!" Shouted Erik, startling me and basically every other customer in themon room as the group finally arrived. "Kai!" He called my name with a huge grin on his face. They approached me and ced arge pouch on the table. I heard the muffled sound of metal coins hitting the table.


    "Keep your voice low!" I hissed, ncing around. All eyes were on us and I was sick of that feeling. Erik just shrugged and pulled himself a chair to sit on. "Don''t worry about it." He said with a grin. "I''ve got some news for you!"


    I raised my eyebrows as the others also took their ces around the table. "So," Joshua chimed in before Erik could exin. "Just as we came back to the city, this young woman approached us and gave us a flyer." He put a familiar parchment on the table.


    "Hell no." I said as soon as I saw the tournament flyer. "Are you insane?"


    The group stared at me for a second before Erikughed. "Why are you so worried, Kai? It''s just a friendly tournament. Besides," He added with a grin. "We''ll meet other yers this way."


    "And what makes you think that''s a good thing?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. Victoria''s words about Erik were still very much in my mind. While it would bepletely unreasonable, I wouldn''t be surprised at all if other yers med him for being trapped in this world ¨C this game.


    "If we want to kill the demon lord and get out of here, we will need more people." Erik said without even a moment of hesitation. "I told you, that''s not a feat we can aplish by ourselves."


    I clenched my firsts. I hated to admit it, but he had a point. I still clearly remembered Vixia and Delthur''s power. Even as I am now, I wasn''t a match for them. Not really. I still had a ways to go for that. And I couldn''t even imagine just how powerful the demon lord was.


    With a sigh I shook my head. "Erik, I don''t think a tournament is the right way to go about this."


    "I think it''s perfect." He said. Samantha hesitated a moment before chiming in. "Kai, a girl just ran up to us and gave us the flyer. Remember what I said about the game guiding us?" I flinched. Was she still going on about that?


    "I think this is it." She continued, her eyes gleaming with hope. "I think we need to join the tournament and win."


    I hesitated. That... made little to no sense. I mean, she had a point ¨C the game did kind of made sure we were aware of the tournament and even encouraged us to partake in it. But I didn''t really see that as the game guiding us to some greater goal or something. But looking at the expressions of others, I could tell they believed in that too. Only Vincent seemed somewhat unsure, but I knew he''d go along with them to avoid conflict.


    "We can still get wounded and potentially die." I warned them, hoping that would discourage them, but they didn''t seem to be phased by my words. "I can''t talk you out of it, can I?" I asked in despair. They smiled and shook their heads.


    "Though, Alina won''t be taking part." Said Erik suddenly. I raised my eyebrows. I was d that they were looking out for her, but I couldn''t help but find it a bit odd.


    "Apparently, magic is forbidden." Vincent exined, seeing my confused expression. "It''s almost impossible to stop a magical attack ¨C like a wizard''s fireball ¨C once it''s used, so there would be too many deaths, ording to the girl who gave us the flyer."


    I nodded, that made sense. In that case, Alina would have no role to y during the tournament either. "I won''t be joining either." Samantha said. "Only teams of four are allowed and you''re a much better choice than me."


    I chuckled. "Well, no-" I hesitated. "Uh, yeah." I said suddenly. Most people didn''t have any proper technique when it came to wielding their weapons. Despite my low rank in our family''s training hall, I still had an incredible advantage over most people.


    "That''s the spirit!" Erik said with a grin and patted my back. I couldn''t help but smile.


    Our evening passed, filled withughter and nning. Though as the hours passed and time to head to sleep approached, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat disappointed ¨C mainly because Victoria hadn''t shown up. With a deep breath, I decided to tackle this issue tomorrow, after the first rounds of the tournament.


    My mind was filled with disjointed thoughts when we bid each other good night and went to bed. Exhausted from all the events of today, I weed the sweet, dark embrace of sleep.


    I woke up at dawn as my body had gotten used to it by now. Once again deciding that I hated the colour scheme of this city, I went downstairs for some breakfast. The others soon joined me, though our mood was not as high as it was yesterday.


    The pressure of partaking in a tournament was slowly affecting Erik, Vincent, and Joshua. I was also slightly on edge, though my nervousness had a different source than theirs. Soon, we left the inn and headed to the central za, where the Divine Pir reached for the sky.


    "The tournament will take ce in that huge building over there." Vincent told me as we descended the stairs. He pointed towards a tall, circr building. It was massive and the design reminded me of coliseums.


    We passed through the za silently ¨C it was almost creepy with only us and the guards here. Most residents were probably already in the coliseum. It took us a while to reach the massive building.


    "Wee." An Ereth greeted us. He wore white te armour that created a weird contrast with his green-ck skin. "Please show your identification."


    We did as he said and after a short while, he led us to a simple room. Of course, Alina and Samantha weren''t allowed toe with us, as they weren''t participating. Another Ereth led them to the stands so they could watch our battles.


    "Erik," I said as the door closed behind them. "This all happened too fast. I still don''t think this is a good idea." The young pdin grinned.


    "Stop worrying so much and try to enjoy yourself a bit. This will be fun!" He said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.


    "But-"


    "Kai,e on. Just y along for now." He said, cutting me off.


    I gave up on trying to convince him.


    Half an hour or soter ¨C though it felt like several hours ¨C the Ereth came back and led us through a narrow hall to arge, metal door. "You''re the first match of the day. Good luck!" He said as we heard a muffled announcement.


    "Please wee, Team Reapers!" The sound of a roaring crowd and pping followed the announcement. Then, therge metal door before us creaked open as we once again heard the announcer''s voice. "Please wee, Team Torchlight!"

 Chapter 79: The First Match

    <h4>Chapter 79: The First Match</h4>


    The crowd roared as the doors opened to reveal the sand-covered floor or the coliseum. The stands were filled to the brim. I could see both Ereth and others as they pped and shouted.


    "Team Torchlight?" Joshua asked with a sour expression. "Erik, couldn''t youe up with a better name?"


    Vincent chuckled as Erik smirked. "Nope, not good with names. Deal with it."


    "Alright, focus." I interrupted them as I looked at our opponents. There were four of them ¨C two men and two women.


    The women both carried long spears while the men had longswords. Their sturdy te armour reflected the bright sunlight. With a deep breath, I took point and stepped forward, onto the warm sands. Erik, Vincent, and Joshua followed me.


    We stopped about five meters away from Team Reapers. As I thought of their name, I couldn''t help but smile. They didn''t look like ''reapers'' at all. Not with their bad posture and shaky hands.


    "Erik," I said quietly. "You and Joshua take on the spear wielders. Vincent, you should work with Joshua."


    "What about you?" Vincent asked in surprise. "Are you nning on taking on two of them at once?"


    A wicked smile shed across my face as I nodded. "I''ll be done before you guys." I said as I summoned the sword Luhen had given me. I didn''t need the heavy, clunky scythe right now.


    "Begin!" The announcer''s voice echoed across the sand covered coliseum floor.


    I dashed forward as soon as the announcer''s voice faded. I spotted Joshua as he circled towards the spear wielding woman on the left.


    My two opponents seemed to be taken by surprise as I reached them. They tried to raise their guards, but they knew nothing of real martial arts. Without their magic, they were no threat to me. As one of them attempted a thrust, I easily sidestepped it and blocked the other one''s wild, unsteady swing with my own sword.


    To my left, I heard Vincent''s shout. He was probably trying to distract the spear wielding woman so Joshua could find an opening. To my right, I caught a glimpse of Erik and the other woman, carefully circling each other.


    The guy on my right tried to stab me again, which I once again easily evaded. I focused my attention to the man on my left ¨C he seemed to have a little more knowledge about sword fighting. Namely, he knew that the type of swords they were using weren''t made for stabbing, they were made for shing. So, he tried to do just that ¨C he tried to cut my head off.


    I responded with ducking under his swing, kicking his friend aside and elbowing the man in the gut. I knew that I was fighting dirty, but it was two against one and I just wanted to get done with this. I immediately changed my form as the guy moaned in pain and hit him in the head with the hilt of my sword.


    He copsed on the ground while his friend regained his bnce. With a deep breath, I decided to give the poor man my full and undivided attention. Of course, that meant a proper assault to break his defences. My body moved on its own as soon as our eyes met. I swung my sword towards his legs, then feinted it to a simple swing to his neck.


    Hepletely fumbled his defence and I hit the neck guard of his helmet with a loud ng. He screamed in shock rather than pain and fell on his back. "Stop! Don''t kill me!" He yelped, throwing his sword away and raising his hands. I could see his pale face through the slits of his helmet.


    It took the crowd a moment to understand what happened. After a moment of silence, they started cheering. The battles to my sides paused for a second as the members of both teams checked themotion.


    Vincent whistled. "Damn, Kai. You weren''t exaggerating, were you?"


    "Pay attention." I replied, ncing at the two women still standing. They both stepped back, wary of me. Vincent flinched, nced at me, at Joshua and then at the women.


    "I guess we should continue." He mumbled, I shrugged and nced at the man I''d just beaten. He flinched as our eyes met.


    The battles on both sides resumed. Erik soon managed to defeat his opponent by bashing her in the face with his shield. She screamed and fell down. She touched her broken, bloody nose with shivering hands.


    "Oh my god!" She shrieked. I averted my gaze; Erik didn''t have to end that fight in such a crude way.


    Vincent and Joshua were still locked inbat. Their opponent was much more careful than the others, she made sure to keep them as far away from her as she could. The long reach of her spear made it incredibly difficult for Joshua to approach her, though if he and Vincent cooperated a little, they''d easily defeat her in seconds.


    It took nearly a minute for her to finally lose sight of Vincent as he circled around her. Busy with deflecting and blocking Vincent''s attempted strikes, she seeminglypletely forgot about Joshua, who approached from her back and put his knife to her throat.


    "I guess this is where you give up." He said. The woman red at the knife for a moment, then dropped her spear and raised her hands.


    "Team Torchlight takes the match!" The announcer''s voice sounded over the sound of apuse.


    "We did it!" Erik shouted with a massive grin. Joshua and Vincent high fived each other.


    I heard the metal doors creak open behind us. "Let''s go," I said, turning my back to the arena and heading back inside. Only when the door closed behind us, hiding us from the onlooker''s eyes, did I breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Good job." I said after a short moment. To be perfectly honest, they alsocked proper technique. It pained me to see them fumbling about like that. I considered trying to teach them some basic forms, but immediately changed my mind. It takes months to learn even the simplest of forms. We didn''t have such time.


    "That''s a lot,ing form you." Vincent said. I shrugged. "No, not really." I cleared my throat. "Let''s rest until our next match begins."


    "Good call." Erik said as we headed back to the room given to us. "Let''s prepare for the next battle."

 Chapter 80: The Second Match

    <h4>Chapter 80: The Second Match</h4>


    We once again stepped onto the sand covered floor of the coliseum. The crowd cheered as the announcer started the match.


    This time, we were up against a different group. Three men and one woman stood before us. One of the men wielded a massive warhammer ¨C much like the ones seen in movies. It wasicallyrge though he seemed to lift it with ease. One hit of that monstrous weapon would be enough to kill me.


    Another man wielded a scimitar. Its slightly curved de reflected the sunlight, momentarily blinding me. The man grinned; he was doing it on purpose.


    I diverted my gaze to the other two. The woman wielded a dagger and stayed a little to the back, much like Joshua usually did. The man had arge tower shield and a mace. I guessed he was also a pdin, though his ss didn''t matter much as he couldn''t use any magic here.


    "Joshua, take the woman. Erik, the shield guy. Vincent, survive against the hammer for ten seconds." I quietly said.


    "I can do that." Vincent mumbled, tightly grasping the hilt of his sword and assuming his usualbat stance. The others also nodded.


    With a deep breath, I lightly held onto my sword and dashed forward. Erik and the others followed my lead.


    And thus, our battle began.


    I was the first to reach my opponent. Our swords shed and the sound of metal, hitting metal echoed in the battlefield. My opponent grinned as our swords shed again and again. So far, he was the first human I''d fought who moved like he knew what he was doing, even if only a little.


    I clenched my teeth and focused. I had asked Vincent to stay alive for ten seconds. I needed to beat this guy ¨C fast!


    To my left, I heard the sound of a mace hitting Erik''s shield. Erik grunted, but didn''t step back. To my right, I could see Vincent dodging the massive, slow swings of thaticallyrge warhammer.


    I didn''t have the time to look for Joshua, as my opponent reengaged almost immediately after I stepped back. With a grin on his face, he swung his scimitar to my neck. With narrowed eyes, I raised my sword to block his strike.


    "Ha!" He shouted as he feinted his strike, redirecting it towards my sword arm. I flinched and threw myself to the side at thest second. I felt a sharp pain on my right shoulder as my blood wet the sand.


    I got up on one knee after rolling away from his next attack. I''d underestimated him and now, I was paying the price. How long had passed? Seven seconds? Eight? All I could hope was that I''d be the only one paying a price.


    I got up and lunged at my opponent. I couldn''t let him stall me any longer. I had to go help Vincent. My opponent blocked my next strike easily and tried to trip me. I stepped back, then once again lunged forward, extending my right arm as far as I could.


    With a huge grin, he stepped aside. With my momentum, I''d never be able to stop in time ¨C or that was what I wanted him to think. I let go of my sword, spun around, and caught it with my left hand. My opponent''s eyes widened as he noticed he couldn''t block my strike in time.


    My sword pierced his left shoulder. I quickly pulled it back and with three swift strikes, wounded his right arm, hand and shoulder as well.


    "What the hell?" He asked, dropping his sword. I kicked it away and without a moment of hesitation, lunged towards Vincent and his opponent.


    The crowd didn''t even get to cheer for my victory before I engaged with the warhammer wielding man. If his defeated friend hadn''t shouted a warning to him, he probably wouldn''t have even noticed me.


    He stopped his relentless assault on Vincent as soon as he saw me approach. "Vincent, go help Erik!" I shouted as my sword met the shaft of his warhammer.


    "Got it." The young fighter replied with some worry in his voice.


    I once again lunged forward. I couldn''t afford to take this slowly. Our weapons shed a few times before I disengaged and stepped back a little. He didn''t really know what he was doing, but his wild swings were incredibly dangerous simply because of the immense strength behind them.


    I let myself take a few calming breaths as I nced at the others.


    Vincent had reached Erik and they were pressuring their opponent. I didn''t think he had a chance of winning against both of them as all he could do was try to block everything with his shield.


    Joshua was locked in a very fierce and painful to watch battle with the dagger wielding woman. They were both covered in tiny, insignificant cuts. None of them had the upper hand right now.


    I once again directed my attention to my opponent. He was approaching, ready to start his relentless assault again. A smile appeared on my face as an idea urred to me. I dashed towards him again, but not engaging. Instead, I let my sword touch the sand behind me. As soon as I was in range and he started swinging, I lifted my sword and attacked his right shoulder with a single swift motion, throwing some sand in the air in the process.


    He closed his eyes and stepped back with a surprised shout. At the same time, I dashed forward and circled around him. Only a momentter when he regained his bnce and opened his eyes, I was already behind him. I put the tip of my sword against his back.


    "Drop the hammer." I said with a cold voice.


    He hesitated a moment, then dropped it with a loud sigh. "You''re a monster." He grumbled.


    "Sure," I said as I nced at everyone else. Vincent and Erik had just beaten the pdin ¨C he was unconscious. They nced at me, then rushed towards Joshua. Once his opponent realised it was a three to one battle, she gave up with a sigh.


    "And Team Torchlight wins again!" The announcer''s voice echoed. "Now, for the next match..." He continued to speak as we walked back inside, through therge metal door.


    "That was a good one, Kai." Vincent said as the door closed to hide us from the onlooker''s view. "I thought he was going to crush me there."


    "I barely made it. I''ll be faster next time," I replied as I finally allowed myself to rx a little. Before I could continue, an unfamiliar voice sounded.


    "How intriguing."

 Chapter 81: A Familiar Name

    <h4>Chapter 81: A Familiar Name</h4>


    I flinched; I hadn''t noticed anyone else here with us. It took me a moment to find the owner of the unfamiliar voice.


    He was standing not too far away from us, with his back leaning on the wall. He had dark blue skin that reminded me of the night sky. His yellow eyes shone in the darkness of the hall. His pupils were thin slits that reminded me of snakes. A pair of thin, elegant horns were visible on his head. His red hair covered the left side of his face a little.


    "I didn''t expect you to win that match." He continued. "But that was before I knew of your skills with a sword."


    "I''m ttered." I replied. "And who might you be?" I didn''t really expect an answer, but I figured, asking wouldn''t hurt, right?


    "My name is Luca Morren." He said as a smile shed across his face. I raised my eyebrows, why was that name so familiar?


    "I''m K-"


    "Kai Friseal, if I''m not mistaken." Luca interrupted me. "Anyways, it was a good fight to watch, that''s all I wanted to say. Take care to keep winning. I would love to get a chance to fight you soon." He turned around and left before I could even say anything. As he disappeared in the dark corridor, Erik asked hesitantly. "Do you... know him?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''ve never met him here before." I hesitated. Did I know him from... back home? But how would anyone even recognise me? I didn''t look remotely like my real self. A thought urred to me as I nced at my left hand. Was it because of that?


    I shook my head again. That was impossible. "Let''s prepare for the next fight."


    Erik nodded. "We should get you and Joshua healed up." He said, ncing at our young rogue. He had tiny cuts all over him.


    "How did you get so many cuts?" I asked with genuine confusion. "And how are all of them so tiny and unimportant?"


    "Don''t even ask." He grumbled. "It feels like I''ve got a million papercuts."


    We chuckled and went back to the room given to us. Soon after, an Ereth healer came and fixed us up. I did consider using Soul''s Respite but didn''t out of fear of being disqualified.


    "Thatst fight was tougher than I expected." Vincent said after the healer left. "But Kai, I didn''t know you were ambidextrous."


    I flinched. "Oh. Well, I''m not. Not entirely. My right hand is my dominant hand when ites to most daily tasks, but I taught myself to fight left-handed as well." While Mother had disapproved it at the time, my efforts had proven somewhat worth the time I had invested in it.


    "You''re crazy." Joshua said, shaking his head in disbelief. "First you take on two guys at once and beat them in a matter of seconds, then you take on two guys back to back and use your left hand to fight. What''s next? Are you going to solo the entire tournament?"


    I couldn''t help butugh. "No, I''m not that good." I said with a chuckle.


    Silence followed my words. Somewhat confused, I nced at the other two. "Guys?"


    "Well," Vincent mumbled. Erik tilted his head to the side. "I''m not so sure I believe you."


    "Oh,e on!" I cried out. "Stop overestimating me!"


    "I don''t think we are." Erik said as a grin appeared on his face.


    "No, you definitely are." I said with a more serious tone. Erik''s grin shattered as I continued with my words. "Don''t go into the next fight thinking that I can take care of everything alone. I need each and every one of you to be able to hold your own, at least for a while."


    Joshua drew a sharp breath. I continued. "With each match, our opponents will be getting stronger. Take that guy ¨C Luca, for example. I don''t know if we can beat a team with each member as powerful as I believe him to be." I hesitated. "No, I know we can''t beat them. So, try to learn with each victory."


    Silence followed my words. I did feel somewhat bad for shattering their fun, but I felt that I had to say it if we aimed to win.


    A knock on the door broke the awkward silence. The door creaked open and the Ereth who first brought us here spoke. "Your next match is about to begin. Please follow me to the gate."


    With a sigh, I got up on my feet. "Let''s go," I said to the others and followed the Ereth to the massive metal gate.


    "Oh, one thing." The Ereth said stopping me as the others passed by us. "This is today''sst match, so I''d suggest making yourself..." He hesitated. "How should I put it? Make sure you stand out. Please the crowd."


    I flinched. Was he supposed to be telling me this?


    "Why?" I asked after a moment of silence. A smile ¨C I think ¨C shed across the Ereth''s face. "Because the happier the crowd is, the bigger your pay-out." He gestured towards the gate. "You should hurry."


    "Right." I said after a moment''s hesitation and joined the others.


    "What was that about?" Joshua asked, ncing at the Ereth calmly waiting a little behind us.


    "Let''s make sure we win this." I replied. "Quickly." As these words let my mouth, the massive metal gate creaked open. The bright sunlight burned my eyes as the announcer''s voice echoed. "Once again, we see Team Torchlight take the stage!" He continued to speak as we stepped onto the sand covered arena. "Will the twice victorious team win again, or will they be snuffed out by Team Darkswords?"


    I flinched. That name was just as cheesy as ''Team Reapers''. Though, seeing our four opponents, all d in dark coloured armour, all wielding dark metal shortswords, I couldn''t help but think the name was fitting. Somewhat. Maybe.


    I stepped forward. I couldn''t even guess which one of them was stronger.


    "Begin!" The announcer shouted.

 Chapter 82: The Darkswords

    <h4>Chapter 82: The Darkswords</h4>


    As soon as the announcer''s voice sounded, the warriors d in dark metal armour lunged towards us. They had moved before I had the chance to.


    With identical movements, they raised their swords and leapt into the air.


    "Stay on the defensive!" I shouted as I rolled out of the way of my opponent. Hended on the ground, lifting some of the sand to the air and turned to face me. Without a second of hesitation, he swung his sword, aiming for my neck.


    I rolled my eyes as I avoided his attack with a backstep. His assault didn''t stop with that, however. His next strike aimed for my legs. I blocked it trying to figure out his goal. His movements were fluid ¨C he had at least some training, that much was clear.


    A muffled groan caught my attention and I nced to the side. It was Erik, he was just barely holding back the assault of his opponent. Covering behind his shield, he groaned with each hit he blocked.


    A sword, almost touching my cheek reminded me of my own battle. I quickly turned my attention to my opponent. I blocked his next strike, and the one after that. As the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air, I prepared myself with a deep breath.


    I waited for an opening ¨C something that''d let me break through my opponent''s defences. I waited and endured his flurry of attacks. Only when he stepped back and leapt into the air did I notice ¨C something wasn''t right. I sidestepped his overhead strike, then lifted my sword to the level of my neck. As his de hit mine, a grin appeared on my lips.


    Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped over his next attack and rammed him with my shoulder. I heard a muffled scream as he fell onto the sand. I kicked his sword away and ced my sword against his neck. "Give up." I said, looking down on him.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s scream alerted me. I didn''t turn around to look at him. Instead, I threw myself to the side and thus narrowly avoided getting my neck sliced.


    "The hell?" I shouted, ncing behind me to see another ck d warrior leaping towards me. I rolled to the side as the de thrust into the ground inches away from me. I quickly leapt back up on my feet and blocked another strike.


    "So, it''s a two on one?" I asked, ring at my first opponent. He''d taken his sword back and was ready to fight. He shrugged. "If we want to win, yeah." As soon as those words left his mouth, the other guy lunged towards me.


    I had no time to check on the others ¨C I could only hope they were fine.


    My two opponents confused me ¨C their movements were almost identical. They were by no means untrained, but I couldn''t help but feel like this set of moves were the only one they knew. To test them, I kicked some sand in their faces.


    "You-" One of them shouted as they blocked their eyes. Taking advantage of their momentary blindness, I stepped up and struck one of them in the shoulder. As my sword bounced off the dark te armour, I kicked the other one''s knee. He shouted in pain and tried to regain his bnce, but I didn''t give him any time. Instead, I used the force of the rebound from my other opponent''s armour to hit this guy''s helmet with the hilt of my sword.


    Unconscious, he copsed on the ground.


    "What the hell did you do?" My remaining opponent shouted, stepping back a little. I didn''t intent to give him any time to rpose himself. Instead, I once again dashed forward and swung my sword, aiming for the slit between his helmet and the neck guard of his armour.


    He stumbled back, letting out a fearful scream. I barely missed the slit and struck his neck guard instead. Without giving him any time to regain hisposure, I struck his chest. While my de couldn''t cut through the te armour, it still caused him some pain.


    He stumbled back and finally regained his bnce. As soon as he did, I once again leapt towards him.


    "No!" Someone shouted as I kicked him in the head. He fell to the ground, motionless. I turned around to see another one of his allies running towards me. He leapt towards me, or attempted to, but Joshua was much faster than him. He didn''t hesitate to fight dirty as he first tackled the guy, then once he was on the ground, sat on his back.


    "You look like a turtle in all that armour." He said with a grin.


    I chuckled ¨C I could see the resemnce as the guy tried to get up and failed hriously. Only when I heard an unusually loud ng did I turn to look at Erik and his opponent.


    "Oh,e on." Vincent shouted. "Again?"


    Erik nced at his opponent ¨C who was holding his nose as hey on the ground. "Stop bashing people with your shield!" Vincent shouted. "Seriously, you''ve got a sword for a reason!"


    The young pdin hesitated, then shrugged. "It works, doesn''t it?"


    "And Team Torchlight wins again." The announcer''s hesitant voice echoed in the silent coliseum.


    I shook my head. "Let''s just go." I turned my back to the silent crowd and passed through the metal gates. The others rushed after me, though they didn''t seem as happy as they didst time.


    "Kai?" Vincent called my name, ruching after me. "Hey, why aren''t you happy?"


    I sighed and slowed my steps. "This is supposed to be a tournament." I said. "You don''t bash people in the face with shields and you don''t sit on their backs and you don''t mock them in tournaments!" I tried to keep my voice calm, though I think I failed.


    "But-"


    "Don''t tell me it''s fine." I said harshly. "Did you hear any cheering just now?"


    "Well," He mumbled, but his voice faded. "What were we supposed to do, though?" He asked after a short moment of hesitation. "We can barely keep ourselves alive without our spells, we''re not like you."


    I shook my head. "I know that. Believe me I know but..." I sighed and gave up. "It''s fine, never mind me. It''s just old memories speaking."


    Despite my words, I couldn''t help but feel like we hadn''t won that match. Mother would have ¨C no. I wasn''t back home. I had to stop thinking of things like that.


    "Let''s just go back to the inn. We''ve got another match tomorrow."

 Chapter 83: Help Me With This, Please

    <h4>Chapter 83: Help Me With This, Please</h4>


    We arrived at the inn not too long after. It was still light out, so when we went inside and sat around one of the tables at the back of the room, the numbered customers stared at us for a short time.


    "So," Erik finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Good job today. Especially you, Kai. You made those battles seem easy."


    I didn''t say anything. I was still angry, despite knowing that I was being unreasonable. I pushed my chair back and stood up. "I''ll head out for a bit. Make sure you get plenty of rest for tomorrow." I said before leaving the confused group behind.


    I stepped onto the golden streets and headed to the city gates. I passed through the gates and as soon as I was out of view of the Ereth military, leapt into the air and flew towards the highest concentration of magic I could sense.


    It was time to level up some more. I needed more strength, more power if I were to protect Erik and the others. With clenched fists and an almost hateful expression, Inded in the middle of a monster''s nest. As tens of hungry eyes turned on me, a wicked mile formed on my lips.


    It was time to fight.


    A whileter, Asher''s voice echoed in my mind as I watched the setting sun. "So, you wreaked havoc right outside Baile Chailce and no one noticed?"


    I chuckled. "Well, I wasn''t close enough to the city to get noticed. Anyways, what did you want from me?" I asked. He had contacted me in the middle ofbat. Since I was trying to focus at the time, I had asked him to wait a little.


    "I heard about a pale man with white hair and purple eyes, utterly destroying his opponents in a particr tournament." I could almost hear his disapproval. "What the hell were you thinking, Kai?"


    I shrugged. "I was thinking that partaking in this tournament is a horrible idea. Erik and the others didn''t share my opinion."


    Silence followed my response. He only spoke after a few minutes had passed. "This is dangerous," He said as the setting sun dyed the sky crimson and purple. "It''s a risk, but we might be able to use this to our advantage." He continued. "The reward for the victors of this tournament is the support of the Ereth leaders. Do you know what that means?"


    I hesitated. I could hazard a guess. "Help, probably material and financial." I said after a moment.


    "Exactly. This is to show each party''s potential." He said with a grim tone. "They are deciding on who to support for their goal of killing the Demon Lord."


    I looked down from the branch I was sitting on. "You want me to win this."


    "Yes." Asher said. "I said I''d get out of here. Even if that means using you, and anyone else I meet. This is the best chance we''ll get ¨C the Ereth''s support will be game changing."


    He wasn''t wrong. While I didn''t approve of his methods ¨C such as kidnapping me ¨C we did share the same goal. And I''d have to be an idiot to think the Ereth''s support would be worthless.


    "I can''t." I said after a sigh. "Not as I am now."


    I could almost feel Asher''s confusion and surprise. "What do you mean?" He asked with some anger in his mental voice.


    "I need your help." I said as I opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 82 Soul Keeper | Exp: 5600/72000- - Souls 100/100 + 981- - Mana: 900


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 15 ¨C INT: 18 ¨C WIS: 17''


    As the pale blue text hovered in front of my eyes, I nced down. In fine text, it read ''Stat points avable: 241''


    "Tell me about stats." I said after taking a deep breath.


    Asher hesitated. "What do you want to know?" He asked.


    I drew a sharp breath. "If you were me, how would you allocate 241 stat points?"


    "What?" I could hear the confusion in his voice. "Well," He mumbled after a short while. "Let''s see..."


    His voice faded. I slowly breathed out. I hated the idea of artificially enhancing my body ¨C no, my avatar''s body. I shook my head. It was getting harder and harder to think of this body as an artificially created avatar. I knew, in my mind, that it was nothing more than a whole lot of code, but subconsciously, I had already gotten used to it.


    "I''d suggest Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom." Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "Tell me your stats."


    "15 Dexterity, 18 Intelligence, and 17 Wisdom." I replied as I nced at the pale blue text.


    "You don''t need strength." He said after a short while. "You''re too used to your avatar. Increasing your strength will only mess up your ability to fight. Same goes for constitution ¨C there''s no point in increasing it since you''ve got a healing skill already."


    I pondered for a moment before nodding. "Why dexterity?" I asked after a short moment had passed. "Will that not mess up my ability to fight as well?"


    "I doubt it." Asher replied. "Sure, you''ll be a bit faster, but nothing you''re not used to, thanks to that skill of yours. What was it... Fallen Grace?" he asked. I nodded, forgetting that he couldn''t see me.


    "So, what do I do?" I asked after a short while.


    "Before you decide on anything." Asher said with a more serious tone. "What made you decide to allocate your stat points? You were adamant about not using them."


    I flinched. He was right, I didn''t want to allocate them. It just felt... wrong. "Because if this tournament is the best chance we''ll get, then I can''t leave things to chance. So, can you help me with this?"


    I could almost imagine the smug grin on his face as he spoke. "Of course."

 Chapter 84: The Pale Demon

    <h4>Chapter 84: The Pale Demon</h4>


    "And now, time for the three-time victors, Team Torchlight, to take the stage again." The announcer''s voice echoed as the cheering of the crowd died down.


    With a deep breath, I stepped through the metal gates with Joshua, Vincent, and Erik in tow. As we walked on the hot sands under the midday sun, my eyes met with my opponent''s.


    We only had two opponents this time. One of them was a knight, wearing te armour, wielding a bastard sword. A red feather plume on his helmet fluttered in the wind.


    "You guys will take him on." I said as I directed my gaze on our other opponent. She was about as tall as me. Her pitch-ck eyes and dark purple skin weren''t even the most unusual things about her. A pair of elegant, ck horns were visible on her head. A thin, dark purple tail slithered in the sand behind her. She carried a sword in her right hand a dagger in her left.


    "Will it be Team Torchlight who win this match, or will the elegant and powerful Twilight Duo defeat this group of contestants?" The announcer''s voice echoed amongst the cheering. "Let the match begin!"


    As soon as his voice faded, both I and my dual wielding opponent dashed forward.


    Our swords shed mid air with a loud, clear ng. As soon as our des touched, I stepped back, narrowly avoiding a sneaky dagger strike she attempted.


    "That''s usually enough to get rid of most people." She said with an intoxicating voice. I was immediately reminded of Vixia ¨C though her voice was soft as silk, unlike this woman. A smile shed across my lips as I carefully circled her. "Are you really going to give me the silent treatment?" She asked with a fake frown.


    I dashed towards her once again. She flinched; she clearly didn''t expect me to strike first. Raising her sword to defend against mine, she turned her body a little to hide the movement of her left hand. I knew what she was trying to do, her bodynguage gave it away. Instead of allowing our des to meet, I feinted my thrust and turned into a sweep, aiming for her legs.


    With a surprised expression, she tumbled back just in time. I didn''t stop ¨C using my speed and agility to the fullest, I dashed towards her. My de was at her throat before she could even get up.


    "My win." I said coldly. "Give up."


    With clenched teeth, she nced behind me. Despite my curiosity, I knew that taking my eyes off her even for a short moment could spell my doom. I continued to re at her, until she finally dropped her weapons.


    I kicked both of them away, then looked at our other opponent.


    He was surrounded by Erik, Joshua, and Vincent. Despite being outnumbered, he didn''t seem to be having trouble dealing with them at all. As we watched, Erik swung his sword to the man''s neck, though he easily sidestepped it. Vincent dashed forward at the same time, probably hoping to catch him off guard.


    As he met with the sharp de of the bastard sword he threw himself aside just in time. Joshua didn''t even attempt to do anything ¨C he had already noticed that this man was a trained swordsman.


    I pulled my sword away from the woman''s throat and approached the others with slow, careful steps.


    "Erik," Despite my low voice, everyone stopped and looked at me. "Retreat." I said as my new opponent red at me.


    "A one on one?" He asked after a short moment. He tilted his head and nced at the woman I just defeated. I nodded. It was the proper way to do this. "Are you sure you can take me on your own?" He asked.


    I couldn''t help it as a wicked smile appeared on my face. I wasn''t the weakling I was before. He was nothing to me.


    "Easily." I replied, assuming a low, speed reliantbat stance. He looked at me for a second before chuckling. "Sure, you keep believing that."


    As soon as those words left his mouth, he dashed forward. He wasn''t too fast, but I could see the strength behind his every move. He raised his sword for an overhead strike, using his whole body to strengthen his blow. If I tried to block that, I''d end up with a broken arm or two.


    With swift and precise movements, I sidestepped his attack and easily moved out of his range. He calmly tried again, though this time it was a sweep to my legs. I leapt into the air as the sharp de approached. I saw his eyes widen through the narrow slit of his helmet. Without skipping a beat, I aimed for that slit with a thrust. He ducked just in time to keep his life. Inded on the ground as the red feathers of his plume scattered in the wind.


    "You-" He started to speak, but then his voice faded as he just barely blocked my relentless assault. Our des met again, and again as loud ngs echoed in the silent coliseum. Everyone was holding their breath as my opponent stepped back. Not intending to give him any time to breathe, I lowered my body and dashed towards him.


    "Gotcha!" He shouted as I came face to face with an armoured boot. My heart skipped a beat as time slowed down. I let myself fall on my knees as I twisted my upper body backwards. I felt the heel of his booth graze my forehead as I slid beneath it.


    The sharp pain disappeared as fast as it appeared, thanks to the adrenaline that kept my senses sharp. As soon as the danger had passed, I rolled forward, brushing past him as he tried to regain his bnce. As soon as I was behind him, I leapt back on my feet and hit his shiny helmet with the hilt of my sword.


    A loud ng apanied by his annoyed groan echoed. "You!" He shouted. I stepped back as he stumbled and wildly swung his sword. Staying just outside his reach, I carefully circled him. He was powerful, yet slow. His defences were nigh impossible to break, yet there was nothing he could do to defeat me.


    My lips slowly formed a wicked smile as I dashed forward. He blocked my strike with ease and tried to counterattack, but I easily moved back out of his reach again. If I had my scythe, this battle would have been over in seconds as its de would cut through his te armour like it were butter.


    We fought for a while, wordlessly. I moved in and out of his reach, constantly striking this helmet whenever I had a chance. I was searching for an opening ¨C a slit in his armour, something to let me draw a little bit of blood.


    I didn''t have to wait long as with his next overhead strike, I found what I was looking for. A tiny opening between his gloves and the armguard of his armour. A grin appeared on my face as I moved faster than he could react. My sword found its target with ease as I pierced the skin on his left wrist. He screamed in pain as red blood drops coloured the sand beneath our feet.


    As he stepped back, I motioned to attack again. He raised his guard with a shaky left hand. His entire posture had changed; I had already won, and he knew it.


    I let go of my sword and caught it with my left hand. As I pierced the skin on his right wrist, he dropped his sword and stepped back. "Stop! I lost!" He shouted.


    "And Team Torchlight ¨C no, the Pale Demon wins again!" The announcer''s voice was almost drowned by the cheering. I twirled my sword around my wrist to get rid of the few drops of blood on it, then let it disappear into my inventory.


    Without a single word, I passed through therge metal gates opening behind us.

 Chapter 85: The Silver Spears

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Silver Spears</h4>


    As the metal gates closed behind us, I leaned my back on the cold wall of the shadowy hallway and took a few deep breaths.


    "What the hell was that Kai?" Erik shouted wide eyed. "Did you use magic or something?"


    I shook my head. I wasn''t stupid enough to do that. "I used my stat points." I said as I moved away from the wall and headed to the room we were given.


    "You what?" Vincent asked wide eyed. "Wait, what did you dump them into?"


    I pushed the door to our room open and lowered myself on one of the benches. "Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence." I said with a faint smile. I summoned my interface as I spoke. As lines of pale blue text appeared before me, the others immediately crowded around me.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1800/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 864- - Mana: 1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    Silence covered the room as the group read the text. It was Joshua who broke the silence with a shriek. "No way, how many god damned stat points did you even have?"


    "Plenty." I said with a chuckle. "Anyways, I didn''t use any magic." I added, ncing at a dumbfounded Erik. He kept wordlessly staring to the pale blue text until I closed the interface.


    "Erik?" I waved my hand in front of his face. "Snap out of it."


    "Oh, uh, sorry." He mumbled and nced at the others. "I can''t be the only one who thinks those stats are ridiculous." Joshua shrugged, while Vincent nodded. "Yeah, they''re a bit... unbnced."


    "What do you mean?" I asked as I took my sword from my inventory and carefully cleaned the few drops of blood still remaining on it.


    "Well, usually stats are distributed more or less equally." Vincent exined hesitantly. "You have no constitution and no strength at all, but your dexterity and two magic rted stats are basically through the roof. Why?"


    "If I tried to be a jack of all trades, I''d fail at everything. The entire reason there are parties is so that everyone can specialise on only one, maybe two things. Am I wrong?" I asked. We''d talked about this with Asher plenty. And I knew that despite his smug attitude and controlling behaviour, he was the most knowledgeable person around when it came to game mechanics.


    "You''re not wrong but... Don''t you think it''s a bit risky? Not increasing your constitution, I mean." Erik asked.


    I chuckled. "No, I''ll be fine, don''t worry." I lowered my gaze to my sword. "Let''s focus on winning the tournament." I said with a smile.


    "Howe you''re so invested in this?" Erik asked after a moment of hesitation. "You were against even joining it."


    A smile shed across my face. "It reminds me of good times. Come on," I said as I got up. Before they could ask what was going on, someone knocked on the door. Shortly after, the same Ereth who brought us here gently opened the door.


    "Your next match will begin shortly. Please, follow me." When he nced at me, our eyes met. I nodded, then looked at the other three. "Let''s go."


    "How...?" Vincent began to ask, then gave up and shook his head.


    The Ereth led us to the huge metal gate. As we walked, he once again stopped me by my arm. "The crowd liked yourst performance. Keep that up," He said with what I assumed was a smile. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. "And you''ll win our leader''s favour."


    I flinched. "I hope they like what they see." I said, forcing myself to keep a calm voice.


    He smirked, then left me standing and headed back. As he disappeared in the shadows of the long hallway, I rushed to where the others were waiting.


    "What was that all about now?" Erik asked. "What''s going on?"


    "He just told me to keep the crowd happy. So," I red at him and Joshua. "No sitting on people''s backs, ok?"


    Vincent rolled his eyes with a sigh as Joshua grinned. "I''ll try my best." He said jokingly. "Let''s see who we''re up against now."


    We didn''t have to wait long, as the metal gates soon opened, revealing an empty arena. As soon as we stepped out of the shadows, the crowd started cheering.


    "And once again, we wee Team Torchlight and their Pale Demon into the arena!" The announcer''s voice prompted only more cheering. "And their opponents, the Silver Spears!"


    The gates across the sandy arena slowly creaked open. Four women stepped out of the shadowy hall. They wore white clothes, just like everyone else in this city. They all carried spears and I could see daggers hanging in their sheathes on their hips. As they walked across the sands, I narrowed my eyes.


    "Astrid?" I whispered, looking at one of the women. She''d cut her hair short and was definitely wearing make up, which threw me off a little, but it was definitely her. "Wait, wasn''t she a dagger user?" I asked, ncing at her spear.


    Erik and Joshua shrugged, while Vincent nodded. "Yeah, and she was somewhat good with it too. How do we take them on Kai?"


    I nced at the other women. Astrid was not the most dangerous person here. My eyes met with our other opponent, the one who seemed to be their leader. She wore her green hair in a ponytail. Tall and confidant, her posture was enough to make me be wary of her.


    "I''ll take the green haired one. Remember, fight to live." I warned them.


    "And now, thest match of the day is upon us!" The announcers voice was apanied by the cheering crowd. "Let us see, which team will emerge victorious! Fight!"


    I lowered my body and dashed forward, leaving a trail of sand behind me. As my sword''s de shed with my opponent''s spear, a smile slowly formed on my face.


    I could win this.

 Chapter 86: Shivering Hands

    <h4>Chapter 86: Shivering Hands</h4>


    Under normal circumstances, she would be forcing me to stay on the defensive, since she had the range advantage with her nearly two-meter-long spear.


    The circumstances, however, were nothing even close to normal. As soon my de met her spear, I pushed her back a little. Our weapons locked, she responded to my smile with a grin and used all of her strength to push me back.


    As soon as I felt that pressure, I pulled my de back, turned my body and stepped aside. My opponent stumbled by me with the force of her push as I corrected my posture and rushed after her. I struck the shaft of her spear, then quickly stepped back to avoid her wild sweep. I went back in as soon as the danger had passed. With a surprised shriek, she somehow blocked my continued strikes while slowly retreating.


    Vincent''s pained scream pulled my attention. I stepped back to nce to my right, where hey on the ground with the tip of Astrid''s spear leaning against his neck.


    "I admit defeat!" He shouted, as loud as possible. The crowd cheered for Astrid as I clenched my teeth. His shout was a smart move, the crowd knew he''d given up, so if anyone wanted to harm or kill him now, they couldn''t defend themselves by iming he was still in the fight.


    "Not smiling now, are you?" My green haired opponent asked as she regained her bnce. I nced at the other two who were still fighting. Erik was holding off his opponent ¨C she still hadn''t figured out a way to get past his tower shield ¨C but I didn''t imagine that was a fight he could win. Joshua was busy dodging his opponent''s strikes ¨C he didn''t seem to be in a good position.


    "Oh hey! You''re that guy!" Astrid shouted suddenly as she pointed at me with her spear. "Mary, he''s the guy I was telling you about. Don''t take him lightly."


    I tightly grasped the hilt of my sword. "Hey Astrid." I carefully stepped away from them. I didn''t want to take them both on at once. "d to see you''re still alive."


    "Well," She shrugged. "I can say the same to you." She narrowed her eyes and nced at my sword. "I don''t suppose you''d, uh... surrender, would you?" She asked.


    I chuckled. "No," I said ncing at Joshua and Erik. "Not a chance." I twirled my sword around my wrist. I had to take one of them out quickly ¨C before Joshua or Erik lost their battles.


    "Thought so." She said with a shrug, then nced at Mary. "Be wary of him."


    "Yeah, yeah." My green haired opponent mumbled. She pointed her spear at me. "Here wee!"


    As soon as those words left her mouth, I dashed towards her.


    The sound of metal, hitting metal echoed in the arena. As soon as our weapons touched, I moved aside to dodge Astrid''s spear. It felt as if time had slowed down ¨C I could see each of their movements clearly. I moved a single step aside and allowed Mary''s spear to harmlessly swing past me.


    As a smile appeared on my lips, I blocked their next attacks with ease. The results of increased stats were clear as day ¨C without such enhanced senses, I''d never be able to move like I did now. I never be able to read their movements as urately as now. Dodging their strikes was almost child''s y.


    But I wasn''t one to toy with his opponent. With a sharp breath, I dashed past Astrid and stepped behind Mary. Before she could even react, I hit the back of her neck with the hilt of my sword. She copsed on the ground silently, leaving Astrid alone to face me.


    "Want to keep going?" I asked with that same smile. She stepped back, wide eyed. "You weren''t this fast!" She shouted. I shook my head before dashing towards her.


    She shrieked and just barely stopped my thrust. Despite that, I didn''t stop my relentless assault. As my de hit the shaft of her spear again and again, I continued to push her back. With each step she retreated, the crowd shouted and cheered more. After a few seconds of continued strikes, I attempted and overhead strike. Astrid raised her guard to block it.


    I silently dropped my sword from my right hand, caught it with my left and with a swift strike from the left, wounded her arm.


    "I''d suggest you give up." I said as she dropped her spear, stumbled back, and shot a horrified look at her bleeding arm. "It''s just a cut," I said with a shrug. "Nothing that''ll kill you." I pointed the tip of my sword to her. "Do you admit defeat?" I asked coldly.


    She nodded.


    I said nothing, since even if I did, my words would be lost amidst the cheering. Instead, I nced at the others. Vincent had retreated to the metal gate ¨C he sat on the sand cross legged.


    Erik continued to stay behind his shield, blocking everything. Not once did he attempt to strike his opponent. As I watched, a sour expression formed on my face. What was the point of wanting to join a tournament if he wasn''t actually going to fight?


    A loud ng and a woman''s scream sounded from my left. I quickly directed my attention there, only to see Joshua kicking his opponent in the stomach. As soon as she lost her bnce, he lunged forward and rammed her with his shoulder. She fell on the ground with a thud and soon found herself staring at Joshua''s dagger.


    "I give up!" She shouted. Joshua grinned, stood up and nced at me. I couldn''t help but smile ¨C this couldn''t have been an easy match for him. He had somehow ovee both his range disadvantage and the experience gap between him and his opponent.


    I once again directed my gaze to Erik; he still hadn''t attempted to do anything but defend. With a sigh, I approached him and his opponent. They were so focused on their battle that neither of them noticed me approach.


    "I''d suggest you give up." I said, just loud enough for her to hear me. She flinched, jumped back, and looked at me, then at her three defeated friends.


    I noticed her expression harden and her grasp on her weapon tighten. Without even a moment of hesitation, I pointed my sword to her. "Unless you want to fight me."


    "Sorry, Mnie." Astrid shouted. "But there wasn''t much we could do anyways."


    Mnie hesitated, then dropped her weapon. "Well this was boring," She said, ncing at Erik. He grinned and shrugged.


    "And Team Torchlight wins yet again!" The announcer''s voice sounded as the metal gates behind us creaked open. I retreated into the shadowy hall, away from the cheering spectators'' eyes.


    "Man, this was fun!" Joshua said as the gates slowly closed. "I didn''t get to see what everyone else did. How did Kai do?" He asked, ncing at his brother.


    "Well," Vincent grinned. "Let''s just say you looked like a turtlepared to him."


    I couldn''t help butugh ¨C this banter somehow helped alleviate all the stage fright. "Well, let''s get you two healed up." I said, ncing at the Kestler brothers'' wounds. "You look like you fell on some needles again, Joshua."


    Erikughed, then shook his head. "Man, I''m d we joined the tournament."


    I hid my frown and looked away.


    "Excuse me." A voice sounded from the side. A woman stood in the shadows of the halls. As soon as I saw her, my mind nked for a moment.


    She nced at me with a weak smile, then approached us. I could see her hands shaking. "Are you two Vincent and Joshua?"

 Chapter 87: Challenged Authority

    <h4>Chapter 87: Challenged Authority</h4>


    "Erik,e on." I said as I lightly grabbed his arm and dragged him away before anyone could try and stop me. "We''ll be back at the inn." I said to the Kestler brothers.


    "Hey, Kai, stop!" He said as I dragged him outside. "What''s going on?" He finally grabbed my wrist and shook me off. I could see the anger in his eyes.


    "Rx, Erik." I said as I pulled my hand away. "She''s no danger to them. Let them talk privately."


    Erik flinched. "What?" He whispered. I nced around us ¨C we were standing right outside the coliseum.


    "Come on, I''ll tell you all about it." I said as I tilted my head towards the street. "Let''s go back to the inn." I didn''t want to cause a scene in the middle of the city and the matter was somewhat private.


    Erik relented after a few seconds. "We should wait for Alina and Samantha though." He said, ncing at the coliseum entrance. I nodded; this was something they had to know as well.


    We didn''t have to wait long as the two girls soon stepped out of the coliseum gates. As soon as they saw us, Alina''s expression lighted up. She showed us a beautiful smile as she ran towards us.


    "Oh my god, Kai!" She said taking my hand in hers. "That was amazing! You were so fast; they didn''t stand a chance against you!"


    "Thanks, Alina. But they were fairly strong in their own right." I said with a smile.


    "Let''s go." Erik''s cold voice sounded.


    I flinched. His demeanour had changed so suddenly. I had noticed it happen before too, but today it was a lot more obvious. I considered asking if something was wrong for a moment, but then decided otherwise.


    "Where are Vincent and Joshua?" Samantha asked as we walked back to the inn. "Are they ok? They were both wounded a little. Vincent even more so." She said with a worried expression.


    "They''re fine." I said with a faint smile. "They''re meeting someone."


    Despite my words, I couldn''t help but worry. Honestly, I hadn''t expected Victoria to take my words seriously. I didn''t think she''d actuallye to meet them. And now that she had, I couldn''t help but wonder ¨C did she have another agenda?


    Before I even noticed, we had arrived at the inn. We stepped inside and took our ce around a table in the back. Erik ordered us some drinks, though I chose to not have anything alcoholic.


    "So," He said leaning forward on the table. "Who was she?"


    As soon as he said that Alina and Samantha''s ears perked up as soon as the words left Erik''s mouth.


    I took a deep breath. "She''s Victoria Kestler. Their cousin." I had to pause as a young local brought our drinks. We thanked him, and once he was out of earshot distance, I continued.


    "She owns a rather well-known store here in the city," I started to exin. Naturally, I left out all the parts involving Asher, instead saying that I stumbled upon her shop while exploring the city. Erik, Samantha, and Alina listened to me with varying expressions.


    "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Erik asked after I finished. I flinched as I noticed his expression ¨C his eyes were filled with anger. "You should have told me, Kai." He hissed through his clenched teeth.


    I felt my body tense up as I met his re. "Because this is about their family, first and foremost." I replied. "I have no right to interfere, and neither do you. Let them have their reunion in peace."


    Erik clenched his fists. "No, I do have the right to interfere. I am the leader of our group; I am trying to keep each and every one of you alive. I need to know what''s going on if I am to do my job!"


    I drew a sharp breath. "What?" I asked quietly. "You''re not-" I stopped myself before I said something too hurtful. "Erik, just let them have a little bit of time alone with their family. If I thought she''d harm them, I wouldn''t have let them meet her alone."


    "I''m so happy for them." Alina said with a soft voice. She nced at Erik with a somewhat confused expression. "Why are you so hung up on this?"


    "I''m not." The young pdin said through his clenched teeth. "Kai, there''s something I need to take care of. Why don''t youe with?"


    I sighed. "Sure," I nced at Samantha and Alina. "Can you let the others know when theye back?" The girls nodded.


    I followed an impatient Erik outside. "So," I said after a moment of silence. "Where are we going?"


    With clenched fists, he walked down the street, towards the city gates. I knew what wasing ¨C I could even name a few things he was probably going to shout at me in theing minutes. As we silently passed through the gates, I couldn''t help but sigh a breath of relief. Seeing the green grass on the ground, the colourful flowers and the massive forest stretching before me was rxing, despite the situation I was in.


    We walked amongst the woods for a while. Eventually, once we were out of view and a ways away from the city gates, Erik stopped in his tracks.


    "What are you trying to aplish, Kai?" He asked with clenched fists. "Why are you trying to undermine my authority?" He was shouting.


    I forced myself to stay calm, though it was proving to be challenging. "I am not trying to undermine your authority. I told you everything, haven''t I?"


    "Stop lying!" He shouted. His face twisted with an ugly expression. "What the hell do you want from me? Why can''t you just let me do what I always do?"


    I flinched. "Erik, what on earth are you talking about?" I asked. His stupid assumptions and insecurities were clouding his judgement. "I don''t want anything from you! All I care about is getting the hell out of this ce. Getting all of us out of this ce!" I realised that I was shouting after the fact.


    For short while, we stared at each other in heavy silence. Eventually, it was Erik who spoke through his gritted teeth. "Then why are you always in the spotlight?"


    I shrugged. "Maybe it''s because I get stuff done." While I didn''t intend to hurt him, I didn''t regret saying what I said.


    His eyes red up as he summoned his sword and shield from his inventory.


    "Does that mean that I don''t?" He shouted, pointing his sword to me.

 Chapter 88: Enough

    <h4>Chapter 88: Enough</h4>


    "Fight me!" He shouted as he rushed towards me with his shield raised and his de ready.


    I flinched; I could see the wrath in his eyes. He was genuinely angry. As he drew near, I nced around. I did not want to fight him. Wasn''t there anything I could use to avoid this?


    With a twisted expression, he raised his sword as he finally reached me. I rolled to the side and took a few steps back, putting some distance between us. "Don''t be ridiculous, Erik." I said in a futile attempt to calm him down.


    "I''ve had enough!" He shouted as he red at me and dashed towards me again. As I glimpsed the sunlight reflecting off of his deadly de, my instincts took over. My scythe materialised in my hands as I turned my body to the side a little. As the young pdin approached me, I swung my scythe.


    The dark, cold metal shaft of my scythe met his de. A clear ng echoed in the forest as I easily stopped his charge. I red at him as I held the shaft of my scythe with my right hand. "Stop this, Erik." I said as I felt power rushing through my body.


    I knew this feeling; it was same thing I felt when I used Fallen Grace. I raised my left had as magic gathered in my hand. A me made of pure darkness appeared in my palm as my heartbeat quickened. Had I just used my skills without the help of the interface?


    "I''m sick of this!" Erik shouted as his shield let out a golden shine. I jumped back just in time as his shield emitted a shockwave. "I was the one they looked up to! I was the one they came to for advice and protection. I was the one she thanked and admired!"


    I flinched. Was this about... Alina?


    Before I could say anything, he lunged at me again. Lightning crackled on his sword as his entire body let out a golden shine, though it had a hint of red in it.


    "Erik!" I shouted as my de met his. "Stop it you idiot!" Was he seriously fighting me over Alina? Did she mean so much to him? Or did I mean so little? "I''m not trying to rece you!"


    My words did nothing to quell his wrath. As his sword left a trail of crackling lightning behind, I narrowly avoided his swings. As I watched him try to strike me down, consumed by his anger, I couldn''t help but feel wrath building up inside me as well.


    "Enough!" I shouted as fire erupted from me, sending Erik flying back. As he hit the ground, I summoned my wings. I walked towards him, scythe in hand, leaving a trail of ck crimson mes behind me.


    "I am not trying to rece you." I said, speaking each word clearly. The young man''s face twisted with a mix of anger and fear. "But I''m sick of how you treat me. Do this again and I''m done with all of you."


    I didn''t wait for him to say anything. Instead, with a powerful beat of my wings, I took to the skies.


    Aimlessly, I flew through the sky. My heart burned with anger. It was consuming me; I couldn''t focus on anything else.


    "Kai," Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "Listen, there''s something you need to know."


    "Not now." I responded as I folded my wings a bit. The wind pulled at my clothes as I approached the ground with a dangerous speed. I stretched my wings wide moments before I hit the trees.


    "What happened?" Asher asked after a few moments passed. "Are you unsatisfied with what you did with your stat points?"


    Iughed. I almost wished that were the case. "No." I replied as I once again climbed to the sky. "Anyways," I forced myself to calm down, though that was no easy task. "What did you want to tell me?"


    I could sense Asher''s hesitation. "Asher?" I insisted.


    He only replied after a while. "I found out something about the gods." He said. "They are the ruling caste of the Ereth society."


    I flinched. "What does that mean to us?" I asked after a short moment. Ever since Vixia said something about Rohir being a vindictive old man, I had guessed they weren''t just abstract beings, but I didn''t expect them to be so present in the daily lives of the Ereth.


    "It means you have to be careful." Asher said. "If my guesses are right, they will not want to let the Keeper of Souls out of their sight. Do not let them know what you are."


    I nodded. He wasn''t wrong, the Keeper of Souls did seem to have a special importance to the Ereth, though I couldn''t hazard a guess as to why. "I don''t know how long I can keep it from them though." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "The Ereth at the gate already know since I had to show my status panel before I was allowed to enter the city."


    Asher remained silent for a while. I beat my wings with a steady rhythm while looking for a good spot tond. "You need to win that tournament. No matter what, Kai."


    I furrowed my brows. "Is there something I don''t know about?" His wording added a sense of urgency to his words. Why was he so adamant about this?


    "I don''t think we have too long before the demons decide to do something. Everything is lining up too nicely. Demon sightings in the farthest reaches of the Ereth-controllednds, the tournament..." He hesitated. "I believe an invasion will soon begin."


    I flinched as I slowlynded on a small hill. "You think the demons will attack?" I asked. I shivered at the thought of having to fight beings as powerful as Vixia. "We wouldn''t stand a chance on our own." I said after a short moment.


    "Indeed. Which is why I have some more information for you." I could almost hear the smug grin he probably had on his face right now.


    "What is it?" I asked with a t voice. I wasn''t even sure if I wanted to have any informationing from him. Though, his next words were enough to convince me.


    "I found out where the primal core of water is."

 Chapter 89: Wrath

    <h4>Chapter 89: Wrath</h4>


    My heartbeat quickened as his voice reached my mind. I still remembered the power of the primal core of fire vividly. Even now, I could feel it whenever I summoned my wings or used my mes, I could sense it within me.


    "Where?" I asked, my voice filled with excitement and anticipation. The power I''d gain from it, I couldn''t help but feel thrilled as I imagined it.


    "I''ll let you know soon." He said slowly.


    "What? No, tell me now." I said, irritated. "Where is it?" I needed that power ¨C now.


    "Be patient. You still have a tournament to win, remember?" His calm voice did nothing but annoy me. "Then, we''ll meet up and I''ll help you get it."


    "Just tell me now." I insisted, clenching my fists. "The next battle is in two days. I have more than enough time." I could fly there, get the core, ande back. My wings gave me that ability, it was stupid not to take advantage of it.


    "No," Asher said. I flinched; his harsh voice sent a chill down my spine. "Focus on the tournament. Don''t get ahead of yourself."


    I gritted my teeth. Why was he trying to hold me back? "Asher, just tell me. I don''t have time for your games."


    "I said no. You''re angry, I can feel it. It''s eating you up. You''re not fit to get your hands on the primal core of water. Calm yourself down, win the tournament and then we''ll get it." As soon as hisst words reached my mind, I felt the connection sever.


    "Damn it!" I punched the tree I was standing next to. Naturally, pain shot up my arm. With a pained moan, I nced at my bleeding fist. I leaned my back on the tree and sunk into the ground.


    What the hell was I doing? I was so pissed off ¨C I just wanted to destroy something. I took deep breaths to try and calm myself down.


    I stayed there for a while. Long enough for the blood on my hand to dry. Long enough for the sun to approach the horizon and dye the sky crimson and purple.


    Only when darkness began to envelop this world did I force myself to get up. I took to the skies again, this time with controlled anger. We had no match tomorrow. It was a good chance to do some grinding outside the city walls. It was a good chance to let loose a little.


    Inded not too far away from the city gates and walked the rest of the way. I didn''t want the Ereth to know about my ability to fly. As I approached the gate, my steps slowed down. There was a crowd waiting. Both Ereth and other local races had lined up at the gate. The Ereth guards were checking each person before allowing them entry.


    Hesitant, I approached the crowd. I could spot some human looking people there. Assuming they were other yers, I decided to stay a bit farther away from them. Instead, I approached the Ereth guards.


    "Please show your identification." The seemingly tired man said with a t voice. I quickly summoned my status panel and showed him my name. He checked it for a moment before gesturing me to enter the city. I thanked him, then stepped on the golden streets.


    The bustling streets were filled with people. People who wore clothes that weren''t just white and golden. Finally, I wasn''t the only one being stared at for my green clothes. Despite that thought, I couldn''t help but feel anxious. Why had so many peoplee to Baile Chailce?


    I remembered Asher''s words. Was this about the demon sightings in the outskirts of Ereth controlled territory? Were people fleeing? Had an invasion begun?


    "Asher!" I called out to him. I waited a short moment for a response, but all I heard was silence. "Asher, something is going on in Baile Chailce. People are flooding into the city ¨C do you know why they are all here?"


    Once again, all I got was silence. Annoyed, I hurried to the inn. Maybe Alina and Samantha had a clue.


    I somehow made my way to the inn, despite the massive amount of people on the streets. I nervously opened the door of the white building and stepped inside the inn. I was half expecting the inn to bepletely filled up with travellers - I was d to be wrong.


    "Kai!" It was Alina''s voice that called my name. I looked around and spotted her all the way in the back of the room. She and Samantha were still sitting at the table. I hurried towards them, I couldn''t see Erik, Vincent, or Joshua anywhere.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked as soon as I reached the table. Both girls'' eyes were red. Had they cried?


    "Viges are being attacked by rampant beasts." Samantha exined. "Stonepatch vige was also attacked." She sniffed and shook her head. "Kai, I''m worried about Alex and Rina. What if something happened to them?"


    I flinched. Those two women weren''t easy targets to take down, but they weren''t all powerful. I considered flying there for a moment, could I make it in time?


    "I''m also worried about Vince and Josh." Alina said. I flinched, had they not returned yet?


    "Where is Erik?" Samantha asked.


    Too many things, too many questions... I was being overwhelmed. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.


    "I don''t know about Erik. I''ll check on Vincent and Joshua now. Can you two wait here in case any of them return?" They both nodded as I pushed myself up and rushed to the door.


    My heart racing, I sprinted to Victoria''s shop. Had she done something? Were they in danger?


    As I reached the green, grass covered garden, I spotted the door of the building slowly creak open. The butler from before stepped outside with a tired expression. He paused when he saw me, then chuckled as I approached.


    "Sir Kai, I guessed you''de here." He said with a respectful nod.


    I forced myself to remember his name. "Thomas," I said as it popped into my mind. "Has Lady Victoria brought two young men over? Their names are Vincent and Joshua."


    He nodded. "They are currently having tea. Follow me please, I''m sure all of them will be delighted to see you."


    I doubted that''d be the case, but still, I thanked him. He led me inside, up the stairs to the room I had talked with Victoria in just a few days ago. He knocked on the door twice, then pushed it open.


    "Ah," Vincent''s voice sounded as I stepped inside. I heard the door close behind me.


    "Kai," Victoria said softly. "I''m d you''re here. Join us, there are things happening that you should also know about."

 Chapter 90: Gears in Motion

    <h4>Chapter 90: Gears in Motion</h4>


    "Demons weren''t spotted?" I asked in surprise after Victoria finished speaking. "Then what about the reports that im they did?"


    She shrugged. "I don''t know." She nced at the Kestler brothers who were sitting on the couch. "My people have checked the ces and none of them could confirm what the reports said. All they imed to have seen was an increase of wildlife. Rampaging beasts, signs that creatures of legend have started to wake up." She nced at me as her lips formed a smile. "Such as that phoenix you killed."


    I flinched. The phoenix Vixia had defeated was indeed a creature of legend, but it hadn''t just woken up ¨C it was simply cursed by an Ereth god, Rohir.


    "What do you think is happening?" Vincent chimed in. "If its not demons, does that mean we have another enemy?"


    Victoria shook her head and fiddled with her long, maroon hair. "I don''t think it''s as simple as that," She replied. "I think there''s something else going on behind the scenes. Something the Ereth aren''t telling us." Her ominous words left a bad taste my mouth. She was right ¨C something felt off.


    I took a deep breath. "You''re right." I nced at Vincent and Joshua. "I''ll head to Stonepatch Vige now ¨C Rina and Alex might be in danger. I want to make sure they''re fine. I''ll probably be back before the next match. If I''m not..." I hesitated. "I''ll be back." I finally said. I was not going to die. Not now, not after everything I''d been through.


    "Be careful." Vincent warned me after a moment''s hesitation. "Things may have changed ¨C the path might be more dangerous."


    I nodded. Any number of rampaging beasts could have taken over areas along the road. Even the skies could be filled with danger.


    "What about Erik?" Victoria suddenly asked. I paused. How much did I want to tell her? How much did I trust her?


    "We had an argument," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "So, I''d appreciate if you could keep an eye on him. I don''t think he wants to see me for a while." I looked at my hands. I somewhat regretted using my mes against the young pdin.


    "What happened?" Joshua asked, leaning forward. I could see the glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.


    "It''s nothing," I said with a sigh. "Nothing but a misunderstanding." I shook my head. While our argument ¨C no, our fight ¨C troubled me greatly, I didn''t have time to worry about it now. I had to focus on those who might be in danger.


    I pushed myself up and nced at Victoria. "Can I count on you to keep the girls safe while I''m gone?" I asked. While our rtionship consisted of threatening each other, I knew she cared about Vincent and Joshua. She wouldn''t let anything happen to their friends, especially since they''re innocent.


    "Of course. Try toe back alive." She said with a faint smile. I chuckled, then motioned to the door.


    "Kai, hang on." Vincent shot up and hurried after me. "Let mee with you to the city gates."


    "Sure," I said, somewhat confused. Did he want to talk about something in private?


    After bidding farewell to Victoria and Joshua, we left the room. As we made our way to the city gates, Vincent remained silent. Only once we were out of the city ¨C and out of the view of Ereth guards did he finally speak.


    "Thanks, Kai." He said with a low voice. "Victoria told us about what you did. She said she''d never have contacted us if you hadn''t forced her hand."


    I smiled. "Anyone would have done the same. I''m d you three have found each other." I nced at the sky. The sun had set; it was already dark out. "I have to hurry if I''m to make it back in time Vincent. Take care of the others for me, would you?" I asked as I summoned my wings.


    "You take care of yourself," He said with a faint smile. "We''ll be fine."


    Iughed. "See you in two days."


    With those words, I leapt into the air. As my massive wings carried me to the sky, I adjusted my bearing. With my wings beating with a steady rhythm, I soared through the sky.


    Soon, I felt the exhaustion set in as my muscles started to burn and my body to ache. I focused ¨C could I do it again? Suddenly, a burst of magic spread through my body. My wings, seemingly caught on fire, left a trail of embers behind them. As Fallen Grace enhanced my body even further, I felt the wind hitting my face strengthen. With anger burning within my heart and worry filling my mind, I flew towards Stonepatch Vige.


    Hours passed. I could hear nothing but the blowing wind and the rhythmic beat of my wings. I nced at my hands ¨C was I strong enough to take on anything that was powerful enough to threaten Rina and Alex?


    I couldn''t answer that with a yes. With a sigh, I summoned my interface and nced at my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 65000/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 889- - Mana:1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    I nced down, where more text could be seen.


    ''Skill points avable: 60 ¨C New skills unlocked''


    I hadn''t given any skill points to any new skills in a very long while. It was mostly due to all these new skills being mostly useless ¨C I didn''t need a mass heal that required me to stand still as I cast it. Same for this ''Ritual of the Night'' thing. Summoning darkness that blinded me too wasn''t very sensible in the thick of battle.


    I scoured the list, hoping to find at least something useful. I needed more power. Long minutes passed as I looked in vain. Eventually, I gave up. I probably had to wait for level 100 before anything useful popped up. That was when my power would grow significantly.


    A sudden pain cut through my mind. I let out a shout as I barely managed to stay in the air. It felt as if something had cut into my arm. The pain disappeared as soon as it appeared ¨C I almost thought I was hallucinating.


    But this was no hallucination ¨C that pain was real. But I wasn''t the one it belonged to.


    "Asher!" I shouted into his mind. "What the hell happened?"

 Chapter 91: Those We Lose

    <h4>Chapter 91: Those We Lose</h4>


    A painstakingly long silence followed my words. I nced towards Stonepatch vige, then towards the old demonic ruins we''d explored with Asher. Even if I tried to make my way there now, I''d never make it in time!


    I stopped in the air, conflicted. Was I going after Asher, or was I going to Rina and Alex? I clenched my teeth; I couldn''t forsake any of them ¨C I had to help them somehow.


    I felt a faint connection form in the back of my mind. "I''m fine." Asher''s weak voice sounded. "Some beasts attacked the fort. I wasn''t prepared ¨C they caught me off guard." I could sense the pain he was in.


    "I''m ¨C I think ¨C two hours away. Do you need my help?" I asked as worry filled my mind.


    "No. I''m wounded, but nothing I can''t heal." He hesitated. "I''ll borrow some of your mana." As soon as he said that, I felt my mana drain through our mental connection. Somewhat worried, I nced at my status panel. I watched as the numbers representing my mana diminished.


    "Thanks," He said after a short while. I had about five hundred mana left by then. It was enough to get me to Stonepatch Vige. "Why aren''t you in Baile Chailce?" He asked after a short moment.


    I sighed. "Because I''m worried about Alex and Rina," I replied as I once again set off. "There were some reports of rampaging beasts. I wanted to check on them ¨C help them if I can."


    He hesitated. I knew what he was thinking ¨C the tournament. Only a couple of matches remained before the finale and whoever won that would be favoured by the Ereth. Naturally, he didn''t want me to miss my chance to win. "Fine," He said after a while. "Be careful, don''t let your guard down, and make it back in time for your next match."


    "I know. I''ll let you know of what I find out." I hesitated. "Stay alive, Asher." As soon as my words reached his mind, I heard his chuckle. He severed the connection without a single other word.


    I couldn''t help butugh, partly because I was relieved that he was fine and partly because I had expected him to act like that. He was bing predictable, even if only a little.


    As bright colours started to bleed into the night sky, I spotted buildings in the distance. Stonepatch Vige slowly entered my view.


    I drew a sharp breath as I looked over the settlement. The buildings were damaged ¨C I could see broken walls and copsed roofs. Rubble and ash covered the streets. My heart racing with worry, Inded at the edge of the small settlement.


    It was only when I stepped on the damaged streets that I realised the damage wasn''t as bad as it looked from the sky. Yes, most roofs were damaged, and some buildings hadrge holes in the walls, but it wasn''t as bad as I feared it''d be. All buildings were still standing, I could even see light in most windows.


    As I slowly walked on the streets, I spotted a familiar figure in the distance. A one-winged Ereth was sifting through the rubble, seemingly looking for something. As I approached, he lifted his head and looked at me.


    "You''re alive," He said with a bitter smile. I flinched. "Luhen?" I asked as I saw the wounds covering his arms. "What happened?" He already had countless scars before, now he looked in even worse shape.


    His smile faded as he nced at the sky. "We don''t belong here." He whispered and shook his head. "And neither do those that came with you." I flinched. Was he talking about the other yers?


    "Those two girls saved us." He continued, ncing towards the inn. "And the others like them, though some of them didn''t make it."


    I drew a sharp breath. Had people died? "Alex and Rina, where are they?" I asked with panic in my voice. He tilted his head towards thergest building in the vige ¨C the guild.


    "Thanks!" I said. Fallen Grace filled my muscles with power as I dashed towards the guild. The usual Ereth guards weren''t there, instead, an old local sat by the stairs at the door. He flinched as he saw me. "Keeper!" He whispered. "He''s here!" He shouted suddenly. "The Keeper of Souls is here!"


    With a pale face, he ran inside. I hadn''t even gotten the chance to say anything.


    Soon, a familiar figure stepped outside. "Kai?" Rina''s tired voice sounded. Her clothes were burnt and torn, she had scratches and wounds all over her arms. She looked terrible. "Kai you''re alive!" She shouted with teary eyes and ran up to me for a hug.


    "I''m so d you''re ok." She whispered. "I was so worried!" Her voice cracked. After letting her hug me for a bit, I gently pulled myself away.


    "I was worried about you and Alex too." I said with a soft voice. "I''m sorry I couldn''t be here before." I nced at the building. "Where is Alex? And how are your sisters?"


    Rina flinched. "Come," She said and slowly walked inside. My heartbeat quickened. Alex couldn''t have died... could she? No, that woman was ridiculously strong, nothing could kill her. I refused to believe it.


    The interior of the guild hall was turned into an emergency shelter and hospital. Makeshift beds were lined up by the walls and most, if not all of them were full.


    "We weren''t prepared." Rina said as we walked towards the back. I nced at the wounded ¨C some were simple wounds, nothing that would prove deadly with a little care, but others... They seemed barely alive. "We mounted a defence as soon as we noticed the horde of beastsing our way, but it wasn''t enough." She nced at a young woman lying unconscious on a bed. The cloth bandages that were used to quell the flow of blood had a red tint to them. She needed medical attention ¨C now.


    "Alex and I gathered the other yers and defended the northern side of the vige." Rina said with a bitter voice. "We somehow made it out alive ¨C both of us. But many others died," her voice faded as we arrived at the back room. I drew a sharp breath.


    The crystal that protected the vige from demons, the crystal that gave the Ereth their power ¨C it was in pieces.


    Then, I spotted Alex. She sat on the ground. A young girl sat by her. I followed their teary gazes.


    My heart broke as I saw the body, covered with a clean, white sheet.

 Chapter 92: A Breath of Life

    <h4>Chapter 92: A Breath of Life</h4>


    I had no words.


    I couldn''t see the body itself, but from the sight of it, it looked like it belonged to a young girl. Too young.


    "Alex," Rina said quietly, kneeling down by the tall woman. "Kai is here." She said, gently touching the grieving woman''s shoulder.


    Alex flinched and looked at Rina. Though the green scales on her face hid most of her emotions, they couldn''t hide her red, swollen eyes. She looked at her petite friend with an empty, soulless expression. A tear rolled down her scaly cheek.


    "It''s Kai." Rina showed a bitter smile. "He''s here." She patiently said.


    Alex stared at her for a few more seconds before finally turning her gaze on me.


    "Kai...?" She asked. Her voice was weak, her spirit clearly broken. It took her a moment for her to recognise me. Life returned to her eyes for just a moment as she whispered. "You''re alive. I''m d."


    "I''m d too," I said, finally getting rid of the knot in my throat. "Is that...?" I asked hesitantly, ncing at the covered body.


    Alex''s shoulders dropped. "My sister." She whispered with a cracked voice. "My little Amy." She clenched her fists as tears rolled down her cheek. "I couldn''t save her." She said, shaking her head. The young girl beside her sniffed and hugged her.


    "I''m sorry," I mumbled. I was at a loss for words ¨C there was nothing I could say that''d make her feel better. There was nothing I could do.


    "I need some time alone," Alex said after a short moment.


    "Of course," I said quietly. "I''ll be outside, Rina." With that, I quickly left the room and closed the door behind me. I felt sick, down to my very soul. Someone so young had died because of this stupid game.


    I clenched my fists. If only I hade here one day earlier... If only we hadn''t gone to Baile Chailce...


    I felt something tug on my cloak. I looked down to see a little Ereth child. "Mister, mister, can you help us?" He was barely tall enough to reach my waist. His tiny little wings were folded and wrapped in bandages.


    I knelt on the ground beside him. "Hey," I said as gently as I could. "What''s wrong?" I could see the fear in his eyes.


    "You''re the Keeper, aren''t you mister?" He asked with a shaky voice. I nodded, though it pained me. "Can you help us?" He asked again.


    "I can try." I said slowly. What did he want? He smiled, though it was a pained one. He took my hand and led me to a nearby bed, where a young Erethy unconscious. The kid that brought me here ran up to the bed and held the other one''s hand. "Look, brother." He whispered. "The Keeper is here."


    It felt as if someone had stabbed a de into my heart and was twisting it with each word of the child. I gritted my teeth, wasn''t there something I could do to save these people?


    "Can you help him, mister?" The child asked with reddened eyes. I forced myself to smile as I approached the bed. Could I help him? Soul''s Respite only healed me but what if I unlocked that mass healing skill? Couldn''t I save everyone here?


    "Kai?" I head Rina''s voice calling my name. She ran towards me but fell silent once she saw the little child and his unconscious brother. "Oh."


    I pondered, could I save them? I opened my status panel, then scrolled down to my avable skills. There it was: ''Keeper''s Haven'' I quickly read the skill''s description.


    ''The Keeper must channel this ability. Creates an area around the Soul Keeper. All living beings in the area are constantly healed. The Soul Keeper may not use any other abilities while the spell is active.''


    I hesitated, from the description of it, it seemed like it''d be useful, especially now.


    "Oh, what the hell?" I mumbled as I allocated a skill point.


    "What''s that?" Rina asked, leaning forward and rising on her toes in an attempt to read the pale blue text.


    I took a deep breath and focused as my interface faded. I felt the new skill activate as a dark circle burst out from beneath my feet. The young Ereth child screamed as the area expanded. Soon, it epassed the entire building.


    The air grew heavier as a silver ¨C green mist slowly settled in.


    Momentster, I felt my mana drain at an incredible speed. The spell was finally active ¨C I could move again.


    "What is this?" Rina asked as souls left my body. I could see them as they dashed towards the wounded.


    "Healing." I said through my gritted teeth. "But I don''t think my mana will be enough." As the souls jumped from person to person I shivered. What little mana I had left was almost depleted already.


    "I can help with that." Rina said with a faint smile. She gently reached out and ced her hand on my chest. Immediately, I felt her mana flow through me. It felt like an ocean was trying to fill a small dam ¨C I couldn''t help but be amazed by her incredible power.


    "Mister?" The small child asked with fear in his voice. "What is this?" His little hands tightly grasped the wrist of his brother.


    "I''m helping them." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "They''ll be fine, I promise."


    I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I forced a smile, then nced around. Some of the unconscious patients were starting to move and shift on their beds. Slowly but surely, their wounds started to disappear.


    "It''s working!" Rina said. It was the first time I saw her genuinely smile. I nodded.


    It took about ten minutes for everyone to wake up. Rina let go of me as thest of them opened their eyes in confusion and fear.


    "Mister?" The little child tugged my cloak again. "Mister, will you help the girl in the back too?"

 Chapter 93: The Silence of Death

    <h4>Chapter 93: The Silence of Death</h4>


    My heart shattered as I stared into the big, innocent eyes of this small child. I wanted to say something, but a lump had lodged itself in my throat.


    "She helped me and my brother when the beasts attacked." The child said, seemingly not noticing how much his words hurt me. "Can you save her too, mister?" He said, still tugging at my cloak.


    I gulped to get rid of the lump in my throat, then knelt beside him. I could hear Rina trying to supress her crying behind me. She ran off ¨C she probably didn''t want the child to see her like that. After a moment''s hesitation, I reached out and gently wiped the child''s tears away.


    "I''m sorry." I said quietly. "I wish I could help her."


    He stared at me wordless for a few seconds before finally mumbling. "That''s sad." He looked down, then at his sleeping brother. "I thought you would maybe save her if I asked nicely." With dropped shoulders and a saddened expression, he returned to his brother''s side. He leaned on the bed, then shot me a nce. "Like you did for my brother." He mumbled, avoiding meeting my gaze.


    I couldn''t bear to look at him. Instead, I slowly turned around and headed to the door. After closing the door behind me, sat on the steps in the front of the building and turned my gaze to the sky. The sun had dawned a while ago.


    A soft breeze blew my hair back. While I usually enjoyed fresh air, now it carried the smell of ash and blood with it.


    "Kai?" Rina''s voice sounded from behind me. I hadn''t noticed her open the door at all. "Are you ok?" She asked after a moment.


    "Yeah. I''m fine," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "How about you, Rina? How are you holding up?" I asked, finally gathering the courage to look at her.


    Her eyes were red and swollen, she seemed to be barely holding everything together. "I''m ok." She said with a voice that clearly showed she was not ok. "Alex, on the other hand..." Her voice faded.


    "I wish I hade here sooner." I finally said as she sat besides me. "I wish there were something I could do to help ¨C anything." I shook my head. "I''m so sorry, Rina."


    She shook her head. "I couldn''t do anything either. None of us could." She tightly grasped the cloth of her dress. "We weren''t warned ¨C there was no way for us to defend this ce!" Her voice was but a whisper. "Kai, so many died. Both Ereth and yers like us." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Why are we stuck here? Why can''t we go home?" She held onto me and stared me in the eyes as she spoke. "Why did this happen to us? Kai, how do we leave?"


    Dumbfounded, all I could do was shake my head. I didn''t have the answers to her questions. I was just as much in the dark as she was. All I could do was to offer a hug, which she dly epted. We sat there for a while, Rina shivering and crying in my embrace.


    Only after a while had passed did she pull herself back. "I''m sorry." She whispered, wiping her tears away. "Let''s go check on Alex." She said with a sniff. I nodded. Every fibre of my being wanted to avoid stepping into that room ¨C I didn''t think I could bear to see Alex like that ever again, but that wasn''t something I could tell Rina. So, I followed her back inside the building.


    Alex was in the same position as when I left her. The younger girl besides her had fallen asleep while hugging her.


    "Hey, Alex." Rina gently spoke as she knelt beside her friend. "Can I bring you some food? Or water?" She asked. Alex shook her head. While her eyes were as lifeless as before, I saw a glimmer of... something, when she turned her gaze on me.


    "Kai." She said with a broken voice. "Did you... take her soul?"


    I flinched. I hadn''t even thought about it. I felt sick to my stomach as the thought of absorbing a real, actual human''s soul suddenly became very real. I quickly shook my head. "No!" I almost shouted as my face went pale.


    "Is she here?" Alex asked with a speck of hope in her voice. "Can you see her?"


    I didn''t need to look around for the answer. "No," I said as I avoided meeting her gaze. "I''m sorry, I can''t help you Alex." It broke my heart to see her like this, yet I was once again powerless.


    "It''s ok." Alex said after a short while. "I just hoped that..." She nced at Rina, then shook her head. "No, it''s nothing."


    Why had she decided to keep whatever it was she wanted to say to herself? I nced at Rina as well. She was watching the younger girl with a bittersweet expression.


    "Whatever it is, you can tell me, Alex." I finally said. If getting something off her chest was going to make her feel better, even if only for a moment, I would dly listen.


    She hesitated, then shot an apologetic look at Rina. "I just thought that... Since you''re the Keeper, maybe you could..." Her voice faded. Each word seemingly made the next one much harder to say. "I thought... Maybe you could bring her back."


    I flinched. That was just... wrong. Especially now, when I could feel hundreds of souls resting peacefully, I couldn''t imagine interrupting that rest to bring them back to life. Ever fibre of my being screamed at me that this was very wrong.


    "I can''t do that, Alex." I said, trying my best to keep my expression calm. "I''m sorry."


    Rina breathed a sigh of relief. Alex just looked down at the covered body of her sister.


    "I''m sorry," She said. "I guess not even the legendary Keeper of Souls can break the silence of death."

 Chapter 94: Promises of Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 94: Promises of Vengeance</h4>


    I watched my reflection on the flowing water. I was pale, much more so than usual. With a sigh, I sshed some water on my face. I had to pull myself together.


    "Come on," I whispered as I brushed my hair back, revealing my facepletely. I took a deep breath and got back up on my feet. I stretched my wings wide and leapt up into the air. It was the afternoon ¨C I had little less than a day before the tournament resumed.


    With clenched fists, I flew to Baile Chailce. I was going to win this tournament, get the support of the Ereth''s ruling caste and end the Demon Lord. I wasn''t going to let this game of death drag on any longer than it already had.


    I couldn''t help but constantly think about what Rina had asked of me as I left. As she convinced all the residents of Stonepatch Vige to travel to Baile Chailce, she looked so sure of herself ¨C like a pir that all of us could always lean on. Butter, as people packed their valuables and prepared for the long journey ahead of them, she hade to me and made me promise ¨C I''d take her and Alex with me when I went to kill the Demon Lord. They wanted to be there to see his demise.


    I had epted, though reluctantly. If they were blinded by the revenge they sought, that final fight could very well spell our demise instead. But seeing her expression, I couldn''t bear to say no.


    "Kai." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "How are you holding up?"


    "I''m ok." I said after a while. "I''m on my way back to Baile Chailce." Hoping to get to the city before midnight, I flew faster. As the rhythmic beat of my wings elerated, the wind hitting my face grew stronger.


    "I''m on my way to the city as well." Asher''s words surprised me. "I''ll be there to watch your next match. Once you win the finals too, we can head to where the primal core of water is." He paused. I could feel it in the back of my mind ¨C he was pondering something.


    "What is it, Asher?" I asked after a short while.


    "I''m d that a fear of mine proved to be unfounded." He replied with a chuckle. "I''ll see you tomorrow." I felt the connection sever as his words faded.


    While I wasn''t entirely sure of what he was talking about, I was pretty sure he wasn''t making much sense. I shook my head and let my wings carry me to the white-golden city.


    The sun set and the stars began to shine, yet the city was still not in sight. Only hourster, as exhaustion set in and I began to slow down did I see the shining lights of the chalk city. With a sigh of relief, I approached the ground. Once the city gates were in view, Inded among the trees and walked up to the gates.


    "Halt." An Ereth guard raised his spear, effectively blocking my path. "Identify yourself."


    I opened my interface and showed my name. "Ie from Stonepatch Vige. They were attacked and had many casualties. The remaining poption is on its way here ¨C they will probably arrive in theing week."


    Another soldier stepped up from the shadows. "Do they have military backup, guards to protect them?" She asked. From her fancy cloak and armour, I assumed she was a ranking officer.


    "No, some adventurers are with them, but they don''t have enough fighting power in case another attack of a simr scale happens." I said, worried they wouldn''t believe me. Alex and Rina needed all the help they could get ¨C including help from Ereth military.


    "Thank you for the information, Keeper." The Ereth officer said with what I assumed was a smile. For some reason, despite their humanoid appearance, I was having a lot of trouble deciphering Ereth facial expressions. "I will prepare a squad and escort them here." She said before turning to leave.


    "Thank you." I said with relief. Protection from the Ereth military was probably the best we could hope for. While I knew the Ereth''s power outside the range of their crystals and Divine Pirs was reduced greatly, they were still fearsome fighters.


    "You may pass." The Ereth guard said. "And good luck at tomorrow''s match, Keeper."


    I chuckled, thanked him, and stepped through the gate. As soon as I did, the white and golden colours of the city assaulted my senses.


    Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, I headed to the inn. All I wanted to do was fall asleep, but I knew that I wasn''t going to be able to sleep. The sight of that covered body and the child, asking me to help Alex''s sister... They would haunt me for a long time.


    It was probably written on my face that I didn''t feel good, because as soon as I stepped inside the inn, the innkeeper started pouring a drink.


    "You look like you went to the abyss and back."


    I chuckled. "It sure feels like it." I replied before sighing. "I don''t drink alcohol." I said, ncing at the ss, filled with a crimson coloured liquid.


    "I know," She said with a shrug. "This is juice, no alcohol."


    I hesitated. I wanted to go to sleep but...


    "A drink and a hot bath." She said with a warm smile. "You''ve already paid for the room and I won''t charge you for anything else."


    I relented. I sat on a stool by the bar and took a sip of my drink. I flinched, I hadn''t tasted anything like this before, it was bitter, warm, and fuzzy.


    "What is this?" I asked as I took another sip. It actually tasted pretty good ¨C just unusual.


    "Nectar of the bleeding trees." She said. I almost puked what I drank. "Bleeding trees?!" I asked in shock.


    "It''s just nectar, not blood." She said, trying to contain herughter. "It helps with sleep and enhances the flow of magic in your body." She chuckled. "For the Keeper of Souls, you sure are na?ve."


    I sighed and shook my head. "Thanks for the drink." I put the empty ss on the counter and got up. "I''ll take you up on that bath offer."

 Chapter 95: Once Again, Stepping into the Arena

    <h4>Chapter 95: Once Again, Stepping into the Arena</h4>


    Morninge; I exined the situation at Stonepatch Vige to the others. Samantha and Alina''s reactions basically boiled down to unintelligible weeping. Vincent barely contained his anger, while Joshua was more shocked than anything.


    As for Erik... He wasn''t there. He had left the inn as soon as he saw mee down the stairs. Despite everyone''s efforts to stop him, he had hurried off to the coliseum.


    As we now walked there together, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat angry. He was causing an unnecessary and meaningless divide in the group.


    "Oh, Kai." Alina said quietly, matching her steps to mine. "How will you fight with Erik by your side?" She asked with a worried expression. I sighed, that was something I was worried about too. I didn''t know if I could trust him on the battlefield anymore.


    I sighed. "It''ll be fine," I said, not believing a word I said. I wished I could talk to Erik ¨C convince him that he was being delusional, but I knew that wasn''t going to happen.


    We walked the rest of the way in silence, then separated from Alina and Samantha as they headed to the stands. Soon, it was just the three of us, being led to our room by an Ereth. He showed us the door, then left.


    "Kai," Vincent said after a moment. "What happened between you and Erik?"


    I flinched. I had hoped he wouldn''t ask. "Well," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "I guess you could call it a misunderstanding on Erik''s part." I shrugged. It was such a silly and meaningless thing that I almost felt embarrassed talking about it. "He thought I was trying to rece him. I think." I added.


    Joshua facepalmed as Vincent just sighed and shook his head. "Ok, yeah." He mumbled. "Just what we needed before the semi-finals ¨C high school drama." Joshuaughed while I just rolled my eyes.


    "Let''s go," Vincent said after his brother''sughter subsided. He pushed the wooden door to reveal the small room we were given. Inside, there was a table and a couple of benches, just likest time.


    Erik was sitting by the table, slowly and carefully cleaning his shield. He lifted his head and nced at us as we stepped inside. As his gaze fell on me, his face twisted, and his expression turned dark. I hesitated ¨C was it a good idea to try and talk to him now?


    "Erik!" It was Vincent who spoke first. He stopped right in front of the young pdin. "What the hell are you doing?"


    I flinched. Was this really the best way to go about this? I feared this would just make Erik even angrier and more guarded.


    "Nothing, what''s up with you?" Erik replied with a nk expression.


    "I''m angry is what''s up with me!" Vincent shouted. Joshua flinched and dropped the dagger he was holding while I almost choked on my own breath. "You are just so-"


    A knock on the door interrupted him. "Your match is about to begin," The Ereth who led us here said. "Please follow me."


    "Let''s go," I said before anyone could move. "We can talk about itter."


    Vincent clenched his fists, took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah."


    As we turned to leave the room, I could feel Erik''s deadly gaze on my back.


    It was only when I approached the door that I noticed something. Asher''s presence, orck thereof. Wasn''t he supposed to be in the city by now? I could only sense his presence faintly ¨C he was far away.


    I took a deep breath and took my sword from my inventory. "Let''s win this, then we can deal with everything else." We reached the massive metal gate as I spoke. Joshua and Vincent nodded while Erik remained silent. I could feel his anger ¨C he was blinded by it.


    "And now," The announcer''s voice echoed. "The undefeated Team Torchlight once again steps into the Arena!" As his words were met with loud cheering, the gates slowly creaked open once again. Before usy the sand covered floor of the arena. With a deep breath, I lightly grasped the hilt of my sword and stepped onto the sands.


    The sun burned my eyes as the crowd started cheering. I could barely hear the announcer among their roars.


    "And now, their rivals, the Four Swordsmen"


    The gates across the arena opened as four men stopped onto the sands. Each of them carried a different type of sword.


    The leftmost man was the tallest. He wore simple dark blue clothes that matched his hair. He carried a scimitar and from the way he was walking towards us, I could tell he wasn''t weak.


    The man next to him wasn''t exactly human. I could see a pair of horns on his head. In his clow-like hands, he carried a shortsword. While he looked somewhat intimidating, his posture gave away the fact that he didn''t really know what he was doing.


    Next up was the third man ¨C the one who stared at me intently. He was taller than me, wore simple leather armour and looked quite dangerous. From his posture alone, I could tell he was knowledgeable. He was a force to be reckoned with, it was clear as day. I nced at his weapon ¨C it was a greatsword. He was going to be a tough opponent.


    Thest of them was a short, slender man. He had a tail and scales on his body. He nervously fidgeted with his curved sword.


    "I''ll take the greatsword guy." I said quietly at Vincent and Joshua. "Keep an eye on Erik ¨C don''t let him interfere if he finishes his own opponent first."


    The Kestler brothers nodded. I nced at Erik. His deadly re was fixed on the man with the greatsword. He was going to try and take him on ¨C probably to prove himself. The simple fact that he was trying to ''regain respect'' was so stupid that I couldn''t even begin fathom it.


    "And with that, the semi-finals begin!" The announcer''s magically enhanced voice sounded. "Fight!"

 Chapter 96: The Semi-finals

    <h4>Chapter 96: The Semi-finals</h4>


    Erik dashed forward, straight towards the man with the greatsword. I motioned to follow him ¨C he stood no chance against that man.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s shout warned me of an iing attack. I rolled on the ground as a scimitar cut through the air where my neck was a moment ago. I quickly got back on my feet and shot an angry nce at the tall man. When had he moved so close to me?


    Tightly grasping the hilt of my sword, I lowered my body and dashed towards him. I had to finish this quickly, before Erik got hurt. Our des met with a loud, clear ng. My opponent grinned as I noticed a movement below. I motioned to retreat, but he kicked me before I could move.


    I fell down with the force of his kick. I quickly rolled to the side, only to see that it saved my life as his scimitar cut through the sand where my throat was just now. Was he trying to actually kill me or what?


    I leapt back up on my feet, now much more wary of my opponent. Both his attacks were made to vital areas, if I hadn''t dodged them, I''d be dead.


    "Where did that spirit go?" He asked with a disgustingly sly, mocking voice. "Scared?" I gritted my teeth. He was trying to rile me up, make me prone to mistakes.


    "Not really," I replied with a half smile as I slowly circled him. I didn''t dare take my eyes off him to nce at the others. "I''m just surprised to see you going for the kill."


    A loud ng threatened to distract me, but I kept my eyes on my opponent. All of a sudden, this had be a fight for my life. I couldn''t take any chances. I spun my sword, waiting for him to make the first move.


    We stared at each other for a while as the other three battles continued around us. Eventually, it was him who grew impatient and dashed towards me. I felt as if time had slowed down as my heartbeat quickened. I could see his actions clearly; I knew exactly what he was going to do.


    As he swung his de, aiming for my neck, I stepped back and let the de pass by perhaps a hair''s length away. Confused, annoyed and clearly irritated, he swung his scimitar again. I backstepped his attacks, waiting for him to lose his bnce while swinging wildly like this.


    Eventually, he overextended. Leaving himself wide open to a counterattack, he swung for my throat and narrowly missed. A wicked smile appeared on my lips as I used this chance to go on the offensive.


    He jumped back as soon as I attacked him, though he wasn''t fast enough to evade my attackpletely. My de touched his arm and left a shallow, clean cut behind. With a low-pitched scream, he backed off. I didn''t give him a chance to regain hisposure. My flurry of attacks left him with more bleeding cuts.


    "Stop!" He shrieked as I continued. I didn''t stop ¨C this man had aimed for my life; he wouldn''t have hesitated to kill me, and I doubted he''d have felt any remorse had he seeded. Unlike with Astrid and her allies, I felt no sympathy for him. In my eyes, he deserved nothing but utter defeat. And that was why I didn''t hesitate to wound him.


    I continued, with my purple eyes glowing with wrath, I attacked him relentlessly. How dare he got in my way now, while I was already busy with dealing with Erik and worrying about Asher! With each strike, I could see his face twist with fear.


    "I give up!" He shouted as my sword cut his left brow. "Stop!" He threw his weapon to the ground, his hands shivering in fear. I looked down at him for a moment before turning my back on him. The so far silent crowd roared as my gaze fell on Erik and his opponent.


    As I watched, Erik swung his sword wildly. His opponent didn''t even bother to block, instead he stepped back and prepared to swing his sword. His sword raised over his right shoulder, he waited for Erik''s wild swing to leave him open to a counter and swung with all his might.


    I drew a sharp breath as the man''s swing struck Erik''s shield with a loud ng. As I watched in disbelief, the young pdin flew backwards, all the way to the edge of the arena. He hit the wall with a thud, then slid down to the sand filled floor.


    "Erik!" Vincent shouted in a panic. Joshua was focused on his own battle; I didn''t think he was even aware of his surroundings.


    I dashed forward, towards the man with the greatsword. As I went past Vincent, I shouted. "Eyes on your enemy." He flinched and turned his gaze on his opponent.


    As I approached the man with the greatsword, he grinned. I could see it in his eyes, he was enjoying this. He loved the thrill of the fight.


    I stopped in my tracks, just out of his massive greatsword''s reach. Considering the strength he just demonstrated, I couldn''t risk taking a single direct hit from that sword. I lowered my body and readied my sword.


    It was him who struck first. He swung his massive sword, clearly aiming for my chest. Drawing a sharp breath, I rolled under the massive de and dashed towards him. I wasn''t going to give him any time to attack me. Naturally, he didn''t want to let me get much closer. He swung his sword again, this time trying to cut me in half.


    I narrowly sidestepped his attack and swung my sword, aiming for his left shoulder. He quickly raised his de to defend. I supressed my grin as I let go of my sword and caught it with my left hand. In that same motion, I stepped around him and cut the back of his knee.


    He shouted in pain as he fell on one knee. Almost immediately, I hit him in the head with the hilt of my sword.


    "Give up!" I hissed, finally cing the sharp edge of my de against his throat. "Don''t try anything stupid."


    He hesitated, then dropped his de. "I surrender." He loudly eximed.


    Only after the crowd started cheering did I pull my de away from his throat. I turned my back on him and stepped away. Now, all that remained was Vincent and Joshua''s battles. They were on even ground; both had sustained mild injuries ¨C I could see cuts and bruises on their arms ¨C but so had their opponents.


    The crowd shrieked suddenly, causing me to flinch. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed a shadow on the ground behind me. A muchrger shadow rose behind me, with a massive de in hand. It was aiming for my neck.


    I didn''t have time to evade that!

 Chapter 97: Divine Intervention

    <h4>Chapter 97: Divine Intervention</h4>


    Time slowed down as I watched the shadow of the massive de descend. The air grew heavier as I tried to move my body. My heart felt as if it were about to burst out of my chest. Was I really going to die here? Was this the end?


    Suddenly, the air grew thicker. It felt as if I was trying to move in jelly. With each passing second, the air solidified, eventuallypletely trapping me. I could feel the cold metal of the de touching my skin.


    "What is this?" My assant shouted. I could see from our shadows before me ¨C he couldn''t move either.


    "Enough!" Amanding voice echoed. It was only then I noticed ¨C the entire arena had frozen in ce. Joshua was in the air; he was leaping onto his falling opponent. Vincent was stuck in the middle of an attack. "We shall not tolerate any treacherous actions on this day!" The voice sounded.


    I tried to move as I felt incredible amounts of magic gather all around us. Yet, I couldn''t even move a single muscle. All I could do was wait for what''s toe.


    The crowd fell silent as I heard the sound of beating wings. Somethingnded a little ways behind me. I nced down to try and see its shadow.


    It was tall, much taller than me or the man whose sword leaned against my back. I could see two massive wings extending from its Body. A long tail slithered on the ground. On its head, I could see a pair of horns ¨C thick, curved horns that reminded me those of a ram.


    It reached out to the man behind me with its w-like hands. "None who disrespect the code of honour shall be tolerated." The male voice echoed. My heartbeat quickened ¨C what was going to happen?


    Magic crackled in the air around us. "Thee have attempted murder." The voice dered. "Thy punishment shall be equivalent to thine crime." The shadow raised its w-like hand as a de appeared seemingly out of thin air. With a swift motion, he cut the man''s head off.


    I flinched. As I watched the shadows, the head fell on the ground with a muffled thud. Then, the rest of his body copsed. The de leaning against the back of my beck slowly dropped to the ground.


    "This match is finished." The Ereth dered. "Thus, I dere the treacherous team disqualified." Magic cracked around us as the air finally stopped being solid. Vincent and Joshua fell on the ground as I slowly turned with shaky legs to face the Ereth.


    I barely reached his chest ¨C that was how tall he was. His face was covered by the hood of his ceremonial robes. I could see his two massive wings, they were almost asrge as mine, though they looked more like a bat''s wings rather than a bird''s.


    "Thee may leave now." He said. Despite being unable to see his eyes, I could feel his intense stare. His power was incredible ¨C He could probably toy with Vixia as she did with me.


    I gulped. What was I supposed to do now? I didn''t have a clue as to his identity. How was I supposed to respond to him? Was I supposed to bow? Kneel? Just nod?


    As these thoughts shed through my mind, he lifted his head and stretched his wings. With powerful beats of his wings, he flew back. As his wings raised the sands around me, I shielded my face with my arms. Only when he left could I breathe properly again ¨C at least until I my sight fell on the corpse.


    The cut off head''s expression was twisted with fear ¨C no, terror. Blood still seeped into the sand below. I felt nauseous and quickly looked away.


    "No!" The man I had just defeated shrieked a momentter. "No! No!" With tears in his eyes, he ran up to his friend''s body. I moved away, unable to bear the screams of the grieving man. "This is your doing!" He screamed as I slowly walked to the metal doors. "You killed him! Murderer!" His screams followed me as I finally stepped through the gates.


    "A healer will help your friend." The Ereth gatekeeper said as I brushed past him. "You-"


    "I''ll be in the room, please let my allies know." I said with a weak voice. I could still hear the man''s screams. With fast, uneven steps, I went into the room we were given and puked my breakfast to the small garbage can.


    I copsed on the ground. I felt sick to my very soul. A person had just died in front of me. A yer! A real human! A human!


    I couldn''t get the sight of his head falling to the ground out of my mind. I couldn''t forget the muffled thud as it touched the ground. I couldn''t forget his expression, frozen solid with terror.


    That could have been me, who died there. Or Erik, Vincent, Joshua, Alina, Samantha, Rina, Alex, Asher, Astrid-


    "Kai?" Alina''s gentle voice sounded as the door creaked open. "Oh my god, Kai!" She said, drawing a sharp breath. I quickly tried to hide my tears, but it was already toote. She ran up to me and knelt by my side. "Kai, what''s wrong?" She said wide eyed. I felt the soft warmness of her healing magic envelop me.


    "I''m not injured." I said with a catch in my voice. I didn''t want her to see me like this ¨C weak and broken.


    "I was so scared for you." She whispered, suddenly hugging me. "I thought you were going to die when he..." Her voice faded. "I''m d you''re ok." She finally said. She sniffed, wiped her tears, and got a piece of cloth out of her inventory. She used the ss of water on the table to wet in and gently wiped my face.


    I wanted to stop her ¨C I felt embarrassed enough already, but she firmly pushed my hand away. "The others will be here soon." She said as she fixed my hair and shook the sand particles off my hair. "Do you really want them to see you like this?"


    I was about to shrug when I noticed ¨C I did care. I needed them to trust me for the next fight. If they saw me weak and broken like this, would they follow me? The answer was clear. No one would follow a weak person into battle, irrelevant of their personal opinion on that person.


    I took a deep breath, then slowly stood up and dusted off my clothes. "You''re right." I said, forcing a bitter smile. She brought me some water so I could wash my face.


    "You''re lucky to be so pale." She said as I dried my face. "Even after you cry, your eyes don''t get red."


    I couldn''t help but smile. I heard the door creak open as I drank some water.


    Vincent, Joshua, Samantha, and Erik stepped inside.


    "Well," Joshua said after a moment of awkward silence. "That was weird, to say the least."


    "Yeah." I said. And this still wasn''t the end. We still had the final match tomorrow.

 Chapter 98: A Familiar Face on the Sands

    <h4>Chapter 98: A Familiar Face on the Sands</h4>


    "What was that?" Vincent asked after an awkward silence.


    "I couldn''t move at all." Joshua said. "It was weird."


    Vincent nodded. Samantha shook her head. "It was terrible, he just cut the man''s head off like it was no big deal." She clenched her fists, tightly grasping the cloth of her cloak.


    I sighed. "Whoever that was, he was the strongest person I''vee across." While that didn''t mean much to Erik and the others, it was quite a big deal to me. Even Vixia didn''t have that same presence as the Ereth. "We need to be careful, don''t do something stupid ¨C I don''t want any of us to end up like that." I said.


    "That should be said to you." Erik mumbled. I flinched. I was not in the mood to deal with his stupidity. I didn''t want to have yet another meaningless fight now.


    "What does that mean?" Vincent asked.


    "What do you think?" Erik asked with an agitated voice. Vincent raised his eyebrows, waiting for further exnation. Erik gritted his teeth but remained silent.


    "This isn''t getting us anywhere." I said, getting up and heading for the door. "Let''s go back to the inn. We should rest for tomorrow''s match."


    Erik red at me but remained silent. With a sigh, I stepped out of the room. We soon left the coliseum and returned to the inn. Our table in the back was empty, so we didn''t hesitate to order something to eat and sat around therge wooden table.


    Soon, the bartender brought our drinks. I couldn''t help but smile as she ced the ss of nectar in front of me. Then, she gave everyone their drinks and left without a word.


    "To Kai still being here with us." Alina said, raising her cup.


    "Yeah!" Vincent said.


    "To those who are no longer with us." I replied, also raising my ss. I couldn''t help but remember Alex as I spoke.


    "Why are you mourning the guy who tried to chop your head off?" Erik asked with a deadly re. "Do you think he''d mourn you if you died there?"


    I flinched. "That''s not what I meant." I said slowly. I didn''t want a fight, not right now. "He''s not the only one who died."


    Erik clenched his fists. "Then who is it?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "Who matters so much to you that you mourn them?" He made a vague gesture epassing everyone here. "Shouldn''t you be focusing on keeping everyone else alive?" I could see the anger and jealousy burning in his eyes.


    "Erik." Samantha suddenly chimed in. "It''s Alex''s sister, and most yers that were in Stonepatch vige." She said with a weak voice. "That''s what Kai was talking about this morning, after you left."


    The young pdin flinched. "What?" He looked at me with wide eyes. "People in Stonepatch vige?" He mumbled, almost in a daze.


    I nodded and exined what happened. Once I was done talking, Erik pushed his chair back and got up. "I''ll head to bed early." He mumbled and headed upstairs with wobbly, uneven steps. Confused, I nced at Vincent. He shrugged.


    "What''s up with him?" Joshua suddenly asked, finally breaking his silence. "He wasn''t close to anyone there and he borderline disliked Rina and Alex."


    "Maybe it just hit him that people actually die." Samantha said after a moment of silence. "After all, I''m sure he feels at least partially guilty about all of this."


    I sighed. "Probably," I said, taking another sip of nectar. "But that doesn''t excuse any of his behaviour. Anyways," I pushed my chair back. "I''ll head to my room too. I need some rest ¨C I didn''t get much sleep thesest few days." With that, I finished my drink and headed to my room.


    As I closed the door and threw myself on the white sheets of my bed, I reached out to a certain smug sorcerer. "Asher, where are you?"


    For a while, silence was all that I heard. Then, I felt the mental connection establish. "Busy guarding your friend''s caravan." His bored voice echoed in my mind. "Nothing attacked them so far, save for a couple of wolves, but I''ll keep an eye on them still, just to make sure."


    I sighed a breath of relief. "I wish you''d told me that before," I said with a faint smile. Knowing he was watching over Alex and Rina made me feel so much more at ease. "Anyways," I continued with a more serious expression. "A lot happened today..."


    Morninge, I descended the stairs to themon room and sat on our usual table. The sun had just dawned, so not many people were around.


    "Feeling better?" The bartender said as she brought me some fresh juice and a pretty nice breakfast. I smiled and nodded. "You could say that, thank you." I motioned to pay for my breakfast, but she stopped me. "I have a bet on you winning." She said with a grin. "So, if you want to pay me, just make sure you win."


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Don''t worry," I said with a smile. "I don''t n on losing. Not this one."


    The creaking floorboards caught my attention. I nced at the stairs to see Vincent and Joshuae down. "Good morning," Vincent said with a yawn.


    "I''ll bring you some breakfast too." The bartender said with a warm smile as she went back to the kitchen.


    "Did you sleep well?" Joshua asked me as he pulled a chair. "You seem well rested."


    I nodded. "Yeah, I''m feeling good." A smile appeared on my lips. "Let''s win this match."


    "Hell yeah!" Joshua said with a huge grin. Then, he flinched as a muffled, low rumble sounded. "Uh, after breakfast." He added. Vincent let out a loud, bellowingughter.


    Soon, the girls also came down. "Hey guys!" Alina said, showing us a beautiful smile. "Ready to win today?"


    All three of us nodded as they also sat with us. "Please look out," Alina continued. "Don''t risk your life for this, ok?"


    I faked a smile and lied. "Don''t worry."


    "No way he''s dying." Joshua said with a grin. "Even the Ereth royalty protects him!"


    Soon, Erik also came down and we left for the coliseum after finishing our breakfast. As we passed through the now very familiar hallway and approached the room we were given, I couldn''t help but feel almost nervous.


    We sat inside in silence. Everyone was on edge. This was the finale, if we won this, we''d get the support of the Ereth, if we lost... Well, I''d have to deal with Asher.


    A knock on the door sounded, causing us to jump on our feet. The Ereth pushed the door open. "The match is about to begin. Follow me."


    Just like that, we once again stood before the metal gates.


    "Team Torchlight is up once again!" The announcer''s voice echoed as the gates slowly creaked open, revealing the sand filled floor of the coliseum. With a deep breath, I stepped onto the sands. The crowd''s cheering almost drowned the announcer''s voice.


    As I walked to the centre of the arena, the others followed me.


    "And they are up against Team Shadowde!" The announcer shouted.


    The gates on the other side of the arena slowly opened, revealing a familiar face.


    A tall man with a slender build stepped onto the sand filled floor. His dark blue skin reminded me of the night sky. His yellow eyes stared into my soul as he walked, his allies following right behind him. A pair of thin, elegant hornspleted his devilish look perfectly. His blood red hair covered the left side of his face a little.


    As he and his group arrived at the centre of the arena, he stood right across me.


    "We meet again," He said as his lips formed a smile.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 99: The Final Match

    For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Our gazes locked as the announcer''s voice sounded.


    "Let the final match of the tournament begin!"


    Both our teams dashed forward. As everyone met with their opponents, the clash of blades began. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the courtyard as we glared at each other. Then, almost as if we had read each other''s minds, we dashed forwards.


    We met at the centre of the sand filled floor of the arena. As our blades clashed, my eyes widened. There was strength and precision in his moves. We both jumped back, almost as if mirroring each other.


    I spun my sword around my wrist as I watched him. His lips formed a faint smile for only a moment before he lowered his body and dashed at me. I blocked his horizontal strike with my sword before countering with a wide sweep. He stepped back and let my attack pass by him before attempting a stab.


    I quickly struck his sword, changing its trajectory just enough to avoid it. He jumped back, putting some distance between us. "You''re better." He said quietly. His squinted yellow eyes focused on my blade.


    Better than what, was what I wanted to ask, but he didn''t give me the chance to. Immediately, I was met with a relentless series of strikes. I blocked each strike, standing my ground and focusing on his body language. With each strike, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed. With each strike, the air seemed to electrify.


    Eventually, he made a simple, yet important mistake. He stepped up as I narrowly avoided his blade. Without giving him a chance to rectify his mistake and step back, I closed the distance between us and struck the hilt of his sword.


    Seeing he was about to lose a finger; he quickly changed his grip on the hilt and threw himself to the side. The sound of metal hitting bone echoed as my blade left a deep dent in the softer hilt of his sword. He tried to step back, but I wasn''t about to give him any breathing room.


    I dashed after him. My first swing forced him to raise his sword. I didn''t let it stop there ¨C my relentless strikes forced him to back off. A smile appeared on my lips, almost at the same time as him. He caught an opening and struck back, which I narrowly evaded.


    We both leapt back ¨C I, with a somersault and him with a tumble. With this little break to our duel, we finally got the chance to look around us. I glanced at Erik and the others ¨C they were doing fine. None of them had won yet, but it didn''t look like they were losing either.


    Once again, I turned my attention to him. We dashed at each other. Our blades clashed, once again locking us in combat. We danced back and forth. Each of our movements, every single strike carried the weight of our knowledge and experience. A single mistake could spell our defeat while the simplest advantage would mean victory.


    For the first time in a very long time, I smiled with pure excitement and joy. For someone like me, who had dedicated his entire life to his training, finding an equal opponent was worth more than almost anything. Very few would ever get the chance to do so.


    And I could see it in my opponent''s eyes ¨C he felt the same way. We pushed each other to our limits as we fought for the title of victor. The air around us was filled with anticipation, I could almost taste the onlookers'' excitement. All that could be heard was the clinging of our swords.


    If was when he feinted an attack that I finally got my chance. His overhead strike was too obvious, I could easily tell he''d feint it. I motioned to block it, then as soon as his swing changed direction, dropped my sword, moved out of the way, and caught it with my left hand. His strike hit nothing but air as I placed my sword against his throat.


    For a moment, all I could hear was my heartbeat and our tired breathing. Then, the crowd roared.


    "Well played," Luca said with a smile as he dropped his sword. "I thought I could win against you this time, but I fell for that trick of yours."


    My smile widened. "You''ll never defeat me, Lucius."


    He flinched as his eyes widened. "That''s not my na-"


    "Did you really think I wouldn''t recognise you? I know that fighting style anywhere." My smile faded. "Don''t disappear ¨C there are things we need to talk about."


    A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I''ll be waiting at the gates tonight." He said before whistling.


    The three duels going on around us stopped as his allies jumped back as soon as they heard him. "We lost, sorry guys." He said. They hesitated before glancing at me, then dropped their swords.


    Moments later, the crowd started cheering. The clapping and shouting was so loud that the announcer had to wait for a moment before he could announce our victory.


    "And the Pale Demon once again paves the road for Team Torchlight''s victory!" He shouted once the crowd''s noise subsided a little.


    The crowds roared once again.


    "You''ve earned it." Lucius said with a faint smile.


    I didn''t say anything ¨C I couldn''t help but feel anxious. We''d done it! We were going to receive the help and support of the Ereth''s ruling caste.


    "The gift bestowing ceremony shall take place tomorrow." A female voice echoed, silencing the crowd instantly. I expected something more to be said, but all that followed was silence. Then, the metal gates on two opposite sides of the arena opened.


    "I guess that''s a bye, for now." Lucius said.


    "It''s a ''see you later''." I corrected him before heading to the metal gate. With only a moment of hesitation, the others followed me, as Lucius''s allies followed him to the other gate.


    Only when I passed through the gate and was hidden from the crowds'' eyes did I lean on the wall and started laughing. My laughter echoed in the dark hallway.


    "Oh, Mother..." I whispered.

 Chapter 100: Celebration

    "Kai?" Vincent asked, shocked and confused. "Are you ok?"


    My laughter finally subsided, I replied with a nod. "Oh, I''m just fine." I could hardly believe it ¨C Lucius was here. "We won, remember?" I asked with a grin.


    "We did!" Joshua shouted. "We actually did!" He hugged Vincent, then Erik. He motioned to hug me too but decided otherwise for some reason. I didn''t mind, so I just grinned and took a deep breath.


    "Let''s go back." Erik said after a short moment of silence.


    While I did notice his lack of enthusiasm and happiness, I didn''t remark on it. There was no need to spoil everyone''s happiness right now. In a world where smiles were much harder to come by, I valued theirs greatly.


    As we left the coliseum, a familiar face greeted us. The Ereth who always took us to the gates was waiting just outside. "Congratulations." He said with what I believed was a smile. "Your friends are waiting over there," He pointed at the stairs that lead to the plaza. We thanked him and headed down. As I walked past him, he stopped me.


    "I know you''re strong," He said with a much more serious tone. The smile on his face had disappeared and left its place to a dark expression. "Be careful tomorrow. The Divines are not easy to deal with ¨C they will test you. Not your power, but your resolve."


    "Thanks for warning me," I quietly said. He was probably taking a risk by telling me all this.


    "Kai, come on!" Joshua shouted. "I''m coming!" I replied, bid farewell to the Ereth and approached the group with quick steps.


    Alina and Samantha were sitting at the foot of the stairs. The others had just arrived there as well. As I approached them, Alina jumped on her feet and ran towards me. "Oh my god, Kai, that fight was absolutely amazing!" Her eyes shone brightly under the afternoon sun as she showed me a beautiful smile. "You were so fast towards the end that I only saw you as a blur."


    "It was a good fight," I said with a smile. "Thanks, Alina."


    "A good fight doesn''t quite cut it, does it?" Vincent chimed in. "What the hell, Kai? I thought you could fight ''a little''." While he did grin as he said that I could feel the suspicion in his voice. He was right to doubt me ¨C I hadn''t really told them the truth about me. Not all of it, anyways.


    "I guess being stuck in here did help me with that." I said with a fake chuckle. "Anyways," I quickly changed the subject. "Let''s go back ¨C I''m exhausted."


    We soon arrived at the inn. As Vincent pushed the door, the smell of food and cosy warmness leaked outside. My lips formed a smile as we entered the inn ¨C I had only now realised how hungry I was.


    "Oh, the champions are here." The bartender said with a warm smile. "I''m sure you''re starving. I''ll bring you something to eat. Sit down, I''ll be right there." She rushed into the kitchen as Joshua grinned and dragged us all to our usual spot.


    "Say," He said after a short while. "What do you think will happen tomorrow?" I flinched. I hadn''t told them what the Ereth had told me yet. Honestly, I didn''t want to tell them as they''d just panic.


    "I don''t know," I said after a while. "Remember to be wary though. Don''t trust them, ok?"


    They hesitated; they probably didn''t expect me to be so wary.


    The bartender soon brought us some food, which we devoured like we hadn''t eaten in weeks. Even Alina and Samantha ate much more than usual ¨C the food was the most delicious thing we''d eaten ever since we came here.


    "Seriously man, you''ve got to teach us how to fight like that some time." Vincent said as we sipped our drinks and enjoyed the festive air around us. From time to time, people approached us to congratulate. I could feel many eyes on me as I took a sip from my nectar.


    "No way." I said with a chuckle. "It took me my entire life to reach this level. And I''m not even that strong. You guys don''t have the dedication for it."


    "Hey," Erik said with a harsh voice. "Don''t underestimate anyone here." He glared at me. "We''re just as dedicated as you are, if not more."


    I shook my head. "That''s not my point. I''m talking about the training required. Can you imagine yourself ¨C or anyone else here ¨C practicing the same basic moves for twelve hours a day?"


    He hesitated, he knew just as well as me that none of them would dedicate so much time for it, especially because their efforts wouldn''t be rewarded for years to come.


    "Oh well," Vincent mumbled, somewhat disappointed. "We do need to learn something though."


    "You need to learn the basics of combat ¨C when to evade, when to block and when to take the hit." I chimed in. "Right now, none of you need to learn specialised moves for your weapons. That takes years to perfect." I wasn''t lying about that. In fact, it was precisely because of that, that I only studied the sword and quarterstaff.


    "That''s boring though." Joshua said with a sigh. "Didn''t you get bored at all when you were training?"


    I couldn''t help but chuckle. "I didn''t have the time to be bored." What I didn''t tell was that, if I did have time to be bored, Mother wouldn''t hesitate to ''remind'' me of my duties as her son.


    "That''s harsh." Vincent said after a moment. He took a sip from his drink and glanced at the girls. They had fallen asleep, with their heads leaning on the table. "Anyways," he said after a short moment of hesitation. "We should probably take them to their rooms and let them sleep properly."


    I nodded and motioned to get up, but Erik acted faster. I didn''t try to stop him as he gently lifted Alina and headed for the stairs. "I''ll take Samantha then." Vincent said. They disappeared upstairs.


    I noticed Joshua''s constant glances at me. "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    "I want to go see Victoria." He said after a short while. "But I think she''s hiding stuff from us." His gaze fell on my drink. "And¡­ I feel like you''re not telling me the whole truth either."


    It took quite a bit of willpower to not flinch. I knew Joshua wasn''t an idiot, but I hadn''t expected him to be so blunt about his suspicions.


    "I have some things in my mind," I replied carefully. The last thing I needed right now was my own allies doubting me.


    "Anything you want to talk about?" He asked hesitantly. I shook my head. "No, but thanks. I need to sort through the mess of my thoughts before I can say much." I smiled. "I think you should go and see Victoria. I''m sure she watched the match and I''m absolutely certain she''d be ecstatic if you visited her. Even more so if Vincent joined you, I''m sure."


    Joshua smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think you''re right."


    I glanced at the small windows. "It''s dusk," I said with a faint smile. "I''ll head out for a walk."


    "I''ll let the others know." He said with a grin.


    With that, I left the inn and headed to the city gates. As I walked through the golden streets, I could feel people''s stares on me. Some seemed frightened, while the younger ones looked at me with envy.


    As I arrived at the city gates, I noticed a familiar face right outside. Lucius stood on the grass at the side of road, watching the sky.


    I passed through the gate and approached him.


    "Hey, Lucius."


    "Young Master Kai," He replied with a faint smile.

 Chapter 101: Plotting

    "I told you not to call me that a million times." I said, rolling my eyes. I didn''t like the attention and hated the weight of that title.


    "And I told you a million times ¨C that is who you are. Just like the Lady said, accept it and-"


    "Accept my position for what it is and act accordingly, yeah. I know." I finished his sentence for him. "I don''t need you to tell me that. I''ve heard it more times than I can count." I said with a sigh.


    "Yet, you do not act accordingly." Lucius replied with a faint smile. "Which is why I question ¨C how did you end up in this game?" He asked after a short moment.


    "Pure luck. It wasn''t Mother''s doing." I said, then glanced at the sky. The sun had set; the colours of the sky had darkened already. "What about you? I doubt even Mother would be able to guess something like this would happen."


    He chuckled. "I don''t think the Lady''s power is that great." He took a few steps towards the treeline. "A walk?" He asked. I nodded and followed him.


    "The PORTAL device was given to us by a¡­ benefactor." He hesitantly said. "I don''t know his identity, but the Lady trusted that person enough to allow me to use the device."


    "I''m sure she regrets it now." I said. "I''m sorry," I added after a moment''s hesitation. "It should have been my duty to use it ¨C not yours."


    He chuckled. "Don''t feel so bad, Kai." His sudden shift from formal to informal surprised me a little. "At least we got to meet again." He grinned as his yellow eyes shone in the dark. "I''m surprised you recognised me though."


    I laughed. "I''ve defeated you so many times, Lucius. I know your style ¨C you can''t hide it from me." I paused. "What about you? How did you know who I was?" He knew my name before I even fought him.


    "That little trick of yours ¨C the hand switch. I don''t know anyone else who can do that. So, let''s just say it was an educated guess." His mischievous smile slowly turned into a grin. "I am surprised though ¨C I had thought you''d go with a strength-based character. Instead you seem to have chosen dexterity."


    I shrugged. "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you later ¨C there is something else we need to talk now." I said with a more serious tone. "I assume you tried to find a way to get out of this game."


    He nodded as a dark expression appeared on his face. "Yes, I''ve found out a few things too, but I doubt it''s anything you don''t know." He hesitated. "We need to either ''complete'' the game or ''lose'' the game."


    I flinched. I hadn''t thought about losing the game at all. What would trigger that? Baile Chailce''s destruction? Death of the Ereth gods? The Divine Pillars being destroyed?


    "Winning seems more plausible." He added after a short moment. "I''m sure you have noticed just how powerful the Ereth Divines are."


    I nodded. I couldn''t help but shiver as I remembered the power that nearly froze time itself. "But killing the Demon Lord will be just as difficult." I said with a sigh. "The demons are also incredibly powerful ¨C even now, I doubt I could defeat one on my own."


    Lucius hesitated. "We don''t know that." He said, choosing his words carefully. "No one has seen a demon and lived to tell the tale."


    I shook my head. "I did, several times." I pushed a branch that was in my way and sat on the mossy ground. Leaning my back against a tall tree, I gestured to the young man to sit as well. He hesitated, then did as I told.


    "I met them a few times," I said, starting to tell my tale. I left out nothing ¨C not even the parts about Asher. At first, it was difficult to speak. As I talked about my mistakes, I couldn''t help but feel embarrassed. Now, looking back at the past weeks, I could see how stupid I''d been.


    But as I spoke, it became easier to do so. I had known Lucius ever since I was a child ¨C we''d practically grown up together. He was the closest thing to a brother I had. That was precisely why I felt so pained to see him here, yet so happy to be reunited as well. My feelings conflicted and my mind a mess as always, it helped to talk about all these past events.


    "I see." He said after I finished. Silence covered the forest as we sat there and just¡­ thought about stuff. "So," He said after a while. "This Asher guy¡­" I flinched as I sensed the hostility in his voice. "The Lady will enjoy meeting him, I''m sure."


    "Whoa, wait." I said with a hint of panic in my voice. "Mother will absolutely not learn about any of this. Are we clear on that?"


    "Well, if the Lady asks¡­" He started to speak, but I cut him off. "You will tell her that you don''t know the full details and she should ask me directly if she wants an answer." I emphasized every single word as I spoke very slowly. "Are we clear on that?" Perhaps it was because he was fine with that, or perhaps because my eyes, glowing purple in the darkness intimidated him.


    "Fine," He said with a sigh. "But please be more careful in the future. Having such a ''connection'' with someone else¡­ I don''t think it''s a very good idea."


    I could see why he was worried ¨C they were the same worries I had when Asher cast the spell that bound us. "It''s fine. The connection ¨C and Asher ¨C have proven very useful so far. And he''s not a bad person ¨C he''s just as frustrated to be trapped in here as we are." I shrugged. "Besides, I''ve got a heap of more important and dangerous people to deal with."


    He hesitated, then nodded and asked. "You mean the Ereth Divines."


    I nodded. "Tomorrow will be challenging." I paused. "Hey, Lucius. How reliable are those three that fought with you?"


    He grinned. "Very. They''re not the best fighters, but they are perfect scouts and I''d trust them with my life."


    "Then, I need you to do something for me." I quickly explained what I wanted from him. He was surprised, somewhat confused even, but he didn''t hesitate at all when I finished my words. Promising to do what I told, he bid me farewell and returned to the city.


    I contacted Asher right after. He was also surprised, but he didn''t protest. He was fine with what I told him. When I returned to the city, I had a faint smile on my face. A smile of confidence, because I knew that I had allies that I could trust ¨C no matter what.

 Chapter 102: The Palace of the Divines

    "So," I said staring at the woman sitting before me. "What do you say?"


    Victoria sighed. She fiddled with her long hair for a little while. Her thoughtful expression soured after a while. My heartbeat quickened as anxiety kicked in. Did she not agree with my words? Was she offended? Angry? I clenched my fists in anticipation and fear.


    "Fine." She said after a long, heavy silence. "I don''t like this ¨C I hate it, in fact ¨C but I''ll go along with your plan."


    I sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I''m sorry."


    "Don''t apologize." She scoffed. "You knew exactly what your request meant." Her words hurt, but she was right.


    "True." I sighed. "I should get going, I''m sure the others are waiting for me." I got up and headed for the door.


    "Good luck." She softly said. "Look out for those two for me, would you?" She asked with a bitter smile. "Of course." I said with a nod before leaving.


    I went back to the inn, where I met with the others. Samantha and Alina both seemed exhausted, probably because they passed out yesterday evening. With a sigh, I glanced at the other three. Erik was wearing his armour. He had obviously just cleaned it as the sunlight reflecting off it hurt my eyes. Vincent wore his usual attire, but made sure to cover himself with a long, white cloak. Joshua seemed to be the only one still acting at least somewhat normal as he grinned and waved at me as I approached them.


    "Hey, man." He said with a cheerful voice. "Where were you?"


    "I was just looking around." I said with a shrug. "I checked a few shops to see if I could find anything useful."


    "And?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence. I shook my head. "Nothing."


    They both seemed somewhat disappointed as Erik took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Alright, let''s go." He started walking towards the palace ¨C the massive building that we could see even from the outskirts.


    "Remember," I said as we followed the young paladin. "No matter what, don''t let your guard down."


    "We know." Alina said softly. Despite her tired complexion, her eyes shone with determination. I smiled but didn''t say anything else. Now wasn''t a good time to agitate Erik. As we were about to face the Ereth Divines, I needed him to be as calm as possible. We couldn''t afford a single mistake right now.


    "Kai," Vincent chimed in as we passed by the coliseum. "What do you think will happen?"


    I shrugged. "We''ll probably be offered a reward and given a task." I already had a fairly good guess as to what that task would be.


    "You think it''ll be that simple?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. "I don''t think it''ll be as easy as that."


    I shook my head. "No, but that''s probably the gist of it." I shrugged before continuing. "They''ll probably ask us ¨C or order us, I don''t know ¨C to kill the Demon Lord." As these words left my mouth, the young man flinched. "What?" He shrieked, then quickly lowered his voice. "No way, we can''t defeat him all on our own."


    I shrugged, but I still refused to believe that. Our power could grow seemingly infinitely. Eventually, we should be able to become more powerful than the Demon Lord. Or at least, that what I believed, and it was what I was going to act according to.


    "We''re here." Erik said after a short while. "All of you, make sure you behave." He said, glaring at me. Somewhat annoyed, I imagined punching him, but remained silent. Whatever fight we were going to have could wait until this was over. I wasn''t stupid enough to risk everything because of my ego.


    Instead, I looked up at the massive building before us. Naturally, the entire exterior was made of a white, marble-like material. I could see massive spires reaching for the skies as we climbed the stairs leading to the huge golden gates.


    "This place is massive." Samantha whispered. I nodded; the palace was ridiculously large. And ''large'' was the only thing I could say about this place. It was clearly made to look as majestic and breath taking as possible, but the only emotion I felt was disgust.


    It was disgustingly clean and shiny. The white hurt my eyes as the golden accents only served to make the place feel more fake.


    "Welcome," A cold, harsh voice sounded. One of the Ereth guard standing at the gates greeted us. "Please show your identification."


    As we summoned our interfaces and showed her our status panels, I couldn''t help but feel nervous. Like Asher had told me before ¨C the Divines noticing that I am the Soul Keeper could create more problems than we could possibly handle.


    "Please follow me," She said after a short moment. She led us inside, where I once again felt disgusted by the lavish yet horrible decorations. I couldn''t spot any colour other than white and gold.


    "The Divines will see you now." She said as we approached another set of massive doors. "Please remember to follow proper etiquette."


    "Uh, wait." Samantha said as the guard motioned to open the door. As the Ereth raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, Samantha quickly explained. "We''re not from around here so we don''t know proper etiquette. Could you perhaps¡­ explain?" As she spoke, blood rushed to her face. I couldn''t help but smile, both because she was a bit funny and because her quick thinking had probably saved us already.


    "Of course." The Ereth quickly explained. As I listened, it took some effort to keep my expression neutral. I already disliked the Divines, and I hadn''t even stepped inside the room yet.


    Once she had finished explaining, she opened the golden doors and let us pass through.


    We stepped inside a massive throne hall. The long, wide hall had perhaps two dozen guards inside. As soon as we stepped in, I could feel their almost hostile gazes on me. I couldn''t help but shiver ¨C it felt almost as if we were there to be killed rather than rewarded.


    Before us, seven thrones stood on top of a short set of stairs. On each throne, a cloaked Ereth sat. I could only see their massive wings and claw like hands as their cloaks and robes covered the rest of their bodies. Even their faces were shrouded in darkness.


    We stepped forward in a straight line and as we arrived at the foot of the steps, we knelt.


    "So, you finally arrived." A mighty voice echoed inside the hall.

 Chapter 103: Seven Divines

    I knew that voice. It belonged to the same Ereth that killed the contestant in the semi-finals and saved my life.


    As he continued with his words, the air grew heavier. "We welcome you to our humble halls, travellers from the Beyond. Allow us to congratulate you on your triumph."


    Humble? There was nothing humble about this place. It took some effort to keep my expression neutral.


    "We thank you," Erik stepped forward. My heart skipped a beat ¨C that was not what we had planned! I was supposed to do the talking, not him. He knelt at the foot of the steps leading to the thrones. Naturally, we followed his lead.


    My heartbeat quickened as I felt the air around us fill with magic. What was going to happen now?


    "Paladin of Rohir, Wayfarer, Warrior, Rogue," He hesitated for only a fraction of a second. "Keeper."


    "Before we bestow upon you our blessing," A female voice sounded. Despite her low voice, her words seemed to silence everything around us. I could barely breathe as her power filled the room. "We wish to give you a task. One to save our world from the plight that are the Demons."


    I flinched despite seeing this coming. I had not expected her to be so blunt about it. "They are ruining this world ¨C killing our people, cursing nature itself with their hostile powers, turning the very earth itself against us. While our Divine Pillars keep us safe here in Baile Chailce, the villages in the outskirts of our lands are forever in danger."


    I could hear the pain in her voice. I could hear how she suffered with her people. What she said was crystal clear to me.


    "And I know," She said, her voice rising a little bit as she stood up. "You''ve suffered too. Those like you ¨C your fellow travellers from Beyond ¨C have also passed away at the hands of those who''d kill only for their own enjoyment."


    I flinched. The image of Alex, kneeling by her sister''s dead body flashed across my eyes.


    "So, we ask of you, help us cleanse our world from the filth that is demons." She stepped forward and descended a single step. I held my breath as her gaze fell on Erik. "You will help us, will you not?"


    I clenched my fists as Erik nodded. "Of course, Divine." He said as he lifted his head a little. I could see it in his eyes ¨C he was captivated by her words. I forced myself to remain motionless and expressionless. Perhaps this was for the best ¨C if she were to become Erik''s motivation, he might even stop constantly picking fights with me.


    "I knew you''d say that." She said with a smile. She turned her back on us and approached her throne. "Allow us to bestow our gifts upon you." She said raising her hand a little. Before five of the Divines, the floor began to glow as a familiar mark appeared.


    "Wayfarer." A soft, bewitching voice sounded. One of the Divines stood up. "Come."


    Samantha visibly flinched, then slowly got back up on her feet and climbed the steps to the Ereth Divine. I could see her shaking hands. As soon as she stepped on the mark on the ground, they both disappeared in a flash.


    As the teleportation mark vanished, another Ereth spoke. "Warrior, come." Vincent stoop up quickly and approached the Divine. They also disappeared in a flash of light.


    I couldn''t help but feel nervous. I had warned them enough times already ¨C I didn''t think any of them would do or say something stupid.


    "Keeper." I flinched. It was the woman who had spoken before. I forced myself to remain calm as my heart tried to jump out of my chest. So far, things were going as we had assumed they would ¨C with the exception of Erik being the speaker, of course.


    I slowly got up and approached her. With each step I took towards her, the more difficult it became to move. I stood before her, and only then did a teleportation mark appear beneath my feet.


    Light enveloped me. With a flash, I no longer stood at the throne hall of the Divines. I found myself in a library. It was massive, with perhaps hundreds of thousands of books lining the shelves.


    "Your allies will be given weapons and tools that we hope will aid them in the coming battles." The Ereth Divine spoke. I directed my gaze on her. She was standing near the only desk in the room. "But I highly doubt the esteemed Keeper of Souls would prefer a weapon."


    She turned to face me. Her power rushed over me like a wave, leaving me gasping for air.


    "How you came to be, I do not know." She continued as she slowly approached me. It took effort just to remain standing.


    I cursed at myself. Why had I taken such a huge risk? Even if everything went according to plan, I couldn''t see myself getting out of here unscathed.


    "But I am glad that you''re here, before me now." Her power spread, covering the entire room. She stood right in front of me and lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing her face.


    I flinched. How...? No, I had to be mistaken. Something like that was impossible.


    She had long, crimson hair and bright blue eyes. Her pale skin completed her look perfectly. Her horns were tilted towards the back of her head.


    "I must say, however," She said as she reached out with her claw like hand. I motioned to step back but found myself unable. Bright blue tendrils that were the same colour as her eyes sprouted from the ground, preventing me from moving. "This is quite the joyous occasion."


    She gently touched my chin, forcing me to look at her. Her bewitching voice clawed at the back of my mind. So, this was how she talked to Erik and the others just a few minutes ago. She used her magic to compel them ¨C to make them want to do what she asked of them. They''d do anything for her approval.


    The only reason it hadn''t worked on me was because my mind was protected by Asher''s power and my training back at home. Yet, now I could see clearly how she''d played Erik like a fiddle.


    "You see," She said with a bewitching smile. She slid her hand towards my throat before her grip tightened. Her claw like nails pierced my skin as she spoke. "I was saddened to see the previous Keeper pass away, despite all of my efforts to save him."

 Chapter 104: Threats and Promises

    "What?" I finally managed to speak. I could feel blood flowing down my chest as her grip tightened, threatening to crush my throat. She lifted me up as the bright blue tendrils wrapped around my body. She held me like that for a short while, before dropping me back to the ground.


    I fell on the marble floor with a muffled thud.


    "That''s right," She said with a cold voice. "Wait," She suddenly added with a surprised expression. "You don''t know?" She said as I tried to get up. She lightly waved her hand and the tendrils wrapped themselves tighter and pulled me to the ground.


    "What are you talking about?" I asked through my clenched teeth. Laying on my side, I was completely defenceless. I tried to use Fallen Grace, but my mana refused to obey me. So, I wasn''t able to use magic here. That was good to know in advance.


    "You truly have no clue, do you?" She said, reaching towards me.


    "What the hell are you talking about?" I shouted. "Let go of me!"


    "I don''t think so." She said with a bewitching smile. "I can''t believe you''ve come to me willingly."


    I flinched. She wasn''t wrong ¨C I had quite literally offered myself to her. Despite the plan, I couldn''t help but feel like an idiot. I clenched my teeth and tried to free my hands. Yet, the tendrils around my wrists only tightened as she gently touched my cheek. "Truly, this is quite the event."


    "Weren''t you supposed to be rewarding me?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. She still hadn''t shown me what I needed. Was this even going to work?


    "Oh, don''t you worry, little na?ve Keeper." She said, once again standing up. "I will give you something priceless." She walked away with slow, elegant steps. I glanced at the tendrils holding me down ¨C I couldn''t feel any of that divine energy emanating from them. Was she able to use multiple types of magic?


    "You will serve me well." She quietly whispered as she approached the bookshelves covering the walls. Worry covered my mind ¨C while we knew I wasn''t getting out of this unscathed, we had assumed I''d receive some threats ¨C not¡­ this.


    "What do you want from me?" I asked after taking a few shallows breaths to calm myself. "And what is this? Let me go!" Was she buying it?


    She smiled as she returned with a book and a small pouch. "All in due time." She said with a bewitching smile. I looked away, worried that her spell would break my mind. "First of all," She said as she raised her hand. The tendrils lifted me upas I tried to break free. "The Keeper of Souls is able to take in the most powerful souls ¨C even those of mythical creatures such as phoenixes." She was almost speaking to herself as she took a small, iced bottle out of the pouch.


    I held my breath as I saw a soul, trapped in there.


    "I knew you''d be interested." She said as her lips formed a wicked smile. She waved her hand again and the tendrils gently put me down. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I tried to step away from her, but once again, she didn''t let me.


    "Do you know what this soul belongs to?" She asked with a faint smile.


    I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself down. At least I was back on my feet now and it didn''t look like she wanted to kill me.


    The soul was a pale blue coloured blur. I couldn''t see its shape clearly because of the iced glass bottle. "No." I said before glaring at her. Was she going to give that to me? Why?


    "It belongs to a wyvern." She said, smiling. "A very old one too." She tapped the glass with her nail. "It was a gift from me to your¡­ To the previous Keeper." Her expression soured. "Or so it was meant to be, but he up and died."


    "And what does that have to do with me?" I asked through my clenched teeth. "What do you want from me? Why this?" I said tilting my head towards the tendrils.


    "I want you to kill the Demon Lord." A wicked smile appeared on her face.


    Since that was already what I was planning to do, I almost breathed a sigh of relief. "But I don''t trust you." She added, destroying what little feeling of security I had left.


    "Why?" I asked after a short moment of hesitation. Whatever distrust she had, it had to have something to do with the previous Keeper of Souls. Yet¡­ there was so much that didn''t add up that I didn''t even know where to begin trying to unravel this mystery.


    "Have you looked in a mirror lately?" She chuckled. "How do you expect me to trust you?"


    Did I hear that right? Was she, an Ereth Divine, of all people, bothered by my appearance? Really? Even the thought of it was so outlandish that I couldn''t believe it.


    "So, what happens now?" I asked after a short silence.


    "I will give you the power you seek," She said before her expression soured. "Is what I''d like to say, but your power is not something I can interfere with." She reached towards me and touched the blood on my neck. "Your power comes from the souls you''ve gathered." She smiled. "I will give you this wyvern''s soul."


    Despite my unwillingness to accept her help, I couldn''t help but feel a little relieved ¨C I wanted that soul. I could sense its pain and loneliness. And the power it held.


    "I can see how much you care about your allies ¨C those around you. So, here is what will happen." As she spoke, the tendrils released me and disappeared into the floor tiles. I touched my bruised wrists; I was glad to be free. "You will come when I call for you." She said with that same, bewitching smile. "If you do not, then you will find your allies disappear ¨C one by one."


    I clenched my fists. "Keep them out of this."


    "Either that, or I''ll keep you locked up somewhere and take advantage of your power." The tendrils reappeared. I quickly leapt back ¨C that was even worse!


    "Fine!" I said just before the tendrils reached me. While I hated the idea, it was the only thing I could choose.


    "Perfect." She said with a smile. "In that case, let us celebrate." She waved her hand. I felt a portion of her magic seep out of the door. Soon an Ereth servant came inside, carrying a platter filled with some food and two crystal glasses.


    "Why don''t you sit down?" She said softly. Despite her gentle voice, I knew that was not a request. She gestured towards a couch set at the corner. With an internal sigh, I did as she asked.


    "Perfect." She said with a smile. "Now, we have plenty to talk about." It took some effort to keep my expression emotionless ¨C I wanted to grin.


    Indeed, we did have plenty to talk about.


    I now had what I came here for.

 Chapter 105: A Discreet Reunion

    I stepped outside the Palace of the Divines and let out a breath of relief. It was dusk ¨C I was in there for almost the whole afternoon.


    "Hey," A woman''s voice sounded as I slowly walked along the street. "How did it go?" Victoria asked with worry in her voice.


    "I have it." I said with a tired smile. "But it cost me."


    "You''re wounded." She said, glancing at the wounds on my neck and the bruises around my arms and wrists. "Come, let''s go back to my shop ¨C I have some healing elixirs there."


    I chuckled. "I can heal myself, don''t worry about it." Then I glanced at the busy streets. "But I''ll gladly accept your invitation."


    She forced a smile and led me through the busy streets. I could see how nervous she was. She relaxed only a little when we arrived at her shop.


    "Where are the others?" I asked as we entered. Her butler, Thomas, quickly closed the shop as we headed upstairs.


    "They went back to the inn." Victoria said. "I talked to the twins briefly ¨C they said you were invited to dinner by the Divine Matriarch."


    I laughed. "Invited, yes. That''s one way to put it."


    "Erik seemed furious." She added as we arrived at the top floor.


    "Tell me something new." I mumbled. "Is Lucius here?" I asked as she opened the door to the third floor.


    "Of course I am." His voice sounded. He was sitting on the couch. "You look worse than I thought you would." He said with a bitter smile. "But I''m glad you came back."


    "I had insurance even if she didn''t want to let me." I said as I used Soul''s Respite. Both Lucius and Victoria flinched as the souls burst out of my chest. As they brushed past me, I directed my gaze at Lucius. "I won''t have as much freedom as before."


    He looked away. I could see how much this bothered him. "It''s fine," I said with a bitter smile. I glanced at the door before shaking my head. "I got what we needed." I continued. "I know that both of you dislike this ¨C I don''t like it either ¨C but this is the best chance we''ll get."


    "I know that." Victoria said with a frown. She took a deep breath to clear her head. "Dwelling on it won''t get us anywhere. What did you learn?"


    A knock on the door made her flinch. She jumped up with a pale face. "Come in."


    "Asher," I added as the smug, annoying sorcerer stepped inside. He wore his blonde hair in a messy ponytail. His dark grey robes were somewhat torn and clearly carried the dirt of the wilderness with them.


    "Well then," He said as Thomas closed the door, giving us the privacy we wanted. "Long time no see, Kai." He said with his usual smug smile.


    "Right," I mumbled. "You sure took your time."


    "Your friends took their time ¨C I could have been here two days ago." He replied as he lowered himself onto the couch. "I''d like to say nice to meet all of you but¡­" He shrugged. "Oh well." He said with a sigh, then turned his gaze on me. "But putting that aside, that''s quite the look, Kai."


    My lips formed a smile as I rose to my feet and theatrically bowed. "The Divine Matriarch''s gifts," I said sharply.


    My cloak fluttered as I bowed, revealing the dark grey, enchanted clothes underneath. The fancy clothes were surprisingly easy to move in despite the long sleeves and lots of loose pieces of hanging cloth. They looked more like ceremonial clothes rather than practical ones


    "Expensive gifts." Asher commented. He gestured towards my new accessory. "Is that also her gift?"


    I instinctively touched my ear. An earring hung from my right ear. Hanging at the end of a short silver chain, it was shaped like a crescent moon.


    My smile disappeared. "Yeah. It''s her leash on me, so to speak." I said with a bitter, hateful voice. "We''ll get rid of it soon enough." I added, seeing Asher flinch.


    He hesitated, the nodded. "In that case, shall we begin?" He asked.


    "Let''s." Lucius said as they all took their places on the couches. "What did you learn?"


    I smiled. "Her name is Aelith." I said, remembering the spell she cast on the earring. She had muttered her name along with mine as she did so. "She knew the previous Keeper." I added.


    Asher almost spit his drink. "Excuse me?" He said after coughing a bit. "He died centuries ago, didn''t he?"


    I nodded. "She''s that old. And so are all the other Divines. In fact, I''m sure she''s much older than that." Lucius whistled as I finished my words.


    "She said she tried to save him, but he ''up and died anyways'', according to her." I added.


    "That doesn''t add up." Asher chimed in. "I was planning on waiting until you finished, but I found some of the old records the previous Keeper kept." He took a notebook out of his inventory flipped through its pages. "Look here; ''The light approaches ¨C they already contacted me. Threats and empty promises were all I received from the Matriarch. She longs for my power and threatens to destroy all I care about if I don''t submit.''"


    I flinched. "That''s... exactly what happened." I said with a low voice. "Asher, how long had you known this?"


    He shook his head. "I finished deciphering it this morning. You were already inside the palace ¨C I couldn''t risk trying to warn you."


    I clenched my fists. "Good thinking." I said and forced myself to calm down. He didn''t mean anything bad ¨C we all knew it. "She gave me a choice ¨C if you can call it that." I explained my ''deal'' with Divine Matriarch Aelith. As I spoke, their expressions darkened. Especially Victoria''s.


    "So, we''re gambling with Erik, Samantha, Alina and the twins'' lives here?" She asked with a shaky voice. I nodded. She remained silent for a while, then shook her head. "I''m sorry. It''s a lot to take in."


    "I won''t defy her." I said after a moment''s hesitation. Asher, who was lost in thought, quickly raised his head. "What does that mean?" He asked with clenched fists.


    "She wants me to kill the Demon Lord." I said, lowering myself onto the couch. "That''s exactly what I''m going to do. I''ll go when she calls for me. I won''t throw their lives away."


    "So, we''re abandoning the plan?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "You''ll just roll over and submit? Just¡­ do as she says and throw away our best chance at getting out of here?" He rose to his feet, his fists clenched and his face red with anger. "That''s not the promise we made, Kai!"


    "Of course not, you idiot!" I replied with a shout. "Stop shouting at me and listen for ten god damned seconds!" Anger and annoyance welled up inside me, they fuelled my ice-cold aura of death. "That''s why I said we''ll have to be more careful!"


    The smug sorcerer hesitated; his face went pale. "Kai?" He asked with a much weaker voice.


    "I will kill the Demon Lord and we will get out of here. But I''m not strong enough to defy any of them ¨C not the Demon Lord and certainly not Aelith. So, until I gain enough power, I have to go along with her whims."


    "Young master." Lucius said with a warning tone. "I''d suggest you calm down."


    It was only then that I realised their expressions ¨C they were surprised, confused, and even somewhat afraid.


    "Kai, you''ve changed." Asher said after a short, heavy silence.

 Chapter 106: Snap

    It took me a moment to regain my composure. "Sorry," I said, instinctively stepping back. My temper had flared up almost instantly. I touched my chest; I could feel the restless souls ¨C they were affecting my mood.


    "It''s fine," Asher said after a short while. "I was just a little surprised."


    "It''s not fine." I replied, taking a deep breath. "Asher, we need to get that primal core ¨C as fast as possible."


    He raised his eyebrows as the other two stared in confusion. Naturally, I hadn''t told Victoria anything about primal cores and Lucius had only learned about them yesterday.


    "Why?" Asher asked after a short moment of silence. I could see that he wasn''t looking forward to it.


    "The Matriarch gave me a soul." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "An incredibly old and powerful one. More so than the phoenix." I shivered as I remembered how I felt when she let me take it. As it joined the other souls within me, I had almost lost consciousness. "One that belonged to an ancient wyvern." I sighed. "I need the primal core to control its power."


    Asher nodded somewhat lost in thought, as Victoria slowly got up and approached one of the bookshelves lining the wall. With a thoughtful expression, she reached for a book and flipped through its pages. "I don''t have any records on ancient wyverns." She mumbled. "Are you sure the Matriarch didn''t lie to you?"


    I nodded. "It used to live far away from here." I said softly, remembering the memories that flashed before my eyes as it melted into my chest. "I doubt it ever came near this city when it was alive." With a sigh, I got up and approached the window. I could see the bustling streets below. People were on their way, Ereth, players and other local races somehow lived in harmony.


    "When can we get going?" I asked after a watching them for a while.


    Asher sighed. "Tomorrow." He said, opening his interface and showing us the map. "It''s quite far from here, so we''ll have to fly if we want to go there in a reasonable timeframe." He glanced at Victoria. "You''re not exactly a fighter, as far as I understand."


    She shook her head. "No, I''d be useless in battle." She sighed. "I''ll stay here and keep an eye on the boys."


    "I''d appreciate it." I said with a bitter smile. "I should probably go back to the inn," I added after a moment. "I''m sure some of them will start worrying about me."


    Asher nodded while Lucius seemed bothered, again. I glanced at his sour expression but chose to ignore him. While he did have valid reasons to be concerned, I wasn''t going to abandon Vincent and the others. I couldn''t even imagine how much that would break Alina''s heart¡­


    With such thoughts filling my mind, I bid the group a good night and headed to the inn. The sun had set already, though I couldn''t see the stars from all the city lights. They reminded me of Mrs. Carrie''s house. I couldn''t see the stars from my window there either.


    It didn''t take long for me to feel out of place ¨C even more so than before. With my dark grey ceremonial clothes and black cloak, I stood out in this white and golden city. I could hear faint whispers as I passed by the crowds and I could see the subtle looks they gave me.


    I braved the looks and the attention and only breathed a sigh of relief when I arrived at the inn. As I pushed the door and stepped inside, the reek of alcohol assaulted my nostrils. I coughed and closed the door behind me.


    "Welcome, I guess." The bartender''s annoyed voice sounded. Covering my nose and mouth with my cloak, I looked around. I wasn''t even surprised when I found the entire group passed out at our table. More bottles than I could count were just scattered everywhere.


    "I¡­ don''t even want to ask." I mumbled as the bartender stepped around the counter to come stand with me.


    "Good choice." She said. Her voice was lifeless, and her expression was filled with annoyance.


    "I''ll take them to their rooms." I said with a sigh. "I''m sorry for all the trouble they''ve caused so far."


    She just shook her head. "Not your fault." She opened the windows to let some fresh air in. "But let me tell you, if you hadn''t won that last match, I would have kicked each and every one of them onto the streets the moment they started drinking." Clearly annoyed, she grabbed a wet cloth from the counter.


    I had no words ¨C I didn''t even know how to apologise to her. With a sigh, I approached the group. They reeked of alcohol, their white clothes had stains on them, and I was fairly sure some of those were from puking.


    "I don''t want to deal with this." I mumbled, clenching my fists. "Can''t I leave you guys alone for a couple of hours?" I could feel anger, annoyance and other feelings welling up inside me. I breathed through my gritted teeth. "Even you, Alina. Vincent¡­"


    "They never had to deal with consequences, had they?" The bartender asked as she cleaned the spilled dinks. I shook my head as a reply. As far as I knew, none of them ever had to deal with any real consequences back at home. Their rich families could fix any mistake they made while their connections would allow them to get their hands on anything they wanted. Back at home, getting drunk like this would have meant nothing.


    "Maybe it''s time they learn then." She said, gathering the broken glass shards on the ground. Her words only served to fuel my anger. "Maybe." I mumbled. Leaving them here to wake up hungover and with muscle pain started to seem like a brilliant idea.


    "Asher," I reached out to him. It was much easier now that he was so close. He responded almost immediately, with worry filling his voice.


    "What is it? Is something wrong?" I could feel his anxiety.


    "No, can we get going now?" I asked as I forced my expression to remain calm. I didn''t want the bartender to think I was going insane.


    "Why?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. I rolled my eyes, why did he have to ask so many things? Why did he have to answer my questions with more questions?


    "I''ll tell you on the way. Meet me at the gates, bring Lucius with you." I severed the connection and glanced at the tired, annoyed and angry bartender.


    "I have to go." I said, taking some coin out of my inventory. "Take this as an apology and please keep my room booked ¨C I''ll probably come back in a couple of days."


    She took the coins after a moment''s hesitation. "Sure, but don''t you think they should be the ones apologizing?" She asked, tilting her head towards the unconscious group. I shrugged. "If they do, feel free to accept any help and money they offer ¨C you deserve much more than that for putting up with them for so long."


    A faint smile appeared on her lips as she pocketed the money. "I can''t say you''re wrong, so¡­" She shrugged. "Safe travels, Matriarch''s Champion."

 Chapter 107: Flying Through the Night

    The name she''d given me had left a bad taste in my mouth. In fact, I felt so annoyed at it that as soon as I left the city and moved outside the guard''s view, I looked for something to kill.


    ''Matriarch''s Champion'', as if she were my owner or something.


    "Hey." Asher''s voice snapped me away from my thoughts. I turned around to see him and Lucius coming towards me. "What''s wrong?" He asked, noticing my irritated expression. I shook my head.


    "Nothing worth worrying about. Let''s go." As my wings appeared through a veil of black-crimson mist, Lucius'' eyes widened. He knew about my wings, of course, but it was the first time he was seeing them. His reaction put a smile on my lips for a fraction of a second.


    "I''ll give us flight as well." Asher said with a sigh. Magic gathered in his hands and enveloped the two of them. As they shot to the sky, I leapt right up after them. I could hear Lucius''s shriek as we rose above the trees.


    I beat my wings to catch up to them and to my surprise, I didn''t need to use Fallen Grace to do so. I hadn''t noticed that when I was in a hurry to get to Rina and Alex. Sure, allocating those stat points had changed my body but I hadn''t realised that doing so meant my body was now able to handle the weight and size of these massive wings.


    As we flew through the dark skies, I couldn''t help but laugh at Lucius. As Asher''s magic carried him, his face was pale, and his hands shivered.


    "Don''t laugh!" He shrieked miserably. "You know I hate heights."


    "Then why did you come?" Asher asked, grinning.


    Lucius refused to answer. Instead, he fixed his gaze at the stars. I smiled, then beat my wings faster, speeding up. "I don''t want to waste any time." I said as Asher used some more magic to catch up with me.


    "Why are you in such a rush?" He asked after a short while.


    I hesitated. "The wyvern''s soul¡­" I said with a sigh. "It''s trying to take over. It''s filled with wrath and hatred." I touched my chest. "I can''t control it for much longer. It''s affecting my mood ¨C I feel angry and irritated ¨C constantly."


    Asher''s expression darkened. "Why did you take the soul in?" He asked as we sped up even more. I shook my head. "I didn''t know this would happen."


    He didn''t say anything. The only thing breaking the silence was the blowing wind as we made our way to¡­ wherever Asher was taking us. As minutes passed, I could feel the annoyance and anxiousness inside my heart rising.


    We passed rivers and hills, some old ruins and even a massive hole in the earth. While I wanted to explore, I knew I didn''t have the luxury of time. Despite not having slept since the night before, when dawn arrived, I was wide awake. I didn''t feel the least bit tired.


    "There." Asher said, pointing at a mountain on the horizon. "It''s supposedly where the primal core of water is."


    "Supposedly?" I asked as we approached the mountain. It was so massive, the top of it was hidden in the grey clouds covering the sky over it. The dark rocks covering the steep hills had a hint of red in them. As the sun slowly began to rise, the crimson-purple light illuminated the mountain.


    "Well, I haven''t personally checked." Asher said. "The previous Keeper''s records indicate that at that time, the primal core of water was here." He hesitated for a moment. "¡­Somewhere." He added.


    Looking at the massive mountain, I couldn''t help but feel like this was completely pointless. How were we supposed to find a fist sized crystal in such a massive place?


    We landed at the foot of the mountain. Tall, sturdy trees covered our surroundings. This area was much colder than Baile Chailce, though it didn''t bother me thanks to the Matriarch''s gifts. Whatever the enchantments she put on these clothes were, they were incredibly powerful.


    "Oh, thank L-" Lucius started to speak, the flinched. "Thank god we''re back on solid ground." He corrected himself. His knees shook as he took a few steps forward. I shot an annoyed look at him, then sighed.


    "So, where is it?" I asked, glancing at the smug sorcerer. Asher shrugged as he summoned his interface and checked his map. "Well, it should be somewhere on that mountain." He said after a short while.


    "You do realise that the mountain is massive, don''t you?" I asked. I couldn''t see the summit at all. "You do have some way to find it, right?"


    He hesitated.


    "No way," I said. "Asher!" Had he seriously brought us here with nothing more to go on?


    "Well," He said, looking at the mountain towering before us. "I was hoping one of us would sense it." He glanced at me expectantly. I shook my head. "Nope. Nothing." With a somewhat disappointed expression his next glance was directed at Lucius. "I don''t even have a mana stat." He said with a shrug.


    "Oh." Asher seemed even more disappointed. He looked at the ground, then at his notebook. As he flipped through its pages, presumably looking for clues, I couldn''t help but feel bad despite the wyvern''s effect.


    "Why don''t I fly around?" I suggested. "I can let you know if I sense anything anyways."


    Lucius''s gaze snapped back at me as I spoke. He didn''t like that idea; it was written all over his face. He motioned to speak, but I stopped him before words could leave his mouth. "Lucius, I know you mean well, but you need to stop."


    He flinched. "That''s not-"


    "Please. I know what my responsibilities are." I said with a bitter smile. It took some effort to supress the emotions the wyvern''s soul amplified.


    "Do you?" Lucius asked, clenching his fists. "Because you keep taking unnecessary risks. You keep being careless." He stepped closer. Asher seemed like he wanted to stop the young man, but I shot him a deadly glance. He had no right to interfere.


    "You have to survive, Kai." He said. His eyes burned with determination. "Because if you don''t, the Hall will crumble."


    I looked away. I knew that, of course I knew that. "You don''t need to tell me that."


    "But I think I do." He replied. "If you die, the Hall will crumble." He repeated. I clenched my fists. Anger welled up inside me. I didn''t want to hear those words again.


    "I know that." I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. "But what am I supposed to do?" I asked, looking into his eyes. "Should I cower and hide in Baile Chailce until some brave hero saves us all? As people die all around us because I was too weak to do something about it? Or even worse," My voice rose until I began to shout. "Because I was too afraid to do something, despite having the power to save them?"


    "Calm down." Asher interrupted me. "Kai, you have to calm down. You aren''t thinking straight."


    "My thinking is fine!" I shouted. Birds flew their nests in panic as my shout echoed all around us. I didn''t notice the crimson flames bursting out, or the purple glow surrounding me. Or the darkness of the souls spreading out.


    "What would you have me do, Lucius?"

 Chapter 108: Echoes of the Past

    "I don''t know!" The young man shouted. "If I knew, I''d have told you already!"


    We glared at each other as I couldn''t find something to say. As seconds began to turn to minutes, Asher finally broke the heavy silence.


    "Kai," He said with a low, warning voice. "Supress your power."


    Only then did I notice the flames and purple mist around me. The souls I''d taken in circled around me. I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down. It took a few minutes for everything to return to normal.


    "That''s better." Asher said, sighing a breath of relief. "So, what is this hall you were talking about?"


    "None of your business." I looked at the mountain. "We should get going."


    "No," He stepped in my way. "I think it is my business." His bright green eyes focused on mine. "Tell me."


    A heavy silence covered the land. We were locked in a staring contest. I was adamant about not telling him. It had nothing to do with him.


    "The training hall, run by Kai''s family." Lucius'' voice sounded.


    "Hey!" I took a step towards him, but his glare stopped me.


    "He needs to know, Kai." Lucius looked back at Asher. "Kai is the heir of the Friseal Training Hall. Once the Lady passes away, he will be the one taking over."


    "Heir?" Asher asked as confusion filled his voice. "I don''t think I follow."


    "You don''t need to know the details." Lucius continued. "There are reasons as to why he is so important. Reasons none of us were told. I''m sure even Kai himself doesn''t know."


    It was probably clear as day from my sour expression that I, indeed, had no clue as to why all the elders of our hall deemed me so important.


    "Wait ¨C but it''s just a martial arts training hall." Asher said, glancing at me.


    "I know!" I sighed. "That''s why I''m so annoyed. It makes no sense, none of it!"


    "Yet that doesn''t change the fact that you have to survive this." Lucius said, glaring at me. Silence followed his words as I brushed my hair back.


    "Let''s go together then." I finally said. "It will be slower, but safer. Are you happy?"


    Lucius grinned. Whatever dark and serious expression he had previously vanished, allowing his usual bright smile to take its place. "Let''s go."


    And thus, our long climb to the mountain began. At first, the climb was easy. I didn''t have to exert any effort worthy of mention. The same could be said for Lucius as well, though Asher was out of breath mere hours later.


    "I can''t¡­" He wheezed. "I''m a sorcerer, not a fighter. I need a break." He collapsed before he could even finish his words. If not for Lucius catching him, he could have hurt himself on the sharp rocks.


    "Fine, let''s take a break." I said after pondering for a short while. "Once you feel somewhat rested, we''ll be on our way again."


    He nodded. We sat on the ground and leaned our backs on the large rocky formations. Despite the short time, we had climbed quite high.


    "It''s pretty." Lucius said after a while, watching the forest beneath us. Asher nodded, while I didn''t react. My mind was filled with ghosts of my past. I looked at the bright blue sky to get these thoughts out of my mind, but that didn''t help much either as all it did was remind me of the good times with grandfather.


    "So," I faintly heard Lucius''s voice. He was talking to Asher. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift away as they talked. "You were supposed to be the one designing the flagship game for PORTAL?"


    Asher sighed. "Yes. How much do you know?"


    "Almost everything Kai does." I couldn''t stop the faint smile that appeared on my lips. Lucius continued. "I was wondering, none of the Ereth are players, right?"


    Asher hesitated. "No, I highly doubt that."


    I snapped back ¨C the conversation had suddenly piqued my interest. "Why do you ask?" Asher said, straightening his back. Through my narrowed eyelids, I could see his serious expression. He was focused on Lucius''s words.


    "Well, if they aren''t players, then they are¡­ AI, right?" He scratched his horns. "Uhh, I mean¡­ they''re not real people?"


    Asher nodded. Now, we both stared at Lucius. What was he getting at? Yet, all he gave us was silence as his mind wandered off.


    "Hey, Lucius?" I chimed in. "Why did you ask?"


    He shook his head. "It''s nothing, really. I was just curious." He got back up on his feet. "Ok, time to go."


    I hesitated, then nodded. "Fine,"


    Asher didn''t seem all too happy about our decision to keep climbing, but he reluctantly got back up on his feet too.


    Our climb continued and thankfully, it was eventless. The most dangerous thing that happened was Lucius tripping and falling in some bushes. While that didn''t mean anything but something to laugh at for Asher, I couldn''t help but worry. Being careless wasn''t like him. Whatever those previous questions were, they were clearly part of something much more present in his mind.


    "I still don''t feel a thing." Asher said with a sigh. We had reached the halfway point by now. "Let''s rest a bit more."


    I nodded, despite not feeling tired at all. I supressed the anxiousness I felt and sat down by the large rocks.


    Lucius, however, didn''t seem to like that idea. He glared up, towards where the peak probably was. The dark grey clouds blocked our vision.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked after glancing at the sky. He shrugged. "Not ''wrong''¡­" He mumbled. "But are you absolutely sure that this primal core of water is somewhere here?"


    Asher stopped fiddling with his cloak and looked away. "Well, I can''t say I''m ''absolutely'' sure but¡­"


    "Asher!" I cried out. "You said you knew it was here!" Despair creeped into my heart. Was there really no way to supress the wyvern? Were all our troubles really in vain?


    "I said I ''think'' it''s here!" Asher tried to defend himself. "Come on, your predecessor wasn''t exactly the most open book type of guy! Lay the blame on him if you have to!"


    I rolled my eyes. "Like blaming some long dead guy will be helpful at all."


    Almost as if the universe heard my words, a drop of water fell on my extended hand. I looked up as more drops began to fall.


    "Are you serious?" Lucius shouted as the rain picked up. Within minutes, we were soaking wet. And that was also when I learned that the Matriarch didn''t put any waterproof enchantments on my clothes.


    "We should get moving and find a cave or something." Lucius said as he helped Asher up. "Or we''ll get sick."


    Was that even possible in a game?


    Despite my doubts, we began to move. The heavy rain blocked our vision as we tried to find some cover from it. As if the rain wasn''t bad enough, soon mist covered the mountain. Not being able to see more than a few steps away finally broke Lucius''s nerves.


    "Oh, for gods'' sake!" As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud rumble echoed. I could swear I heard someone say "Hmm?"

 Chapter 109: Shelter

    I froze in place while Lucius started cursing. Had I heard that wrong? Or was that actually someone ¨C or something''s ¨C voice?


    "Kai?" Asher grabbed my arm. "Don''t get left behind." He dragged me along as we followed Lucius. The young man seemed to be getting angrier with each step we took.


    "Asher, did you hear someone say ''hmm'' just now?" I had to talk loudly just so he could hear my voice over the pouring rain. He seemed somewhat confused as he shook his head. His lips moved, he was saying something, but his voice never reached me. I couldn''t hear him over the new addition to our day: Thunder.


    As lightning struck somewhere not too far away, we nearly fell on the ground because of the sheer volume of it. The bright flashes blinded me as I grabbed Lucius and we crouched near a large rocky formation.


    "We can''t keep going like this!" I shouted. Asher nodded while Lucius seemed a bit paler than before. The sky rumbled again. Soon after, the blinding lightning strikes followed.


    "We need to find shelter!" Lucius shouted. I could barely hear him over the pouring rain.


    Out of all the things that could have happened ¨C monsters, getting lost, traps, and just straight up not finding the primal core of water, it was a god damned lightning storm that had stopped us in our tracks.


    "Asher, don''t you have a spell to stop this?" I shouted. He shook his head. I clenched my fists; we couldn''t stay out here like this for much longer. I could already feel the cold rain sapping my strength away.


    Asher flinched as bellowing thunder echoed. He summoned his interface and showed us his map. I was surprised to see that it wasn''t a topographic map like mine ¨C it resembled satellite images. How had this not caught my attention before?


    "Here!" He shouted, pointing at a somewhat odd rocky formation on his map. I wiped the rainwater from my eyes as I squinted to see the spot he was pointing at. It wasn''t too far away, maybe a ten-minute walk, under normal circumstances.


    "Let''s go." Lucius grabbed us by the arms and dragged us away from the rocks we were leaning on. "This is only going to get worse!" I could barely hear his voice over the pouring rain.


    We powered through and somehow took step after step under the freezing rain. Some time later ¨C it felt like hours ¨C we finally made it to a large crack in the rocky surface.


    "There!" I could hear a glimmer of hope in Lucius''s voice as he dragged us with renewed vigour. As we stumbled into a large, spacious cave, lightning struck somewhere nearby, illuminating the interior for a split second.


    As expected of any normal, non-magical cave, it was filthy, stank of damp air and had plenty of moss and mushrooms inside.


    There was also a rather large cobweb near the entrance. I shivered with the cold as I stepped away from it. Definitely because of the cold and not at all because I was reminded of the giant spider we fought against beneath those ruins some time ago.


    We were engulfed in the darkness again as the flash of the lightning strike faded. I motioned to try and create a flame, but Asher was faster. A small orb of soft, yellow light appeared, floating right above his extended palm.


    "I''m freezing¡­" Lucian mumbled. Asher nodded as he let the orb of light float, suspended in the air. He squeezed some water out of his hair, then sighed. It didn''t seem like it was working.


    I did the same, creating a small puddle beneath my feet as I squeezed my ridiculously long hair. "This isn''t working." I mumbled before closing my eyes and imagining the flames of the phoenix. This time, the flames came to me with ease. Tiny flames danced on my skin and clothes, warming me up.


    "That''s cheating!" Lucius mumbled as he gave up on getting rid of the water in his cloak. I chuckled, then extended my hand and focused. Flames gathered on my fingertips then leapt towards the ground, forming a little campfire.


    "Thanks." Asher breathed a sigh of relief and put his cloak on the ground, near the fire. "I wonder how long we''ll have to wait." He glanced at the crack we came in from. Rain was still pouring down like it were the end of the world.


    "Not too long, I hope." Lucius sat on the ground and sighed. "How are you holding up?"


    I shrugged. "I''m fine." That wasn''t a complete lie. I did really feel fine, though the anxiousness was still there, slowly gnawing at the back of my mind.


    "I wonder¡­" Asher mumbled. "The timing of this rain was rather terrible." He glanced outside.


    Lucius nodded. "Well yeah, I don''t even know how we can be so unlucky." He fiddled with a small, round stone. "What time is it?"


    I glanced outside almost instinctively. Of course, it was impossible to tell from the rain and mist.


    Asher opened his interface, then froze mid action. "There is nothing to indicate the time here." He quickly went through the different panels and tabs. "None."


    I hesitated. I could see how that would normally be an issue ¨C how would someone know when to log off if they didn''t know the time?


    Lucius'' expression darkened. "That''s odd." He laid on his back and watched the stone ceiling. The shadows created by my flames danced as we sat in silence. Eventually, I broke the silence. "What''s our plan for when the rain stops?"


    Asher sighed. "We could fly to the top of the mountain." He threw a rock into the fire. The nail sized rock rolled out of the other side, barely warm. "Or we could keep walking and try to sense the god damned rock."


    "It''s not a rock." I said with a flat expression.


    "Whatever." He waved his hand dismissively. "I wonder if it''s possible to even sense the thing in the first place."


    I shrugged. I didn''t remember much from when Vixia had given me the primal core of fire. The pain of burning alive and what came after was what I remembered clearly. "It should be." I touched my chest, I could feel the souls inside. And amongst them, the burning primal core of fire. While I wasn''t constantly aware of it, I could faintly sense its warmth when I tried to.


    "Hey," I glanced at the sorcerer. "Could you locate it if we had another primal core?"


    He chuckled "I don''t see why I wouldn''t be able to." He shrugged. "But we wouldn''t need the primal core of water if we had another primal core or knew where to get one."


    Lucius looked at me as understanding dawned on him. His eyes glimmered with hope as I closed mine. I still hadn''t told Asher anything about Vixia and Delthur. Only Lucius knew about them.


    I focused on the warmth of the primal core of fire.


    "What are you doing?" Asher''s voice sounded, confused and somewhat tired.


    I focused on the sharp, clean edges of the crystal. I pictured it in my mind in the shape I''d seen in Vixia''s hand. I felt something sting, then the warm, glowing crystal materialised in my palm.


    Asher drew a sharp breath as I opened my eyes and grinned. "Will this do?"

 Chapter 110: Obscured Faces

    Asher''s eyes nearly popped as the soft, crimson light of the primal core of fire illuminated the spacious cave. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, like a beached fish. Only after a long, awkward silence did he leap on his feet and shout.


    "Where did you get that? When? How? Why didn''t I know about this?" He rushed to my side, his eyes shining with excitement and wonder.


    I couldn''t help as my grin widened. "Hey!" He glared at me. I chuckled, then extended my hand so he could properly see the primal core. He sat cross legged next to me and inspected the crystal in my palm. "It''s¡­ amazing." He very slowly and carefully reached towards it. "Can I touch it?"


    I nodded. "Can you find the other one with this?" He glanced at me, then nodded. "I should be able to. I think." He slowly reached for it but hesitated right before his fingers touched the smooth surface. "It''s hot."


    I raised my eyebrows. Was it hot? I only faintly felt its warmth.


    "How are you going to find the primal core of water?" Lucius chimed in. Asher didn''t respond, instead, he touched the warm surface of the crystal.


    "Damn¡­" His face turned pale. "Such raw power."


    I shrugged. "It''s not something anyone can easily control." I still remembered Vixia words clearly. "Can you find the other primal core?"


    He sighed. "I told you, I should be able to. Where did you find this?" He pulled his hand away and started gathering his mana in his palms.


    "Somewhere." I said with a faint smile. "Doesn''t matter." From his darkened expression, I could see that he wasn''t happy with my answer. Not like I cared much.


    He glared at me for a moment, but quickly averted his gaze when out eyes met. I was surprised to see him quietly accept my answer ¨C I had expected a show of power. But¡­ glancing at the power I held in my palm, perhaps he didn''t want to take any chances.


    The sorcerer finally completed his spell. A bright blue pentagram appeared on my palm. I could feel his magic gathering in the pentagram. Silence covered the room as we held our breath in anticipation. Was this going to work? Was this going to help me contain the constant anxiousness and anger brewing within me?


    "Interesting." Asher glanced at his hand as the purple pentagram faded into mist that gathered on his palm. He grinned. "I guess I wasn''t wrong after all." He raised his head and glanced at us. "It''s close by."


    My eyes widened. Lucius leapt up and threw his fist in the air. "Yes!"


    "Where?" I asked as the crystal melted back into my skin. Asher''s eyes glimmered with what I believed was pride. "Near the peak. I could sense it very faintly, but it''s there." We followed his gaze. He was looking outside, where the rain was still pouring down. As we watched, the sky rumbled, and lightning struck somewhere.


    "Well, we still have to wait for the rain to let up." Lucius said with a sigh as he sat back on the ground. "Man, this place smells awful." He wasn''t wrong. As if the damp air weren''t enough, I could smell rot as well.


    "Nothing that can be done about it." Asher stretched his arms and took his now dry cloak from the ground. "We should try to get some sleep. The rain will have probably let up tomorrow." He used his cloak like a blanket and was soon asleep.


    "Good night, then." Lucius said with a sigh. Unlike Asher, he didn''t immediately fall asleep. I could hear his shallow, sharp breaths. I lay on my side and turned away from the others.


    It didn''t take long for the darkness of sleep to embrace me. I didn''t resist it, despite not feeling tired. As my consciousness drifted into a sea of dreams, I let go of my thoughts.


    I opened my eyes to a faint voice. I could barely lift my heavy eyelids. I noticed a young man approaching. His hand was slightly extended. He kept saying something in a language I couldn''t understand. Who was he? What was he doing here?


    The bright sun blinded me. I couldn''t see the man very clearly. He was now close enough that I could touch him. He gently reached forward and touched my head. His soothing voice calmed my nerves as I relaxed my stretched wings. My claws were ready to strike, still, but the man didn''t seem like he meant any harm.


    He smiled ¨C I still couldn''t see him properly, but his warm, almost fatherly smile was clear as day. He said something that I once again couldn''t understand. A while passed as he spoke. Then, he pulled his hand away. I noticed a mark on his wrist. Intricate black lines were all I could spot before his cloak covered his arm.


    He smiled, then slowly walked away. Far away, I could see a woman standing on a hill, watching us.


    "Hey!" something shook me awake. I opened my eyes to see Asher and Lucius'' pale faces. "Kai!"


    They both breathed out in relief as I blinked a couple of times. "What''s going on?" I mumbled, slowly pushing myself to a sitting position.


    "You tell me!" Lucius shouted, eyes wide and breathing quickly. "You had this weird thing around you!"


    I glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or weird. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Asher for an explanation. He shook his head. "You were surrounded with magic that didn''t belong to any of us."


    I flinched. The first thing that came to mind was the man I saw in my dream. But¡­ that was a memory that belonged to the wyvern. A memory couldn''t hold such power, could it?


    "Could it be the wyvern trying to take over?" Lucius asked after a short moment of silence. I shrugged. "Maybe."


    "Then let''s hurry." Asher rose to his feet and glanced outside. "The rain has stopped ¨C mostly." I could see the few drops of water still coming down, but it was nothing compared to yesterday''s rain.


    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 111: One Last Stretch

    We stepped outside the cave to be met with the smell of wet earth and fresh air. The sunlight shone from between the clouds. It dyed the entire forest golden as we watched. A short moment later, leaves turned green and the sky blue.


    "Well," Asher glanced at the sky. A few rare raindrops still dribbled as he smiled. "This is a nice view after yesterday''s storm."


    I nodded. "Especially after spending the entire night in a cave." Lucius added. He stretched his legs and glanced at the peak, now somewhat visible through the clouds. "Looks like it gets quite steep." His grin disappeared as understanding dawned on him. "Wait, we''re not going to fly, are we?"


    I couldn''t help but laugh. A powerful and skilled fighter like him was so terrified of heights. It kind of reminded me of Alex and her arachnophobia. My smile faded as I remembered Alex''s collapsed state.


    "Anyways," I said, looking away. "Let''s go." I didn''t want to think about the dead and dying right now.


    They nodded and we were soon on our way. I didn''t suggest flying ¨C I didn''t want Asher to expend his mana and I needed Lucius to be in condition to fight. We didn''t know what we would find up there, at the peak of this massive mountain.


    As we climbed, I couldn''t help but think of that dream I had. Who was that man? I had a vague guess, though I genuinely hoped I was wrong. Because if I wasn''t¡­


    "¡­Kai? Hey, Kai?" Lucius''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "Look." He pointed ahead. I followed his gaze to see ruins. Pieces of walls, a column here and there were scattered along the narrow path we followed.


    "I wonder when the Ereth lived here." The young man mumbled. Asher shot an odd glance at Lucius as I shook my head. "No Ereth lived here." I could sense the lingering magic here. "These are demonic ruins."


    Lucius'' steps slowed as his expression darkened. "I see." Without a moment of hesitation, he summoned his inventory and took his sword out. He was ready in case anything decided to attack us.


    "How old are these?" I asked, glancing at Asher. The blonde man ran his fingers through his hair and crouched by one of the pillars supporting what remained of a roof. He gently touched the darkened pillar, inspected it.


    "I don''t know for sure." He said, getting back up on his feet and dusting off his cloak. "If I didn''t care about the game''s lore at all, my answer would be several hundred years." He shot me an odd glance. "Close to a millennium, even."


    My eyes widened. "If you cared about the lore?" I asked, hesitantly. Asher sighed and looked up at the sky. "I''d say that these shouldn''t exist."


    Silence followed his words as we all pondered. The demon invasion had happened about a century ago, if the Ereth libraries were to be believed. Yet here, we were looking at ruins that proved otherwise.


    "We should keep going." Asher suddenly said. "We can think about all this later, after we have the primal core of water in our hands."


    Lucius sighed, yet nodded. "Yes, that''s more urgent." He grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the ruins. "Let''s go, Kai."


    I didn''t resist. I felt like we were missing a single, important piece of information. If we had that, most, if not all of our questions would be answered. Lost in thought, we walked up. As we passed through the layer of clouds, I couldn''t help but release some of my flames to keep us dry and warm.


    "Man, it''s really cold up here." Lucius said. The narrow dirt path we were using up until now was getting steeper and steeper as we approached the summit. "And I''m exhausted." He said, despite not being out of breath.


    I glanced at Asher. "Do you mind if we take a short break here?" I asked. He seemed somewhat surprised but shook his head. "Good idea," He said, out of breath. We sat on the rocky surface. The cold wind pulled at our clothes, but my flames kept us warm.


    "You''ve gotten much better at controlling them." Asher said with a smile as he watched the flames dancing on his clothes. "If you tried this a few weeks ago, I''d be burning alive."


    I laughed. "As if I''m strong enough to hurt you." Lucius raised his eyebrows and glanced at the smug sorcerer. Asher shook his head. "I don''t know, Kai." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I don''t remember me ever making a decision since we got here."


    I flinched. "I, uh." My voice faded. He was right, I had been the one deciding things. I had been the one choosing whether I wanted to share information or not.


    "You''re getting stronger." He said, poking the fire on his clothes. "I''m not talking about your levels, or the souls you''ve collected. I''m talking about the way you think and act." He glanced at the summit. "You''re not that scared child anymore."


    I chuckled. "You''ve overestimating-"


    "No, he''s right." Lucius cut me off. "You''re different."


    I hesitated. How was I supposed to respond to that? I did feel different. I was angry and annoyed. I was tired and, probably most importantly, I had a goal. A reason to fight. People I wanted to protect.


    "It''s not a bad thing." Asher added, seeing my hesitation. "But it''s a bit weird to see someone change so quickly. It''s actually one of the reasons I didn''t let you come here on your own."


    I sighed and shook my head. They were just being overly dramatic. "Ok, looks like you''ve rested enough." I grinned and got back up on my feet. "Let''s go."


    Lucius laughed while Asher''s smile disappeared. "Oh, come on! That''s just cruel, Kai!"


    Yet, despite his protests, we soon were on our way. We climbed the narrow, twisting path. As the sun began to set, we finally arrived at the summit.


    "Oh my god." Asher whispered as our gazes fell on the massive building standing before us. "This thing is completely intact!"

 Chapter 112: The Summit

    I couldn''t believe my eyes as a massive castle stood before us. The structure was so huge that it completely filled out view. We could barely believe our eyes.


    It''s massive stone walls transitioned to the rocky cliffs of the mountain seamlessly. It was difficult to say where the mountain ended, and the castle began. The natural shape of the mountain formed what looked like giant claws extending to the sky and the castle was built between the three peaks.


    "This thing is massive." Lucius whispered. Asher drew a sharp breath, ready to say something. I glanced at him as he opened his mouth, then closed it again.


    "How do we enter?" I finally asked.


    We glanced at each other before Asher tilted his head. "Uh, well. How about we approach the gate?" Lucius raised his eyebrows. I shrugged and did as Asher suggested. We took a few steps forward and stepped into the shadow of the massive structure.


    We stood before the metal gates, waiting for something to happen. Moments passed in silence, filled with expectation. Eventually, I couldn''t take it anymore. "Yeah, no. I don''t even know why I thought this might work."


    Lucius started laughing. Asher raised his hands and shook his head. "Well, I tried."


    We stepped back again. "Let''s fly." I said as my wings appeared on my back. I stretched them wide and leapt up, into the air. I could barely hear Lucius'' protests over the loud beat of my wings and the sound of the blowing wind.


    Only a short moment later, my feet touched the top of the walls. My eyes widened as the courtyard and main building took my breath away. Colourful flowers decorated the courtyard, I could feel their magic even from all the way up here.


    Intricate carvings on the building''s exterior were more detailed than anything I''d seen before. What they depicted; I couldn''t say. Despite the strong wind and harsh weather, the entire building was in pristine condition.


    As I let my gaze wander, the other two soon arrived with Asher''s spell. "Don''t fly off like that!" Lucius started to reprimand me, but as soon as his gaze fell on the building, his voice faded.


    "My god." Asher whispered. "How is this even possible?" I could see the conflict in his mind, it was all over his face. His expression twisted from wonder to distrust almost immediately. "Kai, I have a bad feeling about this."


    I glanced at him. I didn''t trust this place either, but turning back now, after everything we''ve been through was just unacceptable.


    "Let''s go." I said with a cold, harsh tone as I jumped down.


    "Kai!" Lucius shouted as I beat my wings to slow my fall. As soon as my feet touched the courtyard, the plants around me seemingly came to life.


    "Kai, this is not a good idea!" Asher shouted. They still hadn''t jumped down. I looked up, then around. The plants swayed as the wind blew through them. I could see their colours become more vivid and their glow, clearer. I didn''t even need to glance at my status panel to know that they were feeding on my mana.


    "If you feel unsafe, you can wait here." I said, letting the wind carry my voice to Asher and Lucius. "I''m going in."


    As I approached the main building, it didn''t take long for me to hear their footsteps as they ran after me. I couldn''t help as a faint smile flashed across my face. I didn''t say anything, and neither did they. We arrived at the large, wooden door.


    "So, how do we get in?" I asked, glancing at Asher. He shrugged. "Uh, approach?"


    "Again?" Lucius cried out. I chuckled, but still stepped forward. A loud creak sounded as the door opened very slowly. I looked at Asher, eyes wide. He grinned. "It had to work eventually."


    After some nervous laughter, we stepped inside. A large, empty and dark hall awaited us. Paintings and tapestry decorated the walls. The pillars supporting the ceiling were shaped like dragons and other mythical creatures. The floor tiles were a dark colour. Though I wasn''t sure, it looked and felt like black marble.


    Our steps echoed in the darkness as I raised my hand. A ball of flame appeared in my palm. I threw it in the air, allowing it to float a few meters above us. With the soft light of its flames illuminating our path, we moved farther inside.


    With each step we took, the air grew heavier. This place was massive ¨C how was I even supposed to find the primal core of water in here? I glanced at Asher. From his dark, worried expression, I could guess he felt the same way.


    We soon came across a door. It wasn''t anything fancy, it wasn''t magical or anything either. Just some normal, ordinary wooden door. Yet, we summoned our weapons and prepared our spells before Lucius opened it.


    There was nothing inside. A small, empty room. It was so empty that there wasn''t even a speck of dust. Partially disappointed and partially relieved, we returned to the long hallway.


    "How large is this place?" Lucius whispered as he led the way. Asher shrugged; we had no way of knowing.


    "What I don''t understand is," The sorcerer mumbled after a short while. "Why is this place so pristine?" He stopped in his tracks and glanced at us. "Look, the tapestry isn''t damaged," He touched the marble pillars. "These don''t even have a speck of dust on them."


    I shook my head. "Almost as if this place is frozen in time." I said with a faint, bitter smile. "What are you thinking, Asher?"


    He sighed. "Two options: Either this place was frozen in time as you just said, or the development team forgot about it."


    I flinched ¨C I had forgotten about that. "Right." I looked away. I hated this ¨C this feeling of being used to this situation. Being used to my body, magic, demons and Ereth and flying and fighting.


    "Are you ok?" Lucius''s worried voice sounded. "You look pale."


    I nodded. "I''m fine, just a little overwhelmed." I took a deep breath to clear my mind. Thinking of such things wasn''t going to help with our current situation. It''d be better to focus and get things done. I was going to have plenty of time for self-pity later anyways, I jokingly thought to myself.


    "Anyways," I said looking at the dark hallway awaiting us. "Let''s keep going."


    With that, we set off again. We walked in silence for a while, until we finally found something. A large door, with writing carved onto its surface.


    As I read the text, my heart sank.

 Chapter 113: The Library

    Asher stepped forward, with his head tilted. His gaze followed the carvings as his brows furrowed.


    "Bear..?" He mumbled. "I''m not sure if I''m reading this correctly." He shook his head. "It''s a much older form of writing than the books I found before."


    "Beware thee, who would seek the knowledge of the Ancients. Pay the price of blood ¨C an oath to protect. May the Lord and Keeper guide thee through the forbidden." I whispered softly.


    "Kai?" Lucius began to speak, but Asher suddenly stopped him. I felt somewhat dizzy. The Keeper¡­ that was me, wasn''t it?


    "Let''s head inside." The blonde sorcerer said, softly patting my shoulder and pulling me out of my dazed state.


    "We don''t have the guidance of either of them." Lucius protested. "Who is the Lord?"


    A smile flashed across Asher''s lips. "What are you talking about? The Keeper is right here with us." His expression hardened as his gaze fell on me. "Kai, we''ll need you to focus for this one. Think you can do that?"


    I took a deep breath to clear my head, then grinned. "Who do you think you''re talking to?" Now wasn''t the time for self-pity, hesitation or second guessing myself. I''d have time for all that later when things calmed down. I pushed the smug sorcerer aside and approached the door.


    "Blood, huh?" I mumbled as I raised my hand. I took a small knife out of my inventory and made a small cut on the back of my hand. "Let''s see what these forbidden things are." I wiped the blood on the carvings. A crimson light shone, illuminating our surroundings. Not a moment after, the large wooden door creaked open, revealing one of the most interesting places I''d ever seen.


    It took me a moment to understand what I was looking at. At first glance, it was a library, laboratory and forest, all in one place. Looking up, I could see the sky and the stars. It didn''t take me long to realise it was fake. All the stars were in the wrong place.


    The room was filled by a forest, yet it wasn''t completely natural. The trees'' trunks and branches had formed in such an odd way that they also doubled as shelves for various objects. At first glance, I spotted books, potions, some rocks and even weapons laying on these living shelves. These same plants also formed the various tables and workshops. And all of these were illuminated by glowing flowers, hanging from the shelf-trees.


    "It''s beautiful." Lucius whispered as I stepped inside. He was right, this place was absolutely amazing. I could hardly believe my eyes as I walked among the living, breathing furniture. I was scared to touch anything ¨C what if I disturbed this place?


    But soon, that fear was replaced with a much more real, petrifying one. At the centre of the large, circular room was a sphere, floating in the air. It was about three meters in diameter. As I approached it, I could feel the magic that formed it. The entire thing was made of magic. The dark, almost opaque surface constantly shifted and moved.


    "What is that?" Lucius asked as we stood a little ways away from it. "There''s something inside."


    I squinted, trying to see what he saw. I could just barely see a shadow in there. "Could it be the primal core of water?" Lucius continued as he stepped closer to it.


    "Wait ¨C don''t get too close." Asher grabbed his arm. "Remember what was written on the door."


    I raised my eyebrows. Was this the ''forbidden'' thing it talked about? Was this what we needed to steer clear from?


    "But what if this is something important?" Lucius insisted. "What if there''s some great power that we can use to defeat the demon lord and call it a day?"


    While his words were full of hope, I knew that the chances of something like that happening were slim, at best. Was it a risk worth taking? I wasn''t sure. How could I be?


    "We''ll check everywhere else first." I said after pondering for a short while. "If we don''t find anything else, we''ll return here."


    Asher sighed a breath of relief as we stepped away from the magical sphere. "Thanks," He whispered as Lucius headed off to check the shelves. I shook my head. "I will check that out, Asher. I have to."


    He looked away, biting his lower lip. He knew it just as well as I did that the Keeper of Souls was once important to this place. "I know what you''re trying to do." He softly spoke as we stopped before one of the shelves. He gently reached out and took one of the books.


    I read the title at a glance; ''An Extensive Study of the Fauna of Erdrin''


    "I want to get out of here just as much as you do," He continued as he flipped through the book''s pages. "But you can''t be careless. That warning must have been on that door for a reason."


    I chuckled. "I''m not careless, Asher. You can teleport me out and heal me, remember?"


    His expression darkened. "You can''t rely on that."


    "I will if I have to." I glanced at Lucius as he carefully took one of the weapons and gave it a swing. "Look at him ¨C he doesn''t belong here. None of us do." When I looked back at Asher, my eyes were filled with determination. "I''m not letting anyone else die."


    Asher closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then another one. When he finally spoke, I could hear the desperation in his voice. "I get that, Kai. I understand, I really do. But all of that is meaningless if you die." He tilted his head towards Lucius, who was trying out another weapon. "What will he do if you die? Have you thought about that?"


    I didn''t want to hear any of that. I didn''t want to imagine it. As anger ¨C meaningless, useless, stupid anger ¨C welled up inside me, Lucius''s voice caught my attention.


    "I don''t see anything like a primal core here." He sighed as he approached us. Asher chuckled, somehow getting rid of the heavy silence. "I guess we''ll have to look at some other places." He glanced at me with worry in his eyes. He was afraid ¨C afraid of losing a useful tool.


    "Yeah." I said, forcing a smile. "Let''s check out the rest of the castle. We''ll come back here if we don''t find anything else." I turned my back on the sphere and left the room.


    "Where to now?" Lucius asked as we stepped back into to long hallway. I shrugged. "Well, only one way to go, right?"

 Chapter 114: A Feather, a Blade and a Flower

    We didn''t have to walk more than a few seconds to come across another set of doors, much more massive than the ones leading to the library.


    "This looks promising." Asher said with a faint smile. Despite his usually emotionless tone, I could hear a hint of hope in his words. Hope, stemming from desperation. Lucius approached the large set of doors. "Let''s go inside then." He placed his palms on the smooth wooden surface and pushed.


    At first, the door didn''t move at all. Then, a loud, ear-piercing creak sounded. The doors opened slowly, revealing a massive throne room.


    "This is¡­" Lucius'' voice faded as we stepped inside. It felt weird, walking on the soft, dark blue carpet. The air was heavy and filled with magic. My entire body was tense as we stepped closer to the throne.


    It was made of a dark material. It didn''t reflect any light at all ¨C it was almost as if the light of my flame couldn''t touch the throne. It was quite an intricate design ¨C many long, thin strands of this dark material coiled around themselves and each other to form the throne. They extended outwards, both to the sides and up as if trying to reach the ceiling, to form something that almost looked like a spiderweb.


    I shivered. Definitely not because I disliked spiders, it was just a bit chilly in here.


    "Who did this belong to?" Asher mumbled as we arrived at the set of seven steps leading up to the throne. "It''s not large enough for an Ereth." He tilted his head. "Kai, summon your wings, would you?"


    I did as he asked, albeit with a bit of confusion. "Why?"


    "The Ereth we''ve seen so far ¨C especially the ruling caste ¨C all have wings that are about the same size as yours, if not larger. Right?" He asked, shooting me a glance. I nodded, especially the Matriarch''s wings were massive.


    "Well, as far as we know, they''re not capable of hiding their wings like you are." He gestured at the throne. "None of them would be able to sit in that."


    Lucius whistled. "I didn''t think of that." He grinned. "But you didn''t need to either. Look," He pointed at the ceiling. We looked up. As soon as his gaze fell on the sigil up there, Asher drew a sharp breath. "A feather, a blade and a flower ¨C the sigil of demons." The sorcerer whispered.


    "Well, I''d say that proves it." Lucius sighed. "This place belonged to demons."


    Asher sighed. He clearly couldn''t believe what he was seeing, or he didn''t want to. Honestly, I didn''t want to either ¨C the existence of this place alone proved so much of our knowledge false.


    "This makes no sense." Asher stepped back. His face was a lot paler than before. "The demons came a hundred years ago, according to the Ereth library. They invaded the land and destroyed the Ereth''s pillars¡­" His voice faded. He looked at us, wide eyed. "None of that is true." He whispered. "None of what we know is true."


    We hesitated. It wasn''t a new revelation ¨C we all had our doubts before, but definitive proof like what we found on this mountain, the ruins below, everything in this castle¡­ It was naturally disorienting.


    "I need some time to think." Asher whispered as he sat on the steps. "I don''t want to jump to conclusions."


    I shook my head. "There is nothing to think about." My cold, harsh voice echoed in the empty throne room. "The demons existed in this world for much longer than what the Ereth claim. They built castles, towns, outposts and the like." With each word that left my mouth, my voice rose. "The Ereth claim otherwise. Our next goal is to figure out why."


    "Kai, does that mean we''re not killing the demon lord?" Lucius'' voice sounded as I fixed my gaze on the throne. "Does that mean we aren''t getting out of here?"


    I shook my head. "None of this is real, remember?" Though, despite my words, a thought I''d long forgotten scratched the back of my mind, trying to catch my attention. "If we find an easier way to get out of here, we''ll use that. If not¡­" I took a deep breath. "I don''t intend to let everyone remain trapped in here."


    Silence followed my words. Heavy, deafening silence. Only after quite some time did Asher sigh and get up. "What now?"


    "We keep looking." I smiled, albeit faintly. "I still need that primal core."


    With that, we left the throne room. Once again, the long hallway stretched before us. Once again, we had a decision to make. Go back and check that sphere or go forward and explore. I took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward. I had promised Asher we''d check everywhere else first. I wasn''t about to go back on my promise. I still had time. I could still keep the wyvern''s soul under control.


    We came across several doors and even more narrow, dark hallways. We explored them, one by one. Some led to empty rooms, probably once used as storage. Some led to large, barely furnished rooms. We found bedrooms, common rooms, study rooms, smaller libraries, even the god damned kitchen.


    "What the hell is this?" Lucius asked as we looked at a room filled with plants. We had arrived at the last wing of the castle. There couldn''t have been many rooms left we hadn''t checked. The sun had set ages ago.


    "A botanical garden?" Asher asked as we stepped inside. The plants were¡­ unusual, to say the least. First of all, they moved. Were those tiny teeth I spied?


    "I don''t like this." I mumbled as we stood by the door. "I''m pretty sure the primal core of water isn''t in here."


    Lucius shrugged. "I want to at least take a closer look." Before I could stop him, he stepped between the plants. "See?" He grinned.


    "Wait." Asher mumbled. "Lucius, don''t move." His voice was calm, despite his widened eyes.


    Lucius turned to look at Asher and immediately screeched with pain. He jumped back toward us, bumping into us in the process. As we all fell right back to the long hallway, he started cursing.


    "What the hell!" I pushed the young man off me and stood up. Then, I saw him look at his leg. A tiny, hardly visible bite mark was bleeding a little bit.


    "It bit me!" He cried out. He was clearly offended as he glared back at the room. "A plant just bit me!"


    Our laughter echoed. Though we were having fun at his expense, Lucius also laughed after a short moment. Once our laughter subsided and we pulled ourselves back together, I took a deep breath.


    "Ok, this is the last hallway. Let''s check it out."

 Chapter 115: Fading Memories

    "Well this was underwhelming." Asher said as we stared at the last room. It was an old storage room once, or at least that was what we assumed as it was filled with large shelves. Though they were empty and without a speck of dust, just like the rest of the castle, it was clear that this place had once been used.


    "There are scratches." Asher said as he swiped his fingers across one of the shelves. "No dust though." He hesitated. He was clearly thinking of something.


    "I don''t think we''ll find what we''re looking for here." Lucius said after a short moment of silence. "Kai," He turned to face me with a dark expression. "We have to go back to that sphere."


    I took a deep breath. "I know." I glanced at Asher, who immediately avoided my gaze. I knew why he was so weary ¨C he had felt the same thing as me; a dark power emanated from that sphere. Demonic power.


    "Let''s spend the night." I said after a short moment. "I''m exhausted and I''m not about to dabble with the ''forbidden'' when I''m so tired." As the words left my mouth, I could see Asher''s relief. "I remember seeing some bedrooms nearby."


    "That''s not a bad idea." Asher said after a moment. "I''ll prepare some defensive spells, just in case."


    "Thanks." I mumbled. I knew how worried he was. We scattered, each choosing a room. As I closed the sturdy wooden door behind me, I sighed. I wasn''t entirely comfortable with sleeping in a castle that clearly belonged to demons, but I didn''t think I could do much while I was so exhausted either.


    I glanced at the bed. It didn''t have a speck of dust on it. Those sheets were clean, and it looked just so soft and comfortable. I hesitated, then decided to indulge myself just a little. I climbed on the bed and let my body relax. I welcomed the dark embrace of sleep.


    Out of breath and sweaty, I woke up in the dead of night. My heart was beating as if it were trying to burst out of my chest. My eyes wide open, I looked around, trying to get my bearings.


    It took a moment to remember where I was¡­ and even longer to remember who I was.


    I opened my interface and stared at my name for a good minute. Kai Friseal. I read it, made sure it was burned in my memory.


    I sat cross legged on the bed for a while, afraid to go to sleep again. My body felt somewhat alien. Why didn''t I have scales? Large wings? Claws? Horns? The wyvern''s soul snuck out of my chest as I sat there, my head between my hands. It circled around me, unable to go any farther. I shivered as it brushed past me. The phoenix had burned me, the wyvern was trying to make me forget who I was¡­


    I forced myself to remember home. Not the inn I stayed in Baile Chailce and not the room I was given in Stonepatch Village. Not the tiny room in Mrs. Carrie''s house. Home. My room ¨C decorated with weapons and books. Where I felt safe, even at the lowest point of my life.


    My heart skipped a beat as I noticed that I couldn''t remember it. I couldn''t remember... What colour were my walls? How large was the room? Which wall was covered by the bookshelf?


    The wyvern''s soul re entered my chest as I sat in silence. My body was frozen, as was my mind. I was slowly losing myself. Who I was in the real world, the heir of the Friseal family, the kid who wanted to learn in all¡­ He was slowly being forgotten.


    A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. The door swung open before I could say anything or pull myself together. Asher stood in the doorway, pale faced and wide eyed.


    "Asher?" I asked, hoping the darkness of the night would hide my emotions. "What happened?"


    "I should ask you the same." He said, closing the door and creating a small sphere of light in his palm. I turned my head away, but he had already seen my pale, fearful expression. "Something happened, didn''t it?" He asked, leaning on the door.


    "Just a bad dream," I said, shaking my head.


    "Stop lying!" The sorcerer shouted. I flinched, he was really, genuinely angry. "I felt the same thing you did!"


    I flinched, again. "Sorry." I looked away. I didn''t want to wake him up and I didn''t want him to be so aware of my own issues.


    "Is it the wyvern''s doing?" He asked after a short moment of silence. I sighed, then nodded. "What did you see?" I could hear his worry. He wasn''t doing a good job hiding it. Then again, I did an even worse job at it.


    "I didn''t see anything." I said with a sigh. "I just¡­ lost myself, for a minute." I looked down, at my hands. "It was trying to take over."


    Asher remained silent. Unsure of what to do, I continued. "I''ll be fine, the primal core will help me control the wyvern."


    "How can you be so sure?" The sorcerer finally asked. "You said yourself how powerful it is. How do you know the primal core will be enough?"


    "Because it was enough with the phoenix!" My voice cracked. "There is no reason for it to be any different now."


    The sorcerer sighed and stepped closer. "How did you get the primal core of fire, Kai?" I could see the determination in his eyes. He wanted to ¨C no, needed to ¨C know.


    "Why does it matter?" I replied, with equal amounts of determination. I didn''t want to tell him about Vixia.


    "Because I don''t believe it''s just the primal core''s power that calmed the phoenix." He said, calmly. "I think someone helped you, and they did something else in the process too."


    "No." I shook my head. All Vixia had done was keeping me alive, wasn''t it? "The primal core is enough."


    "What if it''s not?" Asher gestured towards me. "How long can you keep this up, Kai? This¡­ this fa?ade, where you act like you have everything figured out?"


    "It has to be enough!" I brought my fist down on the bedsheets. "It has to be, Asher."


    We stared at each other for a while. This time, I was the one to look away. "If it''s not¡­ I might as well be dead."

 Chapter 116: Shapes Beyond the Veil

    Morning come, I left my room and joined the others, who were waiting for me at the hallway leading to the library.


    "Morning." Lucius said with a bright smile. He seemed much happier and energetic than before. I was pleasantly surprised ¨C at least someone had rested well.


    "Hey." I said as I yawned. Because of the wyvern''s effect and Asher''s unexpected visit, I had only slept for a couple of hours. I glanced at the sorcerer as I bid them both good morning ¨C he seemed just as tired as I was.


    "Let''s go." He said, clearly unhappy. Lucius nodded and led the way as I followed from a few meters back. Asher''s words had cast a doubt on me ¨C what if the primal core wasn''t enough? Was I going to lose myself?


    "Kai?" Lucius''s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Hey, are you ok?"


    I forced a smile. "Just a little sleepy."


    His smile faded, leaving its place to an almost angry expression. "You''re not telling me everything."


