If Ashpoole was the jewel of the Fire Kingdom, Beigo was the crown.

Towering red sandstone buildings topped with golden domes filled the skyline. Hordes of pedestrians crowded the richly paved roads, some stopping to browse the windows of the many beautifully decorated stores.

The entire city was enchanted against the harsh desert climate, creating a very different atmosphere inside. Children played in fountains spraying water all over the place, squandering what was otherwise known as the most important resource in the desert.
We walked through the heavy metal gates unhindered, courtesy of Kai’s magic paper, and decided to secure lodging for the night. After paying for four rooms with the Inn’s own money, we made our way down the busy streets while shopping for local specialties.

The Fire King’s palace stood out at the end of the street. No surprise really, since the entire city was built around the palace and every street led to it in the end. Its towers rose up into the sky, shining with a faint red light because of the red tiles that covered the entire palace. It exuded an ethereal air that made it look like a painting from a fairy-tale.

I grabbed a map from a bookstore but it didn’t mention the Crumbling Sand village either, so I put it back on the shelf and frowned.

Where had that village come from?

I walked out of the store with a more detailed map of the route to the Fire Goddess’ shrine. I estimated that it would take us three days to reach it even though it seemed pretty close on the map, since we’d have to cross several mountains and wade through a sea of lava to get there.

Lily bought a saber to replace her now dull and chipped knife, as well as a small steel shield. Since Lily was ‘paying,’ I took the opportunity to buy a shield for myself as well.

Kai disappeared for a while but soon returned with three brown parcels and gave one to each of us.

A gift from Kai? If it’s as amazing as the ring… I thought, excitedly ripping it open.

I frowned. “What the hell is this?”

“Earrings. You don’t want them? I could always take them back.” he said, smirking as he reached over to grab them.

“No.” I said, tacking on the dull graphite bead. Surprisingly, it didn’t pierce through my skin but attached itself to my earlobes instead. “It’s rude to take back gifts.”

“Thanks Kai. These are beautiful!” said Lily, white pearls shining on her ears.

“I agree. This is wonderful!” said Amy, flicking a dangling red ruby.

“What do they do?” I asked.

“They make you look cool!” he said.

“No, I mean what do they do?” I reiterated.

“They make me feel less embarrassed about hanging out with you guys.” he replied with a serious expression.

We continued making light banter as we moved towards the palace. The King was holding an art exhibition and we’d decided to take this opportunity to relax before continuing our journey.

Soon enough, we arrived at the imposing outer gates of the palace and joined the throng of people entering the courtyard. Inside, we saw an impressive assortment of sculptures and paintings as well as other curios.

“Hey, are those the Goddesses?” Lily asked, pointing at a ring of statues at the center of the courtyard.

“I suppose so.” I replied, evaluating the depictions of the most powerful entities on Erath.

Just as I moved to get a closer look at them, a loud siren started blaring throughout the city.

“The emergency alarm?” someone said.

“What happened? Is it a monster horde?” said someone else.

“Did the Demon Lord attack?” asked someone else.

That made me pause.

Did they find me? They couldn’t have. But then what else could it be?

“Citizens! Please, do not panic. We are merely taking precautionary measures because our communications with Ashpoole have temporarily broken down. It is most likely a malfunction in the communications prisms, please do not be alarmed. The gates will be reopened once the situation is resolved. We thank you for your cooperation.” said a voice projected all over the city.

I frowned. Something wasn’t right. Communications prisms didn’t just malfunction, and even if they did, what were the odds that so many prisms would break down at once?

I saw a flicker of unease in Lily’s eyes as we followed the directions of the knights and left the exhibition. Amy’s forehead was creased in a frown as she vigilantly searched for any signs of trouble. Even Kai stopped smiling and adopted a grim expression.

We noticed a group of knights talking in hushed whispers while pointing to a scroll one of them held in her hands. We passed by them but they stopped speaking and didn’t resume until we were out of earshot.

Not that it mattered, of course.

“You got it, right?” I asked.

“Of course.” Lily replied, tossing me the scroll.

I opened it up and started reading.

“Reports of riots…duke’s guards released to quell it…all communications suddenly cease…Ashpoole Royal Army division unresponsive…personal communications prisms unresponsive…emergency measures implemented…communications with scouts severed….” Words kept magically appearing on the scroll but I put it away and faced the others.

I took a deep breath. “Ashpoole…has fallen.”

“What do you mean?” Amy asked.

“The prisms are still working but no one is responding.” I explained.

“How could that-”

She was cut off by the group of knights that came rushing towards us. Her hand went to the pommel of her sword but Kai gave her a sharp glance so she didn’t pull it out.

The knights ran past us to the city gates where rows of armored figures stood in formation. Sensing that something was going to happen, we cautiously approached the knights.

“…we can see them…”

“…so many…”

“…vile…scoundrel…”

The knights were whispering to each other while readying their weapons. A tall, hulking figure in ornately decorated red armor stood atop the wall and passed directions down to knights amassed below.

“We should check it out for ourselves.” said Kai as he jumped all the way up the wall.

A small flash of heat and light confirmed that Amy had followed him up so Lily and I were left to sneak up on our own. The knights hadn’t noticed us yet so we stuck to the shadows and climbed the walls, hoping that nobody just happened to be looking at this part of the wall.

I grabbed Lily’s hand, allowing her to pull me on top of the wall.

We turned to see Amy and Kai looking grimly outside the wall. Following their gaze, we realized why.

An army was marching towards Beigo. Legions of armored knights, hordes of robed magicians, a fleet of flying beast riders and giant siege weapons covered the sand dunes outside the city.

But what was truly perplexing was the color of their uniform. They were wearing the same red colored armor as the rest of the Fire Army, probably because they were the Fire Army – or at least a part of it. A short, bearded man rode at the front of the army, his intricately decorated armor revealing his status.

“That must be the Duke of Ashpoole.” I said, quietly.

Nobody responded. They could, after all, see the large, sprawling army in front of them and knew that apart from the capital Beigo, only Ashpoole could field this many soldiers.

As they drew closer, I noticed something even more disturbing.

All of them were expressionless.

Not serious or stoic, but expressionless. They marched with a mechanical rigidity that was both imposing and eerie. Something was seriously wrong here.

“Halt!” shouted the armored man on the wall.

The army continued marching, not showing any signs of having heard him at all. Even when the archers fired warning shots at their feet, none of them flinched.

“In the name of the Fire King, I command you to stop!” said the voice that had announced the state of emergency. It seemed to belong to a portly middle aged man who was making his way to the top of the wall.

The army kept marching.

The Fire King reached the top of the wall and began to frown as his sweat started forming on his forehead.

“Stop, in the name of the Fire Goddess. Stop!” he shouted.

This time the army reacted immediately. They ceased marching and looked up at the Fire King. The Duke rode out a little further and spoke;

“Do not mention that false Goddess! Your Fate is sealed and you have but two choices: Join us in our reverence of the true God or perish as heathens and infidels!”

“False Goddess? How dare you!” said the King, incredulously.

True God? Don’t tell me these people are-

They lifted their flags and roared.

“Into the circle! Into the circle!”

Shit.

I turned around quickly.

“We have to get out of here before the fighting starts. We don’t want to get caught in the middle of this. Come on.” I said, preparing to jump down the wall.

But I stopped.

The sun was snuffed out and the sky painted black, even though it was still early in the afternoon. The Duke jumped off his horse and kneeled on the ground, blood splattering on the ground beneath him as his leg bent in an unimaginable direction.

But he didn’t seem to notice his grave injury as he looked up at the sky with a crazed look on his face. His followers did the same, kneeling on the ground and staring at the pitch black sky above.

“Oh mighty Lord of the heavens, King of the skies and Emperor of the seas! Oh Most Exalted Creator, for whom we would lay down our lives in a heartbeat. Lord, we are not worthy! We are not worthy! We are not worthy!” the Duke rambled at the top of his voice.

The sky shone with a deep, violet light as a giant circle appeared above the Duke’s army. The circle flashed brightly before spinning uncontrollably, so fast that it was just a blur. Soon, it seemed like a violet sphere was hanging in the sky.

Lightning raked across the surface of the sphere; dancing and twirling about like a serpent. Finally, the lightning gathered together to form one large lightning bolt which struck the center of the sphere and caused a blinding flash of violet light.

What the hell is that thing! I thought, raising my arm in front of me to block the winds blowing across the landscape.

The flash faded, revealing a dark robed figure hovering in the sky. It was wearing a black mask with a violet circle on its forehead.

The Duke and his soldiers bowed their heads. “Your Eminence, we are honored that you deigned to grace us with your presence. Oh Lord Creator, let us cleanse the world from these vile heathens and their false gods. Oh Lord of Fate, let us tear down their cities and soak the ground with their blasphemous blood.” the Duke said, his eyes red with frenzy.

“Oh Lord Origin, let us offer you the world!” he shouted with emotion and tears dripping down his face.

The masked figure looked at him for a moment, its robes staying unnaturally still despite the winds blowing across the sky.

“You will offer me the world?” the figure spoke. He had a deep, rich voice that exuded power and arrogance. “How can you offer me something that is already mine?”