    I dropped the fake smile. He knew me too well, and honestly, he was the last person I needed to fake my emotions to. "No," I replied with a sigh. "And now we have other things to focus." As I said that, we arrived at the door to the library.


    "Wait." Asher stopped us before I could push the door. "Are you sure about this?" He glared at me. His eyes were begging me to change my mind. "This could end badly, that sphere is clearly filled with dark magic."


    I didn''t avert my gaze. "I need that primal core, Asher."


    After a moment''s hesitation, the sorcerer stepped aside.


    That was the end of discussion. Neither him, nor Lucius suggested we find another way. I pushed the doors open and we stepped inside. Once again, the beauty of this living, breathing room, took my breath away.


    "Asher," I said as we approached the centre. "If I tell you to teleport me, don''t hesitate, don''t ask, just do."


    He nodded. As I glanced at them, I could see the worry on their faces. "Don''t worry." I forced a smile. "I''ll be fine."


    "Of course, you will." Lucius said, suddenly grinning. "Anyways, let''s do this." Before I could stop him, he stepped closer to the sphere. As he slowly reached out to it, I grabbed his arm. "No."


    I pushed him back, I wasn''t about to let him risk his life for something only I needed. "Asher, be ready." Lucius stumbled back as he shouted. "Kai, wait!"


    I turned my back on them just as Lucius regained his balance, then touched the surface of the black sphere. I was taken aback as my hand passed through it with very little resistance.


    "Wait, it''s not a barrier?" Asher whispered. I shook my head. "I can feel my skin tingle." I said with a low voice.


    "Be careful." Lucius said as he approached me. He was ready to pull me back at the smallest sign of trouble. I nodded, then took a deep breath and stepped inside the sphere. It felt weird, the air inside was much cooler. I shivered, where was I?


    All I could see was darkness, surrounding me. I looked back, only to see Asher and Lucius'' silhouettes through the dark veil of the sphere. While I couldn''t quite see their expressions, I could tell how nervous they were from their stances. Lucius seemed ready to leap in right after me while Asher''s raised hand indicated he was ready to cast a spell.


    The scene gave me a little bit of confidence. Enough to face whatever came next. I looked ahead. I could see movement at the other side of the veil. My brows furrowed ¨C there was no one else at the castle but us. I took a step closer ¨C I was now standing at the centre of the sphere.


    "What''s going on?" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. It was hazy, almost as if it were about to fade. "Kai-"The connection severed as I took another step forward. At the same time, a cold wind blew my hair up, causing me to glance down. My eyes widened as I spotted it ?? the glowing white crystal in the ground. It was at the centre of the sphere, clearly supplying it with mana.


    "Asher?" I called out to him in my mind but received no answer. I forced myself to remain calm as I glanced back. They were still there; I could see their silhouettes. In fact, Asher seemed much more worried as I could spot a faint glow in his hand. Was he preparing to teleport me out of here?


    I needed to get the crystal ¨C the primal core ¨C before he did so. I knelt on the ground and touched the surface of it. It was buried into the black marble floor tiles. How was I going to get this out of here without destroying everything around here?


    I bit my lower lip, then summoned my inventory. As I took the scythe out, I couldn''t help but be a little worried. There were too many unknowns, what I was doing wasn''t exactly ''safe''. I stood back up, scythe in hand, and raised it above my head, tightly grasping its shaft with both hands.


    "Please work." I whispered before brining the scythe down on the marble tiles. A loud thud and cracking sound echoed. I almost let go of the shaft ¨C why was the sound so unusually amplified? I glanced down with worry and anticipation. My lips formed a smile as I noticed the large, deep crack on the marble tiles surrounding the primal core.


    "Yes!" I whispered with anticipation as I once again raised the scythe. It didn''t matter how many times I needed to do this ¨C I was going to get that primal core. Another loud thud echoed as more cracks spread throughout the marble tiles. I wasn''t going to let the wyvern take over.


    With each hit of my scythe, the cracks on the marble tiles widened and spread like a spiderweb. Perhaps a minute later, the primal core was freed from the cold grasp of the ground. Tired, I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Finally." A smile appeared on my lips. A smile that shattered not a moment later.


    "Indeed." A cracked, dry voice sounded as something grasped my wrist. "Finally."

 Chapter 117: Clash of Purple and Crimson

    I didn''t even get the chance to be surprised before the owner of the cracked voice yanked my arm. I found myself in the air as I passed through the sphere''s surface and hit the ground with a thud.


    "Look who''s here." The dry voice spoke. My eyes widened as I noticed ¨C I wasn''t back in the castle where I had left Asher and Lucius. I was somewhere else, and it was Delthur who was standing over me.


    Frozen in place, I couldn''t do anything but stare at the tall demon before me. What had just happened? How did I come here? Where was I? How had he found me? As such questions whirled in my mind, my gaze fell on the black sphere behind the tall demon.


    "I did not expect to see you so soon, Kai Friseal." The familiar, soft voice sounded from alarmingly close by. Surprising enough, Vixia''s bewitching voice was what alarmed me enough to get moving. "You-" As she was still speaking, I rolled to the side, grabbing the shaft of my scythe in the process, and rose to my feet.


    "What the hell is this?" I hissed through my gritted teeth. Disregarding their surprised expressions, I glanced around, trying to find a lay of the land.


    I was in a large circular room. I could see five more dark spheres, each floating above a sigil on the ground. There were a total of seven sigils, arranged in a circular pattern. One of them was empty, there was no sphere there.


    "Where am I?" I hissed, anger burning in my eyes. I was so close to getting the primal core ¨C why had they butted in right now?


    A moment of awkward silence followed. "What?" Delthur asked. Vixia hesitated, then suddenly laughed. "Really?" She asked as a dark mist spread out from her hands. Two massive wings stretched behind her ¨C they were almost as large as mine, though they lacked the embers the phoenix had given me.


    "You came here without knowing?" Her intoxicating smile threatened to pull me in a daze. I averted my gaze and instead looked at Delthur. "What do you mean?" I carefully stepped away from them, holding my scythe in a defensive position.


    "Oh my¡­" She chuckled. Purple flames illuminated the room ¨C she wasn''t messing around, despite her demeanour. "Well, this works out quite nicely." She raised her hand, dark tendrils leapt towards me.


    "No, no it really doesn''t!" I shouted as I cut through the tendrils with my scythe. As her power, cut off from the source, dissipated, Delthur dashed towards me. As if the massive greatsword he wielded with two hands wasn''t intimidating enough, a pair of wings stretched behind him as well.


    Their dark, demonic powers filled the room, making it difficult to breathe. I held my breath as I leapt up ¨C my wings also appeared behind me. A burst of purple flames threatened to consume me as I barely blocked Delthur''s strike.


    We landed on the ground, perhaps halfway across the room. Vixia, standing at the centre, laughed. Her laughter echoed through the room, making the atmosphere even more tense than it already was. "Oh, you''ve grown!" She raised her hand black-purple flames gathering in her palm. "You''re almost ready!"


    I leapt back with a powerful beat of my wings as more purple flames appeared around me. I gritted my teeth ¨C I had to get back to the sphere and get the primal core ¨C now!


    "Ready for what?" I asked, trying to keep both her and Delthur in my line of sight.


    She smiled; it was a beautiful, mysterious smile filled with a dark, evil power. She didn''t intend to give me an answer. "Fine, "I said with a sigh.


    "What do you think you will accomplish?" Delthur''s cracked, dry voice sounded. He glared at me with what could be interpreted as anger and hatred in his eyes. "Drop that weapon."


    "I don''t think so." I hissed as I raised my scythe, holding it in my right hand. I wasn''t going to roll over and die here ¨C I had people waiting for me.


    "Don''t get cocky!" The tall demon shouted as he dashed towards me. I couldn''t help but grin as he approached. What kind of a battle cry was that?


    As my body filled with the power of Fallen Grace, I focused and channelled a similar spell ¨C Death''s Scythe. Flames burst around me as I left a trail of fire behind me. Black and crimson flames enveloped us as our weapons clashed.


    As soon as our weapons locked, time seemingly stopped. I saw it in his eyes, the hatred and wrath. I didn''t have time to try and figure out why he hated me so much. All I could do was to withstand his and Vixia''s combined assault. As her purple-black flames clashed with mine, I pushed Delthur back.


    "You''re trying in vain; you know that don''t you?" She asked with a bewitching voice. As she spoke, her flames and tendrils made of black mist followed me. Once again, I cut through her powers with the pale blade of my scythe. "I don''t think so." I replied, slowly stepping towards the dark sphere I''d come from.


    "Even if you take the primal core, you won''t be able to leave this place." Delthur warned me. He stopped and cleared his throat. Vixia continued in his stead. "As soon as you remove it from its place, the spell will break, and you will remain trapped here." She smiled. "So, why don''t you make things easier for yourself and give up?"


    I tightened my grasp on the shaft of my scythe. I didn''t doubt her words, I could see myself getting trapped in here as soon as I removed the primal core. But that fact didn''t stop me. I dashed towards the black sphere, narrowly avoiding Delthur''s massive sword.


    As soon as I passed through the sphere''s surface, I grabbed the primal core. Cold wind blew my hair and clothes as the spell broke ¨C now, there were only five spheres left in the large, circular room.


    "You-"Delthur began to shout, but Vixia raised her hand to stop him. Her power spread, enveloping the entire room. "So," She said with a faint smile. "Now what, Kai Friseal?"

 Chapter 118: A Face from Distant Memories

    "Now¡­" I said as I put the primal core into my inventory. "I''m not sure." I grinned. Her smile soured, had she noticed that I lied?


    "Asher, get me out of here ¨C now!" I called out to the sorcerer through the bond that connected us.


    "Delthur, we''ve wasted enough time." Vixia''s ice cold voice caught my attention. How angry was she? And how much more dangerous did that make her?


    "If you say so, Lady Vixia." The tall demon''s posture changed in an instant. He dashed towards me, swinging his blade at my chest. Was he actually trying to kill me?


    I leapt back and narrowly avoided the sharp blade, only to be met with Vixia''s purple flames.


    "Two against one, really?" I shouted as I cut the black mist tendrils reaching towards me. "I thought any one of you was strong enough to crush me!"


    "Silence!" Delthur raised his hand as his voice echoed in the hall. I flinched, what was he doing? A dark orb formed in his raised palm ¨C I could sense the dense magic within it. "Give up ¨C now!"


    I grinned. "I don''t think so." Despite my words, my heart was beating so fast, it almost leapt out of my chest. Why hadn''t Asher replied yet?


    "We want him alive, Delthur." Vixia warned the tall demon. She sounded almost bored, as if she''d seen this scene many times before. I gritted my teeth ¨C whatever Delthur was doing, I couldn''t get hit by it. I had to stop him before he pulled that spell off.


    I dashed towards him, brushing past a surprised Vixia. With my scythe raised, I approached the tall demon. The pale, crystalline curved blade of my scythe reflected the light as I swung it at his arms. He blocked it just in time, breaking his own concentration and thus, his spell, in the process.


    "Sorry," I said with a grin as his eyes burned with wrath. "I really want to get out of here alive today." Our blades remained locked for a moment before I leapt back with a backflip, kicking his stomach in the process. He grumbled and swung his blade towards me, but I was already out of his range.


    "Asher!" I shouted in my mind. I could only keep this fa?ade up for so long. "Get me out of here!"


    I felt a faint tingle at the back of my mind. It was almost as if Asher was trying to tell me something, but he was too far away. If I had a moment to stop and ponder, I might have figured out why, but Delthur seemed adamant on not giving me any time at all.


    With his wings stretched wide, he leapt into the air and dashed towards me. Not wanting to give him the height advantage, I also leapt up. We clashed in the air as our battle became a battle of wills, rather than that of pure strength.


    Seeming frozen in the air, I clenched my teeth as Vixia''s power leapt towards us. Not fair, was what I wanted to shout, but this was a matter of life and death ¨C I doubted anyone cared about fairness at this point.


    I focused; I needed that power now, more than ever. As crimson flames burst out of me, I channelled all of my power to feed them. Vixia''s expression soured as my flames spread around the room. The air grew hotter as Delthur coughed. His grip on the hilt of his sword loosened a bit, his body shook.


    "Delthur!" Vixia shouted as her flames threatened to douse mine, just like they''d done to the phoenix on that day. I tightened my grip on the shaft of my scythe. The still cool metal helped calm my nerves as I pushed against Delthur with all my might. He coughed again as my flames tugged at his clothes.


    "Back off!" Vixia''s voice echoed around, momentarily dampening everything. The demon I was locked in combat with leapt back ¨C as soon as his feet touched the ground, he stumbled. He thrust his sword into the ground to keep his balance. "You dare harm him like this!" Vixia shouted ¨C her voice filled with not only wrath, but also pain and worry.


    I flinched ¨C I wasn''t expecting such emotions from a demon, much less of one who enjoyed tormenting others. Her words and tone were almost enough to make me feel somewhat guilty. Almost. "Did you expect me to just let you kill me?" I shouted back as I fed more magic, more power and more hatred to my flames ¨C they spread once again, threatening to envelop the entire room.


    She didn''t answer, choosing to convey her feelings through raw power. Her purple flames doused mine as her dark power converged in her raised hand. "What the hell?" I whispered as she leapt up into the air. As her wings beat, lifting her in the air, a purple barrier appeared around Delthur.


    "Lady Vixia, wait." He tried to speak, but another coughing fit caught him off guard. He had to lean on his sword as his entire body shook.


    "You''ve harmed someone I care about; despite the kindness I''ve shown you." Her eyes let out a purple glow as she stretched her arm. She swung her arm as if wielding a weapon. Confused, I hesitated, what was she doing? It was only when I noticed the thin strand of darkness coming at me that I raised my scythe to protect myself.


    "Kindness?" I replied as I just barely cut the strand into pieces. More tendrils leapt towards me as her flames continued to douse mine. "Every time I met you, I almost died!"


    "Asher!" I reached out to him again ¨C I really needed to get out of here. Where the hell was the idiot?


    "I saved your life!" She shouted. I felt the purple flames tug at my clothes, dance on my hair. Her power threatened to burn me to ash. I spun my scythe, cutting off the dark tendrils leaping at me. She swung her arm again, causing more black tendrils to leap at me.


    "Kai!" I heard Asher''s faint voice echo in my mind as I folded my wings and touched the ground, rolling away from the tendrils and purple flames.


    "What do you hope to accomplish?" Vixia''s shout echoed as the flames leapt on me.


    "Asher, get me out of here, now!" As I shouted at him through our connection, the purple flames burnt the skin on my hand. The clothes Matriarch Aelith had given me protected most of my body from the flames, but anywhere they didn''t, hurt like hell.


    "I need a little time to cast the spell. Just¡­ stay alive, ok?" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "How much time?" I cried out as I cut another set of tendrils reaching for my neck. My mana was almost completely depleted because of the phoenix'' flames I used.


    "Fifteen seconds!" He replied.


    I gritted my teeth. The smell of burnt skin filled my nostrils as her flames danced on my hands.


    "So," She said, with a surprising calm and composed tone. "Finally done resisting?"


    I sighed, slowly raising both of my hands. Two seconds. "Well," I said, looking in her eyes. "I''m all out of mana."


    She smiled. "Those flames were quite impressive, I must say." Four seconds. I stepped towards her slowly leaning forward as if I were about to place the scythe on the ground. "Thanks, I guess." I replied.


    Seven seconds.


    "You will pay for hurting him though," Her voice suddenly grew colder as she glanced at Delthur, who was now leaning his back on the wall. Had I really hurt him quite that much?


    Nine seconds.


    As Vixia lowered her hand, I dashed towards her, expending the last of my mana on one last burst of Fallen Grace. As power filled my body, I appeared right before her. My scythe arm extended to the side; I swung the pale blade at her neck. My eyes flashed purple at the same time as hers.


    "Lady Vixia!" Delthur shouted.


    Eleven seconds.


    "That''s enough!" A commanding voice echoed. As my gaze focused on the owner of the voice, my heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice and¡­ I knew that face.


    My body was frozen mid-air. I couldn''t move, and I couldn''t look away from him. When my eyes met his, his enraged expression left its place to something different.


    Thirteen seconds.

 Chapter 119: Descent

    We stared at each other for a moment.


    He had long, black hair, though the end of his hair was dark purple. His purple eyes were just like Vixia''s¡­ or mine. His eyes widened as he stepped towards me. Fourteen seconds. A glyph appeared beneath me as Asher''s magic enveloped me.


    "No!" His voice reached my ears as I disappeared in a flash of light. The last thing I saw was his hand, extended towards me, as if he were trying to catch me.


    I fell on the ground with a muffled thud.


    "Kai!" Lucius'' voice sounded. It took me a moment to regain my senses.


    "Oh my god, your hands!" Asher exclaimed as I slowly pushed myself to a sitting position.


    "I''m¡­" I hesitated. I wasn''t fine. If I had any mana left, I would have used Soul''s Respite to heal my wounds.


    Lucius helped me get up and led me to a chair the plants here had formed. "What happened to you?" He asked as Asher approached. The blonde sorcerer seemed just as exhausted as me.


    "Whatever that was, it led me to another place. And I came across demons there." As my words left my mouth, Asher drew a sharp breath. "I''ll need you to explain everything, but first we should take a look at those wounds."


    It was only then I looked at my burnt skin. Honestly, it was disgusting more than anything. Before I could even take a good look at them, Asher quickly covered them with a piece of cloth. "I''ll heal it." He said as a soft light radiated from his hands. I felt the warmth of it, and the pain slowly disappeared.


    Only then did I notice the pain. I was so focused on the battle that I had somehow ignored it.


    Even after the pain was gone, it took Asher a few minutes to fully heal me.


    "Thanks," I said once the gentle light disappeared.


    He glanced at Lucius, then they both looked at me. I gulped; I was about to be shouted at. I didn''t really want to deal with it ¨C my mind was already occupied, and my thoughts were a mess.


    "So, what happened?" Lucius finally asked. I took a deep breath. "Vixia and Delthur." I said. Confused, Asher raised his eyebrows while Lucius went pale. "What?" He screamed.


    "We need to leave." I said as I stood up. "I''ll tell you everything on the way."


    "Kai," Asher started to speak, but quickly cut him off. "I promise, but we have to get away from here. Now!" For only a moment, we stared at each other. Then, he nodded and grabbed a few books from the shelves. "I''ll take only these for now, but we should return some other time to loot this place."


    Lucian nodded and we took off. As we passed through the dark hallways and made our way to the exit, I couldn''t help but feel more anxious with every little sound I heard. What if they were making their way over here right now? What if they fixed the spell I''d broken?


    We stepped outside, to the beautiful garden. I immediately stretched my wings and leapt into the air. Asher and Lucius soon followed, thanks to the blonde sorcerer''s spell. We flew over the wall and down the mountain.


    "Kai, stop!" Asher''s shout reached me as the wind blew in my ears. I slowed down, then stopped mid-air. It took a few minutes for them to reach me.


    "You have to stop." Asher said, somewhat out of breath. "I''m almost out of mana."


    "Can we please land?" Lucius'' desperate voice struck me. In my panic and fear, I had completely disregarded his fear of heights and Asher''s wellbeing.


    "Sure," I said, clenching my fists. I folded my wings and landed among the tall trees at the foot of the mountain. It was almost mind blowing that we''d already descended the same mountain that took us days to climb.


    Soon after my feet touched the still moist earth, Asher and Lucius also landed behind me. Lucius breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as Asher''s flight spell ended.


    "I really hate this." He said pale faced. "But that doesn''t matter right now ?? what happened, Kai?"


    I took a deep breath before glancing at Asher. "You''ll need to know what happened before I met you." He raised his brows as I began to talk.


    We sat on the ground as I told Asher about Vixia and Delthur. From the first time we met up to the point she let me go, I told him everything, as clearly as I could remember it. He listened intently, without uttering a single word.


    Only when I finished did he speak. "I wish I knew all of this before." He said with a dark expression. "But I get why you wouldn''t tell anyone."


    Lucius nodded as I shook my head. "My reasons don''t matter." I said as I opened my inventory. "What matters is that taking this," The primal core appeared in my hand. "Cost more than what I was ready to pay."


    Lucius'' brows furrowed. He seemed somewhat confused and wary. "What does that mean?"


    I sighed. "Like I said, I met them again". I explained what happened with as many details as I could. As the time came to describe the man that entered the room at the last second, my words got stuck in my throat.


    "What is it, Kai?" Asher insisted. Just remembering that man was enough to send a shiver down my spine.


    I took a deep breath and forced the words out. "Just before you cast your spell, someone else entered the room. His power was enough to stop everything ¨C I''d have killed Vixia if he hadn''t arrived." I looked at my hands. Somehow, despite my brush with death, they didn''t shake. I clenched my fists. "I couldn''t move at all. No one could." I described the man, then hesitantly looked at the sky. "I think the wyvern knew him."


    "What?" Lucius said, wide eyed. "Who was he?"


    I shook my head. He was asking questions whose answers I didn''t have. A thought surfaced, but I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind. "Asher, we need to find out who he is." I looked at the sorcerer. "Is that possible?"


    He pondered a moment, then grinned. "It might be." His expression turned more serious as he directed his gaze at the primal core. The winds around it blew my hair around as I lifted it so he could see it clearly.


    "Let''s find some shelter." Lucius said with a faint smile. "We still have something to do, right?"


    Asher nodded; his gaze focused on the primal core. "Yes, let''s use this first."

 Chapter 120: The Charred Tree

    I sat alone in the cave we had found as Asher left to get some water and Lucius, some firewood. Of course, those were just simple lies as they probably discussed something they didn''t want me to hear.


    My lips formed a bitter smile. They were worried, they had seen how shaken up I was. They probably needed to be away for a bit. I could understand that, and honestly, I didn''t mind. God knows I could use some privacy.


    I raised my hand as a tiny flame appeared at the tip of my finger. Its crimson light illuminated the cave as I watched it flicker. I could feel its warmth and if I wanted to, I could make it hotter.


    "I''m back." Lucius'' voice sounded as he stepped inside the cave from the narrow entrance. He was carrying a small pile of firewood. "What are you doing?" He asked as he placed it on the ground.


    "Wasting time." I said with a sigh. It wasn''t a lie ¨C I wasn''t even thinking of anything particularly useful or important. In fact, I was specifically avoiding doing that. "Where''s Asher?" I didn''t really need to ask where he was ¨C I could feel him approaching. He was going to be here in less than a minute.


    "I''m not sure¡­" Lucius said with a shrug as placed some small rocks in a circle at the centre of the room, then put some of the wood he gathered there. "Do you mind lighting this up for me?"


    I nodded as the small fire at the tip of my finger leapt towards the pieces of wood. Soon, we even had a cosy campfire. And moments later, Asher stepped inside, carrying a bucket of water.


    "Why do you have a bucket?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. He couldn''t have possibly bought one ¨C we were in the middle of nowhere!


    "I gave it to him." Lucius grinned. "I bought a few things that I felt might be useful before we left."


    "Like what?" I asked with a grin. He was always carrying around more stuff than he needed.


    He hesitated, then pulled a blanket out of his inventory. Soon, a hammer and axe followed. Then, a large box of nails, plenty of colourful threads, needles and even some yarn.


    "You overdid it." Asher said wide eyed. "Why do you even have these?" He pointed at a bunch of chopsticks.


    I couldn''t help but laugh at his expression. "Seriously." I said as we all sat around the fire. "You haven''t changed a bit, Lucius."


    We sat in silence a while, before Asher finally touched the subject we''d been avoiding. "Kai, we shouldn''t waste too much time. Give me the primal core."


    I sighed, then took the clear, silver crystal out of my inventory and gave it to him. "Be careful with it." I warned him. He gently took the crystal and placed it on a piece of cloth. The winds emanating from it blew in the cave, nearly putting out our small campfire.


    "It''s amazing," The blond sorcerer said after a while of inspecting it. "But this isn''t the primal core of water."


    "What?" Lucius cried out. "Did Kai almost die for nothing?"


    "Shut up and listen," Asher said, "This thing has the power of wind."


    "Oh." Lucius said as he calmed down. I shook my head, wasn''t it obvious from all the, uh¡­ you know, wind, around us? But then again, I knew better than anyone that Lucius could get too focused on a certain thing and simply miss everything else going on around him.


    "Anyways, Kai, we should probably hurry." Asher said, glancing at me. "Do you know what you need to do to use this thing?"


    I hesitated. I somewhat remembered what Vixia did, but I wasn''t really confident. "I think so," I said after a moment''s hesitation. I took the primal core of wind and sat cross legged. "I might need some healing in the process."


    Asher nodded as both of them watched me carefully.


    I closed my eyes and focused. As the wind blew my hair and clothes around, I listened to the magic within the primal core. It reminded me of that time I was alone, in the middle of a terrible storm. Waiting for Mother and the others to return. How old was I at that time? Nine, maybe ten?


    The souls within me stirred as the wyvern''s soul slowly phased out of my chest, approaching the crystal in my hands. I kept my eyes closed, forcing myself to remember the past ¨C I wasn''t going to let the wyvern erase who I was and take over. This was my body ¨C my mind!


    The soul circled around the primal core, then enveloped it. Lightning struck somewhere. I remembered the large oak getting hit and charred during that storm. I was sad afterwards; it never quite was the same in the garden after that and I never found another tree as nice and large as that to play on.


    The soul became brighter as the winds strengthened. I could see its light even through my closed eyelids. "Easy now," I whispered as it absorbed the primal core of wind.


    "Kai?" Asher''s voice sounded.


    "I''m fine," I said as I remembered ¨C Mother hadn''t returned that day, or that week, had she? Dad came back that evening, soon after the storm had calmed. But Mother had left with Sis and only returned the week after.


    I felt a sting under my skin ¨C as if someone stuck a needle there. I ignored it; it was nothing compared to the feeling of burning alive when I had taken in the soul of the phoenix.


    "What''s going on?" Lucius asked as the soul circled around me. The primal stone was still laying in my hands ¨C had it not liked it? But¡­ I was sure I felt it absorb its power.


    Somewhat confused, I opened my eyes.


    "Oh," I whispered as I stared at the world beneath me. I couldn''t feel my body anymore. I was seeing the wyvern''s memories. I let them fill my mind, while still holding on to my own.

 Chapter 121: A Quest for Good Measure

    When I opened my eyes once more, I was looking at the worried faces of Asher and Lucius. I felt cold, a coldness the phoenix'' soul couldn''t warm.


    "Kai?"


    "Are you ok?"


    They spoke at the same time as soon as I opened my eyes. I nodded as I blinked a few times to restore my blurry sight. I hadn''t noticed the tears that apparently flowed.


    "Do you know who you are?" Asher asked with a wary voice. I chuckled. "Yes, Asher, I know who I am. Don''t worry."


    As soon as these words left my mouth, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Lucius couldn''t help but laugh. "We did it!" He said, his eyes glowing with pride and excitement. "We actually did it! You pulled it off, Kai! Despite the demons!"


    Asher nodded while I also laughed. "Yes, we did, but I couldn''t have done it without you guys." I glanced at Asher. "I would have died for sure if you hadn''t teleported me out of there. Thanks, Asher."


    He chuckled. "Don''t mention it. Besides, you were able to hold off two demons ¨C you injured one enough to make him retreat and nearly killed the other." He looked at the entrance with a darker expression. "I think that''s quite a success, considering how all of your previous encounters with them went."


    He was right, and it was only now dawning on me that I had actually held my own in that battle and not only that, but I was also a real threat to them.


    "I need more mana." I said after a moment of silence. "But first, let''s see what changed." I couldn''t hide my anticipation; what had the primal core of wind given me?


    I opened my interface as the other two quickly leaned forward. They were as curious as I was.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1800/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 864- - Mana: 1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    "I haven''t levelled up at all." I mumbled as I looked at the interface, then sighed. I checked the other panels, only to find that nothing new was added to my interface.


    "What the hell? That''s stupid." Lucius protested. "All that effort and all you got was¡­ what?"


    "Well," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. "At least I''m not going to lose myself, that''s quite enough."


    "Indeed." Asher said, then furrowed his brows. "But remember, nothing the phoenix and primal core of fire have given you are listed anywhere in your interface either." He glanced at my back, as if he were trying to spot my wings.


    "Actually," I mumbled as I quickly switched through different tabs until I found one that read ''Path Chosen.''


    Beneath that pale text were three lines of smaller text.


    ''Sacrifices taken: Terror of Stonepatch Village, The Serpent of the Lake, The Soul Eating Arachnid''


    ''Core: Ember


    Secondary Core: Storm''


    "Here, look;" I said as I pointed at that last line of text. "This is all it says though."


    We pondered a short moment before Asher broke the silence. "We should try to figure out what that means later, when we''re in a safer place." He was right ¨C we were still awfully close to the mountain and thus, the castle. This place wasn''t exactly safe.


    I raised my eyebrows as he stood up. "What time is it?" I asked, noticing I had no idea how long I had remained trapped in the wyvern''s memories.


    "It''s noon. Of the next day." Lucius said with a grin. "You just sat there the whole night, like a monk from the old movies and cartoons." He laughed, then helped me up.


    I chuckled, then glanced at Asher. "Where to?"


    He shrugged. "Honestly, I don''t know." He sighed and leaned his back on the damp cave walls. "We could attempt to go deeper into demon territory ¨C we''re practically at the border of it anyways."


    I shook my head. "No, we''d stand no chance if we came across that demon." Everyone knew who I meant. "Let''s return to Baile Chailce, I want to check up on what Erik and the others are doing and I''m also worried about Rina and Alex."


    Lucius nodded. "I want to check on the people helping me as well. Victoria is supposed to be in contact with them, but I don''t know how much I trust her." He glanced at me. "No offense."


    "None taken. We should regroup and plan ¨C I don''t want to be caught off guard ever again." I said, slowly approaching the entrance. "Besides, maybe Victoria did figure something out."


    Asher''s eyes narrowed. "I doubt she could, given the short time that has passed."


    I shrugged. We knew very little about Victoria ¨C in fact, I didn''t even know how she came to own such an important shop in the city. "I''ll have a chat with her when we''re back anyways." I left the cave and stepped onto the forest floor. The cool breeze blew through my hair. "Let''s go."


    They followed me to an opening ¨C it would be impossible for me to fly through such a thick forest roof. "Oh, Kai." Asher said as we walked. "The phoenix gave you flames and wings, right?"


    I nodded. "Why?"


    "I''m trying to figure out what the wyvern might give you." He glanced at my back. "You don''t have a tail, so that''s not it."


    I flinched. "Seriously?" I¡­ Honestly, the thought of having a tail was so weird and the idea of having to lug a tail around seemed so inconvenient that I could help but feel relieved. "That''s what you thought it''d give me? A tail?"


    "I can already imagine you tripping over it every time you try to fight someone." Lucius grinned. "Your fighting style would be ruined if you had one."


    I rolled my eyes, not because he was wrong ¨C he wasn''t ¨C but because I really didn''t want to imagine that. "Tails are good for people like Alex. I''m perfectly fine the way I am." Without waiting for a response, I summoned my wings, causing Lucius to step back to avoid getting hit.


    Along with the embers at the ends of my feathers, a cool breeze blew my hair back. It clearly originated from me. "Huh," Asher carefully stepped closer, then plucked a feather with a quick motion.


    "Hey!" I flinched, quickly pulling my wings away from him. "You do know that hurts, right?" I wasn''t expecting that.


    He rolled his eyes. "You didn''t notice your hands getting almost charred, but you can''t handle a feather being plucked?" He grinned, shooting a mischievous glance at me.


    As I was about to tell him off, I heard a muffled laugh from the side. Lucius had his back turned on me, his shoulders were trembling as he tried to hide his laughter. "Oi." I said with a flat voice, stretching my wings as much as I could. "Lucius."


    He flinched and turned towards me. As soon as he did, I beat my wings, sending a cloud of fallen leaves and dead grass towards him.


    "Aw come on!" He protested.


    "Kai," Asher chimed in. I glanced at him with a grin. "Before we go, let''s head west a little."


    My smile faded as I tilted my head. "Why? Did you find something?"


    He shook his head. "A quest to clear a giant eagle nest ¨C I took it before leaving Baile Chailce. If I returned without having finished the quest, it could bring unwanted attention."


    Lucius nodded. "We actually took the quest together. I was going to suggest splitting up, but you could probably use the experience and souls too."


    "Yeah, I could use that." I said once again stretching my wings. "How far away it is?" Asher summoned his interface and checked his map. "About an hour by flight."


    That was all I needed to know as I leapt into the air. I heard Lucius'' protests as Asher''s spell enveloped them and lifted him in the air. I couldn''t help but chuckle a little ¨C Lucius was always the brave one in the group, even back at home when we were kids. Seeing him like this now was quite funny.


    Soon, we were on our way. Seeing the forest go by beneath us was oddly beautiful as always. Though I couldn''t help but constantly glance at the distant mountain ¨C I was still worried. I didn''t doubt I could take on Vixia and Delthur again. With Lucius and Asher, I was even confidant we''d win.


    But if that other man came with them¡­ I couldn''t imagine what we''d do. The sheer power he commanded was so far beyond what I''d imagined¡­ His will alone seemed enough to bring us to our knees ¨C even Asher wouldn''t be able to do much, I suspected.


    "Look ¨C there!" Asher shouted. I glanced at him to see him pointing at our right a little. I followed his finger with my gaze to see a rather tall, thin peak. In the past, it would have been nearly impossible for me to reach that nest. It reminded me of the time I scaled that huge mountain with Alex and Rina.


    "It''s up there." Lucius said. His golden eyes narrowed, he pointed at the top of the peak. "Do you see it? It''s just like a normal eagle''s nest. But there is something shiny there."


    "Shiny?" I asked with a grin. "Do these birds like to gather valuables or what?" I knew that most crows and ravens in the real world liked doing that ¨C they even traded their loot for food in some places in the world, so I wouldn''t be surprised if these eagles did something similar.


    "Probably." Asher replied. He glanced at Lucius. "How can you even see that though? We''re still so far away." The young man grinned. "I can see everything!" He said with a spooky voice.


    "Right." I chuckled, before turning my attention towards our goal. "Everything except the incoming enemy." As the birds noticed our presence and took to the sky, I grinned.


    My sword materialised in my hand. "Here they come!"

 Chapter 122: Scales of Fortune

    The screeches of the approaching birds sounded as we readied our weapons. I was the first to dash forward since I was the only one who could fly naturally. As I felt Asher''s magic gather around him and Lucius, I reached the first eagles.


    They weren''t called giant eagles for no reason ¨C they were as large as a small van and they were fast. Much faster than what I thought. As soon as I was close enough, they extended their claws, revealing their sharp, deadly talons. One of them could easily tear my head off if I wasn''t careful.


    As they dove towards me, the sunlight reflected off their talons. I narrowed my eyes and with a powerful beat of my wings, brought myself to the same height as the first few birds. I extended my hand as magic gathered in my palm. Several volleys of Dark Bolts leapt towards the large birds approaching me. As they got hit with the dark magic, they screeched in pain and fell to the forest below.


    I felt their souls melt into my chest as I beat my wings.


    Several bolts of lightning struck the remaining birds, sending them too, to the forest below. I looked back to see Asher ¨C his eyes let out a green shine as he raised his hand. Lightning bolts leapt towards the creatures, killing them in an instant.


    "Asher?" Lucius asked with a wary voice. He was floating behind the blond sorcerer. While he had his sword in hand, he couldn''t really do much.


    Asher''s gaze focused on the remaining few birds. "We don''t have time to waste." He said calmly as more bolts of lightning leapt towards them. His expression and cold, calm voice sent a shiver down my spine as he killed the creatures one by one. With each bolt of lightning that leapt out of his hands, another soul joined its brethren within me. The coldness in my chest grew as the wyvern''s soul became restless.


    A short while later, their quest was completed, and we were free to leave.


    "Let''s check this shiny thing you were talking about," Asher said, glancing at Lucius as they floated past me. I remained stationary as I tried to wrap my head around that show of power. I shook my head and flew after them to the birds'' nest.


    To our surprise, it was really no different than a normal nest, except for its size. It was large enough to fit several of those large birds. As our feet touched the ground, the horrible smell made me want to puke.


    The other two were clearly feeling the same way as they covered their noses almost immediately. "I really hope the shiny stuff is worth this stench." Lucius mumbled as he slowly made his way over to the pile of stuff at the middle of the nest.


    With each step he took, the entire structure of the nest shook ever so slightly. I looked at the ground more carefully ¨C how had the birds even brought such massive twigs and logs all the way up here? Some of these were larger than the birds themselves.


    "Is something wrong?" Asher asked, shooting me a worried look. I hesitated ¨C something felt off. "I''m not sure."


    As soon as the words left my mouth, his expression darkened. "Lucius, wait a minute." He called to the swordsman. Lucius froze mid-step. "What is it?"


    "Asher, it might be nothing." I said, somewhat confused about his reaction.


    "It may be something." He replied, glaring at me as his eyes let out a shine. I felt his magic spread around us, creating barriers around each of us. "Lucius, hurry up ¨C I don''t want to waste any more time here."


    The young swordsman rushed to the large pile as Asher turned his attention on me. "Now tell me, what is it?"


    I shook my head. "Something about this is just very¡­ familiar?" I said, almost as if I were asking. "I remember a similar nest to this one ¨C we came across it with Rina and Alex. It was in an old demonic ruin on the cliffs near Stonepatch village."


    He raised his eyebrows. "Similar animals may be living in different places, it''s only natural."


    I nodded. "That''s why I said it might be nothing." I hesitated. "But Asher, the bird that lived there was much larger than the ones you just killed." I quickly described the massive eagle we''d killed there.


    "We hit the jackpot!" Lucius suddenly shouted, interrupting Asher''s thought process. I looked at the young swordsman to see him point at a rather large, wooden chest.


    "What''s that?" Asher asked, stepping closer. I couldn''t help but smile, despite his older age, composed appearance and serious, goal oriented personality, even he couldn''t resist the thought of unknown treasure.


    We approached the chest and Lucius, who has trying to pry the thing open. "I don''t know ¨C it''s stuck!" He said, clearly annoyed. He tried for a few more seconds before giving up. I could see why he wasn''t able to open it.


    "It''s protected by magic." I said. Asher nodded, then added; "We need to break the spell on it."


    Lucius pouted. "I''m getting really annoyed with all the magic stuff around. What''s a simple swordsman like me supposed to do?"


    I chuckled. "Simple, you say?" I grinned. "I thought you could ''see everything'', what happened to that?" I waved my hands around and mimicked the spooky tone he''d used before.


    "Kai." He turned and glared at me with a deadpan expression. "I''ll duel you." He threatened me.


    "And promptly lose." I said, still grinning. He clenched his fists ¨C he was fuming. "You-"


    "Got it." Asher interrupted us. His eyes once again let out a jade glow as I felt his magic envelop the chest. "Oh." He said, somewhat disappointed.


    The chest''s surface glowed for a split second as a few lines of writing appeared. Lucius hesitated, then raised his eyebrows. "It doesn''t seem like you got it." He commented.


    Eager to learn what''s inside, I knelt besides the chest and read the carved inscription.


    This Belongs to the Daughter of Forlorn House.


    "I don''t think this will be of much help." I mumbled. "What''s the ''Forlorn House''?"


    Asher hesitated, then took his small notebook out of his inventory and flipped through its pages. "It used to be an old demon clan, I think." He said with some uncertainty in his voice. "They were the rulers of¡­ uh¡­" He opened his interface and checked the map. "This area over here." He pointed at a hilly area not too far from here.


    "So, do you think that''s where we''ll find the key?" Lucius asked with anticipation.


    "There is no lock, Lucius." I said with a sigh ¨C we needed to find another way to open it. "Asher, can you break the spell on it?"


    The blonde wizard hesitated, he fiddled with his ponytail as we waited. "I''m not sure." He finally said. "The spell isn''t particularly powerful, but I think it''s keeping the contents of the chest safe. I don''t think we should try to break the spell here."


    Lucius'' shoulders dropped. "Aw, I thought we''d get some treasure." He said with a sigh, then shrugged. "Let''s do this then," He mumbled as he opened his inventory. He knelt besides the chest and with some help from me, placed it in his inventory.


    "Well then," Asher said once we were done. "If there isn''t anything else, let''s go. Our quest should be completed."


    "Let me check, just in case," Lucius mumbled as he opened his interface. "We missed one," He said after a short moment.


    As Asher furrowed his brows and checked his own interface, I couldn''t shake the feeling of imminent danger. "Guys-" Before I could finish my words, the ground below us shook.


    This is too much for a coincidence, was what I wanted to say, but honestly, I had no time to say anything as the ground we were standing on broke. The nest shattered ¨C as twigs and large logs fell all around us, we found ourselves falling.


    Among all that chaos, I saw a massive bird take to the skies ¨C it was larger than the one we killed with Rina and Alex.


    "Kai, hide your wings!" Asher shouted as we plummeted to the ground. It took me a moment to realise why he''d said that. It was to make sure they wouldn''t get impaled by the large, broken pieces of wood falling all around us.


    "Guys!" Lucius screamed as Asher''s spell enveloped him, slowing his fall. I looked at him, then at where he was pointing. Two massive, very familiar talons extended towards us from the sky.


    "Where did that come from?" I shouted as a piece of debris nearly impaled me. It bounced off of Asher''s shield, breaking it in the process. The talons drew closer as my heartbeat quickened. My sword materialised in my hand as Asher shot a few lightning bolts at the massive talons.


    The massive eagle didn''t even flinch ¨C it followed us as we plummeted to the forest below. "Asher!" Lucius screamed. "It''s going to catch Kai!"


    My eyes wide, I swung my sword and hit its long, sharp talons. I did no damage as the sharp blade of my sword bounced off. I gritted my teeth as I lifted my arms for the little protection they might provide. I could see the beak of the massive creature aiming for me ¨C I had no time to evade that.


    "Kai!" Asher cast a protective spell around me, but the creature shattered it with ease and caught me by my right arm.


    I braced myself for the pain ¨C I couldn''t imagine anything but a torn arm at this point.


    A moment passed where I only felt a very faint sting. I opened my eyes and looked at my arm and the creature''s beak. My eyes widened as I noticed the pale, silver scales surrounding my arm.


    Not a single drop of blood was visible as the creature''s sharp teeth couldn''t penetrate the scales ¨C the gift the wyvern had given me.


    My fearful expression turned into an almost evil grin as my scythe materialised in my left hand. This bird was as good as dead.

 Chapter 123: An Ominous Colour

    Flames erupted around me as my wings once again formed on my back. I swung my scythe, aiming for the massive eagle''s eye. The bird let go of me as soon as my flames touched its feathers but before it could fly away, my scythe dug into its eye.


    I felt very little resistance as the crystalline blade cut through flesh and bone like it were nothing. The creature beat its wings, trying to get away from me. As it flew away, my flames continued to cling to it, consuming its feathers and flesh.


    "What the hell?" I heard Lucius shout, but I ignored him. I dashed after the bird as it tried to put some distance between us. While it was fast, I was faster. I reached it within seconds and landed on its back. Without skipping a beat, I swung my scythe as I stood on its neck.


    I felt its soul reach towards me as its head plummeted to the forest below. As my wings allowed me to remain in the air, its body soon followed. A loud thud and crash echoed, striking fear into the animals'' hearts. Then, silence covered the forest. All I could hear was the soft, gentle breeze hustling the leaves below.


    "Kai?" Asher''s voice sounded. With a sigh, I put my scythe back into my inventory and turned towards him and Lucius.


    "What on earth was that?" The young swordsman asked after a short moment of hesitation. "Kai, how are you still in one piece?" He asked, his eyes wide open.


    I motioned to show them my arm but stopped when I saw my pale skin. "Uh." Where had the scales gone?


    "What is it?" Asher asked with narrowed eyes. "I know my spell shattered ¨C it wasn''t strong enough to protect you."


    "Well," I quickly explained what happened as we landed on the ground not too far from the massive eagle''s corpse. "But," I added after I finished my words; "I will have to learn to control this."


    If I could summon those scales at will, my survivability would be incredible. Not only that, but I could also use them to trick my opponents.


    "We''ll help you with that." Asher said as he dusted off his clothes and glanced at the massive corpse not too far away. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but then shook his head, clearly deciding otherwise. "I''m nearly out of mana, so let''s start walking back." He finally said.


    "Yes! Walking! Thank you!" Lucius grinned, visibly relieved. I couldn''t help but chuckle. His positivity and cheerful attitude was like a breath of fresh air. I knew I could count on him no matter what ¨C he''d probably follow me to the Demon Lord''s castle if I wanted to.


    "Of course, you''re happy." Asher said with a frown. On this, they were true opposites. While Asher loved flight and couldn''t walk for long, Lucius adored trekking. Even back at home, he''d constantly drag me all around the hills and forests. We laughed and set off.


    Thus began our journey back to Baile Chailce. We kept a fairly good pace throughout the day, despite Asher''s protests and only made camp come dusk. Lucius found a fairly secluded cove near a cliff and we decided to set up camp there.


    Asher practically collapsed on the lush green grass as soon as the decision was made. "I hate walking." He pouted, out of breath.


    "You''re going to have to get to used to it." I said with a grin. "Don''t you have some spell to strengthen your body or something?" I asked after a moment. Considering everything he could do, a spell to enhance his body didn''t seem like too outlandish of an idea to me.


    "No," He said with a sigh. "I wish I had though, I just never guessed so much walking would be involved in this whole ordeal."


    Lucius chuckled. "Well, you know." He grinned. "I never thought so much flying would be involved either." He turned his gaze on me after a moment. He seemed to be somewhat lost in thought.


    "What is it?" I asked, as I motioned to sit by the small campfire we''d made.


    "How about that duel?" He asked, grinning.


    I froze just as I was sitting down. "What?" I asked, surprised. I didn''t think he actually meant it when he challenged me back at the eagle''s nest. "Really?" I could already feel my hands itching to grab my scythe. The souls within me stirred at the thought of a worthy opponent.


    "What, are you scared?" He said with a grin. "I may have lost to you back at the coliseum, but that''s not always going to be the case." As he spoke, his sword materialised in his hands.


    "We walked for nearly half a day and now you want to duel?" Asher exclaimed. "Are you two insane or what?"


    "You wouldn''t understand." Lucius said as I took my place. My scythe appeared in my left hand as an ominous wind tugged at our hair and clothes. Lucius raised his eyebrows. "The scythe, huh?" He said with a darker expression. I shrugged. "I can switch to the sword if you want." He shook his head. "Nah, this better."


    "Kai, that thing is cursed, and we still don''t know what it does. You shouldn''t-" Before the blonde sorcerer could finish his words, Lucius dashed towards me.


    For a moment, time slowed down as his blade met with the shaft of my scythe. The clear sound of metal hitting metal echoed as Lucius'' expression darkened even more. He leapt back as soon as his feet touched the ground and only narrowly avoided the curved blade of my scythe. "You''re not holding back, are you?"


    My lips formed a wicked smile. My entire being wanted to just let loose, just like I had done against Vixia and Delthur. The excitement I felt during my clash with them was still fresh in my memory. I wanted more ¨C more of that taste, that pure feeling of being at the verge of victory or defeat, overcoming the impossible odds...


    I dashed towards Lucius, my eyes shining with excitement and anticipation. His eyes widened as we clashed again. He barely blocked my next strike, then leapt back again, almost as if inviting me to chase after him. I didn''t hesitate, leaving a trail of black and purple flames behind me, I ran after him. He blocked my next swing, and the next, but didn''t try to go on the offensive at all.


    "Kai!" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind all of the sudden. I flinched and stepped back, giving Lucius some breathing room. Why was Asher communicating with me like this? I motioned to glance at him, but a sudden rush of cold stopped me. I stopped and blinked. It felt as if someone had just emptied a bucket of ice-cold water over my head.


    "What was that?" Lucius asked, wide eyed.


    "I don''t know." Asher responded. "Kai, are you ok?"


    I nodded. What were they talking about?


    "How did you do that?" Asher asked after a short moment. I raised my eyebrows. What the hell was he talking about?


    "How did I do what?" I asked as I put my scythe away. "We were fighting, then you stopped me."


    They glanced at each other, then back at me. "What did you cast while you fought?" Asher finally asked. I took a deep breath; his questions were getting rather annoying. "I didn''t cast any spells. What''s this all about?" Why were they being so wary and weird all of the sudden?


    They glanced at each other again. "Asher!" I snapped. "What the hell is going on?"


    The blond sorcerer flinched. "I don''t know¡­" He mumbled, averting his gaze. My brows furrowed. They were hiding something. Something had happened and they weren''t telling me. I clenched my fists. "Lucius?" I glared at the young swordsman.


    "I don''t know how to explain this Kai." He said after a short moment. "You were using magic ¨C you had to be."


    I wanted to scream. I hadn''t cast any spells. "I didn''t!" I insisted, getting more frustrated with each passing minute. "Can you just explain what you saw?" Maybe he saw an effect of the primal cores, or some other power I had.


    "You left black and purple flames behind you." He finally said. He glanced at Asher, who squeezed his eyes shut and rested his palm on his forehead. "Your eyes glowed." Lucius continued, "More than usual, at least."


    "What else?" I asked as my heart began to race. None of that made sense. My flames were crimson, like those of the phoenix. What he described reminded me of Vixia''s flames. "What else happened?" How had I not noticed any of this while we fought?


    "I sensed magic around you." Asher said with a sigh. "Kai, sit down. We''ll talk about this tomorrow."


    I wanted to protest, but something about his voice stopped me. Why was he so pale?


    "Asher?" I asked as he leaned his back on the cliff wall. "Are you ok?"


    What had come over me that I hadn''t noticed how awful he looked and felt? Now, I could feel clearly from the connection we shared ¨C he was not ok.


    "I overexerted myself ¨C I just need some rest, then I''ll be ok." He said with a tired sigh. "So, do you mind if we talked about this tomorrow?"


    "No, of course not." I said as my anger and annoyance faded. I was worried.


    What was happening to Asher?

 Chapter 124: Distant Silhouettes

    Asher fell asleep not long after we all sat by the fire, though I could see his sleep wasn''t a restful one from his shallow, sharp breathing. Beads of sweat covered his forehead as he slept. Worried, I glanced at Lucius. He shrugged, being careful to remain silent.


    Not long after, Lucius also fell asleep. His deep breaths were a stark reminder of how wrong Asher''s breathing was.


    I opened my interface and switched to my skills panel. Wasn''t there anything I could do for the sorcerer? My first thought was Keeper''s Haven, but unfortunately that skill didn''t cure anything, it only healed wounds.


    Hours passed as I resisted the dark embrace of sleep. I wasn''t tired ¨C well, physically, at least ¨C so standing watch seemed like the best choice. Besides, I was too worried about Asher to fall asleep anyways.


    I couldn''t imagine why he''d suddenly fall sick. He seemed fine until a few hours ago. Though, looking back, he did seem somewhat preoccupied or¡­ not quite as active as one would expect. Especially after using his spells to kill the giant eagles, he had taken a more passive approach.


    I sighed; I should have noticed something was off when the massive eagle attacked us. There was no way Asher wouldn''t notice it laying in wait beneath our feet.


    Dawn arrived, ending this restless night. Lucius woke up as the first rays of sunlight touched his face. His eyes shot open and he quickly glanced at the still sleeping sorcerer.


    "He hasn''t woken up at all." I said quietly.


    "Didn''t you sleep at all?" The young man asked as he slowly stood up and stretched his legs. I shook my head. His expression darkened. "You should have woken me up if you wanted someone to keep watch."


    I chuckled. "It''s fine. It''s not like I could sleep anyways." I glanced at the pale sorcerer. "What should we do?" I asked after a moment.


    Lucius pondered a moment. "I don''t think we should wake him up." He hesitated. "Kai, don''t you have a healing spell?"


    I shook my head. "It''s only for wounds, not illnesses." Still, I closed my eyes and focused. It took a moment to figure out how to cast Keeper''s Haven without using the interface. Darkness spread beneath my feet as soon a silvery green mist settled in. As the air grew heavier, Lucius drew a sharp breath.


    Both of our gazes were locked on the blonde sorcerer as souls slowly left me and circled around us. We waited, hoping for his breath to return to normal. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes passed when I eventually stopped channelling the spell. "It''s not working."


    Lucius looked at the sky ¨C the sun was just now starting to climb to its zenith. "We have to do something." He said finally. "How far away are we from the city?"


    I opened my map and scrolled out as much as I could. "We''re here," I pointed at a spot not too far away from the mountain. "The city is¡­" I pointed at a large, white area quite a ways away. "Here."


    "It''s too far away to carry him." Lucius said, biting his lower lip. I nodded. I could feel Asher''s situation worsening ¨C the magical bond between us made sure I was well aware of that. How I hadn''t noticed anything was beyond me.


    "Asher," I said as I knelt besides him. Letting him sleep wasn''t helping ¨C he wasn''t getting any better. "Wake up." I gently touched his shoulder. "Hey, come on." I said as panic slowly began to grasp at my throat. We couldn''t lose him. Not him, not now.


    "Kai!" Lucius'' alarmed voice caught my attention. What could be more important than our most powerful ally being so sick? I glanced at the young swordsman, but my annoyed words got stuck in my throat as I noticed him looking at the sky, wide eyed.


    When I followed his gaze, I nearly choked on my own breath. Several dark silhouettes flew towards the castle on top on the mountain. While they were too far away for me to see them properly, I knew one of those silhouettes all too well.


    "Demons." Lucius whispered as my gaze followed Vixia. "So that''s what they look like." He said, his face pale.


    "We need to leave." I said as the silhouettes disappeared in the clouds. "Once they notice the castle is empty, they will try to find us."


    Lucius nodded. "I''ll carry Asher." He said as he quickly put out the small campfire. I nodded. "Get going, I''ll cover our tracks and catch up."


    The young swordsman didn''t hesitate. Despite his slender build, he picked up Asher with ease and disappeared among the trees. I could hear his footsteps as he made his way in the direction of Baile Chailce.


    I had no time to waste. I glanced at the sky anxiously as I summoned my wings. I quickly dug a hole in the ground to hide the burnt wood and ashes, then covered everything with dirt. A few powerful beats of my wings ensured leaves and sticks scattered around randomly, hiding the tramples grass.


    I hid my wings again as I dashed after Lucius. Flight wasn''t an option ¨C if I were spotted, that would be the end of me. While I was sure I could take on Vixia alone, I had counted at least fifteen silhouettes there. I''d stand no chance against them.


    It didn''t take long for me to reach Lucius. "Did you hide everything?" He asked, as he glanced at the sky. I nodded. "Yeah, but I''m sure it won''t take them long to understand we''re headed to Baile Chailce."


    He bit his lower lip. "Yeah." I barely heard his whisper as he increased his speed. I clenched my fists and adjusted my speed to match his. If only Asher wasn''t unconscious, he''d find a way out of here.


    "We need to find a way to heal him." Lucius said as we passed through an opening. We both glanced at the sky again ¨C were they coming after us? Thankfully, I spotted no silhouettes and felt to demonic magic.


    "How?" I asked. I had no healing spells aside from Keeper''s Haven. I had checked my available skills during the night ¨C there was nothing that could be considered useful.


    "I don''t know." The young swordsman''s voice gave away how afraid and anxious he was. "Are there any villages on our way to Baile Chailce?"


    I shook my head ¨C there was nothing like that on my map. "What level are you?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. Lucius raised his eyebrows, but answered, nonetheless. "95, why?"


    I clenched my fists. "Never mind." If he were at the brink of 100, I would have suggested it, but now, it made no sense. "We have to hurry." I said.


    We ran at a steady pace, tough as the hours passed, I could see Lucius slowing down and breathing more frequently. When arrived at a shallow river, I finally made the decision to stop here for today. If Lucius also collapsed on me, I wouldn''t know what to do.


    We made camp by some large trees. I avoided using any magic and I didn''t let Lucius make a campfire. One could be sensed from afar and one could be seen. I wasn''t about to take any chances like that.


    "He has a fever." Lucius said as he wiped the blonde sorcerer''s sweat with a piece of cloth. "And he hasn''t woken up once since last night." He glanced at me. "Kai, did you do something?"


    I froze mid step. "What?" What was he talking about?


    "Yesterday, you looked weird when we fought. You felt weird. You almost weren''t the same person." He moved away from Asher and glanced at the sky. "I wasn''t sure of how to explain but now I think you look like¡­" He hesitated.


    "I look like what?" I asked, my heart beating faster by the minute.


    "It doesn''t matter." He said with a sigh. "What matters is that there was some magic involved with how you acted yesterday." He made a vague gesture. "Maybe something happened at that time and made Asher fall ill like this."


    I hesitated. I was annoyed ¨C he had avoided explaining, again ¨C but I forced myself to consider the possibility. Was it really possible? Could I have done this to Asher? But no, he had started acting weird before that. Soon after he used most of his mana to kill the giant eagles, he had become more passive. That was when he first said he was tired and had no mana left.


    "I don''t think that''s the case." I finally said. "Maybe my power somehow escalated the situation ¨C it''s a possibility ¨C but I don''t think that was the trigger." I shook my head and glanced towards the river. "I''ll go get some water."


    "I''ll keep watch." He said with a faint smile. I nodded and walked past the bushes. Once I arrived at the shore, I knelt beside the shallow water. I closed my eyes and washed my face.


    When I opened my eyes and saw my reflection on the water, I flinched. Lucius'' word rang in my ears. He now knew what I looked like.


    I looked like them.

 Chapter 125: Fields of Midnight

    It clicked. Why Delthur was so surprised to see me, why Vixia never left me alone, why the Ereth always seemed to have their eyes on me. It all clicked.


    I stared at my bright silvery purple eyes and pale skin, the white hair that ran down my back, the pointy ears. I looked just like them.


    Suddenly the nickname the tournament announcer gave me seemed so appropriate, I couldn''t help but laugh. The Pale Demon. Literally.


    "Kai?" I heard Lucius'' voice. I couldn''t take my eyes off my reflection.


    I look just like them!


    The thought refused to leave my mind. I couldn''t push it away, to the back of my mind as I did with everything else.


    "Kai?" Lucius called my name again. I blinked ¨C I had to pull myself together. Asher was still sick, and the demons were probably still looking for us.


    I filled the small canteen I had with water and returned to the others.


    "What took you so long?" The swordsman asked as soon as he spotted me. "I was worried!"


    "I was just washing my face, sorry." I forced a smile, then approached the sorcerer and knelt besides him. Asher''s complexion had somehow gotten even worse. He was white as a sheet of paper. "How is he?" I asked, full well knowing the answer.


    "Not good." Lucius said with a tired sigh. He took the water canteen and used it to wet a piece of cloth. As he wiped the blonde sorcerer''s face, I glanced at the sky. "We can''t stay here for long."


    The young swordsman nodded. "I know."


    We sat in silence for a while. Asher''s shallow breathing was the loudest thing around us. "Kai," Lucius said after a while. "You seem a bit¡­ different. Are you ok?"


    I nodded. I was fine, physically. Mentally, not so much, but Lucius didn''t need to know that right now. "Try to get some sleep." I said after a short moment. "I''ll keep watch."


    He hesitated, then nodded. He was just as exhausted as me, if not more. While I knew nothing of his stats, I knew he had no magic to help him. I could stay awake for one more night ¨C he couldn''t afford to do that.


    As the sun set and the stars began to shine, I sat on the ground with my back leaning against the tree. Four hours, then we would be on our way again. I opened my map and checked our surroundings. Because we had come by flight, I couldn''t estimate how long it''d take to walk back.


    I checked my status panel absentmindedly.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 69096/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 999- - Mana: 1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    I couldn''t help but raise my eyebrows as I looked at the number of souls I had gotten. Why hadn''t I levelled up at all? And just how many birds had we killed?


    Hours passed as I forced myself to stay awake. Eventually, after what I estimated to be four hours passed, I woke Lucius up.


    "We should get going," I said, nervously glancing at the blonde sorcerer. I could feel through our connection that he was not getting any better. "We have to find a healer."


    Once again, Lucius picked Asher up and we set off, towards Baile Chailce. I was thankful for the forests ¨C they hid us from prying eyes and any demons that might be flying in the night sky.


    "This is so annoying," Lucius said with a sigh. "How did they even arrive so quickly?"


    I shrugged. "They have flight and who knows what else." We already knew they even had a form of teleportation. I remembered five more black spheres in the room I fought Vixia and Delthur. Any one of them could lead to a location not too far away from here.


    We ran with a steady pace until we came across a long stretch of grassland.


    "Damn." I mumbled, as I stared at the massive open area before us.


    "We should hurry." Lucius said finally. "We have a better chance at night." I hesitated; I wasn''t so sure about that. We didn''t know how well the demons could see at night.


    "Isn''t there another way?" I mumbled as I tried to see if the forest stretched that way anywhere close by.


    "Even if there is, does Asher have that kind of time?" Lucius asked, glancing at the unconscious sorcerer. I bit my lower lip ¨C he was right. We were racing against time.


    "Let''s go." I said after only a moment. "Hurry."


    Almost as if he were waiting for my signal, Lucius dashed forward with an incredible speed. I followed right after him. I couldn''t see the other side of this sea of grass ¨C it was massive, stretching over hills, only interrupted by a shallow river not too far from us.


    We ran, hoping to make it to safety before dawn.


    Sometime later, Lucius'' steps began to slow down. He was tired, with only a few hours of sleep and carrying Asher, I could see how he was so exhausted.


    "Kai, these fields are going on forever." He said, breathing heavily. I nodded; I hadn''t noticed it when we flew over them, but this stretch of the land was incredibly vast.


    Despite his tired expression, Lucius didn''t stop. "How far away are we from the castle?" He asked as we made our way through the tall grass. I checked my map, "Quite," I said after a moment. "But I don''t feel like we''re safe yet."


    "Agreed." Lucius sighed. Once again, silence set it.


    That was when I suddenly froze mid step as a familiar sound became noticeable.


    Fear struck my heart as I turned around and looked at the night sky. There, two silhouettes approached us.


    "Run!" I said as my scythe materialised in my hands. "Lucius, run and don''t turn back."


    The young swordsman didn''t understand at first. "What-" He started asking, but then he also spotted the silhouettes. "Bloody hell." He whispered ¨C the two demons were clearly a sight to behold as their massive wings carried them closer. "Kai-"


    "You heard me!" I hissed as my wings appeared behind me. Lucius was too tired to fight and with Asher out of commission, we didn''t stand much of a chance if more demons arrived. "I''ll take care of them and follow you, so go and find someone to heal Asher!"


    The young man hesitated, then cursed and dashed away. That was also my cue to take off. With my wings carrying me to the skies, I rose to the air to meet the two demons.


    As they approached, I could see them easier. Their dark grey and blue armour fit the paleness of their skin perfectly. One of them was a woman ¨C she was the first to arrive. Her weapon of choice was a long spear ¨C I could feel the magic coursing through it.


    "So, it is the truth." She said as we floated a few meters way from each other. "You are back, Keeper." Her lips formed a bitter smile. "Yet it seems we are enemies."


    "Such a twisted turn of fate." The other demon added. His eyes shone purple ¨C he was already using magic.


    "I don''t suppose you''d turn back and leave?" I loudly said.


    Below, I could see Lucius stop and look at me wide eyed. He hesitated a moment, then dashed away. I turned my attention on the woman. "No."


    As soon as the word left her lips, she dashed towards me. She became a blur ¨C she was faster than anyone I''d fought so far!


    I folded my wings and let gravity be my escape. She flew right above as her spear stabbed the air. Her lips formed a thin line as I approached the ground. The man followed right after me, his sword arm extended to his side, ready to slash at me at a moment''s notice.


    As soon as my feet touched the ground, I leapt back. The ground before me cracked as the woman struck it with her spear.


    That singular moment, where her spear was still in the ground was my best chance to attack. I used Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe simultaneously, leaving crimson and black-purple flames behind me as I dashed towards her.


    I saw her eyes widen as I moved as a blur ¨C with my magic, I was just as fast as her, if not more. I swung my scythe at her exposed neck as she finally freed her spear from the ground.


    A black blade stopped my strike. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the field as the other demon grinned. He had reached us just in time to save his ally''s life.


    I leapt back ¨C I was at a disadvantage. We stared at each other, gauging, thinking and waiting for an opening.


    Then, they dashed at me.

 Chapter 126: Battle on the Ashen Fields

    As two demons, leaving trails of purple flames dashed at me, all I could do was defend. I raised my scythe and blocked their simultaneous strikes with its metal shaft. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed.


    I expected them to pull back and strike again, but instead, they chose to push. They put all of their weight on their weapons, pushing me back. I dug my heels into the ground as my muscles ached under the immense pressure.


    I couldn''t hold them off for long, not like this. Even with the strength I gained through Fallen Grace, I was no match for them physically. I gritted my teeth and focused ¨C I needed my magic, my flames, now more than ever!


    The sword wielding demon started to smile; in his eyes, they''d already won. My lips formed a thin line as I felt my feet slowly begin to slip.


    "The Lord will be pleased, Keeper." The woman said with a sly voice. Her eyes already glimmered with her seemingly imminent victory. I gritted my teeth ¨C her expression was getting on my nerves.


    I focused, I wanted to catch them off guard to finish this as soon as possible. Suddenly, I bent my left leg and fell on the ground. They practically jumped on the opportunity like hungry wolves. As soon as they reached for me, I released my flames.


    As crimson flames enveloped us, the woman screamed in agony as the man pulled her back. I rolled back and rose to my feet, then dashed towards them without skipping a beat. I couldn''t let them regain their composure, I had to take them on while they were at a disadvantage!


    As I approached them, they scattered to two different directions. They were trying to stall me, slow me down. They thought I''d hesitate as I tried to choose who to go after. Yet, I didn''t. Without skipping a beat, I ran after the woman ¨C she was the stronger one.


    I leapt to the air and brought my scythe down on her. She just barely blocked the pale crystalline blade of the cursed weapon. As soon as our weapons clashed, an ominous dark mist spread out from the scythe.


    I didn''t have time to think, to try and figure out what was going on. I only had mere seconds before her ally reached us. My relentless assault continued as I struck her shoulder with the bottom end of the scythe''s shaft. As the metal shaft hit her armour, the sound of metal hitting metal echoed. He lost her balance only for a moment, but before I could take advantage of it, her ally reached us. Once again, he blocked the pale blade with his sword.


    I gritted my teeth and leapt back. They were much better at fighting together than Vixia and Delthur were. They constantly looked out for each other while Vixia and Delthur simple handled our previous fight like two separate duels.


    I dashed towards them again. All I needed to do was even the odds a little. I held on to my scythe with my left hand and cast a volley of Dark Bolts at the sword wielding demon. His eyes widened as he noticed the spell aiming for him.


    As he leapt back in hopes of avoiding the deadly spell, I once again met the woman on the battlefield. This time, she was the one on the offensive. Her spear struck the shaft of scythe over and over again as I patiently blocked each of her strikes. I would still feel the dark bolts chasing the man ¨C I still had a little more time before he came back.


    The woman swung her spear sideways, aiming for my head. I spun my scythe around, blocking her spear just in time and at the same time, forcing her to back off as my motion naturally threatened her exposed neck.


    "You''re a much better fighter than I thought." She hissed. I grinned. "And you''re weaker than I thought you''d be." I replied as I swung my scythe. She blocked the pale blade, but not before I got to use Death''s Scythe again. The pale blade of my weapon let out a grey shine, leaving a trail of black flames behind.


    We both expected to hear the sound of crystal hitting metal, but instead, what we heard was the muffled thud of something falling to the ground. I felt very little resistance as my cursed weapon cut through her dark metal spear like it were butter.


    Her eyes widened ¨C she leapt back, but not fast enough to get out unscathed. She let out a small shout as a rather deep cut appeared on her left shoulder. Her eyes shone purple as a form of miasma started to appear ¨C it tried to dampen my flames and push back the dark mist of my weapon.


    I tightened my grip around the shaft of my scythe ¨C I couldn''t let her finish whatever she was doing. I let my wings carry me to her as she raised her hand. I swung my scythe towards her arm as a dark barrier appeared around her. A loud clang echoed as my weapon bounced off. I landed on the ground with a backflip ¨C was that her goal? A protective barrier?


    I felt the air move behind me. My eyes widened ¨C the man had come back! I began to turn, but I already knew I didn''t have enough time to block his attack. Instead, I fed my flames with more magic. As they burst out, I felt a sharp pain on my left wing and heard a muddled groan.


    "Careful!" The demon shouted at her ally. "His flames are stronger than they seem!"


    I cast Soul''s Respite, but as always, the time it took to heal me was way too long to use mid battle. I couldn''t afford to wait until I was completely healed. Instead, I gritted my teeth, pushed the pain to the back of my mind and dashed towards to woman again.


    My scythe hit her barrier again, this time creating some cracks on its smooth surface. Her face twisted with what I believed to be hatred, perhaps with some fear mixed in.


    The demon swordsman''s footsteps sounded behind me as I raised my scythe again. I motioned to bring the scythe down upon the woman''s barrier, but feinted that attack at the last possible moment, instead using that momentum to turn towards him. I just barely missed his exposed throat as he shrieked and leapt back.


    I felt magic gathering behind me. She was doing something ¨C something I couldn''t let her finish. I turned my attention back at her while sending another volley of dark bolts after her ally. He cursed as I heard the beat of his wings. My scythe hit the barrier once again, finally shattering it. My motion didn''t stop as I brought the pale crystalline blade down upon her defenceless neck.


    Something hit me from the side just before I could. I lost my grip on the shaft of my scythe as we rolled in the grass. I felt something crack as my wings got crushed under our weight. The man had rammed me with his body, sending us both quite far from where his ally was.


    I clenched my fist and punched him while my sword materialised in my left hand. He was standing over me, there wasn''t much I could do! I helplessly watched as he raised his sword and brought it down on my chest. A loud clang echoed as I felt the force of the thrust spread throughout my chest. My eyes widened at the same time as his.


    Without missing a beat, I raised my hand to his face and let my flames explode a hair''s length away from him. Surprised, confused and maybe even terrified, he got off me, screaming and holding his charred face.


    I didn''t give him any time. I nearly threw myself towards him as I thrust my sword into his chest, piercing his heart. His screams came to an end, as did his life. He fell among the tall grass surrounding us as I finally turned my attention to his ally ¨C the woman who''d given me so much trouble during this fight.


    A moment of silence passed as she glared at his lifeless body. Her face went pale as her face twisted with pain and agony.


    "What have you done?" She whispered as her gaze fell on me. I stepped towards her as my mana finally depleted. The souls healing me slowly melted back into my chest as I took a deep breath. I couldn''t let her live. If she did, she''d go back and tell Vixia where we were. And then, the other man, the one who terrifies me, would also learn.


    I gathered the last of my power and dashed towards her. She stretched her wings and leapt into the air, but my sword found her before she could get away. I gave her a painless death ¨C a thrust through the heart.


    I stood on the now bloody, ash covered field and looked up to the sky. I was exhausted.

 Chapter 127: Cool Breeze of Healing

    It took a while before I lowered my gaze. I could smell blood ¨C both mine and the two demons''. Exhausted and wounded, I collapsed on my knees. I couldn''t move my left wing without feeling agonising pain. Soul''s Respite had run out of mana before it could do any amount of worthwhile healing.


    I glanced at the sky. How long had this battle taken? Five minutes? Ten? How long could I waste here?


    I forced myself back on my feet and approached the two corpses. I felt sick, a little. I had killed two people ¨C well, they weren''t actual people, but they behaved like them. No matter how much I tried, I couldn''t shake this feeling of guilt.


    I knelt besides the woman and gently closed her eyelids. "Sorry." I said, my voice but a whisper. I checked if she carried anything worthwhile ¨C such as a healing potion, but I couldn''t find anything on her.


    Next, it was the man''s turn. I motioned to close his eyes too but flinched and looked away as soon as I saw the state of his face. His eyelids were burnt, they had melted into the face ¨C I wasn''t even sure if he had eyes anymore. Feeling even more sick, I covered his body with his cloak.


    I finally turned my back on the corpses and glanced to the direction Lucius went. I had to catch up to them.


    But before that, there was another matter that needed my attention. I closed my eyes and listened to the wind. I could hear faint voices, coming from the southwest. I couldn''t quite tell, but I think there were three women.


    I glanced at the bodies on the ground and this section of the grassy field, reduced to ashes. I wondered if they''d attack me on sight. I knew they weren''t demons, I felt none of that dark type of magic. They had to be players or Ereth. Since the Ereth never left their cities and villages, I decided on players.


    "There''s someone there!" One of them shouted as soon as they entered my view.


    There were, indeed, three of them. One of them was short and petite. She had short black hair and carried a bow. She was the one who shouted. The one walking next to her was taller, she wore her blonde hair in a long ponytail. I could see a pair of horns on her head, as well as the unnatural red glow in her eyes.


    The last one was more eye catching than the rest. Her braided crimson hair was almost as long as mine. She wore simple clothes and carried a simple wooden spear in her hand. Her eyes let out a green shine as they approached me.


    Their steps slowed down and eventually; they came to halt not too far away from me.


    "What the hell?" The black haired one asked, staring at me and the burnt field around me.


    "Who are you?" The spear wielding woman stepped up. Her gaze fell on the two lifeless bodies behind me. "My god." She said as her eyes widened. "Laura, light."


    The blonde woman immediately raised her hand. A sphere of light appeared, illuminating all of our surroundings. I narrowed my eyes and raised my hand to shield my eyes from the bright light.


    "I''d like to ask you the same." I said, making sure to keep some distance between us. Could I trust them? Would they believe me?


    "Oh!" The crimson haired woman suddenly exclaimed. "I know you! You''re the Pale Demon!"


    I flinched. That nickname stung, but more than that, I was somewhat relieved that I wouldn''t have to prove that I''m a player. "Right," I said with a nod. "And who are you?"


    "I''m Mona. She''s Laura," She said, gesturing towards the blonde woman. "And she''s Theresa." The black-haired archer nodded.


    "Kai." I said, then glanced behind me. They were sure to be curious about what had happened here. And naturally, Mona did take a deep breath. I braced myself for the barrage of questions that was surely coming.


    "You''re wounded." She said suddenly. She took a few steps towards me. "I can see it, your, uh, wings." She explained.


    I glanced at my wounded wing. I was wounded, she wasn''t wrong about that, but I was just a little surprised that she had focused on this instead of the two corpses behind me.


    "It was a tough fight." I said, averting my eyes. "I''ll be fine as soon as my mana replenishes." I glanced at her allies, who also approached me.


    "What happened here?" Laura asked after a moment''s hesitation. "Why don''t you tell us about it while Mona heals you?"


    I raised my brows, Mona had struck me as a fighter, not a magic user. "Sure," I said. "Me and two friends of mine were spotted by these demons," I began to explain. Naturally, I left out everything about the primal cores and that castle. As I talked, Mona gently touched my wings.


    Her hand was cool to the touch. I shivered as her magic spread throughout my body. It was just as cold as her skin. By the time I finished talking, she had already healed me fully.


    "You''re not a priest." I said, glancing at her. She pushed the few loose stands of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Nope, I''m a druid." She glanced at my wings. "And you, are not." She stated. "Which makes me wonder, how come do you have wings?"


    I shrugged. "The result of being very unlucky." I said, forcing a smile. Then, my expression darkened. "I saw more demons yesterday. We shouldn''t waste too much time here." Glanced at the two demons'' bodies. "They will surely come looking for them."


    Laura nodded. "We should be on our way indeed." Her light slowly faded until nothing but starlight remained. "You said you were here with two more people." She glanced around. "Where are they?"


    I explained what happened, then glanced at Mona. "I know it''s a lot to ask, since you''ve already helped me so much," I motioned at my wings. "But do you think you could try and heal my friend? I''m afraid he will die if we don''t find a way to cure him."


    Mona smiled. "Of course, I''ll help." Both her friends nodded too. "Let''s go then, Kai." She said, her smile as bright as the dawning sun. "This place reeks of death, but it will heal itself soon enough. And I''m glad you survived this battle."


    "Let''s hurry." Theresa glanced at the sky. "I''d rather not fight any demons right now."


    They all nodded, and we set off.


    "Thank you." I said, looking at Mona.


    She smiled. "Don''t thank me until I cure your friend." She lightly punched my shoulder. "And don''t look at me like that!" Was it just me, or had her face reddened a little?


    "Sorry." I chuckled. I couldn''t help it, she reminded me of my own people. Her hair was almost the same colour as mine, back in the real word. "So, why were you out here?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.


    "We were camping not too far away from here when we saw the sky light up." She glanced at my wings. "I assume that was you?"


    I looked away. "Uh, well." She giggled. "I thought so!" She said with a cheerful voice. "Anyways, we wanted to check what was going on. Honestly, I didn''t expect to find two dead demons and the Matriarch''s Champion here."


    I chuckled, though I still hated that name. It made me seem like her property.


    "Oh," She suddenly said as her eyes lit up with curiosity. "I was wondering, why did your party split up?"


    At first, I didn''t quite understand what she meant. Was she talking about Asher and Lucius? I had already told them what had happened.


    "I mean the group you fought with in the tournament." She clarified, seeing my confusion. Understanding dawned on me. "Ah." I said. She chuckled. "So?" She asked.


    "I temporarily separated from them because I wanted to check on something." I replied.


    She pondered a moment. "That''s weird. All sorts of rumours are circulating back in the city." She raised her fingers as she counted. "The two girls are doing some grinding on their own, the one guy with the sword left the group completely and some say you''ve set off to kill the Demon Lord."


    I stopped in my tracks and stared at her. "I did what now?"


    She laughed. "My thoughts exactly!" She sighed. "You know how people are, they love gossip."


    "Look at who''s speaking." Laura chimed in. She pulled Mona''s braid. "Stop worrying him with your rumours." She turned her attention towards me as Mona tried to free her hair from the blond woman''s tight grasp. "The two men in your group, the paladin and rogue, are on a drinking and feasting spree. The fighter left the group and went solo, though he spends some time with the girls."


    My eyes widened. "Wait really?" I clenched my fists. "Damn it." I mumbled. I was glad that Vincent, Alina, and Samantha weren''t following Erik and Joshua with their shenanigans, but I was still somewhat pissed off at those two. Had they not learned their lesson at all?


    "We actually saw Vincent a couple of days ago." Theresa chimed in. "He was quite strong, he helped us out with a quest then went on his way. He said he''d meet two friends who had helped a friend of him in the past." She sighed. "He didn''t seem very happy though."


    I nodded. Of course he wasn''t.


    "Someone''s up ahead." Laura said quietly. She readied her spells, but I stopped her before she lit the whole place up. "Let me."


    We were still in the seemingly endless fields, yet now they were a bit hillier. I glanced at the top of the hill before us, then whistled. Soon after, I spotted Lucius as he climbed up.


    "You''re alive!"

 Chapter 128: Cleansing

    It was clear how relieved he was just from the tone of his voice. I smiled. "Yeah. Somehow."


    "Hello!" Mona suddenly chimed in. She waved at Lucius, then showed me a bright smile. "I''m glad your friend is ok!" She once again turned her attention to Lucius. "Hey, Kai said your other friend wasn''t well. Where is he?"


    Lucius opened his mouth, then glanced at me. I nodded, "She healed me too."


    "Oh." Lucius said hesitantly. "Um, he''s over here," He gestured us to follow him.


    "He trusts you so much!" Mona said as we climbed the hill. I chuckled. "And I trust him."


    "That''s what we need in a world like this." She said with a smile and glanced at Laura and Theresa. "We have a similar kind of trust as well. I''d never let anything happen to them, and I know they would do anything to protect me."


    As I found myself at a loss for words, Asher entered our field of view. Mona gasped as soon as he saw the unconscious man. "Oh my, that''s not good." She ran towards him downhill, sliding the last few meters. With no consideration for her own safety at all, she knelt besides him and touched his forehead. "He''s burning up." She looked at me wide eyed. "Since when is he like this?"


    I hesitated. "Yesterday evening." I replied. "He fell asleep, saying he didn''t feel too well. We couldn''t wake him up the next morning." I made a vague, meaningless gesture. "Something was wrong before then, though I can''t really tell when this started or why."


    "Oh, isn''t this similar to what happened to that girl?" Laura chimed in. She glanced at Theresa, who nodded. "Does look like the same thing."


    "What girl? What happened?" I asked, my voice filled with worry.


    "Some girl was affected with a rather dark spell." Mona explained absentmindedly. "I think it was demonic magic ¨C she stumbled upon it in some old ruins. She was a sorcerer and was extremely sensitive to all types of magic." Her voice faded as she carefully opened Asher''s eyes and inspected his pupils.


    "Mona healed the girl." Laura continued in her place. "It wasn''t an easy process though. It took a toll on Mona and the girl only recovered after a few days."


    Theresa sighed. "And she wasn''t in nearly as bad a state as your friend." She opened her inventory and looked through it. I averted my eyes ¨C I didn''t want her to think I was prying.


    "I''ll need some help." Mona said as we waited in silence. "Laura, help me out. Kai, you too please."


    We both knelt besides her. "What can I do?" I asked. She smiled. "I can see the connection you two have, so I need you to try and reach him through there. In the meantime, Laura and I will cleanse him."


    I flinched. How did she know we were bound by magic?


    "Come on!" She said, pinching my arm. "Don''t get lost in thought now."


    "I''m ready." Laura said, raising her hands and allowing her magic to gather there. I sighed. "Lucius, keep watch."


    "Yes, sir." The young man said, then climbed on the hill. I could see him lie on the grass ¨C if anything approached from that side, he''d see them before they saw him.


    I closed my eyes.


    "Asher!" My voice echoed in the silent waste of our minds. I called out to him, again and again. I could feel Mona and Laura''s magic gather around us. It felt like the cool breeze under the afternoon sun. Warm, yet cold. Relaxing, yet alarming.


    "Asher?" I called his name again.


    "Not like that." I heard Mona''s low voice whisper in my ear. "You have to reach him. Go and punch him in the face and drag him back here."


    "Mona¡­" Laura''s disapproving voice sounded.


    I furrowed my brows. I hadn''t quite figured out what she wanted me to do. How does one drag someone somewhere mentally?


    After thoroughly confusing myself with dumb questions, I gave up on understanding Mona''s words. Instead, I did the next logical thing ¨C I sent a soul to his mind.


    I chose the phoenix, because since our souls had melted together, it was the one I could actually use the most. I watched it fly over the empty, black waste separating our minds and disappear in the darkness. Or at least that''s what I felt was going on.


    Moments passed, then I felt cold fingers pinch my cheek. I flinched and opened my eyes. "What¡­?"


    "It''s done." Laura said with a smile. My eyes widened as my glance darted towards Asher.


    The blonde wizard was still asleep, but colour had begun to return to his face. I couldn''t hear a trace of his shallow, sharp breaths anymore ¨C he was in deep sleep, taking deep breaths.


    "So," Mona said with a grin. "Did you punch him?"


    I chuckled awkwardly. "I¡­ don''t think so?" I mumbled. "I don''t really know what I was supposed to do."


    "Don''t mind her." Laura said, chuckling. "What matters is all three of us succeeded and he will be fine."


    I breathed out a sigh of relief, then looked both of them in the eye. "Thank you, we''d have lost him if you hadn''t helped."


    Mona giggled. "Happy to help, Kai." She stood up and dusted off her cloak. "We should let him rest, there are still a few hours until dawn." She glanced at me. "You were headed towards Baile Chailce too, right?"


    I nodded. "Yes, I wanted to check up on the others."


    "Then how about we set off together? You know, strength in numbers and all that?" She smiled. I couldn''t refuse even if I wanted to. And honestly, I didn''t want to.


    "Sure, I''d love that."


    "Then, let''s sleep." She said with a brilliant smile.


    Soon, we were all ready to head to sleep. While I did want to stand watch, I was too exhausted for it. Instead, it was Theresa who offered watch over us as we slept.


    I knew that trusting these three was na?ve and that I could regret it later but¡­ Both Lucius and I were exhausted. I hadn''t slept in two days while he had carried Asher for hours.


    We fell asleep soon after.


    Come morning, I woke up with a cold touch on my cheek. "Wakey-wakey, sleepy Kai!" Mona''s cheerful voice pulled me out of my dreams. I saw her bright green eyes as soon as I opened mine. "Mona?!" I exclaimed. She sprinkled some water on my face as soon as she noticed my surprised and confused expression.


    "Stop teasing him Mona." Laura said with a sigh as she once again grabbed her long braid and pulled her away. "Good morning, Kai."


    "Good morning." I said, still thoroughly confused, and wide awake. "Oh right!" I exclaimed. "Asher?" I asked as I shot up and turned my glance to where the sorcerer was asleep last night. I panicked as I saw that spot empty, save his crumpled cloak.


    "I''m here." His voice sounded from behind me. I leapt up and turned around and only breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him sitting by a fire, a cup of¡­ something, in hand.


    "He hasn''t healed completely." Laura warned me as Mona struggled to free her braid from the blonde woman''s grasp. "We will need plenty of rest stops along the way ¨C he shouldn''t overexert himself."


    "Thank you, Laura." I said with a smile. Then, I turned my attention to Asher. "Asher, let us know when you feel even a little tired, ok?"


    He chuckled. "I''m not that weak." Though, a following coughing fit quickly disproved his words. "Damn it." He mumbled as his cough subsided.


    "I''ll take that as a ''yes''." I said with a chuckle.


    "Same goes for you." Lucius'' voice sounded as he came and sat by the fire. "No more fighting demons solo."


    I couldn''t help but laugh ¨C he had every right to be angry about that. "I know, I know." I said, still smiling.


    "Hah! I''m free!" Mona shouted suddenly as Laura''s grasp on her long braid slipped. She ran towards us and hid behind me with a giggle. "Such good friends you have, Kai." She said, pinching my arm.


    "The best I could wish for." I said with a smile, then glanced at Laura. "Uh, so, when should we set off?"


    "After breakfast sounds nice." Theresa chimed in as she opened her inventory and started rummaging through it. "I''ll prepare something real quick."


    "Oh, let me help you." Asher got up to help her prepare while Laura approached me and Mona. "So," She said, her gaze shifting between me and the girl hiding behind me. "Mona."


    Mona giggled. "What?" Her playful voice made me smile as Laura rolled her eyes. "You do realise that you can''t use him as a shield forever, right?"


    I felt Mona''s hands on my shoulders. "Maybe I can, who knows?" She giggled again.


    "Uh, so, what''s going on?" I asked, somewhat confused. "Laura?"


    The blonde woman chuckled. "She''s a druid, the way she gains power isn''t through killing, but through giving life. If she is to become more powerful, she has to perform her daily ritual."


    I couldn''t help but be curious. In a way, what she had to do was the exact opposite of what I did to gain more power. "What kind of a ritual?" I asked, turning to look at Mona. Her expression soured. "It''s boring!" She protested. "All I do is stand there and cast a spell!"


    I chuckled. "Sounds much more fun than going around in a murder spree." I glanced at Laura, who nodded with a faint smile. "Could you show the ritual to me?" I asked at Mona.


    She clenched her fists and jumped up and down, like a little child. "Damn you Laura! Stop bewitching him with your words."


    "I did no such thing." Laura replied, raising her chin. She almost seemed offended. Almost. I could see the smile she was trying to hide.


    "Mona, stop being lazy and do your thing." Theresa said, almost absentmindedly.


    "You''re all so boring!" Mona said, clearly annoyed. She stormed off to the top of the hill. Laura chuckled. "Come then," She said, urging me to follow her. "I know she says it''s ''just a spell'', but it''s quite the spectacular view."


    "I''m looking forward to it." We stood not too far away from her as Mona raised her hand in the air. I felt a cool breeze as she began casting her spell.

 Chapter 129: Return to Baile Chailce

    A soft, green light shone from her eyes as she spun gracefully around herself. She extended her left hand as she spun, leaving a trail of light behind. Her motions quickly turned into a beautiful dance.


    "It''s beautiful, isn''t it?" Laura said with a smile. I nodded; I couldn''t take my eyes off her. She spun and spun and the plants all around us bloomed. As colourful flowers spouted from the ground all around us, I noticed that I had been holding my breath.


    I couldn''t help but feel somewhat guilty as I watched the cheerful druid dance. She gave life to the earth, while all I could do was reduce everything around me to ashes. I brought death while she gave life.


    "Keeper." A soft, bewitching voice whispered into my right ear. "A word." I flinched. I knew that voice all too well ¨C it was Matriarch Aelith''s voice.


    I coughed, then glanced down the small hill. "I should get some water."


    Laura nodded. "Sure,"


    I rushed off towards the river. Once I arrived at the sandy shore, I knelt down and with a low voice, spoke. "I''m listening." This wasn''t as convenient as telepathy, but it allowed me to keep my mind safe, so to speak.


    "There is something we must discuss. Return to Baile Chailce immediately." Her cold voice made it very clear this was an order. One I shouldn''t even think to disobey. While I wanted nothing less than telling her ''No'', her threats were still fresh in my mind, as was her power.


    "I will return as fast as I can." I replied, forcing myself to keep my voice calm. "But it will take a few days ¨C I can''t speed that up." I waited anxiously for her answer. Moments passed, then she finally replied. "Very well. Make sure you immediately seek me when you arrive."


    "Of course." I said through my gritted teeth. I despised the very idea of meeting her, but for now, I couldn''t afford to defy her. Not yet.


    The tingle of magic I felt from the crescent moon shaped earring slowly faded. Only once it was completely gone did I breathe a sigh of relief. I quickly washed my face, then got up and returned to the others.


    "Hey!" Mona shouted as soon as I entered their view. "You said you wanted to see the ritual, but then you up and left!"


    "Leave him be, Mona." Laura said, lightly tapping her shoulder. "He''s clearly a bit sensitive to magic ¨C he probably couldn''t handle the ritual." She glanced at me as she spoke. "You did turn pale halfway through."


    I nodded. "I felt a little dizzy, yeah." I glanced at Mona. "Sorry, Mona. I''ll watch the whole thing next time."


    Her frown left its place to a bright smile. "That''s a promise!"


    "Kai," Lucius'' voice sounded. "Mona, Laura. Come, time for breakfast."


    I only then noticed how damn hungry I was. For these last couple of days ¨C well, ever since we left Baile Chailce, really ¨C we had eaten nothing but fruit, dried meat and a couple of sandwiches. I yearned for some nice, tasty food.


    We sat around the spot where the campfire was, and Theresa served us food.


    My eyes widened as I stared at the large plate she gave me. There were eggs, meat, fruit, even some warm tea to go with all this.


    "This is amazing." I said, glancing at Theresa. "Thank you,"


    "Seriously, are you absolutely sure you aren''t a cook in the real world?" Asher asked as he took a bite out of his breakfast. "Because this is top quality breakfast."


    "No, I''m a librarian." She smiled. "I just cook a lot for my nieces."


    "Oh, that''s so sweet." Lucius said with a smile.


    We conversed for a while before setting off. As we made our way back to the city, even Asher seemed to be enjoying the time spent with Mona''s group. Despite my worries of Vixia finding out where we were, the journey passed nearly eventless. The few times we saw wild creatures, they chose to run away instead of attempting to attack us.


    The next day at dusk, the tall walls surrounding Baile Chailce entered our view.


    "We made it!" Mona said with a grin. "So, are you going to check up on your other friends?" I could see the curiosity in her eyes.


    "I have an errand to run, afterwards, yes." I glanced at Asher and Lucius ¨C I had gotten the chance to tell them about Matriarch Aelith''s order. They were just as anxious as me, if not more. "Thanks for everything you''ve done for us Mona, Laura, Theresa." I said, looking at each of them. "We''re in your debt."


    Mona giggled. "Oh, it''s nothing. But if you really want to repay us, we''ll be staying at The Huntsman."


    "Please don''t feel pressured," Laura said as she grabbed Mona''s braid again. "And don''t take her too seriously." She left, dragging Mona along with her. Theresa chuckled, bid us farewell and rushed after them.


    I took a deep breath as I turned my gaze toward the massive palace. "I guess I should also go."


    "Kai, I can''t teleport you again." Asher warned me. "I told you before, I need a certain number of materials to make that happen ¨C I don''t have any of them left." He hesitated. "So, try to not get yourself in too much trouble ok?"


    I forced a laugh. "When did you see me get into trouble?" I waved at them before they could respond and left for the palace.


    Since the in we were staying at was on my way, I decided to stop by. As I pushed the door and stepped inside, an unfamiliar sight greeted me. There were a few occupied tables inside, and one of them was our usual table ¨C the one in the very back of the room. Yet, it was an old Ereth that sat there, alone.


    "You''re back." I heard the bartender''s voice. She was carrying an empty plate as she approached me. "Glad to see you''re alive, Kai."


    "Likewise," I said with a faint smile. "If you don''t mind me asking, where are Erik and the others?" I was somewhat worried about them. They always drank at this time of the day.


    She shrugged. "I don''t have a clue." She tilted her head towards the door. "Some guy came with an offer. The paladin talked with the guy for a bit, then I guess accepted his offer. They checked out yesterday morning. Saying they''d ''go on an adventure'' and all that." She sighed and shook her head. "I''m pretty sure the one guy who went solo wasn''t happy about it."


    I assumed she was talking about Vincent. "I see," I said, shaking my head. "Thanks for letting me know."


    "Sure." She said, then rushed off to a customer calling her. I stood there a moment, then pushed my worries aside and left the inn. I couldn''t keep Aelith waiting for long. Incurring her wrath was not a good idea. Not yet.


    I rushed to the palace, ignoring the thoughts scratching the back of my mind. They demanded attention, but I refused. I needed my mind clear for this, besides, there was nothing I could do even if Erik and the others were in danger. I had no idea where they were or what they were doing.


    The guards at the palace entrance let me in and soon, a clearly higher ranked Ereth came to lead me through the maze-like hallways. Soon, I was lit into the now empty throne room.


    "Stand in the glyph." He said before shutting the massive doors behind me. I glanced at the glyph on the ground. It was identical to the one Matriarch Aelith had used to teleport me the last time I was here.


    I stepped inside the glyph and soon enough, a bright light engulfed me. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was in that library. The same place she had brought me before.


    She stood by the tall windows, watching the city stretching beneath her. "Welcome back, Kai Friseal."


    I avoided looking at her as she turned to face me. I was well aware of her bewitching spells. I wasn''t going to fall for them ¨C and her. I waited, silently.


    "I see you''ve fought demons." She said, slowly approaching me. I nodded ¨C there was no point in hiding that. "And killed some, perhaps?"


    "Two of them." I replied. I glanced at her, specifically avoiding looking at her eyes. "Did you want something from me?"


    She chuckled. "You could say that. There is something I want you to check." She raised her hand as an illusionary map appeared. "An old castle, to be precise."


    On the map, I could see Baile Chailce and to the north west of the city, the castle she was talking about. "It''s been infested with demonic magic. I want you to cleanse it."


    The castle wasn''t as close to the city as I''d have liked, but there wasn''t much to be done. I could probably get there in two days or so by flight. "How do cleanse it?" I asked.


    She chuckled. "There is a core, somewhere in that castle. That is what''s causing the spread. Just break it or remove it. I don''t care what happens to the core."


    I nodded. "I can do that."


    She chuckled again. A moment passed in silence. Was she going to send me back or what? I glanced at her, intending to ask, but then I noticed her face. Was that an alarmed expression?


    Before long, I discovered the source of her worries. A sigil appeared on the floor. Soon, another Ereth appeared. "Aelith!" She shouted. "A group is trapped on the Howling Hills! They''re losing!" Her eyes widened as she noticed me. "It''s his group!"

 Chapter 130: The Flames of Hope

    "What?" I asked, freezing in place.


    "The paladin and his team are losing a battle?" Aelith asked. "Against whom?"


    "Demonic beasts! Aelith, my power doesn''t extend that far ¨C we must send help. All our chosen are there!"


    I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. "Send me there!" I said, foregoing all caution and looking Aelith straight in the eye. "Send me there ¨C I know I can make a difference! I can help them!"


    She hesitated. I could see how conflicted she was. I clenched my fists.


    "Fine. Do your best," She said as a teleportation sigil appeared beneath my feet. "But remember ¨C do not die."


    I nodded. I didn''t intent to die and I didn''t intend to let anyone else be killed.


    I disappeared in a flash of light. I felt the soft earth beneath my feet. When I opened my eyes, I saw distant hills ¨C mountains, really.


    "The Howling Hills are the mountains you see before you. Your friends are fighting a horde of beasts somewhere on there." I heard Aelith''s voice whisper to me through the earring.


    "I''m on my way." I replied as wings sprouted from my back. I leapt into the air and used Fallen Grace to go even faster.


    "Asher!" I shouted through my mind. I could feel his shock as he carefully replied. "What''s wrong?"


    "Erik and the others are trapped somewhere in the Howling Hills. They''re fighting monsters and can''t retreat ¨C I''m on my way right now. Try and get here as soon as you can!"


    "We''ll be there." He said. I could feel the urgency in his mental voice.


    I rushed to the mountains, worry filling my heart. Why had they gone there? Who had Erik talked to? How had they gotten themselves trapped? As these questions and more raced in my mind, I felt magic ¨C familiar magic too. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the all too familiar lightning strike somewhere near the peak.


    Eventually, the people and the battlefield entered my view. It was complete and utter chaos.


    The group was split into three smaller groups. On one side, near the steep cliffs, Erik and Alex were fighting off a large group of creatures. Some ways away from them was Samantha, Alina and Joshua. They were facing off against a massive creature. It looked like a mammoth, almost.


    I noticed that Samantha wasn''t firing any of her arrows at the mammoth. She was focusing on the creatures attacking Vincent and Rina. The duo was on the lower side of a chasm, not too far from Samantha.


    My eyes wide, I approached the nearest group ¨C that of Erik and Alex.


    I sent a volley of dark bolts towards the smaller creatures swarming them and folded my wings. My scythe materialised in my right hand as I swooped down low.


    "Kai?" I head Alex''s relieved shout but ignored her as I swung my scythe at the horde of monsters. As it cut through the wolf-like creatures'' fur with little to no resistance, I let my wings carry me to the next group ¨C Samantha, Alina and Joshua. As soon as I was close enough, I folded my wings and flew right above the mammoth''s head, swinging my scythe and wounding it badly.


    "Joshua!" I shouted as I landed on the mammoth''s back. "Regroup!" He stared at me wide eyed as I struck the monster again and again, until its lifeless body collapsed on the rocky ground. "Go!" I shouted, once again leaping into the air. I swooped by Erik and Alex again, killing several more wolf like creatures in the process. Now that they had some more breathing room, I could focus on the remaining two.


    Rina and Vincent had their backs against the deep chasm. I could see the loose pieces of earth roll down the cliff as they were forced to step back. Vincent was holding off a horde of wolves. Rina''s lightning strikes thinned them out whenever they struck, but they were replaced by new ones almost immediately. Rina shield around Vincent was barely enough to protect him against the hungry claws and teeth staring at him.


    I gritted my teeth and folded my wings. "Rina!" I shouted. "Vincent!" I placed my scythe in my inventory and as they turned towards me with shock, I grabbed them by the arm.


    My muscles burnt with pain as I gritted my teeth and lifted them both up.


    "Kai?" Rina screamed. A mix of fear, confusion and relief filled her voice as I beat my wings and carried them to where the others were.


    It didn''t take me long to spot the others, they had all regrouped where I killed the mammoth like creature. Once again, they were staring at a massive horde of monsters. But at least now, they were together. They stood more of a chance.


    My wings gave out under Vincent and Rina''s weight moments before I landed. We fell from a couple of meters onto the stone surface.


    "Oh my god, Rina!" Alex shouted, tears in her eyes. She ran up to the green haired wizard and hugged her. "I thought I''d lost you too!"


    Out of breath, I smiled as the Kestler brothers also had their reunion. I couldn''t even find the words to tell how relieved I was to see them all alive. Though, my smile shattered as I turned my stare at the seemingly endless horde of monsters.


    "Kai!" Samantha shouted. She ran up to me, Alina right beside her. "Are you ok? Are you wounded at all?" The blonde priestess asked.


    "I''m fine, don''t worry about me." I said with a smile. I forced myself to get up.


    "Alina! Josh is wounded!" Vincent shouted. Alina flinched and shot me quick glance before running towards the Kestler brothers.


    "They''re coming!" Erik shouted.


    Samantha said something ¨C I couldn''t hear her. There was too much noise. I felt my head hurt a little. "I''ll be right back." I said, brushing past her.


    Erik stood there, sword and shield in hand. I could see him shaking as he looked down. A narrow path over the chasm was our only way out of here, yet the other side of the chasm was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of monsters.


    "Kai, how did you-" Erik began to speak, but I brushed past him too. I couldn''t take my eyes off these creatures. I could feel them ¨C ever ounce of my being was aware of them. Of the magic within them.


    It was not demonic magic. It was bright, like the sun, yet it was muddy. Almost like I was looking at it through a layer of oil. It was utterly disgusting.


    I extended my hand. There was no place for such twisted magic in this world. Flames formed in my palm. I wasn''t casting a spell ¨C I was directly controlling the flames of my phoenix. No¡­ My flames.


    Fire erupted from my hand, leaping towards these unclean creatures. It spread like a wildfire in a dry forest, jumping from one to the other. The smell of burnt fur and charred flesh tickled my nose. I heard Erik gag and step back besides me. Yes, the smell was rather disgusting. I called forth the winds, blowing the terrible smell away from this peak.


    "Kai?" Rina shouted. I could hear the others gather behind me. They were clearly alarmed, maybe even scared.


    I fed my worries, my annoyance and my relief to the flames. The creatures died, one by one, leaving nothing put ashes in the gentle wind. Yet the more creatures I reduced to ashes, more came to take their place.


    Eventually, I had to stop. They were seemingly endless, how could there be so many creatures?


    Somewhat tired, I let my flames remain on the narrow path, effectively giving us some time for respite.


    "What on earth was that?" Vincent whispered as my flames continued to burn behind us. "Kai, where the hell were you?"


    I shrugged. "I needed to check on something. You were drunk that night, so I just left." I knew that my resentment showed, but honestly, I couldn''t care less. I had warned them time and again, and yet they decided to ignore my warnings.


    "Why are you guys here?" I asked watching the flames. I felt cold, despite the warmth of the fires. Hundreds of souls had melted into my chest in the last few minutes.


    "Erik asked us to come, apparently there is some treasure here. Something that belonged to the Demon Lord." Samantha explained. "But when we came here, we found nothing. Then we heard a howl and these creatures attacked us." She shot the endless sea of creatures a glance and shivered. "I though we were all going to die."


    Alina came and hugged her. "It''s fine. We''ll be fine." She glanced at the mountain peaks surrounding us, almost as if she were searching for something. "This nightmare will end soon."


    While I appreciated her optimism, I couldn''t help but feel like she was severely mistaken. I couldn''t kill all these creatures. Well, no. That was a lie. I could kill them, but as long as more of them showed up, killing them didn''t seem all too useful.


    I hesitated. No, that was also a lie. I had gained hundreds of souls in mere minutes. I took a deep breath and once again stepped closer to the chasm. "Rina," I said softly. "I will start killing them again. Can you take the others a bit farther away? They should rest."


    The green haired woman glanced at the horde of wolf like creatures, then nodded. "Fine, but remember, you need to rest too."


    "I know." Sure, I needed rest, but I wasn''t going to let this opportunity pass me by. I had seen ¨C felt ¨C how powerful a demon could be. I shuddered at the thought of coming face to face with that demon again.


    But I was growing stronger. What Asher had told me when we first met was right. With enough determination, there was nothing I couldn''t do. Now I knew how much stronger I needed to get. My goal was ¨C somewhat ¨C clear.


    I extended my hand and allowed my flames to once again burn the horde of creatures. Painful wails filled the night.

 Chapter 131: Surrounded!

    At dawn, everyone was in a deep, yet clearly uneasy sleep. I sat not too far away from my flames blocking the path and opened my status panel. How many creatures I had killed through the night, I didn''t know. It was in the hundreds, if not thousands.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 93 Soul Keeper | Exp: 32467/110000 - - Souls 100/100 + 1970- - Mana: 2070


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    I glanced at my stat points. 20 available points were all I had. I furrowed my brows. The system had started giving them in a somewhat uneven way. I pondered a moment, then shrugged. There was no point in pondering about this.


    I allocated my points, then sighed. My stats looked a bit more¡­sensible now:


    ''STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    Well. Maybe ''sensible'' wasn''t the right word here.


    A loud howl interrupted my thoughts. I sprung up to my feet and looked at the horde of monsters. Something was coming this way.


    "Guys!" I shouted. I couldn''t protect all of them while they were asleep.


    "What is it?" Alex was the first to wake up. She lifted her head, heard the distant howls and immediately woke Rina and Vincent up. Moments later, everyone was wide awake. "Something is coming." I said as my wings appeared on my back.


    "What do we do?" Vincent asked. I could hear the fear in his voice.


    "We defend until reinforcements come." I replied. I could feel Asher getting closer. Considering his speed, he must have used his flight spell. One hour was my assumption. We just needed to hold on for one more hour.


    "Erik! Defend the bridge over the chasm." I pointed at the stone path that was engulfed in flames. "Alina, keep an eye on Erik ¨C heal him if anything happens!"


    She nodded with a pale face. She glanced at the distant mountaintops again. She probably wished we could just fly away from here.


    "Vincent, support Erik. Keep an eye on the cliffs, it''s your and Joshua''s job to kill anything that climbs up." I glanced at Rina and Alex. "Alex, help Erik. Rina, you''re with Samantha." I glanced at the sky. The sun was dawning ¨C we''d soon have better visibility.


    "Kai, what will you do?" Alina asked. I grinned. "I''ll find what''s coming our way." With those words, I leapt into the air. I let my wings carry me towards the source of the howl. Soon, it was within my sight.


    Large creatures that reminded me of trolls and orcs were there. Hundreds of them, if not more. "What the hell?" I mumbled to myself. So far, all the creatures we''d seen in this world were somewhat unique. I couldn''t help but feel like these trolls and orcs didn''t belong in this world. Why the hell were they here?


    I sent a volley of dark bolts their way, just to see what would happen. When the bolts hit them, the creatures didn''t even flinch. That didn''t mean they didn''t take any damage ¨C some of them had lost their limbs and one of them even died. They just didn''t seem to notice their wounds.


    Worried, I headed back to the others. Alex and Erik were standing by the wall of fire I had created. I landed behind them and quickly described what I saw.


    "I don''t think they feel any pain." I said, shooting a worried glance that way. They were probably almost at the peak. "So, don''t take any chances with them, ok?" As I said that, I glared at Alex and Erik. They both nodded, though Erik gulped in what I assumed was fear.


    I flew up again, casting dark bolt after dark bolt, hoping to wear them down before they reached us. But the more trolls and orcs I killed, the more of them seemed to appear. Eventually, after about half an hour later, they had reached my wall of flame.


    They passed through the fire, not caring as their skin got charred. As they passed through the wall of flames, Alex and Erik were there to meet them.


    Alex was the first to strike as soon as the first creature entered their view. She swung her tail, hitting the creature''s side and sending it to the depths of the chasm below.


    "Smart." Alina said. Her voice was emotionless. Her focus was on Alex and Erik.


    Samantha climbed on a rock, way in the back. She hooked an arrow and aimed for the next creature''s heart. As soon as she released the arrow, Rina enhanced it with lightning.


    Minutes passed as more and more creatures fell to the chasm or were outright killed by Samantha and Rina. I waited, floating in the air, ready to strike in case anything happened.


    I couldn''t help but feel uneasy ¨C my flames prevented the wolves from crossing the chasm and reaching us, so they slowly began to leave. Why would they even do that? Were they intelligent enough? Why had they waited the entire night to leave? Something felt off.


    It took me a moment, but as I watched another troll die, I figured it out. I couldn''t see its soul. I narrowed my eyes and watched carefully as Samantha''s arrow pierced the next troll''s forehead. It fell on the ground and got pushed into the deep chasm by the next creature.


    They had no souls!


    I had some clues as to what that meant, but I didn''t have the time to think about it right now. It did explain why they felt no pain though. I gritted my teeth ¨C where were these creatures coming from?


    "Kai!" I heard Asher''s voice in my mind. "I''m still a bit far, but Lucius is saying he can see a dark brown wave of monsters scaling the cliffs around you!"


    My eyes widened. I beat my wings and flew to the edge of the rocky area we were standing on. Sure enough, monsters were climbing the steep cliffs. What on earth were these? They looked part spider, part wolf.


    "Vincent! Joshua!" I shouted. "Cover the sides! They''re climbing!"


    The two Kestler brothers rushed to the opposite sides of the area while I took the very back of it. I raised my hands and let my flames cascade down, burning the stone and the rare plants.


    I glanced at my mana.


    1800/2070


    Not too bad. My flames used up very little mana. My battle with Vixia was an exception as I had poured every ounce of my being into those crimson flames.


    With a deep breath, I let the flames spread to the cliffs surrounding us.


    "If anything gets through, kill them." I said, looking at Vincent and Joshua. They nodded, their faces pale. Joshua couldn''t help but constantly glance at the far away peaks. He probably wished he weren''t here. Vincent''s sight was fixed on the wall of flames. His eyes filled with determination, he waited patiently.


    I landed by Samantha and Rina. "You guys need to take a more central position." They were standing too close to one of the cliffs surrounding us. "There won''t be much we can do if they get to you."


    Rina''s face went pale as Samantha nodded. She climbed down the rock and followed me to a slightly safer spot.


    "Kai." She said, grabbing my arm just as I motioned to fly off again. "Can''t you fly us out of here?"


    I shook my head. "I''m sorry," I said, looking away, at the wall of flames surrounding us. My wings simply weren''t strong enough. My hope was that Asher would be able to fly everyone out of here. His spell was stronger than my flight in that aspect.


    She let go of my arm in disappointment as I once again leapt into the air. I flew around the peak. As I watched the creatures scaling the cliffs, I couldn''t help but feel like we were fighting a losing battle. There were so many of them!


    I cast Dark Bolt and fired it to the largest group I could see. They didn''t even make a sound as their spider-like legs snapped. They fell to their doom, crashing into others as they fell and taking them along to the bottom of the cliff.


    Yet, more took their place. They came crawling from the forests surrounding this mountain. I clenched my fists. How was I supposed to stop all of them?


    "They''re here!" Vincent''s shout snapped me back to the present. I turned back to see him just barely roll out of the way of a spider-wolf abomination. It crawled on the ground, trying to get to him. A magically enhanced arrow pierced its head, putting it to rest. Samantha had gotten to work.


    I floated above the battlefield, taking it in. Erik and Alex were still fighting off the trolls and orcs. Alina was standing an arm''s length behind them. Her gaze leapt between them, Vincent, Joshua and Samantha.


    As I watched, Rina created a shield around herself and Samantha. Lightning leapt from her fingertips to the monsters slowly passing through the flames. Despite their charred bodies, they didn''t hesitate to attack.


    "We can''t keep this up forever!" Erik shouted glaring at me. "I know that!" I shouted back. But¡­ what was I supposed to do? I clenched my fists and used Fallen Grace.


    I landed by Joshua, who was having the most trouble. His daggers weren''t giving him the range he needed to take these creatures on. As more and more of them gathered around him, I came from the sky, striking them to the ground. My scythe cut through their skin and flesh with no resistance.


    I glanced at the others. They couldn''t hold the creatures off. Erik and Alex were slowly being pushed back. Vincent was facing off against a handful of creatures and Samantha''s arrows couldn''t take these creatures out fast enough.


    "Get the others and gather near the centre!" I shouted. Joshua hesitated a moment, then did as I asked.


    As everyone pulled back, I stood before them and released my flames. Only a few more minutes was all I needed.


    Black miasma spread from my scythe as my eyes let out a purple glow. A hint of purple appeared in my flames just before I let it explode like a supernova.


    Nothing gets past me!

 Chapter 132: Eagles Flight

    I heard them scream as they cowered behind Rina''s shield. My crimson flames spread across the stone surface, burning everything in its path. The bodies of the dead creatures turned to ash while the still alive monsters fell soon after my flames swallowed them.


    "Kai!" I heard Rina''s shout, but I didn''t stop. I could feel the unclean magic in these creatures. It was oily and muddy. Disgusting. My flames spread as I fed them with my anger. How dare these creatures hurt my friends? How dare they trap them here?


    Then, like someone flipped a switch, I came to my senses. My wrath disappeared and my flames slowly dimmed and eventually dissipated.


    The black miasma was gone, as was the hint of purple. The glow in my eyes faded as I took a deep breath.


    "That should have cleared at least some of them." I said, tightly grasping the shaft of my scythe with both hands. I couldn''t let the others see them tremble. "Return to what you were doing ¨C I thinned them out enough."


    They hesitated a moment, then returned to their previous positions.


    They all seemed like they wanted to say something, but none did so. Instead, all I received was a reassuring look from Vincent. He and Joshua waited at the back while Alex and Erik were once again holding the tolls and orcs back, though with the monsters'' temporarily thinned numbers, they weren''t having much trouble at all.


    I took deep breaths as I felt Asher approach. Moments later, he and few others landed next to us.


    I raised my eyebrows as Mona, Laura and Theresa came along with Asher and Lucius.


    "Kai!" Mona shouted and ran up to me as soon as her feet touched the ground. She didn''t hesitate to wrap her arms around me. "I was so scared!" She whispered. "When we saw flames engulf the peak, I thought you''d all died!"


    I froze for a moment. Then, I forced a smile and gently touched her shoulder. "I''m fine. We''re all alive." I glanced at her friends. Both Laura and Theresa smiled. That was when I noticed the barrier surrounding all of us. The entire peak was covered by this yellow shine that clearly kept the monsters at bay.


    "What''s going on?" It was Erik''s voice that sounded. As the group gathered by us, Mona quickly let go of me. "Is anyone wounded?" She asked, glancing at everyone else.


    "No." Vincent said after a moment''s hesitation. "Who are you people?" He asked.


    "Wait, I know you!" Joshua shouted at the same time as Rina''s eyes widened. "You''re Asher! The guy who was spying on us!"


    Mona, Laura and Theresa''s expressions showed how confused they were as Rina began casting a spell.


    "Rina, stop." I said as Asher''s magic also stirred. "He is who brought everyone here."


    "What?" Erik said, his glance shifting between Asher and me. "How do you even know each other?" He asked. I could hear the distrust he had against Asher. I didn''t blame him, but right now wasn''t the time for such meaningless discussions.


    "We met again in Baile Chailce." I calmly said. Asher blinked once, then his eyes glimmered with understanding. "And decided to put our differences aside." He nodded, going along with my lie.


    "And he''s the guy you defeated at the tournament finale!" Joshua shouted, pointing at Lucius. The young swordsman had remained silent until now, but as he stared at the finger pointed at him, he sighed. "Kai and I know each other already. Can we get to the part where we discuss how we survive?"


    Erik seemed ready to argue more, but Mona was quick to stop him. "Asher, your barrier ¨C how long can it hold them back?"


    The blonde wizard sighed. "I''m not sure. A few more minutes maybe." He glanced at me. "What are these creatures? They seem¡­ odd."


    I quickly explained how they had no souls and didn''t seem to feel any pain. As I talked, I saw Mona and Laura exchange looks. I clenched my fist as my heartbeat quickened. They didn''t know what I was ¨C they had no idea that souls of the dead were what made me stronger. "So," Mona asked after a short moment. "What do you suggest we do?"


    I glanced at Asher. "Can you fly us out of here?"


    The blonde sorcerer''s shoulders dropped. "Sorry, Kai. The best I can do is five people." He glanced at everyone else. "And it takes over half of my mana to cast the spell. Even if I were to do several trips, I''d have to wait quite some time in between for my mana to refill."


    "Got it." I said, then glanced at the barrier. "I guess our best chance is to defend." And wait for Aelith''s forces to arrive, I thought, but remained silent. I didn''t even know why the Divine Matriarch was taking so long. She was able to send me here in a heartbeat ¨C why wasn''t she doing the same for her own troops?


    "Kai." Mona tugged at my arm. "Can I have a moment?"


    Somewhat worried, I nodded. "Asher, let us know when the barrier is about to break. Guys," I said as I glanced at everyone. "Take this time to rest a little." As they nodded, I followed Mona to the edge of the peak. We stood by the cliff, next to the glowing blue barrier.


    "Is something wrong?" I asked. She hesitated. "These creatures are unnatural." She explained after a short while. "Do you remember the little girl Laura and I told you about? The one who was in a similar state to your friend, Asher?"


    I nodded. "You saved her, right?" I asked. What did she have to do with anything?


    "Yes. I also learned something. You know how there are some special classes?" She asked. As she spoke, she glanced at Erik. I nodded. I was one of those, after all.


    "Well, she wasn''t just a sorcerer." Mona reached down and took a handful of ashes from the ground. "She was a summoner."


    "What?" I froze. I didn''t even know ''summoner'' was a class. "Wait, you don''t think she''s doing this, do you??? I asked, glancing around. How and even more importantly, why would a young girl decide to trap Erik and the others here?


    "I don''t know." Mona said with a sigh. "But I do know that the golems she summoned didn''t have a mind of their own. They never seemed aware of anything but what she wanted them to be aware of." I could see that this wasn''t an easy thing to talk about for her. I reached out and lightly squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks for letting me know, Mona. Really."


    She smiled. Despite our rather grim situation, her smile was as bright as the midday sun. I couldn''t help as my lips also formed a smile, though only for a moment.


    "The barrier is breaking!" Asher shouted. My eyes widened. We ran back to the group, as visible cracks appeared on the barrier. "This isn''t the monster''s doing!" The blond wizard shouted.


    As those words left his mouth, the barrier shattered into pieces. I hadn''t even gotten the chance to ask what he meant. My eyes widened as a disgustingly twisted creature showed itself.


    "That''s a griffin!" Samantha shouted.


    "No, that''s a manticore." Mona calmly said. "Laura, Theresa, with me. The rest of you, make sure to kill off the little guys."


    "They''re coming!" Vincent shouted as hundreds of monsters scaled the cliff and stepped on the peak.


    To my surprise, it was him and Alex who dashed towards the horde of monsters. As they did so, Rina''s protective magic enveloped them. The green haired wizard glanced at Asher, then at me. Her distrust of him was clear as day. Though thankfully, she didn''t act on it.


    Alex was the first to reach the horde of monsters. Trusting her friend''s protective spell, she didn''t hesitate as she leapt towards them, sword in hand. As she cut through the spider-wolf hybrids effortlessly, Vincent had found himself standing against a rather tall, slow but clearly immensely powerful orc. The orc had no weapon, so it used its long, somewhat deformed arms as weapons. With a long wind up, it motioned to punch Vincent. The agile young man stepped aside, letting the creature punch the ground. As it tried to regain its balance, the young man leapt up and cut its head off.


    I couldn''t help but be impressed. Vincent had grown a lot more confidant in his swordsmanship just in these last few days. I wondered, had something else happened, or was this just part of his natural growth process?


    Joshua was the next to dash forward. His dagger let out a golden glow as Alina cast a spell on it. He dashed towards a troll, leaping into the air and slicing its throat before it even got a chance to strike back. The young man was fast ¨C almost as fast as me. If we were the same level, I wasn''t sure if I could still be faster.


    Samantha hooked an arrow and released it. As she repeated her motion, either a troll or an orc died with each arrow.


    "And now, die." Asher whispered. His cold tone sent a shiver down my spine as lightning crackled around him. He raised his hand as his eyes shone bright blue. Lightning began to rain down all around us as a wicked smile appeared on his lips. He was enjoying this.


    "Ok, my turn." Mona said cheerfully. "Laura, I''m counting on you." With those words, the crimson haired woman dashed forward, towards the manticore whose body had just now fully entered our view.


    "Mona?" I whispered as my heartbeat quickened. She didn''t intend to fight that massive creature on her own, did she?


    Before I could even finish my thought, she leapt towards its massive lion-like face. The monster reared on its hind legs and used its scorpion tail to hit Mona. As the massive black tail hit the ground where Mona stood, my heart skipped a beat.


    "Mona!" I shouted as the ash cloud settled. She was nowhere to be seen. Was she¡­?


    An eagle caught my attention. As I watched, it flew out of the ashen cloud and just as it was above the monster''s head, its body suddenly let out a green shine.


    My eyes widened as what was once an eagle, turned into Mona. She dropped on the manticore''s head, spear in hand.

 Chapter 133: Piercing Bolt

    Mona''s spear pierced the massive creature''s forehead.


    "Not good enough." Laura said with a sigh. Her eyes shone golden as a similar light engulfed Mona. The crimson haired druid pulled her spear out and just as the creature tried to strike her with its tail, she backflipped, gracefully landing on the creature''s back.


    "You don''t belong here." I could hear her shout despite the echoing thunder and lightning strikes. Massive roots sprouted from the ground near the manticore. It tried to leap into the air with its massive wings, but Mona had no intention of letting it leave. The roots and tendrils wrapped around the creature''s body, forcefully closing its wings and immobilising it.


    Mona didn''t hesitate, she jumped to the tendrils and let them carry her to the monster''s throat.


    "Kai." Laura''s calm voice caught my attention. "Another one is approaching from the opposite direction. Can you take care of it?"


    I nodded wordlessly and let my wings carry me into the skies. Soon, I heard the beat of much larger wings. Soon enough, another manticore entered my vision.


    Now that I could take a good look at it, I could safely say that this creature didn''t belong in this world ¨C just like the orcs and trolls. All of them were from our world ¨C our mythologies.


    I knew about the manticore. It belonged in the Persian mythos if I wasn''t mistaken. Though, later the Greek had also welcomed in into their own mythology as a man eater monster. Now that I could clearly see it ¨C it definitely was a man eater monster. Though, something felt off about it.


    Wasn''t it supposed to be something like¡­ the head of a man, body of a lion and tail of a scorpion? This thing looked more like someone had taken a lion, gave it a scorpion''s tail and a pair of bat''s wings.


    I couldn''t quite put my finger on it, but I was sure I had seen this rendition of the mythological creature somewhere else before. A movie perhaps?


    Yet right now I had no time to think about this. The creature''s bloodshot eyes focused on me as soon as it spotted me. It landed on the edge of the cliff and reared on its hind legs. Moments later, I found myself looking at a rather large fireball coming my way. I easily moved out of its way, then let my own flames retaliate.


    Below, Erik had joined the fray. He was standing by Vincent as they tried to keep the trolls and orcs at bay. Theresa was shooting arrow after arrow at the smaller creatures that so desperately tried to reach Mona. Laura had begun casting a spell as Rina let Asher do the killing. She had focused on making sure Samantha and Theresa''s arrows were imbued with her magic.


    Lucius was holding off a host of creatures on his own at the very back ¨C I didn''t watch him for long, I knew he was skilled enough to not be in any danger at all.


    Mona had finally killed the massive manticore and she once again turned into an eagle. I think she was coming towards me, but I didn''t intend to let the manticore live for much longer. I folded my wings and flew towards its head. It swung its tail towards me, but I cut it off nearly effortlessly with my scythe.


    As the tail fell to the ground below, I reached its head and with a single swing of the pale crystalline blade of my scythe, killed it.


    Below, the battle continued just as fiercely.


    "There is no end to them." Mona said as she landed besides me. I nodded. "If they are being summoned, we probably have to wait for the summoner''s mana to deplete." But how had it not depleted for all this time? I had arrived last evening, now it was almost noon. How could anyone have so much mana?


    "I don''t think that''s it." Mona said as she thrust her spear into a wolf-spider hybrid that came too close. "I mean, you''re right, but it doesn''t seem like that''s a viable option. Your wizard''s mana must have gotten really low by now and Asher already used half his mana just to bring us here." She glanced at me. "I don''t know what exactly you are, but I don''t think you can keep everyone safe for long enough either."


    While her words did hurt somewhat, she was absolutely right. I could, theoretically, kill every single one of these monsters in a heartbeat. But I couldn''t keep doing that forever.


    "How far away does the summoner have to be?" I asked. Mona tilted her head. "I''m not sure¡­" She mumbled, then glanced at Laura. "She talked to the young girl a lot more than I did." She grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the others.


    "Laura!" She shouted. "How far away did Elise need to be to control her summons?"


    The blonde woman hesitated for a moment, then furrowed her brows. "I remember her telling me that she needed to be able to see them, for the most part. Or at least see their goal."


    Mona''s eyes glimmered with hope. "If sight is enough, we should check the neighbouring peaks." She glanced at the other mountains. "Kai, you should stay here in case other powerful creatures show up. I''ll go scout the other peaks."


    "Be careful." Laura said. I wanted to stop Mona ¨C it was too dangerous ¨C but she flew off anyways.


    "She can take care of herself." Laura said with a faint smile. "Besides, she''s just an eagle ¨C not a threat to anyone and certainly not something to pay attention to. You on the other hand look like the grim reaper. There is no way you can sneak up on anyone."


    She was right. "I know," I said, looking after the eagle who''d already disappeared from our sight. "But I''m still worried."


    Laura nodded. "Then make sure she has people to come back to." She glanced at the battlefield, prompting me to do the same.


    Vincent and Erik were still facing off the orcs and trolls, though now they had some blood on them. Alina was somewhat out of breath. Her complexion was a bit pale. Worried, I approached her.


    "Alina, what''s wrong?"


    She grabbed on to me for support. "Erik is constantly getting hit. I''m almost out of mana." She glanced at me. "Vincent only got a scratch on his sword arm, I healed it and he''s fine now. Alex didn''t get hit once; she''s doing great, same thing for that swordsman friend of yours."


    "I''ll take over for a bit." I said, glancing at Erik. "Try to rest and gather your mana." The blond priestess nodded. As soon as I helped her lean on a nearby rock, I dashed towards Erik.


    "Go rest, I''m taking over." I said as he barely blocked a troll''s fist with his tower shield.


    "What? I''m fine, I can still fight!" He shouted. I didn''t hesitate to grab his shoulder and pull him back. "Alina needs to rest, and I need someone to protect her. Go!" As I spoke, a purple light shone from my eyes.


    As Erik stepped back in what could only be fear, I turned my back on him and cut off the troll''s arm with a simple swing on my scythe. "Vincent!" I called out to him. "Help out your brother, I''ve got this side covered." The young man nodded and leapt back without even a moment of hesitation. I could see just how relieved he was to be checking up on his brother.


    "Now then," I mumbled as I turned my gaze on the trolls. "Time to get rid of you." I took a deep breath and began my dance of death among these summoned golems. I made sure not to use any of my spells or flames ¨C I needed to preserve as much of my mana as I could, and this was a good opportunity to push my newly powered up body to its limits.


    I could already feel the difference that +10 Strength made. And I was just so much more aware of my surroundings with 100 Wisdom.


    Behind me, I could tell that Asher had exhausted most of his mana since he stopped channelling his spell. Instead, he now focused on the creatures that came too close for comfort, killing them with tiny bolts of lightning.


    Moments turned to minutes, and after some time passed, I noticed an eagle flying towards us. I breathed a sigh of relief, then shouted. "Erik! Vincent! Your turn." As soon as the words left my mouth, Vincent ran up and took his place besides me. Erik seemed a lot less enthusiastic as he slowly walked up.


    "I thinned them out as much as I could. Make sure you''re staying safe." They nodded, and with that, I ran back to the mage group that did their own thing in the safer centre.


    "I found her." Mona said as soon as I approached her. She was somewhat out of breath and pale. "It''s Elise." She said, looking at Laura.


    "The girl you healed?" I asked wide eyed. Why would she be doing that? Mona nodded. I could see just how shaken up she was. "Someone else was besides her. A person in a black cloak. And that''s not all, there were more people on the mountain, a bit farther from her, but they were definitely watching this place." She pointed at the mountain they were at.


    I gulped. "Players?" I asked. She nodded. "I can''t fight players, Kai."


    I took a deep breath. "Asher, any suggestions?" I asked the blonde sorcerer. He hesitated, the shook his head. "None, other than the thing you''re clearly thinking." He glanced at the battlefield. "Don''t kill them, Kai. We need information."


    I gulped. "I''ll try."


    "Wait, no!" Mona shouted as she grabbed my arm. "You can''t fight so many people at once!" Her eyes trembled with fear, anger and a host of other emotions. I freed my arm as my expression hardened. "I have to, or we''ll all die." I stretched my wings and leapt into the air.


    I used Fallen Grace. I flew towards the mountain head on, without a second of hesitation. I had to stop them before Alina ran out of mana to heal people. I had to stop them before one of my friends -someone I cared about ¨C died because of them.


    It didn''t take me long to spot her ¨C she was really just a young girl. 13, maybe 14 years old. I clenched my fists ¨C there was no way she was aware of what she was doing. She stood at the rocky peak of the mountain, along with a cloaked person.


    My eyes widened as I got close enough to see in more detail. Elise''s eyes were half closed. Her expression was dreamy as she was barely standing. The person behind her was holding her by the shoulders. Was he¡­ controlling her?


    As soon as he noticed me, he raised his gloved hand and shot a bright yellow fireball at me. I evaded it barely, though it still brushed my right arm, burning my skin a little. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to ignore the pain.


    By the time I could see them again, they were both gone.


    I landed, confused, angry and yet somewhat relieved. That was when I noticed the other men on the mountain. There were three of them. A robed magic user, a crossbowman and a swordsman.


    My expression twisted into something ugly as I dashed towards them. I wasn''t letting them get away. The crossbowman shouted something ¨C and shot a bolt into the air. The mage enchanted it.


    I stopped in my tracks as I noticed what was going on. I reached for the bolt as it headed towards the other peak ¨C where Erik and the others were. A volley of dark bolts leapt from my fingers towards it, but the magic user was quick to create a weak, but unfortunately effective barrier around the bolt.


    My eyes wide, I helplessly watched. Then, something broke.


    A connection I wasn''t even aware of, severed.


    My interface popped up as a name faded from the list of party members.

 Chapter 134: Restless Sleep

    I dropped my scythe. My legs refused to move as I froze in place, staring at the spot where one of my friends'' name used to be.


    My vision blurred. My hands shook and I fell on my knees. "No¡­" I whispered. "No," I raised my head to look at the mage, the crossbowman and the swordsman. They had turned their attention to me by now.


    I felt as if I was watching them in slow motion as they very slowly ran towards me. They¡­ they had killed someone. They killed her! They killed her!


    They killed her!


    Before I even noticed, I was at the crossbowman''s throat. My hands wrapped around his neck as he desperately struggled to break free. I hissed through my gritted teeth.


    "Why did you kill her? Why?" I shouted; my eyes let out a purple glow as I squeezed herder. A sword came down on my arm, but it bounced off the pale scales appearing where it would have hit.


    Black miasma spread from the scythe on the ground behind me. I turned my gaze on the swordsman. His face went pale as he tried to shout something unintelligible. I grabbed his arm with my left hand, while still holding on to the other man''s throat.


    "Why did you kill her?" I shouted. Flames danced on my skin ¨C black and purple flames that only fed the miasma of the scythe.


    "Let go of them!" The mage shouted. I could see him casting a spell. I clenched my fists. I heard the crossbowman gasping for air as he tried to break free of my unrelenting grasp.


    An explosion shattered the ground around us. My ears ringing, I found myself in the air. It only took me a fraction of a second to regain my balance. I landed on my feet and glared at the source of the explosion ¨C the cloaked person from before.


    As a familiar glow appeared around the figure and the three players, my eyes widened with recognition. My expression twisted with pain and wrath as my sword materialised in my hands ¨C not the one Luhen had given me, but the one I made all those months ago.


    As soon as the makeshift crystal sword appeared in my hand, I threw it with all my might.


    I heard the cloaked figure''s scream just as the group disappeared in a flash of light. It was a woman''s scream. Had I perhaps killed her? I didn''t think so. I¡­ I¡­


    My thought process shattered. I collapsed on the rocky peak, black miasma surrounding me. The cold, dry wind pulled at my hair and clothes as I stared at my hands.


    I couldn''t stop that bolt. I couldn''t save her. I¡­ had failed.


    Eventually, I returned.


    As the slow beat of my wings carried me to the others, I prepared myself.


    They soon entered my view. There was no sign of the creatures that attacked us. Even their bodies were gone.


    Everyone had gathered at the centre. As I approached, the low murmur I could faintly hear stopped. I landed not too far away from them and let my slow steps carry me as my wings disappeared in a black mist.


    "She¡­?" I whispered, looking at their pale faces.


    As I approached them, they slowly stepped aside, revealing her lifeless body.


    A tear rolled down my cheek as I looked at Samantha''s almost peaceful expression. The bolt that I failed to stop was buried in her chest. It must have pierced her heart.


    "I''m sorry," I heard Asher''s voice in my mind. "I''m so sorry, Kai."


    Come dusk, we had all gathered in an opening in the woods just outside Baile Chailce. Black clad Ereth soldiers stood guard as we watched the funeral pyre burn.


    Rina and Alex stood by Alina, who was still crying. She hugged her friend''s tattered cloak as she watched her lifeless body be swallowed by the flames.


    Erik stood closest to the flames. His face was red from the heat, yet he refused to step away. He watched the flames until there was nothing left, his bloodshot eyes wide open.


    Joshua and Vincent waited at the back. Wordless, they were there to support Alina in case she needed it. Though they tried not to show, I was well aware of the pain they were in.


    Asher, Lucius and Victoria stood by Mona''s group. They were silent, yet I knew how much they blamed themselves. Especially Victoria seemed like she was about to break into tears.


    A few other players were also there, though none were from the group that killed Samantha.


    I stood farthest from the pyre. No matter how hard I tried to, I couldn''t stop replaying those few moments in my mind. Could I have done things differently? Could I have stopped that arrow? Could I have saved Samantha?


    Where had I gone wrong?


    By the time the fires went out, most strangers were gone. The Ereth remained ¨C Divine Matriarch Aelith seemed adamant on protecting us from something like this if it ever happened again.


    When only ashes remained, Asher and the others also slowly left. Eventually, Erik, Vincent, Joshua and Alina were all who remained. The blonde priestess sat by a tree and hugged the tattered cloak, hiding her face among the cloth.


    I looked away; I couldn''t bear to look at her right now. Honestly, I couldn''t look at any of them right now. So, I fixed my gaze at the lush green grass beneath my feet.


    I heard footsteps. With a deep breath, I lifted my head, only to be met with a punch to my chin.


    I was so surprised that I couldn''t even understand what was going on as another my nose met with another fist. I struggled to keep my balance but failed and fell on the grass.


    Erik didn''t stop there. Despite my bleeding nose and aching chin, he grabbed me by the collar of my clothes and punched me again.


    "Hey, Erik!" I heard Vincent''s shout as I just barely stopped Erik''s punch with my arms. "Stop it!" Joshua shouted.


    They grabbed Erik by the arms and pulled him off me. I continued to lie on the grass. His punches really hurt.


    "You killed her!" The young paladin shouted at the top of his lungs. "You were there when they shot that bolt! You could have stopped them! You murderer!"


    He struggled and broke free of the Kestler brothers'' hold. Just as he was about to pounce on me, two black clad Ereth guards stepped in.


    "Paladin of Divine Rohir, please." One of them said as even more of them gathered around us. Another one helped me up.


    "Thanks," I mumbled as Erik continued to shout how I had killed Samantha.


    "Erik please just stop already!" Vincent shouted, but his plea fell on deaf ears.


    "The Divine Matriarch summons you." The guard who helped me up said with a calm, yet cold voice. I clenched my fists. Seeing her was the last thing I needed right now, yet I had to see her. I had to question her about the identity of that cloaked person.


    "Right." I mumbled, then glanced at Vincent. He seemed conflicted. His glance jumped between me, Erik and Samantha.


    "Sorry, Kai." He said after a short while. "I''ll talk to you later, ok?"


    That was good enough for me. I nodded with a bitter smile, then followed the black clad Ereth guard back to the city. When we arrived at the palace, to my surprise, the guard didn''t lead me to the throne room. Instead, we passed through different set of hallways until we ended up before a large, white door.


    "This room is given to you. The Divine Matriarch will see you in the morning." He gently, yet firmly pushed me into the room. I heard the door lock turn as soon as the doors closed.


    The room was white and golden, just like everything else in the city. It hurt my eyes. I glanced outside from the massive windows ¨C the sun had set a while ago. The city stretching below my feet looked like a sea of light.


    Nervous, I paced the floor a while. My face still hurt from Erik''s punches. Eventually I collapsed on the fluffy white bed. I couldn''t get Erik''s expression out of my mind.


    For how long had he known Samantha? I could faintly remember how he first introduced me to them. He had called them friends from high school.


    I clenched my fists and buried my head under the fluffy pillow. Of course, he was angry, he''d lost a friend he''d known for so long! He had every right to be angry, sad, disappointed¡­ After all, I had failed to protect her.


    I stopped that thought process before I put any more of the blame on myself. Yet, the deafening silence made it very difficult not to think about anything.


    I touched the bruised skin on my face and used Soul''s Respite. It took the souls only mere seconds to heal me.


    With a sigh, I decided to at least try and sleep. If I were to face Aelith in a sleep deprived state, I''d never get anything useful out of that conversation.


    I let the darkness pull my consciousness away, to a restless sleep.

 Chapter 135: Facing the World Again

    The rays of sunlight touching my skin woke me up from my restless sleep at dawn. I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar white ceiling. The soft bed felt strange, as did the fluffy pillows and warm, comfortable blanket.


    Where was I?


    Blissful forgetfulness didn''t last long though, as yesterday''s memories were quick to fill my mind.


    I buried myself under the blanket as grief threatened to overcome me. Grief and guilt. Sadness and wrath.


    I didn''t even know who to hate ¨C I couldn''t put a name to the faces I''d seen and the most important person ¨C the woman under that cloak, the same person who used that little girl, Elise, as a weapon. Though I didn''t know who she was, I could guess what she was.


    I had to get out of bed and get moving. I had to somehow force Aelith to tell me who that person was. I needed answers, desperately. Yet, I continued to lie tucked between the fluffy pillows and soft blankets. I couldn''t find it in me ¨C the strength to get out of bed and face the world again.


    I missed home so much. Despite all the challenges I faced on a daily basis, my life was a good one back then. I bitterly chuckled at the irony. Back then, I''d have done anything to get out of that life ¨C I had even gone as far as escaping home via a distant scholarship. And where had that led me? Here.


    I laid on the bed for some more time, but eventually convinced myself to get up. I forced the guilt and grief to the back of my mind ¨C I''d deal with those feelings later, when I could afford to.


    I fixed my wrinkled clothes and washed my face in the bathroom. I couldn''t believe how modern this place looked. Sure, there was no electricity, but there was running tap water, proper lighting ¨C magical, of course ¨C and even soap that smelled like lavender.


    Once I was properly awake and ready to face Aelith, I finally reached for the door handle. I was honestly fully expecting it to be locked, so when the door slowly opened, I was more surprised than I probably should have been.


    "Good morning, Keeper." A cold voice sounded. Of course, there were guards. I looked at either side of the door to see two Ereth guardsmen, clad in white armour.


    "I was told the Divine Matriarch wished to see me," I said after bidding them a good morning as well.


    They nodded. "Follow us." I did as they said, trying to supress this anxious feeling. Confronting Aelith wasn''t something I wanted to do yet ¨C I wasn''t well enough prepared for it. Yet, I couldn''t let Samantha''s death go unpunished.


    I repeated that sentence. Again, and again. Samantha''s death. Not my fault, not Erik''s, not anyone else''s. Not even that young girl''s. The only person to blame for Samantha''s death was that cloaked woman.


    Eventually, we arrived at the throne room. Just like before, I stepped on the sigil on the ground before Divine Matriarch Aelith''s throne and, with a white light, got teleported to her library.


    "I didn''t expect you to pull yourself together so quickly." I looked around, searching for her. She wasn''t by the windows, or the bookshelves, or the couches. "I''m impressed." I felt her hand on my shoulder as she whispered into my ear. "Very impressed." She pressed every word as her bewitching voice threatened my mind.


    "If I could bring her back, I would," I said softly. "But I can''t. What I can do is avenge her." I stepped back, then turned to face her. "I saw the person who led and orchestrated the attack."


    To my surprise, her eyes widened. Did she¡­ not know her? Or was I not supposed to know that?


    "Describe them." She suddenly said, her voice echoing with traces of magic. I clenched my fists, then did as she asked.


    "You wounded her?" She asked, her eyes glittering like she''d found something she''d been looking for. "Are you absolutely certain?" I could see her determination, but that only made me feel uneasy.


    "Who is it?" I finally asked. I was ready for whatever dismissive answer she''d give me. And I was ready to push for more information.


    She shrugged. "I''m not sure." She ran her hand through her crimson hair, then reached out towards me. I instinctively stepped back ¨C I did not trust her one bit. "I will find out, and I will make sure her deeds do not go unpunished."


    I flinched; I didn''t expect that response. In fact, I was sure she''d tell me not to investigate this any further. Seeing her expression, I furrowed my brows. What was this deed she was talking about? I simply couldn''t see it in this devilish woman to care about Samantha''s death so much.


    "What will you do?" I asked after a short moment. Her lips formed a wicked smile just before she turned her back on me. "Oh, let that be my secret." Her cold, terrifying tone was enough to send shivers down my spine.


    "Fine." I said after taking a deep breath. "Is there something you want from me? I''d like to return, if possible."


    She stopped mid step. I felt my body become tense as she very slowly turned towards me. "Hmm¡­" She mumbled something as she looked at me. "You may return, for now." She waved her hand and before I even got the chance to say anything, a flash of bright light enveloped me.


    "Please follow us, Keeper." I heard the Ereth guard''s voice before I even opened my eyes. Wordless, I nodded and followed them as they led me back to the entrance. Only when I left the palace and put some distance between us did I breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Asher." I called out to him through our mental connection. I needed to talk to him, tell him about Aelith''s reaction. Now that I think about it, I hadn''t even gotten the chance to tell him what I saw yet.


    "Where the hell were you?" I nearly jumped in my place as his mental scream startled me. "I couldn''t contact you all night!" He continued to shout.


    "I''ll explain everything," I tried to calm him down. "I''m fine, you don''t need to worry."


    A moment passed. I could imagine how he was trying to regain his composure. "Let''s meet." He finally said with a sigh. "Victoria found something, can you come there?"


    I hesitated. I really wanted to check up on the others first. "I''ll be a bit late." I finally said. I wasn''t about to try and speak to Erik, but just seeing him and the others safe and sound would help quell this anxious feeling.


    "We''ll be waiting." Once again, I was surprised at Asher''s understanding. No matter how much time had passed, I couldn''t get the first time we met out of my mind. He was still that goal-oriented sadist to me, in a way.


    I headed back to the inn. I pondered how to approach them, but a familiar face saved me from my dilemma as I reached for the inn''s door.


    Just as I reached for the handle, the door swung open and Mona ran outside. She stopped right before colliding with me.


    "Kai?" Her angry expression softened immediately. "How are you holding up?" She asked, pulling me away from the busy street into the nearby alleyway. "Is there anything I can do for you?"


    "I''m fine," I said, forcing a smile. "I''m sorry if I worried you." I glanced at the inn. "Did something happen?" I asked hesitantly. She did seem quite angry as she left the building.


    She flinched and shook her head. "Oh, no." Her voice trembled as she looked away. "I was just checking up on your friends." She was clearly lying.


    "What happened, Mona?" I insisted.


    "Nothing!" She suddenly smiled. She reached out and gently touched my shoulder. "Are you sure you''re ok?" She finally asked. "You don''t look okay."


    "I''m fine." I brushed off her question. "I-"


    "Someone just died." Her words were like daggers, digging deep into my chest. "Your friend just died." She said, again. "I can see how guilty you feel."


    The thoughts of guilt that I had thrown to the back of my mind resurfaced. I wanted to say that I was fine, that she didn''t need to worry about me, but the words got stuck in my throat. I gave up as she hugged me. "I''m so sorry, Kai." She whispered.


    I leaned on the wall as she did on me. We stood like that for a bit ¨C I wasn''t sure how long. We didn''t talk, we didn''t cry, and we didn''t judge each other. Eventually, she gently pulled herself back and smiled, not averting her gaze at all. "We''re here if you need us." She lightly squeezed my hand before letting go. "All of us."


    I nodded. "I know. Thank you."


    She smiled, then left. I stood there a short while longer, processing my thoughts and feelings. It took a while, but when I left the alley, I could say without looking away.


    It''s not my fault.

 Chapter 136: Flight to the Cursed Castle

    We were once again sitting in Victoria''s room. Lucius wasn''t here yet ¨C he was meeting with his own network of people, making sure they keep an eye on Erik and the others.


    "So," Asher finally said, breaking the heavy silence. "How are you holding up?"


    "I''m fine." I said, showing them a bitter smile. "I''m more worried about you, Victoria." I couldn''t help but fear this meeting happened too soon after the funeral. Victoria was a mess. Her eyes were swollen, her face was red, and it was clear she hadn''t slept at all.


    "I''m fine." She said, then sniffed. "I''ll be fine." She stood up and walked to the window. "Vincent and the others are who you should be worried about.


    "I''m worried about them as well." I said with a sigh. I recalled how awful they all looked when I peeked inside the inn just a short while ago, after Mona left. "Anyways, what did you find out?"


    She seemed to appreciate the change of subject as a smile flashed across her lips for a fraction of a second. She took a small, leather bound notebook from one of the bookshelves and took her place on the black-clad couch again.


    "I deciphered a little bit of one of the notebooks Asher gave me." She explained. "Take this with a grain of salt though, this directly contradicts the Ereth narrative."


    She flipped the pages of the notebook and began explaining. "A few centuries ago, a battle took place near a castle that belonged to a then powerful demon family. In their defence against the, uh, ''winged death bringers'', the demons suffered many losses and eventually had to retreat, abandoning the castle and the surrounding lands. However," He paused and glanced at Asher. "A very powerful mage sacrificed herself to prevent the winged death bringers from taking over the castle and ''spreading their tainted magic''."


    I tilted my head. "Which castle is this?"


    "There is no name on the map the Ereth stores sell, but the owner of this notebook called it ''Forlorn Castle''." Victoria explained. She took a map from the shelves and unfolded it on the large coffee table.


    She pointed at a darker coloured spot. "It''s somewhere in this area."


    I furrowed my brows. Wasn''t that the same spot Matriarch Aelith had ordered me to go and ''cleanse''? And¡­ why was that name so familiar?


    Before I could say anything about this, a knock on the door sounded. We stared at the door as it creaked open and Lucius stepped inside.


    "Hey, Kai." He said hesitantly as our gaze met. He seemed somewhat pale.


    We quickly explained everything to him and then I told them about the ''cleansing'' process Aelith wanted me to do.


    "That''s some coincidence." It was Asher who spoke. Lucius nodded immediately. Despite not wanting to, I couldn''t help but agree as well.


    "Something feels off." I said, then shrugged. "But I can''t afford to not go there." I instinctively touched the earring she''d given me. "I''d understand if you didn''t want to come along," I added. Considering they''d just witnessed a person''s death; I wouldn''t be surprised if they wanted to sit this one out.


    "We''re coming." Lucius said with a clearly forced grin. "When do we set off?"


    Asher pondered a moment, then glanced at the window. "How about now?" He asked. "It''s not even noon yet and this is a two-day journey at the very least."


    I nodded. "Works for me. Victoria, would you mind letting Mona''s and Vincent''s groups know that I''ll be out of the city for a while if they come asking?"


    She nodded. "I''ll also try and keep the boys inside the city or in the nearby woods." She added. "I don''t want them to make any rash decisions."


    I wasn''t sure how she was going to accomplish that, but I believed she was resourceful enough to pull it off.


    "Let''s head out then." I said with a sigh and got up.


    We bid Victoria farewell and headed for the city gates. Once we were outside, Asher used his spell to grant himself and the very unhappy Lucius flight. I, once again, summoned my wings and leapt into the air.


    The wind blowing in my ears and the sunlight warming my back felt good. I could almost forget my worries and fears. Almost. The sight of Samantha''s body, burned into my mind, made it impossible to forget.


    We flew until dusk, camped through the night and come morning, flew again. It was the next day''s evening when the castle entered our view.


    "That thing is¡­" Asher''s voice faded as we floated a few hundred meters away from it.


    "It''s disgusting." Lucius finished the blond sorcerer''s sentence.


    "Yeah." I wholeheartedly agreed with them.


    What was once a probably fairly normal castle was now a rather large pile of plant. A red and purple, sticky, clearly very much alive, plant.


    "That thing might be carnivorous." Asher said as we watched the massive lump of tendrils, leaves, roots and surprisingly colourful flowers sway in the wind. "Look at the root section." He said, pointing at the centre of the massive lump. "Looks like there are holes filled with some form of liquid."


    Lucius turned pale. "Oh gods, no. The last thing I need is man eating plants."


    I nodded. Just looking at the thing made me want to puke. I could smell that intoxicating scent from all the way over here.


    "Let''s tackle this tomorrow." Asher said after a short time. "I want to have all of my mana for this."


    With that, we looked for a place to spend the night and eventually decided on a small alcove sufficiently far away from the monster plant.


    We set up camp as usual. Lucius and I sparred a little to get our minds off of things, though he became increasingly annoyed that he couldn''t win. Eventually, we sat by the fire and enjoyed the meal Asher had prepared for us.


    "So," Lucius explained to the blonde sorcerer, clearly still worked up. "This guy is basically ambidextrous, so he can do that stupidly useful thing where he switches hands mid combat ¨C it''s impossible to foresee it!"


    I chuckled as Asher just seemed generally confused.


    "Mother and sister could easily defeat me." I said, grinning. "You''re just not at that level yet."


    Lucius nearly choked on his food. "Of course I''m not you idiot." He rolled his eyes. "Not all of us are prodigies like you!"


    I chuckled. "You know that''s not what I am." Though, despite my laughter, I looked away. I couldn''t quite place my finger on it, but something about his words awakened one of my long-buried memories. I immediately supressed it ¨C my memories of home were not a rabbit hole I could afford to jump into right now.


    "Is he that good?" I heard Asher ask.


    "I''m not-"


    "Yeah."


    Lucius stared at me. "Shut up. You are."


    "I literally have one trick up my sleeve." I protested. "And it only works once."


    Asher chimed in. "I''d like to hear Lucius'' opinion on this, actually." I glared at him while Lucius laughed out loud.


    "Kai is better than anyone else our age." Lucius said after his laughter subsided. "He came up with that feint-into-hand-switching move on his own and it''s been his signature move since."


    I rolled my eyes. True, I was better than the others of my age, but compared to Sis or Mother, my skill wasn''t even worth mentioning.


    "I didn''t know that." Asher said with a chuckle.


    "Ok, that''s enough about me." I said with a sigh and opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 93 Soul Keeper | Exp: 32467/110000 - - Souls 100/100 + 1970 - - Mana: 2070


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    As soon as I opened the panel, both of them immediately stopped chatting and directed their attention to the pale blue text floating before me.


    "93?" Asher smiled. "That''s not bad at all." He looked over the other stats, nodding approvingly. I rolled my eyes and switched to the skills panel.


    "Let''s see¡­" I mumbled. I had more skill points than I could use, so the first thing I did was level Keeper''s Haven to Level 5.


    "Anything new?" Asher asked after a moment of hesitation. I shrugged and checked my available skills.


    "Apparently, yes." I said as a whole lot of greyed out skills formed a long list. Lucius immediately leaned forward and began reading.


    "Once again," Asher mumbled in disappointment. "These are borderline useless. ''Soul Gust''? You already have the primal core of wind. Just like your flames, once you master to use it, the winds will basically bend to your will." He sighed. "It was like this the first time I saw your list of available skills too. For such an important class, such weak and insignificant skills make no sense."


    Lucius nodded, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "What about the other thing?" He asked. "How do you use the souls you have?"


    I hesitated, then understanding dawned on me. "Ah, you mean the development path thing." I quickly switched between the different panels of the interface until I found the one I was looking for.


    "Oh," I said as I noticed the blue text that wasn''t there before.


    ''New Development Path Available''

 Chapter 137: An Unknown Choice - Again

    "Wait." Asher grabbed my wrist before I could do anything. "Last time this happened you gained those wings and the ability to control your flames, am I right?"


    I nodded, though I had to add; "The primal core of fire also played a big part in that." Honestly, it was a combination of the development path, the phoenix''s soul and the primal core of fire.


    "In that case, we should be careful." He pointed at the interface. Just like before, there were three symbols.


    The first was shaped like a serpent. The second one was clearly a spider and the third one looked like a raven.


    "Oh, not again!" I cried out as Lucius scratched his head. "What do these even mean?"


    "I don''t know, that''s the issue." I ran my finger through my hair and pushed the loose strands away from my eyes. "Last time I picked, I did so randomly."


    "What happens if you don''t pick anything?" Lucius asked. I hesitated. "Nothing?"


    We pondered a while, lost in though and undecisive. Eventually, I sighed. "I went with a feather last time," I explained. "It feels right to go with the raven."


    Asher shrugged. "There is no data at all, so I can''t suggest anything."


    Oh well, I thought as I slowly touched the raven symbol.


    ''Path Chosen. Please note that this process will take time. Do not attempt any strenuous activities until the process is completed.''


    Asher furrowed his brows as we looked at the pale blue text.


    "How long does this take?" He asked after a short moment.


    "Days, at the very least, I assume." I said, pondering. I couldn''t remember exactly how long it had taken last time. "But I don''t even know if time is the only requirement. Last time, I had to kill the phoenix and get the primal core of fire."


    Lucius shrugged. "I guess we''ll see." He suddenly flinched and looked at the sky. I glanced at the direction he was looking at. "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    "I thought I saw something." He mumbled. "It''s just a bird though." He shook his head. "I''m sorry, I''m a bit on edge since¡­" He hesitated.


    "It''s fine." Asher raised his hand to create a barrier around our little camp. "We should all remain vigilant." He glanced at me. "Would you mind keeping watch first?" He asked.


    "Fine by me," I said with a faint smile.


    With that, they went to sleep. Though I could see how uneasy Lucius was, I couldn''t think of anything that I could do for him.


    Hours passed quietly as I stood watch. On one hand, I was somewhat relieved to be alone for a bit. On the other hand, this time allowed my mind to wander off to distant memories. Memories I didn''t want to remember right now. So, I focused on tomorrow.


    We were probably going to have to kill that plant. I came up with ideas on how to kill it to keep myself busy until the time came to wake Asher up. Once his turn started, I welcomed the darkness of sleep.


    Come morning, I was woken up by Lucius. The young man seemed well rested. I was glad to see the dark circles under his eyes gone, and his usual smile return.


    "Feeling any different?" Asher asked me as we had out breakfast. I moved my arms and stretched my wings, then shook my head. "Not yet." I didn''t expect the changes to happen quite so quickly.


    "Why are you squinting so much?" Lucius asked. I covered my eyes with my hand. "The sunlight hurts." I mumbled. While I had slept, it was an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams that I couldn''t quite remember. I was fairly sure that the burning in my eyes was eventually going to turn into a headache. Now that, I wasn''t looking forward to.


    "So," I said, changing the subject. "What do we do about the plant?"


    Asher shrugged as we slowly made our way over to where the castle once was.


    "Ugh, the smell!" Lucius said as he almost gagged. "It''s awful." He was right ¨C it smelled of sweet flowers and vanilla. While the smell would, under normal circumstances, be pleasant, it was so dense here that it was just horrible.


    "Cover your noses." Asher said as he used a piece of cloth to do so. I used my cloak and Lucius grabbed a piece of torn cloth.


    As we approached the plant, it hit me just how damn big it was. The ''leaves'' were large enough to easily lie on. The massive tendrils were thicker than a person''s waist. While the singular pieces of it weren''t too intimidating, the sheer amount of space the god damned thing occupied was enough to leave us stunned.


    "So," Asher said after a few seconds passed. "How are we supposed to enter the castle? Because, as far as I''m concerned, there is no castle left."


    Lucius nodded. "And how are we even supposed to find the source of this demonic magic? It''s probably buried under the rubble."


    "Only one way to find out." I mumbled as I stepped towards the plant. The first order of business was to find out whether it was hostile or not. I took a few steps, then watched its appendages gently swaying in the wind. It didn''t seem to react to my presence at all.


    "Careful." Asher warned me as I took a few more steps. I could see Lucius tightly grasping the hilt of his sword. He was ready to come to my aid at a moment''s notice.


    A sudden rumble beneath my feet alarmed me just before the ground gave in, exposing the massive root system underneath. I leapt up as the massive plant''s tendrils lashed at me. My wings appeared on my back and at the same time, a wave of flames covered the ground beneath me.


    I glanced at Asher ¨C he was doing this. His eyes shone brightly as flames spread from his extended hands.


    "I am done with surprises!" He shouted as the flames spread through the roots below. My eyes widened as even the main body of the plant caught on fire. I coughed and beat my wings, moving away from the smoke. Seconds turned into minutes as Asher''s flames consumed the plant whole. After about ten minutes, noting but a very big pile of ash was left.


    "Now that it''s taken care of," Asher said as the flames dimmed, and his spell ended. "I think it''s time we find the core the Divine Matriarch told you about."


    I nodded after a short moment. I was always surprised by Asher''s sheer power, though now that I also had control over fire, I couldn''t help but feel like his flames were somewhat¡­ lacking. Of course, he had much better control over them than I did, but I wasn''t sure how much longer that would be the case.


    "How do we find it?" Lucius asked as we approached the now charred ruins. "How did this place even become like this?" He asked, kicking a loose brick.


    I shrugged. I felt somewhat¡­ disappointed. I was expecting a fight ¨C craving it even. I slowly stepped among the rubble. "What''s that?" I asked after a short moment. The pile of rubble rose a bit higher at some point, and I was sure I could see something that wasn''t brick or charred plant. I climbed over the brick and large stone slabs and arrived at the only place in the area still standing.


    "Good job, Kai." Asher said as we stood before the metal bars.


    "A window?" Lucius asked. He crouched by the sturdy bars and tried to look inside. "I see a¡­ prison cell." He mumbled. "Stand back," he said as he stood up and extended his sword arm. With a swift motion, he swung his sharp blade.


    A clear clang echoed. He repeated his motion, and the loud clang was followed by the sound of metal pieces hitting stone.


    "I didn''t know you could do that," Asher mumbled. I chuckled as I saw the huge grin on the young swordsman''s face. He had cut the metal bars like they were butter.


    "I''ll go first." He said, still grinning, and jumped down the newly made hole. I followed right after him, then waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness as Lucius helped Asher down as well.


    We were in a rather small prison cell. It stank of mould and smoke. The walls were cracked, as was the stone ceiling. I feared this place could collapse on us at any time. Now, metal bars once again blocked our path, though these weren''t in as bad a shape as the ones Lucius just cut through.


    "Well, I guess I have some more stuff to cut through." Lucius said as he approached the metal gate locking us in. He cut through it with ease and we finally set foot inside Forlorn Castle. Or, well, what''s left of it.

 Chapter 138: A Note of Sorrow

    As soon as we stepped into the narrow hall that led into the darkness, I shivered. I could feel the demonic magic in this place ¨C it had permeated into the very foundation of this castle. Seeing Asher''s cold, hard expression, I could see I wasn''t the only one who could sense it.


    "Are you two ok?" Lucius asked after a short moment. He waved his hands in front of our faces. "Snap out of it ¨C one of you really needs to create some light. It''s really dark up ahead."


    I blinked a couple of times and forced myself to focus on our current situation. I raised my hand to create a flame, but then froze mid action. "Dark?" I asked as I looked up ahead. I could see a set of stairs leading down. A faint light was visible from here.


    Asher glanced at me. "Do you see something, Kai?"


    "Wait," I pointed towards the stairs. "Neither of you don''t see that?" I asked, shocked.


    "See what?" Lucius asked, looking at me like I''m insane. "Can you, like, be a bit more specific?" He made a few meaningless gestures.


    "Well, there is light down there." I said, shrugging. "I don''t know anything else!"


    "Then let''s go and see." Asher said, carefully. He raised his hand as a small orb of light appeared. It wasn''t as bright as he usually created them. "Kai, make sure you''re careful. I can''t protect you from something I can''t see."


    "I can protect myself, don''t worry about it." I slowly stepped forward and approached the stairs. We slowly descended the spiralling stairs. As our footsteps echoed in the darkness, I couldn''t help but feel a bit excited. My entire body was tense with anticipation.


    We finally reached the bottom of the stairs. A narrow hall once again stretched before us, but now, I could see the source of the faint light.


    A dark purple streak of¡­ something was in the floor. I blinked a few times. It was quite literally inside the floor. I could see the stone surface above thing.


    "Kai?" Asher tapped my shoulder. "Is something wrong?"


    I shook my head. "Can''t you see that?" I asked, pointing at the purple line. It was blurry, almost like I was looking at something far away as a far-sighted person. As I described what I saw, Asher''s face lit up.


    "Lucky!" He said, grinning. "What you have is called ''manavision''. It allows you to see the mana in your surroundings." He hesitated. "Do you see this?" He raised his hand. I could feel his mana gather on his palm, but I saw nothing.


    "Nope." His shoulders dropped as soon as I replied. Lucius sighed, then brushed past me and stepped into the long hallway. "Maybe he just needs to adjust first." He said as he carefully stepped forward. "Let''s keep going, maybe a more powerful source of magic will eventually help Kai figure this out."


    Asher nodded, I also agreed. We couldn''t afford to wait here for who knows how long just to see if I would adjust to this. I followed Lucius as we carefully continued exploring. The streak inside the floor became more visible as we approached the source.


    It wasn''t a streak, it looked more like a vein, or the end of a root. I could see it pulsing with magic, and I could also feel it beneath us. It was demonic magic ¨C the same type that Vixia, Delthur and that other, incredibly powerful man used.


    "Demonic magic." Asher said at the same time. "Be careful, Lucius."


    The young swordsman nodded. His sword materialised in his hand. His posture changed as his steps slowed a little.


    We continued a while, until we reached the end of the narrow hallway. As we stepped into the large, circular room, I drew a sharp breath.


    The room was quite large. Paintings hung on the walls, a nameplate beneath each portrait they depicted. At the centre of the room stood a pedestal. I could barely see the pedestal from all the purple veins spreading from it. And on the pedestal stood the source of all this. The core Divine Matriarch Aelith wanted me to destroy.


    "This is it." I said as I slowly approached the core.


    It was shaped like an egg that wasn''t any larger than my fist. It was black, with purple veins on it.


    "Are you supposed to destroy it?" Asher asked after a short moment. I shook my head. "She just told me to cleanse the corruption. She doesn''t care about what happens to this." I took a deep breath and glanced at the other two. "Let''s check the place out, then we do the cleansing."


    "Alright." Lucius said. Asher also seemed to approve. He was probably worried about the same thing ¨C that core might be the only thing still keeping this place in one piece.


    Asher and Lucius began checking the other hallways leading away from this room while the portraits caught my attention. Why did all these faces look just so familiar? They all had similar features. It was clear that they were all demons, but I also suspected they were family. Reading the nameplates quickly cleared any doubt I had.


    "Kai?" Asher called my name as I finished checking the last nameplate.


    "They were all Forlorns." I said, somewhat lost in thought. "Asher, where did we hear that name before?" I was sure we''d come across it not too long ago. But¡­ my memories were a mess ¨C I had too many of them. Too many lives that I never lived.


    "The chest." Lucius'' voice sounded. He knelt on the ground and opened his inventory. The large chest popped up in front of him.


    "Oh, right!" I said. How had I forgotten that?


    Lucius showed us a key. It was shaped like a flower. He gently placed it in the lock and the chest opened with an audible click as soon as he turned it.


    "I found a room." He said with a bitter smile. "The same decorations were on the other furniture." He pointed at the carvings on the chest. "There was a key on the desk there."


    "That''s¡­ a lot of luck." Asher said. He was right ¨C what was the chances of us randomly finding the chest in a monster nest, and then come to this place to find the key?


    "Yes, but this is a game, remember?" Lucius grinned. "It''s supposed to make things convenient for us."


    A thought scratched the back of my mind. I refused to entertain it. "What''s inside?" I asked instead. Asher shot a weird look at me but didn''t say anything.


    Lucius slowly opened the chest.


    A dust cloud lifted. We coughed and stepped back. Then, we finally saw what was in the chest.


    "Books?" Asher asked, confused.


    "No," Lucius shook his head. "These are leather bound notebooks. Look," He carefully picked one up and flipped through its pages. Words were scribbled down, though they were barely legible. Beneath the books, I noticed some crumpled papers, some clothes and even a toy. Or, at least, it looked like one. It was a wooden figure of a dragon. It was small enough to fit my palm.


    "I don''t know if we should be looking through this." Lucius said, slowly placing the notebooks back in the chest. "It feels wrong."


    I knew it was silly ¨C this was a game after all ¨C but I couldn''t help feeling the same way too. I was about to help him put everything back, but a neatly written note caught my attention. I reached out and took it in my hand.


    ''They are here, the winged death bringers. Brother, I''m sorry. I lied ¨C I won''t be coming back. If you survive, I know you''ll come for me. I know you''ll find this note. I finally did it. She''s alive, she''ll survive. Take her to him and tell him I''m sorry. I''ll need his help once more. To free those trapped here by my own magic. My soul is probably gone by the time you read this. Tell him to not look for me.


    Goodbye, brother. Live the life you always wanted to live.''


    My chest tightened. Despite not knowing the person who wrote this, I could feel their sadness and pain.


    "What is it?" Asher''s voice pulled me out of my daze. I read the note out loud, then slowly placed it back to the chest. "We shouldn''t disturb this place." I closed my eyes. Where were the trapped souls mentioned in the note?


    I heard a faint whisper, then another. More and more of them sounded as I stood up. "Let''s free those souls first." I said silently. My steady steps carried me through the narrow halls as Asher and Lucius quickly followed me.


    The hallways twisted and turned. While the other two clearly weren''t sure of whether we were going in the right direction, I could hear the faint cries and whispers of the trapped souls getting stronger with each step. And the souls weren''t the only thing that proved me right ¨C the purple veins of demonic magic were all around us. In the walls, in the ground, even in the ceiling. Wherever this led, it was a place filled with power.


    "Magic." Asher warned me as we arrived at a large, metal door. I nodded; I could also feel the magic inside. Lucius readied his sword as I reached for the door handle and turned it.


    The metal door opened with a loud creak.


    We stepped inside, but before we could even take a look around, a dry voice sounded.


    "What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 139: Unanswered Questions

    I was the only one who realised how badly we''d screwed up.


    The large, oval room was mostly empty save for the lonely tomb across the door. Delthur stood before it, his expression showing what I assumed was surprise and anger.


    My scythe materialised in my hand as I stopped mid-step. "Stand back, Asher." While he was quite powerful, he was still a sorcerer. In close combat, he couldn''t do much against someone as powerful as Delthur.


    "Who is that?" Lucius whispered as Delthur unsheathed his sword. His eyes let out a purple glow as his power spread through the room.


    "Why are you of all people here?" He asked, his voice filled with wrath and hatred.


    "I could ask you the same," I replied as I stepped forward. "Isn''t this place a bit too close to Baile Chailce?"


    "Kai?" Asher whispered. Lucius drew a sharp breath. I saw his posture change at the edge of my vision.


    "You don''t get to ask me anything!" Delthur shouted. He raised his sword. My heartbeat quickened.


    "Kai, how-" Lucius began to speak, but I didn''t have time to listen to him. I dashed forward at the same time as the demon before me. Our weapons clashed as a loud clang echoed in the room.


    "Leave this place!" The demon hissed as our weapons locked. Then, he pushed me back with all his might. I struggled to keep my balance as he raised his sword over his left shoulder again. The massive sword reflected the light of Asher''s illuminating spell.


    Retreating or dodging wasn''t an option ¨C I had to block him. I couldn''t let him get any closer to Asher and the Lucius.


    "You killed two of our kind!" He shouted as his blade came down on the shaft of my scythe. My muscles burned with pain, but I somehow stood my ground.


    "What did you expect me to do?" My eyes let out a purple glow. Flames danced on my skin as he once again pushed me back. "Just let them kill me?"


    He didn''t answer. Instead, purple flames burst out of him. As they spread through the room, threatening to consume all of us, I released my own flames. I couldn''t let him hurt Asher or Lucius.


    "You don''t stand a chance." I said as my wings formed on my back. He stepped back, his face twisted with anger and hatred.


    "I will not let you defile this place!" He shouted. We met at the centre once again, purple and crimson flames whirling around us as our weapons clashed over and over again. I heard Asher and Lucius shout something, but I couldn''t hear them over the roaring flames.


    Delthur''s each swing threatened to kill me while I could only lay a scratch on him. His flames threatened to quench mine.


    "What the hell did you do?" I shouted as his next strike nearly brought me to my knees. How had his strength ¨C both physical and magical ¨C increased so quickly within a couple of seconds? Moments ago, he wasn''t nearly as strong.


    "I will make you pay for what you''ve done!" He shouted. That''s when I noticed it. The purple glow in his flames, the unusually bright glow in his eyes¡­ That''s when I sensed the magic flowing into him through the veins spreading from the core we''d found earlier.


    I tightened my grasp around the shaft of my scythe, then glanced at Asher and Lucius. Asher had created a barrier around them and now he was focused on another spell. Lucius seemed frozen with shock ¨C he stood there motionless. Wide eyed and pale faced, he was clearly not fit to fight.


    I had to deal with this on my own. I blocked his next strike with the blade of my scythe and let the massive sword slide down along the blade as I stepped aside. As soon as he lifted his blade, I swung my scythe, threatening to chop off his legs. Forced to lower his guard, he backed off maybe half a step.


    At the same time, Asher''s spell leapt towards him. Delthur grunted and let the bolts of lightning strike his blade. These couple of seconds were my chance. I leapt back and swung my scythe at the floor.


    Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe enhanced my abilities and power as the pale crystalline blade of my scythe cut through the stone slabs on the floor and severed the veins of magic feeding Delthur.


    The demon suddenly drew a sharp breath. He struggled to remain standing for a moment as his flames subsided and the unusual glow in his eyes faded.


    Once again, we were on even ground. Or perhaps I should say, I had the advantage. Maybe for the first time ever.


    "I should have killed you that night!" Delthur hissed, holding his sword defensively. His eyes darted between me and Asher. "Then you wouldn''t have killed those two."


    "Why didn''t you?" I asked. I couldn''t help it ¨C I needed answers. I knew that this was probably a trap. He was probably stalling for time but¡­ I needed to know.


    I flinched as he laughed. Asher''s expression twisted with worry. "What''s going on?" He whispered. I shrugged. Had Delthur finally lost his mind?


    "I remember how weak and scared you were!" He said after his laughter subsided. "You were at our mercy back then!" He raised his hand. I immediately tightened my grasp on the shaft of my scythe. What was he doing? "Yet," He continued. "Lady Vixia didn''t let me do what I should have done." His expression darkened. "She wished for you to see for yourself ¨C yet all that happened is that you became the pet of Aelith!" His words turned to a shout as he spoke.


    "See what?" I shouted. "All I see around me is death! Do you think I wanted to kill those two?" My voice cracked. "I was trying to get away from there! You people are the ones who never leave me alone!"


    "Kai!" Asher warned me. I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. "Anyways," I said after a moment. "Why are you here?"


    He chuckled. "Like I''d tell you!" He readied his sword. "I will take you down with me."


    Asher shouted something as purple flames roared around us. I felt the blonde sorcerer''s barrier form around me. At the same time, the demon dashed forward again. I rolled under the massive sword he swung and quickly rose to my feet behind him. My scythe found its way to his left arm, leaving a deep and painful cut behind. His blood wet the ground as he turned towards me with a terrifying shout.


    I blocked his next few attacks, then as soon as I caught an opening, I went on the offensive. I spun my scythe around, alternating between hitting with the end of its shaft and trying to cut with its blade. Once again, I suffered from lack of training with this type of weapon. If I were half as adept at using this as I was in using the sword, Delthur would have stood no chance at all.


    Small scratches and cuts appeared on his arms as I didn''t give him a chance to regain his composure.


    "Kai, to your left!" Asher shouted. I stepped in that direction as a bolt of lightning passed through where I was standing mere seconds ago. If I hadn''t listened to Asher, I would have been hit by that spell for sure.


    Delthur grumbled as the lightning hit him in the shoulder. He stumbled back until he leaned on the tomb. "You-" A coughing fit stopped him. He wiped some blood off his mouth as he glared at Asher.


    "Don''t look at him like that, this is no different that what you and Vixia had me go through." Yet despite my words, I got no satisfaction from defeating him. All this just felt so out of place. Why was he here? Why wasn''t Vixia with him? Was this a trap?


    He glared at me but didn''t say anything as another coughing fit shook his body. I glanced at Asher and Lucius. Asher was still standing way at the entrance, along with the young swordsman. Lucius still seemed to be out of it. Even Asher still looked pale. Was it the shock of finally seeing a demon?


    "What happens now?" Asher asked, noticing my glance. I shrugged. I had no idea. The smart thing would be to kill Delthur, the even smarter thing would be to question him.


    "Delthur," I said, taking a step towards him. "Who was that man? The one who came into the room just before I escaped?"


    The demon chuckled. "Don''t you remember?" He said as his bloody lips formed a wicked smile. "You''re pathetic."


    My expression darkened. I was sick of these riddles and unanswered questions. I was sick of constantly being in the dark.


    "Tell me who he was!" I shouted. I put the sharp crystalline blade of my scythe against the demon''s throat. "Now-"


    A scream echoed in my mind. An unusual wind stirred our hair and clothes. Delthur''s eyes widened as he looked behind me.


    "Sister¡­?"

 Chapter 140: The Child That Lived

    I felt the presence of souls. There weren''t hundreds of them like I first feared, but they were much more powerful than I expected. My heartbeat quickened as I looked behind me.


    A soul was hovering right behind me. It wasn''t a formless, shapeless shadow like the other souls I''d seen. It had form and shape ¨C she even had a face. Detailed enough to show expression.


    "Wait ¨C sister?" I asked in shock. My eyes widened as she passed through me. To my surprise, she didn''t melt into my chest like souls usually did. Instead, she stood between me and Delthur. The other souls, nameless, faceless and shapeless, followed her.


    I instinctively stepped back as they formed a wall between us. Now that she was standing right before Delthur, I could see the similarity between them. They had the same eyes, the same nose. I could believe that they were siblings¡­ If this woman hadn''t died who knows how many centuries ago.


    "What the hell?" Asher mumbled. He glanced at me, then at the wall of souls.


    "You haven''t disappeared!" Delthur whispered, reaching out to her with his shaking hand. I held my breath as his hand passed through her, disrupting the form she had somehow constructed for herself.


    "Don''t kill him!" I heard her voice echo. My expression darkened. How was I supposed to respond to that?


    "Why are you doing this?" She cried out. "I trusted you!"


    "What are you talking about?" I asked.


    "Kai¡­?" Lucius mumbled. I noticed Asher shut him up with a quick motion.


    "You promised!" The soul cried out. "Why are you fighting him? You promised me you''d take him somewhere safe!"


    That''s when it hit me. She wasn''t talking to me ¨C Kai Friseal ¨C, she was talking my predecessor, the previous Keeper of Souls. "I''m not who you think I am." I said, my voice bitter.


    "But you are!" She whispered. Her shadowy form trembled as she reached out and motioned to touch me. I stepped back; I didn''t trust her. "Don''t you remember me?" She cried out in agony. "Don''t you remember this place?" She was clearly hurt by my words.


    "No, I don''t!" I shouted. Delthur finally pulled himself back together as I spoke. He took his sword in his hands and assumed a battle posture.


    "Brother, no!" The soul cried out. At the same time, I also tightly grasped the shaft of my scythe. I couldn''t let the dead distract me from the matters of the living. "Sorry," I said with a bitter smile. "This has to happen."


    "Indeed." Delthur said with a dry, cracked voice. "I will make sure Lady Vixia gets what she wishes for!" With such a long battle cry, he dashed towards me. I raised my scythe to block his overhead strike. I braced myself for the sheer strength of his hit, but a sudden chill caused me to lose my grip on the shaft of my scythe.


    Strength left my body as the woman''s ghost grabbed my wrists. "If you don''t remember, I will make you!"


    "Kai!" I heard Asher''s voice as my consciousness began to fade. I could feel the woman''s memories force themselves into my mind. Her face covered my view.


    "Rhia!" Delthur shouted, reaching for me. "Wait!"


    Before he, or anyone else could do anything, I was dragged into a world of memories.


    I was sitting on a bench, a young child slept on my lap. We were in a garden, surrounded by stone walls. Soldiers passed by, they seemed in a hurry.


    "You shouldn''t be out here, Rhia." A familiar voice spoke. I couldn''t quite put my finger on it, but I was sure I knew that voice. I lifted my head to see¡­ myself.


    "Keeper!" I shouted with glee. "I didn''t know you''d come!"


    The previous Keeper of Souls, my predecessor, showed a faint smile. "I came to meet with your father." He said as his gaze followed the soldiers. "Tell me, Rhia. When is your coming of age ceremony?"


    "Just two years left!" I said, my voice filled with excitement. "Will you come? Will you?"


    Rhia was fairly young in this memory. Almost a child. The memory faded, leaving its place for another one. I was Rhia, once again. I was walking down the hall of a castle. Was this the same Forlorn castle that we were exploring? I could barely recognise it.


    "Rhia." A young Delthur entered my view. I smiled, "Hey, brother." But my smile was fake, I was sure of it. This feeling of impending doom was in the air, I could almost taste it.


    "The Keeper is waiting for you." He seemed somewhat lost in thought as he spoke. "We''ve almost finished evacuating. When will you and the last of the guards join us?"


    I smiled. "We''ll be the last to leave. We have to protect her, first and foremost. You know that." The young Delthur nodded. "I know," He said. "I''ll be waiting for you in the mountains."


    I shook my head. "Don''t stay back for me. I''ll come find you." I shuffled his hair, then passed by him and headed for the large doors at the end of the hall. I pushed the doors open and stepped inside.


    "Well then," There stood the Keeper. "I see you''re adamant about this." His voice sounded defeated. "Why don''t you leave with the others? Why don''t you strive to live?" I could see the pain in his eyes. Did I look like that too?


    "You know why," I said. "I can''t let her take this place. Not when it''s so close to your home."


    The Keeper''s eyes widened for only a moment. "Rhia-"


    "Shush now. We owe you that much, do we not?" I forced a smile. "Besides, we all know what will happen if she gets her hands on you." I reached out and squeezed the Keeper''s hand. "So, let us do this for you."


    The Keeper looked away, almost as if he couldn''t bear to look at me. At Rhia. "I''m sorry. I''ll be here for you when the time comes."


    I smiled. "I know. Like you''re there for everyone else. I never doubted it."


    Was she preparing to die? Why? What was going on? Who was the person they had talked about? Why was someone after my predecessor?


    "You should leave too." I said, looking at the Keeper of Souls. He seemed exhausted. "I''ll make sure Delthur gets to the Lord."


    I nodded. "Thank you."


    With that, the Keeper left. I stood there for a bit before heading to the outer walls of the castle. There, a couple dozen guards waited. I waved at the young Delthur and the other residents of this place as they left. They flew off, to the far away mountains, led by the Keeper of Souls.


    "Now then," I said after taking a deep breath. "We are here to die."


    The memories faded, leaving their place to others. I saw Rhia''s fight to protect her home. I felt her incredible resolve, and the sorrow that accompanied her every breath. She fought till the very end until she died by her own magic to curse this place.


    Among the Ereth who attacked this castle, one of them I recognised with ease. Even though centuries had clearly passed, I''d recognize Divine Matriarch Aelith anywhere.


    I don''t know how much time passed, how many years all these memories spanned. I felt the death of a young demon who did all she could to save her home.


    When I finally returned to the present, I was exhausted. My eyelids felt heavy, all I wanted to do was fall asleep. Let my mind rest, yet even that didn''t seem possible. I was scared of the dreams I''d see if I fell asleep. The memories of demons that would surface, moments long passed that shouldn''t be relived.


    "What are we going to do?" I heard a low voice. Was that Mona? I sifted through my memories; I didn''t remember her tagging along with us.


    "I don''t know." Asher''s voice sounded. "I''ve never seen him like this."


    Was he talking about me? I tried to focus my memories were shattered and my mind was a mess. It took some effort to open my eyes.


    "Kai?" Mona immediately shouted. I head footsteps right before her face filled my vision. "Oh my god, he''s awake!" She shouted. I heard more footsteps.


    "I-"


    "Tell me your name." Asher said as he pushed Mona aside. His dark expression sent a shiver down my spine.


    "Kai Friseal." I said after a moment passed. "I haven''t lost it yet, Asher."


    Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. "I''m glad to have you back." He said with a weak smile.


    "Lucius?" I asked, looking around the room as they helped me sit up.


    "He''s keeping watch outside." Asher hesitated. "The demon escaped right after you fell unconscious. We tried to stop him, but I think he got assistance from something else. Maybe the demonic magic you felt, or maybe the souls that attacked you helped him."


    My lips formed a frown. I had hoped to ask Delthur some questions, but there was nothing that could be done about it.


    Asher stood up. "I''ll go get Lucius." He left the room, hurrying off to find the swordsman.


    "Wait," I suddenly said, glancing at Mona. "Why are you here?"


    She laughed and wiped her tears. "I might have tailed you."

 Chapter 141: Preparing to Leave

    "You-" I stopped, looking at her bright smile and teary eyes. "Why though?" I cried out in confusion. I couldn''t fathom why and how she''d follow me here.


    "Well," She said, looking at the tomb. Her smile faded as her expression darkened. "I was worried about you. You left the city so quickly, I thought you were going to try and get revenge." She fiddled with her long hair.


    "Oh," I mumbled. "I didn''t want to waste time we honestly don''t have." I hesitated. "And if I just sat there doing nothing but rot in my own sorrow, Samantha would be disappointed, wouldn''t she?" I forced a faint smile. I wasn''t lying ¨C if I gave myself any more time to mourn, I''d never be able to pull myself together in time.


    "I see." Mona smiled and stood up. "I guess everyone grieves in a different way." She glanced at the tomb. "The same could be said about that demon, couldn''t it?" She asked.


    I flinched. How much had she seen; I wonder? "Yes." I instinctively touched my chest. I could feel her. Rhia, the demon who sacrificed herself to protect the lands beyond this point. The young girl who wanted nothing more but save her dear brother.


    "Are you sure you''re ok, Kai?" She asked as my mind began to drift. I quickly snapped out of it and nodded. "I''m fine, just really tired." How much did she know?


    Footsteps echoed through the hallway. I forced myself to get up as Asher and Lucius entered my view. Lucius'' expression changed from worry to relief in an instant as he ran up to me and gave me a hug, immediately followed by a punch to my shoulder. "What the hell were you thinking Kai?" He shouted.


    "He was angry the whole time." Asher explained as I tried to calm the young man down. "He also wants to have a word with you later, though you may need some protection for that."


    Mona giggled as I sighed. "Sorry, Lucius." I understood how worried he was, but there was something I wanted to talk to him about as well. Mainly, his attitude in this last fight.


    "Mona," Asher suddenly spoke. "I get that you followed us by transforming into a bird, but I''m sure you didn''t come inside as a bird. What exactly did you do that none of us noticed you?"


    That was a perfectly valid question that I''d love to hear the answer to as well.


    "Let a girl have her secrets." Mona said with a cheerful smile. She glanced at Lucius. "You guys still have some stuff to do here, right? I''ll keep watch at the entrance."


    Surprising enough, Asher accepted her answer. "We''ll be there shortly." With that, Mona quickly left.


    "I wonder what that was all about." Lucius mumbled. Asher sighed. "She''s a druid ¨C being underground must be quite challenging for her. Especially in a tainted and corrupted place such as this." His blue eyes focused on me. "Kai, what are you planning after this?"


    I hesitated. "I need to go back and report to Aelith." I couldn''t risk incurring wrath right now. Not yet.


    "Before you do that, we need to talk," Lucius said with a dark expression. Just from his heavy tone, I could easily guess that he, or maybe both of them, had something important to tell me. "Alright." There wasn''t really much else I could say.


    Whatever they wanted to talk about would have to wait until Mona left. There was no point in worrying about any of that right now. I looked around the room until my gaze stopped as it fell on the tomb


    I approached it with slow steps. Thankfully, it wasn''t damaged from the battle. I could feel a lump in my throat as I slowly reached out and gently touched the stone slab covering the tomb.


    "Who rests there?" Asher asked after a moment of silence.


    "Rhia." I said as I felt her soul stir within me. "Delthur''s sister." I glanced at the blonde sorcerer. "She died to protect this place from Divine Matriarch Aelith."


    "I see."


    We stood there in silence for a short while, then I slowly stepped away from the tomb. "Let''s remove the core." I said, knowing that Rhia didn''t want me to do that.


    As I made my way over to the circular room, I could feel her soul trying to burst out. I could hear her wordless whispers. Trapping me in her memories had cost her what little amount of power she had amassed in these last few centuries. Now, the only thing that made her more present than the nameless, faceless souls within me was her seemingly endless willpower and determination.


    "What is this, I wonder," I said as I approached the core. It looked like an egg, no larger than my fist. Despite the demonic magic spreading from it, it almost seemed tranquil.


    "It looks like an egg, but I can''t tell you anything more than that." Asher said with a sigh. "Will you destroy it?"


    I took a deep breath and reached for the egg. As my fingers touched it, I felt Rhia''s pain. She feared this things destruction so much that it affected me, physically.


    "Damn it¡­" I mumbled as I removed it from the pedestal. "No, I won''t destroy it." I said with a sigh. As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt Rhia''s relief. I placed the egg in my inventory and directed my gaze at the purple veins on the ground. "Now, how to get rid of these¡­"


    A memory flashed before my eyes as soon as I spoke. Nearly losing my balance, I held on to the pedestal for support.


    "Kai, what''s wrong?" Asher''s worried voice sounded. I shook my head and focused on the memory. She was showing me how she''d cast the spell. All I had to do was to reverse it. I took a deep breath and let go of the pedestal.


    "I''ll purify this place." I said, glancing at Asher and Lucius. "Be ready to run to the exit in case the place decides to collapse. Asher, make sure you have a spell ready for it." Asher nodded while Lucius seemed even more concerned than before. I took a deep breath. "Here we go."


    I placed my palms on the pedestal and allowed the veins of demonic magic to connect with my hands. I expected a burning sensation, something painful and unpleasant. Instead, I felt the cool touch of the night breeze. At least, that''s what this demonic magic reminded me of. I allowed it to flow into my body. I could feel the souls of demons within me stir, this was a sustenance for them. They grew in power, and with them, so did I.


    I closed my eyes and allowed the process to happen. I don''t know exactly how long it took, but when I opened my eyes, there were no more purple veins in the ground.


    "Are you ok?" Was the first thing Asher asked me when I opened my eyes. I nodded, I felt renewed almost. And relieved. With this, I had completed the mission Divine Matriarch Aelith had given me. Erik and the others were safe for now and I wasn''t in any immediate danger by one or more of the divines. I think.


    "Let''s go before this place collapses." We left the room and climbed up the stairs. We climbed out the cut bars and finally made our way to the surface.


    Mona was sitting on the grass, not too far from here, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I covered my eyes with my hand ¨C the sunlight still hurt. A lot.


    "Mona, we''re done." I called out to her. Startled, she jumped on her feet and turned towards us. Her expression softened as soon as she saw us. "Oh hey!" She grinned. "You scared me!"


    "What''s your plan now, Mona?" Asher asked. The cheerful druid laughed. "I just got word from Laura ¨C we''ll meet up and do some quests." She glanced at us. "Do you guys want to join in?"


    I smiled, "I don''t think we should butt in. Besides, I want to check up on the others." I was especially worried about Alina. She seemed devastated on the night of the funeral. I knew she was closest with Samantha.


    "That''s a good idea." Mona said, her smile fading. "I''ll see you again soon then." She hesitated. "And Kai?" She asked right as she turned her back on us. "I''d like to talk to you when you get the chance."


    A lump appeared in my throat. "Of course. Let''s meet back in Baile Chailce soon."


    She smiled and nodded, then turned into an eagle and flew off.


    We watched her until she was out of sight. Lucius kept his eyes on her even after Asher and I couldn''t see her anymore. After maybe a minute, he also looked away.


    "I suggest we begin our journey to Baile Chailce tomorrow." Asher said, glancing at the sky. "For today, we should find a place to set up camp and rest."


    Lucius sighed, then nodded. "Agreed." He glanced at me. I also nodded. It was already late in the afternoon. Even if we began flying back to the city, we wouldn''t make much progress before nightfall.


    It didn''t take us long to decide to go back to the alcove we used the other night. We knew it was safe and it was easy to set up camp there.


    We dug the firepit and prepared our blankets. Once our preparations were complete, I finally decided to ask.


    "So," I said, taking a deep breath. "What was it you wanted to talk about."

 Chapter 142: A Gap in Memory

    Lucius took a deep breath and glanced at Asher. The blonde sorcerer nodded. "Kai, do you mind coming here?" He said as he walked into the woods.


    "What''s going on?" I asked as I followed him and Lucius into the woods. Soon, we arrived at a small opening. "Guys?" I insisted. Today wasn''t a good day to be all mysterious. I didn''t have the patience or energy to deal with it.


    "What are you doing here?" Asher said, slowly.


    I raised my eyebrows. Something about the way he spoke sounded weird to me. Foreign. Like his pronunciation was a bit off.


    "What do you mean? You asked me to come!" What the hell was he trying to accomplish?


    "Oh, by the M-" Lucius stopped himself at the last second. "Asher, how the hell is that even possible?" His face went pale as he spoke. Wide eyed, he looked at Asher. "He doesn''t even-"


    "Kai, can you repeat what you just said?" Asher asked. That weird pronunciation was gone.


    "I said, what do you mean? You asked me to come." I pressed every word as I glared at him. "Care to explain?"


    The blonde sorcerer''s shoulders dropped. "How on earth¡­?" He mumbled before taking a deep breath. I made a vague motion with my hands, urging him to try.


    "The first time I told you something, I didn''t speak in English." Asher glanced at the pale faced Lucius. "I spoke in Demonic."


    I looked at him. Blinked. Then finally spoke. "You what?"


    "And you answered in perfect, fluent Demonic."


    "Wait, no-" I tried to protest, but my thoughts were interrupted by Lucius.


    "You spoke Demonic with that demon too." The young swordsman said. "We had no clue as to what you two were talking about. Even Asher couldn''t make out the words."


    "But I don''t know demonic!" I cried out. "How can I?"


    "If it wasn''t for Lucius'' existence, I''d have deemed you a demon and a native of this world and killed you on the spot." Asher''s cold words sent a shiver down my spine. "But since he knew you from before we all got trapped in this game, he is proof that you are, indeed, a human." He narrowed his eyes. "And that begs the question; how can you speak Demonic so fluently that you don''t even notice when you switch languages?"


    I wanted to shout ¨C tell him that he was wrong.


    "Kai, what''s written here?" He raised his hand. Light converged in his palm, then continued to form shapes in the air.


    "I will return, one day." I read the text out loud. "Or perhaps I should say, someone will take my place, as the Keeper of Souls." I paused and glanced at Asher. "What''s this?"


    "Kai, that''s not English." Lucius said. "It''s not even the same alphabet!"


    "It does look more like kanji ¨C the writing system the Japanese and Chinese use, though it works somewhat differently." Asher added. He shot the text floating in the air a glance.


    "I don''t understand." I stepped back and shook my head. How was that another alphabet? How was I speaking in Demonic? How could I not notice any of that? How could I miss such an important, obvious fact? "How?" I looked at Asher and Lucius wide eyed. I still couldn''t believe it.


    "I don''t know," Asher said, shaking his head. "I knew you could read Demonic text, but I hadn''t realised you had no idea."


    "Wait ¨C I did that before?" My eyes widened as a faint memory scratched the back of my mind.


    "Uh, in the castle where we got the primal core of wind." Lucius explained as I replayed the memory in my mind. "The text on the door to the library was in Demonic. I even commented on it." Asher added. I furrowed my brows. Was it really?


    "I¡­ don''t remember." I whispered. My eyes wide, I looked at them. "I remember the door, I remember reading the text and I remember you telling me something, but that''s all I can remember."


    "What?" Lucius asked in shock. "What do you mean?" I shook my head, not even sure of how to explain. I forced myself to remember every other time I had read something out loud. I held my head with my hands as nothing came to mind.


    "Kai." Asher''s voice sounded. I felt his hand on my shoulder. "First of all, calm down."


    "How can I stay calm?" I asked, stepping away from him. "How can you stay calm?" I asked, wide eyed. My hands were shivering.


    "Kai-"


    "I can''t remember, Asher!" I shouted. "I can''t remember even though it''s such an important detail!" I stared at my hands. "What if there are other things I don''t remember?"


    Asher stopped ¨C had he not thought of that?


    "What''s the blank in your memory like?" Lucius finally spoke again. I leaned my back on a nearby tree and slid down. I didn''t think my legs could carry me for much longer anyways.


    "I hadn''t even noticed it until you mentioned it. Whatever Asher said to me about the text not being in English is gone. I remember him telling me something, but I''ve got no idea of what it is." I stared at my shaking hands. How could I forget? What was happening to me?


    "Ok." Asher took a deep breath, presumably to calm himself. "I want you to look at this writing again." He gestured towards the text still floating in the air. "Don''t read it ¨C just follow the lines, force your mind to see the symbols, not their meaning."


    It didn''t take me long to realise what was going on. "Do you ¨C no, let''s see if it will work." I mumbled. I took a deep breath and looked at the text.


    ''I will return, one day. Or perhaps I should say, someone will take my place, as the Keeper of Souls.''


    No, I forced myself to focus on the words, to see the symbols that represent these ideas and concepts. Why was my vision so blurry? The more I tried to look at the text, the more difficult it became to see clearly. Everything else, I could see perfectly but the symbols that spelled those words, I simply couldn''t see.


    "It''s a blur." I said after a while. "I can''t see it."


    I could feel the air grow heavier as both Lucius and Asher stood there, stunned.


    "I know what you''re thinking." I said, taking a deep breath. "Something is actively and constantly manipulating my memory and senses." I turned my gaze on Asher, who avoided meeting it. "That''s what you''re thinking, isn''t it?"


    He nodded. "This may all be pointless," He said with a sigh. He glanced at Lucius, who had come to my side. I felt the young man''s hand on my shoulder.


    "What do you mean?" Lucius asked, glaring at Asher. I pushed his hand aside and forced myself to get up.


    "There is a good chance I will forget all about this as well," I glared at Asher. "That''s what you mean, isn''t it?"


    The blonde sorcerer bit his lower lip. "Yeah." He looked away, at the now dark sky. "And I don''t know how to fix any of this." He clenched his fist.


    "There has to be a way to get rid of whatever''s effecting his mind!" Lucius shouted. His glare jumped between me and Asher. "You aren''t giving up, are you?" I could hear the anger in his voice.


    "No." I shook my head. "But my memory can''t be trusted anymore." I looked at my hands. "Who knows how much I''ve forgotten already. Vixia and Delthur may have told me many things that I don''t remember anymore." I took a deep breath. My memory being unreliable wasn''t entirely new ¨C I was already having trouble keeping all the souls'' memories in check. But this ¨C this felt wrong in so many different levels.


    "We need to find out who did this." Asher opened his interface. "I doubt it''s the demons," He mumbled as he took a notebook from his inventory. "The prime suspect is Divine Matriarch Aelith."


    I hesitated while Lucius nodded. "That makes sense." The young swordsman seemed to agree with Asher. "She is trying to constantly keep tabs on Kai after all."


    No, that didn''t feel right. Aelith was surprised to see me the first time we''d met. "Who else could it be?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. I couldn''t rule the possibility that Aelith was responsible out, of course, but if there were any other suspects, I''d rather focus on them.


    Asher hesitated a while. "Well," He made a few meaningless gestures. "I don''t know." His shoulder dropped in resignation.


    Lucius sighed and massaged his temples while just breathed a sigh. There was too much we didn''t know. I felt like several different forces were forcing me to play to their tune as I struggles to stay sane.


    "Asher, Lucius." I said finally. "Let''s head to sleep. I¡­ I''ll think of something by tomorrow, I''m sure."


    The blonde sorcerer nodded, though I could see the hesitation in his eyes.


    "I''ll keep watch first." Lucius said. Asher nodded. "Then I''ll keep watch for the second half of the night."


    I opened my mouth to try and protest, but Lucius'' deadly glare stopped me.


    "You should rest, Kai. Today was hard on you."


    I did as I was told because I understood. I had lost their trust in the span of a quarter of an hour, by no fault of my own.


    I resigned myself to an uneasy sleep.

 Chapter 143: An Unexpected Meeting

    I woke up with the first rays of sunlight. Lucius was asleep and Asher was reading one of his leather-bound notebooks.


    "Good morning, Asher."


    "Sleep well?" He asked. I shrugged. Nightmares and memories that didn''t belong to me had kept me on edge the whole night. Asher, however, didn''t need to know that.


    "I''ll go train some," I said and left the campsite. I didn''t go too far ¨C my first stop was a nearby stream of water, where I washed hands and face. Then, I headed for the opening we''d gone to yesterday evening.


    My mind was a mess, and I didn''t know how to fix it. The only thing I did know was that we had to find a cure, a solution to whatever was going on with me.


    That''s when I realised. I remembered yesterday''s conversation!


    It struck me suddenly. It had been one of my biggest fears as I fell asleep ¨C that I wouldn''t remember anything once I woke up.


    Feeling just a tiny bit more relieved, I raised my hand, my palm facing straight ahead. Swordplay was all good and well, but that alone wasn''t going to be enough. As the sunlight burnt my eyes, I focused on the faint, almost non-existent morning breeze.


    How did this work again? The phoenix'' soul helped me a great deal when using my flames, but I didn''t have that kind of help when it came to using the primal core of wind.


    I faintly remembered unconsciously creating wind some time ago. When was that? I couldn''t quite remember. Well, the time didn''t really matter, did it? I closed my eyes and focused my mind; I felt the movement of magic through my body, the subtle touch of the faint morning breeze as it gently blew my hair and tugged my clothes.


    What if, I thought to myself, that same wind passed through my extended fingers and gathered in my palm? I felt the cool breeze touch my skin, was it working?


    I didn''t dare open my eyes, instead, I took a shallow breath and let the wind slowly but surely gather in my open palm. It was more difficult to control than the flames, perhaps because I was more used to the flames, or maybe because the wind was, intrinsically wilder and freer.


    "Kai?" I heard Lucius'' voice some time later. I wasn''t sure of how much time had passed. My concentration shattered and the small wind vortex in my palm scattered and disappeared. Despite that, I felt satisfied. For once, I had actually done something without outside help.


    "Good morning, Lucius." I said with a faint smile. He smiled back, though I could see it was fake. He was wary of me, and rightfully so. "Do you happen to remember what we talked about yesterday?" He asked, almost sheepishly.


    I chuckled. "Yeah, I was surprised too. I remember everything we talked about, or at least I think so." I hesitated. "Why don''t we go over it, just in case?" What if I had forgotten some portions of it? The thought hadn''t occurred to me until now.


    I recounted yesterday''s discussion to Lucius as we made out way back to the campsite. Thankfully, my memories did seem intact. Sighing a breath of relief, we dug into our breakfast. It didn''t take us long to finish eating. Once we were done, we packed up our belongings, covered up the firepit with some dirt and finally set off.


    Both Asher and Lucius seemed as relieved as I was ¨C the simple fact that I could still remember yesterday''s conversation meant that not all of my memory was being manipulated.


    We flew the entire day and only landed on a nice hill to set up camp for the night. We were mostly silent and lost in thought. Asher was trying to figure out who or what could have enough power to manipulate my senses and memory like this.


    "It might be that hooded woman." I said as we finished our dinner. Asher hesitated. "Why do you suspect her?"


    I made a vague gesture. "I don''t think it''s Aelith and I honestly can''t think of anyone else." If only we knew more, then we could come to some more reliable conclusions.


    Lucius shook his head. "If she has such power over you, she would have never allowed you to stop her armies like she did on that peak."


    I flinched as I remembered that fight and the tragedy that happened at the end of it. "You have a point." I mumbled. I shook my head and sighed. "Alright, time to go practice a bit." Sitting here doing nothing was only going to cause me to become more depressed.


    "I''ll join you." Lucius said with a little bit of excitement in his voice. Asher chuckled. "Let me watch then."


    It didn''t take us long to find a suitable spot not too far away from the camp. After getting rid of our cloaks for ease of movement, Lucius and I took our place across the grassy field.


    "Ready?" I asked, my heart beating faster with excitement and anticipation. Lucius grinned and nodded as both of swords materialised in our hands.


    For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, we dashed at each other at the same time. Mirroring each other''s movements, we feinted our overhead strikes, instead opting to strike from the left. I was the one who backed down and feinted that strike too, instead choosing to defend.


    Lucius'' sword hit mine with a loud clang and with that, our dance began. I blocked his relentless assault with nothing more than basic movements. I furrowed my brows as he leapt back, somewhat out of breath.


    "Damn, Kai. Why the hell are you using magic?" The young swordsman said, glaring at me with some annoyance.


    "I''m not!" I said, glancing at Asher for confirmation. The blonde sorcerer nodded. "Kai hasn''t used any spells yet."


    "Then how come are you so damn fast?" Lucius asked.


    "I don''t feel any different than before." I said as I opened my status panel. "Well," I mumbled as I glanced at my level.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 95 Soul Keeper | Exp: 56980/120000 - - Souls 100/100 + 2000 - - Mana: 2090


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    "I did level up," I added. "But none of my stats are higher or anything."


    Asher and Lucius both approached me and checked my stats. "That is weird." Asher mumbled. "What about the development path?" He asked after a short while. I hesitated, then opened that panel.


    ''Sacrifices taken'' Was written in pale blue text, just like before. Underneath, a long list was written in fine text. I scoured the list for anything that seemed familiar, but they were mostly names I faintly remembered from the memories of the souls I''d taken in.


    "That is odd." Asher mumbled. "But it doesn''t say anything about a path being chosen or development being in progress."


    "Well, whatever happened, Kai is way faster than he was before." Lucius sighed. "Anyways, let''s continue." He took his place again, sword in hand.


    "Are you sure, Lucius?" I asked, still somewhat confused. Wasn''t he pushing himself a bit too much?


    "Yeah!" He grinned. I shrugged and took my sword in hand. As I was about to dash forward, a low rustle sounded from the treeline. Lucius said nothing, but I could see his posture change.


    "Get out of the bushes, Astrid." Asher said with a sigh.


    "Again?" The young woman shouted as she stepped into the opening.


    "Oh, it''s you." I said, lowering my guard just a little. I remembered her, both from that time she and Asher were spying on us and from when I''d faced off against her team in the tournament.


    She glanced at me, Lucius and Asher, then shook her head. "Before I ask what the hell you two are doing here, Asher, how the hell did you know I was there?" She stared at the blonde sorcerer, wide eyed.


    "Have ever thought that maybe sneaking around isn''t your forte?" Asher asked with a skewed smile. "You couldn''t be more obvious if you tried, Astrid."


    I could see her clench her fists with anger. Asher was, as always, great at annoying people. "So," I chimed in before she had a chance to blow up on him. "What brings you here?"


    She sighed. "A dumb quest wanted me to check up on a certain cavern that was important some centuries ago." Her shoulders dropped. "But when I got there, the entrance had collapsed and there was no way inside." She opened her interface and quickly navigated to the quests panel. "And the stupid quest didn''t even acknowledge that! Now I have to go all the way back to the village, talk to the guild, have the Ereth there manually complete the quest and hope I get some decent rewards." She stopped momentarily to take a deep breath, then continued with her rant.


    "Um," I chimed in again, hoping she''d calm down a little. "I''d suggest you be careful around here." I glanced at the sky. "Demons were sighted in the vicinity and I don''t think you could take them on just yet."


    She flinched. "Demons? Oh no, don''t worry." Her annoyed expression left its place to worry. "I have no intentions of messing with demons." She sighed and glanced at the sky. "Anyways, do you mind if I spend the night at your camp?"