Origin’s words echoed across the desert, causing monsters and humans alike to tremble and fall to their knees. I swayed as I felt a cold sensation in my back but quickly managed to regain control.

I saw Lily leaning against the sword which she had stabbed into the ground. Amy was staring at Origin with wide eyes and her hands were trembling as she clenched her fists.

Kai sighed, pulled something out of his robes and jumped off the wall.

“Kai? What the hell are you-” I started.

A carpet of violet flames fell from the sky and crashed into the city’s protective barrier. The sound of shattered glass heralded the barrier’s destruction and quite possibly, our deaths.

But then Kai reached out with his hands and the flames stopped as if he’d caught them in a giant net. He waved his hands and the flames dissipated, blown away by the winds.

“You know,” Kai said, as he rose up to meet him. He was wearing a smiling white mask that seemed even creepier than Origin’s. “I haven’t had a decent fight for a long time. Try not to bore me will you?”

Origin looked at him silently.

“A shy one are you? It’s okay, I’ll help you open up.” Kai said, rushing at him with his hands outstretched.

Origin rushed forward to meet him and met his open palms with his own, causing a loud bang to resonate for miles. The two pushed against each other, locked in a battle of strength.

Soon, Kai was flung across the sky as Origin kicked him in the chest. He crashed into the city wall, sending debris flying in the air.

All of this happened so quickly that none of us could react but after seeing Kai get swatted into the wall, we snapped out of it and rushed forward to help.

Amy rocketed towards Origin and slashed her sword but it passed right through him. He grabbed the wide eyed Amy and threw her at Lily, who was preparing a spell. The two collided and crashed into the ground.

I bit my lips and racked my Ability for hints, trying to formulate a winning strategy, but no matter how hard I tried it didn’t seem like there was one. Origin looked at me with his cold violet eyes and I felt a piercing pain in my chest.

I fell to my knees, pain flooding through my mind and preventing me from thinking. Had he done it to stop my Ability? Did that mean that there was a way to win, some weakness to exploit or some plan that wouldn’t get us all killed?

Or had he done it just because he could?

“Runir, listen to me. Take Amy and Lily, go to the Shrine and get the Fire Goddess’ help. He isn’t letting anyone leave the city so I’ll distract him so you guys can run. I’ll try to hold him off for as long as I can but I’d really appreciate it if you’d hurry.” said Kai as he appeared beside me.

And then it clicked. I had a plan and I knew how to carry it out but…

“Will you be alright?” I asked.

He smiled. “What do you think?”

I nodded and ran. “Amy, Lily, we have to go. Now.”

They looked at me blankly as I grabbed them. “Amy, do that thing you did when you were looking for Lily. We need to get to the Shrine, fast.”

She hesitated and looked up at Kai, who was floating up to meet Origin.

“Look at him, he’ll be fine.” I said, firmly.

Whether she noticed that there wasn’t a scratch on his body nor a speck of dust on his robes, or she chose to believe in him, I don’t know, but she nodded and a searing heat started building up around us.

She held us tightly and shot off the ground, blasting through the dark sky.

Before everything dissolved into a blur, I noticed Kai smile as he looked at us from the corner of his eyes. His lips moved but I couldn’t hear him.

Good luck to you too Kai. I thought as we whooshed off into the distance.

 

Dry winds buffeted me as I trudged over the sand dune. I pulled my hat down to cover my face better.

To my right, Lily was emptying another bottle of water while fanning herself with her hand and glaring angrily at Kai.

“Kai, can’t you take out a jeep or something? Why do we have to keep walking in this heat?” she said.

Kai smiled.

“Heat? What heat? Amy, do you feel hot?” he asked, innocently.

“No.” I replied, simply.

Well I am the Fire Goddess so it is only natural is it not?

“Kai…I’ve already deduced that you’re keeping yourself cool with your Ability somehow. You aren’t even sweating at all.” Runir croaked, pushing the words out of his parched throat.

His dark robes were wet with perspiration and his normally stoic expression was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was panting like a dog.

“I thought so! If you don’t give it to us…” Lily said, taking out her dagger.

“For once I must agree with the Hero. Give us an A.C or suffer the consequences…” said Runir, brandishing his sword.

Kai looked at them and sighed.

“What do you think I should do Amy?” he said, suddenly turning towards me.

“You don’t have to do anything. They can use water magic to cool themselves down.” I said.

“Tsk.”

“Damn it.”

Kai smiled while the others glared at me before activating water magic to cover themselves with swirling, icy winds.

“You’re using a Rank 5 spell to cool your sweat? Talk about overkill…” Kai smirked.

“Shut up!” said Lily.

“Almost got another ring…” Runir said, with a disappointed sigh.

A gust of hot air blew my hat off. It rolled down the dune and settled on the sand below.

I frowned and went down to pick it up but it disappeared.

“Here you go.” said Kai, placing my hat on my head.

“Thank you.” I said.

“No problem.” he said, smiling.

“Damn it, this is unfair!” complained Lily.

“Why did you use your Ability this time?” asked Runir.

“Would have been a pain to go down there. Besides, we’re running behind schedule. We need to get to the village before nightfall.” he said, walking down the other side of the dune.

“Village? What village?” asked Runir.

“The Crumbling Sand village.” replied Kai.

“That’s not right…I never saw a village like that on the map.” Runir said, frowning.

“Well it’s-”

I couldn’t hear what Kai said because I was suddenly distracted by a surprising yet familiar feeling.

It faded into the background ever since I learned how to unconsciously direct Mana towards it so I barely ever felt it anymore.

But now, for the first time in centuries… I felt a tug on my soul.

It was coming from straight in front of me. A pull so powerful that I almost let myself get swept away like I did all those years ago.

But I managed to hold on, biting my lips to distract myself with the pain and the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

I clenched my fists, driving my nails into my flesh.

“We’re almost there…” I heard someone say from far away.

“Finally…”

“Just two days away from Beigo…”

The pull became stronger. I felt my feet beginning to slip so I dug them into the sand.

But the pull started dragging me through the sand.

I panicked.

Powerless. Unable to resist. Like a puppet on a string.

Just like the Haze.

Like watching Jeffi die in my arms.

Like watching Yunni take her last breath.

Like being stuck in a world of darkness and ash.

I hated feeling powerless. Hated being unable to control my own body.

And I sure as hell hated Fate.

But I couldn’t do anything about it. Couldn’t help but let the powerful tug on my soul pull me ever so slowly towards it.

“…this place…”

“…what happened…”

“…I’m gonna puke…”

“…sickening…”

I heard whispers but I ignored them. My sight was blurry and my senses distant, but I could barely make out the scene in front of me.

Broken buildings. Cracked roads. Shattered houses.

The stench of rotting corpses and dried blood.

Holes in the ground. Claw marks on the walls.

Bones and skeletons with their meat picked clean.

And of course, a silence so heavy it was almost palpable.

This village was dead. There wasn’t a soul in sight but…

I could feel it. There was someone here and they were calling to me, praying to me.

Over the centuries the pulls had gotten weaker and less frequent, perhaps because people realized that I wasn’t omniscient or all-powerful.

But this was different. Whoever was calling out to me was doing so with the conviction that I would hear and I would come. Or perhaps their desire to meet me was just too incredibly pure, profound and clear.

Whoever this person was, they really wanted to talk to me.

I tried diverting more mana towards them but it was no use. They rejected my mana like it wasn’t enough or rather, as if that wasn’t what they wanted at all.

But that was confusing, because most people who called me would be fine after receiving some mana or at least their pull on my soul would lessen.

If you were stuck under a collapsed building, you could use my mana to blast your way out. Attacked by a monster? Shoot a fireball. Gotten lost? Send up a flare.

But for whatever reason, this person couldn’t use my mana to rescue themselves.

I unconsciously followed the others through the ruined village. I never spoke much anyways so no one commented on my silence.

But the pull was getting stronger and stronger and I…couldn’t hold on.

So I let myself go.

I was viciously pulled through the wall beside me, sending chunks of sandstone flying into the air. I tumbled through the sand, smashed through an empty house and demolished pillar after pillar.

At last I arrived next to a collapsed house and lay sprawled on the ground, panting for breath.

“Amy! Are you alright?” I heard someone say.

But even though I’d reached the source of the pull, the tug on my soul didn’t lessen at all.

“Stop! I am here! Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you but please, stop!” I shouted, holding my head between my hands.

The tug vanished and I could finally think clearly again. I calmed my breath and got up.

“Amy, what happened? Why did you suddenly start barreling through walls?” asked Lily.

“It is nothing. Just-” I began, but I felt a sharp tug again.

There!

I walked over the rubble and crouched down over a broken wall. The crumbling sandstone was stained with blood and gore.

The rubble shifted, revealing an eye in the shadows.

“Amy, stop going off on your own-” Lily said before noticing the eye. “Fuck! There’s someone over here! Runir, Kai, come help!” She said, leaning over to pick up a stone.

Runir rushed over and saw the blood and the eye and immediately began helping Lily clear the rubble.