    Asher chuckled. "Sure, come along." He glanced at us as we nodded. Leaving her to fend for herself at night felt just wrong and if something happened to her while we could have prevented it, I''d never forgive myself.


    "Great!" She chuckled. "In that case, there is something I need to talk to you about." She said that, looking straight at me. "But dinner first!" She grinned.

 Chapter 144: Grim Omens

    We watched as Astrid finished her meal, consisting of a rather large sandwich and some juice. Since this was the first time we''d met outside of a battlefield, I wasn''t really sure of what to make of her. Looking at her right now, she seemed no different than any other player we''d met in this game.


    "So," She said as she gulped down the bit of her sandwich. "I have something to tell you." She glared at me. I hesitated. Was I supposed to say something?


    "Uh, I''m listening?"


    "Good!" She declared loudly. Then, her expression turned more serious. "You see," She explained. "Yesterday, there was a meeting among the players that happened to be in Baile Chailce. Naturally, I attended and so did the person who hired me." She hesitated. "Well, you already know Victoria, so no point in being all hush hush."


    She fiddled with her short hair as she continued. "Many players, weak and strong, took turns to address the rest of the player base. Most of them wanted to recruit more people for their groups since they were so scared. Most of what was said is basically meaningless, so I''ll spare you the details." She sighed. "But three important things happened."


    She glanced at Asher and Lucius. "The first is that you, Kai Friseal, are now an important person and about half of the player base is looking for you."


    "They''re doing what now?" I asked, my eyes wide. More attention was exactly what I wanted to avoid.


    "Well, you won the tournament and the Ereth keep calling you ''The Divine Matriarch''s Champion'', so naturally people think you''re in the know of some not so obvious things."


    "I''m not!" I cried out. "Seriously, Astrid, I don''t want to deal with so many people!"


    She chuckled. "I doubt there''s anything we can do. Anyways, people don''t seem to hate you so you should be fine. The second thing that happened is that there is a¡­" She hesitated, almost as if she were searching for the right word. "There''s a divide among the player base." She glanced at Asher again. "I''m not sure if these two know, so¡­"


    "You can tell them anything you want to tell me." I did trust them more than I could trust anyone else.


    "If you say so." She sighed. "Someone found out who Erik is in real life."


    I froze. "No way." I mumbled. "Wait, no, who? How?" This was bad; really, really bad.


    "You mean about his father?" Asher asked. I could hear a hint of panic in his voice as well. "How could anyone find out?"


    Astrid shrugged. "I don''t know. But a rather large group of morons decided that Erik''s to blame for them getting stuck here." She clenched her fists. "The girls and I barely got the guy out of the meeting before he was lynched."


    I gritted my teeth. Why had this happened when I wasn''t in the city?


    "So, the divide is between the people who want Erik to pay and¡­?" Asher asked. Astrid nodded. "Yeah, between those idiots and the larger group that just wants to band together and off the Demon Lord." She shook her head. "A huge fight broke out after we got Erik out. Apparently one of the Divines had to intervene to make sure no one was killed."


    Silence followed her words. I bit my lower lip. This was worse than I feared. "I need to talk to Aelith." I said after a short while. "She needs to-"


    "No." Asher shook his head. "You can''t constantly keep relying on her."


    "What am I supposed to do?" I shouted. What if something happened to Erik, or anyone who happened to be with him at the time? What if players decided to target Alina, Joshua or Vincent?


    "Erik''s with the girls right now." Astrid said. "Though they won''t stay long. We''re supposed to meet in the village tomorrow." She sighed. "Victoria asked me to check up on a few things, so I''ll be busy with that. I can''t keep an eye on the paladin for you."


    Lucius shook his head. "There is only so much we can do to protect someone, Kai." Asher nodded while the young swordsman continued. "When we return tomorrow, you should talk to him. Perhaps having them leave the city in secret and going somewhere remote, with less players around would be a good idea."


    I hesitated. He wasn''t wrong, but on the other hand, less populated area meant less Ereth guards. Which meant less protection.


    It was a tough choice and honestly, it wasn''t my choice to make.


    "I want to return to my research once we''re done here." Asher said after a moment. "With so many things having come to light, I feel like we need to learn more about the past." I nodded; Asher''s words did make sense.


    "I should check up on my people as well." Lucius said with a sigh. "I''ll be joining you before long though, Kai."


    I hesitated, then nodded again. "I''ll be with Erik and the others then." While I definitely didn''t look forward to facing Erik, I couldn''t stand idly by as people came after him for nothing but revenge, for something that isn''t even his own fault.


    "The son suffers the sins of the father." Astrid mumbled as she looked up at the starry sky. "Let''s hope that saying doesn''t come true."


    "Uh," Lucius mumbled. "Isn''t that from the bible?"


    Astrid chuckled and shrugged. "Anyways, I''m off to sleep. Good night!"


    Without waiting for an answer, she laid on her back and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she had fallen asleep.


    "I''m envious." Lucius mumbled, then glanced at me and Asher. "I''ll keep first watch. And no, Kai, you don''t get to keep watch." I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine."


    I laid on my side and pulled my blanket over me. The cold night breeze tugged at the soft blanket. I closed my eyes and soon drifted to another uneasy sleep, filled with memories of lives that weren''t my own.


    Come morning, Astrid had already left by the time I woke up. Asher prepared us a modest breakfast and soon, we set off as well.


    We were silent for most of the way, though my silence was because of a task Asher had given me. I focused on the wind that blowed in my face, pulling my hair and clothes as we flew over the land. Just like I did the other morning, I tried to guide the wind to gather in my palm. Like Asher had suggested, we had a whole day of flight in front of us and wasting all that time would be utterly foolish.


    Besides, if I wanted to get stronger, strong enough to defy Aelith and kill the Demon Lord, I had to use every single advantage I had. And there could be no greater advantage than having not one, but two primal cores at my disposal.


    "So," I heard the two of them speak as I finally managed to catch a tiny breeze in my palm. "What do you think will happen?" Lucius'' voice was filled with worry. Asher hesitated a while before responding. "I don''t know. But Kai''s situation is quite grim." I heard his sigh. "There is a reason why memories are something not messed with in games such as these."


    "Oh?" Lucius'' interest was piqued. "Why?"


    "Because memories are what makes you who you are." Asher hesitated. "Well, experience is. But where is all that experience stored? In your memories. When we make a game, we already give players a new body, so there is no such thing as muscle memory. All that remains is the memories stored in the player''s mind. If you tamper with that ¨C take it away or add new ones ¨C you''re effectively overwriting a person."


    I flinched. I''d never though of it like that, but thinking about it, everything Asher said made sense. Was I still the same Kai as before? No. I could say with certainty that I wasn''t.


    "Besides," Asher added. I focused, so I could hear his words which were clearly not intended for me. "In Kai''s case, they''re filling his mind with hundreds of lifetimes worth of memories. It''s a miracle the man hasn''t completely lost his sense of self yet."


    "That can happen?" Lucius asked. Asher sighed. "Of course, that and worse. Look ¨C he hadn''t even noticed he was speaking another language. Who knows what else he has done without knowing?"


    I clenched my fists. He had made a very good point.


    "Did you mean it, Asher? That you would have killed him on the spot if I weren''t there?"


    Asher hesitated. "Well." He took a deep breath. "I don''t know. Everything he''s done so far has been with good intentions. Well, mostly." He chuckled. "I don''t think I would have been able to."


    I didn''t know what to think of his words. "Besides," He added. "He was more surprised than us." Silence followed his words, until Lucius broke it a while later.


    "Yeah," He said with a bitter tone. "You have to find a solution to this, Asher."


    The blonde sorcerer nodded. "I will. It''ll take time, but I will."

 Chapter 145: Once Again, Meeting the Matriarch

    Even though his words weren''t intended for me to hear, I couldn''t help but feel relieved. Despite my goal-oriented approach to things, I was scared of losing my sense of self. I didn''t want to stop being me. Ever.


    Asher''s words seemed to have ended their conversation, so I once again focused on manipulating the winds around me. Just like my flames, this also used a little bit of mana. Despite my limited mana pool however, I wasn''t worried ¨C the amount of mana used was negligible.


    By the time we arrived at Baile Chailce, I had figured out how controlling wind worked. Of course, I couldn''t do anything more than creating a slight breeze, but that was better than nothing, to say the least.


    "Now," Asher said as we landed in the woods close to the city gates. "I''m not going to enter the city ¨C I''ll go back to the keep." He glanced at me. I nodded; I knew exactly where he was talking about. The place which was protected by the Well of Souls ¨C my predecessor''s home, or at least that''s what we assumed.


    "When do we meet up?" Lucius asked. I shrugged. "I''ll be with Erik and the others. Where are you going?" I knew he was going to meet with his own people ¨C the same ones who fought by his side in the tournament.


    "We have a safe house outside the city. They''re probably waiting there. I''ll be in touch though. Just let Victoria know when you guys leave the city. She has ways of contacting me." The young swordsman grinned.


    "Alright, I''ll do that." I said with a chuckle. "In that case," I said, taking a deep breath. "Let''s meet again soon."


    "Let''s. Remember," Asher said with a faint smile. "I''m quite literally a thought away."


    I nodded. With that, we bid our farewells and each of us went in a separate direction. I couldn''t help but feel a little sad. I did enjoy spending time with these two and I knew I could count on them when it came to life and death situations.


    I shook my head and made my way to the city gates. There was no point in wasting time thinking about things I couldn''t change. I passed through the gates without issue and slowly made my way to the Divine''s palace.


    "Kai?" A familiar voice called my name. I turned towards the voice''s source to see Laura.


    She smiled and approached me. "I didn''t know you were back!"


    "I just arrived," I said with a forced smile. Had Mona told her about what happened?


    "Oh really? I was just about to leave the city. Talk about luck." She chuckled, then her expression turned more serious. "Listen, some things happened the other day. I don''t have the time to explain everything, but¡­" She told me the same events as Astrid did, about the situation that developed when the players had their meeting.


    "Sounds like things got pretty ugly towards the end there." I commented as she finished recounting the events. She nodded and glanced at the Ereth citizens going about their lives. "The guards reacted immediately and so did one of the Divines. She was furious. A bunch of quests were given to anyone that was still there and we were threatened with retaliation if we didn''t complete the quests."


    My eyes widened. Astrid must have left the hall, along with Erik just in time since she didn''t say anything about this. "So, is that why you''re leaving?" I asked.


    "Yeah," She nodded. "I have to deliver a whole bunch of medical supplies to a town on the frontier. It''s not too dangerous since Mona and Theresa will meet up with me over at the river." I felt a little relieved to hear that. The river was only an hour''s walk away from here and the area was pretty well guarded by Ereth. After the river was where the wild, dangerous lands began.


    "I wish I could come along to help," I said with a bitter smile as I instinctively touched the earring Divine Matriarch Aelith had given me. "But I have some things I can''t put off either."


    Laura chuckled. "It''s fine, you don''t need to worry. I''m just glad I got to see you; we''ve been worried ever since¡­ Samantha passed away." Her voice trembled a little. She hesitated toward the end, almost as if she were scared I''d break apart right then and there.


    "Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. "I''m fine though, thanks to all of your support. All three of you have helped me more than you are aware."


    She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "I''m just glad you''re holding in there." Her gaze wandered off for a moment. "I should get going. Let''s all meet up when we''re back."


    "Yeah," I said. "Let''s do that."


    After she left, I hurried off to Aelith''s palace. If I kept her waiting for too long, she could decide to give me more tasks. And right now, what I needed was some time to spend with my friends. I needed to keep Erik and the others safe. Somehow.


    As usual, the Ereth guards led me to the throne room, where I was once again teleported to Aelith''s library. I opened my eyes as the bright light of the teleportation sigil faded, only to find Matriarch Aelith standing by the windows.


    "The castle has been purified." She said with a soft voice. "Well done."


    I hesitated. This wasn''t how our meetings usually went. "Does that mean you''ll leave Erik and the others be?"


    She chuckled. Her long, crimson hair fluttered in an inexistent wind as she slowly turned towards me. Her bright blue eyes seeming pierced my soul as she slowly stepped towards me. "Oh, don''t you worry." Her bewitching voice threatened my mind. I quickly averted my eyes, was she doing this consciously?


    As I forced myself to focus on the present, I felt the souls within me stir. I didn''t have to think too much to figure out what was going on. It was Rhia and the demons who had died with her at Forlorn Castle. I could feel their hatred and wrath. I pushed their feelings and power aside and forced my mind to remain clear and my own.


    "You''ve done what I asked you to. I tend to keep my promises ¨C your friends are in no danger from me." A wicked smile flashed on her face as I gritted my teeth. "I''d like to ask," I said, taking a deep breath. "I''ve heard of some ill will towards Erik."


    She chuckled. "I''ve noticed some¡­ unrest, the other day." Her gaze focused on me. "I promised to not harm them, Kai Friseal. Not to protect them."


    I clenched my fists. I don''t know why I''d hoped for something different. "I understand." I said, forcing myself to remain calm. "In that case, if there is nothing more, allow me to excuse myself." It took a lot of effort to remain calm and speak at least somewhat formally.


    "You may, a room has been prepared for you." She approached me as I quickly stepped back.


    "I''d rather spend the night in the city-" I began to speak, but she cut me off. "I shall see you again tomorrow morning." Her deadly gaze was enough to make me fall silent. Not yet, I told myself. I wasn''t strong enough to defy her yet.


    A sigil appeared beneath my feet. Light enveloped me and soon, I found myself in the throne room.


    "Keeper," An Ereth guard spoke as I opened my eyes. "Please follow us." I nodded; it wasn''t like there was anything else I could do.


    We walked through the hallways that reminded me more of labyrinths rather than a palace and eventually arrived at the room I was given. The Ereth opened the door and closed it once I was inside. I could hear the sound of a key turning in the lock.


    My shoulders dropped. It wasn''t much different than last time, yet it bothered me much more tonight. Probably because this time, my mind wasn''t filled with sorrow. I looked around the room, only to notice that it was the same room as before.


    "Great," I mumbled as I sighed. The sun had set a while ago and I was honestly quite tired. I glanced at the white bedsheets, then at the bathroom. I hadn''t gotten the chance to clean myself through all the chaos and battles, so a warm bath sounded wonderful.


    I hesitated, then shrugged and decided to go ahead with it.


    A while later, I lay on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling. I had to face Erik and the others tomorrow. I had to make sure they understood the severity of the situation. It wasn''t something I looked forward to.


    I took a deep breath and sighed. Thinking about tomorrow was useless. Instead, I opened my status panel and checked the development panel. It was the same as before.


    "Damn it¡­" I mumbled. I needed more power. More power to not have to cower before Aelith, more power to protect Erik and the others, more power to kill the Demon Lord. I checked the other panels of the interface absentmindedly. Suddenly, something caught my eye.


    I navigated to my skills panel. Beneath the usual blue text, a new line was written.


    ''New skill available ¨C Soul''s Aspect.''

 Chapter 146: Crescent Moon

    My heartbeat quickened as I lightly tapped on the new skill''s name. The interface quickly opened a new panel, showing the description.


    ''Allows the Soul Keeper to temporarily take on any physical or magical abilities of any one chosen soul he has taken in.''


    My eyes widened. That was¡­ not what I expected, to be honest. It certainly seemed more interesting and useful than being able to create small gusts of wind. After a short moment of hesitation, I decided to just roll with it. I already had more skill points than I knew what to do with.


    I unlocked the skill and gave it four more skill points, upgrading it to level 5.


    Then, I stood up, took a deep breath and used the skill. A new panel popped up, listing all the souls I had taken in so far. I couldn''t help but laugh ¨C over two thousand souls! How was I supposed to find what I was looking for?


    I shook my head and closed the panel ¨C doing it like this was meaningless. I wouldn''t have time to search that list during battle anyways. I had to learn to use Soul''s aspect without an interface anyways. Now was a good time as any to start.


    I closed my eyes and pictured one of my more memorable fights ¨C the sea serpent. I had intentionally not picked the phoenix because I didn''t want to burn the room on accident.


    A moment passed where nothing happened, then I felt my mana drain by a lot. I opened my eyes to see the sea serpent''s soul circling around me. As it did, I noticed scales appear on my arms, just like they had before. As I watched myself in the mirror across the room, the same scales slowly climbed up my chest and even covered my face.


    Gills appeared on my neck. My eyes widened ¨C breathing underwater was something I sorely lacked during that fight ¨C it had nearly gotten me killed even. I moved my body and looked at myself in the mirror to see if anything else had changed, but nothing else felt or looked different.


    I let go of the transformation soon after ¨C even holding on to it depleted my mana incredibly quickly. I needed more mana if I wanted to use this skill for more than a couple of minutes.


    I pondered a while on how I could make use of this during combat, but my exhausted mind soon drifted away. Laying on the bed, it didn''t take me long to fall asleep. My dreams were once again plagued with memories of lives I didn''t live.


    As I woke up with the first rays of sunlight, I forced myself to get up. Whatever Aelith wanted from me this morning, I wanted to get it done quickly and leave. Now I had another worry added on top of my already existing pile of worries ¨C what if Erik or one of the others had also received that quest the Ereth Divine had forced on most players?


    If one of them did, I had to meet with them before they left the city.


    I washed up and fixed my clothes, then approached the door. Once again, it wasn''t locked. As soon as I opened it, the Ereth guard bid me a good morning and offered to take me to the Matriarch.


    "Please," I said, trying to supress Rhia and the other demons'' hatred. They were making an already tough situation much more difficult. We made our way to the throne room, where the teleportation sigil once again took me to Divine Matriarch Aelith''s library.


    She stood by her desk. Her hand rested on a cloth that was clearly wrapped around something. I couldn''t help but feel nervous as the light around me faded. She slowly turned towards me, with a bewitching smile. "Good morning, Keeper." I immediately averted my eyes. My mind was already a mess, I didn''t need her tampering with it as well.


    "As I promised," She said, slowly walking towards me, the item wrapped in cloth in her hand. "I have prepared a gift for you."


    I instinctively stepped back. I didn''t trust her, or her gifts one bit.


    "Don''t be like that," She said with that same, wicked smile. She placed the item in my hands. "Don''t worry. It''s not a trap and hasn???t got a hint of magic in it."


    I raised my eyebrows. Now a hint of magic?


    "In fact, it''s not even Ereth made." She continued. "It belonged to a legendary demon warrior." She chuckled. "Well, she died a while ago, but the bow is quite well made." She gestured me to unwrap it. "Us Ereth can not touch demonic weapons such as this ¨C but you can make use of it, I am certain."


    I hesitated, then unwrapped the cloth.


    The bow was massive. It was made from a dark coloured wood. Sections of it were reinforced with a black metal. The weapon wasn''t just a bow ¨C its string was hooked on with a simple hook. It was easy to hook and remove, and it was made like this for a purpose.


    I carefully unhooked the string. The bow straightened just a little, forming the shape reminding me of a crescent moon. The spikes that I thought to be decorative had now an actual use. They were blades, extending out of the crescent shape.


    "It''s a blade and a bow." Aelith softly spoke. "The warrior this belonged to was quite the terror on the battlefield with this." She chuckled again. "You may leave now Kai Friseal. I shall call for you when it is time."


    "In that case, I''ll take my leave." I said as the light enveloped me. Once again, I found myself at the throne hall. The Ereth guards escorted me outside just like before. Once I stepped foot under the sun, I immediately headed to the inn I knew Erik and the others were staying at.


    As my fast steps carried me to the inn, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat relieved to be out of that god damned palace. I soon arrived at the inn, only to see Vincent sitting outside. His head was resting on his hands as he stared at the ground.


    "Vincent!" I called his name as I approached him. He flinched and quickly raised his head. "Kai!" he shouted as he jumped on his feet. "Where were you?"


    I smiled. "The Divine Matriarch sent me on an errand." I was downplaying what I did. "How are you?" I asked after a short moment of hesitation. It was a mostly meaningless question. How could he be after losing a close friend?


    "We''re fine." He said, his expression turning bitter. "Alina is holding in there. Erik is¡­ angry. At anyone and anything." He sighed. "Kai, I¡­ I didn''t get the chance to say it but¡­ thanks for coming to our aid that day. If it weren''t for you being there, we all would have died."


    I shook my head. "Please don''t. Not everyone got out alive, so please don''t."


    Vincent flinched, but then nodded. "Alright then," He mumbled with a bitter smile. "I''m glad you''re back, then. How does that work?"


    I chuckled. "That works fine."


    We entered the inn. It was mostly empty inside, probably because it was so early in the morning. The bartender was cleaning the counter and a single Ereth sat by one of the tables. She seemed busy with a rather large pile of paperwork, so we passed by her silently.


    I furrowed my brows as I noticed her glancing at me. "Come on." Vincent urged me to follow him. We sat way in the back and the bartender brought us a simple breakfast.


    "Thanks." I said with a bitter smile. She just lightly patted my shoulder before heading back to the counter.


    "So," Vincent said as I took a bite of the sandwich. "A lot of stuff happened these last few days. There was a meeting-" I stopped him before he could tell much more. "I''ve heard the story twice before; I think I have pretty good idea of what happened."


    He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright then." He fiddled with a piece of bread. "Well, Erik didn''t exactly get out of there unscathed. The Divine gave him a quest too, to get him out of the city."


    I clenched my fists. That was exactly what I had feared. "Out of sight, out of mind." I hissed through my gritted teeth.


    "Exactly." Vincent sighed. "He''s supposed to kill a ''cursed beast''." The young man finally ate the last piece of bread. "I know this is a lot to ask considering how he acted towards you before but¡­" he hesitated. I knew exactly what he wanted to ask.


    "I''ll come along," I said, forcing a smile. "I''d be glad to."


    I could see just how much of a weight lifted from his shoulders as soon as he hard my words. "Thanks, Kai. You have no idea how relieved I am."


    I was about to say something when we heard footsteps, descending the stairs. Erik stopped at the last step as his gaze fell on us.


    "Kai? What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 147: Bitter Memories

    A moment of anxious silence followed his words.


    "It''s good to see you, Erik." I said, unsure of how I should greet him.


    He hesitated, then sighed and approached our table and collapsed on one of the empty chairs. "Yeah." He mumbled before slouching. "Damn it."


    We sat there, not sure of what to say. If not for Alina and Joshua coming down the stairs, our silence would have probably continued.


    "Kai?" Alina whispered as soon as she saw me. Joshua''s expression darkened a little before he suddenly grinned. "Oh hey." He said with a cheerful voice.


    "Hey guys." I said with a faint smile. "It''s good to see you."


    "I''m so glad you''re back!" Alina shouted before running towards me and throwing her arms around my neck. "I thought you''d left ¨C that you''d never come back!"


    "Sorry," I said with a chuckle as she rested her head on my shoulder. "I didn''t mean to worry you."


    Joshua coughed and pulled a chair. "Where have you been?" He asked, his expression once again quite serious.


    "The Divine Matriarch wanted me to run an errand." I said with a sigh. I didn''t want them to know exactly what I had been up to.


    "I see." Erik mumbled. He sighed again, there was clearly something in his mind. "I''m sure Vincent has told you already," He opened his interface and showed me the quests panel. A single quest was written there with clear, bold letters.


    ''Kill the Cursed Beast that plagues the water source of Baile Chailce''


    "The water source is inside demon territory." I clenched my fists. "That quest isn''t a good idea." Especially after my encounter with Delthur back at Forlorn Castle, getting close to demon territory sounded like a horrible idea. If the demons mobilised any troops in the area, Erik or the others wouldn''t stand a chance.


    "Well, we don''t exactly have a choice." Erik said with a shrug. "If I don''t complete it, my privileges as a champion of the tournament will be revoked, we can''t risk losing the support of the Ereth divines."


    Joshua nodded. "Besides, the rewards are pretty sweet." He grinned as he pointed towards the rewards listed below the quest.


    "That''s not the point!" I protested. "That''s demon territory. You don''t know how powerful demons are!" They had never seen one, let alone fought one. I honestly didn''t believe they stood a chance, not in the state they were in right now.


    "Like I said," Erik said slowly. "I don''t exactly have a choice."


    I couldn''t tell whether his anger was directed at me, or the Divine that gave him such a dangerous mission.


    "We''ll need to be very careful." I said after a sigh. "When do we set off?"


    The group hesitated; I didn''t think any one of them expected me to come with them. I raised my eyebrows. "What? Didn''t you plan at all?"


    Erik stumbled around his words for a moment before laughing. "Wait, you''re actually offering to come with? You''re crazy, I hope you know that!" He stood up and gestured at the others. "Let''s head out then, before this insane guy decides he has better things to do."


    I chuckled, though the truth in his words hurt quite a bit. I was crazy ¨C with my memory loss and a mess of a mind, I was barely hanging in here.


    "Let''s meet at the front gate in half an hour." I said as I also pushed the chair back and stood up. "I want to buy a few supplies before we head out."


    "Alright." Vincent said before anyone else could chime in. "We''ll be there."


    With that, I quickly left the inn. I needed to let Victoria know, so she could inform Lucius. My quick steps carried me to her store. As I arrived at the door, it swung open before I could even knock.


    "Kai!" Victoria shouted. "What''s going on? Where are the other two?"


    It took me a few minutes to calm her down and explain everything. As I told her about what happened, I intentionally omitted the detail about me speaking demonic and my memory loss. While I did trust her cooperate with me for Vincent and Joshua''s safety, I didn''t trust her enough to tell her something as sensitive and dangerous as that.


    "I see," She said after I explained. "I thought those two had died or something horrible like that."


    "No, we''re ok." I said with a bitter smile. She was clearly still shaken about Samantha. Not because they were close or anything ¨C I doubted they ever spoke ¨C but because how it hit all of us like a truck that death was real.


    I told her of the current situation as well as asking her to relay that information to Lucius. Afterwards, I quickly headed out. I dropped by the stores to buy some rations, then met with the others at the gates.


    "You''re early." Joshua said with a sigh. He was sitting on the grass, fiddling with some small rocks.


    "No point in wasting time, is there?" I asked, forcing a smile. I couldn''t help but feel like Joshua was acting somewhat cold ¨C had something happened while I was gone? Did he blame me for Samantha''s death?


    Before I could think about it too much, Erik arrived. "Alright then," He said, once again taking on the role of leader. It annoyed me a little, though I wasn''t sure why. "Let''s head off. We''ll follow the river to its source, then dispose of whatever cursed beast is there and come back. No detours or anything, ok?"


    With those words, we set off.


    It was weird, walking for hours to cover a distance I could fly in minutes. I had gotten so used to the constant flight while traveling with Asher that I now had some trouble guessing how long it would even take us to reach the source of the river.


    "So," I heard Vincent''s voice. "What have you really been up to?" We were walking behind the group, just out of earshot distance. "Because I can see it clear as day that you weren''t running some errand for the Divine Matriarch."


    It took some effort to keep my expression emotionless. "What do you mean? She gave me a quest, so I went to get that done." Technically, I wasn''t lying. Then again, I was omitting so many details that I might as well lie.


    "Sure, and what exactly was that quest?" He asked, glaring at me.


    "I removed a shiny rock from a pedestal." I said with a grin. "Like I said, it was an errand."


    He rolled his eyes. "Fine, keep it a secret. Don''t expect me to believe you though. You''re not a good liar, Kai." He hastened his steps to catch up with the others, leaving me behind. My shoulders dropped as I watched them. They were joking around, having fun. I could see their smiles, hear their laughter.


    How I wished to be able to do that, but my heart was heavy with sorrow and my mind, filled with fear and despair. As I looked at them, I couldn''t help but remember moments spent with friends. Moments that I never lived. Moments from memories that belonged to the dead.


    We walked as hours passed. I wanted to just fly there and kill the monster by myself so badly.


    A sudden shriek from Alina snapped me back to the present. She was pointing to our side, where a pair of bright yellow eyes blinked from the trees.


    "Look out!" I shouted as the owner of these eyes leapt at us. It was a massive snake, with a pair of wings and a twin tail. My sword materialised in my hand as I dashed towards the creature.


    Erik suddenly stepped forward, raising his shield. It let out a golden glow as the creature''s twin tails hit it. Erik let out a low moan as his feet slid back in the dirt.


    "Alina, step back!" Joshua shouted. He pulled the priestess back while Vincent took his place by Erik. I stopped just in time to avoid bumping into Erik and followed the creature with my gaze. It circled around us, looking for an opening.


    "There are more." I whispered. While this particular creature wasn''t exactly weak, it wasn''t strong enough to take us all on. Now that it had been spotted, there was no way for it to gain anything from attacking us.


    The only logical conclusion was that there were more of them, and this one was just distracting us. My gaze swept through the trees, searching for more of them, but the thick treeline and greenery provided them with ample opportunity to hide.


    "We need to get to the open." I said, gritting my teeth. "There are more of them, I''m sure of it!"


    The others hesitated. I glanced at them, my expression showing my confusion and surprise. "What are you waiting for?" I asked, gesturing towards the grassland by the river. "It''s right there!"


    "Nah, no need." Joshua said with a shrug. "I''m pretty sure this one is alone!"

 Chapter 148: For the First Time in a Long, Long Time

    I stared blankly as my mind processed the young man''s words. "Are you crazy?" I finally shouted as I raised my hand. Flames danced on my fingers.


    "You''re crazy!" Joshua replied, his eyes wide open as he grinned. "Look, there is only a single one!" He laughed.


    In the meanwhile, the snake attacked Vincent, who barely rolled out of the way of its massive twin tails. I gritted my teeth. I was sure there were more of them.


    "Hey!" Erik shouted. "Shut up Joshua. We''re moving towards the river." He nodded at me as I stood there, stunned. "And someone please kill this god damned thing!" He shouted.


    He grabbed Alina''s arm and began to drag her towards the grassland at the river''s shore. It took me a moment to act ¨C I was so surprised to see him actually agree with me that I momentarily forgot the snake, still harassing us. Magic gathered in my raised palm and a dark bolt leapt towards the creature, killing it in one blow. As its body plummeted to the ground, I followed Erik.


    Soon, Vincent and Joshua also joined us at the shore.


    "Ok, why are we under the god damn sun?" Joshua asked. "It''s just one creature!" He insisted.


    While I didn''t agree with his reasons, I also disliked the sun ¨C something that had started happening only recently. The bright light burned my eyes. I squinted and covered my eyes with my hand. "Because there are more of them," I replied with a sigh. How I wished for some clouds to block the sunlight right now.


    "But there aren''t!" He shouted. Birds flew from their nests as his loud voice startled them.


    "Shut up." Erik grabbed Joshua''s shoulders. "Joshua. Shut. Up." His gaze turned towards me, who was standing there stunned once again. "Kai, where are they?" He asked, his voice filled with anger. But this time, I knew his anger wasn''t directed towards me.


    "In the woods, I''m sure of it." His sudden defence of me was unexpected to say the least. Honestly, I was expecting to be ignored and avoided. I never expected him to listen to me and believe my words.


    "We need to pass through those woods." He let go of an angry Joshua and glanced at Alina. "What can we do?"


    Silence covered the forest, with only our breaths and the sound of flowing water breaking it.


    "I''ll take care of it." I said after a few seconds, unable to bear any more of this heavy silence. "Make sure nothing gets to Alina."


    "Wait, what are you planning?" Vincent asked, taking a step towards me. My lips formed an almost wicked smile as wings appeared on my back.


    "I''ll kill them." I leapt up into the air before they could say anything. As my wings carried me to the treetops, I let the flames within me break free, just a little. Crimson flames danced on my fingertips as I flew above the treeline.


    Where were they? I knew the creatures were there ¨C I could sense their presence; I just couldn''t pinpoint their location.


    Soon, it turned out that I didn''t need to, as the first pair of shining yellow eyes appeared among the leaves. Moments after, more of them appeared, clearly craving for food ¨C me. I waited for them to leave the trees, to fly out into the open.


    "Kai!" I heard Erik''s shout as more of them slowly showed themselves. I counted twelve of them. While alone, they stood no chance against us, if all twelve had attacked at once while our guard was down, we could have suffered serious injuries, or worse.


    As soon as the creatures were out of the woods, I extended my hand, my palm facing them. The flames dancing on my fingers suddenly roared as I poured some power into them. Streams of fire leapt from my fingertips, easily finding the creatures.


    The smell of burnt flesh tickled my nose. I called upon the winds to carry the smell away and waited until nothing but ashes remained from the creatures.


    I returned to the group not long after, only to be met with wide eyes and pale faces.


    "What the hell, Kai?" Vincent mumbled as my wings disappeared in a cloud of black mist. "Since when are you a sorcerer, or a wizard?"


    I couldn''t help but laugh. "I''m not." Though I could understand why he''d ask that. I could manipulate flames and wind freely, of course I looked more like a wizard or sorcerer than anything else.


    "That was quite a show of power." Joshua''s calm, yet ice cold voice startled me. "How did you gain it?"


    My smile faded as my expression darkened. I had expected this kind of treatment from Erik, not Joshua. "By not wasting my time in the city."


    "Right." The young man said with a twisted grin. "Looks like you''re all ready to finally go into demon territory." He spread his arms and laughed. "We don''t need to worry about a thing!"


    I hesitated. What the hell was he talking about? "I wouldn''t say that," I replied after a moment of awkward silence. "Don''t underestimate the demons and certainly don''t overestimate me."


    "Anyways," Erik Joshua off just before he had a chance to speak. "Let''s set off. We''re nowhere near demon territory yet ¨C there''s no need to argue over what will happen once we arrive."


    Alina nodded, though I could see she wasn''t really listening. She was like a shell of her former self, her beautiful smile that reminded me of the dawning sun was nowhere to be seen. She was still grieving her dear friend.


    I took a deep breath but remained silent as we set off. Only more things were being added to the pile of things I had to worry about. Once again, Joshua was walking with Alina, while Erik and Vincent shared a conversation.


    I followed them a few steps behind, not because I wanted to keep my distance, but because my mind was once again a mess. Joshua''s behaviour surprised and worried me and on top of that, I couldn''t help but feel anxious ¨C we were heading into demon territory. What if we ran into Delthur and Vixia? What if we ran into that man?


    I shivered at the mere thought of it. Even with my current power, I would be helpless in front of him.


    I shook my head to clear my mind of such thoughts. No matter what, we couldn''t ignore this quest ¨C pissing off the Divines was just as bad an idea as trying to kill the Demon Lord with my current strength.


    We walked until dusk. As the sun began to set and the sky turned crimson and purple, Erik suggested we set up camp. It took us a while to find a suitable place ¨C an alcove at the bottom of a small cliff.


    As the Kestler brothers set up tents, Alina absentmindedly lit a fire. Erik helped her out, then glanced at me as I carried some water from the river.


    "Hey, Kai?" He called my name as I placed the buckets nearby. "I want to check the area, just in case. Would you mind joining me?"


    I hesitated. "Uh, sure, let''s go." I said after glancing at the surprised Vincent. He seemed just as confused as me.


    I followed Erik into the woods, still somewhat nervous. The heavy silence was only broken by our footsteps. We walked like that for a while, until we reached the shallow, yet wide river we were following.


    "You look different." He said as we stepped out of the woods. I flinched and turned towards him. "What do you mean?"


    He shrugged. "I don''t know, something about you is different though." He ran his hand through his hair and sat on a rock by the shore. "I can''t put my finger on it."


    I chuckled. "Maybe it''s the wings." Of course, I knew that wasn''t what he meant ¨C he was talking about how I carried myself.


    "Maybe." He said with a nervous chuckle. I approached the water and knelt at the shore. My reflection, illuminated by the bright moonlight, looked back at me from the calm river''s surface. "But maybe it''s something different." He said as I splashed some water at my face.


    "Who knows?" I said as I got back up. Was this why he wanted me to join him? I could see there was something more he wanted to say ¨C it was clear from his expression. "What''s wrong, Erik?"


    "I''m sorry." He said, looking away, at the far away mountains. "At some point along the way, I think I lost myself for a while." His voice cracked. He coughed and cleared his throat ¨C I was immediately reminded of Delthur.


    I shook my head. "No, listen-"


    "Please let me finish. This is already difficult enough." I hesitated, then nodded. He took a deep breath and continued. "I felt like I was supposed to be the strongest ¨C the person who would keep everyone safe, no matter what." He raised his hand. The moonlight reflected off his armoured glove. "But that night you didn''t return to camp, all the way back in the Torchlight Woods¡­" he clenched his fist. "I failed." His blue eyes focused on mine. "Your name disappeared from the group on the interface. I thought you to be dead."


    I could have said somethings, but I chose to remain silent. He continued with an unsteady voice. "I had to choose between going to search for you and keeping everyone safe. I chose the latter."


    I knew that already. They''d chosen to leave me behind and escape to Stonepatch Village.


    "Then, the monster appeared. We weren''t strong enough to kill it. It was easier to promise myself that I''d avenge you and¡­ drink. What began as a toast to you, quickly turned into an escape from this awful reality." I clenched my fists, hidden beneath the cloth of my cloak. Was he laying the blame of their drinking on me?


    "I couldn''t believe my eyes when you came back. I swore to myself that I''d protect everyone, you included. This time, I''d actually do it. But then¡­" His voice faded. "Then you jumped in front of the phoenix'' claws, despite the harsh words I''d shouted at you. We thought you''d die. Again."


    "And then you came back, this time with wings and flames. Once again, you''d nearly died and gained more power. What couldn''t kill you had made you stronger." He sighed. "I was jealous ¨C why couldn''t I become stronger like that? I was angry at myself because I had failed. Again."


    He glanced at me, almost as if expecting an answer. I remained silent. What could I say to something like this?


    "I think what happened on that peak snapped me out of it." Erik finally said, his voice filled with regret as sorrow. "I don''t know what had gotten into me ¨C I attacked you for god''s sake!" His voice became louder. "I don''t even know why you came to help us after everything I''d done!"


    "I couldn''t live with myself if I let you die there." I finally said, my voice heavy and my expression as dark as it could be. "I''m no saint ¨C I couldn''t save Samantha after all." I looked at the moon. "I was furious at you. Ever since you began wasting away your days drinking, I was so angry." I directed my gaze at him again. "I came here, prepared to fight you, Erik."


    He visibly flinched.


    "And you wouldn''t stand a chance if I did so." I added. "But I''m glad you told me all that." A faint smile appeared on my lips. "So, how about we try this again? Let''s see how this quest goes, try to build upon our teamwork."


    The fear in his eyes left its place to relief. "Yeah. Let''s do that."


    "No drinking though." I said, grinning. He laughed with me, for the first time in a long, long time.

 Chapter 149: The Cursed Beast

    "Should we go back?" He asked after a short moment. I nodded, now was a good time to go back, have something to eat and turn in for the night.


    "Yeah, that''s a good idea." I said with a faint smile. As we walked back, neither of us noticed the shadow that passed through the sky.


    As we arrived at the camp, we noticed the group sitting by the small fire. Vincent shot me a worried glance as soon as we stepped out of the woods. His expression turned to relief as soon as he saw my faint smile.


    "So," Joshua said after we sat by the fire as well. "Anything out of the ordinary out there?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing that we noticed." To be completely fair, we really hadn''t looked at our surroundings too much. "We should still keep watch through the night." I added. No matter how safe we believed this place to be, we needed to stay vigilant and on guard.


    Erik and Vincent nodded. I glanced at Alina, who was still staring at the fire. I bit my lower lip ¨C this was dangerous. She was unresponsive to most things, despite her excitement back in Baile Chailce when she saw me.


    I pondered a while as the Kestler brothers chatted. Bringing Alina here in her current state was a horrible idea. She wasn''t paying much attention to her surroundings. She was a liability more than anything else.


    "We shouldn''t stay up late." I said after a while passed. "I''ll keep first watch."


    Erik, Vincent and Alina didn''t waste much time as they headed to sleep. Joshua, on the other hand, continued to sit by the fire. I could feel his deadly glare. I took a deep breath and stared right in his eyes. "So, what''s going on?" I asked.


    His lips formed a wicked smile. "You''re actually asking?" He chuckled. "I didn''t think you had the guts to."


    I shrugged. "I''m not really afraid of you, so yeah. I''m asking. Care to explain?" He was no threat to me.


    "Where did you go after Samantha died?" He clenched his fists. "Where were you that night?"


    I looked away ¨C the night Erik punched me, right after the funeral. "In the Divine''s palace." I replied. There was no need to lie.


    "Why?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "Why are you constantly somewhere else whenever something happens?"


    I shook my head. "Because I''m constantly trying to do something. I can''t afford to waste my time waiting for things to happen."


    Joshua clenched his fists. "You-"


    "And you should really head off to sleep." I added, ignoring his anger. "We''ll be there tomorrow. I''m sure we''ll need all the rest we can get to face this ''cursed beast''."


    The young man stared at me for a bit before stomping off to his tent. I decided to wake Vincent up for the second shift rather than Joshua.


    Hours passed. A while later, I woke up Vincent and headed off to sleep myself.


    Come morning, we all woke up at dawn, quickly had our breakfast and then set off. I walked in front this time, as Erik seemed to want to have a word with Joshua. While I couldn''t hear what they were talking about, I had a guess or two.


    Alina and Vincent were silent as they walked a few steps behind me. Vincent seemed to be lost in thought while Alina''s blank gaze remained fixed on the ground.


    We walked on until noon when we finally arrived at a very large lake.


    "Is this the place?" Vincent asked, glancing at Erik. The young Paladin nodded. "This is what the map shows." He took a large parchment from his inventory and showed it to us. A red ''x'' marked this place.


    I nodded while pondering why he didn''t have a map in his interface yet. Had they truly not explored at all?


    "Is the monster in the water?" Vincent asked.


    The lake bordered a rather wide, grassy area. The woods we were in ended a ways away from the shore. We''d have to get to the open if we wanted to approach any more than this.


    "Let''s find out." I said carefully stepping out of the treeline. I gestured the others to wait there and chuckled when I noticed Erik''s expression.


    I took a few steps and waited, listening to my surroundings. Nothing seemed off, the birds were still chirping, and I could see the fish swimming in the lake, as well as frog like animals scurrying into the water as they noticed me.


    A few more steps allowed me to have a better view of the lake. The water didn''t seem very¡­ clean. I could see something, almost like a layer of oil on it ¨C it was a dark, green-brown colour. With my brows furrowed, I stepped closer to the lake. Knelt by the shore, trying to get a better look at the oily substance on the water. What was that?


    Since I didn''t want to touch it, I stepped away when I couldn''t figure it out. I looked at my surroundings. A grassy field stretched before me, starting here at the lake, all the way to the distant mountains. Large patches of bushes were unevenly spread across the large field.


    I walked around a little as the others watched from the woods. I still hadn''t told them to come ¨C I was worried that the creature was laying in wait for us.


    I stepped on a broken branch and flinched with the loud snap. Then again, when I noticed the large, massive even, hoof mark I was standing on.


    "The hell?" I whispered as I stepped back. Something with hooves had passed through here, leaving such a massive mark on the moist earth.


    I turned my back to it, shooting a quick glance at the water. Had it come from the water?


    "Kai!" A scream, Vincent''s scream, sounded. Then, something hit me in the back. I found myself flung to the air and plummeted into the water with a loud splash.


    I immediately figured out what that green-brown substance on the surface was. I wanted to scream in pain as my skin burned with acid. I forced my way to the shore and collapsed on the grass. Souls burst out of me and began healing the inflamed skin all around my body.


    Something roared, but I couldn''t see what exactly it was with my blurred vision.


    "Look out!" Erik''s shout sounded. I heard a loud clang and his huff. "Alina! Heal Kai, now!"


    Nothing happened. More than a few seconds passed until I was able to get back on my feet, thanks to Soul''s Respite. When I was able to see clearly again, I nearly choked on my own breath.


    "Well, I guess we found the cursed beast." I mumbled as tried to process the creature before me.


    It was about as large as a two-story building. It basically looked like a lizard with hooves for its hind legs and claws for its arms. It had no eyes and a pair of horns, as well as two large ears. The same acidic substance that covered the lake''s surface dripped from its mouth as it hissed at us.


    It had dark green scales on its belly and, well, the entire front side of its body. It''s back however, was covered in long, green fur.


    My eyes widened as understanding dawned on me. The only reason we hadn''t seen it was because we thought it to be a part of the terrain. When in curled up like lizards often do, it probably looked like a small hill ¨C a bump in the terrain covered in grass-like fur.


    It flung its tail at Erik as I realised all this. The young paladin raised his shield. His body let out a golden glow as the massive tail struck him. The creature seethed as it nearly lost its balance. Erik hadn''t moved a hair ¨C his power protected him, making him nearly invulnerable. I had seen him use this ability back when we fought the sea serpent.


    The creature reared back, then lashed out at us with its claws.


    "Erik!" I shouted as he blocked those strikes as well. He once again had come out of it unharmed, but I knew that his mana wouldn''t last long if he kept on with this. "We need to do something, fast!"


    The young paladin nodded. "The issue is Alina!" He glanced at the priestess. She seemed frozen in place. Joshua was dragging her back to the treeline while Vincent covered for them. I shook my head ¨C we didn''t have the luxury of time to wait for them. I had to do something ¨C fast!


    I stepped back as my wings appeared on my back. "I''ll try to fly to its head! Keep it occupied for just a little longer." With those words, I leapt into the air as my scythe materialised in my hands. I flew up, higher than the creature''s reach, then folded my wings and dove down, aiming for its head.


    My arm extended, ready to swing my scythe, I quickly approached the monster. It couldn''t see me ¨C it didn''t know where I was.


    As that thought crossed my mind, it lifted its head and spat at me.

 Chapter 150: Fighting, Together

    I raised my arms to protect my face from the creature''s acidic spit ¨C well, that was what I assumed it to be anyways. Scales appeared on my forearms just in time for the disgusting substance to reach me.


    I felt nothing but some mild itching thanks to them, and quickly burned the substance away with my flames. "Erik, don''t let its spit touch you!" I shouted before beating my wings and continuing my approach to the creature.


    As the paladin nodded, the creature roared at me. I extended my arm holding my scythe and swung it at the disgusting monster. Yet, before I could slash its flesh, its tail hit me once again, throwing me aside.


    I fell to the ground with a thud and immediately used Soul''s Respite. How was this monster so fast? As the souls healed my cracked ribs and broken wings, I gritted my teeth. If only the pain didn''t feel so real ¨C what was Erik''s dad thinking, designing this game with such a feature?


    It took the souls a few seconds to fully heal me. As soon as they were done, I took to the skies again. I attempted to approach it again, yet another spit and tail strike later, gave up. I had narrowly evaded those, and I wasn''t sure if I could do it again.


    "What do we do?" Erik shouted, then immediately grunted as the creature tried to claw him. The golden shine that protected him was getting dimmer and dimmer as he blocked more strikes.


    I hesitated. If only I could get a little closer to the monster, then I could use my flames to actually hurt it.


    A figure dashing out of the woods caught my attention. Vincent, his sword in hand and his face twisted with anger, ran straight to the creature.


    "Look out!" I shouted. As soon as the words left my mouth, the creature spat at me ¨C again. As I was about to get angry, realisation dawned on me. I facepalmed, then shouted as loudly as I could.


    "Erik! Make sound! Now!" I drew out every word for as long as I can, then coughed as my throat hurt from screaming that much. The creature outright ignored Vincent and reared on its hooved legs. It clawed the air as I quickly beat my wings to move away.


    "What?" Erik shouted. The creature hit his shield with its tail. The young paladin swung his sword to leave an insignificant cut on its tail, then glanced at me again with a confused expression.


    Vincent had reached the monster''s hooves by then. He swung his sword, leaving quite the wound behind. The monster screeched and turned its attention towards him. The young fighter ran again, circling to the creature''s other foot as it trampled on the ground, swinging its tail wildly.


    I folded my wings and dove towards it. I knew it would hear me ¨C that was how it attacked us. Vincent leapt up and grabbed on to the creature''s grass-like fur as I approached it. I noticed it rear its head again, ready to spit, but then, it screeched again. Vincent had stabbed it. It shook itself, like a dog would do to get rid of fleas.


    As my flames gathered in my hands, Vincent screamed. He lost his grip with the force of the creature''s shaking, finding himself flung high up. Too high, in fact.


    "Damn it." I hissed through my gritted teeth as the flames dissipated. I dashed to the falling young man. If he fell from that height, there was no way he would survive. I caught him moments before he touched the ground. We fell together and rolled on the grass, but thankfully, he was fine aside from a few small bruises.


    "Be more careful!" I hissed as I got back on my feet. "It can''t see us, but it can hear us. Don''t make too much sound."


    The creature''s tail swung towards us as soon as I finished my words. Vincent grabbed me and pulled me away from it. "Got it." He whispered, then dashed towards Erik. I hesitated before allowing my wings to dissipate in a black mist. I couldn''t afford to fly and make so much noise ¨C the creature''s movements were too fast for me to reliably avoid.


    "Kai!" Erik shouted. The creature''s head snapped to him. "I''ll distract it!" I clenched my fists as Erik hit his shield with his sword, making a loud noise. The creature screeched and clawed him.


    "Idiot." I mumbled as I dashed forward. The near impregnable shield he had created couldn''t last for many more hits. I had to do something before it broke, or there was a good chance Erik would end up dead.


    Flames gathered in my palms as I approached it. I leapt up, sword in hand and thrust my blade into the creature''s side. At the same time, I released my flames.


    It screeched, voice filled with pain and agony. My crimson flames engulfed the both of us as I poured my anger, hatred and fears into them.


    Something hit me, making me lose my grip on the hilt of my sword. I was flung aside, as the ground shook under the creature''s steps. A loud splash sounded, and not long after, someone grabbed my shoulder.


    "Kai! Kai, can you hear us?" It was Vincent. It took me a moment to find my bearings as I opened my eyes. The harmless remains of flames dancing on my skin slowly dissipated as I wiped away the blood on my face.


    "I''m fine." I mumbled. I really was, aside from a few superficial cuts and maybe a broken rib or two. "Where is it?"


    Erik pointed at the lake. As he did so, ripples formed on its surface.


    "Can it¡­ breathe underwater?" I asked after a moment of hesitation. Soul''s Respite continuously healed me as Vincent helped me up.


    Erik shrugged. "No idea." He glanced at me. "I knew you could, uh¡­ burn stuff, but I didn''t know you were that strong with it." He hesitated. "That was a sight to behold."


    I shrugged, but then shook my head. "Save that for later. It''s not over yet." As I spoke, the water rippled again.


    Moments after, the creature broke the water''s surface. It swung its tail to hit the lake''s surface. It took us a fraction of a second to understand what was going on, but it was too late by then. It had splashed the lake''s water at us. Fear gripped my heart as I noticed the green-brown coloured water approach.


    "Look out!" I shouted. I raised my hands and poured everything I had ¨C every bit of strength, every drop of mana ¨C into my flames and winds. The water hissed as it touched the crimson flames. My winds pushed the smaller drops away.


    Somehow, I had destroyed most of the acidic water, but it still wasn''t enough as the few drops that survived the flames still reached us.


    My scales protected me, but Erik and Vincent weren''t so lucky.


    "What the hell!" Vincent shouted as he stepped back. The spots on his skin that the drops touched were already getting corroded.


    "It burns!" Erik screamed. The monster slowly climbed out of the water as the two of them staggered and backed off even more. I clenched my fists ¨C I was nearly out of mana. I had enough for¡­ maybe a single fireball. Maybe.


    "You guys pull back." I said as my scythe materialised in my hands. If only Alina was in a better state ¨C if she healed Erik and Vincent, we''d still stand a chance.


    I looked at the staggering creature. It wasn''t in a good shape either. Nothing remained of its fur and its exposed flesh was charred with my flames. Its movements were clearly slower. I wondered ¨C had I damaged its hearing at all? Was it still able to pinpoint my location?


    I dashed forward. I couldn''t give it any time to do¡­ well, anything, really.


    "Kai!" Erik shouted. I ignored him. A single, well aimed slash to its throat would kill it now that its protective scales had fallen off. It swung its tail, aiming at me. I gritted my teeth ¨C so its hearing wasn''t damaged after all. I braced myself for the hit ¨C I didn''t have time to evade it. Not without the speed Fallen Grace provided me with.


    A loud cling sounded. My eyes widened as ethereal chains wrapped themselves around the creature''s tail, immobilizing it even if only for a moment. While it was only for a very short time, it was enough for me. I leapt, using the last drop of my mana to strengthen my legs. As I reached the creature''s neck, I swung my scythe.


    I landed on the ground and smoothed my fall with a roll. Behind me, the creature collapsed on the ground with a loud thud.


    Silence followed, then my legs gave out.


    "Kai!" Vincent shouted. He and Erik ran towards me.


    "Are you ok?" Erik asked.


    "I''m fine, just exhausted." I accepted their help and slowly got up. We moved a bit away from the massive, disgusting corpse. "Alina needs to heal those." I said gesturing at the inflamed, bleeding spots on their arms and faces.


    "Guys!" Joshua shouted. He and Alina slowly left the woods. The young priestess stared at the corpse as the young man dashed to his brother''s side. "Are you ok?"


    I clenched my fists, then quickly hid them behind me as soon as I noticed. Where the hell was he while we were fighting for our lives?


    "Erik and Vincent need healing. Fast." I said, instead of telling what I was really thinking. "Joshua, can you bring Alina here and remind her to heal them?"


    The young man shot me a deadly glance, then nodded with a fake smile. "Sure."


    He gently led Alina here. "Hey, Alina. Could you heal them? They''re hurting." I was honestly surprised at how gentle and kind he was towards the young woman.


    It took a few seconds, but Alina finally snapped away from the creature''s corpse and nodded. "I think... I think I can do that." She whispered. A soft shine appeared in her palm as she slowly reached for Erik''s arm.


    "I think not." A familiar voice echoed.

 Chapter 151: Doubts

    I looked up. I already knew who it was, yet my heart still skipped a beat when I saw Vixia. She floated a few meters above us, her wings stretched wide and her hair blowing with the cool breeze.


    "Who is that?" Erik whispered as I clenched my fists.


    "Erik," I whispered, hoping I was still speaking English. "When I tell you to, grab the others and run."


    "What? Why?" He asked, his voice filled with determination and defiance.


    "Why indeed?" Vixia chuckled. Her bewitching voice filled out ears. "Could it be that you fear me?"


    "Who are you?" Erik shouted. "And why are you here?"


    By now, Vincent had also gotten up. He stood by Erik''s side as Joshua pulled Alina back a little. "Answer the question!" He shouted, tightening his grasp on the hilt of his sword.


    "Aw, they are adorable." Vixia chuckled, then turned her gaze on me. "Don''t you think so too, Kai Friseal?"


    I heard Erik draw a sharp breath. "Wait ¨C how do you know his name?" He asked. His glance leapt between me and her. She ignored him, instead choosing to glare at me.


    I shook my head. "No, they''re not." I stretched my hand as my scythe appeared in my palm. "I think they''re ready to fight you." Wings appeared on my back. "What did you come here for?" Despite my threatening voice and battle-ready posture, I was praying for her to leave without a fight. I didn''t have the resources to fight her.


    She laughed out loud. "This is our territory, remember?" She extended her hands to the sides as purple flames leapt from her fingers to the ground. I clenched my fists ¨C she had trapped us in a circle of flames.


    "Who are you?" Erik asked again.


    "She''s a demon." I said, stopping him before he could take any more steps towards her. "You need to get the others out of here." I hissed.


    "Oh, don''t worry." Vixia suddenly said. She raised her hand as purple strings, just like those she used to try and trap me before, extended towards us.


    "Look out!" I pushed Erik back, towards Vincent and then threw myself aside. The strings missed me and instead got wrapped around some loose branches on the ground. I glared at her. "What the hell do you want?"


    She thew something at me. A vial. I caught it in fear of it breaking and releasing some unholy, deadly poison or something.


    "Delthur sends his regards. He thanked her." Her gaze focused on my chest for a fraction of a second. I could feel Rhia''s soul stir, was she¡­ happy? "I also know you didn''t break the core, back in Forlorn Castle. You''ll need that vial if you want to take good care of it." I glanced at the vial. It was filled with a purple fluid. "Condensed mana." She explained with a half-smile. "Consider it my thanks for not killing Delthur."


    I gritted my teeth. "Not exactly by choice."


    "I know, he told me." She looked up, at the sky. "Has the sun began to hurt your eyes yet?" She asked. I didn''t answer, but seeing my expression, her lips formed a wicked smile. "As for the two you killed ¨C I would make you pay, but my brother has disallowed it." The purple flames surrounding us roared. "I will warn you, however. Next time we meet will not be so peaceful."


    "Next time we meet, I won''t be so weak." I replied. "You know it as well as I do ¨C the only reason you approached us is because I just exhausted all my mana on that beast."


    She chuckled. "I know ¨C you did almost kill me once, after all." She sighed. "The war is nigh. The time when you''ll have to choose is nearing. Do not disappoint me, Kai Friseal."


    With her heavy words still hanging in the air, she left, flying north.


    I collapsed on the ground as the purple flames slowly dissipated. Just speaking with her was exhausting. Throughout our whole exchange, all I could think of what how bad it would have been if she decided to attack us.


    "What was that all about?" Vincent asked as they crowded around me. I shook my head ¨C I didn''t even know how to explain this to them. How much would be safe to tell?


    "I think it''s pretty clear!" Joshua shouted as he stomped towards me. Before any one of us could react, he grabbed me by my collar and lifted me up on my feet. "You''re working with them, aren''t you?" He shouted as he shook me back and forth. "You''re working with the demons!"


    I honestly couldn''t believe what I was hearing.


    "Don''t be stupid." It was Vincent who grabbed his brother''s arm and pried his hands off me. I staggered and took a few steps back. Vincent''s gaze focused on me. "Now ¨C what the hell was that all about?"


    I hesitated. How was I supposed explain? "Can we get out of here first?" I asked, gesturing at the creature''s remains. "Scavenging animals will probably come soon and I''m out of mana. None of us are fit to fight right now."


    Erik nodded. "Let''s set up camp in the woods." Though reluctantly, Joshua also agreed with him. It didn''t take us long to find a place to set up camp, but that small amount of time was all I needed to contact Asher and inform him of what had just happened.


    The sorcerer quickly came up with a plan. As he explained it to me, I felt relieved, even if only a little.


    "So," Erik glared at me after we finished setting up camp an sat around the small firepit. Alina had just finished healing the others, though with Joshua''s influence, she had steered clear of me. "Care to explain?" The young paladin finally asked the question that was on everyone''s minds.


    I took a deep breath. "Her name is Vixia. She''s a demon, one of the stronger demons." I only had to tell them some of what I had been through. "I met her a while ago, she thought of me as¡­ fun, and let me live."


    Vincent''s frown darkened. How much he disliked this was obvious from his expression. I continued, choosing my words carefully. "Since then, I knew that I had to at least match her strength if we wanted to have the slightest chance at beating the Demon Lord. So, that''s why I''ve been constantly leaving the city ¨C to gain more power so we can at least stand a chance."


    "I came across her again, a short time ago ¨C a couple of days before the fight at the Howling Hills, actually. I fought her and her ally, but ultimately had to escape because another demon came." Just thinking about that demon sent a shiver down my spine. I had to match his power if I wanted to have even the slightest chance at winning.


    "And you almost killed her?" Vincent asked. I nodded.


    "I didn''t know you were that powerful." Erik mumbled. I shook my head. "It was more luck than power. But she is at least a bit wary of me." I hesitated. "Erik, this was why I said coming here wasn''t a good idea. None of you can stand a chance against her, or others like her."


    The young paladin sighed. "I know. Just breathing the same air as her was suffocating. Though, she isn''t a match for the Divine Matriarch, is she?" He asked with a cold expression. I shook my head. "No, the Divine Matriarch is on a whole different level." That wasn''t a lie ¨C the simple fact that she could prevent magic entirely was enough proof.


    "I still don''t trust you." Joshua suddenly declared. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists too much. "Don''t any of you see it?" He asked, pointing at me. "Look at him. I mean, actually look!"


    I flinched as I realised what he was talking about.


    "He looks like her! His skin colour, his features, his general shape ¨C he looks just like her!" He shouted.


    Silence followed his words as I felt four pair of eyes focus on me.


    "You know that''s bullshit." Vincent said with a sigh after a few seconds passed. "What if he looks like them? We have definitive proof that he''s Kai Friseal ¨C the same guy who joined us for breakfast that day in uni."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Lunch." I said, carefully. "It was lunch." I knew he had done that in purpose.


    "See?" Vincent said with a grin. "Satisfied, Joshua?"


    "No, I am not." His brother said, still glaring at me. "I mean, we don''t know anything about Kai either! How long did we know him before we ended up here? A few days at best!"


    Honestly, his words stung, a lot. He wasn''t entirely wrong ¨C they knew very little about me even before we ended up here. Expecting them to trust me was quite a tall order.


    "Alright, that''s enough." Erik said. His glare was enough to shut Joshua up. "It''s getting late ¨C we should rest for tonight. I''ll take first watch, everyone else ¨C go to bed."


    His cold voice was enough to inform us that not listening to him would be a bad idea.


    Vincent was the first to nod and lie on the grass. Joshua helped Alina get to her tent, then headed off to his own. I sighed and lied on the grassy ground as well, using my cloak as a blanket.


    Not even minutes had passed when the dark embrace of sleep welcomed me.

 Chapter 152: Another Long Day of Walking

    I woke up with the first light of dawn. Dreams that I could only remember fragments of clouded my mind as I staggered towards the river and washed up.


    "Good morning." I heard Erik''s voice. Kneeling by the river shore, I glanced towards him over my shoulder.


    "Good morning. Why didn''t you wake me up for my shift of the watch?" Though I was asking, I already knew the answer.


    "Joshua has some trouble trusting you right now." He said with a bitter smile. "And I''m still processing what we learned yesterday." He almost seemed apologetic as he spoke. Was he expecting me to get angry?


    "I get it." I said, splashing some more water to my face. "I wouldn''t trust me either." And they didn''t even know half of the events.


    "Thanks." He said somewhat hesitantly. "The others are still sleeping," He added, glancing at the campsite. "Why are you up so early?"


    "I always wake up at dawn." I stepped back to the shadows. The sunlight hurt my eyes. Since when was that happening? A few days, maybe even more. I wondered why, then decided to not think about that right now. "Why are you up? You had the first shift too."


    Erik shrugged. "I woke up maybe half an hour ago, told Vincent to go back to sleep. He seemed tired."


    We stood there, with nothing but an awkward silence to accompany us. "So," He finally said, breaking the silence. "How powerful are you, really?"


    I raised my brows. "Where did that come from?" I asked.


    "The demon, uh, Vixia?" He mumbled, trying to remember her name. "You told her you''d be able to match her strength if you hadn''t used up all your mana." He made a vague, meaningless gesture with his hands. "Her presence was suffocating. Yours is not. Are you really that strong, or were you just bluffing?"


    I chuckled. That was quite a thought process, though not necessarily a wrong one. "I am." I watched his expression change as doubt filled his eyes.


    "Then how come being with you doesn''t feel the same way?" He asked.


    "I don''t like making people feel like that." I shook my head. "In a contest of pure magic, I''m no match for her, but a fight very rarely comes to that. I can beat her ¨C I did so before." I raised my hand and released a tiny bit of my aura. Just enough for Erik to notice.


    He visibly flinched and stepped back. I immediately stopped, just proving my power was enough. There was no need to go any further.


    "It''s called an ''aura''," I explained. "I''m fairly sure you can do it too, but yours will probably be different since you''re a paladin. Your magic and power are all about divine retribution, isn''t it?" His deity was the god of Vengeance, Rohir.


    He hesitated before nodding. "You''ve changed so much, Kai." He said after a short while. He fiddles with his shield''s straps. "I remember when we first came here, you were so amazed by everything and everything terrified you. Now, you act and move like you''ve always lived in this world."


    I looked away. "Yeah, I guess I changed a little." How could I tell him that I had more memories of this world than those of the real world? How could I say that I was less me?


    I couldn''t, so I didn''t. Instead, I changed the subject. "Let''s prepare breakfast," And headed back to camp without waiting for his response. He followed me wordlessly, but his expression made it clear that he still had plenty to say. I just didn''t want to listen.


    He helped me prepare a fairly good and healthy meal, then woke the others up.


    "You''re still here." Joshua said as he left his tent. His deadly glare didn''t bother me.


    "Can you just stop?" Vincent mumbled as he stretched his legs and then sat by the now burned-out campfire. "Anyways, what''s today''s plan?" He asked, glancing at me and Erik. Joshua rolled his eyes and helped Alina sit with us as well. The young priestess glanced at me, then quickly averted her eyes.


    "We should return to Baile Chailce." Erik declared. "I want to redeem the quest rewards. Then we can check if there are any other quests. Alina can get some rest in the meantime too."


    I nodded. I agreed with everything he said, except Alina. She was in no state to fight. The best thing we could do would be to leave her with Victoria. She could take good care of the young woman while we set out to do some more quests and levelled up a bit.


    "Sure, why not?" Joshua said as a wicked smile appeared on his face. "Maybe we should let the Divines know about Kai''s involvement with demons as well."


    I rolled my eyes. "Sure, go ahead." Aelith already knew ¨C in fact, I suspected she knew more than I told her.


    Joshua''s smile shattered as he noticed I wasn''t phased even the slightest by his words. "Maybe I will."


    "Stop it." Vincent lightly pinched his brother''s arm. "Anyways, if we have decided, we should get going before it''s too late. The sun dawned a while ago."


    With that, we gathered our things, covered up the firepit with some dirt and set off.


    "Why are you on edge?" Erik asked after I glanced at the sky for maybe the hundredth time.


    "Vixia might change her mind. If she does, I''d rather see her coming than be caught off guard." If she did, I wasn''t sure if I could protect all of them. If I saw her coming, I would go to her, so Erik and the others could escape.


    "You said you could take her on." Erik reminded me with a faint smile. I wasn''t sure if he actually believed my words or if he was just making fun of me.


    "I''d still prefer not to get caught off guard. You can never be too safe." I didn''t want to say too much, I didn''t want to worry him. I didn''t think Vixia would come after us anyways, but that didn''t help with this feeling of anxiousness.


    Some time passed as we made our way back. At dusk, we set up camp near the shallow river. Once again, Joshua''s deadly glare followed me as I helped set up camp. Only once we were seated and started heating our dinner did he stop glaring.


    The hum of low conversations could be heard as we sat around the fire. The others seemed somewhat relaxed. The warmth of the fire and safety of numbers had made them somewhat negligent.


    I, on the other hand, couldn''t help but feel like something wasn''t quite right. So, I did the only thing that came to mind. "I''ll go wash up." After letting them know, I went to the river.


    I was dirty from yesterday''s fight, so once I found a nice, hidden section of the river, I took my clothes off and stepped into the icy cold water.


    I submerged myself completely, letting the cold water calm my nerves. Some time later, as I got dressed and dried my hair with the heat of my flames, I still couldn''t shake the feeling of something being off.


    "Asher?" I called out to him as I leaned on a tree and watched the night sky. A short moment later, he responded.


    "Kai, did everything go as we planned?" Of course, he was still worried about what happened yesterday.


    "Yeah," I smiled. "It went as well as you could expect." I explained yesterday''s and today''s events. He listened intently, expressing his thoughts when he could.


    "I don''t like the way Joshua acts." He finally decided. "He seems to be overreacting. There is no reason for such distrust, especially considering that you have saved them several times before."


    I hesitated. What was he getting at? "Do you think there is something else going on?" I asked after a short moment. He pondered a while, then I felt his sigh. "I don''t know. I''ll need to think about it. In the meantime, please be wary of anything."


    "I know, I will." I sighed. "I''ll go back to the others."


    "Alright." His voice still echoing in my mind, he cut off the connection. I took a deep breath, then headed back to the others.


    I could hear their laughter from quite a distance. Worried, I glanced around me. Why was I feeling so anxious?


    "Hey," Vincent greeted me as I stepped out of the woods. "You look a lot better than you did a couple hours ago."


    I chuckled. "Getting rid of all the blood and dirt helped." I glanced at the others. Aline was watching as Erik and Joshua played tic tac toe on the dirt. Joshua seemed to be winning more often.


    "Naturally," Vincent smiled, then sighed. "We should probably sleep. It''s quite late and we still have a long way to go tomorrow."


    He let the others know of the time as well, and soon, we decided to sleep. As I lied down on the grassy ground, I still felt anxious. I closed my eyes, knowing that Vincent was keeping watch.


    Not too long after I fell asleep, I woke up to the sound of Vincent''s painful shout. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was him, tumbling to the ground. My eyes widened as I noticed the source of his pain.


    An arrow was sticking out of his right shoulder.

 Chapter 153: Holding out Through the Night

    That sight alone was enough to wake me up. Whatever remnant of sleep had remined disappeared as another arrow flew by and struck the ground.


    "Wake up!" I shouted as I dashed towards Vincent. Laying on the ground, he was an easy target for archers. As the others crawled out of their tents, clearly sleepy and not aware of the situation, I stepped in front of Vincent.


    I raised my hand and gathered the winds in my palm. If I could just blow the next volley of arrows away, we could still stand a chance.


    For a moment, the wind resisted me. I gritted my teeth and focused ¨C our lives depended on this. I couldn''t fail, not now of all times. I could hear the low whistle of the approaching arrows; I could see the glint of moonlight reflecting off them.


    A sudden wind, more powerful than I intended, swept the incoming arrows away. If I were a fraction of a second late, we''d all be dead, or gravely wounded.


    "Wake up!" I shouted again.


    "What''s going on?" Joshua''s sleepy mumble did nothing but annoy me.


    "Grab your brother ¨C we need to get going, now!" Without knowing how many enemies there were, we couldn''t risk simply attacking them. We didn''t even know who was attacking us ¨C were they demons? Ereth? Some other faction we knew nothing about?


    "Vincent!" Erik grabbed the young fighter before Joshua could even react to my words. "Take care of Alina!" The Paladin''s words finally got to Joshua. He blinked once, then quickly grabbed the confused and scared Alina''s arm and guided her to the woods, away from our assailants.


    I followed them moments after ¨C I couldn''t afford to lose sight of them right now. We dashed through the woods while Joshua tried to convince Alina to heal Vincent. The young priestess didn''t understand him at first and when she did, she was exceedingly slow at doing what she was told. I could see how shaken she was.


    "Who the hell are they?" Erik asked me as we hid by some tall bushes. We were waiting for Alina to heal Vincent. I shook my head; I didn''t have any guesses. "What do we do?" Erik asked me, wide eyed. I hesitated. What could we do?


    Honestly, we had three options. We could keep running and try to lose them. I doubted this would work though, since I had counted at least fifteen arrows fired simultaneously. Losing such a large and at least somewhat organised group would be quite the challenge.


    Our second option was to find a place we could defend and put up a fight there. While this sounded nice in theory, without knowing who or what we were facing, deciding what kind of a place was ''easily defendable'' was nearly impossible.


    Our third option was to turn back and charge at them. That was¡­ a stupid idea at best. While I was quite sure I would survive simply because I have so many options at my disposal, I couldn''t say the same about any of the others.


    "Kai?" Erik insisted. "What do we do?" I snapped out of it and glanced at the young man. His eyes were wide with fear. I bit my lower lip. The weight of deciding my friends'' fates threatened to paralyse me.


    "We find a place we can defend. Then, we fight." I finally said through my gritted teeth. "I will find a place, keep heading north in the meanwhile." Wings appeared on my back as I leapt into the air. I burst out of the treetops and headed up. Arrows followed me. I glanced back, but I couldn''t see the archers. All I could tell was that the arrows were enchanted. These were no ordinary people ¨C they had magic at their disposal.


    I flew up, just high enough to be able to dodge their arrows and looked for a place where we could put up a fight. Most of this area was just endless woods and open fields. I wanted a place with a narrow entrance. It took me a while, but I found it eventually.


    It was deeper into demon territory, but it was the best choice we had. It was a hill, surrounded by cliffs. The only way up or down was to either scale the cliffs or walk up a fairly steep, grassy path. As long as I could keep the arrows away, we could easily defend this place.


    I folded my wings a little and quickly descended. I landed not too far from the others. Thankfully, they didn''t question me, or try and argue with me. We soon set off in that direction, though it took quite a bit of effort to hide how unsure and worried I was.


    "What do we do when we arrive?" Vincent asked. Alina had finally healed him, though he was still somewhat pale.


    "We defend." I said simply. There really wasn''t much we could to until we figured out how many people were attacking us, who they were and how much power their wielded. "And when we find an opening, we attack."


    He nodded.


    We continued to run until we reached the place. The group hesitated when they saw the narrow path leading up the hill. "Wait, this place?" Joshua asked, his eyes wide and his face red with what I assumed to be anger. "We''re basically trapping ourselves!"


    "DO you have any better ideas?" I hissed through my gritted teeth. "Because if you do, I''m all ears. But if not, then hurry up and start climbing cause they''re going to be here very soon!"


    The young man hesitated. In fact, everyone had stopped moving. I took a deep breath ¨C now was not the time to lose my calm. "Alright, let''s head up." I said and led the way.


    Arrows soon began to rain on us as we climbed the narrow path. Once again, I used my wind to blow them away. I was glad to have spent some time learning to control the winds. If I hadn''t, I would be trying to burn the arrows right now. Needless to say, that wouldn''t be nearly as useful.


    Only once we climbed up did the rain of arrows stop ¨C they couldn''t see us anymore.


    "So, what happens now?" Vincent asked. We were all crouched as to remain at least somewhat hidden. "Do we wait for morning or¡­?"


    I hesitated. "It depends on what they do. If they decide to wait in the woods, we have no choice but to wait. If they attack, we will defend." This could turn into a siege situation very quickly. Lack of food, and most importantly water, could very well bring our demise.


    "Can''t you, like¡­ burn the woods with your magic or something?" Joshua asked. I raised my brows.


    "I''d rather not." I replied. "That would leave me with no resources for the actual fight." My mana wasn''t infinite, after all. I couldn''t afford to waste it, not now, in this situation we had found ourselves in.


    "That doesn''t give us much choice, does it?" Erik mumbled. I nodded, there wasn''t much we could do but wait.


    And so, we waited. Minutes turned into hours, and the end of about three hours, I noticed something. Shadows, moving in the cover of the trees. Cloaked shadows, silhouettes that clearly didn''t belong to demons or Ereth.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. I pondered for a moment, entertaining that though. What if¡­ No, that wasn''t really possible, was it? Even if it were, how could they have found us?


    "Something''s happening!" Erik pointed at the woods. Snapped away from my thoughts, I directed my gaze to where he was pointing at.


    A group of people were leaving the woods, weapons in hand. Behind them, in the cover of the forest, I could see more silhouettes moving about. Just how many enemies were there?


    "I know that guy!" Vincent said, drawing a sharp breath. "That''s the guy that hates Erik!"


    "A player?" I asked as the fact that my suspicion was right wrenched my heart. Vincent nodded while Erik could only stare at the man leading the approaching group, wide eyed.


    As the group arrived at the foot of the hill, the archers still hidden in the woods fired a volley of arrows at us.


    "Look out!" Almost as if they were waiting for my shout, the group began their charge and our group prepared to defend.


    I raised my hand and created a gust of wind to swipe the arrows away. My eyes let out a purple shine as my wings formed on my back. Crimson flames began to dance on me. My scythe materialised in my extended hand.


    I could feel the souls within me stir ¨C some with anger, others with sorrow. I raised my arm, holding my scythe and swung it towards the bottom of the hill. A wave of flames extended, threatening to burn those climbing the path.


    "I will not let you through!"

 Chapter 154: Battle atop the Hill

    A faint, barely visible barrier appeared around the group rushing at us, allowing them to pass through my flames harmlessly. I gritted my teeth ¨C their magic users were going to be an issue ¨C I was the only person in our group who could use magic for anything other than buffs and heals. Was my magic going to be enough to counter theirs?


    As our enemies drew closer, my grasp on cold, metal shaft of my scythe tightened. My heart was beating quickly, with a mix of emotions. The anticipation of battle, the fear of death and loss, the sheer excitement of testing my strength against other. Yet, a darker, ominous feeling dampened all of this ¨C the thought of killing another player. Another person.


    What happened when we died? We honestly didn''t know. Did we just wake up on the other side? Back in our world? Was there damage to our minds? Or did we just die? So far, everyone had acted on the assumption that death in this game meant death in the real world. But was that assumption really correct?


    "Ready?" Vincent''s low, somewhat stiff voice pulled me away from my thoughts.


    "As much as I''ll be." I stepped forward and used Fallen Grace. Flames danced on the end of the feathers of my wings. "Fight to live, not to win." The young man nodded.


    And with that, our first clash began.


    The first of the seven who climbed up to us completely ignored Vincent. A rather heavy greatsword in hand, he leapt up and brought his blade down on me. I raised my scythe parallel to the ground and blocked his strike, then kicked him in the stomach with all of strength. Already having been staggered, he tumbled down, all the way back to the foot of the hill.


    I had no time to watch his fall though, as a volley of arrows rained over us. I raised my right hand to create a gust of wind to scatter the arrows and at the same time swung the scythe with my left hand to keep the next two assailants away.


    To my right, Vincent and Erik were keeping the remaining four busy. I had no time to look at Joshua and Alina. All I could do was hope Joshua would keep the young priestess safe in the backlines.


    The two that came towards me hesitated as they saw their friend thrown right back to the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately, their hesitation only lasted for a moment as one of the people fighting Erik shouted at them. "Don''t let that freak stop you! Come on!"


    I rolled my eyes. "Freak? Really?" I mumbled as both of them attacked me. couldn''t they have found something better? Blocked their strikes with ease and with a simple move of my scythe, wounded one of them. He staggered backwards, holding the deep cut stretching across his entire left arm.


    I let go of the scythe with my left hand and allowed my flames to gather in my palm as I blocked the other person''s attack with very little trouble. I hurled the small fireball at the wounded man, then focused my gaze on my last remaining opponent.


    He hesitated, glancing at Erik and Vincent. "Wish you were fighting them instead of me?" I asked as a wicked grin formed on my face. His face turned pale. Then, even more so as Vincent sent both of his opponents tumbling downhill with a clean kick and strike. Taking advantage of his hesitation and fear, I whirled my scythe, then hit him in the head with its lower end. His eyes rolled back, and he also tumbled down, along with the others.


    "And off you go as well!" Erik shouted. A bright light shone from his shield before he sent his own opponents flying. Vincent couldn''t help but laugh at the young paladin as he stabbed his sword to the ground and made a ''hmph'' sound.


    "Arrows!" Joshua shouted. At the same time, I heard their whistle. I quickly raised my hand and with a targeted gust of wind, scattered them.


    "Nice one, Kai." Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. I noticed a wound on his left shoulder as he turned back to glance at Joshua and Alina.


    "Joshua!" I called out to the young man. He looked at me with his usual frown ¨C despite everything, or maybe because of everything, he didn''t want to have anything to do with me. "Can you get Alina to heal these two?" I asked, glancing at Erik''s arms. He also had suffered a few cuts, though nothing too dangerous.


    "We''re fine-" Vincent began to speak, but I shook my head and cut him off. "We don''t know how long we will be stuck here." I raised my hand and got rid of another volley of arrows. "I need all of you to be in top shape."


    After a moment''s hesitation, they nodded and approached Alina, leaving me to guard the path. Those who tumbled all the way down had gotten up already. While four of them quickly returned to the woods, three of them decided to circle the hill.


    "Watch them." I pointed at Joshua. Though unhappy about this, he did as he was told. In the meantime, I narrowed my eyes and tried to count the shadows hidden behind the treeline. I counted up to thirteen before I lost count.


    Glancing at the sky, I sighed. It wasn''t even dawn yet. There was at least one more hour until the first rays of sunlight would reach us. I took a deep breath, then slowly released it.


    "Asher," I called out to him through our connection. "I might need some help."


    His response came almost immediately. I calmly explained the recent events. He reacted with shock and anger. Promising to set off immediately, he cut off the connection. I smiled ¨C help was on the way. All we needed to do was hold out.


    "Why are you smiling?" Erik''s voice startled me.


    "I was thinking of how you threw those two back down there." I said with a grin. He chuckled. "Well, you did it first."


    We laughed a little, then Vincent joined us. Joshua was still watching the three men walking around the hill, looking for another way up.


    "So," Erik sighed as another group left the woods and began climbing the hill. "How long will they keep this up, any bets?"


    Vincent grinned. "Until Kai decides to burn them all."


    They laughed, but Vincent''s words had prompted me to think again. Why had I kicked them down instead of outright killing them?


    I was honestly terrified. What if I did kill them? Could I live with that blood on my hands? What would happen to their souls? Did they have souls?


    A thought struck my mind. My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat.


    "Arrows!" Vincent shouted. I raised my hand and got rid of the incoming volley almost instinctively. "Kai, snap out of it." I noticed the four armed men in front of me at the same time as Erik shouted.


    Almost instinctively, I swung my scythe, aiming for their legs. Three of them threw themselves back while the last one jumped over my scythe and tried to stab my left eye with a golden knife.


    I had to use one of my wings to push his arm aside and make him miss to get out of that one unscathed. "Seriously," I said as I hit his forehead with the lower end of my scythe. "Don''t stab people''s eyes. That''s not even lethal." The guy fell down and slowly rolled down the hill. I was fairly sure he was unconscious now.


    The remaining three did something smart, in fact, no one else had ever used this against me before. They used their numbers advantage and attacked from three different directions. I was even somewhat impressed!


    I blocked the overhead strike with my scythe and moved my body to the left to avoid one of the others'' attacks, but I couldn''t do anything against the guy on my left ¨C his sword hit me in the side.


    A muffled clang sounded, and my skin felt like it was tearing, and then the man''s sword bounced off me. All three of them stepped back in confusion, mixed with fear, I grinned. "What?" I said swinging my scythe. They barely blocked my strike as I continued. "Did you think I was just show?"


    I spun my scythe around and hit another one in the chest with its lower end. I heard the sound of his ribs cracking and summoned a strong wind to push him off.


    To my side, Erik had knocked one of them out and he was punching the other one''s stomach with his armoured glove. The poor guy looked like he wanted to puke, and he did so as soon as Erik let go of him. He ran downhill, leaving puke in his wake.


    "Ew," The Paladin said with a sour expression.


    Vincent, on the other hand, was struggling. His opponent was a spear user, and the young fighter couldn''t get close enough. Thankfully, Erik was quick to realise this and stepped in to help him out.


    I directed my gaze on the two remaining people. One of them was slowly stepping back ¨C he was ready to run away. The other one had grasped the hilt of his sword tightly. He attacked me with stiff, erratic movements. I easily cut through the skin and flesh of his right hand, then kicked him down as well.


    I heard a muffled scream behind us. Quickly turning back, my eyes widened at the scene before me.


    Joshua removed his dagger from a man''s heart.


    "What have you done?"

 Chapter 155: The Siege Continues

    The lifeless body of the man fell on the ground with a thud. Joshua kicked the body, sending it tumbling downhill.


    "They were climbing up ¨C I had to stop him somehow." There wasn''t a hint of remorse in his voice. He acted as if killing another human ¨C an actual person who had a life of his own before getting trapped in this game ¨C was perfectly normal. Almost as if it was the right choice.


    I felt sick to my stomach.


    A fearful and pained wail sounded. I turned back to see the only guy still standing run off downhill in a hurry.


    "Idiot!" Vincent shouted His long steps carried him to his brother. He grabbed Joshua''s shoulders. "Why did you kill him? You just took away the only reason they had to not kill us!"


    "As if they are capable of that!" Joshua shrugged Vincent off and tilted his head towards me. "We''ve got the ''Pale Demon'', the same guy whose strength is on par with a demon''s. Do you really think they can harm us as long as Kai is here?" He laughed, then his gaze snapped towards me. "When will you stop holding back?"


    Anger welled up inside me. The flames that danced on my feathers grew larger as I gritted my teeth. "I am not invincible, Joshua. We know next to nothing about these people ¨C their numbers, their strength, even why they are attacking us!"


    I wanted to continue shouting, but the now familiar whistling stopped me. I raised my hand and summoned the wind. The volley of arrows heading for us scattered while I continued to glare at Joshua. "Keep Alina safe. Make sure he heals us if we''re wounded." I turned my back on him to face the enemy. All of those we had sent downhill had retreated into the woods. As I watched two others ¨C the ones who were circling the hill ¨C also ran to the cover of the woods, carrying the lifeless body of their ally.


    "Asher," It took some effort to hide the seething anger within me. "Change of plans. They will probably come at us with everything they have."


    "What happened?" I could feel his worry through our connection.


    "Joshua just killed one of them. When will you get here?"


    "He did what?" Asher shouted. "I-"


    "When will you get here?" I repeated my question. We had little time left, I could see the unusual activity in the shadows of the forest. They were preparing something.


    "At least eight hours." He finally spoke. "I''m sorry Kai, I can only fly so fast."


    I sighed. "It''s fine. I''ll figure something out." I was the one who cut off the connection. I didn''t want him to notice how damn afraid I was. Afraid that I''d lose someone else. And afraid that I''d have to kill a person.


    Some time passed ¨C Joshua sat in the back with Alina, whose gaze was focused on the distant mountains. They spoke to each other in a low voice. What would happen to her if one of us died? She hadn''t even recovered from Samantha''s passing.


    Erik fiddled with the leather straps of his shield as we waited. Slowly but surely, the dark sky began to show colour as the eastern horizon slowly lit up.


    I watched the forest below as the leaved turned golden momentarily. The crimson dawn only lasted a few minutes, but it was breath taking as always. Maybe even more so now that I was well aware this could be our last dawn.


    I watched the shadows in the trees as they slowly but surely formed a line, right behind the first set of trees. One of those silhouettes looked different than the others. A silhouette the like of which I had seen before.


    I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. Was this our end?


    "What''s wrong, kai?" Erik asked me. Both he and Vincent had used this time to rest a little. They were on edge, just like the rest of us. I hesitated a moment before shaking my head.


    "Nothing."


    How could I tell them who was hiding among the shadows? It would crush their spirit, destroy their hope. And right now, we needed every last drop of hope we could find. Morale was everything, Mother had made sure I learned that well. A broken soldier, no matter how powerful, will not care about the fight he fights. A soldier with hopes and dreams of the future, however, will do everything in his power and more to survive.


    I needed Erik and Vincent to hold on to those hopes and dreams. "How about we go to a hot spring after we return to the city?" I asked, forcing a grin.


    Vincent''s eyes shot open. "Just us?" He asked in a hurry. "We could ask your other friends to join us, you know." He grinned.


    I chuckled. "I''m sure Mona and the others would love that."


    "Hell yeah!" He said, forming his hand into a fist and hitting his knee lightly.


    I felt bed for using such a dirty trick on him but seeing as how much he clearly looked forward to it, I couldn''t help but smile. Was this what Mother had talked about? Hope, expectation, any kind of positive emotion to rile someone up.


    I sighed; this was all I could do for him. I was going to fight tooth and nail to protect him, but I wasn''t invincible. I could very well fall in this battle, considering who we were up against.


    "They''re coming."


    The words left my mouth as I felt magic coming from that direction. A spell was being cast. "Be ready," I warned the others as my scythe materialised in my hands.


    And soon, a small army rushed out of the woods.


    My fears were confirmed as soon as I was what the army was made of. Creatures ¨C trolls and orcs. Things from our world, not this one.


    "What the hell? These things again?" Erik shouted. I nodded as I created a wind to get rid of the volley of arrows aimed at us. "Players are coming too!" I shouted, pointing to the side. A group of fifteen was slowly but surely climbing the fairly steep cliffs.


    I had to do something before everything fell apart. Fast!


    Flames burst out of me as I let myself fall off the cliff. As I passed by them, the players screamed in pain ¨C didn''t hold back this time. Their ropes burned and they fell. While the fall was not lethal, I was quite sure they had broken quite a few bones.


    I beat my wings and flew over the horde of trolls and orcs, raining a fiery death on them.


    "Kill the remaining ones!" I shouted. As Erik and Vincent got to work, I circled the hill, finding more summoned creatures and destroying them. By the time I returned to Erik and Vincent, they had also destroyed the remaining few summoned monsters.


    "He got too excited." Erik said with a sigh as he glanced at Vincent. Alina was healing a rather nasty looking scratch on his shoulder.


    "It happens." I mumbled, then turned my gaze towards the woods. It wasn''t time yet ¨C they didn''t feel desperate enough to trust that silhouette yet. The players were still trying to do this on their own.


    "Listen," I said, pulling Erik away from the others. "At some point, I''ll have to fight a formidable enemy. When that time comes, I need you to get everyone else away."


    Erik''s eyes shot open." What? No, we''ll help you."


    I shook my head. "You wouldn''t stand a chance-"


    "Kai, you''ve always been doing stuff alone. You can''t keep this up!" Erik grabbed my shoulders. "I know I didn''t help at all in the past ¨C hell, I was the one who pushed you away, but you can''t always do things alone, ok? We''re here, please, if you have to fight, we''ll stand with you."


    His words came from a place of good intentions. He had realised his mistakes and he wanted to avoid making the same ones again. He wanted to earn my trust, he wanted to fight by my side. He wanted me to be part of the group again. My lips formed a weak smile, but even that shattered quickly.


    "What''s done is done. I fight at my peak when I''m alone. My flame burns everything ¨C it won''t discriminate between a demon and you. It will burn you and kill you." I looked away, at the woods. "I can''t protect anyone ¨C I''m built to kill. You, however, are a paladin. You shield others." I tilted my head towards Alina. "Look at her. Do you really want her to be stuck here as I turn everything to ash? Because when I fight for my life, nothing will survive."


    Erik''s eyes widened. His face was pale as a sheet of paper. He opened his mouth, then closed it. "I see." He mumbled. "Then I''ll make sure you can go all out without worrying about us."


    "That''s the best thing you can do for me." I said, forcing a smile. I turned my back on him as my flames grew hotter. "They''re coming again!"


    I leapt off the cliff to fight the second wave of monsters.

 Chapter 156: A Fight for my Life

    They kept coming, wave after wave. They had stopped sending humans by now ¨C it was all trolls and orcs. I had stopped flying around since it was useless. Instead, I had chosen to preserve my mana as much as I can, only creating wind to shield us from arrows.


    As we defeated the last wave they sent, Erik and Vincent went to Alina''s side, just like before. Their exhaustion was showing. With each wave, the number of wounds they suffered only increased.


    I gritted my teeth as I watched the woods below. The silhouettes were on the move again. Where was that girl? I couldn''t remember her name¡­ Was it Elly? No¡­ Elise! How could I forget something so important?


    I shook my head and pushed the thoughts gnawing at me to the back of my mind. I couldn''t afford to worry about that right now. Survival came first.


    "How long will they keep this up?" Vincent''s low voice sounded. I turned to look at the young man. He and Erik were sitting by Joshua and Alina. Erik shook his head. "I don''t know," The young paladin said, shaking his head. "But we''ll be fine. As long as we all do our best, we will be fine."


    I almost wanted to laugh. Almost. What if our best wasn''t enough?


    I raised my hand to get rid of another volley of arrows. No, I couldn''t think like that ¨C our best had to be enough. I took a deep breath. Just waiting here was useless ¨C eventually we would run out of resources. Alina''s mana, food and water, my own mana, not to mention exhaustion.


    I glanced at the sky. The sun had dawned a very shot while ago. There were still at least six hours until Asher came. And even if he did come here in time, he alone couldn''t stop an Ereth divine.


    "Erik." I called the young man''s name. He hurriedly rushed to me as soon as he heard my voice. "Some help will arrive in about six hours." I said with a bitter voice. "I will head down to distract the enemy then. I want you to make sure everyone gets out of here alive, ok? The person coming to help should be able to get all of you out of here."


    The blonde paladin hesitated. "What about you?"


    My lips formed a thin line as I glanced at the silhouettes moving in the woods. "I burn everything to ash."


    Just from his white face and wide eyes, I could see how much my words terrified him. I didn''t blame him for being scared ¨C it would have been weird if my words didn''t put at least some fear into his heart.


    "Will you catch up with us?" He asked hesitantly. I nodded. "You know I will."


    I was putting quite a weight on Asher''s shoulders. He was probably going to have to teleport me out of there, just like he had done so during my fight with Delthur and Vixia. I could only hope he had the resources he needed to cast that spell again.


    "Kai?" Erik waved his hand in front of my face. "Is something wrong?"


    "No, I''m fine." I said, shaking my head. I glanced at Joshua, Alina and Vincent. The young fighter seemed to be left out a little as Joshua quietly spoke with Alina. The young priestess seemed to be listening intently.


    Too intently, in fact. I narrowed my eyes and watched them a while. Alina was replying to Joshua. While her expression empty and her posture was the same as before, I was sure I saw a glitter in her eyes.


    "Are you sure you''re ok?" Erik insisted. "Yeah," I mumbled, still focused on Alina. Was she finally coming to her senses? Or was something else going on? Why had Joshua not told any of us anything about this?


    "Arrows." Vincent warned me with a monotonous voice. The wind I summoned got rid of the arrows with ease. "And the next wave is here." The young man said with a sigh. He was just as exhausted and annoyed as Erik. We took out place at the front once again. Shortly before the monsters reached us, I heard Vincent speak to me in a low voice.


    "Alina isn''t as lost as she seems, is she?" I could hear the distrust in his voice as he continued. "She was talking to my brother just fine. Did you notice?"


    I nodded. "Yeah." There wasn''t much else to say, nor the time to say it before the enemy arrived, so we fell silent. I was honestly impressed ¨C I hadn''t expected Vincent to notice that, much less think clearly about it considering their long lasting friendship. I think I hadn''t given him the credit he deserved.


    As the next wave arrived, I took point. It didn''t take us long to clear the monsters, but it wasn''t going to take Elise long to summon even more either. I took a deep breath as Alina healed Erik and Vincent''s wounds again. Her expression was empty, and she was silent, yet I saw the same glitter in her eyes as before.


    "Hey," I said as I approached them. "Alina, how much mana do you have left?" I made sure to speak softly. I didn''t want to give Joshua yet another reason to hate me.


    The priestess'' eyes glittered, yet she remained silent and continued to heal the scratches on Erik''s arms. I waited for a bit, then just sighed. "Alright," I said, forcing my voice to remain calm.


    Only once I moved away from them did I let out an angry sigh. Why? Why would she not work with me while I tried to keep everyone alive? Why would she fake a broken spirit while having that glitter of intelligence in her eyes? Why now of all times?


    I clenched my fists. How was I supposed to keep them safe when they refused to cooperate?


    I got rid of another volley of arrows as such thoughts whirled in my mind. How was I supposed to plan for the coming assaults without knowing how much mana she had? Her healing was paramount ¨C without it, Erik and Vincent would fall from strength very quickly.


    As such thoughts swirled in my mind, a familiar voice echoed through our shared connection.


    "I bumped into Mona!" Asher shouted. His loud mental voice startled me. "We''ll be there in less than ten minutes ¨C don''t ask how, we''ll explain everything later! Hold out till then, we''ll find a way to get you all out of there!"


    My lips formed a bitter smile. "I don''t think that''s going to be as easy. There''s an Ereth Divine in the woods. Be ready to teleport me when I tell you to, ok?"


    "A what?" He asked in shock. "Kai, don''t do anything stupid!"


    "Be ready to teleport me out!" I shouted before cutting off the connection.


    "Erik, come here for a minute." I spoke. The young man lifted his head and nodded, then quickly got up and approached me. Alina hadn''t finished healing him completely, but right now that didn''t matter.


    "Is something wrong?" He asked, worry filling his voice.


    "In about ten minutes, Asher and Mona will arrive. In eight, I will attack the enemy."


    The young paladin''s eyes widened. "Wait-"


    "Let me finish," I cut him off. "I need you to make sure everyone gets out of here alive. I''m sure Some of the people hiding down there will come after you when they see I''m not able to help you out. You''ll have to fight."


    Silence followed my words. Erik seemed conflicted, more than anything.


    "I see." He mumbled, fiddling with the leather straps of his shield. "Are you sure you''re going to be fine?"


    I smiled. "Of course. I''ll join you not long after."


    Another volley of arrows whistled as they approached us. I raised my hand, summoning yet another gust of wind to scatter them. I could hear the sound of the arrow shitting the ground and the cliff walls.


    "They wasted a lot of arrows today." Vincent''s voice sounded. I turned to look at him. Alina had finished healing him. He approached us and stood with us as we watched the treeline. "What happens now?" He asked after a moment of silence.


    "You''ll start climbing down the hill." I could feel Asher''s presence close by. He was going to be here within minutes. "Use the backside ¨C the same spot that once guy used to climb up here. Then, Once Asher and Mona arrive, leave with them. They''ll take you somewhere safe, and I''ll join you there."


    I noticed some movement in the distant sky. I could feel Asher getting closer as we spoke.


    "It''s time. One minute ¨C go."


    Unlike Erik, Vincent didn''t hesitate. He grabbed the young paladin''s arm and dragged him to the others. I couldn''t hear exactly what was told, but the group had set off within seconds. As they descended the hill, my time had come as well.


    I stretched my wings wide and walked down the path, scythe in hand. I let my flames run wild as each step I took carried me closer to the Ereth Divine.


    I noticed most of the players run off after Erik and the others, but I didn''t care about them. Asher and Mona would arrive before these guys could do anything. I had to focus on the real threat ¨C cloaked figure who finally stepped out of the shadows.


    "Greetings, Keeper." Her voice tickled my ears.


    "Greetings, Divine." As I spoke, my crimson flames roared. "I''m afraid the pleasantries will have to stop here as we meet here today as enemies."


    She removed her cloak. "Indeed."

 Chapter 157: A Clash with the Divine

    She looked nothing like Aelith. Her dark brown hair, crimson scales on her skin and a pair of blood red leathery wings gave her a rather terrifying look.


    She raised her hand and a scythe materialised ¨C one that looked much more dangerous than mine. It was a two sided scythe, both ends of the shaft had blades, though one was a small blade while the other was much like the blade of my own scythe.


    I gritted my teeth as she effortlessly spun it around herself. How many years of experience did she have with it? Decades? Centuries? Millenia?


    As my already fragile plan shattered, I felt her magic spread around. A gold ¨C vermillion shine surrounded us. I felt it pull and my clothes and hair.


    "And here I was, thinking the Ereth were weakened outside the Divine Pillar''s range." While I was speaking of this quite lightly, it took quite a bit of effort to keep my voice calm.


    "Oh, I am weakened." Her voice reminded me the hissing of a snake ¨C it tried to penetrate what little mental defences I had. "But so are you, am I right Keeper?"


    I had no idea of what she was talking about. I was at my peak ¨C my mana was nearly full, and I was as healthy I could be. "So, why are you trying to kill us? Is it Erik you''re after?" I was basically trying to buy some time ¨C time for Asher and Mona to arrive, time for Erik and the others to get somewhere safe. Time for Asher to be able to teleport me.


    "Erik?" She asked, tilting her slightly. She let go of her scythe, allowing it to float by her side as she slowly approached me. "Oh," She smiled. "You mean Rohir''s toy."


    My lips formed a thin line. I didn''t like the way she worded any of that.


    "What?" She asked, slowly approaching still. "Do you really think Rohir cares about that child?" She scoffed at the mere thought of it. "The only one who cared about her pawn was her, and the girl died first." A wicked smile formed on her face as anger and hatred welled up inside me.


    "So, to answer your question, I am not here to kill this ''Erik'' boy. I am here solely for you." She glanced at the players, running towards Erik and the others. "They, however, are here to kill the boy."


    I gritted my teeth ¨C the way she spoke, her pronunciation, her body language, everything about her annoyed me so much. I knew she was talking like that on purpose ¨C she was trying to anger me, make me lose control, make me act rashly so I''d become easy prey.


    I wasn''t going to let her do that. I forced myself to take deep breaths. "And here I was thinking the Keeper was important to the Divines'' plans." A wicked smile appeared on my face ¨C Maybe I could use her own trick against her. "Or is the Demon Lord no longer a concern of you?"


    "He is Aelith''s concern, not mine." She smiled. "I have other, more pressing issues to attend to ¨C such as making sure the dead remain so."


    I flinched; I didn''t like the way she worded that. She almost seemed to suggest I was the previous Keeper of Souls. "I''m not the person who died all those years ago."


    "But you are ¨C maybe your personality has changed, or you have forgotten your long life, but I know you''re the same person." She raised her hand. The vermillion hue of her magic grew stronger. "And I will make sure you never raise from the grave again. Ever."


    Her words echoed unnaturally. Everything seemed to stop for a fraction of a second that felt like minutes. Our battle had begun right at this moment ¨C before even our blades clashed, our magic did.


    My crimson flames against her gold-vermillion mist, my will to live against her wish to kill.


    As soon as our magic clashed, we both dashed forward, though the simple yet obvious difference in our posture showed the gap in our strength and experience clearly.


    I kept my body low and close to the ground, while she hovered just above the terrain. My scythe in my right hand, I swung it towards her feet as soon as I was close enough. She effortlessly spun her scythe, blocking my attack with the blade at the lower end of the shaft and attacking me with its primary blade at the same time.


    I had to roll backwards to keep my head on my shoulders. "Is that all you can do?" She asked, tilting her head sideways just a little.


    I gritted my teeth. Unlike me, who was basically just winging it, the Divine before me knew how to wield a scythe. I stood no chance against her like this. I let go of the dark, metal shaft of my weapon, allowing it to fade away in a dark mist and dashed at her again, this time extending my right hand.


    She laughed ¨C a full out, evil laugh ¨C and swung her scythe again. I rolled under her attack with a bust of speed, thanks to Fallen Grace, and as soon as I was clear from the scythe''s blade, swung my now empty hand towards her in a stabbing motion.


    Her eyes shot open as the blade given to me by Luhen quite some time ago materialised in my hand. She beat her wings to get away but wasn''t quite fast enough. My blade pierced her dress and let a deep, bloody cut at her side.


    At the same time, I felt her left hand on my chest. A burst of magic blinded me as I swung my blade once more. I found myself in the air and fell to the ground with a muffled thud.


    The clothes Aelith gave me had a rather large hole where she touched me, but I was mostly unharmed. As the pale scales disappeared, I sighed a breath of relief. They had just saved my life.


    "How are you still alive?" I heard her voice ¨C whatever magic she was using before to make it sound like a disgustingly sweet voice was gone. She sounded in pain and full of anger. "Why do you always refuse to die?" She screamed and her power leapt at me. The gold-vermillion mist threatened to choke me as it filled the air, not letting me breathe.


    I desperately summoned the wind to scatter the mist. To my surprise, it worked, even if only a little. As I gasped for air, she dashed at me. I raised my arms and with them, a wall of flame to stop her.


    She broke through the flames with less effort than I had anticipated and swung her blade towards my throat. I raised my sword just in time to stop the sharp, curved blade of her scythe. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as our blades remained locked for a moment.


    I could see her anger, and hatred in her eyes. I gritted my teeth and pushed her back with all of my strength. For a moment, it seemed like she wouldn''t move a hair, but suddenly her face twisted with pain and I managed to push her away.


    She stumbled a few steps backwards, then touched her side, where she was still bleeding quite a lot. Somewhat out of breath, I used this chance to regain my balance and use Death''s Scythe. Still somewhat distracted by her wound, she let her guard down just a little.


    I dashed forward, cutting through the gold-vermillion mist with my flames and winds. As I approached her, I noticed a shine in her eyes. All I could think of was that this was a bait. I stopped moments before reaching her, and the ground only a few steps before me exploded.


    I threw myself to the side as the dusk cloud began to settle. I could hear her panting as she swung her scythe through the cloud of dust. As her blade met no resistance, her eyes widened. "You lived again?" She asked, sheer hatred dripping from her voice.


    I couldn''t wrap my head around it ¨C why did she hate me so much? What had the previous Keeper done? For all I knew, he had played a more passive role, avoiding fighting the Ereth and instead, making sure the souls of the dead demons found their resting place. What had he done to make the Divines hate him and fear him so much?


    I noticed the gold-vermillion mist thicken as her face twisted. "Do you think I will let you run free once again?" She asked, her gaze focusing on me.


    "Kai, we just met up with Erik." Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "We''ll be in a safe place in a few minutes, I can teleport you out of there then. Can you hold on?"


    "I''ll try," Was the only answer I could honestly give.


    As the Divine''s power surrounding us grew thicker, I released my flames ¨C all of them. Now, the real fight began.

 Chapter 158: Clash of Vermillion and Crimson

    My flames burst out, swallowing everything in their path. The grass, the trees, even some of the smaller rocks began to burn, melt and turn to ash. The crimson flames pushed the gold-vermillion mist away, cleansing our surroundings.


    "You never used their power like this before." The Divine spoke. The gold-vermillion mist resonated with her voice as the flames made their way towards her. "The souls ¨C you would always let them rest. That''s why we were able to kill you in the past." She raised her left hand, blood dripping from it. "But I see now that you have changed your ways."


    "I''m not the same person!" I shouted. I had it enough with people confusing me with my predecessor. I didn''t know him ¨C who he was, what kind of a person he was¡­ I knew next to nothing about him ¨C I didn''t even know his name!


    She sneered at my words. The drops of blood falling to the ground seemed to hang mid-air as her power suddenly re-emerged. The gold-vermillion mist I had pushed away with my wind reappeared, encroaching upon us slowly.


    I clenched my fists and fed more power into my flames. She was outside the range of her Divine Pillar, wounded and angry. I had the upper hand in this fight, didn''t I?


    My flames reached her, but the thick mist surrounding her dampened them, not letting them touch her at all. I gritted my teeth as her mist began to surround me. Did I really stand no chance against her?


    I wasn''t going to accept that. I dashed forward, using Soul''s Aspect. My body burst into flames as I called upon the Phoenix'' soul. As I reached the wall of mist surrounding her, her eyes shot open. She gasped in shock as I threw myself towards her, sword in hand.


    She raised her scythe as my sword reached its target. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as she stopped my strike with relative ease. She was holding her wound with one hand, so I had hoped to catch her at a disadvantage, but her physical strength was ridiculous. She was able to hold me off with just one hand.


    I fed even more power to my flames. The black-crimson flames surrounded us. They were tugging at her clothes and hair. Some of the flames gathering on my hand suddenly leapt towards her face. She looked away as her mist formed a wall to protect her. In that moment where she couldn''t see anything, I reared back and kicked her stomach. At the same time, I let my blade slide across the shaft of her scythe.


    She screamed in pain as it reached her hand clenched around the metal shaft. I felt my blade cut through something and something dropped to the ground.


    She leapt back with a powerful beat of her wings. "You-" She began to scream at me, but a suddenly stopped like she noticed something.


    I was about to dash at her again, but just before I did, I noticed the same thing as her. My eyes widened as the wind, the flames and the mist slowly stopped moving. Everything stopped, even time seemingly came to a halt. My body refused to move, and clearly, hers did so too.


    Something appeared not too far from us. Something that felt familiar, yet foreign. It was a slit in the air, at first. Then, it grew larger and clearer as it began to such the light away. Cold darkness spread as someone stepped out of the slit that had now formed into a rift.


    Someone I couldn''t forget even if I wanted to.


    His black hair and clothes fluttered in a non-existent wind. The end of his hair had a purple hue just like before. His purple eyes first glanced at the Divine, then at me. Even with that short glance, it felt as if he were staring right into my soul.


    For a moment, nothing happened.


    Then, I finally came to my senses.


    "Asher get me out of here. Now!" I severed the connection immediately as I feared he would find out about it. Was the same trick going to work twice?


    What are you doing here, Divine of the Light?


    His mouth didn''t move ¨C it was his thoughts that echoed in my mind. From the Divine''s expression, I could see she heard him too. She didn''t reply; I couldn''t why ¨C was it because she didn''t want to, or because she wasn''t able to?


    We are still at war, and you have come to my land.


    I flinched. His land? What did that mean?


    And where was Asher? Why hadn''t he teleported me out yet?


    The demon stepped forward; his hand extended towards the Divine. I could see the same intricate black lines on his hand. They disappeared beneath his clothes. What were those?


    And I even find you trying to kill him.


    His words sent a chill down my spine. The Divine''s eyes widened. A familiar glow began to appear under her ¨C a teleportation sigil. She was trying to get away ¨C she didn''t even try to fight him!


    May your soul find respite in the burning light!


    The Demon''s voice struck fear into my heart. From his fingertip, a black ¨C purple light flashed.


    I felt Asher''s magic envelop me at the same time as the Divine screamed. Her scream was cut short as she fell to the ground with a muffled thud. My eyes wide, I looked at her slit throat. He had killed her ¨C it all happened so fast that I couldn''t even comprehend it.


    His gaze finally turned to me, a fraction of a second before Asher''s spell was completed.


    His lips formed a faint smile. We will meet again.


    His words were enough to terrify me. My heart skipped a beat just before a bright light enveloped me. Moments later, I fell to the ground with a thud.


    "Kai!"


    I found myself in a dark cave. Asher and Mona were looking at me, their expressions filled with worry.


    "You''re ok!" Mona shouted as soon as I opened my eyes. She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. "You scared the hell out of me!"


    It took her a few seconds to let go of me. Only then did I get the chance to look at the others. Joshua and Alina were sitting at the farthest end of the cave. While they gaze did linger on me for a second, avoided looking directly in my eyes. They were talking with each other with a low voice.


    Vincent was right here with Asher and Mona, but at first glance, I couldn''t see Erik anywhere.


    "Where is Erik?" I asked, my fear clear from my voice. Had something happened to him? Had the other players caught him?


    "He was wounded." Mona explained, gesturing behind me. I turned back to see him laying on a blanket. He seemed to be fast asleep. "I healed him, he''ll be fine, but he needs sleep." She wiped a tear off her face.


    "Who did you face?" Asher asked after a moment of silence.


    "Why did you take so long to teleport me?" I asked him instead of replying. My heart was still racing ¨C the fear of meeting that demon hadn''t gone away yet.


    "Something interrupted me the first time I tried to cast the spell." Asher said, shaking his head. "It was like you didn''t exist. I had to do some creative things to get it to reach you."


    Mona nodded. "I had to help him out too ¨C we''re both completely out of mana because of it." She hesitated. "Looking at your complexion, so are you. What happened?"


    "It was almost as if you were in another dimension." Asher added.


    All that made me think of was that time had seemingly slowed down as soon as the demon stepped out of that rift. Was that what he did? Trap us somewhere else?


    I blinked a few times. Was the demon aware of my connection with Asher? Had he tried to stop the blonde sorcerer''s spell? Too many questions popped into my mind at the same time.


    "Kai?" Asher interrupted my thought process. "What happened? Who did you face?"


    I hesitated ¨C was it ok for Mona to know about all this? But then again, what right did I have to keep her in the dark after she saved me so many times just these last few days?


    "A divine." I said, taking a deep breath. "She was there to kill me."


    Asher drew a sharp breath while Vincent''s eyes shot open. "What?" The young man shouted.


    "Which one?" Asher asked. I hesitated ¨C I hadn''t learned her name at all. I told them what she looked like. "I don''t think she saw eye to eye with Aelith."


    "Saw?" Mona raised her brows. She didn''t seem even a little surprised as she asked; "What does that mean?"


    I hesitated. There was honestly no simple way to say it, was there?


    "I think I met the Demon Lord."

 Chapter 159: Seeds of Distrust

    "You what?" Asher''s eyes shot open. Mona seemed like she was about to scream, and Vincent was the person who shouted. Even Alina and Joshua finally seemed somewhat interested in what I was saying.


    "I can''t say for sure," I continued. "But he was incredibly powerful. I couldn''t even move a muscle when he arrived, and the Divine couldn''t either."


    Silence followed my words. Finally, it was Mona who broke it. "What happened to the Divine?" Her bright green eyes focused on mine. The usual cheerful, curious glitter in her eyes was gone. Now, a deep shadow had replaced it.


    "He killed her." I touched my throat as if I were making a cut. "Just like that, he slit her throat. She didn''t even get a chance to fight back ¨C didn''t even try." Just that was enough to strike fear into our hearts. If a Divine ¨C one of the most powerful seven Ereths ¨C didn''t even try to fight back against the Demon Lord, how did they expect us to stand a chance against him?


    "So, you escaped how, exactly?" Joshua''s voice sounded. I turned to look at him. He was sitting by Alina still. His deadly glare and clenched fists made it very obvious just how angry he was.


    "Weren''t you here?" Vincent chimed in. "I thought you were paying your full attention to the ''dangerous spells'' Asher was casting."


    I raised my eyebrows. Had something happened while I wasn''t here?


    The two Kestler brothers glared at each other. I hesitated ¨C was it ok to intervene here?


    "I teleported him here ¨C you''re not doing a good job at being the person who ''notices things''." Asher intervened, before I had decided yet. "You need to be a lot more aware of your surroundings for that."


    Joshua gritted his teeth. "Shut up! Kai survived against demons how many times now? Don''t any of you find this even a little suspicious?" He jumped up on his feet. "Why are you trusting him so much?"


    "Joshua-"


    "Shut up!" He shouted at me, cutting me off. I felt my anger well up inside my chest. The souls within me stirred, with anger and annoyance, with sadness and sorrow. "You look like a demon, you keep meeting demons and surviving, how come haven''t the Divines killed you off yet?" He was now shouting at the top of his lungs. "Do you really think I wouldn''t notice? We don''t even know who you are in real life!"


    I flinched. For just a moment, I doubted my memories. I knew I shouldn''t. I knew he was only trying to rile me up. But for just a moment, I had trouble discerning my memories from those of the souls that I had taken in. Was I really the same person as I thought myself to be?


    "What the hell are you talking about?" A shout startled me. Vincent stepped towards his brother; his face twisted with anger. "Why the hell are you trying to cast him out?" He grabbed his brother from the collar of his clothes. "Don''t speak as if you''re trustworthy at all!"


    Now, if was Joshua''s turn to fall silent in confusion and shock. "What-"


    "Back when we were fighting the sea serpent, you didn''t help at all!" Vincent shouted at the top of his lungs.


    "I told you ¨C some monsters-"


    "Lies!" His brother cut him off. "The wounds you have were knife wounds, not claw marks!" Vincent shook his brother back and forth. "You cut yourself and came back from whatever hole you were hiding in!"


    My eyes widened as Joshua tried to protest, but Vincent wasn''t having any of it. "And that''s not all ¨C you didn''t help us when we fought that disgusting creature by the lake!" His glare turned to Alina, who seemed more wary than shocked like the rest of us. My brows furrowed slightly.


    Asher shot a meaningful look towards me and I replied with a slight nod. Something was off, and Vincent was doing the right thing by finally taking the initiative.


    "And you ¨C don''t think I haven''t noticed." He shouted at the young priestess. "You''re not in a daze at all, are you? You''re just as sane as any of us, you''re just hiding it. You didn''t help us either, you didn''t heal us fast enough half the time and you didn''t even try to help when Asher and Mona were trying to get Kai back!"


    "Hey ¨C leave her out of this!" Joshua pushed his furious brother aside. "And stop blaming things on everyone!" Now, his face was also red with anger, though the glimmer in his eyes wasn''t that of wrath, but more of panic. The question I had was, what was he panicking about? That their act was discovered, or because a plan had been foiled?


    "Then start explaining! What happened to my brother who was so amazed by the new kid who joined our group?"


    Silence followed his words as the two brothers glared at each other. Asher glanced at me and Mona. We were all interested in the answer Joshua was going to give.


    "What''s going on?" Erik''s sleepy voice sounded. He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position and glanced at us with a confused expression. "Why are you all shouting?"


    Having just woken up, he didn''t seem aware of the situation ¨C and of how delicate it is ¨C at all.


    "It''s nothing." Joshua said, with a tone of voice that made it very clear that it wasn''t nothing. "I''ll be outside." He brushed past his brother and walked outside the cave. All our gazes turned to Alina. She was as silent as ever.


    Vincent glared at her a little; he almost seemed like he wanted to shout at her too. A few moments later, he decided otherwise and moved away from her. He sat on the ground at the farthest point of the cave.


    Erik glanced at all of us ¨C he had clearly noticed some thing was going on, he had just missed the context.


    "Let me see if you''ve healed completely." Mona said, finally breaking the awkward silence. She knelt by the young paladin and raised her hand. A green light shone from her palm as she held it by his forehead. A few moments later, she smiled and nodded. "You''re as healthy as you can be." She got back up and approached me. As she brushed past Asher to approach me, I noticed her give him something.


    "Kai, I need your help with something. Can you come with me? It won''t take long."


    I hesitated, then nodded. "Sure, lead the way. Erik, hold the fort, would you?"


    The young paladin grinned and nodded. I followed Mona outside. As we passed by Joshua, who was leaning his back on the nearest tree, he glared at me. I tried to ignore him ¨C getting angry at him now wasn''t going to help the situation at all and whatever Mona wanted to talk about seemed more important than this meaningless discussion.


    We walked in silence for a while, until we arrived at a narrow creek. There was barely any water flowing, yet this place was more alive than most places I''d seen. Butterflies, other bugs and small critters were everywhere, and they didn''t even seem too spooked by us.


    "What''s going on?" I finally asked. It took quite a lot of effort to not step on the colourful flowers and other plants decorating the place.


    "There''s something you need to know. You and Asher." She said, glancing to the direction we came from. "I let him know too, he should be here in a bit."


    I hesitated. What was going on?


    "In the meantime, I wanted to show you this." She knelt by the creek and touched one of the colourful flowers by it.


    "I know that¡­" I mumbled ¨C I recognised the smell. The smell of hyacinth.


    "Of course, you do. It''s hyacinth." She hesitated. "The same type that exists in our world but doesn''t grow naturally in this one."


    I raised my brows. "What do you mean?" I was sure I had smelled it before. Where was it though?


    Mona let go of the plant. "It can''t live in this world without the help of magic." Green glitter fell from her fingers to the purple flower. "If left alone, untended, it will die." She raised her gaze to meet mine. "Don''t you find it weird? I found this one here a few weeks ago. In demon territory."


    I flinched. "We''re still in demon territory?" I had thought Asher and Mona had taken the others back to Ereth lands before teleporting me out of there. Why had they remained on this side of the border?


    She nodded. "We are, I asked Asher to follow me this way."


    I felt my body tense up. "Why? What if the demons find us?"


    She shook her head. "Right now, the Ereth are a much bigger threat to us." A bitter smile appeared on her lips. "You see," She said as Asher finally stepped out of the woods. "There aren''t just seven Divines."

 Chapter 160: A Scream and a Rumble

    "There are, or used to be, thirteen of them."


    I blinked. I was more confused than surprised. Up until now, I always had the assumption that a ''Divine'' was an Ereth who had become powerful enough to take up that position. I never thought their number really mattered.


    Asher, on the other hand, looked like he had just learned he was a father ¨C or something as shocking as that, anyways. "What?" He asked, his eyes wide and his face pale.


    "Now, only seven ¨C no six, remain in power." Mona continued. Her voice was heavy, and her expression filled with uncertainty. This wasn''t the Mona I knew ¨C she wouldn''t doubt herself like this.


    "Out of the thirteen, this is the fifth the Demon Lord has killed."


    Now, it was my time to be shocked. No wonder he hadn''t hesitated even a moment as he slit that Divine''s throat. No wonder she didn''t even attempt to fight back. No wonder she feared for her life the moment he stepped out of that rift.


    I felt sick to my soul ¨C I was no lover of the Ereth or their Divines, but seeing someone killed in cold blood like that was¡­ It had a certain impact. And now, learning that this was nothing special to the Demon Lord¡­ I felt horrible.


    "What happened to the twelfth and thirteenth?" Asher asked after a short while of silence. That''s when I noticed the numbers didn''t add up. If five had died and six were in power, who was the thirteenth?


    "The thirteenth is alive." Mona said with a faint smile. She raised her hand and pulled her long sleeve back to reveal a tiny mark on her arm. It wasn''t anything special looking, just an X with three horizontal lines crossing it. "He is in hiding from the other Divines."


    Asher''s eyes shot open. "What? Why?"


    "Because not everything that the Ereth told us when we first came here are true." I mumbled. "Right?"


    She nodded. "That''s one way to put it." She hesitated ¨C maybe she was still unsure of what to share with us, or maybe she was simply trying to find the right way to tell things.


    "What happened to the twelfth?" Asher asked after a moment of silence.


    "I don''t know." Mona said, shrugging. "All I know is that her views didn''t match with those of the Divine Matriarch, so the Divine Mother and she had a fight. The twelfth was never seen again, and she is considered deceased by the Ereth."


    I flinched. "The Matriarch may have killed her own kind?" I asked. I knew Aelith wasn''t a good person ¨C anyone could see that ¨C but to think she may have murdered one of her own in cold blood¡­


    "I''m sure she tried, but I doubt she killed her." Mona sighed. "If she had, the Thirteenth would know about it. She was his brother, after all."


    Once again, both Asher and I were stunned. Mona had a wealth of information that I couldn''t have dreamt of acquiring ¨C how had she learned all this? Who was she? Why was she sharing all of this?


    Questions whirling in my mind, forced myself to remain silent for now. I wanted to let the crimson haired druid to finish telling us what she wanted to tell first. Then, we could start asking her what we wanted to know.


    "Anyways, the twelfth isn''t around. She doesn''t matter to us right now. What matters is that the war between demons and Ereth isn''t really as one sided as it seems."


    I nodded. I had noticed that as soon as I met Vixia and Delthur for the first time. Much more than just a struggle for land was going on.


    "Indeed," Asher chimed in. "We were told the Ereth had been invaded ¨C the demons took their lands and destroyed their Divine Pillars." He raised his hand and summoned his map. "Yet I''ve visited the locations where the Divine Pillars should have been ¨C some of them at least ¨C and found not a single trace of them."


    Mona nodded. "It feels off, doesn''t it?" Her gaze lingered on me as I nodded.


    "Kai, you''re the only one who ever spoke with a demon ¨C you should have an idea already."


    She wasn''t wrong. The thought that had been gnawing at the back of my mind finally surfaced. I finally allowed myself to entertain it, even if only for a short moment. "I don''t think the Demons invaded the Ereth ¨C or this world ¨C at all." I finally said. "I found not a single Ereth ruin, not a single trace of the great cities they claimed to have."


    And that wasn''t all. "I have no memory of such things either," I added, glancing at Asher. "None of the souls I''ve taken in remember such things, yet I remember the lives demons led. I remember how they were always the losing side ¨C how the Ereth, usually led by Divine Matriarch Aelith came to kill them."


    Silence followed my words. Eventually, it was Asher who broke it. "So, can we agree on this?" He asked as the map he showed us disappeared. "The Ereth aren''t what they seem."


    We both nodded. "There is something else going on," I said with a sigh.


    "The Thirteenth Divine will want to meet you." Mona finally spoke. "I can take you to him, but I can''t take Erik or the others. They have their own patrons, and we can''t take such a huge risk."


    I hesitated. I didn''t like the idea of leaving those four out here in demon territory. "Can we take them back to a safe place first?" I asked after a moment of hesitation.


    Mona nodded. "I was about to suggest the Torchlight Woods." My eyes shot open while Asher seemed just a tad confused. "Why the middle of nowhere?" He asked in his confusion.


    "That''s where we were teleported when we first started the game. Most of the creatures there were weak and there is a nice, protected place where they can rest for a while. Stonepatch Village isn''t too far away either ¨C they can go there if they need to." I glanced at Mona. "But how did you know all of that?"


    "The Thirteenth told me a lot. He''s been watching different groups since the day we arrived here." She chuckled. "Us meeting was entirely luck though. He had no hand in that."


    "Anyways." Asher clearly wanted us to get back to the subject at hand. "We should return and-"


    A woman''s scream and a low rumble interrupted him. Not too far away, something had exploded, I think. We all felt it through the ground ¨C the entire forest shook as we tried to keep our balance.


    As soon as the shaking stopped, the first thing I did was dash back, to the cave where Erik and the others were.


    By the time I arrived, Mona had just caught up with me and we''d both left Asher in the dust.


    My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat as we stopped before the stop where the cave entrance used to be.


    "Erik! Vincent!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, fear gripping my heart. The cave entrance had collapsed entirely. Now only a pile of rocks was to be seen. A few seconds passed with no answer. I felt a lump in my throat ¨C this couldn''t be it, right?


    "Anyone!" I heard Erik''s voice faintly.


    "Erik!" I shouted back at him, rushing to the pile of rocks and stones. "Are you ok? Can you hear me?"


    I heard him cough. "I''m fine ¨C both of us are alive." He hesitated, then shouted again, just as Asher arrived, somewhat out of breath. "Vincent has his legs crushed though ¨C he''s unconscious." He coughed again. The air inside was clearly not very clean right now.


    "We''ll get you out of there!" I shouted, glancing at Asher and Mona.


    "Where is Alina and Joshua?" Erik shouted. "I heard her scream. Are they ok?"


    We glanced at each other. What little relief I felt had disappeared now. "They''re not here." I replied a few seconds later. "Where were they when this happened?"


    Erik hesitated; he was probably trying to remember. A short while later, he finally replied. "Joshua was taking Alina to the small creek right there."


    I glanced to my left, where the creek was. It wasn''t even ten meters away from the entrance.


    "I don''t know what happened to them ¨C I just heard Alina scream."


    I bit my lower lip while Mona began to check the rocks blocking the entrance. I approached the creek to find some clues. What had happened to them?


    "It will be difficult to move these away." Mona said, glancing at Asher. "I can''t do it alone ¨C the whole thing could collapse. I''ll need your help."


    The blonde sorcerer nodded. "You have it." He glanced at me, worried.


    As I stepped away from the creek, another scream sounded. My eyes shot open and my wings appeared on my back.


    "Kai, wait!" Asher shouted as I leapt into the air. "It could be a trap by the demons!"


    "I can''t let them die, Asher!" I shouted. "I just can''t! Get them out of here, then follow me!"


    I dashed towards Alina''s scream. I wasn''t going to let her ¨C or anyone else die. I didn''t trust them one bit, but I couldn''t find it in myself to abandon her or Joshua.


    I had to do this for myself.

 Chapter 161: A Blade from the Shadows

    I beat my wings, allowing them to carry me to the source of Alina''s scream. At first, I thought I could catch up with her and whatever had her almost immediately, but I was soon proven wrong. Second turned into minutes, and several of those past as I flew.


    Clenching my fists, I finally slowed down when her screaming stopped getting further and further away each time.


    Now, I could see where she had been taken ¨C an old ruin. One that I didn''t know was here.


    It was a large, circular building with a very high ceiling. While the building itself was quite damaged by time, it wasn''t damaged enough to give me another way inside, aside from the very obvious front entrance. The weathered stone blocks weren''t weak enough for me to break them to make myself another entrance either.


    I hesitated. I could still hear Alina''s screams. It sounded like someone was murdering her. Yet, I couldn''t hear Joshua''s voice at all. Eventually, Alina''s voice cut off with a sharp scream, followed by nothing but silence.


    I took a deep breath ¨C something was wrong, I could feel it. Was this a trap? Everything had lined up perfectly ¨C I was left alone; I was the only one who could save Alina and Joshua in time.


    Wasn''t this too much to be a coincidence?


    As I remained hidden within the treeline, I heard yet another scream. Alina dashed out of the building, her arms and clothes covered in blood. My heartbeat quickened ¨C was this not a setup? Was she actually in danger? I motioned to step forward, but before I could do anything, something pulled her back into the shadows. It was too fast for me to see; all I saw was a flash of crimson and black.


    I didn''t think ¨C I dashed after her, while establishing a connection with Asher.


    "Asher, I-"


    As soon as stepped through the entrance, pain jolted throughout my body as I lost the connection with Asher. I stumbled and had to pause as I looked around.


    I was looking at a large, circular room. The ground was covered with a red carpet. At the very centre of the room lay Alina, bloody and motionless.


    Joshua was nowhere to be seen.


    And most importantly, a cloaked figure stood over Alina, a dagger in hand. I recognised her in an instant ¨C an Ereth Divine.


    "You took your sweet time, Keeper." Her voice echoed. "Too much time," She added, showing me the bloody dagger.


    It felt like something squeezed my heart ¨C had she really killed both of them?


    I forced myself to remain calm, pushing the wave of emotions away.


    "Why?" I asked, my voice cracking despite my best efforts.


    "Because you are unnatural ¨C you can not be allowed to live."


    "Aelith disagrees." I said, carefully stepping back. While I desperately wanted to save Alina, dying here would accomplish nothing. If she hadn''t killed her yet, she wasn''t going to kill her anyways.


    "Aelith is taking too dangerous of a gamble." The Divine said with a mocking tone. "She may be the Divine Matriarch, but her decisions do not represent our views."


    I took another step back. Why had the connection with Asher cut off?


    "I wouldn''t bother, if I were you." She spoke again. "There is a Divine pillar here, I am at peak power. You can not escape through that barrier, not as you are now."


    I flinched. A Divine Pillar? Outside Baile Chailce, deep inside Demon territory? While I had trouble believing that, looking over my shoulder and seeing the crimson barrier surrounding us was enough proof.


    "How?" I asked through my gritted teeth. "Why is there a Pillar so deep in demon territory?" And where was it? I couldn''t see anything that looked even remotely like the Divine Pillar at the centre of Baile Chailce. Did it take a different form, or had I somehow missed it?


    She chuckled. "Because I just had Alina create one for me." Her chuckle turned into a laugh. "She and her loyal friend."


    I flinched as I sensed movement above me. My sword appeared in my hand just in time to block the plunging attack from above. As metal hit metal, my eyes met with Joshua''s.


    He kicked me in the stomach in my surprise, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I leapt back just before he reappeared. His dagger cut the air perhaps a hair''s length away from my chest.


    "What?" I breathed out in shock. I rolled back again, then turned to block another strike as he appeared behind me. "Joshua?" Since when was he so powerful? Since when had he such abilities?


    He grinned, then disappeared in a could of smoke again. I held my breath, trying to figure out where he was. I hadn''t even understood what his ability did ¨C did he turn invisible? Did he teleport? Or was it something entirely different?


    I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword. I was already exhausted from my fight with the other Divine. I had very little mana left.


    I felt something on my left and turned to block a strike. A cut appeared on my right shoulder as Joshua once appeared only for a split second.


    "How are you doing this?" I asked as I tried to ignore the pain. His chuckle echoed as he appeared at the other side of the room.


    "Well, as the Divine." He grinned. "It''s all power given through a pact of blood."


    "A pact that is yet to be fulfilled," The Divine''s voice echoed. Her words sent a shiver down my spine. What did that even mean?


    "Eh, we''ll take care of it now," Joshua said with a shrug, then disappeared in a puff of smoke again. I couldn''t follow his movements, I couldn''t sense his magic ¨C everything I could usually do with ease, I couldn''t now.


    He appeared near me over and over again. Each time, a new cut, a new wound appeared on me. Why weren''t my scales appearing? Why? Why? Why?


    My mind was thrust into chaos ¨C what little composure I had left, disappeared as fear, panic, hatred and wrath set in. I couldn''t even keep up with Joshua, how was I supposed to defeat the Divine? One who had access to the Divine Pillar''s power too ¨C I didn''t stand a chance!


    Joshua once again disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I knew he was coming, soon I''d receive another wound. Another cut that wasn''t deadly.


    "So, what''s your goal?" I asked the Divine. Maybe if I stalled for time, Asher could get me out of here. Maybe. It was a tiny chance, yet it was all I had. "Why are you keeping me alive?"


    The Divine chuckled. "Don''t fret, Keeper. Your time is nigh. Soon, you will be naught but a thing of the past. Nothing but a fading memory."


    Her smug tone and fancy words did nothing but anger me. Joshua appeared in a puff of smoke behind me. I didn''t give him a chance to move.


    Flames burst out of me. They pulled at Joshua''s clothes, burnt his skin. The young man screamed in pain and leapt back. I didn''t let him get away ¨C my crimson flames followed him as he desperately tried to get away.


    I felt movement ¨C The Divine raised her hand. A golden spear appeared in the air above her. She pointed at me, my feet specifically. As it lunged at me, I threw myself aside.


    "Now you decide to intervene?" I asked, my eyes letting out a purple shine. I fed more power to my flames ¨C everything I had, I let them have it. They leapt towards the Divine.


    She raised her hand again. A wall of crimson tendrils blocked my flames. I flinched ¨C I had seen the from Aelith and the other, now deceased Divine''s power took. While they were unpleasant, none were as disgusting as this.


    Joshua continued to run ¨C he was trying to hide behind the Divine.


    "I thought you said he couldn''t use his powers!" He shouted. "His most powerful thing are the flames, and they''re right here!" I could hear the desperation in his voice.


    With no magic aside from invisibility ¨C or teleportation, I still wasn''t sure ¨C at his disposal, there was nothing he could do against my flames but run.


    "What is it, Joshua?" I asked, mockingly. I wasn''t thinking that I''d won ¨C I just wanted to anger him more so he would make some mistakes. I needed every bit of advantage I could get. Even if it meant such underhanded tactics. Mother would not be proud, but I''M sure she would prefer if I got out of here alive as well.


    "Too scared to fight me properly?" I chuckled.


    "Bold words for a dead guy!" Joshua shouted as he stepped away from my flames, still chasing him. "Hey!" He shouted, glancing at the Divine. "Isn''t it time yet? It should be dusk by now!"


    I flinched. Were they waiting for dusk to kill me?


    "It is, indeed, time."

 Chapter 162: The Ache of Betrayal

    I felt the ground beneath me shift. My flames had already burnt the carpet to ash, and now cracks had started to appear on the stone slabs. I clenched my fists as the Divine''s power grew. I could feel it all around us.


    "Your power will be lost to time, as it should have been when he died all those years ago. You should have never existed." She was talking about my predecessor, wasn''t she? I gritted my teeth, why were the Ereth so hostile against the Keeper?


    What was the truth behind the so called ''demon invasion''? There was still so much I didn''t know.


    "Why can''t you just leave me be, when I''m fighting your fight?" I shouted at the top of my lungs as the ground shook. "Don''t you want to kill the Demon Lord as well?"


    The Divine laughed. "Kill the Demon Lord? You?" She raised her hand as crimson tendrils broke through the already cracked stone slabs. "As if you would!" She hissed. I gathered my flames around me as the tendrils leapt at me.


    Her tendrils were nothing like Aelith''s magic ¨C they were real. Which was, to be perfectly honest, disgusting. They were moist and looked like the appendages of an octopus.


    Disgusting. That was all I could think of.


    "Goodbye, Kai." Joshua''s voice sounded. He sounded so full of himself, watching me fight and struggle from afar. He deserved none of the power he had received.


    "Why?" I shouted as more tendrils shot towards me. I beat my wings to get off the shaking ground. The tendrils didn''t hesitate as they followed me, trying to catch my legs.


    I fed more mana to my flames ¨C I wasn''t going to let them have their way. I was getting out of here, no matter what!


    I dashed forward; my left hand extended slightly backwards. I felt the cold, metal shaft of my scythe as it materialised in my palm. The pale, crystalline blade neared the Divine as I swung my arm. Disgusting tendrils blocked my path only to be burnt away by the flames fed by my wrath.


    She raised her hand, creating a partially transparent barrier to block my strike. The curved blade of my scythe hit the barrier with a loud, clear clang.


    The barrier shattered, but the rebound of the hit sent me flying to the other side of the room. I beat my wings quickly to regain my balance in the air. For a moment, the tendrils stopped following me.


    "Just give up Kai!" Joshua shouted from the other side of the room. He was getting on my nerves again. I glanced at him momentarily. "If you think you can make me, you''re welcome to try." I replied, once again focusing my gaze on the Divine.


    My eyes widened as I saw her properly for the first time.


    "You-" I whispered. Her cloak, the only thing hiding her from view had been blown away with the shattered barrier.


    She was¡­ I couldn''t find a word for it. Normal, I guess? At least, her face was fairly normal for an Ereth face. Her neck and arms ¨C the only visible spots of her body not covered by garments, however, were nothing but normal.


    Her skin wasn''t covered in scales like the other Ereth. Instead, it had a texture similar to that of those tendrils she seemed to love using so much.


    "I look like an abomination. Is that what you wanted to say, Keeper?" She sneered. "Save your pity ¨C you need it more than I do." She raised her hand again. Tendrils once again crawled out of the cracks in the stone slabs.


    "An abomination sounds right ¨C but I thought that before I saw what you looked like." I replied as I swung my scythe to cut through the tendrils. "Tell me!" I shouted as her assault continued. "What really happened during the war?" I didn''t think I''d get any answers, she had no reason to entertain my curiosity after all. But maybe, just maybe she''d tell me.


    Maybe I could keep her occupied until Asher and the others got here. Honestly, that was the only thing I could do. With the power the Divine Pillar gave her, I stood no chance on my own.


    She didn''t seem too interested to answer. Instead, her power resonated in the large room, sending jolts of pain through my body. It took effort just to remain afloat in the air.


    "You struggle for nothing." Her words echoed in the room. I cut through more and more tendrils. With each swing of my scythe, I could slowly begin to feel my muscles burning. I was exhausted ¨C It was difficult to keep doing this. "In the end, you will only share the same fate as your past life." She continued with a calm, yet powerful voice.


    "Previous life?" I heard Joshua mumble. So, he had helped her without even knowing what was going on. I wasn''t sure whether to feel annoyed, angry and sad.


    He was pathetic.


    That''s what I decided to think of him as. Pathetic.


    "I don''t know how you came to be again," The Divine''s voice echoed. It was filled with wrath and anger, though I didn''t know why. She must have hated my predecessor. I truly wished I knew why.


    "I am not my predecessor!" I shouted as I cut through another set of tendrils. "I''m not the same guy you people killed during the war! Why doesn''t anyone understand that?" I was getting sick of having to explain this.


    "And yet you wield the same powers, the same weapon and you are in his body." She replied. One of her tendrils got dangerously close, forcing me to fly a bit higher to the air. I cut that one off with the pale blade of my scythe as well. I had to find an opening and strike ¨C maybe I could wound her enough to make her lose concentration on that barrier of hers that trapped me in here with them.


    "So what?" I shouted back at her as I tried to find an opening. How could I get close enough? How could I trick her? "I''m only here to kill the Demon Lord, nothing more!"


    Something stirred within me. The souls of the demons I''d killed, the souls that were trapped back in Forlorn Castle, they all reared in protest. I felt my power waver ¨C were they trying to take over? Were they trying to stop me?


    My flames waned and the rhythmic beat of my wings broke apart. I fell to the ground, a pain in my chest like none other.


    "What do you think you''re doing, Kai?" Joshua shouted. "Do you think she''ll pity you? Do you¡­" He continued to shout, yet I couldn''t hear him. Sorrow and anger, pain and wrath, my mind ¨C my heart ¨C filled with a mix of emotions.


    I tried to get up, I had to do something ¨C I had to escape somehow.


    I could only get up on my knees before pain jolted through my body.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" The Divine''s voice echoed.


    "What''s going on?" Another, weaker voice asked.


    "We''re almost done." I heard Joshua speak softly.


    How dare they? How dare they do this to me ¨C how dare they turn on me!


    Wrath took over. Whatever else I felt disappeared at that moment. Wrath.


    My eyes flashed purple ¨C my sight shifted. I could see the strands of magic around me. The crimson tendrils, the barrier trapping me here, even the Divine Pillar. Golden lines descending from the sky to form an invisible pillar. Four cornerstones infused with divine power ¨C Alina''s power ¨C receiving whatever this golden power was.


    My flames burst out once more.


    "What the hell is going on?" I heard Joshua shout. He quickly grabbed Alina''s hand and pulled her back. As they hid behind the Divine, I slowly forced myself to get up.


    I extended my hand forward as an image ¨C a memory ¨C flashed before my eyes. Purple flames formed a shape above me. A spear, made of flames, fuelled by anger and wrath. I lifted my finger, it first seemed to point at the Divine, but then I turned my gaze ¨C and my finger ¨C on Joshua and Aline.


    You betrayed me!


    The spear flew towards them. The Divine quickly put up a barrier, but the spear shattered it like it were a thin layer of glass. I heard Joshua''s scream cut short, and the thud of a body falling to the ground.


    You betrayed me!


    The ground shook as the Divine lifted her hand as a response to the second spear forming above me.


    "Now you show your true self!" She shouted. The golden lines descending from the sky fed her with more power. She met my spear with crimson lightning.


    My flames raged around us. Her tendrils tried to reach me in vain.


    "How long can you keep that up?" She shouted. Was that a hint of fear in her voice? Just the thought of it was enough to bring me some satisfaction.


    As long as I need to!


    "And will you kill both of them?" She shouted, pointing behind her. "One of them is dying already ¨C can you live with that?"

 Chapter 163: A Blade to Quell the Flames

    My flames continued to rage, as if I hadn''t heard her at all. They grew stronger with each breath I took.


    The Divine raised her hand. The golden shine coming from the sky brightened. More magic, more power flowed to the Divine.


    In response, I created yet another flaming spear. The black-purple flames spread throughout the room, threatening Alina and Joshua as well.


    "So, you will kill them?" The Divine spoke. Her voice filled with satisfaction and arrogance. Her lips formed a disgusting smile.


    A wordless shout left my mouth. A scream ¨C a cry of pain and anger. Wrath and sorrow.


    I heard a woman''s cries. Alina shouted something as a golden light shone behind the Divine. My sight snapped to it ¨C so she was still alive! I felt no relief, as I had felt no regret at attempting to kill her.


    She had betrayed me. The purple flames leapt towards her, only to be blocked by the Divine''s power.


    "I will not allow you to harm them, demon!" She declared as my flames relentlessly assaulted her crimson barrier.


    All I could think of ¨C all I could see was the golden light behind her. Healing Joshua, only so he could attempt to kill me once more. As if I''d allow that. As if I''d fall for the same thing so many times.


    I needed power. More power. More than I already had. Enough power to burn down those crimson barriers. Enough power to kill the Divine. Enough power to get out of this world.


    I used Soul''s Aspect ¨C not with the Phoenix'' soul, or with the wyvern''s soul, instead, I called upon Rhia''s soul. I knew she was the strongest. She had stood against Aelith after all ¨C she had enough power to stall that monster of a Divine.


    Come to me, you want revenge too, don''t you?


    She had no voice; she couldn''t answer me with words. But as her power flowed into me ¨C her knowledge, her memories ¨C I knew she wanted revenge as much as me, perhaps even more than that. My eyes ¨C our eyes ¨C shone with a purple light as my wings burst into flames ¨C purple flames.


    "I can''t heal him!" Alina''s shout echoed from behind the Divine. "The flames won''t go out!"


    I could fee my flames burning Joshua. I didn''t care.


    I raised my hand high as my scythe materialised in my palm.


    "Filthy demon." The Divine spoke. "Don''t fret, priestess. The flames will die when he does. The assassin will survive until then." As she spoke, crimson tendrils burst out of the ground around her.


    I dashed forward as my flames raged. Rhia''s anger and wrath was added to my own. And not just hers, I could feel it from every soul I had taken in. I drew from that hatred and wrath. I allowed it to feed me, to add to my power.


    I allowed it to consume me.


    My scythe shattered the barrier the Divine had put forth. Standing at the centre of the room, she flinched, visibly. For only a fraction of a second, fear flashed across her face. Her expression twisted, but she quickly regained her composure.


    She raised her hand, calling forth more power from the Divine Pillar. The golden lines reaching to the sky pulsated with power.


    A blade made of pure golden light appeared in her hands. She raised it just in time to stop the crystalline blade of my scythe.


    We remained locked like that for a moment before she pushed me back. I dashed towards her as soon as I regained my balance ¨C I wasn''t going to let her get away.


    Wrath and anger consumed me as I struck her again and again. With each one of my strikes, she moved a little bit backwards and I stepped forward. My last strike somehow got through her defences, leaving a deep cut in her forearm.


    Genuine shock appeared on her face as she stumbled back. I was ready to chase her but stopped right before I took a step.


    What was this symbol the golden lines of the Divine Pillar had created on the ground?


    "Too scared to finish the job?" Her voice sounded. "You''re pathetic, even for a demon."


    My sight snapped back to her. What was that all about? I glanced at the symbol on the ground. Did she¡­ was she trying to lure me to step in it?


    My foot was right at the edge of it.


    I could fee the souls'' wish ¨C they wanted me to kill her. They were urging me to chase her. Yet, Rhia seemed to have calmed down somewhat. She was silent. In fact, she was almost wary.


    It took some effort, but I took a small step back.


    Why? Do you want to die that much?


    "Stop that." She shook her head. I could see her clenched fists. So that was her angle ¨C whatever she needed me for required that symbol on the ground. "Stop talking like him."


    I didn''t care much for her words. I wasn''t sure who she was talking about. I took another step back.


    "So what, you''re going to cower now?" She asked with a wicked grin on her face. Yet, her eyes showed a different expression. Fear and worry. Because I had just stopped acting like she expected me to.


    I''m done.


    I turned my back on her, only to see Alina running towards me. Before I could react, she threw herself into the flames surrounding me and hit me with all her strength and weight.


    I stumbled back.


    Pain jolted through my body as my grasp on my power slipped. The flames around us disappeared, until nothing but embers remained. Purple embers, much like those on my wings. The strength in my legs disappeared as I felt to the ground. I could feel the golden light of the Divine Pillar burning my skin, dissolving what little power I had left until nothing remained.


    "You are done." The Divine spoke as she stepped closer. I reached for my scythe that lay on the ground just outside the symbol''s lines. As soon as my fingers touched the golden light shining from the shape on the ground, I pulled my hand back. It felt as if lightning had struck me.


    "You''ve lost."


    She gave me no time to react. Crimson tendrils burst from the cracks right outside the shape on the ground and wrapped themselves around my wrists and legs tightly. The divine slowly approached me as I lay helplessly on the ground.


    "Good job, priestess." A long object wrapped in cloth appeared in her hands. "You''ll do the honours, as I''ll be casting the spell."


    Alina nodded, out of breath. Her skin was burnt and her clothes dirty with blood. She took the object wrapped in cloth and slowly undid the wrapping.


    "It''s beautiful," She said with a weird expression on her face. I had never seen her like that before.


    She held the sword the Divine gave her over my chest. Its sharp end was all I could look at.


    My senses sharpened as I felt the Divine''s magic pulsate around us. I struggled to free myself ¨C to get out of the hold of these tendrils and escape, but the more I struggled the tighter their hold became.


    "This is for Samantha." She whispered as she raised the sword.


    The smell of blood invaded my nostrils. I watched helplessly as the woman standing over me raised her sword. I was completely drained, I had no mana left, no items, nothing. As the crimson tendrils held me down by my arms and legs, all I could do was wait for my death.


    As the sword drew near, I felt the last bit of courage I had disappear. I was going to die. Alone. In this god forsaken place filled with evil. And for what? To protect those ''friends''? The same people who mocked me, took advantage of, and used me?


    Oh, who am I trying to fool? I was here only because of my own greed. Because I wanted to be useful to someone. Because I wanted that group to need me. To value me. To have a reason to keep me around. How na?ve I was, thinking that power would grant those wishes. All it did was help build a wall between me and everyone else.


    The sword approached. I saw the purple light reflect off the sword''s blade. After everything I went through, I hadn''t expected my death to be by the hands of another player. I saw her smile, but this time I didn''t think it was beautiful. It was an ugly smile because it was genuine. She was enjoying watching me die. She was enjoying killing me.


    The sword struck my chest and pierced my heart. I let out a scream of pain and agony. The pain was so real, all of this was so real. It shouldn''t be, but it was. What should have been a simple game had become my new reality ¨C all of our new reality. A reality filled with magic, war, blood, and death.


    My vision darkened as the pain slowly faded. I felt the last of my vitality leave my body. It felt cold. I wondered to myself, when would I stop being? When would my thoughts disappear?


    Soon, I saw those words I feared for all this time, appear before me. "DEATH", in the pale blue font the game always used. They remained suspended in the air for several seconds. It was over. After a long time of fighting, grinding, and exploring, it was finally over.


    I had died.


    This was the end of my story.

 Chapter 164: Fragments of Memories (1)

    The words faded. Now, only darkness remained. Cold, freezing darkness.


    Suspended in nothingness, I drifted. My consciousness didn''t fade ¨C was this what death was like? Had Samantha been like this ever since she died too?


    How long would it take for me to disappear completely?


    I waited ¨C there was nothing I could do.


    My memories slowly began to scatter. How had I gotten here again? Oh, right. Alina killed me.


    She killed me with a smile on her lips, and the glitter of revenge and satisfaction in her eyes.


    I wanted to get angry, but I couldn''t focus on that memory for long enough. The flames of anger that appeared quickly turned into cinders. I forgot ¨C what was I thinking about again?


    Oh, right. The blade she thrust into my chest. I felt the pain of death again. If I had a body, I would have shuddered.


    Why was it so cold?


    My thoughts scattered again. It was getting more difficult to form a complete thought. Why? Oh, right. I had died.


    I wondered how many times I had forgotten and remembered again. Three? Five? Ten? Hundreds of times? How much time had passed since I¡­?


    I forgot.


    Again.


    I think.


    I wanted to feel annoyed, but since I wasn''t sure what to be annoyed at, I failed at that too.


    Oh, another memory flashed before me.


    Aoife and I were training. Mother was watching us, a smile on her face. Faint, but still visible. It shattered when someone else, my uncle entered the training hall.


    Both Aoife and I stopped ¨C what was he doing here? He had left a long time ago. When had he returned?


    "Hey there kids!" He smiled. A wide, loving smile, yet I felt something bitter in it too.


    "When did you come back, uncle?" Aoife asked. She had always loved him. Probably because she had gotten to spend more time with him.


    He chuckled. "Just now. I''ll be leaving again ¨C I just want to see your faces."


    He and Mother looked so much alike. He also had the same long, crimson hair and bright blue eyes. Just like me. Aoife was the odd one out of our family ¨C she looked more like dad, with her curly, dark brown hair and green eyes. Yet, she was the more talented of the two of us.


    "Come on, give your uncle a hug." He said, kneeling down on the sand covered floor.


    Aoife ran toward him. I was a bit slower ¨C he scared me a little.


    We both gave him a hug, and he patted my head and ruffled my hair. "You''ve grown taller Kai." He chuckled. "You look just like your mom."


    "Brother," I heard Mother''s voice, whatever warmth there was in her smile as she watched us had disappeared. "Come, let''s walk together." She brushed past him on her way out of the training hall. "You two, keep training," She said, glancing at us.


    As they left, I could see their cold expressions and rigid, stiff movements. I felt as if something was very, very wrong.


    The memory faded. Why had that day come to mind again?


    I wasn''t sure. I had seen my uncle only thrice after that. Once, the next year, once the night of that incident, and once when I left home.


    If I could, I would have a bitter smile just about now. I missed him. I missed Mother too. And Aoife ¨C my sister, with a smile brighter than the sun itself. She was kind, like our father, and strong, like Mother.


    I felt a little sad. Then, I forgot my thoughts.


    Another memory flashed before me.


    "That''s a neat trick." Uncle said as he put the tip of his sword against my neck. "But you need to work on it." He helped me up.


    Somewhat annoyed, I nodded.


    "Why haven''t you shown it to me before?" He asked, a faint smile on his lips.


    "Mother said to keep it a secret until the tournament." I bent down and took the sword I had dropped in hand. "But I didn''t need it there either."


    He chuckled. "Well, of course you didn''t. But let''s try and refine it, shall we?" A bright smile ¨C the one he always had when it was time to fight. He loved it, the thrill of the fight, the clashing of blades, the danger¡­


    And so did I.


    "Sure." I mumbled and readied myself.


    He was the one to attack first. His height gave him a range advantage that he used to the fullest. His sword relentlessly struck mine, pushing me back with each and every strike. I held on ¨C all I had to do was pull off that move, wasn''t it?


    His flurry of attacks eventually stopped, allowing me to go on the offensive. I struck his blade a few times, then fainted my strike.


    I could see his eyes glimmer with understanding ¨C he knew what I was about to do. So, I did something no sane person would try in a swordfight. I let go of the hilt of my sword, allowing it to fall.


    I turned my body to avoid uncle''s next strike and caught the falling sword with my left hand. Now was my chance!


    Yet, I found his blade at my throat once again.


    "Not bad at all," He said with a grin. "The transition is slow; you need to work on that."


    The memory began to fade. I remembered him shuffling my hair before it completely shattered. I missed him.


    It took some effort to picture his face, and then I lost that too. What did he look like? What did anyone look like?


    I searched my memories, only to find fragments that didn''t even belong to me. I saw Delthur''s childhood from Rhia''s memories. I saw the Demon Lord from the wyvern''s memories. I saw the forests and mountains of Erdrin from the phoenix'' memories.


    Why had this happened? How had I ended up here?


    Another memory flashed before my eyes. Aoife and Mother had just left. Dad wasn''t home either. I was alone in that large, wooden house. Perhaps ten years of age, I watched the rain from the first floor windows. At first, it was just a normal, rainy night. But as minutes passed, the wind started to pick up. I could hear it whistling as it blew through the cracks.


    I shivered. It had grown cold all of a sudden. The rain picked up as well, and soon I could hear thunder from afar. Then, lightning began to strike. It started in the distance, but soon both the rumbling and the flashes of light began to near the house.


    I pulled a blanket over my head as I waited. When were Mother and Aoife coming home? I was worried ¨C what if they were out there in the storm?


    Then, a deafening explosion sounded, and light blinded me. I fell on my back in fear and shock. It took a moment for my sight to return, and a bit more than that for my hearing.


    I got up, taking some support from the couch I was sitting on and ran to where the I heard the explosion. My eyes widened as soon as I opened the door. The wind pushed me back as the rain soaked me.


    The large tree that I loved playing in so much was charred. I could see the flames inside the trunk while the pouring rain put out the exterior of it. It looked almost magical.


    "No, no!" That was my tree! That was where I went when I wanted to hide, when I wanted to feel safe, when I wanted to be alone. Seeing it in cinders, I could feel something break within me.


    Tears flowed down my cheek. "No¡­" I slumped to the ground as the cold rainwater rained on me. I don''t know how long I remained there for ¨C maybe minutes, maybe hours. It was until a warm hand touched my shoulder.


    "Kai," I heard my uncle''s gentle voice. I shivered ¨C when had he gotten home? He was away again, as always, I didn''t know he was going to come back. "You''re going to catch a cold." He said softly. He lifted me up and carried me back inside.


    "Come, let''s get you to bed."


    "The tree," I cried, tears still flowing. "Lightning struck my tree. It''s gone now, it''s dead!"


    He helped dry my hair and let me change into new, dry clothes, then tucked me into bed. "It''s alive, it''ll thrive one day again." He said with a gentle smile. "You just need to take good care of it until then. I''ll teach you how, ok?"


    I nodded, then the memory shattered, just like the others.


    My mind remained empty for a while. I hadn''t thought about that event in a long time.


    How much time had passed since I died?


    I couldn''t help but wonder, what was Asher doing? What about Erik? And Lucius too, he must have been devastated.


    What about Alina and Joshua? Had the treacherous young man survived? Or had he died to my flames?


    My memory shattered ¨C what was I feeling so angry about?


    Another memory floated into my mind ¨C once again, I was in my past.

 Chapter 165: Fragments of Memories (2)

    I stood before the charred remains of my tree. A faint, bitter smile appeared on my lips as I stepped towards it. The smell of moist earth invaded my nostrils ¨C I loved this scent. And because of it, I loved the rain.


    The birds nested on the nearby trees continued chirping, seemingly not bothered by my presence. I could spy a few squirrels scurrying into their little homes in the trees and.


    I turned my gaze on the charred remains once again. How long had it been? Five years, more or less.


    I reached out and gently touched the charred trunk of the tree. It was wet, from yesterday''s rain. I ran my fingers along the cracks of the trunk, until they reached the single green leaf. A new branch, after years of trying to revive this tree.


    "It''s regrowing." My uncle''s voice startled me. When had he even come here? Since when was he watching me?


    "Yeah," I said with a bitter smile. "I didn''t even think it was possible. I thought it was dead."


    On the night of that storm, uncle had promised me he''d teach me how to take care of my tree ¨C to help it bloom once more.


    "Of course it was possible." He said with a grin. His expression turned more serious as he squeezed my shoulder. "Anything''s possible as long as you put in effort. Remember that," He shuffled my hair. "Your own effort ¨C your own dedication will never betray you."


    I nodded, he loved saying that. He said that when I first took a sword in my hand, when I first began studying and when I first wanted to bring my tree back to life.


    "You seem somewhat tired though," He said after a moment''s hesitation. "Did you stay up again?"


    I smile flashed across my face. "Yeah, I was preparing for the exam. I don''t have much time left." I looked away ¨C I knew this was one decision none of my family supported. Not even dad did.


    "I see," I could hear his unease as he sighed. "Well, as long as you put in the effort, you can do it with ease." I knew he was trying to cheer me up, but he wasn''t particularly good at that.


    "I know," I said with a chuckle. "Speaking of, I should get going. I still have plenty of subjects to review." I motioned to walk towards the house, but he stopped me. "How about a spar before that?" He asked with a much more serious tone of voice than the situation demanded.


    I hesitated. I honestly didn''t feel comfortable ¨C not because I didn''t trust him, because I did, but because I felt like I was betraying him, dad, Mother and Aoife. I bit my lower lip, looking for a way out.


    "I¡­"


    He cut me off. "Just this once." He said, a bitter smile on his lips.


    I sighed. "Fine, but let''s not take too long."


    Soon, we were at our training hall. Mother wasn''t home and neither was Aoife. They had left for her overseas tournament. There was no doubt in my mind that Aoife would win, yet not being able to go with them saddened me.


    My thoughts began to drift, but the sound of a sword sliding out its sheathe quickly pulled me back to the present.


    "Well?" Uncle asked with a grin. I grabbed my own sword from its rack and readied myself. So far, I hadn''t defeated him once. I knew this was going to be a loss as well, but that wasn''t going to stop it from giving it my all. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to him. And to Mother, who taught me so much.


    His posture was as relaxed as always. He was standing tall. His long hair blowing in the wind, he looked like he came out of some movie. I pushed the few loose stands of my short hair aside, then slowly approached him. I was keeping my body closer to the ground, ready to dodge at a moment''s notice.


    He was the first to make a move. He thrust his sword, aiming for my neck. My eyes wide, I easily dodged it ¨C why was he so slow? I countered his strike with a simple, yet dangerous upward slash. He moved out of the way, then grinned.


    Was he trying to trick me? Was he moving slowly on purpose?


    As our blades continued to clash, I became more certain. He really was slow, and I didn''t believe it was intentional for even a second. Was he sick?


    "What''s wrong?" I said finally as I stepped back. "You''re slow."


    He hesitated, then grinned. "Nah, I think you got faster though."


    I shook my head, somewhat annoyed and mostly worried. "Stop that ¨C I''m no faster or stronger than I was last time we sparred. Something''s off with you. What happened?"


    He hesitated, then sighed. "Nothing. I''m just tired. Too much travelling, too many hours lost going from one place to the next." He chuckled. "I thought I could hide it from you, but I guess not."


    "Well, you''re not a good liar." I said, laughing. "But if you''re tired, you should be resting. Not challenging people to matches." I sheathed my sword, despite his disappointed expression. "Go to sleep, uncle. We can have a match another time."


    That evening, he left on urgent business.


    The next week, I passed my exams with flying colours and moved in with Mrs. Carrie.


    We never got the chance to have another match.


    The memory soon shattered, yet my sorrow remained. I wish I hadn''t stopped that match.


    I wished I didn''t leave home at all. Perhaps then, I would have led a different, more normal life.


    If I could, I''d be showing a bitter smile just about now. Not a single piece of my life could be considered normal. Even if I had stayed home, I wouldn''t be normal. But perhaps I''d be with those I love.


    With those who wouldn''t betray me.


    Those, who wouldn''t smile as they thrust a sword into my heart.


    As Alina''s face came to my mind, I felt wrath well up inside of me. She had killed me. Pushed me into that trap and murdered me in cold blood. As revenge for Samantha''s death. A death that I wasn''t responsible for.


    Wrath turned into sorrow. How had I fallen for such an obvious trap? Looking back, Joshua and Alina had been acting weird for a long time. I should have known. I should have seen this coming. I shouldn''t have fallen into their trap.


    I remained in the empty, cold darkness. Surrounded with nothingness, my consciousness floated in the void.


    How long would this last? Was I going to relive every single moment of my life? Every single memory?


    I didn''t want that. There was no reason to prolong death.


    I had died, after all.


    This was the end of my story.


    As my memories continued to dissolve, I let it happen. I stopped holding on to them, allowing them to fade into nothingness. Who was I to defy death, right?


    Yet, for some reason, they refused to disappear. They lingered right at the edge of my consciousness.


    I felt something. Something dragging me. Was I going to hell? Or was this something else?


    I didn''t get the chance to think for long. I felt something ¨C a mild pain, almost like something stung me. As my consciousness got dragged closer to wherever my destination was, I felt the pain get stronger. With each passing moment, it grew more painful.


    If I had a mouth, I''d scream.


    The pain was mind shattering now. I couldn''t think of anything more. It was my whole being.


    Then, it stopped.


    I saw, for the first time in a while. A single word, in pale blue text.


    DEATH


    Ah. So, I was back at the moment of my death.


    As my vision blurred and darkened, I noticed the text shift into something else.


    It was a countdown. Slowly counting from a hundred. My vision faded, then returned to me. I could hear Alina and the Divine speak, but I could make out the words. Their voices were too low. They spoke for a while, then their voices faded. I saw a flash of light ¨C had the Divine teleported them away?


    The sword was still stuck in my chest. I could see it. Why hadn''t consciousness faded yet? Was that what the countdown was all about?


    As the countdown reached ten, the cold that I felt before, in the void, returned. It penetrated my chest, dulling the pain of the sword.


    I guess, I thought to myself, this is it.


    9¡­8¡­7¡­


    I heard a faint voice. A man''s voice.


    "I made it just in time."


    Uncle¡­? I thought to myself. Then again, delusions at the brink of death weren''t too unusual, were they?


    "Let''s see¡­" A hand covered my eyes. Despite my closed eyelids, I could see the soft light shining from his palm. I felt his magic fill my body, moments before the countdown reached 0. The pain slowly disappeared. Was this the end?


    A faint heartbeat surprised me. And so did the shallow breath I took.

 Chapter 166: Death, Defied

    As air filled my lungs and my heart started pumping my blood once more, I felt dizzy. Soon, my consciousness faded as I felt someone pick me up from the ground. Familiar darkness enveloped me, but this time I had my heartbeat and shallow breathing to accompany me.


    When came to, I was wrapped in something warm. I slowly opened my eyes to see a dark, wooden ceiling. A very dim light illuminated the room. I blinked a few times, then looked at myself. I was wrapped in a blanket, laying on a bed.


    I slowly pushed myself to a sitting position.


    Just that simple motion was enough to send jolts of pain throughout my body. I flinched with the pain and took a few deep breaths as I waited for the pain to subside.


    Where was I? How was I still alive? Had I even died in the first place?


    Were those memories truly mine?


    My mind filled with such questions, I couldn''t help but feel anxious. I took a deep breath, then pushed the blanket off me.


    I was wearing a simple robe. A¡­ nightgown? Whatever it was, it was made of an awfully thin fabric. I shivered as the thin air touched my skin. Seriously, where the hell was I?


    I couldn''t really sense anything.


    I furrowed my brows. I couldn''t even sense Asher. I searched the depths of my mind ¨C what had happened to the connection?


    I motioned to summon my interface, but nothing happened. I could feel my heart grow heavy. Worry and fear filled my mind. I tried again ¨C where was it? Why wasn''t it appearing? Where was that god damned pale blue text that proved we were in a game?


    It took me a while to give up. And some more time after that to attempt to get off the bed.


    As soon my feet touched the ground, I shivered with the cold. My muscles screamed in pain ¨C they had lost their strength completely. Just taking a simple step was a greater challenge than I anticipated.


    I looked around the room. There was really nothing else besides the bed and a fairly dim light source, an orb of magic. There was also a door, but no windows. The floor, walls and ceiling were all made of some kind of wood ¨C unpolished and raw, it almost looked natural. Almost.


    I stumbled towards the door, though I did need to get some support from the wall. I hesitated as I reached for the handle. Who had saved me? What was I going to face once I went through this door?


    I pushed these questions away ¨C no matter what, the only thing I could do is try and keep going. So, I grabbed the wooden handle and pushed it down.


    My already dim hopes shattered as the door didn''t budge. I pulled a little harder to no avail.


    Tired from even that tiny bit of effort, I sat back on the bed.


    "Just great," I mumbled to myself. Was I a prisoner here? What even was this place?


    Tried, I wanted to sleep. Instead, I folded my legs and leaned my back on the wall as I sat on the bed. I pulled the blanket to my chin to escape from this annoying cold and began my long wait.


    I don''t know how much time passed before my consciousness drifted away. When I woke up once more, my back hurt from sitting like that. The first thing I did was look at the door, only to see it closed, just like before.


    I thought about getting up and trying to force it open but gave up as soon as I even tried to move my legs. My whole body felt stiff.


    I tried to summon my interface again, but to nobody''s surprise, nothing happened. The only time I could use magic properly was when I first met Aelith ¨C was this her doing as well?


    My hand instinctively touched my right ear. The earring she''d given me wasn''t there. Maybe this wasn''t her doing after all. I didn''t think she''d take that off willingly. Though I did feel somewhat relieved to see the earring gone, now I had yet another thing to worry about.


    Who was it that saved me, then locked me in this tiny room?


    Since sitting here wasn''t going to give me any answers, I decided to find out what else I had lost.


    It didn''t take me long to figure that out. I couldn''t feel any souls. None. Not even the phoenix who''d been with me for such a long time.


    A lump lodged itself in my throat as a I felt something new. Emptiness. Where there should have been thousands of souls, there was nothing but an empty void.


    I only noticed a tear flowing down my cheek after a while. I wiped it with the blanket. Now wasn''t the time to be sentimental ¨C what I lost wasn''t just souls, it was power I desperately needed if I was to survive.


    I clenched my fists. Whose doing was this? The Divine''s and Alina''s? Or the person''s who saved me?


    A thought popped into my mind. I jumped off the bed ¨C almost fell to the ground when my knees gave out ¨C and unveiled my wings.


    The familiar black mist appeared, and I felt the weight of the massive wings on my back. My happiness was soon overshadowed by the fact that I immediately collapsed on the ground due to their weight.


    And even then, I knew something was off. A simple glance at the wings was enough to make that clear. The feathers had lost their shine, the wings themselves looked like some of their feathers had been plucked away.


    It wasn''t too surprising, though it still saddened me. Even if my body was strong enough, my wings were in no shape to fly.


    I let them disappear in the mist and forced myself to get up. I climbed back on the bed and tried to use the powers that I had learned. I tried to create a flame in my palm, I tried to use my magic to empower my body, I tried everything and anything I could think of.


    Yet I could do nothing.


    The primal stones of both flame and wind were still with me ¨C I could feel their power pulsing. Something just prevented me from using them.


    Frustrated, I laid down and pulled the blanket to my neck. So what, was all of my struggle, every bit of progress I made in vain?


    And besides all of that, I couldn''t believe Alina and Joshua basically walked out unscathed. No one knew of their betrayal, did they? The two of them could easily fake everything. Hell, I doubted anyone knew I had died. Or almost died. Or whatever happened. I wasn''t even sure of that anymore.


    Honestly, aside from Asher I didn''t think anyone could know. Even then, now that the telepathic connection linking our minds together had disappeared, he had no way of knowing I was alive.


    And it was all because of Alina and Joshua.


    The sight of her, thrusting that sword into my chest was burnt into my mind. The genuine smile on her face, the glimmer of excitement and satisfaction in her eyes. In a way, she was way worse than Joshua. At least he had the courage to try and kill me properly, without resorting to traps. At least he had the guts to take a risk.


    The sight of Alina running through my flames flashed across my mind. She knew full well I wouldn''t have the chance to react to her. She knew she was only risking mild burns if anything.


    I only noticed I was clenching my fists when I felt my nails dig into the skin of my palm. I took deep breaths to quell my anger. I was going to take my revenge. No matter what ¨C I wasn''t going to let Alina and Joshua walk away from what they did to me without consequences.


    Though, to be able to do that I would need my power back ¨C and I''d also have to be able to leave from this room.


    Almost as if someone heard my thoughts, a noise sounded from the door. I jumped up on my feet, my knees slightly bent. I wasn''t too good at hand to hand combat and I honestly didn''t believe I could do much to any Ereth or Demon ¨C or anything in between ¨C but I still readied for myself.


    I heard the sound of a key turning in its lock. Then, the sturdy wooden door slowly creaked open.


    "Oh," Said an awfully familiar voice. "You''re awake. I didn''t think you''d wake up for at least a few more weeks."


    My eyes wide open, I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Why did he look so much like¡­?


    An Ereth, though more human looking than any other I''d seen, was standing at the doorway. He was tall and slender. His skin was pale ¨C white as a sheet of paper, even ¨C with no scales to be seen anywhere. His bright blue eyes seemed to be piercing my very soul as he looked at me. His long, crimson hair was braided. It nearly reached his knees; it was probably even longer when free. A pair of white, elegant horns were visible on his head, though they were much smaller and less¡­ ridiculous than those of Aelith or the other divines.


    He wore simple dark grey clothes, he had none of the other Ereth''s showy stile.


    "You shouldn''t be out of bed yet." He said with his nostalgic voice.

 Chapter 167: A Second Chance

    I honestly couldn''t find the words. He sounded so much like my uncle. I knew he was an Ereth, I could hear the slightly deeper tone the Ereth had, yet all I could hear was my uncle.


    His somewhat neutral expression hardened. "Hey!" He clapped once to get my attention.


    I flinched. The memories I relived before this person saved me were affecting me.


    "Who are you?" I asked, snapping back to the present. "Where am I?"


    His expression softened somewhat. "You''re deep inside demon territory. This is a safe place though; they won''t come here."


    His words did little to satisfy my curiosity, and even less to make me feel safe. It was probably obvious from my expression because he chuckled and shook his head. "Don''t worry about that now. Your body hasn''t healed yet ¨C not even close, actually. You need to keep resting." As he spoke, his expression darkened. His gaze focused on my chest.


    "How am I alive? Who are you?" I suddenly felt trapped. I knew nothing about this guy. Who was he? Was he another Divine? Or some normal Ereth who could somehow magically bring people back from the dead?


    "I''ll explain how you survived later when you are calmer and when we have more time. As for my name, it''s Fetheion." His voice, despite being perfectly calm and kind, was also commanding. I hesitated. Just resting felt so wrong, as if I were wasting precious time.


    "What happened to everyone else?" I asked despite his glare. "What happened to my friends?"


    His expression darkened a bit. "The two who betrayed you returned to the others. I didn''t stay and listen, but from the others'' expression, I recon they spun a story about your death."


    I clenched my fists. Anger welled up inside me. How dare they!


    "Calm down." Fetheion''s words didn''t do much. "For now, rest." He motioned to leave.


    "Wait!" I shouted, snapping out of my anger. "Why did you save me? What do you want from me?"


    He chuckled. "I''ll tell you all about it tomorrow. It''s the middle of the night, so go to sleep." With those words, he stepped out of the room. I ran after him, but by the time I''d reached the door, he had already locked it and left.


    "Damn it!" I shouted, raising my clenched fist to punch the door. It hung in the air for a moment before I let it drop back down. It wouldn''t make a difference.


    Angered at my own weakness, I climbed back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over my head. Soon I drifted into a restless sleep filled with dreams of Uncle Eion.


    I woke up with the sound of a key turning in its lock. Startled, I quickly jumped off the bed as Fetheion opened the door.


    "I do hope you actually slept." He said with a chuckle as he noticed me. "It would be rather pointless if you stayed up all night."


    His¡­ almost friendly attitude was so weird; it was making me feel more anxious than I probably should be. No, on second thought, I should probably be even more wary of this mysterious person.


    "No, I rested." What else could I say?


    "Good," He said as he placed a small bundle of clothes on the bed. "Get dressed, then come. I''ll be waiting." He stepped outside and shut the door.


    Confused about this whole ordeal, I decided to go along with him for now. Besides, changing into something that wasn''t a simple robe was a good idea anyways.


    The clothes he gave me weren''t anything fancy. Honestly, they were the most¡­ normal clothes I''d seen since we had ended up in this game. I quickly put on the dark grey pants and shirt. There was also a cloak, which I also put on.


    The normality of this was weirdly refreshing. I had missed wearing clothes that didn''t have a bunch of unnecessary cloth hanging from everywhere. Once I was done, I stepped outside.


    "I''m glad they fit you." He said with a chuckle. "Come," He led me through a set of narrow hallways. We didn''t walk for long; this place was clearly rather small and probably underground.


    We soon reached a medium sized room. The walls were lined with shelves. I could see a whole lot of rolled up parchments and even a few books, though most of them seemed rather old.


    "Have a seat," He said, gesturing towards one of the couches in the room. I hesitated for a moment, but with how exhausted I was, I didn''t really have much of a choice.


    After we both were seated, he took a deep breath. "First of all, I want you to know one thing." It was clear that he was choosing his words carefully. "I''m not your enemy."


    I kind of wanted to laugh. That was¡­ a weird way to start a conversation, not to mention clich¨¦ too.


    "By that, I mean that I have to ill intentions against you. But¡­" He hesitated. "I am somewhat responsible for the position you''ve found yourself in."


    My ears perked up as my I felt my body grow tense. What did that mean?


    "Your predecessor, the Keeper of the past¡­ He died many years ago. His body was taken away to be destroyed, since the other Divines feared him so much." He fiddled with the end of his long braid. "I took the body away, before they could destroy it and hid it away. I hoped that¡­ one day I could somehow bring my friend back."


    His friend? "What do you mean?" I asked after a moment of silence. Weren''t the Ereth and demons enemies? Wasn''t the Keeper on the demons'' side? Despite everything I''d learned so far, it still wasn''t quite clear what had happened all those years ago.


    "Your predecessor and I met more than a few times. I never supported Aelith''s and the others'' actions, and he wanted to protect this word from her. We worked together, I helped him in secret, and he informed the demons of Aelith''s plans through. We somehow became friends along the way. I was hoping you''d have his memories, but I guess not."


    I shook my head. "No. I saw some moments of his life through the memories of others." I glanced at my clenched fists and slowly relaxed those muscles. "How did you bring me back? I was sure I was dead."


    An almost mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "Well, when I heard Aelith was planning to summon souls to this world, I snuck his- no, your body there, so a compatible soul would bring life back to it." He did seem somewhat conflicted as he continued to speak. "Honestly, I was just hoping his soul would return and kick yours out. You''d go back to your world and he''d be alive again. I knew the chances were very slim, but it was the only thing I could think of."


    I had no words, in fact, I was having trouble wrapping my head around all this.


    "Anyways, I''m sorry." He sighed. "I deviated from the subject. You''re alive because the Keeper of Souls must always exist. As long as there''s a soul in the body, he can always be brought back. I made it just before your soul disappeared, after that it was a matter of healing the body."


    I instinctively touched my heart, right where Alina had thrust that sword into. "I see," I mumbled. "How did you know I was dying?"


    "I couldn''t leave too many tracks, but I did cast a hidden tracking spell on you before you, uh¡­ took over that body. I was ready to come and help at any time, you just didn''t need it so far." He chuckled. "You''ve been doing better than I expected, though you''ve got a long way to go still."


    I rolled my eyes, then sighed. "So, what do you want from me? And why can''t I use any of my powers?"


    His expression darkened. "I locked your powers ¨C not because of ill will though!" He tried to explain as soon as he noticed the hostility in my expression. "Using your powers takes a toll on your body. You''re still in critical condition, I was simply trying to avoid any accidents." He glanced at the ground. "And, well, this place is wooden. I don''t really want to see it burn to ash."


    I really couldn''t blame him. I did have a tendency to burn things after all. "Fine, then unlock them"


    "I think I''ll wait a while." His tone didn''t really have any of that kindness he''d shown until now. "Since I don''t really know who you are." He made a vague gesture towards me. "Since you''re not my old friend, who are you? Tell me your name."


    Only then did I notice how he''d never uttered my name, and how I''d never introduced myself.


    "Kai," I said with a sigh. "Kai Friseal."


    He flinched, visibly. I noticed his clenched fists as for just a moment, his expression showed shock. He was quick to hide it however, though it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. Why had he reacted like that?


    "I see." He said, his voice somewhat odd. "Feel free to check the books or look around the place, there''s a bathroom on the second door to the left," He gestured towards the hallway we came through moments before. "I''ll be back shortly."


    "Wait, what? No, hang on-" I started to protest, but he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving me alone in this weird, dark library.


    What the hell had just happened?

 Chapter 168: An Ominous Feeling

    I sat there, confused. What had just happened? He had left in such a hurry and his expression was so weird that I feared the worst. Not that I knew what the worst was, but anyways.


    Unsure of what to do now, I looked around the room. Sure, there were a bunch of parchments and books, but I couldn''t really care less right now. Fetheion''s abrupt departure was still at the front of my mind.


    After a short while passed, I slowly got up and headed to the bathroom he mentioned. As I closed the door behind me, I glanced at the mirror. My eyes widened as I finally saw my reflection for the first time since I had woken up. "The hell¡­" I whispered.


    I looked like life had been drawn out of me. There were dark circles under my eyes, I was paler than a sheet of paper and I was a lot thinner than before. Skinny even. I looked unhealthy, like someone who hadn''t eaten properly for weeks, months even.


    Now that I thought about it, I had forgotten to ask ¨C how much time had passed since my ''death''? Days? Weeks? I shook my head. Surely, it couldn''t have been too long. Right?


    I splashed some water on my face.


    I left the bathroom soon after and returned to the library. It felt wrong to wander around, Fetheion didn''t seem to harbour any ill intent towards me ¨C for now, anyways ¨C and I didn''t want to do anything to annoy him.


    I stepped closer to the shelves, filled with rolled up parchments. I was wary of touching them as they looked like they could turn to dust at any second. How old were these things? Unsure of the answer, I turned my attention to the leatherbound books. These seemed somewhat newer, so I wasn''t as wary when I gently took one and flipped through its pages.


    The pages were filled to the brim with a neat handwriting. No, wait.


    I had to blink a few times. Why was my vision blurry? I flipped though a few pages. I could see everything else clearly, it was just the writing that was blurry. Yet, I could still read it.


    I continued flipping through the pages as my heartbeat quickened.


    I stopped as something caught my eye. A sketch, a simple drawing of two people.


    A man with long, dark hair and another one with long, light hair. Were those smiles on their lips? I couldn''t tell. The paper was damaged by water, or something like that. The ink was smudged, and the paper had crumpled a little.


    A flash of light blinded me for a moment. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Fetheion gently, but firmly took the leatherbound notebook from me. His gaze lingered on the sketch for just a moment before he placed it back on the shelf.


    "Memories of my past ¨C something that can''t be recovered." His voice was heavy, filled with bitterness. "My apologies for leaving so abruptly. Something urgent came to my attention." He looked away as he spoke.


    We once again sat on the couches. "So," I said, taking a deep breath. "What happens now?"


    He hesitated. I could see how conflicted he was compared a little while ago. "First of all, you need to heal. Your body needs to regain its old strength and you need to replace the hundreds of souls that were stolen from you. If not more."


    Why wasn''t he looking at me as he spoke? What made him leave so suddenly?


    "Thousands, but yes." I said after a short moment of silence. "And I''d like my powers back." I glared at him. I didn''t like the idea of him having any say on whether I could use my powers or not.


    "I will unlock them once your body has returned to a stable state." His tone of voice wasn''t really leaving much room for debate here. "Not before. I know you well-" He stopped himself. "I know you want to test your strength and quickly return to your previous level of power. You could very easily strain yourself too much and die."


    I wanted to protest, but his glare stopped me. "That is not up for debate Kai."


    I clenched my fists. It was probably clear as day how much I disliked this. "Anyways," He said in a futile attempt to distract me. "What is it that you want to do after?"


    I hesitated. Many things came to mind. "Well," I said, pondering. "I''d like to get my scythe and my souls back." I raised my hand a little and looked at my palm. "And I''d like to¡­ have a chat with two people." A wicked smile flashed across my face. "A chat, let''s go with that." I directed my gaze at him. "Any objections?"


    I could see his surprise. A moment of silence passed before he shook his head. "None," He sighed. "I can''t contact your friends ¨C the paladin and fighter, I mean. The other two are constantly with them."


    I raised my brows. "Are you spying on them?" How could he possibly know otherwise?


    "Let''s just say an¡­ acquaintance of mine is nearby." He chuckled, though it was clearly forced. "Your other allies though, I can probably contact them."


    "Are you talking about Asher and Lucius?" He flinched, again.


    "Lucius?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    Oh, right. Lucius used another name here. "Luca Morren." I corrected myself.


    Fetheion sighed, he had an almost defeated look on his face. "Right. Luca. Lucius. Of course." He mumbled. "I can contact him and Asher Morgan if you want me to." He glanced at his hands. "But I can''t bring them here."


    My shoulders dropped. "Because Aelith may notice?" I asked. He nodded. "Indeed. I can''t risk being discovered. Not now, not yet."


    "I see." I took a deep breath. "I''d appreciate if you could let them know I''m alive, but also make sure they keep it a secret from everyone else." A secret shared by many was bound to get out eventually. I couldn''t take that chance. Victoria, Erik and Vincent were going to have to mourn for a while.


    "It won''t be quick, but I''ll see to it that they learn about what happened to you. What really happened, I mean." I nodded. I understood what he meant. Who knows what Alina and Joshua had told people, what lies they had spouted¡­


    "What about you?" I asked after a moment. "What did you save me for? You must have had a goal in mind. A backup plan in case my predecessor didn''t return since you were even prepared to lock my powers."


    He hesitated, again. "Well, I¡­" He bit his lower lip. "I do have some suggestions, but your path is yours to choose. I won''t force you to do anything. But I do hope that you''ll at least hear my suggestions."


    A bitter smile flashed across his face. "We can talk about all of that once you feel better."


    "Yeah," I said with a sigh. I still couldn''t wrap my head around all of this. "But you didn''t answer my question." I glared at him. "What was your original plan?"


    Silence followed my words as he clearly tried to come up with an answer. He was not a good liar. In fact, the way he showed me a fake smile and fiddled with his hair reminded me of my uncle. Those dreams ¨C memories of my past ¨C were slowly getting to me.


    "Ah, this is nostalgic." He suddenly said. "You could always tell when I was trying to hide something."


    I flinched. That was eerily close to what I was just thinking about. "I?" I asked.


    "Ah, sorry." He chuckled and fiddled with the hair at the end of his long braid. "I meant your predecessor. He always read me like a book. It was impossible to hide things from him."


    "I know that feeling. My sister could do that to me." I said, not averting my eyes even for a second. "She always knew what I was thinking." I felt my heart sink as he flinched. "Oh, you have a sister?" He didn''t even lift his gaze to look at me.


    "Yeah," I clenched my fists. What the hell was this? "What about you? Any family?"


    He chuckled. "A sister, just like you." He let go of his hair and looked in my eyes. "Though, she''s horrible at reading people. But anyways, you should rest some more." Fetheion said, rising on his feet and glancing at the door. "It won''t do to push yourself too much."


    I clenched my fists. I knew it! There was more to this than he was letting on. He was hiding things from me. Now, admittedly that wasn''t a big surprise, I wasn''t expecting complete honesty from anyone. But still, that was so annoying!


    And on top of all that, I knew he was right ¨C I was already exhausted, and my body was craving for sleep. "Before that, could you tell me how long it''s been since then?" How long had I slept? How long ago was it that Alina thrust that blade into my chest?


    Fetheion hesitated. "Three months and seven days."

 Chapter 169: Plans and Wishes

    After that day, after the talk I had with Fetheion, his attitude towards me changed. Whenever he saw me, I could see bitterness in his smile and hear sorrow in his words.


    No matter how much I tried, I never learned more about him. The next few days, I spent mostly sleeping. We would eat, drink, then he''d stress I had to go rest. I think that was the most annoying part ¨C not having the physical strength to do anything, thus giving my mind all the time, it needs to wander around.


    It drove me crazy. I needed exercise, be it magical or physical. I needed to do something to keep my mind busy, or I''d always find myself lost in the past. Yet, whenever I told this to Fetheion, he''d insist I must never, ever forget my past. We had a few fights, or, well, heated arguments where I could do nothing but storm off in anger.


    Eventually though, I gave in.


    And when I did, he asked me to talk about my past ¨C what my home was like, who I was before ending up in this world.


    I think he enjoyed it. He would have this¡­ almost nostalgic expression as I talked. At first, I thought it reminded him of his own home and family ¨C if he had such things anyways. But later on, I started to believe that there was still something else to this. Yet, no matter how much I tried, I couldn''t find out what that was. He was a bad liar, but he was good at avoiding a subject, or straight up not answering questions.


    I was relieved more than anything when he finally let me leave this place. My powers were still locked ¨C no matter how much I tried to, I couldn''t convince him to unlock them ¨C but at least I could train outside. In this alcove, hidden amongst the mountains and beautiful forests.


    So, I did the only thing that made sense. I trained. The first few days, I couldn''t even last for more than a handful of minutes. Then, as time passed and my body continued to heal and regain its previous strength, my abilities began to return to normal as well.


    Sometimes, I could see Fetheion watching me from the shadows. At first, I ignored him. Then, I asked him to join me if he was so curious about sword fighting. He seemed almost shaken when I asked him but refused.


    So, I trained on my own, perfecting the techniques Mother had taught me, trying things that I had seen Aoife do.


    All in preparation for my revenge. I wasn''t looking at the world through rose tinted glasses anymore.


    I knew that revenge meant going up against the divine that orchestrated everything. And possibly Aelith too. I knew that it meant possibly making an enemy out of Erik and Vincent, maybe even Victoria.


    I knew that it meant taking two lives. Real lives, belonging to real people in the real world.


    I was fine with that.


    "Kai," I heard Fetheion''s voice as I landed on the ground from my backflip. "You''re pushing yourself again." The tone of his voice made it clear that he disliked my actions.


    "I''m fine," I said dismissively. "I''d be much better if you unlocked my powers though." A glance at him was enough to know he was going to refuse.


    "You know why I can''t do that." He said, his already faint smile fading completely. "Anyways, you should get inside." He glanced at the sky. "A demon scout is flying this way ¨C I''d rather they not see you."


    My eyes shot up as I looked at the sky. "You don''t have protective barriers?" I asked as I hurried to the entrance. Getting spotted now could spell my doom.


    "I do, but better be safe than sorry." Fetheion followed me inside as he spoke with a lower voice. "Some demons seem to have the ability to sense such things. I''d rather not take that chance."


    I nodded. I think I knew what he was talking about. He led me to the library, where we once again sat on the couches. I had come to find out that this place was exceedingly small. There were only three rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and this library.


    "How much time passed?" I asked as I picked a snack from the bowl on the low table.


    "Since you woke up?" He asked. I nodded; I had lost track of time. "Twenty seven days."


    I sighed. "So, I''ve been ''dead'' for four months now?" I shook my head ¨C this was such a ridiculous situation. "What about Asher and Lucius? Have you told them that I''m alive?"


    He nodded, a bitter smile on his face. "They know, but they''re keeping it hidden."


    "Thanks," I mumbled after a moment of hesitation. I felt horrible for keeping everyone else in the dark. Erik, Vincent, Mona, Laura and Theresa¡­ Not to mention Rina and Alex. I gritted my teeth. Why was it taking so long to heal and regain my strength?


    "You seem bothered by something." Fetheion tilted his head. I could feel his blue eyes piercing me. It was disturbing.


    "Just thinking of my friends." What else could I say?


    Silence covered the room. There was much to talk about, but neither of us was prepared for it. Neither of us wanted to speak.


    "It''s safe now." He finally broke the silence. "The scout passed, so you can go back to training if you want to."


    I was already up on my feet. "I''ll do that." I motioned to reach for the door but stopped just before my fingers reached the handle. "what about you?" I asked with a mischievous smile. "Care for a spar?"


    I could see it in his eyes. He desperately wanted to spar. Yet he once again shook his head. "I''ll pass."


    "Suit yourself." I said with a shrug and left the room. Only after I closed the door behind me did I let my shoulders drop and my smile disappear. Why did he refuse despite wanting to spar so much? What was he hiding?


    Once I stepped outside, I unsheathed the sword hanging from my hip. Honestly, just the weight of it was somewhat reassuring. Despite the practicality of simply summoning weapons out of thin air, I still preferred this. Though, I couldn''t imagine how one would carry a scythe like this.


    I shook my head. I didn''t have my scythe anymore ¨C that Divine had taken it. Instead, Fetheion had given me this simple sword for now, while also promising to find something more suited for my style.


    I glanced at the weapon. While it wasn''t anything fancy like my scythe or the weapons I''d seen others use, it was much more familiar. It had a simple blade, and its hilt was wrapped with leather. It looked just like the weapons we used back at home.


    I stopped when I reached the centre of the open area and changed my pose to a defensive posture. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could feel the cool breeze touching my skin and blowing my hair back ever so slightly. I could feel the earth under my feet. I could hear the birds chirping.


    Then, I moved. My motions weren''t especially fast, nor were my swings full of strength. Every move I made, ever muscle I moved was deliberate. As I flowed from one stance to the other, I imagined my family''s training hall. How I''d try to copy Aoife, how I''d try to be like her, move like her.


    I had tried doing that until Uncle Eion showed me I had my own skillset, one that differed greatly from that of my sister. Only then had I truly begun to learn and progress. Only then did I start to walk the path Mother always wanted me to.


    Soon, my muscles began to hurt. I was pushing myself to my limit, and then further. My lungs began to burn as they craved for more air. I kept going for a little more, and only stopped when I couldn''t go on anymore. Exhausted from the effort, I lied down on the still dewy grass.


    "That felt good," I whispered as I allowed my body to rest.


    It was almost time; I could feel my strength increase every day. Soon, I could leave. First, I''d have to collect souls to empower me. Once I had done that, I could go after Alina, Joshua and the Divine they served.


    An almost wicked grin slowly appeared on my face. They weren''t going to get away with this.


    My grin disappeared moments after, as I noticed the birds weren''t chirping anymore. I quickly rose to my feet as some rustling sounded from the treeline surrounding this place. The bushes shook and then, a familiar figure covered in way too many leaves stepped out of the shadows.


    We froze at the same time. Then, a smile spread across her face like the sun dawning after a long night. "Kai!"

 Chapter 170: Like the Sun, Dawning

    Before I could even utter her name, she had reached me. She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. "Oh my god, you''re really ok!" I could hear her voice crack as she whispered. "He let me know, even told me to tell Asher and Lucius, but I still had my doubts¡­"


    I wrapped my arms around her as well. "I''m fine, Mona." I said, a bitter smile on my lips. My emotions threatened to overwhelm me, but I somehow pushed them back.


    It took a few moments for her to let go of me. When she did, she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I''m sorry," She said with bright smile. "I''m just really happy that you''re ok."


    "Thank you," There wasn''t much I could say. She had taken me by surprise and had sent my mind spinning. "And I''m sorry for worrying you." I looked away. "I was arrogant, I thought I could handle anything they threw at me."


    She shook her head. "Neither of us were there to help you and a demon did this." She gently squeezed my hand. "There was nothing you could have done."


    I hesitated. Did she not know of what Alina and Joshua did? After a moment of consideration, I decided to hold my tongue. Perhaps Fetheion hadn''t told her for a reason. I didn''t want to disrupt whatever plan he had. Though, not telling her of the Divine and of Alina and Joshua''s betrayal felt wrong too.


    "We should go inside," She said after a moment of silence. "I still have to give something to him."


    I nodded, though I couldn''t help but wonder what that something was.


    I led her to the entrance, and then to the library, where Fetheion was reading something. As soon as we stepped inside, he put it away. I hadn''t gotten the chance to see what it was.


    "Oh, Mona. Welcome." His voice was a lot more formal speaking to her than it was when he was speaking with me. "Have a seat."


    "Thank you," Mona said as she sat at the edge of the couch. I took my place besides her without thinking much. She seemed quite nervous as she fiddled with the end of her cloak. "I found it," She said and placed a small box on the table. "And I have something to report."


    I could see Fetheion''s ears perk up. "Oh?" He said, a gentle, professional smile on his lips. Fake.


    Mona took a deep breath. "The Divine Matriarch has announced the death of her Champion." I flinched as she glanced at me. "She blamed it on the Demon Lord. She''s turning Kai and the name ''The Pale Demon'' into a martyr to rally people. I don''t know what''s going on exactly, but I know that this set several plans in motion."


    I notice how Fetheion clenched his fists. He was quick to hide them beneath his cloak, but even then, I could see he was on edge. His usual carefree attitude was nowhere to be seen.


    "What about the group you''re travelling with? The Paladin, Rogue, Priestess and Fighter?" He was choosing his words carefully. Mona shook her head. "Still devastated. Erik, uh, the paladin, I mean, has been working to increase his power. He said he wants to kill the Demon Lord himself, to avenge Kai."


    I clenched my fists.


    "I see." Fetheion sighed. "Spend the night here, and make sure you return tomorrow." He motioned to get up, but Mona''s voice stopped him.


    "What about Kai?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. I could see it in her eyes, she didn''t trust Fetheion completely.


    "He hasn''t completely healed yet." The crimson haired Ereth said, glancing at me. "I don''t want to take a chance right now. He''ll join you once he is able to." His eyes met mine, and the look in them made it clear to me that saying anything to contradict his words would be unwise.


    "I''ll be fine here, Mona." I said, hiding my clenched fist under my cloak. "He''s right ¨C I''m still pretty weak after everything that happened." Her shoulders dropped as she listened to my words.


    "I see." She sighed, then slowly got up. "In that case, I''ll gladly spend the night here. Demon activity has increased, especially during the night." She turned towards Fetheion and bowed slightly. "Thank you."


    "Any time Mona. Kai, would you mind waiting for a moment?" I nodded as he led her to her room. I remained seated on the couch, pondering about what I had learned. What Aelith was doing was frustrating on its own, but what annoyed me more was the fact that Mona still falsely believed it was a demon who killed me.


    It didn''t take long for Fetheion to return. He closed the door behind him and then lightly touched its surface. I noticed the magic spreading from his hand.


    "Something to give us a little privacy," He explained as I shot him a questioning look. "Mona is a good person, but she''s not a good liar." He sighed and sat back on the couch.


    "Is that why she still believes I was killed by demons?"


    He nodded. "I don''t believe she would willingly tell your secret to anyone, but we''re up against the other Divines. The less she knows, the safer she is."


    I sighed. "You''re not wrong," My gaze lingered on him. "So, what does that make you, Divine? You''re the thirteenth, aren''t you?"


    His eyes opened wide. I could see I was right from his reaction. "I knew it!" I said, clenching my fist. "What exactly do you want from me?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. Though I had this assumption for quite some time now, the fact that Fetheion didn''t even bother to try and protest annoyed the hell out of me. "Why did you really help me?"


    He sighed. "You''re so needlessly dramatic." He let go of his braid and took a deep breath. "I know you don''t trust my kind ¨C I don''t blame you one bit. I share the sentiment in fact." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I don''t have any ulterior motives and I''m not going to trick you."


    He was looking me straight in the eyes and he wasn''t fiddling with his long hair at all. I still hesitated. Despite his words and actions, I simply couldn''t bring myself to trust him completely. I did wholly believe he didn''t hold any ill intent towards me, yet I was sure as hell he was hiding something.


    "I know you''re not like Aelith," I said with a sigh as I got up. "But I''ve learned my lesson ¨C I can''t trust anyone. Ever." I opened the door as he lifted his spell. I glanced at him before closing the door behind me. There was a look of sorrow on his face.


    I shook my head. He was a Divine. I couldn''t trust him, his actions or expressions. Yet why did I have this lump in my throat?


    "Kai?" Mona''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I quickly put a smile on my lips and turned towards her voice.


    She was standing at the door to the room Fetheion gave her. "Are you ok?" She asked hesitantly. I nodded. "Yeah, just a little tired."


    She seemed conflicted as she clearly searched for something to say. I waited a moment, then decided to take the initiative. "I was just going out for some air; would you like to come along?"


    A smile, bright as the dawning sun, spread across her face. I could see her eyes glitter with glee. "Of course," She said, almost hopping towards the exit.


    We soon left the underground home and stepped outside. The cool evening breeze blew our hair back as we stepped on the lush green grass. "It''s a nice evening," She whispered as her steps carried her forward. She turned and smile at me, cheerful as always. "I''m really glad to see you''re alive." She stepped closer and took my hand in hers''.


    "I thought I''d never get to see you ever again." She quickly looked away and wiped her eyes. "When we found Alina and Joshua, they were badly wounded," Her expression twisted with pain. "I healed them just in time, I think. Joshua didn''t remember a thing about what happened, but Alina did remember a demon, and she also remembered seeing you die."


    I gritted my teeth. That treacherous girl had played Mona like a fiddle. I wanted revenge now more than ever. How dare they use Mona''s kindness and goodwill like this?


    "When we arrived at the place where you should have been, we couldn''t find your body anywhere." She sniffed. "We thought the demon that killed you had taken you away."


    I forced a smile. "Please don''t blame yourself, Mona."


    She shook her head. "There was so much blood." She squeezed my hands. "There was no way anyone could survive losing so much blood. The ground was all messed up too ¨C the floor was broken, and the ceiling was about to fall down."


    I shook my head. "I know ¨C it was a tough fight." It took effort to not show my anger. "But I''m here now ¨C alive and almost healed. I''ll be back with the group before long too, ok?"


    She looked at me for a while, then nodded with a teary smile.


    The setting sun''s last light illuminated our surroundings. "Can we watch the sunset?" She asked with a sheepish voice.


    "Of course,"

 Chapter 171: Until the Flame Dies

    Life seemed to regain its dullness mere hours after Mona left. Her cheerful attitude and bright smile had lightened up my monotonous days more than I had realised.


    Of course, Fetheion didn''t seem to care too much about that. He was as distant and kind as always. Still refusing to unlock my powers, still refusing to let me leave. I slowly began noticing something as I insisted to get my powers back.


    He dreaded the day I would leave.


    Why? Why would he care so much?


    None of his actions made sense to me ¨C sure, I occupied the body of his friend, someone he cared deeply about. He saw his face every time he looked at me, heard his voice every time I spoke.


    I did feel awful about that. But I also felt like I was being wronged as well. It wasn''t my choice to end up in this body. I hadn''t chosen this face or this voice.


    "It''s almost midnight." Fetheion''s voice sounded. I flinched; I hadn''t noticed him at all. Laying on the grass outside, I didn''t move at all. Watching the night sky was strangely soothing, despite the alien stars and constellations. "You''ll catch a cold if you stay out here. The nights are growing colder."


    I sighed. "I''d be just fine if I had my flames, you know." I desperately wanted my powers back. "I could keep myself warm then."


    I heard his footsteps approach. "You really can''t just be patient, can you?" I heard his clothes rustle as he sat on the grass. Surprised, I pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    "Would you be?" I asked, somewhat annoyed. "In a world filled with demons and Ereth and incredibly powerful creatures, I''m as powerless as a little kid. Maybe even more!"


    He shook his head. "You have a tendency to get yourself killed. More so when you have more power."


    "You-" I exclaimed as he chuckled. "But," He said cutting me off. "I know you need your powers back. You need to train in them as well ¨C relearn many things." He sighed and looked up to the starry sky. "You need to learn to control your powers."


    I hesitated. What did this even mean? Was he going to unlock my powers? Let me use them again?


    "So, how about that spar?" He had a weird smile on his face as he spoke. My eyes shot open as soon as I heard his words.


    "Wait, really?" I asked. I could hardly believe his words.


    "Yes. If you can last against me until this flame disappears, then I''ll give your powers back." He rose to his feet and created a flame. "You lose when I draw blood or threaten your vitals. What do you say?"


    His smile was almost intimidating. I got up and took my sword from the ground. "And what happens if I win?" I asked, a grin on my face.


    "You don''t win, Kai." He extended his hand. Darkness gathered around his arm, then formed the shape of a familiar sword. "You only survive." My eyes widened as the very sword that pierced my heart and killed me, threatened me once again.


    "Ready?" He asked as he slightly lowered his body. His posture reminded me of something, but I couldn''t quite put my finger on in.


    I gulped as I stared down the black blade of his sword.


    "Sure," I said, not feeling ready at all.


    A moment passed as we watched each other. He, ready to attack at any moment, and I, waiting in a defensive posture.


    Then, he struck.


    I only noticed his movement because his expression changed moments before. He dashed towards me at an incredible speed. I was perhaps a hair''s length away from death as I barely deflected his sword, changing its direction. As it passed by my throat, I quickly stepped back, trying to put some distance between us.


    I needed a moment to adjust to his ridiculous speed and incredible strength. Yet, Fetheion clearly had no intention of letting me have that moment. He followed me, not letting me increase the distance.


    He had no smile, not a hint of excitement on his face. Nothing. Just this weird glow in his eyes. That probably threw me off more than his speed and strength did. I blocked his next attack just barely as he aimed for my throat again. I couldn''t keep up with his speed and my arms already felt numb from blocking two strikes.


    He didn''t give me any time to figure him out though. Before I could even recover from his second strike, he swung his sword towards my stomach. I backstepped and deflected him, but it wasn''t over yet. He continued to push me back with every strike. Every single one of his actions were planned and intentional.


    It didn''t take me long to figure out ¨C I stood no chance against him. And not just because of his strength and speed, his swordsmanship was leagues above mine. He knew exactly what I was going to do before even I did.


    I tightened my grip around the hilt of my sword and gritted my teeth. Glancing at the flame he created before, I felt nothing but despair. How was I going to even last that long? It hadn''t dimmed even slightly yet!


    While all these thoughts stormed in my mind, Fetheion''s relentless assault continued. Every strike that I blocked sent a jolt of pain through my body. If I wanted to survive, I had to do something, take a chance. Surprise him and throw him off.


    I blocked his overhead strike, then ducked under his next swing. I knew I was taking a chance; I knew how risky something like this was, but I had to try. Instead of using this split second to put some distance between us, I used it to close the distance.


    As soon as I stepped forward, I could see the confusion in his eyes. His sword hanged in the air for just a fraction of a second as I swung my sword towards his throat.


    Had I done it? Had I won?


    The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the dark night. My eyes wide, I stared at the blade that had blocked mine.


    "Nice try," He almost smiled as he spoke. Almost. We remained like that for a moment ¨C our blade locked, trapped in a battle of will. Then, he pushed me back. I stumbled, but then fell on my back.


    "But you lost." He stopped just before the tip of the black blade touched my throat. "Hm."


    I hesitated. I was scared to move at all. Right now, he seemed no less intimidating than the Divine who killed me. "Lucky you ¨C you survived." Somewhat confused, I followed his gaze, only to see the disappearing flame.


    He distanced the sword from my throat, then let it dissipate into a dark miasma.


    "Well then," He said with his usual smile. "I guess I have a promise to keep."


    I blinked a couple of times. "Wait, really?" I asked as I slowly got back up on my feet. My whole body hurt from our match.


    "Of course," He said as if we were talking about something completely ordinary. "I said I''d unlock your powers if you didn''t lose, didn''t I?" He glanced at me. "Though you did just prove my point." He reached forward and touched my forehead with the tip of his finger. I could feel his magic slowly seep into my body.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat annoyed.


    "Well, you did basically risk your life to try and kill me." He shrugged. "If your opponent hadn''t been as surprised as I was, you''d get yourself killed with that move."


    I gritted my teeth. "Well, I had to at least try!"


    He flicked his fingers at my forehead, then stepped away. I was about to protest, but his dark expression made me hesitate.


    "Like I said ¨C a promise is a promise. I do not go back on my word. Your powers are yours to use, Kai Friseal." His words resonated with power. I felt something break ¨C like a dam had just opened. I gasped for air as my power, that incredible amount of magic flooded my mind.


    But¡­ something felt off. If my power were a lake, then I could only describe it as muddy. Tainted.