I looked over at Kai and noticed that he was clenching his fists and looking down at his feet. I’d never seen Kai this troubled before and the sight made me feel uneasy. This wasn’t going to be a simple rescue mission, I realized.

“….ll…e….” a groan came from under the rubble just as the sharp tug on my soul reappeared.

I saw a bloody, mangled shape slowly taking shape beneath the rubble.

Runir stopped to puke and Lily’s expression paled as well but Kai still didn’t help, staring at the grotesque sight while biting his lips.

“…ki….se….”

Lily removed the last of the rubble and turned away, unable to bear the sight.

A twisted body caked with blood and refuse, and giving off a foul odor. Runir went and puked again.

I stepped closer to it, drawn by the pull on my soul.

“I-I can heal it. Kai, come help. We can…we can…” Lily stammered.

“…ki…m…se….” another groan came from the twisted shape. I couldn’t even tell where its mouth was.

The pull intensified, filling my mind with pain and grief. I lunged forward, raising my sword.

“….kill me…please…”

I brought down my sword just as my mind was flooded with emotions. Emotions that weren’t mine.

Blood sprayed through the air.

I blacked out.

–

I woke up in a strange room. The walls were a shade of red so bright you’d think you’d go blind but for some reason, the brightness was comforting.

It was strange. I didn’t have a body here, or at least not a real body.

Instead, I floated in the center of the room as a small ball of red light. In front of me was a blurry white shape.

The shape started becoming more defined. Flabby arms, a short stature and a wrinkled face. It was an old man. An old man who looked strangely familiar even though I was sure that I’d never seen him before.

“Thank you, oh Lord of the Flames.” he said, bowing his head so hard that it banged against the ground.

“I knew…I knew you’d listen. Everyone forgot but I didn’t. Our ancestors always said that the Fire Goddess would help us if we prayed to her in our time of need.”

I remained silent, still trying to understand the situation.

“When…when the monsters killed my family, I’d already lost all reason to live. My wife…they tore her to pieces. My son…splattered across the walls. My daughter…eaten alive.” he said, crying and sobbing.

I remained silent, to respect his suffering.

“And then…then they…my grandson…” he cried even louder.

I remained silent, not knowing what to say.

“But when they came to me I felt relieved. The pain was unbearable, not the pain of having my body ripped up and twisted into unimaginable shapes. The pain of losing them…that was unbearable.” he said, quietly.

I remained silent, a sour feeling rising up inside me.

“But then they left me! They left me alive! Those damnable monsters left me alive! Alive to stew in my own juices! Alive to wallow in pain and sorrow! I couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear it at all. Why did they do it? They’re monsters, if they were hungry, they could have eaten me like they ate my daughter! Did they want to torture me? Did they want me to die a slow, agonizing death all alone in the ruins of my home while grieving for my family? What purpose would that serve? Why would they do that?

Why?”

I hesitated before answering.

“I do not know.” I admitted.

He looked at me with a bitter smile.

“I didn’t expect one such as you to know, oh exalted one. The only answer I could think of was that it was an act of cruelty. An irrational act of cruelty. I suppose the cruelty of monsters and mortals is beneath you.” he said, before looking down again.

“More importantly…thank you.” Tears fell down his cheeks. “Thank you for taking pity on my lowly self. I did not deserve…do not deserve your kindness, your pity. I lost faith in you and at times I…I questioned your magnificence. But now I know! I know that you are-”

“No.” I said, cutting him off. “I am not all powerful. I am not all knowing. I am not invincible. If I was, I would never have let you endure such pain in the first place. If anything it is I who must apologize for my powerlessness.”

“Please don’t! I do not deserve your apologies, Eminent One. Even if you aren’t all powerful, at least you were willing to help me. At least you gave me your pity.” he said, looking at me.

I felt a bitter feeling rise up inside me.

The only reason I’d helped this man was because I was pulled by his prayers. I didn’t take pity on him, I just wanted to stop the tug on my soul.

Did I kill him because I felt sorry for him…or because I felt sorry for myself?

The old man gave me a contented smile.

“You know, even though you’re an ancient Goddess, you keep reminding me of my granddaughter. She wasn’t killed by the monsters. She had a weak body so we never let her play outside with the other children but we loved her and I’d like to think that she loved us back. You remind me of her because your personalities are the same. So stiff and inflexible. Always carefully thinking about what to say, never really opening up her heart. She was always afraid of making us worry, so she never told us when she was in pain. I’m sure that her biggest concern when she died, was the pain she would cause us.”

His body started to fade away.

“Foolish child…sometimes you need to share your pain.” he said, shaking his head. “It helps make it more bearable.”

He looked up at me, his body too hazy to make out.

“Oh Exalted Goddess…” He smiled at me.

“Trust your friends. Tell them your pain. Open up your heart.”

His entire body vanished, leaving the phantom of a smile in the air.

“And for goodness sake, stop being so fucking formal all the time.”

–

I opened my eyes with a jerk and gasped for air.

“Amy! Thank god you’re awake!” said Lily, embracing me.

“Damn. And here I was, thinking I’d finally gotten rid of you.” Runir said, smirking.

“Oi! Shut up!” Lily said, hitting Runir’s shoulder.

I got up.

We were sitting around a campfire, the village nowhere in sight.

Runir and Lily were arguing and Kai was lying next to the campfire while facing the stars, just like the night we’d first met.

A warm feeling rose up in my chest.

“Hey, shut up for a second will you? I’m tired.” I said, smiling at Runir and Lily’s blank faces.

Thanks old man. I can tell that things are going to be a hell of a lot more fun now…

I felt a throbbing pain in my head.

I couldn’t see anything.My eyes were open but I still couldn’t see anything.
It was like the whole world had been consumed by darkness and there was nothing I could do to light it up.

I was the Hero. The embodiment of Light. The embodiment of Hope, Faith, Love and Kindness.

But now all I could feel was despair.

I was suffocating.

I could breath but I was still suffocating.

Sharp pains tore through my lungs as if I’d inhaled tiny shards of glass.

The suffocating darkness was everywhere. Both inside and outside me. In fact, it was amazing that I was still alive.

Or maybe that wasn’t a good thing?

Well, it didn’t matter anymore. I’d die here soon enough.

I’d die alone in a world of darkness.

In a world of despair.

In a world of ash.

It would be a quiet death. I couldn’t struggle, couldn’t make a sound.

And the world was silent anyway. The Hero was going to die beneath a wall of ash but nobody made a sound.

The world didn’t shake in agony or wrath.

No god descended to save me.

I didn’t suddenly find some hidden talent or strength that would let me burst through the darkness.

I was Lily Grayscale. A lowly street urchin. A friendless orphan. A pitiable thief.

I was no Hero.

I was just…me.

In that quiet world of suffocating darkness and despair, I lay perplexed.

Was I happy that I was going to die? I’d never wanted to be a Hero. I’d never wanted to be in the spotlight.

I liked being in the shadows. To go by unnoticed.

So perhaps this was a fitting death.

I’d die all alone in the dark. A fitting end for a person like me.

My thoughts went silent, mimicking the silence of the world around me as I waited for my death.

But in that world of suffocating darkness, despair and silence, I heard something.

A whisper that I could barely make out.

“……rewrite”

The darkness, the despair, the silence, it all vanished like a bad dream.

I looked around to see two brown haired children lying against the wall, a red haired girl lying frozen on the ground and a black haired boy glaring at someone wearing purple robes and really tacky glasses.

“H-hey Kai.” I said, barely managing to squeeze out the words.

“Hmm?” he replied, fixing his glasses.

“Fuck you.”

–

“So he’s gone?” asked Runir.

“Yeah, looks like it. Disintegrated into a trillion pieces. All that ash you guys were covered with came from his body, after all.” replied Kai.

“Damn, that’s nasty.” Runir said, grimacing.

“Where did it all go though?” I asked.

“It’s a secret.” said Kai, smiling.

I frowned but decided to let it slide for now.

“Amy, are you planning on sleeping on the ground tonight?” I said, looking at the red haired girl who still lying frozen on the ground.

She didn’t respond.

I frowned and was just about to walk to her when I heard the cold sound of metal grating against steel.

I turned around and saw Runir raising his sword above the little girl lying against the wall.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I shouted.

“They’re monsters. My Ability is telling me to kill them.” he replied, swinging his sword.

“But they’re kids!” I exclaimed, rushing over to try to stop him.

A red blur passed by me.

I heard the sound of clashing swords as Amy appeared in front of Runir.

“What are you doing?” Runir asked frowning.

Amy grunted and pushed him back then brandished her sword.

“They are children.” Amy said, sternly.

“They’re monsters. Judging by what I’ve heard about the Ashfiend, they must have tortured, mutilated and murdered countless people. And they aren’t likely to change.” he replied, coldly.

I felt a chill down my spine.

“They must have done that because their dad. I’ve heard about this sorta thing before. Serial killers teaching their kids their methods and the kids growing up to carry on their parents’ work. We just have to teach them properly. We can save them. They don’t have to be like their dad or get punished because of what he did.” I said.

Runir stared at me.

“Maybe if we were on Earth, we could send them to a correctional facility or give them psychiatric help. But this world doesn’t have any of that. Besides, there’s a bigger problem.” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“Fate.” Amy answered.