    "You noticed it, didn''t you?" He asked with a bitter voice.


    "What did you do to me?" What was this? Why was I different? Why was my power different?


    "Nothing. You did this when you fought the divine and the two who betrayed you." He ran his hand through his hair. "Do you remember?"


    I hesitated. "No¡­?" I mumbled. What had happened during that fight? I clearly remembered Joshua teleporting around, I remembered Alina killing me¡­


    "Why don''t you try summoning your flames?" He asked, taking a few steps back. I hesitated, why did he want that now of all times? Despite my hesitation, I did as he asked. I raised my hand, palm facing up, and summoned a small flame.


    My eyes widened as the warm flame flickered.


    The warm, purple flame.

 Chapter 172: Revelations

    I drew a sharp breath as the purple coloured flame flickered in my palm.


    "You broke a seal I had placed on you when you fought for your life on the day you died." Fetheion''s voice had no trace of his usual easy-going attitude. "I had done it to protect you, but perhaps it only stifled your growth and ultimately led to your death."


    I hesitated. "Wait," I mumbled as the flame slowly died down. "What do you mean by that?" What did this seal thing even mean?


    "It''s still partially there," He continued, without really answering any of my questions. "You haven''t broken it completely¡­"


    "Hey!" I raised my voice. "What do you mean? What seal? Explain!"


    He seemed startled for a moment. Was he really so lost in thought that he hadn''t even heard me? Annoyed, I glared at him until he finally answered me.


    "That body is that of a Demon''s." He vaguely gestured towards me. "Your predecessor was a demon ¨C not like the ones who are alive now, but an ancient one. That''s why you don''t have horns and that''s why the sunlight hurts, even if a little."


    I took a deep breath. Within, I was already aware of that. The moment I noticed how I looked like them, I had begun to accept that the body I was given was that of a demon. So, very few of what he said came as a surprise to me.


    "What about the seal? What did you do?" I asked, deciding that seemed to be the most critical part.


    He chuckled. "I cast a spell, to hide some of your own actions from yourself. Such as us, speaking in demonic for the last several minutes."


    I flinched. "That was you?" I shouted, startling the wildlife around us. Birds few away at the sound of my voice as I glared at Fetheion. "Do you know how much trouble that caused me?"


    He couldn''t help but laugh while I glared at him. "Well," He said, still smiling. "I knew you''d be able to understand, speak and read demonic ¨C no matter who entered that body, it was a given. In case it wasn''t my friend who came out of Baile Chailce, I had to make sure that knowledge would go unnoticed."


    I took a few deep breaths. His words made sense, but I was still annoyed. "Fine, undo that please." I said, trying to keep my annoyance at bay.


    "Sure," He said with a grin. "There''s no need for it anymore anyways." He stepped closed and touched my forehead.


    "Now, does it feel any better?"


    I flinched and stepped back. I understood every word he said, yet the sounds were foreign to me.


    "What?"


    He tilted his head sideways. "Wrong language Kai." This time, he spoke properly. Wait, no.


    "Hang on." I said, tilting my head. My brows furrowed. "What language are you speaking in?" His lips didn''t match his words, did they?


    "What do you mean?" A smile flashed across his lips. "The same one as you are."


    I gritted my teeth. "This is your people''s language!" I hissed. How had I not noticed this before? Even when I spoke with him, my lips didn''t match the English words I was trying to pronounce. "


    He nodded, that smile slowly widening until it became a huge grin. "That''s not my doing though ¨C Aelith and her servants did that." He raised his hand. "I could undo that as well, but then you''d be unable to understand any Ereth ¨C none of us know English and you don''t really know our language."


    I hesitated. On one hand, I desperately wanted to get rid of anything affecting my cognition, on the other hand, being able to understand Ereth and their language was somewhat important.


    "Wait," I said as I thought occurred to me. "What about my predecessor? Didn''t he know your language?"


    Fetheion''s smile shattered. "He did ¨C through the soul of an Ereth who died during the war." He hesitated. "Your predecessor refused to speak in our language ¨C he didn''t want to stir the soul of that Ereth. I always appreciated that."


    There was nothing I could say to that.


    "Anyways," And just like that, Fetheion was cheerful again. "Why don''t you try speaking in demonic? It will feel unnatural and awkward at first, but you have to start sometime." He took a deep breath.


    "So, why don''t we start now? Tell me something."


    I hesitated. It felt so wrong ¨C it sounded so wrong to hear those foreign sounds, while understanding everything he said.


    "Why¡­" I stopped. "Why do you have that sword?" Hearing those foreign sounds in my own voice was even weirder than I thought it would be.


    "It''s a good sword."


    "It killed me!" I stopped. Demonic was weird. The language itself ¨C the way it sounded ¨C was beautiful but hearing myself speaking it was incredibly awkward. "Anyways," I switched back to English. Well, the Ereth language, but it sounded like English to me.


    "Can you please not use that? It killed me, and I don''t like it."


    Fetheion grinned. "That''s why I''m using it. It''s a powerful weapon, now infused with the blood of the Keeper of Souls. All it lacks is some curse to elevate its power to be equal with that of your scythe."


    Hearing his words, I couldn''t help but feel some anger. "I want that scythe back," I mumbled to myself. Fetheion chuckled. "You will get it back ¨C all of it. Eventually." He glanced at the starry sky for a moment, before once again directing his attention to me.


    "Why don''t you check that thing of yours?" He made a vague motion. I hesitated a moment, then understood what he meant. He was talking about the interface. "We call it an interface." I explained as I summoned the it.


    "Ah." Of course, things had changed. "Why is it in demonic?" While it was surprisingly easy to read, it still bothered me a little.


    "Before, it was Aelith''s power that provided you with this¡­ thing. Since I wanted to hide the fact that you''re alive, I decided to sever the connection to her power and supplied it with my own. And a few other things'', but those don''t matter right now." Despite his dismissive voice, he had clearly put some thought into this.


    I accepted his words and decided to not pry anymore ¨C for now at least. Instead, I looked over my status panel. I felt a bit better when I noticed my level had risen, but soon, my shoulders dropped.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 99 Soul Keeper | Exp: 56980/130000 - - Souls 0/100 - - Mana: 2130


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Soul''s Aspect Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    "The souls are really gone, huh?" I asked after a while passed. I already knew it ¨C I couldn''t hear their whispers anymore; I could feel the cold in my chest, and I could sense their presence anymore. For this last month or so, I hadn''t ever confused their memories with mine.


    "She took them." Fetheion said after a few moments of silence. "I wish I could have stopped her, but I had to choose between them and you."


    And thus, he had chosen me. I was grateful, I really was ¨C but it hurt to think how much those souls could suffer in the hands of a Divine.


    "I need them back." I said glancing at the crimson haired divine before me. "I have to get them back."


    He didn''t seem bothered and he didn''t hesitate. He simply nodded. "I know ¨C but you need to regain your old strength for that." He a faint smile appeared on his lips. "How about another match?"


    I raised my brows. He had already proven how much stronger than me he was, and how much weaker I had become. Why did he want to spar with me again?


    "This time though, it will be a battle of magic ¨C not blades."


    Ah. Of course. For some reason, the thought of testing my magic against his exited me. It was probably clear from my expression because he didn''t even wait for an answer as he created a barrier around the grass covered opening. "Let''s not burn the forest down, shall we?"


    "Yeah," I said as we took our places across our little arena. "Rules?"


    "You survive, you win." He grinned.


    My hands itched with anticipation as I nodded. I''d been curious about his strength since I had woken up. Just how powerful would one have to be to bring someone else back from death?


    As we stood there, silently, the wind blew our hair and tugged at our clothes.


    "Oh, and one more thing, Kai." He said with a much more serious tone. "I told you before, but I feel the need to say it again: You need to learn to control your power. Not the power of ''The Soul Keeper'' like it says in that little interface of yours, but the power of an ancient, several millennia old demon. The power your predecessor once wielded."

 Chapter 173: Darkness of the Night

    Our clash began when the echoes of his words died.


    His feet lifted from the ground as he extended his arms to the side. I narrowed my eyes, expecting a burst of bright light ¨C just like Aelith and the other Divines'' power. Instead, I was greeted with darkness.


    Pitch black darkness, without even a hint of colour in it, spread from his body, covering the entire arena in a matter of seconds.


    I released my power as soon as I noticed the darkness approach me. I didn''t know why, But I knew that if I let it touch me, I''d lose.


    Purple flames danced on my skin. At first, the light they spread was nothing more than a little candlelight. Then, as I carefully fed them more mana, they grew stronger and brighter.


    Yet, it didn''t seem enough to hold back the vast, deep darkness of Fetheion. It circled me, trapping me within with nothing else but my flames.


    I knew he wasn''t going to kill me, but that didn''t make things any less terrifying. I could feel the darkness slowly dimming my flames. I clenched my fists and fed more mana to them. I knew I could get out of this ¨C I was strong enough to do that before!


    For a moment, nothing happened. Then, my flames spread out, just like they did before. Roaring, hungry for more power ¨C more fuel ¨C they leapt towards Fetheion. For a moment, it seemed as if the bright light of my flames dispersed the darkness. Yet, as we both stood on the opposite sides of our arena, Fetheion''s slight smile never disappeared.


    Our powers continued to clash, I pushed him back, and he simply remained there, seemingly unbothered. Only when my flames began to reach him did he finally move.


    He raised his hand, slightly, and pointed at me.


    A thin line of darkness appeared in his hand, twirled around his finger, and then leapt towards me. From the smile on his face, I knew this was where the real battle began.


    I raised my hand, and a wall of flames rose along with it. The line of darkness disappeared soon after it touched the flames, but two more took its place.


    "The hell?" I whispered. What was he doing? He wasn''t even really trying to win.


    I got rid of the other two lines of darkness, then glared at him.


    "What are you doing? What''s this?" I was annoyed ¨C I didn''t want this anymore. I didn''t want to fight him at all if he wasn''t going to take me seriously.


    "Fine, fine." He said with a sigh. Then, I lost my vision.


    My flames disappeared just like that as I gasped for air. His dark power filled my lungs, keeping me alive, but unable to breathe. Something lifted me up in the air as I struggled to break free.


    I don''t know how much time passed ¨C it felt like an eternity, but it was probably only a few seconds when I fell to the ground with a thud.


    My vision returned as the darkness surrounding us slowly disappeared. I gasped for air, then coughed as the cold midnight air filled my lungs.


    "I think we can safely say that you lost this one." Fetheion''s voice sounded. "Not a surprise, considering you haven''t used magic in months, but I still expected a little more of you." Was that disdain in his voice? Or just pity?


    It took me a moment to gather the strength to push myself up to a sitting position. "What was that?" I said, my voice but a whisper. Why was his ¨C a Divine''s ¨C power darkness?


    He chuckled and helped me get back up on my feet instead of answering me. "You should rest for tonight." He glanced at the starry sky. "It''s quite late."


    "No." I firmly said, not budging from where I was standing. "Answer me ¨C why is your power like that?"


    He stopped and glanced at me, somewhat surprised. For a moment, our gazes locked in a battle of wills.


    He finally he sighed and gave up. "You weren''t always this insistent," He mumbled, then looked away. "The Ereth take their power from the Divine Pillars, so their power mimics that¡­ aesthetic, so to speak. I don''t have access to a Pillar, so I have to make do with other, less pleasant power sources." He raised his hand, letting a tiny portion of his power loose. "It''s not evil, or good, or anything like that. It''s just one of the primal forces of the world. Darkness, shadow." His hand formed a fist, dissipating the swirl of darkness around it.


    "You have a primal core, don''t you?" I asked without missing a beat. That was the only thing I could think of. His eyes shot open as he lifted his head to look at me.


    "How did you-?"


    "But how?" I asked, more questions popping into my mind. "I was sure the demons had all of them ¨C they used them to power their portals." Had I seen it wrong when I stole the primal core of wind from that massive room? Was my memory deceiving me?


    Fetheion hesitated. "What? No, they don''t have all of them." He tilted his head, looking at me clearly wanting to know more. I furrowed my brows, ignoring him. What the hell was that all about? Then what were the other few portals being powered by?


    "Kai?" Fetheion asked, his voice gentle, yet filled with some urgency. "What''s wrong?"


    I forced my mind back into the present. "Nothing, I must have been mistaken." Despite my words, I was absolutely certain I was right. I had felt the presences of the other primal cores that day, hadn''t I?


    "About what?" Fetheion insisted. A sudden urge to talk about that day nearly came over me, but I somehow stopped myself and glared at him. "Nothing. You''re right, I should go to sleep." I quickly turned my back on him and rushed to the room he''d given me.


    Only when I closed the door did I feel a tiny bit better, though it wasn''t quite enough to quell my anger. Had he just tried the same trick as Aelith on me? Making me want to tell him things? Tricking my mind to get his way? I wasn''t going to fall for such tricks.


    I needed to train my mind ¨C I needed to become stronger and get out of here. I had so much to do too; Mona, Asher and Lucius were probably waiting for me. I needed to take those souls back from the Divine who orchestrated my murder, I needed ¨C no, I wanted to take my revenge on Alina and Joshua.


    But all of this required strength of mind, magic and body.


    And such, another long strip of training began.


    The first thing I needed was regaining some of my lost souls. Fetheion was ready to help me with that, he gave me a list of places filled with corrupted monsters. Places I could go to kill things and gather souls. And I did exactly that. The first day, I returned somewhat wounded.


    As the days passed seamlessly, my old reflexes returned. My usual awareness, keen senses, everything that gave me an edge over my opponent ¨C they all returned. I continued to find opponents to challenge, cursed beasts, corrupted monster nests, whatever Fetheion could locate, the next day they''d end up dead.


    Slowly, my powers began to return as well ¨C of course, they were nowhere nearly as powerful as they used to be, but at least I could fly again. With each soul I took in, the coldness in my chest also returned. And then, the dreams.


    Not long after, my nights once again became plagued by dreams ¨C nightmares, even. The memories of these souls, twisted by my own mind, surfaced once again. It didn''t take long for my mind to become muddy, and my usual tiredness to return.


    Yet, I didn''t let that stop me. Despite Fetheion''s protests, I continued. It didn''t take me long to notice him following me whenever I left. I didn''t mind ¨C he knew not to help out unless I was in mortal danger. So, I pushed him to the back of my mind and continued to train my body and mind.


    "When will you let me leave?" I asked, glaring at Fetheion one evening. He was sitting in the library, reading some text on an old parchment again. He lifted his head, somewhat surprised, then a smile flashed across his lips.


    "Do you think you''re strong enough?" He asked, gesturing me to sit on the other couch. I sighed ¨C I knew he wasn''t going to make things easy for me.


    "I wouldn''t have asked if I didn''t think I was strong enough." My interface appeared before me. I switched to my status panel and showed it to him.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 105 Soul Keeper | Exp: 56980/140000 - - Souls 100/100 + 471 - - Mana: 2190


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Soul''s Aspect Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    He looked at the pale blue demonic text, then glanced at me. "Am I supposed to understand something from all this?"


    We stared blankly at each other a while before I burst into laughter. He seemed even more confused. Only when my laughter subsided did I shake my head. "Ah, never mind. My point is that I''m fairly strong ¨C not enough to take on a divine, or maybe even a demon, but enough to leave."


    He hesitated. I clenched my fist, hidden under my cloak.


    "I won''t get much stronger if I stay here. I need the conflict and challenge to grow, you know that." What else could I say to convince him?


    "I know,"

 Chapter 174: The First Spark of Revenge

    It was weird, packing my things and leaving. Though it wasn''t like I had many things to begin with ¨C just a few extra clothes Fetheion had given me, and a sword.


    It took me a while to adjust to being alone after spending two months with him. It was weird, but freeing. I had missed being alone in the wilderness.


    I didn''t fly, I wanted to walk. Not because flying was tiring, but because this part of these woods was beautiful. Despite not hiding my presence at all, I could see wildlife everywhere. Large butterflies approached me, sometimes even used me as a resting place before moving on.


    It was oddly calming ¨C it made me feel like I belonged here. Nothing seemed to fear me, but not because I lacked the power. It was almost as if they were used to me. Or, perhaps to my predecessor.


    As night approached and the sun began to set, I decided to make camp by the narrow, shallow creek.


    Wildlife seemed to be unbothered my me throughout the night as well ¨C a few twin tailed fox-like creatures even came to sniff me. Come morning, I left the woods. As soon as I was out of that peaceful area surrounding Fetheion''s little hideout, I spread my wings and took off.


    As the cool morning wind touched my face, I couldn''t help but smile a little. I had missed this. Flight truly was the greatest freedom ¨C especially now when I didn''t have Aelith''s little ''gift'' with me. Back then, I had always felt the weight of the earring ¨C almost as if she were always keeping an eye on me.


    I beat my wings, flying faster and faster with a wide smile on my face.


    Before I left, Fetheion had contacted Mona for me, asking her to bring Asher and Lucius to the place where I''d died.


    Honestly, it wasn''t the spot I''d prefer to meet with them, but I had to get rid of that divine pillar anyways. We might as well meet there too, or that was what Fetheion said. We would meet tomorrow ¨C I had more than enough time to get there, yet I hurried, nonetheless.


    It was dusk when the mostly ruined building entered my view. I could see the three golden lines of magic extending towards the sky. I clenched my fists as I slowed down, eventually coming to a halt. How was I going to destroy that?


    I raised my hand, and a sword materialised in my hand. Would this really work?


    It felt weird ¨C holding the sword that had killed me. According to Fetheion, it had absorbed what power was left in my body. I wasn''t sure of what exactly that meant. What I did know was that this was a well made sword. One that I could use with ease.


    I looked at it, carefully.


    Its black blade was thin and incredibly sharp. I could see some glyphs etched within the metal ¨C an incantation that Fetheion added to the sword after he revived me. Something about drinking the blood of my foes, he said.


    The hilt of the sword was fancy, but not too fancy to get in my way. The leather wrapped around the part where I grasped the sword made it easy to hold and use and the pale crystals on the bottom and guard of the hilt radiated with magic, albeit faintly.


    All in all, it was a beautiful sword.


    I glanced back at the Divine Pillar. Fetheion promised I''d be able to destroy it with my flames and this sword, but I still felt somewhat unsure. What if a Divine suddenly came? What would happen then? I didn''t want to die ¨C not again. It was painful enough and it had cost me too much time already.


    I took a deep breath as the sun finally set. It was time ¨C night was when the Divine Pillars were at their weakest, while demons were at their strongest. Demons, I thought as my wings carried me closer. Demons like me. Especially me, in fact, because of this body''s ancient blood.


    And now, I could feel it. As soon as the sun set and its bright rays of light disappeared, I could feel my power grow. By a lot.


    Whatever fight I were to pick, I had to make sure I''d do it at night from now on. I had to take as much advantage of this as I could.


    I slowed down once again as I arrived at the building. I landed and slowly stepped through its entrance.


    My eyes wide, I simply looked at the scene before my eyes. The large, circular room was utterly destroyed. There was not a single intact stone tile on the ground, not a single spot not covered in dirt or debris or¡­


    The centre of the room caught my attention as I stepped inside. On the ground, that same sigil glowed as before. The symbol that Alina pushed me into. The symbol that brought about my doom.


    Three rays of golden light shone from it, stretching all the way to the sky. The Divine Pillar.


    I approached it. Each step was more difficult than the last. I could see the dried blood inside the symbol. My blood.


    I stopped, perhaps an arm''s length away from it. That was a lot of blood. I remembered the pain, then the cold, empty nothingness. I didn''t want to go through that ever again. Death was terrifying ¨C more so than I always believed it to be.


    I clenched my fist and tightened my grasp around the hilt of my sword. "Here goes nothing," I whispered. I really hoped Fetheion was right about this.


    I stepped towards the first light, held my sword high and thrust it to the ground, right where the light originated from. As soon as my hands entered the light, pain spread throughout my body. I could feel it burning my skin off.


    "Come¡­ on¡­" I whispered as I released my magic. Purple flames danced on my skin as I poured whatever power I had into my word.


    For a moment, it looked as if nothing would happen. Then, I heard a faint crack. The light disappeared, along with the pain. I stumbled back, letting go of the hilt of my sword.


    "Damn that hurts," I mumbled to myself as souls circled me, healing the burnt skin on my hands. The light hurt more than I expected it to ¨C more than Fetheion expected to as well, I think. Once the pain disappeared, I grasped the hilt of my sword, still thrust into the ground, and pulled it out. Twice more, that was all I had to do.


    I tightened my grasp around the hilt, raised my hands and thrust the sword into the ground. A second, satisfying crack sounded. The pillar of light flickered, then faded, along with the pain as the souls circled me once more. I quickly removed the sword from the ground and stepped towards the third light.


    I could already imagine the disappointment and anger in the Divine''s face. She and Alina must have worked hard to create a divine pillar here. And I was destroying all of their hard work. The satisfaction of that alone was enough to make up for all the pain the light caused me.


    I raised my sword, ready to thrust it into the third and final pillar of light. With this, the Divine Pillar would be destroyed. With this, I''d have my first victory over The Divine, the Ereth and most importantly, Alina and Joshua.


    Yet, before I could thrust my sword into the ground, the golden light pulsed with power. A familiar mark appeared on the ground, not too far away from me. I leapt back as I two Ereth appeared in a flash of light.


    An awkward silence followed their appearance as all of us tried to get our thoughts in order. I only hesitated for a split second, then extended my hand and released my flames.


    One of them died before he could even make a sound as my sword found his throat. The other one had just enough time to swing his spear at me, but I was quick to parry his sloppy, panicked strike. He stumbled backwards, his eyes wide.


    "Keeper?" He asked, drawing a sharp breath. "You''re alive? Your memories have returned?" His face twisted with terror. My flames, dyeing the room purple, creeped towards him. "How can you be alive?" He shrieked as he raised his hand. I felt the Divine Pillar''s magic resonate with him.


    I dashed towards him as he raised his spear in a futile attempt to stop me. I easily pushed it aside and thrust my sword into his chest. He died immediately ¨C I had chosen to grant him as quick and painless of a death as I could.


    I stepped back as his body fell on the ground with a thud. I didn''t have time to think ¨C more Ereth could come at any second now. I quickly approached the final pillar of light and raised my sword high. I thrust it into the ground with all my strength and heard that satisfying crack.


    The golden light flickered almost as if it were trying to latch on to something, then faded. I felt the oddly suffocating air dissipate.


    A flash of light nearly caught me off guard as I heard footsteps behind me.


    "What have you done, Demon!" A voice I knew all too well sounded as I heard the crackle of lightning.

 Chapter 175: The Crackle of Lightning

    I released my magic and created a wall of flames just before the lightning strike hit me, while quickly turning to face my opponent.


    A swordsman, wearing simple leather armour, and a sorcerer in white robes stood at the entrance.


    As my flames subsided, our gazes locked.


    "Kai?" Asher asked, his face white as a sheet of paper. "You-" His gaze leapt between the corpses of the Ereth soldiers, the destroyed Divine pillar and me. "What have you done?" He whispered as his gaze focused on my flames, still dancing on the ground. "What have you become?"


    I froze ¨C this wasn''t how I wanted this to go. I didn''t want to start off with distrust and fear.


    "Asher," My gaze leapt to Lucius, standing next to the blond sorcerer. "Lucius."


    "Why?" The young swordsman asked in shock. "Why would you kill the Ereth? Why would you destroy the first rebuilt Divine Pillar?" He clenched his fists. "Didn''t you die to protect it?" His voice cracked as he shouted.


    I let my sword disappear in a shroud of darkness ¨C a result of my interface no longer being powered by the Divine Pillars.


    "No," I said, shaking my head. "I died because of it." I pointed at the pool of dried blood at the centre of the symbol on the ground. "I died right there, and it wasn''t a demon who did it!"


    Both of them hesitated ¨C of course they would, what I said directly contradicted everyone else''s words. "It was all a trap," I explained, "All of it. As soon as I stepped inside, a barrier covered this place." My gaze focused on Asher. "You should know, Asher. You must have felt the connection sever."


    He hesitated then lowered his extended arm. The lightning gathered in his palm disappeared. "I did feel it sever. But I wasn''t sure why." His voice was filled with uncertainty.


    "It was a Divine." I said, gesturing at the now destroyed Divine Pillar. "Why else would a demon leave the pillar here after killing me? There was never a demon to begin with."


    Lucius looked like he wanted to tell me something, but he kept his silence.


    "Which Divine?" Asher asked after a short while.


    "I don''t know her name." I described what she looked like. "She is Alina''s patron." As I spoke that traitor''s name, my face twisted with anger for only a moment.


    Asher''s eyes widened. "Wait ¨C you mean¡­?"


    I nodded. "She betrayed me." I almost spit the words out. "She and Joshua planned this from the very beginning."


    I could see their hesitation. How they didn''t want to believe my words. They were conflicted ¨C it was natural, but it still pissed me off.


    "Why would she do that?" Asher asked after a moment of silence. "What did she have to gain from that?"


    I took a deep breath. "She claimed it was revenge for Samantha''s death. But honestly? I don''t care."


    Asher flinched. "What?"


    "I don''t care." My eyes flashed purple with anger. "I don''t care about her, or Joshua, or Aelith or the other Divine." Purple flames danced on my skin. "I will get back what was stolen from me ¨C all of it." I glared at them. "And I will kill anyone who gets in my way." Our gazes met. "Anyone."


    Silence followed my words. Asher opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly at a loss for words. Instead, it was Lucius who broke the silence. "Ok." He said, letting his sword disappear. "Where do we start?"


    A faint, bitter smile appeared on my lips. "First of all, we leave this place."


    The young swordsman nodded. "Let''s go then." He poked Asher with his elbow. "What about you? What will you do?"


    The blonde sorcerer blinked a few times, then sighed. "Well, you''re definitely not getting rid of me, that''s for sure." He glanced at the Ereth. "What happened to their souls?"


    I tilted my head towards where the Divine Pillar''s light used to be. "Sucked away into the light. It''s better that way." I didn''t want to have the souls of Ereth within me. Demons made things difficult enough.


    We soon left the ruins and headed south, closer to Ereth territory. We didn''t fly, we weren''t in a rush. Asher and Lucius both seemed lost in thought as I led the way.


    I did feel bad for getting those two involved. But I needed allies. Despite the tough guy act I''d put on earlier, taking this revenge wasn''t something I could do alone. Not at my current level of power.


    "What happened to the telepathic link thing you two shared?" Lucius finally asked as we set up camp by a small, shallow lake. I couldn''t really give an answer to that, all I knew was that it was gone.


    "Good question." Asher hesitated. "Kai, take your shirt off."


    I flinched while Lucius'' eyes widened. "The hell, Asher!" He shrieked. "I didn''t know you were-"


    "Shut up, the mark is on his back, between his wings." He glared at me. "Come on, don''t turn this into something weird."


    I couldn''t help but laugh, especially at Lucius'' reaction.


    "Right, right." I took of my shirt as he asked and turned my back towards them. "Well?"


    Silence followed my question. Feeling somewhat anxious, I glanced at them over my shoulder. "Guys?"


    Lucius shook his head. "Well, I guess that explains it." He glanced at Asher, who nodded. "You didn''t tell me you were quite literally impaled. And¡­ burned¡­ and cut¡­" His voice faded. "The hell happened to you?" He shouted finally.


    "All of those," I replied with a grin as I put my shirt back on. "And more, but that''s not the subject. How bad is it?"


    Asher just shook his head. Honestly, even that wasn''t needed ¨C his expression and dropped shoulders explained enough. "It''s nearly completely destroyed ¨C I could barely recognise it."


    Lucius nodded. "Yeah, it''s barely even there." He glanced at Asher. "Can''t you recast the spell?"


    The blonde sorcerer shook his head. "No, a sorcerer can only cast that once, or so the skill''s description says. Maybe if I reach a very high level I could do it again but¡­" His voice faded as he just shrugged.


    To my surprise, I also felt a little saddened. Despite the annoyance of constantly being aware of where he was, the telepathic link had proven to be incredibly useful throughout the time we used it. It''d saved my life more than once, allowing me to try dangerous things with little risk.


    "It''s fine." I said with a sigh as another thought occurred. "I think this way is safer for you anyways." I said, glancing at Asher. The blonde sorcerer raised his eyebrows.


    "What do you mean?" He asked as we sat on the lush green grass. I hesitated, what was the best way to explain this?


    "I''m pretty sure you''ve noticed by now." I said as I raised my hand to the level of my chest. A purple flame appeared. "That I''m a demon is what I mean."


    Asher sighed. "Well, that was already obvious." He glanced at Lucius, who was nodding. "The second we noticed you could read and speak demonic, we knew you had to be a demon ¨C I even told you then; I''d have killed you right then and there if Lucius didn''t know you from the real world."


    I chuckled. "Oh, that happened, didn''t it?" How had I forgotten? Well, that was a dumb question. "My memory isn''t too good, so yeah¡­" I mumbled.


    "Is it because of the souls?" Lucius'' worry was audible in his voice. I hesitated, was it a good idea to tell him about this? No, there was no need to worry him even more. There was nothing anyone could do about this anyways.


    "I don''t know, maybe it''s simply because I, well, died, you know." I chuckled. Even as I lied, I could feel Asher''s judging stare ¨C he knew I wasn''t telling the truth. He knew I was hiding something from him.


    "I see," Lucius said as his shoulders dropped. I felt guilty, but it was better than putting the weight of that knowledge on his shoulders. That was something I could carry alone. I needed everyone else to focus on their tasks.


    "Now," I said, changing the subject. "Moving forward, we need a plan." I glanced at Asher. "First of all, where is Mona?"


    "She stayed behind to keep an eye on Erik, as her patron asked her to do so." Asher replied. "She wanted to come though."


    I shook my head. "It''s better this way. She''s a good person but a pretty terrible liar." They both chuckled, the heavy atmosphere from before seemed to have completely scattered.


    "So, what exactly is our goal?" Asher asked.


    I took a deep breath. "First of all, I need my powers back ¨C my scythe and the souls the Divine stole from me." A wicked grin appeared on my lips as I spoke. "So, here is the plan;"

 Chapter 176: Guilt and Despair

    We talked and discussed for quite a long time. Slowly but surely, as minutes turned into hours, a solid plan began to form. It was way past midnight when we finally decided to sleep.


    As usual, my sleep was plagued by nightmares. Though I was used to it by now, I was still glad to wake up and return to reality. I flinched. Reality? What was I even thinking? I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position and sighed. It was so easy to forget we were trapped in a game.


    Glancing around, I could see Asher was still asleep. His slow, deep breaths reminded me of the time when we nearly lost him. So much time had passed since then¡­


    I shook my head and got up on my feet. Now wasn''t the time to get lost in thought.


    I wondered where Lucius was, but that question was soon answered as I headed to the shallow lake. The young swordsman was standing still by the shore. His sword in hand, his posture reminded me of the old days.


    "Oh, Kai." He said as I stepped closer to the lake. I could see how I''d startled him. "Good morning." He quickly placed his sword back into his inventory and looked away. "Is Asher up yet?"


    I shook my head. "No," I knelt by the water and splashed some on my face. Was it just my imagination, or did Lucius seem troubled? "Hey, what about a spar?" I asked as I rose to my feet and smiled.


    Lucius hesitated, then shook his head. "I''ve finished training for today already." He glanced away. "Besides, we should probably get going anyways." He headed back towards our little camp before I could say anything.


    Had something happened while I was gone? Why was he so cold? What was troubling him? I pondered a while, but nothing came to mind. Eventually, I decided to observe the young man for now, since there wasn''t much else I could do anyways.


    When I returned to camp, Asher had also woken up. He quickly prepared a simple, light breakfast and we set off.


    "Where are we headed anyways?" Lucius asked as Asher prepared to cast his flight spell.


    "First, we''ll get some of Asher''s things from the place he used to stay at." I explained. "Then we should check how the situation is in Ereth territory." I hesitated; I still hadn''t come up with a plan for disguising myself.


    "Ready." Asher mumbled. I felt his magic spread out. Soon, both of them were in the air. I also followed them, my wings carrying me with ease. "We should hurry," Asher continued as our long journey began.


    I nodded, then glanced at Lucius. His expression showed just how much he disliked flight, but I could also see traces of something else. Whatever was troubling him, it wasn''t something simple. He wouldn''t have been hung up on it for this long if that were the case.


    My thought process was interrupted by shrieks and wails coming from the forest. Asher and Lucius stopped immediately while I hesitated. What was going on? Were there other players here? If that was the case, I had to get away from here as fast as possible. If anyone discovered I was alive, we''d lose the only advantage we had ¨C the element of surprise.


    "Monsters fighting." Asher mumbled. He glanced at me. "It''s been happening more often these last couple of months."


    Lucius nodded. "According to Rina, they get affected by Ereth or Demonic magic and give in to the primal instinct to kill the opposing side." He glanced at the sky, then his expression darkened. "Asher, we should land. I see something flying."


    I followed his gaze but saw nothing. Not even a dot in the distance. Despite that, I didn''t doubt his words. He had proven just how sharp his sight was time and again. "Let''s do that." I said as I folded my wings.


    Moments later, we had landed. Still able to hear the creatures fighting in the distance, we hid ourselves under the thick leafy roof of the forest.


    A short while later, I felt it. Demonic magic, searching for intruders. I clenched my fists, ready to summon my sword and attack them at a moment''s notice. They were flying low ¨C so low that we clearly heard the beat of their wings as they passed over us.


    I held my breath, my heart beating quickly. On one hand, I wanted to avoid fighting them, on the other, my hands itched with the anticipation of battle ¨C a chance to test my might.


    Thankfully though, they passed over us without noticing we were there. We waited for about twenty minutes before finally moving again.


    "Maybe flight is a bad idea." I said, instinctively keeping my voice low. "We should walk."


    While they both agreed, Asher did seem somewhat unhappy about this decision. We realigned ourselves with our destination, then set off.


    Though naturally, the journey on the ground proved to be much more challenging than flight. Not because of the terrain ¨C it was just forest, no hills or such ¨C but because of the constant attacks by crazed creatures.


    At first, they were just an inconvenience. I was usually the first to notice them, so they died to my dark bolts or my sword. Then, they slowly began to increase in numbers. Asher and Lucius had to step in ¨C and that was when I noticed something that was off.


    "Asher," I said as he killed half a dozen of different monsters with a simple spell. "What''s your level?"


    The blonde sorcerer chuckled. "It''s not because of my level ¨C these are just really weak." He kept moving without even a moment of hesitation, leaving my question unanswered and my curiosity unsatisfied.


    "It''s useless." Lucius said as he brushed past me. "He won''t answer no matter how much you ask."


    "Why?" I asked, curious and also somewhat worried. I knew Asher had to be ridiculously high level ¨C he was so even when we first met ¨C but it wasn''t like him to hide it from us. Well, no. Actually, it was exactly what he would do, but not answering when asked just seemed off.


    "No idea. Doesn''t matter anyways." The young swordsman sighed. "I''m fairly sure he could take on the Demon Lord. He''s been killing everything we came across with ease."


    I flinched. That wasn''t something to be said so lightly. Having met the Demon Lord myself ¨C and twice at that ¨C I was sure I''d only felt a fraction of his power. And even that fraction was enough to kill a Divine with ease. The man could almost freeze time!


    "I don''t know about that," I said with a low voice. "But anyways, why are you so down? Did something happen?"


    Lucius hesitated. "Something did happen!" I exclaimed. "What is it Lucius?"


    The young man looked away for a moment, then clenched his fists. "Really?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "Are you seriously asking me that?" His eyes were filled with anger when he turned his gaze back to me. "By best friend died!" His loud shout startled me. I heard the wildlife scurrying away from us as Asher looked at us.


    "What''s going on?" The blonde sorcerer asked, clearly somewhat confused.


    "Months ago, I hear my best friend died ¨C killed by demons!" The Lucius continued to shout. "Alone, in some old ruin!" His eyes reddened slightly. "And months after that, I hear he is alive, but weak ¨C helpless. Stuck somewhere in demon territory, with some Divine who''s supposed to be dead! And I''m not even allowed to visit him!"


    I flinched. The guilt I felt back then resurfaced.


    "And then I finally hear we can meet with him. But what do we find? A demon!"


    His words hit me like a truck. As he continued to shout, I felt as if each word was a stab in my heart.


    "A demon who just destroyed the Divine Pillar my friend had supposedly fought so hard to protect! A demon who just killed two Ereth guards ¨C the supposed good guys in this god forsaken land!"


    Asher seemed like he wanted to interfere but decided otherwise. A wise choice, as Lucius only proceeded to get angrier.


    "And now what? We''re on a god damned revenge mission! Revenge, Kai! Since when do you do revenge?" He stepped forward and grabbed me by the collar. "What has gotten into you? This isn''t you!"


    "Lucius," Asher''s warning voice wasn''t enough to stop the young man.


    "What happened to getting us all out of here? What happened to making sure we''d all survive?"


    I couldn''t help it as a flame of anger began to grow within me. I grabbed his wrists and forced him away from me.


    "What the hell do you want from me?" My voice echoed. "I was killed! I died! Death!" I repeated the word. Each time, I could see both of their faces grow paler. "Do you know what it feels like? Awful! Horrible! Terrifying!"


    Remembering that cold, dark nothingness sent a shiver down my spine. "Do you think I can be the old me after something like that?" My voice rose with each word. "Do you think I can just forgive them? Alina pushed me into that trap, Lucius! It wasn''t a fair fight, it wasn''t a quiet assassination, they made sure I suffered, they made sure I was trapped and powerless and only then," The dark blade appeared in my extended hand. It seemingly refused to reflect the sunlight. In fact, the air grew heavier and the light dimmed despite it being noon still.


    "And only then," I repeated my words. "She killed me. With a smile on her face! What do you expect me to do?"

 Chapter 177: A Shadow in the Sky

    Silence followed my words.


    "That''s enough." Asher''s cold voice startled both of us. "Both of you, calm down." He pushed us away from each other. "Kai, you have to understand how Lucius feels ¨C he''s not wrong, you''ve changed. You''re much more focused on revenge rather than getting everyone out of here."


    I gritted my teeth. "Of course I want to get everyone out of here!" I exclaimed, but Asher was quick to interrupt me.


    "Shut up and listen. I never said you''re wrong to focus on that ¨C I''m fairly sure all of us would do the same thing. And that''s fine ¨C but don''t lose sight of our real goal, ok?"


    He turned his gaze on Lucius. "And you need to calm down too. Kai quite literally died. We don''t know what that feels like ¨C we can''t know that!" He pushed a loose stand of hair away from his face as he clearly gathered his thoughts. "It''s natural that he''s changed. Anyone would, after going through all that." He narrowed his eyes. "So, don''t lash out at him to hide your own insecurities, ok?"


    Lucius flinched. "I''m not¡­" His voice faded. He looked away.


    Asher sighed and shook his head. I loosened my hands and took a deep breath to calm myself down. Asher was right ¨C this heated argument was meaningless. Well, to me anyways. It did seem to indicative of a bigger and more important issue concerning Lucius though.


    "Lucius?" I asked once I was sure my voice was as calm as possible. "Did something happen?"


    The young swordsman shook his head. "No. Sorry. Let''s just go." With that, he quickly set off towards our goal ¨C the tower Asher and I had explored months ago.


    "What''s wrong with him?" I asked, glancing at the blonde sorcerer. He shrugged. "I honestly don''t know. We only met up a couple of days ago ¨C we were both doing our own thing before then." He sighed, then gestured me to follow him. "Let''s not get left behind."


    With that, we quickly caught up with Lucius, though he clearly wanted to keep his distance a little since he hastened his steps as soon as we were close enough. With a shrug, I slowed my steps. If he wanted some time for himself, who was I to take that from him.


    "Why did you kill the two guards?" Asher suddenly asked. I shrugged. Saying they deserved it was a bit much, but they did seem to be in on the whole ''keeping my predecessor''s past a secret'' plot.


    "I couldn''t let them go back and tell the Divines that I survived. That would be end of whatever I wanted to do." Asher nodded in agreement, though I could see the doubt in his eyes. I pondered whether I should ask him about it, but then decided not to. If he wanted to share something, he would.


    "Guys." Lucius'' sharp voice startled us. The young man''s sword appeared in his hand as he looked around us. "I think something just spotted us." His gaze scoured the woods around us.


    "What makes you say that?" Asher asked. Despite his easy-going voice, lightning had already begun to crackle in his raised palm.


    Lucius didn''t answer ¨C his gaze focused on the sky. I looked up, following his gaze. Then, I saw it.


    "Run ¨C now!" I grabbed Asher''s arm and dashed towards Lucius, dragging him along with me. "That''s a demon! A powerful one!"


    I knew because I could see the demonic magic around it ¨C it wasn''t like that of Vixia or Delthur, not even like that of the Demon Lord. While their power was dark, it never made me think of the word ''tainted''.


    "We can take him-" Asher protested, but I shook my head. The feeling I got from that demon was completely different than that of the others.


    "Doesn''t look like the demon we saw before." Lucius said as we ran as fast as we could. "Kai, that thing looks like the demons you''d see in normal videogames, or like¡­ movies and stuff."


    I glanced at the dot in the sky, then shook my head. It was too far away for me to see properly. Besides, it didn''t matter what it looked like. A demon was a demon ¨C I trusted none of them and they surely wanted to kill me ¨C us ¨C too. We ran, dashing through the woods like a horde was chasing us, yet each time we looked back, the black dot was there.


    "How is it even aware of us?" Lucius asked. He was somewhat out of breath. Asher was barely keeping up with us. The only thing saving him was his magic, enhancing his body so he could run as fast as us. I, on the other hand, didn''t feel tired at all. But I did feel weaker. I knew that alone, I could maybe, barely kill that demon. If luck favoured me.


    "And why is it so persistently following us?" The young swordsman asked. I shook my head ¨C I honestly had no clue. "I thought that scout hadn''t seen us." I said as we burst out of the treeline into a seemingly endless sea of grass.


    "This is bad." Lucius shouted as we searched for a place to hide form the demon''s gaze. Nothing ¨C aside from the forest behind us, there wasn''t a single tree ¨C no hills or large rocks, nothing.


    "It''s approaching," I whispered as dread slowly set in. I glanced around, could we make it to the other side of this massive field in time?


    No, there was no way. Not while Asher was already exhausted, and Lucius was also somewhat out of breath. I clenched my fists.


    "We can take it." Asher said, but his expression told a different story.


    Lucius grabbed Asher''s arm and pulled him away from the woods. "More creatures are coming!"


    That''s when I noticed it. Animals ¨C the wildlife of this world ¨C were slowly stepping out of the woods. I could feel that same tainted magic from them as I did from that demon.


    "Wait¡­" I whispered as we slowly backed away. "Creatures were being driven to attack by corrupted magic ¨C that''s what you said, right?"


    "I never said corrupted magic." Asher glanced at me. "Are you telling they''re being corrupted by the demon and driven to attack us?"


    I hesitantly nodded. "I can''t say for certain," I mumbled as more creatures stepped out of the woods. "But I''m fairly sure."


    "Stop theorising about magic and focus on the god damned fight!" Lucius'' shout startled both me and Asher. The young man grasped the hilt of his sword tightly as he shot deadly glances at us.


    Asher rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine," He mumbled as he raised his hand. The sky seemingly darkened as lightning crackled in his palm.


    A shroud of darkness appeared by my extended hand. I grasped the cool hilt of my sword as it materialised in my hand. "Lucius," I said as I stepped forward along with him.


    "I know, we''re keeping Asher safe." He replied. I nodded; this was going to be the first battle of presumably many. Using any more resources than needed would be a waste.


    Though, looking at the continuously growing horde of monsters before me, I couldn''t help but want to just burn everything to ash. My hands itched with the thought of battle. I wanted it ¨C the thrill of battle, the danger and risks that came along with it. That feeling of victory at the end ¨C I needed it.


    But I held back.


    Mostly because Asher obliterated several hundred creatures in the following moment.


    I notice Lucius'' complexion grow pale as lightning struck the horde, over and over again. I expected it to end in a few seconds, but it didn''t. My eyes wide, I turned to look at Asher.


    I drew a sharp breath. "What have you done?" Was all I could whisper.


    He was floating perhaps half a meter in the air. Both his arms extended to his sides; lightning danced on his skin. I was difficult just to look at him. His hair hovered almost as if he were underwater. His eyes, though ¨C they were what affected me the most. His eyes had turned into orbs of white light.


    "The hell?" Lucius shouted. He had also just seen Asher. "What the hell is going on with him?"


    I heard movement behind me and quickly turned, finally snapping my attention away from the blonde sorcerer. And I had done so just in time as I came face to face with a rather large wolf. A quick swing of my sword took care of the creature, but more were approaching.


    "How can they come despite all this lightning?" Lucius asked as he disposed of a few smaller creatures. I shrugged ¨C questioning that was the last thing on my mind right now.


    "Asher!" I shouted as the lightning strikes neared. "You can stop now!" Another wolf jumping at me got struck mid-air. I flinched and stepped back ¨C that was way too close for comfort. "Lucius, back off!"


    The young swordsman didn''t hesitate to do so, but to my surprise, he dashed towards Asher, grabbed his arm and pulled him down. I immediately smelled the awful smell of burnt skin. Despite that, it seemed like Lucius'' idea worked. Asher fell to the ground with a thud and the lightning storm finally came to an end.


    "What the hell do you think you''re doing?" The young swordsman shouted at Asher. "Even if the damned demon didn''t know where we were, now he does. Hell, the whole continent does!"


    The blonde sorcerer blinked a few times, then suddenly grew pale as his gaze focused behind me.


    I quickly turned there, expecting another wolf. Instead, I was greeted with a familiar sight. One that struck fear into my heart.


    The air seemed to grow heavier as light shattered perhaps two meters away from me. A rift formed before me, and as soon as it did, I wailed in pain.


    It took me a moment to understand why it hurt so much.


    Then, I noticed the spear stuck into my left shoulder.

 Chapter 178: The Corrupted Demon

    As I stumbled backwards, something stepped out of the rift.


    It was a demon, by every sense of the word. With its dark red skin, leathery wings, massive, deadly horns and a face that reminded me those of gargoyles, it looked like the demons of our world''s books and paintings.


    It was nothing like Vixia, Delthur or the Demon Lord. This thing was ugly as hell.


    It reached forward and grasped the shaft of the spear stuck in my shoulder. I couldn''t take my eyes off its massive claws.


    "Kai!" Lucius shouted. I heard his footsteps approach. At the same time, a crackle sounded. A bold of lightning hit the creature''s left wing.


    It wailed in pain and let go of the shaft. Freed from its grasp, fell to the ground. My vision blurred as it released its magic. Was that Lucius who had just ran past me?


    I grasped the bloody shaft and pulled the spear out. Waves of pain threatened to overcome me.


    "Wait, the wound-" Asher''s shout was interrupted by the creature''s loud, ear piercing shriek.


    Soul''s Respite slowly began to heal me as I scrambled to get back up on my feet. My eyes widened as I noticed the battle happening before me.


    Lucius was trying to block the claw strikes of the demon with his sword. Continuously getting pushed back, his expression was that of anger. As much as I wanted to go help him, the wound on my shoulder was still hurting like hell. The souls, while doing their best to heal me, weren''t as powerful as those I had before. It was taking painstakingly long, yet there was nothing I could do.


    Asher, on the other hand, was casting a spell. His bright blue eyes were fixed on the creature while magic gathered around him. He was preparing something big ¨C I could feel it.


    I turned my gaze back on Lucius ¨C he was way out of his depth. He could barely keep up with the demon''s speed.


    A glance at my own would was enough to show that I was in no shape to fight just yet, but perhaps¡­


    Flames danced on my fingers. Perhaps I could do it. If I focused, if I mimicked his actions¡­


    My flames leapt towards the creature as it slashed at Lucius'' arm. The young man quickly stepped back, then noticed what was going on. The demon shrieked again as my flames leapt onto its eyes. Blinded by the bright purple flames, it staggered for only a moment.


    That was all Lucius needed. He dashed forward and thrust his sword into the demon''s chest.


    Silence followed as he let go of the sword and took a few steps back, holding his arm. Blood seeped through his fingers as his expression twisted with pain.


    "Well, damn." He mumbled as he stumbled. I was quick to offer help ¨C he grabbed on to my arm for support, then sighed. "Well, that worked."


    I hesitated. "I don''t know about that." Looking at the creature, it was standing there, motionless. I couldn''t tell whether it was breathing or not. It wasn''t bleeding though, despite the sword stuck deep in its chest.


    I narrowed my eyes. "Lucius," I spoke with a low voice. "Are you sure you actually got its heart?"


    The young man shrugged. "I should have, unless its heart is somewhere else that is." His expression twisted with pain. "Damn, this hurts." He glanced at his wound.


    The claw mark was indeed quite a deep wound, I could imagine how much it hurt. I glanced at Asher; he was still gathering magic ¨C was my hunch, right?


    I didn''t have to wait for long to find out as life returned to the creature''s eyes.


    "Look out!" I shouted as I summoned a wall of flames. Despite that, the explosion of tainted demonic magic was more than enough to knock us off our feet. As we hit the ground with a painful thud, the creature shrieked.


    I covered my ears ¨C the magically enhanced sound was more than enough to send my mind into chaos.


    "How on earth is it even alive?" Lucius shouted. I shook my head ¨C I had no clue. I forced myself to get up. The spear would had healed by now, and I was a bit more prepared to fight.


    Lucius struggled to get up behind me. I could tell at a glance that he was in no position to fight right now. I extended my arm to the side as my sword materialised from the cloud of darkness.


    "My turn. Make sure Asher heals you as soon as he''s able." I said to Lucius. The young swordsman clearly wanted to protest, but since he couldn''t even stand up straight, he knew his words would be meaningless.


    I stepped forward as I released my own magic. It was nothing compared to that of this demon, but it was all I had. If I had my old strength, I could probably take this creature on one on one, but as I am now, I stood little chance against it.


    Flames danced on my skin as my wings appeared on my back. My eyes shone bright purple and a dark miasma spread from my sword.


    I was ready to give this my best shot.


    The creature didn''t quite seem aware of me. It felt around the blade stuck in its chest, then removed it with a simple motion, throwing it to the ground like it was just a splinter. My grip on the hilt of my sword tightened as my heart raced.


    Now was my chance ¨C while it was distracted. I dashed forward, leaving a trail of fire behind me. But¡­ where was I supposed to strike? Stabbing it was clearly not working out too well. Maybe cutting its head off could work.


    Deciding that was the best course of action, I swung my blade horizontally. A wave of magic threatened to push me back as soon as I was close enough. I persevered against the tainted, diluted magic, but it slowed me enough for the creature to step back to avoid my attack. It hissed, showing its long, split tongue.


    It lashed out at me, its claws extended and ready to dig into my flesh. I leapt back to avoid it, then moved closer one again in an attempt to attack it. It was fast to retreat as my blade made its way to the demon''s exposed throat.


    I gritted my teeth ¨C this thing was fast. Too fast. I could barely keep up, even while using Fallen Grace.


    "Kai, get down!" Lucius'' voice sounded. I could hear the urgency in his words. Without even a moment''s hesitation, I threw myself to the ground. And just in time too, as a bright light flashed, and a stream of lightning filled the void my upper body left.


    The creature shrieked, I noticed it stumble and step back. Then, the smell of burnt flesh and skin reached my nose. I grimaced ¨C I hated this smell.


    I scrambled to get back up as the creature wailed in pain. It felt around its chest.


    "How is it still standing?" Lucius cried out as Asher wheezed. The blonde sorcerer held on to Lucius for support. That spell must have taken up most of his strength. "I don''t know." He whispered, out of breath. I felt magic gather around him once again. He wasn''t giving up.


    Glancing at the creature, I sure did want to just run away. Despite the smoking wound in on its chest, it was still standing. Did it even feel pain properly? Had it lost all sense of self? What was this creature?


    Questions whirled inside my mind as I dashed forward ¨C I had to get rid of this monster. I swung my sword with an overhead strike, then feinted that attack at the last possible moment in hopes of confusing the creature.


    It worked. Kind of. I turned my overhead strike into a horizontal slash aiming for its throat and unleashed my flames upon the creature at the same time. Either it''d get burnt or lose its head.


    Unfortunately, it chose neither. Instead, my flames disappeared, and my sword bounced off a magical barrier that appeared around it. My eyes widened as it swung its claw at me.


    A blade made of pure darkness appeared in its hand as it lashed out at me. I blocked its relentless strikes while continuously backing off. How could a creature as crazed as this have such fine control over its magic?


    Lightning struck the creature''s arm, but it didn''t seem to be bothered by it.


    "Asher, do something!" Lucius shouted as he dashed towards his sword, still laying on the ground a little ways away.


    "I am doing something!" The blonde sorcerer replied as another lightning strike illuminated our surroundings. "It just doesn''t care!"


    I gritted my teeth ¨C how was this monster not affected by pain at all? If I had some time ¨C a moment to breathe ¨C I might have been able to figure it out, but as things were, I was still barely surviving its flurry of attacks. I fed more mana to my flames, hoping to distract or weaken the monster somehow.


    Yet it wasn''t me who distracted it. As the sharp edge of a blade suddenly burst out of its chest, I was just as surprised as the creature. Only when I glanced behind it did I notice Lucius. Unfortunately, the creature also noticed the young swordsman. With a powerful swing of its long, strong tail, it hit Lucius in the stomach, sending him flying.


    I didn''t let that moment of distraction go to waste. My sword found its throat and my flames spread from my fingertips to my blade. I wasn''t about to let it come back to life again.


    I heard the gurgle of blood filling his throat. Pitch black, disgusting blood appeared in the corners of its mouth and dripped down.


    "Go to hell." I whispered as I motioned to pull my sword out of its throat.


    By the time I''d noticed what was going on, it was already too late. A rift appeared behind the demon as it grabbed my arms. It staggered back, pulling me along into the unknown.

 Chapter 179: The Unknown

    I lost all sense of direction for a split second. Then, my sense of direction returned along with gravity. We fell to the ground with a loud thud. The creature wheezed as it struggled to breathe.


    It took me a moment to notice I had fallen on top of the monster. I frantically searched for my sword and twisted it while still stuck in the creature as soon as I grasped it hilt.


    It wailed and reached for me, I felt its claws dig into my skin and tear my clothes as it lived its last moments. I released my flames as it struggled. It felt like an eternity until it stopped moving. Out of breath, I pulled my sword out and got off the creature.


    Was it really dead? It wasn''t trying to trick me like before, was it?


    Seconds passed as I watched the creature''s motionless body anxiously. Then, its soul appeared. It floated towards me and, despite my unwillingness to take it in, melted into my chest.


    Images flashed before my eyes, but they disappeared before I could make any sense of them.


    Exhausted and wounded, I stumbled to the nearest wall and sat by it, leaning my back to it. The cold marble was nothing next to the cold I felt in my chest.


    I used Soul''s Respite to heal my wounds, the finally glanced around.


    The first thing that caught my attention was the sunlight touching the ground not too far away. Looking around, I could tell I was in an old, ruined building. The creature''s rift had brought us here ¨C how far away was I from Asher and Lucius?


    My first instinct was to call Asher''s name, but I stopped myself. We didn''t have our telepathic link anymore. No matter how much I tried to, I had no way of contacting him.


    It only occurred to me now ¨C considering the vastness of this world, not having a way of contacting anyone remotely was more than just an inconvenience.


    As the souls circled around me, slowly healing my wounds, I furrowed my brows.


    "No way, right?" I mumbled, ready to curse at my own stupidity as I opened my interface. I browsed the different panels, searching for a certain feature that all games probably had. Only when I searched through the entire interface and failed to find it did I sigh a breath of relief and alarm, mixed together.


    If there had been a messaging feature this whole time, I''d have probably never been able to look anyone else in the eye again, out of embarrassment. So, in a way, it was a relief to make sure it didn''t exist, it meant it wasn''t my fault that I had so little contact with people. Yet, it was alarming because¡­ come on, shouldn''t all modern games have such a feature?


    While my experience with games was extremely limited, I did have at least a rough idea on how they worked. An in game communication system seemed rather necessary, especially in this game.


    I felt the souls finally finish healing me. With a sigh, I forced myself to get up. I was spent ¨C all I wanted to do was fall asleep. Yet, I looked around, hoping to figure out where I was and why that monster had chosen to come here.


    I walked around the ruined building and with each step my amazement grew. It clearly wasn''t a castle, fortress or anything military like that. It reminded me of a somewhat modest mansion. I counted two floors, though the second floor had been completely swept away, along with most of the roof and about half of the outer walls.


    On the still standing walls were paintings, though they were too ruined to be made any sense of. I also found some remains of furniture and something that resembled a statue, though unfortunately almost everything was lost to the elements.


    Despite the ruined look of the place, it was incredibly alive. Plants grew through ever crack on the floor tiles. The walls were covered in moss and vines and there was even a tree growing through the massive hole in the roof.


    Colourful flowers, plants of all kinds and the animals and bugs that lived here made this place feel less sad. Despite my fruitless efforts to find out where I was, I couldn''t help but smile faintly as I walked around the place.


    That is, until I came across a dark metal trapdoor, sealed with magic.


    I could sense the demonic magic ¨C I could even see its dark purple glow faintly, thanks to whatever had happened to me months ago.


    It wasn''t tainted or diluted like the creature''s magic ¨C this felt a lot more like that of Vixia or Delthur''s. Or maybe even mine. I wasn''t quite sure.


    I hesitated ¨C was it really a good idea to try and lift the seal? What would I find in there?


    My hope was maps, more information. My gut told me corpses.


    I took a deep breath and carefully touched the trapdoor. The metal was cold under my fingers, yet the magic surrounding it had a certain warmth to it. I traced the flow of magic with my finger, until I found the spot it all converged. I really had no idea of what the hell I was doing, but it felt like a little nudge to disrupt the flow of magic would be enough to break the seal.


    My magic gathered at the tip of my finger and¡­ Lo and behold, the seal shattered like a thin sheet of glass.


    The trapdoor was surprisingly heavy, so much that I needed the extra strength of Fallen Grace to lift it. And when I finally did that, a ladder descending into the darkness awaited me.


    "No way this ends well." I whispered as I sighed. "Here we go."


    I knew that going down there wasn''t the brightest idea ¨C it was the unknown. It was dangerous. What if more creatures like the one who attacked us slept down there? What if this was a trap? What if the trap door closed once I was down there?


    Yet, my curiosity got the better of me and I descended the ladder.


    I stepped on the cold, hard stone tiles much sooner than I expected. Only one I''d done so did I create a tiny flame. As its purple light illuminated my surroundings, I held my breath.


    It was a workshop.


    There were weapons hanging on the walls. Armour sets were lined nest to the ladder. I could see some magical devices clearly used to make these weapons and armour. Was that a smithy that functioned with mana?


    I approached the large device. It had the aesthetics of a steampunk style, mixed with magic. I could see some crystals powering it.


    Furrowing my brows, I stepped closer. The crystals looked similar to the quest-giver crystals of the Ereth, but these were silver in colour instead of the bright pink of the others.


    I hesitated ¨C so did this place belong to Ereth? It didn''t feel like it. Besides, there was a seal made with demonic magic, so no, my previous thought had to be wrong.


    Refusing to touch the crystal, I looked around the room as much as I could. This place was a treasure trove ¨C if I had more time, I''d have loved to read all the books on the shelves, check all the weapons, try and figure out how the smithing device worked and all that, but I knew that Lucius and Asher were probably panicking right now.


    Promising to myself that I''d come back to this place when I get the chance, I climbed the ladder. The bright sunlight blinded me as I reached the surface. I closed the trapdoor, then knelt beside it. Could I recreate that seal, I wondered.


    I called forth my magic and pictured the weave of magic I had destroyed just a little bit ago. Would replicating the shape work? I decided to give it a try ¨C what was the worst that could happen, right?


    Explosions. But oh well. I decided it was worth the small risk. I forced my magic to flow in the same way and shape as the seal I had broken. At first, it was a challenge. Magic was inherently chaotic and without the aid of the interface, it took a lot of effort to get it to work with me.


    Eventually though, I did it. The seal, albeit weaker than the old one, was visible to me.


    I sighed a breath of relief, then looked up at the sky. Now came the real challenge: Going back to Asher and Lucius.


    I was about to fly up when a thought crossed my mind. My expression filled with self doubt, I decided to go ahead and try my idea out anyways.


    I used Soul''s Aspect, allowing my body and power to take on the aspect of the corrupted demon I had killed just now.


    My hands itched as they became more claw like ¨C I could feel a tail appear on me, as well as a pair of horns sprouting on my head. It hurt ¨C not too much, but enough to make this an unpleasant transformation.


    Thankfully, I didn''t take on the ugly appearance of the monster ¨C my skin was still pale, and my tail was thin and elegant. I raised my eyebrows ¨C a thin and elegant tail didn''t help with combat at all, did it?


    I shook my head ¨C I could think about all of that later. I raised my right hand ¨C claw ¨C and focused. Could I do it?


    I felt the soul within me stir ¨C the demon was remembering something. A smile appeared on my lips as the warm memory disappeared.


    A rift slowly formed at the tip of my fingers.

 Chapter 180: A Fire in the Distance

    My heart raced. I could barely contain my excitement ¨C I had done it! A spell that wasn''t written in the interface! I had successfully cast it!


    I tried to contain my excitement as the rift began to grow to a size I could fit through. I didn''t know if the spell was successful yet ¨C I''d only know that for sure once I passed through the rift. It took a few seconds to grow to a size I could pass through.


    Once it did, I took a deep breath. My heart raced with anticipation, and the fear of the unknown threatened to overcome me. Was I going to end up where I wanted to? Or was I going to end up somewhere else, in an unknown place in the middle of nowhere?


    There was only one way to find out, wasn''t there?


    Still holding my breath, I took a step forward. My fingers touched the rift ¨C it was pleasantly cool ¨C and I felt my body getting pulled in moments later.


    For a moment, I lost all sense of direction. Nothingness, filled with everything, enveloped me. My mind was about to burst when I saw my goal ¨C a rift, approaching fast.


    I stepped out of the rift and fell on my knees. It took me a moment to adjust to my surroundings, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was quite literally right where the creature had opened its own rift.


    I got back up on my feet and glanced around. Neither Asher nor Lucius were around. Where had they gone? I ended Soul''s Aspect and let my body return to normal as I walked around, searching for them.


    It didn''t take me long to find their tracks. With furrowed brows, I followed the barely visible tracks. It was clear that at least one of them was having trouble walking, while the other had to lend him his support.


    I forced myself to picture the moment the battle had been decided. Lucius was thrown aside by the corrupted demon''s tail and Asher had used up most of his mana. Was the young swordsman hurt? If Asher had no mana left to heal the young man, it was possible.


    I clenched my fists ¨C where were they?


    I followed the tracks as fear began form a lump in my throat. I could help them ¨C I still had a way of healing others, albeit slowly.


    The tracks led towards the shallow creek passing through this sea of tall grass, then disappeared for a little bit. I searched frantically, once again wishing I still had the telepathic link with Asher. I had taken it for granted all this time, not realising how useful and practical it was. Knowing his location, even though vaguely, was more important than I had realised.


    Now though, I had to rely on whatever physical traces they''d left behind. I was about to cry out in worry when I finally found the trail again on the other side of the shallow creek.


    "For god''s sake¡­" I mumbled as I quickly returned to following the trail. As the sun began to set, my worries resurfaced. How was I supposed to follow a trail at night? It was difficult enough when it was light out.


    Thankfully, I didn''t have to follow the tracks for much longer as I noticed the light of a fire in the distance. Wings appeared on my back as I leapt into the air. I allowed them to carry me towards the distant light source.


    Mere moments later, I had arrived at a small campsite, only to see a heart wrenching sight.


    Asher was laying on a blanket, his complexion pale and clearly in pain. Lucius was nowhere to be seen. I landed on the grassy ground and rushed to the blonde sorcerer as my wings disappeared in a puff of black mist.


    "Asher!" I shouted as I placed my palm on his forehead. His shallow, irregular breathing and clearly high fever reminded me of unpleasant memories.


    "Kai?" Lucius'' voice sounded. He nearly dropped the bucket of water he was carrying.


    "What happened?" I asked as my panic was audible in my voice. "He was fine before the creature dragged me into the rift!" What could have happened in such a short timeframe?


    It took Lucius a moment to snap out of it. He rushed to Asher''s side and dipped a piece of cloth into the water. As he cleaned the blonde sorcerer''s face, he quickly explained.


    "He tried to stop the rift from closing. He became all white and lightning-y again, like when he was killing the horde of animals just before." I could see from his trembling hands that he was just as worried as I was, if not more.


    "I think the spell backfired, or something like that, because the next moment he was on the ground screaming with pain. I helped him up and carried him here." He tilted his head to the side, where a large, white flower lay on the ground. "He said these things have healing properties." Lucius sighed and shook his head. "I don''t know how to use them though¡­"


    I nodded. I had no idea either ¨C how could I? I had never dealt with plants too much. I carefully touched the plant ¨C was I supposed to boil it in water? Turn it into something edible? Just make him smell it? Use it in a spell?


    "What happened to you?" The young swordsman finally asked. I shrugged. "I killed the creature, then came back." I bit my lower lip. How could I save Asher? "Do you know where Mona is?" I asked as an idea flashed across my mind.


    She had healed him before, albeit with Laura and Theresa''s help, as well as my own. But that was months ago ¨C maybe she was strong enough to heal him on her own now. All I needed to be able to open a rift to her was knowing her location. I think.


    "No clue. She and the other two were hanging around Erik and the others." As he spoke, his eyes shot open. "Wait ¨C does that mean she''s in danger?" He asked, almost screaming. I chuckled and shook my head.


    "No, she''s not. No one knows she works for the Thirteenth Divine." Fetheion had made sure she only knew enough to be useful and nothing more. While I didn''t agree with his actions, I did understand his reasoning ¨C somewhat appreciated it even.


    "If only we knew¡­" I mumbled. I couldn''t create a rift to a person, could I? I rose to my feet and walked to the edge of camp.


    "What are you doing?" Lucius asked as he soaked the cloth in the water filled bucket.


    "Trying something," I mumbled as I focused. How had I done it before? I extended my hand and imagined the rift forming at the tip of my fingers. Moments passed as nothing happened.


    Why wasn''t it working? Was it because I didn''t know where Mona is, or was it because I hadn''t used Soul''s Aspect?


    There was really only one way to find out. I took deep breaths as pain jolted through my body. I took on the corrupted demon''s appearance as Lucius looked on in terror.


    Now, once again, I extended my claw like hand and at the tip of my fingers, I imagined the rift forming.


    Nothing happened. So, I did need to know her location after all. Just wanting to go to her wasn''t enough. I bit my lower lip, then immediately regretted it as my fangs ¨C which I didn''t know I had in this form ¨C almost wounded me.


    A quick glance at Asher reminded me that I didn''t have the luxury of time. "Sorry, Fetheion." I whispered as a rift appeared on the tip of fingers.


    "What the hell!" Lucius shrieked. "Kai, what''s going on with you?"


    I ignored him ¨C opening the rift itself was already taxing enough. I couldn''t afford to divert my attention to anything else. The rift began to slowly grow as I felt my power drain quickly. This was a taxing spell, both mentally and physically.


    It took a few moments for the rift to grow tall enough to allow us to pass through. Once it did, I hissed through my gritted teeth. "Take Asher and pass through!"


    Lucius hesitated. I shot him a deadly glare as the rift fluctuated. I couldn''t hold it open for much longer. "Hurry!" I shouted. The young swordsman finally flinched and scrambled to do as he was told. He lifted Asher up and approached the rift. As soon as his fingers touched it, I felt the rift pull him in.


    He disappeared with a surprised shout. I followed right after, moments before the rift collapsed. I didn''t even want to think about what would happen if I was still inside as it collapsed. Would I be lost in between realms? Would it spit me out somewhere randomly?


    Once again, I lost all sense of direction, then found myself in the opening right before Fetheion''s hideout, with a sword against my throat.

 Chapter 181: The Source of Power

    "Get that thing away from me!" I said as I pushed the sword away with the back of my hand. As O did so, my body returned to normal. Soul''s Aspect had ended. "Something''s wrong with Asher!" My eyes focused on Fetheion. He seemed more shocked than anything.


    He hesitated for a split second as he glanced at Lucius and Asher, both of whom were laying unconscious on the ground. "Right¡­"


    "What happened to Lucius?" I asked as I also noticed them. Why was everyone around be dropping unconscious, getting sick, wounded or dying?


    "I just put him to sleep." The Divine replied, still somewhat confused. "Kai, how did you-"


    "I''ll tell you whatever you want to know later, just please save Asher!" I cried out. I still remembered Mona''s words when she saved him. If we had been just a little been too late, he would have died.


    "Fine, fine." Fetheion rolled his eyes. "He''ll be fine." He raised his hand, releasing some of his power. Black mist enveloped us, then lifted both Asher and Lucius up. "Let''s go inside."


    I followed him and my two unconscious friends. After leaving Lucius in the library, he brough Asher to the room I stayed in for a few months. "So, what happened?" Fetheion asked as he touched Asher''s forehead with the tip of his finger.


    Almost immediately, colour returned to the blonde sorcerer''s face. He already looked healthier and Fetheion hadn''t even done much yet.


    "We came across something weird," I said, carefully watching the flow of the Divine''s mana. Could I replicate this spell too? How different was it from that seal back in the mansion?


    "Define ''weird'' please." Fetheion glanced at me, his brows slightly furrowed.


    "It was a corrupted demon, a powerful one."


    He flinched. "Where?" I described the place. As I spoke his expression continued to grow darker. He was clearly worried ¨C not because we''d killed the demon, but probably because its appearance meant something greater. Something I didn''t really have any knowledge of.


    "How did you kill it?" He asked as his magic continued to heal Asher. I hesitated. "Well¡­" I glanced at Asher ¨C what was the spell he''d used to defeat the horde?


    "Kai," Fetheion''s warning tone made it clear that he wanted the whole and complete truth. "A demon corrupted my Divine magic doesn''t die as easily."


    I nodded. "When Lucius pierced its chest, we were sure it had died." I still vividly remembered that moment of fear as we realised it was still alive. "But it hadn''t. Asher cast some spells ¨C lightning strikes and such." I fiddled with some loose strands of hair. "That didn''t work either. Eventually Lucius stabbed it from the back, and I slit its throat."


    Well, I had stabbed its throat, but did that detail really matter? "I''m not sure which of those attacks killed it."


    "Neither." Fetheion said with a sigh. "It must have died because it ran out of magic." He lifted his finger off of Asher''s forehead. "Let him rest for a while." He headed for the door and waited for me to follow him. "Come, tell me more."


    I thought we were headed for the library, but instead, Fetheion led me through the narrow hall to another room ¨C his room. It wasn''t any larger than the one I had used while I stayed here, but it did have a second door. Fetheion immediately headed there and opened it, revealing a staircase leading down.


    "Where does this lead?" I asked as he motioned for me to approach. I could feel the pulse of magic coming from down there."


    "My workshop. I need to take a look at your sword, so come on." He descended the stairs, and I followed him.


    We soon arrived at rather small room. There were symbols carved in the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. They were the source of the magic I felt before. "Have a seat." The crimson haired man said, gesturing to a comfy couch. "And give me your sword."


    I did as he asked. The couch was comfortable, and the warm air immediately made me feel sleepy. I wondered ¨C what time was it? Probably midnight.


    "Don''t fall asleep ¨C you still need to tell me everything that happened." Fetheion''s sharp voice pulled me away from the sweet, warm, dark embrace of sleep. I blinked a few times, then sat up straight to force myself to stay awake.


    "Well," I began telling him all about the fight ¨C how the animals became corrupted and attacked us, how Asher decimated them, and almost struck us with his lightning strikes too, about the corrupted demon¡­ I left nothing out ¨C I was sure he''d know if I tried to keep a secret.


    As I spoke, Fetheion listened intently, yet still continued inspecting the sword.


    "The mansion you found," He said once I finished my words. "Do you think you could go back there if needed?" I shrugged; I honestly didn''t know.


    "Maybe," I replied glancing at my hand. "If I can open a rift." I wasn''t sure because I didn''t know if having been somewhere was enough.


    "It may come in handy in the future, so do give it a try when you get the chance." Fetheion placed the sword on the symbols on the floor. "Now ¨C like I''ve said before, this sword has absorbed your power ¨C some of it, at least ¨C when it was used to kill you. I think that was why you were able to kill the corrupted demon." He hesitated, there was some bitterness in his voice.


    "Oh," I said, somewhat concerned. "I see."


    "So," Fetheion said as he stepped back. The symbols on the floor lit up with magic. "I''m making sure the sword isn''t being corrupted by the demon''s power." While his gaze was focused on the sword, I could tell his mind had wondered off.


    "How does a demon get corrupted like that?" I asked after a short moment of silence.


    Fetheion took a deep breath ¨C I could see how he didn''t really want to answer my question. "It happens when a demon overuses their power." He said after a moment of hesitation. "You see, there are several different sources of power." His power filled the room as he raised his hand. Darkness flowed through his fingers.


    "The Ereth''s power comes from the Divine Pillars. When near one, they are nearly invincible, but once they can''t draw power from them, all they can do is use whatever that had already taken." He pointed at the ground. "I have severed my connection with the Divine Power, instead choosing to rely on the land." He chuckled, but then his expression darkened.


    "What about the demons?" I asked. It concerned me as well, didn''t it? I was ¨C my body was ¨C a demon''s body, after all. This was something I needed to know.


    "Modern demons ¨C for lack of a better word ¨C gain their power through study and practice. That includes the two you told me about. Vixia and Delthur, was it?" I nodded. "They are younger and have lost what their ancestors once had."


    I hesitated, neither Vixia nor Delthur ever seemed like they were less powerful. In fact, the way Vixia carried herself made me think she was someone high up in terms of power and influence in the demon realm.


    "The Demon Lord however¡­" Fetheion shook his head. "He is one of the ancients. His power is the culmination of his past experiences, the trust he has gathered, and so much more." The crimson haired Divine seemed rather unsure of himself. "Your predecessor once told me an Ancient Demon''s power stems from the heart and soul, while the younglings have lost that trust."


    I couldn''t help but look at him with confusion. What did the ''heart and soul'' even mean in this case? Did they just¡­ believe? Was that it? The power of belief?


    Honestly, that made all of this sound cheap. Of course, trust in oneself, self confidence and belief are important ¨C but to gain literal magic from that was simply too¡­ Clich¨¦.


    "Don''t take what I said lightly," Fetheion scolded me as he noticed my expression. "The Demon Lord isn''t powerful because he believes in himself. But that belief is what makes him act ¨C just like how you fought and killed those two demons before ¨C your desperation and trust in your own abilities is what made you overcome that fight, even though it didn''t give you any literal power."


    "I know, I get." I said after sighing. "But the way you put it was just so cheesy."


    Fetheion rolled his eyes. "Anyways," He said as the symbols on the ground slowly began to lose their glow. "A demon becomes corrupted in two ways; when they lose trust in what they do and simply crave for more power, or when they deplete all of their power, and begin burning their life force during a fight ¨C or whatever else is going on at the time." He glanced at me with a dark expression. "That strain on their mind corrupts them ¨C they become little more than animals. Wild bests who are fixated on one idea, a single goal. They usually don''t have the ability to accomplish that either, so they simply roam the land, looking for something to kill."


    That sounded awfully like the most recent memories of the corrupted demon''s soul. But he did have the ability to pursue that goal, didn''t he? "But the corrupted demon we fought could use these rifts ¨C he nearly defeated all of us."


    Fetheion sighed. "Some exceptional minds never succumb to the corruption as much as the rest of them." He hesitated, then approached a shelf. He took out a portrait. "Do you know the name Dorith?"

 Chapter 182: A Name From Legend

    I stared at him in confusion, then my eyes lit up. "Wait-"


    "Yes, the legendary scholar of old." Fetheion glanced at the sword. "His achievements are too many to count right now, but it''s safe to say that he was a strong person." He hesitated. "A strong mind who didn''t completely succumb to the corruption." His voice turned bitter. "It''s a shame to see his magical prowess was what remained, instead of his brilliance."


    I couldn''t help but feel awkward. Did Fetheion know him in person? "And you''re sure the corrupted demon we killed was Dorith?" I asked. I needed to be sure.


    "Yes," Fetheion nodded as he reached down and took my sword in hand. "Don''t you have his memories?"


    I sighed. "Bits and pieces." It was a relief not to have all of his memories. "I don''t think his soul is¡­." I hesitated. How could I put this into words? "I don''t know if he even has the rest of his memories anymore."


    Fetheion chuckled. "Oh, I''m sure he does." He inspected the sharp blade of my sword. "And this is also done ¨C you can use it freely." Ge placed the sword on the low table and smiled. "We should go back upstairs," He added as his smile faded. "Your friends should be waking up soon."


    He motioned me to follow him and headed back upstairs. I did the same after taking my sword and allowing it to disappear in a black mist. "So," I said as he closed the door behind us and headed towards the room Asher was in. "How did you heal him? And why did this happen?"


    The crimson haired Divine fiddled with the loose strands of hair. "I do have some guesses," He said as he pushed the door open. "But I''d like to confirm something before sharing them."


    I stepped into the room along with Fetheion, only to be glared at by an alarmed Asher.


    "What''s going on?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. His looks of distrust hurt, though it was completely understandable.


    "This is Fetheion," I introduced the crimson haired Divine. "He''s the person who brought me back, and the Thirteenth Divine." I hesitated. "I brought us here when I found you were unconscious again."


    The blonde sorcerer didn''t seem quite satisfied by my explanation, but he at least seemed somewhat more willing to listen.


    "I healed you, but since this is the second time something like this has happened to you, the toll it took on your body is greater as well." Fetheion explained with a calm, gentle voice. "And I''m sure you''re quite hungry as well." He gestured us to follow him and headed to the library.


    "What''s going on?" Asher asked, grabbing my arm. "What happened after that monster dragged you away?"


    "Well," I explained him the short version while I urged him to follow me. He seemed unhappy about this whole ordeal, but his relief when learning the demon had died was quite visible.


    We arrived at the library shortly after, only to be met with a clearly panicked Lucius. Fetheion was nowhere to be seen, though I was quite sure he was nearby. He probably wanted to give the three of us a moment to bring each other up to speed.


    After calming the young swordsman down, I gave both of them a rundown of the situation. Almost as if he were listening to us, Fetheion entered the room once I finished my words.


    Silence covered the room as Fetheion took his seat a on the couch. "My apologies for the spell earlier," He said, glancing at Lucius. "Kai hadn''t arrived yet and I assumed you were hostiles." He looked Lucius over from head to toe. "There should be no lasting effects but be sure to let me know if you feel off in any way."


    Lucius stiffly nodded. It was clear that he was quite nervous and on edge.


    "As for you," Fetheion glanced at Asher. "I''ve healed you, but the toll this took on your body is quite severe. I''m sure you''ve noticed it by now?"


    The blonde sorcerer sighed. "I have. I guess I overdid it."


    "Perhaps." Fetheion''s expression darkened. "Or perhaps it was the hunger for more power that broke something." I noticed his magic swirling around us. "I will not lie about this ¨C I have always condoned those who give up something for simply more power. But in your case, I believe I can see the reasoning behind your decision, at the very least."


    I glanced at Asher but chose to remain silent. I didn''t know what he had done to gain such power ¨C or when he had done it. I wondered, why didn''t he tell us anything?


    "Thanks, I guess." Asher said with a low voice.


    "Anyways, despite my spell, you haven''t recovered completely. I believe it would be best if you remained here and rested." Fetheion''s gaze turned on Lucius and me. "Of course, that offer is for all three of you ¨C you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need to."


    "I''ll pass." I said as Lucius and Asher pondered. Their eyes shot open as I continued. "Don''t get me wrong ¨C you can and should trust Fetheion. But I can''t waste any more time here. There are things I need to do." I rose to my feet. "I want to check up on Mona and I want to meet Rina and Alex."


    "Ah," Asher mumbled. "Those two don''t know you''re alive, do they?"


    I shook my head. "No, only you two and Mona know, I think." I glanced at the red haired Divine for confirmation. He nodded. "Those two are people I trust ¨C they are good hearted, and they trust me."


    "As long as you believe they won''t betray you." Fetheion said. I clenched my fists. "I won''t make the same mistakes again, don''t worry."


    "Then¡­ I''ll opt to stay here as well." Lucius chimed in. I could see the hesitation in his eyes. He wasn''t staying here because he was worried about Asher ¨C he had another reason, a goal in mind.


    I didn''t mind it. I knew I could trust him no matter what.


    "That''s perfectly fine." Fetheion said with a faint smile. He glanced at me. "Be sure to visit whenever you can ¨C don''t hesitate to use those rifts of yours."


    I nodded. That spell was incredibly useful, even if it took a while to cast and required me to take the form of the corrupted demon beforehand.


    "Spend the night here though," He said as he also rose to his feet. "Traveling at night is bound to summon nothing but trouble." He glanced at us, then smiled faintly. "There''s food on the desk, so enjoy yourselves." Before we could say anything, he disappeared in a flash of light.


    Silence followed his departure until Lucius decided to speak. "He''s a weird Divine."


    "He sure is," Asher nodded as he got up and approached the desk. There was plenty of food there ¨C sandwiches, pastries, even some meatballs.


    "This is nostalgic," Lucius said with a grin as he grabbed one of the meatballs. "I could swear your house always had some of these in the fridge." He bit and chewed it a little. "The meat tasted different though."


    I chuckled. During my time here, I had noticed how Fetheion always provided me with food remarkably similar to that we had back at home. "Yeah, we didn''t use wolf meat there." I said with a grin.


    We chuckled and ate.


    "How are you feeling, Asher?" Lucius asked once we were done eating.


    "I''m fine, just a little tired still. As much as I hate to admit it, the Thirteenth Divine is absolutely right. Trying to stop the rift from closing took its toll on me." He glanced at Lucius. "You look like you''re about to collapse too."


    I glanced at the young swordsman, then nodded. "Seriously, go to sleep."


    Lucius opened his mouth to protest but yawned instead. "Fine," He grumbled as I showed him his room. "Don''t stay up too late." He said as he closed the door. I chuckled, then returned to Asher. "What about you?" I asked.


    "I think I need some fresh air." He ran his hand through his hair. "It''s a bit dusty and gloomy in here."


    "Come on then," I led the way outside. As I opened the door, the cold night breeze touched my skin and blew my hair back. "It''s always nice out here," I said softly as I sat on the grass a little away from the door. The blonde sorcerer remained still for a while. His eyes closed, it seemed as if he was listening to a faraway voice.


    "The sky is beautiful," He said as he sat not far from me. "But I''m more interested in that rift." I could feel his gaze filled with scholarly curiosity on me. "How did you do it?"


    I chuckled. "Well," My body began to take on the form of the corrupted demon. "Like so,"

 Chapter 183: A New Journey

    I set off first thing in the morning, after saying my farewells.


    The rift I opened up took me to a familiar place. I could feel the nostalgia ¨C the memories resurfacing. As I stepped on the lush green grass, I couldn''t help but smile.


    The alcove protected by the overhang and the cliffs around me had only changed a little. I could see more, bigger and more colourful fish in the lake. Nature seemed to have thrived here since the first day I found this place.


    And now that I was more aware of my surroundings, I could feel the flow of magic here. No wonder I had survived thanks to this place back then when the giant horned lion nearly killed me. No wonder I had gotten two skills by stepping in this alcove. Though, I still didn''t know what Crystal Sage did.


    "Pretty," I whispered as I touched one of the blooming plants'' leaves. Mona would love this place ¨C it was probably the perfect place for that morning ritual of hers too. Filled with life and magic, she would thrive here.


    Unlike me.


    I could feel the life force suffocate me. It didn''t hurt, or bother me, really. The Keeper of Souls was in tune with life and death both ¨C though death seemed to be my specialty. I wasn''t bothered by the magic here, but I knew my existence harmed the flora. I carried too much ¨C too many pained souls, too many burdens.


    So, I quickly left. I flew out of here, heading toward the mountain pass leading to Stonepatch Village.


    I honestly didn''t want to leave ¨C that place reminded me of the simpler, nicer times. Or perhaps I was just remembering the good things ¨C I wasn''t sure. Nostalgia could do that to someone, right?


    On my way, another location caught my eye, and I found myself approaching the tall hill with a single, lonely tree. As soon as I landed by the tree, the smell of hyacinth filled my nostrils. I breathed it in as memories once again flooded my mind.


    How weak I was when I last came here... Things were different now. I had a clear goal ¨C not something abstract like ''Win the game'', but something more concrete, like ''Get my lost power back and kill the Divine who trapped me''.


    My plan ¨C our plan, was already in motion. Now all I needed to do was to make sure I had the allies I needed. The first step was getting Rina and Alex on board. Once I''d done that¡­ Well, that was a thought for then.


    A cool breeze blew my hair back. I remembered that night I spent here, too afraid to try and go through the forest. Vixia could have easily killed me back then, and many times after that time too. Only recently had I grown powerful enough to fight back and even pressure her.


    I stretched my wings and leapt high into the air, allowing the winds to carry me towards Stonepatch Village. Unlike back then, I arrived within the hour. Grateful that I didn''t have to walk through the mountain path, I landed just outside Stonepatch Village, on one of the higher branches of a rather tall tree.


    Once my wings had disappeared, I pulled up the hood of my robe and began watching the streets before me. According to Fetheion, Rina and Alex had arrived here two days ago, to help put a stop to another creature attack. Since they wholly believed Alina and Joshua''s lies about me being killed by a Demon, they weren''t even questioning the Ereth and everything else going on around them.


    I glanced towards the inn I stayed in for a while. The bartender was a kind, good hearted person. Or, that''s what she seemed like at the time. I furrowed my brows. Despite being and Ereth, could she be a good person?


    I wasn''t sure. I didn''t want to think about it. It would be so much easier to consider all Ereth evil. It would be so much simpler.


    Yet, Fetheion was also an Ereth. Could an evil person really remind me so much of my uncle? No, Uncle Eion was a good person, and so far, Fetheion also seemed like a good person.


    I couldn''t allow myself to start thinking of all Ereth as evil.


    Before I had a chance to think about this anymore, the tree I was sitting on shook lightly. I flinched and looked down, only to see a familiar face looking up at me.


    He didn''t seem surprised at all that I was there, and he didn''t attempt to alert anyone either. My heart still racing from the surprise of being found, I pushed myself off the branch and touched the ground.


    "It''s been a long while, Luhen." I forced a smile, while still staying cautious. What was this old man even doing here? "I''d like to say you look well, but you seem to have gotten a few new scars." I glanced at the deep cuts along his arms and his only remaining leathery wing.


    He chuckled. "Such is life ¨C nothing to be done about it." He looked me over from head to toe. "Doesn''t look like you''ve come out of your own trials unscathed."


    I tilted my head. "I don''t see what you mean, I''m perfect well." I had no visible injuries, no scars, nothing. The only scars I had were those of the mind and soul ¨C not something he could see, right?


    "If you say so." He chuckled again. "Who am I to argue against the Keeper of Souls himself." He suddenly looked at the distant mountains, with an alarmed expression. I followed his gaze, wondering what startled him.


    "It''s a cold day," He said as he shivered, despite the warm sun shining on us. I raised my eyebrows, what was he talking about?


    In fact, thinking about it, what the hell was he even doing here? Why had he come all the way outside the village, just in time to find me up here on this tree? It couldn''t be just luck, could it? No way.


    "I don''t think so," I replied as my expression darkened. "I wonder, what brings you here?" I asked as I moved my left hand behind my back. The familiar black mist began to form, hidden from Luhen''s view. "We aren''t exactly near the village either."


    Luhen smiled. "I knew you''d come ¨C I saw you fly here." His wing trembled slightly. His expression wasn''t as happy or kind as before. "The Divine is in the area ¨C not in town, but she is near. Do not linger here long if you wish to avoid death once again."


    I flinched. How did he know the Divine was here? And how did he know about me avoiding death? Hell, how did he know I was alive in the first place? I motioned to ask him, but he cut me off.


    "That was my warning. Now for something else ¨C in two days, let us meet in the place you first stepped foot in these lands." He glanced around. "I have some important information to discuss regarding the Divine and the things stolen from you."


    My eyes shot open. "What?"


    "Two days," He said before turning to leave. "Please show up."


    "Wait ¨C what do you mean the Divine is here? Where?" My heartbeat quickened. If she was really here¡­ No, I couldn''t kill her, not yet. I had lost too much power, I needed to regain that first. Revenge would come later. Much later.


    "She is in the area ¨C I don''t know anything more. So please be weary." He glanced at the distant mountains again. "I must leave, take care." He left in a hurry, leaving me confused, worried and anxious.


    I wasn''t prepared to face her yet. What would I do if she were to find out I''m alive? What if Luhen alerted her of my presence? But if he wanted to do that, he wouldn''t tell me she was nearby, would he?


    My mind was thrown into chaos just like that and pulling myself together took a little effort. Once I did, I climbed back on the tree and continued watching the village.


    I didn''t have to wait for long, and I was grateful for that as my worries threatened to overcome me. A smile slowly formed on my lips as I watched the short, green haired wizard and the tall, lizard tailed warrior slowly walked down the central street of the village. I watched them carefully as they stopped by the guild, then headed to the village entrance.


    It was the same spot I had reunited with Erik and the others. My smile widened as I saw them laughing and having a good time as they left the village and headed into the woods.


    I was worried about them ¨C mainly about Alex. I hadn''t gotten the chance to speak with her properly ever since the day she lost her little sister. That day was still fresh in my memory ¨C I don''t think I could ever forget that moment.


    I watched until they were far away enough from the village, then ran across the trees to reach them. As I leapt from branch to branch, I couldn''t help but feel a little excited.


    "Who''s there?" Alex shouted as I reached the tree closest to them. I didn''t hesitate as I jumped to the ground.


    The look on their faces as I landed before them was worth the wait.

 Chapter 184: A Ghost!

    Rina let out a high pitched scream as my feet touched the ground. She stumbled back and nearly fell to the ground. Alex was quick to catch her friend with her tail, though she also stared at me wide eyed and with her mouth agape.


    "Oh no, he turned into a ghost!" She said after a split second of silence.


    "You were dead!" Rina shouted.


    "Wait ¨C a ghost?" I asked in confusion. "Seriously? That''s your conclusion?" I couldn''t help but laugh as I spoke.


    "But you died!" Rina protested. "How are you still alive?" She was somewhat pale ¨C maybe I shouldn''t have surprised them like this. "Even Alina and the others said you had died!" her voice trembled.


    A quick glance at Alex showed she wasn''t faring any better either. "Is it really you?" She asked as she took half a step towards me. "You''re not an illusion, or a shapeshifter or something, are you?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''m not. It''s really me, Alex."


    "Prove it." Rina said as she stopped Alex from taking another step. Despite her trembling voice and teary eyes, she wasn''t letting her guard down.


    "Well," I mumbled, trying to find out how to prove it. "You told me you two never got along well, and a thunderstorm and a burnt dish was what finally made you two get along." Was that enough? Or did she need more?


    "It''s him!" Rina shouted. She began running at me, but before she could reach me, Alex did. I felt my ribs being crushed as she hugged me tightly. "You idiot, we thought you were dead! We had a funeral for you, and we mourned you!"


    "Can''t¡­ breathe¡­" My voice was but a whisper as she squeezed me to death. When she let go of me, I needed a few moments to pull myself together.


    "How did you survive?" Rina asked after giving me a much gentler hug than Alex''s. My smile slowly faded as both she and Alex looked at me with curiosity and worry in their eyes.


    "You two were headed somewhere, let''s go and I''ll tell you on the way." I didn''t want to remain this close to Stonepatch Village. I couldn''t risk getting spotted, not yet.


    "Well, we were just scouting the area," Rina said as she opened her interface to show me her quest.


    ''Scout the area north of Stonepatch Village, dispatch of any enemies.''


    "That''s rather vague." I said as we slowly began walking north. "I remember the quests being much more precise with the locations and number of enemies."


    Rina shrugged. "Well, it''s been like this for a long time." She glared at me. "Never mind that, what happened to you? How did you survive?" Of course she was curious, how could she not be? But how was I supposed to explain everything when even I couldn''t see the whole picture still?


    Before I told them anything though, there was something I wanted to know. "Before that, is your sister ok, Rina?" I asked carefully. I knew my question would only remind Alex of her own sister''s death, but this was something I wanted to know.


    "She''s fine." Rina said with a somewhat bitter smile. "She''s still shaken up ¨C I don''t think she''ll ever be the same person again ¨C but she''s alive and safe." She glanced at Alex. "We actually don''t leave the town much because we''re still worried about her." She fiddled with her hair.


    I nodded. Staying with the young girl was probably the best thing they could do. And that only made me feel worse. Did I have the right to drag them away from her?


    "Now stop avoiding the question and tell us how you survived!" Alex insisted.


    "Well," I said, taking a deep breath to gather my thoughts. "There actually are thirteen Divines."


    I told them as much as I could. I told them about Alina and Joshua''s betrayal, about how the Divine had me killed, about how Fetheion saved me and how I lost most of my powers. But I didn''t tell them what death felt like. I didn''t say anything about the cold void filled with nothingness. I didn''t tell them about how I relived some of my memories only to nearly forget them.


    Because I knew that if I did, Alex would probably break again. She had already lost two people she cared about ¨C her sister and Samantha. And she thought she''d lost a friend ¨C me ¨C too. I didn''t want to add any more to her already heavy burden.


    As I spoke, their expressions changed from surprise and confusion to horror and fear. It didn''t take long for our steps to slow to a halt.


    "Alina wouldn''t do that¡­" Alex whispered. "That girl was broken down by Samantha''s passing ¨C why are you blaming her?"


    "And why would you blame the Ereth and the Divines?" Rina added. "The Demon Lord is our real enemy here."


    Taken aback, I couldn''t find the words to speak for a moment. Did they not believe me? Did they not trust my words? Would they rather follow Alina and her Divine?


    "I-"


    "This is wrong on so many levels!" Rina shouted. Her elevated voice startled me. "What the hell really happened Kai?" Her voice cracked. "Tell us the truth!"


    I clenched my fists. "I am telling the truth ¨C why would I make something like this up?" The souls within me stirred in response to my anger. I had to take a deep breath to calm them down. "Alina was my friend ¨C I trusted her! Why would I make up lies such as these?"


    Rina shook her head. I could see from her wide eyed expression and trembling hands that she simply didn''t want to believe me.


    "And no one else was there?" Alex asked after a moment of heavy silence. "Just you, that Divine, Alina and Joshua?" She shook her head. "And an earthquake conveniently trapped Erik and Vincent in a cave, so Mona and Asher had to stay back to save them?" She sighed as her tail swung around nervously. "You know what you sound like, don''t you?"


    I sighed. "The earthquake wasn''t ''convenient'', it was planned." I said, rolling my eyes. "They made sure I''d be the only person to follow them into that ruined building, and being the idiot I am, I fell for the trap."


    Silence followed my words, only broken by the distant chirping of birds.


    "I''m sorry, Kai, but I don''t know who to believe anymore." Rina said, shaking her head. "I''m glad you''re alive ¨C I really am. I couldn''t be happier." Her voice trembled. "But you''re not making any sense, Kai. Alina and Joshua have absolutely no reason to kill you."


    I wanted to scream. Why wouldn''t they just listen to me? Why didn''t they believe me?


    "Don''t you get it? They tricked you! Lied to you! How god damn difficult is it to understand that?" I shouted. "Are you seriously going to side with them?"


    Silence once again followed my words. I took a deep breath after some time passed. "I will meet someone who knows what happened." I pointed towards the mountain pass. "We''ll meet in the Torchlight woods in two days. Come with me, then you''ll know I''m not lying or making any of this up."


    Maybe bringing them to a meeting with Luhen wasn''t the best idea, maybe I should have gone on my own. I wasn''t sure ¨C I just wanted them to believe me. They were both people I trusted, and their distrust towards me hurt more than they probably realised.


    "Who is it?" Rina asked after a moment of hesitation.


    "Luhen ¨C he owns a store in Stonepatch Village." I glanced towards the distant mountains. "If we''re to make it on time on foot, we should probably get going."


    Alex hesitated. I could see it in her eyes ¨C the fear.


    "Alex?" I asked after a few moments passed. "Rina?"


    Both women seemed reluctant to follow me. They simply didn''t trust me anymore. My shoulders dropped. "I see." I took a deep breath. "I guess I was mistaken." I glanced towards the village. "Can you at least do me a favour and not tell anyone else that I am still alive?"


    They glanced at each other, then Rina spoke. "If that''s what you want, then sure. We can keep a secret. But Kai-"


    "No, stop." I said as I stepped back. "I''m glad you are ok, and I''m glad we got to talk again, but I don''t think we''ll meet for while, so let''s just say goodbye here, ok?"


    Rina''s eyes widened. "Kai-"


    "I''ll get us all out of here, so just survive. Take care of each other, don''t take any unnecessary risks." I glanced at the sky. The sun was at its peak. "And don''t stand with Alina and Joshua."


    "Wait ¨C what will you do?" Alex asked as she reached towards me. My wings appeared as I stepped back to avoid her. "I''ll survive." I said with a bitter smile. "Take care."

 Chapter 185: Onwards

    I only let my emotions show once I was far enough away. Far enough so they wouldn''t see me. Far enough, so they wouldn''t notice.


    And once I''d done that, I pulled myself together and flew back to the Torchlight woods. Naturally, I arrived rather early. Luhen wouldn''t be here for another two days. I pondered a moment ¨C what was the best way to pass the time?


    I closed my eyes as I floated above the forest. Where was the nearest powerful cursed monster? I didn''t have to wait long ¨C I felt the corrupted demonic magic almost immediately. It was to the north, past my alcove, near the mountains in the distance.


    I beat my wings and allowed the wind to carry me. It didn''t take long for me to reach my goal ¨C a cave at the foot of the towering mountain. I landed on a nearby hill to rest for a moment. I could feel the cursed power in there.


    What was it, I wondered? What could this cursed monster be?


    I took a deep breath and released my power. Just enough of it, to draw the creature outside. Yet, nothing happened. No one came. Somewhat confused, I released some more of my magic ¨C not enough to be discovered from afar, but enough to threaten whatever lay in wait in that cave.


    Moments passed, and nothing emerged from the cave. Now somewhat worried, I slowly approached. Cursed monsters were driven to madness by getting exposed to the clashing forces of Divine and Demonic magic. Once the curse took hold of them, it was near impossible for them to control their urges.


    So, the monster not coming out to attempt to kill me was highly unusual. As I approached the entrance to the cave, the stink of blood filled my nostrils.


    I coughed and quickly covered my nose and mouth with my cloak. Were monsters fighting in there? That''d explain the smell and them ignoring me. Now curious, I stepped inside the cave.


    It took only a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave, and only a second more for me to notice that this was a magical darkness ¨C the sunlight should have been illuminating the interior at least a little bit, yet it was pitch black inside.


    The smell of blood was still there, and it was almost powerful enough to hide the moist, dusty smell of the cave. Almost.


    I took a few steps further in as my sword appeared in my hand. I didn''t want to be caught off guard. There were so many tunnels leading further inside that I felt like anything could jump on me at any time.


    Somewhat uneasy, I continued with slow, careful and deliberate steps. It didn''t take me long to find the source of the stink ¨C a trail of thick, dark red blood. It hadn''t even dried yet and it looked like something had crawled in it. Taking care to not step in the blood, I followed the trail. I could feel the cursed power of the monster getting closer as I continued.


    I was prepared for anything as I tightened my grasp on the hilt of my sword, then promptly jumped up as I heard a low clatter behind me. My heart racing, I watched as a tiny pebble rolled to my feet. I waited for a few seconds, ready to kill whatever came my way, but nothing happened.


    Feeling like an idiot for getting startled so easily, I sighed and continued following the trail of blood. Soon, the tunnel I was walking in opened to a large cavern. And there, I finally spotted the owner of all this blood.


    A massive, gigantic snake lay motionless on the ground. It had long, deep wounds all across its body. It was dying ¨C so much was clear. I approached it carefully, ready to finish it off if it tried something with the last bits of its power.


    What could have wounded the beast so badly? I looked around, expecting to see a larger monster laying in wait, but there was nothing.


    And what was even weirder was that the cursed power I felt belonged to this snake.


    The first thing that came to mind was that a player had come and wounded it and left it to die ¨C I knew there were strong enough players out there capable of killing a cursed beast. But the more I looked at the wounds, the less it made sense. No player would leave a source of experience and skill points half dead and just leave.


    The creature''s breathing was getting shallower as time passed. I could see it was in pain. "Rest well," I whispered as I killed it with a quick, hopefully painless strike. I felt its souls enter my chest moments later and shivered with the cold. "Now," I mumbled as a few images flashed before my eyes.


    A battle in the distant skies as the once normal snake watched from the ground. A demon and a few Ereth fought with explosions and flashes of magic accompanying them. At first, it wasn''t clear which side was winning, then one of the Ereth plummeted to the ground. Then, another one. The snake quickly slithered back inside its safe, silent cavern, but it still couldn''t escape the curse.


    I blinked a few times. That was it? Was that all that''s left of the snake''s memories? I gritted my teeth ¨C I had hoped to see what wounded it so badly. Was a demon nearby? An Ereth? A player? Perhaps an even stronger creature?


    I stepped closer to the corpse, hoping to find at least some answers.


    The wounds on it were deep cuts. Was it a sword, or claws that did this? My bet was claws, as it looked like the ends and edges of the cuts were a little jagged. As I walked along the massive snake''s corpse, I also noticed its crushed scales. It seemed as if something had crushed its body at certain points ¨C or at least that''s what the rings of crushed scales made me think of.


    Was it a large lizard that had done it? A Chinese dragon with claws?


    I pondered as I arrived at the creature''s tail. What could it be?


    After checking the cavern for more clues, and returning empty handed, I decided to abandon the search for now and headed back to the surface. Taking care not to step on the bloody trail, I watched the ground as I walked.


    I was about at the entrance to the cave when something caught my eye.


    I knelt by the trail of blood and stared at the foot shaped tracks. Someone had stepped in this trail.


    My first instinct was to check if there was any blood under my shoes. After making sure that there wasn''t, I glanced at the entrance. Someone had followed the creature inside, wounded it badly and then left without killing it.


    Was it a trap laid for me?


    No, only a few people knew I was alive and none of them would do such a thing. Fetheion, Asher, Lucius and Mona were people I trusted with my life. As for Rina and Alex¡­ They couldn''t get here fast enough even if they wanted to do this. And they wouldn''t do something like this in the first place. Despite their distrust towards me, they were good at heart.


    As for Luhen¡­ I didn''t think it was him. We had already agreed on meeting, there would be no point in him setting a trap like this.


    After safely concluding this was, in fact, not a trap, I approached the cave entrance and looked outside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    I decided to ponder about this later and set off to find a water source. I felt sick because of the stench of blood ¨C I wanted to wash my face and clean myself a little.


    I didn''t have to walk long to find a shallow creek. I knelt by the water and splashed some water on my face. I shivered when the ice cold water coming all the way from the mountains touched my skin. My face felt numb for a bit, but I finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    I hadn''t noticed how on edge I constantly was since leaving Fetheion''s hideout. Despite all the time I had spent on my own, I always had people to fall back on in case things went south. Asher was always quite literally a thought away. Though now I had the ability to move around using the rifts, I still felt much more alone and isolated than before.


    Perhaps the fact that I was supposed to be dead had something to do with that too.


    The reflection I was on the flowing water startled me. My eyes wide, I looked up to see the distant silhouettes of perhaps a dozen Ereth soldiers fly over me.


    My heart nearly skipped a beat when I saw the awfully familiar figure they were protecting.


    The figure of the Divine who orchestrated my death.

 Chapter 186: Silhouettes in the Distance

    I threw myself to the nearest bush, hoping the leaves would hide me. If I were to be discovered now, it would be the end of my adventure. Probably for real this time. I doubted she would give Fetheion another chance to revive me.


    I anxiously waited, my heart racing, as the silhouettes passed over me and continued flying west, towards Stonepatch village, and probably beyond it as well.


    I only realised that I was holding my breath when I sighed in relief once they disappeared from sight. I crawled out of the bush and dusted off my clothes.


    "That was close," I mumbled as I washed my face and arms again to get rid of the dirt and leaves.


    Once I was done with that, I quickly hurried to the alcove that had one kept me safe until my injuries had healed. I opted to walk as to not be seen in case the Ereth decided to return for some reason.


    Now, the wounds on the creature, the crushed scales and why they didn''t even bother to finish it off made sense. The Divine must have come and wounded it. She didn''t care about things such as experience and skill points ¨C she was a Divine.


    I was lucky to not have bumped into her when I went to the cave. A little bit earlier and I might have been a dead man. Or worse ¨C but I didn''t want to think of that possibility.


    It took me until dusk to reach the alcove on foot and once I did, I simply laid on the lush green grass, brimming with magic, and promptly fell asleep.


    I woke up in the morning with the cheerful chirping of birds and the bright rays on sunlight. It took me a moment to remember where I was.


    This place really hadn''t changed, had it? I couldn''t help but smile as I watched the fish in the lake. That lake had provided me with so much food and water ¨C I would have died ages ago without it. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.


    After a moment''s hesitation, I decided to clean myself. After a quick but refreshing bath, I was ready to meet Luhen.


    Once again, I opted to walk to the spot we were first teleported to. As I walked, I was amazed how much the forest remained the same and at the same time, how much more magical it was. Or perhaps it always was magical, but it was me who had changed enough to be able to see it.


    When I arrived at the old campsite, Luhen wasn''t here yet naturally. It was still fairly early in the day and I was sure he couldn''t fly with just one wing. I pondered a moment as I glanced towards the mountain pass in the distance. How much did I trust him, exactly?


    Not too much was my answer. I decided to climb on one of the taller trees and use its leaves as cover. This way, I could see anything that approached me before it saw me. Hopefully.


    Some time passed before I noticed a distant silhouette.


    It was Luhen, as expected.


    He approached the camp site and looked around. I waited for about a minute, to see if there were any other Ereth in the area. Only when I concluded that there were none did I hop off the tree and walk out of the woods.


    "Hey, Luhen." I said as he turned towards me. He seemed a bit startled, not at all like the other day.


    "Hello, Keeper." He said with an uncertain voice. "The Divine just passed over the village ¨C I feared you had been found and killed."


    I shook my head. "No, it was close, but they didn''t notice me." I glanced at the sky. "Though I doubt we have too much time. What did you want to talk about?"


    Luhen sighed. "Such hurry¡­" He said as he lowered himself onto one of the logs on the ground. We sat, and I waited for him to start talking.


    "I know the Divine took the source of most of your power away ¨C the souls you had gathered up until then. I''m sure they are suffering because of it." His voice was filled with sorrow. Who was he, really? How did he know so much about everything that was going on?


    "I know you are trying to get it back too," He added as he fiddled with the end of his tattered cloak. "But you can''t hope to go up against the Divine and win at your current state ¨C you were barely a match for her back then."


    I couldn''t help but take a sharp breath. How did he know all this?


    "I know I need to gain more power," I spoke, choosing my words carefully. "But I can only do so much,"


    He shook his head and pulled a first sized crystal out of his pocket. "Do you hear anything?" He asked as he gave it to me. I furrowed my brows as I brought the crystal closer to my ear.


    At first, I heard nothing. Then, a faint ringing sounded.


    "You do, don''t you?" Luhen asked with excitement in his eyes. I nodded hesitantly. "Just a low ringing."


    He almost clapped like a young kid, then stopped himself. "Crystals are an amazing source of power, if you have the ability to shape them into something more than just that." He pointed at the pale crystal in my hand. "And if you can hear them, it means you can shape them."


    "What does that mean, exactly?" I asked.


    "I can''t tell you how to do it ¨C I don''t have that power." He said with a bitter smile. "But an old friend of mine once did. I''ll explain it to you as she did to me; Think of crystals as vessels that can store mana. Now, you can store just any normal mana for use later, or you can specialise the crystal to only store and release a certain type of mana."


    He waved his hand around. "Like the wind! You can shape a crystal in such a way that whenever the mana within is used, it will only create a mild breeze ¨C or a storm!"


    "I can store any kind of spell?" I asked as my heart began beating faster. He nodded. "As long as you can shape the crystal properly. From what I understand, the more powerful the spell, the more difficult the shaping process is."


    I pondered. "That''s¡­ really powerful if I can pull it off."


    "Keep in mind ¨C anyone can use these crystals. Your enemies too if they get their hands on it." He smiled. "Do you think you can do it?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t even know where to begin." I glanced at the crystal in my palm. "Can you really not tell me anything more?" How was I supposed to know what shape equalled which spell?


    He shook his head. "I''m sorry, she never was very talkative and disappeared when I was still young. I only have that crystal she''s given me that can guide you."


    I flinched. "This is all you have left of her?" I asked in surprise. I held it with both hands, suddenly afraid of dropping it. I motioned to give it back.


    "Keep it." He said, "It''s only a mana holder for me, I can''t use it for anything else. You, however, can learn so much from it."


    I hesitated ¨C I didn''t want to accept such an important gift. Yet¡­ I needed it to learn, didn''t I? I took a deep breath. "Thank you ¨C I''ll return it to you as soon as I can."


    He didn''t say anything ¨C just smiled, then changed the subject.


    "You should know ¨C not all of us agree with the Divines." He glanced at the distant mountains. "Some of us hate this eternal state of war and weariness. And even more the fact that people from another world were taken from their homes to help us." He clenched his fists. His single wing shook as if he wanted to just fly off, but of course, he couldn''t.


    "So, if you need help ¨C to take them down, know that we will help you. We miss the days where peace reigned; before the Divines started dying or disappearing. Once those who upheld peace disappeared, we lost what made our people who we were." I could hear the pain in his voice. How old was he, I wondered, how long had he been walking upon these lands?


    "Then¡­ When I ask for your help, will those who agree with you come to help?" I knew I couldn''t count on their help, that I couldn''t plan around it, but every little piece of help counted. I needed it all. Especially now that I lost Rina and Alex''s trust and help.


    "You can," He said with a smile, but then his smile shattered. He threw himself on me as a spear hit his shoulder. "Run!" He whispered before collapsing.

 Chapter 187: A Clash of Blades

    I didn''t have to look around at all to find the person who threw the spear.


    Five Ereth soldiers landed before me. Each of them, wearing their white armour, carrying their silvery weapons. Just that sight would have been enough to strike fear to any untrained person.


    As for me, all I saw was cocky weaklings.


    "Keeper," One of them spoke as she unsheathed her sword. She was the only one without a spear ¨C so it was her who tried to kill me. "So Luhen was a traitor," She sneered at the old Ereth, laying unconscious on the ground. "And so are you."


    "Sure," I said purple flames danced on my skin. "Keep telling yourself that." I didn''t unveil my wings ¨C I needed speed to defeat all five of them. "Why are you here?"


    She chuckled. "The Divine sensed someone ¨C we simply came to check. No one is allowed to step into this holy land ¨C not even an esteemed craftsman as Luhen." Her lips formed a twisted smile. "Not that he has any value now that he has given up on his craft."


    I clenched my fists. Her smug tone, mocking attitude and just how condescending she was to Luhen pissed me off just so much!


    "You do realise I''m going to kill you, right?" I asked as my lips formed a wicked smile. "And the more you piss me off, the more painful it will be."


    "You''re welcome to try, Fallen Keeper." With her words, our battle began.


    I dashed towards them, I didn''t want the battle to take place near the already wounded Luhen. Under normal circumstances, dashing at five armed and armoured enemies would be nothing but suicide, but it wasn''t quite so simple here.


    Fallen Grace enhanced my body, empowering my muscles as I approached the Ereth soldiers. Their leader ¨C the smug and condescending woman stepped forward to meet me in the middle.


    My eyes flashed purple as I leapt into the air, my sword raised high. Her smile widened ¨C I could see how much lesser she though of me as. She was underestimating me. Severely.


    I pointed at her and allowed my flames leap at her as my own leap allowed me to soar over her and reach her subordinates.


    I heard her shocked shout as she fought against my clingy flames. I knew they weren''t strong enough to really harm her ¨C I wasn''t feeding them with much of my power ¨C but they were bright enough to block her vision.


    As soon as my feet touched the ground before her four subordinates, I rolled on the ground. Four spears thrust the air where my chest was a split second ago.


    I wasted no time ¨C standing back up, I pushed their spears aside with ease and released my flames.


    They screamed and stepped back as I fed more power to my flames. Behind me, their leader had finally gotten herself free of my flames by using her own power. I didn''t care ¨C she was too smug and too condescending to face me properly. She''d never eat her pride and see me as an opponent worthy of her skill, so I''d always hold the advantage over her.


    Instead, I focused my attention on the four soldiers who did fear me. While they clearly weren''t as strong as their leader, their acknowledgement of my skill and the danger I posed to them made them opponents I needed to be much more wary of.


    I chose the leftmost one and focused my attention on him. He was the farthest from their leader, so she would need more time to aid him. I followed him as he stepped back, trying to put off my flames tugging at his clothes.


    His eyes opened wide as he noticed my raised sword. I didn''t hesitate ¨C the sharp end of my blade found its way to his throat in an instant, giving him a fast and mostly painless death.


    "You demon!" Their leader shouted. I leapt into the air as her sword cut through the air where my neck was but a moment ago.


    "I''ll kill you!" She shrieked, her eyes letting out a golden glow. Her magic spread in a circle, dampening and putting out my flames. I had to step back a bit to make sure she wasn''t using some incredibly powerful spell that could kill me in an instant.


    No, it was just a healing spell.


    The only time I''d fought Ereth soldiers before was when they showed up as I tried to destroy the Divine Pillar. I had defeated them before even giving them a chance to act. And because of that, I had no idea what the Ereth soldiers were really capable of.


    I gritted my teeth as the remaining four quickly assumed defensive stances. Wait, no. Their leader seemed adamant on not respecting my abilities. I grinned ¨C her overconfidence and pride would be her downfall. I''d make sure of it!


    I dashed towards them, now focusing on the rightmost soldier. I could see the tip of his spear become more unsteady as I approached him. He was trembling. He was terrified of me.


    I slashed at his throat as soon as I was close enough. Their leader was quick to step up and block my attack, but she wasn''t quick enough to notice me drop my sword and simply duck under her sword. I caught the leatherbound hilt of my blade with my left hand and thrust the blade through the other soldier''s heart.


    "No!" One of them shouted. I felt magic begin to gather in the left most soldier''s hands. On the other side, their leader was aiming for my neck as she thrust her sword.


    I had to leave my sword stuck in the now dead soldier''s chest as I threw myself to the side. Her swing grazed my cheek as the bold of bright golden magic hit the ground behind me.


    "I will make you suffer for taking their lives!" Their leader shouted. Her voice echoed in the woods, startling the wildlife.


    She was blocking my way ¨C I couldn''t reach my sword like this!


    I considered taking the other dead soldier''s spear, but quickly decided otherwise. If those weapons were infused with Ereth magic, it could be a bad idea to try and wield one as a full fledged demon.


    After a moment of hesitation, another idea occurred to me.


    "Try me!" I said as my body began to change. Soul''s Aspect hurt to use ¨C I could feel my skin stretch and my muscles bulge and change. A pair of horns appeared on my head as my long and not too practical tail quickly formed. With my long, sharp claws and glowing purple eyes, I probably looked terrifying.


    I leapt up and was surprised at how much more powerful I was. My leap went higher, and farther than I wanted to, but I didn''t care. The rush of adrenaline, the anticipation of battle, the thrill of danger¡­ They threatened to overcome me, probably just like how they had overcome Dorith at some point.


    I landed behind the group and with a single slash of my claws, tore through one of their armour. The poor guy screamed in pain, but his voice was quickly silenced when I slashed his throat.


    Sorry, I thought to myself. That wasn''t quite as painless as I was trying to make this be.


    I took care to kill the other soldier faster. I pierced his throat and let him die quickly.


    Now, all that remained was their leader. She was shaking ¨C not with fear, but with anger.


    "You''ve become corrupted!" She whispered as her magic gathered around her. "To think you''d go so far just to defeat us."


    "No, not really." My body slowly returned to normal as I reached down and pulled my sword out of the dead soldier''s chest.


    When I turned my gaze back on her, she flinched. I rekindled my flames and dashed towards her ¨C catching her while she had her guard down was my best bet.


    Out swords clashed, and we remained with our blades locked, trying to push each other off balance. My flames fought against her holden light, with no clear winner in sight.


    I knew I was stronger ¨C I just needed to find that tiny little mistake, that crack in her guard. A moment of hesitation to finally finish her off.


    I didn''t have to wait long, as a low, painful wheeze coming from the side distracted her. "You''re alive?" She gasped and I made sure those were the last words she ever spoke. I let her body fall to the ground, my sword still stuck in her throat and rushed to the source of that wheeze ¨C Luhen.


    "I''ll heal you, so hold on, ok?" I whispered as I used Keeper''s Haven. Souls burst out of my chest as I felt my mana drain at an alarming rate. As a green-grey circle of magic extended with me at its centre, I pulled the spear still stuck in Luhen''s shoulder.


    He didn''t have the breath to scream, but thankfully he was still alive, somehow. As the souls circling around us slowly healed him, I sighed a breath of relief.


    "Oh my god!" A familiar voice sounded. Startled, I lifted my head to see a panting Rina and somewhat tired looking Alex step out of the woods. "Kai...?"

 Chapter 188: A Change of Heart

    Their gazes first fell on Luhen, whose wound was almost healed. The old, scarred Ereth''s breathing had nearly returned to normal. "What happened?" Rina asked as she motioned to run towards us to help. Alex, however, grabbed the short wizard''s arm and stopped her.


    "Did you do this?" The tall swordswoman asked as her tail pointed at the Ereth corpses.


    I nodded, though I didn''t even need to do that as the evidence spoke for itself. Alex''s gaze lingered on the corpses for a while. She was clearly at a loss for words.


    I decided to ignore her for now and instead, focused on Luhen. The older Ereth was almost completely healed. The bleeding had stopped and as I watched, the wound slowly closed as well.


    It didn''t take him long to open his eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief as he touched the spot he was hit, then looked at me in surprise as I ended Keeper''s Haven.


    "You''re still here." He mumbled. His gaze fell on the unmoving bodies of his kin behind me. "Oh." His face twisted with pain and sorrow. "Idiots¡­"


    "Why did you kill them?" Alex suddenly asked. Rina remained silent as her intense gaze inspected Luhen.


    "Because they almost killed Luhen and tried to kill me." I shrugged. "I couldn''t let that happen."


    Luhen, only now noticing Alex and Rina, quickly rose to his feet. I could see how nervous he was. Was he afraid Rina and Alex would snitch on us? Or was he afraid of them because of something else?


    "I''m glad to see you made it out alive, Luhen." Rina finally spoke. She pried Alex''s fingers off her shoulder, then approached us. "I was really worried about you when I saw your shop was closed."


    The old Ereth''s expression softened a bit. "Thank you for your concern, but you shouldn''t be here. Either of you." His gaze snapped to Alex. "Do not mourn them, girl. They chose this path out of nothing but fear and greed. At least now they have found their respite." He glanced at me. "Have they not?"


    I hesitated. "Not with me, they haven''t." I finally said. I hadn''t had the time nor thought to look at where the Ereth''s souls had gone. If I had to guess, I''d say the same thing as the previous two had happened ¨C sucked away to somewhere by a Divine Pillar. But that implied another issue ¨C one that Luhen too had thought of.


    "Then there is a Divine Pillar not far from here." He sighed and shook his head. "I should have known that witch wouldn''t have come here for no reason."


    I hesitated. I hadn''t seen or felt its presence. "Where is it?" I asked.


    "Why do you care?" Alex butted in. "Why are you helping him, Luhen? He just killed your own kin!" Her voice went higher as she spoke. It was clear that not knowing the whole story was getting on her nerves.


    "Because what the Divines are doing is wrong. They are suffocating this world ¨C destroying its natural order, corrupting the life on it and draining it from whatever magic and resources it has. I can not ¨C will not allow this to happen once more!" Luhen shouted.


    His high voice and fiery passion as he spoke those words startled me. And it wasn''t just me who was surprise ¨C Alex seemed more shocked than me. Rina, however, didn''t seem too surprised, she seemed disappointed more than anything.


    "I had read something similar on an old record ¨C a demonic one. I wasn''t sure if I had translated it correctly because its contents seemed just so absurd at the time." Her gaze turned on me. "Do you remember that mural I told you about? The one where the Keeper of Souls stood with the Demon Lord and his army to keep a bright, blinding light at bay?"


    I nodded. It had been months since she told me about that ¨C I couldn''t even remember exactly when she''d done so, but I remembered her description of it clearly.


    "This one claimed the Ereth were here to corrupt and drain the world of its life. It claimed the Demons had been living in this world for far longer than the Ereth." Her eyes widened when I nodded. "You knew?"


    "I knew enough to draw a similar conclusion. It''s good to have something to back that up though." I glanced at Luhen. "Is she right?"


    The old Ereth seemed confused. "You thought the demons came here after us?"


    I blinked a couple of times. "We were told the demons invaded your homeland and destroyed all the great cities you had and what not. We though they were the aggressors."


    Luhen''s horrified expression was enough of an answer.


    "Ok, wait. Stop!" Alex shouted. "Can someone tell me the quick and simple version because none of this makes any sense to me."


    Rina rolled her eyes. "Demons aren''t as evil as we thought, Ereth Divines are evil. Kai hasn''t lost his mind and you''re not the brightest."


    I chuckled while Alex wrapped her tail around Rina''s waist and lifted her up to stare her in the eyes. "Rude!" was the only thing she could say however, since she didn''t have any comeback.


    "Does that mean you believe me now?" I asked, glancing at the duo. Bickering, they didn''t hear me.


    "Kai." Luhen tapped my shoulder. "Can I ask you to do something about that Divine Pillar?"


    I hesitated. It was dangerous to constantly destroy these pillars. From what I understood, only demonic magic was capable of destroying them, so it wasn''t too wild of a conclusion that I was still alive and actively working against them. "I don''t know where it is." I replied.


    "I can faintly sense it." Luhen glanced at the mountains where I finished off the giant cursed snake. "It must be somewhere on those mountains." His shoulders dropped. "I know I''m asking a lot, but the more pillars are re-erected, the more difficult it will become for you to move freely."


    I nodded. I knew that already. "I''ll try." I said with a sigh. "But I can''t really promise anything."


    "That''s fine." He said with a sigh. "If you can''t do it, we''ll have to somehow let the demons know." It was clear from his expression that he didn''t want to resort to that. I could guess it probably ended with a bloodbath, so I chose not to pry, though I did wonder how he could contact demons.


    "Let''s try and not get them involved," I finally said after a short moment of hesitation. "I don''t want to run into them in the near future." With my power still lacking, I wouldn''t be able to defeat Delthur, let alone Vixia.


    Luhen chuckled and nodded.


    "Rina, Alex," I called to the two as they still bickered. They stopped and looked at me. "Could you escort Luhen back to Stonepatch Village?"


    Alex slowly put Rina back on the ground. The short wizard hesitated. "Where will you go?"


    I sighed. "There''s a Divine Pillar that needs destroying. I have to take care of that."


    Alex''s eyes shot open as Rina inhaled sharply. Despite the things they had learned in the past few minutes, they were having trouble coming to terms with everything.


    "And you two should take care to lay low for a while. Don''t get mixed up with any Divines or anything."


    "No, wait." Rina shook her head. "I want to see how you destroy a Divine Pillar."


    I raised my eyebrows. "Why?" What did she have to gain from that?


    She shrugged. "Because. So, we''re coming with you." She glanced at Luhen. "We should drop him off first though."


    "Oh no, I can go on my own." The older Ereth said with a chuckle. "You younglings should hurry."


    "No way." I said, stopping him before he could even walk off. "Come here." I glanced at Rina and Alex, then sighed. "Don''t make a commotion please."


    As I spoke, I used Soul''s Aspect. Their eyes widened as my body took on the form of the Corrupted Demon. Ignoring them, I extended my hand forward and focused. Not a moment after, lights seemed to drain from the spot before my claw-like hand and a rift began to form.


    Not long after, the rift had grown large enough to allow Luhen to pass through.


    "This will take you under the tree you found me at the other day." I said, somewhat out of breath. "Hurry up or it''ll collapse."


    He didn''t wait for me to say it again. He rushed through the rift like it was a normal, everyday occurrence for him. I waited a few more seconds and once I felt him step out on the other side, I let the spell end.


    "You do realise we''ll probably have to fight more Ereth right?" I asked as I turned to face the shocked Rina and Alex. I ended Soul''s Aspect and soon, my body had returned to normal.


    It was Rina who finally pulled herself together and nodded. "We know. Let''s go."

 Chapter 189: The Climb

    We arrived at the mountain the next morning. If it were just me, I would have arrived in less than a couple of hours via flight, but since Rina and Alex were with me, we had to make our way there on foot.


    "I don''t see any massive golden pillars reaching to the sky." Alex said. Being the only one of us who had no magic, she naturally couldn''t be of much help.


    "I sense it." Rina said after a moment''s hesitation. "Faintly." She glanced at me. "Don''t you?"


    I shook my head. Even after concentrating, I couldn''t feel a thing.


    "They probably did something to hide its presence from demons." Rina mumbled as her gaze swept the mountain range. "Which now also includes you." An almost childish smile appeared on her face. "Good thing we came with, right?"


    I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so." What else could I say? I couldn''t say that I had conflicted feelings about them right now, could I?


    "Where is it?" Alex asked after a moment. Rina pondered. "Somewhere above us is all I can say. We''re too far away."


    I glanced at the mountain. "The summit?" I asked. It made sense ¨C it would be easy to protect since there would be less ways to access the area.


    "Maybe. It could also be inside the mountain." Rina glanced at me. "You said you found footprints in that cave, right? Maybe we should try and see if that cavern leads anywhere else."


    "Sure, we can try that." I wasn''t exactly looking forward to going back into that awful smelling place, but if it meant finding the god damned Divine Pillar, enduring the smell would be worth it.


    "Let''s go." Alex said impatiently. It seemed as if she was bothered by something, but the vibe she gave off made me decide not to pry.


    We headed to the cave and once again stepped into the dark. The smell of blood and rot invaded my nostrils as we quickly covered out mouths and noses with pieces of cloth. Only once we could breathe somewhat better did we head further inside.


    And then, another issue presented itself. Neither Alex, nor Rina could see properly in this deep darkness while I could see just as clearly as I did outside, if not better. So, when Alex created a ball of light with her magic, I had to walk around squinting because the bright light hurt my overly sensitive eyes.


    We followed the trail of now completely dried blood to the large cavern where the giant snake''s body was.


    "I feel sick¡­" Rina mumbled as the smell of a decaying body added to the already rather disgusting mix. I nodded. Alex seemed too pale and disgusted to even react.


    "We have to go up, hurry or I''ll vomit." Rina said and quickly made her way to the nearest tunnel leading up. It took us nearly half an hour to get away from the awful smell. Or we had gotten used to it ¨C I wasn''t sure anymore.


    We walked in the dark, narrow, damp tunnels only illuminated my Rina''s light. If this were in the past, I would have been worried about getting lost and being unable to leave, but now with the rift at my disposal, I knew I could get us out of here in case something happened. At least that knowledge gave me a little comfort.


    "Wait." Rina said as we arrived at a fork in the tunnel. "Do you feel that?" She asked, glancing at me. I shook my head. I still had no clue as to what kind of feeling she was talking about.


    "We''re getting closer." She whispered. Che closed her eyes focused, probably trying to find out which path we needed to take. A few minutes past like this until she sighed. "I think we have to go¡­ left?" She phrased her words like a question.


    "Yeah, that''s not reassuring at all, Rina." Alex shook her head. "Do we really not have a better way to get this done?"


    "Nope," I said as I glanced at the fork leading left. "Hey Rina," I suddenly said as a thought crossed my mind. "Cast a spell. Or like¡­ let your magic go that way a bit."


    The green haired wizard shot me a confused look. "Ok¡­"


    My gaze shifted between the tunnels and Rina.


    "Is this enough?" She asked, moments later. She stopped ¨C I think ¨C when I nodded. "What was that about?" She asked with curiosity in her eyes. "Yeah, did you figure something out?" Alex chimed in. It was clear from her voice ¨C she was quite nervous.


    I nodded. "Yeah ¨C that I''m completely useless here." I made a vague gesture. "I have the ability to see the flow of magic ¨C not just sense it, but actually visually notice it. Ever since we stepped foot in this mountain though, I have been completely unable to see it." I glanced at the ceiling. "Whatever the Ereth did must be suppressing my ability somehow."


    Alex''s eyes widened while Rina''s expression darkened with concern. "But they don''t know you''re alive." The green haired wizard said. "Why would they even bother taking precautions against you?"


    I shrugged. "I doubt it''s just against me. It''s probably got something to do with not letting demons sense the pillar. This might just be a side effect." At least that was my hope. If they were aware of my survival, our whole plan would be foiled. At my current state, I''d stand no chance against any Ereth Divines, let alone the whole, united power of Baile Chailce.


    Because I had to admit ¨C what I was doing was no different than terrorism. I was destroying infrastructure vital to their society.


    But then again, this was a game, they were the oppressors and wouldn''t hesitate to kill me ¨C or worse ¨C if they got the chance.


    "You''re probably right." Rina mumbled before glancing to the other forks. "Let''s try the leftmost path first."


    We did as she suggested only to walk along a very narrow, damp, moss covered tunnel. After about ten minutes, Alex began having some trouble because she was too tall for this place. Accompanied by her never ceasing grumbling, we finally emerged from the tunnel, only to see a large cavern with a lake.


    "Wait." Alex said as she looked around. "I see no pillar here."


    "It''s not always visible to the naked eye." I chimed in. Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to distract her as she continued. "And there''s no other path leading out of here either!"


    "Uhh¡­" Rina scrambled to find something to say while I chose to ignore their bickering. Instead, I walked around the cavern, made sure there was nothing important and then returned to the tunnel we first came through.


    "Alright, let''s head back." I said grabbing them both by their arms and pulling them back to the tunnel. Rina seemed somewhat relieved while Alex just sighed in defeat. "I hate being this tall¡­" She mumbled.


    We made our way back to the fork and after some more guessing and bickering, tried the middle path. It wasn''t as narrow or low, so Alex didn''t have any trouble walking. This path went on for quite some time and became steeper as we went.


    The steepness gave me hope ¨C perhaps this one really did lead up to where the Divine Pillar probably was. Yet soon, it crushed my hopes as well, but in a different way.


    It became too steep. So much that we couldn''t climb.


    "Ok, what the bloody hell is this?" Alex grumbled as we stood and looked at the nearly completely right angle of the so called ''ground''. "How are we supposed to climb this?"


    There wasn''t enough space in the tunnel to use my wings. I pondered ¨C did we really need Asher for this? His flight spell would have solved this issue within seconds.


    We pondered a while before I sighed. "I''ll try something. Do you have a rope?"


    Alex nodded. I took the rope and put it in my inventory, the used Soul''s Aspect to fuse with the Corrupted Demon.


    Rina gasped as my body took Dorith''s form. I glanced at my claws ¨C they were strong and sturdy enough to kill someone with a single swing. I could only hope they were strong enough to grab onto the cracks on the surface.


    "Wait ¨C you''re not going to¡­"


    "Worth a try." I said with a grin. I leapt up and grabbed on to the highest spot I could. I felt my claws dig into the stone. The feeling of my claws scratching against the hard stone surface gave me goosebumps.


    "I hate this." I hissed through my gritted teeth and reached up.


    Slowly but surely, I could climb. Leaving claw marks on the stone surface, I slowly made my way to the top and only now realised how useful my tail was. I didn''t have to worry about losing my balance thanks to it.


    Once I reached to the top, I threw one end of the rope down, tied the other end somewhere sturdy and waited for the other two to join me. Having undone my transformation, I checked my fingers. How I hadn''t broken all of my nails was beyond me, but I decided not to question it.


    "Oh, light! Look," Rina pointed behind me, to where the tunnel seemed to lead to the summit. Or at least, I hoped so.


    "Let''s go!" Alex said. Whatever had been getting on her nerves seemed to have disappear.


    "Yeah, let''s get this done." I wasn''t as cheerful as them. Having no idea what awaited us at the summit, I couldn''t help but feel anxious.

 Chapter 190: The Summit

    I motioned to step forward, but Rina grabbed my wrist to stop me. "Before we go," She said with a hesitant voice. "I''m sorry, Kai." She showed me a bitter smile. "For doubting you, for not believing in you." Her voice was weak.


    "It''s ok." I faked a smile. "I knew the things I told you would be difficult to believe in." I glanced at the path to the summit. "So, don''t worry about it, ok?" I stepped away from her. "We don''t have much time, so let''s go."


    Her shoulders dropped as she nodded. I could see the regret and sadness in her eyes, but I simply couldn''t bring myself to forgive her ¨C or Alex ¨C for their distrust that day. It hurt too much, and it reminded me of how Erik had distrusted me. At the time, the young paladin had let his fear get the better of him ¨C something Alex and Rina disapproved of, at the time. What they had done now, however, was no different. How could I forgive them so easily?


    I took a deep breath and headed to the summit. I couldn''t let thoughts such as these cloud my mind right now.


    The bright sunlight blinded me momentarily as I stepped outside. Right behind me, Rina and Alex also shielded their eyes from the sunlight.


    Unlike what I expected ¨C or hoped for ¨C the summit was a rather large crater. We had stepped out of a small tunnel, and before us we could see the still in construction Divine Pillar. On the ground, an awfully familiar symbol was drawn.


    "I guess we didn''t go the wrong way." Alex whispered. Her gaze was focused on the eight soldiers and a¡­ was that a priest?


    "Hide!" I hissed as I quickly retreated into the tunnel as the clearly different Ereth glanced our way.


    She was wearing long, white robes that covered her entire body except for her wings, though since they were also white, it was difficult to tell where the robes ended, and her wings began. She had elegant, stag-like horns and she was carrying a long, white staff.


    All that white immediately pissed me off ¨C what did the Ereth love about the colour white anyways?


    I pushed my irritation aside and focused my gaze on the soldiers. Four of them were focused on rebuilding the Divine Pillar. They stood on four corners of the symbol carved on the ground, I could see the magic flowing from them into the golden structure.


    "Wait," Alex mumbled. "How is that pillar getting larger? There are no materials anywhere. Do they create gold out of magic?"


    I looked around and clenched my fists as I noticed what she had. She was right ¨C there was no gold anywhere in sight.


    "They''re pulling it out from the ground." Rina whispered. Hiding in the shadows of the tunnel, we continued to watch them as the pillar was being built. "Look," She said pointing at the robed Ereth. "Can you see her magic?"


    I had to squint to be able to notice it. "She''s empowering them?" I asked, slightly confused.


    "Yeah, I think so." The green haired wizard rubbed her eyes. "Too much white ¨C I can''t see it properly either." She grumbled.


    "What do we do?" Alex asked. "If that Pillar is already supplying them with power, we don''t really stand much of a chance, do we?"


    I hesitated. She had a good point ¨C the pillar would give the Ereth near unlimited power once completed. And to make things worse, it suppressed my power somewhat. I could already feel the suffocating divine magic slowly gathering in the area.


    "We stand more of a chance than we will once the construction is completed." I took a deep breath. We needed to do this properly ¨C charging in without even a rough plan would be disastrous. "Rina, I need you to stop the spellcaster." I gestured towards the robed Ereth. "Alex, take on as many of the soldiers as you can, and I''ll take care of the rest."


    Alex nodded, but Rina seemed somewhat unsure. "Are you sure it''s a good idea?" She asked as she glanced at the pillar. "We could wait for nightfall and try and strike when they are getting ready to rest."


    I shook my head. "I don''t think they need to rest ¨C the Pillar is already supplying them with ridiculous amounts of power. The golden structure is nothing more than reinforcement. Proof of their greed." My last words were but a whisper. "Ready?" I asked.


    After a moment of silence, the green haired wizard nodded. Alex''s sword appeared in her hand and I took a deep breath. "Remember ¨C don''t worry about us and just take care of the robed woman."


    I was the first to dash out of the shadows. I used Soul''s Aspect, Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe all at once and as my body was still taking on the Corrupted Demon''s form, I arrived behind one of the Ereth.


    Before they even realised what was going on, one of the four Ereth concentrating on their spell to construct the pillar gasped and fell to the ground, lifeless.


    Surprised at my own speed and strength, I didn''t allow myself to hesitate. My flames spread out as the spell they were casting shattered and everyone finally noticed me.


    Eight shocked and angry eyes turned on me as I grinned, showing my sharp fangs. Then, the dance of death began.


    As I dodged, blocked and attacked and allowed my flames to run wild, Alex arrived. A single strike of her long, powerful tail was enough to scatter whatever formation the Ereth were trying to form. With her large, round shield and deadly cutlass, she was a force to be reckoned with.


    Not long after, the robed Ereth had to take her eyes off me because Rina had gotten to work.


    The green haired wizard also wielded lightning, much like Asher. Yet while she lacked his sheer power that seemed to be able to bend the sky to his will, she had precision and cunning on her side.


    Lightning bolts leapt from her fingertips to the robed Ereth, forcing her to back off and defend herself. Locked in a battle of wills, the two of them seemed to forget the chaos of battle.


    I, on the other hand, had no such option. Alex had the attention of three Ereth soldiers on her and, mostly thanks to her shield, she was faring fairly well. I, however, was having some trouble with four people on me.


    Sure, none of these were particularly powerful on their own, but they were most certainly a force to be reckoned with as they worked near perfectly together. I assumed they were handpicked by the Divine. Naturally she would send some of her best soldiers to reconstruct and protect the Divine Pillar.


    Yet, despite their amazing teamwork, they did have their flaws. Flaws that would prove lethal to them. Flaws I could take advantage of.


    Three of them had exhausted their magic ¨C probably because the spell they were concentrating on was interrupted. So, they had no way of defending against my flames. And I pushed that advantage to its limit.


    Every swing of my sword left a trail of fire behind it. Every time I attacked a wave of fire extended from my sword.


    Each time, the only one who still had magic was forced to back off and cast protective spells. And every time that happened, they had to fall back, act more defensive.


    All I had to do was to exhaust that one guy''s mana. So, I did just that. Focusing my attacks to the soldier farthest from him, I danced amongst their swords. Yet, my flames weren''t strong enough. It would take ages with just them.


    I backed off a little to avoid a sword aiming for my neck as my magic formed in my left palm. Black bolts leapt from my fingertips to the soldiers, forcing the spellcaster to stop mid-strike and cast a defensive spell.


    As he raised his hands to do so, I sent another volley of dark bolts, this time all of them aiming at him. I saw his eyes widen as he hesitated ¨C who was he going to protect? Did he have enough time to shield both himself and the others? Were they going to die?


    I dashed towards him as such thoughts clearly whirled in his head. I leapt up and raised my sword for an overhead strike.


    A loud clang echoes as one of his allies blocked my sword with his own blade. I let go of it as my lips formed a wicked smile. I swung my left hand towards the spellcaster''s chest.


    As my sharp claws pierced his clothes and dug into his flesh, I caught the falling sword with my left hand and hit the other soldier''s forehead with the end of its hilt. His eyes rolled back as he stumbled backwards.


    I pulled my claw out of the guy''s chest and focused my attention on the remaining three. Now, there was nothing left standing between them and my very, incredibly hungry flames.

 Chapter 191: Battle Under the Golden Light

    As the three charred corpses fell, Alex''s opponents also breathed their last. The tall fighter had made short work of them.


    Now, all that remained was the robed Ereth who was still defending against Rina''s attacks. The green haired wizard wasn''t giving the Ereth any room to breathe as her continuous lightning strikes pushed her back one step at a time.


    Yet, I couldn''t help but feel like Rina was the losing side during this exchange. The way the Ereth carried herself made me doubt the reality of the situation. After perhaps a second of pondering, I decided that the Ereth was much more dangerous than she let us see.


    I glanced at the three charred corpses, then shrugged. Honour had no place in this fight. I ran towards the robed Ereth, ready to strike her down with my sword.


    As I prepared to swing my sharp blade, the robed Ereth glanced at me and flicked her finger.


    I felt something hit my chest and crush my ribs as her power sent me flying. The world spun around me, then I hit the ground on the far side of the crater with a thud. A low scream escaped my lips as pain jolted through my body.


    "I thought as much." The Ereth spoke as she blocked another one of Rina''s lightning strikes. "You may be a force to be reckoned with, wizard, but I can''t say the same about your allies."


    As Soul''s Respite began to slowly heal my wounds, I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn''t hallucinating. Was she floating in the air?


    "It''s a shame about the guards ¨C I''ll have to explain that to the Divine later." Her voice echoed. I forced myself to rise to my feet as the Ereth''s gaze turned on Alex. She pointed at the fighter and a flash of light blinded me momentarily.


    "Hell no, you witch!" Rina''s shout startled me. Alex remained standing; a quite potent barrier visible around her. I could see Rina on the side ¨C her eyes burning with anger, she raised her staff. Infused with lightning magic, it crackled. I could feel the electrified air even from this far away.


    I wondered for just a moment. Was she perhaps stronger than Asher?


    Her next strike unfortunately proved that she was, in fact, not stronger than Asher. Not even close. I felt a little disappointed, but quickly shook my head to get rid of that. Asher was an exception, not the norm.


    "Who are you calling a witch?" The Ereth shouted back as a golden barrier appeared around her. The air grew heavier as breathing became more difficult. I felt the power drain from my legs as I slowly moved closer to the group. The half completed pillar began giving off a bright golden shine.


    I clenched my fists as Alex ran to the Ereth. As she swung her cutlass, Rina cast a spell, infusing the tall fighter''s blade with her magic.


    Sparks flew in the air as the lightning infused blade hit the golden barrier surrounding the Ereth. She only laughed at their effort.


    Somewhat out of breath, I had to stop. Something felt very off. If she had such power under her command, why hadn''t she used it before we killed her accompanying soldiers? Why hadn''t she even lifted a finger to protect them?


    None of her actions made sense. But now wasn''t the time to sit and ponder either ¨C I couldn''t let Rina and Alex do all the fighting. Not because of something simple such as my pride, but because I needed to be strong enough to take these kinds of enemies on if I wanted to ever be able to get my power back.


    Souls swirled around me as they tried their best to heal my cracked ribs. My steps were still slow because it hurt, but also because I didn''t want to reach the fight before I was back to my best condition.


    Alex struck the Ereth''s protective barrier again, yet not even a crack appeared. "You see," The Ereth spoke. "Only the Divines and their chosen inquisitors are allowed to draw power in such magnitude from the Divine Pillars." She raised her hand. Expecting another blinding flash of light, I quickly covered my eyes and turned away. The flash was so bright that despite all that, I still noticed it.


    I heard Rina grumble as the barrier around Alex began to crack. "Of course, I''m not a full blown inquisitor." The Ereth spoke, "But I''m not going to let that stop me!" Was that a flash of red in her eyes?


    "Is that why you let them die?" Alex chimed in as she took a strep back. While it did look like she was retreating, I was fairly sure she was just preparing for something. "Because you couldn''t let them see you use all that power?"


    The Ereth chuckled. "They couldn''t handle trash like you ¨C they deserved what happened to them."


    She was so full of herself! Calling us trash, speaking like that about her killed allies¡­ She pissed me off so much!


    The last of the souls melted back into my chest as the last bit of pain disappeared. Soul''s Respite had finally finished healing me.


    Grasping the hilt of my sword tightly, I motioned to step towards her, but suddenly noticed the continuously strengthening glow of the Divine Pillar.


    I wondered, could I destroy it before she had a chance to stop me?


    A quick glance at her quickly made me decide not to try. She was glowing with golden power, and her eyes were a bright crimson that reminded me of the tendrils of the Divine. I was sure of it ¨C this person wasn''t just any soon to be inquisitor, she was a servant of the Divine that had orchestrated my death.


    My gaze shifted between the Pillar and the Ereth ¨C I could see the power being supplied to her when I squinted. Unlike the Divine, she wasn''t able to directly use the Pillar''s power. She needed to convert it to her own first.


    A wicked smile appeared on my lips as my blade began burning with black and purple flames. I dashed forward, not to the Ereth, nor to the Pillar, but aiming right between them, where I could see the flow of power was the weakest.


    The Ereth noticed me as she opened her mouth to answer Alex. Her eyes widened as she pointed at me. "No, you don''t!" She shouted as I felt the air around me grow thicker.


    "Kai, go!" Rina''s scream echoed. As my steps slowed down because of the constantly thickening air around me, I felt Rina''s magic envelop me. The Ereth''s power scattered, and at the same time sparks flew in the air as Alex hit the golden barrier protecting the robed Ereth.


    My blade and the flames it carried cut through the tether of power. I didn''t feel any resistance from the blade ¨C it passed through the flow of power like it was just air. Worried that I failed, I glanced at that spot, only to see my flames stalled around the tether.


    The Ereth screamed as she fell on the ground with a thud as soon as the tether snapped.


    "You demon!" She shouted. "You will incur the Divine''s wrath if you kill me!" She shouted. "Let me live and your transgression may be forgiven!" Despite the fancy wording she used, I could see the fear of death in her eyes. She was terrified, just like me moments before my death.


    "I don''t fear her," I said as my flames returned to me. They danced on my skin, growing darker with each step I took towards her.


    "Kai?" Rina asked with a low voice. "You''re not going to-"


    I put my sword against the Ereth''s throat. "Go back to where you came from!" I slit her throat with a quick, precise strike.


    Rina gasped and Alex drew a sharp breath as the Ereth''s lifeless body joined those of her allies''.


    I didn''t look at the two ¨C I knew exactly what kind of expression they had right now. Shock, sadness and maybe even terror and some fear mixed in. Instead, I approached the Pillar.


    I had destroyed the other one with quite a lot of difficulty. And that one wasn''t anything more than the symbols on the ground. This one was more than that ¨C I could see seven focal points instead of the three I had seen in the other one.


    The three corners of the symbols, the three corners of the golden structure and the centre of it all.


    I took a deep breath and raised my sword.


    "Kai, hang on." Rina began to speak, but I had already begun moving. I brought down the sharp blade to the first of the seven focal points. As my hands touched the golden light, I felt my skin burn. A fraction of a second later, I heard that satisfying crack as my sword dug into the stone surface and shattered the crystal.


    I stepped away and moved to the next one.


    I raised my sword again, but then felt a cool touch on my wrist. Alex pulled me away from the pillar. "Stop it!" She said, somewhat out of breath. "Your hands!"

 Chapter 192: Yet Another Pillar Destroyed

    I pulled my wrist free and stepped away from her. "It''s fine," I said as I destroyed the next focal point. That satisfying crack as the crystal embedded in the symbol broke, the slowly weakening golden light¡­ They made the pain of my burnt hands worth it.


    I destroyed all seven focal points as Rina and Alex watched on with shock. As soon as the golden structure crumbled and the last crystal broke, the golden light finally dissipated completely.


    "Much better," I said with a sigh as Soul''s respite began to heal my burnt skin.


    "There has to be a better way." Alex mumbled.


    "I told you, it''s fine." I said, forcing a faint smile. "It wouldn''t have been nearly as difficult if I had my scythe, but¡­" It''s long shaft would have allowed me to do this without letting the light touch my skin at all.


    "What happened to it?" Rina asked as she watched the souls slowly heal me.


    "The Divine took it, I think." I wanted to clench my fists but stopped myself as it hurt. "I''ll get it back."


    "Why would she take it? Was it special? I mean, did it have some special ability or something?"


    I shrugged. "Maybe ¨C There was nothing listed in the interface but perhaps it did have something that I simply hadn''t discovered yet." I remembered the black miasma that spread from it from time to time. Was that why she took it? No, a Divine wouldn''t care about demonic miasma, would she?


    "What happens next?" Alex asked after a short moment. "I know you want revenge, but I doubt you are strong enough yet."


    "I''m nowhere near strong enough." I replied with a chuckle. I was still a long way away from that, but I was getting there, slowly. "As for now¡­ I have to go somewhere. I''ll contact you again when I need your help." I paused. "I assume you''re ok with helping me?"


    They both nodded. I felt a little relieved and somewhat annoyed at the same time. "In that case, I''ll send you back to Stonepatch Village." I extended my hand as I spoke.


    "How are you doing that?" Rina asked, her voice filled with curiosity. "I''ve never seen something like that before. What''s the name of that skill?"


    As the light around my claw twisted and broke, I chuckled. "It''s not a skill ¨C it''s not in the interface." A rift formed and slowly began to grow larger. I could see Rina''s confused and amazed expression as she watched.


    "I thought everything we could do was in the interface?" Alex asked.


    "Rina could cast spells without using the interface since we first met." The rift had grown large enough as I spoke. "This isn''t too different from that." I gestured towards the rift. "This will take you right outside Stonepatch Village. Hurry up ¨C I can''t keep it open for long."


    They thanked me, apologized again, then finally passed through the rift. As soon as I felt them step through, I let it collapse. While it was one of the most useful abilities I had, it was also quite exhausting to use. It drained a lot of mana to sustain itself and even more willpower to keep it from collapsing in on itself.


    With a sigh, I opened my status panel ¨C I had to have levelled up after killing so many Ereth, right?


    My lips slowly formed a smile as I saw the numbers. I was slowly gaining more power.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 107 Soul Keeper | Exp: 66780/150000 - - Souls 100/100 + 621 - - Mana: 2210


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Soul''s Aspect Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 20 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    I pondered a moment as I looked over everything. I had thirteen stat points and¡­ way too many skill points that I could give. I looked over the available skills, only for something really old to catch my attention.


    ''Keeper''s Sight''


    How had I not noticed this before? No wait ¨C I had! As I read over the description of the skill, I wanted to facepalm.


    ''Allows the Keeper to sense dying creatures nearby.''


    Well¡­ I knew why I hadn''t taken this back in the day ¨C What Erik and the others had told me was that Experience was what mattered the most. Naturally, killing an already dying creature yielded little experience.


    I allocated a single point to the skill. "Better than nothing," I mumbled. I didn''t need this to find souls to collect, I needed it to make sure nothing ¨C and no one ¨C could escape me once I began fighting them. Especially a certain rogue who loved to disappear and reappear.


    I also allocated all of my stat points. In the end, my status panel looked something like this.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 107 Soul Keeper | Exp: 66780/150000 - - Souls 100/100 + 621 - - Mana: 2210


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Soul''s Aspect Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Sight Lv. 1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 33 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    I decided to bright strength up to fifty and leave it there when I had enough points. Constitution¡­ I didn''t know what it did. We had no health bars, there was no indicator of when we were in mortal danger. If all Constitution did was buffing up a non-existent stat, I didn''t want to waste my points by allocating them to it.


    I decided to ask Asher and Lucius about it. Maybe the young swordsman wouldn''t know, but considering Asher''s past and his profession, he had to have at least a sliver of an idea, right?


    Deciding on that, I took a deep breath and spread my wings. I decided to return to Fetheion''s hideout at sundown. Until then, I wanted to grind. As for what I would kill, that was fairly easy to find.


    I could feel the corrupted animals from all the way up here ¨C I didn''t even need to search for them. I leapt into the air and flew towards the nearest group.


    The Divine Pillar had corrupted them ¨C perhaps because of the power it released as I destroyed it, or maybe because the Not-an-Inquisitor-yet Ereth had drawn too much power from it. Whatever the reason, I needed to dispatch of these creatures before the corruption drove them to attack the nearest Ereth settlement ¨C Stonepatch Village.


    I didn''t even need to use my sword as I killed them. My dark bolts and flames made short work of these creatures. They were weak ¨C the same creatures as I could kill at the very beginning of the game. Wolves and large eagles. There was nothing special about them. If it weren''t for the number of souls I was getting, the experience they gave me wouldn''t even be worth the mana I used to kill them.


    That, and I didn''t want another attack to Stonepatch Village to happen. I didn''t want to see Rina go through the same thing as Alex. I don''t think I could forgive myself if anything that I could have prevented happened to Rina''s sister.


    A young child such as that shouldn''t have been stuck in this game to begin with. She was too young, too innocent.


    I sighed and pulled myself away from such thoughts. Now wasn''t the time. Instead, I glanced at the setting sun and decided to head back to Fetheion''s place.


    I had gotten somewhat used to opening the rift by now, and the same could be said about keeping Soul''s Aspect going for longer periods of time. I opened the rift and once it was large enough, passed through it.


    A cool breeze was what welcomed me, accompanied by the chirping of birds and the rustling leaves of the forest. And, of course, that incredibly familiar, nostalgic voice.


    "You''re back already?" Fetheion asked as I ended Soul''s Aspect and returned to my usual self. He was sitting on a moss covered log.


    "I spoke to Rina and Alex," I said as the rift closed behind me. "And I destroyed another Divine Pillar."


    Fetheion''s expression darkened. "They''re preparing for something." He mumbled. I shrugged ¨C he was an Ereth Divine, he would understand the other Divines'' actions better than me.


    "How is Asher and Lucius?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.


    "Asher is healing. Lucius on the other hand¡­" He sighed. "He''s bothered by something, but he refuses to tell me what." He raised his hand as if he were about to cast a spell, then dropped it on his lap again. "Perhaps you should talk to him ¨C he seems to trust you quite a lot."


    "I will, thanks for letting me know."


    "Oh, Kai?" He said as I motioned to head inside. "Tomorrow, at night, I want you to give me a few hours of your time." He glanced at the distant mountains. "There something that needs to be done, and it would be best if you were there."

 Chapter 193: Self Doubt and Poor Choices

    Fetheion''s words kept me awake most of the night for some reason. His tone of voice as he spoke, his dark, sorrowful expression¡­ It left me worried and anxious.


    When I finally fell asleep, my night was plagued with nightmares and memories of the souls I''d taken in.


    Come morning, I crawled out of bed and headed to the library. It was empty, but the plates on the low table were what I had come here for anyways. I took some fruit and a sandwich, then left the underground hideout and stepped under the bright sunlight.


    I found myself some shade and began eating, only to notice Asher walking towards me.


    "Glad to see you''re alive." He said as he sat beside me. He was still somewhat pale ¨C he clearly hadn''t recovered quite yet. "It''s a bit weird," He said, looking at the far away mountains. "I was used to always knowing where you were."


    I nodded. "Yeah¡­" I mumbled. Despite my hatred for it at first, our mental link had served us so well over the time we had it. "How are you doing?" I wanted to change the subject.


    He shrugged. "Kind of fine, I think." He glanced at his hands. "I''m almost back to full power." His faint smile didn''t reach his eyes.


    "That''s good," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "But that''s not why I asked. You seem troubled. Why?"


    He shot me a surprised look. He wasn''t expecting me to actually ask, I think. Did he think I only saw him as a tool to use in battle? Did he see the rest of us like that? I took a deep breath and pushed such thoughts to the back of my mind.


    "I''m annoyed," He said after a while. "I''m not going to be very useful if this keeps happening every single time I come across a demon." He glanced at me. "Now I fear your magic can have this effect on me too."


    I flinched ¨C that possibility hadn''t crossed my mind at all. "Is there anything we can do about this?" I asked after a moment of silence. He shrugged. "I''m thinking of somethings. I''ll let you know when I figure it out."


    His gaze was fixed on the grass, gently swaying in the wind. He was lying. I knew him well enough to understand that. I still nodded since there wasn''t much I could say about this.


    "How were Rina and Alex?" He finally asked as I finished my breakfast. I sighed and shook my head. "They were fine. It took some effort to convince them though." I explained what happened in detail.


    "Right¡­" The blonde wizard mumbled after some time. "Well¡­ I can''t say much about those two but¡­" His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Did you try to do anything with crystals?"


    I shook my head. "I didn''t really get the chance, you know." I opened my inventory ¨C the only piece of crystal was the one Luhen had given me. A gift from his friend ¨C his last memento of her. "I''ll need to get some crystals first."


    Asher grinned. "I''ll have some ready for you by tomorrow." He rubbed his hands together. "This will be fun." He said with excitement in his voice as he stood up. "I''m off!" He waved and disappeared in the woods.


    I stared after him for a bit, then sighed and shook my head. When it came to discovering new things, such as new spells, more information about the history of this world and all kinds of other subjects, he would almost become a different person. It was such a jarring difference than his usual serious and pessimistic self that I was still surprised every time I saw it.


    I sat there for a while, then forced myself to get up and look for Lucius. Fetheion''s words about him also weighed heavily on me. I wondered ¨C why was he so troubled? Back at home, he was always serious, but also very cheerful. Even when he didn''t succeed at something, he''d shrug, say next time and practice like there was no tomorrow until he succeeded.


    So, what was it that had troubled him so much that even a Divine like Fetheion had noticed?


    I looked around inside first. I couldn''t find anyone ¨C not even Fetheion. I wondered where he was, but quickly pushed that thought aside as my mind was focused on Lucius.


    I left and looked around outside. Eventually, I found him by the lake not too far away. He was practicing his sword forms. As I approached, my steps slowed. He was sweaty, his balance was off and his grip on the sword was too tight, limiting his range of motion and flexibility.


    As I watched, he nearly tripped and just barely recovered his balance.


    "How long have you been at it?" I asked as I walked out of the shadow of the trees. I had to cover my eyes as the sun threatened to blind me. A thought gnawed at the back of my mind, but I pushed it away for now. Lucius was more important.


    Startled, he quickly turned to face me. "Oh, it''s you." He said after a moment. "You scared me, Kai."


    I chuckled, though my expression didn''t change much. What bothered him so much that he was so sloppy?


    "How long have you been at it?" I asked again. He shrugged and glanced at the sky.


    "I don''t know¡­ Since dawn. So¡­ Four hours? Five?" His voice was tense.


    I approached the lake and washed my face, without saying a thing. "Why?" He asked after a moment. I shrugged. "No real reason ¨C I was just wondering why you seemed so tired."


    He chuckled. "Ah, yeah. I should probably take a break." He also approached the lake and bent down. I suddenly got the urge to push him into the water, but I resisted.


    "What made you practice so much?" I asked as he splashed some water to his face. "Your forms were just fine before."


    He froze for a moment, then shrugged. "No real reason," He mumbled, clearly lying. "I just didn''t have anything else to do."


    I furrowed my brows. Lies.


    "Really?" I asked with a slightly elevated voice. "What about getting stronger by levelling up? Isn''t that something to do?"


    He glanced at me with a startled expression. "Ah, I did some of that too." He mumbled. Despite his words, I could see he didn''t care for levelling up.


    "No, you didn''t." I said after a moment. "Why were your moves so sloppy, Lucius?" There was no point in dancing around the subject anymore. The young man flinched, then clenched his fists.


    "Because I was tired, you said it yourself!" He shouted.


    "I know that''s not the only reason ¨C why were you practicing for four hours straight?" I pressed the matter further. "The Lucius I know would stop when he realised he wasn''t gaining anything."


    "Oh, shut up!" He rose to his feet and grabbed his sword from the ground. "Like I have the luxury of time now!" He shouted. Despite his raised voice and twisted expression, I could see his anger wasn''t directed at me. "I''m useless!"


    I felt as if someone punched me in the gut. "Why would you say that?" I asked softly. His expression, anger¡­ everything he did reminded me of myself.


    "Because I am!" He continued to shout. The startled wildlife scurried away as we stood by the lake. "When was the last time I did anything useful? In every fight so far all I did was stay in the back and let you and Asher fight! And the only time I thought I''d be useful, the creature refused to die!"


    I hesitated. He wasn''t right, but he wasn''t wrong either. As a swordsman, his abilities simply hadn''t been very useful until now ¨C not because he was weak, but because our most formidable enemies had always been magic users ¨C be it Delthur, the corrupted demon or whatever else we fought.


    "See?" He asked as I remained silent. "Even you''re not saying I''m wrong!"


    I shook my head. "But it''s got nothing to do with you," I tried to explain. "What can a sword do against magic? When our opponents can bend reality to their will, a sword can''t do much." I continued, choosing my words very carefully. "It''s not your swordsmanship that needs improving but your way of choosing opponents is."


    I could see from his expression that I was not making my point clear.


    "What I mean is that you need to choose your opponents according to your own strengths. You can''t expect to butt heads with a demon and come out on top!"


    "Look who''s talking," He said with a half grin.


    I laughed. "Well, I did die so I might have learned my lesson." I remembered my encounters with the Demon Lord, Vixia, Delthur and Aelith. "Several times," I added after a moment. "Now that I think about it, I chose my battles very poorly."


    "Then¡­" He mumbled after we laughed a bit. "Kai, can we have a duel?" He asked after a moment.


    I raised my brows. "Sure, but why?"


    "I want to see how well I do against a magic user." He said with a faint smile. "Me and Asher against you. What do you say?"


    I wanted that match!

 Chapter 194: The Thunder of Battle

    "Wait, hold on." I said raising my hands, slightly alarmed. "You do realise Asher can probably kill me fairly easily, right?" I was sure I couldn''t match the bold sorcerer''s strength yet. Maybe if I hadn''t lost all of my souls. But now? No way.


    "I don''t think so. Besides, he''ll be there as my support." Lucius grinned. "Since trying to fight back against demonic magic harms him so much, he has to stay back when we''re fighting demons anyways. He could use his magic to help me out like Rina did with Alex."


    It wasn''t a bad plan. In fact, he had a really good point, and I couldn''t think of a reason as to why it wouldn''t work.


    "Fine," I said, smiling. "Go get Asher then. I''ll be in the opening by the hideout."


    Lucius darted off as soon as I finished my words. I, on the other hand, was much slower. I headed to the opening and glanced at the sky. Not a single cloud could be seen. The bright sun hurt my eyes, so I retreated into the shadows of the trees.


    I didn''t have to wait long for them to arrive.


    "I''m fine! I don''t need to stay back!" I heard Asher''s protests before they even entered my vision.


    "No, you''re not and we all know it. Besides, this is a good chance to get to use those skills you never use, right?" They stepped out of the woods, and as soon as they did, I left the shadows as well.


    "Kai, tell him something." Asher''s desperate voice made me chuckle.


    "He''s right though." I said with a grin. "Besides, I only stand a chance against you two if you''re not going all out."


    He shook his head in defeat as Lucius'' sword appeared in his hands. "Ok, so¡­ First blood wins?" He asked.


    I hesitated. I didn''t really want to accidentally hurt either of them.


    "It''s fine," Fetheion''s familiar voice sounded. "I''ll make sure none of you get hurt." I glanced towards his voice, only to see him sitting on a thick, sturdy branch of one of the nearby trees.


    "Thank you." I replied, unsure of what else to say. Then, I glanced at Asher. "Remember ¨C no thunderstorms."


    He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I won''t cast any too powerful spells but don''t expect me to just sit here and do nothing."


    I couldn''t help but feel somewhat anxious as a wicked smile appeared on his lips. He had something nasty in mind, didn''t he?


    "Alright, Fetheion, can I ask you to be the judge?"


    "Of course," He smiled. "Take your positions." We did as he said and faced each other across the field. I extended my hand as my sword appeared out of a shadowy darkness.


    "Begin!" Fetheion''s crystal clear voice echoed.


    Lucius dashed towards me and at the same time, Asher began casting a spell.


    Who was the greater danger here? Asher, of course. Unlike Lucius, I had no idea just exactly he was capable of. Sure, I had seen him fight many times, but each and every time he had only used less than a handful of spells.


    Lucius reached me in no time and our blades met with a loud, clear clang. His sheer physical strength startled me as he pushed me back almost effortlessly. He had so much power with no spell support from Asher yet? Had he put all of his stat points to strength?


    I rolled back and then swung my sword to block his next strike. He was almost as fast as I was. This reminded me of our match during the tournament in Baile Chailce. It was fun. Now, however, I knew that this was much more important to Lucius. He needed to prove to himself that he could defeat spellcasters.


    I needed to provide him the challenge he needed ¨C I wasn''t going to hand him a win in a silver platter. That would serve no good at all. Instead, I decided to go all out. Knowing Fetheion could stop us the moment things became too dangerous, I felt at ease as I leapt back, rolled to the side to put some distance between us, and then used Soul''s Aspect.


    Lucius froze mid step as my body began to take the shape of the Corrupted Demon. Seeing his surprise, I grinned, showing my sharp fangs.


    "You wanted to fight a demon ¨C why the hesitation?" I asked. My voice echoed as a gentle wind pulled at my long, white hair.


    Lucius chuckled nervously.


    I raised my hand as black- purple flames danced on my skin. This was the most I could do for him ¨C anymore, and I feared I would lose myself. "Come on then!" I shouted as I dashed forward, leaving a trail of flames behind me.


    I swung my flaming sword at the young swordsman, only for him to block it. Wide eyed, he quickly stepped back and tried to put some distance between us. I didn''t let him ¨C following his every step, I forced him to defend.


    This went on for nearly a whole minute, until a bolt of lightning struck my sword. Startled, I dropped the blade as my right arm went numb. I glanced at Asher, who pointed it me again. I threw myself aside as soon as I saw a light at the tip of his finger. A lightning bolt flashed right over me, hitting a tree in the distance.


    I rolled, got back up on my feet and blocked the next lightning bolt with a wall of flames. Our magic clashed for a moment, but Asher quickly stopped forcing the fight ¨C he knew he couldn''t take too many risks against my demonic magic, lest something like what happened before could happen again.


    Instead, he shouted at Lucius at the top of his lungs. "Hey! Pull yourself together ¨C how am I supposed to sit in the backlines if you''re like this in a real fight?"


    The young swordsman tightened his grasp around the hilt of his sword. I could see him trying to pull himself together. With a wide swinging motion, I threw my flames towards him. He needed to pull himself together now ¨C he wasn''t going to have so much time in a real fight.


    A crackling barrier of lightning formed around him as Asher shouted again. "Lucius!" He pointed at me, sending a few weak bolts of lightning where I was standing. I moved out of the way with ease, then sent a bolt of fire towards him. While he was busy blocking that, I dashed at Lucius again.


    My sharp, deadly claws lashed out at him as he just barely blocked my strikes. I could see the shock in his face. If it were under normal circumstances, I wouldn''t stand a chance against him without my sword.


    Another bolt of lightning illuminated out surroundings, forcing me to back off. I felt magic gather to my right, where Asher was standing.


    "If you''re not going to fight, then I will!" The blonde sorcerer shouted. His voice echoed, accompanied with thunder. His eyes let out a blue-silver shine as lightning crackled and danced on his body.


    "Hey, wait ¨C" I began to speak, but had to immediately shut up and focus on stopping his spells. Lightning rained on me from the sky, now covered in dark, ominous clouds. I threw myself aside as lightning struck where I was standing. I had to immediately get moving again as soon as I touched the ground as only more lightning and thunder followed.


    I knew I couldn''t keep just evading his attacks ¨C I knew his mana pool was vast and he could keep his concentration for a very, incredibly long time.


    Instead, I raised my hands and fed more power to my flames. As the next bolt of lightning fell down, my flames roared up to meet it. A flash of light nearly blinded me as our spells met.


    Lucius shouted as the resulting shockwave sent him flying. I noticed Fetheion jump down from the branch. His expression had darkened.


    But I couldn''t watch them for long as Asher poured everything he had into our duel. His power roared and thunder echoed across the land as I felt my flames slowly dim. I gritted my teeth as I stood there, my arms raised, feeding the pillar of flames. What could I do against such enormous power?


    I couldn''t think of anything. Asher was on a wholly different power level than I was ¨C why was that? Despite my curiosity, now wasn''t the time to think about it.


    Fetheion''s words rang in my ears. How powerful was an Ancient Demon? Why couldn''t I tap into the same power the Demon Lord could? I forced myself to remember what it felt like to face him. His sheer presence was enough to freeze me, even time seemed to obey his commands. How did he do that?


    I felt my power being pushed back, my flames scatter. I couldn''t lose, not like this. I wasn''t about to lose to that smug sorcerer who couldn''t even hold a god damned promise!


    My eyes flashed purple as my wings formed on my back. That dark, shadowy miasma spread from me, covering the entire area within seconds.


    Fetheion''s eyes widened. "No, wait!" He reached for me.

 Chapter 195: A Price Worth Paying

    A bast of dark magic hit me, sending me flying. I fell on the ground a little further away.


    "Divine?" Asher''s voice sounded.


    "Leave. Now!" Fetheion shouted. I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but before I could even do so, Fetheion appeared before me. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up. "Both of you." He said, shooting a deadly glare at Asher and Lucius. "I said leave!"


    Asher ended his spell. The lightning dancing on his skin disappeared and the sky began to clear up. He shot a confused look at Fetheion, but as soon as he noticed the Divine''s dark expression, he grabbed Lucius'' arm and pulled him away without a word.


    "As for you," Fetheion glared at me. "What the hell do you think you''re doing?"


    "I don''t understand-" I began speaking, but he wasn''t hearing any of it. His grasp around my wrist tightened as he cut me off.


    "Trying to copy the Demon Lord''s power? Have you lost your mind?"


    "I was about to lose!" I protested. "What was I supposed to do?"


    "Lose!" He hissed. He pulled me towards the lake not too far away. "Wash your face and pull yourself together, Kai." He said coldly. "Then you''ll sit down and listen." He pushed me towards the lake as he let go of my wrist.


    He was usually so kind and calm that his behaviour now felt so wrong. Hesitant, I approached the lake, knelt by the shore and splashed some water on my face. I glanced at my wrist where he pulled me. The mark around it reminded me of how damn strong Fetheion really was.


    "Done?" He asked with a calm, yet for some reason terrifying voice. I nodded and rose to my feet. "Yeah," I said with a low voice.


    Fetheion raised his hand. His magic ¨C the infinitely deep darkness ¨C spread from his hand, enveloping us in a dark sphere.


    "Your friend loves to eavesdrop." He said as I tried to calm my racing heart. "Clearly, he never learned manners ¨C or he doesn''t care about them."


    I gulped. I couldn''t see anything, despite my darkvision. A light suddenly appeared. A tiny, silver orb of light floated in the air between us, somewhat above our heads.


    "Now," Fetheion said raising his chin a little. "What the hell were you thinking?"


    I hesitated. "Sorry," I finally said. I did not want to anger him even more. This was a stark reminder of how damn powerful he was ¨C perhaps even more so than Aelith herself. He was not my friend like Asher and Lucius were ¨C I had to be wary near him.


    "I didn''t ask for an apology." He said with a terrifyingly calm voice. "What were you thinking? Why did you try to replicate the Demon Lord''s power?"


    I wanted to look away, but the only thing I could see was him and the orb of light. "I remembered what you said about my body being that of an ancient demon." I chose my words slowly and carefully. "You said the Demon Lord was an ancient demon too, so I thought that I could somehow become more powerful if I tried to copy him."


    Fetheion sighed and pushed back a few strands of loose hair. "At least you did put some thought into it." He mumbled before shaking his head. "Come here," he said, gesturing me to approach with his hand.


    Hesitant, I took a few steps towards him.


    "Give me your hand." His voice was calm again, but his usual kindness was nowhere to be seen. I did as he said and extended my arm, if only not to anger him more.


    A thin strand of darkness wrapped itself around my hand. "Now," He said. "Try it again. On a smaller scale."


    I glanced at him. "What?"


    "Try to use that power, but on a smaller scale. Like a flame in your hand. Or something like that. Contain it here." He pointed at my palm.


    Still confused and somewhat wary, I did as he asked. I tapped into the power I had felt briefly before.


    A flash of purple light was quickly covered by the darkness of the Divine before me. "See?" He said as I quickly pulled my hand back.


    "What was that?" I asked. I had only felt a sliver of power before his darkness stopped me.


    "That, is the power of an ancient demon." Fetheion''s voice sounded almost lost in thought, or perhaps lost in memories as his eyes seemed to lose focus. "It''s not something you can control ¨C not with such a weak will."


    I clenched my fists with anger, but that anger quickly left its place to fear as strands of darkness creeped closer. "Then what do I need to do?" I asked, trying to mask me feelings.


    "You need to understand something ¨C my people may not be the good guys in this whole story, but the Demons aren''t innocent either. Their power itself is that of darkness, and so is yours."


    I wanted to make a snide comment about his own dark power. On second thought though, it was probably not the best idea right now, considering how powerless I felt right now and how angry he was.


    "Their own power can and will corrupt them." He continued. "And the same can happen to you. Not to mention the hundreds of souls you have resting within ¨C you''re a ticking time bomb, eventually, you will destroy things around you." His words rang in my ears as he didn''t pull his punches. "That power of yours is not something you can control and even if you could, it''s not something you should use against those you care about."


    I looked away. He was right, especially with his last words. Despite Asher''s ridiculous assault, I shouldn''t have tried to use demonic power against him, knowing it could harm him more than others.


    "And most of all," Fetheion continued. "If you unleash that power, the whole demonic world will know where you are ¨C just before you create a huge crater and die." I could feel his deadly glare despite not looking at him. "So, make sure that power is a last resort only." A strand of darkness forced my chin up. I looked at Fetheion as he asked. "Am I clear?"


    I gritted my teeth. "What if I need that power?" Forcing those words out took most of my courage. "What if I need it to save someone?" I asked and took a step forward. The darkness around me scattered as I passed through the strands. "What if I need it to fight Aelith? Or the other Divine?" The power I had now wasn''t going to be enough, I knew it.


    "You didn''t need it before. You were plenty strong enough to take on pretty much any Divine except for Aelith if not for the Divine Pillar."


    "Yet Divine Pillars seem to be popping up everywhere!" I protested. "What if I need to fight one of them by a Pillar again? How many souls do I need to take in? How many creatures must I kill?" I shouted. With such power just within my grasp, I didn''t want to let go of it. Wasn''t this what we''d been looking for? Enough power to defeat the Demon Lord and get the hell out of this game?


    Fetheion shook his head. "Sometimes it''s just not worth the risk."


    "What if it is?" I shouted. "What if I can actually stop Aelith?" What if I could free everyone? But I couldn''t tell him that, could I? "What if that power will give me what I need to put an end to this?"


    Fetheion didn''t answer immediately. I could see the hesitation in his eyes. He knew I had a point, and he knew I could, in fact, use that power for good.


    "Fetheion, what if this awakens the spirit of your friend?"


    He flinched. For a moment, his eyes lit up, making me regret saying those words. If my predecessor''s spirit ¨C his soul ¨C returned, what would happen to me? Would I be sent back to my body? Or would I remain here, trapped? Would I be just another soul within his body, giving him power?


    Just the thought of it was enough to terrify me.


    "It''s not safe." Fetheion finally said. "Promise me you won''t use it and I''ll try and figure out a way to help you learn safely."


    My eyes widened. "You have my word," I said with a weak voice as I tried to get my emotions in order. Suddenly, power was within my reach, but a new danger, something else to fear had also appeared on the horizon. I knew why Fetheion had accepted to help me ¨C it was to try and bring my predecessor back. His friend whom he still mourned.


    I felt betrayed, somewhat. But also relieved. The darkness covering us disappeared, revealing the setting sun.


    "Rest for an hour or so," Fetheion said as he turned away. "There is something going on not too far from here ¨C I will show you how to stop it. So be ready."

 Chapter 196: A Song of Mourning

    "What is this?" I whispered as I looked down to the forest stretching beneath my feet. After resting for a bit, Fetheion had brought me here ¨C a patch of the forest an hour''s flight to the north.


    "The land itself became cursed." The Divine explained. Unlike me, he didn''t need wings to fly, he simply floated as his dark power whirled around him. "Any creature stepping inside there has a good chance of becoming cursed as well.


    The trees below had changed colour ¨C the deep, dark green leaves had left their places to a mix of gold and purple. A miasma had covered the ground and I could see how even the earth was affected as brown and black liquid oozed out from the earth.


    "Disgusting," I said with a low voice. "How did this even happen?" I couldn''t imagine the amount of magic it would take to corrupt such a large area.


    Fetheion sighed. "I don''t know." I glanced at him with surprise as he continued. "Here is what I do know; this is the result of a clash between demonic and divine magic. It appeared two days ago, but it has already gotten this bad." He looked around. "No demons or Ereth even came close to this place in the last few weeks, save for those couple of demon scouts who fly over the forest every once in a while."


    He slowly descended, taking care to remain outside the cursed area. "Look," He pointed towards the ground. "If it were a demon, they''d say the world was bleeding."


    I glanced at the black and brown liquid. "I think that''s a bit too disgusting to be the world''s blood." I hesitated. "I hope." A question appeared in my mind. The world wasn''t alive, right?


    "Well, they love saying things like that, but they rarely are right." Fetheion chuckled. "I''d like to believe they never really tried to uncover the mysteries of the world and now they''re suffering for it."


    I raised my brows. "What do you mean?"


    Fetheion shook his head. "It''s not important right now." He glanced further ahead. "We need to find the source of the curse and remove it."


    I wanted to dig deeper ¨C what did he mean by those words? "Come on," He said as he floated ahead.


    I followed him, though my progress immediately came to a halt as soon as I entered the cursed area. The air became unbearably hot as I felt like I was breathing fire.


    "Use your magic to repel it." Fetheion floated before me. His dark magic had created a semi see-through barrier around him. "Look at mine and try to replicate it."


    It took a couple of tries before I could release my magic without it bursting into flames. The rest was easy. Protected by a black and purple shroud, I could finally breathe again.


    "You''re too used to summoning your magic in the form of flames." Fetheion said as we slowly flew further into the cursed area. "Your predecessor never used his magic like that ¨C he used the wind."


    "How?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. It was the first time Fetheion seemed to be eager to talk about his long dead friend.


    "He had fine enough control over his power that he could from invisible blades from the wind. Most would die without ever realising they were being attacked." A weird smile appeared on his lips. "Even I had a lot of trouble surviving when we first met."


    "You two fought?" I asked in surprise. For some reason I had trouble imagining that, though it did make sense. One was a demon and the other an Ereth Divine. It wasn''t all that surprising that they had started as enemies.


    "Many times," He said with a chuckle. "But that''s a story for another time." He glanced ahead. "Can you feel it? The magic and the curse are growing stronger as we speak."


    I hesitated. I couldn''t really tell. "How do we lift the curse?" I asked instead.


    Fetheion pondered a moment. "Depends on what the source is." He finally spoke. "If it''s something like a vessel ¨C a crystal to hold the magic or an ancient artifact, then it''s fairly simple. We seal it away until the Demon Lord comes and gets rid of it."


    I flinched. "Whoa, hang on." I stopped. "What do you mean the Demon Lord?" I glanced around in a panic. Nothing in this world or in the real one could convince me to meet the Demon Lord. That guy terrified me even more than Aelith did.


    "He tends to get rid of the cursed areas deeper inside demon territory." Fetheion explained. "We¡­ don''t get along though, so don''t worry. I''d be in more danger than you if we stumbled across him."


    This was the first time ever I heard a sliver of fear in Fetheion''s voice. Weirdly enough, it reminded me of the time my uncle was avoiding Mother. He was speaking in a similar tone back then.


    "What''s wrong?" Fetheion asked after a moment''s hesitation. I shook my head and pushed the fond memories aside.


    "Nothing." I said, then asked something else. "How much stronger than you is he?" It was something I was curious about. I was sure Fetheion still hadn''t shown me his real power and I didn''t know the extent of the Demon Lord''s power either.


    Fetheion laughed at my question. "I''m pretty sure if we ever met, I would be dead before I could lift a finger." He smiled when he noticed my face go pale. "Don''t worry ¨C he has no reason to come after me and I have every reason to avoid him. Unless something changes, we simply won''t meet each other. Ever."


    I sighed a breath of relief, then questioned why exactly I had felt so relieved about this. Sure, Fetheion was an ally but¡­


    "It''s here." Fetheion''s voice interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at him, them followed his gaze.


    "Oh." I whispered as I looked on the lifeless body of an Ereth.


    "So, she failed." Fetheion mumbled. "To be expected."


    I glanced at him. "What do you mean?"


    He shook his head and approached the body. "Look at her. Her clothes, her accessories¡­"


    He was right ¨C she was wearing much fancier clothes than most Ereth. White and golden robes, plenty of golden accessories¡­ Even a crown on her head.


    "Why is she dressed like that and hang on ¨C why is she even here? I thought you said no Ereth came to this place in a while?"


    Fetheion shook his head. "She must have been teleported here why Aelith. She''s dressed like that because she was taking the¡­ ''test'' to become a Divine." He sighed. "Aelith is scrambling to replace the divines she is losing." He clenched his fists. "Such arrogance, such rush, such stupidity."


    "What should we do then?" I asked after a while. What the hell were we supposed to do about this Ereth''s body?


    Fetheion hesitated for a while, then slowly landed by her. "We will lift the curse and lay her to rest." He said with a bitter expression. "Come, I will need your help with this."


    I landed by them. "What do I do?" I asked.


    "I will need you to channel your magic. Demonic magic." He added after a moment of hesitation. My eyes widened. "I thought you didn''t want me to use it." I spoke.


    He sighed. "This is demonic magic, mixed with divine. Both are needed to lift the curse."


    He took a glowing, golden crystal from his pocket. "The last piece of divine magic I have saved." He said with a bitter smile. "I should find more." He mumbled before turning his gaze on me.


    "Now, channel your power the same way you did a few hours ago. I''ll guide you, so all you need to do is make sure you don''t blow us up." While his words were supposed to give me confidence, they did quite the opposite.


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked after a moment. "What if something goes wrong?"


    Fetheion chuckled. "It''ll be fine." He said as he released the divine magic in the crystal. I heard a faint ringing from it as he dropped it on the ground. "Hurry up now."


    With hesitation, I did as he asked.


    Now that I wasn''t being pushed back by Asher''s lightning, I could be somewhat more careful. I slowly released the dark, demonic power dwelling within me.


    It felt weird. The dark miasma from before slowly spread from me as my eyes let out a purple glow.


    I felt Fetheion''s power envelop mine and guide it towards the Ereth''s body. Fetheion carefully reached and gently closed the fallen Ereth''s eyelids. I could see the sadness in his eyes as his divine light, and my purple tinted darkness enveloped the body.


    As I watched him, Fetheion''s voice echoed in my mind.


    Return home after such a long fight,


    May your soul find respite in the golden light.

 Chapter 197: Secrets and Promises

    I felt drained by the time the cleansing was finished. I hadn''t used too much power, so I wasn''t sure why I felt this way. Fetheion didn''t seem tired the least however, he even made sure to give a proper burial to the Ereth.


    Afterwards, we returned back home. We didn''t speak a word during our journey back. Despite the countless questions in my mind, I chose to remain silent as I could see how upset Fetheion was. It was clear from his expression.


    The only time we spoke was when we bid each other a good night and headed to sleep. Though I didn''t even get that, as my dreams were plagued with memories of lives long lost.


    Only having slept a couple of hours, I got up at dawn as always. After eating something, I left the underground hideout and walked outside. The cool morning breeze helped clear my mind a little as I sat on the moist grass and nibbled a large, juicy fruit that looked like an apple but tasted nothing like it.


    I didn''t sit there for long before I heard footsteps. Asher came and sat beside me a moment later.


    "Sorry about yesterday," He said with a sigh. "I kind of¡­ went all out."


    I chuckled. "I don''t believe it." I said with a faint smile. "I think I would have died if you went all out." No way that was all he was capable of.


    "No really," Asher said with a serious expression. "That was the entirety of my power ¨C all I was capable of." He shot me a surprised look. "How powerful do you think I am?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t have a clue." I said with a grin. "I''m convinced you can easily overpower me though."


    He rolled his eyes. "The difference isn''t that big." He fiddled with the cloth of his cloak. "It never was."


    I laughed out loud. "Yeah right. That''s why you basically had me on a leash for a while, right?" I shot him a deadly look. "So please, don''t try and be humble about it, it''s better if I know your full strength."


    Asher''s eyes widened as he chuckled and poked my shoulder. "Alright, first of all ¨C back then the difference was big, I admit that. And yes, I did order you around, but you were being a whiny brat and wasting the best shot we had at getting out of here. You deserved some of that."


    I laughed. "Well, deserve is a strong word,"


    "Also, I''d like to remind you that you literally walked into my trap. How na?ve could you be, seriously?" Asher fiddled with his hair as he spoke. "I was prepared for a tough fight but all I had to do was lure you away and threaten you."


    I rolled my eyes. "Ok, fine. Yes, I''m na?ve and stupid. Can we move on?" Looking back, I could see how many mistakes I''d made and being reminded of them by Asher of all people was less than pleasant.


    "Sure," He grinned. I kind of wanted to punch him. Lightly, of course, but still. "But for the record ¨C as soon as you began hunting and taking in souls, the gap between us closed really quickly." He glanced at the far away mountain range. "I honestly don''t know which one of us is stronger now."


    I hesitated. I wasn''t so sure. I still felt like he was much stronger ¨C it felt like he could bend the sky to his will. "I don''t know¡­" I mumbled.


    "Think about it!" He insisted. "You were able to put up a fight yesterday." He paused. "Wait, no. That came out wrong. What I mean is that when I attacked you with those lightning strikes, I used all of my power. That was the most damage I could do, the strongest attack I had." He raised his hand and let lightning crackle around his fingers.


    "And you continually pushed me back ¨C a dozen more seconds and I would have lost." I had used everything I had to put up a fight at the time.


    "But you had something up your sleeve, right?" The blonde sorcerer asked. "I know Fetheion stopped the fight because you were about to do something."


    I shook my head. "I was about to do something stupid." Thinking back now, I couldn''t believe how stupid I was to try and copy the Demon Lord''s power at that moment. If something went wrong, I could have killed Asher and Lucius.


    Asher chuckled. "I''m not surprised."


    "Hey!" I protested.


    "But my point is, you still had something up your sleeve, no matter how dangerous or stupid it is. I didn''t have something like that." He clenched his fist. The crackling lightning dissipated. "It''s actually somewhat annoying."


    I glanced at him. "Is that why you seemed so bothered?" I asked. "Asher, did you do something dangerous to gain more power?" Fetheion''s words came to mind. "What did you give up for more power?"


    The blonde sorcerer flinched. His expression turned sour and he avoided meeting my gaze. "It''s not something you need to worry about." He finally said after a silence that felt too long.


    "No, I think I do need to worry about it." I said, shaking my head. I needed to know what was going on with him so I could avoid putting him in unnecessary danger. "Tell me Asher."


    The blonde sorcerer shook his head. "Not today. Let me heal completely. Then I''ll tell you." He glanced at me. "Please don''t push the matter further, Kai."


    I gritted my teeth. Secrets! Everyone had so many secrets! "Fine, but you need to promise me something." I said through my gritted teeth. The blonde sorcerer shot me a curious glance. "What is it?" He asked.


    "That if something goes wrong, you''ll let me know and you''ll let me help." I glared at him. "Promise me."


    He smiled. "I can do that. Fine, that''s a promise." He looked away. While I had much more I wanted to ask, I chose to remain silent. It was the first time I had seen Asher so unsure and¡­ weak. So far, the only emotions he had shown were anger, wrath and confidence. I had never seen him so unsure and hurt before.


    We didn''t get the chance to sit there for long though, since soon Lucius stepped outside as well. Somewhat relieved that he didn''t overhear out conversation, I greeted him. Despite his smile and cheerful greetings, I could see the dark circles under his eyes.


    "Didn''t sleep well?" Asher asked. The young swordsman shook his head. "No, not really. Just stupid dreams though."


    I remained silent. I knew he was lying.


    "Right." Asher said with a half smile. He knew just as well as I did. "So, care to explain what that awful ''duel'' was yesterday?" The blonde sorcerer asked. I flinched ¨C this wasn''t the proper way to bring up that subject!


    Lucius looked away. "Sorry about that." He glanced at me. "It was just¡­" He fiddled with his belt. "Seeing Kai turn into a¡­ ummm¡­" He searched for a word but was clearly unable to find it.


    "Monster? Abomination? Demon? Horrifying creature?" I suggested with a grin. He shot me a desperate look, almost as if he was saying ''that''s not helping me!''. My grin only widened.


    "Whatever," He shook his head. "I think that took me by surprise. I wasn''t really prepared for it."


    Asher nodded in understanding. "Well, it definitely was unexpected." He glanced at me, then at Lucius. "He did look like a demon, but then again you look a bit weird too."


    Lucius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, look." He said as he pointed at me. "There''s having an Avatar like mine, and then there''s literally growing a tail, a pair of horns and claws like him. Tell me they''re the same thing and we can fight."


    Asher laughed. "Oh no, you''re right about that. My point is just that¡­" He hesitated. "I feel like you may have overreacted a bit."


    I nodded. "You''ve seen me like that before, when I brought you guys here." Though that was only for a short moment, I still considered it a valid argument.


    Lucius chuckled nervously. "Well, yeah¡­ Anyways. Sorry. I didn''t expect to be so useless."


    I shook my head. "Don''t worry about it too much ¨C you got it out of your system during a friendly practice match, so that''s good. You know what to expect when you''re fighting besides me now, so you can act accordingly." Despite my words, I knew he''d still hesitate. He had lost confidence, he needed to get that back before doing anything else.


    Asher nodded. "Exactly. I do have a suggestion about that actually." He grinned. "Hear me out,"


    We listened as he spoke. Lucius'' face immediately turned pale while I began to grin. "I like it," I said as I glanced at the hideout. "I like it a lot."


    "What''s going on?" A familiar voice sounded. "I want in too!"


    We looked around to see the source of the voice. "What?" Asher mumbled.


    At the same time, I looked up and came eye to eye with an eagle. "Mona?" I asked as the eagle disappeared with a poof and the cheerful druid took its place.

 Chapter 198: A Date and a Time

    Mona landed on the ground with grace, then immediately grinned. "I missed you guys!" She shouted and ran up to us. After a fist bump with Lucius and a massive grin at Asher, she gave me a hug. "I''m sorry I couldn''t make it before!"


    "It''s fine," Asher said with a smile. "How have you been Mona?"


    His kind, yet somewhat respectful behaviour struck me as odd as the crimson haired druid let go of me and fiddled with her cloak.


    "Eh, fine, I guess." She chuckled. "Making sure Erik and the others don''t get themselves in trouble is incredibly boring." She shot me a quick, worried glance.


    "Thanks for keeping an eye on them," I forced a smile. Just knowing that she had to be in the vicinity of those two traitors made me feel sick. What if they did something to her? Naturally, I was worried. Despite that, I chose to not ask too many questions.


    Though, I wouldn''t have been able to anyways since Mona quickly derailed the conversation and soon, we were all laughing.


    After some time passed, I excused myself for a bit to drop by Fetheion. "Remember to actually suggest it to him!" Asher called out to me as I headed back inside. I waved my hand, of course I wouldn''t forget that.


    Thanks to the small number of rooms, it didn''t take me long to find the Divine. He was sitting by his desk in the library, documents and parchments scattered all around him. He seemed somewhat busy.


    "Good morning, Kai." He said as I stepped inside. His voice showed just how bored he was. "I wouldn''t imagine you came here to offer help, would you?" He asked, further reinforcing my view.


    "Uh, not really no." I said with half a smile. "I was actually going to suggest something and let you know that Mona came." A quick glance at the documents was enough to made me feel dread. What if he asked for help with this boring stuff in return?


    "I know she arrived. I called her here a few days ago. Asher still needs to heal, and I would prefer if you had someone capable by your side." The crimson haired Divine shot me a mischievous glance. "You know, to keep you out of trouble and make sure you don''t try anything suicidal."


    I rolled my eyes. "How long will you keep that up?" I asked as my shoulders dropped. "I''m doing my best to stay alive."


    He chuckled. "Yet you already failed once." He grinned. "But anyways," He quickly changed the subject. "What did you want to suggest?"


    "Well," I took a deep breath. "It was Asher and Lucius'' idea but¡­" I hesitated. "I know we kind of botched out last practice match ¨C all of us did ¨C so we were hoping you''d give us a chance." I was about to continue when he spoke.


    "You don''t need my permission to have a match." He paused. "Unless you want me to take part as well?" He leaned back on his chair. "As a judge again?" A single look at my expression was clearly enough for him as he shook his head. "No, you want me to join in?" His lips formed a mischievous smile. "You want a three on one ¨C no, four on one match." He grinned. "Am I right?"


    I shrugged. "Spot on." It wasn''t such a wild conclusion to arrive to, but his speed and accuracy was a bit frightening. "What do you say?" I asked, worried he would say no.


    He tilted his head. "Hmm¡­" he mumbled, lost in thought. I waited patiently ¨C now wasn''t the time to test my luck. "Sure," He finally said. My eyes glittered with excitement, but his next words were quick to snuff that out. "But not now."


    My shoulders dropped as I spoke with a flat voice. "You''re playing a parent card and I don''t like it."


    He chuckled. "Don''t worry, this isn''t like your family''s ''not now''s. I will actually give you a time and a date." He pointed at his desk. "I need to get this done ¨C I know I can figure out where they will erect the next pillar, I just need some more time."


    My eyes shot open. "You can what?"


    He waved his hand. "I''ll let you know once I do. As for our match." He tilted his head and pondered a moment. "When you return with Mona. At dusk." He grinned. "Well, that wasn''t exactly a time and date, but it''s a bit difficult to know your schedule, so you''ll have to excuse me."


    "I''ll take it." I said with a faint smile. "I''ll leave you to your work." I quickly left the library, fearing he might try to rope me in to helping him with whatever that massive pile of documents was.


    As I headed back outside, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat excited for that match. I had fought against Fetheion before, I knew he was really strong. But I didn''t know the full extent of his power. How much of a chance would we have against Aelith if we could defeat Fetheion?


    It was impossible to tell, really.


    "What did he say?" Lucius asked with anticipation as I approached them. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I sat down on the grass with them. "Next time we''re all here, the match is on." I said with a grin. "So, make sure you prepare."


    Asher chuckled. "Good job, Kai." He glanced at the entrance. "I was sure he''d say no."


    I shook my head. "It wasn''t too difficult, he seemed bored anyways."


    We laughed a bit, but then I spoke again. "I fought him before ¨C he''s incredibly powerful. I don''t know if we stand a chance against him."


    Asher''s smile shattered while Mona seemed somewhat surprised. "Wait, really?" The cheerful druid asked. "Even if we''re four people?"


    I nodded. "You''ll see when it comes to it, but Asher ¨C you''ll need to play a support role for me and Lucius. You too Mona. You can''t get through to him with your usual spells." Their mana pools would never be enough to even get past his defences, let alone reach him.


    We talked and planned for a while, then at about midday, I pushed myself up and stretched my arms. "Mona," I said glancing at her. "You said you would meet with Theresa and Laura, right?"


    The young druid nodded. "Yes. Apparently, there''s something unusual going on somewhere north of Baile Chailce. We decided to check it out, see how dangerous it is and put an end to it if we can." She glanced at the sky. "We were to meet up in the fields where we first met, actually." She smiled.


    "When are you meeting?" I asked as her word piqued my curiosity. What could be going on north of the city? Would it be safe for only those three to investigate?


    "Tomorrow morning." She smiled. "I should get going in a bit, actually. I want to be there a little earlier to see if there''s any danger." She glanced at the entrance to Fetheion''s hideout. "I''ll be right back ¨C I should give these to the Divine before I forget about it." She dashed to the door as Lucius sighed.


    "She''s way too cheerful." The young swordsman said with a faint smile. "I''m having trouble keeping up." Asher nodded. "Tell me about it." He glanced at me. "You''re thinking about going with her, right?"


    I nodded. "She and her friends helped us a lot. I want to return the favour." I smiled. "Besides, if there''s some action north of Baile Chailce, I want in too."


    "When did you become so bloodthirsty?" Lucius laughed. I shrugged. "Dying does that to you."


    We didn''t have to wait long for Mona to return with a huge, mischievous grin on her face. "He''s probably going to suffocate amidst all those documents." She giggled.


    "Perhaps I should offer to help him." Asher mumbled. "It would be a shame if he couldn''t fight us because of all that paperwork after all." He did have a point, but that didn''t stop us from laughing. The mental image of Asher and Fetheion sorting documents was just hilarious for some reason. Perhaps because it was so normal in this magical, deadly world.


    After some more banter, Mona stood up and stretched her body. "Ah, this was fun!" She shouted with a grin. "But I should get going. If I leave now, I''ll be there a couple of hours before dawn. That''s enough time to scout the area and make sure everything''s in order."


    I also stood up. "Do you mind if I tag along?" Despite my completely help-oriented goal, I couldn''t help but feel a little awkward as I asked.


    "Really?" Mona''s face lightened up. Her eyes sparkled with joy.


    I noticed Lucius grin behind her, but a quick, deadly glance at him was enough to shut him up.


    "I''d love that!" She shouted and jumped up and down with pure joy. "What about you guys?" She turned to look at the other two.


    "Too many people would be easy to spot. I think the four of you can handle everything perfectly." Asher said with a kind smile and almost formal tone of voice. Lucius nodded, constantly glancing at me.


    "Aw," Mona seemed upset for a split second, but immediately cheered up again. "We''ll be back soon then! I''m looking forward to that fight!"

 Chapter 199: Lights in the Water

    "Whoa, that was so weird and trippy!" Mona exclaimed as we stepped out of the rift. She quickly glanced at me. Her eyes widened with amazement as I ended Soul''s Aspect and my body returned to normal. "You look really threatening when you use that spell." She grinned. "I''m almost scared!"


    I chuckled but didn''t really say anything. I wasn''t sure of how to respond to her playful attitude. "Oh, look! There''s the river!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a wide, shallow river in the distance. I went along while looking around to get my bearings.


    We were in the massive sea of long grass. Close to where I killed the two demons chasing us, back when Asher first fell unconscious.


    Felt like ages ago ¨C I wondered, had their kin recovered their bodies? I wished so. "Come on!" Mona''s steps quickened as we approached the river.


    When we arrived, she let go of my arm and quickly knelt by the shore. "Look!" She pointed at the water. "Come closer, Kai. See?"


    Somewhat confused, I knelt beside her. My gaze followed her finger, then my eyes widened.


    "What are those?" I asked as my gaze followed the colourful glowing fish in the water.


    "No idea!" Mona giggled. "They''re so pretty!" She tiled her head as I she was pondering something.


    "Mona?" I asked, somewhat wary of what mischievous thing she might be planning. "What are you thinking?"


    She giggled again and jumped back up on her feet. "Nothing!" She looked around. I noticed her eyes change slightly ¨C they had slits, like that of a cat''s eye. "Looks like we''re safe here." She said with a smile.


    I nodded after a moment. I didn''t sense anything dangerous nearby, no malicious mana, no demonic or divine magic ¨C nothing.


    "Explain to me again," I said after a moment. "Why did we come here at night?" I had thought she''d prefer to sleep in a proper bed at Fetheion''s home rather than spending the night outside. We didn''t even have tents with us!


    "I wanted to show you the fish." She stepped closer and hugged me. "And I wanted to spend some time with you ¨C before Laura and Theresa comes. Before we have to fight again."


    Her words startled me. For a moment, I didn''t know what I was supposed to say, or what I was supposed to do with my hands.


    "Isn''t it ok?" She asked with a catch in her voice.


    "Of course it is." I said, a weak smile on my lips. I hugged her. "We can spend as much time as you''d like."


    I don''t know how long we stood like that. Eventually, she pulled herself together ¨C I only noticed she was crying when she stepped back ¨C and suggested we find someplace secluded to spend the night. Just in case demons were patrolling the area.


    We set up a ''camp'' at the foot of one of the taller hills. It was difficult to call it a hill though, since it was just relatively large bump on the field and nothing more. Perhaps ten meters in height, it provided us with little to no cover.


    "I''ll keep watch," I suggested. I was sure she''d protest but Mona seemed fine with it. She lay down, right next to me and almost immediately fell asleep. I chuckled, then began watching our surroundings.


    Keeping watch was boring as always, but it was for the best. I was fine with it as long as it allowed Mona a good night''s sleep. Though, maybe ten minutes into my watch, I noticed she wasn''t having a good night''s sleep as she hugged herself and pulled her knees closer to her chest in her sleep. Was she cold?


    I took off my cloak and covered her with it. I wasn''t ¨C at least not more than usual. The cloak was of little use to me anyways. Seeing Mona relax a little with the warmth brought a smile to my face.


    I spent a few hours doing nothing, then a few more inspecting the crystal Luhen had given me. I didn''t try anything like trying to activate it since I didn''t want to wake Mona up, but I tried to learn something from it nonetheless.


    At dawn, I carefully got up, making sure I wouldn''t wake her up, and knelt by the river right by us. I splashed some water to my face as I tried to get rid of my tiredness.


    I heard footsteps not long after, then something yanked me back.


    "Ah, my hair!" I shouted as Mona dragged me away from the river. I lost my balance and fell on my back. Mona''s somewhat angry expression quickly filled my view as she poked my chest with every word she spoke. "Why didn''t you wake me up?"


    I kind of wanted to laugh, because she just seemed so comically angry, but considering my current position, it was probably not smart to do that. "Sorry," I said as I tried to get up. She quickly pushed me back down. I felt her weight on my legs. "You were sleeping so soundly, and you seemed tired, so I thought it would be ok." I quickly tried to explain myself. "I can stay up for a few days before it starts affecting me."


    Mona''s expression shifted between several emotions, then settled on¡­ kind of happy? I couldn''t really tell.


    "You idiot," She giggled. Yep, I thought to myself, she wasn''t too angry with me. I breathed a sigh of relief. "But seriously!" She suddenly exclaimed. "You can''t do that ¨C I''m not so fragile and weak that I need your protection!"


    Her words startled me a little. I had never thought of her as fragile or weak. "You keep doing that," She said with a calmer, but serious tone. "I need you to realise that I can take care of myself. We can take care of ourselves ¨C Theresa, Laura and me. We''re capable." She glared into my eyes.


    "It wasn''t my intention-"


    "And," She cut me off as a mischievous smile appeared on her lips. "I''d say you are the one we should be looking after since you already proved you can''t stay alive on your own."


    I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, don''t you start too." I had heard enough of this from Fetheion. "But really," I tried to explain again. "I didn''t mean to belittle you, Laura or Theresa. Sorry."


    She pondered a moment before giggling. "It''s fine, as long as you stop doing things like this."


    I sighed and nodded. "Ok, fine. I promise." I hesitated as I felt the presence of magic nearby. It wasn''t divine or demonic. Was it Laura and Theresa? "Um, I think the others are coming so, do you mind getting off me?"


    Mona''s face immediately turned red as she basically leapt up and took several steps back. I couldn''t help but laugh as I also pushed myself up.


    "Hey guys!" I heard Laura''s voice not a moment later. "Kai!" The two women''s steps hastened as they saw us in the distance. "Oh, I couldn''t believe it when Mona told us you had somehow survived!" Both her and Theresa gave me a quick hug.


    "You two are early!" Mona chimed in. Her cheeks were still red, but at least her voice and expression were normal. "How did you make it here so fast?"


    Theresa yawned. "Slept less." She mumbled. "Looks like you rested well though." She glanced at me. "Can''t say the same about you ¨C you look like you haven''t slept in days."


    I shook my head. "I generally just look like that I think." A quick, sheepish glance at Mona was enough to see her rather angry glare. I had failed to mention the lack of sleep I was suffering from these last several days. "It might be a side effect of losing some of my power."


    Theresa tilted her head. "Hmm, maybe." She glanced at Mona. "You should still try and get some sleep Kai. Don''t let the crazy one keep you up."


    I couldn''t help but laugh. Mona was really the crazier one among these three. "Don''t worry too much about me." I said after my laughter subsided. "I''m fine."


    Laura shook her head as she lightly patted my shoulder. "I''m afraid that''s not an option anymore, Kai. You already proved worse at survival than the rest of us, so-"


    "Oh my god, please just stop with the same joke everyone!" I cried out. "I''m suffering here!"


    All three of them laughed. "Well," Theresa glanced at me. "We''ll keep you safe, don''t worry."


    "Not you too, Theresa!" I shook my head in defeat. "Not fair, you''re all ganging up on me!"


    "Aw," Mona giggled. Laura squeezed my shoulder and spoke in a deceptively serious tone. "While we do joke a lot, we are going towards an unknown danger. We must remain vigilant ¨C lest Kai gets himself killed once more and the Thirteenth Divine locks him up to make sure he survives."


    I burst out in laughter, just like everyone else. Even Laura couldn''t keep a straight face till the end. I had to admit ¨C she had me at the first half.

 Chapter 200: Not Alone

    After a simple breakfast, we set off. Thankfully, the jokes about my death had stopped, though probably only temporarily.


    We walked since Mona and I were the only ones with flight. While Laura did have the ability to use magic, from what I understood, her spells weren''t exactly combat oriented and didn''t provide her with the spell Asher had.


    I didn''t mind walking; it was a nice change of pace and walking with these three was fun. Though our conversations had died down by now, we had laughed and chatted quite a bit in the past couple of hours.


    Now, I was retelling the story of my death to them. I skipped most of the irrelevant parts and simply explained Alina and Joshua''s betrayal and the Divine''s trap.


    "So, now you lost most of your power and you need to get it back?" Theresa asked, slightly tilting her head. I nodded. She pondered for a while as Laura clearly was fuming.


    "How dare they ¨C you risked your life to protect them so many times!" She hissed. Her red eyes let out an unnatural glow. A crimson mist began to from beneath her feet.


    "Has anyone told you that you''re terrifying when you''re angry?" I asked with a grin. "Just remind me not to piss you off."


    Her anger vanished as she chuckled. Well, maybe it didn''t vanish, but she seemed to have it under control now. "It''s just so wrong." She said, shaking her head.


    "How will you get your power back?" Theresa chimed in; her voice filled with curiosity.


    I shrugged. "I don''t know yet. First, I need to figure out where it''s kept."


    Many possibilities came to mind. It could be in the palace in Baile Chailce, it could still be in the hands of that Divine. Even Alina or Joshua could have hidden it somewhere. "Worst case scenario is if it''s kept somewhere in the Palace in Baile Chailce." I didn''t think we could pull off a heist and if we tried to break in by force, I was fairly sure we''d all end up dead.


    Theresa fiddled with a few strands of her shoulder length black hair. "Indeed, that would be troublesome." She mumbled. "Perhaps¡­" Her voice faded as her mind went off to her own world.


    "What if the Divine has it?" Laura asked after glancing at Theresa. "What will you do then?"


    I shrugged. There wasn''t much to my so-called plan anyways. "I''ll kill her and take it back."


    Laura seemed surprised for a moment, but then she chuckled. "We''ll be there to help." She said with a smile. Mona was quick to nod. "No way we''re letting them get away with this."


    "Thank you," I couldn''t believe how lucky I was ¨C I hadn''t expected them to lend their aid like this. I hadn''t even dared expect their acceptance. I was lucky to have met them. "It means a lot, really." And because I felt like this, I wasn''t going to let anything happen to them.


    "I''ll try to think of a way to break into the palace." Theresa''s low voice startled me. "But yes, we''ll help. Mona will get angry if you try to do any of this without us."


    A quick glance at Mona was enough to prove Theresa wasn''t lying.


    "I''ll make sure everyone is on the same page and ready to go before I try anything." I glanced at the crimson haired druid again. She showed me a wide, oh so innocent smile. I breathed a sigh of relief.


    "By the way." I said after a short while of silence. "Where exactly are we going?"


    Laura opened her interface and showed me her map. It was a topographic map, just like mine. "See," She said, pointing at a valley between two tall mountains. "Something''s going on here, apparently. The adventuring guilds and such had loads of quests about this place back in the city, but since the danger level was higher than usual most players skipped it."


    I flinched ¨C where they still doing those quests? Was it even a good idea?


    "Don''t worry," Theresa said with a flat voice. "We haven''t been doing quests since the thirteenth Divine told us not to do them. They aid the Divine Matriarch and her subordinates. We simply use the guild as an information centre."


    "That''s¡­ a very good idea that hadn''t crossed my mind." I mumbled, feeling somewhat guilty for doubting them.


    Laura chuckled. "Remember though ¨C this isn''t Divine magic that''s spotted there. It''s demonic." Her voice grew more serious as her expression darkened. "We now know the Divines and some Ereth aren''t as innocent and pure as they made it seem, but that doesn''t mean the Demons are the good guys."


    I nodded. I knew how sadistic and terrifying the Demons were ¨C I had suffered plenty in Vixia''s hands. Despite the months that had passed since then, I found it impossible to forget those moments.


    "Are we going there to cleanse the demonic magic?" I asked to get back to the issue at hand. Laura shook her head. "No, our first goal is to assess the situation. If it''s not too dangerous and if there aren''t any players nearby, we can try to cleanse it."


    Theresa sighed. "Other players are a fairly big concern right now." She said, shaking her head. "Nearly everyone knows you as the Pale Demon and the Matriarch''s Champion from that tournament. No way they won''t recognise you if we run into anyone. And your funeral was a grand one which the Divine Matriarch herself attended."


    I rolled my eyes. "I hadn''t realised my death would be such a huge deal in Baile Chailce." Aelith hadn''t stopped using me even when I was dead. For some reason, that annoyed me a hell of a lot more then most other things she''d done.


    "Well," Mona chuckled. "You are the Keeper of Souls. You aren''t just a powerful player but also a symbol, both for Ereth and the Demons. No way she''d let that chance go."


    Silence enveloped us as we continued walking. At dusk, Laura suggested we set up camp. We found a water source ¨C a narrow, shallow creek and set up camp there.


    Theresa immediately began preparing dinner while Mona and Laura set up their tents.


    "Don''t you have a tent, Kai?" Laura asked. I shook my head. "I like the night sky." I wasn''t lying ¨C the fresh air and the sounds of the night were blessings in my eyes. I had more trouble sleeping inside than I had outside.


    Soon, our dinner was ready, and we dug in. It didn''t take us long to finish it ¨C Theresa''s cooking, even with the limited number of tools and ingredients at her disposal, was excellent.


    Once finished, we sat and chatted for a bit. After a short while passed, I noticed Laura glaring at Mona. Somewhat confused, I glanced at Theresa, who was watching the other two with a mild grin on her face. Mona, still not aware of Laura''s glare, was still talking about the fish we say the night before.


    "Speaking of nature and beautiful things," Laura spoke, her voice calm. Too calm. "You skipped your rituals again, didn''t you Mona?"


    The cheerful druid flinched. "Ah," She awkwardly giggled. "Well, you see," Her voice faded as whatever will of resistance she had crumbled under Laura''s gaze. "I''ll go do that now."


    She pushed herself up and walked a few dozen steps away. Just like before, as soon as she raised her hand and her beautiful dance began, I felt like something was suffocating me.


    It reminded me of how I felt in the alcove back in the Torchlight Woods, but much more powerful, and much more suffocating.


    With each step she took, with each turn of her body, the life magic gathering around her thickened. The plants bloomed beneath her feet. With each second that passed, I could breathe less. It was dangerous. More so than before.


    I forced myself to get up. "I''ll look around for a bit," I said with a weak voice and quickly walked off. Only once I was far away enough that I couldn''t sense her magic did I breathe a sigh of relief.


    I knelt by the shallow, narrow creek and splashed some water on my face.


    "So, her magic affects you?" Laura''s voice startled me. I jumped to my feet and only relaxed when I saw her standing a few meters away.


    "You could say that," I said, looking away. "I didn''t think it''d be this bad."


    The blonde woman shook her head. "You''re much more of a demon than you were before, Kai." There wasn''t a hint of blame or disappointment in her voice. Yet I still felt guilty. "I''m worried about what will happen to you if this keeps up."


    I shrugged. "I don''t know." I didn''t want to think too much about it either. "I am more of a Demon. You''re right about that. But there isn''t much I can do about it. I''ll handle it somehow, so please don''t worry too much."


    "Mona worries, and as such, so do I and Theresa." Laura''s voice was filled with sorrow. "When you died, Mona only learned of your survival a while later. She was devastated. Theresa and I also mourned you of course, but it hit Mona different. I don''t want to see my friend go through that again, Kai." She stepped closer and gently touched my shoulder. "I know you''d sacrifice yourself if it meant getting us out of this virtual world, but please remember that you won''t be the only one to suffer should you die."


    She stepped back again. "Remember, we''re all here to help. This isn''t just your fight."

 Chapter 201: Between the Mountains

    Laura words echoed in my mind through the whole night. I knew my death had hurt those around me already, but being told that again, first by Lucius and then Laura, helped bring somethings into perspective.


    Now, it was shortly after dawn. Everyone was awake and we had already had out breakfast. Mona was doing her ritual dance by the camp while I walked along the river.


    After some consideration during breakfast, we decided to head into the valley brimming with demonic power at midday. It was when a Demon''s power was at its weakest, giving us slightly better odds in case we needed to fight. Thus, we suddenly found ourselves with some free time in our hands. While Mona, Laura and Theresa decided to simply remain in camp and¡­ do whatever, I chose to walk down the creek for a bit.


    A little bit of time alone to get my thoughts together helped, as my mind felt somewhat clearer by the time I returned to camp.


    "Found anything interesting?" Theresa asked as I came to sit by them. I shook my head. "Just endless grass. Honestly, this place is massive."


    The black haired archer nodded. "It really is." She glanced north, where two tall peaks were barely visible through the clouds. "They look massive too." She mumbled. "We should probably get going ¨C the entrance to the valley isn''t too far away."


    She didn''t need to say that twice. We quickly gathered our things and set off. As we approached the tall mountains, our conversations slowly died down and eventually, only our footsteps and breathing broke the fragile silence.


    The entrance to the valley was through a cave, according to the guild they had gotten this information from. "Apparently there is a barrier in place that prevents any entries from above," The usually cheerful druid spoke in a low voice as we approached the mountains.


    "I don''t like this," I mumbled. "It''s a perfect setup for a trap."


    Laura nodded. "That is why we will assess the situation first. No rushing. We have all the time we need."


    While her words seemed to help with Mona and Theresa''s anxiousness, they didn''t do anything for me. I knew all too well how powerless we would be if the Demon Lord showed up. No matter how careful we were and how slow we took things, everything would fall apart the second he arrived.


    It took us less than fifteen minutes to find the entrance of the cave Mona was talking about. It was a narrow crack right where the two mountains met.


    "Is it just me," I whispered, "Or do those mountains look like teeth to you?"


    Theresa flinched. "Please don''t say that."


    I stepped back and looked up, towards the peaks. There wasn''t a single tree on the mountains. Their surfaces were in stark contrast to our surroundings ¨C a mix of brown, yellow and white. The more I looked at them, the more they seemed like two massive fangs sticking out of the ground.


    "Please don''t be alive." I whispered. None of the others heard me, which I was thankful for, but I couldn''t help but feel even more on edge now. I couldn''t even imagine what a creature which such huge fangs would even look like.


    "Kai, are you good to go?" Laura asked, glancing towards the crack in the surface of the tooth-mountain. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and nodded.


    Mona was the first to go. She stepped inside the cave, then waited for us. Laura and I followed next. While the entrance was just a crack, the cave itself was quite large and spacious. As I looked around in the darkness, Laura created a light at the tip of her fingers, effectively blinding me.


    Theresa followed us while I took a mental note ¨C do not explore caves with others.


    Once we were all inside, I took point and led them through the dark, twisting caves. I could see the faint reflection of sunlight on most walls. It didn''t take me long to find the other side ¨C the entrance to the mysterious valley.


    "Slowly now," Laura whispered. I nodded. The pale sunlight was just a few steps ahead now, but I couldn''t see anything beyond the entrance because of the overgrown vines covering it.


    As I stepped closer and carefully pushed the vines aside with my sword, I had to slow down because of a ringing sound.


    "What is it?" Mona asked as I shook my head to get rid of it. It kind of felt like my ears were ringing, but it also felt like it was coming from within the valley. "Do you hear a ringing?" I asked. All three women shook their heads in confusion. Mona''s expression quickly turned into worry.


    "Should we go back?" She asked. I shook my head. "No, it''s probably because of the demonic magic. Let''s keep going but be careful."


    I stepped out of the cave and was met with a breath-taking view.


    Blue grass spread beneath my feet, covering the whole valley. A few large trees were blooming in the distance. An old ruin stood tall at the bottom of the valley, vines and their flowers climbing its walls.


    "It''s so pretty!" Mona whispered as she motioned to step ahead.


    The ringing sound got louder as I watched her take a couple of steps forward. What was this annoying sound? I took a deep breath and focused ¨C there was clearly magic at work here, so why couldn''t I see any of its flow?


    The ringing sound got louder.


    "Mona, stop." As soon as the words left my mouth, the druid froze mid step. Her posture immediately changed as she raised her hand slightly, ready to cast a spell.


    "Something feels off." I mumbled. "I can''t see the flow of magic."


    I looked up to the sky, where a barrier preventing entry supposedly was. I couldn''t see anything out of the ordinary and I couldn''t sense any magic nearby.


    "Perhaps you''re not¡­ Demon enough?" Theresa asked. "I mean, your soul is human, as is your mind. So, maybe that''s why things are off?"


    I glanced at Laura. "Do you sense any magic?" She shook her head. "No, but I don''t hear any ringing either."


    Mona tilted her head. "Do the thing ¨C with the demon''s soul."


    It took me a split second to understand what she meant by ''the thing''. She was talking about using Soul''s Aspect to take on the Corrupted Demon''s form. Would that even work?


    "Worth a shot," I mumbled. I cast the spell, then grunted as my body began to change. Laura and Theresa stepped back, confusion and shock in their faces. Mona glanced at them with a grin and giggled. "It really cool isn''t it?"


    "That''s one way to put it," Theresa mumbled as my transformation finished. "Did it work?"


    As soon as I opened my eyes and looked towards the sky, I nodded. "Yeah."


    A massive barrier surrounding the entire valley was clearly visible to me now. The amount and density of magic flowing through it was unlike anything else I had seen. And the barrier wasn''t the only thing brimming with demonic magic.


    "Oh no," I whispered. "Mona, no matter what you do, don''t move from that spot."


    I could see it now ¨C intricate lines of magic, covering the entire surface of the valley. And that wasn''t all ¨C strands of magic were seemingly randomly moving in the air. What was all this?


    "What did you see?" Mona asked with a hint of worry in her voice. "What am I standing on?"


    I took a deep breath. "You''re not standing on anything ¨C it''s just that¡­ There''s demonic magic everywhere." I carefully stepped forward and pointed at the ground, a safe spot between the lines of flowing magic. "Step here."


    She did as I said, and less than a minute later, we she was back with the others, in the relative safety of the cavern. "Explain exactly what you see." Laura said as I stood outside. "Don''t skip any details."


    I nodded. "There is a barrier on top ¨C I''ve never seen such a powerful one. The building down there seems to be the focal point of whatever is going on here." I pointed at the ground. "The entire valley is basically a massive magical circle ¨C not a circle really, but you get my point."


    Mona clenched her fists. "The guild notice only said ''a barrier coving the sky and minor demonic magic in the valley itself''. Are they trying to get players killed or what?" She glanced at Laura and Theresa, who could only shrug.


    "Whatever this is, it''s clearly important." I said after a moment of silence. "Very important. Not even some of the Demon castles were this well protected." Not even their main base, where I first met the Demon Lord and almost killed Vixia was this well protected.


    I took a deep breath and asked the question on everyone''s minds.


    "Should we turn back?"

 Chapter 202: The Bottom of the Valley

    "No," Mona firmly spoke. "You''re right, this is clearly very important. Too important for us to just turn our backs and leave." She glanced at me. "We can''t turn back ¨C we need to learn what''s going on."


    Laura sighed while Theresa gritted her teeth. "It''s too dangerous." The black-haired archer spoke. "What if something happens? Remember, Kai isn''t at full power and he''s the only one who can actually see the flow of magic." She glanced at Laura. "You don''t sense a thing, do you?"


    Laura shook her head. "Nope. I can tell there''s magic around but that''s it." She glanced at me. "You don''t have a way of letting us see this¡­ flow of magic you were talking about, do you?"


    "No, sorry." I didn''t even think something like that was possible. "And Theresa is right. I''m not at full power ¨C I''m still strong, but just barely enough to go head to head against one powerful demon." I hesitated. "Maybe."


    Laura''s expression showed nothing but worry and uncertainty. I know I wasn''t exactly a source of confidence either, but then again, I never claimed to be one. "I think I can guide you through the weaves of magic." I glanced at the purple lined of magic everywhere. "Probably." There wasn''t a clear path through, we needed to be careful if we were to do this.


    "What would happen if we passed through the magic?" Mona asked. "So far, it has never been an issue and I did walk ahead, and nothing happened." Theresa seemed hesitant as Mona continued. "Besides, even if a demon were to come, you said you are probably strong enough to take it on. Add our power to that equation and we come out on top." She smiled with newfound confidence.


    "No." Her smile shattered as I harshly spoke. "If the Demon Lord comes, then we''re dead. Nothing ¨C not even the entirety of our combined power would be enough to so much as slow him down."


    Mona''s expression changed to shock while Laura and Theresa stepped back instinctively.


    "Is he that powerful?" Laura asked. I looked the blonde woman straight in the eye as I replied. "When he arrived, a Divine who was powerful enough to toy with me tried to run away with fear. She lived no more." I touched my throat, right where the Demon Lord had slashed her throat. "Happened faster than I could see."


    Was I exaggerating? Not really, no. I had met the Demon Lord twice, and both time I had tasted a fraction of his power. I knew we stook no chance. None at all. I couldn''t let Mona, Laura and Theresa to misjudge our power for that was sure to get us killed.


    "What do we do then?" Mona asked. Her previous smile was nowhere to be seen.


    "We move carefully and deliberately. One step at a time. We approach the building, see what''s up and then back off." I took a deep breath. "Then, once we know what''s going on, we can return with a proper plan and with some additional help if need be."


    Laura nodded. "I like it. Let''s do that." She hesitated. "But if all four of us go, we won''t be very¡­ discreet." She glanced at Mona. "Wait ¨C we''re idiots. Mona, turn into something small and hold on to Kai. We''ll wait here ready to charge the moment something goes wrong."


    Mona hesitated. "Does that work for you?" She asked. I nodded. "Something with flight would be the best. There are almost no weaves in the air. You can alert Laura and Theresa if need be."


    Mona didn''t seem entirely happy with my suggestion but did as I asked anyways. She moved further into the cavern to cast the spell. I felt her magic for a split second as Laura stepped closer and grabbed my arm. "You''re not planning something stupid, are you?" She asked with a deadly glare.


    "No. I can fly or rift away if something happens. Mona needs to have as much mobility as she can too, or she''ll be in danger of falling behind or getting caught." I quickly explained myself. I was glad that there were no lie-detecting spells at her disposal though, because ''rifting away'' wasn''t something I was capable of. Not in the middle of battle anyways.


    Laura, however, seemed to have believed my words as she let go of me just before an eagle flew out of the cave. It was Mona, of course. She landed on my shoulder, then beat her wings almost as if she were urging me to get going.


    "Be careful." Theresa said. "Mona, make the loudest possible voice if you need our help. We''ll be there." The eagle nodded as I took a deep breath end stepped forward.


    With careful, yet rhythmic steps, I made my way over to the building at the bottom of the valley. Avoiding the purple lines where demonic magic flowed was a challenge ¨C whatever this massive magical circle ¨C or array ¨C was, it was the most complex one I had seen so far. Using an entire valley to form it was no small feat either. I could only hope it wasn''t the Demon Lord who was doing this.


    But no, it if were him, I would know. I was sure he wasn''t here because time flowed normally.


    Mona remained silent on my shoulder, though I could sense how impatient she was. She clearly just wanted to fly up and take a look inside the building over the wall. The only thing stopping her were my previous words ¨C I was sure of it.


    It took me a short time to reach the building.


    Now that we were closer to it, we could see just how old it was. What used to be ¨C probably ¨C a tall tower, was now just a few meter tall wall around a circular platform. The wall itself was also cracked and partially destroyed and looking towards out left, I could see some other ruins. Were those the fallen remainders of the tower?


    The flow of magic was also stronger here. I carefully steppe closer to, making sure to remain out of sight, behind the fallen ruins of the tower.


    "The flow of magic is really complex here." I whispered. "Don''t fly off, ok?"


    The eagle on my shoulder didn''t make a sound, but I felt her claws dig into my clothes and skin as Mona clearly became more anxious. I didn''t blame her ¨C though I would be happier if she didn''t ruin my clothes. I was also nervous, afraid even.


    I stepped closer, making sure to avoid the flow of magic and finally arrived before the building. I could see the entrance ¨C a set of stairs with grand sculptures on both sides, to the left of me. Naturally, I didn''t take that path. It would be nothing but suicide, probably. Instead, I moved to the right, where I spotted a gap in the wall.


    The rustle of the tall, blue grass as I took each step sounded too loud to me. With every step I felt like I was announcing my location. I moved slowly, trying to make the least noise and eventually arrived before the gap.


    My whole body tensed up as I saw two familiar figures.


    At the centre of the round platform was sarcophagus. Before it stood a woman, clearly a demon. She was old. Her face was full of wrinkles and her hands and arms were so thin and frail that I feared a sneeze would be enough to kill her.


    Yet despite her frailness, she was the one controlling all of the magic here. I could feel it ¨C see it even, as with each of her barely visible motions, the flow of magic in the entire valley would shift and change ever so slightly.


    Behind her stood Vixia. She wore a dark coloured leather armour ¨C a stark difference from her previous, rather revealing outfits. A sword on her hip and the helmet next to her on the ground was proof enough that she was ready for battle. I gulped ¨C she suddenly seemed so much more threatening. In more ways than one.


    To the left, right where the stairs I avoided lead, stood Delthur. He also looked quite a bit different from when I last saw him. He wasn''t wearing armour and hand instead opted for more comfortable clothes and a cloak. From his expression alone, I could see he wasn''t at peak condition. He looked like he was in quite a bit of pain.


    As Mona and I watched, the frail old woman rested her hands on the sarcophagus. "It''s of no use." Her dry voice was barely audible. "My power can''t reach his soul and I can not find his body either."


    Vixia clenched her fists. "I need you to make this happen!" Her voice was everything but calm.


    "I''m sorry, my girl." The old woman shook her head. "There is nothing I can do."


    "But-"


    "Lady Vixia," Delthur chimed in with a cracked voice. "Please-" His words were cut short when he started coughing. He quickly wiped his mouth with a piece of red cloth, and put it back in his pocket, but not before I saw a darker red stain on it.

 Chapter 203: The Tomb of the Keeper of Souls

    Vixia seemed conflicted. Her expression showed a host of emotions. She was worried about Delthur, clearly upset, even angry about something and she also seemed rather desperate. This wasn''t a look fitting for her. Despite being enemies, I disliked seeing her like this.


    "But where could his soul have gone?" She finally asked, turning her gaze on the old woman. "It should have been here ¨C he was buried here, wasn''t he?"


    I furrowed my brows. Whose grave was this? Who lay in that sarcophagus?


    "Yes, but it no longer is." The old woman said, her thin fingers gently stroking the sarcophagus'' surface. "Perhaps you should speak to the Lord," She paused and cleared her throat. She didn''t seem like she had much time left in this world. "He knows more than I do."


    Vixia shook her head. "No, I need to do this on my own ¨C I can''t cause him more pain." She clenched her fists. "Please, tell me what you know."


    Delthur seemed to want to warn her, but the moment he opened his mouth, he quickly touched his throat and stepped back. That''s when I noticed the scars on the back of his hand and arms. Had¡­ Had I done that?


    Clearly unable to speak up, he tried to muffle his coughs under that piece of red cloth.


    "He''s not ok¡­" I whispered. He was much healthier before; I was sure of it. Of course, he was coughing a lot even the first time I met him, but back then it only seemed like an inconvenience, nothing more.


    "All I can tell you is that a long time ago, the Lord argued with a man shrouded in shadow. The man left that day but came back and took the body sometime later." Her frail hand formed a fist. "I couldn''t stop him." Her voice cracked. "The Lord was angry, furious even. He never told me who that person was, just that he''d ''take care of it''." She turned to face Vixia. "That person must be long dead by now."


    Vixia didn''t move for a while. "Someone took the body?" She asked. "And I''m only hearing of this now?" I felt the flow of magic around us shift and change as her eyes flashed purple. "Why didn''t you tell me of this?" She shouted at the old woman. I glanced around anxiously. Was Vixia trying to take control of the magic array around us?


    The old woman didn''t even seem phased by the younger demon''s anger. "Because it was the Lord''s order. No one shall know, he said, and none ever learned." She turned her back on Vixia and gently touched the sarcophagus again. "If that is all, it is time to leave." She glanced at the sky. "Soon the sun will begin to set, and we do not wish to be here at dusk, lest the guardian of this place devours us alive."


    Delthur flinched, as did I. "The guardian?" Delthur asked, his voice barely audible. The old woman nodded. "Are we done here, Vixia?" Her voice was firm and cold. Vixia hesitated a little, then approached the sarcophagus.


    Her fingers touched the sarcophagus as she spoke with a low voice. "I didn''t want to believe it." She glanced at the old woman. "I didn''t want to believe that boy was the Keeper. I wanted to believe he was a fake. That the bloody Ereth had done something that would eventually blow up in their faces."


    Delthur clenched his fists as Vixia continued. "They succeeded, didn''t they? It''s not a fake. He is in¡­ his in his body," She glanced at the old woman. "Please tell me I''m wrong."


    The old woman said nothing, but from the way she averted her gaze, it was clear that Vixia wasn''t wrong. "Damn it!" The younger demon shouted. "Why? How?" She asked. "If they revived his body, what happened to his soul?"


    I clenched my fists. They were talking about me and my predecessor. I needed to hear this ¨C all of it. Perhaps this would answer the many questions I had. I also wanted to know where my predecessor''s soul was.


    The older woman seemed hesitant as Vixia turned to look at her with red eyes. "Where is it, grandma?" She whispered.


    "They took it." The old woman finally spoke, her gaze fixed far away. "Sealed him in a crystal ¨C an eternal prison." She looked at the sarcophagus. "Or that''s what I believe." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "I don''t know what happened to him ¨C his soul was here one day, yet gone the next one. I found no traces of Ereth, or Demons. No one seemed to have come here, yet for some reason, he was gone." She took a small, thin object out of her pocket and showed it to Vixia. "A single crystal shard is all I found that day."


    I flinched. I knew that pink colour all too well.


    "That''s-" Vixia began to speak, but the older woman quickly shook her head. "It may be them; it may not be them." Her voice was calm, almost as if she were lecturing someone on a subject. "Don''t get worked up over something you can not change. Even if I am right, there is nothing you, or any of us can do. So, focus on what you can do Vixia." She looked at the mountains. "Don''t let the past root you in place."


    Silence followed her words. Eventually she broke the silence again. "Let us leave. There is nothing left for us in this place." She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. I looked around to see the flow of magic slowly die down. The array disappeared within seconds and that low, annoying ringing sound I was hearing slowly died down.


    "Let''s." Vixia mumbled. As I watched, the old woman created a rift and they passed through is if it were normal.


    I sighed a breath of relief once the rift closed.


    "The magic disappeared Mona," I said as I glanced at the eagle on my shoulder. "You can turn back to a human now."


    She hopped to the ground and did just that, then shot a look towards where Laura and Theresa waited. "Before we talk about anything, let''s call them here." As soon as she finished her words, she placed two fingers between her lips and whistled.


    Less than a minute later, Laura and Theresa entered our view and approached us.


    "What happened?" The blonde woman asked before Theresa or Mona could get a word in.


    "There were three demons, they lifted the spells before they left." I made a vague motion pointing at our surroundings. "But we still shouldn''t stay here for long," I glanced at the sky. The barrier preventing entry from above was still present and I was sure it also prevented exit as well. "They talked about a guardian." I added after a moment of silence.


    "Uh, yeah¡­" Mona mumbled. "About that, I didn''t understand a word of what was said since they were speaking in demonic the whole time, so you''ll need to explain what was said."


    I nervously chuckled. I hadn''t even noticed they were speaking demonic. Fetheion had lifted the spell that clouded my mind, but despite that I still wasn''t able to always tell the difference. "Right," I mumbled as I wondered why. Demonic and English weren''t even similar. "I''ll explain everything, but once we are out of here."


    "What''s this guardian anyways?" Mona asked, her voice filled with curiosity.


    "I don''t know but apparently it''s strong enough to uh, ''devour'' all three demons." I hesitated. "We do not want to disturb it."


    Laura nodded while Theresa''s attention quickly shifted to the sarcophagus. "What''s that?" She asked as she climbed through the gap in the wall. "Whose grave is this?"


    "Ah," I tried to reach out to stop her, but Mona quickly followed her. "It''s the tomb of the previous Keeper." I explained with a sigh as Laura also followed them. I leapt up and stepped on the platform as well. "We really shouldn''t be here," I quickly said as they approached the sarcophagus.


    "Kai, this guy''s face looks a lot like yours." Mona glanced at me as she pointed towards the carved figure on the sarcophagus'' lid. I nodded. "Yeah, I know." I wasn''t surprised in the slightest. Asher and I had also found a painting that looked exactly like me. And even if we hadn''t found that I already knew my body was my predecessor''s. Fetheion had told me that already.


    Did I want to share that with Mona and the others? No, not really. It was best if some things weren''t said immediately. And it was best if Fetheion explained this instead of me ¨C he knew more about this whole thing anyways.


    I glanced at the barrier covering the sky as the three of them inspected the sarcophagus. "Why is that still up?" I whispered. It clearly wasn''t relevant to whatever the demons were doing here earlier.


    "Guys," I suddenly spoke as a I felt the magic in the barrier shift ever so slightly. "We''re leaving ¨C now!"

 Chapter 204: The Guardian of the Valley

    I grabbed Mona''s arm and dragged her back, towards the gap in the wall. Laura did the same with Theresa.


    "What''s going on?" Mona asked as I dragged her towards the cavern entrance. "Why are we running?"


    I didn''t respond, not because I wanted to keep her in the dark, but because I didn''t know myself. All I knew was that every fibre of my being was telling me to get the hell out of this place.


    Suddenly the cave seemed so far away. As we ran up the hilly terrain, Laura and Theresa caught up to us. Mona freed her hand as I stumbled and glared at me. I was quick to regain my balance. "What are we running from?" She shouted.


    I took a breath, ready to shout at her to trust me, but before I could get the words out, I stumbled again and fell on the ground.


    The moving ground.


    My heart skipped a beat as the ground beneath our feet slowly moved up.


    "What''s going on?" Theresa asked as her bow appeared in her hands. She quickly hooked an arrow, then looked around searching for a target. She didn''t need to search for long, though her dropped shoulders were proof enough that finding her target wasn''t the least bit helpful in this case.


    "How the hell do I kill that?" She whispered as her gaze followed our opponent.


    The ground continued to slowly raise to the air as well as becoming steeper. "We''re standing on it!" I shouted as the ground in the whole valley began moving. The long, round shaped creature slowly lifted its head from beneath the earth, finally entering our view.


    "Oh." Mona said as she grabbed on to Laura for support. The red eyes of the gigantic snake focused on us. "I¡­ think we should keep running." The druid''s words were followed by silence as we stared into the creature''s eyes.


    "Run!" I shouted as its eyes flashed red. It lifted its head higher as I tried to get back up on my feet.


    The thing was massive, gigantic ¨C I couldn''t wrap my head around how big it was! The four of us were standing on somewhere near the middle of its body and we had plenty of space to move around. That''s how big it was.


    I was smaller than its eye.


    That brought things into perspective for me as I shouted again. "Run!"


    I didn''t need to repeat myself again. We ran towards its tail as the surface became steeper. Our steps slowed as pieces of loose earth began raining down on us.


    "We''re so dead!" Laura mumbled as we looked up. The creature''s head was right above us. It hissed at us as it opened its mouth. Seeing those massive fangs and the forked tongue sticking out was enough make me decide ¨C this thing was as terrifying as Aelith. Maybe more.


    "Down!" I shouted and let go of the blue grass still on the creature''s scales. I slid down along its body as it finally made its move. Its teeth snapped right where I was a few seconds ago. I noticed a few drops of a transparent liquid drop on its back.


    Mona and the others did something slightly different. The usually cheerful druid leapt into the air and turned into a giant eagle. Theresa immediately followed her and leapt on her back. Laura, on the other hand, simply jumped down without even a second thought.


    My heart skipped a beat as I watched her fall down from this height. The fall was more than high enough to kill her!


    Laura, however, didn''t seem to mind the height at all as she threw something to the ground as she quickly approached it herself. Perhaps half a second later, water exploded from the ground, cushioning her fall and startling the giant snake.


    "Kai, look out!" Theresa''s shout prompted me to look ahead on my own path as I continued to slide down along the creature''s body. And I did so just in time to see my own impending death as the creature''s tail swung towards me.


    I drew a sharp breath. I was going to be crushed under the incredible weight of that tail if I didn''t do something. My sword materialised in my hands as I gritted my teeth. I couldn''t control my movement at all on the slippery scales of the snake. I had to grip, no way of slowing myself down or doing anything else.


    If only I had my scythe that could cut through anything right now. Instead, all I had was this sword. I took a sharp breath as I searched for a chance. A gap between two scales was all I needed ¨C no matter how small, I knew I could make it work.


    I saw it just in time as thrust the sword between those scales moments before the tail reached me. As soon as my sliding stopped, I firmly grasped the hilt of the sword, planted my feet on the scales and then threw myself up and back.


    The tail grazed my back as my semi-backflip saved my life. I felt the clothes on my back tear and some blood flowed from the shallow, yet painful graze, but I was alive and that was what mattered. As soon as the tail went past me, I quickly summoned my wings. As they appeared on my back, I noticed the creature flinch.


    It took me a moment to notice what was going on. It was quite a familiar sight, actually. It was trying to squish me between its tail and body, much like we tried to slap a fly when it landed on us. The only difference was that I was the fly in this scenario.


    I almost chuckled, but then had to quickly focus on the present again as the red eyes focused me once again.


    I beat my wings and quickly moved away from those sharp fangs while I also looked around to make some sense of the situation. How the hell hadn''t we even noticed that we were standing on a creature this god damned massive?


    How the hell did Vixia and the other two feel even remotely comfortable being here?


    Just in these last few minutes, the terrain around us had changed so drastically that I was having trouble finding my bearings. The building at the centre, where the sarcophagus was, remained untouched. The twin peaks of the fang-like mountains were also visible ¨C thankfully, the creature wasn''t large enough to actually destroy them. I hoped.


    The creature gave up on chasing me after a few more minutes of me flying around it in circles. While its size and sheer strength made it incredibly dangerous, it also made it difficult for the creature to move quickly. I was too fast for it to catch me.


    Mona, on the other hand, wasn''t quite as fast. Carrying Theresa was clearly more difficult than she let on at first because I could see her struggling as the creature focused its attention on her. The cheerful druid noticed it at the same time as I did, and immediately dove down. Theresa was quick to react as well as she hooked an arrow and released it in the blink of an eye.


    The arrow bounced off the creature''s scales harmlessly. I clenched my fists as she hooked another arrow. It wasn''t going to work. There was no way her arrows could pierce those thick, sturdy scales.


    Mona, now flying only an arm''s length above ground, as headed directly to the cave. I chased after her and the creature''s head. All she needed was a few more seconds than they had.


    Laura, who was running ever since she jumped down, had almost reached the cavern. She glanced back and raised her hand. She turned to face the snake and extended her hand towards it.


    I noticed Theresa quickly cover her eyes and Mona look away. I didn''t have time to do the same as an incredibly bright light flashed. Explosions and a ringing sound followed Laura''s spell as the creature hissed and shrieked. I felt the air around me move as the creature wailed in pain.


    Laura''s quick thinking must have saved Mona and Theresa, but she had doomed me. My already light sensitive eyes hurt like hell and I couldn''t see a thing now. My head was spinning from the ongoing explosions and the ringing sound refused to go away.


    I heard the crackle of magic not long after and the creature wailed again. What was going on? I blinked and tried to focus, by everything was a mess.


    "Kai!" I heard someone shout, I couldn''t tell who it was. I think it was Mona¡­?


    My thought process was interrupted as something very large and very heavy hit me in the back. I lost whatever breath I had as I found myself falling.


    I desperately reached out to try and grab on to something, and my hands somehow caught something. Something cool, leathery yet hard. I felt something slowly lift me up as I grabbed on to it with both hands.


    My vision returned just then and I all I could think of was ''crap'' as I stared into the blood red eye of the snake.

 Chapter 205: A Bloody Red Eye

    I would love nothing more than to just fly away at that moment, but with the hit I took to my back I didn''t dare try and fly. I had veiled my wings just in time, I think, but if they were broken, letting go of the creature''s eyelid would spell nothing but certain death for me.


    So, I did the only other thing I could think of. I summoned my sword and thrust it into its eye.


    I honestly hadn''t expected so much blood to flow out and neither did I expect the creature to go berserk to such a degree.


    It flailed around with pain, causing the earth to rumble under the immense weight and size of its body. I allowed my sword to disappear again and held on to its eyelid for dear life. Yet, it still wasn''t enough as I soon found myself flying.


    I hit the ground below with a thud and a crack ¨C probably only audible to me. Ny vision blurred and darkened with pain as I couldn''t muffle my own scream. Pain throbbed from my left leg as I tried to drag myself away from the flailing monster.


    Thankfully, I still had plenty of mana. Souls burst out of my chest and circled me as Soul''s Respite began to heal my broken leg. I heard shouts from afar, but I couldn''t make out the words from the creature''s screeches. Hoping Mona and the others wouldn''t try something stupid, I got back up on my feet as the souls finished healing me.


    The gargantuan snake now blinded in one eye ¨C probably ¨C hit the ground somewhere with its tail. I barely kept my balance as the ground shook and trembled. The snake itself kind of reminded me of J?rmungandr ¨C the myth of our own world. Why the hell was it even here?


    As such mostly irrelevant thoughts whirled in my mind, I took a deep breath and used Fallen Grace to empower my body as much as I could. With the creature flailing around uncontrollably, flying was a horrible idea. Running under it was also a terrible idea, so I did neither.


    I ran in the opposite direction. Since Soul''s Aspect still gave me the Corrupted Demon''s form, the new, now broken terrain didn''t really slow me down. I only allowed myself to stop after I reached the other side of the valley.


    That, of course, didn''t mean I was safe. Some time had passed since I stabbed the creature''s eye and it looked like the shock and pain had subsided somewhat since the flailing stopped and the creature glared at me with its remaining eye.


    I could swear I saw hatred in that blood red eye.


    I gritted my teeth ¨C I still wasn''t far enough away from the creature ¨C it could easily crush me with its tail still. With the sky blocked by that barrier and the gargantuan snake in my way, I couldn''t really think of a way to get myself out of here except for a single option.


    As the snake slithered towards me, shaking the ground in the process, I extended my hand, and a rift began to dorm at the tip of my fingers.


    "Come on, come on!" I whispered as the rift slowly began to grow larger. I regretted not practicing this skill before, despite knowing my life might very well depend on it one day.


    I poured more power into it as the snake opened its mouth and reared its head. It was preparing to strike. The rift grew larger, just enough for me to fit in just as the snake made its move. I jumped through moments before those sharp, deadly fangs closed on me.


    I fell on the ground and rolled to slow my fall.


    "Kai!" Mona''s shout startled me as I slowly got up. The rift was hanging in the air, perhaps two meters above my head. I could smell the moist, damp air in the cavern. "I thought you were going to die!" The usually cheerful druid ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck.


    Somewhat out of breath, I smiled. The rift faded as I slowly let go of all of my ongoing spells. My body returned to normal, causing Mona to step back and the power Fallen Grace gave me slowly disappeared.


    "Why did you stop in the air there?" Laura asked as she and Theresa also walked up to me. The ground rumbled and shook again as I noticed the snake furiously attack the landscape.


    "You spell blinded me ¨C it was stronger than I thought it would be." I looked towards the valley. "It''s massive," I mumbled.


    Laura and Theresa nodded. Mona avoided looking there. "It''s not natural, that''s for sure." The druid said with a low voice.


    Laura hesitantly stepped forward as I watched the creature ruin the previously serene landscape. "I didn''t think my spell would affect you as much," She said with a low, weak voice. "I nearly got you killed, I-" I quickly shook my head. "I''m alive, we all are. That''s what matters, right?"


    I knew she didn''t have any bad intentions ¨C she was just trying to save Mona and Theresa. I wasn''t about to blame her for trying to save her two closest friends.


    "Oh," I pointed at the valley as something caught my eyes. "The tomb is still intact." Despite everything that had happened, the snake had somehow never harmed the tomb. Was it luck? No, I didn''t believe that for a second.


    "What are we going to do about the snake?" Theresa chimed in. Mona made a gesture indicating she had no idea while I just shrugged. "Nothing. It can''t leave the valley anyways. We don''t need to do anything. We learned why there was so much demonic magic here and now it''s gone." I glanced at them. "Just leave it be."


    Mona seemed ok with what I said, but Theresa chimed in. "Don''t you want its soul?" She glanced at the gargantuan creature. "That''s probably about as powerful as all the souls you lost ¨C maybe even more so."


    I followed her gaze and watched the massive snake is it still searched for me in the valley. "It definitely powerful," Theresa was right ¨C that beast was stronger than anything I''d killed before. "But it''s not worth risking our lives. Perhaps later, with everyone''s help we can do it but I''m not taking such a huge risk right now." Laura breathed a sigh of relief as I turned my back to the valley. "Let''s get out of here."


    As we walked to the exit, I made sure to remain a few steps ahead of the others. I didn''t want them to see my expression ¨C how I craved for battle. I wanted nothing more than to kill the snake, my palms itched with anticipation as soon as Theresa suggested killing the beast.


    But we couldn''t. While the rewards would certainly be worthwhile, I simply couldn''t take that chance right now. I wouldn''t dare ¨C not after Laura''s words.


    There was one more reason for my retreat. I didn''t think I could handle such a powerful soul without a primal core''s support. Both primal cores I had right now were linked to the Phoenix and Wyvern''s souls. I needed to speak to Fetheion about this first, since I was quite certain that I wouldn''t be able to get my hands on another primal core.


    We soon left the fang-mountains as I''d decided to call them behind. I only noticed how tense I was when we set up camp and sat down around the fire. I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled it.


    "Are you ok?" Mona asked as she passed a cup of tea. "Thanks," I mumbled as I took the ceramic cup. "I''m fine. I think holding the transformation for that long strained my body a little." I stretched my arms; they did feel quite sore. My entire body felt sore actually. "I never remained in that form for so long, so that''s probably why."


    Mona tilted her head slightly. "Should I heal you?" I felt her magic gather in her hand.


    "No, it''s fine. All I need is a couple hours of rest." I chuckled. "I won''t keep watch all night, so don''t worry." Mona smiled. "Good!" She laughed. "I''m glad you didn''t forget."


    Our low conversations died down towards midnight when Mona offered to keep first watch. We all agreed, and I laid down on the tall, green grass. I fell asleep almost immediately, though I somewhat wish I hadn''t.


    I found myself in a memory that didn''t belong to me. I glanced around as I noticed ¨C I knew this place, albeit a much more rundown and ruined version of it. I was in the mansion the Corrupted Demon had fled and dragged me along to.


    A knock on the door sounded. Somewhat surprised, watched as the demon ¨C Dorith ¨C opened the door. "Welcome," He said with a respectful tone.


    I stared at myself, stepping through the door as Dorith continued.


    "It''s an honour to have you here, Keeper."

 Chapter 206: Shapes Afar

    I woke up, startled. My heart was racing as I took slow, deep breaths. My head was spinning slightly. That dream had to be the remnants of Dorith''s memories.


    I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, only to notice Laura glance at me with a slightly surprised expression.


    "Did I wake you up?" She asked with a low voice, taking care to not disturb Theresa or Mona. I quickly shook my head. "Just a weird dream." I replied. What else could I say? I pushed myself up on my feet. "When is it my turn to keep watch?"


    Laura chuckled. "Well, I just started, so you''ve got two hours or so still." She slightly tilted her head. "Won''t you go back to sleep?"


    I shook my head again. "I don''t think I can." I glanced towards the shallow creek. "I''ll walk along the water for a bit,"


    Laura shrugged. While she acted quite chill about my behaviour, I could feel ger gaze on my back as I walked away from the camp, up until I disappeared behind a tiny hill. It was making me nervous. Not because I didn''t trust Laura ¨C I did trust her ¨C but because this feeling of constantly being watched was quite disturbing and an almost daily occurrence until a while ago.


    Now that I thought about it, I had first experienced it with Vixia and Delthur as they constantly seemed to pop up when I was at my weakest. Then, there was the situation with Asher, the whole spell he placed on me and our mental link¡­ That one had proved extremely useful, but having my mind be mine again was also quite nice. There was also Divine Matriarch Aelith''s ''gifts''.


    Just thinking about that devilish Divine made me shudder. And thinking about facing her in battle made my palms itch with anticipation. Her, and the Divine who stole my powers.


    I had gotten so used to being watched that even now I felt like I constantly had to mind my actions. I glanced over at the camp ¨C I was behind one of those low, small hills. Out of Laura''s or anyone else''s sight.


    I knelt down by the shore and splashed some water on my face. Despite coming from the mountains, the water was cool at best. The icy cold that I anticipated was nowhere to be found. I glanced at the fang-shaped mountains. There was no snow up there, I guess it wasn''t as surprising that the water wasn''t too cold.


    Just as I was about to keep walking, I noticed something flying, passing by the mountains. I froze mid step as I watched more shapes appear in the distance. What were those? I wished I had Lucius'' sight just about now. He could probably tell what those were.


    Still, it was best to alert Laura and the others. We could probably handle most enemies as long as we weren''t caught off guard. I walked back to camp with quick steps.


    "Kai?" Laura perked up as I arrived at the camp. "What''s wrong?"


    I pointed at the twin mountains. "Look," I spoke in a low voice. "I don''t know what they are, but aren''t they coming closer this way?" The shapes I saw seemed to be getting bigger as more time passed.


    Laura squinted, then sighed. "I can''t see very well, and the night isn''t helping. I wish we had binoculars or something." I couldn''t agree more as I felt jealous of Lucius'' ridiculous sight. I thought of using Soul''s Aspect, but I hadn''t killed any creatures with exceptional sight as far as I knew.


    "You''re right though," Laura mumbled. "They''re definitely getting closer."


    I suddenly felt tense ¨C for some reason, her words had made this all too real. "I''ll wake the others up. We should go somewhere safer. We''re way too in the open." The blonde woman added as she hurried to Mona and Theresa''s tents. While she woke them up, I quickly gathered what little we had laying around.


    "What''s going on?" Mona''s sleepy voice sounded as she crawled out of her tent. I didn''t say anything ¨C just pointed at the far away shapes.


    The sleepy druid glanced that way, then furrowed her brows. "What are those?" She mumbled as I felt her magic. Her eyes let out a faint glow as they changed to a pale yellow colour.


    As I watched her, her complexion suddenly turned pale. "They''re demons!" She hissed. Her eyes returned to normal. "Kai, can they see us from all the way over there?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t know," I didn''t know how good a demon''s sight was. "If they can see about as good as me, then they should only notice that something is here. Maybe." I knew I hadn''t explained it very well, but Mona seemed to understand anyways.


    "Then we should get going before they come any closer."


    We were ready to leave within a few minutes and we did so immediately. We quickly noticed a rather important issue, however. The exact same issue we had faced when escaping the castle with Asher and Lucius.


    In this giant field of tall grass, there was nowhere to hide from airborne opponents.


    "I can take us all back to Fetheion''s place." I suggested. There was nothing stopping me from using Soul''s Aspect to take on the Corrupted Demon''s form and opening a rift to safety.


    I noticed the hesitation in their faces as they clearly didn''t want to accept my suggestion. "Maybe we can get away without needing to do that," Mona replied eventually. "Besides, I kind of want to know what they''re doing here."


    Laura and Theresa nodded. I sighed ¨C I was not happy with their decision. I think it was a bad idea. One that could potentially get us killed. Demons weren''t to be taken lightly. If all of those attacked us, I didn''t think we could survive.


    "Fine," I finally said. "But if I decide it''s too dangerous, I''m getting you all out of here." The three of them glanced at each other, then Mona nodded. "Deal. Now let''s get moving."


    And with that began our long, exhausting night. It didn''t take us long to realise the demons were, in fact, not chasing us. They were faster than we were, so they overtook us rather quickly and then, we began chasing them.


    "I hate that they can fly." Mona mumbled as our unusually fast pace left all three of them somewhat out of breath. "Seriously ¨C they''re so fast!"


    I chuckled. The demons'' flight was indeed much faster than what Mona could achieve with her shapeshifting. "What''s that way anyways?" I asked as I pondered. The castle I explored with Asher and Lucius was more to the north. The demons were flying southeast, and I wasn''t aware of anything of importance near there. The closest location I could think of was Baile Chailce, but I found it very hard to believe that they''d attack the capitol city of the Ereth with such a small force. It would be utterly meaningless, wouldn''t it?


    "Nothing, as far as I know." Theresa replied. Laura opened her map to check, but clearly didn''t find anything. "Just some hills?" She said after a moment of hesitation.


    "We''ll find out soon enough," Mona said with a grin. I nodded, but I wasn''t having nearly as much fun as she was. In fact, I felt rather on edge. All it would take for things to take a turn for the worst was those demons deciding they didn''t want us to follow them.


    Thankfully, my fears weren''t realised as the distance between us only continued to grow. The demons didn''t bother with us at all. I don''t think they recognised me, and I was grateful for it.


    "What''s with the hood?" Mona asked as we scaled a small hill. I had pulled my hood down to the level of my eyes to avoid being recognised. Though, I wasn''t sure if it would help at all. If they got close enough to see my face, it wouldn''t really matter anyways. We''d be locked in combat by then.


    "I don''t want them to see my face," I said with a shrug. I didn''t really want to explain my thought process since it made very little sense. "We''ll lose them at this rate," I said in an attempt to change the subject. "Do you still want to follow them?"


    Mona nodded. "There''s got to be something important that way." Her gaze was fixed on the far away demons. "We''ve never seen demons out and about like this before. Something must be happening to cause them to be on the move like this."


    Laura nodded. "Yes, we might learn something important here. I don''t think we should miss this chance." Theresa was quick to agree as well, despite being pretty much exhausted from all the jogging.


    Mona wasn''t wrong. In fact, every word she said was true. Yet despite that, I still felt like this was not a good idea. I just wasn''t sure whether I should follow my logic or my instincts.

 Chapter 207: That Behind the Veil

    Despite Mona''s speech and my own logic, I followed the demons with the feeling of impending doom. Yet, the only ''doom'' that befell us was reaching the hills and promptly losing sight of the demons.


    "Oh, come on!" Mona shouted. "Unfair!" She glared at hills, gradually becoming taller and larger as we scaled them. "Why the hell can demons even fly?" She grumbled as we reached the peak of the small hill we were climbing.


    Since we had no answers to her question, we simply pushed on. I took to the skies a few times but took care not to stray too far away. Despite our best efforts though, we failed to relocate the demons.


    "Should we turn back? I asked as we finally decided to rest for a few hours. Mona immediately shook her head. "No," Her gaze wondered aimlessly. "Not yet," She said with a low voice.


    I sighed but didn''t protest. I couldn''t force them to stop if they didn''t want to. All I could do was leave, but I wasn''t about to abandon them in the middle of nowhere like this, especially with demons out and about.


    We rested for a couple of hours, ate what Theresa quickly prepared, then set off again. For a while, we wandered around seemingly aimlessly. Laura was leading us, and I was certain she had something in mind as she cast a spell every once in a while. I wanted to ask what the spell was, but seeing how focused she was, I decided not to disturb her. I knew all too well what could happen if a spell failed midway through.


    "There''s definitely something in the area." The blonde woman finally said after a long stretch of silence.


    "What do you mean?" Theresa asked. "What kind of thing?"


    Laura hesitated as if she were searching for the right words. "I don''t know," She finally said, apparently giving up. "But those demons weren''t the only ones who passed by here recently. I can tell you that much."


    We pondered a while as she cast her spell again. "Come on, let''s not waste any more time," She said and once again began leading the way. We followed her like before, but now I felt a whole lot more anxious.


    Were the demons gathering an army perhaps? Were they planning to launch an attack on Baile Chailce? That though brought about another one; would I care if they destroyed Baile Chailce?


    The city was the Divines'' stronghold ¨C with it still standing, I had little chances against Aelith or the other Divine ¨C Alina''s patron. Would it not be better for me if the city ¨C and the Divine Pillar with it ¨C were destroyed? In fact, wouldn''t that count as a game over and wouldn''t we be freed?


    I wasn''t sure about any of these. I felt like I couldn''t forgive myself if all the Ereth in the city died. Not all of them were evil ¨C I had met the kind and good hearted ones too. I sighed. They weren''t real though, were they? I suddenly flinched as another, more terrifying thought occurred to me. What about-


    "Look!" Laura''s voice startled me. I lifted my sight from the ground, then nearly choked on my own breath. Among the large, rocky hills was a gap. A gap protected by a barrier.


    "That''s demonic magic, isn''t it?" Mona asked, glancing at me. I nodded. "Why can you see it though?"


    "Because of my spell ¨C it allows us to notice things we wouldn''t otherwise. Only the surface though ¨C the barrier must be sloppily made because we wouldn''t be able to see it otherwise. The spell isn''t quite that powerful." Laura quickly explained, then prompted us to follow her.


    We did so, and she led us slightly to the side, behind some tall rocks. We crouched behind them. It was best not to announce our arrival anyways. I once again appreciated Laura''s quick thinking moments later because another group of demons appeared in the distance.


    "What are they even doing?" Mona whispered. As we watched, they flew closer and passed through the barrier.


    "Oh," I said. "It''s a camouflage." The demons had disappeared as soon as they passed through the magical barrier. For some reason, knowing that only made me feel more anxious. How many troops were hiding behind that magical veil? We had no way of knowing.


    "What do we do?" Theresa asked, glancing at Mona and Laura. The blonde woman hesitated while Mona''s stern, determined expression already gave her thoughts away. "We go in," She said with allow voice, surprising no one.


    "It''s too dangerous." I protested. "We don''t know the number of soldiers, their power levels, nothing. We could be walking into a fully armed fortress for all we know."


    The druid shook her head. "They wouldn''t hide a fully armed fortress behind a sloppy camouflage like this. Even we can see it with Laura''s low level spell."


    I gritted my teeth. She did have a point, but I still felt like something was off. Like we were overlooking something. "Still," I mumbled. "I don''t like this."


    "You worry too much." Mona smiled. "We''ll be fine ¨C we are always fine."


    "Don''t tell that to someone who already died once," I said. I did feel a little bad as her smile shattered, but now wasn''t the time to think about it. Instead, I pushed myself up and quietly approached the barrier, making sure to remain behind large rocks that could hide me from view.


    "Hey!" Mona hissed. She wanted to follow me, but Laura stopped her. "Don''t rush, we''ll follow him slowly." Despite the distance between us, I could hear the blonde woman''s whisper clearly. Noise travelled quite far in these barren hills. The lack of plants was a bigger issue than I thought.


    It took me some time to reach the barrier. As I stood perhaps half a dozen steps away from it, lots of things suddenly became much clearer. The barrier wasn''t soppily made ¨C it wasn''t made from demonic magic at all, in fact.


    "What''s wrong?" Laura asked as they arrived as well. I took a deep breath. How much did they know about the primal cores? How much was ok for them to know? I wasn''t sure, so I decided to give only a rough explanation.


    "This isn''t demonic magic; it''s using something else as a source of power. The demons must have simply guided it to form this barrier. That''s why it looks sloppy." Since they couldn''t directly use the primal core''s power, they couldn''t perfect the spell. Only I could do it ¨C or, more accurately, my predecessor could.


    "They have other sources of power?" Theresa asked in surprise. "That''s¡­ less than ideal."


    I nodded. I knew they had all of the primal cores in their possession ¨C I had seen them when I went to steal the primal core of wind. But if a primal core was powering the barrier over this place, then what had happened to the teleportation things? Had they disassembled them? I wasn''t sure whether to be relieved or worried.


    "What would happen if we passed through it?" Mona asked. I hesitated as I inspected the weaves of magic that formed the barrier. The flow of magic didn''t seem to have been created in a way to harm others, so I was guessing it would be fine.


    "Probably nothing," I mumbled. She immediately took a step towards it as soon as I spoke. I caught her arm at the last second. "But that doesn''t mean you get to rush through!" I said as I pulled her back.


    She rolled her eyes. "You just said it''s probably fine."


    "Probably is the key word there!" I glanced at Laura. "Say something please?"


    The blonde woman chuckled. "Kai''s right. Stay still Mona ¨C we are not in a rush." Mona stuck her tongue out. "Ugh, fine." She giggled. "So, what now? Do you take down the barrier?"


    I shot her a surprised look. "What? No, are you insane? I''m not about to alert every single demon in there of our presence." I took a step closer. "I''ll just see what it does first." I carefully touched the barrier with the tip of my finger.


    Nothing happened.


    I took a deep breath as my racing heart began to calm a bit. I took another step forward. Now, my arm up until my elbow was inside the barrier. "Well," I mumbled. "Looks like it''s fine." I stepped through the magical veil.


    I honestly felt a bit stupid as I opened my eyes to look at the other side.


    There was a small keep with a watchtower. That was it. I counted perhaps half a dozen demons on the walls, but nothing else. I hadn''t stepped out of the veil in front of an army, or there was no Vixia waiting there with that scheming smile of hers.


    I dashed behind some rocks, then watched as the others stepped through.


    "Underwhelming." Theresa said as we all watched the scene before us.


    Yet, I was not underwhelmed. In fact, my palms itched with anticipation ¨C more power was within my reach. Another primal core. I wanted it.


    I needed it.

 Chapter 208: Dangerous Anticipation

    It took me a moment to regain my composure as my palms itched with anticipation. I couldn''t believe we''d found another primal core. Which one was this? Earth? Water? Something else?


    "Kai?" Mona poked my shoulder. "Hey, what''s wrong?"


    I quickly pulled myself together. I couldn''t afford to get lost in thought right now.


    "Nothing, I was just thinking of something." I glanced around. "We should get moving before more troops arrive."


    Laura nodded and motioned me to lead the way. I didn''t waste any time as we began to circle the outer edge of the barrier. Despite desperately wanting to rush in there and take hold of the primal core, I knew it would be suicide. The smartest thing we could do was to learn as much as we can, then retreat to return with greater numbers later on.


    Yet, my idea didn''t seem to be to Mona''s liking.


    "Shouldn''t we get our hands on that source of power?" She asked as we crouched behind some larger rocks. I didn''t say anything as my gaze was fixed on the keep''s walls. I counted seven demons, each watching their surroundings carefully.


    "Sure," I mumbled in response to Mona. "But not just the four of us." I didn''t know how powerful each demon was. Assuming they were about as powerful as the two I fought before; we''d stand no chance against seven of them. And even if we did somehow match them in power, we wouldn''t be able to stand our ground against any reinforcements.


    "You want to retreat now?" Mona asked in surprise. I nodded, calmly. "We have a better chance at killing the snake than getting past those guys." I replied. Theresa shot me a somewhat surprised glance while Laura nodded.


    "There''s no need to take unnecessary risks." She said as she pointed at the barrier hiding his place. "It''s not like anyone will find this place and with Kai''s rift, we can come back at any time." She glanced at me. "Right?"


    I nodded. "Yes, we can return here at any time. Preferably with more people." My gaze scoured the keep walls for a weakness ¨C something that could be used to our advantage at a later time. "Let''s circle around the keep, then retreat."


    Mona pouted. "Ugh, this is so annoying." She glared at the soldiers guarding the walls. "Out of all the games I''ve played in my lifetime, this is probably the most annoying. Whatever we want to try either turns out to be impossible or too dangerous."


    I stopped just as I was about to get up. "What?" I asked as thoughts whirled in my mind.


    Theresa quickly nodded. "Well, she''s right. Games usually let players feel powerful. You know, give some victories, let us triumph." She made a vague gesture. "This one doesn''t do anything like that."


    "You''re right," Laura said with a low voice. I nodded absentmindedly. While I hadn''t played any other games, I had noticed that everything seemed just a bit too challenging here. I still had a hard time believing this wasn''t real.


    "Anyways," I said, noticing the three of them losing focus of our current goal. "We need to get going. If we are spotted, we run. We''re not fighting them. Ok?"


    The trio seemed somewhat unhappy, but Laura nodded, prompting the others to do so as well. "We can return at any time we want." She reminded them. Mona sighed. "Fine, I get it!" She motioned me to get moving. "Let''s get this done with."


    And thus, I got moving. Carefully circling the keep was harder than we thought at first. While there were plenty of rocks to hide behind, there were also plenty of gaps in between. Whenever we came across such gaps, we had to watch the guards on the walls and wait for them to glance away. Considering there were four of us, it became really tedious really quickly.


    Despite the tediousness, the trip was well worth the time and trouble as I did notice some rather important things.


    "What now?" Mona said as we arrived at where we started. "Do we just turn tail and run?"


    I rolled my eyes. "Well no." I glanced at her. Why was she so aggressive about this today? Had something happened that I hadn''t noticed? Now that I thought about it, all three of them were weirdly obsessed about not going back to Fetheion''s place. Had something happened with the Divine? "It''s called a strategic retreat." I said with a grin.


    Laura chuckled at my words. "That''s one way to put it." She glanced at Mona. "Let''s get going before they notice us." The druid also nodded, though it was clear she didn''t want to just turn her back on the keep and leave.


    "Back to Fetheion''s place?" I asked. Mona shook her head. "No, there''s something we need to do first. Can you take us to the outskirts of Stonepatch Village?"


    I raised my brows but nodded. "Sure can." I glanced at the keep. "Let''s go a bit farther away first though." On the off chance that they''d notice my spell, we could suddenly have a lot of trouble in our hands. It was best to avoid that possibility. "Come on,"


    We retreated, despite Mona''s unwillingness. I knew that I''d forced my decision on them, but I didn''t feel even a sliver of guilt. We all needed to survive ¨C even if it meant postponing getting a primal core or¡­ whatever Mona''s goal was.


    Once we were far enough away, I used Soul''s Aspect and took on the corrupted demon''s form. I created the rift with ease ¨C I was getting used to this by now.


    "Pass through," I said once the rift was large enough. Laura and Theresa were clearly hesitant while Mona just glanced towards where the keep was, then passed through like it were normal. The others also followed her, albeit not without reservations.


    Once they were through, I stepped into the rift as well.


    "I always liked this place." Mona said with a smile. We were on a hill overlooking Stonepatch Village. "Can you wait here for a little bit, Kai? We need to check up on someone really quickly and I know you don''t want to risk being recognised by the Ereth."


    "Sure, take your time." As soon as I said that, they hurried off to the village.


    I watched them leave, then sighed and sat on the lush green grass. I was a bit tired. Not having slept properly the night before, and chasing those demons for hours upon hours had taken its toll. And now, my mind was filled with the power I felt. The power of a primal core.


    I needed that. I wanted that.


    I took a deep breath. We could probably barge in, take the primal core, and leave with some more help. Sure, it would be risky. Stupid even. But we could do it.


    But no, I wasn''t about risk anyone''s life like that. I knew there was a way to do this mostly safely. I was sure we could somehow do it with Fetheion''s help. Or when I got my power back.


    I sighed again, then decided to keep myself busy with something else, lest I''d constantly think about that primal core. I took out the crystal Luhen gave be before ¨C the one his friend had created for him and inspected it.


    I could her a low ring echoing from the crystal. I wondered, could I replicate it, perhaps?


    I summoned my status panel, then navigated to my inventory. It was fairly full. There was a lot of clutter in there, like the mane of the giant horned lion that I''d killed a long time ago. Because of all the clutter, it took me a while to find the crystal pieces I had gathered months ago.


    "Guess it''s a good thing I never threw things away," I mumbled as I picked a fist sized crystal.


    The next hour or so passed with me attempting to figure out how the crystal Luhen had given me worked. Despite my best effort, I didn''t have much progress to show for by the time Mona, Theresa and Laura returned.


    "We''re back!" The cheerful druid called out as soon as she noticed me. I placed the crystals back into my inventory, then pushed myself up. "Did everything go smoothly?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes! We stopped by the guild and sold a few things, dropped by Rina''s place and said hi to Luhen."


    Laura handed me a small bag. "He said he prepared some gifts for you and ''the storm sorcerer''. He also said you''d know who he was talking about."


    I nodded. It had to be Asher. "Thanks," I said with a smile, then glanced at the sky. The sun had begun to set. "Should we go back to Fetheion''s place now?" I didn''t want to spend another night outside and I wanted to ask the Divine about the dream I had.


    Mona seemed a little hesitant. "Is there something I should know?" I asked as my tone became more serious and my expression darkened. She was keeping something from me ¨C I knew it. It was clear as day. Yet, she simply shook her head. "No, not really. Let''s go."

 Chapter 209: What Ifs

    "I see," Fetheion spoke in a low voice. Glancing at his clenched fist, I was about to regret this conversation.


    It had been about half an hour since we''d stepped out of the rift. Mona, Laura, and Theresa had quickly left for a nice bath immediately after greeting Asher, Lucius and Fetheion, leaving me alone with Fetheion as he demanded to know what we''d been up to.


    I didn''t have a reason to hide anything, so I was fine with telling him about what we learned, including Vixia''s conversation that I eavesdropped.


    "Would you care to tell," He spoke with a calm voice. "What the hell were you thinking when you approached such a powerful barrier?" A single glance at the Divine was enough to make me immediately regret a lot of things. "What if the Demon Lord was there?" His voice rose very slightly. "What if they''d noticed you? Do you know what would have happened then?"


    I looked away ¨C I knew exactly how awful that would have been. But wasn''t it worth the risk? Besides, I knew for sure the Demon Lord wasn''t there.


    Fetheion took a deep breath. "And when you followed those demons?" He asked, his voice once again calm and low. "What if you had come across an entire army?"


    Well, that was something I couldn''t be sure of. "To be fair," I spoke, somewhat sheepishly. "I did want to retreat as soon as I saw the demons."


    He hesitated. "Was it Mona who wanted to follow them?"


    I nodded. "She did have a good argument," I added, not wanting to lay all the blame on her. "And I made sure we were as safe as possible. We did learn some valuable information after all." I raised my eyes and this time, didn''t look away as our gazes met. "There is a primal core in that keep."


    Fetheion was the one to look away. "You can''t take on a whole keep." He said with a sigh. "I know you want that core ¨C need it even, but you''re not strong enough to take it."


    My shoulders dropped.


    "Yeah, I know. It''s getting on my nerves." I fiddled with my hair.


    Fetheion shot me a surprised glance. "You know?" He asked. He was clearly having some trouble believing my words.


    "Yeah," I said with a shrug. "If I had a chance of success, I wouldn''t have come back here without the primal core." I chuckled. "I would have sent Mona, Laura and Theresa through the rift, then went back to take the core. But don''t worry ¨C I''m not that stupid." I looked at the starry sky. "I know I''m not invincible."


    Fetheion remained silent for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.


    "What''re you laughing at?" I protested.


    "Oh, you''re just so very much like him." He smiled. "He ¨C your predecessor, I mean ¨C always wanted to do things alone too. He always kept distance between him and his friends." He poked my shoulder. "Don''t do that Kai," His expression darkened. "Because when you do that, it''s those friends you pushed away who pray the price once you pass on."


    I wanted to say something, but what could I? I hadn''t expected him to change the topic to something so heavy all of a sudden. "I''ll try," Was all I could say. I wondered ¨C did my predecessor have any friends aside from Fetheion?


    "I''m glad you told me about the tomb though." Fetheion spoke again. "That snake shouldn''t be there though ¨C the Keeper of Souls'' tomb never had a guardian." He clenched his fists. "I''ll have to take care of it."


    I almost choked on my breath. "Whoa, wait what?" I asked in surprise. "You''ll take care of it? You want to send it away? That thing is gigantic!"


    "I''ll kill it." Fetheion glanced at me. "I knew something was off about all this ¨C someone took your predecessor''s soul away, then cursed a beast to make sure none would try and communicate with the soul out of fear of the so called ''Guardian''." I could almost feel his seething anger.


    "But who could have done it?" I asked. "I didn''t know anyone but the Keeper-" I stopped mid-sentence. "Oh, I''m stupid!" I yelled. "I''m an utter idiot ¨C why didn''t I think of this before!" I leapt up on my feet and glared at Fetheion. He shot me a confused look. "What''s going on?" He asked, clearly unable to follow my train of thought.


    "Aelith!" I shouted. "She gave me a bottled-up soul before!" I made a vague motion as I tried to quickly retell the events of a few months ago. "She gave me the soul of a wyvern right after we won the tournament as a ''reward''!"


    I couldn''t believe I hadn''t thought about it before ¨C of course the Divines could manipulate souls too! By trapping them somewhere. That was how the other Divine had stolen my power, but I had assumed she had used the power of the Pillar at the time. But there was no pillar at the Keeper''s Tomb.


    "I¡­" Fetheion hesitated. His shoulders dropped. "I didn''t know she had figured it out." He mumbled. "You may be right. Let''s not jump to conclusions, but you may be right." He stood up, then turned away and looked up at the sky.


    "Fetheion," I spoke after a moment of hesitation. "If she caught my predecessor''s soul, what will we do?" I was scared of the answers. A part of me wished he wouldn''t answer.


    "We''ll get it back ¨C no matter what." When Fetheion turned back to face me, his blue eyes were filled with determination. "I won''t let her get away with this."


    I nodded, but a mix of emotions threatened to destroy the fa?ade I was putting up. "I''ll give you some time to plan and think then," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "I''ll head off to sleep ¨C I''m still exhausted."


    With that, I quickly left. I went to my room and closed the door behind me.


    The question that had been in the back of my mind for such a long time resurfaced again. What would happen to me if my predecessor''s soul returned? Would I get kicked out of the game? Or would I just become another soul that resides in him?


    The thought itself scared me. I didn''t want to fade into nothingness. I didn''t want to be left alone in a sea of my memories again. In a way, saving my predecessor''s soul was destroying my own, wasn''t it?


    Fetheion''s determination hurt because of that. I knew he wanted his friend back ¨C he''d done everything in his power to bring him back, after all.


    I sighed ¨C what the hell had I gotten myself into? Thinking about what would happen to my soul was useless. It wasn''t something I could guess because I didn''t know enough about it.


    I lay on my bed, my thoughts and fears whirling in my head until I eventually fell asleep.


    Come morning, I was woken up by an overly excited Mona. She barged into my room while I was still half asleep and shook me awake. "Wake up, wake up!" She said with a huge grin on her face. "We''re having that match today with the Thirteenth Divine, aren''t we?"


    Her words startled me awake. I had completely forgotten about Fetheion''s promise. Still half asleep, I pushed myself off my bed and shook my head, trying to wake myself up.


    "Come on, aren''t you excited?" Mona giggled. "I thought you wanted this too!"


    "I do, that''s not it¡­" I mumbled as I yawned. "It''s just that I woke up literally seconds ago. Give me a minute to pull my thoughts together."


    Mona giggled again. "Oh, fine." She said with a huge, bright smile. "I''ll be outside with the girls." With that, she jokingly punched my shoulder and left.


    I took my time as I changed into new clothes, then headed to the library. As I opened the door and stepped inside, an unexpected sight welcomed me.


    "Asher?" I asked in surprise. The blonde sorcerer raised his head to look at me with an almost helpless expression. "What the hell happened to you?" I asked in even more shock.


    "What does it look like?" Asher was sitting behind Fetheion''s desk, buried under an almost impossibly large number of documents. "I regret ever offering help to that man." He made a vague motion trying to encompass all of the piles of paper around him. "This is ridiculous!" He cried out.


    I couldn''t hold my laughter. "Why," I tried to speak as I laughed. "Why would you ever offer to help with this?"


    "Don''t laugh!" He protested. "And I know, I was being stupid!" he leaned his head on the desk. I barely heard his muffled voice. "I hate paperwork. Why am I doing paperwork in a game? What has my life come to¡­"


    I chuckled, "You can have your revenge during our match." I suggested with a grin. "He promised he''d fight us after all."


    Asher raised his head, his eyes sparkled as his gaze met mine. "You bet I will!"

 Chapter 210: A Small Delay

    "Wait, what?" I asked, glaring at Fetheion. "You promised!"


    We were in the forest, not too far away from Fetheion''s home. He stood on a large rock; his gaze fixed southeast. "I know," He said with a soft voice. "But Lucius insisted." The Divine took a deep breath. "You can''t blame the man, Kai. He needs this."


    I clenched my fists. "What if something happens to him?" I hissed through my gritted teeth. "Then what? Can you bring him back too if he dies?" I couldn''t imagine what I''d do if I lost my best friend. Despite our differences, we had known each other since we were mere kids. No way I would let that idiot die in a god forsaken virtual world.


    Fetheion hesitated. "No, I can''t." He finally said.


    "Then why would you let him risk his life like that?" I shouted.


    "Why did I let you risk your life?" The Divine replied, finally turning to face me. His cold, blue eyes sent a shiver down my spine. "Would you rather I lock you, and all your allies somewhere?"


    I averted my gaze. No, of course I wouldn''t want that. "Do you see my point now?" He asked.


    I took a deep breath. "Yes." It was a hard truth to swallow. "But do you see my point?" I asked after a moment. "I can''t leave him alone out there."


    "That''s your choice to make." Fetheion said with a faint smile. "You can go and help him, but remember ¨C despite being unable to defeat you, he is an incredible swordsman in his own right. Don''t underestimate him."


    I shook my head. "I know that, but swordsmanship isn''t everything. If he freezes in front of a foe like he did before, or if he comes across a magic user¡­" I clenched my fists. "If he comes across a demon, he wouldn''t stand a chance. Just swordsmanship isn''t enough to defeat them, you know that!"


    Fetheion nodded. "He is smart enough to avoid them." His gaze wondered aimlessly as he fiddled with his braided hair. I stepped back as I noticed something. I knew that pose. Uncle Eion would do that whenever he was slightly unsure of something.


    The similarities were truly striking. And unnerving too.


    "I''m going after him." I said, glancing at the Divine. "Where did he head off to?"


    He pointed northwest.


    I didn''t waste any more time. I leapt into the air and let my wings carry me.


    I didn''t have to fly long before the geography changed drastically. I had never come this way before, so the sudden shift from thick, green leafed forests to a dark brown coloured pine forest surprised me. This place seemed almost unhealthy, like the world itself was sick.


    For some reason, that thought bothered me a lot more than I thought it would. I felt more anxious as I looked down, scouring the ground in hopes of spotting Lucius.


    "You''ll never find him like this."


    Fetheion''s voice startled me as darkness formed before me. Unsurprisingly, it was the Divine who stepped out of it mid-air. He floated before me. I rolled my eyes as he tilted his head slightly. "You could have just said you''ll come with." I said as I beat my wings slightly faster and set off again.


    He almost effortlessly floated by me as we moved through the air. "I wasn''t planning to, but Asher seemed rather angry so I thought it would be best to give him some time to cool off."


    I chuckled. "Cool off, right." I said with a grin. "You know he''ll only be angrier."


    Fetheion''s lips formed a mischievous smile. "Not if we return with Lucius and actually have that match." He pointed to out left. "He''s that way." He added.


    I adjusted my course before asking. "How do you know that?"


    He whistled and looked away. "Uh, just call it a Divine''s intuition."


    I stared at him with a blank face. He tried to ignore me for a bit, but then finally relented. "I cast a little spell on him before he left. You know, just in case¡­"


    I almost burst out laughing, but a thought stopped me. "Do I happen to have any similar spells on me?" I didn''t like the idea of being watched at all.


    He chuckled and shook his head. "The spell is a crude and simple one. You''d notice it right away if I tried to cast it on you. The only reason Lucius didn''t is because he doesn''t have any magical abilities." He pointed slightly to the right and we adjusted out flight accordingly. "I think that''s one reason he needed to go off on his own."


    I shook my head. "I talked with him about this already. He doesn''t need magic to be ''useful'' as he likes to call it. He and Asher just need to learn how to fight together."


    Fetheion tilted his head. "What do you mean?"


    I sighed. "Fighting one on one is almost always easier than fighting in groups." I explained. "Because, when you''re alone, you are the one who decides everything ¨C when you attack, when you back off, when you are defensive and when you go on the offense." I made a vague, meaningless gesture. "But when it''s a say¡­ two on two battle, that suddenly changes. You don''t need to just follow the enemy''s movements, but also those of your ally. That''s how most accidental injuries happen actually ¨C friendly fire that could have been easily prevented."


    Fetheion didn''t say a word when I stopped. I took a deep breath before continuing. "When we fight ¨C me, Asher, and Lucius, I mean ¨C we don''t have that teamwork. It usually goes in one of three ways. Either Asher casts a spell to destroy everything, I do something to destroy everything, or we have individual battles in close proximity with little to no teamwork." I sighed. "That''s actually one of the reasons we wanted that match against you."


    "I see," The Divine mumbled. "You do have a point ¨C even when those two fought against you, they didn''t really seem to be working together."


    I nodded. "That''s exactly my point." It wasn''t just their fault, of course. I was to blame as well. "I need to learn how to fight together as well." I looked away. "I never did get to learn that back at home."


    Mother had taught Aoife how to fight like that. She and the other trainees of her age would spend hours learning to fight together. To cover for each other''s mistakes, to strike as soon as someone else created an opening.


    I don''t know why, but I never received those lessons.


    "I see," Fetheion mumbled.


    I glanced at the Divine. He seemed a bit lost in thought. "Anyways," I said with a sigh. "I think that''s what needs to be fixed. We all need to learn to fight together if we''re to defeat Aelith. Or, well, anyone else." Like the Demon Lord, I thought, but didn''t say it out loud.


    "Ah, this way." The Divine suddenly spoke as he pointed at a rather tall hill not too far away. "I think he''s there."


    I furrowed my brows. What could have possibly prompted Lucius to come to a random hill? "What is that place?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    Fetheion shrugged. "An old demonic settlement, but it''s long abandoned, and I already searched through it, I know there''s nothing of value or danger left there." He didn''t seem as worried as I was. I guess that wasn''t all that surprising considering everything.


    "Does he know there''s nothing of value there?" I asked as we began descending towards the old settlement. Fetheion shrugged. "I don''t know," He said after a moment. We landed right at the edge of the settlement.


    I felt the dying land as soon as my feet touched the ground. The world itself was unhealthy here ¨C I could see it before as we flew from the brown, dying pine trees. But now that my feet had touched the ground, I could feel it within me.


    It wasn''t a curse; I didn''t feel any magic from it. It was just¡­ sickness. Like an infection, slowly spreading with time. With no treatment, I felt as if it could take over the entire world.


    "I always disliked coming here," Fetheion mumbled. He was looking at the settlement. I took a deep breath and did the same.


    The settlement was clearly old. Very, incredibly old. The buildings were made from large stone blocks, and despite that, the years had taken their toll on them. Most of them didn''t have roofs anymore. A few had even lost some of their walls.


    "This place was long gone before we came to this world." The Divine spoke with a voice filled with sorrow. "I never learned the history of this settlement. I wanted to ask your predecessor, but I never got the chance to." His gaze wondered around as I remained silent. "Let''s find Lucius." He finally said after a while.


    "Which way?" I asked. He pointed dead ahead. "Come on," His voice was but a whisper.

 Chapter 211: Preparations

    We didn''t have to search long to find Lucius, partly because of Fetheion''s spell, and partly because the young swordsman wasn''t really trying to hide or anything.


    He was sitting by the well at the centre of town, holding something in his hands. As we approached, he raised his head. His face lit up when he noticed me. "I knew you''d find me here." He said with a grin.


    I shrugged, feeling just a little bit guilty for following him, but also relieved to see him well. "I got worried; can you blame me?"


    He shook his head. "No, not really." He glanced at Fetheion. "I didn''t expect to see you here. I''m sorry for causing trouble," He looked away.


    "Oh, don''t you worry about it. I was just avoiding a certain pissed off sorcerer, that''s all." He chuckled, seeing Lucius'' expression. "Well then, should we go back?"


    I nodded; it was time to return. We didn''t need to waste any more time here. I took a deep breath. "I''ll open a rift." I didn''t wait for a reply, instead, I used Soul''s Aspect. As my body shifted and took the form of the corrupted demon, I could feel Fetheion''s intense gaze on me. Somewhat bothered, I quickly opened the rift back home.


    "Man, this is useful," Lucius mumbled as he slipped something into his pocket. He took a deep breath, then stepped into the rift. Fetheion hesitated for a moment before following the young man. Once they were through, I also stepped through.


    "I didn''t think you would find me so quickly." The young swordsman said with a faint smile as I stepped out of the rift. I chuckled and glanced at Fetheion. "He found you ¨C I was just flying aimlessly."


    The Divine immediately yawned and mumbled. "I think someone should let Asher know that we''ll be ready for the match in half an hour''s time." He glanced at Lucius. "Does that work for you?"


    The young man nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. I''ll rest a little until then."


    I also nodded. My palms itched with anticipation as the Divine slowly walked away, leaving me and Lucius. I glanced at the young man. "How are you doing?" I asked after a moment. Our previous fight was still fresh in my mind ¨C had he overcome his troubles?


    He smiled. "I''m fine, really. I''m actually looking forward to today''s match." Looking at him, I could see he wasn''t lying. His eyes were filled with determination and I couldn''t see a hint of self-doubt as he spoke.


    "I''m glad to hear it." I said eventually. "I''ll let Asher know of the time, so rest a little in the meantime."


    "Sure," He replied.


    With that, I walked away as he lay on the lush green grass. I found Asher at the same place, still stuck with a whole lot of documents. "Hey," I said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. I regretted that attempt as soon as he lifted his head to look ¨C no, glare at me. "What?" He asked with a flat voice.


    "Uh, we just returned with Lucius." I quickly explained. "The match is in about half an hour''s time, so you might want to leave those for now." I vaguely gestured at the piles of documents.


    "Half an hour?" He blinked a couple of times. "Oh!" His ears perked up. "Finally!" He shouted as he jumped on his feet. "Oh my god ¨C I''m never offering help to him again!" He quickly walked around the desk and approached me. "Listen to my advice, Kai. He''s a devil that would make you do all the work! Don''t make the same mistake as I did!"


    "Uh, noted." I mumbled after a short moment of hesitation. How on earth was I supposed to respond to that?


    We left the library and quickly headed outside. Asher went to sit with Lucius a bit while I looked around, trying to spot Mona and the others. Unlike finding Asher, I had a harder time tracking them down.


    They were at the pond not too far away from the opening in the woods. Sitting on the grassy ground, they had placed a large piece of cloth on the ground. It was filled with all kinds of delicious looking ¨C and smelling ¨C food.


    "Hey Kai!" The cheerful druid called my name as soon as she noticed me through the trees. "We''re having a picnic ¨C come join us!"


    While the offer was really tempting, eating right before a battle wasn''t the wisest idea. "I''ll have to pass for now," I said apologetically. I did genuinely want to join them. "That match you wanted so badly is going to start in about half an hour." I said with a smile. "Ready?"


    Mona squeaked with glee. "Oh yes, it''s going to be so fun!" She grabbed Laura and Theresa''s hands. "You''ll join too, right?" She asked, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.


    Laura was quick to shake her head though. "I''d rather not fight the Divine ¨C unlike you, my power isn''t fit for such a fight."


    Mona''s shoulders dropped a bit. Her gaze, not filled with excitement quite as much as before, turned to Theresa. "What about you?" She asked sheepishly.


    The black haired girl shook her head. "No, I''ll pass as well. It was decided to be a four versus one match. It wouldn''t do if I joined to tip the scales in your favour." She glanced at me. "I''m sure Kai understands."


    I nodded. In a way, I was somewhat relieved to see them not join. It wasn''t that I didn''t trust or like them ¨C I really did, but a reason I wanted to this match was to enhance our teamwork. Specifically, Asher and Lucius'' teamwork.


    "I''m sure there will be a chance again," I said with a faint smile.


    Laura nodded. "I''m certain of it. Besides, I don''t want to miss the chance of seeing the four of you in action either."


    Mona''s lips formed a mischievous smile. "Oh, you''re in for a treat then." She giggled. "I''ve got a new thing I want to try." She rubbed her hands together, clearly excited about whatever that new thing was. I considered asking but seeing Laura and Theresa''s warning glances was enough to change my mind. Whatever it was, I would see it soon anyways.


    "Let''s head back then." I said eventually. I helped them gather their things and we returned to the open area before Fetheion''s house. Asher and Lucius were laying on the grass. The blonde sorcerer had fallen asleep already while Lucius seemed to just be enjoying the bright sun.


    "Hey," Mona spoke in a low voice as we approached. Lucius got up and moved a little further away from Asher as to not wake him up.


    "Hey, sorry to have worried you," He smiled. Mona shrugged, "Nah, it''s fine. We''re just glad you''re safe." She glanced at Asher. "I didn''t expect to find him of all people asleep just before the match."


    Under normal circumstances, I would have agreed. But considering the paperwork he had to deal with in the past couple of days, I wasn''t surprised at all. In fact, I was surprised he was even ok with having the match before getting a chance to rest. I''d have expected him to want to be at peak condition.


    "Oh, he''s just napping." Lucius chuckled. His smile slowly faded as he glanced at the door leading inside. "Where is the Divine?" He asked after a moment. "Half an hour has passed, hasn''t it?"


    I shrugged. With no clock at our disposal, it was incredibly difficult to tell the exact time. Actually, now that I thought about it, it was weird that the interface didn''t have a clock. While I had little to no experience with games, I was certain most such games would require a clock or a timer so the player would know when to log out.


    But then again, this game didn''t even allow us to log out, so my line of thought wasn''t exactly the most meaningful one.


    "Kai?" Lucius poked my shoulder. "What''s wrong?"


    I shook my head. "I just noticed ¨C there is no clock or timer in the interface. Is that even normal for this kind of game?"


    Theresa immediately shook her head while Lucius opened his interface to check. "Oh, you''re right." The young swordsman said while Theresa explained. "PORTAL definitely should have had a clock ¨C it''s the only way to know the time and date in the real world after all. It''s either a huge oversight, or something else happened."


    "I see." I mumbled. Her words only reinforced my thoughts.


    A yawn caught our attention before I could ponder more on the subject. Asher slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, the glanced at us as he stretched his arms. "When are we starting?"


    I shrugged. "We''re waiting on the Divine."


    A voice we all knew echoed as dark mist began to form in the area. Asher quickly jumped up on his feet as a silhouette appeared at the centre of the opening.


    "Then you shall wait no more!"

 Chapter 212: Battle Against Fetheion (1)

    As the mist thickened, a barrier formed around the opening. Fetheion''s form solidified as I felt his magic all around us. It was almost suffocating.


    "No one but the spectators may leave the barrier," His voice continued to echo as his eyes let out a bright blue glow. "First blood wins." He declared.


    Laura and Theresa darted towards the barrier as soon as the Divine spoke. Mona''s spear appeared in her hands while I didn''t hesitate to summon my sword and unveil my wings. Lucius touched his heart with his left hand while his own sword appeared in his right.


    "Works for me," Asher grinned. Lightning crackled on his skin as he also emitted a blue-silver light. "You''ve got a lot to answer with all that paperwork you made me do!"


    Fetheion''s laughter echoed. "Let us begin then!" He shouted.


    As soon as he did, the mist disappeared, and we finally got to see him properly.


    He was wearing light armour, made from a metallic material. His long braid swayed gently with a non-existent wind as his blue eyes seemed to pierce into our souls. A single dagger was his weapon, though I could feel incredible power emanating from it.


    Mona was the first to dash ahead. She leapt high into the air, her spear in hand, and brought it down upon him. Fetheion didn''t even so much as glance at her as he motioned his left hand towards her.


    A wave of magic hit her, sending her flying to the side of the arena.


    "I''m not quite weak enough for that to work," The Divine spoke. With every word, I could feel his magic spreading beneath our feet.


    "Look out!" I shouted just in time and pushed Lucius aside as darkness burst out of the ground beneath his feet. Asher gritted his teeth as he fell on one knee and punched the ground.


    Lightning crackled and the darkness flowing out stopped. I noticed the blonde sorcerer''s magic spread beneath our feet, creating a barrier under us to protect us from the darkness below.


    "We''re not quite weak enough for that to work either!" He hissed through his gritted teeth. Lucius was quick to get back up on his feet.


    He shot me a thankful glance, then dashed ahead.


    I followed him without a moment of hesitation.


    Fetheion grinned as he extended his hand towards us. I took a deep breath and allowed my own magic to seep out. Flames danced on my skin as I prepared to stop his attack, but before I could, lightning struck the darkness.


    A quick glance at Asher was enough to see what was happening. The blonde sorcerer had raised one hand, while still on his knee and supporting the barrier beneath us. "Go!" He shouted as his lightning dispersed the wave of darkness enough to let us pass through.


    We didn''t hesitate. I threw a firebolt towards the Divine to keep him a little busier while we quickly approached him. "Kai, take his left," Lucius said as we finally arrived before him. I didn''t need to even look at Lucius as I swung my sword to the Divine''s left. I could see Lucius mirroring my action but aiming for his right arm instead.


    I felt Fetheion''s magic gather around us as my sword hit a barrier and bounced away. Lucius, on the other hand, was parried and kicked in the stomach. He stumbled and fell, then quickly got back up on his feet with a roll. During those few valuable seconds though, Fetheion didn''t hesitate to strike me.


    The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as I barely blocked his attacks. His speed only seemed to increase as my arms began to hurt from the strength of his strikes. Moments later, I had to use Fallen Grace just to keep up with the Ereth Divine.


    A shout startled all of us right in the middle of our duel, then Mona came crashing down on Fetheion. While she didn''t succeed in hurting him, her intervention gave me some much needed breathing room.


    "Lucius ¨C now!" Asher shouted. Fetheion sent Mona flying once more, the turned his attention on Asher, only to notice Lucius'' sword flying at him. The sword, crackling with lighting, flew past him as he easily stepped out of the way. He was about to chuckle at the swordsman and sorcerer''s attempt when the sharp, lightning charged blade boomeranged back.


    It seemed as if he didn''t have the time to turn and block the blade, but he once again surprised us as his dagger suddenly melted in his hands. The metal flowed to from a spear, allowing the Divine to easily change the flying blade''s course.


    "Damn," Lucius mumbled as the blade returned to his hand. "I really hoped that would work." Right as he finished his words, he dashed once more. I wanted to follow him, but another wave of darkness threatened to swallow the young swordsman, prompting me to summon my flames to dissipate it.


    "Go," I shouted, knowing Asher couldn''t keep several spells going at once for too long. Lucius didn''t look back as he began his clash with Fetheion.


    Despite wanting to, I couldn''t afford to watch Fetheion and Lucius'' duel as the Divine''s magic quickly proved to be incredibly powerful. The darkness was quick to spread as I barely kept myself and Asher safe from it. I couldn''t even see Mona, and Lucius was protected by a shield crackling with lightning.


    "Kai," Asher hissed. "Do something about his magic!"


    I wanted to respond with a ''I''m trying'', but I didn''t get the chance to as my flames slowly began to dim. I clenched my fist, then used Soul''s Aspect to take on the form of the Corrupted Demon. "No way I''m losing to you while I don''t have your full attention!"


    My flames suddenly flared up as I felt my power increase. Soul''s Aspect wasn''t only changing my body ¨C it allowed me to use power that didn''t belong fully to me. Flames spread from beneath my feet, slowly pushing the darkness away. The few tendrils of darkness that did try to reach me quickly dissipated as breathing became somewhat easier again.


    The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as Lucius and Fetheion''s duel continued. I notice something move up in the air ¨C an eagle. Mona was at it again. Hoping she''d be able to give Lucius the opening he needed, I fed more power to my flames.


    Thunder sounded in the distance as I heard Asher''s grunt. Keeping up two separate shielding spells was clearly pushing him to his limits. I didn''t even need to look at him to understand that. The barrier beneath our feet and the shield around Lucius couldn''t be easy to keep up.


    What was even more unbelievable than that, however, was that Fetheion was able to fight three separate fights right now. He was locked in a duel of blades with Lucius, a battle of will and magic with me and he was also slowly whittling away Asher with his magic. And looking at his expression, he was having fun!


    With a poof, Mona came crashing down on Fetheion for the third time. The Divine stepped back right after blocking Lucius'' blade. The young swordsman stumbled back while Mona''s spear hit nothing but the ground.


    "You can''t keep trying the same thing and hoping for a different result each time, Mona." Fetheion''s voice echoed as he raised his hand and called upon his power.


    "Get down!" I shouted as I threw myself to the ground. Asher, already on one knee, didn''t do anything While Lucius quickly got down and pulled Mona along with him. For a split second, nothing happened.


    Then, just as I was about to feel like an idiot, a wave of darkness spread from Fetheion''s chest. As it passed over us, I could feel its coldness. I knew what it felt like to be trapped by the Divine''s power. It was unpleasant, to say the least.


    "How did you know?" Lucius asked as I took a deep breath, preparing to release my flames. "I didn''t." I replied just before purple flames burst out of me.


    For a split second, the darkness resisted me. Then, Fetheion''s power retreated, allowing us to stand up again.


    "If you keep brute forcing your way through my magic, you''re going to deplete all of your mana, Kai." Fetheion said with a mischievous smile. Instead of replying, I directed my flames on him.


    Lightning immediately followed as Lucius quickly stepped back. He knew when it wasn''t his place to fight. He needed us to create an opening for him, just like before. I noticed Mona drag him to the side and whisper something into his ear. Were they planning something?


    "Kai!" Asher''s voice sounded. "I can''t anymore, look out below!"


    As those words left his mouth, I noticed the barrier beneath our feet crack, then disappear. My eyes widened as Fetheion chuckled.


    "Now," He said as his weapon melted, only to form the familiar shape of a scythe in his hands. "Your turn to test your blade against mine."

 Chapter 213: Battle Against Fetheion (2)

    The ground shook as tendrils of darkness burst out of the ground all around us, separating us from one another.


    I only saw glimpses of the others before walls of darkness came in between us. Asher surrounded himself with lightning, Mona cast a spell as a green light enveloped her and Lucius and I found myself trapped in here with Fetheion.


    "Now," He said with an almost wicked smile. "Let''s see how long you can last ¨C will they make it in time?" He disappeared in a puff of smoke.


    I could feel his power whirling around me as my heart raced. I tightened my grip on my sword. Where was he? I knew he could teleport, but he had never used it against me. I didn''t know how to counter it.


    I felt something, a movement, behind me. I turned, just in time to see the scythe swinging towards my neck. I didn''t even try to block the sharp, deadly blade ¨C if I did, he could just use his pure strength to throw me off balance and then, I''d be done for. Instead, I threw myself to the side and got rid of my wings ¨C in this particular duel, they were nothing but dead weight.


    "Seriously," I mumbled as I rolled and got back up on my feet. "Why a scythe? They''re not even good weapons."


    He chuckled. "Says the man who desperately wants his own scythe back." Tendrils of darkness appeared around me, seeping out of the ground, slowly reaching for my legs. With a wave of my hand, I released some of my flames to protect me.


    "It''s not any scythe and it''s range is good during flight." I replied trying to buy some time. "What''s your excuse?"


    His lips formed a mischievous smile. "I wanted to annoy you." With those words, he dashed forward. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as I barely blocked the long, curved blade of his weapon. While it wasn''t the first time I was fighting against a scythe user, Fetheion''s fighting style was much more aggressive than that of my previous opponent. I was having a hard time keeping up with him due to his weapon''s incredible reach.


    Unlike when he was fighting against Lucius, Fetheion didn''t hesitate to use his magic against me at all. With each swing of his scythe, waves of magic spread, forcing me to defend against both his weapon, and his power.


    Despite that, I somehow held on. Seconds turned into minutes as we remained locked in combat. Though I didn''t feel tired yet, thanks to Soul''s Aspect and Fallen Grace, I slowly began to worry about my limited mana pool. I''d be done for the moment I ran out of mana.


    "You seem worried," He said as he swung his scythe towards my feet. I jumped over the blade and dashed forward as soon as my feet touched the ground, hoping to get close enough so I could actually attack for once.


    His eyes widened for just a moment as he noticed his scythe wasn''t too effective as such close range, but then he chuckled. Unsure of why he suddenly looked at me as if he''d already won, I threw myself aside, only to see a dagger strike the air right where my throat was a split second ago.


    Fetheion laughed as I quickly backed away. His weapon once again changed into the scythe. "Nice try, I''ll give you that." His smile disappeared. "But you''ll need a hell of a lot more than that if you want to stand the slightest chance against Aelith." He spoke as his expression darkened. "Right now, you''re nothing to her."


    "We''ll see about that!" I hissed through my gritted teeth, then shouted. "Now!"


    The magic I had been feeling through the walls of darkness ¨C Mona and Asher''s spells ¨C activated. Lightning bolts struck the walls of darkness as the ground shook and began to crack. Fetheion''s eyes widened as Mona and Lucius came into view, above the walls of darkness.


    A massive plant rose, carrying those two on its large leaves. Mona leapt down, her spear aiming for Fetheion''s scythe. Lucius immediately followed her, striking the shaft of the Divine''s scythe.


    I didn''t hesitate as I released my flames ¨C now was the best chance we were going to get. My purple flames were immediately followed by Asher''s silvery blue lightning as clouds began to cover the sky. Fetheion just barely held on as Mona and Lucius'' joint strength threatened to throw him off balance.


    For a moment, it seemed as if the darkness around us waned and the Divine had lost. Alas, that moment didn''t last long as the blade of his scythe melted away. Mona, whose spear was leaning on it, stumbled forward and fell to the ground as the object she was pushing with all her strength suddenly was no more. The blade appeared on the other end of the shaft, causing Lucius to leap back to dodge the suddenly appearing blade.


    "That''s cheating!" Mona shouted as she got back up, this time with a handful of earth in her hand. "What kind of a weapon is that even?"


    Fetheion didn''t reply. His expression was that of pure focus and now, his eyes were focused on Lucius. That glare and expression, and the constantly strengthening waves of power he emitted suddenly sent a shiver down my spine. He was serious ¨C for the first time, we had actually posed a challenge. For that split second where we all worked together, he had to actually try not to lose.


    Suddenly, we had posed a threat to him.


    He spung his scythe around his wrist as he dashed forward, chasing Lucius. The young man''s eyes widened as soon as he noticed the Divine''s expression. Without even a moment of hesitation, he threw himself away from the scythe''s path.


    "Oh, no you don''t!" Asher''s voice sounded as his lightning strikes finally destroyed the walls of darkness and immediately formed a barrier around the young swordsman.


    Fetheion''s scythe struck the barrier, then bounced off. Lucius took this chance to put some distance between him and the Divine. As he did so, I noticed the large, clearly visible crack on the barrier''s surface.


    "Lucius," I called to the young swordsman as he retreated to stand by me. "I''ll go first, follow my lead and look for a chance."


    The young man''s eyes widened. "You can''t keep up your magic and fight at the same time!" He cried out as I dashed forward. He wasn''t wrong in assuming that ¨C I hadn''t been able to do that since all of the souls I had gathered were taken away. But before, back when I was able to use the Phoenix'' soul to control my flames, I could fight with magic and blade at the same time.


    With determination in my eyes, I struck Fetheion''s blade with my own. "My turn again!" I hissed through my gritted teeth as my flames flared up once more.


    Fetheion looked at me with a wicked smile as his scythe melted away and turned into a sword. "Fine then," He said as his dark power seeped out of the ground. "Let''s do this properly!"


    I stepped back as soon as his weapon changed. We had a swordfight before ¨C I knew his skill with a sword was greater than mine. I had to find a way to surprise him if I wanted to defeat him. Either that, or one of the others needed to give us an edge. Otherwise, we stood little chance.


    My thoughts got cut in half as he stepped closer and swung his sword. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the battlefield, accompanied by the roar of my flames and the crackles or Asher''s lightning.


    Fetheion''s pure strength surprised me once more as that single strike left my arms hurting. I gritted my teeth and fed more power to my flames. I had already enhanced my body as much as I could. Fallen Grace was active, and I was still using Soul''s Aspect to maintain the corrupted demon''s form. If I couldn''t at least keep up with Fetheion at my current state, then I wasn''t sure of what to do.


    Noticing my surprise and hesitation, the crimson haired Divine didn''t waste a moment. I barely blocked his flurry of blows and started my own assault as soon as he gave me a moment to breathe. Unlike him, my swings were much more calculated. I knew I couldn''t just keep throwing random attacks until I won through the sheer advantage of strength. I needed to trick him ¨C somehow get past his incredible defence while also holding back the darkness that threatened to swallow me.


    I didn''t dare using my fighting hand switching trick ¨C he already knew I was capable of that and I couldn''t imagine him falling for that twice. Instead, I stuck with somewhat easier to pull off feints, hoping either he would read me wrong, or Asher and the others would do something.


    Thankfully, I didn''t have to wait long. Lucius appeared behind Fetheion as Mona once again came crashing down from above. I kind of wanted to tell her that using the same attack so many times in a row was less than smart, but she surprised me by throwing her spear aside and kicking the Divine''s shoulders before landing a few steps away and catching her spear again. With no hesitation, she raised the sharp, metal end of it to the sky just in time to catch a lightning bolt, the threw the weapon towards the Divine.


    Fetheion fell into a cloud of darkness as soon as he lost his balance, then reappeared a few meters away, only to see the spear turn mid air and fly towards him. Asher was controlling the deadly, lightning charged weapon.


    The Divine''s eyes widened as the weapon quickly approached his throat.

 Chapter 214: Battle Against Fetheion (3)

    He shouted something as the weapon was perhaps and arm''s length away from him. A brilliant, golden light enveloped him. The spear struck the light, only for the weapon to shatter to pieces.


    "What¡­?" Asher whispered as Lucius stopped mid dash. The golden light disappeared soon after, only for Fetheion to chuckle. "I''m a Divine ¨C darkness isn''t the only power at my disposal. And Light isn''t the only power in theirs."


    He raised his hand, and I found myself flying as the ground beneath out feet exploded. My wings appeared on my back as I regain my balance mid-air. I noticed something move beside me. Mona, Asher, and Lucius were holding on to an oversized blade of grass.


    "Not the best plant to enlarge!" Lucius shouted at Mona as the blade of grass started to bend under their weight.


    "Well excuse me for not having time to find another plant while the floor exploded!" She shouted back. Asher looked like he wanted to punch both of them, but before he could even say a word, the plant quickly began to shrink, and they found themselves on the now overturned ground.


    I also landed ¨C being in the air would make me an easy target for any spell Fetheion wanted to cast.


    Despite moving quickly, it was as if he was expecting me to land. As soon as my feet touched the ground, darkness spread from him. Asher clenched his fists. "This is just getting annoying now," He mumbled.


    "Agreed." Fetheion''s voice sounded. For some reason, that one word was enough to send shivers down my spine. "Asher, shields!" I shouted. The blonde sorcerer shot me confused glance but began casting the shielding spell anyways. Yet, despite him quickly following my command, he wasn''t fast enough. Something ¨C a power I hadn''t felt before ¨C hit us, sending us flying a few meters away.


    I hit the ground with a thud. I quickly reached for my sword, but the Divine''s voice stopped me. "I don''t think you want to try that." He leaned the sharp tip of his sword against my cheek. "And I win." I felt a slight pain as he scratched my cheek with his blade.


    His weapon disappeared, as did the darkness and the barrier around the arena.


    "Mona!" Theresa and Laura shouted as they ran towards us.


    "What was that?" I asked, looking at Fetheion. I wanted to know what that last spell he used was. How could he cast it so quickly? The more powerful a spell was, the longer and more difficult it was to cast.


    He chuckled as he bent down and helped me get up. "A little something I had prepared." He glanced at Asher and Lucius. "Your teamwork wasn''t bad," He said as those two also got up. They looked just as beat up as me. That last spell had caught all of us by surprise.


    Lucius just sighed while Asher shook his head. "We still lost a four against one match." He glanced at me. "Even with him we couldn''t even put a scratch on you."


    Fetheion chuckled. "It''s not all that weird," He said as he fixed his hair. "I''m much more experienced than any of you and I know almost everything you''re capable of. The same can''t really be said about you ¨C the only person who knew a little about my power was Kai, and what he did know was limited."


    I nodded. "I only knew he was good with a sword, really." I sighed. I hadn''t really expected to win ¨C I knew Fetheion''s power was comparable to Aelith''s. But I hadn''t expected to be wiped out as quickly as that. It made me feel like he toyed with us the whole time.


    A soft light shone on us as Asher cast a simple healing spell. Those few levels into a healer class were proving to be quite useful. "Thanks," I said as the scratch on my cheek and the bruises from the explosion healed.


    "We need to grow stronger." Asher declared as shook the dirt and grass off his robes. "And we need to hurry." He glanced at me. "Kai''s power grows with each soul he gets, but I doubt the difference is quite large enough unless you get the soul of a powerful being, am I wrong?"


    I shook my head. He was right ¨C the big jumps in power were always when I took in the souls of powerful creatures, such as the phoenix, the wyvern, or the corrupted demon. Each of those souls had allowed me to do things I couldn''t before. If only I could get those that I lost back¡­


    "That''s true," Fetheion said with a more serious tone. "All of you need to grow stronger if you''re to fight Aelith, or any other Divine." He glanced at Lucius. "You need to learn to work with Asher better ¨C he did a fine job shielding you, but you didn''t try to strike during any opening he created with his attacks."


    Lucius looked away and nodded. He knew Fetheion was right.


    "And Mona," He called the cheerful Druid''s name. "You can''t keep trying the same thing over and over again. The first time you tried jumping me, it was enough to catch my attention. You shouldn''t have tried it the other times though."


    Mona sighed. "I know, I''m sorry."


    Laura patted Mona''s shoulder. "You still did kind of fine though ¨C those huge plants of yours did help quite a lot." Theresa nodded while Mona chuckled. "I guess," She mumbled.


    Fetheion also nodded. "Your teamwork needs to be better." He finally said, glancing at me. We had already talked about this before. We understood each other perfectly.


    "All of you should get some rest." Fetheion said as he looked up. The sun was halfway towards the horizon. A few hours later, it''d be dusk. I took a deep breath. "Yeah, we really should. Let''s talk about our next move tomorrow."


    Asher nodded. "Let''s."


    With that, we scattered. Asher left for the pond along with Lucius, while I chose to just go to my room and sleep. Mona left with Theresa and Laura for a walk while Fetheion started fixing the now overturned arena. He clearly wanted the peaceful grass area to return.


    Once I was in my room, I shut the door and lay down on the bed. Only then did I notice just how drained I was. The fight had taken a much larger toll that I thought it did. I fell asleep soon after.


    "No!" I heard shouting from afar. "You can''t!"


    "I can, and I will." A familiar voice sounded. "Don''t interfere with my work, brother." I opened my eyes and blinked a few times. My vision was slightly blurry. It fixed itself when I blinked a few times, though the weird haze was still around.


    I looked around. I was in the training hall, a dull sword in hand. I felt somewhat nostalgic ¨C was I dreaming? There was no way I had returned home, was there?


    "I will if it means-" The voice silenced as the door to the training hall opened. Mother stepped inside, along with Uncle Eion. "Oh, Kai." He said, swallowing whatever he was about to say. "What are you doing here so early?" He asked, shooting an awkward glance at Mother.


    I remembered this! This was a few weeks after Aoife won her tournament. I remembered this fight Uncle Eion had with Mother clearly. For some reason, it had struck me as important even then, at such a young age.


    "Are you ok?" Uncle Eion approached me. "You look a little pale, do you have a fever?" He leaned down and touched my forehead. "Doesn''t look like it." He glanced at Mother, then looked back at me. "Have you eaten yet?"


    "He can take care of himself," Mother''s voice sounded. She glanced at me, her expression cold as always. "Take a break Kai."


    I felt the sting in her words.


    "Hey!" Uncle Eion raised his voice at her. "Stop that,"


    "Kai, leave." Mother''s emotionless glare was enough to cause me to run outside. As I shut the door, I heard Uncle Eion shout. "What in the name of all holy is wrong with you? He is your son! Your only-"


    Their voices faded as I ran farther away, only to find myself back in the training hall. The dream had shifted ¨C I was older now, though only by a couple of years.


    "Hey, don''t get lost in thought now." Aoife''s voice sounded. She stood before me, her longsword in hand. I barely reached her shoulder when we stood across each other like this. "Or do you want her to get angry again?" She asked, lowing her voice slightly.


    I flinched. I could feel Mother''s eyes on my back. As always, she silently stood by the entrance. She''d always do that whenever Aoife was around.


    "Let''s begin." I forced myself to speak as I readied myself. My sister chuckled. "Let''s." She said with a cheerful voice. She was happy, while I felt tense.


    With no hesitation on her part, our duel began.

 Chapter 215: Deja Vu

    I woke up, out of breath and panting. The memory of my dream was still fresh in my mind. I glanced at my trembling hands, then sighed. I couldn''t shake the feeling of Mother being disappointed in me, just after I lost that duel against Aoife.


    "Damn it¡­" I mumbled as I pushed myself up to a sitting position and pushed my loose hair away from my face. "I hate this." Those were memories I didn''t want to remember right now. Especially not after a crushing defeat against Fetheion.


    I sat like that for a bit, then jumped off the bed and walked out of my room. I didn''t feel like sleeping anymore. I didn''t want to lose myself in other dreams or nightmares.


    As I walked to the entrance, a familiar voice sounded.


    "Kai?" Fetheion asked as he stepped out of the library, a pile of parchments in hand. "What are you doing up so early?"


    I shrugged. "I just woke up, bad dreams. What time is it?"


    He stepped closer. "There are still a few hours until dawn. Are you ok? You''re really pale. Do you have a fever?"


    He reached out to touch my forehead. "No, doesn''t look like it," He mumbled. "You haven''t eaten anything, have you?" He asked, clearly worried.


    I blinked a few times. The D¨¦j¨¤ vu was impossible to miss, wasn''t it?


    "I''m fine," I forced the words out. "I want to wash myself before I eat anything."


    Fetheion glanced at the library. "I see. I''ll have something prepared for when you''re done, so drop by the library, ok?" He waited for me to nod, then headed to his own room.


    I stood there for a while, confused. It took me a moment to pull myself together at least a little and head outside.


    I shivered as the cold night air touched my face. I wondered, were there seasons in this world? Because if so, this cold could only mean winter was near.


    I hurried to the pond. The water''s surface rippled as I submerged myself in it. The cold water quickly numbed my skin as I dove underneath the surface. I could see the freshwater fish scurry away as my hand touched the sandy bottom of the pond. It wasn''t as deep as I thought it would be.


    I remained down there for as long as my lungs allowed, then swam back to the surface. As I dried myself and got dressed, I decided to find some soap next time ¨C water wasn''t quite enough anymore.


    As I walked back to Fetheion''s house, I still couldn''t get the similarity between his and Uncle Eion''s actions out of my mind. He truly reminded me of him.


    When I returned, I hesitated before entering the library. I honestly didn''t want to talk with Fetheion right now, but I was hungry, and I had things I had to talk about before the others woke up. Mainly, whatever power it was that he used to end our match.


    I found him buried under the documents on his desk.


    "I thought Asher took care of all that for you." I commented as I grabbed a sandwich on the low coffee table by the couches. The Divine sighed and shook his head.


    "I don''t think he ever wants to help me again." I chuckled; I wasn''t really blaming the blonde sorcerer for not wanting to deal with paperwork.


    I bit into the sandwich as I sat on the couch. It was tasty as always, though I couldn''t help but feel like it lacked something. It was probably nostalgia speaking though, since I remembered the food back at home.


    "Something on your mind?" Fetheion asked after I finished my meal. I hesitated, there was so much on my mind that I didn''t even know where I''d begin if I were to speak about it. "Well," I said after a moment. "I was wondering ¨C you said most Divines had another type of power as well. Do you know what they are?"


    Fetheion sighed and put the piece of paper in his hand onto the desk. "I know nothing but rumours." He finally said.  He fiddled with the edge of the papers. "We used to keep things such as these secret, and for good reason too. If they had known my powers, I would have never been able to disappear like this."


    I nodded. It made sense, considering how powerful each of them was, keeping a trump card hidden was only smart. I pondered ¨C perhaps I should do something similar as well. While I did trust Asher and the others, I still wasn''t sure of what to think about Fetheion. Sure, he''d helped me, but it was clear he wouldn''t hesitate to destroy me if it meant my predecessor could return.


    "Kai," He said, pulling me away from my thoughts. I raised my head to glance at him. Why was his voice so serious all of a sudden?


    "I''m going to kill the Guardian by the Keeper''s tomb." He said after a moment. "You should be there to absorb its soul. The memories you may see could help us learn who took your predecessor''s soul."


    His words startled me. "I guess so, yeah." I mumbled as he turned his attention to the documents once more. "When will you do it?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Right after dawn." He showed me a faint smile. "I don''t want that best to defile his tomb any further. It should have never been there in the first place." He clenched his fist, but then forced himself to calm down. "You won''t be in danger, I can probably ¨C"


    "No," I cut him off. "I''ll fight too." I wasn''t so weak as to hide behind him. At the very least, I could help him out a little. I didn''t want him to think I was helpless.


    No, I simply didn''t want to become irrelevant. Because I knew that was exactly what would happen if the previous Keeper of Souls ever got the chance to return to his own body.


    Fetheion shot me a surprised look, clearly ready to shoot my suggestion down. Yet, his expression changed, and he simply nodded. "Alright." He said in a low voice.


    I sighed a breath of relief. I was worried I''d have to fight him on this. I was glad it hadn''t come to that, though his quick acceptance was a bit weird. "We leave at dawn." He said with a sigh.


    I nodded. "Alright," I said. Since there wasn''t much left to be said, I stood up and headed for the door.


    "Oh, and Kai," He added. "Please don''t tell the others."


    Though his request surprised me, I nodded. "Alright." I said, then left the room. I closed the door behind me, then headed outside.


    It was still dark out ¨C there ere still a couple of hours until dawn. I stepped to the middle of the arena where we fought just yesterday. Not a single trace was left of yesterday''s match. The overturned earth, the burnt grass¡­ none of it remained. It was as if nothing had happened here.


    Fetheion''s powers once again surprised me. What couldn''t the man do?


    A distant howl reminded me of why I was here. I extended my hand and my sword appeared from the darkness that formed around my arm. It looked eerily similar to the darkness Fetheion controlled. Was it a result of what he had done to my interface?


    I pondered about it for a moment, then shrugged. I could ask him if I needed to. Now, I wanted to focus on the task at hand. I took a deep breath and used Soul''s Aspect. As my body took on the form of the corrupted demon, I assumed a combat stance ¨C the one we always use for training.


    I counted until ten, then began my training routine. Mother had drilled this into my head from the day I touched a sword for the first time. I knew it like the back of my hand. I could probably do it in my sleep, under normal circumstances. But now, with Soul''s Aspect active, I found myself losing balance or overstepping quite often.


    It was because of the change in my body ¨C the difference in strength, speed, and mobility. My centre of balance was ever so slightly different because of the horns and tail. The claws made it slightly more difficult to hold the sword with both hands ¨C I needed to one hand it to use it effectively.


    I had been sloppy, I thought as I flowed from one move to the next. I had neglected to train every day. It was hardly a surprise that I wasn''t improving at all. Instead, one could even argue that I was regressing ever so slowly. With each day I skipped training, my form was only worsening.


    If I were even a little better ¨C a little faster or stronger, I could have been able to keep up with Fetheion. Well, only when he wasn''t using magic, but still, that was a step in the right direction.


    And that was what I had to do. Step by step. I was going to grow stronger.

 Chapter 216: A Field of Flowers

    "Ready?" Fetheion asked as I approached him. After finishing my training, I had washed myself again, then came back to the opening just to find him there, waiting.


    I nodded. "Do you want me to open a rift?" I asked. He shook his head. "I''ll take us there," He said as his power whirled around us. I tilted my head as I watched the darkness whirl around us, forming a sphere.


    A few moments later, the darkness scattered.


    "I think you got the wrong place," I mumbled as I looked at the field of flowers before us. It stretched as far as the eye could see. To my left, I noticed a pond, with waterlilies on its surface.


    "No, we''re just stopping here for a moment." The crimson haired Divine stepped forward and walked among the flowers. "These are called starsnatchers." He said with a faint smile. "Pick one ¨C a single one that calls to you."


    I tilted my head in confusion. "What do you mean ''calls to me''?"


    "You''ll know when you hear it." He said with a faint smile. "Just walk for a bit. Be careful not to step on any."


    I did as he said, swallowing the many questions I had. It seemed as if this place and these flowers meant something to him. I could wait to satisfy my curiosity until we were on our way again. As I walked among the white flowers, I couldn''t help but feel the serenity of this place. There was no sound aside from the rustle of our clothes as we walked.


    A few minutes passed, with no flower ''calling'' to me. I slowly became hesitant. Perhaps the flowers only cared about the Ereth?


    I was about to give up when I heard a very faint sound. If I were to describe it, I''d call it the rustle of leaves. Yet, there was no wind to rustle the plants around us. Slightly confused, I looked around, only to see a particular flower moving ever so slightly, swaying in the non-existent wind.


    I glanced at Fetheion, intending to as whether this was what he meant, but I stopped myself. He seemed lost in memories as he gently picked a flower. I took a deep breath, then used a small knife to cut the stem of the flower.


    When I returned to Fetheion''s side, he only showed a bitter smile before his power enveloped us and took us away from this serene, beautiful place.


    When his power scattered again, we found ourselves facing the cave leading to the valley, where the Keeper''s tomb and the gargantuan snake was.


    "Keep that flower safe," He said with a low voice. He stepped inside the cave, and I was quick to follow him. I used Soul''s Aspect as we approached the other end of the cave.


    "The place is ruined," I mumbled as the valley stretched before us. The ground was overturned, the blue grass mostly trampled over or just gone. Seeing the result of our desperate attempt to escape from the creature, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat guilty. The once peaceful aura of this place had been destroyed.


    "It''s fine," Fetheion said. "Soon, that monster will find its peace." He motioned to step forward, but I quickly grabbed his arm.


    "Wait." He shot me a surprised glance. I took a breath before trying to explain. "I don''t know if I can take in a soul as powerful as that of the snake."


    The Divine shook his head. "You don''t need to worry about that. I''ll make sure nothing happens to you."


    With those words, he shook my hand off and stepped out of the cave, to the valley.


    As soon as his feet touched the trampled blue grass, the ground shook. The snake slowly lifted its head off the ground, shaking off what little earth remained on it.


    As it focused it''s gaze on Fetheion, I noticed how it moved its head. It was hiding one of its eyes from view. Was the eye I stabbed still wounded?


    "And now, you die." Fetheion''s words echoed. I flinched as I felt his magic for a split second. I watched him, expecting him to release a spell, but instead, the creature simply hissed and¡­ fell.


    "What¡­?" I whispered as the massive snake''s head hit the ground with a loud thud. The ground shook one last time before silence covered the valley."


    "I simply removed the curse cast upon it." Fetheion glanced at me. "If I were to fight it via normal means, I would have had quite some trouble." He showed a faint smile. "Come," He gestured me to follow him, then approached the giant beast.


    I gulped, then slowly followed him. His explanation didn''t really help much, as I assumed removing such a powerful curse was incredibly difficult in its own right. "How did you remove the curse so easily?" I asked.


    "It was a curse made so the Demons couldn''t remove it. Any Ereth, no matter how weak, could have removed the curse." He looked at me. "You wouldn''t have been able to, no matter how powerful you were."


    "I see," I mumbled, then took a deep breath to reset my focus. "What now?" I asked.


    "You have a soul to take in, don''t you?" He asked, gesturing at the giant snake. I gulped, that wasn''t a soul I wanted to take in. As it slowly separated from its body and floated towards me, it took nearly all of my courage to just stand there and wait for it.


    I felt cold, freezing cold, as it slowly melted into my chest.


    "Ah," I felt my head spin. "I don''t¡­ this wasn''t a good idea." I mumbled as I quickly leaned on a nearby rock. I waited for the memories to come rushing in, but none came. Instead, I felt my stomach churn. "Damn it¡­"


    Where were the memories? Why wasn''t I seeing them? Wasn''t the whole goal of this journey to learn who had cursed the snake? Was all of that in vain?


    "Kai?" I head Fetheion''s voice from the distance. "Have some water," he said as he gave me a bottle. I took a sip. The icy cold water calmed my stomach a little. Slowly but surely, my head stopped spinning and my blurry vision returned to normal.


    "No memories, huh?" The Divine asked as I took deep breaths to calm myself. I shook my head. "Sorry," I whispered. I knew how much this meant for him. How deeply he cared about his friend ¨C my predecessor. "Maybe I''ll see them in my dreams."


    "Perhaps." He said, though I could hear it in his voice that he didn''t believe his words one bit. "Come, let''s pay our respects."


    We walked to the building at the centre of the valley. As we stepped inside, our steps slowed until we stopped a few steps away from the sarcophagus.


    Fetheion hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward. He placed the flowers on the empty nameplate at the ground, then stepped back. I had to gather my courage to do the same. When I stepped back, Fetheion smiled. "Thanks," He said with a low voice. "For bearing with me on this."


    I shook my head. "It''s nothing worth mentioning." What else could I say?


    He didn''t respond. Instead, his gaze wondered around inside the building. "This place was beautiful once. Worthy to be the tomb of the Keeper of Souls." He whispered. "I am ashamed to have let it fall to such a state."


    "It''s still beautiful," I said after a moment. "Sure, the buildings are ruined, and the snake did destroy most of the valley, but it was beautiful when we first came here." The memory was still fresh in my mind. Besides, considering the body this tomb belonged to was alive and the soul was taken away, did the tomb really matter anymore?


    I glanced at Fetheion, who only smiled. I decided it would be best not to say what just came to my mind. Devaluing a place that mattered so much to him was one of the worst things I could do.


    Instead, I pointed at the giant corpse of the snake. "I think the only potential issue it the corpse. It''s huge and it will eventually begin to rot." The smell of such a gigantic rotting corpse would probably be enough to make this place inhabitable for at least a few decades. Maybe even more.


    Fetheion chuckled. "I''ll get rid of it." He glanced at me. "Normally, I wouldn''t destroy it, but you''re right. This will only damage this place." His voice was filled with sorrow, despite the smile on his face.


    I wished he didn''t try to keep up appearances like this. He wasn''t the best at hiding his emotions.


    He gestured me to follow him, then shot a final glance at the sarcophagus before heading outside. I followed him to the stairs. I had only taken one stop on the stairs when a familiar scent reached my nose.


    The smell of hyacinth.

 Chapter 217: A Hint of Hyacinth

    We stopped in our tracks as a familiar figure stepped on the stairs. I drew a sharp breath as Vixia raised her head to look at us.


    "Ah," She flinched. "I hadn''t expected to find either of you here," She said after a moment.


    "And neither had I," Fetheion took a step forward in a desperate attempt to hide me from her view. He seemed just as startled as me. "What are you doing here, Demon?" He asked with a much more aggressive tone than I would have expected of him.


    "I could ask you the same, exiled Divine." She glared at him, her eyes shining purple.


    "I paid respects to my friend and purged his tomb of a foul beast." Fetheion clenched his fists. "Clearly it lived here for a long time. Do tell me, why have the demons let it be?"


    Vixia furrowed her brows. "Are you so shameless that you can ask such a question with a straight face?" She hissed through her gritted teeth. "Knowing full well it was your kind to curse the beast so none could approach the tomb!" She added, her demonic magic crackling around her.


    I instinctively stepped back. A fight between these two was not something I was looking forward to.


    "And why would I not have a straight face?" Fetheion laughed. "You speak as if I am responsible, right after acknowledging I am on exile." I noticed the shadows around us grow ever so slightly. "Make up your mind, demon. Do you blame me or not?" Despite his mocking voice, I could see how tense he was.


    I felt Vixia release her magic. A whip made of flames appeared in her hand as she pointed at me with her newly formed weapon. "Oh please," She said, clearly fuming with anger. "You dare speak while he is right there?"


    I clenched my fists. Despite Fetheion''s calm appearance, I could see he was everything but that. A battle between those two could ruin this place, and Vixia could alert other demons. Actually, now that I thought about it, had she really come here alone?


    Where was the old demon and Delthur? How come was he not here?


    "Is that how it is now? Will you simply blame me for everything just so you can avoid having to accept those that defeated your kind are to blame?" Fetheion made a vague gesture towards the south east ¨C the general direction of Baile Chailce. "Can you do nothing without the Keeper to protect your kind?"


    Vixia''s expression twisted with pain. "You-" She stopped, almost as if she were trying to stay calm. She suddenly stepped back and before I even noticed what was happening, I noticed her whip lashing at us.


    "And thus, you resort to violence." Fetheion''s voice was calm once more as he blocked the whip strike with a shield of darkness. "Should I kill you?" He asked. I froze in the spot. His words had startled me, not because of what he said, but because of the coldness in his voice as he spoke. "Should I let you rest within the new Keeper of Souls?" He tilted his head ever so slightly.


    "He is nothing but an imposter!" Vixia shouted as she stepped back even more. With each step she took backwards, Fetheion followed with his own steps ahead. "And you know it just as well as I do!" Vixia continued.


    Her words stung a little, but she wasn''t wrong. Fetheion, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be bothered by her words at all. "That didn''t stop you from trying to get him, did it?" The Divine''s voice echoed. "Who is the hypocrite now?" He asked with a wicked smile.


    "Does he know?" Vixia asked, turning her glare on me. "Did you know this man was one of the first to come to our world?" She asked, pointing at Fetheion. "Did you know he killed hundreds of us, farmers and workers ¨C those who hadn''t even touched a weapon in their lifetimes?"


    I couldn''t help but glance at the Divine. I remained silent and forced my expression to remain as it is. My lack of reaction seemed to push Vixia to the edge. "He is not the guardian angel that you think he is!" She shouted.


    "I never claimed to be." Fetheion said. "I told him everything, clearly and without holding back. I know the truth would be your greatest weapon, demon." With every word he spoke, Vixia''s expression twisted. "I knew if I lied to him, I''d only lose his support and he would never accept my help." He took a deep breath and pushed a loose strand of hair aside. "He knows everything he needs to know."


    For some reason, I breathed a sigh of relief. There was still much I didn''t know about Fetheion and even now, I wasn''t sure of whether to trust him or not. If I didn''t need his help, would I still return to his house and share what I learned?


    I wasn''t sure. But the fact that Vixia hadn''t spilled any great secrets that changed my view of him drastically made me feel much more at ease. In a way, she had accomplished the very thing she was trying to destroy.


    "Does he?" Vixia asked. Her hair and dress fluttered in the wind. "What about your sister? Have you told him about her? About what happens to those who defy your Divine Matriarch?"


    I glanced at Fetheion. I wasn''t stupid enough to speak right now, but I was somewhat intrigued by her words. I knew Fetheion had a sister once upon a time, but for all I knew, she was no longer on this world. Those were the exact words Fetheion had spoken as he told me about her.


    What was so important about his dead sister that Vixia felt the need to bring her up?


    "Leave her out of this, Demon." Fetheion''s expression darkened. I could hear it in his voice ¨C he wasn''t pleased about where the subject headed. "She is long gone, never to return. Ages passed since then and it is irrelevant now." His hand instinctively went to his hair.


    I furrowed my brows. I had noticed him fiddle with his hair when he was nervous before. I took a mental note not to bring up his sister in future conversations. It seemed to be a very sensitive subject for him. Thinking about it, I would probably act the same way if anything had happened to Aoife.


    "Oh really?" Vixia didn''t seem to care about it though as she continued to push the subject. "Are you sure she''s irrelevant?" Her gaze turned on to me. "Don''t you think he should know what exactly he is risking by siding with you?"


    "He knows what he is risking." Fetheion raised his voice. "And it is not more than he would risk if he sided with you or your ruler."


    Vixia laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Divine. But really," She chuckled. "Are you delusional enough to think you could be remotely as dangerous as our Lord?" She tilted her head as her lips formed a wicked smile. "Has the darkness effected your mind that much? I wonder, when will you crawl back into that disgusting light of yours?"


    I glanced at Fetheion. What did she mean by that? Was the power he took from the world ¨C his darkness ¨C harming his mind? I wanted to ask him about it, but now wasn''t the time. I learned much more by letting these two argue. I just hoped that argument didn''t turn into a full scale battle.


    "You''re a fool if you think so." Fetheion said. "I know I''m no match for your Lord. No one is, not even Divine Matriarch Aelith." He made a vague gesture. "Which begs the question ¨C why are your people so¡­ passive? With such a powerful leader, I know you have the ability to crush Baile Chailce and kill Aelith, so what is it exactly, that you are waiting for?"


    I glanced at Vixia as she avoided meeting either of our gazes. Was the Demon Lord really strong enough to fight against Aelith and the other Divines and win? He certainly seemed incredibly powerful ¨C even time itself seemed to obey his command, after all ¨C but to take down Baile Chailce, while it is supplied with power from that Divine Pillar¡­ Wasn''t that a bit much?


    "That is for him to know." Vixia said calmly. "Now," She glanced at me. "I had come here to pay my respects, but since he is here, I will be taking him along."


    I flinched. "Uh, no, I don''t think that''s going to happen." I had no intention of going with her.


    "Yeah," Fetheion nodded. "Not going to happen."


    "I didn''t ask for permission." Vixia said. "Now-"


    "And I don''t care." Fetheion cut her off. "You know I''m stronger than you. I don''t intend to kill you, but I won''t hesitate to do so if you even so much as try to harm him."


    Vixia laughed as she took a small, black object out of her pocket. "I know I can''t force you to know anything." A wicked smile appeared on her face. "But he can." She broke the object in half.

 Chapter 218: Narrow Escape

    For just a split second, I didn''t understand what she meant. Then, I felt something familiar. The sun seemed to dim as I noticed my movements become slower.


    "Hell no!" Fetheion shouted. His darkness burst out and enveloped both of us as I noticed that rift I knew all too well form in the air. Just as time began to slow down, Fetheion''s spell finally finished and I found myself in a field of long grass.


    I heard a thud behind me as the heaviness in my actions disappeared and I could properly move again. I quickly turned around to see the source of that noise.


    It was Fetheion. He was laying on his back among the long grass, breathing heavily.


    "What happened?" I asked as my heart raced. What had happened to him?


    He didn''t reply for a moment, then took a deep breath. "That was too close for comfort." He said with a sigh. I gulped ¨C I knew what he was talking about. I knew only one person who could slow time like that. "Sorry," He continued, surprising me. "They know you''re alive now. They will come after you." He pushed himself up to a sitting position. "I shouldn''t have gone after the snake ¨C I took an unnecessary risk, and your secret is out because of it."


    I shook my head. "Never mind that ¨C are you ok?" He didn''t seem well at all. It was the first time I had seen him so exhausted and pale.


    He nodded. "I''ll be fine." He slowly got back up on his feet, though I could see his uneven balance. "We should go back." He said after a moment of silence. "I need some rest and you should stay low for a while."


    I shook my head. "You go ahead." I said, clearly surprising him. "I''m weak," I tried to explain. "I''m nowhere near being strong enough to defeat those I need to. I know I can train plenty when I''m safe near your home, but training in a completely safe place will only do so much for me." I made a vague gesture indicating our surroundings. "I need to fight ¨C I need more souls, more experience. More of everything if I want to become strong enough to stand a chance against Aelith." I hesitated. "Or the Demon Lord." I added.


    Fetheion averted his gaze. "You shouldn''t think about killing demons right now." He finally said after a few seconds. "It''s¡­" He glanced at me, then shook his head. "Just¡­ be careful what souls you take in. You should know better than me ¨C they affect your mind as much as they affect your strength."


    I nodded. "I know, don''t worry."


    Clearly my words didn''t help as Fetheion seemed just as worried as before. He sighed, then called forth his power. As darkness swirled around him, he showed me a weak smile. "As I''ve promised before, I won''t stop you. But I would like to talk to you sometime soon so, I''ll be waiting at home." With that, he disappeared in a puff of black smoke.


    "Right¡­" I mumbled.


    Now that I was alone, the sudden silence seemed deafening. I had grown accustomed to always having someone around, be it Asher, Lucius, Mona or Rina and Alex. Even Fetheion had taken care to not leave me alone for extended periods of time.


    I wondered, how come had he accepted to leave me be so easily? Was it because of what happened just a little earlier? The Demon Lord''s power could have been a stark reminder of Fetheion''s own limits ¨C he wasn''t all powerful after all.


    It wasn''t just a stark reminder of his limits, but also mine. While I had been able to cross swords with Fetheion twice before, I knew I wouldn''t even get that chance against the Demon Lord. It had once again reminded me to not stop ¨C ever. I needed more power if we were to ever be free of this virtual, fake world.


    With such thoughts whirling in my mind, I summoned my interface and navigated to my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 110 Soul Keeper | Exp: 96780/180000 - - Souls 100/100 + 342 - - Mana: 2240


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Haven Lv.5 | Soul''s Aspect Lv. 5 | Keeper''s Sight Lv. 1 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 33 ¨C CON: 11 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 100''


    I sighed. My levelling speed had really slowed to a crawl. I allocated the three stat points I was given, increasing my Strength to 36. How much difference would that even make? Not much, I was sure.


    I needed more power. With a deep breath, I summoned my wings and leapt into the air. First of all, I wanted to figure out where exactly I was.


    I could see the fang-like mountains in the distance. Thankfully, they were quite far away. I don''t think I needed to worry about Vixia and the Demon Lord finding me over such a long distance. Still, I turned my gaze to the opposite side of the mountains. I could see a forest in the distance ¨C almost an hour of flight away.


    Forests meant creatures, and creatures meant battle. I felt bloodlust. I wanted to fight ¨C I needed to fight even. I beat my wings without hesitation, allowing them to carry me towards the forest.


    As I flew over the grassland, I couldn''t help but try and see the place where I killed two demons and then met Mona, Laura, and Theresa. Naturally, I couldn''t find it. It was hardly surprising ¨C these grassy fields were almost endless, stretching all the way to the horizon. On foot, travelling through them took days. It was only because of my wings that I was able to move so quickly.


    Flight did really make the world a much smaller place.


    As soon as the fields of grass ended and I started flying over the woods, the atmosphere seemed to change as well. The air was slightly colder, and it wasn''t as silent anymore. I could hear the birds chirping and the gentle swaying of the trees.


    I looked around for a bit, looking for a good place to land. A hill, an opening among the trees, anywhere that I could fight without worrying about burning the whole forest down.


    I soon found the place I was looking for and it was perfect. A rather large lake was visible not too far from here, with a large rocky formation in the dead centre of it. The water was crystal clear ¨C I could see the fish and¡­ not so innocent creatures swimming under the surface.


    I didn''t waste any time as I landed on the rocky formation. As soon as my feet touched the rocks, I could see the surface of the lake suddenly ripple.


    "Well, that was fast," I mumbled as my sword appeared in my hands. Creatures I could only describe as ''bloated corpses'' began to crawl onto the rocks as I spoke. I held my breath ¨C they were utterly, completely disgusting. They smelled like dead, wet corpses ¨C and that was basically what they were!


    A single glance at them was enough to convince me that I did not want to stick my sword in them. Instead, I had a much better and cleaner way of dealing with them. I summoned my flames and got to work.


    I don''t know how much time passed ¨C I fought until no other bloated corpses crawled out of the water, checking my stats ever couple of hours only to see the numbers not really rise much. They gave minimal experience, and they had no souls ¨C something I was grateful for ¨C so I did feel like I was wasting time a bit. Though, I think it would have been much worse if they did have souls. I don''t think I wanted to harbour the memories of such disgusting creatures.


    But looking at them again, I felt like I was doing a service to this place by disposing of them. I made sure to burn them until nothing but ashes remained, and by the time they stopped coming, my mana supply was halfway depleted.


    "What''s that sound?" A faint voice sounded as I sighed. Startled, I shot a glance towards the source of the voice. I noticed some movement along the trees. Were they players? What were they doing here? Had they seen my flames? Felt my magic?


    "Don''t run off on your own!" Someone shouted. I clenched my fists and looked around ¨C where could I hide? The shore was too far to get there in time and the rock formation didn''t have anywhere I could stand on that would hide me from view.


    Rumours of a demon here would do no good to me. I didn''t have time to fly off ¨C they''d see me for sure and the same could be said about escaping via a rift. If they had a magic user with them, I''d be found out immediately.


    Seeing no other choice, I closed my eyes, held my breath, and jumped into the cold water.

 Chapter 219: Rumours

    "So," A woman''s voice sounded. "What exactly is it that you heard?" She sounded annoyed more than anything. More so than seemed justified.


    "I don''t know!" The voice I heard just before I jumped into the water sounded.


    "What do you mean you don''t know?" The annoyed woman asked, her voice getting more irritated with each word she spoke.


    The man just sighed, then silence followed. Moments later, he clicked his tongue. "Well, I was sure there was something going on here." He mumbled. "Seriously, did you guys hear nothing?"


    A bunch of voices said no simultaneously. I furrowed my brows. How many people were there? Five? Six, at most, I decided.


    "Can we just keep going if you''re done here?" The woman asked.


    "Can you be patient for just a few god damned minutes?" The man replied with anger. "What if there is something of value here and we miss it because you''re so damn impatient?" I heard footsteps, then a low splash. Had someone just jumped into the water? Why on earth would they do that?


    "Hey, wasn''t this supposed to be a cursed lake with undead and corpses and miasma?" A different voice asked. I tilted my head slightly. Was it the lack of danger that would give me away?


    "Maybe someone killed them?" Someone else chimed in.


    "Maybe they only come out at night?" Someone else asked.


    "Don''t be stupid ¨C they''re undead, not vampires." The previous person told them off.


    I had to hold my chuckle ¨C they seemed like a fun bunch. Hearing them chat like this made me feel somewhat nostalgic.


    "Hey," The man who first brought them to the lake shore spoke again. "Why did you call the place cursed?" I grinned ¨C he had asked the question I wanted to know the answer to as well. Mainly because I was currently swimming in said lake.


    Hiding behind the rock formation, with only my head above water, I was quite defenceless. It would be quite unfortunate if something decided to attack me. Sure, I could escape, but I would be noticed by those players for sure and that was something I wanted to avoid.


    "The lady at the guild said a fight happened somewhere around here between a demon and a huge beast." The person who first brought the subject up explained. "Apparently they both died at the end of it and the place became cursed by their vengeful spirits."


    "My god, you love idle, useless gossip like that don''t you?" The annoyed woman cried out. "Can we please be on our way now?"


    "Why are you so impatient?" The man shouted. "We''re not late for anything, we finished our quest, and nothing is chasing us!" I could hear the built-up annoyance in his voice. "So, what''s the hurry?"


    I rolled my eyes. The water was cold, and I was freezing. I didn''t want to be stuck here because of some drama going on between them. While I was certain their fights and worries were perfectly justified, this was not a good timing.


    "The Divine will make a speech!" The woman shouted, causing my ears to perk up. Which Divine were they talking about?


    "Which Divine?" The guy asked. I blinked a few times ¨C was he reading my mind or something? This was a bit too creepy for my tastes.


    The woman didn''t reply, but the man sighed. "You''re fangirling too much." He spoke. I assumed the woman had made a gesture to signify the Divine since the man seemed to have gotten his answer. I felt annoyed ¨C I really wanted to know which Divine they were talking about.


    "Oh, shut up!" The woman shouted. "And hurry up, I want to get back in time ¨C she''ll talk about when the assault will happen and all that. We need to be there in time, so we learn about all that."


    I raised by brows ¨C what was this assault she was talking about? I made a amental note to ask Mona about it ¨C she was in the city not too long ago, she had to know something, right?


    "Jeez, fine." The guy mumbled. "It''s totally your fault if we missed a great treasure here though."


    "Yeah, yeah, let''s just be on our way." The woman replied, not really caring too much about any kind of treasure, or her teammate''s feelings. "Come on."


    I heard audible sighs followed by the sound of their footsteps growing more distant. I waited for a good ten seconds after their voices faded, then slowly climbed on the rocky formation at the centre of the lake.


    "That was too close for comfort," I mumbled to myself. The Demons had just found out I had survived; I didn''t need to add any more factions to that list. Secrecy was my strongest weapon right now ¨C I was being an idiot by risking it like this.


    I pondered a moment as I sat under the warm sunlight. It hurt my eyes, but I liked the warmth, especially after sitting in the water for so long. I didn''t waste too much time here though ¨C if one group of players passed through there was no reason to think others wouldn''t.


    I weighed my options under the sunlight. I could return to Fetheion''s house, ask Mona about the Divine''s speech and Fetheion about this ''curse'' here. Or I could dive into the lake and try to find those vengeful spirits myself.


    I glanced at the sun. I still had at least a couple of hours before dusk. After pondering for a moment, I decided it was worth the risk. I took a deep breath and once again, jumped into the cold, clear water.


    I dove down and was quickly surprised by how quickly the sunlight dimmed. Before I had even swam three meters downwards, I found myself in a near pitch black darkness. I could still see the surface with ease, but it was as if the sunlight simply refused to pierce these waters any further.


    With furrowed brows, I continued to swim downwards. Unlike most, I didn''t need the sunlight to see anyways. I could see just fine in the darkness.


    Though soon, a different issue rose. The issue of my breath. I could feel my lungs burn as I swam further down. I still couldn''t see the floor of the lake. My vision had started to become darker as well ¨C not because of the lack of light, but because there was something magical about the lake.


    I hesitated for a split second, then quickly swam back up. "Damn," I mumbled to myself after reaching the surface and taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart and burning lungs. "I wish I had those souls¡­"


    If I could use Soul''s Aspect on the soul of the Sea Serpent we killed all those months ago, I would probably get some form of water breathing ability out of that. I clenched my fists. Damn that Divine who took all of my souls away when she had me killed.


    I glanced around ¨C I could try and find a somewhat powerful water beast around, but was it really worth the effort and risk while I could probably just as Asher to help me out here? With a sigh, I decided that it was, in fact, not worth the risk. Getting myself in more trouble was not the solution to this.


    Instead, I decided it to be a good time to go back to Fetheion''s home. I knew Asher and the others were there ¨C with my rifts, I could bring us back here with ease anyways. Long distances were no longer the huge issue that they once were. I was grateful for that.


    I climbed out of the water onto the rocks in the centre of the lake, then used Soul''s Aspect to assume the form of the corrupted demon. I created the rift with ease and stepped through it, leaving the cursed lake behind. Perhaps half a second later, I was standing in the grassy area where we fought Fetheion just a little while ago.


    As my transformation faded, I took a deep breath and glanced around. I had expected to at least see Mona out here, but there wasn''t a soul around. With furrowed brows, I approached the door and walked inside.


    "Fetheion?" I called the Divine''s name, only to be met with more silence. "Mona, Asher?" I asked, my voice getting louder with each name. "Lucius? Laura?" I first checked the library, only to find it empty. I ruched over to the bedrooms and barged in every single one of them. Each time, it was empty.


    Nothing ¨C no one, not a single soul was around.


    "Hey! Not funny, guys!" I shouted as I ran to Fetheion''s room. Was he in the hidden room downstairs? I dashed down the narrow, dark stairwell only to be met with more silence. Deafening, suffocating silence. He wasn''t here either ¨C his workshop was just as empty as the rest of the house.


    Where had they all gone? What could have possibly made them leave so abruptly? How was I going to even find them now that I didn''t have the mental connection with Asher anymore?


    Was it even possible to find them?

 Chapter 220: Silence

    I ran outside and circled the whole place, checking every single spot I knew they liked to hang out in. The lake was empty, the fallen tree behind the nearby hill was empty¡­ No one was around.


    Exhausted and worried, I collapsed on the grassy ground by the door. Where the hell could they have possibly gone to? I saw no signs of battle ¨C everything was intact, nothing was out of place. This couldn''t be the result of an attack, could it?


    I shook my head. I honestly had no clue. If it was so, then the only person I could think of that could make all of them disappear was the Demon Lord. Only he was so strong that a fight wouldn''t take place. But¡­ there were no bodies either and I knew the Demon Lord didn''t care about the clean up after killing his enemies.


    That meant they were still alive, right? It had to mean that. So, the next question was, where the hell had they gone?


    If I were going on with the assumption that the Demon Lord found them, then only Fetheion could have gotten everyone out of here. Now, where would he take them?


    The first place to pop into my head was the field of flowers. I quickly shook my head ¨C that made no sense. It was inside demon territory and it wasn''t a place the Divine would want to disturb. The same could be said about my predecessor''s tomb ¨C Fetheion wouldn''t go back there.


    Perhaps he didn''t think of anything, I thought to myself. If he did the exact same thing as he had done just this morning, as in, teleporting everyone out as fast as possible, there was a chance he didn''t think of anywhere.


    So, where could they have ended up if that were the case?


    I pushed myself up and used Soul''s Aspect again, assuming the form of the corrupted demon, then quickly opened a rift. While the rift appeared at the tip of my claw like fingers, I furrowed my brows. Why was I facing such resistance from it? I fed a little bit more mana into it and then sighed a breath of relief as it finally grew large enough for me to pass through.


    I stepped through it and came out on the other side ¨C I was in the same spot Fetheion had taken us as we escaped.


    "Welp," I mumbled as I looked at the trampled grass around me. "I guess I was right." Despite my somewhat lighthearted words, I felt incredibly relieved ¨C it was clear they had come through here. But that also meant that they had indeed escaped from something.


    I sighed and brushed my hair back with my fingers. "Damn¡­" I whispered as I scoured my surroundings. Where could they have gone to from here?


    I didn''t see any traces on the ground aside from my immediate surroundings. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus again. What was the best course of action for them?


    If they were escaping someone ¨C the Demon Lord in this case ¨C then the most sensible course of action would be to avoid leaving traces. Tracks on the ground, magical remnants, campfires¡­


    Fetheion would probably avoid using his magic as much as possible ¨C his power was unique after all, it could probably be noticed fairly easily. Especially if someone was actively looking for it. Asher and Mona''s powers were a different story though. As far as I knew, they didn''t have anything too special going on.


    The most sensible course of action would be for Asher to use his flight spell. He was strong enough to bring everyone with him and the spell itself left little to no traces behind. Another option would be for Mona to transform into a large bird and carry everyone, though I highly doubted she could carry so many people at once.


    I gritted my teeth as I looked around. Wasn''t there a way I could find out how they had left?


    After pondering a while ¨C and looking at my immediate surroundings in hopes of catching a glimpse of any magical remnants ¨C I decided that I had no feasible way of finding out how they moved on from here.


    Instead, I decided to focus on where they might have gone. The Keeper''s Tomb wasn''t too far away from here, but again, it made no sense to go back there considering that was the place where we first had to escape from.


    "Where could you have gone to?" I mumbled as I summoned my interface and checked my map.


    There weren''t many places that I could think of in the first place, and those that I could think about weren''t nearby at all. It would take them hours, if not the whole day to get to most of them.


    "Let''s see," I mumbled as my gaze fell on Stonepatch Village. Mona, Laura, and Theresa had all been there before. They had their contacts, and it was a place where they could get supplies if needed. Fetheion, however, would probably want to avoid any Ereth-ruled places since he was basically in hiding as well.


    The second spot I thought of was the safe alcove in the Torchlight Woods. While Asher and Lucius knew very little of the place ¨C and Mona, Theresa and Laura knew nothing of it ¨C I had told Fetheion quite a bit about it. Though, the place was too far from basically anywhere and they would be risking getting stuck in the woods if something blocked the mountain path again.


    I pondered for a bit longer. I could honestly think of half a dozen ruins they could use to lay low for a while ¨C it would take ages to search through every single one of them. I clenched my fists ¨C I couldn''t waste too much time here. The more I waited, the longer the list of possibilities became.


    "Let''s go one by one," I mumbled to myself in an attempt to defeat the deafening silence.


    Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand, then stopped. Was it even a good idea to use a rift to travel? I gritted my teeth ¨C I couldn''t risk leaving a trail leading straight to Fetheion and the others, could I? With a deep sigh, I ended Soul''s Aspect. No, I couldn''t take that chance ¨C I had my wings to carry me ¨C I''d lose nothing but time by flying.


    My wings appeared on my back as I leapt into the air. I flew up, then aligned myself to face the direction where Stonepatch Village was. It was far away ¨C several hours of flight at the very least, more if I wasted any time. On the way there, a single ruin came to mind that they could have chosen to hide in. I ought to check that as well, I thought to myself.


    And such, my rather long and tedious journey to Stonepatch Village began.


    As I flew over the grasslands, I couldn''t help but feel more worried and anxious as time passed. Not using my rifts to move around suddenly slowed me down so much! What if something happens to them by the time I find them?


    I beat my wings faster, pushing myself to my limits. The ruin I was thinking about wasn''t too far away. While I hadn''t been there, I did remember Mona, Laura and Theresa talk about it a while back. They had explored it, then left. They knew it was a safe place.


    The ruin entered my view soon, and I only needed a few moments to determine that Fetheion and the others had not come here. The place was filled with spiders.


    Disgusted and reminded of my experience of another ruined building that happened to have spiers in it too, I didn''t hesitate at all as I continued on my journey. I never wanted to see spiders in my life again. Ever.


    By the time I reached Stonepatch Village, the sun had already set and only the stars were illuminating the land. I touched the ground on the hill overlooking the village. Could they have come here, I wondered?


    I didn''t dare approach it, if any Ereth spotted me, Aelith and the other Divines would know I had survived. I gritted my teeth ¨C Fetheion had similar worries as me, right? I couldn''t think of a world where he would risk getting recognised. Even if Mona and the others entered the village, he wouldn''t have followed them.


    What safe places were there nearby that he could spend the night at?


    The only place I could think of was the alcove ¨C my safe place. He knew of it, I had told him about it in great detail, and the demons or Ereth knew nothing of it. Sure, it wasn''t cosy, and it didn''t provide much protection from the elements, but it was hidden and out of the way.


    Deciding to check on the place, I leapt into the air once more.


    It took me mere minutes to reach the alcove ¨C I knew the Torchlight Woods like the back of my hand after all. I landed at the entrance ¨C the crack in the tall cliff, hidden from view by vines and bushes.


    I stepped through the crack and into the alcove.


    "Fetheion?" I called the Divine''s name, hoping I''d see him here. The place seemed empty under the bright light of the crystals illuminating the place. I walked further inside, to the edge of the lake. My shoulders dropped as it became clear as day ¨C the Divine wasn''t here either.


    I took a deep breath and turned to leave but froze mid step as a figure I knew all to well blocked my path. His shining purple eyes met mine as his lips formed a faint, deadly smile.

 Chapter 221: Under the Light of the Crystals

    We finally meet, Keeper of Souls.


    His voice ¨C thoughts? ¨C echoed in my mind. I drew a sharp breath, my eyes wide.


    A non-existent wind blew his pitch-black hair gently. I could see the purple streaks of his hair glow with magic. He was wearing a light armour, made from a weird, dark coloured material. It looked like cloth, but I could see scales on it. He didn''t carry any visible weapons ¨C it''s not like he needed any anyways.


    No words?


    His voice once again echoed in my mind. I gulped. All I could think of was ''I am so dead''.


    The Demon Lord chuckled. Could he read my mind?


    I guess that''s a ''no''. I expected more of a reaction, really.


    He almost sounded disappointed. I could almost believe that if I didn''t see his expression. Almost. But it was clear as day to me that he was enjoying this moment. Savouring it.


    I couldn''t believe my eyes at first.


    His expression didn''t change one bit as he stepped closer. I wanted to step back but had to stop as my back faced the lake. I didn''t have anywhere to retreat.


    You were supposed to be dead ¨C killed, by those who would take our world, consume it, and move on to the next.


    His words sent shivers down my spine. Was he talking about the Ereth? And did he not know I wasn''t the original Keeper of Souls? Did he still think I was my predecessor? Vixia knew I wasn''t him, so I could see no reason for the Demon Lord to believe so.


    And yet, somehow, you''re alive. Or so I thought when I first saw you.


    He furrowed his brows ever so slightly as he took another step towards me.


    That exiled Divine did it though ¨C he brought back the body of the Keeper of Souls yet couldn''t find his Soul. I appreciate his effort, though I found it quite disgusting at first ¨C no other soul should have ever been given free reign over that body.


    I gulped. He wasn''t wrong ¨C Fetheion''s method was indeed not very ethical and I would have much preferred to not have found myself in this body, but the entire affair was out of my control in the first place!


    I sook to kill him for it, at first. But then, Vixia came to me with important information ¨C the Keeper of Souls, you, had been killed. I was furious.


    I glanced around ¨C could I fly out of here maybe? No, the guy could freeze time if he wanted to do so. My shoulders dropped as I was forced to accept that I had no way out of this one.


    "I lived." I forced myself to speak.


    So, you do have a voice.


    He chuckled, but it didn''t reflect in his eyes.


    I would have killed you right here and now, but I just finished talking with that Exiled Divine.


    I flinched. He knew where Fetheion was!


    "What did you do to him?" My heart raced as I glared at the Demon Lord. Was Fetheion dead? Had he killed him? What about Mona? Asher? Lucius? All of the others? What had happened to them?


    Nothing. He lives and continues to do as he pleases. Like I said, I would have killed you, if not for what he told me.


    A smile formed on his lips. A wicked, dark smile that could mean nothing good.


    He told me, that the Soul of your predecessor had been taken away by those who would devour our world.


    I drew a sharp breath. Fetheion had insisted that we shouldn''t jump to conclusions. Had he told this to the Demon Lord just so he wouldn''t get killed, or had he found more evidence to prove his theory right?


    "You mean the Divine Matriarch Aelith?" I asked. Speaking every word took effort ¨C more than I thought it would.


    Indeed, the golden witch who would not hesitate to sacrifice anything for more power. She took your predecessor''s soul, and she tried to turn you into her puppet. I see her ''gifts'' are no longer with you ¨C I am glad.


    His gaze focused on my ear, where the earring Aelith gave me used to be.


    "Thanks to Fetheion." I replied. Why the hell were we having this conversation?


    Indeed. As such, he earned some more time for himself. And now, it''s your turn.


    His words sent a shiver down my spine. What did that even mean?


    You will free your predecessor''s soul from the Golden Witch''s grasp. Do that, and I will let you live. Fail, and I will make sure your soul never meets the sunlight again.


    He raised his hand as he took one more step towards me. His claw-like fingers were now almost touching my face. I didn''t dare move ¨C I don''t think I could have even if I wanted to anyways.


    A black crystalline¡­ something formed in his palm.


    Soon, she will lead an assault on us ¨C we are ready to meet her and her armies and win. You will take that chance to do two things for me.


    He looked me in the eye.


    That, or death. Choose.


    I took a deep breath. "What do you want me to do?"


    In the distance, thunder echoed as I sat with my back leaning on one of the crystals. "How the hell am I supposed to know what time it is?" I mumbled to myself as I absentmindedly looked around in my interface.


    I assumed it was a couple hours past midnight.


    I decided to wait for a bit longer before being on my way.


    I still hadn''t shaken off the surprise, fear, and a host of other emotions I felt when the Demon Lord appeared before me. I was still having a hard time believing that I was alive.


    Before he left, I asked him how he found me here ¨C I was sure I was being careful, not leaving any tracks behind. His response was only a wicked smile he showed me just before he left.


    I sighed. What the hell was going to happen now? Well¡­ It was pretty obvious actually. I had about a week before things started moving. In a week, Aelith''s army would start marching.


    I absentmindedly navigated to the map in my interface. The previously incomplete map was now fully complete. I could see the shape and details of the whole continent. And it didn''t just show topography anymore. The names of villages, ruins and any other important landmarks were shown. I could also see a total of three golden dots on the map.


    Those were the newly erected, incomplete Divine Pillars. They were all north of Baile Chailce ¨C it didn''t take a genius to tell they were there to prepare for war. It was clear to me that they wanted to use the near infinite power of the Pillars to fight against the demons.


    I took a deep breath. I had gotten myself into quite a lot of trouble ¨C so much that I felt like all of this would continue to haunt me even after we got out of this deadly game.


    The distant rumble of thunder startled me. Was it time to get moving? I couldn''t tell the time.


    I pushed myself up on my feet and used Soul''s Aspect. As I took on the form of the corrupted demon, seeing my own claw-like hands felt weird. I looked almost exactly like the Demon Lord when I was in this form. I stepped towards the clear lake and looked at my reflection.


    My hair was different, at least. A silvery white, just like before. At least that didn''t change. Though, it was still weird to look at my own reflection and not see crimson hair, bright blue eyes and¡­ well, normal, human features. Despite the months I had spent in this word, it was still tough.


    I didn''t think it was ever going to get easier. I looked at my hands as I formed them into fists. One week. Then a little bit more. I had his word, didn''t I?


    I looked into the air, then formed a rift before me. I didn''t feel the same resistance that I felt earlier. Probably because he wasn''t watching me anymore. Or was he? I wasn''t sure ¨C I had no way of being sure. His power was at such a different level than mine ¨C and everyone else''s, frankly ¨C that I didn''t think anyone but Divine Matriarch Aelith with a Divine Pillar nearby could stand a chance against him.


    Once the rift became large enough to allow passage, I took a deep breath and stepped through. A split second later, I was breathing the cold night air in another part of the world. I opened my eyes to see a wide, not too shallow river in a field of grass. On the other side of the river, I could see an old building that seemed like it was about to fall apart.


    I ended Soul''s Aspect as my gaze wondered. My body returned to normal, and I finally spotted what I was looking for. A flicker of light through a broken window.

 Chapter 222: Hidden Motives

    "What the hell do we do now?" I heard Mona''s voice through the windows. With no glass remaining in the windows and the numerous cracks in the stone walls, the building didn''t provide them with much privacy.


    "I don''t know," Asher''s voice was lower. I couldn''t have heard it if I weren''t right at the door.


    I took a deep breath, then slowly pushed the wooden door open.


    "Who''s that?" Lucius'' voice echoed as his sword appeared in his hand. I stared at the sword leaning against my neck, then turned my gaze on him.


    "Are you going to pull that away?" I asked. Lucius quickly did so, though I could see how startled he was.


    "How did you know where we were?" Asher asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.


    "I didn''t. I''ve been searching since¡­ last night?" I fiddled with my hair as I tried to remember when I first returned to Fetheion''s hideout. "Dusk, I think." I concluded after a moment. "Why did you run off all the way here? And where is Fetheion?"


    The answer to the first question, the Demon Lord had already given me. The second question was what I really wanted to know the answer to. Yet, before Asher could reply, I was rammed by Mona. She hugged me and whispered, "I''m glad you''re ok!" She pulled herself away a few moments later. "At one point, the Divine called us to the library in a panic, shouted something about having been found out, gave us a pendant and teleported us to the fields where we first met." She quickly explained in a single breath.


    "Let me explain properly." Asher chimed in with a cold voice. I glanced at him with an expression that basically said ''Yes, please''.


    "After the Divine returned from your little adventure, he asked me to make sure we were all keeping a low profile. No magic, no walking outside too much, no loud noises. He claimed plenty of demon scouts were flying about."


    I tilted my head slightly as I listened to Asher''s explanation. I knew Fetheion wasn''t too keen on sharing everything with everyone but demon scouts? That was a little hard to believe, wasn''t it?


    "We did as he asked, naturally." Asher continued. "Though, only about a couple hours after that, he gathered us in the library, saying this place wasn''t safe anymore. I had some trouble believing it at first but¡­" He hesitated. "Kai, he seemed scared."


    I flinched. For some reason, hearing those words hit me. He was scared of the Demon Lord. I knew that before ¨C I knew Fetheion stood no chance against the Demon Lord, no matter what he did, but still, hearing those words helped put it into perspective for me.


    And it stung a little, because¡­ Oh well, that wasn''t worth thinking about, was it?


    "He teleported us to the grassy fields, then told us to move somewhere safer. The pendant he gave us was something he made so he could locate us later on. He said he would need a few days to ''take care of something''." Asher clenched his fists. "He was close to finding out about the location of a few other Divine Pillars too." I could see how bothered the blonde sorcerer was. Despite trying to hide it, I could tell he was worried about the crimson haired Divine.


    "We feared for you as well." Lucius chimed in. He seemed to have shaken off the shock of me suddenly appearing. "We knew you''d return to the Divine''s home. I wanted to leave a message, but we didn''t have the time to do anything. Everything happened so suddenly."


    I shook my head. "I''m fine ¨C I was worried when I couldn''t find you, but once I noticed you had all gotten away, it was just a question of where the hell you''d have gone." I turned my gaze on Asher. "You chose this place, didn''t you?"


    He smirked. "Who else could?" He asked with a shrug. I chuckled. "Memories, memories¡­" I mumbled as I looked around.


    This was the Keeper''s home. Or at least that was what we guessed it was, all those months ago. The watchtower with my predecessor''s notes and library in it.


    "Yeah," Asher chuckled. "I guess this place is filled with memories." He shot me a worried glance. "In more ways than one, I assume."


    I looked away. He wasn''t wrong ¨C despite losing the souls that I once gathered, I still remembered some of their memories. The men, women and children that lived here. Those who died to protect the home of the man they respected so much.


    "I guess so," I said after a moment of silence. "Anyways ¨C you were arguing about something, weren''t you? What''s going on?" I asked, mainly to change the subject.


    "We''re not sure of what to do next." Lucius bluntly said. "We don''t know the location of any Divine Pillars, we don''t know where the Divine is, we didn''t know where you were until a few minutes ago and we don''t know what''s going on with the demons." He shrugged. "Man, we know nothing."


    We couldn''t help but laugh, though mine was fake. He was right ¨C they knew next to nothing. I, on the other hand, had the answers to nearly all of those questions.


    I took a deep breath. Was it ok to tell them about the location of the Divine Pillars? Would I be painting targets on their backs? I clenched my fists under the cover of my cloak. I didn''t have a choice, did I? I couldn''t do all this alone and he hadn''t said anything about doing things alone either.


    "I can help with some of those," I suggested after a split second. "I have no clue as to where the hell Fetheion could have gone to, but I know where three Divine Pillars are."


    Asher''s eyes widened. "How?" He asked as he got up from his chair. "Where?"


    I gestured him to open his map. I didn''t want them to see my interface ¨C seeing the whole continent revealed wouldn''t do them any good and they would only doubt me because of it.


    He quickly did as I said, and I pointed at the three spots. "Here, here and here," I said, then hesitated. "Asher, I overheard some people speak while I was looking for some place to grind at. Apparently, a Divine will make a speech about an assault, or something?" I phrased it like a question ¨C I wasn''t supposed to know about the planned attack after all.


    Asher''s eyes widened even more. "An assault?" He asked. I nodded. "Look," I pointed at the map. Mona and Lucius also leaned forward to look. "Two of these are right at the border between the Ereth and Demon lands." I pointed at the third one. "This one is straight up in demon territory. This must be why the demons were especially active and why Fetheion didn''t feel safe back at home anyways."


    Asher nodded. "That makes sense," He mumbled. I had to stop myself from breathing a sigh of relief. Had I actually tricked him?


    "So, Divine Matriarch Aelith is preparing to attack the demons." He continued. "Why?" He glanced at me, clearly hoping that I knew that answer as well. I shrugged. "No clue."


    "It makes no sense," He said as he pointed at the three pillars. "Why are they capable of building pillars now? They couldn''t do it without our help just a couple of months ago. Hell, they''ve been in this war for decades, if not more. Why are they striking now?"


    I hesitated. He was right about all that. Wy would they be attacking after all this time?


    "Alina." Mona spoke up. "She can build the pillars for them. That''s what they had been waiting for."


    I drew a sharp breath. "No¡­" I whispered. I didn''t want that to be the truth. "She¡­" I stopped. Of course she would do that, why wouldn''t she? She hadn''t hesitated at all as she killed me, she wouldn''t mind destroying the demons'' home either. That is, if she even knew about the truth of this whole war, which I sincerely doubted.


    "She''s a priestess," Lucius mumbled. "She works with holy magic anyways. That can''t be too different from Divine magic, right?"


    I glanced at Asher. If anyone knew the answer, it would be him.


    "Both Priests and Paladins use Holy magic, given to them by their patrons ¨C a divine. It''s basically recycled magic from the pillars." He raised his hand to create a speck of light, which quickly disappeared. "I figured out how to use my own magic for it, so I''m free of their grasp, but I highly doubt she would have figured it out."


    I took a deep breath. "Yeah. But let''s stay on topic." This war wasn''t all about Alina. If anything, she was only a tiny part of it who wouldn''t even matter once the actual fighting began. "We need to decide on what we do and how we do it."


    Asher nodded. "Let''s come up with a plan. We certainly need to destroy those pillars."

 Chapter 223: Distant Thunder

    The sky lit up in the distance as the thunderstorm approached. We had finished concocting our plan ¨C it was a simple one, really ¨C and now we were idly sitting, biding our time.


    Or, to put it in a more straightforward way, we were waiting for the thunderstorm to pass because no one wanted to be soaked.


    I yawned. I needed sleep. A lot of it. I could feel the souls within me stir ever since that meeting with the Demon Lord. Mainly, it was the corrupted demon''s soul that stirred. I was a little bit worried. Was the legendary ancient demon Dorith waking up? Was he regaining his consciousness?


    I wasn''t sure whether that was good thing on a bad thing.


    "I''ll head off to sleep for a bit." I said as the rumble of thunder echoed in the night. "Wake me up if anything happens."


    "Sure," Mona looked out the windows anxiously. She was probably worried about Laura and Theresa. They had headed off to Baile Chailce.


    I climbed the old, squeaky stairs and threw myself onto the first bed I saw. As I pulled the blanket over me, I coughed because of all the dust in the room. It wasn''t comfortable, it wasn''t soft, and it was dusty, but it was a bed and I felt exhausted. Moments later, I was asleep.


    It didn''t take me long to drift into dreams ¨C memories of old.


    I opened my eyes to the sound of battle ¨C lightning strikes and explosions, spells bouncing off shields, all the chaos of war that was to be expected. I watched over the battlefield from the walls of a castle.


    "How long will you watch this happen?" Dorith asked to a figure I knew too well. My predecessor didn''t reply. Instead, he raised his hand as if he were about to cast a spell.


    "I could destroy them all." He softly spoke. "I could end this right now." He turned to glance at Dorith ¨C at me. "But you know what that would cause." His purple eyes were filled with sorrow. "You are the ones who should end this, not me."


    Dorith clenched his fists. "But we can''t!" He shouted with desperation in his voice. "We''re dying, one by one. You know how much we suffer better than any of us!"


    My predecessor gently shook his head. "You can. I will not interfere any more than I already have." He averted his eyes from the battle below. "You know what happened the last time I interfered."


    Dorith gritted his teeth. "I don''t care what happened before our time!" He shouted. "They are killing us, one by one. Will you just stand by and do nothing while the Lord is wounded? Every day, hundreds of us die." He stepped closer to my predecessor. "Don''t you feel anything for them?"


    His words hurt even me. I knew how my predecessor felt ¨C a tiny fraction of it anyways. There was no way those words didn''t hurt him.


    "How I feel is irrelevant." He said with a cold, stiff voice. I could see the hesitation in his eyes. "I will do nothing." He spoke, albeit with less certainty than before.


    "What do you think will happen to you once they are done with us?" Dorith shouted. Distant explosions nearly drowned his voice as he continued. "Do you think they''ll just leave you be? They will consume our world ¨C your world!"


    My predecessor clenched his fists. He didn''t speak. His gaze was focused on the distant battle. What was he thinking, I wondered. "I¡­"


    A loud noise woke me up.


    It was the rumble of thunder. Not a second after, the entire room lit up with a blinding flash. I heard the something crackle as lightning probably struck a tree not too far from us.


    Startled and somewhat disoriented, I slowly pushed myself up and got of the bed. How long had I been sleeping for? I walked out the room and down the stairs as that dream I had came to mind. I was sure those events had actually happened.


    "Hey Kai." Lucius''s voice sounded. "You woke up fast."


    I shrugged. "Damn storm." I mumbled, glancing out the windows. With no glass panes, they were basically just holes that let the rain, wind, and noise in. And the cold, of course.


    "Yeah." The young swordsman looked outside. "I hope Laura and Theresa made it."


    "I''m sure they''re fine." I said with a faint smile. "They can both take care of themselves." I glanced around the room. There was no sign of Asher or Mona. "Where are the others?" I asked.


    "Asher is in the study. Mona is asleep somewhere upstairs. I wanted to sleep but I couldn''t." He chuckled. "I''m a bit tense." He said as he glanced at me.


    I lightly squeezed his shoulder. "It''s fine." I said with a faint smile. "I''m a bit anxious too, it''s normal." I also looked outside. "Three Divine Pillars." I said with a sigh. "We need to make sure to destroy them, without being spotted by any players."


    Lucius nodded. "That''s why I suggested you stand back." He said as he fiddled with his cloak. "Even if we''re spotted, no one will care ¨C we''re not famous after all. You''re risking a whole lot by coming with us though."


    I shook my head. "It''s worth all the risk. As long as we don''t let the Ereth build any pillars outside Baile Chailce, their power will be incredibly limited."


    Lucius nodded. "I know, but still¡­ I''d rather not see you die again."


    We chuckled. "Don''t worry ¨C besides, we''re going to have Fetheion''s help too. And a few others'' if things go right." I added. Lucius nodded. "Yeah, definitely." He said, sounding a bit surer of himself.


    We sat there in silence and watched the distant sky periodically light up with lightning. It was a beautiful view. Intimidating, but beautiful.


    Come morning, the thunderstorm hadn''t let up yet. After some discussion, we decided to set out anyways. I used Soul''s Aspect to take on the form of the corrupted demon and opened a rift to take us to our first destination.


    We stepped out of the rift, only to find ourselves in the middle of the forest.


    "The Pillar is about two hours of walking north of here," I explained. "We should strike at night, so let''s scout the area, find a place to lay low at and wait for an opportune moment."


    They all nodded. "I''ll do the scouting," Mona suggested. "I can probably get pretty close ¨C they wouldn''t suspect a bird to be me, right?" She giggled.


    "I assume they wouldn''t do anything even if they did suspect that. Players are on the Ereth''s side." I reminded her. "But it''s best if they don''t ever see you. Don''t try to get too close, there is no need to."


    Mona nodded, then placed a tiny rock in my hands. "Keep it with you ¨C I have a tracking spell on it." Then she jumped up and with a puff of smoke and a flash of green light, turned into an eagle. As she flew away, I put the small rock in my pocket.


    "We should get a little closer too." Asher said after Mona left. "Just in case." Lucius nodded.


    "So far, I destroyed two pillars." I said as we began walking in the direction of the closest pillar. "The first, they weren''t defending at all, the second however was fairly well defended." The memory of that fight was still fresh in my mind. I had appreciated Rina and Alex''s help more than ever that time.


    "I''m sure they will be much more alert this time around." Lucius glanced around. "The land itself doesn''t give them much cover ¨C it''s just forest and hills after all. We might even come across a Divine there"


    I shook my head. "No, there won''t be any Divines." I vaguely gestured towards the direction of Baile Chailce. "They''re preparing for war, remember? They can''t risk getting caught out here. They all know they don''t stand a chance against the Demon Lord if he comes to destroy the Pillars himself." Their soldiers, even us players were expendable, however. The Divines, especially Divine Matriarch Aelith didn''t care about any lives but her own.


    "That''s a dangerous assumption." Asher warned me. His voice was cold and calculating. I knew he was trying to figure out the possibility of a Divine being there, devising countermeasures, trying to come up with escape plans. "We can''t go in blindly thinking that."


    I nodded. "That''s why Mona is scouting and that''s why we wait until nightfall." I glanced at the sorcerer. "And that''s exactly why we''re not splitting up once the battle begins." My gaze focused on Lucius. "Work with Asher, Lucius. And you," I glanced at Asher again. "Enable him. Despite all the jokes we make and his inferiority complex, Lucius is an incredible swordsman. As long as provide him with the opportunity to fight, he can take on nearly anyone."


    The young swordsman shot me a surprised look while Asher nodded. "I''m aware. Don''t worry, we will work together on this one."

 Chapter 224: A Sound Plan

    Mona found us about an hour before dusk. She quickly opened her map and explained the layout of the place. With each word she spoke, the grimmer our situation seemed.


    "What do you mean they have dozens of soldiers?" Lucius asked with his eyes wide open and his complexion pale. "How are we even supposed to take them on?"


    Asher sighed. "If it''s just normal soldiers, then we should be able to take care of it."


    I pondered. "If there is even a single inquisitor there, we''re in deep trouble." I mumbled. They could draw power from the Divine Pillars ¨C near unlimited power. With so many soldiers who could support them, it would be near impossible to get even close to them or the Pillar they would be protecting.


    "I didn''t see any robed people." Mona chimed in, though she didn''t sound too certain. "I think it was just soldiers." She added after a moment of hesitation. "I could go have another look."


    I nodded. "Please do, we can''t risk this." Both Lucius and Asher seemed surprised as I spoke, but Mona simply nodded, turned into an eagle, and flew off.


    "That was unexpected," Lucius said after she left. "How powerful are the inquisitors?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "I don''t know," I shrugged. "Last time we fought one, Rina was keeping her busy while I cut off her connection with the pillar. But then, there were only a handful of soldiers and she wasn''t a full-fledged inquisitor quite yet, I believe." Even if she was, her control over her own magic seemed lacking.


    "I can do the same if need be." Asher suggested. "You guys would need to take care of all the soldiers and destroy the pillar on your own though, because I don''t think I can keep her busy and support you."


    I quickly shook my head. "No, that''s too dangerous." The Ereth wouldn''t hesitate to kill us. "We want to play this as safe as possible ¨C none of you are allowed to try and become martyrs. We need every single one of us to be alive to end this whole ordeal." I glared at them. "Is that clear?"


    Asher met my gaze without hesitation. "You do realise those words apply to you as well, right?"


    I took a deep breath. "I know. We all need to survive." That was why I was doing that, wasn''t it? Because I didn''t want to die? I wasn''t some hero ¨C I was the opposite really. A selfish person who just wanted to escape. "Just a bit left until dusk," I said in an attempt to change the subject. "Mona should be back soon. We need to come up with a plan."


    Asher nodded. "Alright, let''s do that." He opened his interface and navigated to the map panel. "So," We started planning.


    Come dusk, we were as ready as we were going to be. We had all taken our positions ¨C all that remained for us to do was wait. Wait for Mona''s signal.


    I took a deep breath as I waited above the dark layer of clouds. Below, I could hear the crackle of lightning and the roaring thunderstorm. The air up here was a bit thinner and much colder than I was used to. It was my first time flying quite this high up.


    "Alright," I mumbled to myself as I glanced at the piece of rock in my hands. I was now flying directly above the location of the first of the three Divine Pillars. A few moments passed with nothing happening.


    I was feeling anxious ¨C what if something went wrong on their end? What if Asher didn''t get the chance to cast the spell?


    As my mind was filled with worries, the piece of rock in my hand lit up. My lips formed a smile as I let go of the rock and stretched my hand to the side. Darkness formed around my hand as I pulled my sword out of it. I folded my wings and quickly began my steep descent.


    As I passed through the dark clouds covering the world, I felt my body chance as I took on the form of the Corrupted Demon.


    I released my magic gradually as I flew out of the clouds. From the distance, I probably looked like a slowly growing ball of purple flames.


    As soon as I exited the layer of clouds, the battlefield below stretched before my eyes. It was utter and complete chaos ¨C Ereth soldiers scrambling to find the source of whatever chaos was happening, and a robed person, standing before a golden pillar, channelling power through it to create a barrier around the whole area.


    As a golden light began to form around the area, I reached the battlefield, surrounded by black and purple flames. I thrust my sword into the shield as soon as it formed, shattering it with ease and landing safely on the ground, only mere steps away from the pillar.


    All eyes turned on me ¨C I was the only visible enemy after all. The obvious culprit.


    "Kill him!" The robed Ereth shouted as she pointed at me. With true inquisitor fashion, she wasn''t carrying a weapon with her. Instead, she once again drew power from the pillar.


    I grinned. "You''re welcome to try!"


    Before they even got the chance to make a move, one of them shouted, just before falling down. Only a flash of lightning could be seen just before another one of them fell.


    I didn''t hesitate a single moment as I dashed towards the inquisitor. Lucius could take care of the rest.


    As the roar of a bear sounded, I quickly glanced towards the source of the sound. A massive black bear was tearing through the Ereth ranks. I promptly corrected my thoughts ¨C Mona and Lucius could easily take care of the rest.


    And that trust and confidence in them freed me up to direct my whole attention to the inquisitor. I knew she was strong ¨C she had the power of the Divine Pillar supporting after all ¨C but I also knew I had more tools at my disposal than she did.


    I released my flames in an outward circle to help out Lucius and Mona, forcing the Ereth soldiers to back off and freeing up some space for my own battle as well.


    "You won''t get out of this alive!" The robed Ereth shouted. I couldn''t see her face ¨C she was wearing a mask ¨C but that didn''t stop me from guessing her move. She raised her hand, creating a shield around herself. As soon as the golden shield formed around her, she began casting another spell.


    Without a second of hesitation, I dashed forward and thrust my sword into the shield. At first, I felt some resistance as it refused to bend or crack under the pressure. Then, gradually, the golden light began to fade, and the smooth surface began to crack.


    The inquisitor didn''t budge ¨C she concentrated on her own spell as the barrier around her slowly crumbled. I gritted my teeth ¨C my strength wasn''t enough to break through the barrier before she completed whatever spell she was casting.


    Indeed, she finished casting her spell just as I broke the barrier. A deafening explosion sent me flying as soon as our eyes met. Purple flames formed a cocoon around me as I landed on the ground a little farther away and shook my head, trying to regain my hearing. I wasn''t hurt at all aside from the temporary deafness.


    A golden light flashed, and I felt my mana quickly drain for a split second as my flames protected me. I wasn''t too worried ¨C I had more than enough mana to last for this fight. As soon as the assault on my own protective layer of magic stopped, I let my flames dim and dashed forward.


    The Inquisitor seemed more surprised than anything as she pointed at me. Her motion made no sense at first, but then I noticed the spark of golden light forming at the tip of her finger.


    I also felt something else ¨C the crackle of lightning around me as Asher''s magic formed a protective shield around me. I decided to trust his strength and his ability to stop the Inquisitor''s spell and didn''t evade her attack.


    Golden lightning met the silvery blue shield around me at about the same time my sword pierced her heart, killing her in an instant. Her soul appeared and moved towards me, but then quickly got sucked into the Divine Pillar''s light before her body even hit the ground.


    For some reason, the sight of that left a bad taste in my mouth. We still didn''t know what happened to the souls of the Ereth. I made a mental note to ask Fetheion about it at some point. When I got the chance.


    "Good job," Lucius'' voice sounded. I turned around as the other souls also floated past me and entered the Divine Pillar''s light.


    "I should be telling that to you ¨C I did nothing this time!" Neither him nor Mona had a scratch on them. "None of them escaped, right?" I asked. Lucius shook his head. "Nope, they''re all dead. Mostly thanks to Asher."


    I nodded. I had noticed his magic around us constantly as I fought. He was the one who enabled Mona and Lucius'' aggression. "Yeah," I mumbled as I noticed the blonde sorcerer walk out of the woods.


    "Well," He said with a smile. "That wasn''t too hard." His gaze turned on the Divine Pillar, still brimming with magic. "What happens to that?"


    I took a deep breath. "I''ll destroy it."

 Chapter 225: What Comes Next

    Once again, we were sitting in the old watchtower, nibbling at some food and all in all, being worried and silent. Last night''s operation had been quite a success ¨C not only had we done it swiftly and with no errors, but it had also proved Lucius and Mona''s strengths.


    Yet not everything was going perfect. While none of the Ereth had escaped and alerted Baile Chailce, it hadn''t taken the Divines long to respond to our attack. While we had escaped unseen, we now were forced to lay low since Ereth patrols were basically everywhere.


    With only one week until the war officially began, I knew we didn''t have the luxury to wait until things died down.


    The Demon Lord''s words came to my mind. I shivered ¨C I had to somehow destroy the other remaining pillars before the fighting began.


    "Hey," I glanced at Asher, who seemed lost in though. I blinked a couple of times as my voice pulled him back to the present, then shot me a curious glance. "What is it?" He asked, putting his small notebook away.


    "One week." I said, choosing my words carefully. "Can we destroy the two remaining Divine Pillars in that time?"


    His brows furrowed as he remained silent for a good few seconds. "It''s tough." He finally said with a low voice. It was clear that he didn''t think it was possible. "We would need to strike the first one, then use the chaos that creates to quickly take down the second one."


    I tilted my head. "We can do that ¨C we have the means to get from one to the other quickly."


    "You can''t go somewhere via a rift if you haven''t been there before, remember?" Mona chimed in. "And if we use Asher''s spell to fly, that''s a good chunk of his mana gone. And there''s no way I can carry all of you and Laura and Theresa."


    I shook my head. "What if I go there before we strike? I can stay hidden, just scout the place out. That way, I can open a rift there once we''re done with the first Pillar too." I suggested.


    Asher was quick to shoot down my suggestion. "No! Don''t rush it, Kai. If we do that, we''re going to be at half mana for the second Pillar at best. And I''m not even counting how painful it is for you to destroy the damn things."


    I averted my gaze. It didn''t matter whether it was painful or not ¨C I couldn''t afford to let it matter. I needed, I absolutely needed to destroy the remaining two pillars this week. Six more days was all I had, or¡­


    "Why are you in such a hurry anyways?" Mona asked. She got up from her chair and approached me. "You were the one who said we needed to be careful, what changed?"


    I hesitated. I couldn''t tell them the truth. "I feel like the war is very near." I carefully spoke. "Once the actual battles begin, there is no way we can even get close to the front lines and I''m sure as hell those Pillars will be protected." I made a vague gesture with no real meaning, just trying to buy some time to find some more believable lies.


    "The demons know the Ereth need the Pillars to fight." I explained. "And the Ereth know that the Demons know. The whole war will revolve around the pillars. Now, I''m a hundred percent sure that there are more Pillars ¨C no way the Ereth made only these three."


    Lucius nodded. "Yeah, and the more the Demons need to split up their forces, the weaker their whole formation will become. They don''t have Divines, or anyone with power equivalent to them ¨C Maybe aside from the Demon Lord ¨C so they probably don''t want to fight a scattered war."


    "That''s true." Asher mumbled. "They already don''t have the best chances, considering Aelith''s power." He glanced at me. "Do you think we should help them like this?"


    I took a deep breath. "Yes." I spoke. "We already know the Demons aren''t as evil as we thought they are. At least, we know for sure they aren''t the aggressors here." My expression darkened. "And¡­ I don''t want to let Aelith and the other Divine walk away with what they''ve done to me."


    Lucius flinched. "Alina and Joshua too, I suppose?" He asked hesitantly. I met his gaze and nodded.


    "I understand." Asher spoke after a few seconds of heavy silence. "You''re right ¨C we don''t want the demons to lose here. And yes, we can''t let them walk away with what they''ve done to you, as well as Samantha." He glanced at Mona. "Do you agree?"


    The druid didn''t hesitate. "What they did to Samantha was unforgivable. And killing you ¨C neither I nor Laura and Theresa intend to let them get away with it. I don''t care as much about Divine Matriarch Aelith''s actions, but Alina¡­ I trusted her. She has to pay for what she has done, same for Joshua." Her voice didn''t falter, and expression showed nothing but determination. "We have to do this."


    I smiled. "Thank you," It was tough to speak, knowing I was lying to them. "We are strong enough to destroy one pillar ¨C we just proved that last night. Taking on both Divine Pillars in one night though¡­" I shook my head. "Asher is right, it''s going to be tough, at best."


    "Laura and Theresa should be back tomorrow morning," Mona suggested. "That makes two more. I know you haven''t really seen them fight too much, but they''re as strong as me, if not stronger. Theresa is an amazing archer."


    I nodded. "I wouldn''t doubt it." I glanced at Asher and Lucius. "I can ask Rina and Alex for help. I know they will come."


    Asher''s eyes lit up. "That actually makes quite the strong team." He mumbled as he pulled up his map. "We can exchange roles, even." He tilted his head. "What is Laura''s specialty?" He asked, glancing at Mona.


    The druid hesitated. "Well¡­ She''s good with a greatsword and her magic is all about enchanting and supporting her allies and debuffing the enemies." She glanced at Asher. "Why?"


    "We could have her support Alex and Lucius during the first battle, so Rina and I can conserve our mana. I know for sure the second fight will be tougher, reinforcements will surely arrive soon after we do. We will need to conserve as much mana as we can to hold them off, while also making sure we keep supporting Theresa, Lucius, Asher and you." He glanced at me. "I don''t think I''ll be able to give you as much aid as I did last night."


    I nodded. "It''s fine ¨C I can take care of myself. I have a few tricks up my sleeve still."


    Mona giggled while Lucius rolled his eyes. "Don''t get cocky, Kai." He chimed in. "All this is useless if any one of us dies, remember?"


    I chuckled. "I know. I have the most tools to escape, I have my own magic, my knowledge, my wings, and the souls to heal and protect me if need be. I''m not speaking lightly, believe me."


    Lucius looked at me for a few more seconds before nodding. "Good. Now, when do we strike, when do we get Alex and Rina to come here and what exactly is our plan?"


    "That''s a lot to plan." I mumbled as I pushed myself up. "We should wait for Theresa, Laura, Rina and Alex to get here before we think too far ahead. They know their own abilities and limits best, and we will need everyone at their best for this to work." I stepped towards the door.


    "Where are you going?" Asher asked, somewhat confused.


    "The river. I need wash this dirt off me."


    Mona laughed and headed up the stairs. "I''ll go nap."


    "You scared her off." Lucius chuckled. "But that''s not a bad idea. You look like you haven''t bathed in a year."


    I rolled my eyes. "Want to exaggerate more?" I asked with a grin. "Anyways, I''ll be in the woods." With that, I left the building and ran towards the spot where the river met the forest.


    Being out in the open would be dumb since there were Ereth patrols everywhere. The cover of the trees, however, was more than enough to hide from them.


    I took my clothes off and stepped into the icy cold water. It was somewhat surprising that the water was so cold despite being so far away from the mountains. I submerged myself and let the flowing water wash away the dirt, dust and sweat of battle.


    It was too bad that it couldn''t wash away my worries and troubles too, but still, it did help me relax a bit.


    I felt a soul stir within my chest all of a sudden. Was there a threat nearby? I motioned to swim back up to the surface, but suddenly, my head spun. I felt something ¨C someone ¨C touch my mind. My vision darkened before I could try to protect myself.

 Chapter 226: A Stream of Memories

    I was gazing upon the outpost ¨C the home of my predecessor from the nearby hill. Demons, mostly children and young adults, were playing and working in the grassland surrounding it. Despite being almost dusk, no one seemed worried. They didn''t fear the dangers of the night.


    It took me a moment to realise I had been dragged into a memory. I wondered whose it was, and absentmindedly pushed a few strands of crimson hair aside.


    My hand froze mid motion. Crimson hair? I looked at my hands in a panic, to see a scar at the back of my left hand.


    "The hell?" I whispered as I felt¡­ weird. I looked around, then dashed down the hill, towards the river. A reflection ¨C I needed to see myself in my reflection!


    I almost choked as I reached the river and knelt by the shore to look at myself. Bright blue eyes and shoulder length crimson hair. I only caught a glimpse of myself before the reflection disappeared.


    "That''s honestly surprising." I heard a man''s voice. I flinched, then looked behind me, my heart racing with a host of emotions. Fear, surprise, hope, excitement¡­ Everything. "Such an interesting specimen. Perhaps¡­"


    I couldn''t see the speaker. No one was here. I looked around as I got up, what did the voice even mean by that? "I¡­" The voice sounded again, but then faded. It took a few seconds for me to hear it again. "Such a shame, really¡­" It was but a whisper this time. "Perhaps, with a bit of strength¡­"


    I felt cold ¨C so, so cold, as if I were in icy water.


    Wait. I was in freezing water! My body ¨C well, my predecessor''s body was still in the river, wasn''t it? I was drowning!


    "Hey!" I shouted. "What the hell is this?"


    The voice sounded from farther away. "¡­ should try again later¡­" I thought I heard a deep sigh before silence set in.


    "Hey!" I shouted as panic began to set in. If I died to fricking drowning after somehow surviving this far¡­ I didn''t even know what I would do. Die in shame, I guess. Yet not a soul answered my cries.


    I gritted my teeth ¨C how had I gotten stuck in a memory so quickly? Whose was it? It had to be Dorith, right? I had no other soul nearly strong enough to trap me like this, maybe other than the guardian of my predecessor''s tomb, but the snake had lost all of its memories. Besides, how would the snake have a memory of this place?


    No, it had to be Dorith. Which also meant that the voice I just heard was probably his too. Was I hearing his thoughts, I wondered, or was that an attempt to speak to me? If it was the latter, it was clear proof that communication wasn''t one of Dorith''s strengths.


    "Hey, don''t run off!" A young girl shouted. Startled, I looked at her, only to see her and a little kid running around, playing something like tag. "Oh." She suddenly stopped as her gaze focused on the hill I just came from. I followed her gaze, then gasped.


    It was Dorith. Wearing formal attire, he just landed on the hill and gazed upon the land stretching before him. Then, he slowly walked down and approached the little girl. "Is the Keeper home?" He asked, with a surprisingly gentle tone. The girl nodded, seemingly not intimidated by the powerful Demon''s presence at all.


    "Thank you." Dorith glanced at the building. "Could you please tell him that I''m here?"


    "Sure," She said with a shrug, then motioned the younger kid to follow her as she dashed towards the building.


    I gulped. When was this happening? Was it before that horrible battle, or after? I stepped closer to Dorith ¨C I wanted to, no, needed to hear what they were going to talk about.


    It took a while before a figure I knew too well stepped out of the gates. My predecessor approached Dorith with slow, somewhat hesitant steps. I furrowed my brows, how come was he so¡­ apprehensive? What had happened to the incredible confidence and wisdom I had seen in him before?


    "Dorith," He said. "I''m glad to see you well."


    "I would like to say the same to you, Keeper, but you don''t seem too well." Dorith''s response prompted me to look at my predecessor again. He was pale, but that was his usual skin colour. He didn''t seem to different to me, but then again, I could be missing something.


    "It is to be expected." The Keeper spoke. "I interfered with the flow of time ¨C changed the fate of many." He glanced at the setting sun. "A price must be paid for such interference."


    My eyes widened.


    Dorith looked away. "I understand," He said. It looked as if he had to force every word out. "Nevertheless, thank you, Keeper. You saved so many of us ¨C perhaps even changed the outcome of this war. We are forever in your debt." He placed his hand on his heart. "If there is anything I can do, please-"


    "Tale the young ones and the children." The Keeper''s voice was low, but it carried enough weight to silence Dorith.


    "What?" Dorith asked in shock. "Why? I don''t understand."


    My predecessor glanced at the children. "As I said, a price must be paid for interfering with fate." His cold, emotionless gaze focused on a confused and clearly shocked Dorith. "I do not wish for them to pay it with me."


    Dorith quickly shook his head. "No, wait. Is it a battle that awaits you? What is it? We can help, both me and the Lord. You know better than anyone we can help."


    The Keeper shook his head. "No, if you wish to help, take them somewhere safe. To the Lord''s castle, where they don''t need to fear the Divine Matriarch or any of the invaders."


    "But what will happen to you?" Dorith insisted. "That''s what I want to know. What is going to happen to you that makes you so fearful of the future?"


    The Keeper simply shrugged. "If I knew, I would tell you." He glanced at the sky. "It is dusk. Tomorrow, come and take them away. I will have them gather their things tonight." I glimpsed a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "Do not be late, Dorith."


    With that, he turned his back on Dorith and returned to his home. As he walked among them, the children ran towards him, showing him flowers, rocks they had picked up or whatever new and exciting thing they had found. He stopped and took the time to talk with each of them, and Dorith watched him until he disappeared behind the gate of the building.


    Once the Keeper was out of sight, Dorith''s shoulders dropped. He seemed defeated. He stood there in silence for a little bit before finally stretching his wings and flying off. As soon as he took off, I felt dizzy. My vision blurred and darkened, the memory was ending.


    A split second later, I found myself in the ice-cold water of the river. I swam to the surface immediately and took deep breaths. How much time had passed, I wondered as I looked around in a panic, only to find myself exactly where I was before.


    I quickly dried myself and put fresh, clean clothes on. Had I experienced that memory in such a short time? Seeing as I hadn''t drowned or dragged away by the powerful water currents, I couldn''t have been out for more than a split second.


    I shook my head in confusion. While the minimal passage of time was to my advantage, suddenly being dragged into a memory like that was dangerous to say the least. What would I do if it happened during battle? It could easily get me killed.


    The stirring soul in my chest had calmed by now. I took a deep breath, then tried to find Dorith''s soul out of the many resting. It was dormant, just like it was supposed to be. With furrowed brows, I made my way back to the ruined outpost. What was all that about?


    Had Dorith wanted me to see that memory? Why? Was that a message to stop me from interfering with the war between the Demons and Ereth? Would some horrible, terrible disaster fall upon me if I didn''t stop?


    I sighed. I had no way of knowing, and doing nothing while so many died, and while being threatened by the Demon Lord, was absolutely out of the question.


    "You''re back early." Lucius said with a grin as I pushed the old wooden door open and stepped inside. He was sitting on a bench, absentmindedly cleaning his sword.


    "Washing myself doesn''t take hours, Lucius." I forced a smile, then headed to the Keeper''s study. "I''ll be in the study if you need me. I want to check something."


    I wondered, could I find a record of what happened in one of his journals?

 Chapter 227: Dusty Pages

    I placed the notebook back on the desk with a sigh. Nothing, I could find absolutely nothing in here. In this entire library, there wasn''t a single string of words that spoke of what the ''price that must be paid'' was. My predecessor hadn''t left a single clue behind.


    Then again, he probably didn''t expect to die. I sat on a chair and fiddled with an empty piece of paper. I wondered, when had the Keeper passed away? Was it soon after that memory, due to the price he paid, or was it unrelated to that?


    Why had Dorith''s soul chosen to show me that particular moment? Did it mean something? Was I supposed to discover something?


    I shook my head. I was reading too deeply into it. Dorith''s soul was just that, a soul. He wasn''t even conscious enough to speak to me, unlike the soul of Rhia, Delthur''s sister.


    I suddenly lifted my head. What if he did regain consciousness? Would he be able to do what Rhia did at the time? She had, even though only for a moment, wrestled control away from me during my battle with Delthur. What if Dorith also did something similar?


    My gaze focused on my hands. What if I was waking him up every time I used Soul''s Aspect to assume his form? No, that wasn''t possible, was it?


    I quickly summoned my interface and navigated to the skills panel. As I read through the description, the lack of a good explanation didn''t help with my worries at all.


    Yet, before I could ponder on the subject anymore, I heard the creaking of the door as Asher stepped inside. He seemed lost in thought as he wandered inside and only noticed me when I stood up.


    "Oh, you were here?" The blonde sorcerer asked, clearly startled. "What''s up?"


    I furrowed my brows. "Yeah, I just wanted to read through some of the old notebooks." I tilted my head slightly. "What''s wrong, Asher? You seem a bit out of it."


    The blonde sorcerer hesitated. It was clear that something was on his mind. I didn''t insist, instead, I waited. After a short while, he sighed.


    "I''m worried." He said with a low voice. "What we''re trying isn''t just dangerous ¨C it''s also something that might change the outcome of the war. What if we''re doing the wrong thing, Kai? What if there are still things we don''t know? What if our perspective is still skewed?"


    I hesitated for a split second. I understood why he doubted it this much. "What if we do nothing, and Aelith wins?" I asked.


    Asher clenched his fists. "What if we do something and the demons win?" He asked.


    I shrugged. "What if doing this frees us?" I asked. "Besides, what do you want to do?"


    Asher hesitated. "I just wish we could talk with Fetheion before destroying the remaining two pillars." He fiddled with his long sleeve as he spoke. "It''s his people we''re talking about. I don''t believe for a second that he wouldn''t at least have some good feelings left for the Ereth."


    I shrugged. "I doubt it." I mumbled. In my eyes, Fetheion had forsaken the Ereth completely. And for good reason too, though Asher didn''t know the whole story.


    "But we can''t be sure, Kai. Besides, what if there is something we need to know? What if we walk into a trap because we didn''t get a chance to talk to him?" Asher''s gaze darted around the room; he was clearly trying to think of a way to contact the missing Divine.


    "We don''t have a way of contacting him." I said after a moment. "And we don''t have a lot of time either. I''m not saying don''t look for a way to find him ¨C hell, I''d love to do that myself, but we can''t focus solely on that." Not while the Demon Lord''s threat was hanging over my head anyways.


    Asher took a deep breath, then nodded. "You said one week, right?" He asked, then continued once I nodded. "Then give me four days."


    I raised my brows. "Why four?"


    "If I can''t contact him by the end of the fourth day, we set off and destroy the pillars. If I can, we talk to him, then set off and destroy the pillars." His glare focused on me. "Deal?"


    I nodded. "Fine by me, I do have things I''d like to ask him too." I headed to the door. "I''ll be downstairs if you need me."


    "I''ll let you know if I need help." He replied as I left the room and went back to the common room.


    Lucius was the only one there. He raised his head when he saw me, waved, then continued reading through a small book. I didn''t want to bother him, so I laid on the dusty couch and closed my eyes.


    Now, I was worried. Not because I wasn''t sure whether we were doing the right thing ¨C I knew Aelith was the evil one and I wanted nothing more than revenge ¨C but because Fetheion hadn''t shown up in a while now.


    I knew the Demon Lord hadn''t killed the Divine. He would have told me if he did, the demons did seem to enjoy seeing others suffer after all. I shivered as I remembered our conversation. It was a scene so out of this world that I still had trouble believing it happened.


    I had always though the Demon Lord would be the final challenge, the final enemy we would have to defeat to get out. Not in a million years would I have imagined the situation to change so drastically in such a short amount of time.


    "What''s wrong?" Lucius suddenly asked. I glanced at him with a confused expression. I hadn''t talked out loud, had I? Did I really seem so troubled?


    "You were looking at the ceiling like it offended you somehow." The young swordsman grinned. "Don''t blast a hole in it, would you?"


    I couldn''t help but laugh. "Ah, sorry. Nothing''s wrong, I''m just trying to come up with a plan is all." I pushed myself up. "What time is it?" I asked, as I walked to the windows to look outside. The sun was almost at its zenith.


    "Noon?" Lucius asked as he turned his attention back to the book in his hand. "What are you going to do?" He asked as he noticed me head out.


    "I''ll go and get Alex and Rina." I replied as I opened the old wooden door. "Theresa and Laura are going to be here tomorrow, so it''s about time we began gathering everyone else too."


    "Everyone else?" Lucius asked, clearly confused.


    "We still have other allies." I grinned, then shut the door behind me.


    The bright sun burnt my eyes, but I had gotten somewhat used to it by now. I assumed the corrupted demon''s form with Soul''s Aspect, then created a rift before me.


    I was still somewhat worried about slowly waking Dorith up by using Soul''s Aspect with him over on over again, but what choice did I have? The rifts were too useful not to use and the advantage this transformation gave me in combat was incredible.


    Just a little more, I said to myself as the rift became large enough to step through. Just a few more days, then we might even be freed from this fake, virtual world. It was worth the risk, I decided as I stepped through the rift, only to feel raindrops on my face as soon as I stepped out on the other side, near Stonepatch Village.


    "Oh, come on¡­" I mumbled in disappointment. I had seen enough rain and storm for a lifetime these last couple of days. I sighed, then then took shelter under a large, leafed tree. "Let''s see," I mumbled as I glanced at the village just at the foot of the hill. Since I didn''t want to take any unnecessary chances, I wasn''t going to enter the village. Instead, I took a small stone out of my inventory and fed some mana into it. As it began to emit a soft glow, I put it in my pocket.


    It was Rina''s idea. She wanted us to have a way to let each other know we needed help, so she had linked a pair of small stones like this. When mana was poured into one of them, its counterpart would light up.


    I leaned on the large tree''s trunk and watched the rain. It was annoying, sure, but nothing could beat the smell of wet earth. I took a deep breath, the smell almost reminded me of home.


    Sure enough, less than a handful of minutes later, I noticed two familiar figures climb up the hill. With a smile, I waved at them.


    "Hey," Alex said with a grin as they arrived. "I didn''t expect to see you so soon. What''s going on?"


    "I need your help." I said, looking both of them in the eye. "Can you come with me?"

 Chapter 228: Preparations

    "So¡­" Laura glanced around the now crowded common room. "We''re a lot of people now, apparently." She mumbled.


    All of us were sitting in the common room; Asher, Lucius, Mona, Theresa, Laura, Rina, Alex, and me. Suddenly, the room seemed much smaller and felt a lot more cramped than it did just yesterday.


    "You could say that." Rina glanced around, clearly somewhat confused. "So, why are we here, exactly? What are we planning?"


    Asher took a deep breath and got up from his seat.


    "I''ll explain," He summoned his interface and navigated to the map panel. "Here and here," He pointed at where the two remaining Divine Pillars were. "There are¡­" As he began explaining everything we knew, my gaze wandered around the room.


    Everyone was focused. Everyone was giving him their full attention ¨C even Mona. Asher''s speech giving skills were surprisingly high, considering his job before we all ended up here. Did a game developer need such charms?


    Despite his talent, it took him nearly half an hour to brief everyone. There was much to speak about after all. Once he was done, he gestured at Rina. "I''d like to know everyone''s abilities before we even start planning for the actual battles. Could you give us a brief explanation?"


    Rina nodded, and started detailing her abilities and spells. She had a surprising number of skills, since her explanation seemed endless at some point. After her, it was Laura''s and Mona''s turn. Asher kept his own abilities to himself, and I didn''t have much to tell either. What I could do was already well known to these people.


    "We''ve got quite the line-up." Alex said once the last person was done speaking. "But so do the Ereth, don''t they?"


    I nodded. "Their inquisitors are quite powerful ¨C we can''t afford to underestimate them. Dealing with one of them is a challenge already and I''m certain they will have more of them on the field after what happened to the Pillar."


    "We can handle them with the eight of us," Rina said, the glanced at me. "But what if there is a Divine there?"


    I shook my head. "They wouldn''t risk that." I replied, pointing at Asher''s map. "Two Divine Pillars are surely not all they have left ¨C if they''re preparing for war, they will be keeping their strongest people for the actual battle." I clenched my fist, hidden under my cloak. "They won''t risk letting one of their own running into the Demon Lord."


    Asher nodded. "They wouldn''t take such a huge risk. We know no one Divine is a match for the Demon Lord, and they know it too."


    Rina seemed somewhat doubtful, but she nodded anyways. "Alright. So, you want to strike both Pillars the same night?"


    "If we don''t do that, we''ll never get to destroy the third one. They''d put a small army there to defend it." Lucius explained. "This way, we can catch them off guard."


    Alex seemed to agree as she nodded. Rina still seemed to have her doubts, but before she could say anything more, Lucius spoke again. "I do have something I want to add though," He said, glancing at me and Asher. "I think we need to contact our other allies before we set off to do this."


    Asher tilted his head slightly. "Which other allies?"


    "Luhen, for one." Mona chimed in. I nodded. "He did say there were those who wanted to help us, to be rid of Aelith and her allies." I added.


    "My little network is sure to be useful too." Lucius suggested. "I know they''re not as powerful as we are, but they are trustworthy, and they work well together."


    I was actually somewhat hesitant on this one. I didn''t want word of my survival to get out, especially among players because it would increase the chances of Alina and Joshua learning about it.


    "I don''t know¡­" I mumbled.


    "They don''t need to know the details." Lucius added, seeing my hesitation. All they need to know is where to be and when to be there."


    "Let them know that they should prepare to gather here." Asher said. He glanced at me. "Kai, we can''t afford to be on our own once the war begins. There is no guarantee that Fetheion will make it back in time."