I frowned.

“Fate? You don’t really believe in that kinda bullshit, do you?” I asked.

“No one can resist Fate. Not even the Goddesses.” she replied, her eyes downcast.

“So what? Just because they were born to a murderer, they’re supposed to be evil? What kind of fucked up logic is that?” I said.

“You still don’t get it Lily. They’re monsters. If we let them go, they’ll kill more people and unlike us, they won’t have a crazy cheater like Kai to rescue them from Pompeii!” said Runir.

“Well actually, the crazy cheater would like to say something.” Kai interjected, walking closer.

“Well it’s not like I can stop you…” Runir muttered.

“You keep calling them monsters but, technically, they’re human.” He continued.

Runir frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Their Statuses say they’re human.”

“You can see their race?”

I was startled too. I’d never seen anyone’s race in their status. In fact, I’d never seen my own race in my Status screen either.

“Oh, can’t you? I’m pretty sure Amy can see it too. Amy, these two are human children, aren’t they?” Kai said, gesturing to the unconscious kids.

“Yes.” she said, nodding.

“But they’re still murderers. You’ve seen their Titles and their Ability haven’t you?” Runir said.

I looked at them, noticing that they were sleeping peacefully while we decided whether they should ever be allowed to wake up at all.

And their Title was making it really hard to let them go. Especially because Altis’ Title had changed…

Title: 14th Generation Ashfiend. Compelled to attack outsiders that intrude upon their territory, the Ashfiend grows stronger by devouring the souls of its prey.

And their Ability gave me goosebumps.

Ability: Soul Devourer V.24. Suck the souls of one’s prey and consume them to strengthen one’s self. The taste of souls is addictive, compelling one to devour more. Gain in strength is proportional to the strength of the devoured soul.

I bit my lips.

“It’s still not their fault that they were born like this.” I said.

“Fault? I don’t blame them for their actions but the fact of the matter is, they are going to kill people and they are going to suck the souls right out of their victims. Unless of course, we kill them.” he said, glaring at me.

“So you don’t think they’re evil?” said Kai.

“No. They’re just unlucky.” said Runir, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I see. Hey Lily?” Kai said, turning towards me.

“Yeah?” I said, taken aback by his sudden shift in focus.

“You spent time with Altis, didn’t you? Didn’t she seem kind and caring? Didn’t she love her family dearly. In fact, at the time, she seemed like an ordinary little girl, didn’t she?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I said, recalling our trip across the city. “She was…is a good girl.”

“So after you got to know her, you ended up liking her. And even now that you know that she’s a murderer and that she eats souls, you’d still say that you liked her. So it doesn’t matter who or what she is. She’s still your friend and you don’t want to kill your friend just because of their Title or Ability.” he said, smiling.

Runir’s face twitched.

“Y-you…” he stammered before biting his lips and sheathing his sword.

“Fine. Let’s go.” he said, curtly, as he left the alley.

Amy glanced at the kids before walking over and dropping a pouch next to them. She then followed Runir out of the alley.

I walked up to them, intending to heal their injuries with Light magic but I realized that they were completely healed.

I thought for a moment then placed an old shield on the ground before walking away.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kai glance at the kids sleeping against the wall. I saw him turn around while saying something under his breath.

He walked ahead of me as I looked back at the kids one last time.

Altis was lying against the wall, a small smile on her lips and she was mumbling something I couldn’t hear. Her little brother’s head rested on her shoulder, his drool falling onto her robes.

I stared at the peaceful scene as I noticed something that hadn’t been there before and felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

They were covered by a small blanket of ash.

–

She rubbed her eyes as she woke up.

She looked around, confused. Where was she? What happened? She couldn’t remember.

She saw her little brother sleeping next to her, wearing the black robe that they only wore on special occasions.

The memories of last night came flooding into her mind.

Dad!

Her eyes opened wide as she frantically searched for her father.

She reached down to push herself up when she felt something gritty press against her palms.

She looked down and froze.

Her trembling hands grasped the ash on the ground.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she raised the ash to her face and sobbed.

She reached down to grab more ash but felt something else in the gritty blanket.

She pulled it out with trembling fingers and cleared the ash from its surface.

It was a letter.

A letter from her father.

She opened it hurriedly, hope shining in her chest.

Maybe her father was alive. Maybe he left this letter to tell them where to meet him!

She read the letter.

Dear Altis and Hart,

Daddy has to go somewhere now but he can’t take you with him.

I hope you’re not too mad but don’t worry, you’ll always have my love no matter how far apart we are!

But you see, I can’t help but think that I wasn’t a very good dad.

Always running away from work! Always nagging you to brush your teeth! Always beating up the boys that tried to talk to you!

I don’t regret that last one at all though…

So please forgive me for my mistakes!

Also, it seems that I’ll be gone for a very long time so I’ll probably miss your play Hart, even though you’d finally bagged the main role! I’ll miss your birthday too Altis, even though I’d even reserved a table at your favorite restaurant, but oh well.

Oh, I guess I won’t be able to see you grow up either, huh? And I was so looking forward to the time when Hart would call me “old man.”

Can’t come to your graduation ceremony either.

I’ll miss your marriage too.

Oh, and the grandchildren.

Damn, got a lot of regrets.

Well, that’s not important anymore.

Hey Altis, take care of Hart will you? You know he’s gonna cry when his loose tooth comes out.

And Hart, listen to your big sister okay? She’s in charge.

I know I’m leaving a lot of work to you guys but I’m sure you’ll manage to keep the Inn running.

You’re Beterns after all!

Oh, and about the…other thing.

Just remember what I taught you. Make sure to hide your face and stay safe.

Safety comes first, always remember that.

Although I have a feeling that won’t be a problem anymore. At least that’s what he said…

Oh look at me, worrying about you guys for no reason.

You’re all grown up after all! I’m sure you’ll be alright.

Ah, Altis I still remember when you used to cry after wetting the bed.

Hart still does that sometimes though…

Woops! Ended up embarrassing you in my farewell letter! Parents are just hopeless aren’t they?

Well, guess my time’s up.

Take care of each other and try to have a fun life. I won’t forgive you if you don’t chase your dreams!

Life’s too short to worry about stupid stuff like appearances or other people’s impressions of you.

If you wanna dance in the Inn, just do it!

Actually, don’t. It’s dangerous. Daddy kept stubbing his toe you know?

And don’t cry because you miss me, because I’ll always be with you!

Just remember all the fun we had and know that you were the best things that ever happened to my boring old life.

Goodbye kids, I’ll send your regards to mommy, okay?

Love you to pieces,

Dad.

P.s. Remember to eat your vegetables.

P.p.s. No boys until you’re 21, Altis.

P.p.p.s. Wear the rings. They’re cool.

Her heart sunk as she finished reading the letter.

He was gone.

The little girl buried her face in the letter and cried.

“Well he did say that the rings would help hide our identities.” I said, breaking Lily out of her trance.

Really, you’d think that we’d get used to it by now. I thought, as I began walking down the street.

“That fucking Kai! I almost had a heart attack. Would it kill him to explain this shit properly?” Lily said, frowning.
“Indeed. His explanations are truly lacking.” said Amy.

I nodded. Kai was keeping a lot of secrets. In fact, one of my two sub-goals was to ‘determine Kai’s identity,’ but so far the results had been startlingly low.

I essentially knew only what he’d told us outside Vandrake Mountain, which was strange because I’d been trying to probe him for details for an entire day and had nothing to show for it.

This was the first time that my Ability hadn’t given me results for a sub-goal. Whenever I pursued this sub goal, it would show me no hints or suggestions, almost as if it couldn’t see through Kai either.

“Hey, do we even know where this ‘Betern Inn’ is?” asked Lily.

“Hmm? Betern Inn?” I thought, recalling the Inn that Kai had told us to go to.

Isn’t that the Inn from the game? Why did he want to meet up there? Well I suppose it must be pretty famous around here. And it is in a great location too.

“It should be at the end of this street, just before the Duke’s Mansion.” I said. “We should go reserve our rooms first, in case they run out of space. We can go shopping later. Oh, and Lily.”

“Hmm?”

“We’ll be relying on you for the funds.” I smirked.

Lily grinned.

“Sure, I just struck it rich after all.” she said, bringing out a pouch and lightly tossing it in the air.

“What the-? That’s mine!” I said, grabbing it quickly.

“You might as well give it back. I can take it whenever I want you know?” she smiled, wickedly.

Damn it! This fucking-

“Let us proceed. I am looking forward to a bath.” Amy said, interrupting my thoughts and walking down the street.

Lily and I exchanged a glance and followed her.

Yeah, a bath would be nice.

–

“Dad, stop dancing! You’re bothering the customers!” shouted someone just as we opened the doors of the Betern Inn.

A small black haired girl was glaring at a tall, bespectacled man who was dancing between the tables of the Inn while delivering orders with one hand and drinking beer with the other.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! They like it. Don’t you fellas?” said the bespectacled man as he spun around and gestured to a rowdy table of drunk middle aged men.

“No! Get the hell outta here old man!” said one of the drunkards.

“O-old man? I’m only 47!” said the bespectacled man as he placed a steaming dish in front of an old lady.

“Dad, the fish is gonna burn!” came a voice from the kitchen.

“Oh right, coming!” said the bespectacled man as he rushed towards the kitchen.

The black haired girl sighed but she quickly perked up as she saw us.

“Welcome to the Betern Inn! I’m Altis Betern, how may I help you?” she asked with a smile.

“Ah, we’d like four rooms for the night.” I replied.

“Certainly, please come this way.” she said, walking behind the counter besides the door to the kitchen.

“One night is five Tels, so that would be 20 Tels. Would you like anything else? Meals are three Tels per person per meal and you can use the private baths for two Tels per half hour.” she said, bringing out a file.

“We’re going to try some of the restaurants we saw on the way over, so breakfast for four and four baths please.” said Lily.

“Very well, that will be 40 Tels please.” she said.

“Here you go.” Lily said, placing four 10 Tel coins on the counter.

“Thank you for your patronage!” Altis smiled.

“Oh, new customers! Haven’t seen you around, are you from out of town?” came a voice from behind us.

We turned around to see the bespectacled man standing with another dish in his hands.

“Yes, we came from Bedford.” I replied with a smile.

“Bedford eh? The Water Kingdom’s pretty far away, you guys must be pretty amazing if you managed to come all the way here.” he said, raising a hand in front of us. “Gerard Betern, owner, chef and waiter of the Betern Inn.”

I smiled, shaking his hand.

“I’m Deryl Lauritz, and these are my sisters Mia Lauritz and Aris Lauritz.” I gestured to Amy and Lily.

“Hi.” said Lily, shaking his hand.

“Pleased to meet you.” said Amy, giving him a slight nod.

“Well, since you’re new here and all, why not let me show you around?” he said, smiling innocently.

“No way! Get back to work, dad.” said Altis, sternly.

“Fine.” he pouted, placing the dish in front of a middle aged man before walking back into the kitchen.

“He’s always trying to get out of work. You’d think he’d stop doing that after mom died but…” Altis sighed and then smiled.

“But he’s got a point. Would you like me to guide you around town?” she asked, facing us.

“Is that okay? You look pretty busy here.” Lily said, glancing at the room full of guests.

“Of course it is, dad does most of the work anyways!” she grinned.

Aren’t you the one running away from work? I thought, sighing inwardly.

“Well if that’s the case, why not?” said Lily, gesturing for her to follow us as we left the Inn.

–

“That’s the Ashpoole Glass factory.” Altis said, pointing to a tall gray building to our right.

“And that’s the Genim Cafe, their cakes are famous all over the Southern Continent.” she continued, gesturing to our left.

“Over there is The Quarry, it’s the best restaurant in Ashpoole but it’s pretty expensive.” she said, as she pointed to a black stone building.

“Money isn’t a problem.” said Lily, grinning and walking towards the restaurant.

As we sat down inside and ordered our meals, we asked Altis about Ashpoole and learned several things about the city and the Fire Kingdom in general.

For one thing, the Duke of Ashpoole didn’t have any real authority since his only duty was to enforce the King’s laws. And since Ashpoole was a prosperous city, crime was low and the people were happy.

However, since it was surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, travelers rarely came to Ashpoole so it was somewhat isolated from the rest of the world.

I leaned back in my chair after finishing my meal, sipping a glass of wine while closing my eyes to savor the taste.

“…he hasn’t showed up for a while.”

“…yeah, hope he died.”

“…terrible monster.”

“…little girl ripped to pieces.”

“…man with no life in his eyes.”

“…old lady’s guts all over the place.”

“…good thing he’s gone. That Ashfiend.”

I frowned as I heard the conversation from the table behind me.

Ashfiend? Wasn’t that a mid-tier boss in the game? Why would…

I started.

“It’s getting late, we better leave.”

I got up from my seat and hurriedly left the restaurant.

“Hey wait!” Lily said, paying the bill before following me.

Amy and Altis followed soon after, both with confused faces.

If the Ashfiend is still alive, that means he’s had a thousand years to grow just like that dragon!

“Slow down Ru-Deryl! What the hell are you running for?” Lily complained as I rushed down the street.

Too many people here. It’ll take too long to get back. Damn it, so that’s why Kai told us to meet him at the Inn. It’s the only building the Ashfiend can’t enter in the game.

Wait…how did he know that?

Whatever, we have to get back there first.

But this crowd’s too thick, it’ll take too long to get through.

I frowned before rushing off into an alley. I heard the others following behind me.

“Damn it! Stop running!” Lily said.

“Where are we going, Mr.Lauritz?” said Altis, panting for breath.

Tsk, I forgot she came with us. She won’t be able to keep up.

I slowed down.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lily said, as the others caught up to me.

“No time to explain, we have to get back to the Inn. The As-”

“Ahhh!”

A scream rang through the air.

I turned around.

In front of us stood a short, black robed figure wearing a creepy black mask without eyes. The figure was surrounded by a whirlwind of ash and soot, swirling around it but never touching its body.

Altis lay on the ground at the figure’s feet, a black blade pointed at her neck.

“Wha-who are you?” Lily asked, reaching for her knife.

The figure pressed its blade against Altis’ neck, drawing a drop of blood.

Lily stopped.

“The Ashfiend, I presume.” I said, taking a deep breath and donning my poker face.

The figure looked up at me. It was even shorter than Altis, which made me frown inwardly.

The Ashfiend in the game was much taller. What is-

My thoughts were interrupted by a grunt as Amy leaped towards the Ashfiend.

No! If it’s as strong as the dragon, it’ll-

The Ashfiend didn’t react, or rather, it couldn’t react as Amy smashed it away with her sword and grabbed Altis.

She tossed Altis towards Lily and turned to face the Ashfiend who had crashed into the wall.

I frowned and stepped over to her, pulling out my own sword.

Does this mean that it didn’t become stronger after a thousand years? Besides, something doesn’t add up here. The Ashfiend in the game was only supposed to attack outsiders. Why did this one attack Altis?

Confused, I waited for the Ashfiend to rise before using Appraisal.

And froze.

Shit!

I turned around to see Lily lying in a pool of blood, a bloody figure standing next to her.

“You!” Amy said, her eyes wide in shock.

The bloody figure smiled, wiping her knife with her dress.

“God, I hate it when I have to do all the work.” said Altis, with a slightly irritated look on her face.

Altis Betern…Title: Cashier of Betern Inn…Hidden Title: Heir of the Ashfiend…level 280…Ability: Soul Devourer V.24

“Stop messing around and finish them, Hart.” she said, casting her cold blue eyes towards the other Ashfiend.

The other Ashfiend -Hart- got up and brushed the dust from his robes. His hood had fallen back, revealing black hair and cold blue eyes just like his sister’s.

He looked barely eight years old.

“I had this covered sis.” he said, ash swirling around his head as he frowned.

Hart Betern…Title: Dishwasher of Betern Inn…Hidden Title: Second heir of the Ashfiend…level 119…Ability: Soul Devourer V.25

“What is the meaning of this?” Amy growled.

“Hart, you take care of the other one. The red head’s mine.” she said, ignoring her.

Amy frowned and readied her sword but stopped as Altis pointed her knife at Lily’s throat.

“She’s still alive…barely. But we wouldn’t want to change that now would we?” she said, smiling.

Amy bit her lips.

“Fine.” she said, dropping her sword and kicking it to the side.

Idiot! Don’t do that, she’ll-

“What are you looking at?”

I lifted my sword just in time to parry the ashen blade that appeared behind me.

“You don’t have the time to worry about her. You’re mine.” said the tiny Ashfiend, with a crazed smile on his lips.

“Hmph, don’t get cocky kid. This is the big leagues.” I smirked, as I pushed him back.

Hart frowned but then started smiling again.

“They usually start begging for their lives at this point. Especially after they realize that they can’t see our Status.” he said, calmly.

It was my turn to frown.

“What do you mean? We can see your Statuses just fine.” I said.

“Stop bluffing. That’s not possible, your levels are too low.” he said, furrowing his brows.

Our levels are too low? Are you kidding me kid!

I chuckled.

“Kai, you really are a piece of shit aren’t you.” I mumbled.

“What did you say?” He said. “Whatever, I better finish you off quick. Dad will be mad if I stay out for too long.”

He brandished his blade and rushed at me but I didn’t move. Instead, I activated the spell I had been preparing.

“Blizzard!” I shouted.

Strong winds blew around me, blowing shards of ice and clumps of snow all over the alley.

Hart grimaced as the ash swirling around him started getting blown away by the snow and wind.

I saw his eyes widen as I appeared in front of him with Void Step. I raised my sword and aimed for his neck.

“Stop or I’ll kill her!” said a cold voice from behind me.

I stopped, the tip of my sword inches from his throat. I turned around, my expression calm.

“Like I said, kid. Don’t get cocky.” I smirked as I saw something move behind Altis.

“This is the big leagues.”

Altis’ eyes widened in surprise as she was smashed from behind and flew all the way across the alley towards me.