    I gritted my teeth but nodded. "Fine." I knew he had a point, no matter how much I disliked the idea.


    "One more thing." Lucius spoke, this time with a lot more hesitation in his voice. "I think we should contact Victoria."


    I flinched, along with basically everyone else in the room.


    "Victoria Kestler?" I asked to clarify. "Joshua''s and Vincent''s relative?"


    The young swordsman nodded. "Yes, her."


    "Are you out of your mind?" Mona asked, finally shaking off her shock. "What if she tells Alina and Joshua? Those two would immediately tell the Divine and I can guarantee there would be several Divines waiting for us at the Pillars."


    Asher nodded. "That''s really not the best idea, Lucius. We can''t take such a huge risk ¨C not right now."


    I didn''t speak ¨C I was listening to everyone while thoughts swirled in my head. Lucius had brought up something I had been thinking about for a while now. Players were the Ereth''s trump card against the demons. They didn''t need the power of Divine Pillars to fight, so they could be sent to construct more, scout outside their range and¡­ basically do many more things.


    And two of those players were Erik and Vincent. Blinded by Alina, I was sure they were doing everything in their power to ''avenge'' me. Because as far as they knew, a demon had killed me. Such was the Divine Matriarch''s declaration, after all.


    What had me somewhat worried was that those two would be sent to the frontlines as soon as the fighting began. The demons would show to mercy to them ¨C Erik and Vincent stood no chance against the likes of Vixia or Delthur, let alone the Demon Lord himself. They would die ¨C for ever.


    "But we have to at least try!" Lucius continued arguing as his louder voice pulled me back to the present. "What if she does want to help us. You know better than anyone how powerful of an ally she can be with the connections and resources she has!" He glared at me. It took me a split second to understand his words were directed at me.


    "You do have a point." I said hesitantly.


    "Not you too, Kai!" Mona cried out. "You already suffered so much because of Alina and Joshua. I don''t want to see something similar happen to you again."


    "I get where you''re coming from," I said, shooting a quick glance at her, "But I do have a reason for saying this. Once the war begins, the players will be sent to the front lines, I know it. We all do. I couldn''t care less about what happens to Alina and Joshua, but I wouldn''t want to see Erik and Vincent hurt because of those two traitors." I looked away. "Victoria could help us get them away from those two."


    Asher ran his hand through his hair as he pondered. "Well¡­" He mumbled. "It would be bad if Erik died." He glanced at me. "Don''t get me wrong, I wouldn''t want anything to happen to either of them, but Erik will be an important witness in the real world." His expression darkened as his eyes sparkled with¡­ revenge? "He will testify against his father."


    "What makes you think he will do that?" Rina asked. "I don''t know the guy too well, but it''s his dad we''re talking about."


    "Don''t worry about that. I''ll make sure he does." Asher glanced at me. "So yes, what Kai said is actually rather important and I''m somewhat ashamed I didn''t think of it earlier. We absolutely must ensure the survival of those two."


    "Both of them?" Alex asked. "What made you change your mind?"


    "It''s for Samantha''s death, isn''t it?" I asked. Asher nodded. "They need to testify. Just freeing ourselves from this game isn''t enough. We need to make sure people are held accountable for what they''ve done, for as far as we know, death has very real consequences."


    I shrugged. "I wouldn''t know¡­"


    Mona chuckled. "Well¡­ You might be an exception to that."


    "Only thanks to Fetheion." Lucius chimed in. "Speaking of, we should try to locate him as well."


    Asher nodded. "Yes, but let''s do it one at a time. Victoria comes first ¨C Kai, the two of us should get a bit closer to Baile Chailce tomorrow."


    "Is that really a good idea?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly. I didn''t want to get too close to the city because I was almost certain that the Divine Pillar there was special ¨C what if it caused Aelith to become aware of me?


    "Don''t worry," Asher''s lips formed an almost wicked smile. "Not a soul will know we''re there."


    For some reason, his words gave me little reassurance.

 Chapter 229: Do You Believe Me?

    Only a day had passed since Alex and Rina had joined us, and we were already busy with preparations.


    Asher and I had come to Baile Chailce. Well, Asher had gone there, I was waiting for him to return while exploring some old ruins we hadn''t had the chance to check out before.


    Despite my calm outer appearance, I was quite worried. As far as we knew, the Divines didn''t know much about Asher, at least not more than they knew about Rina, Alex, Lucius, or Mona. There was no reason to think they''d try to harm him in any way, but that didn''t really help my anxiousness much.


    A faint clicking noise caught my attention. I pushed my thoughts and worries to the back of my mind and tightened my grasp around the hilt of my sword. I knew these ruins were occupied by creatures ¨C that''s why I was here for in the first place.


    Watching my steps on the uneven brick floors, I carefully entered the next room, only to find a bunch of oversized bugs. I honestly had no idea of what they were ¨C I just knew that the clicking sound came from them and they were disgusting.


    I made short work of them. They were weaker than I expected, though still gave a surprising amount of experience. I looked around the room, hoping to find some kind of valuable thing, something to make my time here a bit more worthwhile, but found nothing of value.


    With a sigh, I looked around. Was this really the last room of the ruins? I had expected a bit more of a challenge, but I guess that was nothing but an empty hope. Somewhat disappointed, I returned to the entrance to wait for Victoria and Asher.


    The sun slowly climbed the sky as I waited. As minutes turned to hours, my worries only grew. What if something had happened? Maybe I shouldn''t have let Asher go back to Baile Chailce on his own.


    "I understand, but where are we going?" The faint voice startled me. I quickly got up on my feet and hid myself in the shadowy entrance of the old demonic ruin.


    "Like I said, there are some things you should know about." Asher''s voice sounded. I sighed a breath of relief as he and Victoria stepped into my view.


    Victoria looked quite different from before. Her fancy clothes were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she concealed herself with a cloak and I could see she was wearing simple pants and a shirt underneath. Wearing no make-up, she didn''t quite look like herself. Yet, there was no mistaking her voice.


    "I understand that, but why did we have to come so far outside? You do realise demons are about, don''t you?" She asked as her gaze scoured the area. She was scared ¨C it was clear as day.


    "Don''t worry, I made sure this place is safe. Besides, the demons wouldn''t dare come quite this close to the city. Not yet anyways." Asher smiled. I knew he intended it to be a reassuring smile, but it looked more like an evil grin. Victoria seemed even more worried as she glanced at him.


    "Right here," He said with a calm voice, pointing at the ruins I had just cleared.


    Victoria nodded and approached the entrance, with Asher right behind her.


    She stepped closer, then froze mid step as I came out of the shadowy entrance.


    "Hello Victoria."


    She flinched as soon as our eyes met. Her face went pale as she stepped back.


    "Kai?" She whispered. "You-" She glanced at Asher, who was trying really hard not to grin. "How are you alive?" She asked after a moment. "Joshua told me all about what happened ¨C there was a funeral, the Divine Matriarch gave a speech¡­" Her voice faded as I shook my head.


    "I''ll explain. Why don''t you come inside? It''s not quite as safe out here." I could see her hesitation as she glanced at the shadowy entrance. "I''m not here to hurt you, I promise." If she really didn''t trust me, my words would mean nothing, but from her expression, I could see that wasn''t the case.


    After a few moments of hesitation, she nodded. I led her and Asher inside, to the only room with a desk and chairs. Thankfully, they weren''t falling apart quite yet, though I still wouldn''t trust them too much. Time had taken its toll on this place, as it always did.


    "So," Victoria asked after we all were seated. "What happened? How are you still alive? And why didn''t you come back to the city? Joshua and the rest of the kids were devastated after what happened."


    I almost rolled my eyes. "I''m sure they were," I mumbled, then took a deep breath. This part was the hardest ¨C convincing someone that they had been lied to, tricked and betrayed. "Victoria, I want to tell you what happened on the day I died. Can you listen till the very end before you draw any conclusions?"


    The woman seemed somewhat confused, but she nodded, nonetheless. "Of course."


    I took a deep breath and began explaining what really happened. I told her of Alina and Joshua''s betrayal, of how some mysterious person saved me, and of how Divine Matriarch Aelith and the Ereth were the invaders.


    I left out the parts about my predecessor, the Demon Lord and anything else that was remotely sensitive information. While I did value Victoria''s cooperation, I didn''t trust her nearly enough to tell her anything more.


    By the time I finished, her face was pale.


    "So," I said. "That''s basically the gist of it. That''s why I didn''t come back to Baile Chailce. I can''t afford to let any Ereth know that I''m still alive."


    She nodded absentmindedly. Silence followed my words as we sat there, waiting for her to process everything and get her thoughts in order. I admired her a bit as minutes passed. Everyone else had reacted immediately with anger, defiance, or some form of resistance. Even Asher and Lucius.


    Yet, Victoria sat here in silence, pondering, processing, and thinking things through. "Sorry," She said at some point, breaking the silence. "It''s a lot to take in."


    "It''s fine," I quickly replied, then allowed the silence to set in again. Some time later, she finally spoke.


    "I understand." Her gaze met mine, and she didn''t seem startled a bit by my glowing purple eyes. "I''m going to be honest with you; at first, I found your story hard to believe. After all, two people told me they saw a demon ¨C perhaps even the Demon Lord himself kill you. Yet, Erik and Vincent said nothing of the sort. They only saw a pool of blood at the scene."


    She made a vague gesture. "I did think it was odd, at first. Alina and Joshua somehow evading the Demon Lord was tough to believe in, mainly because I know they aren''t quite that skilled." She chuckled. "Especially Joshua."


    Asher couldn''t help but laugh lightly. "You do have a point." He spoke.


    Victoria ignored him and kept talking, choosing her words carefully. "I also remember thinking it was odd how quickly Alina seemed to become almost famous. There are no players who haven''t heard of her. She is praised for all kinds of things, while I have seen none of her abilities." She fiddled with her hair before continuing. "I also remember finding it really weird how she would randomly disappear for a couple of days, all while Joshua desperately tried to cover for her."


    I raised my brows. "How so?" I asked. Where could she be disappearing to?


    "Well, Joshua would always say she was called by some player or another for help, but when I spoke to those players, they''d claim they hadn''t met with her on that day."


    Asher''s brows furrowed as he shot a quick glance at me. "That is weird." He mumbled. "Did you find out where she was really going?"


    Victoria shook her head. "No. I didn''t really look into it. I didn''t want to. I''m¡­" She hesitated. "I was too exhausted to look into anything."


    "Did something else happen while I was gone?" I asked, once again feeling worried. She shook her head. "Nothing in particular," She replied after a moment. "It''s just exhausting to be here. I¡­ I just miss stuff from home."


    Asher avoided meeting her gaze while I tried to find something to say.


    "Anyways," She said with a sigh. "Thank you for telling me what really happened. I¡­ the inconsistencies had been on my mind for a while now. This clears up a lot."


    I raised my brows in surprise. "Does that mean you believe me?"


    Victoria nodded. "Of course." She showed me a weak but determined smile. "Joshua as always been the sly, untrustworthy one. I''m not surprised that he did something but attempting to kill you is crossing the line. By a lot."


    I chuckled. "I guess that''s one way to put it." I glanced at Asher. "But we didn''t call you here just to tell you what happened. I need you to do something for me."


    Victoria raised her brows. "Oh? I''m listening."

 Chapter 230: Distant Cliffs

    Victoria left soon after we discussed our plan, along with Asher. I, on the other hand, opened a rift and left the vicinity of Baile Chailce. Asher had his own ways of returning and Victoria wasn''t going to join us back at base quite yet.


    I stepped out of the rift in a familiar place. A circular, grassy area in the middle of a thick forest. The entrance to Fetheion''s home was right behind me. Taking a deep breath, I stepped towards the door and opened it.


    It creaked open, slowly. I stayed there and listened for a while. I waited, hoping to hear anything. Footsteps, the sound of doors closing or someone moving inside¡­ Yet, I heard nothing.


    With slow, careful steps, I walked through the door and down the stairs, the through the narrow hallway with doors on both sides. I stopped and checked every room, slowly making my way to the library. With each room I checked that was empty, my shoulders dropped a little more.


    Where was Fetheion? Where had he gone to, if not back here, to his home? He did say he didn''t have any family left. All I knew was his sister, who was gone. She had passed, I was sure. That was what his expression implied when we spoke about her.


    Then, if not family, where could he have gone? Did he even have anyone else he could trust? I didn''t think so. I pondered a while, more then decided to check his desk to see if I could find any clues on one of those documents.


    As soon as I directed my gaze on the desk, I felt nothing but despair. It was a mess. A horrible mess. Looking at the piles of documents, my shoulders dropped. How was I supposed to find anything in there?


    With a sigh, I got to work.


    I scoured through the documents one by one, growing sleepier with each passing hour. There were maps, records of old legends, letters¡­ All kinds of things were in these piles. Yet, nothing to indicate a goal, a destination, a hideout.


    I gritted my teeth as I threw the last piece of paper on the desk. "Damn it Fetheion, where the hell did you go?" I hissed through my gritted teeth. I pushed myself up from the chair and hurried to his room. I barged inside and headed right down to the secret room ¨C his workshop, or whatever it was supposed to be.


    As I descended the stairs, I felt more annoyed than anything. How dare he just up and disappear like that without telling me a single thing? We had just escaped the Demon Lord when we last spoke. Didn''t he think I''d worry at all? I clenched my fists. It was partially his fault that I ran into the Demon Lord anyways. I was sure as hell going to bug him about that once I found him.


    The workshop lit up as soon as I stepped inside. I narrowed my eyes as the runes on the ground and the walls let out a soft shine, illuminating the room gently. I didn''t remember this from the last time I was in here. In fact, I was sure it was Fetheion who had cast a spell to create light.


    With furrowed brows, I looked around. Had something change since I was last here?


    The answer became clear very quickly. Yes, something had indeed changed, I thought to myself as my gaze focused on the shelves on my left, by the couches. I distinctly remembered them being filled with notebooks and other things before. Now, they were empty, save for a couple of loose, torn pieces of paper.


    I approached the shelves. What were these smaller pieces of paper left on the topmost shelf? Despite my height, I could just barely reach them. I finally caught the corner of one of them and pulled it down.


    The paper itself felt odd, even before I glanced at its contents. It felt as if it was luminated. Too smooth, too clear. Not at all like normal paper. One side of it was empty, with nothing written on it. I furrowed my brows as I turned it to look at the other side.


    I nearly dropped it as my gaze fell upon it; a crystal clear image of a cliff face. I knew exactly what this was ¨C it was a photograph. The result of technology. Something of my world ¨C of the real world.


    It was so out of place here that I couldn''t help but just stare at it blankly for a while.


    No wonder the paper felt off, like it was luminated. It wasn''t normal paper; it was the type of paper that photos were printed on!


    What was this doing here? How had it even ended up here?


    Questions whirled in my mind as I shook my head in disbelief. What was I supposed to make of this? I lowered myself onto the couch as I stared at the photo. I forced myself to actually look at it, rather staring blankly.


    The cliff wasn''t just any cliff. It had a distinct shape ¨C it looked as if something was carved onto it. I narrowed my eyes and looked closely. A circle, with some vague symbols around and inside it.


    "The hell is this¡­" I mumbled as I tried to make out what those symbols were. They were for sure not demonic, and they didn''t look like any other language I knew either. Where was this cliff? It kind of reminded me of the cliffs back home, but there was no symbol like this carved onto any of them. I and the rest of the world would know it if there was.


    I continued staring at the photo. Where had Fetheion gotten this from?


    Thoughts and theories were all I had. I glanced at the remaining few pieces of paper at the top shelf. Could they shed some light to this mystery? I got up, then reached and grabbed them. As soon as my fingers touched them, I knew none of them were photos.


    Some pages with scribbles on it. Names of locations, a simple sketch of what looked like the Divine Pillar in Baile Chailce and a torn piece of paper with a list written on it. None of these answered my questions.


    I fought against the urge to crumple these and placed them on the low desk. I needed to find out where Fetheion had gone to, how he had gotten a photograph and why he hadn''t told me of it.


    I put the photo into my inventory, then let my gaze wander around the room. Was there anything I had missed? Any other changes?


    Sure enough, there were. The weapons on the walls were also gone. I clenched my fists. What the hell was that all about? Fetheion didn''t need weapons ¨C his own magic and that weird shifting weapon was more than enough to make him a formidable foe. So, why had he taken all of these?


    Or was it not Fetheion who took these? Had demons come in here and taken them? But that wouldn''t make any sense either ¨C what use would demons have for these weapons?


    I looked around one last time, then headed outside. My mind was filled with questions and I simply couldn''t get that photo out of my mind. Those cliffs, the clear image¡­ Nothing could make me believe that wasn''t an actual real photograph.


    I sat on the grass outside as the sun began to set. I needed some rest, even if it was just for a little bit, I needed to just stop and watch the sky. Organise my thoughts and clear my mind a little. I couldn''t get anything done with the chaos in my head right now.


    I got back up on my feet only after dusk. Assuming the form of the corrupted demon, I opened a rift back to my predecessor''s home ¨C our new base. I passed through with ease as usual and as soon as I was out of the rift, let go of the demon''s form. I didn''t want Dorith to have any more effect on me than necessary.


    I sighed and pushed that thought out of my mind. Now wasn''t the time to worry about it. Instead, I headed inside. As I pushed the wooden door open, the warm, welcoming air of the common room surprised me.


    The burning fireplace was emitting a nice, comfortable warmth. A few soft lights were illuminating the interior, which also looked different than before. The previously wooden benches and chairs were now covered with soft, much more comfortable looking fur.


    Theresa and Laura were sitting by the table right to the left of the entrance. Theresa was reading something, while Laura browsed her interface, probably looking for something. Mona was asleep on one of the benches.


    "Welcome back," Laura said with a low, soft voice as I closed the door behind me. She gestured me to come and have a seat. "How did it go? Is the plan in motion?"

 Chapter 231: A Stormy Evening

    "The plan is on." As soon as these words left my mouth, Theresa raised her head to look at me, a huge grin forming on her face. "Awesome!" She whispered.


    I chuckled, it was great to see them both happy, despite the circumstances we are in. "So, what happened here?" I asked, glancing around. "Last I was here, this place was in shambles."


    Laura smiled. "The furniture was easy to fix with magic and Theresa had way too many animal furs on her, so we decided to do a little bit of decorating." She glanced outside. "It''s a bit tough to sit and do nothing all day after all."


    I nodded. They couldn''t go outside to grind because of the Ereth patrols and sitting inside all day was bound to get boring at some point. "I think you did great." I glanced at Mona. "How is she?"


    Theresa chuckled. "Exhausted." She grinned. "She levelled up after her ritual, then noticed she could learn a useful spell."


    "What spell?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.


    Theresa shrugged. "She didn''t tell us, but she went outside to try it, then soon came back happy and exhausted, so I guess it worked?"


    Laura sighed. "If only she would tell us." The blonde woman glanced at me. "Have you eaten yet? There''s some food over at the counter." She gestured towards the far end of the room, where there was only a counter to separate it from the kitchen.


    When I looked over and saw the plates, I noticed how hungry I was. "Oh yeah," I mumbled as I stood up. "I''m starving, actually."


    They both laughed as I hurried off to the counter. I filled an empty plate, then returned.


    "By the way," I mumbled between two bites. "Where is Lucius? And is Asher not back yet?"


    Laura shook her head. "No, he''s not back. Lucius is asleep. We trained a bit in the stables during the day, so he was exhausted."


    I raised my brows. "The stables? I didn''t know we had those." Wasn''t the rest of the building basically inaccessible ruins? I thought the only usable rooms were this one, the kitchen, the couple of bedrooms upstairs and my predecessor''s study.


    "We also cleaned the place up a bit." Laura made a vague gesture. "Got rid of the rubble, fixed the walls where we could, cleaned the bedrooms so we don''t have to sleep in such dusty rooms."


    Remembering how many times I woke up sneezing the other night, I couldn''t help but feel grateful. "Seems like you guys did a whole lot of work while we were gone." I chuckled. "I feel a little guilty for not helping you at all."


    Theresa shook her head. "We didn''t do all that much anyways. Plus, we were bored out of our minds!" She tapped on the table. "At least we know these won''t break under the weight of a book now." She grinned.


    We chuckled, then I continued eating. Once I was done, I put my plate back on the counter. As I headed back to the other two, distant thunder echoed.


    "Oh, not again." I mumbled, glancing out the windows. While there we no glass panes to cover them, now a magical shield kept the cold, wind, and rain out. "Alex and Rina aren''t back either yet." Laura added. "They''re going to get soaked. And so is Asher."


    I nodded. "What''s going on with the weather lately?" I asked with a sigh.


    Naturally, the only answer they could give me were shrugs. None of us knew ¨C how could we? Far all we knew; this could be the seasons changing. Perhaps it was normal for it to rain so much during this time of the year. Or perhaps it was a magical phenomenon. Maybe the demons or the Ereth were causing these storms.


    Before we could ponder any more about this though, the door swung open, and a soaked Asher stepped inside.


    I think he was about to loudly declare something, but he swallowed his words just sighed as he noticed the sleeping Mona. "I''ll be right back," He said in a low voice instead, and headed upstairs, leaving a trail of water behind.


    I heard a chuckle and glanced at Theresa only to see her trying to hold back her laughter. Laura just shrugged, though she was also smiling. "At least he didn''t get struck by lightning."


    We chuckled, then waited for the blonde sorcerer to come back down. He didn''t take too long to change, since he was back with us within minutes.


    "Whatever is causing all this rain, I want to kill it." He declared with a low hiss. "I absolutely loathe the rain ¨C do you have any idea on how difficult it is to fly when you can''t see a god damned thing?" Wide eyed, he looked at me almost as if he were daring me to oppose him.


    "I hate it too." I said, choosing not to rise up to the challenge. Theresa nodded enthusiastically. "I''m glad you made it back before the thunderstorm got worse," She added, pointing at the windows. "I feel bad for Rina and Alex."


    Asher''s ears perked up as he heard the two women''s names. "Are they not back yet?" He asked, letting go of whatever annoyance he was feeling at the time. His ability to change his focus like this was admirable.


    Laura shook her head. "No, not yet. They did say they would probably return sometime after dusk though, so it''s not like they are late or anything."


    I furrowed my brows. "Hang on, I know that they left after us, but they weren''t going so far." I glanced at Asher. "Let me see your map."


    He shot me a weird look before summoning his interface and navigating to the map panel. "Look, this is where they were headed," I said, pointing at a nearby village. It was only a couple hours of walking from here. "What could take them so long anyways?" I asked, curious about the answer.


    "Rina wanted to check on something else on the way." Theresa chimed in. "She said she wanted to look at a certain ruined building. Something about a clue about tainted demonic magic and all that." She seemed just as confused as I felt as she tried to remember Rina''s exact words. "I honestly don''t remember what exactly she was talking about."


    "The girl." Mona''s sleepy voice sounded. Startled, we glanced at her.


    "Did we wake you up?" Laura asked. "Sorry, Mona."


    "Nah, I was awake since just before Asher came back." She pushed herself up to a sitting position, then yawned and stretched her arms out. "Rina wanted to check on the little girl I told you about ages ago." She glanced at me. "The one who created those creatures during the siege of the Howling Hills."


    I flinched. We hadn''t talked about that day in such a long time that her words caught me off guard. "Ah," I mumbled as memories rushed from the back of my mind.


    "The day Samantha passed away," Laura spoke in a low voice. "You''re right, we did tell Rina all about Elise. The ruins she nearly died in are nearby now that I think about it."


    "Elise¡­ That was the name of the summoner, wasn''t it?" The name of the girl who had used an immense amount of power to trap us atop that peak for so long. The girl, who I still partly blamed for Samantha''s death. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists. "Do you know why she wanted to go there? What is left to learn about Elise?"


    Mona shrugged. "I don''t know. But you know Rina better than any of us. She probably figured something out or has a theory and wants to make sure of it before telling us anything." The cheerful druid stood up and approached the counter. "Yummy," She mumbled as she picked a couple of fruits, then sat back down on her fur covered bench. "Anyways," She continued. "What I don''t get is what Elise has to do with our current situation."


    Silence followed Mona''s words. None of us could see a connection between destroying Divine Pillars and the little girl who could summon entire armies.


    "Maybe it''s not her she''s looking into." Theresa suggested. "Maybe she figured out something else."


    I shrugged. "There''s no way to know, really." Almost as if the universe decided it had enough of this conversation, a loud thunder echoed just as I finished my sentence.


    "They will have trouble returning with all this rain though." I mumbled.


    And thus, we waited for the two women to return as we chatted, planned, and passed the time mostly idly. After about an hour or so, as worries began to mount and I began pondering whether I should head out to search for them, the door swung open, revealing two soaked, angry, and freezing figures.


    "I figured it out!" Rina shouted as soon as she stepped inside. "This is important!"

 Chapter 232: Flashes of Lightning

    We all stared at her in confusion as she rushed inside, Alex in tow. "I figured it out!" She declared, somewhat out of breath.


    "What did you figure out?" Laura asked hesitantly as the dripping wet Rina took deep breaths.


    "The Little girl you told me about ¨C the summoner." Rina blurted out, panting and out of breath. "I know why she was sick in the first place!"


    I raised my brows as Mona''s expression showed how confused she was. "Because of the demonic magic that tainted her?" She asked hesitantly.


    "No!" Rina shook her head. "It''s an artifact! Listen, in the ruins, there were lots of inscriptions on the walls. Now, I''m sure Kai could have read all of that with ease but from what I deciphered, that ruin used to house an artifact that allowed one to expand their mana pool by a lot."


    Asher raised his brows; it was clear that his interest was piqued. "How so?" He asked, leaning forward.


    "Well, apparently it ''expands the horizons of the mind'' or something." Rina shrugged. "Doesn''t matter too much since the girl took it with her."


    Mona glanced at Laura and Theresa. "Did we see anything like an artifact on her? I don''t remember."


    Laura shook her head as Theresa pondered.


    "You wouldn''t have seen it anyways." Rina added. "It''s not something like a bracelet or a pendant. I think she drank it. Or ate it. Consumed it, basically."


    I blinked a couple of times. "How do you know that?" I asked. How could she know it if she hadn''t seen it? How detailed could inscriptions from centuries ago even be?


    "It said something along the lines of ''The liquor of gods'' or something." The green haired wizard hesitated. "I don''t know all the words there ¨C it''s ancient demonic, not the modern language." She mumbled, somewhat apologetically.


    "I could go and check it out?" I suggested, but Alex shook her head immediately. "We had to leave early because Ereth patrols showed up. I don''t think that place is safe anymore." She glanced around. "I don''t know how long this place will remain safe either." She added. "I think they''re checking all the ancient ruins even remotely near Baile Chailce. I''m sure they will drop by here as well."


    Laura clenched her fists. "They can go to hell for all I care," She glared at us. "We worked hard to fix this place. No way I''m leaving now."


    Asher nodded, to my surprise. "That too, of course, but remember ¨C this place used to belong to the Keeper of Souls. The study is filled with his notes. I don''t think we should be letting the Ereth get a hold of them."


    He did have a point, and it was one that hadn''t occurred to me before. "Hang on," I said as something else occurred to me. "This place was protected by all those souls earlier, when we first came here." I glanced at the blonde sorcerer. "The Ereth will notice their absence."


    Everyone but Asher seemed confused as the sorcerer leapt up in a panic. Even I was startled by his reaction.


    "You''re right!" He exclaimed. "Come with me, we have to recreate the barrier." He grabbed my wrist without a second of hesitation and dragged me outside.


    "Hey, it''s raining out there!" Mona warned us as he opened the door. Asher didn''t care, and I soon found myself standing outside under the pouring rain.


    "What the hell do you expect me to do?" I shouted. Asher glared at me as he replied. "Recreate the barrier. Follow my lead."


    About three hours later, we came back inside. Soaking wet, freezing, and shivering, I immediately excused myself to get a change of clothes and dry myself. When I returned downstairs, I was exhausted.


    But, looking out the windows, it was difficult not to feel some pride in what we''d accomplished. A whirlwind of souls, still connected to me, but now out there, circling this place, protecting us from prying eyes. Once again, we had created something without using the interface, with our own merit. It felt like a much more real accomplishment than most other things we had done.


    "Now then," Asher took a deep breath. "Since that is out of the way, please keep explaining, Rina."


    The green haired wizard had to pause and ponder for a second to remember where she had left off. "Oh," She said as she remembered. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "So, the little girl drank whatever was in those ruins. Her horizons were expanded and all that, but taking out all the fluff, what happened is that suddenly she had way too much mana. Enough to raise entire armies. She did get tainted with demonic magic, but because of the traps in the ruins."


    Mona''s eyes widened. "So the artifact wasn''t what nearly killed her?"


    Rina shook her head. "No, she was just unlucky. Very unlucky. Because I assume you told her to rest up and go to a healer in Baile Chailce after you healed her as much as you could. Am I right?"


    Laura nodded. "Mona wasn''t as accomplished of a healer back then, so she wanted Elise to have proper care."


    Rina bit her lower lip. "Well," She hesitated. "I think that''s how the Divine took notice of Elise. Seeing her ability to summon literal armies, they must have decided to ''take her under their wing'' or at least claimed to do just that before basically brainwashing a little girl to kill people."


    Mona drew a sharp breath. I turned my gaze on her, only to see her pale as a sheet of paper. "No," She mumbled. "That''s¡­"


    Alex steppe closer and placed her hand on the druid''s shoulder. "We''re not blaming you and it''s not your fault. Not remotely so. You couldn''t have known, there was absolutely no way. You did what you believed was best for her ¨C don''t blame yourself." Her stoic, confidant voice seemed to calm Mona a little bit.


    "I agree." Lucius'' voice startled me. I hadn''t noticed him at the stairs at all. When had he woken up? "The best thing we can do is save her from their grasp." The young man walked down the stairs and took a seat besides me. "Speaking of saving people, how did it go?" He asked, looking at me.


    I chuckled. "We''re all set. It''s going to be a do or die type of day." I hesitated. "Night." I corrected myself.


    Silence followed my words. It was beginning to set in. The weight of the situation, how everything we were hoping for, everything we had been working towards somehow tied into the coming night.


    "Now I''m nervous." Mona mumbled. "Damn it."


    We chuckled, but it was as if the air was electrified. We all felt on edge. If we died tomorrow ¨C if we even lost a single person¡­ I didn''t even want to consider the possibility, yet I knew that I had to. We were not immortal, and we didn''t have a Divine supporting us from the shadows anymore.


    I glanced at my left palm, at the black shadow just under my skin. Then, I clenched my fist. I couldn''t count on that. I couldn''t count on anyone but the people in this room. We were enough. We had to be.


    "Are you ok, Kai?" Mona asked, breaking the tense, heavy silence. "Is something on your mind?"


    I sighed. "I''m just a little worried about Fetheion," I shook my head as if I were trying to clear my mind. "It''s fine ¨C I''m sure he''s busy with something, somewhere." I glanced outside, just in time to see lightning strike the far away hills. "It would have been great to have his help." I said with a shrug.


    Asher nodded. "He chose a poor time to disappear on us like this." He stood up and headed towards the stairs. "We should all take care to rest. Tomorrow, dusk, is our signal. Make sure you''re all ready." With that, he headed upstairs.


    "He''s got a point." Laura said with a sigh. "I''ll head up to sleep as well. Good night," Theresa followed her as well, and so did Rina and Alex. Now, it was just me, Mona and Lucius remaining down here.


    Mona stood up, stretched her arms, then glanced at Lucius. Without saying a word, she headed to the kitchen, cleaned the plates, then came back. "You should rest as well," She suggested, glancing at me. I nodded, "I will, don''t worry." I wasn''t going to be the one to drop the ball tomorrow night.


    She hesitated, then headed upstairs.


    "So," I glanced at Lucius. "What is it that you want to say to me?"


    The young man flinched. "Was it that obvious?"


    I chuckled. "Only to me, probably. What is it, Lucius?"


    He hesitated. "Kai, I''m worried." He glanced outside. "Fetheion isn''t human. We all know that, right? He''s not a player, he belongs in this virtual world. He''s not real in the same sense as we are."


    I flinched. "What are you getting at?"


    "If what I just said is true, why the hell did he feel so god damn real? If I met him in real life, I would never know he is just a computer program. A simulated person."


    I had no answer to that. To me, Fetheion felt just as real as anyone else too. For the longest time, I had thought I was just biased because he reminded me of Uncle Eion so much, but hearing Lucius, I wasn''t so sure anymore.

 Chapter 233: The Glint of Steel (1)

    I slowly opened my eyes and let out a calm breath. Only mere moments were left until the battle began.


    Looking down on the field where the fighting would take place, I could see the enemy forces gathered around the Divine Pillar. The grassy field was devoid of hills or other obstacles. The once flourishing forest here had been cut down, even the stumps were removed.


    They knew we were coming, and they had prepared accordingly.


    Well, they knew someone was coming. Still clueless about my survival, they were probably prepared to face demons, not us. And I intended to use that belief of theirs to the fullest.


    "Just a bit more," I whispered as I watched the sun set in the distance. The golden, crimson, and purple rays of light blinded me, but this time, I didn''t mind. It was beautiful.


    I noticed the pebble in my hand let out a faint glow. It was time.


    I stepped forward just as my body morphed, taking on the form of the corrupted demon. Then, I took a deep breath, stretched my wings wide and leapt into the air.


    Below me, I noticed the silhouettes of Lucius, Alex and Mona rush out of the distant treeline. They were shrouded in shadows and the Ereth hadn''t noticed them yet. Keeping it that way was my job.


    My wings carried me to the enemy lines, and I dashed down right towards the two cloaked and robed figures down below. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I let my magic loose, illuminating the night with purple flames.


    Screams and shouting echoed all around me as my bright purple eyes met the golden eyes of the Ereth inquisitor. Her face twisted in disgust just before she put on her mask. As soon as she did, the Divine Pillar let out a soft, golden glow. The very same glow that I could clearly see in her eyes. The other inquisitor also put on her mask, though her expression just before she did so was one of fear.


    I grinned for fear was exactly what I wanted to see. As my sword appeared in my hand out of pure darkness, Lightning struck the battlefield.


    "You''re all dead men." I hissed just before dashing towards the two inquisitors. I just needed to keep everyone''s attention on me for half a dozen seconds more.


    Naturally, a pair of barriers formed around the two inquisitors as they drew upon the Pillar''s power. I could see the flow of magic from the golden structure to them ¨C to their masks, to be precise. Were those what allowed these two to draw so much more power than ordinary Ereth?


    I pushed the thought aside as the ordinary swordsmen finally pulled themselves together and charged at me. I''d find out the answer to that thought soon enough anyways.


    I swung my left arm outwards from my chest, sending a wave of fire in the direction of my motion. Flames such as these were easy to create and maintain, and they used up so little mana that I could keep with up for weeks if I needed to. The downside was that they were just ordinary flames, but purple in colour. They dealt little damage to those who took care not to stand in them and they were fairly easy to avoid as long as the enemy was paying at least some attention.


    Yet, the Ereth didn''t know of such downsides. From their point of view, demonic flames hungry for their lives came after them. Some created barriers around themselves while others backed off in a hurry.


    And that little bit of chaos was exactly what Alex, Lucius, and Mona needed to join the fight.


    The backlines of the Ereth crumbled as soon as Alex and her falchion met them. The tall, snake tailed woman was a force to be reckoned with. Despite having absolutely no magic, she was scarier than any one of these Ereth soldiers simply because of her intimidating aura and sheer strength.


    Of course, strength wasn''t all she had ¨C over the past few months, she had picked up quite an array of skills and she was not shy when using them. Every swing of her blade was planned, every step she took was intentional and every movement of her ridiculously long and strong tail gave her some form of advantage.


    She was the embodiment of strength, while Lucius fighting besides her was the embodiment of speed and technique. With every swing of his sword, the enemy cowered in fear as he was too fast for them to react. Never facing his opponents head on, he used his smaller figure and agility to the fullest as he danced among the blades thirsting for his blood and came out unscathed despite being so badly outnumbered. His motions carried a nostalgia with them, as he did what I couldn''t ¨C he carried on my sister''s technique.


    While Alex and Lucius simply charged their enemies and came out on top with their own skills, Mona chose a different method and spread a much larger wave of terror; she used the ever present flora.


    The plants, the blades of grass we so carelessly trampled upon came to life with her bright green wave of magic. Within moments, the Ereth found themselves stumbling and falling as the plants around them grew, twisting around their feet and tripping them up.


    With even the ground fighting against them, the several dozens of soldiers soon broke whatever formation they had left. They looked like they were moments away from routing as Alex''s battle cries continued to demoralize them.


    Yet, the two inquisitors seemed unphased. One of them ¨C the one filled with fear moments before, stepped back and cast a spell just as the other one stepped up to stop my blade.


    A golden light spread outwards from the pillar, illuminating the night and burning my eyes. As the light touched the Ereth, the fear in their eyes seemed to vanish. The plants wilted and died, leaving Mona confused and angry. Alex and Lucius were forced to step back as their opposition suddenly regained their confidence and regrouped.


    The massacre was over. We had gained what little advantage we could in the first minute of chaos. Now, the real battle began. And that required us to focus to our fullest.


    Mona stepped back, away from the light, and allowed her magic to gather around her. Plants bloomed beneath her feet, yet she didn''t seem to notice as her gaze focused solely on the inquisitor currently buffing the enemy lines.


    I knew what that gaze meant. I didn''t have to worry about the second inquisitor anymore ¨C she was Mona''s prey.


    Alex and Lucius stepped up to protect Mona as she focused, and Alex raised her fist into the air. She didn''t say a word ¨C she didn''t need to. Perhaps a split second later, an Ereth soldier in the backlines let out a gurgle, then fell. One only needed to glance at him to see how he had died. The feathery end of an exceptionally large arrow was sticking out of his throat.


    Then, another one fell. The inquisitor clenched her fists and focused, casting another spell. While I would have loved to interrupt her, I knew that trying to do so could spell my doom as the other inquisitor''s attention was on me.


    She blocked my sword with ease with a spear made of light, then touched her own chest with her left hand. With one fluid motion, she stepped aside, swung her spear, and pointed at me with her left hand. I stepped back to avoid the spear, only to see the golden light leaping from her fingertips.


    A wall of purple flames rose to protect me ¨C I wasn''t about to fall for such a simple trick.


    On the other side, Alex was slowly mowing down her opponents, crushing them either with sheer force or tricking them with her sword only to kill them with a swing of her tail. Her slower motions would have normally left her open for attacks, but Lucius was there to cover that weakness. They complimented each other''s styles perfectly, making quite the scary duo.


    Mona was still focused on whatever spell she was casting, and Theresa''s arrows continued to rain down upon our foes. Her accuracy was praiseworthy as she was shooting from so far away that only Lucius could see her probably. I knew she was being helped by Laura and her weird spells, but still, it was quite an accomplishment.


    Yet, as soon as the Inquisitor in the back completed her spell, Theresa was out of this fight as a golden barrier rose to block her arrows.


    I once again turned my attention to the inquisitor I was facing off against. She was now trying to keep some distance between us as her golden barrier seemed to be weakened somewhat by my flames.


    I took a step forward. It was time to finish this fight ¨C we couldn''t afford to prolong it.


    A cool breeze stopped me in my tracks as Mona finished her spell. With an almost evil smile on her lips, she stepped forward, her gaze solely focused on the two inquisitors. She was ready.

 Chapter 234: The Glint of Steel (2)

    With her crimson hair blowing in the wind, the druid took a single step forward. As soon as her foot touched the ground, the earth beneath our feet shook.


    As the two inquisitors turned their attention towards Mona, I couldn''t help but watch her in awe either.


    With each step she took towards them, the ground beneath our feet trembled. I could sense her magic doing its work under the cover of the earth. It neared the surface, just out of sight, hiding until it was too late for the inquisitors.


    "You two," Mona spoke loudly as she raised her hand. "Can just go to hell!" Her eyes flashed green and at the same time, the ground before her broke.


    I leapt back, into the air and beat my wings to escape from the braking, shattering earth. The two Ereth Inquisitors didn''t have flight however, and their magic wasn''t quite enough to save them from something as simple as gravity.


    They fell into the pit Mona''s magic created. I watched wide eyed as the pillar let out a golden glow, allowing them to use their power to soften their fall.


    "Bye!" Mona giggled as she struck her spear into the ground. The earth trembled again, and I noticed the broken ground slowly cover itself up. As I watched on in horror, golden lightning struck from above, but Mona easily sidestepped the Inquisitor''s spell.


    "That won''t hold them forever," She said, glancing at me. "Can you destroy the Divine Pillar?"


    I gulped, then nodded. "Cover me from the remaining soldiers." I said, then landed on the ground near the pillar. Was it just my imagination, or were those distant, muffled screams I heard among the sound of battle?


    I shook my head. Being buried alive like that¡­ It must be terrifying. Why the inquisitors had no flight while normal Ereth soldiers did, I could not tell, but that little difference had doomed those two today. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on the here and now ¨C They weren''t dead yet and with the Pillar constantly suppling them with more power, they would free themselves from that grave eventually.


    Once again, I inspected the ground around the golden structure. I could see seven focal points where magic gathered. Four at the corners of the pillar and three, in a triangle around it. Two layers of protection instead of the usual single layer.


    I glanced at my surroundings first ¨C I didn''t want to be surprised by a soldier who somehow slipped through Alex, Lucius, and Mona. Thankfully, none of the Ereth soldiers seemed to have the time or will to attack me as Alex''s massacre showed no signs of slowing down. They were preoccupied with that, so to speak.


    With a sigh of relief, I turned my attention back to the Divine Pillar. Destroying these was always an unpleasant and painful process. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grasp around the hilt of my sword.


    "Here goes nothing¡­" I whispered as I raised my sword and struck the first of the three focal points.


    I heard lightning crackle as the Divine Pillar''s magic began to weaken. Divine magic burst outward, threatening to harm me. My flames gathered around me to create a protective field as I was startled by the Pillar''s much more powerful reaction. None of the Pillars I had destroyed before had actively tried to protect themselves like this. Why was this one acting so differently?


    Was it because the two inquisitors were still alive? Was it them who were trying to stop me? I felt some anger inside ¨C they were eating up what limited time we had. I needed to hurry, we still had one more pillar we needed to destroy before the war between the Demons and Ereth began.


    I gritted my teeth and destroyed the second focal point.


    "Kai, you need to hurry!" Mona shouted as I circled around the golden structure to reach the third one. "They''re about to break free!"


    "I know!" I shouted back ¨C I could feel their magic all around us. They were slowly but surely pushing back Mona''s spell. I didn''t have more than a minute at best.


    The third focal point resisted the sharp end of my blade more. With a deep breath, I poured more of my magic into my blade. I felt the crystal focal point crack, then break. The Divine Pillar once again radiated with golden light, forcing me to back off.


    I used Soul''s Respite to heal the burnt skin on my hands as I waited for the Pillar to return to normal once more.


    "Hurry up!" Mona shouted. I gritted my teeth, it wasn''t like I was waiting here cause I wanted to ¨C I couldn''t step into the golden light. It hurt like hell. Unlike her, I was a demon, I was weak to Divine magic.


    "I know," I hissed through my gritted teeth as the golden light began to dim again. I rushed to the fourth focal point ¨C a small, colourless crystal embedded in the corner of the Pillar.


    I felt the ground shake beneath my feet as Mona quickly stepped back. The Inquisitors had finally broken through her spell, and they were now breaking free of their earthen prison. I had only mere seconds left to get this done before they had the chance to stop me.


    The fourth crystal broke with relative ease, and so, I rushed to the fifth one. I could feel the magic of the pillar begin to lose its potency. Just a little bit more and we would be rid of this. Then, only one more would remain.


    The fifth focal point put up some more resistance ¨C enough to make me want to shout out in frustration. The sixth, I just barely destroyed before the ground exploded and the two Inquisitors surfaced, with anger and hatred.


    With only a single focal point remaining, I quickly circled around the Divine Pillar. I knew that if they got the chance to stop me now, this fight would be prolonged, and the second part of our plan would be compromised.


    I noticed the Divine Pillar begin emitting a golden glow once more as the gaze of one of the inquisitors focused on me. Her eyes were filled with scorn and hatred. She raised her hand, pointing at me as the golden glow strengthened.


    "Hell no!" I summoned my flames, creating a wall of purple and black fire between the two of us. There wasn''t much I could do against the Pillar itself, but I was strong enough to stop her. Whatever spell she was casting was stopped by my flames as I turned my attention back on the pillar.


    Gritting my teeth, I tightly grasped the hilt of my sword and struck the sharp blade into the crystal focal point of magic.


    "No!" The inquisitor shouted as the crystal cracked under the pressure of my blade. She dashed towards me, forsaking her own safety. I could see the anger, the wrath and the helplessness in her eyes as the crystal shattered into pieces.


    She stumbled as the pillar''s light faded. The other inquisitor who was in the middle of casting a spell let out a loud scream as her own magic backfired. Caught in golden flames, she wailed about as her the smell of burnt skin and hair set in.


    "I''ll give you peace," Mona mumbled just before thrusting her spear through the wailing inquisitor''s throat. The lifeless body fell to the ground with a muffled thud.


    I glanced around. Perhaps half a dozen Ereth remained. The inquisitor before me and five wounded, exhausted and terrified soldiers. I gritted my teeth. I had no choice.


    With a single motion, I cast Dark Bolt. As the lifeless bodies of the soldiers fell to the ground, the inquisitor stumbled back in fear.


    "You wouldn''t!" She cried. "You wouldn''t kill defenceless people. You are supposed to be merciful!"


    "That was my predecessor." I replied before thrusting my sword into her heart. She died at that moment ¨C a relatively painless death. Better than being buried or burned alive.


    "Sorry, Mother." I whispered as I took a deep breath. I watched as the souls of the Ereth disappeared alongside the last speck of light of the now destroyed Divine Pillar.


    "That was unpleasant." Lucius'' voice sounded. "You didn''t need to kill the soldiers. They wouldn''t have recognised you."


    I tried to calm my racing heart as I shook my head. "Not worth the risk." I glanced at him. "It''s fine, Lucius. You''re not to blame. It was my choice, my action and my responsibility." I turned my back on the battlefield. "We should leave." With that, I walked away towards the distant woods where Laura, Theresa, Asher, and Rina awaited.


    I felt sick. Sick, because I knew the Ereth I killed after the battle was over were harmless at that point. It was a selfish murder, nothing more, nothing less. Selfish, because I knew they would recognise Alex, Lucius, and Mona with ease. They would identify them, and the Divines would come after them.


    No matter what the cost, I wasn''t going to let anyone else face the same fate Samantha did. No matter what.

 Chapter 235: The Glint of Steel (3)

    "Should we take a short break?" Mona asked as we met up with the others. Asher seemed hesitant to answer her question. He shot me a glance.


    "Can you destroy another pillar soon, Kai?"


    I nodded. "Yes, we should go ahead with the plan. It went somewhat smoothly so far, no reason to change things up."


    Laura took a breath as if she were about to speak, but then changed her mind.


    I stretched my arm and let a rift form before me. It had become so much easier to create these over the course of just a few days ¨C I was finding it hard to believe already.


    "Let''s go." Alex stepped inside the rift. Lucius followed her, then Mona. Laura and Theresa were right behind them. Rina was a bit hesitant, but she said nothing. Asher waited until everyone else had passed, then glanced at me.


    "Are yok ok?" He asked, with worry in his voice. I nodded. "I''m fine enough to get through this. I''ll be better when it''s over though." I gestured him to pass through. He showed me a faint, worried smile before doing so. I followed right after him.


    Now, we were on a tall hill, overlooking the final Divine Pillar the Demon Lord had shown me.


    "Well, we might be screwed." Lucius sighed as we looked down on the field where the battle would take place. "That''s an army down there."


    I clenched my fists. He wasn''t wrong. I could see over a hundred silhouettes moving. "Not good." I whispered.


    "We need to find the inquisitors first." Asher glanced at Lucius. "Can you see the battlefield clearly?"


    The young swordsman shook his head. "No, it''s too dark. I can''t make out anything more than just the sihouettes?" He squinted, trying to see better but his shoulders dropped soon after. "Sorry."


    "I don''t feel the power of any Divine." I said after a moment of silence. "That doesn''t mean there can''t be one hidden there, but I highly doubt it." I glanced at Laura. "Any way you could check on that?"


    The blonde woman shook her head. "If I cast a scrying spell, they will know we''re here and watching them. I''d rather not take the risk since then they can send for help before we can stop the messengers." Her expression darkened. "We need to get this done," She added with a firm voice. "We''ve come so far already."


    I nodded. We couldn''t turn back now. "Asher, Rina." I said as I stepped forward. "One of you needs to handle Alex, Mona, and Lucius'' defence while the other one needs to be on the offensive. Laura, stay here with Theresa, make sure every arrow rains death."


    They all nodded. "Mona, focus on crowd control, use your magic to slow down the ordinary soldiers." The crimson haired druid nodded. "Alright," She said in a low voice.


    "What about you?" Asher asked. "I''m sure there are more inquisitors down there. Are you planning on taking on all of them alone?"


    I shrugged. "I''ll figure something out. Maybe I''ll just keep them occupied with a few spells and destroy the pillar in the meantime."


    Asher rolled his eyes. "You know that will only work once, don''t you?"


    I chuckled. "Don''t worry, Asher. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve." I instinctively touched the palm of my left hand. "I''d rather save it, but I can use it in a clutch."


    The blonde sorcerer seemed worried still, but he nodded, nonetheless. "Then let''s get ready." He glanced towards the battlefield below. "We move out in five."


    We all nodded. Laura and Theresa moved to the peak of the hill and as I watched in surprise, set up their offence. A massive war bow, floating in the air on a sigil Laura quickly drew on the rocky surface. Theresa could stand by the bow and aim with ease, while not having to carry the weight of it herself.


    Theresa quickly tested it, then nodded. "Go ahead," She said as Laura cast another spell. Circles with distorted air within appeared before the bow, facing towards the field of our upcoming battle. I raised my brows as Theresa looked through them, to the battlefield. "It''s perfect." She said with a smile.


    "What''s that?" I asked as I circled behind her. "Oh!" I exclaimed as I figured it out. "That''s brilliant." It worked like binoculars ¨C I could see the battlefield with ease and in great detail here. "So, this is how you were so accurate despite the chaos!"


    Theresa chuckled. "It helps a lot, really." She smiled, though it was a bitter smile. "I''ll make sure to cover for you guys," She added as her gaze turned on Mona. "So, let''s get this done without any issues, ok?"


    I nodded. "We''ll do our very best." An idea crossed my mind. "Wait, can''t we use this to find the inquisitors?" I glanced through the magical circles again.


    "No, look." Laura pointed at the figures of the Ereth. "You can''t make out anything more than basic shapes because it''s so dark." She was right ¨C I couldn''t tell if what they were wearing were cloaks or robes and unfortunately, not all Ereth had wings so counting those without wings wasn''t an option either.


    "Unfortunate," I mumbled. "But this is still an amazing idea," I quickly added, fearing being misunderstood.


    Laura smiled and nodded. "We''ve got this," She said, lightly squeezing Theresa''s shoulder. The young archer was quick to nod in agreement as well.


    "Time''s up!" Asher declared as he took his place right next to Laura, Rina, and Theresa. "Ready?" He asked, glancing at the rest of us.


    "As ready as I''ll ever be." Alex mumbled. "Let''s get this over with." Mona nodded wordlessly and Lucius just turned his back on us and faced the battlefield. Our nerves were stretched to the max, like a bow being drawn.


    I let the heavy silence sink in as everyone watched the field where our battle would take place. A moment of respite, so to speak, before the fighting, the chaos and the death all around us began.


    "Remember ¨C survival comes first." I warned them. "So, if it means choosing between killing someone and saving someone, you always choose the latter. Now, let''s go."


    With that, we left.


    I leapt up into the air as Mona, Alex, and Lucius ran downhill.


    "Please let this work." I whispered as I folded my wings slightly, gaining more downwards velocity.


    I landed in the middle of the field where our battle would take place, then released my magic without even a moment of hesitation. I didn''t need to conserve any of my power for there was no next battle. This was a do or die situation. If we lost here, the Demons'' forces would be split up and the Ereth would have a much greater chance of winning this was. And then, Divine Matriarch Aelith would have no trouble finding and killing every single one of us ¨C we couldn''t hide forever after all.


    I could give my everything for this battle, and so, I did.


    As the small army turned towards me with shock and confusion, their expressions immediately turned to hatred and wrath. As far as they were concerned, a demon stood before them. A demon, with a blade as dark as the night in hand. A demon surrounded by black and purple flames.


    I raised my sword and pointed its end at them. Behind me, I noticed the others arrive. Mona stood besides me, spear in hand. Lucius and Alex stepped forward, one towering over all with her tall figure, intimidating the Ereth just with her still bloody falchion and bloodthirsty expression. Lucius stood besides her, ready for battle at a moment''s notice.


    "So, you''ve come!" A clear, unfamiliar voice sounded as the Ereth ranks drew apart and three robed figures stepped forth. Three inquisitors, hiding behind their masks and the power of the Divine Pillar. "And I see you''ve dragged some others into your treacherous plans, Demon!" The speaker''s gaze fell on Mona, Lucius, and Alex. "Yet you come with such small numbers, do you believe yourself to be the Lord?" Her mocking voice triggered a chuckle from the other two.


    I grinned, showing my sharp fangs. "You speak with such confidence, yet I only see a handful of soldiers, and the three of you." I stepped forward, slowly allowing my flames to spread forward on the grassy field, illuminating our surroundings. "Is that arrogance, I taste?" My voice was but a whisper, but a spell Asher cast from afar made sure it echoed throughout the battlefield.


    The inquisitor clenched her fists. "It is yours that is arrogance!" She shouted, raising her hand. As soon as she did so, the Divine Pillar lit up with a blinding golden hue. "I will kill all of you in the name of the Divine Matriarch!"


    And thus, this decisive battle began. With an arrow shot from the distance, a flash of lightning descending from the night sky and purple flames, ready to consume everything in their path.

 Chapter 236: The Glint of Steel (4)

    An arrow struck a soldier in the front row of their formation. Then, a blast echoed as lightning struck the middle of their ranks.


    Mona shouted something, and the plants seemingly came to life. Alex and Lucius dashed forward, and I leapt ahead, followed by a wave of purple and black flames.


    The Ereth also charged ahead ¨C the soldiers didn''t hesitate even for a split second as their ranks got blasted by lightning and arrows rained from far away. They were blinded by their loyalty, or perhaps by the sinister magic of the Divines.


    I wondered, was there any sort of mind control going on? I couldn''t help but think that something along those lines had to be going on. There was no way all these soldiers would charge at us without a doubt in their minds, a hint of hesitation in their eyes. I refused to believe it.


    I was the first to reach the enemy lines. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as my blade met that of the first Ereth soldier''s. As soon as it did, my flames leapt towards the soldier''s face.


    He screamed and stumbled backwards, wailing, and trying to douse my black and purple flames. Without a second of hesitation, I turned my attention on the inquisitors. My flames spread among the soldiers'' ranks, forcing them to back off.


    Behind me, I heard Alex''s footsteps. "We''ll take them, so go ahead." She said with a grin as her gaze focused on the now somewhat hesitant soldiers. Lucius, standing besides her, nodded as well. "Don''t worry about us." He said as his grasp on the hilt of his sword tightened.


    I nodded, then dashed towards the three inquisitors. I knew Alex and Lucius were more than capable enough to wreak havoc on the battlefield ¨C they had proven as much less than an hour ago, during our previous battle. And Mona wasn''t someone to ignore either. Her spell that brought the plants to life was nothing to scoff at ¨C it was already creating issues for the Ereth as they had trouble moving around with the plants trying to wrap themselves around their feet.


    Of source, the inquisitors weren''t bothered by the plants or by Alex''s intimidating figure. Their eyes were focused on me as I arrived before them.


    "This is the day you die, demon!" Their leader shouted as she raised her hand to the level of her chest. In her palm, golden lightning crackled.


    "I''m sure it is," I mumbled as I gathered my flames around me. I knew I needed to use everything I had for this battle, but knowing that Asher, Laura, Theresa, and Rina had my back made me feel much more relaxed than I thought I''d be.


    Without a second of hesitation, I raised both of my hands to my sides, and the flames roared, hungry for lives to take. And with that, our battle began, separate from that of the soldiers and Alex. And to my dislike, it wasn''t a battle of blades, but a battle of magic.


    As soon as my flames roared, their golden light rose to match my power.


    It had been some time since I fought a battle of purely magic. Only against Vixia and Delthur had I won without any assistance, and only once had I come close enough to nearly kill Vixia, if the Demon Lord hadn''t intervened.


    But that was before I lost the souls I had gathered. Despite the fighting and grinding I had done since Fetheion saved me, I hadn''t regained my old power. Was I stronger than before? Yes, I was. But not because I had more power, but because I had learned to make do with what I had. I couldn''t take these inquisitors head on in a magical battle while they were backed by the unlimited power of the Divine Pillar and still hope to win.


    Yet, I couldn''t get close enough to strike them down with my sword either. I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for the onslaught of magic that was to come. Before anything, I needed to know what they were capable of.


    And they proved to be quite capable. As soon as their leader sent her lightning towards me, the other two also released their own spells. I blocked the bolts of lightning with a barrier of flames, then sidestepped the arrows of light. Without a moment''s hesitation, I retaliated with a volley of Dark Bolts.


    One of the inquisitors quickly created a defensive barrier around all three of them, rendering my spell mostly harmless and the other two remained on the offensive. I gritted my teeth as I sidestepped another volley of golden arrows. Their numbers advantage was quite an issue.


    I couldn''t help but glance towards Mona and the others. Could I expect any backup from them, or the others atop the hill?


    A lightning strike shattered the inquisitor''s barrier, answering my question. I knew whose magic that was ¨C Asher was lending me his aid. So, it was Rina who made sure Alex, Lucius, and Mona were ok. I was fine with this arrangement ¨C despite know Rina for a longer time, I had fought side by side with Asher a lot more. We were a bit more in sync, so to speak.


    And we quickly proved that as I didn''t hesitate even for a split second. I dashed forward with my sword in hand, narrowly evading the arrows of light. Asher''s barrier briefly appeared around me to block the oncoming golden lightning bolt, then disappeared, probably to conserve what mana he had left.


    I didn''t mind the lack of proper shielding ¨C I was fast and aware enough to dodge or block nearly anything anyways, I really only needed his shielding for when I was unable to react in time.


    A single glance at the inquisitors was enough to show that they hadn''t expected Asher''s lightning ¨C the one who created the barrier in the first place seemed to be too shocked to react and the other two seemed to have some trouble coordinating their defence. They both hesitated, then cast their own barriers at the same time.


    While the double barrier spell was a bit annoying, their lack of offense was quite useful as it allowed me to reposition right in their faces. I grinned, showing them my sharp fangs, then focused my flames on the black blade of my sword and brought struck their defensive barrier.


    I felt the transparent, golden barrier crack and weaken as the third, stunned inquisitor slowly pulled herself together. A golden light flashed through the eye holes of her mask and I looked away just in time to cover my eyes from the bigger flash of light in her extended palm. Was she trying to blind me?


    Annoyed, I fed more power to my flames and my smile widened as I felt the barriers shatter under my blade. One of the inquisitors quickly took a few steps back and began casting a spell.


    Small bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, interrupting her focus. With the barrier completely destroyed, I had a few seconds to kill them ¨C I had to do so before they created another barrier. Despite taking our time during the fight, I was well aware that we were on a timer.


    Eventually, the Divines would notice something was amiss, and if they showed up in the middle of battle, we were dead. It was as simple as that. So, I dashed forward, swung my blade, and was rewarded with a pained scream. The leader of the inquisitors stumbled back as the deep cut across her chest bled profusely.


    I didn''t hesitate ¨C My next strike found her throat, and she fell on the ground, lifeless. I turned my attention on the other two, but unfortunately, they had created yet another barrier around themselves.


    One of them stepped forward and stood right next to the corpse of her fallen comrade. To my surprise, she didn''t seem phased in the slightest as she stepped into the pool of blood and glared at me with nothing but cold focus in her golden eyes.


    While she faced me like this, I glanced at the second inquisitor. She had stepped back a little. While I couldn''t see her face because of the mask, I was sure she had an expression of pure concentration underneath it. I could tell, because of the pulsing orb of light in her palms.


    Whatever spell it was that she was preparing, it spelled nothing good for us. I gritted my teeth. I needed to stop her ¨C now!


    Clearly, Asher had the same thought as concentrated lightning strikes rained down upon their barrier. I furrowed my brows as the barrier didn''t seem to lose even a sliver of power. There were no cracks, no interruptions, or imperfections in the flow of magic.


    "You let her die willingly, didn''t you?" I asked as I loosened my grip on the hilt of my sword. Instead, my focus shifted to my left hand. I could feel the pulsing power in my palm. It was right there, ready to be used.


    The inquisitor only chuckled as a response.

 Chapter 237: The Glint of Steel (5)

    That chuckle was more of an answer than anything she could have said.


    She was disgusting ¨C no different than Alina and Joshua. No, she was worse than them. At least at some point, even if it was after making sure I had no way of escape, they had shown me their true intentions. The inquisitor I just killed had died, still believing the other two had her back.


    It would be the same if Asher chose not to create a barrier around me to block a lethal attack. Or if Mona and the others retreated, leaving me alone in the middle of this small Ereth army. And that was simply unforgivable to me.


    I dashed forward without a moment of hesitation. These two were going down ¨C now! I could almost feel Asher''s panic as a barrier appeared around me. I shook my head ever so slightly ¨C now wasn''t a good time for his magic to interfere. It was too dangerous for him.


    I pushed his magic away with my own. My left palm itched with anticipation and I felt the power just beneath my skin pulse. As a distraction, I swung my sword, but allowed it to bounce off the Ereth inquisitor''s barrier. She seemed amused for a moment ¨C to her I was seemingly acting out of anger, with no thought behind my actions.


    As she clearly laughed at me, I struck the barrier with my left hand. I felt the skin of my palm burn as a dark power clashed with that of the Divine Pillar''s and the inquisitor''s. I gritted my teeth and powered on despite the mild pain, but even that soon disappeared. Instead, the barrier cracked, then shattered into tiny fragments as the flow of Divine magic was interrupted by the dark, shadowy power spreading from my palm.


    That power disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but it was present long enough to allow the inquisitor to notice it and, from her almost fearful backstep, form and idea about its origin.


    Seeing her shock and terror, I didn''t any time. My sword found her heart as she scrambled to cast a spell ¨C any spell. The magic she gathered in her palms dissipated as her lifeless body hit the ground.


    I turned my gaze onto the third and final inquisitor, ready to defend myself, but then paused. It was my turn to hesitate and be surprised ¨C she hadn''t moved a muscle. Was she even aware of what was going on around her? While the logical part of my being believed the answer was no, my instincts screamed of danger.


    Without a second of hesitation, I chose to trust my instincts and threw myself aside. A decision I did absolutely not regret, as a circular ray of light with a radius of nearly an arm''s length went through the air where I was just standing perhaps a half a second ago.


    I drew a sharp breath as I noticed the inquisitor gather power once more. Was she going to cast the same spell again? I scrambled to get up and once more jumped aside as another ray of light passed through where I was, leaving a trail of ash among the grass right below where it passed.


    "The hell is that?" I heard Alex shout. I gritted my teeth ¨C I couldn''t let the inquisitor aim at them with her deadly ray of light. So, I did the only thing I could think of within two seconds.  I threw myself at her.


    We fell to the ground with a thud as her focus was interrupted. I almost grinned as she shouted in surprise. What could a spellcaster even do when forced in such a close combat situation, right?


    My smile shattered before it even formed as the inquisitor''s first reaction to being pinned to the ground was to kick between my legs. I almost yelped in pain as much as in shock. She took advantage of that and bit my left hand, then headbutted me.


    "What the hell ¨C where did you learn all this?" I cried in annoyance. Her wooden mask had made the pain just so much worse. Of course, I wasn''t stupid enough to let her reply ¨C instead, I just released my flames and while she was busy screaming and trying to fight them off, I reached for my sword.


    I felt her struggle under my weight and hated myself for this. Mother wouldn''t have approved, I was sure. Honour meant everything to her. But then again, she wasn''t stranded away in a fake, virtual world with no way home. She hadn''t lost her sense of self because of some guy who was supposed to have died such a long time ago. And she didn''t have the threat of the Demon Lord''s words hanging over her, threatening to kill everyone she cared about.


    I did. And thus, honour and chivalry were the last of my concerns. I was focused on survival, and as such, I swallowed whatever guilt I felt as I cut the inquisitor''s throat with the black blade of my sword.


    I felt sick as blood rushed out of the open wound and the woman''s struggles came to an end. I pushed myself up and stumbled away, tired, in pain and even a little dizzy with power.


    As soon as I got up, I felt Asher''s magic gather in the skies above. He was getting ready to finish the soldiers off.


    I walked away from the battlefield to give him free reign over it, and with a loud whistle that we had previously agreed upon, called Mona, Alex, and Lucius here too. They all seemed surprised as they quickly retreated. Perhaps half a second later, lightning began to rain down upon the few remaining Ereth soldiers.


    "You got it done fast." Mona said as they came to my side. I shrugged and looked away. I didn''t want her to see me like this ¨C unsure, scared and, worst of all, brimming with demonic power. I still hadn''t let go of the Soul''s Aspect transformation. The Divine Pillar was still standing after all, my work wasn''t quite done yet.


    I took a deep breath. That was the reason my left hand still pulsed with dark power, nothing else.


    The Demon Lord''s words came to my mind and I shivered as I glanced at my left hand. Was this a mistake? No, I needed this. I could do this, resist the temptation of near unlimited power. My work was almost done after all. Once the war began and our own plan was a success, I and all other players would be free of this fake world. So, just a few more days.


    "¡­Kai?" Alex''s voice sounded as she shook me by my shoulder. "Hey, Asher''s done. Can you destroy the pillar, or do you need a break?"


    I shook my head. I hadn''t realised the lightning strikes were over. I blinked a couple of times, then forced a weak smile. "No, I can handle it. Cover me in case more Ereth arrive."


    "Sure," The tall, snake tailed woman nodded. As I turned my back on them and approached the golden Pillar, I could almost feel their doubt. Had they noticed the dark power I had used? No, I thought to myself. There was no way, everyone was focused on their own battles. The only person who could even so much as have a doubt was Asher, and I doubted he would say anything while the others were present.


    I drew a deep breath as I approached the Divine Pillar, still pulsating with golden light. "Ah, I hate this¡­" I grumbled as I tightly grasped the hilt of my sword with both hands and struck the first of the seven focal points of magic ¨C seven white crystals that made this whole structure into what it was.


    For some reason, I felt much more satisfied than usual as the crystals cracked and shattered under the weight of my blade. One by one, I destroyed them. My smile widened with each destroyed crystal, and when I broke the final one, I sighed a breath of relief.


    "Finally." I exhaled as cracks appeared on the golden structure. The now useless pillar crumbled before our eyes as Asher, Laura, Theresa, and Rina arrived here.


    "Good job everyone," Laura said with a wide, happy smile. Rina ran to hug Alex and Theresa quickly went to check up on the rather tired Mona. I watched as they hugged each other and celebrated our victory.


    "You seem like you took a punch to your face," Asher''s voice sounded. I glanced at him and chuckled. "I got headbutted, so you''re close." He raised his brows in surprise, then chuckled. "I guess so," He raised his hand as a soft, golden light appeared in his palm. "Let me heal that, and the bite mark." He hesitated. "And your skin." He added as he glanced at my mostly charred hands.


    I showed a bitter smile. "Thanks, I can''t really use any more magic if I want to have enough mana for a rift." I let him heal me. The soft, cosy warmth of his spell felt like a blessing as the skin on my hands healed and my bruises disappeared.


    "Let''s not waste any more time," I suggested once he was done. "There is no point in staying here, let''s go back." I raised my hand to form a rift as everyone gathered around me. I couldn''t help but smile ¨C we had done it! We had all survived, and the battle had been much easier than any of us dared to expect.


    Yet, my smile shattered as I sensed a familiar difficulty in opening the rift.


    No, not now!

 Chapter 238: A Meeting in A Field of Corpses

    I gritted my teeth and forced more power into the spell. The rift slowly formed at the tip of my claw-like fingers. As it slowly grew, Asher shot me a worried glance. "Are you ok? You look like you''re having some trouble there."


    I shook my head. "I''m just tired, don''t worry." I lied, then pointed at the rift that was now just large enough to let them pass through. "Go on," I said.


    Asher seemed hesitant; he probably had realised that something wasn''t right. I glanced at Mona and urged her to pass through the rift. "I can''t keep this open for long, I''m almost out of mana."


    The tired druid nodded and passed through. Laura and Theresa were quick to follow her. Rina and Alex were next. They both seemed rather exhausted as they didn''t even glance at the rest of us as they passed through. With every person who left this place, I felt a little more relieved.


    Now, the only people remaining were Asher and Lucius. "Well, go on." I said as I gestured at the rift. I could feel the resistance ¨C it was at the brink of closing.


    Lucius sighed. "You don''t look too well, Kai." He mumbled.


    "I know, it''s a bit difficult to keep the rift open, so could you go through? Please?" It took a lot of effort to not just shout at them. They were worried about me, it''s just that the time they were taking right now was the source of my distress.


    The young swordsman nodded and passed through, but Asher remained here. "Something''s off, and I''m not going anywhere until you tell me what''s going on."


    I flinched ¨C not because of his words, but because the air seemed to grow colder.


    "Nothing''s wrong, I''m just really exhausted. Can you just pass through so we can all get a good night''s sleep?" I was going to say more, but the blonde sorcerer slapped my hand away from the rift.


    The spell broke, and the rift closed without so much of a warning.


    "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted, glaring at him. Had he any idea of what he had done? He might as well just doomed himself and even me to a terrible fate!


    "Getting to the bottom of this!" He pointed at my left hand. "What the hell is that power, Kai?" He shouted. His eyes were filled with anger.


    I clenched my fists. "What are you talking about?" I shouted, desperately trying to mask my panic. "My god, Asher, did you have to destroy the rift?" I stepped back and turned away from him as the air only seemed to be growing colder. What the hell was I going to do now?


    I knew this feeling; I had felt it before. I knew whose arrival all of this signified. The cold air, the difficulties I had with creating the rift¡­ My mind was drifting into a panic ¨C how was I going to get Asher to get the hell away from here?


    "We can fly back, it''s not that far." The sorcerer replied with a flat voice. "Now, are you going to tell me what the hell that was?" A glance at him showed how determined he was to get those answers.


    I gritted my teeth ¨C I didn''t care anymore if he found out about what I had done, but I wasn''t about to put him in danger, no matter what.


    "Just leave, Asher." I said with a sigh. "Please. Leave it be, leave this place and give me a bit of time. Then, I''ll explain everything, in as much detail as you want. Deal?"


    The blonde sorcerer shook his head. "No, not deal." He folded his arms and glared at me. "You always say that ¨C that you''ll explain later, that you''ll be fine, that nothing is wrong. Constantly lying, tricking Lucius and the others, I''m sick of this." He would probably talk more, but he stopped when he finally noticed the abnormally cold air. "What¡­?" He mumbled as he glanced around.


    I froze in place I felt him approach. "Asher, leave. Now. Please." I glared at the blonde sorcerer, but he didn''t seem to care much about my words. "What is this?" He asked as he motioned to release a bit of his magic to inspect the cold.


    "Stop it and leave!" I shouted as I grabbed his arm. I pushed him away by his shoulders, ignoring his surprised expression. "Can''t you trust me for once?"


    His expression changed into a mixture of anger and annoyance. "What''s going on, Kai?" He asked as he stepped back.


    I shook my head. How the hell was I even supposed to explain this to him?


    "I can only give you the very short version." I warned him. I had given up on sending him away without an explanation. Once he had put his mind into something, it was impossible to convince him to do anything else.


    "I''m listening." He said with a much calmer tone of voice.


    "The cold means the Demon Lord is about to arrive and if he sees you here, you''re probably dead." I looked him dead in the eye as I spoke. It was almost funny how his expression changed from calm to shock, then disbelief and finally, fear.


    "What?" Was all he could get out as his eyes widened. "Wait ¨C really?" I noticed his hands shake as he looked around with fear. "What the hell are you still doing here then?" He shrieked.


    "Waiting. You, however, really need to leave." I continued looking at him dead in the eye as his expression changed once more. "What are you talking about?" He shouted as he grabbed my arm in hopes of dragging me away. "You can''t meet him ¨C it''s too dangerous!"


    I chuckled. We were way past that point. "Asher, trust me and leave." I glanced at the far away hill from where he, Rina, and Laura had rained down their spells just before, during the battle. "The least you can do is wait there."


    I could see the hesitation in his eyes. He bit his lower lip, clenched his fists, glared at me with a mix of emotions, then finally sighed.


    "I want the long explanation as soon as he leaves." He said through his gritted teeth. I chuckled. "Sure, I can do that."


    I watched as the blonde sorcerer slowly walked away, each step filled with second thoughts. Only once he was far enough away did I turn my back and walk towards the now broken down remnants of the Divine Pillar.


    As soon as I was near the remains, time seemingly slowed down. I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for the Demon Lord''s appearance.


    You have broken your promise, gone back on your word.


    I gulped. Had I done such a thing? Yes, I had. Moments ago, to make sure Asher wasn''t here when the Demon Lord arrived.


    Nothing to say?


    As the Demon Lord''s voice echoed around me, he stepped out of a rift that appeared to my left. I took a deep breath but remained silent. There was no point in trying to lie, he probably had listened to our conversation anyways.


    Your fears were unfounded, I had no intention of killing that man.


    His words quickly proved me right.


    Well done, on destroying these pillars. The war is about to begin, and as such, your opportunity is close. Do not waste it, or I will make sure you regret it.


    I nodded. "I won''t waste it. And once I do," I raised my sight to meet his gaze. "Everything ends, am I right?"


    His lips formed a wicked smile. He raised his hand and a black, shadowy power pulsated in his palm. I nervously watched him as the power in my own left hand pulsated along.


    That is true, in a sense. In three days, the war will begin on the frontlines. On the fourth day, the Golden Witch and her subordinates will leave the Chalk City to face me in battle. That is when you move.


    His eyes focused on mine as his wicked smile only widened. I nodded. "I know. I''ll be ready."


    Make sure to let the exiled Divine know as well. I am certain he would prefer to be there.


    I hesitated. Noticing my silence, the Demon Lord raised an eyebrow.


    Is something wrong?


    I drew a short breath. "I''m not sure where he is. I haven''t found him yet." I looked away ¨C I would have preferred to keep that information to myself, but I didn''t dare lie right now.


    I see.


    He didn''t seem too bothered by the fact that Fetheion was basically missing. But then again, why would he be? They weren''t allies, after all.


    Search for him.


    His words were everything but helpful.


    "I will." I said, still. I wasn''t in a position to refuse.


    On the fourth day. Remember.


    With that, he left.


    I remained there for a bit, trying to gather my thoughts. Then, I unveiled my wings and flew to where Asher was waiting. As soon as I landed on the ground before him, he glared at me wide eyed.


    "Kai, what the hell did you do?"

 Chapter 239: The Countdown Begins (1)

    "You wanted the long version, didn''t you?" I asked as I glanced at him. His face was white as a sheet of paper. He looked like he was about to collapse.


    "Yes!" He almost shouted. "And I swear to god, Kai, you better have a good explanation."


    I chuckled. "I can''t say I do." I glanced around, then walked towards a large rock and leaned my back on it. I was exhausted already, but the real reason was that I was trying to buy some time before we got into the very lengthy, heavy, and volatile subject of how I started working with the Demon Lord.


    "You see," I said, taking a deep breath. "Apparently, the previous Keeper of Souls'' death wasn''t as simple of a matter as we first thought."


    And thus began my long explanation. I told him most thing ¨C not all though. I left out some details, such as the fact that we didn''t know what would happen to me if my predecessor''s soul returned to this body. Or the fact that Fetheion was hiding a photo in his basement.


    Asher''s expression shifted throughout my explanation. I could see how much he wanted to interject ¨C to tell me how I had acted wrong or get angry for not telling him any of this earlier. Yet, he forced himself to listen until I was done.


    "So," He said once I finished explaining. "Now you''re going to storm Baile Chailce and try to free your predecessor''s soul?"


    I nodded.


    "And then the Demon Lord will have won so we will all be kicked out of the game and go back home, to the real world?" Doubt was oozing from his voice.


    "More or less." I mumbled.


    Asher remained silent for a little bit. He was very clearly conflicted.


    "I know what you''re thinking." I said with a sigh. "I know it''s not the brightest idea to work with-"


    "No, I think it''s brilliant." Asher''s words surprised me so much that I nearly choked on my own breath. "I hadn''t seen him before, but I could feel his power even from all the way over here. You were right ¨C there was no possibility of a small group such as ours defeating him in battle. So, freeing us from the game by beating the game was out of the question anyways." His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "But by working with him, we''re effectively ending the game with a defeat."


    I was still to surprised to speak, and he clearly didn''t intend to give me a moment as he continued speaking without so much of a pause.


    "It can actually work! The best case scenario is if Divine Matriarch Aelith dies and the Ereth are utterly defeated, but I don''t think it has to go quite as far. I''m sure just saving the soul of your predecessor will be enough. It feels like he is the win condition of the Demons."


    I nodded, though I was still quite shocked to see him actually agree with my plan. Well, the Demon Lord''s plan.


    "You''re still and idiot for not telling me sooner!" He added. I couldn''t help but laugh. "I know, I know." My gaze fell upon the battlefield. "I couldn''t have told you though ¨C he''d have killed you."


    Asher fell silent. It took a while for him to speak again. "How powerful is he, exactly?"


    I shrugged. I honestly didn''t have a clue. "Stronger than Aelith." I said, then glanced south east to where Baile Chailce lay. "Stronger than Aelith and the other Divines combined, perhaps."


    Asher nodded. "That''s what I thought as well, but what happens when the Divine Pillars are also in the equation?" He glanced at the remains of the Pillar we''d destroyed just a little bit ago. "They grant the inquisitors with ridiculous amounts of power. Who knows how much more powerful the Divines become with the pillars?"


    I chuckled. "A lot." I had fought a Divine who was using the power of a Divine Pillar before. "They become powerful enough to kill me."


    Asher flinched. "Sorry," He mumbled, but I shook my head. "No, don''t be. It was my fault that it happened. And it was a valuable experience, though a painful one."


    We remained silent for a while longer, but then, I broke the silence. "I''ve got enough mana now." I said with a sigh. "We should go back. And please don''t tell the others anything."


    Asher''s expression darkened. "This is too big of a secret to keep from them."


    I bit my lower lip. "I know," I spoke with a low voice as a rift began to form at the tip of my claw-like fingers. "But I can''t explain all of that. It''s too much and the plan is too risky." I hesitated. "I''m going to tell Lucius, and that''s it."


    The blonde sorcerer seemed as if he wanted to say something, but I cut him off. "I know it''s bothering you, so how about we speak about it tomorrow? After we all get some rest?"


    He forced a smile and nodded. "That is a good idea." By now, the rift had grown just large enough to let him pass through. With a sigh, he stepped though. I followed him without hesitation, only to be met with a shriek.


    "Where the hell were you two?" Rina shouted as soon as we stepped out of the rift on the other side.


    "Sorry," Asher chuckled and fiddled with a few strands of loose hair. "Something caught my attention, and I wasted a couple of minutes, so Kai ran out of mana," He explained apologetically. "Sorry to have worried all of you."


    "Oh my god, you''re just so¡­" Mona took a deep breath to calm herself. I could see that she''d been fuming this whole time we''d spent there. "Is everything ok?" She finally asked. I nodded.


    "Yeah, I''m just really exhausted. I need to sleep for a whole day." I mumbled, then yawned. I wasn''t lying, I really was exhausted. Emotionally, mentally, and physically. A good night''s sleep and a relatively calm next day was what I really needed.


    "Alright, stop crowding around them." Lucius'' voice caught me off guard. "Kai destroyed both pillars today and I know for a fact that Asher is exhausted. All of us are, so let''s just go to sleep ¨C we can talk tomorrow about whatever we need to talk about."


    Laura nodded, then shooed Mona and Theresa away. Alex glanced at me to make sure I wasn''t any more battered before, then dragged Rina away once she was satisfied. That only left me, Lucius, and Asher here.


    "Let''s talk tomorrow," Asher said with a tired sigh. "There are some things that we should discuss before the war begins." He glanced at me, and I nodded. There were indeed plenty of things we needed to decide on before the fourth day happened. We were on a countdown, and tomorrow was the first day.


    "Alright, but off to sleep with you." Lucius pushed us towards the stairs. "And me," He added.


    We climbed up the stairs, then then went to our rooms.


    I collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes. My worries about not being able to sleep or staying up long because of nightmares and memories of the souls within my chest were quickly proved to be unfounded as I fell asleep instantly.


    Instead of nightmares, I found myself in a memory that I had long forgotten about.


    "The Cliffs of Moher?" I asked at the young couple who had gotten themselves irredeemably lost. "You''re in the wrong place, they are south of here." I pulled out my phone and opened the map of the island. "Look, we''re here." I pointed at the northern side of the island. "It''s quite possible you got on the wrong bus, let me walk you to the station."


    The woman clapped. "Oh my god, thank you!" She was so relieved that even I couldn''t help but smile. The man nodded. "We would appreciate it."


    I walked them to the station, then helped them find the correct bus.


    "Thank you so much!" The woman said again before boarding the bus. The man, however, wasn''t in as much of a hurry. "Do you know where this is?" He showed me a picture on his phone. "My grandparents visited this place years ago, but they don''t remember the name of the place."


    "Let me see," I mumbled as I took a good look at the picture. On the foreground, an elderly couple was posing. They were smiling at the camera as the wind blew their hair and tugged at their clothes. They seemed happy.


    I turned my attention to the background. I could see distant cliffs, though there was nothing distinct that could help tell where exactly they were. I could see the silhouette of a lighthouse in the distance, but there were so many of those near here that it was hardly helpful. My gaze wondered on the cliffs; did I recognise any of those?


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing seemed distinct. "Do you have any other pictures?" I asked. The man checked his phone for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I mean, there is this, but I doubt it will be helpful. He showed me his phone.


    The same couple again, they were standing under one of the cliffs. I furrowed my brows. This actually narrowed the possibilities down by a lot. I glanced around the background, was there anything else that I hadn''t noticed yet?


    My gaze fell on the top left corner of the picture just before I startled myself awake.


    Was that a carving on the cliff?

 Chapter 240: The Countdown Begins (2)

    The bright sunlight blinded me as I came to my senses. I was back in the game ¨C in a virtual world.


    I shook my head and tried to force my mind to focus on the faint memories of that dream. How much of it was real?


    I opened my inventory and took the photo I found in Fetheion''s hidden basement. The carvings on the face of that cliff were very clearly visible here. Was that the same cliff?


    I bit my lower lip. It looked like it, but I wasn''t sure if I just thought so because my mind made it up, or if that memory was completely accurate.


    "Damn it," I mumbled. I hated not being able to trust my own memories.


    "Kai!" I heard Mona''s voice calling my name from downstairs. "Hey, wake up, it''s almost noon!"


    Her words startled me. Noon? Really? A glance out the window quickly proved her right as I sighed. "Damn it!" I whined as I pushed myself off the bed and scrambled to fix my wrinkled clothes and messy hair. "Coming!" I shouted before putting the photograph back into my inventory. I opened the window to let some fresh air in, then left the room and went downstairs.


    To my surprise, everyone seemed like they had just woken up ¨C even Asher. Mona was in the kitchen; Alex was napping on the table and Rina seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. Lucius was nowhere to be seen while Laura and Theresa were talking about something in a low voice. Asher was lying on the couch. His eyes were closed, though I knew he was awake because I noticed him glance at me when I came downstairs.


    "I wanted to sleep more!" Rina whined as she noticed me. "Mona, why did you have to wake us up?"


    "Because Laura woke me up." The cheerful druid said with a mischievous smile. "If I''m to suffer, I''m taking everyone down with me." She giggled.


    "You''re a wicked witch." Rina said with an almost desperate voice, then leaned her head on the desk and closed her eyes. "I want more sleep¡­" She mumbled, then let out a deep sigh.


    "Where is Lucius?" I asked as I sat on the couch.


    "Out getting some water." Laura replied as she glanced at Rina. "Hey, Rina, don''t fall asleep again. We''ve still got plenty to do today."


    Rina made a weepy sound. "I hate work¡­" She cried.


    We couldn''t help but laugh. Despite feeling well rested, I completely understood her and agreed with her. After literally fighting for our lives, we could have used a couple days off. Yet, we didn''t have such time.


    "Let''s eat first." I said with a sigh just as the door swung open and Lucius stepped inside.


    "Oh, everyone''s awake." He followed his words with a loud yawn. He approached the counter and started pulling out several buckets out of his inventory and placing them on it.


    "Whoa, stop, that''s enough!" Mona shrieked as the countertop began filling up with water buckets. "I needed a little bit of water, not the entire lake!"


    "There is no ''a little bit'' in his vocabulary when it comes to stuff like this." I chuckled.


    "How am I supposed to know how much a little bit is?" Lucius protested.


    Soon, despite the unnecessary number of water buckets, out breakfast was ready, and we all dug in. Mona had prepared a feast ¨C by the time we finished, there was more than enough left to feed us all twice over.


    "Now I want to sleep again because I''m too full!" Alex declared as she gulped down her drink. "Mona, you''re a much better cook than me and Rina combined!"


    "Give her more credit," Rina protested. "Anyone is better than the two of us combined. We couldn''t even make a simple pasta dish without almost burning the kitchen down!" The green haired wizard glanced at Mona. "Did you by any chance study gastronomy?"


    Mona giggled and shook her head. "No, I''m a florist. Well, my parents are, so I will be too."


    Asher raised his brows. "I''m sorry for asking," He chimed in. "But how does a florist have the funds to buy a PORTAL device?"


    "I gifted it to her." Laura smiled. "And to Theresa."


    This time, it was our turn to be shocked. "Whoa, wait." Lucius mumbled. "How rich are you? Even one of those things costs a fortune."


    "Very." Laura chuckled. "Let''s not get into too much detail, but OTHERWORLD will find themselves in quite a lot of legal trouble as soon as we are free of this virtual world." She glanced at me. "Speaking of which, I remember you telling us how you ended up here ¨C you were in Erik''s house, am I right?"


    I nodded. "Yes, through a string of coincidences."


    "His father will be in quite a bit of trouble once this is all over, so I will be making sure of your safety as we don''t know what he may try to get himself out of this situation. Please don''t be alarmed when my lawyers contact any of you," She added, glancing at everyone else. "That includes you as Well, Asher. I hope you don''t mind, but you''re also a bit of a special case and I''m sure your testimony will be integral to make sure the court processes smoothly."


    The blonde sorcerer nodded. "You''ll have my full support, don''t worry. In fact, I did want to suggest something along these lines ¨C to make sure we don''t cut contact completely once we are free of this place."


    Mona nodded. "We shouldn''t. Aside from all the legal stuff that Laura talked about, I consider all of you my friends. I''d like to stay in contact."


    We all nodded.


    "Kai," Lucius chimed in. He''d been silent until now, and for good reason. "You should probably explain."


    I gritted my teeth. "Yeah," I glanced at Asher. "There is a chance I may be unable to stay in contact, at least for a while. Same goes for Lucius, but to a much smaller degree."


    The young swordman laughed. "You know I''ll probably only have to waste a day at most, telling your mother about everything that happened. Never mind me and tell them."


    Asher raised his eyebrows. He knew a little bit about my backstory ¨C enough to let him guess, but not anything concrete. Mona and the others, however, were clearly curious, and perhaps even somewhat worried.


    I sighed. "Well, I really can''t tell you too much." I brushed my hair back as I pondered ¨C how the hell was I supposed to explain this to them? The weird, traditional, and awkward customs my family adhered wouldn''t make any sense to them. Even I found them unnecessary most of the time.


    "My family has a training hall for our school of martial arts, and the entire extended family is structured around it. We''re almost like a clan, to be honest. My Mother is the head of our Hall, and all training Halls connected to ours around the world. The other families usually have at least one member in the¡­" I hesitated. "Well, we just call them the elders, but they help Mother run things, make sure everything runs smoothly and constantly scout for new disciples."


    I could see from Asher''s expression that he hadn''t expected something as organised as this.


    "Sounds normal so far, I know." I said as I glanced at Lucius. "But Mother is a very traditional person. She values our customs greatly and wants me to follow in her footsteps." I hesitated. It was difficult to speak about this. "So, after learning about what happened during our time here, I''m sure she won''t leave me be for a while."


    I didn''t want to go into too much detail, so I fell into silence.


    "I see," Asher mumbled. "But we can''t have you disappear ¨C we will need your testimony for the courts."


    I shook my head. "That won''t be a problem. No one would even think of trying to stop me from that." Despite her love for our customs, Mother always sought justice. She would only approve of such a thing.


    "Your mother is confusing." Mona mumbled as she shook her head. "I''m not going to pry, but please do try to at least stay in contact, even if it is just letting us know you''re ok."


    I chuckled. "Don''t worry, I will."


    With our breakfast ¨C or lunch, since it was noon already ¨C done, we all scattered about. Mona and Theresa left to scout the nearby forest in case there were any Ereth patrols, Lucius and Alex left for some training and Laura decided to go take a bath.


    That once again left me with Asher. The blonde sorcerer yawned, then forced himself to get up. "We should probably prepare for Erik, Vincent, and Victoria''s arrival." He sighed, he seemed just as puzzled as I was about the whole ordeal. "How the hell are we going to explain any of what happened since you died to them?" He asked, shooting me a curious glance.


    "I wish I knew," Was all I could say on the matter.

 Chapter 241: The Countdown Begins (3)

    I dried my hair with a towel as the last rays of sunlight reflected off the cracked mirror. After trying to come up with a way to explain everything to Vincent and Erik, we had given up. Asher wasn''t exactly great at explaining things and I was socially awkward, so we were the last two people who should have been discussing this anyways.


    Soon, our focus had shifted to a more pressing matter ¨C finding Fetheion.


    So far, we had only come up with a list of places to search and honestly, it was a long list that I didn''t really have much faith in. After some pondering and plenty of sighs, we had decided to call it a day shortly before dusk and Asher had left to sleep some more. He must have exhausted himself yesterday, same as everyone else.


    I had opted to take a nice dip in the river, and now as I changed into some fresh clothes and dried my hair, I wasn''t as tired anymore.


    Once I was done changing, I left my room on the second floor and walked down the stairs to kill some time in the common room.


    "Hey," Lucius said as I walked to the couch. "You look refreshed."


    I chuckled. "I swear the river waters are magical. All of my exhaustion is gone."


    The young man laughed and sat on the couch on the other side of the low table. "Maybe you''re right." He said with a grin. His expression then changed. "What''s wrong?" He asked, glancing at me with curiosity in his eyes.


    I bit my lower lip. I didn''t think he would notice that my mind was somewhere else. "I had a dream," I finally spoke in a low voice. "About a lost couple I meat a few years ago, back at home." My lips formed a bitter smile. "They were looking for the Cliffs of Moher, but they were in the wrong place."


    Lucius chuckled. "I wonder how that happened," He said with a smile.


    "They were looking for another place as well ¨C a cliff, with markings on it." I hesitated. Was it a good idea to tell him about the photo I found? I wasn''t sure.


    "A cliff with markings on it?" Lucius tilted his head as he pondered. "I mean, there are a lot of naturally formed patterns on lots of cliffs¡­" His voice faded as I shook my head. "No, I remember the photo clearly. Those were not naturally formed patterns. I''m talking about a circular pattern with symbols and rune-like things on it."


    Lucius'' eyes glimmered with understanding. "Oh, I see." He grinned. "That sure is a weird dream."


    I sighed. Was it just a dream? Wasn''t it a memory, really?


    "Kai, it was just a dream, right?" Hearing the doubt in Lucius'' voice, I hesitated. "Kai?" He asked once more.


    "I''m not sure!" I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to buy some time. "My memory is all jumbled up. I remember the couple and them being lost ¨C that was real. But the photo they showed me with the cliff with markings¡­" I shook my head. "Maybe my mind just made it up while I was asleep."


    Lucius nodded. "That''s probably what happened, because if there was such a cliff, we would know about it." He shrugged. "Why are you so worried about this anyways?"


    He had every right to know, I decided. So did the others as well, but for now, I didn''t want to cause any panic. I knew Lucius could handle it and so could Asher.


    "I went to Fetheion''s place the other day." I explained after glancing towards the door to make sure no one was about to come inside. "I was searching for him. I couldn''t find him, or any clue as to where he might have gone, but I did find something else."


    I opened my inventory and pulled out the photograph. "Look." I gave it to the young swordsman.


    As soon as his fingers touched the luminated paper, his eyes widened. "This is-" He drew a sharp breath as he noticed the contents of the photograph. "No way."


    "It was hidden away somewhere. I''m not sure what''s it all about ¨C maybe some sort of mistake by the developers when they made the game. Because I''m fairly sure the Ereth don''t have the technology to take photos and print them."


    Lucius nodded. He couldn''t take his eyes off the photo. "I don''t know where this is." He finally spoke after a few seconds of silence. "But I can tell you this ¨C I know these cliff formations. This is somewhere on the island. There is no mistaking it." He clenched his fist after giving the photo back to me. "But Kai, I don''t remember there being a cliff like this. I mean, if it were found, it would be international news!"


    He wasn''t wrong. Nearly all of our cliffs were documented and were touristic places. While the Cliffs of Moher were the largest such place, they weren''t the only one. And a cliff with such markings on it would be a touristic hotspot. And I didn''t really see any way this would remain undiscovered for long.


    We fell into silence as neither of us could find anything to say. Eventually, it was Lucius who broke the silence. "It''s fake ¨C it has to be. I mean, it''s already not real, we''re in a virtual world after all. So, maybe this is just something they prepared for some quest or something. Like the remnant of some scrapped idea."


    I nodded, but my mind was still filled with doubts. I needed to find Fetheion and as him about this ¨C it was the most certain way to get an answer. He had to know something about this.


    "Anyways," Lucius sighed and shook his head. "Let''s not focus on this. Not right now. Kai, what''s our next move? We stopped the Ereth from completing those three Divine Pillars, killed a whole lot of their soldiers and a handful of inquisitors and basically enabled the Demons to attack without worrying about this side of Baile Chailce." He glared at me. "Why did we do all this?"


    I glanced at the door. "I''ll tell you all about it, but I want everyone to be here. It''s better if I explain it once instead of trying to tell everyone separately."


    The young swordsman nodded. "Yeah, I can see how that''s the best way." He glanced outside through the windows. "It''s almost night. Victoria will bring the two of them here tomorrow at noon or so, right?"


    "Yes." I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I could already imagine the commotion that was going to happen. "I feel tired just thinking about it." I mumbled. Lucius chuckled; he knew me too well to take my words seriously. He knew I was on edge and seeing Erik and Vincent would be a relief for me.


    "You''ll be fine." I heard his footsteps as he probably walked to the kitchen. "At least they will be mostly free of Aelith and the other Divines'' grasp, right?"


    I nodded. That reminded me of something else that was quite important. "We''ll need Asher to have a long chat with Erik." I sighed. "He''s a paladin ¨C we can''t have him using his Divine-given powers anywhere near us or we might be risking getting found out." Asher had somehow figured out how to use his priest powers without resorting to using the power given by the Divines. Instead, he was using his own power for it. I wondered, could he teach how to do that to Erik as well, or was it only applicable to priests?


    "I hadn''t thought of that." Lucius sighed. "I''m sure Asher can help with that." I heard the noise of plates being put on the table and opened my eyes.


    "Let me help with that," I said as I pushed myself off the soft, comfy couch. "You get the others and I''ll set the table." I suggested, and Lucius happily agreed. He''d always hated simple busywork. It was almost funny how he hadn''t changed at all despite the months we''d spent in this world. Funny, but more than that, a relief.


    As I put the plates and silverware on the table, I heard the creaking of the old stairwell.


    "Did I wake you up?" I asked as Asher came down. The blonde sorcerer yawned and shook his head. "No, some dumb dream woke me up." He glanced at the table. "At least it did so just in time for dinner, I assume."


    I chuckled and nodded. As I placed the food from this morning on the table as well, the door swung open, and people began to arrive. Alex was first, and her eyes sparkled as soon as her gaze fell on the food laid on the table.


    "Oh yes!" She said with a huge smile. "Here we go!"


    As the others arrived, we took out seats and dug in without hesitation.

 Chapter 242: The Countdown Begins (4)

    We had fun that evening, despite the looming threat of war over us. We decided to leave the planning, the worrying and the anxiousness to tomorrow. After all our battles, the Divine Pillars we destroyed and the Ereth we killed, we had deserved a day of rest.


    And so, we ate, we drank, we chatted and went to sleep fairly early. For the first time in months, I felt like I didn''t see some weird dream. No memories of lives long lost, no nightmares, nothing.


    I woke up at dawn well rested and ready to face whatever the world decided to throw at me.


    Or so I thought.


    I was not prepared for the horrible thunderstorm that followed the clear, cloudless sky. I gritted my teeth as I looked through the windows.


    "Damn¡­" Mona mumbled. "It''s as dark as night."


    "Can Victoria even find this place in such weather?" Laura asked, worried. I honestly couldn''t answer. I was worried about the same thing, and from the looks on their faces, so were the others.


    "Maybe one of us should go and find them?" Mona suggested as she glanced at Laura.


    The blonde woman shook her head. "How will we find them? It''s the same issue." She bit her lower lip, then glanced at Asher. "Can''t you do something about the weather?" She asked.


    Asher hesitated. "I could try, but I don''t really think I''m anywhere strong enough to stop this." He made a vague gesture towards the sky. "It''s not a local storm ¨C this thing is massive." He glanced at me. "We might be able to do something about this though." He mumbled. "Come on, let''s give it a try."


    I followed him upstairs while the others just stood there, confused.


    "Let me guess," I said as he closed the door of the study behind us. "You want to use the primal core of wind to stop the storm."


    Asher nodded. "Yeah, that''s all I could think of."  He glanced at me with a somewhat surprised look. "How did you know?"


    I chuckled. "Because if all you needed was more magical power, you would have asked Rina and Laura''s help ¨C they have much more refined control on their mana and their magic isn''t demonic like mine."


    Asher grinned. "That fair."


    "Sorry, Asher, but I don''t think it will work." I suddenly said. His grin shattered as his expression quickly darkened. "You don''t know that." He said with a low voice.


    "Well, not for certain, no. But remember why I needed the primal cores: to fuse certain powerful souls with them so that my own soul wouldn''t get consumed. Their power is bound to those souls, and a Divine ran off with them."


    Asher''s eyes glimmered with understanding. "Oh." He had clearly not thought of that. "Can''t you use their power at all?"


    I shook my head. I had tried before ¨C to create those crimson flames, to move the air around me without resorting to using my mana¡­ I simply couldn''t. Not without the Phoenix'' or the Wyvern''s souls.


    He clenched his fists. "That is¡­ unfortunate. Do you mind if I try to use the core?" He then asked, with little hope in his voice. I sighed. "Go ahead," I said as I raised my hand before me and focused.


    A bright crystal slowly formed in my palm.


    "Beautiful as always." The blonde sorcerer mumbled as he carefully reached out and touched the thing. "How it remains pure despite your demonic presence is beyond me."


    "Well," I showed him a bitter smile. "It is the purest form of wind after all."


    He nodded, though I doubted he had even heard me. He inspected it for a few minutes as I took a seat on one of the chairs. Laura and the others had been kind and awesome enough to put some pelts on the chairs here as well, so this place had become quite comfortable as well.


    "I see," Asher mumbled after a while. "From what I understand, their power is still in them. It''s just that the souls have become the keys to unlock that power." His brows furrowed as he glanced at me. "Say, which Divine took the souls, Kai?"


    "The one Alina works for. I don''t know her name." I should have probably asked Fetheion about it when I had gotten the chance, but for some reason, I always believed he wouldn''t have given me the answer I needed.


    "I see." Asher mumbled. He seemed a little troubled as he gave the primal core of wind back to me. "So, in this plan of yours to storm Baile Chailce, do you think you will come across her?"


    I shook my head. "No, the Demon Lord said the Divines would leave the city to defend against him." I could see that happen with ease. Even without knowing the full extent of his powers, I could easily see how Aelith would need all the help she could get to fight him off.


    Asher seemed a little relieved. "Good. I''d rather not see you die once more. Especially now that Fetheion is nowhere to be found."


    I chuckled, albeit nervously. "I''ll be fine, don''t worry so much." My gaze fell on the painting of my predecessor. "I never got to learn his name either." I clenched my fists.


    "He wouldn''t have told you even if you asked." Asher said with a bitter smile. "I did, and all he told me was that his name could only be uttered once he walked upon this world once again." He grinned. "I thought he was just being dramatic at the time, but I guess he did really want to bring the guy back to life."


    "I guess so." I shook my head. "But let''s not focus on that. If we can''t do anything about the weather, we should go back downstairs." I didn''t want to make the others worry or give them false hope that we were working on something.


    Asher was out of ideas as well, so we went back down only to find the storm getting worse by the minute.


    "I''ll look for them." Mona said as we watched through the window. "I can turn into a bird and search ¨C the wind won''t be an issue and I can see pretty well despite the dark and rain."


    Laura was quick to protest. She even beat me to it. "Don''t be silly. It''s near impossible to find them in this weather. We just have to wait a bit. Victoria isn''t stupid. She probably had them take shelter somewhere. There is no way they are traveling in this weather."


    She had a point. Victoria wouldn''t risk it. She must have found an old ruin and camped inside. With Erik and Vincent by her side, I doubted much would be able to harm them. At least normal cave dwellers would be too weak to get through their defences.


    "You don''t know that." Mona protested. "Maybe she did decide to chance it. What if they''re wandering outside, lost? Do you really want to take that chance?"


    I shook my head. "No, they wouldn''t do that. Victoria is smart. She knows her own limits better than anyone. There is no way she would risk her life, or Vincent''s life just to get here on time. Put some faith in her abilities."


    Mona folded her arms and grumbled something. I could see she was worried. And I think she was also uneasy because we were stuck in this small building. The crowd was probably bothering her somewhat too.


    "We could take a short walk." Theresa suggested. "Without going too far, along the river, towards Baile Chailce." She glanced at Asher, who was quick to nod. "That way we could find them and even if we don''t, we can get some fresh air."


    Mona''s expression quickly softened. "Yeah, we could do that." She glanced at Laura, almost as if she were trying to see if the blonde woman was angry about it. Laura simply shrugged. "I don''t see why not." She said.


    "Alright!" Mona said with a grind as she dragged Theresa outside. "Come on then!"


    As they stepped outside, Asher gave Theresa a small rock. "Works like an umbrella, just having it on you is enough." The young woman nodded with a thankful smile, then hurried off after Mona. As they stepped outside, I could see the raindrops basically change their direction to avoid hitting the two women.


    "That''s neat." Laura said with a chuckle. "Thanks, Asher."


    The blonde sorcerer shrugged. "Simple spell. Don''t even mention it." He glanced at the rest of us. "Does anyone else want to go for a walk?"


    We all shook our heads. No one was looking forward to leaving in such a dark weather.


    "The timing is really poor though." Alex mumbled.


    Rina jumped off her chair and stepped closer to the window. "Damn right it is." She said, her gaze fixed outside.


    Alex mumbled something else, but Rina quickly cut her off. "No, I mean it. Look ¨C they''re here!"


    My heart skipped a beat as I looked outside.


    "Damn, they''re actually here."

 Chapter 243: The Countdown Begins (5)

    Three cloaked figures were walking towards the building. If it weren''t for one of them carrying a tower shield and wearing plate armour, I wouldn''t have recognised them immediately.


    "They''re insane!" Rina whispered as we watched them cross the grassy area and approach the building. "Mona was right."


    I shook my head. "Under normal circumstances, Victoria would never, ever take such a huge risk. Something must have happened." Victoria was a smart woman. I still trusted in her common sense and judgement. And because of precisely that trust was what made doubts surface in my mind.


    What had made her take such a risk? Was this a trap by Aelith or another Divine?


    "Kai?" Laura shot me a quick glance. "Is something wrong?"


    I shook my head. Since when had I started showing my thoughts as much? Everyone was constantly noticing it when I had the slightest worries of doubts. "I just wonder what made them hurry as much."


    The blonde woman didn''t seem too convinced, but she let the subject go, which I was thankful for. "I should get some towels for them." She said with a sigh after a few seconds of silence. She headed upstairs in a hurry.


    "Care to open the door, Kai?" Rina asked. I shook my head. "No, you guys should welcome them." I hesitated. "Let''s not scare the hell out of them as soon as we open the door."


    Rina chuckled, then gestured at Alex. The tall woman just laughed and headed for the door. And not a moment later, we heard the loud, clear knock.


    Alex took a deep breath, then opened the old, sturdy wooden door.


    The sound of rain filled the room as Victoria stepped inside, immediately followed by the other two cloaked figures. I stepped back a bit and made sure I was hidden behind the supporting pillar.


    "Alex." Victoria''s clear voice sounded. She lowered the hood of her cloak. "I didn''t expect to find you here." She glanced around, then her gaze focused on Asher. She showed a weak, tired smile. "May we come in?"


    "Please," Asher said with an emotionless expression. He probably had similar questions to mine in his mind. "Vincent, Erik."


    Laura descended the stairs just in time with three towels in her arms. As Erik and Vincent removed their cloaks, it became clear just how bad the storm was outside.


    "Uh¡­" Erik mumbled. "We should probably change into dry clothes before anything."


    Victoria quickly nodded. "Yes." She said, then glanced at Alex. The tall woman showed them the unused room next to the kitchen, and they quickly took turns to change into dry and comfortable clothes. By the time they were done, Mona and Theresa had returned as well.


    "Looks like everyone is here." Erik mumbled as they took their seats by the small fireplace. I had taken the chance to walk up the stairs during the little chaos to keep myself hidden. It was Asher''s idea ¨C we had gotten the chance to speak briefly as they changed.


    "I guess you could say that." Laura said with a kind, professional smile. Now that I knew more about her, I could appreciate her ability to navigate such tense social situations with grace even more. I guess being rich also brought its own fair of challenges that fostered such skills.


    Though, a glance at Erik quickly made me rethink that. Sure, Erik had always been popular and well liked, but he lacked the grace Laura had. Her posture, composure, tone of voice, everything was calculated, practiced and were clearly part of a formula that she knew would work.


    "Why did we gather here?" Erik asked without hesitation. His bluntness surprised me. As did his self confidence as he spoke. "A war is about to start ¨C a war that can give us the opportunity to get revenge on the demons." He raised his fist to his heart. "You guys should understand better than anyone else why we can''t afford to miss this chance."


    Laura spoke with a calm voice. "You wish to take this chance to fight and kill the Demon Lord, with the support of The Divine Matriarch and the other Divines."


    "Yes." Erik said with a straight face. A single glance at Victoria''s expression was enough to show how much she wanted to just blurt everything out. I clenched my fist. It pained me to see Erik and Vincent believe Alina''s lies.


    "Erik," Asher joined the conversation with a heavy tone of voice. "It''s not quite that simple. There are some things you need to-"


    "What''s not so simple?" Erik cut him off. The annoyance in his voice only rose as his glare darted between Asher, Laura, and Victoria. "The Demons are evil and killing the Demon Lord will send us all back home." He clenched his fists. "Or do you guys actually believe that the Demon''s aren''t evil? They killed Kai, remember?"


    I flinched. While I did expect my name to be mentioned, I was still a little surprised. I bit my lower lip. Was it ok to show myself yet? Could we trust Erik and Vincent hadn''t fallen into the grasp of Aelith and the other Divines?


    "As if forgetting such a thing is possible." Asher said with cold voice. "Erik, which Divine do you serve?" He asked, seemingly attempting to change the subject.


    "Rohir, the God of Vengeance." Erik replied as if he were reading from a book. "What does that have to do with anything?"


    Asher narrowed his eyes. I could feel his magic ¨C he was trying to figure out whether the Divine was currently watching or monitoring Erik in any way, shape, or form.


    Thankfully, he knew what to watch out for ¨C I had told him about the earring Aelith had given me all those months ago, and how it allowed her to be aware of me. A few seconds passed as Erik glared at Asher impatiently as he waited for a response.


    "He''s clear." Asher finally spoke up.


    "What?" Erik asked. Vincent took a deep breath as if he were about to say something, but Erik suddenly stopped him. "What does that even mean? Are you even listening to me?" I could see how agitated he was.


    "No," Asher said with a blank expression. "I was checking something. It''s done, but I will still not listen to you ¨C you will listen to me." The blonde sorcerer stood up and raised his voice. "There is much you don''t know ¨C important information that has been kept from you and everyone else in this game."


    Erik''s expression turned darker. I could see how much he hated this already. "What the hell are you even talking about?" He asked, also standing up. While he towered above Asher, the blonde sorcerer was still the one dominating the room.


    "I am talking about the Divines you have been serving for the last several months." Asher replied with a calm expression. Unlike Erik, he wasn''t nervous at all. He knew these three posed no real threat to us anymore ¨C from the moment he had found out the Divine wasn''t watching.


    "All I need to know," Erik glared at everyone in the room. "Is where they hell you guys have been while we fought so many monsters to make sure the inquisitors could create the Divine Pillars." He was seething with anger as his gaze slowly scoured the room.


    I clenched my fists. I had thought it was players who aided with the creation of the Divine Pillars ¨C I had even theorised that Alina had the power to create them. Not the golden structures, but the magical formation that made a Pillar into what it was. I hated being right about at least the first half of that.


    Asher also seemed disturbed. While he hid his fists under his cloak, I could almost see how his knuckles were white from clenching them. "You''re not listening!" He hissed through his gritted teeth. It was rare to see him as angry as he was now.


    "You are not listening!" Erik shouted. "Where the hell were you?" He asked, looking everyone in the eyes. "Where were you when the Divine Matriarch promised to avenge Kai?"


    I flinched. It pained me to see them fall for such a lie. And it filled me with wrath to see how far Aelith was willing to go just to rally people up. How dare she?


    "Avenge Kai?" Lucius spoke up. "Do you really believe that?" He asked as he stepped forward. He had been quiet and patient up until now, but I could see how angry he was to hear those words. "Do you seriously believe that Aelith wanted to avenge him? Are you so na?ve to fall for the simplest trick in the book?"


    "What trick?" Erik asked, "Her champion died! Of course, she wants to avenge him, why wouldn''t she want that?"


    I glanced at Asher. Was he done yet? I really wanted to go there and punch Erik in the face. Could I show myself yet?


    I didn''t think so as his magic was still present around them. What was he searching for? My question was answered moments later as Erik suddenly flinched and held his head. "Damn, that hurt." He mumbled.


    "I don''t think you understood anything that was said." Asher spoke up. "I don''t think you have been, for quite some time. They messed with your mind, as they did with the mind of that little girl."


    He glanced at the stairwell, where I was standing. "They lied to you ¨C to everyone."


    I took a deep breath. So that was what he was waiting for. And that was also my cue. I walked down the stairs and out to the open.


    "Hey guys," I said with a bitter smile. "Been a while,"

 Chapter 244: The Silence Before the Storm (1)

    For a few seconds, no one made a sound.


    I could hear the sharp breath Vincent drew as soon as I showed myself.


    Erik blinked as he stared at me. His face was white as a sheet of paper. "What?" He mumbled, still holding his head. "No, wait." He stepped back and leaned on the column behind him for balance. "You''re dead." He glanced at Asher, who had a smug smile on his face. "He''s dead. You know he is. You were there when we found all that blood!"


    Vincent slowly pushed himself up while Erik continued mumbling. "Is it really you?" He asked with a sheepish voice. "You ¨C" He glanced at Asher. "He''s not an illusion, is he? You''re not tricking us, are you?" His voice trembled. I could hear his uneven breathing.


    "It''s really me, I''m not an illusion." I took a step towards him. The young man flinched and stepped back ¨C he was very clearly scared. "It''s really me, Vincent. I''m sorry for not telling you earlier. I couldn''t take that chance."


    "Glad to see you well, Kai." Victoria sighed. "I was worried about you since the last time we spoke, but I''m happy to see my worries were unfounded." She softly squeezed Vincent''s shoulder. "Sorry for not telling you earlier ¨C Kai''s alive and he''s got a heap of information to share with you."


    I nodded.


    "Wait, you knew?" Erik asked wide eyed. "Why wouldn''t you say anything?"


    "I asked her not to." I answered before Victoria could. It was my request ¨C it was only right that I explained the reason behind that decision. "I was trying to remain hidden while we worked on some stuff. I couldn''t risk Aelith or the other Divines finding out that I was alive."


    Erik blinked a few times. "But¡­ Why?"


    Now, the hard part had come. Having to explain everything so many times had started to take its toll on me mentally. I felt like I was reliving the moment of my death every time I spoke of it. The memories were vivid, still fresh in my mind despite the time that had passed since then.


    "Because it wasn''t the demons who killed me." I said, gathering my courage to speak. This time, it was more difficult because both Erik and Vincent were close to Alina and Joshua. Brothers and friends. How was I going to tell them that they had been betrayed, lied to, and used? "It was the Crimson Witch ¨C the Divine Alina serves."


    Silence followed as I looked both Vincent and Erik in the eye. "Joshua and Aline led me into a trap." I said as I extended my hand. A sword, with a metal blade as black as the night sky formed in my hand as all light seemingly dimmed. "I fought them, all three of them. I lost, and Alina thrust this sword into my heart." I pointed at the ground with my blade. "The Crimson Witch took away what power I had, and left me there, dead."


    "No!" Erik shouted at the same time as Vincent shook his head. "They wouldn''t do that ¨C why would they?" The young paladin simply didn''t want to believe me. I wasn''t surprised, and although it hurt a little, I knew he just needed to hear the whole story.


    So, I told them. Once more, from the very beginning, I told them the same things I told Victoria. Asher, Mona, and everyone else chimed in whenever they felt the need to, and eventually, by midday, we were done.


    Erik asked for some time alone and left for a walk immediately after. Vincent seemed too shocked and too angry to do anything, so he just sat there by Victoria. Soon, one by one, the others also scattered around. Mona left for a nap out in the sun ¨C the storm had passed by now ¨C and Laura wanted to practice some spells, so she went to the riverside.


    Lucius sat on the couch and began reading a book while Theresa went into the kitchen.


    "I''ll give all of you some time to think." Asher said with a sigh as he glanced at Victoria. "I know it''s a lot to take in, but remember, the war begins in two days. We have little time. Too little time."


    The elegant woman nodded. She was well aware of that, more so than Vincent and Erik, at least. With all of that said, Asher left for the library and I sighed. Everything was awkward now.


    "Kai," Vincent''s weak voice startled me. "Can we¡­ go for a walk?" He asked hesitantly.


    "Of course," I said with a forced smile. I glanced at Victoria, but she avoided meeting my gaze. She was awkward as well. It wasn''t a surprise, but for someone who was as bad as me in most social situations, it was a source of anxiety.


    I led Vincent outside, then towards the few trees by the river, not far from the building. We walked wordlessly for a while, then Vincent knelt by the water and splashed some water to his face.


    "Sorry," He said after a few seconds. "I''m still trying to wrap my head around all this."


    I chuckled. "It''s fine, no need to apologize." He was actually handling this much better than I expected him to. "I''m sorry about not telling you sooner though." Now that was on me.


    "No, I understand why you didn''t. You probably shouldn''t have even now," He added after a moment of silence. "We only made it here without Alina and Joshua knowing because Victoria convinced all of us that we were going on an errand. As soon as they notice we''re not back in the evening, they will know something is up." He glanced at me. "Why did you take this chance?"


    I fiddled with a few loose strands of hair as I leaned my back against the trunk of a tall tree. "Well," I said as my gaze wandered about. "I couldn''t let you remain in Baile Chailce once the war began. It was simply too dangerous."


    "Why though?" He asked. "You died because of my brother and our friend. Don''t you feel any anger?"


    I laughed. He was being silly. "What?" He asked with a slightly annoyed voice. "Come on, answer it?"


    He was being really, really silly. "Of course I''m angry." I said as my gaze turned back on him. "There is so much anger and wrath pent up inside of me, you couldn''t imagine." My eyes flashed purple as I raised my hand to my face. I felt the purple and black flames dance on my skin. "Neither could they, I don''t think." I chuckled and Vincent''s skin turned pale. "When I come across them, I won''t hold back," I glanced at the pale young man. "If they push me into a corner, they will feel the heat of my flames."


    The flames dancing on my skin disappeared and I glanced up at the few clouds in the sky. "But I won''t hunt them," I added after a while. I could hear Vincent breathe a sigh of relief. "They''re not worth the time I would lose. So, what happens to them is up to them." I smiled, though Vincent probably didn''t find it to be a very reassuring smile. "What will you do if you come across them?" I asked after a moment.


    The young man hesitated. "I don''t know," He finally said. "He''s my brother, Kai." He said, almost apologetically.


    "He is," I agreed. "I¡­" I clenched my fists. "I would like to believe he was subjected to a spell cast by the Divines, similar to the one that young girl Elise suffers from." I my gaze focused on the ground.


    "Really?" Vincent asked with a voice filled with hope.


    "I would like to." I repeated. "I don''t think so, but I wish I did." His shoulders dropped as I continued. "So, tell me, what will you do if you come across them?"


    Vincent bit his lower lip. I could see how conflicted he was. I felt bad for asking ¨C it was his brother after all. I knew I would never be able to answer if it was Aoife we were talking about. But I needed an answer. I needed to know whether I could count on him if push came to shove.


    "I can tell you what I would do." A voice we knew too well sounded from behind the trees. Vincent flinched and looked at Erik, who walked out into the open. The young paladin ignored Vincent and glared at me. "They are dead to me." He said, without skipping a beat. "I don''t care what happens ¨C no spell, no Divine, no life or death situation can excuse murder."


    Vincent''s eyes widened as I remained silent. I knew Erik was listening ever since we came here. He wasn''t particularly good at being discreet after all, but I hadn''t expected him to come into the conversation like this.


    "But what will you do?" I asked once more. "They may be dead to you, but they are very much alive, and serving the Crimson Witch. What will you do if we meet them?" His answer wasn''t enough. I needed conviction. I needed trust.


    And I needed more wrath to fuel these flames of war.

 Chapter 245: The Silence Before the Storm (2)

    They both fell into silence as my question remained hanging in the air.


    "I see," I finally said after enough time passed. "That''s fine,"


    Was I disappointed? No, not really. I expected this ¨C at no point had I thought that they could fight against their old friends, members of their family. But they didn''t need to know that I was simply testing the waters, seeing how far I could push them.


    "Sorry, Kai." Vincent mumbled as I turned my back on them and let my gaze wander around.


    "It''s fine." I said, then turned to face them with a smile. "Nothing to worry about."


    I would have said more, but a familiar feeling stopped me. As the blood drained from my face, I turned away from them and looked at my left palm. I could feel the power pulsating within ¨C the power given to me by the Demon Lord.


    "Why don''t you two go back inside?" I said with a fake smile. "I want to check our surroundings a bit, make sure no Ereth patrols are nearby."


    Erik nodded. Vincent looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but then changed his mind. "Yeah, sure." He hesitated. "Be careful."


    "Always," I lied as I grinned. I stretched my wings, then leapt into the air and flew off.


    Only once I was far enough away did I let my expression change into something dark. Dark and filled with fear. What the hell was going on? Why was the Demon Lord so close by?


    I gritted my teeth and followed where that power led me to. I wouldn''t dare anger him now, not when everyone I cared about was finally reunited. Not just before the war began.


    The pulsating power led me over the forest, to a rather tall hill. I landed at its peak and looked around. There was no soul in sight. No demon, no Ereth¡­ Not even any animals. I glanced at my hand again. Had I misunderstood?


    "We meet again," An intoxicating voice sounded from behind me. "Kai Friseal."


    I took a deep breath. "Yeah," I said as I turned to face her. "Vixia, what do I owe the pleasure to?" I glared at her. Had she summoned me or was the Demon Lord nearby? I would like to believe that I would at least sense his power if he were close by, but there was no way to be sure.


    "To my Lord, as always." She showed me a small, black crystal. "He has prepared a gift just for you." Her lips formed a wicked smile as she handed the crystal to me. "It''s a compass, one that points to the Exiled Divine." She turned her back on me. "Be grateful."


    I clenched my fists. "Thank you for delivering it." I hissed through my gritted teeth. She chuckled before stretching her wings and flying off.


    Once she was gone, I sighed a breath of relief. Despite knowing that she wasn''t here to kill me, I couldn''t help but be anxious. She had made me suffer way too often in the past.


    After calming down a bit, I glanced at the black crystal she''d given me. I could feel the Demon Lord''s power within it. "Damn, that guy is strong." I mumbled to myself. The only silvery area on the crystal pointed north. I placed the thumb sized crystal in my pocket and stretched my wings.


    As much as I wanted to immediately follow Fetheion''s lead, I knew I had to let at least Asher know. There was a good chance that I wouldn''t make it back before dinner and the last thing I wanted was to cause a panic.


    I flew back to the building and quickly headed to the library. Alex and Rina were chatting with Victoria in the common room. Seeing me in a hurry, they shot me some worried glances. I showed them a reassuring smile, then hurried up to the library.


    As I barged inside, Asher nearly fell off his seat. "God, you scared me!" He exclaimed, clearly startled. "What''s wrong?" He asked, seeing me in a hurry. His tone of voice changed immediately.


    "I just had a chat with Vixia," I said with a sigh, then explained what transpired just a few moments ago. "I''m going after him." I finished my words by declaring that.


    Asher furrowed his brows. It didn''t take more than a glance to see that he didn''t like this idea too much. "Where is the crystal pointing to?"


    I took it out of my pocket. "North." I said with a shrug. "So, I''ll fly, I guess." I hesitated. Despite my usual speed, it could take a very long time to reach Fetheion. "I''ll go to his house with a rift, then fly." I corrected myself.


    Asher sighed. "I would like to come with you," He said after a moment. "But I would only slow you down."


    I smiled. "It''s fine, I can make it on my own." I glanced at the door. "Besides, we do need someone sensible to stay behind and take care of everyone here."


    Asher chuckled as I waved and left.


    As I walked down the stairs, I stopped to talk with Rina. "I''ll be gone for a bit, might not make it back in time for dinner. Don''t panic though, it''s nothing dangerous."


    The green haired wizard nodded, though the worry in her eyes didn''t disappear. "Where to?" Asked Alex. I chuckled. "Looking for something, don''t worry about it." With that, I left in a hurry.


    As soon as I stepped outside, I assumed the corrupted demon''s form with Soul''s Aspect and opened a rift to Fetheion''s house. I stepped through the rift and took a deep breath as my surroundings changed to another familiar scene.


    "Alright," I mumbled as I let go of the transformation. "Where the hell are, Fetheion?" I took the crystal out of my pocket and glanced at it. The white glow on it was once again pointing north. I furrowed my brows. What was north of here?


    With some confusion in my mind, I opened my interface and navigated to the map panel.


    "A lot, apparently." I mumbled as I looked over at the map. I hadn''t gone too much north from here before, but looking at it, I could see with ease that the demon lands stretched quite far. The world was massive, and I had seen only a fraction of it.


    "Great," I mumbled, then stretched my wings and leapt high into the air. My wings carried me north as I watched the increasingly wild lands below. Every couple of minutes, I would glance at the crystal, only to see it still pointing north.


    "Damn it, Fetheion." I mumbled. He had chosen the worst time to disappear on me like this. The endgame was near ¨C we needed him to be present. He wanted to save my predecessor''s soul, didn''t he?


    I flew, farther and farther away from the lands I knew, over the unfamiliar mountains and much darker forests. I knew this was deep in Demon territory. If I didn''t have this deal with the Demon Lord, I wouldn''t dare fly so openly here.


    A while passed as my annoyance continued to rise. I glanced at my map again ¨C was Fetheion on the edge of the continent or what?


    Come dusk, I still hadn''t arrived at Fetheion''s location. Feeling somewhat tired, I descended towards the earth and landed on a tall hill with a few trees on top. A couple hours of rest were what I needed, though I wasn''t stupid enough to fall asleep in such foreign lands. So, I leaned my back on a tree and watched the sunset. Two hours, I told myself as darkness covered the world and the stars glittered in the skies above.


    Some time passed as I rested my body. About two hours later, I forced myself to get up and stretched my wings. I wanted nothing more to open a rift back home and sleep in a comfy bed, but tomorrow was the final day before the fighting began. I couldn''t waste this night by sleeping.


    Taking a deep breath, I leapt into the air once more and continued my journey.


    Soon, however, my flight was rudely interrupted by a very loud, very aggressive shriek. I paused in confusion and looked around; I didn''t feel any powerful creatures around. I couldn''t see anything that could make such a noise either. I paused and listened. The shriek sounded one more ¨C it was also coming from the north.


    "I swear Fetheion," I hissed as I continued my flight. "If I have to fight the source of that noise to get to you, you''re in a lot of trouble." As soon as I spoke, the shriek sounded again. I clenched my fists ¨C what the hell could be making such a sound?


    I glanced at the crystal again, and nearly dropped the crystal as I noticed the glowing white area had grown larger and was glowing brighter. "Got you!" I grinned as I flew down.


    Soon, I landed on the ground.


    My gaze wondered on the field of flowers. The Starsnatchers swayed gently with the wind as my gaze fell upon a cloaked figure in the distance.

 Chapter 246: The Silence Before the Storm (3)

    The figure was kneeling the ground. Was he picking flowers for my predecessor''s grave again? Was he going to visit it once more?


    I shook my head and approached him. In the distance, the shriek echoed once more.


    "Hello, Fetheion." I spoke up.


    The figure, clearly startled, quickly turned to face me. A blade appeared in his hand and darkness spread from him.


    "Hey!" I raised my voice. "It''s me." I raised my hands and made away with my wings.


    It took Fetheion a moment to recognise me. The blade disappeared from his hand and his power dissipated as fast as it appeared. "Ah, Kai?" He mumbled as his posture changed into something slightly more relaxed. "What are you doing here?" He asked after a moment of awkward silence.


    "This might be a surprise to you," I said with a chuckle, "But I was actually searching for you." My smile disappeared. "Where have you been, Fetheion?"


    He flinched. "I¡­ I had some things I needed to take care of." He looked away. "I wanted to steer clear of the Demon Lord after we almost got caught by him back at your predecessor''s tomb."


    I folded my arms and glared at him. "Right. After sending Asher and the others away and then meeting the Demon Lord once."


    His expression darkened. "How do you know about that?"


    "Doesn''t take much thinking to figure it out, Fetheion." I snapped my fingers. "The hard part was to find out whether you were alive, or whether he''d snapped you out of existence." My glare on became more intense as Fetheion met my gaze.


    "And how did you figure that out?" He asked. I could hear the suspicion in his voice. He was right to suspect me too, I couldn''t blame him. I honestly had no way of knowing whether he had survived a meeting with the Demon Lord had the man himself not told me so.


    "Doesn''t take much, really." I spoke. "I simply assumed you were still alive since I could still use my interface." It was feeding off of his power after all. It only made sense that it would stop working if he died.


    His eyes widened, then he sighed a breath of relief. "Yeah, that would have probably happened." He mumbled.


    "So," I said, taking a deep breath. "What exactly are you doing here?" I stepped closer to him. I felt relieved because he hadn''t noticed my lie yet. He hadn''t realised that I had met, spoken to and made a deal with the Demon Lord.


    My question seemed to have caught him off guard as he hesitated and mumbled somethings. "I¡­ the starsnatchers, I was picking some." He scrambled about as he tried to come up with an explanation.


    "Lies." I said as I walked past him. What was he doing here? He must have come here for a reason, something more than just picking flowers. "Where did you disappear to?" I asked once more as I kept walking and looked around.


    It was the first time I was looking somewhere other than the flowers, and our surroundings were stunning.


    We were in a valley between two massive mountain ranges. Cliffs and steep hills surrounded the flower covered valley. "What is this place anyways?" I asked as I walked further ahead. "It''s filled with so much magic, it''s almost suffocating." The place was indeed brimming with magic.


    Pure magic, not tainted by demons or Ereth. Life was the closest word I could find. Despite feeling overwhelmed, it didn''t hurt me at all. And that was even more surprising since I was used to any non-demonic magic being basically poison to me.


    "The flowers," Fetheion sighed. "The ley lines of magic that run beneath the continent." He hesitated. "Magic converges here ¨C it''s the focal point of this world. A sacred place to demons, so much that even the Demon Lord hasn''t dared disrupt this place."


    I clenched my fists. "Yet, you''re here." I said, taking a sharp breath as my gaze fell upon the distant cliffs. "Yet," I said, pressing every word. "I sense magic not as pure." I could feel it, the pulsating, man made magic in the distance.


    "Kai, wait-" The Divine grabbed my arm. "Whatever lies beyond has nothing to do with our current conflict." His intense gaze made me feel uncomfortable. What was up ahead that he didn''t want me to see?


    I took a deep breath. "Our current conflict," I said, deciding to come back here at a later time. It was clear that the Exiled Divine wanted to hide things from me. Directly asking now wouldn''t help much. "About that, we destroyed three more Pillars."


    His eyes widened once more. "Three?" He exclaimed as we slowly walked back. It took some effort not to constantly glance behind us with curiosity, but I somehow managed to just nod. "That''s a huge milestone!" Fetheion mumbled, clearly still having trouble believing me.


    "Well, we all worked together." I sighed. "Mona, Laura, Theresa, Alex, Rina¡­" I showed him a faint smile. "All of us were there." I took a deep breath, "It was still a tough fight. Two tough fights." I quickly corrected myself. "Fetheion, the war begins tomorrow."


    He stopped in his tracks.


    "The war begins tomorrow," I repeated once more. "And the next day, we strike Baile Chailce." I met his gaze and watched the conflict in his eyes. It was difficult for him, despite his previous words.


    "Why?" He asked hesitantly. "What is there to be gained by attacking the city?"


    I grinned. "We''re going to get my predecessor''s soul back, among other things." My grin widened. "Main that though."


    Fetheion''s skin turned pale. "Kai, that''s too dangerous!" He scrambled to find the right words. "The Divines, the other divines, I mean, will not just let you waltz in there."


    "They will be busy with the demon invasion," I cut him off. "You can''t stop me, so don''t try." I clenched my left hand into a fist. I could feel the pulsating dark power within. It was ready to strike even now. Just thinking about the upcoming battle made it throb.


    "But-" He protested, yet I cut him off once more. "We will come up with a specific plan tomorrow, I want you to be there, both during the planning, and during our attack." I glared at him. "You want to save his soul too, don''t you?"


    The crimson haired divine hesitated. I could see the conflict in his eyes. I could see how much he wanted to stop me, but also how much he wanted to come along.


    "You do realise that your soul will have nowhere to go once you free that of your predecessor, don''t you?" He asked.


    "Now you worry?" I asked with a chuckle. "Don''t try to dissuade me, Fetheion, you can''t."


    What I hadn''t told him was the threat of the Demon Lord hanging over my neck. If I didn''t do this, I was dead, and so was anyone who helped me. Asher, Lucius, Mona, all of them. I couldn''t let that happen, no matter what.


    "You''ve changed," He said after a moment''s hesitation. "What happened?"


    I laughed out loud. What hadn''t happened. "Plenty, but nothing you need to be worrying about." I looked away, he was eventually going to figure it out, but the later that happened, the better it was for me.


    "Right¡­" Fetheion bit his lower lip. It was clear that he wanted to say something. He sighed and shook his head. I noticed him fiddle with the end of his long braid. I almost wanted to laugh ¨C Uncle Eion would fiddle with his hair as well. All the time.


    "Then," He said with a faint smile. "Should we get going?"


    I nodded. "I''ll open up a rift-"


    "No need," He said, grabbing my wrist just as I was about to take on the corrupted demon''s form. "You shouldn''t overuse that spell ¨C there must have been a reason your predecessor never used it."


    I hesitated. "Right," I gulped, then sighed. I had believed that to be the case for quite some time now. Ever since I had been dragged into Dorith''s memories a few days ago, I was constantly on edge whenever I used Soul''s Aspect.


    "Is something wrong?" Fetheion asked. I took a deep breath. "No, I''m just a little tired. Haven''t slept at all last night." I chuckled. "It took quite some time to get here," I said with a laugh.


    "Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.


    "Speaking of," I said, taking a deep breath as his dark power slowly began to form around us. He was preparing to teleport us. "There was something I wanted to ask since quite some time ago."


    "What is it?"


    "The Divine who killed me, the one who Alina serves. What''s her name?"


    Fetheion raised his eyebrows. "Uriithe," He said after a moment''s hesitation. "Why do you ask?"


    "It''s only right I know the name of the one who wants me dead, right?" I took a deep breath. "What about my predecessor? What is his name?"


    Fetheion flinched. His expression darkened as his power around us fluctuated. "His name shall not be spoken until he walks upon these lands once more."

 Chapter 247: The Silence Before the Storm (4)

    "His name shall not be spoken until he walks upon these lands once more¡­" I whispered to myself, then sighed and looked up at the sky. Oh, how annoyed I felt right now. I wanted to punch Fetheion in the face ¨C how dare he say something like that to me, knowing what it meant?


    Once the Keeper of Soul walked on this world again, my soul would be who knows where. I knew I wasn''t going to keep this body ¨C all I could hope was that the Demon Lord''s words were true and we''d all be freed, sent home, back to the real world.


    Asher believed him. Not because he trusted the Demon Lord, but because it made sense to him. And considering Asher''s profession as a lead game developer, I trusted his judgement. He had way more experience than me, it was right to follow his lead.


    My attention turned to the door as it creaked open.


    "I''m done." Fetheion said as he stepped out of his house. It was his idea to come here after I asked him the name of my predecessor. He said wanted to get a few things he hadn''t gotten the chance to take before. I just thought that he wanted to see his home once more before this whole war began.


    Who knew when he''d get to come back here again? Or if he would even survive the upcoming hardships. I hoped he would, despite knowing that I''d no longer be in this world. Despite his usually annoying and bossing demeanour, I believed him to be a good person at heart. It would be a pity if he died, especially in Aelith or Uriithe''s hands.


    "Let''s get going," I said with a sigh as I pushed myself up from the grass covered surface. "You should know," I added as he prepared his spell again. "Erik, Vincent and Victoria are also there. Asher made sure none of the Divines were watching them."


    Fetheion''s eyes widened. "He did? What about their minds? Some of them have mastered subtly controlling the minds of others. Aelith tried it on you, so you should know."


    I nodded. "Erik was affected, I think." I sighed. "Asher got rid of that too, but I''d appreciate if you could take a look at them too. Just in case."


    Fetheion smiled. "Of course," He said as his shadowy magic enveloped us.


    I felt dizzy for a moment as the ground shifted beneath my feet. I could almost feel us moving through space. Then, then his magic dissolved, revealing the grasslands cut in half by the shallow yet wide river right by my predecessor''s old home.


    "He loved this place," Fetheion mumbled as he looked at the small keep. "You fixed some of it." He added as he glanced at the not as ruined barn, windows, and roof.


    "Laura and the others did." I said with a chuckle. "The interior is actually comfortable now. Not at all like when me and Asher first found it."


    He laughed. "I''m glad they did," He approached the entrance, and I followed him. It was mere minutes before dawn now. While I was sure Erik and Vincent were deep asleep, Asher was probably about to wake up.


    We stepped inside.


    "It''s¡­" Fetheion''s voice faded as his gaze wandered about the common room. There was a book on one of the low tables. It was probably the one Lucius was reading. Two glasses, one half full of water were on the counter. I could see the few pillows and pelts tossed on the couch.


    "Cosy." I said with a smile as I sat on the couch I usually did. "The study is mostly untouched. We cleaned it up a bit but didn''t displace anything. We did read most of his notes though," I added after a moment''s hesitation.


    "I doubt you found anything useful," Fetheion sighed. "He never kept anything important on paper. Perks of a perfect memory, I suppose."


    I raised my brows. "What do you mean?"


    Fetheion shook his head. "All I know is that he never forgot anything. Ever."


    "I envy that," I said with a smile. "But anyways, I''ll prepare breakfast. You, uh, do whatever suits you, I guess."


    "A walk sounds nice," Fetheion said with a bitter smile. I nodded and he quickly left through the front door.


    I headed to the kitchen and started preparing a nice, yet simple breakfast. Midway through, I heard footsteps at the entrance and glanced there, only to see Mona.


    "He''s back." She said as she looked out the windows. "Let me guess, he never said what he was busy doing."


    I shook my head. "You''re spot on."


    "He changed the subject when you pressed, and in the end, you told him more than he told you?" She shot me a glance. I couldn''t help but smile as I noticed her mischievous smile.


    "Bullseye." I chuckled. "It''s fine though, he''s here to help, nothing more, nothing less."


    "That''s the way I like it." She giggled, then came into the kitchen. "Let me help," She said as she also got to work.


    We chatted a while as we prepared the breakfast, then Mona sprinted upstairs to wake people up as the first rays of sunlight entered through the windows. As we all sat down by the larger table, I could feel Fetheion outside. He wasn''t hiding his presence ¨C I wondered why.


    "You seem nervous." Victoria''s words startled me. She shot a meaningful look at my fingers as I tapped them on my arm.


    "Ah," I said as I clenched my hand into a fist. "Sorry." She was right, I was nervous. The war was going to begin today. Probably at dusk.


    "A lot happened in the last few days." I said with a sigh as the door swung open and Fetheion stepped inside. "A lot will continue to happen in the upcoming days as well," I added.


    "Indeed," Asher said as he glanced at the Divine. "Thirteenth Divine," He said with a formal tone. "We request you help in the upcoming days."


    Fetheion''s eyes glittered. Was that excitement? Anticipation of battle?


    He looked at each and every one of us. I could feel it ¨C he was checking if anyone here was affected by the magic of other Divines. Only once he was convinced that we were all ourselves did he nod.


    "Tonight, the Demon Lord will begin his assault on the Ereth forces." He declared. "And the following will happen;"

 Chapter 248: The Silence Before the Storm (5)

    "The battle will take place directly north of Baile Chailce." Fetheion raised his hand and a large map of the continent appeared. To my surprise, it was incomplete, unlike mine. He focused the map on the relevant area, then pointed at a shining circle at the bottom of it.


    "This is the Chalk City." He said, then tapped three golden triangles north of it. "These three are newly created Divine Pillars. This triangle and its immediate surroundings are where the battle will take place."


    Asher bit his lower lip. I could see how he was already trying to come up with plans. To my surprise, Victoria had the exact same intense gaze as him.


    "We have confirmation that the Demon Lord himself will join the battle, so I assume that most Ereth forces will be moved from Baile Chailce to this area by dawn." Fetheion continued. "During the day, the fighting should slow down. Demons are weaker under the sunlight and I''m sure they won''t risk unnecessary deaths since the other side has basically no offense."


    "What about the players?" Erik asked after a moment. "I know many who will fight by the Divines. They don''t need support from the Divine Pillars, they can go on the offensive."


    "And all they would find is their deaths." Mona cut him off. "I''ve seen demons, I highly doubt you did. They''re at least as powerful as Kai was months ago." She glared at the paladin. "How many players can you count that can beat Kai in a fight?"


    Erik hesitated while I sighed. "The point is," I joined the conversation. "Especially with the Demon Lord present, no player stands a chance. I''ve seen him kill a Divine with a single strike ¨C she was as helpless as I was when it happened. Don''t underestimate him."


    Fetheion nodded. "The most non Ereth fighters can be is an annoyance. Nothing more."


    Coming from him, those words sounded somewhat cocky. If I didn''t know him, I wouldn''t have thought he was telling the truth. "He''s right," I said after a moment''s hesitation. I didn''t want Erik and Vincent to underestimate any demon. Especially not the Demon Lord.


    "So, the Ereth have quite a bit of trouble." Vincent mumbled. "Do they even stand a chance?"


    Fetheion shook his head. "It''s not so clear cut as you''d like. The Divines can become nearly infinitely powerful as long as there are Divine Pillars there to supply them with power. While I don''t think any of them can outright defeat the Demon Lord, I''m sure they can give him a lot of trouble."


    "The battle that takes place there isn''t our focal point." I said, intending to get the conversation back on track. "The point is that the Divines and most Ereth forces will leave Baile Chailce, which makes it the perfect time to orchestrate an attack."


    Victoria''s eyes widened. "Wait," She said in a panic. "Why are we attacking Baile Chailce?"


    "Two reasons." I said, taking a deep breath. "First of all, there is something we need to find ¨C I need to find." I corrected myself. I wasn''t going to make the others search for something they had no hope of finding. "And second, revenge. And hopefully finding a way out of here." I added quickly.


    "What is it that you need to find?" Erik asked hesitantly. I chuckled. "A soul ¨C I would ask for everyone''s help but I don''t think any of you can actually see the souls."


    Rina cleared her throat. "Well, I can see them." She hesitantly spoke up. "Though only the ones you summon when you use your spells. I''ve never seen any others." She fiddled with her hair as she pondered.


    "Thanks for the offer, Rina, but I can take care of it." I showed her a smile before continuing with my words. "I can sense souls from far away, so it''s fine. I need you to keep the Ereth soldiers busy in the meantime anyways."


    Erik''s eyes widened. "You want us to fight the Ereth right next to their Divine Pillar?" He asked with disbelief in his eyes.


    "No need to worry," Fetheion spoke up. "I''ll be there to even the odds." He said with a cold tone of voice. "Or even tip them in our favour, since none of the other Divines should be present."


    Victoria seemed as if she wanted to say something, but before she got the chance, Vincent spoke up. "You''re forgetting something," He said, looking me straight in the eye. "We''re not as strong as you guys. Sure, we can kill some mediocrely powerful monsters, but the Ereth soldiers are completely out of our league. All I feel like we''ll do is get in your way and weigh you down."


    I didn''t have anything to say to them. It had been months since I last saw them. I knew nothing of their current power level. I didn''t even know their levels.


    "It''s fine," Fetheion sighed. "I''ll make sure you two are prepared enough."


    "Three." Victoria intervened. "I''m not staying behind this time."


    Everyone stopped. Even Fetheion seemed taken aback as we all looked at Victoria with wide eyes.


    "Can you even fight?" Mona asked after a second of confused and surprised silence.


    Victoria chuckled. "Well, I''m not as formidable as Kai or Asher, but I can hold my own in a fight. Maybe help you two out a bit as well," She glanced at Erik and Vincent as she spoke.


    "What the hell?" Vincent asked as he ran his fingers through his hair. "When did you stop being the rich and weird shopkeeper?" He was smiling as he asked that.


    I couldn''t help but chuckle as Victoria laughed.


    "I think we''re almost ready." I finally said after a while. "Tomorrow at dusk." I added as I looked each and every one of them in the eye. "It''s fine if any of you want to stay behind, if you don''t want to join the battle, if you want to put your own safety first."


    No one said a word. "No one will judge you." I added after a moment''s hesitation.


    "What?" Lucius piped up. "No, fuck that. I will judge the hell out of anyone who turns back now!"

 Chapter 249: The Setting Sun (1)

    At midday, I walked out of the building and laid on the grassy fields. As the sun burnt my eyes, I closed my eyelids and let the warm sunlight shine on me.


    We had come up with a plan, it had taken almost half a day to do so. Soon, the sun would begin its descent, and at dusk, the war would begin.


    "One more day," I whispered to myself. One more day, and we would be free.


    Hopefully.


    That part was what worried me the most. What if Asher was wrong? What if freeing the soul of my predecessor wouldn''t make the Ereth ''lose'' the game, and we wouldn''t be kicked out? What if we became stuck in here because we didn''t side with the Ereth?


    I sighed. It was too late now anyways. We had given the Demon Lord a huge advantage over Aelith and her armies by destroying those three Divine Pillars. I had decided to go through with this anyways, there was no point in pondering or worry about ''what if''s'' now.


    Instead, I wanted to focus on what I could change. Ever since we returned with Fetheion, the field of flowers and the cliffs he didn''t want me to approach had been at the front of my mind.


    After about half a second of thinking, I decided to just ignore all caution and jumped up on my feet. As I took on the form of the corrupted demon, I quickly opened a rift and stepped through.


    A cold breeze welcomed me as I stepped out of the rift. The starsnatchers gently swayed with it all around me as my gaze wandered about.


    It was the first time I came here alone, without being in any hurry or without looking for someone. It was a beautiful place, though I think I preferred the solemn shine of the starsnatchers under the starlight, instead of the entire valley being washed in sunlight. It felt more natural that way, more fitting.


    With slow steps, I walked north, to where the valley met with the cliffs of the mountains. What was there that Fetheion didn''t want me to see?


    What came to my mind was this place being the resting place of his sister. But I saw no structure, there was no grave, no tomb, not even a small gravestone anywhere. Was I wrong?


    I clenched my fists as my steps carried me closer to the now not so distant cliffs. A though ¨C a possibility ¨C gnawed at the back of my mind. I clenched my fists and quickened my steps. Could it be? Was I right?


    I hoped I wasn''t.


    As the distant cliffs became clearer, my gaze focused on the only area that looked different.


    "Damn it." I whispered as I stared at the markings on the cliff wide eyed.


    They were the exact same markings as that photo.


    "What the hell, Fetheion?" I whispered. The thought of going back to ask him about this crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed it away. He had intentionally hidden this from me until now. Even if I confronted him about this, I didn''t really believe that he would tell me anything useful.


    Instead, approached the cliff.


    As I got closer, I began being able to see the markings more clearly. While these were identical to the ones I saw on the photo, I was also noticing how detailed the pattern actually was. The photo barely did it justice.


    The closer I got to the marked cliff, the stronger the magic around me became. The whole valley was already brimming with magic, yet the area right before me seemed to be the richest.


    And moments later, I figured out why as I walked into a barrier and found myself flying. As I fell amongst the flowers with a thud, my mind went blank.


    "How did you not see that?"


    A faint, somewhat familiar voice echoed in my mind. I blinked a few times and then rubbed my aching forehead.


    "It was right in front of you, and you walked into it." The voice seemed to be growing more distant with each word.


    "Who the hell are you?" I asked as I looked around. While the words echoed in my mind, this wasn''t telepathy in the same sense as what Asher and I had once.


    The voice didn''t respond. Instead, I felt a soul sleave my chest. As I watched, it circled me, then formed a shadowy figure before me. As I recognised it, my eyes widened.


    "Dorith?" I asked in shock. "What ¨C how?" My heart was racing as the legendary demon of old chuckled. His laughter then subsided as he noticed my alarmed and hostile expression.


    "You''re scared." He stated.


    "How do you expect me to not be?" I replied as I prepared to call upon my power. Was he going to attack me? How had he even gained consciousness? Why was he talking to me? Could my magic even do anything to a soul?


    He hesitated. He almost seemed confused. "Well, I didn''t think I was being hostile." He mumbled after a few seconds.


    "You''re supposed to be dead!" I exclaimed. "And your soul is supposed to be unconscious!" I took a step back, and he matched my step. "What do you want?" I asked with a darker tone as I tried to calm myself.


    He hesitated again. "Not much," He said after a while. "It would be nice if you didn''t step away any further." He said as I took another step back. "This place is sacred," He explained as he noticed my confused expression. "It''s the focal point of our world''s magic."


    "Right." I mumbled. It certainly felt like it.


    "Right," He repeated. I furrowed my brows ¨C the more time passed, the less see though he became. His form became clearer and easier to see. I could even see the spark of life in his eyes now. "So, the more we stand here," He pointed towards the marked cliff. "The more power I gain."


    I flinched. "What makes you think I want that to happen?" I hissed through my gritted teeth.


    "Well," He made a vague gesture towards me. "You''re still using my form."

 Chapter 250: The Setting Sun (2)

    I immediately let go of Soul''s Aspect. I had completely forgotten to undo the transformation after I stepped through the rift.


    To my surprise, despite the spell ending, my body didn''t change back.


    "What did you do?" I hissed as I glared at the legendary demon of old.


    He chuckled. "I now know why your predecessor never used that spell. He would always let the souls within rest. He claimed it was his duty to give them piece ¨C not force them to empower him." He turned his back on me and looked at the marked cliff.


    "What the hell did you do?" I shouted. I hid my trembling hands underneath my cloak. Just one more day! I needed to be in control for just one more day! Yet, here I was, lowing control of my power, of my body, of my mind, even.


    "Whenever you used that spell to take on my form, I noticed that I became just a little bit more aware." Dorith''s form was no longer see through ¨C his eyes sparkled with life as he stepped closer to me. "I showed you some of my memories even, to test whether I could drag you to where I was stronger." He smiled, showing his sharp fangs. "To my surprise, you still kept taking on my form."


    He was now standing right before me. "Why is that?" He hissed as I felt power drain from me.


    "I needed the power." I spoke slowly. I tried to wrestle back the control of my magic and succeeded somewhat. It ended in a stalemate.


    "You''re not a weakling," Dorith stepped back and shrugged, letting go of my power. I almost breathed a sigh of relief. "But it annoys me to see you wearing that face."


    I clenched my fists. I felt my long claws dig into my palms, but I didn''t care. "It''s not like I wanted this. If you''re so god damn aware of your surroundings, you should know that I''m trying everything in my power to bring back my predecessor." I made a vague gesture and pointed south, where Baile Chailce lay in the distance.


    "Don''t you want the same thing?" I asked. "Tomorrow we march on the Ereth capital and get the soul of my predecessor back."


    Dorith paused. He seemed somewhat taken aback. "You will?" He asked, turning towards me once more. "You do realise what that means for you, don''t you?" He tilted his head as his gaze stayed focused on me.


    "Of course I know." I said dismissively. "Everyone keeps reminding me of that, how could I not know?" I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "It doesn''t change anything. This needs to be done ¨C for everyone''s sake."


    Dorith remained silent. Despite that, I felt like I was talking to a ticking time bomb. He was still absorbing power from his surroundings. How much more did he need to be able to push my own soul aside and to take control of this body? How much time did I have left?


    "Admirable." He finally spoke. "Stupid and na?ve, but admirable." He chuckled. "You''d never get past the Golden Witch."


    A smile appeared on my lips. "I don''t need to. In a few hours, she and her servants will have their hands full with the Demon Lord and his armies."


    Dorith''s eyes widened. "What?" His posture changed. "The war begins?" He asked with disbelief in his voice. "I must be there!" He shouted as soon as I nodded. "I must help them!"


    His voice, filled with raw magical strength, threatened to overtake my body. I gritted my teeth and summoned my own power to defend myself.


    "I don''t care what you think you must do!" I shouted as the clash of our powers brought forth winds. "You''re dead and I''m still alive, get off my soul!"


    Flames burst out and I heard Dorith''s scream as they burnt him. The ethereal flames danced on the starsnatchers without harming them, though the valley still seemed tainted. Dorith''s screams echoed for a while before I felt his soul lose form and re-enter my chest.


    Out of breath, I collapsed on the ground.


    "Damn it!" I shouted after a while as I punched the ground. "I just needed one more day, you idiot!"


    My voice was bust a whisper as I spoke those words. The unnatural wind tugged at my cloak and blew my hair aside as I sat among the flowers. I looked at my palms as the transformation slowly ended. All I was left with now was broken hopes and bleeding palms.


    I desperately needed this power to be able fight off any Ereth more powerful than a regular soldier. I couldn''t defeat any inquisitors with my own power alone ¨C even with Fetheion''s help, I felt like I''d just be a burden.


    "This is what happens when you rely on one thing for so long." I hissed through my gritted teeth. I relied on Soul''s Aspect and Dorith''s soul for everything. Travel, battle, destroying the Divine Pillars¡­ What would I do now?


    I shot a glance at the marked cliff, then decided to move away from it. Maybe, just maybe I could use Soul''s Aspect once more ¨C just to get me back to our base.


    I let my slow, unsteady steps to carry me far away from the barrier and the marked cliff. Only once I was at the other end of the valley did I dare summon my magic.


    "That''s bold." Dorith''s voice echoed. I quickly turned to face him ¨C he seemed much more ethereal than before. "I was surprised you were able to burn me though," He chuckled. "I''m impressed. You''re such an interesting specimen."


    I tried to calm my racing heart. "I''m not some experiment," I told him off, then shook my head. "And it''s not boldness, it''s desperation."


    He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"


    "I told you ¨C the war begins at dusk, and tomorrow, we set off to Baile Chailce. I don''t have time to change the way I fight. We''re past that point."  Glared at him.


    He met my gaze without hesitation as his lips formed a wicked smile. "Desperation, huh?" He whispered. "Why don''t we make a deal then?"

 Chapter 251: The Setting Sun (3)

    "A god damn stupid deal is what this is." I grumbled as I flew high in the skies.


    "Your ability to grumbled is remarkable." Dorith''s voice sounded. "I didn''t ask for too much, did I?"


    I rolled my eyes. He hadn''t asked for too much, sure, but that didn''t change the danger of the situation I could potentially find myself in.


    "There," I pointed towards three shining pillars in the distance. The lights of Baile Chailce weren''t visible yet, but we could clearly see the fields where the Demons would soon clash with the Ereth.


    "Satisfied?" I asked after a moment of silence.


    Dorith remained silent as he scoured the area below. "It''s a tough fight," He finally said. "Sure, the Lord is strong, but I do wish they had some more assistance." He glanced at me.


    "No!" I exclaimed. "No way, don''t even think about it."


    His eyes narrowed as I protested. "Why not? It would be good practice."


    I shook my head. "No. As far as Aelith and the other Divines know, I''m dead. We''re keeping it that way. I''ll get plenty of practice tomorrow and we are not taking any chances with this."


    He sighed. He seemed disappointed more than anything.


    "It''s annoying how stubborn you are." He finally said, clearly giving up. "But fine, I get it. I can see your point. A little."


    I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, I had feared that we''d have another small fight. And having one of those up here, so close to the Ereth Pillars would be nothing but stupid. And reckless.


    "Are you satisfied?" I asked after a short while. Dorith hesitated, then nodded. "Let''s go back then." I mumbled as I created a rift and stepped through it.


    The sound of flowing water welcomed us as I stepped out of the rift not too far away from our new base.


    "The magic in this place is weak," Dorith grumbled. "I''m getting sleepy."


    "Save your strength for tomorrow ¨C remember our deal." I quickly said.


    "As long as you make to visit the valley before the battle, I''ll be fine." He chuckled. "I''m looking forward to some battle."


    I sighed. "And here I am, hoping that we can get this done quickly and quietly."


    He laughed. "Well, I''m off to sleep."


    "Wait!" I said just before he disappeared. "My predecessor''s name. Can you tell me what it is?"


    Dorith''s expression darkened. "Once he walks upon this world again, he can tell you." He disappeared, leaving me alone and confused.


    What did that even mean? What was it about his name that made it such a huge mystery? Why was it a secret that only the Keeper could tell?


    I sighed, then walked through the woods to the nearby building. My mind was filled with more questions than ever, and now, worries of losing myself had been added to that chaos.


    One more day, I told myself again. Repeating that phrase calmed me down a little as I pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside.


    Asher was laying on the couch, browsing one of the panels of his interface. His ears perked up as he heard the door close behind me and he glanced at the entrance. "Where were you?" He asked as soon as he noticed me. "We looked around for you but¡­"


    "I needed some time for myself." I said with a faint smile. "There was something I wanted to talk to Fetheion about. Where is he?"


    Asher shrugged. "Last I saw, he was talking to Mona." He gestured towards the kitchen. I raised my brows as I thanked him. What could those two have to talk about, I wondered.


    Yet, the only person in the kitchen was Mona, who was busy brewing some tea.


    "You''re back," She said as I stepped through the door. "I was a bit worried. Where did you run off to?"


    "Just needed some time to clear my head," I lied. "I wanted to ask Fetheion about something, do you know where he is?"


    The cheerful druid giggled. "You just missed him. He said he wanted to give Erik and Vincent and edge in battle. He was asking me about their abilities and stuff. He left after I told him what I knew." She tilted her head slightly. "What was it that you wanted to ask?"


    I couldn''t tell her about the photo. Not now ¨C I couldn''t have anyone have second thoughts. We couldn''t afford to be conflicted and we couldn''t afford to have other things in our minds. "Well, I''ll be looking inside the Divine''s palace for the soul, right? I''m fairly sure Fetheion has at least a few guesses as to where Aelith may have put it."


    Mona pondered a while. "Wherever it is, it can''t be somewhere easily accessible." She mumbled. "I''m glad Fetheion is here to help us but I don''t think the Divine Matriarch would have told any other Divine where she hid something like a soul."


    She had a point. Aelith had already proved that she didn''t trust the other Divines one bit. She probably had even less trust for Fetheion before his exile.


    "Um, Kai?" Mona hesitantly spoke up. I blinked a couple of times and focused on the present. "What is it?" I asked as I noticed her hesitation.


    "Do you think we can go for a walk?" She looked away as she spoke. "There is something I want to talk about."


    I raised my eyebrows. "Sure, we can go." What was all this about, I wondered.


    "Why don''t you wait by the river?" She asked as a smile spread throughout her face. "I''ll be right there as soon as I''m done with the work here." She vaguely pointed at the food laid on the countertop. "It won''t take long." She added as she noticed my glance.


    "Sure, I can do that." I said with a smile. I headed outside, towards the shallow, yet wide river.


    I sat by the shore and watched the sun as it began to set. Tomorrow was the decisive day. We had to be ready. I took a deep breath, the glanced behind me as I heard footsteps.


    Mona was walking towards me with a straw basket in her hands. She smiled as she approached ¨C a smile as pure and lively as her magic.

 Chapter 252: The Setting Sun (4)

    "Sorry to keep you waiting," Mona said as she sat on the grass covered earth besides me.


    "Don''t worry about it," I glanced at the basket on her lap. "What''s that?"


    She giggled. "I prepared us some food. Like a picnic!" She put the basket beside her and opened its lid.


    My eyes widened as she handed me a drink and a sandwich. "When did you prepare all this?" I asked as she took her own portion of the food.


    "I was doing that when you came." She chuckled. "You startled me, actually. I wanted this to be a surprise." She smiled, then gestured to the sandwich in my hands. "Aren''t you going to try it?"


    I didn''t need to hear anything else. I bit into the sandwich. "This is amazing," I said as soon as I swallowed my piece. "Mona, you sure you''re not a cook?"


    She laughed. "My mom taught me a lot. Though, it was a challenge to adjust to the different meat, fruits, vegetables and spices in this world." She sighed and looked up to the skies. "I miss it." Her smile was a bitter one as she watched the clear blue sky.


    "I miss home," She added after a moment''s hesitation. "I miss my mom, my little sister, my friends, my flowers." She glanced at me. "What do you miss, Kai?"


    Her question caught me off guard.


    "I¡­" I hesitated. It was not an easy question. Not because I didn''t miss anything, but because I had focused on how to escape so much that I hadn''t even thought about what I wanted once we were free of this world. This game. This trap.


    "I miss Aoife," I spoke softly after a while. "I miss home ¨C I haven''t been there in so long¡­" How long had it been? I wasn''t sure. "I miss my old tree, I hope Uncle Eion took care of it during his visits."


    Mona tilted her head slightly as she listened. She didn''t say a word.


    "I miss dad, I miss Mother." I chuckled. "I guess I just miss everything."


    "You weren''t home when you got trapped in here, were you?" Mona asked. "How long had you been away?"


    I hesitated. "I think about two months. I left a while before classes started, both to get used to the new place and because I needed to take some extra classes before the school year began so I wouldn''t be behind the other students." I chuckled. "I guess all of that was for nothing."


    "That''s unfortunate." Mona mumbled. She sighed, then lay down on the grass covered earth. "Ah, whatever. Tomorrow we''ll finally get out of here, right?" She asked as she glanced at me.


    I hesitated. "I hope so." While I didn''t want to bring her mood down, I didn''t want to give her false hope either. I didn''t think she would be able to handle that disappointment well. To be fair, I didn''t think I could handle it at all either.


    "We''ll see tomorrow." She said, then giggled. "Cheer up a bit, Kai." She reached to my arm and pinched me. "The sun is bright and there is a nice breeze. Why don''t you lie down a bit?"


    She was right. It was a beautiful day ¨C the sunlight warmed my eternally cold chest as the breeze blew my hair back. "It is a nice day," I said with a faint smile.


    I lay down with her and closed my eyes. The chirping of the birds reminded me of home. While rare, on good days I could hear the birds there as well.


    "Kai." Mona spoke again.


    "What is it?" I asked. I heard the rustling of her clothes beside me and opened my eyes to glance at her. She was sitting up now, hugging her knees. Her crimson hair reminded me of the flames of the phoenix as it shone under the bright sun.


    "Promise me something," Her voice was but a whisper.


    I hesitated. She took my silence as a sign to go on and continued speaking.


    "Promise me that we''ll meet once we''re out of here." She whispered with a catch in her voice. "All of us. Rina, Alex, Laura, Theresa," She stopped to wipe her face. "Lucius, Asher, you." She chuckled. "Even Erik and Vincent, if they want to come." She shot me a quick glance, then looked away as soon as she noticed my eyes were open. "Please, tell me we''re all going to make it."


    I gulped. How could I promise such a thing?


    I sat up, then wrapped my arms around the shivering druid''s shoulders. She leaned on me and hid her face. "I''m sorry," She whispered.


    "It''s ok," I glanced at my left palm. "I promise," I finally spoke after a moment of silence. "I promise to do everything I can to keep everyone safe."


    I heard a faint voice and glanced at her. Was she crying?


    I wanted to say more. Talk about how strong we had gotten, about how we all had each other''s backs. I wanted to remind her how far we had come, how many battles we had survived, how we could even defeat several inquisitors at once.


    I also wanted to promise that we would all be fine. We''d meet again, after we were free of this virtual world. That we''d all make it out with no issues. That we could live our lives freely.


    But it was either not the place to say such things, or I''d be lying. So, I remained silent, and let her cry it out.


    A while later, as the sun began to crawl to the horizon, Mona finally lifted her head and wiped her tears.


    "I''m sorry," She said with a weak, trembling voice. "This wasn''t how I wanted today to go." Despite her best efforts, she couldn''t hide the redness around her eyes and her slightly swollen cheeks. "It was supposed to be a nice, relaxing evening."


    I chuckled. "It''s fine. And you do look a bit more at ease to me."


    She paused for a moment, then laughed. "I guess I am. Thank you, Kai." Her smile was as bright as the setting sun.

 Chapter 253: The Setting Sun (5)

    Fetheion returned moments before the sun set. He walked inside as the last rays of sunlight disappeared, leaving their place to the pale, silver shine of the stars.


    By then, we had all gathered in the common room on the first floor of the building. We weren''t really talking or doing anything together prior to Fetheion''s arrival.


    Mona was sitting with Laura and Theresa, each of them reading either a book, or scribbling something down.


    Asher was lost in thought as he inspected an orb of light in his palm. Lucius was cleaning his blade, again. I had started to believe it was his way of coping with the wait before the battle. The calm before the storm, so to speak.


    Rina and Alex were in the kitchen, preparing our dinner. I was somewhat worried that they''d burn it, but I didn''t interfere. They probably needed this time.


    Erik and Vincent were sitting by Victoria, conversing in a low voice. It didn''t take much to see how anxious and worried they were. Scared, even.


    When the door creaked open and Fetheion stepped inside with a dark expression and slow steps, we all perked up.


    "The war began moments ago," The Exiled Divine spoke in a low, heavy voice. "The battle will probably continue throughout the night and only pause during the day." He glanced at me, then at everyone else. "Unless something goes horribly wrong for the demon forces, the Divines should set off tomorrow at dawn, to prepare to face the Demon Lord."


    The room fell silent as Fetheion leaned on the wall by the entrance. "I won''t lie to you," He said as he looked each and every one of us in the eye. "I didn''t expect all of you to remain here, despite what''s at risk."


    Mona chuckled. "We''ve come this far, haven''t we?" She glanced at each of the groups, even at Rina and Alex who had come from the kitchen when they heard Fetheion''s voice. "We weren''t about to turn back right at the end."


    The Exiled Divine showed us a faint smile for only a moment before his dark expression returned. "You''re right about that." His gaze turned on Erik and Vincent. "I''ve got you two some things to try and help with tomorrow''s battle." He placed a large tower shield, a longsword, and a slightly curved sword on the table before them.


    "They''re enchanted with protective spells," He said as he pointed at the shield and weapons. "Don''t misunderstand," He added with a heavy voice. "These aren''t too powerful, they won''t protect you from the magic of an inquisitor, but they should help you stand your ground against the usual enemies."


    "Thank you," Vincent sheepishly said. He was still having trouble when it came to Fetheion. So far, they had gotten used to Divines being nearly all powerful, mysterious beings. While Fetheion fit those criteria as well, he also seemed much more human. To me at least. I wasn''t sure of exactly how Vincent and Erik saw him.


    While they donned their new weapons, Fetheion approached Victoria and handed her a bracelet. "Use this if you find yourself in trouble. It''s filled with protective magic. Nothing can get past, but only for a moment. Not any longer."


    The elegant woman nodded. "You have my thanks," She said as she put the bracelet on.


    Fetheion then sighed. "I don''t have anything for anyone else," He said somewhat apologetically. "I only had time to make these."


    My eyes widened. "You''ve done more than I could hope for," I quickly replied. "Thank you for looking out for them. But we''ll be fine, you know us." The rest of us nodded as I chuckled. Fetheion paused for a moment, then he laughed. "You are quite resilient, that is true." He spoke.


    "Oh no!" Alex suddenly cried out, startling all of us. "Rina, the food!" She shouted as she dragged the wizard back into the kitchen.


    I paused, then facepalmed as their shouting became muffled by the door they shut behind them.


    "This sounds somewhat familiar," Asher said with a chuckle. I sighed, "It does, it really does." I laughed ¨C I couldn''t help it.


    Fetheion seemed somewhat confused, but he didn''t comment on it. I took a deep breath as my laughter subsided. "Fetheion," I said, feeling somewhat nervous. "We''re all set on going to Baile Chailce tomorrow." I glanced around the room only to see everyone nod. "But what about you?" I asked after a moment. "Baile Chailce is, in a way, your home. Are you ok with all of this?"


    The Exiled Divine laughed. "The Chalk City stopped being my home a long time ago, Kai. There is no need to worry about me. This must be done, and I''m eager to be the one to do it."


    His words surprised me. While I hadn''t expected anything less than him wanting to get back at Aelith, I didn''t expect him to be so eager about this. I didn''t expect laughter. Wasn''t this supposed to be a difficult time for him?


    "Good to hear." Asher chimed in. He pushed himself up from his seat and stretched his legs. "I should probably check on Alex and Rina." He hesitated. "And our food." He added after a moment.


    "Yeah," Mona mumbled as she shot a worried glance towards the kitchen. "I have a feeling that we might not get the food we were promised tonight."


    Fetheion chuckled. He seemed at ease, like he had no worries. But I knew that expression. Deep down, he was anxious. Something had him on edge, and I wanted to know what that was.


    I took a deep breath, then stood up. "From the smell," I said with a chuckle, "I will assume that the food is burnt. So, I''ll go out for a walk. Fetheion, would you care to join me?"


    The crimson haired Divine shot me a curious glance, then shrugged. "I don''t see why not." He said as he followed me outside.


    Now was my chance to ask about everything I needed to know.

 Chapter 254: The Setting Sun (6)

    I took the photo out of my inventory and showed it to him. "What does this mean?"


    Fetheion first glanced at what I was showing him, then his face turned pale. His eye twitched as his gaze shifted between my face and the photo of the marked cliff.


    "Where did you find this?" He asked as his brows furrowed and his expression darkened.


    "What is this?" I insisted.


    The Exiled Divine gritted his teeth. The air around us grew heavy as I noticed slivers of his power circling us. "How did you get your hands on it?" Fetheion asked.


    "Found it, in your house. After I went looking for you because I feared you had died." I glared at him. "What is this, Fetheion? What the hell is a photograph from -my world doing here?"


    The Divine raised his chin and looked down at me. "Some things are better left unknown, Kai. This is one of those."


    "Hell no," I shouted. "I''m not letting this go." I glared at him, he had avoided answering so many of my questions. I wasn''t about to let him do the same about something as important as this. "Where was this taken?"


    He remained silent. Our staring contest continued as I clenched my fist. My left palm began to itch.


    "Let it go, Kai." He spoke, pressing on every word as his eyes narrowed. "Focus on the task at hand."


    "I am focused on the task at hand." I hissed. "What is this, Fetheion? Can I really trust you tomorrow? Or will you betray us?"


    He flinched. For just a moment, his expression twisted with pain. "Is that how it is?" He asked as he quickly pulled himself together. "I see." His shoulders dropped. His voice, broken and defeated.


    I took a deep breath. "Fetheion-"


    "No, stop." He cut me off. "I saved your life, helped you recover, find your allies and stand up against Aelith and the others." He looked away. "I see now that was not what really matters for a human." He raised his head and looked up at the sky.


    "I-" I stopped. "Wait, what?" A human?


    "It doesn''t matter," He said, shaking his head. "I promised you my aid in the upcoming battle, and I will provide you with it. Whether you trust me or not does not change that."


    I blinked a few times. "Fetheion," I hesitantly spoke. "I-" I stopped. "That wasn''t what I meant." I mumbled, looking away. His dropped shoulders raised a little as I only secretly peeked at him. "Sorry," It was difficult to keep this tone of voice. Was he going to see through my charade? Had he noticed that I had noticed his blunder?


    "You''ve got to understand," I explained, making sure to keep my voice low and somewhat pitiful. "I don''t understand what this means," I pointed at the photo. "I know how much you''ve done for me, for all of us, but can''t you at least tell me a little?"


    Fetheion sighed. "It''s something given to me by someone I care about deeply." He finally spoke. "Don''t ask any more than that." He looked away, giving me a chance to inspect him without him noticing.


    He was fiddling with the end of his long, crimson braid. He seemed a bit less on edge than moments ago. Had I successfully tricked him?


    I sighed. "Fine," I said, then looked away. "I need some time," I finally said. "To prepare for tomorrow''s battle."


    "Remember to get some rest." He said as I stretched my wings. I nodded, then leapt into the air.


    I flew as fast as I could, as far as I could.


    I landed far away on a tall hill.


    How did he know that? How did he know to say ''Humans'' in that sentence? While I had told him of my life in our world, I was absolutely certain that I had never told him what we called ourselves. How had he known?


    Normally I wouldn''t have noticed this. Or I wouldn''t have cared, just thinking it was something OTHERWORLD had made known to everyone in this world. But now, I simply couldn''t bring myself to believe that.


    Was Fetheion a player? Was a real human being hiding behind the fa?ade of an Exiled Divine? No, I simply couldn''t bring myself to believe that right now. This feeling of something being hidden from me simply refused to go away.


    Despite all of our successes, all of our discoveries, we still could only see a part of the world. A sliver of what was really going on. And I couldn''t help but feel like Fetheion was standing at the centre, or very close to the centre. He knew more, much more than he let on.


    I clenched my fists. It was pissing me off. Yet I couldn''t risk making an enemy out of him right now. Not today. Not until Aelith was defeated, not until my predecessor''s soul was set free.


    And once that had happened, I wasn''t going to be able to do so anyways. I''d either remain a stray soul within the Keeper of Souls, or I''d be returned home with everyone else. So, in a way, I was never going to find out what Fetheion was hiding from me.


    "Damn you," I whispered as I looked up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly, from eternally far away. Was I going to let Fetheion''s secrets remain as such in hopes of finding a way to go home? Or was I going to throw all of our hopes away just to find out what the exiled divine was hiding?


    I bit my lower lip.


    I wanted to know. I needed to know.


    I closed my eyes as two options ¨C two separate paths were laid out before me.


    Was I going to be selfish, or selfless?


    Was I going to fight for me, or for everyone else?


    The distant skies lit up with a golden light. The Battle of Baile Chailce had begun. At the northern outskirts of the Chalk City, the war between the Demons and the Ereth had begun.


    I chuckled. Having decided, I stretched my wings and leapt high into the air.

 Chapter 255: The Setting Sun (7)

    I watched in silence as the Ancient Demon took form before me, not too far away from the marked cliff by the valley of starsnatchers.


    "Human?" Dorith''s voice echoed. "Is that what you are?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.


    "Well, yes." I hesitated. "Without me telling you that, would the word have meant anything to you?" I couldn''t think of a better way to ask that question.


    The legendary demon shrugged. "No, not really. It''s the first time I''m hearing it." His form became more prominent as he drew upon the power in the valley. "Where did that guy hear it from?" He asked. "Fetheion." He added, noticing my slightly confuse glance.


    I shrugged. "That''s what I''d like to know." I bit my lower lip. Had Asher told him about it? Or Mona? "I''m certain I never told him. It never came up in our conversations."


    Dorith sighed. "What does it matter for anyways?" He asked. "We''re going to war tomorrow. Focus on that."


    I rolled my eyes. "I am focused on that." What I wanted to tell him was that I had the ability to focus on more than one thing, but instead, I just shook my head. "It''s just stuck in my mind. I feel like there''s something really important that I''m missing. A piece of information that I should have!" What if something happened to someone because I was missing a piece of vital information?


    "You''re worrying too much." Dorith''s sharp voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "The Lord gave you a task. If you don''t fulfil it, you and your friends die. Or worse." His eyes flashed purple. "That''s what you need to focus on ¨C to get the Keeper''s soul back to satisfy the Lord."


    My shoulders dropped. "I know." With the Demon Lord''s threat hanging over me like this, I didn''t have any options anyways. "Are you done?" I finally asked as Dorith became fully visible. The only reason I could tell he was a soul and not a real person in flesh and blood was the connection we had.


    "Almost." He grinned. "You know," He added after a moment. "All I''ll be able to do is increase your power." He glanced at my left hand. Noticing his gaze, I clenched it into a fist. "I doubt you even need my help." Our gazes met. "Why are you going to such lengths to have me help you?"


    I looked away. "I don''t know what awaits me. Best to be prepared, right?" I chuckled to hide my uncertainty and fear.


    One more day, I told myself as I stretched my arms. "Besides," I forced a smile. "You wanted to see the destruction of the Ereth too, didn''t you?"


    He laughed out loud. "I do want that, that''s true!" With his eyes letting out a purple glow, he grinned, showing his sharp fangs.


    I couldn''t help but chuckle, somewhat nervously. "See?" I said, then looked at the sky. The sun had set a while ago. It was time to go back and sleep. "Let''s go back," I finally said as the cool evening breeze tugged at my clothes.


    Dorith simply chuckled before letting go of his form. I felt his power melt into my chest once more. This time, though, it was an overwhelming power. I could almost feel my own power become extinguished by his.


    "Keep yourself hidden," I said as I stretched my wings. "I don''t want Fetheion to take notice of you." I hesitated. "Or anyone else, for that matter." If anyone else found out that I harboured a conscious Ancient Demon within me, I knew their trust in me would be broken. I could keep this hidden, even if it is for just one more day.


    "Sure," I heard Dorith''s voice echo in my mind. I felt his magic wane as he hid himself deeper within the void in my chest.


    Satisfied, I leapt high into the air flew up.


    A handful of minutes later, via the use of rifts and some flight, I was back at our base. At the home of my predecessor.


    As I landed not far from the river, I noticed Asher sitting outside. His eyes were closed, though I already knew he was well aware of my arrival.


    "That was a long walk." He commented as I approached him.


    "It turned into a flight." I said with a weak smile. I hated hiding things from him and Lucius. "Are you alright? You seem exhausted." He was a bit more pale than usual. The dark circles under his eyes were hard to miss too.


    "I''m just exhausted." He sighed, then quickly opened his eyes. "Ah, sorry." He looked away. "We''re going to battle tomorrow, so you should rest."


    I furrowed my brows. "What''s wrong Asher?"


    The blonde sorcerer hesitated. "I just had a chat with Lucius." He finally said. "I pressed him on the matter of how you''d both be treated after you returned."


    I flinched. "I¡­" What could I say? "It''s not something you need to worry about."


    He shook his head. "I may be butting in a bit too much, but I can''t help but feel like the way your family acts is a bit¡­ backwards." I raised my eyebrows. "It''s a bit awkward, actually. I feel like I''ve got to do something after we get out of here." He glanced at me, gauging my reaction.


    I laughed. "No, no it''s fine." I said after my laughter subsided. "I get that you feel that way, but it''s really fine." I couldn''t even imagine having Asher barge inside our training hall and argue with Mother. "Don''t worry about me, let''s just focus on getting out of here."


    I headed inside, but not before smiling at him. "I would like you to visit though," I said as I laughed.


    The next day came quickly. And so did dusk. We stood on a hill overlooking the city, our minds cleansed from everything but the upcoming war.


    "Ready?" Fetheion asked, glancing at each and every one of us.


    I stepped forward as everyone nodded. "Remember," I said, my gaze fixed on the city bathed under the crimson lights of the setting sun. "Survive, no matter what."

 Chapter 256: The Storm

    Fetheion''s shadowy powers enveloped us as the last rays of sunlight finally disappeared. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. We were all on edge ¨C I could taste the anticipation, the anxiety, the restlessness in the air.


    I felt my surroundings shift. When I opened my eyes, we were standing right before the Palace of the Divines.


    I took a deep breath. How long had it been since I last set foot on these steps? Months, I think. It felt more like years, with all that happened since then.


    The once bustling city was now silent. Not a single person, civilian or guard, was in sight.


    I scoured our surroundings. Nothing that could imply danger caught my attention in the white and golden landscape. Yet for some reason, I felt incredibly tense.


    "Something is off," I whispered as I glanced at Fetheion.


    The Divine nodded. "They knew someone might strike."


    Mona drew a sharp breath. "What do we do?" She asked, her voice but a whisper. "Do we retreat? What if the Divines come?"


    Asher and I shook our heads simultaneously. "We won''t ever get a chance such as this again." The blonde sorcerer spoke. "Fetheion, what do you think they will do?"


    The Exiled Divine seemed fairly at ease. "They don''t know about Kai''s survival, nor about my involvement. They also don''t know about¡­" He hesitated as he looked at each person present. "Well, any of yours." He mumbled. "Their security measures seem to be focused on the outer walls. I do sense a barrier around the palace though."


    I nodded. I could sense that barrier too. A barrier made of Divine magic. It wasn''t something I could break easily.


    "Can we break it?" Victoria asked calmly. Fetheion nodded. "I can. I just need some time. Take your places around the bottom of the stairs," He pointed at the path leading up from the plaza housing the Divine Pillar of Baile Chailce. "Don''t let anyone near me."


    I took a deep breath. "Alright, let''s go." I glanced at everyone. "Group up. We need two magic users to remain here with Fetheion in case anyone approaches that we can''t stop."


    "We''ll stay." Alex said. "I can keep anyone off of these two," She glanced at Rina and Victoria. "And they can help you guys with their spells."


    Asher nodded. "Good, the rest of us should hurry too."


    "Kai?" Fetheion lightly tapped my shoulder as the others hurried down to the plaza. "I''ll call for you once this is done but promise me something." His eyes met mine as he spoke. "Don''t try something stupid in there, no self sacrificing."


    I chuckled. "Promise." I grinned. "I intend to survive, Fetheion. All of us do. And so should you."


    The crimson haired Divine simply smiled. "I won''t die just yet," He said before turning his back on me and focusing his attention on the palace''s barrier.


    "Keep him safe," I said, looking at Alex before I ran off after the others.


    Behind me, the snake tailed woman summoned her weapons from her inventory. She was ready for battle, and I knew nothing would get past her as long s she still had life in her.


    Down at the plaza though, things didn''t seem to be going so well.


    "What do you mean?" Erik exclaimed as I arrived by their side.


    We were at the foot of the long, wide stairs leading up to the Palace of the Divines. Before us stretched the plaza, and on the other side of it, the rest of the Chalk City. The Plaza was large ¨C large enough to fit two small armies and still have space left for battle.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked as soon as I arrived. Asher was standing on the first step of the stairs. His eyes closed; I could sense his magic moving about.


    "There aren''t as many soldiers on the walls as there were before!" Lucius quickly explained. "I''m sure they''re coming this way."


    I narrowed my eyes. I could barely make out the walls from where we were standing. They were just a tall, thick, white line on the horizon. But I also knew Lucius'' eyesight was insanely precise for some reason.


    "How many do you think?" I asked as I glanced at Mona. I raised my chin just a bit. The cheerful druid immediately nodded and hurried to whisper something to Theresa.


    "I don''t know for sure," Lucius sighed. "At least fifty. I can''t see the entirety of the wall from here though, so it''s probably several times of that number."


    I gritted my teeth. Fifty Ereth soldiers were nothing to scoff at. Yes, we had defeated them before, but now we were on their turf. Baile Chailce was their home ¨C they would defend this place with everything they had.


    "Theresa," I called at the archer as she climbed up the stairs. "Cover for the mages, the rest of us can take care of it. Any long ranged soldiers are your priority."


    Theresa nodded as a bow I had not seen before appeared in her hands. It had a texture that reminded me of bones. It was a compound bow, with some extras on it. As I watched, she hooked an arrow and began waiting.


    "Laura," I was about to tell the blonde woman what to do but seeing as she took her place a few steps below Theresa, I fell silent. She smiled, then her gaze focused on the distant parts of the city.


    "We all know what to do, Kai." Asher lightly squeezed my shoulder, then his expression darkened. "I found over two hundred Ereth heading our way. They are not as organised as we feared and some of them are coming from the distant parts of the city, so we won''t be fighting all of them at once." He hesitated. "I didn''t notice any Inquisitors, but that doesn''t mean there aren''t any." He glanced at me.


    "If they show up, I''ll take care of them."


    Asher nodded, then glanced at Lucius and Erik. "You two haven''t fought together before, have you?"


    They both shook their heads. "We''ll be fine though," Lucius added. "We can do this."


    Erik nodded. "I won''t let anything get past us." The confidence in his voice surprised me. He stepped forward, his newly acquired shield glowing with a golden power. "Here they come!" He shouted as the first wave of Ereth soldiers stepped onto the large plaza.


    Asher''s whisper sounded.


    "Let the battle begin¡­"

 Chapter 257: The Storm (2)

    It was Erik who met the Ereth head on as they rushed at us without a moment of hesitation.


    The golden light emanating from his shield flashed with light as soon as the first Ereth blade touched it. The loud clang of metal hitting metal was followed by the pained scream of the poor Ereth as he got flung back, towards the rest of his allies.


    "Damn!" Vincent mumbled as his eyes widened. "Since when can you do that, Erik?"


    The young paladin shrugged. "Now, I guess." He replied with a grin, but then his expression darkened. "They''re coming!"


    And they were indeed coming.


    The Ereth forces, now somewhat more wary of us, were approaching with caution.


    Those with leathery wings stretched them as the others formed organised lines.


    "Kai, the flyers." Asher softly spoke. I nodded and directed my gaze at those with flight. In the meantime, Lucius stepped forward to stand with Erik.


    "Keep them safe, Asher." I said before leaping up into the air to meet those with flight.


    For a split second, silence covered the city as our forces weighed each other''s power. Nothing but the beat of our wings could be heard. Then, I shouted.


    "Now!" An arrow flew past me to hit one of the flying Ereth out of the sky. He fell down, into the midst of his earthbound comrades, with an arrow sticking out of his chest.


    Almost as if that were the trigger that started the battle, the Ereth rushed forward. With no hesitation on his part, so did Erik. He shouted a wordless sound with his bellowing voice as his shield let out a golden glow that enveloped him and Lucius.


    Only half a step behind them was Mona ¨C her quarterstaff bathed in her signature green magic; she was a force to be reckoned with. I could feel her pulsating power even from up here.


    Yet, before they reached the enemy lines, I did.


    Flying high up in the air, I stretched my arm and allowed the darkness to gather in my right hand. From it, I pulled my sword just in time to meet the first of the incoming Ereth head on.


    The sound of metal hitting metal echoed across the battlefield, soon followed by the sounds of thunder Asher created and the roaring flames I released.


    Without even feeling the need to gauge my opponent''s strength, I deflected his spear and with the same, swift motion, slit his throat. As his lifeless body fell to the ground, the battle down below also began.


    As Erik and Lucius met with their opponents, thunder echoed, and lightning rained down upon the battlefield. As much as I wished to watch the show though, I had my own problems to deal with that came in the form of a bunch of flying Ereth.


    With no hesitation, I stretched my left hand and released my magic. Black and purple flames roared and spread through the air as the Ereth created simple spell shields around themselves before engaging on me.


    "That''s inconvenient." I heard Dorith''s voice in my mind as my flames danced on their shields before disappearing. "Want some help?" I could sense his anticipation ¨C he wanted to join this fight so badly.


    "Not yet," I replied as I met the first Ereth head on. The fight wasn''t too much in my favour due to their weapons of choice: Spears. They had longer reach and needed simpler motions to strike while I was having some trouble with shorter reach. "I can take care of them. Save your strength."


    The last thing I needed now was Dorith making a commotion. I knew I''d need his strength later, and his bloodthirsty wish for revenge would be eventually fulfilled anyways.


    My opponent struck with his spear, though I easily deflected it to the side. Just as I was about to counterattack as he tried to regain his balance, I noticed something fly past me. I gritted my teeth and made do with a small burst of fire to his face before rushing off after the Ereth that basically ignored me. I couldn''t let him get to Asher and the others!


    Yeti as soon as I turned my back, I had to do a double take. He wasn''t rushing at Asher and the others ¨C he was in the process of attempting to skewer me.


    As soon as I noticed the shiny tip of his spear, mere inches away from my stomach, I summoned my magic.


    I wasn''t good at creating barriers. I had only done it once or twice before, but I was good enough to at least buy myself some time. Flames burst out of me, blinding the Ereth momentarily. It wasn''t enough to stop him, but it was enough to slow him down.


    "Are you sure?" Dorith''s voice sounded. I gritted my teeth. "Shut up!" I hissed before barely blocking the deadly spear.


    I heard the beat of wings all around me. Despite the raging battle below, things were calm up here, even if only for a moment. Not like that was a good thing for me.


    I glanced around me, only to see Ereth soldiers everywhere around me. I was surrounded, and they were keeping their distance. "What now?" I asked, forcing a grin. It almost looked funny ¨C the way they were all pointing their spears at me reminded me of how people used to scare wild beasts away.


    They would surround them, make sure to stay out of reach and then force them to back off until they stepped into a trap.


    I tightened my grasp on the hilt of my sword. I was not a wild beast who would fall for such a thing.


    I narrowed my eyes as my body shifted. Soul''s Aspect allowed me to take on Dorith''s corrupted form. The Ereth didn''t even bat an eye as I changed right before their eyes. Their expressions were blank ¨C empty.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. Where had I seen this blank expression before?


    Wherever it was, it didn''t spell anything good for me. I needed to take all of them out ¨C fast. I raised my left hand as purple and black flames roared around me. I drew a sharp breath just as flames burst out of me.


    I caught a glimpse of golden light just before my flames drowned the battlefield in darkness.

 Chapter 258: The Storm (3)

    As my flames slowly dimmed, then disappeared, I figured out what the golden light I glimpsed was.


    None of the Ereth were hurt in the slightest. As golden barriers protected them from my flames, they probably only felt mild discomfort because of the heat.


    "Want any help now?" Dorith asked as I scoured the battlefield. "I''ll let you know when I need it," I said as I searched for the caster who created those shields. It had to be an inquisitor ¨C if it were a Divine, I would have sensed their presence way before the spell was even cast.


    It didn''t take me long to find them. Three robed figures were standing right before the large Divine Pillar. I gritted my teeth. How the hell was I even supposed to get to them?


    "That is enough!" One of them shouted. Her voice was elevated via magic. It echoed throughout the battlefield, and as it did, the battle on the ground grinded to a halt. Once she had everyone''s attention, she spoke again. "You have defiled the sanctity of this city for long enough ¨C lay down your weapons and surrender, or you shall taste our wrath!"


    I felt the air around me electrify.


    "I don''t think this is working as planned," Dorith commented. "I couldn''t agree more." I replied as I glanced at Asher and the others. Erik and Lucius were stepping back, taking a move defensive position.


    I gritted my teeth. I had to reach those three inquisitors somehow, but there was no way the soldiers surrounding me would ever let me pass. My grip around the hilt of my sword tightened ¨C it was time to use one of the two trump cards I had.


    "Dorith ¨C can you take these soldiers out?" I asked, my voice but a whisper.


    As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt darkness seep out of my chest. The silence covering the battlefield shattered with the sound of distant rumble.


    "What is that?" Asher shouted as Dorith''s power freed itself from my body. As his ethereal form began to take shape, I folded my wings slightly and flew slightly downwards, directly towards one of the Ereth pointing his spear at me.


    "Stop him!" The Inquisitor shouted. At the same time, I felt Asher''s magic form a barrier around me. That and whatever chaos Dorith was creating up there was enough for me to break out of this situation.


    I used Fallen Grace to empower my body as I approached the Ereth soldier. Moments before our weapons clashed, I turned my body and beat my wings in such a way to just narrowly avoid his spear and brushed past him, breaking out of their formation.


    Without even a second of hesitation, I flew towards the three inquisitors standing at the steps around the Divine Pillar of Baile Chailce.


    Behind me, I could hear the result of letting Dorith take care of the soldiers ¨C as soon as I broke out, their screams began to echo over the city. Perhaps moments later, the sound of metal hitting metal joined them as Lucius led the charge against the Ereth forces on the ground.


    Once again, as much as I wanted to see how well the group fought, I simply couldn''t ¨C these three inquisitors were the greatest threat against us right now. With their support, the Ereth forces could become near immortal really quickly.


    As soon as I approached them, the shorter one standing to the left of the speaker raised her hand, creating barriers around the three of them. Despite knowing those barriers were strong to overcome my flames, I didn''t slow down and hit the foremost barrier with my blade.


    The clear clang echoed throughout the battlefield as my sword bounced off, leaving only a vaguely visible crack on the golden surface of the barrier.


    "You try in vain!" The inquisitor on the right declared as she also raised her hand. The Divine Pillar let out a golden glow as she began casting a spell. I gritted my teeth ¨C I had defeated inquisitors before, now wasn''t going to be any different.


    In response to her spell, I cast my own, deciding to trust Asher''s barrier. Purple and black flames covered my blade as I struck the foremost inquisitor''s barrier once more. The previous crack spread a little. I grinned ¨C all I needed was a moment of weakness in the barrier.


    I cast Death''s Scythe, then fed more mana to my flames.


    "Look out!" Someone shouted in the back ¨C it was Erik''s voice. A loud clang followed his shout, then I heard someone shout a thanks. They didn''t have it easy either ¨C only one of the inquisitors was focused on me after all, the other two were busy supporting the remaining Ereth forces with their spells.


    I struck the barrier again and again ¨C I knew that I could break it if I used everything I had, but if I did so, then I''d basically be out of commission for the remainder of the war. I couldn''t afford to do that.


    With each strike, the barrier weakened some more. Just a few more seconds was all I needed, but the sudden surge of Divine magic that I felt alerted me to the completion of the rightmost inquisitor''s spell.


    I leapt back and away from her just in time before a golden beam of light cut through the air where I was standing half a second ago. As soon as the beam of light disappeared, I dashed forward and struck the barrier once more. The cracks were now easily visible to the eye ¨C I needed to hurry before the leftmost inquisitor noticed her spell was about to be broken.


    The other one began casting a spell again. I grinned; she was never going to make it in time. While her spells were devastatingly powerful, the long cast times and the mana surge right before they activated gave me enough time to evade them and focus on something else.


    Something hit me in the stomach just as I finished that thought, sending me tumbling down the steps.


    "Filthy demon." I heard a woman''s voice as my vision blurred for a moment. My head hurt from hitting the marble ground. I felt another mana surge, coming from behind me. A fourth inquisitor stepped closer. I could see her unforgiving golden eyes through the holes of her mask.


    "Time to die."

 Chapter 259: The Storm (4)

    I drew a sharp breath as her a golden light flashed in her hands. Was this really how I''d die? I closed my eyes and attempted to gather my magic around me in a futile attempt. I wasn2t going to be able to form the shield before her spell hit me!


    I felt the surge of mana suddenly disappear and opened my eyes in confusion. Had she missed from point blank range? How was I still alive?


    The inquisitor fell to the ground after glancing at the gaping hole in her chest. She seemed just as surprised as I was. Who had done that?


    I pushed myself up and glanced around in search of her killer. I didn''t need to search for long though, as one of the other inquisitors also fell with a scream cut short.


    "Kai!" Fetheion''s bellowing voice sounded. I looked up to see him floating several meters above the battlefield. His dark, shadowy powers were whirling around him. "The barrier is done ¨C go to the palace."


    I glanced towards the Palace of the Divines. The barrier was indeed down. How had he destroyed it so quickly? The battle had just begun. I stretched my wings and leapt up into the air. I flew up and only stopped when I reached the exiled Divine.


    "What about you?" I asked, knowing full well how much he wanted to be there when I finally found the soul of my predecessor. "Aren''t you going to come?"


    Fetheion showed a faint smile as he gestured towards the battle raging below. "Looks like I have to keep an eye on them."


    I clenched my fists. "Then we can just finish this battle and then go inside." I insisted. I had reasons for wanting him to be there. Fetheion though didn''t care quite enough apparently as he just shook his head.


    "It''s fine, Kai. We don''t have a lot of time, remember? Eventually one of the Divines will return here to take control of the situation. Ideally, we''ll be done by then." He shot me a glance. "you need to find his soul by then."


    I gulped. I didn''t have anything to say to that ¨C he was completely right. We really didn''t have a lot of time and if one of the Divines came before I found the Keeper''s soul, we would have gained almost nothing.


    "And remember the places I told you about." He reminded me as I hesitated. I took a deep breath and nodded. I wasn''t about to forget that.


    With a powerful beat of my wings, I hurried over to the palace of the Divines, only pausing momentarily to let Asher and the others know. The blonde sorcerer seemed more worried than relieved that Fetheion was now actively contributing to the battle.


    I landed at the top of the stairs leading to the palace. Rina and Alex were standing guard there. Alex rushed over as soon as she noticed me.


    "I should be down there, helping them!" She pointed towards the raging battle below. "They''re already outnumbered!" Her eyes filled with determination, she glared at me. I hesitated ¨C I knew why Fetheion wanted her to remain here. In case some Ereth broke through our ranks and followed me inside, he wanted Alex and Rina to be here to stop them.


    "You have to stay here ¨C if they follow me inside, I''ll stand no chance against any of them." I lied, knowing full well that I always had another option. "And Rina is turning the Ereth''s lives to hell anyways," I nodded towards the green haired wizard. She wasn''t even aware of my presence as she cast spells to rain death upon the battlefield. "You need to protect her."


    Alex sighed. She was clearly not pleased with this. It was understandable rally ¨C she''d lost so much, given up on so much and prepared for so long to get to this point. To this ¨C hopefully ¨C final battle. Of course she didn''t want to be stuck on guard duty.


    But there wasn''t much that could be done ¨C we needed her here.


    "Sorry," I said with a faint smile, the directed my attention to the palace. "I''m going in."


    "Good luck," Alex said as I headed inside.


    I took a deep breath as I stood before the large set of doors. "Here goes nothing." I mumbled as I placed my palms against the cold, metal surface of the ornate doors. I put my weight into it as I pushed them open.


    They slowly opened, without even the slightest of sounds, revealing a well lit hall leading further inside. It took a moment to gather my courage. Once I did, I stepped inside and allowed the large doors to close after me.


    The sound of the doors closing still startled me as I walked forward in the empty hall. The while and golden motif of this place hurt my eyes ¨C how could the Ereth even life in this place for so long before beginning to hate this colour scheme?


    The golden carpet muffled the sound of my footsteps as I walked further inside. I had gone through here a few times before, but when devoid of life, it was a much more intimidating place. I hadn''t expected soldiers to show up, but where were the servants? The Ereth who lived in this place who weren''t Divines?


    Were they all gone, or were they hiding, watching me from the shadows?


    Just that possibility was enough to make me anxious. I hastened my steps as I hurried to the throne room.


    This morning, before we headed out, I had asked Fetheion about where Aelith may have hidden my predecessor''s soul. Unfortunately for me, he didn''t have many ideas ¨C Aelith had always been a secretive person, after all ¨C but he did have a list of rooms to search. The throne room was the first such place.


    I soon arrived before the set of golden doors. With little hesitation, I pushed them. As they opened with a loud, ear piercing creak, I quickly stepped inside and allowed them to close behind me as well.


    The throne room ¨C this large hall with seven golden thrones ¨C was as devoid of life as the rest of the palace. The spots where the guards used to stand at were empty. It was almost as if this place hadn''t been used for quite some time.


    Yet, there was not a speck of dust to be seen.


    I walked up to the stairs leading to the thrones. I remembered which one belonged to Aelith ¨C of course it was the one in the centre. I walked up the stairs and stood before her throne.


    The craftmanship on the golden structure was breath taking, though the scenes it depicted were nothing but disgusting to me. I recognised some of those places now. Those were the battles I had seen in Dorith''s and other souls'' memories.


    I clenched my fists and looked all around me.


    "Where are you?" I whispered.

 Chapter 260: The Storm (5)

    I combed through the throne room, looking at every nook and cranny. I didn''t expect to just find the Keeper''s soul laying about somewhere, but Fetheion had told me about the secret rooms the Divines liked to add to the Palace''s architecture.


    Yet, I found nothing. Eventually, after deciding that I wasted enough time here, I approached Aelith''s throne again. The teleportation sigil she used to send me to her library was faintly glowing on the white marble floors. As I stepped on it, I held my breath. It had been a while since I had used one of these.


    A bright light enveloped me, and I felt my surrounding shift. Moments later the bright light was gone, and I was looking at the familiar rows of books on the shelves.


    "Right," I mumbled as I looked around, somewhat nervous.


    The room was as large and spacious as I remembered. Behind me was the heavy, golden door. It was closed, and probably locked tight. I was fairly sure that Aelith didn''t want any random person to be able to enter her library.


    Before me was the large, wide desk and her almost gothic looking chair. If it weren''t all white and golden, it could have actually looked good in a library like this. Behind the desk was a large, wide window. I could see the city below me.


    "A tower," I mumbled as I glanced to my sides. The Palace of the Divines had three towers when looking at it from the outside. Two short ones and a tall, large one. I wondered which one I was standing in.


    Walking around Aelith''s desk, I looked down. I could barely see the battle below, that was how far high up I was. "The tall one for sure." I mumbled as I glanced around. The only thing taller than the tower was the Divine Pillar.


    I looked at the golden surface of the tall, large obelisk. It was etched with stuff I couldn''t make any sense of. I took a deep breath and turned my back on the window. What I was looking for was not outside.


    The other two walls were lined up with bookshelves. There was nothing that immediately caught my attention there. I did glance at the two couches and a low coffee table, but I highly doubted Aelith would have hidden something as special and valuable as the soul of my predecessor under the cushions.


    "No way," I chuckled before finally turning my attention on her desk. It was made of white wood ¨C it reminded me of the wood of white spruce trees, though it was probably just something with similar texture.


    The desk had detailed carvings of¡­ something all over it. I tilted my head slightly as I tried to make sense of them. I gave up after a short minute ¨C this wasn''t why I was here after all. I stepped closer to her desk.


    There were numerous documents, a map and two golden solid bracelets. I could feel magic within one of them, so I pocketed it without thinking about it too much. If anything, maybe Fetheion could get some use out of it.


    Then, I glanced at the map. As I expected, it was a map of the battlefield to the north ¨C where the demon and Ereth forces clashed. I furrowed my brows as I inspected it closely. It looked like she had planned to create a massive magic circle, using the three Divine Pillars as foci, but from the way her scribbles went, I gathered that she hadn''t succeeded quite yet. At least, I think the giant cross on the design of the circle gave its failure away.


    I directed my gaze to the documents ¨C long lists of things I didn''t care about were mixed with some more important documents, such as orders she had written for the guards, or notes about the duties of the other Divines.


    "Her handwriting sucks," I mumbled as I tried to make sense of what was written. "Uriithe¡­" I read the Crimson Witch''s name out loud. "Leading the troops for a counterattack?" I furrowed my brows. I tried to read the details, but soon gave up due to not having too much time. What happened at the front lines of the battle between the Ereth and the Demons didn''t interest me quite that much ¨C finding the soul of the Keeper came first.


    I checked the drawers of Aelith''s desk, only to find more documents, but nothing about the soul. Getting slowly frustrated, I turned my attention on the bookshelves. Had she hidden something somewhere around there, perhaps?


    I combed through the library, searching the place with my magic as well as scouring through each bookshelf, only to find a whole lot of nothing.


    Some time later, I walked out of the library in disappointment. I was sure I''d find something in there, if not the soul itself, at least a clue on its whereabouts. Yet, there was nothing. I clenched my fists as I walked in the somewhat dimly lit hallway.


    There was one more place I had yet to check ¨C the treasury. While I had never been there myself, Fetheion had given me a detailed description of it. I knew how to get there, and I knew how to open the magically locked gate.


    I checked the other rooms I came across only superficially. They were mostly bedrooms such as the one I spent a night in or other, simple rooms that didn''t really have anything to do with my current goal.


    It didn''t take me long to find the stairwell Fetheion had told me about, but as I reached it, I began having second thoughts. As I leaned over the railing to look down, I felt somewhat dizzy. The dim light couldn''t illuminate the bottom, making it look like the stairs led to a dark abyss.


    The golden carpet muffles my steps as I began my long descent. If it weren''t for Fetheion''s warning, I would have jumped down and simply flown. Yet, his words echoed clearly in my mind:


    ''No matter what, do not unveil your wings, lest the Guardians come for you.''

 Chapter 261: The Storm (6)

    It took me a while to reach the bottom of the seemingly endless staircase. If it weren''t for Fetheion''s warning, I would have flown down there for sure.


    I took a deep breath as I stepped on the last step. "Well then," I whispered as I looked around. I had expected another long hallway with a carpet on the floor, many doors on both sides and the treasury at the end of it perhaps.


    Instead, I was met with a large, circular room with a door on the opposite side of where I was standing. The dimly lit room was as empty as it could be, with only a few large paintings hanging on the walls.


    I furrowed my brows as I approached the first painting. It seemed wrong at first, though it took me a moment to figure out. For the first time in a while, I was seeing colours aside from white and golden. A quick glance at the contents of the paintings made me immediately dislike them.


    They were portraits of the Divines. There were a total of thirteen spots on the walls, though two of them were empty.


    "Fetheion and the Divine that died," I mumbled. I The one who had fought against Aelith and was no longer in this world. Aelith must have had their portraits removed out of spite.


    I took a deep breath, then headed to the large, golden door. As I pressed my palm against the cold, metal surface, I felt the flow of magic within it. It was sealed, and if I didn''t know how to undo the spell, I would have been stuck down here for a while trying to break it.


    I closed my eyes and gently nudged the flow of magic with my own. It didn''t take long for me to find the focal point Fetheion had told me about.


    As the magic dissipated and the seal shattered, I put my weight into it and opened the door. The loud creak startled me, though not as much as the piles of treasure within.


    "Damn¡­" I mumbled as my gaze wandered about. "That is¡­"


    The treasury was a massive, circular room, filled to the brim with stuff. And it wasn''t just gold or valuable items that were stored in here ¨C I could see all kinds of things, ranging from piles of varnished hardwood to human sized crystalline formations.


    "What the hell is all this?" I whispered as I walked among the piles of things. Why were the Divines stockpiling all these? The Ereth already had a wealthy, beautiful city. They didn''t need some rocks or wood planks.


    My confusion only increased as I walked further inside. The place had more ordinary items than valuable things. I couldn''t make any sense of it. As I reached the centre of the room, I closed my eyes and let my magic scour the room for me.