I raised my sword, waiting for her to get impaled on it.

“I was right wasn’t I, you guys are amazing.”

Another figure jumped in front of me and grabbed the little Ashfiend out of the air.

I didn’t react at all since I’d suspected that he’d be here too.

“Hello Mr.Betern. Weren’t you busy at the Inn?” I asked, nonchalantly.

The black haired, bespectacled man smiled.

“Oh, I closed up early. My children hadn’t come home yet so I was worried sick.” he said, smiling.

“Children can be such a bother, can’t they?” I said, nodding with a faint smile as I Appraised the man in front of me.

Gerard Betern…Title: Owner of Betern Inn…Hidden Title: 13th Generation Ashfiend…level 480…Ability: Soul Devourer V.23

13th Generation? I see. The Ashfiend is an inherited title. Well, at least he hasn’t been gaining power for a thousand years.

I inwardly let out a relieved sigh.

“So, Mr.Betern. Now that you’ve found your children, how about that bath we paid for?”

“Sure! You’ll love my ash-bath. All my customers say it’s to die for!”

A swirling mass of ash collided with my blizzard, spraying gray clumps of ash and snow everywhere.

“That was terrible.”

“I know…Sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

He smiled.

“As much as I enjoy butting heads with you, figuratively speaking, I must unfortunately finish you off now. It’s a school night after all.” He said, holding Altis in his hands as a whirlwind of sharp ash particles spread out around him.

“Hey! I’m not done with you yet, bitch.”

An explosion resounded through the air as a bright, white light crashed into the Ashfiend from behind.

Caught off guard, Gerard coughed out blood as he directed the whirlwind of ash behind him, barely managing to deflect the worst of the attack into the air.

“Dad!” shouted the little kid behind me as he rushed forward.

I quickly punched him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

“Hart!” shouted the blue eyed girl as she fell from her father’s hands and rushed towards her brother.

A red blur appeared in front of her, knocking her into the ground where she lay still.

“Altis! Hart! How dare you! You fiends!” shouted the bespectacled man as a wave of black ash burst out from him, cascading over itself and slamming into the walls.

Bricks and stones were chipped away and the already dark and dirty alley became an even darker shade of black.

“Fiends? Now that’s ironic.” I said, rushing at him with my sword.

Amy slashed at him from the other side as Lily readied another Laser spell.

The Ashfiend raised his head to the sky and roared just as the cloud of ash surrounding him was cut apart.

Blood flew in the air, mixing with the dark ash before falling on the ground.

Gerard Betern smiled, blood dripping from the corners of his lips.

“You’re not from Bedford, are you?” he said.

“No.” I replied, my sword buried in his shoulder.

He closed his eyes.

“Will you…kill them too?”

I looked at the kids lying on the ground, a layer of ash covering their unconscious body like a blanket.

I stared into the bespectacled man’s eyes.

“You really love your family, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.” He said smiling.

Then he raised his head and looked up at the night sky.

“You know, you can’t see the stars after a volcano erupts.”

“I know. Too much ash and sulfur in the air.”

“Well…it’s a good thing I got to see it one last time then.” He said, closing his eyes.

What? Shit don’t tell me!

Red veins started bulging on his skin as his body started glowing with a dark light.

“Run!” I shouted, letting go of my sword and stepping into my shadow.

But it was too late.

I felt a massive force push my body as a searing pain ripped through my skull.

Then everything went black.

No, I didn’t fall unconscious.

Everything, literally went black.

Ever since I tested my Ability on the Hill, I’d known that my life would be boring.
Because while sitting on that Hill, I explored the limits of my Ability.Only to find that there were none.It was an interesting dilemma, really. Someone who had been so utterly powerless in the real world was now so ridiculously powerful that he was lamenting his power.

But even though I had grown so powerful that nothing fazed me anymore, there were still two things that gave me a headache.

As I watched the guard shove the wanted poster in Lily’s face and saw Lily bite her lips, I didn’t react at all because I knew nothing would happen.

Just as I expected, the guard went back to her post without sparing a glance for the stunned girl that matched the portrait on the poster, as if she didn’t recognize her at all.

Because she didn’t.

“You guys go ahead to Betern Inn, I have some business to take care of.” I said, walking away while ignoring the still frozen Lily as well as my other friends who were staring at my back.

Friends…could I call them that? They hadn’t known me for long, even though I’d watched them for a long time from the Hill.

And why were they so stunned? Didn’t I tell them that the rings would help disguise them?

Well, I knew the answers to both questions but that just made me even more depressed. Not enough to give me a headache and definitely not enough to make me feel as depressed as I had on the Hill but they were answers that made me feel a little melancholic.

But I was sure that I’d forget all about it in a while.

After all, I had to deal with the first thing that gave me a headache despite everything that I had learned and felt on the Hill.

I lifted up a hand and knocked on the door in front of me.

“Who is it?” came a voice from inside.

“Mrs.Baner, I’ve come to talk to you about your husband.” I replied.

The door opened and a middle aged, brown haired woman appeared from behind it. She was carrying a little pink bundle in her arms, inside which was a baby, barely able to open its eyes. The woman’s blue eyes shone but she couldn’t mask the anxiety that made her lips tremble ever so slightly.

“O-odog? You know where he is! Please, please tell me. I’ve been worried sick. Ever since he went dungeon diving with his adventuring buddies even though I told him not to…it’s been months. Please, tell me he’s alright! Please…” she said frantically.

I took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry Mrs.Baner. Your husband is dead.” I said, solemnly.

Her face froze. Her eyes dulled. Her lips trembled.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned away and sat down on the sofa inside.

I let her cry for a while, unwilling to interrupt her sorrow. After a good fifteen minutes, I walked into the room and offered her a glass of water which she grasped with trembling hands. She’d already put the baby inside a cot in the corner of the room.

“Your husband was a good man. He risked his life to give his family a better life.” I consoled.

She nodded absentmindedly and took big gulps of water.

“H-how did he…” she whispered.

“A monster. An accursed, ruthless, heartless monster. It got him right when he’d won the prize.” I said, bringing a pouch out of my robes.

“He wanted you to have this.” I said, putting the pouch on the table.

She stared at the pouch and reached for it. Her tears spilled down even faster as she saw the fortune inside.

“O-odog…why…who cares about money…you idiot…always were a musclebrain…I don’t care about money…I just want…our family to be-” she mumbled, turning her face away to cry on the sofa’s armrest.

I felt a pain in my chest.

I ruined this family.

I was the monster. An accursed, ruthless, heartless monster.

But then…he wasn’t exactly a good man either.

Or was he? Even though I felt so sure about so many things after what I’d learned and experienced on the Hill, I still couldn’t answer this particular question.

But I’d settled on a good enough answer. In fact, it was the answer to the biggest question I’d asked myself on the Hill.

“Mrs.Baner, it may not be my place to say this but Odog was a good husband and a good father. He wasn’t perfect but when I first met him, I knew that he loved his family and would go to the ends of Erath for them if he had to.” I said, standing in front of her and bowing.

“I apologize for not being able to save him. I could have- should have tried harder. Please, should you require any assistance, do not hesitate to contact me.” I handed her a communications prism and walked to the door.

“Wait…”

I hesitated, then turned around.

“Thank you…”

I bit my lips and walked out just as the baby started wailing.

“Don’t mention it.”

–

I took a deep breath as I walked down the main street.

Meeting Mrs.Baner was a moment I had dreaded ever since I’d killed Odog but I’d managed to prepare myself for it somewhat.

After all, I’d learned a lot of things on the Hill and this wasn’t even enough to give me a headache.

But even as I went into a dark alley in the impoverished Eastern side of the city, the place where I’d have to deal with my first headache, my thoughts went back to Mrs.Baner and her painful tears.

I couldn’t help but ask myself.

I feel guilty for the pain his family is going through, but should I?

He’d probably been a bandit for a really long time. Wasn’t his family’s happiness built on the pain and suffering of others? If so, wasn’t the pain they were feeling justified?

Didn’t they deserve to be punished for living a life, albeit unknowingly, supported by the heinous actions of a murderous thug?

But was he a heinous thug?

Was he wrong to choose the life of a bandit and ruin other families just so his own could prosper?

And even if he was a murderer, did I have the right to kill him just like that?

Was he evil? Am I wrong?

Does it even matter?

I knew the answer. I’d learned it on the Hill.

But that wasn’t what gave me a headache.

A hooded figure glanced furtively in both directions before knocking on the wall. He looked around again, trying to make sure no one was watching but he looked right through me.

“Password.” came a husky voice from inside.

“Pi.” said the hooded figure.

The wall shimmered before revealing a dark passageway. The hooded figure walked in and the passageway disappeared, leaving behind an ordinary brick wall.

I walked up to the ‘wall.’

 <re:write.self.intangible>

I walked right through it.

The guard inside didn’t notice me at all because I’d hidden myself with one of my favorites; Invisible.

The passage was long and mostly dark, illuminated only by glowing rings attached to the walls every few feet.

I heard voices coming from the end of the passage and took a deep breath.

“…we……….glory…..praise………our sector….oh……..never forget……..for the…….rad….”