    It took only a few moments, but I was once more met with nothing but disappointment. Where the hell had Aelith hidden my predecessor''s soul? With clenched fists, I decided to look around without the help of magic as well. Perhaps she had done something to it to make it undetectable by magical means.


    With only that sliver of hope in my mind, I walked around the room, looking through the piles of stuff, hoping to find it. Not knowing what kind of a thing, I was looking for only made things more difficult. Was I searching for vial, a crystal, a box? Without knowing, it took a much longer time to comb through the treasury.


    In the end though, I emerged from my efforts empty handed, annoyed and somewhat tired. Eventually, I left the treasury with slow steps, walked up the stairs and used the sigil in Aelith''s library and teleported back to the throne room. As I left through the golden gates and walked through the dimly lit hallway, I only grew more anxious.


    "Kai?" I heard Rina''s confused voice as I opened the gates leading to the outside and walked down the stairs of the palace. "Did you find it?" She asked, her eyes glittering with hope.


    I shook my head. Seeing the glitter in her eyes fade hurt. it felt as if I had failed her, and everyone else who came here today.


    "What''s the situation?" I asked as I stepped forward and gazed upon the battlefield, only to find the Ereth bodies laying lifeless on the ground.


    "Um, Fetheion killed them." Alex mumbled. She shook her head. "He didn''t really show them any mercy either. It was brutal."


    I nodded. He had already told me that he wouldn''t let anyone stand in his way. I hadn''t doubted his words, though seeing the lifeless bodies of the Ereth forces down there did catch me off guard a little.


    "Let''s join them," I said as I glanced at Fetheion and the others, gathered at the foot of the stairs leading up here. Rina and Alex nodded. They hurried after me, and we soon arrived by the others.


    "You''re back!" Mona exclaimed with a huge smile as soon as she noticed me. Her eyes glimmered as she jumped up and down with excitement.


    "Did you find it?" Fetheion asked, though from his heavy voice, I could tell he already knew the answer.


    "No. I searched everywhere you told me about and some more." I looked at the Divine Pillar. "I fear Aelith has it with her." If that were the case, our only option would be to somehow take it from her, and I found that to be much harder than infiltrating the palace.


    Fetheion hesitated.


    "If that''s the case, we''re pretty much out of options." Asher chimed in. "In any case, I believe we''re done here. Fetheion, do you mind?"


    The Exiled Divine shook his head. "Go ahead, it has no place in this world anyways."


    I raised my eyebrows as Asher glanced at me with a dark expression. He had an almost wicked smile as he spoke.


    "Kai, can you destroy that Pillar?"

 Chapter 262: Crimson Dawn (1)

    My gaze focused on the massive golden Divine Pillar.


    "I don''t know." I whispered as I took a step towards it. Even though no one was using its power, the Pillar was radiating with a golden light. "It''s different than the other pillars." I glanced at Fetheion, who promptly nodded.


    "It is. It is the foothold of the Ereth in this world. Without this, they cannot construct new Pillars and the already existing ones are weakened considerably." Fetheion looked me dead in the eye. "If you destroy this, it will be a massive blow to all Ereth."


    I gulped. "We don''t have the soul yet." I reminded Fetheion. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"


    The Exiled Divine nodded. "Please go ahead."


    I felt Asher''s hand on my shoulder. "If I could, I would." He said in a low voice. "But you''re the only one who can wield demonic magic."


    I nodded. "I know, that''s fine." I stepped forward, though I was still doubtful. "Can one of you shield me? I''d rather not get incinerated." Asher nodded and I felt his magic form a barrier around me.


    I gulped, then walked among the lifeless bodies of the Ereth soldiers. As I reached the stairs leading up to the Divine Pillar, I looked up.


    I couldn''t see where the Pillar ended. Piercing the sky, it felt as if it had no ending. Even from Aelith''s library, I hadn''t seen its top. Was I even capable of destroying this Pillar? It felt as if it were impossible.


    Yet, I didn''t let my worries and fears slow me down. Instead, I walked up the stairs and towards the Pillar. The bright, golden light enveloped me as I got close enough to touch the Pillar.


    "Now then," I whispered as I used Soul''s Aspect. Dorith''s soul stirred ¨C when had he even returned? I hadn''t noticed it at all. Slightly confused, I waited for my transformation to finish, then raised my head and looked at the Pillar''s surface. "Let''s get this over with."


    My sword materialised in my hand as I located the first of the seven focal points within the Pillar. I gathered my magic on the dark blade of my sword. As black and purple flames danced on my skin, I raised my sword and struck the Pillar.


    A loud, clear clang echoed as my blade cut through gold as if it were nothing. I felt it hit something hard, then heard the satisfying crack of the focal crystal shatter. As I motioned to pull my sword out, I felt the flow of magic around me shift and change. The bright light of the Pillar dimmed for a moment, then a pulse of Divine magic sent me flying across the plaza.


    "Kai!" Mona cried as soon as I hit the bloodstained marble tiles with a thud. I heard her footsteps as she ran towards me. "Are you ok?" She asked, her eyes wide with fear. She knelt by me and helped me sit up. "Do you need healing?" Her hands trembled as she looked me over to make sure I wasn''t wounded.


    "I''m fine ¨C I got caught off guard." With her help, I got up and turned to face the Pillar. Its previously peaceful light had changed ¨C now it was pulsating, and with each pulse, I could feel its magic getting stronger.


    "That''s not good though," I mumbled as I once again approached the pillar. I glanced at Asher before getting too close to it, however. "Did the barrier break?" I asked, to which he replied with a nod. I clenched my fists and took the sword I had dropped back in hand. "Let''s try this again," I mumbled as I walked into the pulsating, golden light.


    My flames formed a barrier around me as I approached the Pillar once more. I could feel my mana being drained with each pulse of the golden light.


    As I raised my sword to hit the second focal point, Fetheion and the others also approached, though they stayed out of the golden light. Another loud clang and a satisfying crack later, I nearly found myself flying again. My barrier protected me, but the light had grown so bright that I had to retreat.


    Blinded by the light, I stumbled down the stairs and let my barrier fade away. When I was able to see again, I glanced at Fetheion. "It''s defending itself!" I said, a little frustrated. "I don''t know if I can destroy it."


    The Exiled Divine glanced at me with a dark expression. "It is." He said with a low voice. "If only you were strong enough to bring it down in one decisive blow." He clenched his fists. "But then, we wouldn''t be in this situation to begin with."


    He sounded disappointed, though not particularly at me. I gritted my teeth, I also wished I had the kind of power to destroy the pillar in one decisive blow. But alas, that wasn''t quite possible at the moment.


    "I''ll go in again," I said through my gritted teeth. Five more focal points remained. If the Pillar''s self defence got stronger with each destroyed crystal, I highly doubted I''d be able to destroy it.


    "Wait!" Fetheion''s shout startled me just as I stepped into the golden light. I turned back to look at him, and at the same time, felt the power of the Divine Pillar grow even stronger. "Get back ¨C now!" He shouted once more before his magic exploded, covering the plaza in darkness.


    I jumped back out of the golden light in a panic ¨C what had gotten into him? Why was he calling me back?


    Before I could return to the group to ask about what the hell was going on, the Divine Pillar shined brightly. Its light pierced through Fetheion''s dark power, illuminating the plaza. I covered my eyes as the light burnt my skin.


    "What''s going on?" I shouted as I stumbled away from the Divine Pillar.


    "You dare strike our lifeblood!" A voice I knew too well echoed throughout the city as the crimson lights of dawn illuminated the sky.

 Chapter 263: Crimson Dawn (2)

    A figure engulfed in crimson light floated before the Divine Pillar, just high enough to be out of our reach. Her cloak fluttered in the wind as she raised her gloved hand. The light of the Divine Pillar pulsed as the ground shook.


    Mona let out a surprised yelp as she grabbed on to Laura for support. Theresa stepped back to stand with Rina as Alex stepped ahead, to be their blade and their shield. Lucius clenched his fists and readied his sword while Erik and Vincent seemed too shocked to do anything.


    Fetheion raised his hand, and the winds blew towards the figure. The hood of her cloak fell on her shoulders, revealing the face I knew too well.


    "Uriithe." Fetheion spoke in a calm manner. "I see you haven''t changed a bit."


    I glared at her as she chuckled. "I would have loved to say the same, Fetheion, but I must say, you do look pathetic, shrouded in darkness like this." Her smug, self-righteous tone boiled my blood.


    "Unfortunately for you, I do not believe those who have delved with eldritch beings can have much say about my powers." I could help but grin at Fetheion''s words, though they did worry me somewhat. Were dealings with the eldritch what turned Uriithe''s body into something so unnatural and, frankly, disgusting?


    Uriithe clenched her fists and the light of the Divine Pillar pulsed. I covered my eyes ¨C it was too bright for me to look at.


    "And what do we have here?" I heard her voice. When I looked up at her once more, I could see her gold-crimson eyes focused on me. "I killed you." She hissed as her expression twisted. "I killed you, yet you are here!"


    The Divine Pillar pulsed once more as her anger only rose.


    "I am." I spoke as I stretched my wings. As I rose to her level, I pointed the tip of my sword to her. "Move out of the way, Crimson Witch."


    My words clearly startled her. And not just her either, Fetheion was also surprised.


    "What did you call me?" The Divine asked as her body let out a crimson shine. Without even a second of hesitation, I released my flames. My heart raced at the thought of revenge. I felt Dorith''s soul stir ¨C he had awoken once more, and he was as thirsty for revenge as I was, if not more.


    My flames spread through the air towards the Divine. A gold-crimson barrier appeared around her as she raised her chin. My flames clashed with the barrier. Though they couldn''t harm her yet, they slowly began draining the protective barrier of its strength.


    "I should have known," The Divine hissed as she raised her hand. The Divine Pillar let out a bright shine as a spear seemingly made of pure light appeared in her hand. "You''re working with him, aren''t you?" As she shouted, she hurled the spear of light at me.


    I dodged it with a simple beat of my wings, then grinned. Despite her arrogant words and aggressive behaviour, it didn''t take much to see she was afraid.


    "Uriithe," Fetheion spoke once more. I felt his power once again rise as he stepped forward. "You can not protect the Pillar from all of us. Step aside, or you will die."


    The Crimson Witch''s eyes opened wide. "You would really do through with it?" She asked, glaring at Fetheion. "You would destroy the lifeblood of our people?"


    Fetheion laughed. "The lifeblood of our people ¨C that''s a good one!" He raised his hand and darkness once again covered the plaza. "What about the lifeblood of this world that you''ve been consuming this whole time?" He asked, his expression darkening. "What about the people you''ve brought from afar, trapped, forced to serve under you with false promises?" A blade appeared in his hand. "What of the natives of this world?"


    He stepped forward some more as his darkness swirled around him. "How dare you speak of the lifeblood of the Ereth, after you''ve destroyed countless of lives?" He leapt forward and hit Uriithe''s barrier with his blade.


    As I watched with disbelief, the Crimson Witch''s barrier shattered. She disappeared in a flash of light and appeared right before the Divine Pillar, holding her left shoulder as blood seeped through her fingers.


    "You''ve lost your mind!" She shrieked as Fetheion dashed towards her once more. The Divine Pillar flashed with power, pushing Fetheion back and momentarily blinding me. "You''ve lost it, I''d understand not wanting to live with the burned of Divinity anymore," Uriithe continued as her wound healed. She raised her chin with pride.


    "I''d understand if you weren''t strong enough to carry this burden, but to attempt to destroy the lifeline of your own people?" Her lips curled down. "I detest what you''ve become." She spoke with a condescending tone.


    Her expression, her words, her sheer arrogance made my blood boil. I could sense it ¨C the power she held. How twisted and disgusting it was. As soon as the light of the Pillar dimmed, I dashed forward with a strong beat of my wings, my blade ready to strike.


    The Crimson Witch noticed me before I reached her. She raised her hand, throwing spears of light at me. My flames raged and formed a protective barrier around me as I dashed ahead without hesitation. I had beaten her before ¨C I could do it again. I was strong enough, I was committed enough. And most importantly, I had my allies with me ¨C I no longer stood alone.


    I approached her, despite her efforts to stop me.


    "You''ve become a demon!" She shouted as she created a barrier just in time, causing my blade to hit that instead of piercing her. She glared at me with eyes filled with wrath. "I should have taken your soul as well, just like his."


    Her words startled me. Was she talking about my predecessor? Had she taken his soul and not Aelith? My eyes wide, I glanced at Fetheion.


    His expression was an answer enough.


    "Where is it?" I asked as I truck her barrier once more. Pieces of the broken barrier scattered about as Dorith''s soul burned with hatred within my chest.


    Where is it?


    My voice echoed, startling the others as my eyes flashed purple, and a darkness different than that of Fetheion''s engulfed the plaza.

 Chapter 264: Crimson Dawn (3)

    Where is it, Crimson Witch?


    My voice echoed in the minds of others as my flames raged all around me.


    Uriithe raised her chin as she drew more power from the Divine Pillar. "As if I''d ever tell you!" Her smug expression shattered as soon as she finished her words and saw me raise my blade.


    She scrambled to create another barrier to block my attack.


    The loud clang echoed as my blade shattered her next barrier as well.


    Where is it?


    I repeated my question as I let my flames run rampant. They spread throughout the battlefield, consuming the lifeless bodies of the Ereth, threatening to burn the whole city.


    Uriithe stepped back as she looked around wide eyed. I followed her into the light of the pillar.


    Where is it, Uriithe?


    She clenched her fists. "I will never let you retrieve the Keeper''s soul ¨C it is mine and mine alone." A spear of light appeared in her hands. Without a second of hesitation, I swung my blade and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed.


    Our blades remained locked as we glared at each other. Our battle had changed, become a battle of willpower and magic.


    My perseverance clashed against Uriithe''s unending supply of mana. My wrath against her despair. My wish to return home, against hers to protect her city.


    There could be no real winner here.


    Yet, I pushed her back, inch by inch, step by step, she retreated towards the pillar my purple and black flames engulfed the Divine Pillar. My eyes burned purple as my lips formed a wicked smile, revealing my fangs.


    "You''ve become a demon ¨C a fallen, corrupted demon!" She cried out as she pulled even more power from the Divine Pillar. "You''re tainted, a disgrace to your predecessor!"


    Who are you to speak of him?


    Was it me who spoke, or Dorith, who had become fully conscious now? I wasn''t sure. All I knew was that I felt nothing but wrath and hatred against her.


    She tightened her grip around the shaft of her spear of light, then her eyes flashed golden. My eyes widened as I felt a surge of mana, much like the one I felt when the inquisitor nearly killed me.


    My flames formed a barrier around me moments before the Divine released her magic. I felt something hit me in the chest. Despite the softened blow thanks to my barrier, I still found myself flying.


    I regained my balance mid air and landed with some grace, though I had dropped my sword in the process.


    "I am Uriithe, The Seventh Divine and the Lady of Wealth!" The Divine''s voice echoed across the battlefield. "I will not let out prosperous city fall in the hands of a Demon, corrupted by the fallen. You shall regret ever setting foot in our City of Chalk!"


    I would have laughed at her sudden show, but the sound of leathery wingbeats alerted me to a much greater danger.


    "Reinforcements are coming!" Asher shouted as he created a barrier above all of us. "Fighters, defend the spellcasters and Theresa!"


    Erik was the first to step forward as the flying Ereth soldiers came into view. They landed before the pillar, their ranks proper and their weapons ready. Uriithe stepped forward ¨C her somewhat messed up clothes had already been fixed and she had regained her Divine glow once more.


    "Kill the traitors, capture the demon and drive the Exiled One to where he came from!" She ordered, pointing at our group.


    "I am Fetheion, once the Thirteenth Divine, The Lord of Justice!" Fetheion''s bellowing voice surprised me. He stepped ahead and stood at the forefront of our forces, his gaze focused on Uriithe, who was standing behind her forces. "Baile Chailce shall fall today. By my hand, or that of mankind, or demonkin." He raised his hand, and his weapon took the form of a scythe, similar in shape to the once I once owned. "You wicked ways have continued on for long enough!"


    He raised his scythe ¨C it was a call for battle. And we replied with our own battle cry.


    Thunder echoed as lightning began to rain down on the battlefield. Fetheion led the charge as Erik followed right behind him. As their weapons clashed with that of the Ereth forces, I had already found my own sword.


    Without a moment of hesitation, I dashed ahead, through the enemy lines. My flames opened the path for me as the Ereth scattered with fear. I only had time for a quick glance, and I took that chance to look at how well Fetheion was fearing in battle against his own kin.


    He cut through them like a knife through butter. His expression twisted with anger and disgust, he didn''t show them any mercy at all. Relieved to see him doing well, I focused my gaze on Uriithe, who had just noticed that I had almost reached her once again.


    I leapt high into the air and brought my sword down on one of the Ereth soldiers protecting her. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed, and soon the Ereth''s painful wails joined it as my flames burned the soldier''s skin. He tried to push me back and escape, but I decided to end his pain instead.


    As he fell lifeless on the ground, still holding his slit throat, I focused my gaze on Uriithe.


    Hide behind your soldiers all you wish, I will still kill you!


    Her expression twisted with disgust and fear. She raised her hand as a barrier appeared around her. I ignored her and her protective barrier for now as I killed the few Ereth who hadn''t charged into battle. They had stayed near her in a rather futile attempt to protect her.


    Uriithe watched, unable to help them as I massacred them without pity. I had no sympathy for them, they had chosen to protect a wicked witch, they would pay for her sins.


    When the last Ereth soldier facing me fell, I finally turned my attention on the Crimson Witch.


    Your turn.


    I raised my hand, casting a spell I didn''t know I could cast. A dark shadow appeared behind me as a spear made of pure demonic power formed. I pointed at Uriithe as I whispered, Die!


    "No!" A voice I knew very well screamed as the spear came down upon the Crimson Witch. "Shield of the Divines, protect her!" Alina shouted.

 Chapter 265: Crimson Dawn (4)

    My blade stopped mid air as I beat my wings and put some distance between me and Uriithe. My gaze snapped towards the source of the voice ¨C the blonde priestess standing on the far side of the Plaza.


    Her white and golden dress fit her perfectly. Despite the wind tugging at her clothes and blowing her hair around, she looked near perfect ¨C just like a puppet of Uriithe would look like.


    "¡­Alina?" I heard Vincent mumble as the last of the Ereth soldiers was felled by Fetheion. The young man stumbled towards her, only to be stopped by Erik.


    "Is it true, Alina?" The young paladin asked, his voice heavy, his expression dark. "Were you the one who killed Kai?"


    The treacherous priestess tightened her grasp around her golden staff. "I killed a demon who had fallen to darkness!" She shouted, her voice echoing throughout the city. "The same demon who failed to save Samantha!"


    Vincent flinched. He glanced at me, only to see my flames flare up.


    Traitor!


    I could feel Dorith''s hate within me. He wanted me to kill Uriithe so badly that it was getting difficult to resist the urge to attack her without any reservations.


    But my hatred was now focused on someone else. A silhouette, moving from shadow to shadow, using the crimson lights of the dawning sun to stay out of sight. It took me less than a moment to locate it, and as soon as I did, I readied my sword and dashed towards it.


    The silhouette didn''t notice me at first ¨C not because I was being discreet, but because they thought them were completely hidden from view. When they realised that I was focused on them, it was already too late.


    I heard Joshua''s pained scream as my blade cut through cloth and flesh, spilling red blood everywhere. Holding his arm, the young man stumbled back, now fully visible. His face twisted with fear and agony as I raised my sword to kill him.


    "No!" Alina shouted once more. A barrier appeared around the young man, saving him from certain death. My blade hit the barrier, cracking it. I raised my blade again to shatter the barrier, but by the time I did so, the deep cut on the young man''s arm had already been healed.


    "That is enough, Fetheion!" Uriithe''s voice sounded. The smugness she had was gone, now I could hear the fear, the worry, the uncertainty in her voice. "Enough blood has been spilled today, let''s call this a draw."


    For a moment, I feared. I feared that Fetheion would accept her offer, that we would leave with nothing to show for.


    But the Exiled Divine simply laughed in her face. His nearly hysterical laugh sent a chill down my spine. "Funny, Uriithe. You die today, and with you, so does the Pillar of Baile Chailce."


    "I gave you a chance, Fetheion!" Uriithe shouted. I mana begin to gather around the both of them. A bright, golden light, mixed with a dark crimson around Uriithe, and sheer darkness around Fetheion.


    "Kai, stop it!" Alina shouted as I decided to leave the two Divines to their own battle, and once again focused on Joshua, who had gotten back up on his feet by now. His wounds were healed, and I could see his expression change from agony to disgust as he looked at me.


    "I should have made sure you stayed dead!" He shouted as he pulled two daggers seemingly out of thin air. I laughed in his face ¨C as if he could have done that.


    And I should have left you two to die long ago.


    His expression changed as he noticed I wasn''t really speaking in a conventional manner. Hearing my voice in his mind, his face turned pale.


    "You''re insane," He whispered as he readied his blades. "I''ll put you down!" He suddenly shouted with a maniacal expression.


    "Joshua, wait! You can''t take him on alone!" Alina''s nearly desperate shout wasn''t enough to phase me or stop Joshua.


    I was hungry for vengeance. Without a second of hesitation, I used Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe and struck the young man''s guard with no remorse.


    Surprised by my strength and speed, Joshua leapt back and disappeared into the shadows. I calmly watched him as he moved around me ¨C did he really think I could be fooled by such a simple, cheap trick?


    I waited for a moment, then allowed my flames to leap on him.


    His gaze focused on me, and our eyes met.


    "Fuck." He whispered. "You can see me, don''t you?" All blood was drawn from his face as he mumbled.


    I only showed him a wicked smile as my flames reached him.


    Alina shouted something, but the I could understand her over the sound of my roaring flames as they tried to engulf Joshua.


    "Kai, wait!" Someone grabbed my arm as a battle of magic between my flames and Alina''s protection raged around Joshua. I glanced to my left, at Vincent. "He''s my brother," He whispered. "Don''t kill him, please."


    For a moment, I didn''t reply. My cold gaze focused on his almost begging expression.


    "Please," He whispered again. I could tell he feared me ¨C it was obvious.


    I glanced at Joshua. Whatever smugness he carried was gone ¨C looked like he was about to faint.


    Hmph.


    I turned my back on him and focused my gaze on Fetheion and Uriithe.


    Their battle was not at all like mine was.


    There were no swords clashing, no spells flying around.


    They simply stood across the battlefield, their gazes locked. While it was probably unseen to others, I could see the battle raging between them. It was their auras ¨C the gold-crimson hue around Uriithe fought against the darkness that enveloped Fetheion.


    "Thanks," I heard Vincent whisper by my side.


    I raised my chin ¨C the flames of vengeance still burned within my heart, yet how could I look him in the eye, then kill his brother? If I did that, how would I be different than the demons?


    Mona and the others also approached me. In the meantime, my flames finally quelled around Joshua. I didn''t even look at him, I just shot a meaningful glance at Vincent, who immediately nodded. He knew that his own brother was his responsibility.


    "Josh," He said, approaching the young man. I watched them from the corner of my eye as Vincent reached out to his brother. "Please just-"


    My eyes widened as Vincent''s words were interrupted by a wordless gasp.


    As Joshua pulled the dagger from his brother''s stomach, Vincent fell to the ground with a thud.


    DIE!

 Chapter 266: Crimson Dawn (5)

    "Vincent!" Erik cried out as Joshua stepped back, away from the unmoving body of his own brother. Erik''s gaze focused on the young man. "You killed him! Your own brother, your flesh and blood!"


    "Who was ready to help a demon!" Joshua replied with a shout as he retreated into the shadows.


    I noticed Mona run to Vincent''s side, her healing magic getting to work, despite the young man being on the border of passing.


    "How can you say that?" Erik shouted at Joshua, as he grasped the hilt of his sword even tighter. "Come out, Joshua! Face us head on!"


    A coward such as him wouldn''t do such a thing.


    My voice sounded as my gaze focused on Joshua, who was trying to run towards Alina. I lowered my body momentarily, then leapt forward. For a moment, it seemed as if my body became my flames as at one moment I was standing by Vincent, and at next, I was in front of Joshua.


    "The hell?" The young murderer screamed in panic.


    I didn''t say anything. I didn''t give him a chance to redeem himself. A chance to explain, or at least regret.


    My blade flashed, and the lifeless body of Joshua fell to the ground.


    "No!" Alina''s scream echoed throughout the city. As I began walking towards the Crimson Witch Uriithe, the young priestess ran to the corpse of Joshua. She knelt my him, her magic enveloping them.


    I pierced his heart ¨C no man can survive that. You try in vain, Priestess of the Crimson Witch.


    "You did!" She cried out, her cheeks wet with tears. "You returned! You''re still alive, you survived!" I felt her healing magic fail over and over again as she tried to heal Joshua''s wound in vain. "How?" She cried.


    I didn''t respond. My gaze focused on the Crimson Witch, I stood at the edge of her and Fetheion''s battle.


    You will die today.


    I dashed forward, passing right by Uriithe and struck the Divine Pillar''s focal point. The crack of the focal crystal as it shattered into pieces sounded clearly, and Uriithe immediately turned her attention on me.


    "You little-"


    "Don''t look away now," Fetheion mocked her as he blasted her with a spell. Uriithe created a barrier just in time to protect herself, though that meant she couldn''t do anything against me.


    I ignored the Pillar''s golden light as it tried to push me away and struck the fourth focal point. A crimson tendril appeared from a crack in the ground ¨C Uriithe''s futile attempt to stop me. I cut it off with a swift strike, then struck the fifth crystal.


    "Damn you!" The Divine shouted as she decided to ignore Fetheion and almost threw herself on me. I stepped aside as she swung her spear made of light. "I won''t let you destroy our Pillar!"


    Even as she shouted, I had reached the sixth focal point. The satisfying crack sounded again as pale blue-silver barrier formed around me. It was Asher''s, I knew that. It had taken him some time, but he had finally pulled himself together enough to help me. I hurried to the seventh and final focal point ¨C once this was destroyed, the Ereth dominance would fail and Aelith and the Crimson witch would become mere mortals.


    I raised my sword and brought it down upon the crystal embedded in the Divine Pillar.


    A golden barrier appeared moments before my blade struck the crystal. As my blade bounced back, I nearly lost my balance and had to step back from the Pillar.


    "I won''t let you!" Alina hissed. Her hands were covered in blood ¨C Joshua''s blood. Still kneeling by his lifeless body, panting, she had used the last bits of her power to stop me. "I win!" She giggled, then that giggle turned into a maniacal laughter. Her eyes flashed golden, though all blood was drawn from her face.


    "What the hell is going on?" Asher asked. My heart still burning with revenge, my lips curled to form a wicked smile. I walked towards her as my black and purple flames spread across the plaza.


    You win?


    I laughed in her face.


    "I win!" She spoke as she laughed. "I win, I win, I win!"


    I glanced at the barrier. It was still there, despite her craze, she was still holding it up. She was still protecting the final focal point of the Divine Pillar. She was still in my way.


    No, you lost. You will die now.


    I raised my sword over my head. Once she was dead, the barrier would fall. Once the barrier had fallen, there would be nothing left to protect the final crystal from me. Once the crystal had been destroyed, the Ereth reign would end and I would have almost fulfilled my promise to the Demon Lord.


    Once all of that happened, we would be free. Free to return home.


    But right now, none of those were what guided my blood-stained blade. It was the burning flames of hatred, the thirst for blood and revenge.


    I brought my sword down upon her, and her echoing laugher finally stopped.


    The city was thrust into silence once more. All I could hear was the gentle wind that tugged at my clothes and low sobbing of Mona.


    I glanced at Vincent. He was no longer breathing. Mona had failed to save him.


    I had failed to protect him.


    We had failed.


    My slow, steady steps carried me to the Divine Pillar as the golden barrier that had formed over the final focal point slowly began to shatter.


    "No!" Uriithe swung her spear at me, but it was Fetheion who reacted in time to stop her.


    "I won''t let you stop him, Uriithe. It''s over!"


    "Traitor!" She shouted. Crimson tendrils appeared all around us, but my flames took care of them.


    It still wasn''t enough. The thirst for blood and revenge was still there, and it wasn''t any weaker. I reached the focal point and raised my sword.


    Bid your city farewell, Uriithe.


    "Bid your life farewell, Keeper."


    Something pierced my side.

 Chapter 267: Crimson Dawn (6)

    Pain took over my entire existence as my body returned to normal. The weaves of magic that empowered me broke, and I rolled down the stairs leading to the Divine Pillar.


    A golden light with a hint of cyan descended from the sky. The bright light then dimmed, revealing the Divine Matriarch.


    "Kai!" Mona''s scream was just short by the Divine''s words.


    "Kai Friseal ¨C I had thought you dead." Her gaze turned to Fetheion. "And I would say the same about you, Fallen One. I had never in my wildest dreams expected you to return to our glorious city." Her lips curled downwards. "Much less with such foul purpose."


    "Your purpose is the foul one, Matriarch Aelith," Fetheion''s power engulfed me ¨C I could feel the wound on my side slowly heal. "I have come here to right your wrongs."


    Aelith chuckled. As my wound finally finished healing, I pushed myself off the ground and stood up. She was as stunningly beautiful as always. Her near angelic voice didn''t bother my ears at all. I could feel the defences of my mind crumbling.


    "So, you take the side of the demons? Creatures of pleasure and darkness they are, nothing more." She raised her chin slightly and look up at the sky. "They would kill you in a heartbeat if they found no use for you anymore."


    Fetheion clenched his fists. He couldn''t rebuke her words because they weren''t entirely wrong.


    "That doesn''t give you the right to drive them from their homes." The Exiled Divine finally spoke. "Nor the right to kill their young." He furrowed his brows as he glanced at me. "Nothing can give you the right to kill a being as old as time itself."


    For the first time, Aelith seemed lost for words. She lowered her sight. Hey eyebrows fluttered as she blinked a couple of times.


    "Speak, Matriarch. You will not trick any of us!" Fetheion''s raised voice startled me. Had I just gotten lost in the Divine Matriarch''s beauty? I dug my nails into the skin of my palm to stay alert. The pain would keep my mind strong.


    "I did not kill the Keeper, my friend." She finally spoke. Her voice had no hint of grief or pain, but I could see that she was serious. Her previous smile was gone, and her posture had changed. "I wished to make a deal with him ¨C one hundred years of this world''s time in exchange of us, leaving in peace."


    Fetheion flinched. "How had I never heard of this?" He shouted.


    "I kept it secret ¨C the others wished to drain this world, not understanding the dangers of messing with such a being. I feared their interference, so the offer was delivered in secret, and so was the answer."


    My eyes wide, I listened. She wasn''t lying, I could tell. Old memories that didn''t belong to me threatened to resurface. I felt Dorith''s approval ¨C he knew of such talks then.


    "Yet, before the deal was finalised, the Keeper passed. Killed by someone, for he was one who could not die." Aelith''s expression darkened. "I thought of your sister first, but she was long gone, out of my reach, out of the reach of all."


    Fetheion nodded. "She is no longer relevant." He stroked his long, crimson braid. "It was not her."


    "Indeed." Aelith''s gaze focused on Uriithe, who had pulled herself together. Her hair was no longer a mess and she had drawn enough power from the Pillar to be almost at full strength once again. "I couldn''t find the culprit," Aelith continued. "The Keeper''s passing change things in our favour. We now had plenty of time before it was time to leave."


    Fetheion gritted his teeth. "You never bothered to find out who killed him." The Exiled Divine hissed.


    Aelith chuckled. "Why would I? The only danger we now face is the Demon Lord. His power is vast, but we will win, eventually." She smiled as she continued. "Even now, we have pushed their assault back ¨C now what will you do Fetheion?"


    I could feel her power slowly behind to gather around us. I could still remember how powerless and helpless I was when I first met her ¨C she had toyed with me without even breaking a sweat. While I was much stronger now than I was back then, I still felt equally weak when I stood against her.


    "Uriithe," I said suddenly as a thought flashed across my mind. The Crimson Witch glanced at me with a smug expression. Her composure had completely changed the moment Aelith arrived. "Would you care to share how the Keeper passed?" I knew I was taking a gamble, yet what other choice did I have?


    Aelith glanced at the Crimson Divine. Her expression twisted into one of wrath the moment their eyes met. "I see." She said as Uriithe took a few steps back.


    "Aelith, I-"


    "Or would you care to share how I passed?" I butted in. Chaos ¨C that was what I needed.


    "What are you doing?" Asher hissed. I hadn''t noticed him approach me at all. A quick glance behind me showed that with the exception of Erik and Mona, the others stood right behind us as well.


    "No idea." I replied with a grin. "Let''s see how this goes."


    Asher''s eyes widened as I heard the low chuckle of Fetheion. I glanced at the Divine, who nodded in approval.


    "What did you say?" Aelith''s gaze snapped back at me a moment later.


    I shrugged. "I died, you all know that." I pointed at Uriithe. "Guess who has a track record of killing the Keepers?"


    I could see all blood being drawn from Uriithe''s face. "Lies!" She shouted as she created a spear of light.


    "Are they?" Aelith''s voice echoed across the battlefield.


    "Is this actually working?" Lucius whispered. I shrugged, then stoked up the fires some more.


    "And did you know that my predecessor''s soul seems to be missing?"


    "Silence, filthy demon!" Uriithe hurled her spear at me. Fetheion was quick to shield us from harm.


    "Why such aggression, Uriithe?" He asked with a faint smile on his lips. "You look rather worked up if you ask me." He grinned. "Is there perhaps something you''d like to keep hidden?"


    "Silence!" The Crimson Witch shouted once more, the earth rumbled, and all hell broke loose as crimson tendrils burst out of the ground.

 Chapter 268: Crimson Dawn (7)

    "I will not hear such slander anymore!" Uriithe''s words were barely audible among our screams. As I leapt up into the air in an attempt to escape from the disgusting crimson tendrils, Asher cast a spell to lift everyone else up.


    "I do not remember granting you permission to attack them." Aelith spoke. Uriithe responded, but I couldn''t hear her voice over the chaos taking place all around us. I searched for my blade ¨C where had I dropped it when I took that hit from Aelith?


    "Kai, they can''t get away!" Asher shouted beside me, pointing at Theresa and the others. While his flight spell had begun lifting them up, the crimson tendrils Uriithe unleashed had almost reached them.


    I gritted my teeth. I had no time. I gave up on trying to find my sword and instead dashed forward with a powerful beat of my wings and my flames in hand.


    Before I could do anything worthwhile, a golden light flashed and the tendrils fell to the ground, lifeless.


    "Explain yourself Uriithe." Aelith''s voice sounded.


    My gaze snapped back at the two Divines. It wasn''t difficult to see who was in control ¨C the power that radiated from Aelith was on a different level. Uriithe, even in her anger, knew she couldn''t possibly defy the Divine Matriarch.


    "The Keeper conspired behind you ¨C plans to destroy Baile Chailce, plans to destroy our Pillars. Look," The Crimson Witch pointed at me. "Even in death, he continues to defy your will!"


    Aelith narrowed her eyes, yet she said nothing. Fetheion lightly squeezed my shoulder ¨C the chaos I had created was slowly being resolved. The moment Uriithe and Aelith had an agreement, our group was doomed.


    "Let us kill him once and for all ¨C take the soul of the child within and destroy the body ¨C he will never come back, and we will strive in this world!" Uriithe shouted, spreading her arms wide as if she tried to take the whole world into her embrace. "You know we can do it!" She hissed, her gaze not once leaving Aelith.


    The Divine Matriarch raised her chin. I could see it in her posture ¨C she liked that idea. She wanted to control the whole world, she wanted to kill the demons, she wanted to win it all.


    "I see," She spoke and the feeling of dread in my heart only grew stronger.


    "You will not succeed, Aelith." Fetheion raised his voice. "I will not let you succeed!" His darkness spread as I heard his whisper. "Uriithe is yours to kill."


    One moment, he was by my side. The next, he was far away, standing against Aelith.


    "You are a fool, Fetheion. A na?ve fool who thinks mere humans can stand against us." I flinched. There it was again ¨C human! How did she know¡­?


    I felt power gathering all around us and turned to face Uriithe. Even without Aelith interfering, this was going to be tough fight ¨C especially with Fetheion''s absence.


    "Asher," I spoke in a low voice. "Shield me."


    He nodded and cast his protective spells on me. As soon as I noticed the see-through barrier appear around me, I dashed forward. As I made my war to her over the broken and shattered ground, Uriithe raised her chin. A wicked smile on her face, she raised her arm and created several spears of light over her.


    "I''ve got it!" Laura shouted as the spears flew at me. A magical glyph appeared above me, shattering Uriithe''s spell. I glanced behind me only to see Alex and Lucius running right behind me, their blades in hand.


    I clenched my fists ¨C without my blade, I had very few options. One of which I''d rather save for Aelith.


    "Today is the day you die!" Uriithe shouted with all her might. The Divine Pillar let out a golden shine, then released a shockwave.


    Asher''s barrier protected all three of us from the Pillar''s attack, though it soon shattered ¨C despite his incredible strength, even Asher couldn''t win a battle of pure strength against something like a Divine Pillar.


    The ground shook as I neared the Crimson Witch. She raised both of her arms, drawing even more power from the Divine Pillar.


    "Kai!" Alex called my name as she reached my side. "Can''t you cut the connection she has with the Pillar? Like you did back at the mountain?"


    I couldn''t remember what she meant for a moment. As Asher cast a new spell to protect us from Uriithe''s spears, I hesitated. "Back at the torchlight woods!" Alex shouted.


    Then I remembered. "Ah!" I exclaimed right as Asher''s barrier broke. My flames rose just in time to cover me, Alex, and Lucius. "I can try." I said hesitantly. As the rumbling stopped, we dashed ahead one last time, clearing the remaining few dozen steps of distance between us and Uriithe within seconds.


    Alex and Lucius took point at the last moment. Alex leapt up and came crushing down on the Crimson Witch. Uriithe''s protective barrier remained intact, but not without at least some damage to it.


    "Out of my way!" She shouted as a golden light flashed in her hand.


    "Out of our way!" Lucius shouted back, completely unharmed. If I hadn''t noticed Rina''s spellcasting, I would have been as surprised as Uriithe was. Completely dumbfounded, the Divine staggered and stepped back, preparing another spell in her palms.


    "Come on¡­" I whispered as I took on Dorith''s form once more. My eyes flashed purple as I searched for the connection between Uriithe and the Divine Pillar, only to find a whole lot of nothing. My shoulders dropped ¨C Alex''s brilliant idea had gone down the drain, just like that.


    I gritted my teeth as I turned to look at the two of them fighting Uriithe. Even if that idea had been fruitless, we still had a battle fight. I raised my hand and created a spear of black and purple flames above my head.


    Uriithe swung her own spear, pushing Lucius and Alex back a few steps. She then glanced at me, and her eyes narrowed as our gazes met.


    And thus, our final battle began.

 Chapter 269: Crimson Dawn (8)

    "Fuck." I whispered as I leapt back. I still didn''t have a weapon ¨C I couldn''t hope to stand against Uriithe empty handed.


    Her eyes shone golden, with a hint of crimson mixed in. She seemed as if she''d been blinded by rage ¨C she saw nothing but me!


    Spears made of light appeared in the air. Her expression filled with pride as she hurled them at me. I blocked the first two with my magic, then evaded the third.


    "Got you!" She declared a fourth one appeared behind the third. My eyes widened ¨C I hadn''t noticed that one.


    A barrier made of crackling lightning appeared around me just before the spear hit my shoulder. I heard Asher''s grunts, casting so many defensive spells on me and the other two must have been taking its toll on him. I gritted my teeth as I avoided another one of Uriithe''s spears of light.


    "Hey, Crimson Witch!" Erik''s bellowing voice surprised me as much as it surprised Uriithe. Startled, she turned to face the Paladin who once fought under her command.


    Erik stepped forward, sword and shield in hand. His plate armour creaked and scraped as he walked towards the Divine.


    "How dare you speak to me as such?" Uriithe shouted, her voice echoed across the battlefield. She raised her hand and hurled the spears that aimed at me, towards Erik.


    "Look out!" I shouted in desperation. I couldn''t let him die ¨C I had failed enough people already! I dashed to him in hopes of making it in time, but he was too far away, and the broken, shattered ground slowed me down too much.


    The spears struck his raised tower shield. A loud clang, followed by the crackle of lightning sounded.


    "Now what?" The paladin asked as he lowered his shield, revealing his unscathed face. "Is that all you''re capable of, Crimson Witch?"


    My eyes wide, I stopped in my tracks. If I had taken that hit head on, even with my own protective spells, even when I was at full power, I would be severely wounded at best. Yet Erik had come out of that unscathed.


    "Is this weak Divine what my friends fought and died for?" He shouted once more. His voice trembled as he tightened his grip around the hilt of his blade. "Is it such a pathetic being that they gave their lives for?" He shouted.


    "You little rat!" Uriithe clenched her fists. More spears of light appeared around her while the glow of the Divine Pillar only became stronger. "I am going to make you pay for your insolence!" Her voice echoed across the city.


    My gaze shifted between Erik and Uriithe. Despite his incredible defence, the young paladin couldn''t hope to stand against a full-blown assault from the Divine. I glanced at Asher ¨C could he do something about this?


    The blonde sorcerer was barely standing. Beads of sweat had appeared in his forehead as his gaze was fixed on Erik. I felt his magic pass by me as he created a protective shield around the paladin.


    He coughed, then glanced at me. Seeing my expression, he shook his head. He was doing all he could do already. I couldn''t expect more of him.


    I gritted my teeth as Uriithe hurled her spears towards the young paladin. Now was my chance. Erik had to hold on just a bit longer.


    Fallen Grace enhanced my body and sped up my steps as I dashed towards Uriithe. Even without my sword, I could kill her if I caught her off guard. I think.


    She noticed me earlier than I hoped she would. Her eyes widened as I basically threw myself on her and puncher her face with my fist wreathed in black and purple flames. We rolled down the stairs leading up to the Divine Pillar as she struggled to get me off her.


    Yet, she couldn''t stop me from putting my hands around her neck and squeezing as hard as I could. As she fought for breath, I fought to survive the golden light emanating from the Divine Pillar. The smell of burnt skin covered the area as I tried to ignore the pain.


    "Kai, stop! You''ll kill yourself!" Erik shouted. I shook my head ¨C I had caught her, I couldn''t let go now. If only I had my sword with me. If only I still had a knife in my inventory.


    My claw like hands dug deeper into her skin as she fought for air.


    The ground rumbled as I felt something move underneath. She had been kicking me and clawing my arms off the entire time, but now it felt different.


    "Get¡­ off¡­ me!" She hissed with the last bit of air she had just before something wrapped itself around my neck and yanked me away. I fell on my back as the thing around my neck tightened.


    "Get off him!" Lucius shouted. He dashed towards me, sword in hand.


    "Such pathetic creatures!" Uriithe''s shout echoed in my mind as I heard Lucius grumble. A thud sounded. She must have thrown him away once more. I grabbed the thing around my neck ¨C it was a bit slimy and bulky. One of Uriithe''s crimson tendrils was what it was.


    Disgusted more than anything, I dug my claw like fingers into the tendril. The Divine flinched and I felt the tendril loosed just a bit. As soon as it did, I wrapped my fingers around it and allowed my flames to burst out of my palms.


    The Crimson witch shouted in surprise more than pain. I pried it off from around my neck and scrambled to get up as soon as I could, gasping for air.


    "That was close," I whispered to myself.


    Uriithe touched her own neck, then glanced at her bloody fingers. Her expression twisted. "You filthy demon ¨C you dare draw my blood!" She raised her chin as her expression turned into smugness. "I will wipe your kind off from the face of this world!" She declared.


    I narrowed my eyes. What was with the monologue?


    Something flashed before my eyes as the sound of wood crashing into something sounded. Then, I heard a scream.


    "Can you just SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

 Chapter 270: Crimson Dawn (9)

    Out of breath and panting, Mona tightened her grasp around her weapon. She didn''t give Uriithe a moment to pull herself back together ¨C she just raised her spear and hit the Crimson Witch in the face once more.


    Uriithe staggered and stumbled back, trying to put some distance between her and Mona. The druid, however, gave her no room to breathe, striking her with the wooden shaft of her spear over and over again.


    That is, until the Divine got a split second to call upon the power of the Divine Pillar.


    "Puny creature!" She shouted as she summoned a spear to hurl at Mona.


    "Shut up!" Mona shouted as she raised her spear again.


    That''s when I noticed the broken off end of her spear. Where the sharp end was supposed to be was just broken, splintered wood. I gritted my teeth, there was no way Uriithe would fall to that weapon.


    "Mona, look out!" Alex shouted as she swung her tail and wrapped it around the druid''s waist. She pulled Mona out of the way of the spear just in time, then put her on the ground beside herself. "You need to calm down!" She hissed, tightly holding the Druid''s shoulders. "You can''t-"


    Mona pushed her away, her gaze locked on Uriithe. She dashed forward, her body shifting in the process.


    What reached the Divine wasn''t the crimson haired, cheerful person, but a massive bear with claws as sharp as blades. Uriithe didn''t seem phased by Mona''s new appearance, though she did create a protective barrier around herself.


    Alex shouted something, then dashed behind Mona. Lucius didn''t hesitate either ¨C they knew just as well as I did that Mona couldn''t take down Uriithe on her own. No matter how hard she tried.


    The ground shook just as I was about to follow them into battle. I fell on one knee as my gaze turned towards the other battle that was going on, over at the other side of the Divine Pillar.


    It was impossible to see anything. All I could see was a darkness and light clashing. I couldn''t make out the details ¨C it almost seemed as if Aelith and Fetheion had become the light and darkness.


    I shook my head and focused on our battle instead. Uriithe had to go ¨C now. I dashed forward, passed by Alex who was the slowest of us and reached Uriithe just in time with Lucius.


    The young swordsman didn''t hesitate when he noticed me. He leapt ahead and struck Uriithe''s golden barrier with his blade. I followed with two claw strikes, leaving remnants of my black flames on the barrier. Then, Mona struck with her giant paws and roared in Uriithe''s face.


    I had to step back and cover my ears. Who knew a bear''s roar could be so loud?


    Lucius readied himself for another strike just as lightning crackled on his blade. A simple glance at Asher was more than enough to make sure it was him who cast the spell. Somewhat worried about him, I directed my attention on Uriithe once more.


    Lucius struck her barrier, finally causing some cracks to appear. As soon as I noticed them, I fed more power to my flames. The remnants on her barrier suddenly flared up, slowly consuming what protection her spell could offer.


    Mona, in her bear form, roared again and struck the barrier. The cracks that first appeared with Lucius'' strike widened and spread.


    "You filthy beast!" Uriithe shouted as a golden spear nearly struck Mona. It was Laura''s spells that kept her safe.


    "Mona, step back!" I shouted, noticing the other spears forming over Uriithe''s head. Her intention was clear ¨C she wanted Mona dead!


    The bear only roared in response and struck the Divine''s barrier once more. The cracks widened and then, the barrier shattered into pieces. Uriithe''s eyes widened. Her face twisted with hatred, disgust and perhaps even some fear.


    I dashed ahead and tackled her once more, in hopes of stopping her from hurling those spears at Mona. My claws dug into her skin as she shouted something.


    A bright light and a shockwave emanated from her, sending all of us flying. I beat my wings and regained my balance in the air, though I could quite say the same about the others.


    "Mona!" Laura shouted as she ran to the druid''s side. I glanced that way, then dread spread through my chest. The druid had returned to her normal self, though she wasn''t moving at all.


    "She''s just unconscious." Asher called out. "Focus on the battle, Kai, Alex, Lucius!" Our gazes met, and the determination in his eyes gave me what little confidence it could. I beat my wings and dashed forward once more.


    An arrow fly by past me and grazed Uriithe''s arm. The Crimson witch flinched, her gaze focused on someone on the other side of the plaza ¨C Theresa. Her lips curled downwards as her expression changed into pity. She raised her chin, intending to speak.


    I kicked her in the face, and we rolled on the ground.


    "You-" She began speaking as her tendrils formed all around us.


    "I''m done with you!" I hissed as I swung my claws, wreathed in black and purple flames.


    I felt her warm blood on my hand as she cried out in pain. She had raised her arm to protect her neck. I narrowed my eyes and raised my hand again.


    Before I could try anything, her tendrils wrapped themselves around my wrist. My eyes widened as Uriithe''s expression changed to one of victory. "Farewell, Last Keeper!" She hissed as a blade made of light appeared in her hand.


    No, I couldn''t die now! My left palm itched as I tried to free my right hand. The Demon Lord''s words echoed in my mind as I hesitated for a split second. I had no other choice, did I?


    No.


    Power erupted from my left palm as the sky seemed to darken despite the newly rising sun. My fingers grasped the hilt that formed in my hand, and I swung the blade of darkness and malice.

 Chapter 271: Crimson Dawn (10)

    An otherworldly shriek sounded as I swung the ethereal blade.


    I felt little to no resistance as it dug into Uriithe''s heart. The Crimson Witch''s expression froze in horror for a moment before her eyes lost their glimmer, and her lifeless body fell to the ground.


    For a moment, all I could hear was silence, and the distant shriek that echoed in my mind. I looked at the blade in my hand ¨C it was bound to me, given by the Demon Lord himself, it was a part of his power. His malice. His darkness.


    A single strike that Uriithe couldn''t stop. Just like that, the Crimson Witch had died.


    My blank gaze focused on the Divine Pillar. It was time to end this.


    "No!" Someone shouted. Aelith''s power lashed out at me, but I dissolved her spell with a single swing of the ethereal blade.


    I could feel it taking its toll on me already. I could feel my world growing ever bleaker. My slow steps carried me to the Pillar as Aelith tried to stop me in vain. She ignored Fetheion completely as she dashed towards me.


    Yet, the exiled divine wouldn''t let her go so easily. His power enveloped them, forcing Aelith to face him if she wished to keep her life. I heard her cussing from within Fetheion''s darkness.


    I turned my gaze on the Divine Pillar once more as I felt something ¨C a coldness that only continued to grow within my heart.


    "Kai ¨C you need to hurry!" Fetheion shouted. "Uriithe''s soul is about to leave her body ¨C you can''t let her drag the souls she stole back to the homeland!" I could hear the desperation in his voice. "Or they are all lost forever!"


    His words meant little to me until he mentioned that word. ''The Keeper''. I absentmindedly raised my blade over the seventh and final focal point of the Pillar.


    "Stop! You don''t know what you''re doing!" Aelith cried out. Her voice echoed throughout the city as she ignored Fetheion and ran to me. She cried in pain as Fetheion didn''t hesitate to hurl his spells at her, yet she persevered, focused only on me. "Stop, you need to stop!"


    I brought the blade down upon the final crystal.


    I felt the Pillar resist under the weight of my blade. It was almost as if it were alive. Light gathered between my blade and the crystal and for a split second, it seemed as if it would be my blade that was would break, not the crystal.


    Then, a crack sounded, and with it, the golden light that seemed ever present in Baile Chailce slowly dissipated.


    "No!" Aelith reached me a split second too late. She pushed me away from the shattered crystal and knelt by it. "You will suffer for what you have done!" She hissed as her eyes, filled with hatred, met with mine.


    A golden light shone from one of the buildings as the Divine Pillar''s light began to fade. It shot up to the sky and disappeared in the darkness. Then, another one. Many more followed ¨C they reminded me of fireworks somewhat.


    "They''re leaving, Aelith." Fetheion spoke as the interval between the lights began to lengthen. "It''s over. You lost this one."


    The Divine Matriarch glared at Fetheion. "You will pay for this, all of you will pay for this!" She hissed as she stood up. Blood dripped from her numerous wounds. She looked just as beat up as the rest of us. "This not over!" A golden light engulfed her body and lifted her in the air.


    I could feel her hateful gaze on me, all the way until she also shot up in the air and disappeared.


    I turned my gaze back on the ground, it felt so empty now. I felt so¡­ weird.


    I felt a coldness in my chest, ever growing. When I raised my eyes, I noticed them. The souls that began seeping out of Uriithe''s body. One by one, they floated towards me.


    "What''s going on?" I heard Rina''s silent question.


    "The souls Uriithe stole from him are returning." Fetheion''s words rang in my ears. Right, these souls were mine once. They resided within me, gave me power. Now they were returning, but what for? We hadn''t found the Keeper''s soul.


    "Is it there?" Fetheion asked as the souls continued to stream into my chest. I stared at him blankly ¨C since when did he seem so pale?


    "Kai?" He asked again, his brows furrowed. He stepped back and looked at me with worry in his eyes. That worry turned into panic as his gaze fell on the blade I still held onto. "Let go of that power, Kai." He spoke quickly.


    I glanced at it. Why? Why would I?


    "Kai, please." He said, his voice was soft, yet I could hear a hint of urgency. "That''s not a power you need anymore."


    That made sense. The battle was over ¨C I didn''t need to kill anyone else. I looked at my hand as I slowly released my grasp on the hilt of the blade made of darkness and malice.


    It began falling to the ground before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. I felt the power return to my palm as colour returned to the world.


    I blinked a few times.


    "What happened?" I mumbled as I looked around. The transformation of Soul''s Aspect ended as I released whatever magic I was still holding onto. My gaze swept the bloody, broken up battlefield.


    It lingered on the lifeless bodies of the Kestler brothers. I felt a knot form in my throat.


    "I''m sorry," Fetheion spoke in a low voice. "I couldn''t save them."


    I glanced at Alina''s body. My work ¨C I had killed her. And I had felt nothing when I did so.


    Then, I noticed Mona. Unmoving, she lay on the ground not too far away from here. My eyes widened ¨C was she¡­ No, no I refused to believe that.


    Laura and Theresa weren''t crying. She must have been knocked unconscious ¨C she couldn''t be dead!


    "Mona¡­?" I asked as fear gripped my heart.


    "Unconscious, she''ll be fine." It was Asher who spoke. I glanced at him, then faintly smiled. "You look terrible."


    He laughed and pushed his bloody hair away from his face. "You don''t look too different I''d say."


    "The Keeper''s Soul." Fetheion interrupted us. "Kai ¨C you need to find it."


    I flinched. "Right." My gaze turned to Uriithe''s body. "There''s that."


    I walked up to her and knelt besides her. The stream of souls that left her body to come back to me hadn''t ended yet ¨C I wondered, how did she use their power? Wasn''t it only the Keeper of Souls who was supposed to be able to do this?


    My gaze fell on the wound in her chest ¨C the very spot I pierced her heart. Something was off about it.


    Was that a crystal embedded in there? I narrowed my eyes as sunlight reflected off of something in there. That was where the souls poured out of. A crystal! Then¡­


    My gaze fell on her ring. Simple, golden band with a tiny crystal embedded in it.


    Could that be it?


    I removed the ring under the confused looks of everyone. "Give me a sword or a knife or something."


    Lucius gave me his sword without hesitation. I put the ring on the ground, then raised the sword and brought it down upon the crystal embedded in it.


    A blast of cold air blew my hair back as dread covered my heart. My eyes wide, I couldn''t do anything but look upon the soul that emerged.


    "Welcome back, Keeper."

 Chapter 272: A New Dawn

    I watched in awe as a soul both bright and dark at the same time emerged from the broken ring. I held by breath as it flew towards me nonchalantly. Was this it? Had I succeeded?


    As soon as the soul touched my body, I felt something yank my consciousness away. I felt dizzy for a moment as my vision darkened. Once I could see again, I was staring at my own body. From the outside.


    The body that once belonged to me moved without any input from me. He looked at his hands, then gently pushed a strand of loose hair aside. His gaze slowly turned on the destroyed Divine Pillar, then at Fetheion.


    "Thank you, old friend." He spoke softly, a faint smile on his lips. "It''s been such a long time, yet you persevered."


    Fetheion''s eyes glittered as he smiled. He placed his hand on his heard and bowed his head. "I''m humbled by your words."


    The Keeper then turned to glance at Asher and the others. The players, who seemed frozen in shock and fear and confusion.


    "Kai?" Whispered Erik, unsure of what was going on. The Keeper shook his head. "No, his soul is with us still, I he is no longer in control of this body." He glanced at me, and I couldn''t help but feel fear.


    Those purple eyes I had seen in the mirror so many times seemed so much more different now. They saw my soul ¨C literally.


    "What does that mean?" Asher asked, gathering his courage.


    "It means it is time to go home." Fetheion chimed in. "Thank you ¨C all of you for what you''ve done. I will not forget it, none of us will." He glanced at the Keeper. "Can you send them back?"


    My predecessor nodded. "There are many foreign souls who do not belong in this world." He closed his eyes as he raised his head. "It is indeed time for them to return to where they belong."


    As soon as he finished his words, his magic spread through the plaza.


    "No, wait!" Asher shouted just before the wave of magic touched him. His body collapsed on the ground as his soul vanished just like that. Theresa and Alex were next. Then, Lucius collapsed. One by one, everyone fell, their souls disappearing and their bodies, lifeless.


    I felt something tugging at me as his magic spread through me as well. Was that home? I tried to reach to it, but something stopped me.


    "I''m sorry," I heard his voice. Startled, I looked back at him, only to see him point at an ethereal tether. "There is little I can do about this," He spoke as he gently tugged the tether. One side was bound to him, and the other¡­ Well, I could feel the tugging in my heart.


    "What is this?" I asked. My voice was silent, yet somehow, he seemed to understand.


    "Your soul has fused with many others ¨C it cannot be separated from them so simply." He touched his own heart. "No one should have been tasked with the inheritance I left behind." He glanced at Fetheion. "You shouldn''t have done this, Fetheion."


    The Exiled Divine looked away. "This world needed you to live once more,"


    "I know." He sighed, then glanced at me again. "He is changed forever."


    "They all are!" Fetheion shouted as he gestured towards the lifeless bodies my friends once inherited. "They won''t forget the war, death, and misery they saw here. They won''t forget the blood on their hands, nor the lives they failed to save!"


    I flinched as I heard Fetheion''s words. He wasn''t wrong, not by a long shot, but hearing those words still hurt. We were scarred forever, no matter how fake this world was.


    "That is not what I meant." The Keeper''s slightly raised tone of voice was enough to send Fetheion into silence. It was clear as day ¨C he feared my predecessor.


    "What is it?" I asked, gathering my courage. "How am I changed forever?"


    The keeper shook his head. "No mortal should ever gaze beyond life," He spoke quietly. "And no mortal should have to bear the burden of the dead." He stepped closer and placed his hand on my forehead. "Farewell is what I''d like to tell you Kai Friseal," He showed a faint, bitter smile. "But I fear that is too optimistic. Take care and forget about us."


    I noticed a hint of magic at the tip of his finger. My eyes widened just before my consciousness faded into nothing.


    My eyelids felt heavy. I could feel something pressing down on my head. I wanted to open my eyes, but I didn''t feel like I had the strength to do so.


    What had happened? My memories were all jumbled up ¨C I remembered the fight, the power I used to kill the Crimson Witch and the destruction of the Divine Pillar, but the rest was hidden beyond a thick layer of fog.


    I faintly remembered a smile and words of parting.


    What had happened? Where was I?


    I tried to open my eyes once more, and this time, I succeeded.


    I looked at the white ceiling with a blank expression. A faint noise sounded from outside, like something large was being moved.


    I took a deep breath, then immediately regretted it. My throat was dry, and something was pressing down on my neck.


    I heard some muffled voices and footsteps, but I couldn''t quite make out the words. I lifted my hand, only to feel an unfamiliar weight around my wrist, and a sting on the back of my hand.


    I ignored the slight pain and raised my hand before my face.


    My eyes widened as soon as I saw the source of that weight.


    On the back of my mind was an IV drip. A drop of blood ran down my hand as I clearly hurt the skin around the needle with all my movements. Around my wrist, however, was a metal band, about as thick as my index finger and as wide as my palm. While most of the band was made of a shiny metal, some darker shades were still present.


    I glared at the device in disbelief as I whispered.


    "PORTAL¡­?"

 Chapter 273: Interlude - Lights of the City (1)

    A lot happened in a very short amount of time after I woke up.


    It didn''t take long for the United Nations'' agents to fill my room. I was given some water and allowed only a few minutes of rest before they asked me to retell the entirety of the time I spent within PORTAL''s world.


    Naturally, I couldn''t talk more than a handful of words before my throat hurt and coughing fits shook by body. As it became apparent that I wasn''t as healthy as before, I was moved to a hospital.


    Why they hadn''t done this before, while I was still unconscious was beyond me. As we left Erik''s mansion in an ambulance, I caught a glimpse of some construction being done at their large garden facing the front of the house. That must have been the noise I heard as soon as I woke up.


    Agents, who I later learned weren''t simple police officers, never left my side as doctors did their tests. I was given several different drugs, leaving my mind and body in a mess. I even suspected a truth serum of some kind was among them, as moments after the doctors left, the agents began questioning me again.


    I told them of what transpired, but not before warning them of the memory losses I constantly suffered from within the game.


    How much of what I told them they believed, I wasn''t sure. If their cold gazes and harsh voices were any indication, I''d say not much.


    Only that night, long after dusk did I get some time for myself. Only then did the cold gazes finally leave as the nurses nearly kicked them out of my room.


    And only then did I try to stand up from my hospital and fell on the ground immediately.


    Everything was wrong. My height was wrong, my sight was wrong, my strength was wrong.


    I somehow pulled myself back on the bed, and took the small mirror on the desk to look at myself for the first time since¡­ I don''t know. Since before I was trapped in PORTAL''s virtual world.


    Blue eyes, fiery crimson hair, and pale skin. That was me alright. The me I remembered.


    Though now my hair was messy and way too long, my eyes had lost their glimmer and my skin was nowhere near healthy ¨C was more grey than just pale.


    I looked thin and unhealthy. I was thin and unhealthy. My body had lost the muscles I had built over the years. I clenched my hand into a fist and punched the pillow.


    I had become something weak and pitiful.


    But I was alive. I had survived till the very end of that nightmarish game. Muscles could be rebuilt, strength could be gained anew. I was alive, with my mind still somewhat sane.


    I fell asleep soon after, with a heavy heart as the memories of those who hadn''t survived were fresh in my mind.


    "Wake up." A harsh, cold voice woke me up with the first says of sunlight. A man in a suit and a woman in fancy clothing were the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.


    "John Whittaker," The man said with the same cold, emotionless voice. "I''m an inspector from the United Nations council." He offered his hand, which I took after I pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    "Veronica Mueller." The woman introduced herself. "I''m his boss," She glanced at Inspector John. "And the person whose job is to clean up OTHERWORLD''s mess." She sighed. "I heard the men they sent yesterday already took your statement and were¡­ less than kind about it."


    I hesitated. "Well-" My dry throat protested at my speech and the ensuing coughing fit didn''t help at all either.


    "I think we can take that as yes, they were not kind at all." Inspector John''s voice sounded. He sighed and I felt him tap on my shoulder as he gave me a glass of water.


    "Thanks," I mumbled after I finished drinking it and my throat allowed me to speak again. "Sorry you had to see that." I cleared my throat and placed the glass on the nightstand. "And to answer your question: no, they were not kind at all."


    Miss Mueller seemed a bit surprised, but Inspector John was quick to try and change the subject. "Our apologies about that. I know it''s the last thing you want to hear right now, but would you mind answering a few questions right now?"


    I sighed. "Can I even say no?"


    They glanced at each other. "I thought so," I said with a shrug. "Ask away, I guess." I gestured him to continue.


    Inspector John seemed hesitant for a moment.


    "Thank you." He said, taking a deep breath. "The agents have already taken your statement on the events that transpired during the time you were trapped within the PORTAL device. What we would like to know is what transpired before that." He glanced at his boss, who nodded lightly.


    "What do you want to know?" I asked, my eyes slightly narrowed.


    "First of all ¨C and excuse me for saying this ¨C your financial situation seemed rather¡­ inadequate to be able to afford to join the testing of the PORTAL device. Prior to this incident, you also lacked the connections to OTHERWORLD to get a chance to try the device." He made a vague gesture. "You''re a martial artist ¨C the youngest of your uh¡­ clan?" He asked, clearly somewhat confused.


    I chuckled. "We''re not a clan." What was he thinking even suggesting that? "My family own and runs the training hall of our martial arts style." I chose my words in a way that would make sense to him. "Several other families joined as time passed, which is how we came to be in our current state." I raised my eyebrows. "Though, I don''t really see how that is relevant to PORTAL."


    Miss Mueller sighed. "Then I will be blunt."


    "Please," I said, glaring at her. I was already sick and tired of the endless questioning.


    "I don''t see how you are, or were, relevant to PORTAL at all. How did you become a part of the testing group and why were you at the CEO''s house?"

 Chapter 274: Interlude - Lights of the City (2)

    "Thank you." Miss Mueller said once I finished my long and somewhat exhausting explanation. She lifted her head from her tablet, clearly having finished writing everything down and looked at me. "We will give you some time to eat and recover, then our legal department will pay you a visit."


    I sighed. "When can I go home?" I asked. "Or at least phone them?" I couldn''t care less about their legal department or questioning right now. I needed to hear Aoife''s voice and I had to talk to Mother.


    "Not yet, I''m afraid." Miss Mueller sighed, she was clearly somewhat troubled. "We are keeping your¡­ situation under wraps for the moment," She added. My eyes widened. Why would they even need to do such a thing?


    "We believe Logan Gallagher and his¡­" She hesitated. "Let''s just say that most players'' safety may be in jeopardy."


    I furrowed my brows. "You think this Logan Gallagher person wants to hurt us. Who is he?"


    Inspector John almost choked on his glass of water. "You don''t know the CEO of OTHERWORLD?"


    "Ah." I mumbled. "Well, I only met him once and I wasn''t given a name or anything." My gaze wandered as I thought how weird that was.


    "I see." He mumbled. "Anyways, as we''ve already said ¨C we would like to make sure all who had any relation to the PORTAL project and how it turned out are detained before releasing any information about the released players." He stood up, then helped Miss Mueller up as well. "I will return shortly to fill you in more, but please excuse me for now."


    They left soon after, leaving me alone and tired once more. Soon the nurses brought me some breakfast, though the taste was bland, and I wasn''t allowed to eat much anyways. I was taken in for some more tests, an MRI, scans¡­ the whole package, basically.


    Then, once I was brought back to my room, I was met by none other than Inspector John Whittaker.


    "Hello, again." He smiled awkwardly as the nurses helped me up from the wheelchair and onto the bed. He averted his eyes as that simple motion left me panting.


    "Pathetic, right?" I said with a wry smile. "It will take some time to regain my old strength."


    He seemed surprised. "You''re¡­ optimistic?"


    I chuckled. "Well, yes. I survived, didn''t I? I consider myself lucky if anything." My smile disappeared. "Not everyone made it till the end."


    His gaze widened. "What do you mean?"


    I shot him a surprised glance. "Some people died in the game. And as far as we knew, there was no such thing as a respawn mechanic. Once you''re dead, that''s it." I furrowed my brows. "Are¡­" I forced myself to not get my hopes up. "Are they alive?"


    Inspector John tapped on the surface of his tablet. "Give me names."


    I hesitated. "Vincent Kestler and Joshua Kestler. Alina Rodeux, Samantha Saunders." I hesitated. "There was a player named Alex. Her younger sister, Amy."


    "Four of the six people your group consisted of died within the game?" Inspector John asked, his eyes wide.


    "They did. Can you check if they are really dead? Please?" I couldn''t help it ¨C hope was budding within me. What if Vincent hadn''t died? What if Samantha was alive? What if Alex didn''t need to grieve for her sister anymore?


    Inspector John nodded as he typed the names. A while passed in silence as I leaned forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the screen.


    "It''s hard to say." He finally spoke. He glanced at me with a bitter expression. "The two Kestlers and Alina Rodeux are alive, but they remained unconscious despite being freed from the PORTAL device. Samantha Saunders¡­" he hesitated. "She is also alive, but has suffered from severe brain damage. She¡­" he looked away. "She has total amnesia."


    I felt like someone had just stabbed me in the heart.


    "As for this Amy. There is only one person with that name. She is alive, she has no memories of the events within the game though, and is suffering from some other, trauma related issues. But she remembers who she is, can speak normally and she is with her sister."


    I breathed a sigh of relief. "I''m glad." I whispered as I put my forehead against my knees and hugged my legs. "I''m glad Alex can be with her again¡­"


    Inspector John was clearly hesitant. He gave me some time to recompose myself, then spoke. "If you don''t mind, can you explain how every single one of these people died?"


    I flinched.


    "Yeah." I said as I fiddled with my now long hair.


    "I wasn''t there when Amy died." My voice was low. I still remembered that day vividly. "But I saw the aftermath. The village she, her sister and two others were staying in was attacked by rampaging beasts. The present Ereth forces weren''t enough to hold the beasts back, so Alex and Rina ¨C the two adults ¨C had to step in. Amy died while those two fought." I hesitated. "It was bloody and¡­ violent. Her body was¡­" I shook my head. "I''d rather not go into detail."


    Inspector John seemed understanding enough ¨C he nodded. "You can talk about the others. As long as I get a general idea, it''s enough for now."


    I nodded. "Samantha died in battle. An enchanted crossbow bolt pierced her heart. She died immediately ¨C there was nothing we could do." I clenched my fists. I still regretted not being fast enough that day.


    "Who fired the bolt?"


    "I don''t know who they were ¨C a group of players working for one of the Divines."


    "What about the other three?"


    I hesitated. How was I going to tell him of the carnage that took place on our last hours in the game?


    "Vincent died to a blade to his chest, I think. I¡­ he died not long after. Our healer wasn''t able to save him."


    "Who wielded the blade?" He asked, seeing my hesitation.


    "Joshua Kestler." I finally spoke. "This was less than an hour before the game ended."


    Inspector John''s face turned white. "He killed his own brother?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded.


    "Alright," He took a deep breath as he wrote my words down. "What about Joshua? How did he die?"


    I looked him dead in the eye. "A blade through his throat." My voice was cold as stone and seething with anger. "And before that, flames. Same for Alina ¨C a blade through her heart. She died immediately."


    "Who wielded the blades?" He asked, his eyes wide.


    I raised my chin. "I did."

 Chapter 275: Interlude - Lights of the City (3)

    All blood drained from his face as he leapt out of his chair.


    "You ¨C what?"


    I lowered my gaze to my hands. "I couldn''t forgive them after everything they did." I spoke in a low voice. "Don''t get me wrong," I glanced at the alarmed inspector. "I didn''t enjoy it or anything." My gaze lingered on his right hand. "You don''t need your gun, Inspector."


    He flinched. "Why did you kill them?" He asked, his previously friendly demeanour had disappeared. In his eyes, I was nothing but a criminal now.


    "Joshua killed Vincent. I¡­" I shook my head. "Well, I was angry and afraid. We had been fighting since dusk, all of us. We were all tired, but Joshua and Alina had just arrived. They were still fresh ¨C at the peak of their power, especially as their patron Divine was present." I sighed. "I feared Joshua would kill the others too, so I¡­ killed him." I glanced at the shocked man. "As for Alina." I shrugged. "She was the only thing standing between freedom and us."


    He tilted his head. "How so?"


    And thus, I had to explain the whole deal with the Divine Pillars, Aelith, Demons and all of that. By the time I was done, Inspector John seemed more confused than anything.


    "Right¡­" He mumbled after I was done. "I''d be lying if I said I followed any of that."


    I chuckled. "Even I''m having some trouble wrapping my head around all of it."


    He nodded. "So, in short." He took a deep breath. "You killed Joshua to protect the other players present," I nodded. "And you killed Alina to be able to destroy this¡­ Divine Pillar and free everyone." I nodded again.


    He sighed as he pressed his palm against his forehead. "I see." He glanced out of the window. "I will see if what you said matches with what the other conscious players say." He made a vague gesture. "If everything matches, then you''ll be sent home fairly soon. If it doesn''t¡­" He hesitated.


    "I get it." I sighed. "Asher. Speak to him. He knows almost everything that I do."


    He wrote the name down. "Alright, I''ll do just that." He stepped towards the door. "Try to get some rest, unfortunately, tomorrow will be just as busy as today."


    "Why am I not surprised?" I mumbled as he shut the door behind him.


    I laid back down on my back and sighed. Soon, a nurse came with a bland dinner that felt like it didn''t even fill half of my stomach. Yet, I silently finished it and breathed a sigh of relief when she left.


    I knew that this wasn''t just any hospital ¨C I hadn''t seen any other patients here. These nurses weren''t just normal people either. If I had to guess, I''d say I was in one of the United Nations'' facilities.


    I sighed and hugged my knees as I glanced out the window. The stars weren''t even visible because of the lights of the city. I missed them already ¨C even if they were unfamiliar stars, I loved watching them before falling asleep.


    I shook my head. No, I couldn''t let myself to that. I couldn''t let myself miss a virtual world.


    Instead, I searched deeper inside my memory for the times when uncle Eion would take me and Aoife stargazing. Those were real stars, just as beautiful as those in the game, if not more so. I soon fell asleep, with a bitter smile on my face.


    "Hey!" Someone shook me by my shoulders. I woke up, startled and out of breath. My eyes wide, I looked at the figure standing in my hospital room.


    "What-" I began shouting in a panic, but a familiar voice quickly spoke in an attempt to calm me down.


    "It''s us," She said as the other figure that I hadn''t noticed until now turned on the lights. I covered my eyes as the bright light blinded me momentarily.


    Miss Veronica Mueller seemed startled for a moment as she glared at me. "Kai?" She spoke softly. "Are you alright?"


    I nodded, though I was aware I looked nothing like ''ok''. Panting, I reached for a glass of water.


    "You were moaning and shaking." Inspector John spoke. "We thought it best to wake you up."


    I shook my head. "Just a nightmare." I mumbled with a sour face. I could still taste the blood and smell the smoke. And feel the pain. "I''m fine."


    They glanced at each other. "If you say so." Miss Mueller said with a sigh.


    "Wait ¨C what time is it?" I asked my eyes finally adjusted to the bright light.


    "Five in the morning." Inspector John glanced at the watch on his wrist.


    "What the hell are you two even doing in my room in five in the morning?" I cried out in shock. "You do realise how creepy that is, right?"


    Miss Mueller chuckled while Inspector John flinched. "Uh ¨C please don''t misunderstand." He scrambled to explain. "We don''t-"


    "Ah, he''s not suspecting you of anything like that, John." Miss Veronica laughed. "To answer your question ¨C we were called here because another patient woke up a few hours ago. We only came to your room because we heard you in passing." Her expression changed as soon as she noticed my eyes widen.


    "Who woke up?" I asked in a hurry. Was it Vincent?


    She looked away. "A young boy. He¡­" She took a deep breath. "He passed away just a few minutes ago."


    I drew a sharp breath. "Passed¡­?" I whispered in shock. "Why ¨C how?" My eyes darted between Inspector John and Miss Mueller. "What happened?"


    She raised her hands, indicating she had no clue. "I wish we knew. The present doctor claimed it to be heart failure. Perhaps the strain PORTAL placed on such a young body was simply too much."


    I lowered my gaze. "Amy¡­ is she still alive?" I asked. She was young too. I couldn''t imagine Alex''s pain is she lost her little sister all over again.


    Inspector John nodded. "Yes, she is perfectly fine. Except for the memory loss."


    I glanced at him. "It''s probably for the best." I hugged my knees as I wished for the memories of that nightmare to fade away. "No young child should remember what death feels like."

 Chapter 276: Interlude - Lights of the City (4)

    The next few days passed in a similar manner to the previous one. Doctors would come, take my blood or have me undergo some scans. Then, agents would arrive and have me repeat my story over and over again.


    In the end, I became convinced of one thing: They suspected me of something. I wasn''t sure what their suspicion was, or how they had come to that conclusion, but after retelling my story over and over again to a handful of different people over little more than a week, I was now sure.


    Though, being sure of that didn''t really help me at all ¨C I was still stuck here in this hospital.


    "Good morning," A familiar voice sounded as glared at the ceiling with a bored expression. It was once again, none other than Inspector John. And of course, his boss tagged along as always.


    "More like afternoon." I sighed.


    Miss Mueller chuckled. "That is true." She pulled one o the two chairs in the room close to my bed and made herself comfortable. "So¡­" She said, looking at me with a slightly more serious expression. "The test results finally came in. All of them."


    My ears perked up. I pushed myself up to a sitting position as I focused my attention on her.


    "You are physically fine." She said as she tapped on her tablet. "Too fine, in fact." She added after a moment of hesitation. "Your muscle structure is naturally very weak, and your strength is diminished, but your heart, lungs and liver are all fine."


    I breathed a sigh of relief. "I''m glad." I couldn''t help but smile.


    "Wow, he finally smiled for real." Inspector John said with a grin. Miss Mueller laughed. "That is true, and it makes me happy." She glanced at the tablet again. "But hold your horses."


    My smile disappeared. "Is something else wrong?"


    She fiddled with her ear-length black hair. "Well¡­ I''m not sure. The brain scans and everything else did turn up an abnormality," She glanced at me. "But none of the doctors can tell what it means. As far as we know, it''s not harmful to you, so you probably don''t need to worry too much about it." She glanced at the door. "I will have one of the doctors with the proper expertise explain it to you in more detail later."


    I nodded. "I''d appreciate that." Her words had put a damper on my mood. What could this ''abnormality'' even mean?


    "Aside from that," Inspector John spoke. "We do have some more good news."


    My ears perked up. Had someone woken up?


    "All parties we were looking for have been detained and are being questioned as we speak." Seeing my empty gaze, he continued. "That means we can arrange for your return home sooner than we expected."


    My eyes widened. "I can go home?" I asked in shock as a smile began to spread through my face. "Really?"


    Miss Mueller smiled, but her voice didn''t quite have the same enthusiasm as mine as she spoke. "Not immediately of course, but in less than a week, I assure you." She glanced at her tablet. "Now, there are some complications, naturally."


    My heart sank. A week was a long time and those ''complications'' didn''t help me feel any better either.


    It soon turned out, however, that those complications were all related to the legal process that had been going on this whole time. After being asked to show up in court when called upon, Miss Mueller went on and on about how and why they were charging the people who caused this incident in the first place.


    My knowledge about legal affairs was limited already, so most of her words meant nothing to me, though hearing that the PORTAL project was shut down for good did make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sweet revenge was all I could think.


    Miss Mueller left in the evening, leaving Inspector John behind. The tall, tired man sighed and glanced out the window. "Your family will be notified tomorrow in the morning. We will arrange your transportation to there."


    "Thanks," I mumbled. I couldn''t help but be excited about going home. I had missed the green fields and starry skies. And home. God I''d missed home.


    "I''ll leave you to it then," Inspector John said as a nurse came inside with my dinner in hand. "Enjoy your meal."


    I chuckled and thanked him. The food was bland as always, but at the very least, I felt somewhat full. It didn''t take me long to fall asleep, despite only listening to Miss Mueller, the day had been quite exhausting.


    My sleep was plagued with nightmares. Scenes of battle, screams of agony, the smell of blood and smoke, the taste of death.


    I woke up, panting and sweaty. I don''t know how many times ¨C enough to make me feel more tired than the day before.


    I climbed out of the bed with the first rays of sunlight and washed my face. Looking at the mirror, I almost laughed. I looked like a dead man ¨C black circles around my eyes, a pale face, and a dead gaze.


    After breakfast, Inspector John dropped by as usual.


    "You look awful." Were the first words he said as soon as he stepped inside the room. I shot him an annoyed glare. I didn''t need him to remind me of that.


    "Oof, someone is grumpy today." He mumbled, averting his gaze and sighing. "Noted."


    "Please," I said, shaking my head. "I didn''t get a wink of sleep." I glanced at the rather thick binder in his hand. "What''s going on?"


    He placed the binder on the nightstand and pulled a chair closer. "Stuff you have to sign. But we can take of that later. Why didn''t you get any sleep? You have to tell us if anything feels off." His gaze focused on me as I shook my head. "Kai, we need to know everything." He insisted. "What''s wrong?"


    "Everything!" I finally spoke. "Everything feels off!"

 Chapter 277: Interlude - Lights of the City (5)

    Inspector John seemed more confused than anything, but he was kind enough put aside his tablet and lean back. "Tell me." He said with a firm tone.


    I clenched my fists. How could I explain it to him in a way that would make sense?


    "I¡­" I glanced at my hands. "I was tall. Much taller than I am now. Taller than you, even. I was nimble and fast, strong and¡­" I shook my head with a sigh.


    "Your body was different." Inspector John spoke.


    I nodded. "Yes, and now everything feels off because of it." I looked at him, my eyes wide. "Even the way I see feels wrong!" I made a vague gesture. "Everything is blurry compared to how I saw before."


    Inspector John raised his eyebrows. "How do you mean?"


    I shook my head. "It''s not going to make any sense to you." I said with a sigh.


    "Why don''t you try explaining it to me first?" Inspector John asked. "Give me an example."


    I shrugged. "I could see in the dark?" I said with a grin. "I could feel my surroundings, I would know you were coming here before you even stepped foot in the building." I glanced at him. "Did it make any sense now?"


    Inspector John hesitated. "Well¡­ No." His shoulders dropped.


    "Why are you so worried?" I asked as I thought popped into my mind. He shot me a surprised glance. "What do you mean?"


    I shrugged. "Well¡­ All you needed to do was to have me sign those papers, right? Why do you even care about anything more?"


    He furrowed his brows. "I see a troubled young man here, Kai. Someone clearly battling his own demons. Why should I not care?" He lightly squeezed my shoulders. "I don''t know what you went through in OTHERWORLD''s game but remember that life isn''t just battles."


    I sighed. He wasn''t wrong, life truly wasn''t just battles, not for most people at least. Unfortunately, though, it was and always had been so for me.


    "Wait." I said as another thought suddenly popped into my mind, unprompted. "What the hell? How do you not know what I''ve been through?" I looked him dead in the eye. "I spent an entire week retelling everything in as much detail as possible!" I cried out.


    John''s eyes widened. "I¡­ uh¡­" He mumbled, scrambling to find something to say.


    "Didn''t you read what the other agents gave you?" I asked with disbelief in my voice.


    "No, no that''s not it." He shook his head with dropped shoulders. "They haven''t finished fact-checking and compiling what you said, so I haven''t even gotten a glance at your story."


    I opened my mouth, then closed it in disbelief.


    "Bureaucracy, you know¡­" Inspector John mumbled. "The larger the organisation, the slower things happen."


    I couldn''t help it as I laughed. I hoped he didn''t take it personally, then smiled. "It doesn''t get any larger than the United Nations. I mean, we''re talking about the planet''s government here."


    John nodded. "Well, yeah." He sighed. "So, I really don''t know what you went through except for what you told me and Veronica personally." He glanced at his watch. "I do regret this, but I''m running out of time." He said apologetically.


    "It''s fine, I have to sign those, right?"


    He nodded as he gave me the stack of documents he just took out of the binder. "I''ll give you the copies so you can read them in detail, but the gist of the situation is this: By signing these, you''re agreeing to aid The United Nations in the investigation into OTHERWORLD, PORTAL and all related incidents in any and all possible ways." He took a deep breath before continuing.


    "That means coming to trials as witnesses, allowing further medical inspection if deemed necessary and all other forms of cooperation."


    I furrowed my brows. "That''s¡­ Quite a high order. Why is this so¡­ how should I put it¡­" I mumbled. Was binding the right word?


    "The order came from the top. The very top." He pressed every word. "I''m hoping it''s just for formality''s sake, but¡­"


    "I understand." I said with a sigh. The United Nations was covering all of their bases. They probably considered people trapped in OTHERWORLD''s game as unstable, and they wanted to have a legal means to keep us in check. "It''s fine. What else?"


    "In return," Inspector John continued with a sigh. "All PORTAL and OTHERWORLD related medical costs, travel costs, housing and security will be handled by the United Nations'' relevant divisions."


    I nodded. "Alright." I said with a sigh. "I don''t think not signing this even a choice."


    John shot me an apologetic glance. "Well¡­ Let''s just say things wouldn''t go very smoothly." He said with a hesitant tone.


    "I thought as much." I said with a sigh. "Alright, I''ll sign them."


    He seemed somewhat surprised, but he gave me a pen regardless. "Here you go."


    Some time later, Inspector John left with his newly signed documents. He seemed no happier than I was. And I was quite unhappy.


    As I signed them, I hadn''t neglected reading over them, though not in too much detail. To say I disliked the terms was an understatement. The documents were as binding as any document could get. It gave them plenty of authority over me, and from what I could see, there was no time limitation. Theoretically, I could be called upon to testify or something fifty years from now.


    Once he left, I sighed and looked out the window. I did feel somewhat on edge because of the documents I had signed. Knowing my luck, this was probably going to plague my life for a while.


    "Damn it." I whispered. What would have happened if I hadn''t signed them? From Inspector John''s words, I could hazard a guess, and it was by no means a pleasant guess.


    No one wanted to get on the United Nations'' wrong side. They controlled the world ¨C their word was the law.


    I hugged my knees. Why did this situation feel so familiar?

 Chapter 278: Interlude - Lights of the City (6)

    "Why am I not even allowed to speak with him?" I asked in shock as the nameless agents stood at my door.


    "Sir," The one who had just explained to me that I was not allowed to be in contact with Erik spoke with a firm voice. "As it has been explained to you before, Erik Gallagher currently under investigation. No recovered players are allowed to be in contact with him."


    I clenched my fists. "He suffered from the same things as us!" I protested. "He''s my friend, at least let me talk to him for a short while!"


    "And that is precisely why you cannot be in contact with him." The Agent spoke in a flat tone. "Please do not insist any further."


    I gritted my teeth. It made no sense! "Fine," I hissed. "Then at least let me contact my other friends."


    The agent''s expression didn''t change one bit. "I''m afraid you will have to wait until they have been cleared of any suspicion as well."


    "Suspicion? What?" I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. Did the authorities genuinely suspect people like Mona, Laura, or Theresa? I''d understand if they wanted to question Asher a bit more, given his previous employment and his expertise on Dive systems, but thinking a florist had anything to do with the incident was beyond ridiculous.


    I was ready to defend them when the door suddenly swung open, interrupting my thought process and startling the agents.


    "Alright boys," Veronica Mueller spoke as she shooed them away. "Go back to your work, you''re done here."


    "Yes, ma''am." One of the agents spoke. Without even glancing at me, they left.


    "You look like you''re about to explode with anger." Miss Mueller said as she pulled a chair. "Were you about to shout at them?"


    I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Probably." I admitted. "I was planning on telling them how ridiculous they were being, but then you came." I glanced at her empty hands. There were no documents to sign. Why was she here? "How can I be of assistance?" I asked after a moment.


    She chuckled. "Oh, no. You''ve helped plenty enough. I''m here to let you know that we''ve completed the arrangements." A genuine smile appeared on her lips. "You''re going home tomorrow on a private flight. Naturally, we will ask you to be available if we require your assistance, but at least you won''t be stuck in a hospital room for much longer."


    My eyes widened. "I can go home?" I asked, my voice brimming with hope. "Really?" She nodded, and I lay down on my back and covered my eyes with my hands. "Finally." I whispered with a lump in my throat.


    "Try to get some sleep tonight." Miss Mueller spoke. "I know it''s not easy with all those nightmares, but it would be best if you were well rested. The journey will be exhausting enough for you."


    I nodded. I could still not walk for more than a couple of minutes before my knees and legs wanted to give out. I hadn''t even tried running yet ¨C that would be a fast way to hurt myself. "I''ll do just that."


    "We will return your phone, clothes and everything else that was on you or belonged to you at the time you activated PORTAL tomorrow, after we land in Ireland." She tapped on the nightstand with her fingers as she continued. "Do expect regular visits from our division though."


    I shrugged. "That''s fine." Unlike what most would think when they saw the settlement we lived in, we usually welcomed visitors. In fact, our training hall was considered one of the tourist attractions. I knew that Mother or the others wouldn''t mind too much.


    "Is it?" Miss Mueller seemed somewhat surprised.


    "We''re not some ancient sect with many secrets to hide, Miss Mueller." I chuckled. "We even have a caf¨¦, so you are also always welcome."


    "Ah. Um, I''ll¡­ take you up on that offer¡­ Sometime." She hesitantly replied. "Anyways," She quickly changed the subject. "We''ll leave first thing in the morning tomorrow, so try to sleep early."


    "I will." I said, a faint smile still lingering on my lips. "Thank you."


    With her work done, she left the room. As the door closed behind her, I couldn''t help but feel excited. I was looking forward to going home. To see the green lands and the clear skies. To breathe the cool ocean air and taste the salt in the wind.


    I waited till the next day, impatience growing in my heart.


    Inspector John shouted something, but I couldn''t hear him over the rattle and noise of the chopper. He shouted something again, but I just shrugged and shook my head. It was too loud. His shoulders dropped after a moment, and I directed my attention outside.


    The cliffy silhouette of my home was slowly entering our view. It didn''t take us long to arrive at the helipad.


    As the noise of the chopper died down, Inspector John opened the door and gestured me to climb down.


    I motioned to jump, but my weak legs quickly reminded me of how weakened I still was. Instead, I accepted help from one of the agents who came with us.


    "So," Inspector John said as he jumped down and breathed in the cool ocean air. "I haven''t breathed such clean air in a while." He mumbled.


    I laughed as I took slow steps towards the edge of the helipad. Standing under the unmoving rotor still felt like a horrible idea. "We''re not too far from town," I mumbled as I looked around. I knew this place, though I had never come this close to this particular building. "I didn''t know the United Nations owned this building."


    Inspector john chuckled. "Most people don''t. It''s usually empty ¨C just the guard at the door and the couple of people who come in for work once in a blue moon." He helped me down the steep stairs of the helipad as we walked inside. "And we never really use the place since this is such a calm place." He glanced at me. "Seriously, when was the last time anything happened here?"


    I shrugged. "There was a theft a couple years ago. And the earthquake before that caused some disorder." I hesitated, then laughed. Compared to London, this place was heaven.


    Inspector John just shook his head. It was clear that he was having trouble believing me.


    "Let''s get you home."

 Chapter 279: The Warmth of Home (1)

    As I walked up the path leading to our training hall, I could help as my eyes watered a bit. It didn''t take long for the buildings to enter our view through the treeline.


    The Training Hall, or, as most martial artists call it, our dojo, was not just a single building. It was a rather large complex of buildings.


    The Main hall towered above all else. Its intricate architecture was quite unique, with black marble statues on all corners and a general dark coloured aesthetic. The buildings around it were all connected to one another. They formed a large ring, with a spacious courtyard in the centre.


    A tall, sturdy wall encircled all of this, allowing passage through only the large, fancy front gate.


    "This is where you live?" Inspector John asked in shock. "It''s like a small castle!" He exhaled in shock.


    I chuckled as we walked up to the open gates. "You''re exaggerating." It was quite different ¨C and smaller ¨C than a castle. I could tell, I had been in a real one before.


    "I really don''t think I am¡­" He mumbled as we passed through the gates.


    I stopped listening to him as I stopped to gather my breath.


    "Kai!" A voice I had longed to hear for so long shouted. As a girl ¨C no, a young woman, four years older than me, ran towards me, my legs nearly gave out from all the strain.


    "Aoife," I whispered as my beautiful, strong, caring sister caught me. She hugged me, almost crushing my ribs, and leaving me breathless. Normally, I would have been trying to push her away, but now¡­ God, I had missed her.


    "You''re ok!" She whispered with teary eyes as she slowly let go of me. "You''re¡­" Her smile shattered as she noticed how unhealthy I looked. She looked all over me. "You''re so thin," She said, her voice showing her sadness. "You shouldn''t stand outside, you''re going to collapse!" She glanced at Inspector John.


    He was kind enough to wait outside the gate, giving us more than enough space.


    "Please," She said with a kind smile. "Come inside, it wouldn''t do to keep you standing either." Her gaze once again turned towards me. "Come on, Kai." She urged me to follow her.


    I noticed a few familiar faces as we walked inside. Aoife led us straight to the comfortable living room. "Sit down, I''ll get you something to drink." She helped me to the couch, then hesitated. "Water." She decided, then glanced at Inspector John. "Would you like something, Agent?"


    "It''s John." He spoke. "And no, thank you. I wouldn''t want to inconvenience you."


    Aoife just nodded, then ran off to the kitchen to get me some water.


    "She is your sister?" Inspector John asked. "You two don''t look too much alike."


    I nodded. "She is. Aoife was adopted into the family three years before I was born. She''s four years my senior." Before I could tell anything more, Aoife had returned.


    "Here," She gave me a large glass of cool water, then sat beside me on the couch and directed her gaze towards Inspector John. I could see it in her stiff movements ¨C he was making her nervous.


    "Miss Aoife," Inspector John spoke hesitantly. "I can see that Kai will be in good hands here. I wouldn''t want to intrude any further, but before I go, please take this." He gave her his business card. "If there is anything wrong," He shot me a meaningful glance. "Even the slightest abnormality, please don''t hesitate to call. I and my colleagues will do everything in our power to help."


    Aoife nodded. "Thank you."


    "In that case, I will be taking my leave." Inspector John got up on his feet. "Kai," He said before heading towards the door. "Remember ¨C you have to answer the summons if they ever happen."


    I nodded. "I know, don''t worry."


    He bid farewell to me and Aoife, then left. Aoife watched him until he left through the front gate, and only then did she breathe out a sigh of relief.


    "You don''t need to be so on edge around him." I said with a light smile. She chuckled. "You know how I am around strangers."


    She hesitated for a moment, then came closer and sat on the couch, beside me. "Kai¡­" She whispered as she held my hands. Her warm touch reminded me of how cold I was. "You need plenty of rest. You need to recover ¨C you''re so thin and pale and¡­" She stopped. "Why don''t we get you to your room?" She asked. "It''s warmer there."


    I nodded. "That would be nice." I smiled. Aoife helped me up. We walked through the long hall, then climbed the stairs leading up. My room was on the third and highest floor. In fact, it was the only room on that floor.


    The familiar creaking of the wooden stairs brought a smile to my face.


    "I remember trying to sneak down in the middle of the night. Mother would always hear the creaking." Aoife laughed at my words. "I remember that too, she would always scold you for not getting any proper rest."


    I missed those days. The simple, easy days. Sure, they also had their fair share of hardships, but nothing like what I had gone through in recent times.


    "I cleaned your room," Aoife said as we arrived at the top of the stairs. The wooden door with intricate carvings on it was right before me. I hesitantly reached for the handle. "It''s untouched otherwise." She added.


    "Thanks." I opened the door.


    My room ¨C the attic ¨C had a sloped ceiling since the roof was right above us. The room itself was spacious. My bed was under one of the two windows. The only other wall tall enough was lined with bookshelves, carefully arranged to be around the large, circular window.


    The floor was covered with a thick, soft carpet. There was a single chair and a small desk, and a sword was hanging from its wall rack.


    "I missed this place," I stepped ahead and looked out of the window. The one by my bed was facing the sea. I could see the green hills rolling down all the way to the cliffy seaside. And then, a blue infinity stretched to the horizon.


    The other window faced the opposite direction. Looking out from there, I could see the nearby settlements, the path leading up to our home, even the distant city''s silhouette.


    "Why don''t you change into something more comfortable?" Aoife asked. "I''ll bring you some hot chocolate and some snacks. I''ll also let the others know that you''re back."


    "That''s a good idea." I mumbled. Aoife hurried to the door as soon as the words left my mouth. "Aoife," I said, making her stop in her tracks. "Where is Mother?"


    My sister looked away. "In the dojo. I think something urgent came up that she needed to take care of."


    "Right. Thanks."


    Aoife left. As the door closed, I couldn''t help but feel¡­ odd. Something urgent. Yes, that must have been it. She would have come to see me otherwise. Of course she would have.

 Chapter 280: The Warmth of Home (2)

    Hours later, after Aoife left me to rest and I lay down on my bed, I heard the creaking of stairs. The door swung open as I lifted my head off the pillow, only to see a someone I hadn''t seen in a while.


    "Mother," I mumbled, surprised.


    "Welcome back, Kai." She said with an emotionless expression.


    I pushed myself off my bed and got back up on my feet.


    She was exactly as I remembered her. A long, crimson braid, fair skin, bright blue eyes just like mine. She stepped closer and ruffled my hair. "You need a haircut," She said.


    "Yeah¡­" I mumbled. She fiddled with my hair a tad longer before stepping back. "What happened in the Dojo?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. Why had she waited for so long before coming to see me?


    She sighed. "Someone was being an idiot." She waved her hand dismissively. "Don''t worry about any of that. You''ve weakened considerably, get some rest, and eat well. Then you will start training your body."


    My eyes widened. "There''s no way I can hold a sword, I can''t train like I used to." I made a vague gesture. "It will take a lot of time, Mother."


    She nodded. "I know. You will walk, at first. Then, you will run. Then, you will work even harder. Eventually, you''ll be your old self again." She smiled, for the first time since I had returned. "You''ve always been quick to heal, Kai. You might be surprised by how quickly you recover."


    She left after saying those words. After some thought, I decided to do as she said and headed to bed. As the soft sunlight shined one me through the partially closed curtains, I fell into a restless sleep.


    The passage of time seemed to slow as I slowly began to regain my strength. At first, I would only walk around the outer wall, taking plenty of breaks along the way. Then, I began taking fewer  and fewer breaks, until I didn''t need any.


    Days passed without incident ¨C the phone Inspector John had given me never rang. Yet, with each passing day, I grew more and more restless. Only a short time was left before I would stand before the elders and talk about everything that happened.


    According to Aoife, Lucius had already done so before leaving for his cousin''s home. He had retold them his side of the story. For some reason, knowing that he had left to recover made me feel worse. His cousin was a doctor, so I knew he was in good hands while with her, but I still felt somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it was because I never got the chance to speak with him.


    About two weeks later, when I could finally walk around without needing any assistance, the time to stand before the elders came. It was Mother who came to my room and told me they were waiting, yet it was my sister who walked with me as we headed to one of the smaller buildings.


    "You seem really nervous." Aoife said as we stood before the sturdy wooden door. "Lucius was too." She added after a moment''s hesitation.


    I shrugged. "The last time I stood in that room I was deemed inadequate. Of course I''m nervous."


    Aoife flinched. She had probably forgotten about that whole debacle. It was for the best. We didn''t need to remember those times, not now at least. I took a deep breath. "It will probably take a while, so you should head back."


    My sister shrugged. "Don''t worry about what I do, just go and tell them your story." She smiled and shuffled my hair. "Then we''ll try and cut all this." She fiddled with my way too long hair.


    I laughed, then focused my gaze on the door. As I pushed the door open, the warm air blew on my face.


    I stepped inside and closed the door.


    "Welcome, Kai Friseal." An elderly man spoke. It was quite dark inside, I could hardly see.


    I slightly bowed my head as a few more figures slowly stepped up.


    "Kai," Mother''s voice sounded. "Have a seat," Her voice was cold and distant, as if I were a stranger to her. I gulped ¨C I hated this. Of all our unusual or outdated customs, this was the only one I truly hated.


    Yet, I did as she said and sat on the soft cushions of the couch.


    "Please," The man spoke again. "Tell us of what happened."


    I nodded. My eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat. I still couldn''t see the people themselves, since they sat behind a semi translucent curtain, but I could see the inside of the room now.


    The floorboards were made from a dark coloured wood. The walls were wooden as well, though they were lined with paintings. I was sitting on a couch, with my back turned to the entrance, facing the curtain behind which the elders stood.


    Between the curtain and my couch, there was a low table. A stick of incense was slowly burning. I took a deep breath ¨C it smelled of hyacinth.


    "I met Erik Gallagher at college." I began talking. "He was kind, and fun. A good person who invited me to hang out with his friends¡­"


    I talked, not knowing how long it would take to tell this long, painful story. I told them everything, of Vixia, of the Soul Keeper, of my nightmares¡­ Of how Alina and Joshua betrayed us. I wasn''t even halfway done when the incense stick burned out.


    Towards the end, it became harder to speak. The chaos of those few final days was difficult to put into words. Yet, I tried, and hoped it would be enough.


    Only when it came to the very end did I hesitate.


    "We freed the Keeper of Souls," I said before falling silent momentarily. "And I think that was what allowed us all to return. To¡­ wake up."


    I didn''t tell them of what the Keeper told me moments before sending me home.

 Chapter 281: The Warmth of Home (3)

    "How did it go?" Aoife asked as we sat outside the only caf¨¦ in the area.


    "Exhausting," I said, then took a sip out of my drink. "But well, I think." Seeing her smile, I couldn''t help but smile as well.


    "I should get going, I have a match in less than an hour." She said as she pushed herself up. She hesitated for a moment. "Hey¡­ do want to come watch?" She asked after a moment.


    "Sure, I''d love that." I said as I forced a smile.


    "Great!" She clapped her hands. "I''ll go and get ready!" She dashed away.


    I sighed after a moment. It wasn''t that I didn''t want to watch her, of course I did. But right now, all this would do was remind me of how I was incapable of taking my sword in hand right now, of how weak I still was.


    I didn''t linger here for long. Since Aoife''s match was in less than an hour, it would be best to wait in the hall, not here.


    I headed there, hoping not to come across her opponent. I''d rather sit and watch from the shadows ¨C I wished to avoid the pity of strangers.


    Thankfully, I didn''t come across anyone but the usual residents. The place where such matches took place was a rather large hall ¨C the bottom floor of our home. With a nearly four meters high ceiling, it was the largest indoor space we had.


    One side of the hall was lined with rows of wooden benches. This was where spectators would sit. The floor was smooth wood. Perfectly clean, yet not slippery at all.


    I walked to the back of the seats and sat down, leaning my back to the wall. I had fought here many times ¨C both for training, and for official matches. In fact, our training was mostly done here, unless Mother decided to go outside to the woods right by the outer wall.


    I sighed, despite the hardships of our style, and of being a martial artist in general, I still loved it. And now, not being able to hold a sword and fight on the floor right there hurt more than I imagined it would.


    I didn''t have to wait for long before the match started. Aoife and another girl about her age soon entered the hall, along with a handful of other spectators. I glanced around to see Mother as the spectators chose their seats, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    I furrowed my brows. Mother would never miss one of Aoife''s matches. Ever.


    Aoife seemed to have noticed her absence as well. She seemed surprised, lost even. She looked at the seats in a panicked state, and only calmed down slightly as our gazes met. I smiled and nodded. Even if Mother couldn''t make it for some reason, Aoife always had me.


    The two combatants stood across the hall, facing each other. My sister''s opponent was the first to assume her combat stance. She lowered her body and extended her palm towards my sister. Her right hand, holding her sword, was hidden behind her body.


    I nodded slightly. Judging from her stance and movements, she was a competent fighter. But my sister was nothing to scoff at either.


    Aoife stood tall, her back straight and her left hand behind her back. Her left foot behind her right foot, facing sideways, she raised her chin as she held her sword parallel to her body in a salute.


    "Begin!" Shouted a disciple ¨C was the one who would start the match and stop it if he deemed things got too dangerous. A judge, so to speak.


    Before Aoife could even make a move, her opponent dashed towards her. With a wide, rather choreographed swing, she attempted to hit my sister''s shoulder.


    I couldn''t help but smile. It was a good attempt ¨C any other person wouldn''t have had the flexibility to escape that swing with such ease. Yet, this was Aoife we were talking about. She took half a step back and fell on one knee, allowing the wooden sword to harmlessly pass over her head.


    Aoife''s opponent nearly lost her balance as she missed my sister. Her eyes widened, she quickly tried to step back. A mistake most people did against Aoife.


    My sister didn''t give her opponent even a moment to breathe. As soon as the wooden sword passed over her head, she leapt up and forward, following her opponent'' steps. She swung her own blade without hesitation, forcing the other girl to defend.


    My smile widened as I watched her utterly overpower the girl. Aoife''s relentless strikes were too fast for her opponent. The other girl barely blocked her flurry of attacks before losing her balance. As soon as Aoife saw that, she didn''t hesitate to put her sword against the girl''s throat.


    "Aoife Friseal wins!" The disciple who started the match shouted. "That was a spectacular match from both sides," He added as the small audience clapped. I clapped as well, though I didn''t think that match had anything spectacular about it.


    The audience slowly began to disperse as Aoife and her opponent chatted for a bit. I also got up and approached the front row of seats. The other girl was quite skilled as well, but she wasn''t a match for Aoife. Though, there were few who could match her in the first place.


    "Kai!" Aoife called my name as soon as she noticed me standing by the front row of seats. "Emilia, this is my brother, Kai." She said as she dragged the girl towards me. Emilia seemed more surprised by Aoife''s actions than anything, though her eyes widened as soon as she looked at me.


    "Hello," I said hesitantly. "That was a good match, you were both great."


    Emilia forced a smile. "Thank you, though I hardly had a chance against your sister," She glanced at Aoife. "You''re insane Aoife."


    My sister chuckled as I just shook my head.


    "I knew there was another young Friseal," Emilia suddenly spoke. "Though I was told he was also a practitioner. I was actually hoping to challenge him to a match as well," She looked me over. "But I guess I was mistaken."

 Chapter 282: The Warmth of Home (4)

    I flinched.


    "No, I''m afraid that won''t be possible at the time." I said with a cold voice. "I would love to accept that challenge in the future though." I bowed my head slightly. "If you''ll excuse me," I turned my back and left with hasty steps.


    "Kai?" Aoife called my name, but I ignored her.


    I headed straight outside, to the trees surrounding the outer wall. A place to relax, a place to clear my mind. That was what I needed right now.


    I walked among the trees as I forced myself to calm down.


    Emilia''s words hurt more than I thought they would. Despite my failings and inadequacy, I had always prided myself on working as hard as I could and being the best version of myself. As much as I could, anyways. Sure, I was rarely successful, but I always tried my hardest. And if anything, I could accept any challenge thrown at me because I knew that it would help me grow as a person and as a martial artist.


    But now, all of that had changed. My body was weakened to such a degree that I had to start from naught. My mind was so filled with chaotic memories that I had trouble knowing what was what from time to time. For the first time in my life, I was incapable of growing from the challenge put before me.


    "What are you doing here?" Mother''s voice sounded.


    Startled, I looked directly at her as she walked out of the bushes. "What are you doing here?" I asked. She was the last person I expected to see in these woods.


    "Answering my question with another question is one thing, Kai." She said with a sigh. "But repeating the exact same sentence is a bit much, don''t you think?"


    "Uh," I mumbled. "I was just surprised to see you here." I couldn''t help but smile for a moment. "I was just taking a walk." I added, noticing I still hadn''t answered her question. "What about you?"


    "I had some business to attend to." She spoke in a cold voice. I glanced around. "¡­In the woods?" I asked.


    She glared at me. "Why aren''t you at your sister''s match?"


    I rolled my eyes. "She already beat the girl. With ease."


    A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Good." She said as she turned towards the entrance. "Don''t be late for dinner." She said before leaving.


    I stayed behind as I pondered. What business could she have in the woods? She had never missed one of Aoife''s matches before. With furrowed brows, I decided to look around the woods, though I knew she would probably not approve.


    I headed towards the way she came from, looking at the ground, following what little tracks she left behind of the moist earth. A short while passed before I stepped out of the woods.


    "Ah," I mumbled to myself as the ocean stretched far to the horizon. I hesitantly stepped forward and lowered myself onto a large rock. I was on top of one of the higher cliffs of the island. This was one of Mother''s favourite places ¨C she loved watching the seemingly endless ocean from here.


    I watched the waters below for a while as the wind tugged on my hair and clothes. I raised my hands a little, let the wind push me forward.


    A while later, as the sun began to set, I returned home. It was difficult to put into words, but looking down at the ocean and the rocks¡­ It was a grounding experience. Despite everything I had been through in the recent past, right here and now, I was nothing but a normal person.


    The skies were not mine anymore.


    "So," Aoife said, putting her glass down. "What''s troubling you?"


    I glanced at her. "Nothing?" I mumbled. "What makes you think that?"


    Mother''s cold voice quickly cut off Aoife who was about to speak. "Because its all over your face, Kai. You''re a poor liar."


    I looked away. "Ah¡­ It''s nothing." I finally said as they continued to glare at me. "I haven''t been sleeping well, so my mind is a mess. The¡­ uh, game stuff doesn''t help either."


    Aoife''s expression softened. "Kai¡­" She looked away.


    "What game stuff?" Mother asked, continuing to glare.


    I sighed. "I already told you today, Mother." I rolled my eyes. "Too many memories, so things are getting jumbled up." I dismissively waved my hand. "I''ll be fine, I just need a little time to process all of it." Or so I hoped, though I didn''t really believe my own words either.


    Mother raised her chin as she spoke with a sharp voice. "What you need to do is pull yourself together. How long are you going to wail in your own misery before you touch a blade again?"


    "Mother!" Aoife got up, hitting the table. "That''s too far and you know it!" She shouted.


    "Silence." Mother''s voice startled me. I had never seen her speak to Aoife like this before. "Kai. Do you wish to prove the elders right?"


    I flinched. ''Inadequate'', huh?


    "Excuse me," I said as I pushed my chair back and got up.


    "Kai, wait!" Aoife motioned to follow me, but Mother''s sharp voice stopped her.


    "Leave him be, Aoife." She spoke. I shut the door behind me as I left, but even as I walked in the hall, I could hear Mother''s words. "He is broken, let''s see if he can fix himself."


    I clenched my fists. That was not what I needed right now, Mother. I needed support and time. Not harsh words and¡­ whatever this was.


    I climbed up the stairs and shut the door of my room behind me with anger. The sound of the door closing echoed throughout the building as I stood there, not knowing what to do.


    Straight across from me was a photo on the wall. Uncle Eion was showing me a branch of the burnt tree.


    "You can do anything, huh?" I mumbled as I glanced at my hands. Could these weak muscles really do anything?


    My gaze turned on the sword, still on its wall rack.


    The only way to find out was trying, wasn''t it?

 Chapter 283: Regrowth (1)

    Sweat ran down my back as my weak muscles threatened to give up. I clenched my teeth as I held my form.


    A week had passed since I had last spoken with Mother. She and Aoife had left the next day for a far away competition, leaving me mostly alone in the house.


    Aoife had spoken with me before she left, though I could see her pity in her eyes, and it was painful. I cut that conversation short ¨C I didn''t need or want her pity.


    My leg gave up and I collapsed on the floor.


    "Damn it¡­" I mumbled, panting and out of breath. I had been training every single day since they left and seeing so little progress was painful.


    I forced myself to get up and walk a lap around the large training hall. Then, I grabbed my towel and wiped my sweat off. My legs were shaking from all the effort. Time, I told myself. It will take time.


    I headed to my room to wash myself and rest.


    I was getting dressed after a warm bath when my phone vibrated. My heart skipped a beat when I heard the sound ¨C was it the summons Inspector John had been talking about?


    I quickly finished getting dressed and grabbed my phone. I unlocked the screen and quickly checked the text.


    It was from Aoife. She had sent me a photo of her, holding a golden medallion. I breathed a sigh of relief as my legs gave out. Sitting on the bed, I quickly sent her a congratulatory text, then sighed and lay on my back.


    Aoife and Mother wouldn''t return for another two weeks ¨C the tournament she was partaking in would take them through several different countries. I knew Aoife was going to bring back every single trophy, but still, seeing her holding the medal and smiling did make me happy.


    I glanced at the sword hanging on my wall. Soon, I''d be able to hold it properly again. I longed to feel the weight of a metal blade. I missed it so much ¨C the thrill of battle, the danger and risks involved. The sheer excitement before the first clash of blades¡­


    My days passed, filled with training and sleep. I didn''t have the will or strength to do anything else. As the second week ended, I could feel my muscles slowly returning to a shadow of their former selves.


    Of course, I was still week ¨C any disciple here could beat me without breaking a sweat, but even this little progress was more than enough to lift my spirit. It felt like my efforts weren''t in vain, like I had a chance at returning to my former self once more.


    Though, some people didn''t seem to be quite so thrilled about my recovery.


    "This can''t be healthy, young master," The lead instructor protested at the start of the third week. "I''ve never seen anyone rebuild their muscle structure with such speed before." She pointed at my arms and legs. "Look at yourself ¨C you lack the mass to support the muscle! You''re still so thin and pale, Kai."


    I shook my head. "I''m eating as you told me to, I''m drinking the right amount of water, I''m getting plenty of rest." I glared at her. "And I''m training hard. You can''t expect my recovery to go the same as those who had to take a break because of some wound or something ¨C my situation is completely different, and you know it."


    She gritted her teeth. "At least take a short break. We should have you checked up at a hospital."


    "No, stop. Please," I sighed. "I''d rather not go to a hospital now. Look, I feel much better, if I feel like anything is wrong, I promise I''ll seek medical aid and you''ll be the first to know it." I watched her expression change. She was clearly still worried, but my words did seem to calm her down a little at least.


    She sighed. "Fine," She finally said.


    I grinned. "Alright ¨C let''s begin!"


    That evening, I collapsed on my bed exhausted and completely drained. I fell asleep early, still feeling the satisfaction of making progress.


    The ringing of my phone woke me up from my nightmares not long after. My eyes half closed, I looked around in a hurry and picked it up.


    "Hello?" I mumbled, slightly confused that I didn''t recognise the number calling me.


    "Kai Friseal?" A somewhat familiar voice sounded. It was a young woman''s voice.


    "Yes, that''s me." I said, more confused than before.


    "Oh, thank god I found you. You have zero online presence ¨C so annoying!" The voice complained.


    "Right¡­" I pushed myself up to a sitting position. "I''m sorry, I didn''t catch your name¡­"


    "Oh!" She shouted. "Whoops, right, my bad. It''s me, Laura." She giggled. "Mona''s friend, the blonde one. Remember?"


    My eyes widened. "Laura ¨C of course I remember, how could I forget?" I shouted. "But¡­ how did you even get this number?" The phone was my old one, but as far as I knew, very few people had my number.


    "Believe me, it was a challenge." She paused. "Or so I''m told." She chuckled. "I''m relieved to hear your voice though. I''ve contacted almost everyone else, but it was near impossible to find out anything about you!" She sighed. "The United Nations has everything about you and the rest of Erik''s group tightly under wraps."


    I raised my brows. "Have they now?" I mumbled. Why would they care so much about our secrecy alone? "What about the others? Could you contact them easily?"


    "I did ¨C I already knew Theresa and Mona, and finding Rina and Alex wasn''t too difficult." She hesitated. "You''re the only one I can contact from Erik''s group though."


    I sighed. "It''s to be expected ¨C I don''t think most of them were even conscious when I came home."


    Silence lingered for a moment before Laura broke it. "Listen, Kai." She said hesitantly. "Did they make you sign some documents?"


    I chuckled. "More like a whole lot of them." I sighed. "I''m guessing everyone had to sign them?"


    "Yes." Laura''s voice dropped. "They didn''t exactly give us much choice." Her words lingered for a moment before she spoke again with a more cheerful tone. "But anyways, tell me, how have you been?"


    I chuckled, and we started talking.

 Chapter 284: Regrowth (2)

    I swung the wooden sword with little grace. My muscles ached from all the effort I put in, but not as much as last week, or the week before.


    "Nice," The instructor clapped as I returned to a neutral pose. "You''ve recovered a lot, young master."


    I shook my head. "I''m nowhere near being what I once was." I approached the benches and placed the wooden sword down.


    She shrugged as she gave me a towel. "That''s some years away at best, Kai." Her gaze fell on my still thin and weak arms. "Despite not winning any tournaments, you had trained your body better than anyone else I know." She hesitated. "That includes your sister."


    I laughed. "You''ve exaggerating." I wiped my sweat and looked at the entrance. "I''ll head off now, thanks for the help."


    "Any time," She said as I left.


    Her words were funny ¨C comparing me to my sister was ridiculous. She was so much more skilled than I was that it was hard to believe we were trained by the same person.


    I washed myself, then got dressed and headed down. Mother and Aoife were coming back home today. Despite not seeing them for only three weeks, I had missed Aoife. And Mother¡­ well, let''s just say I missed her too.


    My phone rang as I walked downstairs. I absentmindedly picket it up, curious about what news Laura had to share now.


    "Kai," A man''s voice sounded as I brought the phone close to my ear. I froze mid step.


    "Inspector John." I said with a low voice. "I didn''t expect to hear from you so soon."


    I heard him sigh. "You''re lucky you didn''t hear from me sooner. Something came up ¨C we need your presence at the headquarters. A chopper is on its way. It will be there in less than ten minutes, so get ready to go."


    My heart skipped a beat. "What? Now?" I shouted in shock. "What''s this about?"


    "Yes, now. Please don''t keep the chopper waiting, they''re on a somewhat tight schedule." He ended the call, leaving me surprised and confused. I remained still for a moment as I processed everything.


    "Fuck¡­" I whispered and headed right back to my room. Changing into somewhat more appropriate clothing took only a short time, but as I combed my hair, the sound of the shopper sounded from afar.


    I grabbed a jacket, then headed downstairs.


    "Young master!" Someone shouted as I hurried to the door.


    "Instructor," I said, glancing at the pale faced woman. "I''ll be back soon." I hesitated. "I think," I added. "Please let Aoife and Mother know that I''m leaving upon Inspector John''s request."


    She shook her head. "Is everything alright? Are you going to be ok?" I could hear the worry in her voice.


    "Yeah," I lied. "No need to worry." The chopper touched down a little ways away from the settlement. An agent waved at me, gesturing me to hurry up. "I''m off!" I said before walking towards the chopper with hasty steps.


    The agent helped me climb up inside the chopper. It wasn''t like the one they brought me here with before ¨C it was a military one, with the two sliding doors at the side that could be opened during flight.


    I put on the seatbelt as we achieved lift off. The deafening sound of the rotors made it impossible to talk, so all I could do was sit there and watch the island grow more distant with every moment that passed.


    The journey was a short yet exhausting one. Not being used to flight like this, my stomach was turned upside down by the time we landed on the helipad near a massive building complex.


    After the agents helped me down and I was far enough away from the chopper, I just leaned on the nearest thing ¨C a lamp post in this case ¨C and closed my eyes.


    "Is there something wrong?" The agent who helped me down earlier asked as I took deep breaths. I shook my head. "Just feeling nauseous. I''ll be fine in a minute." I opened my eyes and stood straight. "Lead the way."


    He seemed hesitant but did so anyways. We walked through a heavily secured gate, then entered an elevator and headed to the fifth floor.


    I gulped. It felt like I wasn''t doing a good job at seeming calm. My heart was beating so fast it could burst out of my chest at any time.


    "This way," The agent said as he led me through a hallway. We walked for a while before he finally came to a stop before a metal door. "Step inside please," He opened the door and gestured me to continue.


    I hesitated.


    There was a couch, a coffee table and nothing else in there.


    "What am I here for?" I asked, not taking a step forward.


    "Please step inside, an inspector will soon come to brief you." His cold, emotionless voice was getting on my nerves.


    I sighed. "Yeah, yeah¡­" As soon as I walked through the door, it closed behind me. "It''s not like you needed to lock me up¡­" I mumbled as I walked to the couch and sat down.


    The only thing other than the couch and coffee table in the room was a bottle of water and a glass. The walls to my sides and the one behind me were dyed dark grey, and the ground was a dark colour as well. The wall in front of me was a mirror. Or that''s what it looked like from this side, though I would bet on my life that it was actually a one-way mirror.


    There was someone on the other side, and he was watching me. I could feel it ¨C this detestable sense of being watched. I hated it.


    With a sigh, I looked at the glass and bottle of water. I wasn''t thirsty, and even if I were, I wouldn''t want to drink from those at this time.


    I directed my gaze to the mirror and glared at it.


    Was it just my mind playing tricks on me, or had the person watching me just taken a step back?

 Chapter 285: Regrowth (3)

    "Please don''t glare at me like that." Inspector John said with a sigh.


    I continued to glare. His shoulders dropped as he shook his head. "Alright, alright, I get it. It wasn''t nice of us to bring you here without explaining anything."


    My expression didn''t change.


    "You''ve changed though," He said after a moment of hesitation. You seem a lot healthier. I''m glad."


    I sighed. "Was busy training. Now, do you mind telling me why I was brought here?"


    Inspector John seemed surprised for a moment. "Right¡­" He mumbled before glancing at the documents he was holding. "So, first of all, I need you to answer some questions."


    "Shoot." It wasn''t like not answering was an option right now.


    "In the past month, have you felt any unusual anger, irritation, wrath, sadness or emptiness?"


    I raised my eyebrows. Was he being serious right now? From the look on his face, he was. "Define unusual." I said, deciding to tread carefully.


    "Unprompted." He hesitated. "Or due to reasons that wouldn''t make you as emotional as before."


    I pondered for a moment. "No, I haven''t. Why?"


    "Alright, what about any headaches? Random jolts of pain anywhere? Any sickness when you try to eat?"


    I shook my head again. "No, never." I was fairly sure that something had gone wrong for some people who got freed from the game. Inspector John wouldn''t be asking these questions otherwise.


    "What about odd dreams? Nightmares? Memory loss?"


    I hesitated, suddenly I didn''t want to continue this anymore. His eyes narrowed. "Which one, Kai?" He asked ¨C my hesitation was enough for him to realise what was going on.


    My shoulders dropped. "All of them."


    "Damn it¡­" He whispered as he threw the documents on the table. "How bad?" His gaze didn''t leave me for even a split second.


    "Nightmares and odd dreams¡­ Well, whenever I close my eyes." I shrugged. "Memory loss¡­" I hesitated. "That one is a bit odd. I¡­" How could I best explain this? "I sometimes forget names, faces or places." I made a vague gesture. "But other things are crystal clear ¨C I could tell you every detail about some event I wasn''t even there to witness, but if you asked me about what Joshua''s eye colour in the game was¡­" I shrugged. I had no clue.


    "I see¡­" He mumbled as his gaze wandered about.


    "Anyways, what is this about?"


    He sighed. "Some people woke up recently."


    My eyes widened. "Those who died woke up?" I shouted.


    "Some of them," He repeated. "And almost immediately, they started showing signs of aggression. Some of them couldn''t remember who they were ¨C I''m talking about total amnesia here. Some others were plagued by nightmares so awful that they became scared of falling asleep." He hesitated. "They passed out from exhaustion after not sleeping for days."


    My eyes wide, I listened to him. "Some became so emotional that it''s impossible to speak with them without somehow triggering an overly emotional response." He hesitated. "We only observed these in those who died in the game though."


    I gulped. "Is Vincent ok?" I had to ask. Even though I knew I wouldn''t like the answer, I had to.


    "He''s still unconscious." He shrugged. "The doctors can''t tell when he will wake up. Same goes for his brother, and Alina Rodeux."


    I sighed. I wasn''t relieved nor was I alarmed. I was just¡­ I wasn''t even sure of what I was feeling right now.


    "Anyways," Inspector John said, pulling my attention once more. "You were supposed to call me if you ever felt something was off."


    I hesitated. "I mean¡­ I''ve been having memory issues for a long time." I shrugged. "I didn''t think it was worth mentioning."


    Inspector John opened his mouth in shock, failed to find anything to say and just sighed.


    "I mean it! It''s happening because my head is filled with way too many different memories. I''ll be fine after some time passes, I''m sure." While I had no scientific evidence to back that claim up, it did feel like the most plausible explanation. As for getting better¡­ only time would tell.


    "I''d still like to have a few scans and tests done." His tone of voice made it clear that I didn''t get to say no.


    "Fine¡­" I glanced at the mirror behind him. "By the way, can you tell her to stop watching? I''m¡­" I hesitated. "I hate that feeling."


    He seemed surprised more than anything. "There''s no one watching."


    I shot him an annoyed glance. "I''m not quite that na?ve, Inspector. I know there''s someone watching us."


    Inspector John furrowed his brows. He got up and left without saying a word. I remained still for a while, until he came back with an annoyed expression. "You''re right ¨C someone was watching." He mumbled. "Though, I wasn''t the one who instructed them to do so."


    I shrugged. "Told you."


    "How did you know?" He asked, his expression still somewhat sour.


    I fiddled with my hair. "Don''t you ever get that feeling that someone is watching you? Like ever move you make is recorded in memory?" I glanced at the mirror. "Mirror or not, it''s pretty easy to notice it once you''re paying attention."


    He scratched his head. "Usually, the mirror itself is reason enough to feel that way." He shook his head. "Are you saying that it was just a hunch?"


    I nodded. "What else can it be?" I chuckled. What powers I had remained in the game. It wasn''t like I could carry my magic over to the real world.


    Inspector John also chuckled, though something in his voice alarmed me. "Why do you ask?" I said as I tried to convince myself that nothing was wrong.


    He just shrugged. "Oh, I was just surprised at your luck is all." He laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "You even got her gender right."


    "What?"


    "You said ''she''. It was indeed a woman, one of my colleagues, in fact. She was just as surprised as I was. In fact, she said you were a bit scary." He chuckled. "Before I came, apparently you stared right at her ¨C even followed her with your gaze when she moved aside." He grinned. "You have some scary intuition, Kai."

 Chapter 286: Regrowth (4)

    I returned home that evening, a while after sundown.


    "Kai!" Aoife shouted as soon as I stepped through the outer gate that led into our settlement. "What happened?" She asked as she ran up and hugged me.


    "Nothing," I said with a weak smile. Exhaustion had set in already. "They wanted to do some more tests to see if I''m ok. Just making sure of things, basically."


    My words seemed to calm her down a little, though I could tell she was somewhat unhappy about it still. "I was so worried when I couldn''t find you when I came back." She said with a weaker voice.


    "Sorry, Aoife. I wanted to be here to congratulate you." My smile widened. "Congratulations, sis." I hugged her.


    "It''s fine," She said after I stepped back. "I''m just glad that you''re back already." She fiddled with her brown hair. "Mother won''t be back for a while though." She added after a moment''s hesitation.


    I furrowed my brows. "Why? Where did she go?"


    Aoife shrugged. "She just said she had something she needed to get done. Said she''ll be back in a few days, at best." She waved her hand dismissively. "It''s probably stuff related to one of the other, overseas disciples, so I wouldn''t worry about that." She glanced at her watch. "It''s getting late ¨C how about dinner?"


    Her words reminded me of how hungry I was. "Oh, yes, please." I said as I touched my stomach. I hadn''t eaten anything since breakfast. "I''m starving!"


    Aoife laughed, then we went inside. I went up to my room for a change of clothes while Aoife prepared something to eat.


    I changed into something more comfortable, then went to the bathroom to wash my face. The mild headache the chopper''s loud noises caused hadn''t disappeared yet.


    I looked at the mirror as I did every day. Crimson hair, blue eyes, pale skin. That was me alright. No longer did I see the silver hair, pointy ears and purple eyes that glowed in the dark.


    I suddenly felt dizzy as I stepped back into my room. Losing my balance, I had to hold on to the doorframe to avoid falling down.


    "Fuck¡­" I blinked a few times. Was I really so exhausted that just standing straight was a challenge now? My head stopped spinning after a short moment and carefully let go of the doorframe, only to jump in terror as I glimpsed a tall person''s shadow with the corner of my eye.


    "Who is it?" I shouted as I immediately turned to face the person, only to see¡­ nothing. There was no one else in my room. No one stood by the round window by the bookshelves.


    I looked around ¨C hallucinations? No, they hadn''t found anything in the tests they did mere hours ago. It must have been exhaustion, it couldn''t have been anything else.


    After unsuccessfully tying to convince myself, I decided to call Inspector John if it happened a second time. It was better to be safe than sorry, and I had learned my lesson ¨C when someone offered help, it was a waste not to accept it.


    "What took you so long?" Aoife asked as I stepped into the dining room.


    "I think I''m more tired than I thought." I mumbled as I pulled the chair and sat down by the table. "I felt dizzy for a moment. And this headache isn''t helping either."


    Aoife''s expression was one of worry, though she chose to remain silent. We soon began eating as the low noise of the TV filled the room. I glanced at the screen a couple of times as we ate in silence. Weather reports, news¡­ Things I didn''t want to hear.


    "Oh, hey." Aoife mumbled. "Isn''t that OTHERWORLD''s CEO''s house?" She asked, pointing at the TV a short while later.


    I flinched. "Erik''s house?" I asked as I looked at the screen.


    ''And today, we have received confirmation on Logan Gallagher''s arrest, currently pending for trial. Logan Gallagher is the CEO of OTHERWORLD, the company who produced the two thousand PORTAL devices that trapped its players in its game world for the last six months.'' The reporter''s voice rang in my head as I watched. On screen, they showed Mr. Gallagher''s picture.


    ''He and the other executives of OTHERWORLD have all been arrested and are not allowed to contact anyone but their lawyers. His son, Erik Gallagher ¨C his only living relative ¨C has refused to return to their mansion in the heart of London. In fact¡­'' I stopped listening as soon as a bird''s eye view of the mansion was put onto the screen.


    "Wow, that place is huge," Aoife mumbled. "You''ve been there, right? What does it look like inside? And¡­" She tilted her head. "What''s that construction." She glanced at me, then flinched. "Kai, what''s wrong?"


    I couldn''t take my eyes off of the construction. Right in the middle of the garden, mere meters away from the front door of Erik''s house, a massive, golden structure was being made. A structure that was identical to a Divine Pillar.


    "Fuck." Was all I could say as all blood was drawn from my face. "Why on earth are they building that thing?" I couldn''t take my eyes off the screen. A god damned Divine Pillar was being constructed in the middle of London!


    "What''s wrong?" Aoife asked again. "It''s just some-"


    "It''s a replica of a Divine Pillar." I breathed out as I scrambled to find my phone.


    "What the hell is a Divine Pillar?" She asked with justified confusion. I had never told her of what transpired in the game after all.


    "We had to destroy every one of those to get out of the game," I said as I finally found my phone in my pocket. "I need to call Inspector John."


    I tapped on the screen and started the call, my eyes still fixed on the TV screen. The camera angle had changed ¨C we could see the Pillar in much greater detail now. "It''s almost completed." I mumbled.


    "Why is it golden though?" Aoife asked, her voice still full of confusion. I shrugged. "They were made from pure gold inside the game, why not here too? The Gallaghers are as rich as a person can be."


    I heard Inspector John''s voice in my ear as I spoke. "Kai? Who is rich?" He had heard the last few seconds of our conversation.


    "The Gallaghers. Listen, Inspector, I just saw it on TV ¨C the thing they''re building in the Gallagher Mansion''s garden is a Divine Pillar. It''s identical."

 Chapter 287: Regrowth (5)

    Inspector John didn''t say anything for a short moment. "Inspector John?" I hesitantly spoke. Was he already aware of this?


    "We know." He finally said with a sigh. "A pillar made of gold with some inscriptions on it. It''s unusual for sure, but the construction began on the day you and the other players first entered the game. It''s nothing new."


    I drew a sharp breath. "Inscriptions?" I glanced at the TV screen, hoping to catch a glimpse, but the cameras never zoomed in enough. "What kind of inscriptions?" I wondered in which language they were.


    Inspector John''s voice sounded rather monotonous as he answered. "We didn''t really pay much mind to them, Kai. It''s just a pillar ¨C remember, this is the real world. It doesn''t pose the same threat as the ones in the game." I heard the rustle of papers. "There is no magic or monsters here."


    It was clear from his tone of voice that to him, this conversation was over. There was no point in insisting or prying. "I know." I said with a sigh. "Sorry to bring this up."


    I heard a light chuckle. "No need to apologise. Is there anything else that''s been on your mind?"


    I hesitated. "I.. I think I was a bit tired today so," I pushed my chair back, got up and let the dining room. I didn''t want Aoife to hear the rest of my words. "I thought I saw someone in my room a little while ago. Hallucinations, I think." I added.


    "Elaborate." It struck me as odd ¨C he had taken this more seriously than my words about the Divine Pillar.


    "I felt dizzy," I spoke. It took me less than a minute to elaborate ¨C there wasn''t much to say anyways. Once Inspector John was satisfied, he instructed me to get some rest and hung up. I sighed and returned to the dining room.


    "You still look pale," Aoife said as I lowered myself onto the chair. I nodded. "I think I need a good night''s sleep." I finished my meal with some haste. "It was delicious, Aoife. Thanks."


    She chuckled. "Glad you liked it." She got up and started clearing the table and cleaning up. I motioned to help her, but she was quick to send me away with instructions to ''go away and fall asleep in my bed''.


    I gladly did as she said. Yet, even as I lay on my bed, waiting to fall asleep, I couldn''t get rid of the worries that gnawed away at the back of my mind. Seeing that Divine Pillar had made unpleasant memories surface to the front of my mind once more. Things I''d rather not constantly think about. Events I''d rather forget.


    It took me a while to fall asleep, and when I did, it was not a relaxing, restful sleep. Nightmares didn''t let me rest, and when I woke up in the middle of the night, panting and sweaty, I felt more tired than before going to bed.


    Memories, mixed in with dreams didn''t let me close my eyes again. Those vivid images kept me awake for a while. Eventually, I pushed myself upright and climbed out of the bed. The cool night air made me shiver, but I ignored it and headed to the bathroom to wash my face, hoping it would help me clear my mind of those images.


    The cold water did indeed help a little, and I returned to bed soon after. I was reaching for the blanket when I caught a glimpse of a shadow at the corner of my eye. My heart skipped a beat my head snapped to where I saw the shadow.


    Nothing.


    There was nothing here.


    A few seconds passed in absolute silence as I remained still, holding my breath.


    Eventually, I took a deep breath and shook my head. This wasn''t good. I pulled the blanket to my chin and closed my eyes. I felt cold in my chest. Like there was a lump of ice in place of my heart. I couldn''t get myself to warm up despite the thick blanket.


    I remained half awake until dawn, though that incredible coldness disappeared after some time.


    When the first rays of sunlight shone through the closed curtains, I forced myself to slowly climb out of bed. Not feeling rested at all, I yawned, stretched my arms, and turned to open the curtains. And nearly screamed as I came face to face with a pair of purple eyes on a shadowy silhouette.


    I stumbled back, lost my footing, and fell on the carpet as the silhouette followed me with its gaze.


    "What- no, wait, who are you?" I asked as I scrambled to get up again.


    The silhouette didn''t respond ¨C it simply stared at me before slowly dissipating. Once it had completely vanished, I looked around my room in a state of confusion and panic.


    What the hell was that? Was it just my mind playing tricks on me, or was something actually going on?


    "Kai?" Aoife''s sleepy voice sounded from the staircase. "Are you ok? I heard a crash ¨C did you fall down?" The wooden stairs creaked as she stepped on the uneven ones.


    I stood still for a moment, then replied. "I tripped ¨C I''m fine. I''ll be downstairs in a minute." It took some effort to keep my voice from shaking.


    She replied with a hesitant tone of voice. "¡­ Alright, I''ll prepare some breakfast." I heard the creaking stairs once more ¨C she was going back down. I sighed a breath of relief and motioned to grab a fresh set of clothes from my wardrobe.


    ''Lies, huh?'' A voice sounded behind me.


    "What the hell?" I shouted jumping back and grabbing the sword on the wall. The shadow had returned. A darkness spread from it, covering a portion of the room. Tendrils of darkness reached for me as the purple eyes glowed bright.


    ''Kai Friseal,'' The voice spoke once more, sending shivers down my spine. The shadow had a voice now. A voice both familiar and foreign.


    A voice that once belonged to me.

 Chapter 288: Echoes of Memory (1)

    Time seemed to slow for a moment as the figure wreathed in shadow spoke. Then, like any of this never happened, it disappeared.


    I blinked a couple of times and looked at the spot where the shadowy figure stood moments ago, where it wreathed entire room in darkness. Now, the sunlight shone through the windows like nothing had happened at all.


    I hesitantly approached the spot the figure stood moments ago, my heart beating fast, almost as if it were trying to escape from my chest.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing unusual. It had disappeared without leaving a single trace behind.


    "Kai?" I head Aoife calling for me. Breakfast was probably ready.


    I got dressed, while still constantly glancing around, expecting to see a shadow jump at me any minute. Yet, nothing happened.


    Eventually, I left my room and headed downstairs. A hallucination, I told myself. It had to be a hallucination. It would be best to give Inspector John another call after breakfast.


    "What took you so long?" She asked as I entered the dining room. I hesitated, then decided to not lie to her too much. "I''m a bit tired ¨C haven''t been sleeping well, so I thought I saw something." I shrugged. "Turned out to be nothing though."


    Aoife didn''t say anything as we ate, though I could see the worry in her eyes as she constantly glanced at me. I wanted to tell her that I was fine, but I knew full well that I''d be lying, and so would she. Instead, I remained silent as well.


    Eventually, after I finished my breakfast and helped her tidy the kitchen, she sighed. I glanced at her. "What''s wrong?"


    She shook her head. "Mother warned me that you might still be living in the past." She said as she put the last plate in the cupboard. "That you''d need time to recover, a lot of time."


    I flinched ¨C those weren''t words I expected Mother to speak. "Did she?" I mumbled.


    Aoife nodded. "She also told me to leave you be. No not pry." She seemed hesitant. "I¡­ I don''t know what happened in that game, Kai, but I can tell how much it changed you." She stepped closer and shuffled my hair. "You''re silent, you''re always tired, always worried¡­"


    I forced a smile. "Sorry, Aoife." I stepped back and looked at her. "I don''t know how to explain it¡­ I know nothing that happened there was real, but it felt so. And now it''s difficult to put it all behind me and move on because¡­" I shrugged. "I did live there for months."


    She nodded. "I know, I didn''t expect you to just leave things behind you and move on." She smiled and lightly squeezed my shoulder. "I just want you to know that I''m here. Always. No matter what it is, you can talk to me, ok?"


    I appreciated her offer more than she could imagine, but I didn''t intend to take it. Just knowing she was here for me was enough.


    I watched some of her practice matches afterwards, then did some training of my own as she watched me.


    "When are you going to take up a sword again?" She asked as I wiped the sweat off my forehead.


    "Not yet," I said with a chuckle. "I''m too weak ¨C forcing it will do more harm than good." A mischievous smile appeared on my lips as I glanced at her. "And I know full well I need to be at full strength if I want to have the slightest chance to beat you."


    She laughed out loud. "You? Beat me?" She grinned. "In your dreams, Kai."


    I also laughed. "Hey, I did spend the last several months fighting, remember?" I made a vague gesture. "Usually against people and creatures stronger than me." I grinned. "Who knows, maybe I can put some of that knowledge to use against you."


    Aoife laughed again, she knew I had a point, and I knew she had one. So far, I had never beaten her in a match. The skill gap between us was too large, and she had the physical advantage too, being older and taller.


    "That''s some good thinking, Kai." Mother''s cold voice echoed in the training hall as she stepped inside. Startled, both me and Aoife flinched.


    "Mother, I didn''t see you." My sister chuckled. "You scared me."


    "I wasn''t being particularly silent." Mother shrugged. She raised her chin as a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Kai should have noticed me though." She said with an almost questioning tone. She was asking how I hadn''t noticed her.


    I shrugged. "Lack of sleep and inability to trust my senses."


    Aoife shot me a questioning glance while Mother furrowed her brows. "Come, let''s go for a walk." Mother didn''t even wait for me to say anything and just left the hall.


    "What''s up with her?" Aoife asked. I shrugged. "I''ll find out, probably. I should go," I ran after Mother, knowing she wouldn''t wait for me.


    I caught up to her at the other gate of the settlement.


    "Out of breath already?" She asked as she continued walking among the woods that surrounded the settlement.


    "I just finished training, of course I''m tired!" I protested. My muscles hurt from the effort. "Is something wrong?" I asked with a more serious tone.


    "I should ask you the same." She stopped walking and turned to face me. Her bright blue eyes seemingly pierced my soul. "The Kai I know would have noticed me come."


    I sighed. "I haven''t been sleeping well," I mumbled. "I''ve¡­ been seeing things."


    Her eyes widened. "What kind of things?" She asked with a serious tone of voice.


    "A figure." I shrugged. "A person wreathed in shadows. Purple eyes." I hesitated. "A familiar voice."


    She furrowed her brows. Her lips formed a thin line as she folded her arms. "Whose voice?"


    "Kai, whose voice?" She repeated when I hesitated. Glancing at her, I could see the worry in her eyes.


    "The Keeper''s."

 Chapter 289: Echoes of Memory (2)

    Her lips formed a thin line as she remained silent. I hesitated ¨C did I need to explain anymore?


    "I see," She finally said. "What did the voice tell you?"


    I hesitated. "Well," I fiddled with my hair. "It spoke my name."


    Mother looked rather worried ¨C and expression she seldom showed. "I see," She said once more. "Was this the first time you say this¡­ figure?"


    "I thought I saw something last night," I said hesitantly. "It was probably the same thing." I massaged my temples. "I''m just constantly tired and haven''t been sleeping well at all. That''s probably why I''m hallucinating." I made a vague gesture towards the sea. "I''ll call inspector John and ask him to arrange something in the hospital."


    Mother shook her head. "No, don''t do that."


    I raised my brows as I shot her a surprised glance. "What? Why not?" Hallucinations and lack of sleep wasn''t something to be taken lightly. What if this got more serious and dangerous?


    "Do as I say, Kai." Her sharp voice startled me. "You have trouble sleeping because you still live in the past ¨C stop denying those memories. Accept them, embrace them, learn from them. Once you do that, they will stop plaguing your nightmares and you will get your sleep."


    I clenched my fists. "But-"


    "Don''t you trust me?" She asked without a hint of doubt in her voice. She knew that I trusted her. And that was exactly why my next words surprised her so much.


    "It''s not about trust, Mother." I gritted my teeth. "I have memories that don''t belong to me. How am I supposed to embrace the memory that belonged to a phoenix, or a wyvern, or a damn snake?"


    She didn''t say anything, and I took the chance to continue speaking. "I''m tired of seeing death, war and bloodshed every night. I''m sick of remembering stuff that never happened to me! How can you ask me to process all of this? Do you have any idea how many lifetimes worth of memories I have?"


    I only realised I was shouting when my throat hurt. My eyes widened and I looked around in a panic.


    "It''s ok." Mother''s voice was surprising soft and gentle. "No one heard you."


    I felt a mild headache for a moment as the birds began chirping again. "I know it''s difficult, Kai." She stepped closer and lightly patted my shoulder. "Telling you what to do is simple compared to the effort you need to put in." She sighed. It was the first time in my life that I saw her so¡­ lost.


    It was a scary sight.


    "But Kai," She said after a moment. "That Inspector and his doctors can''t help you solve the underlying issue. No matter how many drugs they give you, you''ll still have those memories. They can''t make you forget ¨C they shouldn''t, even if they could."


    "Why not?" I said with a sigh. "It would be so simple if I could just forget about that."


    "And who would you be then?" Mother turned to face me, with a faint, barely visible smile on her lips. "You would be someone else, wouldn''t you? A different Kai Friseal."


    I looked away ¨C I knew she was right. I knew the doctors wouldn''t be able to help me solve the underlying issue. But I also knew that I longed for a good night''s sleep.


    "Sorry, Mother." I said, my shoulders dropped. "I''m just so tired though."


    "Kai¡­" Her voice had a warning in it.


    "I won''t call him," I assured her. "But please excuse any¡­ blunder I make until I somehow work through this." Eventually, the restless nights were going to cause greater issues.


    Mother just smiled. I hesitated, then chose to accept that as confirmation.


    "Let''s go back," She finally said. "We have much work to do today."


    Without skipping a beat, she headed back inside, leaving me confused. I quickly ran after her. "What work?" I asked, surprised. "There are no tournaments or anything!"


    Mother laughed out loud. "Tournaments are not our only reason to put in some work, Kai, are they?" She made a vague gesture towards the Dojo. "You should get yourself cleaned ¨C go bathe, then help your sister prepare lunch. I need to find the other disciples."


    She walked around the Dojo towards the back, where most of our disciples trained. I sighed ¨C she hadn''t given me any answers as usual. But that was fine, bathing and then lunch sounded amazing ¨C I was hungry already and I''d love to get rid of all the sweat on me.


    I headed up to my room and after a refreshing bath, changed into a set of clean, comfortable clothes. Before I headed downstairs, I glanced at my phone.


    If I wanted to, I could call inspector John. I could as for medical assistance ¨C they would come with a chopper and take me to the hospital at a moment''s notice. It would be easy, and Mother wouldn''t need to know anything. The agents could just tell her something came up and they needed my presence.


    It would be so, so easy to lie to Mother.


    With a sigh, I put the phone in my pocket and headed down.


    "You look less exhausted!" Aoife exclaimed as soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen. "How come?" She asked, a large grin on her face. She was cheerful, though it was hard to say why.


    "A warm bath does wonders." I said with a smile, then glanced at the rather messy kitchen. "Aoife¡­" My shoulders dropped. "What are you cooking?"


    "Tourtiere!" She exclaimed. I shot her a confused look. What on earth was a tourtiere?


    A quick glance at the ingredients made the answer very clear. "Look, I know you''ve been to Canada and you loved it there, but can you please call a meat pie, ''meat pie''?" She just giggled at my words as I rolled my eyes.


    She finished preparing the meat pie as I cleaned up after her. By the time Mother came back, the food was in the oven and I was putting the last of the plates back into the cupboard.


    "Good job, you two." Mother smiled. She also was unusually happy, despite the conversation we had earlier. I shot her a suspicious look. "What''s going on?" I asked, finally giving in to my curiosity. "Why are both of you so happy?"


    "Why wouldn''t they be?" A familiar voice spoke, "Your favourite uncle is here!"

 Chapter 290: Echoes of Memory (3)

    At the door stood a tall man, perhaps at his mid-thirties. He looked just like Mother and resembled me as well, with those bright blue eyes. His crimson hair was in a long braid.


    "Uncle Eion!" I exclaimed, forgetting all of my troubles for a short moment. I ran up to him and hugged him.


    He laughed as he shuffled my hair. "There, there," He said with a soft voice. "I didn''t know I was missed quite this much!"


    "Shut up!" I chuckled. "Of course I missed you ¨C I haven''t seen you in so long!"


    He breathed out in relief, the chuckled. "Yeah, it''s been quite some time." His voice turned somewhat bitter. "I''m sorry I couldn''t come here earlier."


    Mother sighed. "You were busy, and we all know that. No need to apologize, Eion." She glanced at me, then Aoife. "Aoife, please set the table. Let''s eat."


    My sister rushed to do as Mother asked while I finally stepped away from Uncle Eion. "Where were you anyways?" I asked as we headed to the dining room. "I tried calling you and all, but I couldn''t reach you."


    Uncle Eion made a vague, dismissive gesture. "All over the place, my phone broke at some point, I''ve yet to replace it." He chuckled, but then his expression turned bitter again. "You''ve grown so thin and pale, Kai." He spoke.


    I nodded. "I''ll get better with time. I''ve already started training again, so I''ll be fine." My words didn''t seem to give him any peace of mind as his rather worried expression remained unchanged.


    "You worry too much, Eion." Mother''s sharp voice startled us. "He is my son. He will be fine."


    I chuckled nervously. Had Mother just placed her trust in me, or in herself and her genes? I couldn''t quite figure it out, and I decided to just ignore that confusion for now. It didn''t matter at all.


    Moments later, Aoife came inside with the still hot meat pies. "I think these turned out really good!" She said as she also pulled her chair closer to the table.


    Uncle Eion was the first to grab a bite, and it was clear from his expression that he loved it. I chuckled and took a bite as well.


    Soon, we were done with our food. As Aoife and Mother cleaned up, Uncle Eion and I walked around to the back of the Dojo, to a spot we often came in the past.


    "It''s still alive." He said with a soft voice.


    A large tree stood there. Its bark was completely charred, and no plants grew around it at all ¨C not even grass or weeds. Yet, the tree itself had perhaps half a dozen green leaves gently swaying in the wind.


    "Yeah," I smiled. "It survived, somehow."


    This was the tree lightning had struck all those years ago when I was little. "I was sure it had died, then and there." I mumbled.


    "I told you though," Uncle Eion shuffled my hair. "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it, didn''t I say it then?" He turned his gaze on the tree again. "Of course, it will need plenty of time before it''s all green and lush again." He mumbled.


    "That''s fine," I stepped on the moist earth and gently touched the trunk of the charred tree. "There is no rush. I''m in no hurry." I glanced at Uncle Eion. He fiddled with his long braid as he watched me.


    I shook my head as someone else who acted the exact same way came to my mind. The resemblance was certainly uncanny.


    "What is it?" He asked. I just shrugged. "Nothing ¨C I''m rather tired is all." I lied. I didn''t want him to know of everything that happened in the game. Of everything I had done. Of the lives I thought I took.


    "I don''t think this is just you being tired, Kai." He commented. "I think there''s more to it. What happened?"


    I hesitated. "Just¡­ I haven''t been sleeping well, so I''m constantly in a daze¡­ sort of¡­" My voice faded. He could probably tell this wasn''t the real reason either. "Sorry, I should probably rest more."


    He shrugged. "You can do whatever you feel is right. If you want to train, then do so. No need to apologize." He glanced at his watch. "I promised your mother, so I should get going. We''ll talk again later, ok?"


    I nodded absentmindedly, and he hurried off.


    I stood there for a while, looking at the tree. While it meant little to Mother and Aoife, and probably to Uncle Eion as well, it was especially important to me. Like a testament to my ability ¨C to my dedication of keeping the tree alive. Now, it was a symbol of my success.


    I don''t remember how long I had to struggle before it showed its first signs of life. Was it a year? I think so. No more than two for sure. When it first grew a green, living leaf after the incident, I was overjoyed. Over the years, it somehow hung onto life, each year growing ever so slightly stronger.


    In a way, we were the same. Now, I was struggling to regain my old strength as well. And this tree was the perfect reminder and example: One step at a time. Recovery couldn''t be rushed. And I think that applied for mental recovery as well.


    "I still hate this though," I mumbled as I decided to heed Mother''s words and try to process all those memories that didn''t belong to me. One step at a time. One memory at a time.


    After a while passed, I decided to go for a walk in the woods. The weather was surprisingly lukewarm, and the gentle breeze was quite relaxing. As I walked out of the front gate, I exchanged a few words with some of our residents.


    When I was finally outside and among the trees, I took a deep breath. The smell of wet earth and fresh grass lingered in the air. I walked absentmindedly, without paying much attention to my surroundings until I heard a sharp voice.


    "No. And that''s the end of it!" Mother hissed.


    "This needs to happen, you know it just as well as I do." Uncle Eion''s voice was calm, yet I could hear a hint of urgency in it. "The human mind isn''t made for this!"


    "That''s of no relevance. I am not letting any of them near this place, or my family. And you should steer clear as well, brother." Mother''s voice rose sharply. "He is just fine, and we need no help!"

 Chapter 291: Echoes of Memory (4)

    I froze mid step as I tried to process what they were talking about. Human mind? Help? What?


    "Hush!" Uncle Eion suddenly said in a much lower voice. "Someone is here."


    I didn''t think. My body moved on its own as I dashed through the threes, away from the two of them. I could feel their gazes searching the woods, but before they found me, I was long gone.


    I only stopped when I arrived at the gate. I took a moment to pull myself together, then headed back home with slower steps. I didn''t stop until I arrived in my room. I breathed a sigh of relief once I closed the door behind me.


    I couldn''t figure out what that conversation was about. What was the human mind not made for? What did Uncle Eion think we needed help for?


    The sound of my phone ringing startled me. I rummaged through my pockets and glanced at the touchscreen, only to see a number I didn''t recognise. I was hesitant as I took the call.


    "Hello?"


    "Kai!" A shout nearly deafened me. I put some distance between the phone and my ear before responding.


    "You don''t need to shout my ear off, Lucius." He laughed, and I chuckled. "It''s good to hear your voice though." I added after a moment. After spending so much time together in the game, it had been slightly weird not having him around here in the real world.


    "Likewise. Kai," he hesitated. "I''m sorry I''m not there," He said. "I just really needed to be with my family after all that happened¡­"


    "What are you worrying about?" I said with a faint smile on my lips. "There is nothing to apologise for. I''m glad you''re finally feeling well enough to talk to me."


    "Ah¡­" He hesitated. "Sorry about that. I¡­ needed time to process all that happened. I didn''t speak with anyone ¨C not just you."


    I slowly paced the room as I spoke. "I told you, it''s fine. You really don''t need to apologise." I hesitated. "Did the United Nations'' agents contacted you at all after they let you leave?" I asked.


    "Yeah, I had to go to the hospital and have some scans done. Something about memory loss and anger fits¡­ I honestly didn''t listen to them any more than I had to, so I don''t know the details." He chuckled. "I guess I should have listened though."


    I sighed. "Yeah, that would have been good." I shook my head, how could he be so careless when it came to such important matters?


    "I was meaning to ask," He said with a darker tone of voice. "What do you think about that Divine Pillar looking thing in the Gallagher Mansion?" Lucius suddenly asked. I paused mid step.


    "I don''t like it," I said, carefully choosing my words. "But there isn''t anything that can be done about it, and it doesn''t matter anyways, right?" I hesitated. I didn''t believe those last words I had spoken. I had this feeling of something ominous approaching.


    "I hope so too," Lucius mumbled. "I can''t shake this feeling that something is wrong though."


    His words struck me odd. It wasn''t like him to talk about his worries like this. Whenever he spoke like this, he usually turned out to be right. "Kai," he mumbled. "I can''t reach Asher."


    I started pacing the room again. "I''ll ask Laura," I said as I nervously glanced around. Why did the shadows seem so intimidating? "She can probably get a hold of him."


    "Good idea," Lucius sighed. "I have to go for now ¨C physical therapy time." He chuckled. "I''ll be back in shape in no time, just you watch!"


    I laughed. "The race is on."


    "Hell yeah, it is!"


    We ended the call after that. I paced my room a while longer before finally deciding to lay down and rest for a while. Perhaps I could get some shut eye, without any dreams or nightmares, or memories of the past.


    I woke up to a crimson light shining on my eyelids. I opened my eyes, and immediately pulled the blanket up to shield them from the crimson sunlight. The setting sun was shining right into my eyes from the window across the room.


    I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, then glanced around. How long had I been asleep? I wasn''t too sure. I fumbled around as I searched for my phone and glanced at the time. 7:05 PM.


    My eyes widened. It was a little after noon when I headed to sleep. Had I really been sleeping for so long? Without any nightmares or dreams? Without waking up in a panic?


    I could hardly believe it. I yawned and stretched my arms, then hopped off the bed. Sure, I wasn''t fully rested, but just these few hours of sleep felt so good!


    My gaze snapped towards the door as I heard the creaking of the stairs. Was Aoife coming to wake me up? A moment passed, and no one knocked, or walked inside. I furrowed my brows, then stepped towards the door and glanced at the stairs. No one was there.


    "Aoife?" I called her name. Was she trying to prank me?


    No one answered. I stepped on the stairwell and headed down. Why would anyone climb so many stairs and then go back down without saying anything? The creaking step was the one second to last ¨C it was literally right in front of my door. Someone must have stood at the door, done nothing and then walked back down.


    I heard faint footsteps as I reached the bottom floor and glanced to my side to notice Mother walking back from the training room. "What''s wrong Kai?" She asked, seeing my somewhat confused expression.


    "Did¡­ anyone come to my room?" I asked. "I fell asleep, so maybe I didn''t hear a knock on the door or something."


    Mother raised her left eyebrow. "No, not that I know of." Her lips formed a faint smile. "You slept? No nightmares?"


    I nodded. "Yeah, though I don''t know how that happened. It did wonders though."


    She chuckled. "That it did ¨C you noticed me around the corner." She lightly squeezed my shoulder. "Aoife is preparing dinner ¨C why don''t you help her out?"


    It was a good idea, and I wanted to ask Aoife the same question I asked Mother, so I headed to the kitchen.


    "Your room?" Aoife asked with a chuckle. "Uncle Eion was heading upstairs, but that was a while ago." She hesitated. "Though, he didn''t come back down immediately, and I only saw him like¡­ a minute ago." She hesitated. "It''s not like he spent the last three hours standing by your door though, don''t be silly, Kai."


    I chuckled nervously.


    Something was telling me that I wasn''t just ''being silly''. The shadows seemed to agree with me.

 Chapter 292: Echoes of Memory (5)

    "You seem much better." Uncle Eion commented as we ate. I nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I slept for a couple of hours." I replied as I nibbled on a piece of meat.


    "I can see that," He chuckled. "Some colour returned to your face."


    "It really did," Aoife said with a huge smile on her face. "Finally got rid of those nightmares, Kai?"


    I shrugged. "I guess so." I finished my meal and sipped on some water. "Even just a couple hours of sleep did wonders though, that''s for sure." I glanced at Uncle Eion, who was smiling. Then my gaze lingered on Mother, who had a rather sour expression on with that frown.


    She noticed my gaze but didn''t react at all. I sighed internally, she was clearly annoyed about something, and I knew better than poking around.


    "I''m still somewhat tired," I said as I pushed my chair back. "I''ll go to sleep early today."


    "Good night!" Aoife said cheerfully as I bid them a good night and headed back up to my room.


    I could hear her and Uncle Eion chatting and laughing downstairs. I pushed the door to my room and stepped inside, a faint smile on my lips.


    That smile shattered as I noticed the pair of purple eyes glaring at me from the shadows over at the corner. I could faintly see the silhouette wreathed in shadows.


    "Who are you?" I hissed as the door closed behind me. The silhouette didn''t reply, it stood there, unmoving, and silent. "Why don''t you answer me?" I shouted. Clenching my fists, I stepped forward, only to notice that the silhouette was, in fact, moving.


    My eyes widened with recognition as I could finally make his face out from the shadows. "Keeper?" I whispered. I had suspected it was him before ¨C I even told Mother about it. But to actually see that pale face¡­


    "What do you want?" I asked, stepping back. "It''s over ¨C I''m out, and you''re not real!" I turned my back on him and headed to bed. "Leave me alone," I grumbled before falling asleep.


    Once again, the nightmares came, only to stop halfway through the night. I woke up with the first lights of dawn. My gaze immediately turned towards the spot where the Keeper''s silhouette stood yesterday evening.


    I breathed a sigh of relief when I couldn''t find him. I stretched my arms, then climbed out of my bed and glanced out the window.


    A creak sounded from the stairwell as I headed to the bathroom. I dashed to the door and opened it, only to come face to face with Uncle Eion.


    "Whoa, Kai. Slow down." He said with a surprised expression. "What''s wrong?"


    "What are doing here?" I asked with an almost aggressive tone.


    Somewhat taken aback, Uncle Eion shrugged. "I was on my way to wake you up." He smiled. "What''s wrong, Kai? You seem rather on edge. Did something happen?"


    I glared at him for a couple of seconds before sighing. "No, nothing happened. I was just surprised to see anyone at my door this early in the morning." I stepped back and let him inside. "What are you doing up so early, Uncle?"


    He grinned. "I''m itching for some swordplay." His grin widened. "Care to give it a go?"


    I hesitated. "Uhh," I mumbled as I looked away. I didn''t feel up to it. I knew I''d end up blundering, there was no way I could even hope to keep up with Uncle Eion.


    "Come on, what''s the harm?" He shuffled my hair. "My sister is asleep too, so no one is going to criticize you either."


    I sighed. "You know I''m weak right now," I said with a shrug. "I can''t keep up with you."


    "You don''t need to keep up with me," He motioned me to follow him. "Come on, it''s just some basic training anyways." He grinned again. "You''ll never get any stronger if you don''t try, am I right?"


    He had a point, as much as I hated to say it. I did need to get used to holding a blade once more. "Fine," I sighed. "But nothing too strenuous ¨C I don''t want to push myself too far."


    Uncle Eion grinned. "Sure, we''ll just do some light training first." We walked down the stairs and headed outside. Not a soul was awake so early in the morning. We grabbed a pair of swords from the training room and walked through the centre of the settlement.


    "The weather is great," He said as we headed to the gate. "Reminds me of when-" He stopped himself. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at him.


    He was fiddling with this hair as we looked around. "What does it remind you of?" I couldn''t help but ask. "It''s just normal weather here."


    There was nothing special about the weather. A mild, cool breeze, newly rising sun, and a few clouds. It wasn''t too hot or cold, and there was absolutely nothing special about this weather.


    "Ah, never mind." Uncle Eion chuckled. "Nostalgia struck me is all." We walked in the woods for a while before arriving at the opening by the cliff. There was a large stretch of grassy flat land before it ended in a rather deadly cliff.


    "Well, this place seems nice." Uncle Eion said with a grin.


    I shrugged. It didn''t matter too much. "Sure, why not." I unsheathed my sword and took my place across the field.


    The wind blew my hair back and tugged at my clothes as I turned my back to the cliff. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks down below. That and the rustle of the leaves was all I could hear as we off.


    I lowered my posture, bending my knees and holding my sword with both hands. I could feel the leather wrapped hilt touch my skin. It felt real ¨C just as real as it did in that game of death. The sunlight reflected off of our blades as we glared at each other.


    "Ready?" He asked.


    I nodded.

 Chapter 293: A Golden Sheen (1)

    A moment passed as the wind blew our hair and tugged at our clothes. We remained still, watching each other, waiting our opponent to make the first move.


    Then, I dashed forward.


    I lacked the speed I once had, the strength I once had and the flexibility too, but what I did have was conviction.


    Uncle Eion stood tall, unmoving. Any other person would think they had caught him off guard, but I knew better than that. As soon as I came into the range of his blade, I leapt back, avoiding the wooden blade aiming for my throat.


    "That only works once, uncle." I said with a grin as I took another step back. Without a moment of hesitation, he followed me. His blade rose, then descended on me. I raised my own blade to block it, and the dull sound of wood hitting wood sounded.


    "I should mix things up then," He laughed, then spun his blade around his wrist and attempted to stab my stomach. I sidestepped his strike just in time and countered by hitting his left arm.


    My wooden blade brushed against his arm, forcing him to step back and take a more defensive posture. Or that''s what I thought as he stopped mid motion and rushed towards me once again. My eyes widened as I just barely blocked the blade aiming for my throat.


    "Hey!" I said after putting some distance between us. "I know there are wooden, but a hit to my throat isn''t going to do me any favours."


    He didn''t reply, his bright blue eyes glimmered as he dashed towards me once more. With furrowed brows, I ducked under the wooden blade, then backstepped to avoid another strike. "Uncle!" I shouted as I continued avoiding him.


    Why were his moves so aggressive? His posture, his expression, the look in his eyes, they all reminded me of something. Of a fight I had fought a while ago, against someone with the same voice as my uncle.


    He continued pushing me back. I couldn''t keep up with the speed of his strikes. My muscles soon began hurting. The only thing that kept me from collapsing from exhaustion was the burst of adrenaline.


    "Enough!" I shouted as his blade, once again aiming for my throat, approached with incredible speed. His eyes widened, seeing as I wasn''t raising my blade to defend myself, and he stopped moments before the wooden sword hit me.


    "This was a mistake," I said, taking a deep breath. I dropped my sword and rubbed my palms. They were hurting from all the pressure. "I''m not fit enough yet. And you''re way too aggressive." I glanced at Uncle Eion, who simply stood there is an incredibly disappointed expression. "Sorry, I''ll go back on my own."


    I walked away, leaving Uncle Eion behind. I could feel his gaze on me. I think he watched me until I was out of his sight.


    A mix of emotions threatened to overwhelm me. Annoyance, anger, disappointment, hopelessness. This match was a bad idea ¨C I shouldn''t have accepted it in the first place.


    "Good morning, Kai!" Aoife''s voice startled me. She was standing at the gate, waving at me. I was so lost in thought, I hadn''t even noticed her until she spoke my name.


    "Hey," I said, forcing a smile. I walked past her and headed back home. I needed a bath, and something to eat.


    "What''s wrong?" She walked back with me. "You seem disappointed."


    I sighed. "It just hit me, I have a long way to go until I''ve recovered completely. I''ll go take a bath, then prepare some breakfast. Did you eat yet?" I asked.


    She shook her head. "No, I''ll help with the breakfast, so go ahead." She smiled and headed towards the kitchen. As much as she tried to act cheerful, I could see it in her eyes ¨C she was saddened by my words. I knew she had faith in me ¨C more than Mother, or even Uncle Eion. I took a deep breath. I needed to hold on to that faith of hers. No matter what, I didn''t want to disappoint her.


    A bath did wonders for me, both physically and mentally, though Uncle Eion''s disappointed expression lingered in my mind. I don''t know why, but I was having plenty of trouble pushing that image away. It refused to leave, to be forgotten.


    When I arrived at the kitchen, Aoife had already prepared somethings. She smiled when she saw me, and I helped her out with the rest. As we sat the table, Mother soon arrived.


    "You''re late," She said as her gaze lingered on my hands. "Though for good reason, I think." She phrased it like a question, demanding an answer.


    "I guess so," I said with a sigh. "It was a good reminder of how much time I still need before my recovery is complete."


    She smiled. "That''s good. Better to know where you stand than to fumble in the dark and suffer for it later on." She glanced at the table. "I should find my brother, since you''ve prepared breakfast for all of us." She left, without even uttering a word to Aoife.


    "What happened between you two?" I asked, surprised. Despite her claiming there was no such thing, Aoife was my Mother''s favourite. It was surprising to see her ignore my sister and speak to me instead.


    "Nothing?" She replied with a shrug, then directed her attention to the boiling eggs. "Could you take care of those? I''ll pour the tea."


    Was she hiding something from me, or was I just reading way too much into her and Mother''s actions? I wasn''t sure.


    Uncle Eion and Mother returned shortly after, and we all sat around the table. The low noise of the TV was the only sound in the room as we ate in silence.


    ''And as such, Erik Gallagher has been deemed NOT GUILTY,'' The reporter''s words caught my attention. ''His father, Logan Gallagher''s trial is still ongoing, as well as the trials of those in executive positions in OTHERWORLD.''


    I breathed a sigh of relief. I would hate it if Erik had suffered any more for the faults of his father''s company.


    ''As for other news, the Gallagher Mansion will remain in the family''s hands, though it is still forbidden to enter its premises.''


    I glanced at the screen. A bird''s eye view of the mansion was visible on the screen. As the camera panned towards the front of the building, I couldn''t help but draw a sharp breath.


    "What is it?" Aoife asked. Mother and Uncle Eion also shot me questioning glances. I shook my head, though my gaze remained fixed on the screen.


    The Divine Pillar replica was almost completed. Only a couple hours of work remained to finish the pillar''s topmost section.


    It was so real, so much like they were in that game. It even had that disgusting golden sheen to it.


    Uncle Eion suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up. "I have to go, something urgent came up." He shot mother a glance, and she nodded.


    "What?" Aoife asked in shock. "That was sudden, at least finish your breakfast!"


    "Sorry, I''ll try to come back soon."

 Chapter 294: A Golden Sheen (2)

    "What''s going on, Mother?" Aoife asked, looking our mother in the eye. The older woman shook her head, then placed her knife and fork on her plate.


    "Kai," She said as she got up. "Walk with me." She glanced at Aoife. "Would you mind if we left the cleaning to you?"


    My sister froze for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "No, I''ll take care of it."


    "Thank you," Mother glanced at me, then headed out the door. I hesitated and glanced at Aoife for a split second, then rushed after Mother. What the hell was going on?


    When I caught up to her, she was at the foot of the stairwell. She headed upstairs, gesturing me to follow her. I did so, until we arrived at the door of her room.


    "How are the nightmares?" She asked as she opened the door and stepped inside. I remained by the door and shrugged. "They were fine yesterday ¨C I only saw a couple and I can''t remember them very well."


    Her lips formed a thin line. "Is that so?" She spoke in a low voice. "What about that figure you keep seeing?"


    I hesitated. "I saw him last night. Fell asleep soon afterwards."


    She took her coat from her wardrobe. "I see." She put it on the bed, then started brushing her hair. "What about those memories you told me about?"


    I shook my head. "They''re still there ¨C nothing changed." I furrowed my brows. "Mother, are you headed somewhere too?" As I asked, she placed the brush on her nightstand and put on the coat.


    "Yes, something came up that demands my attention ¨C I can''t put it off, so I''ll be heading out now." Her bright blue eyes focused on mine for a moment. "Keep training."


    She brushed past me and walked downstairs. I hesitated for a split second before dashing after her. "No, wait, hang on!" I shouted, grabbing her arm, and stopping her. "What is it that came up?" I asked, my eyes wide. "Why did both you and Uncle Eion suddenly decide to up and leave as soon as they showed that pillar on TV?"


    Mother''s eyes narrowed. "That is irrelevant," Her voice was sharp, commanding. She didn''t want me to question her, to try and understand what had gotten both her and her brother so riled up. "You do not need to concern yourself with any of this, Kai. Just focus on your recovery."


    I clenched my fists. "Mother, I may be na?ve, but not quite that na?ve. I know something is going on ¨C it''s clearly very important, or Uncle Eion wouldn''t have left like that, and nor would you be heading out." I glared at her, demanding answers.


    Her gaze lingered on me for a moment before she smiled. "Work hard, Kai. I''ll be back soon." With that, she left. I stood at the courtyard and watched her walk out, away from home.


    When I returned back to the kitchen, Aoife had just finished cleaning up. She had a sour expression on, and it only got worse when I stepped inside.


    "She didn''t really tell you anything useful, did she?" She asked with a frown. I nodded, Aoife knew Mother well enough. She could probably guess that whole conversation word for word.


    "Just as I thought," She put the dust cloth on the counter, then glanced out of the window. "I wonder when they will return," She mumbled with a sigh.


    I shrugged. We had no way of knowing, really.


    "I need to make a call," I finally said with a sigh. "I want to call Inspector John, so I''ll be up in my room."


    Aoife''s gaze snapped at me. She walked up to me with quick steps and hugged me. "You''re not going to disappear on me too, are you?" She asked, her voice trembling. "Kai?" She asked.


    I shook my head. "No, of course not." I hugged her back, I wouldn''t do something like that to her. Never. "I just want to learn if I can call Erik, that''s all."


    She nodded but didn''t let go of me immediately.


    "So," Inspector John''s voice sounded over the phone. "You''re telling me that you think that golden pillar has more to it than meets the eye?" I could hear the disbelief in his voice. "Kai, have you been resting at all?"


    I sighed. "I know how this sounds," I insisted. "But that thing looks exactly like its counterparts in the game. I''m talking about being identical!" I took a deep breath ¨C I knew he didn''t believe me. I honestly didn''t expect him to, what I was suggesting was so outlandish that anyone else would probably have checked me into a mental institution.


    "I get your point," Inspector John spoke in a clearly forced calm voice. "But Kai, that was a game, this is reality. We can''t just barge in there and have them stop the construction of the damn thing just because you want us to do that." He took a deep breath. "This is the real world, it has laws, regulations, checks and balances,"


    "I know that!" I insisted. "But there has to be some technical thing you can exploit to at least pause the construction for a bit!" I gritted my teeth. "Or," I suddenly spoke out again as an idea came to me. "Isn''t Erik authorised to put a stop to this? He is a Gallagher, can''t you ask him to do it? Or at least let me contact him."


    Inspector John let out an audible sigh. "He doesn''t have the authority to stop it ¨C until his trial is concluded and he is found guilty and stripped from all his assets, Logan Gallagher is the sole owner of the Gallagher Mansion."


    My shoulders dropped. "And no, Erik Gallagher won''t be in contact with anyone as per his own request. He has asked for solitude, and we are in no position to deny him of that."


    "So, I can''t speak to him." I said with a sigh.


    "Yes, you can''t." He took a deep breath. "And as I''ve said before, the real world has laws, and we must all abide by them. We have a balance, and I can''t allow anything to disturb-"


    A blast.


    A shockwave.


    Then, darkness.

 Chapter 295: A Golden Sheen (3)

    I collapsed on my knees, dropping the phone, and holding my head. A ringing sound deafened me as my heart skipped a beat.


    My vision refused to return as my head spun.


    "Kai?" I heard Inspector John''s distant voice calling my name. "Hey!" He shouted. "You two ¨C find out what that was ¨C someone get Veronica here!" He shouted to his colleagues. My vision slowly returned as his voice cut out.


    I grabbed the phone with trembling hands. "Inspector John?" I asked as my heard raced. What was that? I wasn''t the only one to notice that was I?


    "Kai!" Aoife''s shout sounded. "Are you ok?" The door swung open as she barged inside. Seeing me on my knees, her eyes widened, and she ran up to me.


    "Did you lose your balance? Are you ok?" She asked, helping me up. I shook my head. The ringing wasn''t as loud, it was slowly fading away.


    "I''m fine, I think." I mumbled. Aoife helped me to the bed, where I immediately sat down. I didn''t have the strength to keep standing. My head continued spinning. "Inspector John?" I spoke to the phone again. "What happened?"


    Silence was all that followed. He must have dropped the phone, I thought as I could hear the faint voices of people, coming from afar.


    "What was that¡­ thing? It felt like a shockwave." Aoife whispered. Her hand was on mine, and I could feel how she trembled.


    "I don''t know," I breathed in, then slowly exhaled. The cool breeze coming in from the windows calmed my mind a little, and my head finally stopped spinning. "Inspector John?" I asked once more. I needed answers. We needed answers.


    "Kai, I have to go. I''ll call you later ¨C whatever you do, don''t leave your settlement. That''s an order of the United Nations." His sharp voice startled me, and then I heard the click sound that indicated the line was no longer on.


    "Oh, come on!" I cried out. "You could have at least told me what the hell was going on!" I threw the phone on the bed and massaged my temples.


    "What did he say?" Aoife asked. I sighed. "He told me to stay here." I hadn''t even thought of leaving but knowing that Mother and Uncle Eion had just left, I couldn''t help but worry.


    "Let''s go downstairs. The news is probably reporting on whatever this shockwave was already." My words seemed enough to calm Aoife for a while. She helped me up, then we headed to the dining room. I remembered to take my phone with me ¨C if Inspector John called, I wanted to be able to pick it up.


    We arrived downstairs to a rather panicked group of residents. The Instructors of the Dojo were trying to calm them down, despite their own fears. I drew a sharp breath as I noticed one of the children. She was crying.


    "Whatever that was, I hope it doesn''t happen again." I hissed through my gritted teeth. Aoife nodded and we left the crowd and headed to the dining room.


    The TV was still on from before, and a news reporter was on screen.


    ''¡­ was felt throughout the entirety of the Europe, Asia and Africa continents. We are also receiving reports that the Americas also felt it, albeit with less intensity. There are no reports coming in from Australia or the Arctic yet. We are still attempting to re-establish contact.'' As she spoke, she glanced at the tablet before her.


    ''We just received word that the estimated ground zero of the shockwave is the city of London.''


    My heart skipped a beat. "No." I whispered. "No way."


    ''We will continue reporting as more information reaches us. In the meanwhile, we just received some footage from out on-air crew in various locations.''


    Different clips began cycling as I clenched my fists.


    "Did you notice something?" Aoife asked. She placed a glass of water on the table, gesturing me to have a sip.


    "They said ground zero was London." I said before taking a sip of water. "I¡­ can''t shake this feeling I''m getting. Like¡­" I hesitated. How could I best explain this? "I felt a shockwave like this before, Aoife. It-"


    My phone rang, startling both of us. I scrambled to pick it up.


    "Kai, it''s me. Did you feel it?" Laura''s voice was filled with uneasiness. "The shockwave ¨C please tell me you noticed it."


    "I did, it almost knocked me out." I hesitated and glanced Aoife. "What was it? Do you have any idea?"


    Laura sighed. "I have some thoughts, but I''d rather not jump to conclusions. I''ve been trying to reach the authorities, but so far, I didn''t have any luck. What about you? Did that inspector contact you?"


    My shoulders dropped. When I heard her voice, I was sure Laura would have at least a few answers for me, but now¡­ "I was on the phone with him," I replied. "But he hung up soon after the event. He said he''d call me back, and to remain at home." I gritted my teeth. "The news reported ground zero to be London. Laura¡­ I think-"


    "No, don''t jump to conclusions!" She almost shouted, startling me. "Sorry. I know what you''re thinking, but it''s got to be impossible. That was a game. A fake, virtual world. Not real. You know that, don''t you?"


    I glanced at the ground, then noticed how the room seemed darker than before. I raised my eyes to look the shadow wreathed Keeper right in the eye. "Yeah, I know. It''s just a game."


    "I''ll call you when I learn more." Laura said before hanging up. I sighed and lowered myself onto the chair.


    "What was that about?" My sister asked. I shook my head, I honestly didn''t want to think about any of this anymore.


    "Laura was trying to learn whether I knew anything more." I chuckled. "As if I would."


    Aoife didn''t smile. Her gaze focused on the TV once more. "You were saying you felt something like this before." She spoke in a low voice. "Where did you feel it?"


    The TV began showing clips of the Gallagher Mansion. "In the game," I said as my gaze lingered on the screen. The camera panned towards the Divine Pillar replica in the mansion''s garden. "When a Divine used the Pillars."


    The Pillar glowed with a golden sheen.


    "Like that." My voice was but a whisper.

 Chapter 296: A Golden Sheen (4)

    Holding my breath, I watched in disbelief as that light I had grown to hate covered the entirety of the Pillar replica.


    "What''s going on?" Aoife asked, her eyes wide open with confusion. "Kai?" She asked, glancing at me.


    The light brightened, an unnatural wind shook the trees in the Gallagher Mansion''s premises. Then, a single figure stepped out of the blinding light. A figure I knew too well.


    "No!" I shouted moments before the figure raised their hand and the TV feed cut off. "No, no, no!" I stepped back and grabbed my phone. I had to let Inspector John know! He had to stop her before it was too late before the others came.


    My hands trembled as I unlocked the screen of my phone. I called the inspector''s number. "Come on, pick up damn it!" I hissed.


    ''User busy'' The mechanical voice said in a monotonous manner. ''Please try calling again later or leave a message.''


    "It''s me, Kai. I need to talk to you!" I shouted into the phone before the beep indicating the massage was recorded sounded.


    I felt Aoife grasp my arm as I motioned to run outside. "Kai, what the hell is going on?" She asked, her brows furrowed. "I need answers ¨C now."


    Her words were what brought me out of my panic somewhat. I stopped and forced myself to take a deep breath. "Explain, please?" Aoife asked in a calm voice.


    I pointed at the TV. The reporter was saying somethings, but I ignored her words. "The figure you just saw." I said, my voice trembling. "She is an-"


    My phone rang, startling both of us. I scrambled to pick it up, and was met with Inspector John''s panicked voice.


    "Kai, somethings are headed towards you! Hi-" His voice cut off.


    "Inspector?" I shouted.


    "¡­ I said hide," The phone line was barely functioning. "I''m on a chopper, we''re coming towards you, until ¡­ -de now!"


    "Hide?" I asked.


    "Yes, hide!" The line couldn''t last longer ¨C it broke off, leaving me shocked. I turned my gaze on the screen. Nothing but white noise remained on the TV.


    Aoife glanced at me, then gulped. "Mother is not here." She spoke in a low voice. "And neither is uncle."


    I nodded. "Aoife, get the people to safety." She didn''t hesitate. She was out the door faster than lightning. I remained still for a moment before glancing at the shadowy figure at the corner of the room. He was a lot less visible than before, like his power couldn''t reach here very well.


    "You were trying to warn me, weren''t you?" I asked with a bitter voice. "This isn''t some horrible dream, or another game, is it?"


    The Keeper''s shadow didn''t move. Those purple eyes peered into my soul as I fought with that lump in my throat. "We don''t have the power to hold them back." I whispered. "We don''t have magic, or a vast world filled with danger to keep them away. All we have is guns and bigger guns."


    I knew they''d do nearly nothing to figure I had seen. "We''re doomed, aren''t we?" I whispered.


    The shadow slowly disappeared, almost as if it had given up on me.


    "Right, you don''t care anymore." I whispered before turning my back on the room and heading outside.


    Inspector John''s words came to mind. Hide? I wanted to laugh ¨C hide where? They had magic, they had wings and worst of all, she knew me.


    I heard the distant sound of a chopper. High up in the sky, I could see it as a black dot. What the hell was Inspector John even planning? What did he think? That I''d be able to a repeat of before?


    "Kai!" I heard Aoife''s voice as I walked out of the settlement. The chopper approached, and as it landed, a pale faced Inspector John jumped out of it. As he stumbled towards me, I could see how terrified he was.


    "I know who that is," I said once he was close enough to hear me. His eyes widened and, surprisingly enough, I saw a sliver of hope in them. "Who?"


    Aoife had arrived at our side by now. "What''s going on?" She asked, her eyes widened with fear.


    "The Divine Matriarch," I spoke in a low voice. "Aelith."


    Silence followed my words. I covered my eyes from the bright sunlight coming from the west.


    "Who is that?" Aoife asked.


    "Their leader," Inspector John spoke. "Kai, we need to get you and the other players to safety. Then we can-"


    "¡­ do nothing." I said, not even a sliver of hope in my voice. "There is nothing you can do against her. The others, maybe. If you''re lucky. But Aelith?" I laughed. "No, not if she''s as powerful as she was back in Baile Chailce."


    Despite the sun warming my back, why did I feel so cold inside? It felt as if there was a block of ice in my chest that no sunlight could melt.


    "Back in where?" Aoife''s confusion was almost comical. It was natural, of course. She knew nearly nothing about the world I was stuck in.


    "Look, I''m sorry I didn''t believe in you when you said you felt something was off," Inspector John''s words pulled me out of my pessimistic thoughts for a moment. That was right, I had warned him, almost begged him even to stop the construction of the Divine Pillar.  "But you can''t give up, I''m not letting you."


    I narrowed my eyes. Why was the sun so bright? "It''s not about whether I give up or not," I began speaking.


    "Why are you squinting so much?" Aoife mumbled as she glanced behind her. "Huh? ¡­Two suns?" She whispered.


    It took me a split second to process her words. Then, it hit me. I was covering my eyes because of the sun in the west. But it was morning still.


    My eyes widened. I grabbed Aoife and Inspector John by the arms and started running back, away from that unnatural light. "Run!" I shouted as a pain jolted through my skull.


    Behind us, an explosion sounded, mixed in with the screams of the agents in the chopper. I found myself in the air as the shockwave shook the earth.


    The Ereth had arrived.

 Chapter 297: A Golden Sheen (5)

    "Keep running!" Inspector John shouted, grabbing my arm, and pulling me back up on my feet. I looked for Aoife in a panic. Where was she? Was she ok?


    I felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest. Behind us, the chopper was up in flames. Some of the debris from the explosion had landed all the way in the woods. And amidst all the chaos, I noticed Aoife shouting my name. The explosion had sent her towards the settlement.


    Seeing her alive and fairly unharmed, I breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Hurry!" She shouted, pointing at the settlement.


    I didn''t hesitate, and neither did Inspector John. As we neared the gate, Aoife had already arrived there. She glanced behind us, and her eyes widened.


    I gulped. This familiar, yet also foreign sensation began to surface.


    "Get down!" I shouted all of a sudden, sensing something large behind me. Like¡­ a large amount of power. Magic.


    A spear made of light passed by us and struck the ground not too far away. I heard a woman''s voice echo, speaking in a foreign language. It took me a moment to realise it was a language I had heard before. The language of the Ereth.


    I noticed Inspector John pull a pistol from underneath his jacket.


    "That''s not-" My warning was interrupted with a loud bang as he turned back and shot at the Ereth woman.


    My heart skipped a beat as the shot almost deafened me. I looked at the Ereth with little hope ¨C could a gun even kill her? Floating in the air she showed us a wicket smile as a golden barrier calmly rippled around her.


    "How?" Inspector John exclaimed in shock.


    "Run!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the gate. "Aoife, get everyone out of here!"


    Before she could even say anything, another spear struck the ground by the gate.


    "Come on," Inspector John attempted to run past it, but I grabbed his arm and stopped him as I noticed an unusual glow on the spear.


    "What are you doing-" He began shouting, but I ignored him.


    "Aoife, get away from it!" Thankfully, my sister listened to me. She dashed away from the spear of light just in time before it exploded.


    I felt the Ereth''s presence draw closer. She was approaching us. What did she want? Why was she targeting us? Was it because of me?


    I gritted my teeth and turned towards her.


    "Kai¡­" Inspector John muttered under his breath. He aimed at the Ereth with his gun, ready to shoot. "When I tell you to run, run!" He warned me.


    I shook my head. I couldn''t run from this Ereth. "I might be dead," I mumbled, surprising Inspector John. He glanced at me, wide eyed as the Ereth stopped perhaps ten meters away from us.


    She was wearing a mask that covered only the left half of her face. Her white and golden robes reminded me of the awful colour scheme of Baile Chailce. Was she in inquisitor? No, she was more powerful than that ¨C perhaps a Divine who hadn''t quite finished her ascension yet? That was more like it.


    She spoke something in the language of the Ereth and pointed at me with her spear. Inspector John immediately stepped forward, shielding me with his body.


    "I''m not letting you touch him!" He warned her, fully aware that he had no chance against her. "Stay back."


    I clenched my fists. If only I had the power I had before. If only I could call upon my flames and my blade. But I had lost all of that. I was no longer the Keeper of Souls, or a player in a game. The real Kai Friseal was powerless against the Ereth, or anyone.


    "You''re like an insect ¨C just waiting to be killed. How awful of an existence." My eyes widened as I understood her words. She wasn''t speaking English ¨C this was Ereth. I knew it! "Allow me to free you of the burden of life!" She raised her voice as a wicked smile spread across her face.


    "I said stay back!" Inspector John shouted in response, not understanding a word of what she said.


    I heard footsteps behind me. Aoife was running towards us, a blade in hand. A dull blade, one of those we had for display at the entrance of the Dojo. She couldn''t do anything with that.


    As she approached, the Ereth raised her hand. The spear in her hand glowed with golden power. The moment she threw that at us, all of us were going to die. There was no escaping that.


    I gulped, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. Gathering what was left of my courage, I brushed past Inspector John and stepped forward.


    "Stop!" The foreign words sounded much weaker as I spoke them. Hoping I didn''t say something like ''Food'' or ''Jump'', I stepped forward and glared at her. "What do you want? Why did you immediately come to this place?"


    I''m not sure who was more surprised; Aoife and Inspector John, or the Ereth? It didn''t matter either, as my words were enough to at least delay our ends.


    The Ereth raised her chin and lowered her spear. The magic gathering around her seemed to weaken for a little while as her smile widened. "So, you can speak our language. I would have though the Matriarch''s spell wouldn''t continue on after you left our world."


    I gritted my teeth. It was a challenge to find the right words because unlike what this Ereth thought, I was not still under Aelith''s spell.


    "You''re underestimating her power," I spoke, hoping to stall for longer. With my hand, I motioned the other two to back off, but they were too dumbfounded to notice that.


    "Of course, you would know best ¨C you fought her after all." Her expression hardened all of a sudden. "You killed so many, destroyed our city, our Pillars, killed our Divines!" She raised her voice once more. The spear in her hand shifted, turning into a blade made of light. "I will take your life, Kai Friseal, and offer it to The Divine Matriarch as a gift, for leading us to this world. This world, which will take the old one''s place!"


    It was then that it hit me.


    She wasn''t chasing us because I was a player. She was after me. Specifically, me. She knew who I was, she knew what I had done. The blood on my hands, the lives I had taken, the Pillars I had destroyed.


    "Run!" I shouted at Aoife and Inspector John. "Get out of here ¨C now!"


    The Ereth raised her sword arm as I felt a golden light illuminate our surroundings. "Kai ¨C no, let him go!" Aoife screamed at the top of her lungs as she dashed forward. A loud bang deafened me as Inspector John fired his gun again and again.


    As they fought for me, all I could do was watch the blade nearing my heart.


    ''Such weakness,'' Another voice echoed in my mind. ''Your soul belongs to me, I will not let a Lightbringer collect it.''


    Something within me broke.

 Chapter 298: Wreathed in Darkness (1)

    Time stood still as I gazed upon my death. Then, black flames burst out of me. I wasn''t controlling them ¨C it was not my own power that did this.


    I felt a hand on my shoulder as time resumed.


    The Ereth screamed in shock and pain as the flames leapt forward, much stronger, and much more powerful than I could have possibly created before.


    "What is this?"  Her scream echoed as a golden light enveloped her. She raised her hand and stretched her leathery wings, ready to escape.


    A figure wreathed in darkness stepped ahead, carrying a large, black scythe with a crystalline blade. My eyes widened ¨C that was¡­


    "This world, or soul, is not yours to take." The familiar voice sounded, speaking clear demonic. The Keeper raised his scythe and with a single, swift move, cut the Ereth''s throat. Her hands flailed about for a split second before she collapsed on the ground, lifeless.


    I noticed a soul slowly rise from the body, then rise up to the sky and disappear.


    "What¡­?" I whispered, looking at the Keeper of Souls. "How are you here?"


    Nothing made sense. My mind was thrust into chaos.


    The Keeper turned to face me. Those bright purple eyes seemingly peered into my soul as I instinctively stepped back.


    The flames continued roaring around us. They danced on my skin, and on his hair, warm, yet not burning us.


    "You''ve grown weak, pathetic." His words startled me. "The man who killed the Crimson Witch would have defeated this Lightbringer with ease."


    I gritted my teeth. "My strength was borrowed, it belonged to you." I replied. Speaking in demonic was difficult, the sounds I had to make weren''t fit for the human throat. Perhaps because of that, a faint smile appeared on the Keeper''s lips before the shadowy aura from before started returning. He started to become less visible.


    "My time is nigh," He spoke. "I can not remain in this world for long, not without an anchor. What will you do, Kai Friseal? Will you fight for your world as you did for mine?"


    His words surprised me. "I can''t ¨C I don''t have any powers, no magic, nothing." I glanced at the black and purple flames dancing on my skin. All of this was his power, even from the very beginning. It was never mine, it had never been so.


    "You can borrow mine if you so wish." He lit a fire of hope in me with those words and undid it with his next. "But it will come at a cost ¨C your soul is mine, remember that."


    I hesitated. It didn''t take a genius to understand what he meant by that. I glanced at Aoife and Inspector John, then at the settlement behind them.


    "It''s worth it, right?" I asked with a bitter smile. "Please, give me what I need to defeat Aelith once and for all."


    His lips curled in a smile. "A gate." He spoke. "You shall find the gate that can lead me and our forces to your world. We will defeat Aelith together, once and for all." An image flashed in my mind. My eyes widened.


    "Take this until then," He struck the scythe into the ground. "Find the gate, or your world shall drown in light." As he spoke, the shadows enveloped him and then, just like that, he was gone.


    The only proof of his existence was the scythe with a crystalline blade, still wreathed in shadow, and the corpse of the Ereth laying on the blood soaked ground.


    I hesitantly stepped forward and reached for the scythe''s dark metal shaft.


    "Kai, no!" Aoife''s scream startled me. "Don''t touch the flames!" She said, dashing forward and pulling me away from the scythe. "What do you think you''re doing? You''re going to burn yourself!" Her voice was filled with fear. I could feel her hands trembling as she pulled me away.


    "No, it''s fine." I stopped her, planting my feet firmly in the ground. "I''m sorry, Aoife." I mumbled. "I didn''t know something like this would happen." My gaze lingered on the still burning remains of the chopper.


    "They''re gone," I whispered after a moment. I glanced at Inspector John, who was still too dumbfounded to utter a word. "I''m sorry ¨C she was after me, they shouldn''t have ever been targeted like that."


    He blinked a couple of times, then his expression hardened. "I''ll need a full translation of what the hell just happened. And a very detailed explanation." He glared at me. What kindness was in those eyes before was gone.


    "I can''t," I said, taking a deep breath. "There is no time." I stepped forward as he began to protest and grasped the shaft of the scythe.


    It all returned. For a split second, my memory became crystal clear. For just a short moment in time, I recalled everything. The image that flashed in my mind ¨C remembered the photo I found at Fetheion''s home.


    "Aoife," I turned towards her, then raised my hand. "I wonder¡­" I mumbled. Without the interface, could I control my magic as I did before? I was about to try it, but then I noticed my sister''s expression. "I guess¡­ the game wasn''t just that." I mumbled, deciding not to try to cast any spells for now.


    "I guess¡­" Inspector John shook his head. "Let''s go inside, I need a glass of water and you need to explain things."


    I hesitated. I didn''t have time for this. I needed to find the gate. The symbol that somehow existed in both worlds. The thing that would allow the Keeper of Souls to come here, and help solve this mess we''d found ourselves in.


    I glanced at the corpse on the ground. "You two go ahead, I''ll be right behind you."


    Aoife hesitated, but Inspector John urged her to lead the way back inside. Both her and him were exhausted, shocked and probably just as confused as I was, if not more.


    Once they were far enough away, I raised my hand and let the black and purple flames leap from my hand to the body of the Ereth. The smell of burnt flesh and hair covered the air for a bit, but I didn''t turn away despite that.


    I needed to face this.


    This was real. The game was real ¨C it always had been. The Ereth were real, the Demons were real.


    The Keeper was real, the Demon Lord was real, the Divine Matriarch was real.


    All those lives I had taken were real.

 Chapter 299: Wreathed in Darkness (2)

    "So," Inspector John''s voice reflected his confusion. "What just happened?"


    We were sitting in the dining room. Aoife was sitting on the couch. The dull blade was on the low coffee table. Her gaze was fixed on it.


    I had just stepped inside when Inspector John spoke. I hesitated for a moment, then carefully leaned the large scythe against the wall before sitting down.


    "Well?" The Inspector asked. His glare was fixed on me. "Care to explain?"


    I sighed. "I''m not even sure myself. Besides, I don''t think we have that kind of time right now." I made a vague gesture towards the TV. "Remember the woman that appeared by the Pillar in the Gallagher Mansion?"


    Aoife nodded while the Inspector hesitated for a moment. "Woman?" He mumbled. "That weird thing with wings and scales was a woman?"


    I couldn''t help but laugh. "Yes, her name is Aelith." My expression turned serious once more. "She was the¡­ usurper, so to speak in the game. She''s incredibly powerful."


    Aoife furrowed her brows. "But didn''t you defeat her?"


    I laughed. "No, it was Fetheion who fought her. I stood no chance against her, even at my best." I took a deep breath. "I need to find something," I said with a sigh and looked around to find a pen and paper.


    As I scribbled down the symbol, the Inspector leaned forward to look at it. "What''s this?" He asked, his expression reflecting his confusion.


    "It''s a symbol carved on a cliff. I need to find where this is." Picked the sheet of paper up and showed it to Aoife. "Have you ever seen this before? I asked.


    She glanced at the symbol, pondered for a while, then furrowed her brows. "No, I don''t recognise it." She hesitated. "What do you even need it for?"


    I sighed. Where had I seen those tourists all those years ago? I was sure as hell they had asked me where they could find that cliff in the photo. I was so sure. I stood up and paced the room.


    "Aelith and the other Ereth will probably do the same thing they tried to do to the world in the game." I mumbled. "You know what that means," I said, glancing at the Inspector.


    His face turned pale. "You''re serious."


    "I am." I pointed at the TV. The broadcast had died. There was nothing but white noise now. "And it already started."


    Aoife stood up as well. "What started? Kai, don''t keep me out of the loop." I hesitated. I wanted to protect her from all of this. From the Ereth, from Aelith, from the war and bloodshed that could happen. But I knew that wasn''t going to be possible.


    "The Ereth travel from world to world," I spoke with a low, heavy voice. "They somehow create a Divine Pillar, exactly like they did in the Gallagher Mansion. I don''t know how they did it. Then, their Divines ¨C the most powerful people in their ranks ¨C arrive. They drive back whichever local species exists, then begin draining the resources of the world." I folded my arms. "I do mean that, by the way. I saw the treasury in Baile Chailce. It was filled with ores, wood, stone, anything that can be said to be a natural resource."


    Inspector John''s expression darkened. "So, they want the resources of earth?"


    I shrugged. "I guess so. I don''t know for sure. Fetheion never told me much, and I never got the chance to talk with Luhen for long enough."


    I could see the confusion in Aoife''s face still, but I didn''t feel like I had the time to explain right now. "I need to find that cliff." I spoke. "The symbol is carved on a cliff."


    As I stepped towards the door, both of them quickly got up and followed me outside. "Where are you going?" Asked Inspector John as I grabbed the scythe and headed outside.


    "I told you ¨C I need to find that cliff."


    "We should get a chopper then." He said, as he followed me outside. I hesitated, I didn''t think it was a good idea, considering what had happened to the last chopper, but then again, without a fast way to circle the island, this search could take hours, at best.


    "How will you even contact headquarters?" I asked as we arrived at the gate. I stopped before heading outside and glanced at my sister. "You can''t come."


    "What?" She shouted. "No way I''m leaving you alone."


    "They are creatures with magic, Aoife!" I insisted. "You don''t stand a chance against them ¨C not with a dull sword."


    She clenched her fists. "I''m coming. Whether you want me to or not." She gripped the hilt of her sword. "And this is not a dull one ¨C I''m not so dumb to not take a battle-ready blade with me."


    "Let her," Inspector John said after a moment. "At least we can keep her safe ¨C she won''t be able to do anything if they come here after we leave."


    I took a deep breath, annoyed. He wasn''t wrong, but it still felt wrong to take my sister with us. What if we did find the cliff? I didn''t want her to see the demons I would invite to this world.


    "Fine," I said, despite feeling unhappy about the situation. "But if I tell you ¨C any one of you ¨C to run, don''t question me." I glared at both of them. "No hesitating, no questioning, no trying to be the hero."


    Aoife raised her chin, ready to protest. "I''m-"


    "Or I''ll go alone." I said, glaring at her.


    Her shoulders dropped. "Fine," She said with a weaker voice.


    Inspector John also sighed, then got on his phone. After unsuccessfully trying to reach his colleagues, he shook his head. "We''ll have to walk to the base down at the shore."


    "That''s fine," I tightened my grasp around the shaft of my scythe. The familiar cool metal shaft gave me some reassurance. "Let''s get going."


    "But Kai, your body is still weak, is it not?" Inspector asked.


    I grinned. "That''s fine. I can handle it."


    I felt magic course through my veins, empowering my muscles, giving me that familiar strength. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 300: Wreathed in Darkness (3)

    We learned two things in the United Nations'' base. First, the communication network was completely down. We had no clue how that happened. Second, the last communique they received was warning them of an army spilling out of the golden light.


    Even now, the words on the screen the agent showed us were fresh in my mind.


    "You said we should look for tall cliffs, right?" Inspector John shouted. I could barely hear him over the noise and rattle of the chopper.


    "Yes, I think it''s near an old, almost ruined lighthouse." I searched my memory for more details, but it had begun to become foggy once more. "I can''t remember for sure."


    I felt Aoife tap on my shoulder. The wind blew her long hair around as she shouted something. I couldn''t hear her over the sound of the chopper.


    "Louder!" I shouted. She took a deep breath and shouted into my ear. "I''m worried about Uncle and Mother. Do you know where they went?"


    All I could do was shake my head. They had left without telling us anything. I didn''t even know if they were on the island anymore. Aoife just sighed and fiddled with her hair as I turned my gaze back outside.


    We were now flying over the sea, a little ways away from the land. The cliffs were clearly visible from this distance. As we flew around the island, I couldn''t help but constantly glance towards the open sea.


    "What''s wrong?" Inspector John shouted. I shook my head ¨C there was no need to tell him of my worries. There was nothing he could do anyways.


    Perhaps half an hour later, Aoife suddenly grabbed my arm. "There!" She shouted, pointing at a distant cliff. "Isn''t that a lighthouse?"


    My eyes widened. Was it? I couldn''t see ¨C it was too far away. As Inspector John searched around the chopper, I let some of my mana work its way to my eyes. My vision became sharper as I felt a mild sting in my eyes.


    "It is," I said after a moment. "It''s partially ruined, I think that''s it!"


    Both Inspector John and Aoife shot me a surprised look. "How can you see it from so far away?" Aoife asked as Inspector John notified the pilot to fly towards the lighthouse. I shrugged as a response to Aoife. "Magic."


    She rolled her eyes. "That was helpful."


    I sighed. It was magic! How could I explain it? I wasn''t sure of how I was doing this either, it was instinctive at this point.


    The sting I felt in my eyes grew stronger. I furrowed my brows and stopped using magic to enhance my eyesight. Was it damaging my body, or was this something else?


    The sting didn''t disappear. I rubbed my eyes and looked away, towards the sea. Magic wasn''t of this world, and this body of mine wasn''t used to magic. Was that what the Keeper meant when he said my soul belonged to him?


    A bright light over the sea caught my attention as we neared the lighthouse. I narrowed my eyes and watched it for a while. Was it getting closer, or was it just my imagination? Moments later, I felt it. Magic ¨C Divine magic. An Ereth was on its way.


    "Land the chopper!" I shouted immediately, startling both my sister and Inspector John. "Now!" The Pilot glanced at Inspector John, who nodded after a moment of hesitation. As we neared the top of a cliff still far away from the lighthouse, my gaze was fixed on the bright light on the horizon. If that Ereth came, I''d have to fight, I knew it.


    "What''s going on?" Inspector John asked as soon as we touched the ground. I took a breath of relied as Aoife and he jumped out of the chopper. "Why did we land so far away?" Aoife asked.


    I glanced at the pilot. "You might want to get off too. Hide somewhere safe ¨C don''t fly up no matter what." I jumped down to the ground as well, then turned my attention back to the horizon. "You see that bright light?" I asked, pointing at it.


    Aoife nodded. "Yeah, what''s that?"


    My grip around the shaft of my scythe tightened. "An Ereth. We should go the rest of the way on foot. It''s too dangerous to fly."


    Inspector John was very clearly not pleased by this. We all glanced towards the lighthouse. It was at least two hours away on foot. "That''s going to take a while." He mumbled. I nodded, he was right, but flying simply wasn''t worth the risk.


    "Let''s go." I started walking at a fast pace. We needed to get away from the chopper, both to keep it intact and keep ourselves and the pilot safe. Yet, despite our fast pace, we didn''t make it to the lighthouse before we had to stop.


    "It''s still so far away!" Inspector John said, out of breath. He wasn''t used to strenuous physical activity as Aoife was and I was using magic to keep myself going. "Kai, are you sure we couldn''t keep flying?"


    I shook my head. "Did you forget what the Ereth did to the other chopper?" I asked, annoyed. I could feel it ¨C I was running out of time. Once Aelith created her stronghold like she did with Baile Chailce, it was going to be near impossible to defeat her. Now, while she was still weak was our best and possibly only chance.


    Pain jolted through my body as I felt magic gather in the distance. My eyes widened. The Ereth had noticed us. "Uh," I stopped in my tracks. The light was fast approaching. "Aoife, Inspector, start running and don''t stop till you''re at the top of that hill." I pointed up the sloped surface. "And don''t try to interfere ¨C especially you." I glared at the inspector. "Don''t fire that gun."


    "What are you going to do?" Aoife asked, her eyes wide. She gripped the hilt of her sword. "If you''re fighting, I''ll help."


    I laughed. "No, no you won''t." I closed my eyes. I needed to get back in shape.


    Black and purple flames danced on my skin as the other two stepped back in shock. I raised my hand slightly and watched the dancing flames, then turned my attention to the Ereth, now visible through the bright golden light enveloping her.


    My next words echoed as I shouted in the language of the Ereth.


    "Come at me!"

 Chapter 301: Skirmishes (1)

    The Ereth inquisitor, enveloped in a bright, golden light landed before me, perhaps five meters away.


    "The hell is this monster?" I heard Inspector John mumble.


    "Time to die," I whispered as I tightened my grasp around the shaft of my scythe. The pale crystalline blade reflected the golden light as my flames danced on it.


    I dashed forward as soon as the Ereth''s feet touched the ground. I had no wings, no way of flying. I had to defeat her while she was on the ground, still within my reach.


    The sound of metal clashing with metal echoed across the hills and cliffs. We exchanged no words ¨C we both knew this was a fight to the death. Instead, I leapt back as soon as our blades touched.


    The Inquisitor clicked her tongue and took a step forward, chasing me. I furrowed my brows ¨C so far, none of the inquisitors had actually tried to fight me one on one in a melee battle. They had always relied on their immense power and ability to draw near infinite strength from their Divine Pillars.


    "Ha!" I said as understanding dawned on me. She wasn''t close enough to a Pillar. The one in the Gallagher Mansion wasn''t able to give her power, so she was fighting with limited power!