Strange whispers echoed along the passageway, making it seem even more eerie and haunting.

“…radiant…our supreme lord……savior…foolish heathens…..false gods……”

I sighed and walked through the door at the end of the passage, ignoring the dark robed guard standing outside.

“Brothers and sisters! I thank you once more for joining us today at this most sacred ritual. Know that you are the true believers and the heathens outside shall be punished by our Lord for their insolence. And if they be ignorant of the truth, remember that it is our duty to bring them to the right path! The straight path! The righteous path!
It is our duty to bring them into the Circle!” said an old man wearing jet black robes with a large circle drawn on its back.

“To the Circle!” cheered the crowd of black robed figures standing around him.

Nearly thirty grown men and women, holding hands to form a circle around a crazy old man in a dingy old wine cellar.

I might have laughed if I hadn’t known who they were.

Circle. A radical religion infamous for its alleged role in numerous assassinations, murders, robberies and political uprisings all over Erath.

They were rumored to worship a god instead of a goddess and to perform arcane rituals that would strike terror into the hearts of innocents.

The old man continued his speech as the hooded figures walked around him in a circle. They maintained the same distance from each other so the circle always remained the same size and slowly quickened their pace.

“Our sector is not the largest, my dear brothers and sisters, but we will grow and expand! We shall bring them all into the circle!”

“Into the circle! Into the circle!”

Their pace quickened even further.

“Those fake Goddesses dare to transgress upon the majesty of our Lord! Yet, they are nothing! Nothing in front of our Lord. Even they cannot resist. Even they lie inside the circle!”

“Into the circle! Into the circle!”

They were running now, panting even as they cheered.

One of them lost their hood while running, revealing short brown hair and a young teenage face.

I sighed as I felt a headache coming on. A simple Observe revealed the boy’s identity.

Joey Baner…Title: Son of Odog…Hidden Title: 253rd degree radical of the Circle…Ability: Conversationalism.

When I’d first seen him from the Hill, I’d felt a little uneasy when I realized that he was part of some weird cult but I hadn’t been too worried.

But when I found out that he was a part of the Circle, I’d felt my head starting to ache.

“Our Lord is All Powerful! He is All Knowing! He is everywhere! He governs this universe and everything in it!…”

You see, Circle didn’t just worship some random god….

“For our Lord taught us our place in the world! Gave us guidance and a purpose! Gave us his blessings!…”

They worshiped…

“For our Lord is the Creator! He made our world! He made the Goddesses and bound us all with Fate! He is…”

…me

I couldn’t endure any longer so I rushed forward and caught Joey’s hand. Before he could even express his surprise, I teleported us to the center of the Ashpoole bridge.

I let go of his hand and let him fall to the ground.

“What the-” he grunted.

Now how do I deal with this? He’s a die hard fanatic. I don’t think he’ll listen to reason.

“Why have you not gone home for a month, Joey Baner?” I said in a deep voice.

“W-who? Who is it?” he said, crawling back to the edge of the bridge while looking around for the source of the voice.

“Answer me Joey.” I said, letting a little anger leak into my voice.

“I-it’s none of your business!” he stammered.

“It is. Your mother has been worried about you all this time, even while she worried for an absent husband and a sickly baby.”

“You…how do you know so much about our family? Look man, just let me go okay. If you know what my family’s going through, you should know that I don’t have any money.” He cautiously stood up.

The hitherto calm lake rumbled and water sprayed in the air as waves crashed against the bridge, rocking it back and forth.

Joey fell back on the edge of the bridge.

“While you were running circles around some crazy old man, your mother was shouldering the burden of taking care of your little sister on her own! She could barely pay the rent because her husband vanished! And now she’s facing eviction and a broken heart!” I said, loudly.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Your father is dead, Joey!”

He blinked.

“What?” he whispered.

“He died in a faraway land. Your mother just received the news. Go to her. Now.”

“You-you’re lying! Dad can’t be-he can’t be dead!” he shouted. “Who are you anyway? Why did you bring me here? Why are you trying to mess with my head?”

I walked closer to him and brought something out of my robe and put it on my face.

“You will know who I am when you see me. And you will also know that I speak the truth.” I said, in the same altered voice.

“Oh yeah? But I can’t see you now can I?”

“Look behind you.”

He swung his head around.

“There’s nobody here…”

He froze as his gaze wandered to the calm lake waters.

It was night now, so a reflection of the moon shone on the lake. Next to it was his own reflection. But there was something else too.

A masked figure in dark purple robes. It had long purple hair, which was fluttering in the wind. The figure’s piercing purple eyes stared unblinkingly at Joey. Its mask was white, with a purple circle on its forehead.

Joey turned around but he couldn’t see me. All he could see was my reflection.

“Go to her.” I said.

He gulped and stood up, trembling.

“The city gates are closed.” he said.

“I shall send you inside.” I replied, gently patting his head.

“…Thank you…but I never got your name…” he said.

“I am…Origin.”

His eyes widened just as I teleported him outside his house.

I’d ended up using the name that they’d given me; Origin. It was the only way he’d listen and the only way he’d go back to take care of his mother and baby sister.

I sighed, removing my mask with re:write.

It had been a tiring day but at least I’d taken care of one headache.

Guess I’ll go relax for the night-

Boom!

A loud explosion resounded through the air as a beam of light pierced the sky.

…or maybe not.

 

I pursed my lips and stared daggers at the back of his head. Then I glared at the other bastard walking in front of me.

And when we were far enough away from the mountain, I exploded.
“You!” I pointed towards Runir. “Why the hell did you take us to a fucking dragon’s nest? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

He looked back and smirked, making me grit my teeth.

“And you!” I pointed at Kai. “Why the fuck didn’t you do that sooner? I thought I was gonna die! Did you think this would make you look cool or something you little bastard? Well fuck you, all it did was make you look like an asshole!” I panted as I finished my rant.

He didn’t even stop walking.

It’s funny how stupid you can get when you’re angry. I mean, this guy had just told off a dragon and here I was insulting him.

Worse, I rushed forward to punch him.

But before I could reach him, he put a hand on the stone beside him and I flinched, thinking that he was reacting to my sudden charge.

He coughed out blood and fell to his knees.

None of us moved, too stunned by the sudden show of weakness to offer help.

This guy had scared off a dragon effortlessly…or had he?

As he continued to cough out blood and take in great, wheezing gulps of air, Amy finally snapped out of it and walked over to him which prompted Runir and I to follow.

But even as I comforted him and watched the others do the same and even as I saw him drink the water that Runir handed him, I kept feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

I couldn’t put my finger on it for some reason, perhaps because I didn’t know what it was.

I looked at the blood on the ground, which looked real enough. I stared at his face, which was covered in sweat. He was clutching his chest with his hand, tightening and loosening his grip in convulsions.

But something was nagging in the back of my head. I’d seen people in pain before. People who’d lost their limbs, been stabbed by a knife, raped, swindled, robbed, beaten up or people who’d contracted painful illnesses, I’d seen them all. But this felt different and made me feel uneasy.

In front of me was the perfect picture of a man in pain.

But that was the problem, it was perfect. Too perfect.

Or was I just over-thinking things?

“Are you alright Kai? What happened?” asked Amy in a concerned voice.

“…It’s okay. I guess using my Ability on a dragon was a bit much, huh.” he chuckled, before coughing out more blood.

Amy cast an accusatory glance at Runir, who frowned.

“I apologize. I should have realized that an Ability that powerful would have limits and repercussions. Sorry.” Runir said as his gaze fell to the ground.

“It’s okay, no harm done. I’ll be fine in a couple of hours.” said Kai, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

Kai sat down on the rock that he had been leaning on and took a few deep breaths before managing to calm down his breathing.

“I suppose it’d wise to answer some of your questions now. However, I believe it would only be fair for all of us to tell each other about our abilities. Just enough to avoid mishaps like today and to help us understand each other a little better.” Kai said.

I immediately nodded, since this arrangement would be most beneficial for me because I was the only one who couldn’t see anyone else’ status.

Runir agreed readily enough, because he’d already revealed his ability when he found the Lava Sphere.

Amy hesitated for a while but eventually agreed as well.

“Fine, then I guess I’ll begin. My Ability is called ‘Re:Write’ and it allows me to change certain aspects of the things that I target. For example, I rewrote that dragon’s willingness to attack us with the desire to go to sleep in the lava.and although I won’t tell you all of the conditions and restrictions attached to it, you should know that they do exist and that I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t try to test them.” Kai said.

I stared at him. He could rewrite a dragon’s emotions? If rewriting something like that only made him cough out a little blood, then wasn’t this Ability a bit too ridiculously powerful?

“Your turn.” Kai said, calmly ignoring the stares directed at him and gesturing towards Runir.

“Right. Like I said, my Ability is called ‘Perfect Strategy’. It lets me set a ‘goal’ and several ‘sub-goals’ that are supposed to contribute towards the ‘goal.’ Although it doesn’t make the strategy for me, it does assist me while I make my plans. If I set ‘finding a way back to Earth’ as a goal, it tells me to go ask the Goddesses for assistance but it won’t tell me what the Goddesses will say or even if they know a way home. All my ability does is drop hints and suggestions but they’re always useful and haven’t failed me yet.” Runir said.