    An almost wicked smile appeared on my lips as I dashed forward. I heard Aoife draw a sharp breath as I ducked under the Ereth''s sword swing. I spung my scythe around my wrist and hit the Ereth''s sword arm with its dark metal shaft.


    The Inquisitor moaned in pain but didn''t retreat. Instead, pressed on, forcing me back into the defensive. She was about as fast as I was, and her smaller, lighter blade gave her the advantage. The scythe was slow and clunky compared to her sword.


    I gritted my teeth while blocking every single one of her strikes. She wasn''t bad with a sword, but she was nowhere as good as some other opponents I had fought. But she was able to cover that weakness with her magic.


    Every swing of her blade left behind a streak of golden light that lingered in the air, not vanishing as it should. At first, it didn''t matter much, but as I started pushing her back once more, the streaks of light began blocking my vision.


    It was annoying, but more than that, it was actually working. I couldn''t keep up a continued offense without sacrificing my vision, and that was simply too dangerous as it could spell my death. And I didn''t intend to die just yet.


    After exchanging blows back and forth like this for a short while, I finally leapt back and struck my scythe to the ground. I noticed Aoife and Inspector John slowly step back, though my sister''s hand rested on the hilt of her sword. I could see it in her eyes, she wanted to come and help me so badly.


    But I couldn''t let her do that. Not against an Inquisitor. She would stand no chance.


    "What are you doing?!" I heard her shout as I glared at the Ereth Inquisitor. The smile on my lips widened. I was itching to go all out. This thrill of battle, the danger of actual, real death and the sheer excitement of being able to use magic¡­


    I ignored Aoife''s shout as I extended my hand forward. Flames danced all around me, then leapt forward. They consumed the grass around us, tugged at the Inquisitor''s clothes and tried to break through the golden light that surrounded her.


    I picked up my scythe once more, as she was busy trying to get rid of my flames. I used Death''s Scythe, though the name of the spell was now meaningless. Coating the crystalline blade of the scythe in black and purple flames, I dashed ahead.


    My first strike was blocked by a barrier of golden light, though I shattered it with ease. Then, the Inquisitor tried to block me with her blade, but that only protected her from the sharp blade aiming for her neck. The flames tugged at her clothes and burned her skin, releasing the awful smell of burnt flesh and hair.


    A golden light flashed around her as she dropped her blade, unable to hold on to it as my third attack landed. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed, and a victorious smile formed on my lips. I raised my scythe one last time, and as she released her own spell, I cut off her head.


    The ground around me exploded, sending me flying. I hit the ground moments later with an audible thud and a crack.


    "Kai!" I could barely hear Aoife''s voice over the ringing in my ears. The smell of burnt flesh filled my nostrils and I felt my stomach turn. It was disgusting.


    "Hey, kid!" Was that inspector John? As I pushed myself up, Soul''s respite had already started healing my wounds, though with no souls, it was going to take a bit longer than it used to.


    "Oh my god!" Aoife knelt beside me. "Y- your arm!" She exhaled in shock. Her hands trembled as she looked at my right arm.


    I glance at it. "Oh¡­" I mumbled. "That''s why it hurts like hell." I showed her a bitter smile. "I thought I heard something break."


    "We need to get you to a hospital." Inspector John said as he also knelt by me. "You''re burnt all over too¡­" He looked at me from head to toe, then shook his head. "Damn it ¨C you''re losing way too much blood." He took of his jacket and motioned to tear off a portion of it, but I quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.


    "What are you doing?" I asked. "I''ll be fine in a bit, don''t ruin your jacket." It took me a second to realise how absurd I just sounded.


    "Did he hit his head?" Aoife whispered.


    I couldn''t help but laugh, though it quickly turned into a pained moan. "I''m fine, really. I''m already healing my wounds. I smiled and pointed at my right arm. The skin was still torn apart, but the bone wasn''t showing anymore.


    "Five minutes, and I''ll be fine. I have magic."


    The look on their faces was almost worth it all.

 Chapter 302: Skirmishes (2)

    "So, wait," Inspector John asked, looking at the lifeless body of the Ereth Inquisitor. "This¡­ creature is an Ereth?" He asked. The way he pronounced the word was somewhat odd.


    I nodded. My wounds had healed by now, Soul''s Respite had done its job. I shot a glance at Aoife. She was staring at the cut off head of the Inquisitor. Her face was pale, and I could see from her expression how shocking this was for her.


    I took a deep breath and held my hand over the lifeless body. Black and purple flames spread from my hand to the body. Soon, nothing but ashes would remain of the Inquisitor.


    "Why did you do that?" Aoife asked with a shaking voice. "A burial-"


    "They burn their dead. Usually with rituals, but I don''t have time for that." I raised my head and look at the sea. "More will come, and soon." I clenched my fist. "I shouldn''t have let the two of you come with me." I mumbled before turning my back on the burning body. "Let''s go."


    I headed up the hill. We still had a long way to go before we made it to the lighthouse. And even then, there was no guarantee that we''d find the pattern etched cliff.


    We walked along the cliff in silence. The only sound to be heard was the sound of waves crashing into the rocks below.


    "Kai," Aoife''s voice sounded. She was walking half a step behind me. I slowed down and shot her a curious look, urging her to continue. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Why are you using that?" She asked, pointing at my scythe.


    I glanced at the weapon. "It looks like a grim reaper''s weapon." She added after a moment of hesitation. Inspector John remained silent, though I was sure he was listening to every word we spoke.


    "I''m used to it. And I don''t have any other weapon on me right now." I added with a forced smile.


    Aoife lightly tapped the hilt of her sword. "You could use this." She suggested. I shook my head almost immediately. "No, I''m fine with this. It gives me the reach and power I need to take down inquisitors." I hesitated. "And it will give me a fighting chance against a Divine, though not a great one."


    As I was now, I had almost no hope of winning against a Divine. Not without the power given to me by the souls I had gathered before.


    "How much more powerful are the Divines?" Aoife asked. I hesitated. "You don''t want to know." I finally said, failing to find a good answer. Telling her that Aelith could probably blow up the island didn''t seem like a very bright idea.


    "What if I do want to know?"


    I shook my head. "You don''t. And even if you did, I can''t answer that ¨C I don''t know the full extent of their powers. Just¡­" I stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "Just make sure to run as far away and as fast as you can if we ever come across one." I glanced at Inspector John. "The same applies to you as well, Inspector. I can protect both of you from an Inquisitor, but a Divine is a completely different monster." I didn''t want to tell them that if we ever came across a Divine before we found the marked cliff, I was as good as dead.


    We continued walking in silence, though not for long. Soon, several dots appeared in the sky.


    "Are those Inquisitors too?" Inspector John asked, noticing how my expression darkened. I shook my head, I didn''t feel the same amount of power from them as I did from the last two Inquisitors.


    "She can''t keep sending inquisitors to kill me," I said as I stopped walking and turned towards the dots. They were Ereth soldiers. Their large, leathery wings carried them here all the way from the mainland. "There aren''t so many of them, after all. The soldiers though¡­" I sighed and raised my hand. Power gathered within my palm.


    "To her, they''re expendable." A bolt, seemingly made of darkness leapt from the tip of my fingers. A split second later, a pained scream sounded as one of the Ereth soldiers plummeted into the sea. "She doesn''t care if they die or live."


    Aoife furrowed her brows. "You don''t seem too different."


    I stopped for a moment and glanced at her. "What does that mean?" I asked as my expression darkened.


    "You''re killing them¡­ Just like that. Not even giving them a fighting chance. Not even giving them a chance to surrender." Aoife''s words were like daggers, meant to hurt me. I sensed resentment behind her voice, behind her words.


    "I can''t afford to." I replied, looking at the dots again. Another dark bolt leapt from my fingertips and another Ereth plummeted from the sky. "If so many of them surround me, I''m dead. At best." I added, then slowly took a step back. Out of the ten, I had killed three. They were now closing in on us.


    "Stay here," I said before darting off towards the side we came from. If I were to fight these Ereth, it was going to happen at a distance from Aoife. No matter what my sister thought of me, I wasn''t going to let her get caught in the crossfire.


    "Kai!" She shouted after me, but I was already quite a ways away. I raised my hands, and two more bolts hit two more Ereth. One of them blocked my spell with his shield, while the other let out a scream of agony before plummeting into the rough seas.


    I didn''t have time to cast any more spells before the first of the remaining six Ereth reached me.


    He flew over my head and landed behind me. The others quickly followed, forming a circular formation around me. It reminded of the time a larger group of soldiers tried to stop me from reaching the Divine Pillar in Baile Chailce.


    A smile appeared on my lips as I glanced at the sharp tips of their spears. "Alright then," I mumbled as I readied my scythe.


    It was time to fight once more.

 Chapter 303: Skirmishes (3)

    It was thrilling. It was exciting. It was what I had been longing for.


    Every move I made was calculated. My body screamed in pain and exhaustion, but my magic kept me going as I dodged, blocked, and struck with the crystalline blade of my scythe.


    The first seconds of battle seemed to be going in the Ereth soldiers'' favour, but soon that was no longer the case. They wanted to keep me at bay with their long, deadly spears, but things weren''t the same as they were in Baile Chailce.


    These Ereth weren''t right next to a Divine Pillar. They didn''t have that golden light constantly supporting them, giving them power, healing and protecting them. Here, I had the upper hand. And I didn''t hesitate to demonstrate that.


    Flames burst out of me as I blocked the first thrust of their spears with my scythe. The flames burnt them as I dashed forward, cutting off their limbs without hesitation. Empowered by my magic, I was too fast for them to react in time.


    The battle was over before I knew it, and nothing but ashes remained from the Ereth soldiers'' bodies. As I returned to Aoife and Inspector John, I didn''t look them in the eyes. I knew what they were thinking.


    "Let''s go. She''ll send more soon." My voice was heavy. I led the way, refusing to look Aoife in the eye.


    "Why is she so adamant about killing you?" Aoife asked after a while. "And who is this person?"


    Inspector John sighed. "I''d like to know how she found you."


    I shrugged. "I don''t know how she found me. She was the leader of the Ereth in Baile Chailce." I raised my head to look at the lighthouse. "The Divine Matriarch Aelith." My words echoed across the plains.


    Now that we had reached the lighthouse, I could see in greater detail just how ruined it was. The wall facing north was almost completely destroyed, the second and third floors had collapsed along with the stairs that led to the top.


    "This is it," I mumbled as I rested my palm against the wall. "Then¡­" I walked to the other side of the lighthouse, to the cliff it rested atop of. "There!" I shouted.


    There it was ¨C a secluded area, a cliff that bended inlands, that could only be seen from here. I could see the symbol carved into the cliff. The details matched with what I remembered.


    "What the hell¡­ How did we never notice this?" Aoife mumbled in shock as she looked at the symbol. I was as confused about that as her. A symbol of this size, clearly visible and undamaged¡­ How had humanity not noticed its existence?


    And what was even more surprising was the sea before the cliff. The waves didn''t seem to reach the shore. Black sand covered the bottom of the cliff, creating a thin stretch of beach.


    "It even has a beach." Inspector John said, shaking his head. "What''s next?" He asked, glancing at me. I hesitated. The Keeper hadn''t told me anything else than ''find the cliff''.


    "I have to get down there." Was all I could say.


    "Yeah, but how?" Inspector John asked. I had no answer for that. As far as I could see, there was simply no way down there. The stretch of beach reached nowhere, it was just long enough to create a place in front of the cliff with the markings on it.


    "You''d need to fly to get down there." Aoife mumbled. "Don''t try that," She quickly added, glancing at me with a somewhat worried expression.


    I chuckled, though she was right. I would need to fly down. "Or just fall." I mumbled, almost making both of their eyes pop. "Just really slowly," I added with a low voice. Somewhat lost in thought, I approached the cliff. Could I do it? I wasn''t sure. I had never tried using my magic to slow my fall. I had always relied on my wings.


    "No!" Aoife shouted as I took another step towards the cliff.


    "Calm down," I said with a grin. "I''m not going to jump." If I died now, to something stupid like a fall, I''d never be able to rest in peace. And Earth would be taken over. But that wasn''t my point right now.


    "Actually, I think there is a way down." Inspector John pointed at a spot a bit farther away from the symbols. "Look, there''s a path that leads all the way down."


    ''Path'' was an overstatement at best. I could spot a tiny ledge that led all the way down, but it was broken off at places. Even with my magic, it would be difficult to use that snaking trail to go all the way to the bottom. I would likely lose my balance and fall, or the rocks would crumble beneath my feet and I would fall.


    "I don''t think that idea is any better than jumping down." Aoife mumbled. She had a defeated look on her face. "Why do we need to go down there anyways? What are you going to do there?"


    I hesitated. I hadn''t told them about my ¨C well, the Keeper''s ¨C plan of letting the demons come and take care of the Ereth. "I need to activate that sigil." I said, pointing at the cliff. "Then, we''ll have a fighting chance against Aelith."


    I walked to the spot Inspector John had pointed out earlier. "I''m going down ¨C you two should wait up here, and I''ll-"


    "No! Have you lost your mind?" Aoife shouted. Her sudden and loud voice startled me. "You''re not going down there alone!"


    Inspector John was quick to nod. "I must join you," He said, then tilted his head towards Aoife. "And we can''t leave her up here."


    "That''s not my point!" Aoife protested. "You can''t-"


    I felt a flash of pain in the back of my head. Without hesitation, I grabbed Aoife''s shoulder and pushed her away from the cliff, towards Inspector John.


    The ground beneath my feet exploded. I felt something twist around my waist and chest as my feet dangled. I could hardly breathe.


    "Got you!"

 Chapter 304: Unyielding Heart (1)

    I didn''t need to see, to realise who I was up against.


    "Run!" I shouted at Aoife and Inspector John with the last bit of air left in my lungs. My feet dangled in the air, high up above the sea below.


    "Run?" The Ereth asked with a sly voice. "As if I would allow them to."


    I noticed their eyes widen as A golden light radiated from the Ereth behind me.


    "What¡­?" Aoife whispered as she stepped back. "I can understand him."


    I gritted my teeth. I knew exactly what this was ¨C the same spell Aelith had cast upon every single player. A spell to let a human understand their speech.


    "How far the Pale Demon has fallen." The Ereth laughed. I felt the thing around my wait and chest wrap itself tighter around me. It was going to crack my ribs if this kept up.


    "Stop calling me that." I hissed as I released my magic. Flames erupted from me, burning off the tendrils around me. I caught the edge of the cliff just as I began falling down, and with my magically enhanced strength, pulled myself up.


    The Ereth laughed. His bellowing laughter echoed across the hills and cliffs.


    "What''s going on?" Aoife whispered, clearly still in shock. "Why can I understand him?"


    I shook my head. "It''s a spell. You need to run, now!" I pushed her away, towards Inspector John. "Run! Don''t stop until you can''t hear us!"


    I turned my back on them just in time to block a blade of light descending upon me from the sky.


    "You stand no chance against me, Kai Friseal. You are no longer the Matriarch''s Champion, nor are you the feared Pale Demon." He raised his hand as another blade made purely out of light formed high up in the air. His eyes flashed golden, and at that moment, I recognised him.


    "Rohir, the god of vengeance¡­" I whispered. "Fuck."


    "I will avenge those you have killed, Keeper of Souls!"


    My eyes widened. He wasn''t just any Divine ¨C he was the Divine who gaze Erik his paladin powers. He was the person who sent the phoenix after Erik.


    I threw myself aside as the blade of light hit the ground where I was just standing. The earth shook, and I nearly lost my balance.


    "What about all those you killed?" I shouted as I ran towards the side. I glanced at Aoife and Inspector John. They hadn''t moved much, they were watching us wide eyed. I gritted my teeth, I needed to get Rohir as far away from them as I could.


    "Demons are filth of the world. Those snakes would use anyone and throw them away the moment they outlived their usefulness." Rohir''s shout was accompanied by another blade striking the earth. I stumbled and nearly fell as the ground shook and trembled.


    "How is that different from what you and your kind does?" I replied as I finally regained my balance. Turning my back on the cliff right behind me, I faced Rohir. "You used so many of us ¨C humans, from this world. People who had nothing to do with your conflict!" My flames began dancing on my skin. I could feel wrath, rising within me. His two-faced words had triggered something inside of me.


    "You are the ones who are invading our world!" My shout echoed across the fields and hills. I fired a bolt of darkness towards him. He didn''t even try to avoid it ¨C it simply sizzled and disappeared after hitting the faintly visible golden barrier around him.


    I couldn''t even put a dent in his defences.


    "What do you chase me for?" I shouted, hoping to at least buy some time as I tried to figure out what to do. "I''m no longer who I was before!"


    He laughed, again. "Lies, your power proves your identity." He raised his hand once more. Another blade of golden light, another near miss, and another rumble of the earth. I took a few steps back but had to stop as I finally reached the edge of the cliff.


    "Your death shall be the beginning of our new dynasty!"


    I rolled my eyes. Wasn''t he overestimating my importance by a lot? After all, I was just one guy in the midst of a war. I glanced at the sea below. I could see the think stretch of black sand covered beach. If I fell, it seemed like it was certain death.


    Rohir raised his hand once more, and I summoned my own power to counter his. Perhaps, I could have a chance. Perhaps, if he ran out of mana before I did, I could kill him. Because as he was now, he wasn''t feeding off a Divine Pillar. I still had a chance.


    With renewed confidence and plenty of recklessness, I dashed forward as soon as he tried to hit me again. Tightly grasping the shaft of my scythe, I allowed my flames to go ahead of me. They burned the grassy surface as they reached the Divine.


    His lips formed a thin line as my flames started consuming his barrier. "Is this all you can do?" He asked with an almost disappointed voice. He raised his hand. I prepared to dodge, but to my surprise, he didn''t create a sword made of light.


    Instead, I felt power slowly gather in his palm. So much power that I felt my mind go numb because of it.


    "No!" I shouted as I finally reached him. I leapt high into the air and struck the barrier surrounding him. For a moment, we froze. The air grew thicker, slowing my movements, but it didn''t happen fast enough. The crystalline blade of my scythe touched the golden barrier, shattering it to pieces.


    Black mist spread from the scythe, enveloping both of us.


    "Too little, too late." I heard the Divine''s voice. As my eyes widened, the power gathering in his palm exploded.


    I found myself in flying high up above as pain jolted through my body. For a moment, I felt as if I was suspended in the air, floating peacefully. Then, gravity caught up, and I plummeted into the sea down below.

 Chapter 305: Unyielding Heart (2)

    "Kai!" Aoife''s scream was muffled by the waves that quickly covered me.


    Pain jolted throughout my body as I slowly sank into the depths. It took me a moment before I could move. I tried to swim up, back to the surface as the waves tried to pull me away from the shore. My lungs burned as I tried to reach the surface. My entire body ached, though my spell had already started healing me.


    When I finally broke through the surface of the water, my vision had already begun to blur from the lack of air. I swam to the black sand shore, then crawled my way away from the water.


    I forced myself to stand up despite my shaky legs. As soon as I did so, I felt magic up above.


    I didn''t need to even glance there. I knew it was Rohir. He knew this fall wouldn''t kill me, so he had waited for me to crawl to the shore.


    "You''re just like them, crawling back up whenever we try to rush you."


    I ignored his words and took a shaky, uneven step towards the cliff wall. Three meters ¨C it was this close. I glanced at Rohir. A blade made of light hovered high up in the air above his raised hand. With his wicked smile and glowing golden eyes, he looked more like a demon than the Keeper did most of the time.


    "We will rid this world of your kind, and then we will once again thrive ¨C you can not hope to stop us!" He raised his voice as he spoke. I hesitated. "You kind is weak, no different than animals. You have no magic, no power," He continued.


    I furrowed my brows. Was he monologuing? He was, wasn''t he? It was almost comical, he was spending my weakest moment just speaking. I did nothing to stop him, I allowed myself to fix my breathing and by then, whatever pain I felt had disappeared too.


    I prepared myself as the Divine continued speaking, the blade of light still hovering up in the air. He could have killed me, perhaps. If I were a moment too slow to dodge, a split second too late to escape, I would have been dead. But now, I was ready dodge, and even strike back.


    "Thus, I sentence you to death!" He shouted. I hadn''t listened to most of what he said, so I wasn''t sure what his superficial reasons for sentencing me to death were, and I didn''t care either. As he lowered his arm, the blade of light descended upon me.


    Fallen Grace empowered my body as I leapt up and away from it''s trajectory with grace, then responded with an attack of my own. My scythe was nowhere to be seen, but I didn''t need to rely on it.


    A volley of dark bolts leapt up from my hands, heading towards him.


    His eyes widened. I had already shattered his barrier before, he had nothing protecting him right now. He raised his arms to protect himself in a moment of shock, and the satisfying sound of him, grunting sounded. I grinned as I landed back down on the strip of black sandy beach.


    "You little demon!" Rohir suddenly shouted. His eyes glimmered with wrath as the sky rumbled. I didn''t mind his threatening voice. Another volley of bolts leapt up towards him, and he grunted again as he had to stop casting whatever spell he was preparing to throw at me. A new barrier formed around him.


    I didn''t let him just cast that though. While I couldn''t fly, I had plenty of ways of harassing him. Purple and black flames flared up around me, and then burst up towards him. As they clung on to his shield, slowly depleting it''s strength and, in turn, his mana, I grinned.


    As he was busy trying to extinguish my flames, all I did was feed them more power. Along with the flames, I sent several more dark bolts his way. He grunted and reinforced his shield, rendering most of my attacks useless.


    I gritted my teeth. Despite his limited mana, he was still very strong, and I was slowly beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion, despite Fallen Grace''s effects. As he was busy getting rid of my flames, I forced myself to pause and think. Did I really have an opportunity to kill Rohir now?


    The answer was no. Even if I depleted his mana almost completely, he could just fly away. I had no way of exerting pressure ¨C he was simply out of my reach. I would never be able to kill him.


    But I knew someone who could. I glanced at the mark on the cliff wall. The Keeper hadn''t told me how to activate it, or what to do with it, but I already had a faint guess.


    I shot another volley of dark bolts towards the Divine, then dashed to the cliff wall. Reaching it in the blink of an eye, I touched the mark on the cliff.


    Nothing happened, naturally. But the Divine''s annoyed grunts stopped, and he drew a sharp breath.


    "What- no!" He shouted, and I felt his mana form above me. He didn''t do anything flashy like summoning swords and trying to strike me with them. Instead, he beat his wings and dashed down, towards me. My eyes widened as I poured whatever mana I had into the mark in the wall.


    "You little-!" His voice cracked as he shouted. A blade made from golden light appeared in his extended hand. I poured more of my mana into the mark ¨C I regretted not asking the Keeper what the hell I was supposed to do with this mark.


    I felt something change ¨C the earth rumbled, and the cliff shook. Mana began gathering on the mark as it began emitting a faint glow.


    "I won''t let you open the gate!" The Divine shouted.


    Could I pull my hand away from the cliff now? I wasn''t sure. I hesitated, and high up above, at the top of the cliff, noticed the pale face of Aoife.


    I couldn''t die here. Not now, not like this. I threw myself aside, avoiding the Divine''s blow just in time.


    Behind me, something flashed, and a cool breeze blew my hair forward.


    The familiar smell of starsnatchers filled my nostrils.

 Chapter 306: Unyielding Heart (3)

    We both stopped for a moment. Rohir''s expression changed, it twisted with anger and wrath as I stumbled back and looked at the cliff wide eyed.


    The cliff face had disappeared, a portal had covered it. Beyond it lay a calm, serene field of starsnatchers. The flowers swayed with the same wind that blew my hair back and tugged my clothes.


    That familiar smell, the beautiful sight of the distant mountains embracing this serene valley¡­


    "You will pay for this!" Rohir''s shout brought me back to my senses. My eyes widened as he struck the ground before me with a blade made of golden light. "I will end you!" His eyes flashed golden as his voice cracked mid shout.


    I stepped back, ready to run. Something about him felt off just now, it seemed almost as if he was too focused on killing me. Why was that? Why had Aelith decided to send a god damned Divine after me?


    I had no time to answer any of these questions. My mana was mostly depleted by now ¨C it wasn''t surprising, considering how many battles I had fought so far ¨C so I couldn''t block too many of Rohir''s spells.


    The cold sea water touched my ankles as I dashed to the side. The earth rumbled as Rohir hit the ground once more.


    "It''s over for you!"  He shouted as he once again raised his hand. I caught a glimpse of Aoife running along the top of the cliff. She was rushing somewhere ¨C had help arrived? It couldn''t be, there was no one who could help me. Not against a Divine.


    A loud bang echoed, and something bounced off the Divine''s protective barrier. My eyes widened ¨C had Inspector John just tried to shoot Rohir with a normal, ordinary gun?


    Rohir seemed even more surprised than I was. He stopped mid action and looked around, trying to figure out what that noise was, and what had just hit his barrier. I clenched my fists, this was my chance, now, while he was distracted.


    Fallen Grace empowered my body, and I dashed forward. I reached Rohir in a split second and passed through his barrier effortlessly ¨C it was a shield specifically made to stop weapons and spells after all.


    He noticed me a split second too late. I reached for his throat and as soon as I wrapped my fingers around his neck, squeezed with all my strength. We stumbled back, and for a moment, I had hope that the Divine would fall over. But instead, he beat his massive leathery wings.


    At the corner of my eye, I noticed Aoife climbing down the narrow ledge Inspector John had pointed out before. My eyes widened ¨C I wanted to shout, to tell her to stay away, but I couldn''t as Rohir was quick to grab my throat with one hand, and my wrists with the other.


    A wicked grin appeared on his lips. "Did you really think you could kill me in a battle of strength?" He asked his grip around my wrists tightened. I couldn''t squeeze my hands anymore ¨C in fact, I was losing strength rapidly. "With this fragile and weakened body?" His mocking words rang in my ears as he beat his wings once more.


    "Let go of him!" Aoife''s shout startled me and Rohir both. The Divine noticed the blade descending upon him a moment too late, and Aoife''s raised sword struck his shoulder. Though, the blade was only made of normal steel, while it was the perfect material for most uses, cutting through an Ereth''s skin wasn''t what it was made for.


    Aoife''s eyes widened as her blade only left a shallow cut on the Divine''s shoulder. Rohir furrowed his brows. "Puny, insignificant human." He exclaimed and stretched his wings wide. Aoife stumbled back as the leathery wings nearly hit her.


    "Let go of Kai!" She shouted once more and rushed at us again. I wanted to scream at her, to tell her to stop! It didn''t matter if I died or not now ¨C the gate was open, we had a chance. The Keeper of Souls and the Demon Lord would soon arrive.


    I tried to free my hands, to cast a spell of protection around Aoife, but Rohir''s grasp was too firm. All I could do was send my flames to form a barrier around my sister. Her eyes widened as soon as the black on purple flames engulfed her. I could see the fear in her eyes.


    Another bang sounded. Rohir furrowed his brows. "Nosy little things." He grumbled as he glared at the top of the cliff, where Inspector John stood, aiming at him with his pistol. Perhaps, if it were a larger calibre rifle, and he wasn''t noticed, then maybe he could change the situation. But as he was now, he could do little but be an annoyance to the Divine.


    "We are going to see the Divine Matriarch, Kai Friseal," Rohir suddenly spoke. "You just made yourself very, very useful." That''s when I noticed his glare ¨C he was looking at my chest. I gulped ¨C I had felt a burning sensation there as I opened the portal but had completely forgotten about it in the midst of battle.


    "I now see why they let you live." He beat his wings, and I felt my feet lift off the ground. The only thing keeping me in the air was him. If he let go, I would fall to my death.


    "Kai!" Aoife screamed.


    Gasped for air ¨C being lifted up from my throat was¡­ well, let''s just say it hurt like hell and I would probably die before we got to our destination. But oddly enough, death was a better outcome that what I assumed was waiting for me.


    Nothing could be worse than being dragged before Aelith. Especially now that I was so weak and powerless. I couldn''t stand the humiliation, and I probably wouldn''t be able to remain sane for long either.


    "Let¡­ go¡­ of¡­ me!" I hissed with the little bit of air I could breathe as I struggled to break free. I could see the island slowly growing smaller with every beat of Rohir''s wings. He wasn''t in a hurry at all as he slowly flew up.


    "If you hadn''t fought so many times before, you could have had a chance. Your magic had already begun to wane when I arrived." His lips curled upwards. "That''s why you let me throw you down there ¨C to open the gate and die in the process. What a noble sacrifice it would have been!" He laughed. His wicked, disgusting laughter echoed as I repeatedly kicked him.


    My vision soon began to blur. My neck was numb, as was the rest of my body. I desperately fought to remain conscious, knowing it would be the last time I would have a chance of escape.


    Rohir squeezed my throat a little more, that same wicked grin on his face.


    If only I had a little more mana¡­ If only I didn''t have to fight all those Ereth before. If only I wasn''t all alone.


    I heard the fast-paced beat of wings. Rohir''s grin shattered as he quickly glanced back, towards the portal.


    I felt a surge of mana ¨C dark, yet oddly familiar, much like that of my own.


    Then, I felt the Divine''s grasp on my throat and wrists loosen.


    A moment later, I was falling.

 Chapter 307: Unyielding Heart (4)

    As I fell, my sight was fixed on the Divine.


    He turned back towards the cliff and the portal with a blade of light in his hands. A shadow, black as the night, flew towards him. One moment, he was ready to fight, at the next, a blade seemingly made of darkness pierced his heart.


    The Divine''s lifeless body plummeted into the sea below, along with me. I reached up with my hand as the dark, wavy surface of the water neared with frightening speed.


    The figure up above sheathed the dark bladed sword, then folded its feathery, black wings. His bright purple eyes met with mine as his lips formed a thin line. He flew down towards me, leaving a trail of black smoke and embers behind.


    Perhaps moments before I fell into the dark depths of the sea, I felt his grip around my wrist. My shoulder ached as his grip suddenly stopped my fall. I gritted my teeth, hoping it wasn''t dislocated.


    "Is he dead?" I asked as the body of the Divine finally fell into the sea. The Keeper of Souls simply nodded. He pulled me up and slowly began to rise up to the air.


    My body felt numb as I held onto his shoulder with both of my arms. I was exhausted, so much that all I wanted was to fall asleep. I stopped supporting my body with Fallen Grace, and immediately regretted it.


    "You were in no shape to fight a Lightbringer Divine." The Keeper''s soft voice sounded as we flew back to the island. I nodded, he wasn''t wrong ¨C what I did was more along the lines of suicide.


    The Keeper remained silent for the rest of the way, giving me a short moment to think and rest.


    The smell of starsnatchers soon reached my nostrils. I opened my eyes and glanced down. We were nearly back at the island. I could see Aoife and Inspector John on the shore below. They watched us wide eyed, and pale faced. Aoife was still holding on to her sword.


    "Please don''t harm them." I had to force myself to speak. What was that lump in my throat all about?


    The Keeper chuckled. "They are no threat to me." His soft voice rang in my ears as his feet finally touched the black sands on the narrow stretch of beach. He let me down, and as soon as my feet touched the black sands, Aoife lunged forward. She grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the Keeper, closer to the cliff and behind Inspector John.


    "You''re ok!" She exclaimed as she looked all over me. "You''re ok, you''re alive¡­" She whispered. She hugged me, trembling. "You made it." Her gaze focused on the Keeper, who hadn''t spoken a word yet.


    I took a deep breath, then stepped back.


    "The Divine of Vengeance, Rohir, is dead." I declared, glancing at the Keeper of Souls. "We have the Keeper to thank for that."


    Inspector John''s wide-eyed gaze turned on the Keeper. "Kai, who ¨C no, what did you set in motion by opening that portal?"


    "I brought help." The Keeper continued to silently watch us as I explained. "It''s a gateway to the world of the demons." I then looked at him again. I so desperately wanted to ask what would come next, but for some reason, that cold gaze scared me into silence.


    "Wait, so you let demons into our world?" Inspector John exclaimed. "Kai, what have-"


    The Keeper suddenly took a deep breath. An unusual, unnatural wind tugged at our clothes and blew our hair aside as it circled us.


    "The Light Bringers have come to your world for revenge. Revenge against the death of their leaders, the loss of their crowned jewel, the Chalk City, and revenge against you, Kai Friseal." The Keeper''s voice startled me more than it did the other two.


    "I can understand him!" Inspector John whispered. He then paused and looked at me. "Wait ¨C they''re here because of what?"


    "The Lord has deemed it right to help this world drive them back. Some of your people have saved us from the Lightbringer''s plight after all. However," He paused and glanced at me. "He wishes to see you." His tone changed. "Now." He added after a moment of silence.


    I gulped. I could still clearly remember the Demon Lord''s presence.


    "I understand," I spoke in a low voice. "It''s fine, I''ll come." It wasn''t like I had much choice anyways.


    "Wait, stop." Inspector John''s words surprised me. "Wherever you''re taking him, I''m coming along." He holstered his gun and folded his arms. "I''m responsible of Kai, and as the only available representative of the United Nations, I need to be there."


    My eyes widened. "Wait, hang on. You''re not stepping foot through that portal, inspector."


    "You don''t get to decide that." Inspector John glared at me. "It''s our entire world''s fate at stake. You''re talking about meeting with the Lord of the Demons! Do you really expect me to just stay here and wait?"


    "It''s a whole different world!" I shouted. "It''s a different planet ¨C a different reality!" I clenched my fists. "I''m not-"


    "I''m coming too." Aoife''s said, stuffing my words into my mouth. "It''s not any safer out here, and I want to be there as well." She glared at the Keeper, making my heart skip a beat. "Is that fine too?"


    "Do as you wish." My shoulders dropped upon hearing his words. "But know this ¨C the Lord will not negotiate." Our eyes met. "Explain to them how they must act, for I will not promise their safety."


    I gulped. I knew exactly what that meant.


    "I thought we weren''t a threat to you guys." Aoife started to speak, but I immediately talked over her. "Shut up and listen to me!" She seemed more shocked than anything. "Aoife, if there was ever a time to keep your mouth shut, it''s when you''re talking to him," I glanced at the Keeper, "Or the Demon Lord. No not mess with them. Don''t joke, don''t be sarcastic, don''t even speak unless you''re asked something!"


    I glanced at Inspector John. "The same goes for you ¨C when we meet the Demon Lord, I want both of you to stay silent."


    "You''re scared of him." Aoife whispered. Inspector John nodded. "Is he stronger than the Divines?"


    I laughed ¨C what else could I do? How could I ever expect them to understand his sheer power, the aura he radiated, and just how god damn difficult it was to even breathe when he was near?


    "I''m not scared, Aoife." I hissed. "I''m terrified."

 Chapter 308: Foreign, Yet Familiar (1)

    I expected to feel something more as I stepped through the portal. I expected to feel the same thing as I felt when I could create rifts. But no, I felt nothing but the cool breeze of dusk.


    "The smell¡­" Aoife mumbled as she stepped through as well. Inspector John nodded.


    "It''s the flowers," I explained, taking a deep breath. The beautiful smell fille my nostrils. "Starsnatchers,"


    "This is a sacred place." The Keeper spoke in a low, gentle voice. "If you wish, I will give you a moment."


    "Thank you," I stepped away from the group and walked among the flowers. At some point, I knelt down and picked a single one of them. "I''m done," I said, returning to the group.


    "What''s that for?" Aoife asked, her voice filled with curiosity and wonder.


    "An apology." I gestured her and Inspector John to follow the Keeper. "Don''t get left behind."


    We walked along the bottom of the valley, until we reached the other end. Inspector John was already somewhat out of breath, and I could see signs of exhaustion in Aoife as well. As for me¡­


    "How are you not tired?" The inspector asked. "You''re still weaker than me and your sister!" His protest brought a smile to my face. My worries seemed to disappear, if only for a moment. It was funny seeing his and Aoife''s reactions to things.


    "Magic," I said with a faint smile. I glanced at the Keeper. "His magic." I added after a moment, with whisper so low, they couldn''t hear me. I knew full well that whatever strength I had now was borrowed power.


    "Now, we wait." He said after a moment of silence. "Rest for a while."


    I furrowed my brows. "What are we waiting for?" He had the power to take us directly to the Demon Lord, why wasn''t he using it.


    "An old friend." He replied with a faint smile on his lips. "And to answer your question, I can take you there, but not the other two. The Rift would tear them apart."


    My eyes widened. "Ah." I mumbled as I glanced at Aoife and Inspector John. They both seemed rather alarmed. "I see,"


    "Kai¡­" Inspector John called me over. They had chosen to sit slightly farther away from the Keeper. "What''s a rift?" He asked after I came to sit by them. I hesitated, what was the best way to explain this?


    "Think of it like this portal, but¡­" I tried explaining it to the best of my abilities, but I could see how it made little sense to them. Some time and a lot of effort later, I gave up. "The details of how it works doesn''t matter anyways," I said to the disappointment of Inspector John.


    A sudden surge of mana caught my attention. I quickly got up on my feet as a sudden wind blew my hair back. Not too far from us, darkness covered the ground, quickly rising until it formed a sphere large enough to allow a tall person to stand in.


    Then, the darkness dissipated, and a familiar figure came into view.


    My eyes widened. "Fetheion!" I exclaimed, surprising Aoife and Inspector John.


    The Exiled Divine looked the same as before. He was wearing his long, crimson hair in a braid, and his simple, yet comfortable clothes weren''t any different from the last time I had seen him.


    He hesitated as he saw me. I grinned ¨C of course he couldn''t recognise me. "It''s me, Kai." I clarified as I walked towards him. It was so odd to look at him now ¨C the striking similarities were even more glaring than before.


    "I''m glad you survived, Kai. I heard what happened ¨C the invasion of the Ereth. Of Aelith." He glanced at Aoife and Inspector John and furrowed his brows. "They shouldn''t be here." He said at the Keeper.


    "The man is here as their world''s representative."


    "But she-"


    "I deemed it to be fine, Fetheion." The Keeper''s eyes flashed purple as he walked closer to us. He rested his hand on my shoulder as his tone suddenly changed. "Or do you disagree?"


    Fetheion flinched. "No, no I don''t. Of course not."


    "Wow," Aoife whispered to Inspector John. "Everyone is scared of him." The Inspector simply nodded. The power dynamic was clear as day. The Keeper stood above all. The only possible exception was the Demon Lord. That was, in fact, something I was quite curious about: Was he in charge, or the Keeper of Souls?


    "Shall we?" The Keeper asked, glancing at me. I gulped, then nodded.


    "Kai, listen." Fetheion said in a low voice as I gestured at the other two to get up. "The so-called representative is one thing, but I don''t think bringing your sister here was a good idea. I¡­" He hesitated. "I will try to protect them both, but please make sure they don''t cross a line. You know how powerful the Demon Lord is."


    Flinched. "Yes, I know." I was quick to step away.


    "What''s wrong?" Aoife asked, noticing the sudden shift in my expression. I shook my head, took a deep breath, and turned to face the Keeper. "Let''s go."


    We gathered around Fetheion, and he raised his hands. Power gathered around us, and a dark mist soon enveloped us. As it circled around us, I felt dizzy for a moment, more so than I did in the past. Aoife grabbed on to me for support, and Inspector John grumbled something. Only the Keeper and Fetheion himself seemed to be unaffected.


    Soon, the dark mist dispersed and we could see our surroundings once more.


    "What in the world¡­" Inspector John whispered as he looked up at the massive fortress in awe. "How¡­ is this even possible?" The towering structure was so large and tall that it didn''t seem physically possible for it to be standing.


    "You''ve been here before," The Keeper spoke in a soft voice as he lightly touched my shoulder. "You met the Lord here, setting the events that proceeded in motion. If you hadn''t come here in search of a primal core, then I would still be in that space ¨C floating in nothingness."


    I nodded. "I remember." I chuckled. "I was certain I wasn''t going to make it out alive."


    Seeing my nervous chuckle, Aoife''s expression soured. "What happened here?" She asked.


    "I¡­ fought two demons and met the Lord for the first time." I chuckled, seeing her confused expression. "We were quite the rivals."


    "Follow me," The Keeper''s words sounded. He slowly walked towards the entrance, and the rest of us followed him. I gulped as we passed by the guards. I could feel their gazes on me.


    "Welcome back, Keeper." A beautiful, soft voice sounded as the gates closed behind us. "And you as well, Kai Friseal. It''s been some time."


    I didn''t need to look at her. So, she had survived the war. "Hello Vixia."

 Chapter 309: Foreign, Yet Familiar

    "Whoa," Aoife whispered as Vixia stepped out from behind a pillar. She was as stunningly beautiful as I remembered. She smiled, and knowing her powers, I immediately looked away.


    "Scared?" She whispered as she stepped closer. "Aren''t you going to introduce me?"


    I gritted my teeth. "They can understand us, and you can understand them. There is no need for me to interfere." I glanced at the Keeper, who was silently watching our exchange. He wasn''t going to interfere ¨C not unless my life was at risk. That was his only reason for action.


    Vixia laughed at my words. "Aw, you''re as boring as always." She glanced at Aoife, then at Inspector John. "You can call me Vixia. Lady Vixia." She added after a moment.


    Aoife was the first to gather her courage. "Aoife Friseal. I''m Kai''s older sister." Inspector John needed a slightly longer moment before he could speak. "Inspector John Whittaker. I''m here as a representative of, uh, our world."


    I noticed his hesitation towards the end of his sentence. A bitter smile flashed across my lips. I had forgotten about how difficult all of this was for him, and for my sister. They were doing a phenomenal job adjusting to everything around them right now.


    "Right," Vixia chuckled. "You two are fine, but¡­" She glanced at me once more. "You are a mess. Follow me, you can''t meet Him with all that blood on you."


    Her words surprised me, I hadn''t looked at myself at all. And when I did so, I flinched. My shirt and trousers were covered in dried blood and mud. "Oh."


    Vixia chuckled. "Come now, you two, wait here with the Exiled Divine."


    Her words startled both Aoife and Inspector John. "Who?" My sister asked while the inspector nearly choked on his own breath. "What?" He exclaimed, looking at Fetheion wide eyed.


    "Uh," The Divine seemed somewhat lost for words. "Right¡­ I should probably explain that."


    "While he does that, you''re coming with me." Before I knew it, Vixia had already dragged me away from the group.


    She led me down the hall, then up some stairs. As we walked, I glanced around in a futile attempt to calm myself down. The interior of the fortress was even more grand than what I had seen that one time I stepped foot inside.


    The walls were covered in detailed engravings, the stained glass windows formed beautiful, detailed shapes. I wasn''t sure of how longer we walked for, but when we eventually stopped before a sturdy wooden door, I glanced at Vixia.


    "There is a set of clean clothes inside. Make sure to wash yourself before you put them on."


    I sighed. "Shouldn''t we be in a hurry right now? The Ereth are-"


    "They will be dealt with in due time. Do as you''re told, Kai Friseal. I''d hate to see you die for something as simple as this." Her words didn''t make me feel and fear ¨C I was already aware of how risky it was to simply be here. "You''re as annoying as ever," I said before heading inside the room and shutting the door behind me.


    I could her hear laughter despite the thick walls and sturdy door. Deciding to ignore her, I glanced around. This was a simple bedroom, with not much inside. Resting on the bed were a set of clothes. Before I even looked at them, I glanced around to find the bath.


    Cleaning myself and getting dressed took little time, with the latter taking longer than the former. As soon as I was done, I stepped out of the room, only to hear Vixia chuckle. "That looks good on you."


    I shook my head. "Didn''t you have anything a bit more¡­" My voice faded. This was normal for the demons, for this world. "What is this anyways?" I asked, tapping on the surprisingly light metal under the layers of cloth.


    "Enchanted darkmetal. It will protect you from some of the Lightbringers'' spells, though it can''t do much against the Divines."


    I sighed. "Thanks."


    What I was wearing was essentially a fancy cloth armour, lined with darkmetal at the chest and back. "It really didn''t need to be so¡­ fancy." I added, pointing at the robes and the cloak.


    Vixia only laughed at my words before glancing at my somewhat damp hair. "This will do, follow me." Seeing as she was satisfied and I wasn''t about to be sent back, I breathed out a sigh of relief. She led me through the long halls and down the stairs, and we reached the entrance once more.


    I glanced around the empty entrance hall. "Where are they?"


    Vixia didn''t respond, she simply gestured me to follow her. I did so, and soon we entered a larger hall than the previous one. It was a waiting room. Cushioned couches were scattered about, and one of them was taken by Aoife and Inspector John.


    I breathed a sigh of relief and headed over there. "Hey!" I called out, startling them. "I''m back, what did I miss?"


    "What the fu-" Aoife''s shocked shout was interrupted by Inspector John. "What on earth are you wearing, Kai?" He exclaimed.


    I shrugged. "They don''t have any normal clothes." I lowered myself onto the couch across the table. "It''s protective armour." I added.


    "Kai, you can''t fight in armour you''re not used to. It''s just going to hinder you." Aoife protested. "I''m sure there are at least some normal clothes in this world."


    I chuckled. "I''m used to wearing these kinds of things ¨C the Ereth kind more than the demonic one, but it''s the same thing in principle." I glanced at the Keeper. He seemed lost in thought as he stood still at the centre of the room. "It''s comfortable, and doesn''t hinder any movement, so you don''t need to worry about it."


    Aoife''s expression didn''t change. Her lips formed a thin line as she glared at me. "That''s not what I meant. Kai, you''re just missing the horns, you look just like them! You talk like them, in their language. It''s almost as if you belong!"


    I flinched. "I belong?" I asked, more hurt than anything. Did being forced to stand before the Demon Lord look like I belonged? "I don''t belong here, Aoife." I hissed, clenching my fists. I stood up and walked away without giving her the chance to talk.


    "When can I see him?" I asked the Keeper.


    His lips formed a faint smile. "Now."

 Chapter 310: A Deal to Be Made (1)

    I took a sharp breath. "Let''s go then, no point in wasting time."


    Seeing me and the Keeper approach the massive doors at the other end of the large hall, Aoife and Inspector John quickly got up and followed us.


    "What''s going on?" The Inspector asked as soon as they arrived by the doors.


    "Remember to not speak unless you''re spoken to." I said with a cold voice. "Don''t draw any attention to yourselves." I glanced at Fetheion, who simply nodded with a heavy expression. My expression soured. He seemed somewhat surprised when I furrowed my brows and then looked away.


    "Shall we?" The Keeper spoke before the doors slowly creaked open. I simply nodded.


    The doors opened, revealing a gigantic throne room. The black marble floor was so clean, it was almost shining. Straight across from us, on top of precisely seven steps of stairs, stood a throne. Black as the night, it was made of what looked like darkmetal.


    The large paned glass windows let the sunlight in, forming detailed shapes on the ground, where the light touched. Nothing else was in the room.


    As the Keeper stepped forward, about a dozen soldiers lowered their heads in respect. I took a deep breath and followed him. With each step I took, my anxiousness only rose. The Lord was nowhere to be seen, though I was certain he was watching us right now.


    We stopped before the stairs. I felt Fetheion lightly touch my shoulder. He said nothing ¨C he was simply trying to calm me down, but all it did was annoy me. I took a sharp breath and shrugged his hand off of my shoulder.


    We only waited perhaps a couple of seconds before the atmosphere suddenly changed. The light right in front of the throne changed, twisted. For a moment, reality seemed to break. As I watched, a rift, much like the ones I could once create appeared in the air. It grew larger, enough to let a tall man through.


    I drew a sharp breath ¨C this was it.


    A tall demon stepped through the rift, and as soon as he did, time seemed to slow. The air grew thicker, breathing became more difficult. It was hard to move, or to think even, as my body and mind went numb. His sheer presence was enough to send my mind into turmoil.


    The Demon Lord and the Keeper of Souls exchanged looks for a moment before the Keeper chuckled and stepped aside. I was now standing alone, at the very front of our little group.


    "Come closer." His voice was surprisingly soft. I gulped and did as he asked. Each step forward required more strength than the one before. When I arrived at the stairs, I stopped.


    He moved faster than I could see. One moment, I was standing there, the next, his claw-like hand had grasped my throat and pulled me closer.


    I gasped for air as I felt his claws dig into my skin. His purple eyes flashed with power as I felt his mind invading mine.


    I heard the hustle of footsteps behind me, and Aoife''s muffled hiss. Then, Fetheion spoke in a low voice. "If you intervene, Kai is dead! Stay still and silent!"


    I felt my memories being pulled apart. Those about the Ereth invasion, and those that belonged to a time before that. Those that I made while in the Keeper''s body. How I fought, how I killed and how I died.


    His grasp tightened, giving me little to no chance to breathe. He let go of my memories. His lips formed a thin line ¨C he seemed unhappy about something. My worries mounted ¨C I wasn''t so worried about my own survival, but about Aoife''s. If anything happened to her, I didn''t know what I would do.


    "Aelith did indeed survive." There was no kindness in his voice as he glared at someone behind me.


    "Indeed. She escaped as Baile Chailce fell. We couldn''t stop her." To my surprise, it was Fetheion who answered. "She was too strong of an opponent for me, and the Keeper hadn''t returned yet."


    The Lord narrowed his eyes. "And Rohir died today." His next words seemed to surprise many of the demons here, as well as Fetheion.


    "That''s¡­" The Exiled Divine sighed. "The old man had it coming, I guess." I could hear the defeated tone in his voice.


    The Demon Lord chuckled. His gaze turned on me once more. "So, you''re the one who fulfilled the role of the Keeper in his absence." His lips curled upwards. "And who are they?" He asked, glancing behind me.


    If I could speak, I would have answered, but his tight grasp on my throat was enough to stop me from doing so.


    He stepped closer to his throne, dragging me along with him.


    I could now see Aoife and Inspector John with the corner of my eye. Their faces were pale and became even more so as they noticed the blood on my neck.


    "Introduce yourselves to me." He spoke, with a wicked smile on his lips.


    Inspector John flinched. He glanced at me first, then took a deep breath before speaking up. "I am John Whittaker ¨C An inspector of the United Nations, and, as of this morning, the only available representative." He gestured towards Aoife. "This is Aoife Friseal, she is Kai''s sister. She came along because there was nowhere safe for her to wait for our return."


    I closed my eyes for a moment. I wanted to thank him so badly. By introducing Aoife, he had taken away the necessity of her speaking and also gathered all the attention on himself.


    "Representative John Whittaker¡­" The Demon Lord''s pronunciation was a bit off as he slowly spoke. "You wish for our help in defeating Aelith, and her army of Lightbringers. You wish to see the destruction of the Divine Pillar, so your world can be freed from her grasp." He glared at the inspector. "Am I right?"


    Inspector John nodded. "Yes, we came to request your assistance."


    Despite his rather pale face, his voice was still strong. The fact that he could still keep up his somewhat authoritative appearance despite being the weakest person in the room was quite admirable.


    "And in return, what can you offer us?"


    Inspector John gulped. "Our cultures and worlds are so different ¨C I don''t know what is of value to you, and I wouldn''t want to offend you by offering things of little to no value." He took a deep breath. "What is it that you would like?"


    I felt the Demon Lord''s claws dig deeper into my skin as a wicked smile appeared on his lips.


    "What would I like, indeed?"

 Chapter 311: A Deal to Be Made (2)

    Silence followed the Demon Lord''s words. No one dared speak.


    "Prepare our guests rooms for the night," His next words were more surprising than anything else. As one of the demons in the room dashed outside to have the Lord''s order done, Inspector John''s face went pale.


    "We wouldn''t want to inconvenience-"


    "You will spend the night, and tomorrow at dusk, we march." The Demon Lord''s eyes met with Vixia''s, who was leaning on the wall by the entrance. "Make the preparations."


    She bowed slightly with a wicked grin on her face and left the room. Two soldiers followed her, probably to help round up their forces.


    "Fetheion, the choice to join the battle or remain here is yours. I will not force you." The Lord''s voice was much softer than moments ago. The Exiled Divine shook his head. "I haven''t repaid my dept to Kai just yet. I will fight by your side."


    My expression soured.


    "And what about you?" The Lord''s voice changed once more. As looked at the Keeper, he slightly lowered his head. I could feel his grip loosen a bit as well. "What is your wish?"


    The Keeper remained silent for a moment. "Only time will tell." He finally spoke. His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he looked up, out the paned glass windows. "I shall take my leave for now. Do try not killing the child." As he spoke, a rift appeared behind him. He stepped through it and disappeared.


    Silence ensued once more. Inspector John took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but Fetheion was quick to stop him. "In that case, we wouldn''t wish to disturb you anymore." He hesitated as his gaze fell on me. "Would you allow us all to take our leave?"


    The Demon Lord''s lips curled upwards. "Of course," His gaze lingered on Fetheion, waiting for him to lead the other two out. The Exiled Divine hesitated, glancing at me, then at the Demon Lord.


    I gulped, wasn''t he going let me go? What could he possibly want from me?


    "Well?" The Demon Lord asked, his lips forming a wicked smile. Fetheion''s shoulders dropped. "Allow us." He said, then lightly pushed Aoife and Inspector John towards the entrance.


    My sister''s eyes widened. "Wait! What about Kai?" She asked, with a look of terror in her eyes. She wanted to walk towards us, but Fetheion was quick to stop her. He caught her by the arm and dragged her towards the exit.


    "Let go of me!" She shouted, then glanced at the Inspector. "Do something! Say something!"


    I closed my eyes. She was making a scene ¨C she was garnering more unnecessary attention on herself. I knew she was doing it out of worry for me, but still, I wished she could just do as she was told.


    "She cares a lot about you."  The Demon Lord''s words startled me. "Why would you bring her here? You are not a fool ¨C you know how dangerous it is for your kind here."


    His grip tightened. I gasped for air. He watched me struggle for a little bit, then let go of my throat. My knees and legs gave out; his firm, painful grip was the only thing keeping me standing so far after all. I collapsed on the ground, gasping for air and touched my throat.


    "Well?" He asked. I took a few shallow breaths. I didn''t trust my voice enough to speak right now, but I wouldn''t dare keep him waiting.


    "I didn''t have a choice ¨C more Ereth would come eventually. They wouldn''t hesitate to kill her." I coughed and glanced at my hand. My fingertips were bloody.


    The Demon Lord laughed out loud. "So you thought this place was safer?"


    I gritted my teeth and looked up. Our gazes met. His purple eyes seemingly peered into my soul. "You won''t kill her for no reason. Or the representative. As long as I play my part, they will be safe, am I right?" It took all of my courage to speak those words. I was playing with fire, I was very well aware of that.


    The Demon Lord seemed surprised for a moment, then a wicked grin appeared on his lips.


    "Well said, Kai Friseal. Very well said." He laughed. His bellowing laughter echoed in the throne room. It was a terrifying laughter, filled with evil and sinister purpose. I looked away as a chill ran down my spine.


    "You will play your part. And so will I, the Exiled Divine and the Keeper." His low voice struck me as odd, but I wasn''t about to question anything right now. "Now ¨C let''s get everything ready for tomorrow''s battle. Wait here." He lightly waved his hand in the air before heading towards the entrance.


    I flinched as a set of magical glyphs appeared around me. He glanced at me, daring me to try and step out of the circle of glyphs. I simply looked away. I wasn''t stupid enough to try anything right now.


    With the faint remnants of a wicked smile on his lips, he walked down the stairs and towards the entrance. Two guards were quick to open the gates to let him pass through.


    I watched as he left and held my breath as I came eye to eye with Inspector John. He, Aoife and Fetheion were standing right across the gates, probably waiting for someone to take them to their accommodations. Aoife and Fetheion''s backs were turned to the gate, so they didn''t notice me.


    The Inspector glanced at the Demon Lord, then at me with a pale face. I quickly shook my head in an attempt to warn him not to do anything stupid. He bit his lips but didn''t do anything else.


    Soon the gates closed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. With the Demon Lord gone, the sheer pressure his presence alone created had also dissipated somewhat. Breathing was a bit easier, and so I just closed my eyes and took deep breaths.


    I didn''t know what the Demon Lord wanted from me. What my ''role'' in all of this was. He hadn''t told Inspector John what he wanted in exchange for the Demons'' aid either.


    I knew I was the most likely person to be able to approach the Divine Pillar, simply because I wasn''t a demon. The light wouldn''t hurt me as much as it would hurt them. But I couldn''t shake the feeling that he had something else in mind. Something more.


    Something I wouldn''t like.


    Soon, the door swung open once again, and the Demon Lord stepped in. I glanced at him, then back at the glyphs once more. What was going to happen now?


    His immense presence filled the room once more. He approached me, and as he did, I quickly got up. Without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed me by my throat again. I gritted my teeth ¨C I hated this.


    He pulled me closer as a rift appeared behind him.


    "Time to restore your powers."

 Chapter 312: A Deal to Be Made (3)

    I woke up some time in the middle of the night. My entire body ached as I lay on my back on a soft bed. I took a few deep breaths, gauging how painful moving would be.


    The process of restoring my powers was not what I expected it to be. Not even close. I had prepared myself for some pain, but¡­


    Just remembering made me shudder. I didn''t know how long the process took, but I did remember collapsing at the end of it, and the Demon Lord catching me before I lost consciousness. How much time had passed since then?


    I glanced to the side, through the windows. Only the glitter of the distant stars was visible in the sky. There was no trace of sunlight to be seen. I hesitated for a while, then closed my eyes. If it was still the same night, then we would leave for war tomorrow. I needed as much rest as I could get.


    The warm embrace of sleep welcomed me as soon as I closed my eyes. I drifted into unconsciousness, into a sleep no longer plagued by nightmares, or memories of lives which did not belong to me.


    I woke up to someone shaking me awake. Startled, my eyes shot open as I prepared to burn whatever threat I came across.


    "Wake up!" Aoife''s wide eyes filled my vision as soon as I opened my eyes. I blinked a couple of times and glanced around. Inspector John was also in the room, along with my sister. He was leaning on the closed door. I saw no demons and breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Aoife," I mumbled as I pushed myself up. "What time is it?" I suddenly asked as soon as I noticed the bright sunlight filling the room.


    "I don''t know, a few hours after dawn, I think." She looked at me from head to toe. "Why aren''t you wearing your shirt?"


    I flinched. "Ah, right." I glanced around the room and spotted the rest of my clothes on a couch. "Hang on," I mumbled, jumping off the bed and quickly getting dressed.


    Aoife''s expression hardened as I finished putting on the darkmetal reinforced cloth armour. "I can''t get used to you wearing that." She sighed, shaking her head. "Doesn''t he look like some manga protagonist?" She asked, looking at Inspector John.


    "Well¡­ I wouldn''t know." He mumbled. "We shouldn''t waste too much time here." He added, pointing at the door behind him. "I''m fairly sure they want to get going soon."


    I nodded. "Yes, we should get going." I knew we wouldn''t get left behind, but I''d still rather be at the rally point earlier rather than later.


    "Before we go though," Inspector John''s expression darkened. "Kai, what happened after we left?"


    I froze mid step. "Yesterday?" I asked in an attempt to buy a tiny bit of time to get my thoughts in order. "To be honest¡­ not too much." Both of them shot me suspicious glances.


    "Care to elaborate?" Inspector John asked.


    "The Demon Lord restored my powers." I hesitated before adding, "I think." I threw my cloak over my shoulders and clipped it onto my clothes. "I don''t remember much, I lost consciousness pretty fast."


    Aoife''s eyes widened. "You-" She looked at me from head to toe. "That''s not safe, Kai. What did he do to you for that to happen?"


    I looked away. "Like I said, he restored my powers." I stretched my arms and felt the muscles on my back relax a bit. "The details don''t matter. But now I have a real fighting chance against Divines."


    Inspector John''s eyes widened. "How real is that chance?"


    I grinned. "If I fought Rohir again, I could kill him." I said, clenching my fist. "As for Aelith¡­" My grin faded into a bitter smile. "I can keep her occupied for quite some time." I touched my chest, right over my heart. I could feel it ¨C that familiar coldness.


    "Let''s go," I said, and headed towards the door. Aoife seemed like she wanted to speak, but eventually she decided to remain silent. I opened the door, and noticed the demon waiting for us.


    "Follow me," She said with a cold voice, and headed down the halls. I simply nodded, and soon we arrived at the waiting area right I front of the throne room.


    To my surprise, Vixia was already here, and so was someone else.


    I stopped mid step and looked at him wide eyed. He hadn''t noticed me yet, or he was intentionally ignoring me. Noticing my hesitation, both Aoife and Inspector John paused to look at me. I ignored their questioning gazes as I took a deep breath and stepped forward.


    "Delthur," I spoke as I stopped a few steps away from him. "You survived the war."


    His gaze turned on me. "I never fought." His dry, cracked voice hadn''t changed one bit. He cleared his throat, then coughed. "My lungs will never recover."


    I flinched. "I''m sorry," I said in a lower tone. I hand burnt him before when we fought. It didn''t take much effort to see the connection there. "I¡­"


    "What is done, is done. No point speaking about it." He coughed again, then wiped his mouth with a piece of red cloth. Was that a stain on it? "You killed Uriithe, and you destroyed the pillar. You drove the Lightbringers away ¨C that is apology enough."


    Aoife drew a sharp breath. She clearly wanted to ask me something, but now simply wasn''t a good time.


    "And now your people are lending us your aid." I said, lowering my head slightly.


    "You know they have plans. Reasons for doing what they are doing." Delthur laughed. "I know you''re not so na?ve to miss it. It''s clear as day."


    I smiled. "I know."


    He coughed again, then with dropped shoulders, turned his back on me. "Lady Vixia, I will gather the commanders."


    "Please do so." The Demon said and waited for Delthur to leave before shooting a glance at me. As she looked, her lips curled into a smile, and her intoxication voice reached my ears. "I like crimson hair," She spoke, stepping closer to me. She reached for my hair and twirled a lock of my hair around her long, claw like finger. "It reminds me of all the blood that will spill."

 Chapter 313: A Deal to Be Made (4)

    I didn''t respond. Instead, I just glared at her before stepping away. Her lips formed a mischievous smile.


    "That''s insane." Aoife whispered after Vixia walked away. "She''s insane."


    I nodded. "She is certainly something." I mumbled. Vixia was an enigma. She had always been one, ever since we first crossed paths. "This is her being mild again." I added after a moment. She had done a lot worse than this.


    Aoife''s eyes opened wide. "What do you mean?"


    I sighed. "Let''s just say we clashed. A lot." I chuckled when I saw Aoife''s expression. "She and Delthur were the first two demons I came across. I was terrified the first time I met them."


    My explanation only seemed to confuse her more, and the same could be said about the inspector as well. "Just¡­ never mind." I said, shaking my head. It wasn''t exactly the easiest situation to explain.


    I suddenly felt a powerful presence by the entrance, and quickly turned and glared at the door. "Fetheion''s here." I said as the doors slowly opened, and the Exiled Divine stepped through.


    He was wearing grey armour of similar design to my own, though he had clearly enhanced it. I could feel the power radiating from him.


    "I guess it worked," I mumbled as my expression darkened. My ability to sense others'' power was just as strong and sensitive as before, if not more so.


    "How did you know¡­?" Inspector John asked. I shrugged. "I can sense him." I said in a low voice as Fetheion approached us.


    "Kai, I''m glad to see you well." He hesitated. "I¡­ fear asking what happened yesterday."


    I avoided meeting his gaze, and clenched my fist, hidden under my cloak. "Don''t. I''m fine, there is nothing to worry about."


    He seemed somewhat surprised, perhaps because of my attitude, or perhaps because I actually seemed fine. "I''m glad to hear." He said, shooing Aoife and Inspector John surprised glances. They didn''t seem to notice his confusion.


    "What happens next?" Aoife asked after perhaps half a minute of awkward silence. Fetheion took a deep breath to answer, but I was quick to cut him off.


    "They''re rallying the entire demonic army. That will naturally take some time. A few days at best, weeks at worst. We can''t attack the Divine Pillar until the army is ready to march, but we can''t let Aelith and her underlings take control of Earth without any resistance either."


    Fetheion fell silent as I explained. His shoulders dropped and his expression changed ¨C he seemed hurt more than anything. I promptly ignored him. "So, some of us will go back to Earth, and we will start bothering her. We''ll stop the construction of new Pillars as much as we can." I glanced at Vixia, who was leaning her back against the wall not too far from us.


    Noticing my gaze, she nodded. "Once the armies are ready to march, we head off. We destroy the Divine Pillar, kill Aelith and end the plague that is the Lightbringers."


    As she spoke, her lips curled up into a wicked smile. It was clear that she enjoyed the thought of killing Aelith. I didn''t blame her ¨C I wanted to kill her as well.


    "Wait, so this will take days? Weeks, perhaps?" Aoife asked in shock.


    "What did you expect, girl?" Vixia asked with a chuckle. "We are not gods, we are not all powerful, not even the Lord is." Her gaze lingered on me. "And I can already tell the Keeper of Souls will not take part in this battle."


    I flinched. "Why not?" I asked, furrowing my brows. The only reason I believed we stood a chance was because I thought we had the Keeper on our side. "He killed Rohir."


    Fetheion drew a sharp breath. "Only because you were about to die." He touched his own chest. "Because he has a claim on-"


    "Stop, I get it." I cut him off in a hurry. Aoife and Inspector John didn''t know about any of that. And I intended to keep it that was. I didn''t want them to worry about me any more than they already did.


    "Once the Pillar is destroyed, the Ereth will leave, right?" Inspector John chimed in.


    I nodded. "They can''t use their powers for long unless they''re near a Pillar, so once it''s destroyed, they''ll leave." I sighed and looked around. How long had we been waiting here now? Where was the Lord? The Keeper? When were we going to get going?


    I clenched my fists. I was anxious, worried. I still had no clue as to where Mother was, and Aelith was only growing stronger each minute we spent here. I shot Fetheion an annoyed glance. I had so much I wanted to ask him, and I¡­


    The massive doors that led to the throne room opened with a loud creak, distracting me from my thoughts.


    The immense presence of the Demon Lord filled the waiting area as he stepped through the door. I took a deep breath as the air grew heavier.


    "What happens now?" Aoife whispered. I shushed her ¨C I didn''t want her to be the forefront of attention right now.


    "Fetheion," The Demon Lord''s voice, filled with power, echoed within the room. "You will accompany Kai and the humans back. Establish a base, then do what we always do."


    The Exiled Divine nodded. "Who will come with us?"


    To my surprise, it was Vixia who stepped forward. "I will come, along with a few of our soldiers, and of course, Delthur will join us."


    I took a deep breath. Vixia was powerful, but not enough so to stand her ground against Aelith.


    "Once the preparations are complete, we will strike." The Demon Lord''s lips formed a faint, yet wicked smile. "Leave when you are ready. And Kai, follow me." I was about to breathe in relief when he spoke my name. But when he did, I froze for a moment.


    I followed him back into the throne room. My palms were sweating as I tried to keep my fear under control. What else did he want from me?


    "Here." He raised his hand, and the familiar shape of my scythe appeared in the air before me. "The Keeper took it before you left your world. Try not losing it again." He chuckled. "Give me your hand." He added.


    I hesitantly extended my left hand. He touched the middle of my palm. I felt a mild sting.


    "You know what this is. You know when you have to use it. And you know what it will do to you." His purple eyes seemingly peered into my souls. "Use it well, and make it count."

 Chapter 314: Secrets Revealed (1)

    I placed the flower before the ruined entrance of the tower. "I''m sorry." I whispered in demonic as I looked upon the ruined building. I closed my eyes and listened a while.


    When I returned to Aoife and the others, they didn''t speak up. Delthur was the only person to speak. "Is she there?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes. She''s sleeping, probably eternally."


    "No pain?" He asked. I shook my head. "Good." He closed his eyes and whispered something under his breath before glancing at Vixia. She smiled. It was a kind, genuine smile.


    It was then Fetheion who cast the spell to take us to the valley of starsnatchers.


    "What was that?" Aoife asked after we arrived, as we began walking towards the marked cliff ¨C the portal that would lead us home. "Did someone die here?"


    I nodded. "Long before I arrived though. Delthur''s sister was killed by Aelith here." The memory of her death was still fresh in my mind. "I only learned what happened a while later."


    My mind was cast back into last night. When the Demon Lord restored my powers, he had given me back the souls Uriithe had taken from me. Those, along with the power I was borrowing from the Keeper had brought me to a level of power I hadn''t achieved before.


    But that also meant the endless cold in my chest had returned, as the souls rested within. I didn''t know how there could be two Keepers now, but if the Demon Lord was to be believed, I was nothing but an extension of the Keeper. Of the actual, real one.


    It was a disturbing concept.


    "Then, why did you bring flowers?" Aoife asked, pulling me out of the mess that were my thoughts.


    "I did get the chance to meet her. Her soul, of course," I added. "I saw how she died, so it seemed appropriate." I fiddled with the chain of my cloak. "Sorry, I know you''d rather go home as fast as possible, but I really felt like I needed to do this."


    Aoife shook her head. "I don''t mind waiting. It¡­" She hesitated. "It''s actually interesting, seeing all these new places. Everything is so much more fantastical and¡­ natural." She chuckled. "I can''t exactly put it into words."


    I laughed. I knew exactly what she meant. "I felt the same way when I first set foot in this world. I always had trouble believing this was a game. I always doubted it, everything was simply too real." I chuckled. "Turns out it was actually real."


    Aoife fell silent. It was a while later when she spoke. "How can you confuse this for a game?" She asked, pointing at the flowers, slowly swaying in the wind.


    I looked away. "When you''ve got interfaces for everything, and other people around you who are convinced this is a game, it''s not too difficult."


    "But how, Kai? Look at this!" She pointed at the distant mountains. "How can you not notice this isn''t a fake world?"


    I took a sharp breath. "Because I''m not supposed to be able to do this!" I replied with a hiss. I raised my hand to my chest right as I let my flames out. They danced on my skin, black and purple, with a hint of crimson in them. "How was I supposed to not think it was a game when I can control fire?"


    Aoife''s eyes widened. "You''ll hurt yourself!" She exclaimed.


    "No, I won''t. Look at me." I glared at her. "I can control flames. I can sense people''s presence. How am I supposed to think this is real?"


    Aoife couldn''t find anything to say to that. I sighed, let my flames die out and showed her my hand. "And you don''t need to worry about me so much." I forced a smile. "I can take care of myself now."


    "Considering you almost died yesterday, that''s a little hard to believe." Inspector John chimed in. "I think the Ereth wants to speak with you Kai. He keeps looking at you," He added in a low enough voice that only the three of us could hear.


    I clenched my fist. "Right." I mumbled, glancing at Fetheion. He was indeed glancing at me constantly. Watching me, trying to figure out why I had suddenly begun acting differently.


    I took a deep breath. "I should probably take care of that before we get back home." I slowed my steps. "You guys go ahead."


    While both Aoife and Inspector John seemed curious, they didn''t pry any more. As I slowly began falling behind, Fetheion soon joined me.


    "Are you tired?" He asked with a worried tone. "Should we take a break?"


    I shook my head. "No."


    He raised his eyebrows as he noticed the language I picked to speak. "Is there something wrong?"


    I chuckled. "No, I''m just noticing how stupid I''d been this whole time." I glanced at him. The sun reflecting off of his crimson hair made it seem like it was on fire. "So, when were you going to tell me?"


    "Tell you what?" He asked with a confused expression. "I don''t think I follow, Kai."


    "I never told Fetheion, the Exiled Divine, the name of my sister. I never told him what she looked like ¨C and that''s important, because we don''t look alike." I pointed at Aoife. She was taller than me. Her facial features were nothing like mine. She had a graceful beauty, while I and my whole family looked more stoic and¡­ well, not as good.


    "She looks nothing like me, actually." I added. "So, how come did Fetheion the Exiled Divine know who she was? How did he know she was my sister?"


    I could see his face grow paler with every word I spoke.


    "I never had that spell cast on me. Only Aoife and Inspector John have that spell on them." I added after a moment. "You shouldn''t be able to understand me right now. I''m not speaking in Ereth, or Demonic. I''m speaking English, and you just understood every word I spoke."


    I glared at him. His steps slowed to a halt as he scrambled to find something to say.


    "So, tell me." I said, clenching my fists. "Why did you lie to me all that time?"


    His expression was enough proof that I was wrong.


    "I should have understood the moment I saw your reaction to my name." I scoffed at him. "You''ve got a lot of explaining to do Feth- no. Eion."

 Chapter 315: Secrets Revealed (2)

    Seeing the look in his eyes was enough proof.


    "I knew it!" I hissed. "Ever since I first heard your voice, I knew you sounded familiar." I clenched my fists. "You knew who I was ¨C you knew I so desperately wanted to get home!" I was now shouting.


    "Kai¡­" He reached for my shoulder, but I stepped back, beyond his reach. "Stay away from me!" I hissed. "You liar. You traitor!"


    If looks could kill, my glare would have murdered him twice over by now.


    "Stop that, you know I''m-"


    "Shut up!" I pointed at the distant portal. "You knew what that was, yet you kept it from me. You know this world wasn''t just a game, yet you kept it from me. You knew the nightmares I was having were real ¨C they were the result of me becoming the Keeper. Yet, you did nothing!" With each word I spoke, my voice rose a little more.


    "What did you expect me to do?" He shouted back. His eyes flashed golden. If it were before I came to this realisation, his expression now would have scared me. But now, I knew he was no threat to me. "I couldn''t have just come out and told you who I really was!"


    I laughed. "Oh yeah? But it was fine to watch me suffer? You know how much trouble I had adjusting back home. You could have helped me! No, never mind that." My eyes flashed purple with demonic magic. "You could have warned us all of the possibility of Aelith''s invasion, yet you did nothing!"


    He fell into silence. "I thought so." I said, glaring at him still. "Both you and Mother can go to hell for all I care." I turned my back on him and walked away, towards the portal.


    Lies. Everything I had known was just one big, intertwined, and complex lie.


    "Kai?" Aoife asked as I caught up to the group and then walked ahead. "What''s wrong?"


    I shook my head. "Nothing." I hastened my steps. I didn''t want to see any of their faces right now.


    How much did Aoife know? Was she aware of any of this? Had she also lied to me?


    So many questions, with so little answers whirled in my mind. I didn''t even know where to begin sorting the mess that were my thoughts. So, I pushed them away, to the back of my mind. I''d deal with them at a later date, if I survived to see such a time.


    Vixia shot me a surprised look as well as I walked past her and Delthur, but she remained silent. I appreciated it, despite knowing she wouldn''t have cared about my wellbeing at all.


    Seething with anger still, I continued walking till we reached the portal. I took a deep breath, then waited for the others to arrive.


    The sound of the waves, the wind''s howl and the distant thunder were all muffled.


    "It''s beautiful." Aoife mumbled as they reached me. I nodded, though I couldn''t care less right now.


    "Ready?" Vixia asked. I nodded, there was no point in wasting any time just standing here.


    "Fetheion will take us to the top of the cliff," Vixia explained the plan as we stepped through the portal. I shivered as the cold sea air blew in my face. The familiar smell made me smile.


    After we all passed through, Fetheion raised his hands and with his power, lifted us into the air, to the top of the cliff.


    "I''ll never get used to this." Inspector John mumbled as he held onto me for balance. Aoife nodded with a pale face.


    "Hopefully, you won''t have to." I mumbled as Fetheion''s spell brought us onto the land up above the cliff. "Let''s go." I glanced at Vixia. "You wanted a safe base. We''ll use our home. It will be easy to defend."


    Aoife''s eyes widened. "What?" She shouted. "No way ¨C we can''t take them home, Kai!" She protested. I brushed past her as she tried to stop me.


    "We can, and we will." My tone of voice made it clear that I wasn''t about to argue. I pointed at the distant hills. "Home is there, near the cliffs, past those hills." I glanced at Vixia, expecting an answer, but she surprised me.


    Her arms open wide, she faced the cliff. A pair of black, feathery wings slowly opened on her back. She stretched them wide and with a smile on her face, took a deep breath as she faced the seemingly endless sea.


    "It smells nice." She said after a moment of silence. "It''s been a while since I''ve seen the ocean." She sighed and folded her wings. "Lead the way, Kai Friseal. I do not wish to overuse our magic ¨C it is best not to draw too much attention."


    I nodded. "Let''s go," I said, looking at Inspector John and Aoife. Their eyes were still open wide from seeing Vixia''s wings. "Staring is rude," I added as I poked them both in the shoulders. "Come on."


    "How come is there no magic at all in this world?" Delthur asked after a while. "How come is there a portal then?"


    I glared at Fetheion as he shrugged feigning ignorance. He noticed my glare, and with a pale face, looked away. Aoife didn''t seem to notice, but Inspector John''s eyes immediately narrowed. He seemed as if he wanted to ask me what that was all about, but then decided otherwise.


    I was grateful that he did. First, because I didn''t want to really share my newfound knowledge with anyone yet. Second, because a flash of mana over the sea caught my attention.


    "They''re coming." Vixia hissed. A pair of wings once again appeared on her back. Her eyes let out a purple shine as darkness seemingly gathered around her.


    "Be ready." Delthur grumbled. He also stretched his wings as a two-handed claymore formed from the mist. He struck it into the ground and gazed upon the sea.


    Fetheion also took his position. A blade made from a shifting metal appeared in his hands. His leathery wings stretched wide as his expression filled with disgust.


    "What''s going on?" Aoife asked as she looked at each of them wide eyed.


    "We fight." I said, pointing at the few lights on the sea. "The Ereth are here." I took a deep breath.


    "Now is the best chance I''ll get to stretch my muscles." I spoke, raising my voice. "Let me take care of them, Lady Vixia."


    She shot me a surprised look, then her lips formed a wicked smile.


    "They''re all yours, Keeper''s Apostle."

 Chapter 316: A Clash Above the Sea (1)

    I stepped closer to the cliff. My back itched and ached as the unfamiliar muscles slowly began to bulge. I leaned forward slightly, then fell on one knee.


    "Kai?" Aoife shouted. "What''s wrong?" She was about to run towards me, but Fetheion stopped her. "Stay away from him!" He shouted.


    I clenched my fist and grabbed a handful of grass blades.


    "Let go of me!" I could hear Aoife''s struggle as she tried to shake off Fetheion''s grasp. "What''s wrong with him?"


    I didn''t need to wait long before the distant lights began to gain form. More than a dozen Ereth soldiers, accompanied by robed figures ¨C Inquisitors.


    "Well, what are you all waiting for?!" Inspector John shouted, looking at Vixia and the others.


    She spoke with an intoxicating voice. "Him."


    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. My palms itched with anticipation, and my heart raced with the anticipation of battle. When I opened my eyes, my eyes glowed purple, much like those of the demons.


    Aoife drew a sharp breath moments before I dashed ahead and threw myself off the cliff.


    "Kai!" Her shout of desperation seemed funny to me in the heat of the moment. For a moment, I fell. Then, I screamed as the bulging muscles on my back finally broke free, and I stretched my wide, feathery wings.


    It hurt for a moment, these muscles were brand new after all, and this body wasn''t used to having a pair of massive, feathery wings.


    But right now, the adrenaline rush made the pain disappear. I soared through the sky, and every beat of my wings carried me closer to the Ereth in the distance. A dark mist appeared around me, then formed the shape of my scythe.


    My hand gripped the metal shaft of the crystalline bladed scythe. I took a deep breath and used my magic to empower my body. As Fallen Grace filled my muscles with strength, I extended my hand. A volley of Dark Bolts leapt from my fingers, to the Ereth.


    Perhaps moments later, I reached the first Ereth. We met mid air and our blades clashed. The sound of metal hitting metal sounded, and my expression twisted with a wicked smile as the battle finally began.


    I knew we were short on time, so I couldn''t waste too much time on these Ereth. As such, as soon as our weapons clashed, I released my flames.


    Black and purple flames burst out of me, spreading through the air like wildfire on a dry summer day. The inquisitor accompanying the soldiers was quick to try and shield them, but her strength couldn''t compare to mine.


    I broke her barriers with a single swing of my scythe, then watched in silence as my flames consumed every single one of them. By the time I was done, there were no corpses left to fall into the depths of the sea. All that remained of the Ereth were the ashes, blowing away with the cold wind.


    I waited for a couple of seconds after the battle, watching the seemingly endless sea. No new enemies arrived, either Aelith had given up, or she didn''t know what happened to these soldiers.


    I let my scythe turn back into mist and headed back to the island. Soon, I stepped on solid ground not far from Aoife and the others.


    "Very well done, Kai." Vixia said with a soft, intoxicating voice. "You''ve lost nothing in the time we didn''t meet."


    I rolled my eyes. Her praise wasn''t given lightly, I knew that. Vixia was one of the stronger demons, any praise she gave had real meaning behind it, but right now, I found it difficult to care.


    "More will come eventually. We should hurry."


    We set off with that, though Aoife and Inspector John weren''t about to let me off without an explanation. As soon as we resumed our lengthy walk, they crowded around me.


    "How do you have wings?" Aoife asked as she poked and pulled the feathers of my left wing. "Where did they come from? How? Why?" Her questions seemed endless.


    "Please don''t pull the feathers," I said, trying to pull my wing away from her. "I can feel it and it''s not nice." As soon as I spoke, Inspector John''s eyes widened.


    "I thought these were just something you made with magic!" He exclaimed.


    "Well, yes and no. They''re a part of my body ¨C as real as my arms and legs ¨C but they are created by magic." Seeing their confusion, I tried to explain in an easier to understand way, though I don''t think it made much sense to them either.


    "How far are we?" Vixia asked after some time.


    "About two hours of walking," I sighed. While we had covered quite a distance, the island was quite vast and our settlement was on a remote area of it. "We could use magic to get there, but if Aelith herself comes right now¡­"


    The Divine herself coming was the only thing that could cause a real threat right now. With both Vixia and Fetheion here, even a horde of ordinary Ereth would be fairly easy to defend against.


    "Is she really that much more powerful?" Aoife asked. "I mean¡­" She hesitated. "You burnt a whole group of them in like¡­ seconds." She shuddered. "I find it difficult to think anything could stop this group right now."


    I laughed. I couldn''t help it! It wasn''t a mean laugh, I wasn''t making fun of her. But her words, her hopes ¨C I couldn''t possibly meet her expectation.


    "I''m sorry Aoife," I said with a smile after my laughter subsided. "The only person who can beat Aelith at her full power is the Demon Lord."


    Aoife furrowed her brows. "I see." She glanced at the sky. "So even you can''t beat her."


    "No, but that''s why we asked for their help." I glanced at Vixia and the others. "We''ll take care of this, Aoife. Just¡­ Sit tight till then, ok?"


    My sister looked away, biting her lower lip. She was clearly unhappy, and for good reason too.


    "Will you fight too?" She asked after a while. I nodded. "Of course, how could I not?"

 Chapter 317: A Clash Above the Sea (2)

    Aoife''s brows furrowed, her expression darkened, and she bit her lips.


    "But¡­" She mumbled. "What if something happens to you?" She asked with a meek voice. I hesitated, this was unlike her. She had always been the strong one. Always confident, always so sure of herself.


    And she had always trusted me too. She would be the first to cheer me on, and the first to try and talk me into trying things. So, seeing her afraid and unsure like this was unfamiliar. It made me realise just how wrong everything was.


    "I''ll be fine." I finally spoke after some hesitated. "I survived the game, didn''t I? And back then, everyone wanted to kill me." I forced a smile. "So don''t worry about me, sis." I lied through my teeth, faking my smile, and reassuring her that all would be well.


    I noticed Fetheion glaring at me with a dark, almost angry expression. I averted my gaze, refusing to entertain him. He had no right getting angry at me after all the lies he had told.


    "More Ereth." Delthur declared all of a sudden, distracting me. He pointed towards the distant sky. "No Divine though," He added after a moment. As he spoke, his claymore formed in his hand.


    "Good. We will dispatch of them quickly." Vixia said with a breath of relief. She raised her hand, and a whip made from purple and black flames formed within her grasp. "Delthur, with me. Kai, protect the humans. Fetheion..." She shrugged. "Whatever."


    My brows furrowed. What was that chain of command? The Demon Lord had given Fetheion the option to choose as well. Was the Exiled Divine considered outside their reach?


    As much as I wanted to learn more about that matter, Vixia''s sudden dash distracted me. She leapt into the air gracefully, then flew towards the Ereth in the distance, leaving a trail of flames behind her.


    Delthur was right behind her. He used no magic, and he lacked her graceful and fluid movements, but every beat of his massive wings carried him forward with a scary speed. I knew how strong he was ¨C no ordinary Ereth stood a chance against him, even in his weakened state.


    As they flew ahead, Fetheion just sighed, but chose to stay behind. I refused to look at him, and instead watched the battle in the distance.


    "How strong are those two?" Inspector John asked after a while. I was about to answer when I hesitated.


    "I don''t know." I said after a moment. "I''ve never seen either of them go all out. Not with the intent to kill, at least." Well, I had seen Delthur chase me with bloodthirst, but he was even more sick and weakened back then. I didn''t think that time was an accurate representation of his strength.


    "How come?" Inspector John asked, confused. "I thought you were enemies back then."


    I shrugged. "Well, yeah. But they always took care to keep me alive." I shuddered as I remembered the first few times I had come across them. "But yes, I don''t know what the full extent of Vixia''s power is, though I can guess Delthur''s." I mumbled as I watched the distant battle.


    My enhanced vision allowed me to see everything clearly. Delthur''s style was as straightforward as it could get. He swung his massive claymore, and Ereth died.


    Vixia on the other hand, seemingly danced in the air. Every single one of her movements served a purpose. She moved with grace, and with each motion, rained death upon her foes.


    "There are a lot more this time." I furrowed my brows. "Why would Aelith send them here to die?"


    "Because they are simply drones to her. She controls their fates ¨C if they die, their souls return to the homeworld. If they live, they can be used once more." Fetheion''s words startled me. "Baile Chailce was a test ¨C we decided to allow the drones to have their own minds."


    My eyes widened. "What?" Was all I could say before the Exiled Divine continued. "Me and my sister cut off the tether between the drones'' minds and ours. They were no longer ants obeying their queen''s orders. They became individuals." He clenched his fists. "But soon, Aelith noticed how they disliked our practices. How most didn''t want to be at constant war with demons."


    I drew a sharp breath. "My sister and I agreed. We were sick of war, death and battle. Endless fighting had dominated our lives until then. So, I ran away, left to help the Keeper, until the day he died." He looked up at the sky. "My sister left our world. You know what that means now."


    I clenched my fists. Of course I knew what that meant.


    "Luhen and the likes of him chose to rebel against Aelith, but before we could pull it off, you and your kind arrived. Aelith had gotten another world into her grasp. She pulled you from your lives, into a world none of you belonged to." He glared at me. "Little did we know you would allow our plan to succeed. Luhen and the others who remained on that world are free ¨C no longer under the threat of losing themselves."


    He pointed towards Vixia, Delthur and their opponents. "They are not free. They can feel emotions, but when they are given orders, they simply must obey. It matters not whether they live or die ¨C the Pillar will simply create new bodies for their souls. Sure, it will take hundreds of years, but they will return, only to die again."


    He fell into silence. All of us did.


    I took a deep breath. Why hadn''t they told me any of this before? Knowing this, I could have perhaps changed things. If I knew any of this, perhaps my struggles before returning to would have been different.


    "A hivemind." I finally spoke. "Is that what your kind is?"


    Fetheion simply nodded.


    "Then, who is the leader?" I asked, taking a deep breath. "Aelith only controlled those in the Demons'' world, and those who came here, to earth. Who is the core?"


    Fetheion flinched.


    "I can tell you very many things, Kai." His voice was heavy when he finally spoke. "But this is not one of them."

 Chapter 318: A Clash Above the Sea (3)

    When Vixia and Delthur returned, we welcomed them with silence. As soon as they joined us, I started walking towards home once more.


    It took a while before Vixia tried asking what had happened while they fought, though I didn''t provide her with an answer. She didn''t need to know about Fetheion''s other identity.


    "We will be there soon. When will the soldiers join us?" I asked, hoping to distract her a little.


    "I will summon them once we arrive. It is a horrible idea to move such a large group right now." She sighed, I could see she was troubled. It wasn''t surprising ¨C she once again had to fight the same creatures that nearly took over her own world.


    We walked in silence for a while more before our settlement came into view. Atop the hill, surrounded by serene woods, it looked so peaceful. I gritted my teeth ¨C for how long was this place going to remain as such?


    When would the Ereth come to burn down these woods and destroy these walls? I didn''t even want to think about it.


    "Aoife, where did you send everyone?" I asked as we slowly began walking up the hill. She had left to help the villagers escape before everything went to hell.


    "The United Nations building by the shore down south." She said with a sigh. "I told them to stay there ¨C they have bunkers and stuff, so I''m guessing they''ll be fine." She seemed hesitant for a moment.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "I just don''t like this. This is our home, and we''re¡­" Her voice faded as she shook her head. "It feels so wrong. All of this." She finally whispered.


    I sighed. There was nothing I could say to comfort her ¨C she had been thrust into a new reality. A reality where demons and Ereth existed.


    "We need their help, and they need somewhere to set up, Aoife. I''m sorry, but this place is the only one I can think of." There was no other place I could have taken Vixia and the others, was there? No, I didn''t think so.


    "I know," My sister sighed. "Sorry for bringing it up." She hastened her steps and nearly ran towards our settlement.


    "What''s with her?" Delthur''s deep, dry voice startled me. My expression immediately darkened ¨C I didn''t want any demons to take interest in Aoife. "She''s tired, and scared. It''s normal."


    Delthur chuckled. "She seems much braver than you make her out to be."


    My expression softened a bit. "She is. But she is human ¨C no magic means she is powerless, no matter how brave she is."


    Delthur''s brows furrowed. "Are you sure about that, Kai Friseal?" He paused, coughed a few times, then wiped his mouth with a red handkerchief. "I remember a swordsman by your side. He had no magic, yet his skills with a blade carried him far. He was feared by the Ereth by the end of the war."


    I gritted my teeth. "Lucius'' body was still enhanced. Aoife, while athletic, is just human. And I''m not letting her risk her life like Lucius always did." I still remembered the many times the young man nearly got himself killed.


    Delthur''s wry laugh sounded before another coughing fit interrupted him. I furrowed my brows. "Why don''t you let anyone heal you?" I ask, unable to keep silent about it anymore.


    He had been suffering from this cough ever since we first met. Back then, it wasn''t as bad, I hadn''t seen him cough up any blood until a while later. But now, it was clearly a source of constant pain for him.


    His expression immediately darkened. "It''s not something that can be healed with ease."


    "Why not? I''ve seen how powerful the Demon Lord is, and Vixia is nothing to scoff at either. I refuse to believe your kind can not heal you."


    He shook his head. "Leave it, Kai Friseal. It is not your place to question."


    I gritted my teeth. Once again, I was refused the answers I so desperately wanted.


    "We''re here." Inspector John''s soft voice startled me. I hadn''t noticed us arriving before the gates. They were closed, which immediately alerted me. I was sure I hadn''t closed them ¨C I was too shaken for it.


    "Stay here!" I hissed before stretching my wings and leaping over the tall gate. Who had closed the gates, who had stepped into our home while we were away?


    I landed behind the gate, within the courtyard, and allowed my wings to disappear in a cloud of mist.


    All I could hear was the wind whistling through the closed windows, and the rustling of the bushes. With quiet steps, I walked towards the Dojo. Who had come to close the gate?


    My first thought was naturally Mother. Since we had no idea of where she had actually gone to, it could very well actually be her. And now that I knew of Uncle Eion''s ¨C Fetheion''s ¨C real identity, it didn''t take much thought to figure out many things about Mother either.


    I held my breath as I slowly climbed the stairs leading inside. The door wasn''t locked, so I slowly pushed it open. The door creaked open, startling me with how loud it was. Had it always been like that? Probably, it just had never been so damn quiet here.


    I stepped inside and walked the halls. The first thing I noticed as I stepped into the training hall was the missing blade on the wall. Mother''s sword was gone. I furrowed my brows, was she the one who took it, or someone else?


    With no answers to be found in this room, I continued with my search. I feared letting my magic to the searching for me ¨C if there were any Ereth inside, I didn''t want to alert them. Remaining hidden was a much better choice for now.


    I passed by the stairs, then stopped before the room of the dining room. I hesitantly reached for the handle ¨C I hadn''t closed this door either ¨C and as soon as my fingers touched the cool metal, swung it open.


    "Aaah!" Someone shouted, fear mixed in their voice. I glared at the man standing before me with surprise, as his expression filled with fear.


    "Who are you?" I finally asked.

 Chapter 320: Unexpected Faces (2)

    "How do I look?" The blonde man asked, wearing a set of clothes quite similar to mine.


    I chuckled. "Ready for battle." I smiled. It had been quite a while since I had been able to chat with him like this. I had missed his companionship, and the sound advice he usually gave. Though his smug grin, not as much.


    "Except for having nothing to show for in terms of combat ability, sure. I''m totally battle ready." His shoulders dropped. "Fuck¡­ How do you still have your power?" He asked, collapsing on my bed.


    I sighed. "I¡­" I glanced towards the sea through the window. "Once the Divine Pillar was completed and Aelith came out of the pillar of light, I felt like a dam opened. I think it''s because by arriving here, she brought magic into our world. And I picked up on that sensation, probably." I attempted to explain in vain.


    "I wish I had felt the same thing." Asher mumbled. He fiddled with the cloth of his clothes. "I''m absolutely useless now ¨C with no magic, I can''t do anything to help with the war."


    I forced a smile, despite knowing how much this hurt him. "There might be something Vixia can do to help you with that. So, don''t lose hope." I lightly squeezed his shoulder, in an attempt to be supportive. The older man laughed. "Ah, I sure hope so." He furrowed his brows. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"


    I took a deep breath and used my magic to create a barrier of sound around us. "It''s about my family ¨C and the woman who brought here. I need you to listen and be patient. Let me finish telling it all first."


    Asher''s expression darkened. "Alright. I''m listening."


    I turned my back on him and gathered my courage. It was a lot to tell, and I wasn''t quite ready.


    "The crimson haired woman who brought you here is my mother." I spoke. He didn''t draw a sharp breath, nor did he make a sound. I continued, I told him about Mother, about Fetheion¡­ About what kind of a weird, awkward, and disturbing position I was in.


    With each new revelation, his expression changed. I was worried, of course, that he would no longer trust me as much. That he would call me a liar and a traitor.


    "So¡­ We''re fairly sure your Mother is an Ereth. A Divine, in fact." He stated. "So, how did you come to be?" He leaned forward and inspected me, from head to toe. "You don''t look like an Ereth ¨C you''re more reminiscent of a demon again."


    I chuckled. "Do we really need to think about those details?"


    "Well, yeah. Are you a half blood, or a pure Ereth? Why do you look so human?" He leaned back and scratched his chin. "I wonder ¨C is that why you became the Soul Keeper?" He mumbled.


    "I don''t think so." I said with a shrug. "And it doesn''t really matter. Fetheion lied to us for a long time, and Mother did so to me and Aoife as well. I don''t know why she decided to bring you here, but I''m kind of glad she did." I smiled. "It''s been a while since we talked."


    Asher nodded. "It has. But Kai, how will we fight back against Aelith? If the Keeper won''t join the battle, how will we beat Aelith? Even last time, it took everything we had just to destroy the Pillar."


    His worries weren''t unfounded. Most of us had nearly died. Some of us had, in fact, died. I sighed and lowered myself onto the only chair in the room.


    "We''ll handle it somehow. The Ereth aren''t as well defended here as they were in Baile Chailce. They haven''t constructed any of the outer Pillars, and they don''t have such enormous armies just yet." I took a deep breath. "Besides, we will have the Demon Lord''s aid as well. He will join the battle." I raised my eyes. "Personally."


    Asher''s eyes widened. "Then, Aelith will meet her match!" He shouted. His voice rose with excitement as he continued. "The other Divines ¨C if there are any left ¨C can''t really stand their grounds against all of the Demon forces and even you can-"


    I suddenly stopped him as I leapt up on my feet. "Shush!" I hissed as an unfamiliar type of magic fluctuated in the area. "Something just happened!" I whispered as I rushed at the door.


    As we ran down the stairs, a scream sounded. It was a woman''s voice. As I rushed downstairs, Aoife rushed out of her room as well. "What''s going on?" She asked as I brushed past her on the staircase. "I don''t know!" I replied on my way down.


    The high-pitched voice sounded once more. "Where am I? Who are you?"


    When I reached the ground floor, I was met with a bunch of confused demons. I brushed past them and dashed after the voice. Where was it coming from?


    "Stay away from me!" She shouted once more with a fear filled voice. "Who are you?"


    The training hall! As soon as I figured that out, I ran towards the closed wooden doors at the end of the hallway. I pushed them open and stepped inside, only to be met with a confusing scene.


    "I said, who the hell are you?" A woman about the same age as I shouted, pointing a gun at Inspector John, who was sitting on the ground. "I won''t ask again!" She warned him, then, as soon as she noticed me, pointed her gun at me. "Stay there!" She shouted.


    I froze in my tracks. I knew that voice, didn''t I? It was really hard to tell, but I was sure I knew her from somewhere. I hadn''t met her face to face though, I wouldn''t have forgotten a face like that.


    "Now answer me! Where am I, who are you and how did you bring me here?" Her bright green eyes glared daggers at us.

 Chapter 321: Unexpected Faces (3)

    "Ah." Was all I could say as understanding dawned on me. I narrowed my eyes and looked at her, from head to toe. "Hang on." I mumbled. "Laura?" I guessed on a whim.


    Her eyes widened. "How the hell do you know my name?" She shouted, aiming the gun to my heart.


    "I''m Kai. We, uh, talked on the phone. I kind of recognised your voice." I chuckled nervously. "Would you mind putting the gun down?"


    "Kai?" She mumbled. Her gaze turned to Inspector John, then back at me. She lowered the barrel of the gun slightly. "Wait¡­" She mumbled in confusion.


    Before I could attempt to explain anything, Inspector John suddenly reached up and forward, grabbed her wrists and twisted them, forcing her to drop the gun. Laura''s immediate reaction to that was to kick the poor inspector in the crotch.


    "Oi, stop!" I shouted, raising my voice with magic. I rushed ahead and positioned myself between Laura and the Inspector. "No kicking down there ever again!" I warned her, then glanced at the instructor who, in all honesty, was handling the unfortunate kick surprisingly well. "No attacking my friends either!" I said, glaring at him.


    "¡­Understood." He grumbled before slowly walking towards the gun, picking it up and holstering it.


    "¡­Fine." Laura said with a sigh. She took a deep breath, then her expression changed. "You look different than I expected Kai." She said with a faint smile. "And you look a lot like that woman who burst into my room and basically teleported me here."


    I nervously chuckled and fiddled with my hair. "Uh, let''s put that aside for now-" I felt magic forming perhaps half a meter above our heads. "Get back!" I shouted as I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A loud scream willed with terror sounded as another woman the same age as Laura appeared in the air, then fell on her back. "FUCK YOU!" She shouted as soon as she hit the ground.


    Taken aback by her loud voice and the rather vulgar language, I couldn''t find the words to speak.


    "Hang on! Theresa?" Laura shouted.


    "Oww, that hurt. Wait, Laura?!"


    I felt like a fish out of water as I tried to process that this loud, tall, and rather¡­ unique girl with piercings and dyed hair was Theresa. The meek and shy Theresa that I knew was no more.


    "Hi, Theresa." I said, forcing a smile.


    "Hi- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" She shouted as soon as she glanced at me.


    "That''s Kai." Laura chuckled. "And language. Please."


    Theresa''s eyes widened. "No way ¨C that''s Kai?" She leapt up on her feet, almost as if she didn''t just fall on her back. "You do not look like I thought you would!" She chuckled.


    "You have no right to say that!" I protested. Theresa chuckled and stuck out her tongue. My eyes widened. "What''s with you and piercings!" I exclaimed.


    "I like them!" She giggled, then turned to Laura. "But on to more serious matters. Kai, the woman who brought me here-"


    "Looked just like me. I know." I sighed. If Mother kept this up, it was going to be impossible to keep everyone up to date. "I will explain everything, but for now, can we all just wait for a bit? You two are not the first to be sent here, and my gut feeling is telling me that you''re not going to be the last either."


    "That''s for sure." Asher''s voice sounded. I glanced towards the entrance of the hall, only to see him leaning his back on the wall. "Hey, you two," He waved with a mischievous smile. "I''m Asher, though since I was the only old guy in the group, I''m sure you already figured that out."


    "Was it the same person who brought you here too?" Theresa asked. Asher nodded, then took off his glasses and wiped them with a piece of cloth. "It''s a long story, I think. And I don''t think we''re at the end of it." He glanced at me, then back at Theresa and Laura. "My gut is telling me that we''ll soon see others arrive as well."


    I furrowed my brows. "Lucius, Mona." I said. "I don''t know about Vincent and Joshua, and I highly doubt we''ll see Alina or Samantha here either." They either hadn''t woken up or had lost their memories of the events that transpired if Inspector John was to be believed.


    "Alex and Rina too." Mumbled Asher. "And maybe even Victoria, thought that''s a long shot I think."


    I nodded. While Victoria was one of our allies, she was simply too close to Joshua for Mother''s liking. I didn''t think she would trust her one bit.


    "I think we can safely assume that we won''t be seeing Erik." Laura mumbled moments before another person appeared out of thin air, and fell on the ground. "Hello Mona." Laura continued with a flat voice ¨C was she already used to all this?


    Mona stared at the ceiling for a while. "Can I get a break? Please?" She mumbled, closing her eyes. "Alright..." She opened her eyes, pushed herself up, then glanced at Laura and Theresa. "If the two of you are here ¨C and an agent from the UN ¨C that means you are Asher." She glanced at Asher. "And that makes you Kai." She glared at me.


    "You''re acting as if all of this is totally normal." I mumbled.


    "She''s insane." Asher whispered with a grin. "Good to see you Mona." He added after Mona glared at him.


    "I''m not insane, it''s the world who''s gone mad. Aelith''s appearance, all the Ereth, the Divine Pillar¡­" She shook her head. "I almost expected something like a gathering like this to happen, though I''d like to know who brought us together like this." She glanced at me. "She looked just like you." She added.


    I rolled my eyes. I was slowly getting sick of hearing that once sentence. "It''s a long story that I''d rather tell once we know for sure no one else will come."


    "AAAAAH NO!" Another shout sounded.


    "Like that." I said with a sigh.

 Chapter 322: A Gathering of Old Friends

    "If even one of you says, ''She looked just like you'', I will burn you!" I threatened the now fairly large group standing in front of me. Then, I glared at Asher who was trying to muffle his giggling. He was not particularly good at it.


    Over the course of about a quarter of an hour, almost the entire roster of my allies had gathered. Of course, Erik''s group was nowhere to be seen, but besides them, the only person missing was Lucius.


    "So," I said, taking a deep breath. "To be completely honest, I don''t know where to begin." My shoulders dropped. "Aelith came, the Ereth invaded Earth and I brought the demons to help us out is the gist of it."


    Everyone glanced at each other, scratching their heads, and mumbling with low voices. "Come on, what else could I have done?" I asked.


    "Not much, really." Rina sighed. She was surprisingly tall in the real world. Taller than anyone else in the room ¨C even Vixia. "But we don''t have our powers back the way you do. Why did that person even gather us all here?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t know. Maybe to protect you?" I glanced at Mona. "You said you noticed an Ereth coming towards you before that person dragged you away, right?"


    Mona nodded. "We''re the only ones in the whole world who know what the Ereth are capable of. They will want to get rid of us."


    Asher nodded as well. "It makes sense to do so. The Players are the only ones who have a hope of understanding what Aelith plans. We have been through most of this before ¨C we know what she''s capable of, we know what she wants, and we know she hates Kai and probably everyone else gathered in this room."


    I clenched my fists. "Yes. I''m quite sure she''d love to get her hands on any one of us." I forced my expression to remain neutral. "But we have an advantage. I don''t think she knows our faces; I think her underlings simply followed a trail to try and find us." I glanced at Fetheion, who had carefully remained silent until now.


    "I can''t say for sure," He said with a low voice. "I don''t see how she could have found out what you looked like, unless she took a look at OTHERWORLD''s data." He paused, noticing how he kind of gave away some knowledge he wasn''t supposed to have. He shot a panicked glance at me, but I ignored him.


    "I highly doubt she''d do that." Asher added. "She wouldn''t know anything about technology, and OTHERWORLD stores such data in remote locations only accessible to certain personnel. She would have no way of knowing that." He paused. "Unless she got a hold of Sir Gallagher and made him talk."


    That thought sent a chill down my spine. "Or Erik!" I exclaimed. "Inspector, what was Erik''s situation before everything went to hell?"


    Inspector John furrowed his brows. "He was in a medical facility offshore. We actually made sure there was no paper trail since he was getting so many death threats from so many people." He fiddled with his tie. "Unless the Ereth can smell him, they''d have quite some trouble finding him."


    Fetheion chuckled. "No, they can''t do that. Not unless they placed some sort of tracking spell on him earlier, and that would be impossible."


    Despite my anger and annoyance towards him, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."


    A moment of silence was interrupted by Vixia''s chuckle.


    "It''s almost magical how all of you are on the same page." She glanced at me, then at everybody else. "I can see why your group was capable of destroying the Divine Pillar." She smiled, the turned her attention on Asher. "Your powers aren''t gone ¨C they are simply locked behind mental walls. I will attempt to find a safe way to release them, but until then, do try to feel the magic in the air."


    She turned her back and left the training hall.


    "She''s as odd as always." Asher sighed. "Though, I only met her a couple of times before."


    I nodded. "Don''t worry too much about it. As for everyone else¡­" I hesitated. "I guess I should welcome you to my home. And introduce you to the Inspector and to my sister."


    Aoife had been silent up until now. She was clearly overwhelmed by the number of people, and the events that had just transpired. I took care to not let everyone crowd around her, and things went mostly smoothly, up until it was Mona''s turn.


    "Oh my GOD!" She exclaimed, catching Aoife''s hand. "I saw you before! You won that one tournament in last winter ¨C the one in France!"


    I raised my brows as Aoife''s face lit up. "You were watching?" She asked as Mona''s smile widened. "Yes! A friend of mine bought us tickets and we went to see the finals. We were rooting for you all the way through!"


    "Aw, thank you! It makes me so happy¡­"


    "Kai?" Laura''s voice pulled my attention away from the girls'' conversation. I glanced at her, then approached her as she prompted me to. "I''m glad to see your sister and Mona getting along well." She said with a faint smile. I nodded, though I didn''t intend to dwell on the subject for long. It was clear that Laura was bothered by something.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked, pulling her a bit father from the group.


    "I have a few guesses, but I won''t ask if I''m right. I do have some other questions though." Laura took a deep breath and raised her chin ever so slightly. "Where is Lucius? I know he left to be with his family during his recovery, but I''d think he would have been brought here along with the rest of us by now." She smiled. "He was the one you were closest to, after all."


    I chuckled. "Well, I''m sure he''ll come here eventually. And if he doesn''t, I can go get him. It would be good to have him here, even if he never wielded any magic."


    Laura nodded. "It''s best to have everyone together." She mumbled with an almost dreamy voice. "It will be much easier to keep everyone safe."


    I felt magic stir once more, and looked around to see where the next person would appear.


    "And it makes it very easy to get rid of everyone too."

 Chapter 323: Revealed Secrets (1)

    Mother''s voice startled me. Alarmed, I turned to face her as she stepped out of her transportation spell with two others in tow.


    "But I doubt even Aelith is capable of that, seeing as this place has become quite the well defended fortress," Her cold, calculating voice echoed in the room.


    I heard someone draw a sharp breath as all eyes turned on Mother. Worried, I glanced at my sister ¨C she didn''t know the truth about Mother yet.


    Her eyes wide open, and her face pale, she was holding on to Mona for support. "Mom?" She whispered. Mother glanced at her, and her expression seemed to soften for a split second before she averted her gaze.


    "I have brought the last two missing members of your group." She said, pointing at the two people behind her.


    I immediately recognised both of them. Lucius, I had already known for my whole life. He didn''t look any different than what I remembered.


    The other person was a surprise for sure though.


    "Erik?" Asher''s astonished voice sounded. The middle-aged man took a step forward as he glared at the young Gallagher.


    Erik looked weak. His blonde hair had lost its shine, and so had his eyes. He was thin, too thin. He seemed bony. He was wearing grey trousers and a white shirt. His gaze lingered on us as his expression remained unchanged. He looked dead inside.


    "What happened to him?" Asher asked.


    Mother ignored him. Instead, she turned her gaze on Fetheion ¨C her brother. I furrowed my brows as my expression soured. "Brother, see if you can heal his mind." She pushed Erik towards Fetheion. The young man stumbled forward; he would have fallen down had Lucius not helped him along.


    "I''ll try." Fetheion said with a sigh before taking Erik and vanishing.


    "Brother?" Aoife spoke in a low voice. "No¡­" her voice trembled as she turned her gaze towards the door, then back at Mother again.


    "You don''t seem surprised in the slightest, Kai." Mother spoke. I raised my chin as my expression darkened.


    "Why would I be?" I folded my arms and glared at her. "It wasn''t too difficult to figure out once it turned out the so called ''game'' was real."


    She seemed taken aback for a moment, perhaps because of my tone of voice, or maybe because I was still glaring daggers at her. "Besides," I added, forcing myself to remain calm. "Fetheion is not a good liar. He slipped up himself."


    Mother''s brows furrowed. Her lips formed a thin line. "Is that so?" She hissed, clenching her fists.


    "So, what was the goal, mom?" I asked with a shrug. "What exactly did you hope to accomplish by all of this?"


    Mother tapped her foot with an unsteady rhythm as she glared at me. "Does it matter?" She asked, a faint grin on her lips. "Aelith is here, ready to destroy our world. Why ask that now?"


    I laughed, the turned my gaze on Lucius, who had put some distance between himself and Mother. "What about you? How much did you know?" I was ready to be angry. To hate him even, if it turned out that he had hidden all of this from me.


    "Uh," He scratched his cheek. "I kind of got dragged away from home and then noticed it was you Mother. I honestly didn''t know anything else." He nervously chuckled. "I''m, well, more surprised than you."


    I swallowed the anger that was welling up inside me. I believed in his words; he wasn''t lying. I knew it.


    "Alright." I finally said, taking a deep breath. "I''m sure Fetheion can fill you in on the details, Mother, but the plan is to attack London in three days. We will destroy the Divine Pillar and kill Aelith." I turned my back on her. "Until then, do as you wish." I walked towards Aoife. She immediately grabbed my arm as I reached towards her.


    "Come on," I said with a soft voice as I led her out of the training hall. "Let''s get you to your room."


    "So¡­ technically you''re not human then." Aoife mumbled. We were sitting in her room. I was on the floor, sitting cross legged on a comfy, fluffy pillow. Aoife was laying on her bed face down, watching me as I fiddled with a strand of black flame. "I guess that explains why you''re able to do that stuff."


    I shrugged. "I don''t know, maybe having some nonhuman in me made it easier to get used to using magic, but I don''t think it''s the only reason I can do this." I shuddered at the thought of how the Demon Lord restored my powers.


    "How did you figure it out?" She asked after a while of silence. A bitter smile formed on my lips.


    "Fetheion. He understood me when I spoke English. He wasn''t supposed to be able to." I chuckled. "I had noticed the similarities between him and Uncle Eion back when we first met too ¨C they sounded the same, acted the same¡­ But I never put two and two together." I looked at the carpet and fiddled with my clothes. "I''m sorry for not telling you."


    Aoife''s expression changed. She frowned and averted her gaze. "I kind of wish you told me." She mumbled. "I understand why you didn''t ¨C I really do! But I kind of wish you did."


    I nodded. "I thought I had more time." I said with a sigh. "I¡­ I wanted to protect you from the cold, hard truth."


    I was surprised to hear Aoife''s chuckle. "Aww, you''re almost adorable." She reached for my hair and ruffled them. "I won''t say that it''s ok. It''s not ok." Her words pierced me like daggers. "Nothing that happened in these last few days is ok." She sighed.


    I raised my head to meet her gaze. "I''ll fix it." I said, actually believing every word I spoke. "I''ll make sure things return to the way they used to be, as much as I can at least."


    Aoife shook her head. "That''s not what I''m asking of you." She pulled a loose strand of hair, causing me to flinch as she plucked it off my head. "I''m asking you to not push me away. I don''t care what kind of cold hard truth it is, don''t try to protect me from it." She forced a bitter smile. "I''m not some porcelain doll to be protected, Kai."

 Chapter 324: Revealed Secrets (2)

    "How did it go?" Mona asked.


    "Better than I expected." I sighed. "We promised things to each other." A smile appeared on my lips. "We''ll be fine, I think."


    Asher lightly squeezed my shoulder. "I''m glad." He said with a soft voice. "Keep her close to you, Kai. She''s a brilliant young woman, and she cares a lot about you."


    Theresa''s chain necklace rattled as she vigorously nodded. "She really does! You were all she wanted to hear about when we were chatting earlier."


    I chuckled. That was something Aoife would do.


    "Uh," Laura glanced around, then continued. "I know this isn''t the best time to ask, but what are you going to do about¡­ not being fully human?" Her expression reflected her confusion and hesitation.


    "What can I do?" I asked with a nervous chuckle. "It''s not like I can change what I am, right? At least I''m not some abomination that looks like a half Ereth."


    Lucius chuckled. "Yeah, no horns or at wings." His smile faded away as he looked at his own hands. "No claws either," I said with a grin, then shook my head. "Alright, let''s get back to the subject at hand." I stood up and walked a few steps away from them.


    "You''re apparently all capable of at least sensing magic, that includes you too, Lucius." The young swordsman nodded. I continued. "Try to sense my magic, then use that to remember how you cast your own."


    I raised my hand, ready to summon some of my power, but the sound of creaking stairs stopped me. I glanced towards my back to see Aoife walk down the stairs.


    "I''ll join." She said, her chin raised, and her expression filled with determination. "I want to learn too." She sat on the couch; on the spot I had just gotten up from. "Don''t mind me,"


    I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, first of all, try to sense this." I raised my hand to my chest, and flames slowly began dancing on my skin. I kept it mild as to not accidentally overload any of their senses.


    Everyone''s expressions were filled with pure focus. I could see it in their eyes as they fixed their sights on the flames dancing on my skin. I strengthened their intensity as time passed, watching the group carefully, looking for that spark of joy in their eyes that would signify their success.


    Hours passed with no such spark. I noticed their attention waning as they began glancing at each other. The focus in their eyes left its place to disappointment and annoyance.


    "Fuck!" Theresa finally shouted. "Break! I need a break! Let''s eat some stuff, then continue."


    Aoife yawned. "I''ll prepare dinner," She said, then hopped off the couch. Mona was quick to follow her, and so was Theresa. "Oh, let''s cook together!" She said with a cheerful grin. "I have this awesome snack I love making!"


    Their voices disappeared as they entered the kitchen. I smiled, then let my flames dissipate.


    "Sorry, Kai." Rina sighed and leaned on her back. "I''m of no use right now¡­" She grabbed a pillow and placed it on her face. "I''m so exhausted." Her muffled voice sounded.


    "After dinner, we should probably call it a night." I said as I lowered myself onto the ground and sat cross legged. "Over exhausting yourselves is of no use, and I could use some rest as well."


    Asher laughed out loud. "Are you sure? You don''t seem the least bit tired."


    I chuckled. "I just don''t show it." I said as I stretched my arms. "I''ve been constantly moving ever since Aelith turned up too. I could use a good night''s sleep."


    "In that case, let''s go help your sister so we can all head off to bed." Alex declared as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Rina soon followed her, and so did Asher.


    "Sorry," Lucius'' voice sounded all of a sudden. "I honestly didn''t know."


    My eyes snapped to him. "I know, no need to apologise."


    Laura cleared her throat as she scrambled to get up. "I''ll help them too!" She said, but before she could leave in a hurry, Lucius caught her arm. "Please wait." He said with an almost meek voice. "You should hear this too."


    I furrowed my brows. "Do I need to cloak our voices?"


    Lucius hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Please, I''d rather keep this a secret from your Mother. And Uncle."


    I gritted my teeth and used my powers to hide our voices. An invisible barrier enveloped us ¨C no one outside of it would be able to hear us.


    "So, what is it?" I asked once the spell was completed.


    Lucius took a deep breath. "I fear the elders are also Ereth."


    Laura seemed somewhat confused while my expression remained the same.


    "To explain," Lucius spoke, glancing at Laura. "The elders are a council of sorts who help Kai''s Mother manage the Dojo and this settlement. Any decision that must be made is first consulted with them."


    "Why do you think they''re Ereth as well?" Laura asked after a moment. "Don''t get me wrong, I''m all ready to believe you, I''d just like to know why."


    "They always hide behind curtains. Their identities are never told to anyone outside of the Council. I doubt even my dad knew who they were." I clenched my fists. "It also explains why they deemed me inadequate. Because I showed no characteristics of an Ereth."


    Lucius nodded. "That''s what made me think so, actually. You were, by no means, inadequate as a swordsman. There is no one who can beat you who is in the same age or experience group as you. Your sister can beat you, but even she has to actually try and she''s a literal prodigy with that sword."


    I bit my lower lip. "Well, I could have been better, but yes, I get your point."


    Laura pondered for a while. "So, why didn''t you want anyone else to hear this?"


    Lucius shook his head. "Well¡­ I don''t want to cause a panic, and everyone is busy trying to get their powers back anyways. I just thought Kai should know cause, well¡­" He chuckled. "And you should be in the loop as well, since you''ve got some connections that will probably come in handy once this whole thing is over."


    I smiled. He had thought of everything as always.


    "Kai," I heard Mother''s voice echo in the halls. Her cold voice sent a shill down my spine, shattering my smile. "A word."

 Chapter 325: Revealed Secrets (3)

    "What do you want?" I asked, folding my arms, and glaring at Mother.


    We were in the woods, right outside the settlement. She had led me here, claiming she wanted some privacy, somewhere away from prying eyes.


    "What kind of deal did you make with the Demon Lord to gain those powers?" She asked, completely ignoring my glare. I sighed ¨C she was doing it again, requesting, no, demanding information.


    "I made no deal, Mother." I raised my chin. "I paid nothing that wasn''t already paid, and I wasn''t given anything that wasn''t already mine."


    Mother''s expression darkened. Her lips formed a thin line as she pondered, trying to see what I meant. I endured her glare, refusing to elaborate any further.


    "What does that mean?" She finally asked. It took some effort to not grin. It was rare that she was the one who didn''t understand something.


    "It means what it means. The deal was already made when your own brother brought me back to life. The price was already paid when he decided to try and revive the Keeper of Souls. Ask him if you want answers."


    Mother drew a sharp breath. "Kai," She said with a warning tone. "Don''t challenge me."


    "Why the hell not?" I asked. "What makes you think you deserve any answers?"


    Mother''s eyes widened. Seeing this as my opportunity, I continued. "I owe you no answers, Mother. In fact, I think it''s you who owes them to me. What the hell am I?"


    Taken aback, she looked at me wide eyed. "Don''t forget who I am, Kai." She tried warning me, but I shouted back at her. "You are the one who shouldn''t forget who I am!" Two massive feathery wings stretched behind my back. "Answer me, what am I? And why? Why did you have me?"


    She flinched. Her gaze lingered on my wings before she averted her eyes. For a moment, her expression twisted with bitterness. "You''ve been defiled, tainted by the Demons." She clenched her fists. "I should have never let you out of my sight."


    "You''re not answering my questions." I reminded her. "Why did you have me? Am I an experiment? Or was it an accident?" I felt odd asking such questions. Whatever her answer was going to be, it was going to hurt.


    "You are not an accident," She finally said, then turned her back on me and started walking through the woods. I followed her, waiting to hear more. We walked in silence for a while until the trees ended and we stepped out into the open. She walked to the rock at the edge of the cliff and leaned on it, watching the sea.


    "I knew Aelith would eventually try to find me and your uncle." The wind carried her words to me as I waited to hear more. "She is a hateful one. No matter what, she never forgets a grudge. In no future would she not come after me for vengeance."


    I stepped closer. The wind pulled Mother''s long braid. She ignored it and continued speaking. "I knew on my own, I would stand no chance. I also knew the demons would eventually fall ¨C eventually, they would slip up and one of their powerhouses would die." She paused and pushed a few loose strands of hair away from her eyes.


    "The Keeper was the one to fall." I suggested.


    She nodded. "He was, and with him, the entire world began to crumble. I heard all of that from Fetheion. I never returned to that world, never stepped foot into the gateway between worlds again."


    "And where do I come in?"


    Mother sighed. "Nowhere." A bitter smile formed on her lips. "I loved your father, and he loved me. He accepted the part of me I showed him, and never asked for more." Her expression darkened. "Fetheion was against it ¨C he feared I would get attached." She chuckled. "I did. Then I adopted your sister."


    The wind howled, shaking the trees behind us. Mother paused for a moment before continuing. "You weren''t an experiment. You were our son." She turned to look at me, her bright blue eyes seemed wet, just a little bit.


    "But then, you became an experiment." Her words hit me like a truck. "I needed to hide your Ereth features. Your pale, scaly skin. Your horns, your claws, your unnatural eyes. Your wings and tail, and most importantly, your inhuman strength."


    I gulped. "I had all those?"


    She nodded. "For a few short hours of your life, yes. Then, your uncle and I made sure you didn''t have them anymore."


    I flinched. "What does that mean?"


    "You don''t want to know. It was not pretty." She averted her gaze. "But to think that our actions all those years ago resulted in¡­ this," She made a vague gesture towards my wings ¨C towards me. "I can''t even call you a half blood because you have features of three races." Her voice was filled with anger and regret.


    "I see." I sighed, there was nothing I could say.


    "Kai, what was the price you paid?" She asked, reaching towards me. I stepped back and shook my head. "You don''t need to worry about any of that." I spoke with a firm voice. "In just a couple of days, we will set off for battle. I don''t want anyone to be distracted, and that includes you."


    Mother gritted her teeth. "Aelith is stronger than you think ¨C this group here, we can''t defeat her."


    "We alone can''t." A wicked smile appeared on my lips. "But that''s not out job, Mother. We''re simply here to destroy the Divine Pillar. It''s the Demon Lord who has to take on the Divine Matriarch."


    "You can''t trust that man." She warned me, stepping closer. "He''s not the Demon Lord for nothing ¨C he would leave you to die without a second thought!" She reached and grabbed my shoulder. "You can''t trust any of the demons!" She stopped, seeing my expression. "Why are you smiling?"


    I chuckled. "I don''t trust them, not one bit. But I do know that they need me ¨C the Keeper of Souls needs me. I don''t know what for, perhaps because some of his powers and a great number of souls remained with me." My smile turned into a grin. "They won''t let me die, and if she threatens me, they will kill her."


    Mother''s eyes widened. "You intend to use yourself as bait?"


    I laughed. "No, just as a little incentive." My expression hardened. "I won''t let anyone destroy our world."

 Chapter 326: Final Preparations (1)

    "How the hell does she even do that?" Theresa exclaimed as my sister swung her blade. Lucius blocked her incoming attack, then stepped back. He had no hope of reaching her speed.


    "No way," He breathed out, panting. "I can''t beat you." He dropped his sword, signalling the duel was over.


    "Ha!" Aoife giggled. "Don''t be ridiculous, you''re so much better than you were just last year!" She stretched her arms, then glanced at Alex. "Do you want to give it a try?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with joy.


    The tall woman seemed hesitant, she glanced at me, expecting an answer.


    "Could be fun?" I suggested with a smile. "Why not give it a try?"


    "Sure," She mumbled, then got up and walked to the middle of the training hall. "You wouldn''t happen to have a falchion or a sabre, would you?" She asked with a joking tone.


    "Actually, we do."


    "I didn''t know your sister was so good." Asher mumbled as Aoife found a sabre and gave it to Alex. I chuckled and nodded. "She is, why do you think I always compare my swordsmanship with her?"


    The sound of metal hitting metal echoed as Asher pondered for a while. "She''s incredible, I wouldn''t have thought there would be anyone who could beat your or Lucius." He hesitated. "Have you duelled her ever since we returned from the game?"


    I shook my head. "No, my body never got the chance to recover enough for it. Besides, I still wouldn''t stand a chance, she knows my style too well." I tilted my head as I noticed the grin forming on Asher''s face. "What?" I asked.


    "Why don''t you try fighting her with your scythe?"


    My eyes widened. "What? No! Have you lost your mind? That thing is way too deadly!" And it would probably be capable of cutting right through her normal, metal blade. "There''s no way I''m using that against her."


    "You''ll never get better at it if you don''t practice though."


    I shook my head. "With only a couple of days left before we set off to end all of this, it doesn''t matter how much I practice. What we really need to work on is to break whatever mental barrier is blocking all of your powers."


    Asher chuckled. "Well," He mumbled. "That''s true, but how do we do that?"


    "I lost!" Alex announced, distracting us. I glanced at my sister, to see her standing there with a cheerful smile.  "You''re so good with that sabre!" She exclaimed as she approached Alex. "Is that what you used when you were stuck in that¡­ other world?"


    Alex chuckled. "Well, I used a variety of weapons, but mostly a sabre with a buckler. They worked well with my natural abilities."


    "What does that mean?" Aoife asked, curiosity filling her voice.


    "Oh, I had a tail is all." She grinned.


    They chatted for a while longer before Aoife turned her attention back to the rest of the group. "So¡­" She mumbled. "Who else didn''t use magic?"


    "I didn''t!" Theresa replied with a giggle. "I was an archer!"


    Aoife hesitated. "Uh, I don''t think we can do any practice for that." She awkwardly smiled, then glanced at me.


    "What about you, Kai? We haven''t duelled in a while." She asked. I shook my head. "No need to make a joke out of myself." I grinned. "Let''s get to work guys," I added as I walked to the centre of the room. "Time for magic again."


    Aoife''s shoulders dropped at first, but when she heard the word ''magic'', her eyes sparkled with impatience. Everyone gathered around me once more, and I took a deep breath. "I won''t go easy on anyone, so be ready."


    My wings appeared on my back as flames began to dance on my skin. I brought my hands before my chest, then fed my flames with more power, more mana.


    Everyone watched the flame in my palms as it grew larger and brighter.


    "Oh." Asher suddenly whispered. "Kai, make it stronger."


    His words made my heart skip a beat. Had we succeeded? I didn''t ask for his reasoning and fed even more power into my flames. A faint breeze blew my hair back and ruffled my feathers as the black and purple flame grew ever so larger.


    "What''s this?" Someone else whispered. I could hardly hear them over the roar of the flame in my palms.


    Suddenly, my flame flickered. I furrowed my brows, as stopped empowering it. The flame remained the same, though the flickering continued. "Is it enough?" I asked, trying to keep my voice clear of worry. "Asher?"


    "I need more," He replied. His expression was one of pure focus. I hesitated. The flame was already difficult enough to control now ¨C what if it rampaged? "Kai, hurry!" He exclaimed with a hint of anger in his voice.


    I gulped, then did as he asked. The flame grew larger, large enough to envelop me in my entirety. I only felt a mild warmth from it. My palms itched as the heart of the flame remained still and strong. The wind grew stronger, and the training room grew hotter.


    Someone drew a sharp breath while others moved a bit away from me. I glanced at Aoife, who looked at me wide eyed. I showed her a smile that I hope was at least a bit reassuring.


    It had become more difficult to control the flames. They were hungry. They wanted to consume things, almost as if they had a mind of their own. I gritted my teeth; did they have a mind of their own? In a way, they did. They were the result of the combined power of all the souls within me, channelled through the soul of the phoenix.


    It was different now, than it was back then. This felt similar to the times before I lost the soul of the phoenix. Before I died at Uriithe and Alina''s hands. I had grown used to using my own flames, it was tough to adjust to the powers of the phoenix again.


    I slowly exhaled and watched Asher''s expression. My flames flickered once more.


    Then, a distant thunder sounded.

 Chapter 327: Final Preparations (2)

    My sight snapped to Asher, only to see an expression of disappointment on his face.


    "I did it!" Rina shouted at the same. She looked at me with large eyes, filled with pure bliss as she raised her hand to her face. Lightning crackled, and the sound of thunder echoed once more. "I did it! I can feel it!" She jumped up and down and clapped.


    With each clap, lightning flashed between her palms.


    "I''ll stop," I began to talk, but Rina was quick to shake her head. "No, keep your flames going!" She implored me. "Asher was so close; I could almost feel his power too."


    I glanced at the middle aged man. His disappointment was so clear on his face. "I''m sorry," He mumbled. "I don''t think I''ll succeed. But the others might, so please pay them more mind."


    I furrowed my brows but nodded. Why would he say that?


    "I''ll help out too," Rina suggested. "Kai, can you make your flames stronger?"


    I shook my head. "No, I won''t do that. It''s not worth the risk." I was already having enough trouble keeping my flames under control as is. "Rina, I don''t think brute forcing people''s powers out like this is the best way."


    The petite wizard shrugged. "I know of no other way, and it worked for me."


    I gritted my teeth, then nodded. "Fine, but for only a little while longer." I wasn''t about to risk losing control of my powers now.


    "It''s no use," Asher finally said after perhaps a quarter of an hour.


    I took a deep breath, then doused my flames.


    "Oh, come on!" Rina protested. "It might still work!"


    Laura sighed and shook her head. "I don''t think it will." She mumbled. "Your way of magic was different from that of ours, Rina. Maybe that''s why it''s not working."


    "That is not the reason." Vixia''s voice sounded. Startled, the group turned towards her voice. She walked out of the shadows at the back of the room. "Your minds are closed, you firmly believe in the reality you once thought to be true, without attempting to accept the new one." She raised her chin and walked forward. "You must accept what has become of your world, and only then will your magic return."


    I furrowed my brows. To be completely honest, her words made only little sense.


    "What do you mean?" Laura asked with a hesitant voice. "We are aware of what''s going on around us."


    "Yet you do not accept it. You wish to send the Lightbringers away, then to seal the gateway between worlds and return to your previous lives. Lives without magic, without the otherworldly." Vixia''s  sharp voice rang in our ears. "How do you expect to be able to reach out to the ethereal with such a frame of mind?"


    Silence followed her words. She was right about the hopes everyone had. They wanted a return to the previous normal. They wanted to be rid of Ereth and Demons.


    "So why did it work with me?" Rina asked.


    "I guess you''re just open to the events around you." I said, then glanced at the Demon, silently watching us. She nodded, showing that I was right."


    "Well, this will be harder than I thought." Asher sighed. "Let''s take a break, try to clear our heads a little." He walked out of the training hall, and soon everyone else followed him.


    "He won''t be able to regain his magic." Vixia softly spoke. "Many of them won''t. And even if they do, they wouldn''t stand a chance against Aelith."


    I sighed. "I know they won''t be as strong as I. You''re right, the world has changed. It will never return to the way it used to be. I don''t want them to regain their powers for the upcoming battle''s sake. I want them to regain them so they can adapt. So, they don''t get left behind."


    Vixia only showed me a bitter smile before she disappeared through a rift.


    "You could have said goodbye." I mumbled. I headed out of the training hall, then to the second floor where most of the guest rooms were. I stopped before a closed door and raised my hand. I hesitated for a moment before knocking.


    "It''s open." Mother''s voice sounded. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.


    The room was fairly barebones. There was a bed, a nightstand, a chair, and a wardrobe. "How is he?" I asked as I approached the bed. Looking at the person laying there, unconscious, I clenched my fists.


    "Unhealthy." Mother sighed. "He won''t wake up any time soon."


    Erik''s pale face twitched. I glanced at Mother, expecting an explanation. "He''s dreaming. They''re good dreams ¨C I made sure of it."


    I watched the young man for a few more seconds before nodding in approval. "Thanks. Let me know if there is any change."


    "Kai," Mother caught my arm before I could leave. "Fetheion tried to free him. To get Aelith''s influence out of his mind. He couldn''t. The Witch must die before Erik can recover. If she escapes as she did before¡­"


    "The spell will remain unbroken, and Erik will be as good as dead." I nodded. "I know. I''ll make sure she dies."


    "No, we will." Mother''s eyes met mine. "You''re not flying out there on your own with the demons. I''m coming with, and so is your uncle."


    I clicked my tongue.


    "Don''t hate him, Kai." She said with a bitter expression. "I told him to keep all of this a secret from you."


    I shook my head. "It doesn''t matter. Never mind." I hurried out of the room and closed the door behind me. My anger towards Mother and uncle Eion ¨C Fetheion ¨C still burned within me. I found it difficult to forgive them. Impossible even.


    I turned towards another closed door, took a deep breath to collect myself, the knocked.


    "Coming!" Fetheion''s voice sounded. I heard the lock turn and unlock, then the door swung open, and I came face to face with Fetheion. "I don''t hate you."

 Chapter 328: Final Preparations (3)

    "Uh¡­" He searched for words as I glared at him.


    "Don''t get me wrong," I added. "I''m still seriously pissed off." I put my finger against his chest and pushed him inside the room, then closed the door behind us. "I wish you did a lot of things differently, and I sure as hell want to burn you to a crisp."


    Fetheion''s eyes widened. "Right¡­" He mumbled.


    "But I won''t." I breathed out. "Mother just told me that both of you will join the battle. I''d rather if you didn''t."


    He flinched.


    "But you will, and that''s perfectly understandable. So," I took a deep breath. "Don''t you dare die out there, cause we''re not done here."


    "I don''t intend to, don''t worry." He smiled. "I appreciate you coming here to tell me all this." He hesitated. "I was avoiding you¡­ I didn''t want to anger you even more."


    "I''m aware." I sighed. "Right, that''s it. We''ll have a talk after this whole ordeal is over and done with." I turned my back on him and reached for the door.


    "The same applies to you too, you know." His words stopped me. "You don''t get to die out there either. You will survive, and you will come back here."


    I rested my hand on the door handle. "¡­Yeah, I know." I forced the words out, then left in a hurry. Did he know?


    We then tried to reawaken the powers of the others once more but gave up towards midnight and headed to sleep. They still had trouble accepting this new reality, and there wasn''t much I could do to help them with it.


    As I lay awake in bed, all I could think about was what would happen the next day. My fears and worries, as well as hopes and dreams filled my mind as I eventually fell asleep some time later.


    I woke up at dawn as usual, and after some light breakfast, headed outside. The difficulties I felt when trying to control my flames yesterday worried me, and I wanted to put some training in before we once again tried to awaken the powers of the others.


    I walked up to the top of the cliff, where I had the talk with Mother earlier. I was far enough away from the treeline and the wind blew from my back, from the land towards the sea.


    I climbed up on the rock by the edge of the cliff and sat on it cross legged. I listened to the howling wind for a while. I heard the rustling of leaves, and the waves crashing against the sharp, deadly rocks below.


    Then, I summoned my flames once more, channelling the power of the phoenix. It started as a ball of black and purple flames in my palm. Then, I allowed it to grow. With each breath, the flames enveloped me more, until nothing but flames could be seen when looked at from the outside.


    I closed my eyes. The coldness in my chest grew ever so slightly as the souls within me stirred.


    "Calm now," I whispered. The phoenix''s soul was slowly awakening, I could feel it. I allowed it to do as it wished instead of suppressing it. I couldn''t afford to do so, I needed to be at my full strength for the upcoming battle. I couldn''t fight two battles at once, one on the outside, one in the inside.


    My flames roared and grew even taller, almost as if they reached for the sky.


    Then, that flickering returned. It was almost like a hiccup. Or a stumble on an open, clear path. There was no reason for it to happen, yet it did. It happened again as I still pondered about it. I felt my control on my own power wane ever so slightly.


    "Kai?" A voice startled me. I was so absorbed in my own world that I hadn''t even noticed Aoife approaching me. "What''s wrong?" She asked, stepping closer.


    "Nothing!" I exhaled. "Don''t come any closer than that!" I warned her as my flames roared once again.


    "Uh, ok." She took a few steps back, allowing me a momentary relief. "What''s going on?" She asked.


    I shook my head, then noticed how she probably couldn''t really see me properly. "I''m just trying something." I said as I prepared to douse my flames.


    "Aren''t they hot?" Aoife asked. "How do you not burn yourself?"


    I chuckled. "It wouldn''t be worth much if I hurt myself now, would it?" I hesitated as I finished speaking. Usually, I would have to constantly feed my flames to keep them as strong and bright as they were now. But now, despite having stopped doing that, they showed no sign of fading away.


    "That''s a good point." Aoife mumbled. I could hear the hesitation in her voice. She had noticed something was off as well. "Kai¡­ Are you sure you''re ok?"


    "¡­No." I said, deciding not to lie. "I''ll be fine, but something''s off." I hesitated. "Do you mind going back to the treeline at least?"


    Aoife nodded, then hurried over to the shadows of the trees. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was easier to focus  on the issue now that I didn''t need to worry so much about my sister.


    "Come on¡­" I mumbled, then focused my attention on the soul of the phoenix. "Don''t make things harder for me now."


    Almost as if it were responding to me, I felt that cold wash over me. Memories flashed in my mind. Glimpses of the past, of Vixia. I felt a lump form in my chest as the memories flooded my thoughts. It felt like I watched hours, perhaps even days worth of the phoenix'' life, yet I had only been sitting here for a couple of seconds at most.


    Then, it was gone, just like that. My flames vanished, leaving me feeling empty and alone.


    "Is it ok now?" Aoife called out. I flinched; I had forgotten about her.


    "Yeah, I''m good." I gulped to get rid of the lump, then jumped down on the grass. "Let''s go home."

 Chapter 329: Final Preparations (4)

    It was early morning still as we finished our breakfast and headed to the courtyard. There would be no practice today, and nor would we try to awaken the magic within the others.


    "Are you ready?" Mother asked as we waited by the outer gates. I nervously chuckled. "No." How could I be?


    Some time passed as we all waited. The wind tugged at our clothes and blew our hair back as the sun slowly climbed to its zenith.


    Then, I felt it. It was difficult to put into words. But it made my heart skip a beat. Then, a rift formed in the air before us. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I glanced to my side, I saw Vixia standing right behind me, with an expressionless face.


    Time seemed to slow for a moment, the light breeze disappeared and then, finally, the first demon stepped out of the rift. Another one followed, and then another. They were in the tens at first, but their numbers quickly climbed to the hundreds.


    I took a deep breath as my gaze met with a few of them. They wore darkmetal armour and carried their weapons with care. They were no ordinary soldiers; these were the elites of the Demon Lord''s army.


    "It begins." Vixia spoke with a soft voice. "There is no turning back now."


    I nodded. The soldiers passed by us and headed inside, where Delthur met them.


    It took a couple of minutes before that feeling returned. I gulped, raised my chin, and tightened my grasp around the metal shaft of my scythe.


    "Welcome, your Majesty." Mother spoke in a broken demonic. I grimaced as the Demon Lord stepped through the rift. His gaze focused on Mother, a faint smile appeared on his lips for but a moment.


    He said nothing and turned his gaze on Vixia and me. I shuddered; I would never get used to his presence.


    "At dusk," He spoke, raising his voice. "We go to war."


    "Are you going too?" I heard Aoife ask Rina. The petite wizard shook her head just as I stepped inside the room. "No, I''m staying back to protect you guys."


    All eyes turned on me as soon as she finished her words. "What happened?" Aoife asked. "What was decided?"


    I shrugged. "The plan is on." I had just returned from a meeting with Inspector John, the Lord, Vixia, Fetheion and Mother. "We set off shortly before dusk and arrive in London right around the time the sun sets. If nothing goes horribly wrong, the Pillar will be destroyed by dawn, and the Ereth will be no more."


    Asher sighed. "I wish I could join you. Damn it, I should be able to join you."


    I shook my head. "No, it''s ok." He still hadn''t succeeded in breaking that mental barrier Vixia had spoken of. He had no powers, and as such, could have no real effect on the battle. "You guys will be safe here, so I can go all out without worrying about harming any of you."


    Laura stepped forward and lightly hugged me. "I''m sorry, that all of this fell on your shoulders." She whispered. "I should have ¨C no, we should have been able to fight by your side as we did so in Baile Chailce. This is unfair, to all of us. But to you, most of all."


    "This won''t work!" Fetheion shouted. I gulped as I passed by Mother''s room. I could hear them fighting. "You can''t expect to be able to do all that from the get-go! You just got your power back!"


    "It''s not a question of whether I can or can''t. This is war, brother. I can''t allow myself to be held back by such things." Mother sighed. "No need to worry about me, brother. You should watch out for yourself. She hates you the most."


    I walked past her room as fast and as quietly as I could. I swallowed my anger towards the both of them ¨C I would have preferred if they also stayed back.


    "Kai!" Someone shouted my name. "Hey, don''t ignore me."


    Startled, I glanced towards the source of the voice. It was Inspector John. He seemed as if he''d just ran down the stairs. "Are you deaf?" He asked, panting.


    "Sorry, I was lost in thought." I waited for him to catch up to me. "What''s up?"


    We slowly walked towards the dining room at the ground floor as he spoke. "I want to come with you. To the field of battle."


    I almost choked on my own breath. "What?" I said wide eyed. "Why on earth would you want that? It''s dangerous!" I exclaimed.


    "I need to see." He said. "If the world has changed forever, I need to be there to see it. I need to be able to provide the United Nations a proper report."


    I couldn''t believe he was still thinking about that. "Is that really worth risking your life? A single stray spell, a single arrow, and you could die." I was in no position to forbid him from coming along, but I really didn''t want to see him lose his life because of something as silly and unimportant as this.


    He nodded. "Once this whole war is over, we''ve still got a world to fix. If things are not done properly, fear and chaos will rule for a long time." He stared me in the eye. "Soon, people will start learning magic too, and then, can you imagine the chaos? I can''t let something like that happen."


    As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. "I see."


    Hours passed slowly throughout the day. It felt like time had come to a crawl. I visited Erik and promised him to kill Aelith. I spent time with my sister, though that proved to be quite difficult.


    And then, after agonisingly slow hours, the sun began to set.


    Our goodbyes were swift and simple. A quick hug there, a tearful ''see you later'' here¡­ Aoife cried a little, and I had to hide my wet eyes with my hair.


    "We will return at dawn." The Demon Lord''s voice echoed in the courtyard. I expected him to speak more, but he didn''t. He spread his wings and leapt up into the air.


    And just like that, we set off.

 Chapter 330: Battle for the Earth (1)

    It was almost as if Aelith anticipated our arrival. The field of battle had been prepared, all obstacles and distraction removed.


    The once flourishing, beautiful garden of the Gallagher Mansion was no more. It had been reduced to a field of dry, dead grass, with the Pillar at its farthest end. By the towering golden structure stood several cloaked figures. And before it, hundreds of soldiers, if not more.


    "They knew." Inspector John whispered as our feet touched the ground. I nodded as I looked upon the Ereth forces waiting for us.


    "You are not welcome here!" Aelith''s voice sounded. It echoed in the air, repeating itself over and over again, slowly fading with each echo. "Return to your world, darkspawn!"


    "Only once you leave this world!" The Lord''s bellowing voice rose. "Return to where you came from, Lightbringers! You have no place in this world, nor in ours."


    "They seem strong." Inspector John spoke in a low voice as the Demon Lord stepped forward. I nodded. "They are ¨C we stand no chance unless we destroy that pillar." I nodded towards the Divine Pillar. "Stay in the back, with Delthur. I can''t protect you."


    The inspector gulped, then nodded and approached Delthur. The demon glanced at me, then nodded, indicating he would keep the middle-aged man safe.


    "This world is now mine!" Aelith shouted. Only now did I finally see her. She was floating high up in the air, right in front of the Divine Pillar. Shrouded by its golden light, she opened her arms wide. "I will not be defeated once more, not by your filthy hands, nor by the hands of an exile and a traitor!" Her gaze focused on Mother and Fetheion. "You will die today, all of you!"


    Fetheion gritted his teeth as his odd weapon appeared in his hands. Mother, on the other hand, didn''t seem to care about the Divine Matriarch''s words at all. Her carefree and relaxed expression didn''t change at all.


    "Do you hear me, sister?" Aelith shouted. My eyes shot open. "Wait¡­ sister?" I mumbled as I glanced at Mother and Fetheion. Mother grinned and winked at me, she was almost having fun. "Why do I even question?" I mumbled as I shook my head. Then, I raised my hand and stepped forward.


    A scythe, black as the night with a crystalline blade, formed from seemingly nothingness in my hands. I said nothing as I continued walking forward. I walked past Vixia and Fetheion, then the Demon Lord.


    Once I arrived at the centre of the battlefield, I looked up at Aelith. Without even a moment of hesitation, I struck the lower end of the shaft of my scythe into the ground. "Now!" I hissed as I poured my mana into the cool black metal of my weapon.


    A mist ¨C dark as night and cold as death spread from the ground where I struck my scythe. And at the same time, the demon forces behind me leapt high up into the air, stretching their wings wide.


    Vixia remained on the ground, along with the Demon Lord and my family members.


    "Ready?" I heard Mother ask uncle Eion. He shook his head. "No, wait for a chance first." He stepped forward and stood by my side just as the Ereth also leapt up to meet the Demons.


    "And it begins." The Demon Lord spoke as the battle in the skies began.


    We ignored the soldiers. Whether they won or lost was of little concern to the two commanders ¨C the two incredibly powerful being who lead each army.


    Aelith slowly descended to the ground and stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Divine Pillar. The Demon Lord brushed past me and stood right across of her.


    Then, the ground shook. The cloaked figures still standing by the Divine Pillar stepped forward. They each raised their hands, and spears made of light formed in the air. They remained hanging in the air for a split second, then with a swift motion, the figures threw the spears at us.


    Not a single one of them was aimed at the Demon Lord. The spears rained down upon Fetheion and Mother. Fetheion''s power formed a shield in the air, protecting them from the deadly rain. Vixia disappeared through a rift and reappeared high up in the air.


    Delthur had already pulled Inspector John out of harms way, they waited in the back, somewhere safe.


    I didn''t bother wasting my mana to protect myself ¨C instead, I grabbed my scythe and dashed ahead. We would never win a fight of attrition, we needed to clash with the Ereth head on.


    I ran forward as spears of light and thunder struck the ground around me. The smell of charred earth reached my nostrils as I powered through, swallowing whatever hesitation and fear I had.


    "Stop him!" Aelith''s voice sounded. Somehow, despite not being particularly loud, it drowned out all other sounds for a short moment. "Do not let him near the Pillar." I feared she would attack me, but she didn''t. Her gaze was focused on the Demon Lord, her expression filled with anger and disgust.


    I grimaced ¨C I was the smaller threat. Someone her lackeys could take on and defeat. Or so she thought. My lips curled upwards with a wicked smile as I dashed through the raining spears of golden light and thunder.


    Aelith stood right before the Divine Pillar, and a bright golden light enveloped her. The Demon Lord was enveloped in darkness no less powerful than her light. For a split second, time seemed to freeze. Then, the two massive powers clashed. Invisible to the eye, they began their own fight.


    And at that moment, I reached the cloaked figures. The Inquisitors who were deemed worthy of protecting the Pillar.


    They chanted their spells, created their shields, and rained death upon us all.


    Yet, when I finally reached them, I could smell their fear behind those masks of theirs. With a wicked smile still lingering on my lips, I swung my scythe, leaving behind a trail of black and purple flames.


    The sound of metal hitting crystal echoed as a tall Ereth appeared before me. He raised his chin with pride, and with a swing of his metal spear, deflected my attack.


    "We will not let you!"

 Chapter 331: Battle for the Earth (2)

    My arms hurt with the power behind this guy''s hit. I leapt back, putting some distance between us. Who the hell was this guy?


    A rise in mana alerted me of the Inquisitors. They had almost completed their spells again. My smile shattered, I dashed to the side as their spears once again rained all around me. My new opponent ran along with me, not allowing me to get any closer to the dangerous spellcasters behind him.


    I gritted my teeth ¨C I needed to take him out first.


    As soon as the last spear landed somewhere behind me, I dashed forward. I used Death''s Scythe and Fallen Grace, then swung my scythe aiming for his throat.


    He ducked under my blade with ease, then swung his spear towards my legs. I threw myself back just in time to avoid getting my knees crushed, then rolled backwards. I needed more than just a weapon to defeat this guy ¨C he was fast and skilled with his weapon.


    I dashed forward once more as I released my magic. Flames danced on my skin, then spread to the grass all around us. Their roar muffled the sounds of battle above us. My opponent stepped back as the flames tugged at his clothes.


    "Your tricks won''t save you, sinner!" His shout echoed, but I didn''t pay his words much mind. I sidestepped his next attack as he thrust his spear forward. Without a second of hesitation, I grabbed the shaft of his spear with my right hand and swung my scythe with my left.


    His eyes widened as he tried to free his spear from my grasp. My eyes sparked with flames of victory, but that spark died with the appearance of a golden barrier around my opponent. My scythe hit the golden barrier, but my swing didn''t carry enough strength behind it to crack it, let alone destroy it.


    I let go of his spear just in time as it began to crackle with lightning. I put some more distance between us. "Some help would be nice!" I called out to the others.


    The Demon Lord ignored me, but then again, I wasn''t expecting any help from him. It was Fetheion who responded to my cry of help. The earth rumbled and strands of black mist seeped out of the earth.


    My opponent ignored them ¨C his attention was solely focused on me. He dashed towards me, swinging his spear without hesitation. I raised my scythe in an attempt to block his strike. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed, and I winced with pain as the golden lightning passed onto my scythe.


    I drew a sharp breath as I leapt back once more. My fingers and palms felt a bit numb.


    "Fetheion!" I shouted again. "Don''t just stand and watch!" Now wasn''t the time to test my mettle.


    The strands of black mist continued seeping out of the earth. I shot my uncle a death glare as my opponent once again followed me. Adamant about killing me, he completely ignored the dark mist gathering around our feet. I forced my expression to remain still as I blocked another strike. Lightning crackled, and my flames roared in response.


    As my fingers went numb once more, the smell of burnt hair reached my nostrils. He grunted as he cut his own braid with a swift motion. "Cheap tricks like those will not save you!"


    His over the top voice and battle cries would have been quite entertaining if he weren''t so powerful and if this battle weren''t the one to decide the fate of our world. Because of the severity of the situation, all it did was get on my nerves even more.


    He thrust his spear forward again. I sidestepped it, then responded with a swing of my own. As soon as out weapons clashed, I retreated a couple of steps. He followed me without hesitation. I glanced at the dark, shadowy mist gathering around our feet. It seemed to be powerful enough now.


    I pointed at my opponent, and flames leapt from my fingers to him. As he raised his arm to cover his face from my flames, I stuck the lower end of the shaft of my scythe to the ground. Using it as an anchor point, I leapt up and kicked him in the chest.


    He staggered backwards, nearly losing his balance. The black mist rose, tendrils of darkness reached for him as he just barely recovered his balance. His eyes flashed golden with hatred, but I didn''t let that stop me. I dashed forward, swinging my scythe. The golden barrier appeared once more ¨C were they only keeping it active against my lethal attacks? It wasn''t there when I kicked him.


    Not having the time to ponder about it all, I poured my power into the scythe. The crystalline blade began to emit a pale silvery light as I brought it down upon the golden barrier.


    The satisfying crack was followed by the sound of a shattering barrier and a shocked scream from the inquisitors this guy was protecting. A wicked smile formed on my lips. I swung my scythe in such a way that the blade passed by his raised weapon just shy of hitting it. Instead, I whirled it around and hit my opponent''s knee with the lower end of the scythe''s shaft. Immediately after, I followed with a kick and a wave of fire.


    Losing his balance under the pressure I exerted, he finally fell on one knee.


    The black mist rose, its tendrils reached up and wrapped themselves around his body. He gasped for air as the darkness swallowed him whole. His hand reached out form the darkness, almost as if he were begging for help, yet the inquisitors did nothing. It took a moment for his hand to disappear in the darkness, lifeless and lump.


    I shuddered, I almost felt bad for him. I would have preferred to grant him a swift death instead.


    I took a deep breath, pushed his out of my mind and focused my gaze on the inquisitors.


    "Let''s try this again." I whispered as I dashed ahead.

 Chapter 332: Battle for the Earth (3)

    Screams sounded, and quakes shook the earth as the battle in the sky continued. Soon, bodies of the fallen began dropping down, wetting the earth with blood.


    Amongst the chaos, I reached the inquisitors. I didn''t hesitate as I raised the blade of my scythe and brought it down upon them. Layers upon layers of golden barriers formed between us. My scythe cut through the first layer, shattering it.


    Behind me, I heard the beat of large, leathery wings fast approaching. Tightly grasping the shaft of my scythe, I turned around, only to see a massive claymore descending upon me.


    "No!" Someone shouted in demonic. A whip of purple flames wrapped itself around the deadly blade of the claymore, yanking it away from the hands of the Ereth wielding it. "I will be your opponent!" Vixia shouted, her voice drowning out all other sounds. She walked forward, her whip in hand and her expression filled with disgust.


    The Ereth chased after his claymore that had fallen to the ground not too far.


    "Keep going, Kai." Vixia called out to me. She cracked her whip, and that sound echoed throughout the battlefield. Deciding she probably didn''t need any help to deal with one guy with a claymore, I nodded and turned my attention on the inquisitors once more.


    They had recreated the broken and cracked barriers already, and I could feel the bright golden magic gathering around us. Before I could even guess what spell they began to cast, they all raised their hands in the air simultaneously.


    I froze for a split second as I saw the few dozen spears of light that formed in the sky. As they brought down their hands, the spears of crackling light rushed down upon us.


    My flames rose, roaring as they formed a barrier to protect me from the deadly light. Darkness covered Mother and Fetheion, and Vixia quickly stepped though a rift to safety. I firmly planted my feet on the ground, striking the earth with my scythe and pouring whatever strength I had into my flames.


    "Kai!" Someone shouted. I couldn''t tell who it was, as the crackling sounds of golden thunder and the raining spears of light proved to be too loud. I somehow stood my ground as the lightning strikes hammered away at my barrier of flames. I took a deep breath and gathered what strength I had, then stepper forward, closer to the inquisitors.


    I felt my barrier slowly weaken as the spears of light and thunder didn''t give me any room to reinforce it. I gritted my teeth ¨C what was everyone else doing? Why wasn''t I getting any more help?


    I flinched as something touched my feet. I glanced down to the ground just in time to see darkness rise up to completely envelop me. I felt dizzy for a split second, then the constant pounding of the inquisitor''s attacks came to a stop. The darkness disappeared as quickly as it appeared, revealing the worried expression of Mother.


    "What?" I mumbled, looking around. "Wait, why did you bring me here? I was right next to them!" I frantically shouted as I gestured towards the group of inquisitors.


    "You are not immortal!" Mother shouted back. "And I''m not letting you die here."


    "There was no way you were breaking their barriers anyways." Fetheion added. "You just need to buy some time for your mother, ok? She''ll take care of them."


    I hesitated as I shot a surprised glance at Mother. "What do you mean?"


    "I''m not a Divine for nothing." Was all she cared to say as she walked a few steps back and raised her hand. As I watched with confusion, a staff appeared in her hands. It almost didn''t look manmade save for the single silver crystal at it''s top. It reminded me of tree branches that wrapped around themselves and intertwined, creating this oddly eerie looking staff.


    Without even a second of hesitation, she thrust it into the ground. "I will clear them, but you must protect me."


    As she finished her words, her staff began to emit a soft, silver glow.


    As soon as she did so, I felt mana begin to gather at two ends of the battlefield. On one side, Mother had begun casting her spell. On the other, I could feel something slowly forming beneath the ground, just below the inquisitors'' feet.


    "We can''t let them notice it." I said as I tightly grasped the shaft of my scythe. Fetheion nodded. "Vixia, cover for my sister!" He shouted before gesturing me to go ahead.


    I took a deep breath, then dashed ahead with Fetheion right besides me. Our steps swiftly carried us across the battlefield. We sidestepped what spells they threw at us, and I bombarded them with dark bolts to keep them distracted.


    "That''s close enough!" A familiar, over the top voice announced as the same claymore wielding Ereth as before blocked our path. Fetheion drew a sharp breath, and his weapon shifted into a claymore itself. "I''ll handle him! You go ahead."


    I shook my head. "No, let''s get rid of him together." My wings sprouted from my back as I spoke. I leapt into the air as I extended my hand towards the claymore wielding Ereth. Flames erupted from my hand like a flamethrower, forcing the Ereth to step back.


    A golden hue covered him as the inquisitors fed him with more strength.


    Fetheion didn''t hesitate as he ran through my flames. He swung his blade, and the sound of metal hitting metal sounded. The Ereth grinned as he stretched his wings wide. The leathery wings emitted a golden glow, and Fetheion''s dark power rose to respond. Darkness and golden light clashed as their blades remained locked.


    Knowing this was my best chance, I flew down and swung my scythe, aiming for the Ereth''s head. A golden barrier blocked my attack, but I shattered it with ease. At that moment, Fetheion''s blade melted, changing into a scythe. The Ereth''s eyes widened as the blade of the oversized scythe quickly approached his throat. He kicked my uncle in the stomach and leapt back with a beat of his wings.


    I was quick to follow him as Fetheion stumbled back. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I noticed the descending claymore. I raised my scythe and blocked the thick, heavy blade with my its shaft. My muscles ached with his abnormal strength.


    My flames dimmed as I used my mana to strengthen my own body. The pain in my muscles faded and I began to straighten my legs.


    An odd grin appeared on the Ereth''s face. Pushed his blade down with all of his strength as he stretched his wings wide. Then, he brought them down upon me. It was then that I noticed the razor-sharp claws at the top of his wings.


    My feathery, fragile wings couldn''t protect me from them!

 Chapter 333: Battle for the Earth (4)

    I felt a sting on my shoulders as the sharp claws clenched around me. A mild glow caught my attention, but I couldn''t afford to look there now. I gritted my teeth and forced my screaming muscles to slowly push the claymore away.


    I felt something pull my clothes as the Ereth''s expression twisted into something different. It took me a split second to realise it was fear, as he suddenly let go of my shoulders and pushed me away with all of his might. As I stumbled and fell on my back, a long, pale metallic spear wreathed in darkness passed over my head and pierced the Ereth''s left wing.


    He shouted, screeched even, with pain and hatred. A golden light fell on him, healing his wound about as quickly as it appeared, and the spear flew back. I glanced behind me, only to see Fetheion catch the spear. As soon as it returned to his hand, it seemed to liquify. It changed forms into a bow, and Fetheion hooked an arrow without hesitation.


    "Stop staring and get up!" He shouted, pulling me back to the present. I scrambled to get up again and did so just in time as spears of golden light began raining down once more. Fetheion''s dark power covered the sky above us, protecting us both. I shot a worried glance at Mother, but then breathed a sigh of relief. Vixia was protecting her from the spears. Seeing my glance, she nodded with a reassuring smile.


    I made a mental note to thank her for the enchanted armour later. If not for my clothes, those claws would have made short work of me.


    "How long will it take?" I asked at Fetheion as he released the arrow and hooked another one. He shrugged. "No clue." He mumbled with a dismissive tone. "Don''t focus on any of that ¨C just focus on this guy." He raised his chin and darkness gathered around his next arrow. "He started to get on my nerves."


    I turned my gaze on the claymore wielding Ereth. The guy wasn''t just a good fighter, he was clearly modified with magic. Larger, taller, and stronger than any Ereth I had seen before, he used the wide surface of his claymore to deflect Fetheion''s arrows.


    "Right¡­" I mumbled as I struck the ground my with scythe. I lowered myself to the ground, standing on one knee, and placed both of my palms on the blood soaked earth. "Let''s see what I can do about that." I mumbled.


    The ground lightly trembled beneath my palms. I closed my eyes and let my dark flames seep into the ground. They made their way through the moist earth and the roots of the now burnt and destroyed grass, all the way to right beneath the claymore wielding Ereth''s feet.


    "On my mark." I said with a low voice. Fetheion nodded and hooked another arrow. The Ereth showed us a disgusting grin as he slowly walked forward. The golden barrier around him reflected the light of the spears of light as they rained on the battlefield.


    "Now."


    I felt a bit dizzy as my mana suddenly drained. The ground trembled, and the earth beneath the Ereth''s feet exploded with black flames, sending his senses into disarray. He fumbled as he tried to douse my flames. Without even a split second of hesitation, I grasped the shaft of my scythe and dashed forward.


    As I ran, several arrows wreathed in darkness flew by me in quick succession. They all found their targets without exception, hitting the Ereth in the shoulders and knees. He grunted and stumbled back, and without delay, that golden light of healing came over him.


    "Finish him!" I shouted at Fetheion as I brushed past the wounded Ereth. I kicked his claymore away though, just to make sure he couldn''t backstab me all of a sudden, then ran ahead, towards the inquisitors.


    I heard a weak grunt not a moment layer, and then the sound of something soft falling to the ground. I could feel the Ereth''s soul being sucked into the light.


    "Kai, can you stop that soul?" Fetheion shouted. I hesitated ¨C could I? I wasn''t sure. "Please!" He shouted once more. I tightened my grasp around the shaft of scythe. "Damn it." I mumbled before stretching my wings wide and leaping into the air. Essentially sparing the Inquisitors'' lives for now, I reached to the soul with my mind.


    Pain jolted throughout my body as the soul resisted my call. "Come on!" I hissed through my gritted teeth as we approached the pillar. I reached out even more with my mind, using my mental strength to stop the golden soul in its tracks.


    As soon as my mind touched the Ereth''s soul, vision flashed in my eyes. It was too fast, I couldn''t make out the memories, the events that transpired. I forced it to approach me, all the while as I felt magic slowly gather around me.


    "Come on!" I hissed. The soul''s resistance began to dwindle, and it slowly approached me. I breathed a sigh of relief, then shivered as the coldness in my chest grew. My body felt numb for a moment as I relived his last moments. The pain was¡­ unpleasant, but I had grown used to it by now.


    Knowing the vulnerable position I was in, I beat my wings in a hurry to fly away from the Divine Pillar. I had come too close to it during my chase of the Ereth''s soul.


    I felt a gaze, cold as a winter''s night, on me. When I glanced down, my own gaze met that of Aelith. Her lips curled upwards ever so slightly, and that hint of a smile was more than enough to send shivers down my spine.


    Flames covered my body as I rushed towards Fetheion. The Exiled Divine was now facing off against a seemingly unending barrage of spells. They rained down upon his barrier of darkness, lighting up the battlefield with each hit. I landed on the ground behind him.


    "I can''t hold this much longer." He shouted as soon as he saw me. "You have to disrupt them somehow!"


    A spear made of golden light struck the ground between us just as he finished his words. My eyes widened as his barrier shattered, leaving us both exposed.


    "No!" A woman shouted.

 Chapter 334: Battle for the Earth (5)

    A whip snapped right by my side, the sound as it hit the ground almost deafened me. The ground trembled, and Vixia''s power poured from the spot hit by the whip like a fountain, forming a large umbrella above us.


    "It won''t last long!" Vixia''s voice sounded. I shot her a quick glance, only to see her clash with a few Ereth soldiers. Despite being outnumbered three to one, she was masterfully navigating the battle, keeping them quite far from both her and Mother.


    "Go!" Fetheion shouted, pointing at the inquisitors. "I''m right behind you!"


    I didn''t hesitate. I stretched my wings wide, and as soon as I found an opening through the barrage of spells, I leapt into the air.


    Above me, the fighting continued without any signs of slowing down, and below me, I could see Fetheion hook an arrow and shoot. My large, feathery wings carried me to the inquisitors, though as soon as they noticed me, I became the target of their spells.


    I weaved my way through the spears of golden light. A few of them narrowly missed me, while some of them went wide. After a very short minute of struggling to reach the inquisitors, I landed right in front of them, and with a single swing of my scythe, destroyed the first layer of barriers they erected.


    A wicked grin formed on my lips as I released my magic. Flames burst out of the ground all around us. I swung my scythe again, shattering the second layer of barriers, along with what little composure the inquisitors had left.


    The ones closest to me took a few steps back in fear, while those in the back focused on cast spells. Knowing full well that I had no time to lose whatsoever, I swung my scythe again, empowered with Death''s Scythe and Fallen Grace. Leaving black flames in its wake, the crystalline blade struck the third and final layer of golden barriers protecting the Inquisitors.


    A satisfying crack sounded, then the large barrier shattered to a thousand pieces. Almost as if he knew the barrier would shatter, Fetheion''s arrow flew through the pieces before they even faded and buried itself into the chest of one of the inquisitors.


    Screams sounded as the inquisitor''s lifeless body fell on the ground. Another arrow flew past me, killing another one of the Ereth. I followed up on Fetheion''s barrage with a wide, fast swing of my scythe.


    They died, I didn''t count how many, but I knew this was far from being over. The inquisitors in the back had almost finished their spells, and I knew full well I couldn''t afford to be hit by any of these. I gritted my teeth, continuing to swing my scythe.


    Golden barrier formed and shattered before me as I relentlessly attacked the inquisitors.


    "Kai, retreat!" Fetheion shouted. I hesitated for s split second, my gaze fixed on the last remaining five or so masked Ereth. They were stronger than the other inquisitors, I could feel the golden power pulsing within them. I wanted to greed, I wanted to deash forward and cut them in pieces.


    I beat my wings and leapt in the air. I turned around and flew towards Fetheion. Too much was at stake to take such a huge gamble. I wasn''t going to let my own greed destroy this chance to defeat Aelith once and for all.


    Spears of light once again rained down from the sky, but to my surprise, they weren''t aiming for me, or for Fetheion. Instead, it was the ordinary demon soldiers fighting high up in the skies that began falling. Bodies impaled and charred plummeted to the ground below. Screams echoed as the demons quickly dwindled in numbers, and the Ereth forces quickly began overwhelming them.


    A golden light shone upon them, strengthening their bodies, protecting them from harm and healing their wounds. I paused mid air and glanced at Fetheion. His expression wasn''t much different from mine or Vixia''s. Horror and hatred, mixed with disgust and sadness.


    "We have to do something!" Vixia finally shouted. Her voice just barely reached my ears over the sounds of battle. I nodded, if the battle above was lost, we wouldn''t be just facing a few extra soldiers. We would be facing a few extra solders, enhanced by the light of the Divine Pillar, and empowered by the power of the inquisitors.


    "Uncle!" I shouted as I began ascending. "Protect Mom!" Without waiting for a reply, I beat my wings and flew up, towards the battle. Leaving a trail of black and purple flames behind me, I tightened my grasp on the cool metal shaft of my scythe.


    The Ereth were unaware of me. As soon as I was in range, I swung my scythe from below, sending a wave of fire to the sky. Black and purple flames roared as they ascended higher, consuming whatever they found on their path. I followed in their wake, breaking through the Ereth forces and scattering them.


    "Now, attack!" I shouted. The Demons seemed hesitant for a moment, but a clear, bewitching voice quickly rose to back me up. "Follow the Keeper''s Apostle!"


    Vixia''s words were enough to convince the Demons. They shouted something and followed me to battle. I heard the snap of a whip I faced the foremost Ereth soldier. As soon as his blade clashed with mine, a whip made of purple flames wrapped itself around his neck. Hearing that audible crack as his neck broke was enough to make me shudder.


    "I''ve got your back." Her low voice reached my ears. Her magic tickled my cheek before disappearing. I rolled my eyes, then with a powerful beat of my wings, lunged into battle once more.


    Each kill was a struggle, each death was a huge setback as the inquisitors below made this fight a living nightmare. Despite having killed most of them, the remaining five showed no sign of fear. They used the power of the Divine Pillar almost perfectly, hindering us at every step.


    And amidst all of this chaos, I could feel the tension in the air continue to rise. Whatever was going on with the fight between Aelith and the Demon Lord had begun affecting the broader battlefield.

 Chapter 335: Battle for the Earth (6)

    I could feel the two commanders'' magic slowly warping reality. An unnatural cold began to settle over the battlefield. Even the Ereth seemed to be affected by it as the Inquisitors called upon the Divine Pillar''s light to aid their troops.


    I wanted nothing more than to just fly down and kill the remaining inquisitors, but without me and Vixia leading the battle up in the sky, our troops would soon be forced to retreat. We had already suffered so many casualties. As such, I did what I could ¨C focused on the battle at hand.


    My wings stretched wide, I dove through the Ereth ranks. I could hear the sound of leathery wings beating as a large group broke off from their ranks to chase me. I ignored them, I was too fast for them to catch up.


    As I flew below the Ereth ranks, with a beat of my wings I rolled on my back and raised my hands up into the air. Flying upside down, I called upon my flames. They burst out of my open palms like a pair of flamethrowers.


    The Ereth screamed as my flames clung onto their lower bodies. Hungry for things to consume, my flames quickly roared and rose. Soon, bodies began to fall.


    While I was striking from below, Vixia was doing something quite similar from above. She had flown up quite some distance. I could periodically hear the snap of her whip, immediately followed by the pain filled screams of the unfortunate Ereth who got hit by her.


    Feeling my mana slowly being exhausted, I stopped spewing my flames and turned upright again. I glanced back, only to see an arrow of light fly past me. One of the Ereth chasing me had used the Divine Pillar''s power to create a bow made of light.


    I clicked my tongue as he hooked another arrow. Had he gotten this idea from Fetheion? With an effortless beat of my wings, I dodged the incoming arrow, then rushed towards the group of Ereth soldiers.


    I pulled my right arm back as I tightened my grasp around the shaft of my scythe. As soon as they were within my reach, I swung my scythe with all of my strength. The crystalline blade cut through their flesh like butter, and their bodies plummeted to the ground below.


    Knowing I couldn''t waste any more time down here, I flew up to join the Demon forces again. I quickly took my place at the very front of the small army, and with Vixia raining death from above, we once again started pushing the Ereth forces back.


    I was the first to clash blades with the Ereth, and soon I heard the sound of metal hitting metal all around me. The proper rows of soldiers soon broke off, and the battle turned into a chaotic mess within mere minutes. There were skirmishes above and below me, behind me and way ahead of me. It was impossible to tell who was winning and who was losing.


    Soon, the snaps of Vixia''s fiery whip stopped. When I shot her a quick glance between opponents, I quickly noticed the reason. Some Ereth solders had somehow made their way to her. Facing off against two of them, she was forced to lay aside her whip and switch to a shortsword.


    I ducked under a claymore and focused on my fight. Vixia was strong enough to take care of herself and I wasn''t entirely safe out here either ¨C it was quite the opposite actually, since more Ereth soon began approaching me.


    I was immediately wary of engaging as I noticed some of them try and circle around me. With a powerful beat of my wings, I retreated a little while still keeping an eye on all of them. I was not going to get surrounded again like in Baile Chailce.


    The Ereth also noticed my mindfulness, and soon gave up on trying to surround me, and attacked me head on instead. Five of them rushed at me at once, three of them wielding spears and two claymores. Taken aback by their apparent death wish, I extended my arm and sent a volley of dark bolts towards them.


    Golden barriers formed on all five a split second before my spell connected. I clicked my tongue as I shot a hate filled glance at the remaining inquisitors. Oh, how much I wanted to kill them¡­


    I didn''t bother wasting any more mana on offensive spells. A battle of magical strength wasn''t one I could win. And I didn''t have the time to try it either. Two of the three spear wielders had reached me already. Having mounted their spears under their armpits, they tried to impale me. I folded my wings and fell a little, letting them pass over me harmlessly. It was quite simple to kill them afterwards as they couldn''t protect themselves from the two quick, precise swings of my scythe.


    As their bodies plummeted to the ground, I caught one of the falling spears and turned my attention on the remaining three Ereth. They were still protected by the inquisitors'' golden barriers. I furrowed my brows. Why hadn''t the inquisitors protected the two I just killed?


    A few possibilities crossed my mind, but I couldn''t quite focus on them. I couldn''t afford to think anything else while three Ereth attacked me at once.


    I poured some of my flames onto the spear and swung it sideways towards the three Ereth soldiers. They beat their wings and moved back a little, clearly fearing my black and purple flames. I grinned, the used Death''s Scythe. Flames covered the crystalline blade of my weapon as I beat my wings and dashed at them.


    The spear user immediately went on the offensive as soon as I moved forward. He thrust his spear forward, Aiming for my chest. I pushed the wooden shaft of his weapon aside with a simple strike of my own spear, then cut it in half with my scythe.


    The Ereth''s eyes widened, and he shouted something in Ereth. I couldn''t make out the words amidst all this chaos and noise, but I was fairly sure it was a shout of terror. At least, that''s what I wanted to imagine.


    I swung my scythe again, and the satisfying sound of the barriers shattering sounded. I raised my arm to strike all the off them at once.


    And I would have done so, if the air at the centre of the battlefield hadn''t decided to implode.

 Chapter 336: Battle for the Earth (7)

    It took me a moment to realise what was happening.


    As both armies began getting pulled into the¡­ well, black hole like thing in the air, the Demon Lord and Aelith''s clash of powers didn''t even slow.


    I beat my wings with all of my strength to try and get away from the incredible suction of the black hole. The three Ereth I was fighting against tried to grab on to each other and even me, but I kicked their claw like hands away. They screamed, their expressions filled with terror. Their leathery wings weren''t enough to fight against the suction, and I watched them get sucked into the black hole.


    Their screams sounded a while more even after they disappeared in the darkness. I gulped, all blood drawn away from my face, I used Fallen Grace to empower my body.


    I beat my wings to fight against the incredible suction. The wind blew my hair back and pulled my clothes. Despite my best efforts, I hadn''t been able to move forward even a little bit.


    "Fuck!" I hissed as my muscles began to ache.


    "Kai!" Someone shouted. I glanced at the source of the voice, only to see Fetheion stand by Mother. He had turned his weapon into a large spear and thrust it into the ground. His dark powered circled around him and Mother. They were seemingly unaffected by the suction save for the mild wind tugging at their clothes. "Come here!" He shouted.


    I shook my head. He was too far away. "I can''t!" I shouted. His hopeful expression shattered as panic began to set in. Another Ereth flew right past me, straight into the black hole. His screams echoed in my ears, prompting me to beat my wings even faster.


    Yet even despite that, I could feel myself slowly getting dragged into the seemingly bottomless darkness. I gritted my teeth and reached with my hand. A rift could get me out of here, right? My magic gathered at the tips of my fingers. Light began to warp, and a rift began to form. I breathed a sigh of relief as it slowly grew to be large enough that my hand could pass through.


    Then, it shattered. The rift failed, my spell broke. Dumbfounded I almost forgot to keep trying to fly forward. It took me a moment to realise why I couldn''t open a rift.


    "It''s not going to work!" Fetheion shouted, almost mirroring the thoughts running through my mind. "Their power is warping reality itself!"


    Having come to about the same conclusion, I clenched my fists. What the hell was I going to do? A shout echoed, and a demon fell into the dark hole. Two Ereth soon followed him.


    I looked up, only to see Vixia having the same struggles as I. Despite being farther away from the centre of the ongoing implosion, she was slowly being dragged towards it as well. I couldn''t quite see her expression, but I would bet anything it was one of fear.


    She looked around frantically, searching for something. The fast paced beats of her wings began to slow down she took shallow breaths in quick succession. I gritted my teeth, Vixia wasn''t as physically strong as most soldiers. She wasn''t used to exerting so much effort in such a short amount of time.


    As the black hole began pulling her closer, I glanced around. The battle had screeched to a halt as both sides were simply trying to survive. Those closest to the black hole had already been caught in it. There weren''t any soldiers, Ereth or Demon, left between me and the black hole. And There wasn''t anyone who could help Vixia either.


    Seeing her struggle, I bit my lower lip. She wasn''t going to make it. She was being dragged much faster than anyone else.


    "Vixia!" I shouted, gathering my courage. "Your whip!" My voice startled her. Her gaze immediately darted off to the edge of the battlefield. I followed her gaze, only to draw a sharp breath as I noticed Delthur.


    The sickly demon had come to the edge of the battlefield. Inspector John wasn''t too far behind either. Both of their expressions were enough indication that there was nothing they could do to help us.


    "Fetheion!" I shouted again, ignoring the burning muscles on my back. "Can you help Vixia?"


    The Exiled Divine glanced at the helpless demon, then shook his head. Beads of sweat rolled down his chin as he tightened his grasp on his spear, still stuck in the ground. His power seemed to wane for a moment, but he quickly recovered his focus.


    Mother was still casting a spell, seemingly unaware of everything that was going on around us. I gritted my teeth. "We won''t make it!" I shouted. Killing those inquisitors was all fine and good, but it wasn''t going to be worth much if we all died.


    He simply shook his head. His power fluctuated, and for a split second, it seemed as if the black hole affected him too.


    "Lady Vixia!" Delthur''s shout echoed. At the same time, Vixia''s terror filled scream sounded as her wings finally gave up. The suction dragged her towards the black hole as she reached for something ¨C anything.


    I folded my wings and dove down, straight towards her. "Take my hand!" I shouted as I came within her reach. Her hand grasped mine, and I pulled her closer as I beat my wings with all of my might.


    Her wings disappeared in a puff of smoke as she wrapped her arms around me. "We won''t make it, you shouldn''t have come!"


    I shook my head. I couldn''t leave her to die when I had a chance of helping. "Shut up. We''ll make it." I hissed through my gritted teeth and reached for my power. Magic filled my muscles, giving me just a little more strength.


    But it still wasn''t enough. No matter how much I tried, the suction was too strong. If we were on the ground, then perhaps I could have a chance.


    "Hold on tight!" I said as I folded my wings once more and dove straight down to the ground. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I struck the earth with my scythe, just like Fetheion had done with his spear.


    "We''re too close to it for that!" Despite her being right next to me, I could barely hear her voice over the sound of the wind. "You shouldn''t have come!"


    "It''s working!" I shouted, but as soon as I finished my words, I felt the scythe move a little. The suction was strong enough to almost dislodge it from the ground.


    "Fuck." I whispered.

 Chapter 337: Battle for the Earth (8)

    The scythe got dislodged moments after I spoke. At the same time, the earth beneath our feet exploded. I felt myself getting dragged up into the air as I lost my grip on the scythe.


    Vixia screamed and buried he head in my chest.


    The dark pit of nothingness covered my entire field of view. I closed my eyes shut. It was too much, and nothing at the same time. Having experienced death once before, I was more scared of the stream of memories that followed than the event itself.


    I felt something around my ankle, and then that something yanked me back. My eyes shot open as I frantically looked at my feet, only to see a branch of some sort wrapped around my ankle. Like a lifeline, it pulled us away from the black hole.


    "What?" Vixia whispered.


    "No way¡­" I mumbled, could it be? Was it actually possible?


    It took us a while to be free of the black hole''s suction. The branch disappeared as soon as we were free from it, and we fell to the ground. A few beats of my wings slowed our fall and I landed us on the ground upright.


    Vixia immediately let go of me, stepped back and looked around.


    "Lady Vixia!" Delthur''s dry, panicked voice sounded. He ran at her and took her hand. "Are you alright?" He asked as he looked at her from head to toe, looking for injuries.


    "I''m fine, thanks to Kai and¡­ The young lady over there."


    That ''young lady'' was too busy hugging me at that time.


    "You''re crushing my ribs!" I exhaled as Mona sniffed. She held me like that for a moment longer, then let go of me and stepped back. She folded her arms and glared at me. "You almost got yourself killed you idiot!" She scolded me. "Aoife almost fainted when we arrived!"


    "It''s not like I was trying to get myself-" I paused. "Wait, what?" My gaze wandered about, then focused on a particular person in the back. "Why the hell are you here?" I exclaimed as my eyes met with my sister''s.


    Aoife reluctantly stepped closer. "Most of them broke their block." She said with a low voice. "I didn''t want to be left behind, so I came along." She hesitantly reached for my hand. "You''re alive." She whispered. "I thought you''d have died. You almost fell into that¡­ thing."


    I swallowed my anger towards Rina and the others. "I''m fine. Thanks to Mona." I glanced at the young druid, who now had a grin on her face. "Thanks. Now I need you to keep Aoife safe though." I added. Mona didn''t seem to mind as she chuckled and threw her arm over Aoife''s shoulders. "Don''t you worry, I won''t let anything happen to her."


    I would have talked with them more, but Vixia snapped her fingers, enhancing the sound with her magic. "Your Mother''s spell is almost completed. We need to be ready. Once the Lord''s and the Matriarch''s spells come to an end, we need to finish up. They will both be too exhausted to interfere."


    I nodded. "Aelith probably still has a few cards up her sleeve." Asher''s voice sounded. The middle aged man approached us. He had clearly also arrived with Rina and the others. They had crowded around Inspector John now.


    "Indeed." I spoke in demonic to let Vixia understand my words as well. "I wouldn''t believe she hasn''t prepared at least something in case she doesn''t win that clash of magic."


    Vixia shook her head. "She will win it."


    Taken aback at her words, Asher almost choked on his own breath. "Excuse me?"


    "She can not lose it unless the Divine Pillar is destroyed. That is why Kai''s Mother''s spell is so important. If the inquisitors die, the Pillar is within reach. And if we attack it, Aelith is effectively trapped."


    My eyes widened. I hadn''t thought of it in this way before, but Vixia was absolutely right. "If she ignores us, we win by destroying the Pillar. If she interferes, we win because the Lord can finish her off while she''s distracted."


    Vixia nodded as her lips formed a wicked smile.


    "Let''s hope your mother doesn''t fail then." Asher sighed. "I can''t help you ¨C most of us can''t. Mona and Laura are the only two who got their powers back. We will stand behind and protect the defenceless. Heal the wounded. So, you can focus on the battle itself."


    "Thanks." I forced a smile. I was happy to hear those two had broken that mental block, but hearing that Asher was unable to do so was more than a bit disheartening. He had always been a cornerstone of our group. Seeing him like this was¡­ sad.


    "Let''s go." Vixia said, pulling me away from my thoughts. "We must be ready ¨C it is almost time."


    I nodded. I motioned to follow her, but Aoife grabbed my arm and stopped me. "Be careful, Kai. Please."


    I took a deep breath. "I''ll do my best. I promise." I left my sister there and followed the powerful, yet somewhat exhausted demon.


    "This is the last stretch." She spoke in a low voice. "Don''t lose focus."


    "I won''t. Don''t worry." We stood a few steps away from where the suction started and watched as Mona''s plants rose from the ground, catching as many demons as they could. As she saved countless lives there, I turned my gaze away and focused on the five inquisitors.


    Protected by their golden shield, they were standing right by the Pillar, still unaware of Mother''s spell. I couldn''t see their expressions from beneath their wooden masks, but I could still guess. Awe and fear, I assumed. Just like everyone else on this battlefield, they must have been feeling awe and fear.


    As we watched, Mother finally moved. She raised her staff, then struck the ground with it.


    What followed was an explosion like none other. The ground trembled with such power that even we lost our footing. If not for Delthur catching our arms and pulling us up, we would have fallen prone.


    "Now!" He hissed with a dry voice.


    I dashed ahead, towards the Pillar as the black hole vanished just in time.


    When the dust of the explosion settled, there was no sign of the inquisitors. It was almost as if the world had swallowed them whole.

 Chapter 338: Battle for the Earth (9)

    My steps carried me forwards as Fallen Grace filled my body with power.


    I instinctively clenched my hands, wishing I still had my scythe. I could see it on the other side of the battlefield. It was stuck into the ground. I needed to reach it, I needed its power to destroy the Divine Pillar. I didn''t even bother questioning how it had ended up all the way there. I was focused on the task at hand.


    I ran past Mother and Fetheion. I noticed them reach for me, but I didn''t allow myself to stop. A few arrows flew past me ¨C the few remaining Ereth were trying to stop me. I reached with my hand, preparing to send a volley of dark bolts their way, but the sound of a snapping whip stopped me.


    Purple flames rose from where the Ereth stood. Screams sounded as Vixia''s power slowly consumed them. I averted my eyes ¨C it was a slow and agonising death that she had given them.


    I ran across the blood soaked battlefield. It was surreal. Nothing moved. No one tried to stop me or aid me.


    It felt almost as if this was a scene from a movie. All eyes were on me as I finally reached my scythe. As soon as my hands grasped its cold, darkmetal shaft, I pulled it out of the ground.


    I didn''t stop there. Without even so much as slowing down, I ran towards the Divine Pillar.


    As soon as I took my first step towards it, the silence broke.


    "No!" Aelith''s voice echoed. Enhanced with magic, it rang in my ears, repeating itself over and over again. I shook my head, desperately wanting her voice to fade away.


    "Leave this world, Witch!" The Demon Lord''s voice joined Aelith''s. I felt a surge of mana both behind me, and in front of me. Golden light enveloped Aelith as countless spears of light appeared high up in the sky.


    Behind me, darkness rose up into the sky, covering the battlefield like a dome, snuffing out the faint light of the stars and moon. The two powers clashed once more, with me stuck in the centre of it all.


    Each step took more effort that I could imagine I would. Just existing began to feel painful as the two colossal powers threatened to warp reality once more.


    "Don''t stop!" Vixia''s voice reached my ears as a whisper. "You must destroy the pillar. I will aid you, so don''t stop!"


    I didn''t question her, I was already aware of all of that. I gritted my teeth, tightened my grasp around the shaft of my scythe and dashed ahead with all the strength I could garner.


    Light flashed around me, only for strands of darkness to quickly moved to snuff it out. Aelith brough her hand down, and with it, the spears began raining down as well. I heard Mother''s voice as she shouted something.


    Vixia''s whip hit the ground near me with a loud snap, and the purple flames that burst forth created a dome around me. With each strike of Aelith''s light spears, the barrier seemed to weaken. It grew thinner and thinner as my steps carried me closer to the towering golden structure.


    I heard the barrier shatter just a few steps away from the stairs leading to the Pillar. I threw myself aside as soon as I stepped onto the first step of the stairs. Spears of golden light, crackling with power, struck the spot I was standing a split second ago.


    "Die already!" Aelith''s voice rang in my ears. She descended to the ground and reached for me. Her claw like hands reminded me of unpleasant memories. Faint blue and golden strands of magic seeped out of the ground.


    "Fuck off!" I grumbled as I called upon my power. Black and purple flames danced on my skin as I scrambled to get up. Her power reached for me, but a sudden flash of mana stopped her. The dome of darkness that covered the sky suddenly descended upon her.


    Like waterfall of darkness, it collapsed on Aelith. The Divine Matriarch''s eyes widened as she scrambled to create a barrier around herself.


    With the Demon Lord keeping her preoccupied, I hurried over to the Pillar.


    I immediately spotted the seven focal points of the structure. Seven large crystals, brimming with power, emitting a golden shine. As soon as I laid my eye son them, the structure seemed to react. A golden hue began to form around it. The warm light tickled my arms, but the pain I had felt before was no longer there.


    "Ah." I mumbled. A faint smile formed on my lips. Was it because of my Ereth lineage that the Pillar''s light didn''t cause pain as before? I raised my scythe over my head, and brought it down upon the first crystal.


    As the blade of my scythe hit the large crystal''s surface, a loud and clear clang sounded. It rang in my ears and echoed across the battlefield.


    "Fuck." I hissed, raising my scythe once more. So much for keeping Aelith distracted. My eyes widened as I lifted my scythe up. There was but a scratch on the surface of the crystal.


    I heard Aelith''s voice, bewitching and soft, whisper into my ear. "I knew they''d send you."


    My heart skipped a beat. I called upon my power once more, as I brought my scythe down again. Wreathed in flames, the crystalline blade hit the focal point. Once again, nothing but a scratch appeared on its surface.


    "It''s useless, Kai Friseal." Her voice sounded from behind me this time. I swung my scythe as I leapt aside, and a golden spear passed through where I was just standing. "You are powerless against my Pillar!"


    I gritted my teeth as our eyes met. She raised her chin with pride and with a satisfied expression, raised her hand. A blade of light, crackling with power appeared in her hand. Knowing what was coming if I didn''t do something fast, I hissed. "Fuck this."


    Then, I did the only sensible thing.


    I threw myself towards the back side of the Pillar and shouted at the top of my lungs. "A LITTLE HELP HERE! NOW!"

 Chapter 339: Fading Light (1)

    Aelith''s laughed followed my call for help. Amused, she circled around the Pillar as she followed me. "They do not care for your life, you poor fool." Her bewitching voice rang in my ears. I gritted my teeth.


    She swung her blade towards me as I scrambled to put some distance between us again.


    "That''s enough, sister!" An arrow flew past me and almost hit Aelith in the shoulder. The Divine Matriarch raised her blade just in time to deflect it, though her expression showed just how close it was.


    "It''s never enough." Aelith replied. Her gaze focused on someone else, and I took this chance to quickly put the Divine Pillar between her and me. The ground shook as I moved, prompting me to glance at Mother.


    She was standing right besides Fetheion. Her face was pale, but her expression showed no fear. She pointed at Aelith with her staff, and the ground beneath the Divine Matriarch trembled once more. "A traitor such as you has no place in my world!" Aelith shouted. Mother didn''t reply, she was focusing solely on her spell.


    As beads of sweat rolled down her neck, the ground continued to tremble. I shot a glance at Fetheion ¨C he was standing before Mother, ready to shield her from whatever harm may come her way.


    Knowing she was in good hands, I turned my gaze on Aelith again. Her eyes, burning with hatred, were focused on Mother. She raised her hand, creating countless spears of light in the air. Her lips formed a wicked smile as she brought her hand down.


    I heard Fetheion shout something as the darkness of the Lord''s dome suddenly rushed around him and Mother, enveloping them just as the spears were about to hit them.


    The sound of each spear striking the protective layer of darkness echoed. Bright lights flashed, only to be snuffed out by the Demon Lord''s power. I breathed a sigh of relief, then raised my scythe again. They were all giving me valuable time ¨C time I needed to use to destroy these crystals.


    I hit the crystal focal point again and again with my scythe. Each time, it bounced back, leaving only a barely visible scratch on the crystal''s surface. My arms dropped as I stepped back, tired from all the effort. Desperation began to set in as I gritted my teeth. I had no other weapons, no way of destroying the crystals!


    "Fuck!" I hissed as another volley of spears lit up the sky.


    Something touched my arm. Startled, I pulled my arm back and looked at it. It was a strand of darkness ¨C just a hint of the Demon Lord''s power. It floated towards me, and wrapped itself around my left wrist, then slithered down to my palm.


    I flinched with the sudden sting in my palm. It took me a split second to understand what this meant. My eyes widened as I looked towards the Demon Lord. Our eyes met, and his lips formed a thin line. He furrowed his brows, and lightly nodded as his gaze lingered on my left palm.


    I gulped, then took a deep breath. I knew exactly what he meant ¨C he wanted me to use the power he had given me. I averted my gaze and glanced at my scythe for a moment.


    "Die!" Aelith''s voice rang in my ears, bringing me back to the present. My eyes shot up as I shot a quick and worried glance at Mother. Both her and Fetheion were still protected by the Demon Lord''s power.


    The earth trembled as my hesitation continued. Mother''s spell was nearing completion.


    I took a deep breath once more, then exhaled. I let go of the shaft of my scythe, then hesitantly touched my left palm. I could feel the pulsing power within. The demonic power that I was warned to only use when I had no other option.


    I stretched my fingers, then clenched my fist. Summoning that immense power was effortless. Like a dam that broke down, it flooded me. My eyes shone purple as my body filled with power. The souls within my chest stirred as my flames rose up.


    For s short moment, everything hurt. I could feel my skin stretch out as my hands turned into demonic claws. Scales surfaced from beneath my skin, covering my body. My wings stretched wide as a tail appeared on my back.


    My chin and face hurt like hell ¨C I could feel my facial structure change along with the rest of my body. I reared by head back, and let out a loud, ear piercing screech as the demonic power finally began to calm.


    I fell on one knee as the transformation finally ended, and long, crimson hair fell before my face.


    I heard distant shouts. Avoided looking that way ¨C I didn''t want to see their faces right now. Or perhaps I should say, I didn''t want them to see me like this. Not now. Not them.


    Without hesitation, I raised my hands above my head. A sword of pure darkness formed in my hands, and I heard Aelith''s gasp. She knew what this was too well.


    I brought the sharp, deadly edge of the sword down onto the first focal point. No crack sounded, no sound of the shattering crystal. There was no clang to indicate that I hit the thing. Aelith hesitated, confused, and somewhat surprised. She wasn''t sure of whether I destroyed the crystal or not.


    I slowly stood up as a wind blew some dust into the air. Crystalline dust, glimmering with the golden light of the Divine Pillar.


    I looked her straight in the eye as her she looked at the dust, the spot where the broken focal point used to be, and then at me. Her expression twisted into something ugly as her eyes suddenly flashed golden.


    "You abomination! Filthy creature whose sold his soul to the darkness!" Her words echoed across the battlefield as she stretched her arm to her side. A blade made of light, yet quite similar to that of my own, formed in her hand. "I will not let you destroy our hopes for a future!"

 Chapter 340: Fading Light (2)

    Not in a thousand years would I have thought I would be the one standing against Aelith. Not when it came to a god damned swordfight.


    So, here we were, facing off against each other. And unlike her, I was well aware that I was on a timer. My body, despite its reformed state, was not quite able to contain such a massive amount of purely destructive power. Sooner or later, I was going to start suffering from it.


    That was one of the reasons I rushed ahead, instead of letting Aelith strike first. Another reason was that the light of the Divine Pillar had begun to sting. It was still nowhere near the pain it caused back in Baile Chailce, but it was annoying and distracting enough that I wanted to get rid of it as fast as I could.


    I didn''t waste any time. I stepped forward, swung my blade horizontally and as Aelith raised her own sword to block my strike, I let the sword disappear, only to make it form in my left hand. The Divine Matriarch''s eyes widened as she noticed what I was doing, but she wasn''t a swordsman in nature. She moved to block my strike, but I was fast enough to make a cut on her right shoulder.


    She let out a low groan as a stream of blood began to flow from her wound. Knowing she could heal it within seconds, I continued my assault. I swung my blade again, this time aiming for her neck. Aelith blocked that strike with ease, only to get her left hand slashed by my claw like hand.


    "You little beast!" She exclaimed as she scrambled to put some distance between us. I wordlessly hissed at her as a bright, golden light fell on her, healing her wounds. "No matter how much you try, you cannot defeat me! I am the Matriarch-"


    Her words were interrupted by a pained scream. She nearly fell to the ground as something hit her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the arrow sticking out of her thigh in disbelief. She reached down to pull it out, and I chose that moment to strike again. As my blade neared her chest, she looked at me with fury filled eyes. They flashed golden as magic surged around her.


    I felt something hit me ¨C and invisible force threw me across the battlefield. I hit the ground with a thud and rolled some distance before I could dig my claws into the blood soaked ground to stop myself.


    I got back up on my feet and dashed right back to Aelith as soon as I could. I heard some people shouting my name, but I ignored them. My steps quickly carried me to the Divine Matriarch, and as soon as I was close enough, I sent a volley of Dark Bolts her way.


    A golden barrier appeared around her, rendering my spell useless. Her lips curled into a smile just as Fetheion hooked another arrow, and Mother hit the ground with her staff.


    The earth trembled, the sky roared, and distant thunder echoed. I had to pause for a moment in order to keep my balance. Aelith immediately took off, floating just a hair above ground. Fetheion released his arrow at that moment. The sound of metal hitting her barrier sounded, and so did a faint crack.


    I rushed to her as a blade of darkness formed in my left hand. She waved her hand towards me, and a wave of magic rushed at me in response. I beat my wings, leaping high into the air. The wave of magic harmlessly passed under me, and I landed on the ground again.


    With a fast, precise swing, I hit the cracked area of her barrier. The golden shine around her shattered, and she grunted as she floated back a little bit. She blocked my next swing with her sword of golden light.


    Another arrow flew past us. Aelith stepped aside, causing Fetheion to miss. He expression filled with focus, she glared at me with hate filled eyes. I grinned, showing my sharp fangs.


    "You''re lost beyond saving!" She whispered in a low voice. I couldn''t help but chuckle, she was right!


    "Good to see we agree at least on something!" I pushed her back, then with a beat of my wings, leapt high into the air just in time for Mother''s spell to be completed.


    Rocks, as sharp as broken glass burst out of the ground around Aelith. The Divine screamed in pain as she flew up along with me. I could see her legs and feel, wounded and torn. Yet she found no respite in the air either as the sky seemed to break apart. Thunder echoed in the distance moments before a lightning strike like no other struck the Divine Matriarch.


    I covered my eyes with my arms as Aelith''s screams echoed. The whistle of an arrow passing by sounded, and so did the sound of it burying itself into flesh. As the lightning strikes stopped, I opened my eyes and searched for Aelith.


    She had fallen to the ground, her clothes torn and burnt, her body covered in blood and burn marks. No ordinary Ereth would have been able to survive the punishment she just endured, yet she was still alive, and from the hate filled look in her eyes, she hadn''t lost her will to fight.


    I motioned to head towards her ¨C I wanted to kill her before she created another barrier ¨C but a sudden pain that jolted throughout my body stopped me. I fell from the sky onto the stairs below.


    "No, not yet!" I hissed and forced myself to get up. My flames roared, and I took deep breaths.


    "Destroy the pillar!" Vixia''s voice sounded. I glanced at her in surprise. She had run all the way to the bottom of the stairs. She motioned to step closer, but the Divine Pillar flashed, and she stepped away as burn mark appeared on her hands. "Hurry, Kai!"


    I gritted my teeth. My eyes darted between Vixia, Aelith, and the Pillar. I wanted to kill the Divine Matriarch. I needed to. She had destroyed so much, killed so many!


    "Aah!" I let out a howl of anger as I ran towards the second focal point. The blade of darkness in my hands destroyed the shining crystal with ease. I heard Aelith shout something, I saw her try to get up, but her wounds didn''t allow her to. Despite the golden light of healing shining from the Pillar, she still needed a little bit more time before she could stop me.


    The third crystal broke with ease, and so did the fourth. With only three of them remaining, I paused to catch my breath. Flames danced on my skin as the coldness in my chest began to grow. I grimaced, and shot a glance at the Demon Lord.


    His expression was one of understanding. He knew I had little time left before his power broke me. He clenched his fist, but didn''t avert his eyes.


    I raised my blade and destroyed the fifth focal point.


    "Stop!" Aelith''s almost desperate voice sounded. I heard her get up, and brought my sword down on the sixth crystal.


    The light of the Pillar began to flicker and wane. I dragged my feet around the pillar to the seventh and final focal point. "I said stop!" Her voice sounded from right behind me. I sensed movement and threw myself aside just in time. The golden blade that would have stabbed my chest only hit my arm.


    I grunted and scrambled to get up as she approached me, blade in hand. "I won''t let you destroy it!" Her maniacal expression was more terrifying than the sight of the blade slowly rising over me.


    "And I won''t die to you!" I hissed as I wrapped my tail around her legs and pulled as fast as I could. She stumbled and with a low yelp, fell to the ground. I grabbed onto the Divine Pillar for support and pulled myself up.


    A wave of darkness washed over us as the Demon Lord''s power reached us. It tried to wrap itself around Aelith''s neck, but the Divine Pillar let out a golden shine, dissipating the darkness.


    I let go of the Pillar, raised my hands above my head, tightly grasping the shadowy blade in my hands. Aelith, still laying on her back, shouted something. I couldn''t make out the words, nor did I want to. I brought my blade down, and at the same time, she raised her own blade of light.


    A crack sounded.


    Then the sound of a shattering crystal.


    Glimmering dust blew into the air with an unnatural wind.


    Then, the darkness of the night finally covered the battlefield.

 Chapter 341: Epilogue

    Time seemed to freeze for a moment. I was bent over Aelith, my blade stuck in the ground where the seventh and final focal point used to be. I could hear her breathing, her chest rose with irregular breaths as her wide eyes filled with understanding.


    "No! Agh!" Her voice echoed across the battlefield as she let out a cry of frustration and regret. She pushed the hilt of her blade to the side with whatever strength she could garner. The taste of blood filled my blood as I fell to the side and rolled down the stairs. I tried to dig my claws into the marble but found no strength to do so.


    I eventually came to a halt, laying on my side. I wanted to move, but I couldn''t. My muscles refused to follow my will.


    "You¡­" Aelith cried out. She pushed herself up on her feet and stumbled towards me. She kicked me, rolling me on my back, then reached down and pulled the blade of light out of my chest. "You¡­"


    I think she said something else too, but I couldn''t quite hear it. I coughed up some blood, and immediately regretted it as pain jolted throughout my body.


    I blinked a couple of times. Was there someone behind her?


    She noticed perhaps a split second after I did, and quickly turned around to face that person. I saw a flash of purple and she was quickly pushed away from my vision.


    The same person knelt besides me. I felt a cold, claw like hand carefully brush my hair aside.


    "Kai!" Someone shouted in the distance. Other voices soon joined that one, but soon I couldn''t hear anything. My vision blurred, the darkened. I welcomed that darkness, it was a sweet relief from pain. The last thing I was before drifting into the sea of unconsciousness was the familiar silver haired figure standing over me.


    Our victory was a bitter one, though I learned that a while after.


    I was surprised to have survived, but not exactly happy about it. It was hard to be happy about it after learning the price that was paid.


    The Keeper''s Acolyte, they called me. An extension of his power ¨C the bridge between him and the mortal races. That''s what I became. An immortal being that once was mortal.


    I was told the events that followed the destruction of the Divine Pillar only after the fact.


    Both armies had mostly died, only a handful of demon soldiers had survived, and Vixia had later gone on to hunt every single Ereth who tried to hide somewhere. I was told she was especially fierce.


    The world had changed, of course. With the introduction of magic and the arcane, of demons and Ereth and who knows what other races that existed in other worlds, the only thing that saved humanity from total chaos was Inspector John''s firm, yet gentle guidance. And the threatening Delthur that accompanied him for a while. I mean, who would dare say no when such a scary demon stood by his side?


    Mother and Fetheion had gone back home, along with Aoife. They turned the Dojo into a school of magic, and the first students were Mona and the rest of our group. Even Asher had joined, and he was one of the most successful people there. Aoife apparently refused to learn magic, instead following in Lucius'' footsteps, and continuing to hone her skill with the blade.


    Erik had also woken up, though with severe memory loss, just like Vincent, Alina, Samantha, and Joshua. They remembered nothing, I believed that was for the best.


    The worlds didn''t break apart. The portal back on the island remained, and from what I heard from a certain demon, the Lord and the United Nations had come to some ''agreements''. Even Luhen, one of the few hundred free Ereth who now resided on the Demons'' world had joined. I did not find it one bit surprising that the demons seemed to be getting the better end of the deal.


    That same demon became the ambassador of the Demons, while humanity sent Inspector John as an ambassador. That was actually the first time I got to meet someone else other than the Keeper and Vixia during my recovery.


    And that was also when the price I paid became painfully clear.


    I didn''t regain my human form and became stuck in this hybrid body. I''ll be honest, it''s not too bad. Having a tail was actually quite useful, and my claw like hands were closer to those of the demons'', so after a short while, I regained my ambidexterity. The biggest annoyance was the two vampire like fangs. I bit my own lips more times than I''d like to admit.


    Inspector John''s expression, and how he fumbled to find words did bright a smile to my face, but his reaction after learning I wouldn''t return to how I was before was heart breaking. He blamed himself for what happened. It took a while to convince him not to.


    Once my healing was complete, I returned home. I was a bit scared to do so. What if they didn''t recognise me, I asked myself. What if they found me repulsive, disgusting, terrifying, or any number of other things?


    It took courage to fly home, and even more courage to step through the gate.


    The people minding their own business stopped to look at who had arrived. They paused, their expressions changed from indifference to confusion. Then, surprise. My heart raced with fear as I expected the next emotion to be fear or disgust.


    Then, someone smiled. People called my name and came to greet me. Sure, some were wary. Some of them were curious, some found me handsome, while others joked about me becoming a vampire.


    It felt like some of the weight was lifted off my shoulders. But the real test, so to speak, was when Aoife stepped out of the door and noticed me.


    She covered her mouth with her hands, and her eyes filled with tears. "Kai, you idiot!" She exclaimed as she ran towards me. Her hug, her smile, even the punch to my face after the fact, made all of the trials I had endured worth it.


    She was safe. And I was home.


    THE END