“Your turn.” He gestured towards Amy.

Amy hesitated and glanced at Kai. She looked at him for a while before pursing her lips.

“Very well. The Ability that was bestowed upon me by Fate is named ‘Wrath of Ignis.’ I would rather not reveal all the details, however, suffice it to say that once used, my enemies will be no more.” she said, as her expression darkened.

I felt a shiver pass down my spine.

What kind of fucked up Ability is that?

They turned their gazes to me.

“My turn huh?” I said, taking a deep breath.

They already knew about my Ability and if their levels were high enough, they probably already knew what my Ability did, but they still wanted me to say it myself.

“Whatever. I’m the Hero so I have two Abilities; the Hero’s Ability-‘Sacri Lumine’-and my personal ability-‘Kleptomania.’ The first one makes me shine with a weird light and makes my attacks stronger and the other one helps me steal things.” I said.

The descriptions were a little short but fuck it, they could just check my Status anyway.

“Steal things? What kind of things?” Runir asked.

I frowned. Was he just being a dick or was his level not high enough to see it for himself? If he really couldn’t see the details, then he couldn’t be more than 300 levels above me.

That was a big difference, but considering the fact that I had grown to level 235 in a month, I was sure that I could catch up to him eventually and the thought made me feel a little relieved. At least I wouldn’t be the weakest one here for long.

“Like this.” I said, pulling out something from inside my robes.

Runir’s eyes widened.

“What the- How the fuck did you-When?” He stammered, pointing at the red orb in my hand.

“Just now.” I chuckled, tossing the Lava Sphere back at him.

He glared at me as he caught it and stashed it in his Inventory.

“Don’t do that again.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” I said, nonchalantly.

I ignored his glare and snuck a glance at Kai.

I hadn’t wanted to steal something from Runir at first, but when I’d tried to take something from Kai’s storage, I’d come up empty.

Had he used his Ability to block mine? Or was his Storage empty? Both were shocking things to consider.

Just how absurd was his ability if it could even block mine? After all, my ability could steal anything from anyone, even if it was in their Storage or Inventory and the description even said that protective charms and spells couldn’t block it. If he could negate it completely, wasn’t that just plain unfair?

Moreover, it meant that he may have known the details of my Ability, which meant that he could see my Status completely, which in turn meant that he was at least 300 levels above me!

But if I couldn’t steal anything from his Storage because it was empty, then that was even worse! He’d been providing all our food and camping equipment from the start. If none of that was in his Storage, did that mean that he was writing them into existence? How the fuck did that even work?

I couldn’t wrap my head around either possibility so I decided to think about it later. For now, I’d keep it to myself. Despite what he’d said about not testing the limits of his power, I was sure the others would try to do that anyway and knowing more would put me at an advantage just in case…

“Alright, I feel much better now. We better get going, Ashpoole is only a few miles away and if we hurry we might be able to reach it before nightfall.” Kai said, interrupting my thoughts as he stood up from the rock and stretched.

I exchanged a glance with Runir and saw that he was suspicious too. To shrug off something like that in less than an hour? That’s almost as if there were no limits at all!

I dusted off my robe and got up and noticed that even though Kai had coughed up blood and fallen to the ground, his purple robe was completely clean.

Frowning inwardly, I followed the others down the mountain.

–

“Come on, it’s faster this way!” said Kai, as he slid down the crumbling hillside.

Well, it wasn’t really a hill. It was more like a mound of ash.

“That’s dangerous! Not all of us have a freakish superpower like you!” Runir chastised.

He was right, it was dangerous. The mound of ash was enormous, almost as tall as some of the smaller mountains that we had hiked across along the way.

Or rather, it was dangerous for most people.

“Don’t be such a pussy. This is fucking amazing!” I said as I let myself slide down the gravelly ash.

The black ash crumbled beneath my feet and rapidly fell down the mound, taking me down at an incredible pace. I felt the wind whip past my face and cause my hair and my robes to flutter.

Ha ha ha! This feels great!

My heartbeat quickened, my eyes watered and my cheeks rippled but if I’d been able to open my mouth, I’d definitely be laughing like crazy.

This was the first time I’d felt an enjoyable thrill since I came to this world. The kind of thrill you get when you do something dangerous with the confidence that you’ll be alright.

No giant dragons or ugly ogres. No terrifyingly powerful people hiding their real objectives.

Just me, the wind and a whole lot of crumbling ash.

As I rapidly went down the mound, a beautiful scene began to emerge below me.

A crystal clear lake shimmering in the sunlight.

A large bridge made of pale, cream colored wood.

And a picturesque city standing in the center of the lake.

I could see the ash that had accumulated at the bottom of the lake but it looked different from the ash on the lake shore. Was it a little lighter maybe?

No, they were round and smooth like pearls which was weird because ash is supposed to be sharp and piercing.

Just like the ash I was effortlessly sliding down.

Truthfully, my shoes should have been shredded long ago and my feet should have been cut up into pieces by now but after leaving the mountain Kai had given us all a few presents.

A pair of shoes, a ring and a communications prism.

I’d accepted them a little hesitantly since I didn’t trust him completely yet but when I’d thought back to how ridiculous his Ability was, I begrudgingly took them.

I was glad I did. After all, the shoes made it easier to run in and even let me slide down the ash mound like this.

The prism was a common item on Erath but I didn’t buy one because I didn’t think I’d need to communicate with anyone after I left the castle. But when I received the tiny green prism, I cursed myself for not bothering to research its functions. Not only could you use it to send and receive messages or to communicate with people whose magic signatures you had saved but it also had a map that showed your current position!

As for the ring, he said that they’ll help hide our identities.

I thought that meant that it’d conjure up some disguises or something but when I put it on, nothing happened. But then Runir and Amy looked at me with wide eyes and then Amy looked at Runir and her eyes widened even further.

They told me later that they couldn’t see my Status at all anymore! Even my name was hidden from them and so we quickly realized that these rings were just like the one that Kai said he used to hide his own Status.

I dug in my new shoes into the ash to slow my descent as I neared the bottom of the mound. I was careful to avoid sending a spray of ash into the air because it could get into my lungs and cause some serious damage.

I jumped off the mound right before reaching the ground and landed smoothly on the ash covered lake shore, staring straight at the beautiful lake city of Ashpoole.

Kai had already reached the ground and was standing near the lake, admiring the scenery just like I was.

I heard crumbling sounds from up above, probably Amy and Runir coming down the mound.

Sure enough I heard a grunt and an annoying complaint and they soon joined us on the lake shore, staring at the city in the lake surrounded by ash.

Kai sighed and murmured.

“…it looks even better in person.”

“What is it Kai?” Amy inquired.

“Nothing.” He said, shaking his head. “Right, we better get moving. I can see the line outside the city from here.”

The rest of us nodded. We could see a bunch of people crowding outside the city’s gates all the way to the start of the bridge.

The bridge ran all the way across the lake, connecting the city to the opposite shore as well.

But even though the lake and the bridge looked so beautiful, there was something wrong.

There was a crowd of people outside the city but there was almost nobody on the bridge.

“Halt! Please pay the bridge toll before passing!” said the guard sitting in a booth front of the bridge. Above him was a sign stating the bridge toll: 1 Tel per person.

Kai walked over to the guard with a smile and reached for something inside his robes but I cut in front of him.

“I’ve got this, guys.” I said, putting a silvery 5 Tel coin in front of the stern faced guard. The guard took the coin and gave me a small copper colored 1 Tel coin which I quickly palmed.

I walked away humming a pleasant tune and the others looked at me dubiously before following.

“You took all of his money didn’t you.” Runir said, sighing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied, grinning.

Runir shook his head, Kai gave me a smile and Amy frowned but they didn’t say anything else as we crossed the bridge. The sound of water rippling in the wind mixed with my low hum as I looked at the ‘Money’ section of my Status screen, which had gone up quite a bit.

Just as I was feeling happy about my newly found riches, we reached the crowd of people wanting to enter Ashpoole.

Curious, I asked a middle aged lady why there were so many people outside the city but she didn’t know either. However, she did say that the line hadn’t moved for an hour and that it was unlikely that any of us could enter the city before nightfall.

Frowning, I looked over at Runir but it didn’t seem like he had a solution either and Amy was already planning to make camp outside the city.

But Kai smiled and walked straight through the crowd.

And I mean, straight through the crowd.

Whenever he approached someone, they seemed to shift just enough to get out of his way without even realizing the path they were clearing.

I hurriedly exchanged glances with the others and we followed Kai through the mass of irritated people who didn’t even notice us as we cut ahead.

Eventually, we reached the front of the crowd but by now, people had finally begun to notice how Kai had leisurely strolled to the front of the line. In fact, the tall, blonde haired guard that was carefully searching everyone by the gate was the first to notice him.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she stepped in front of Kai just as he reached the front of the line.

“Please present your identification documents and patiently wait to be searched. It is for the safety of the citizens, so please understand and obey.” said the guard.

Kai smiled and pulled out something from his robes which made the blonde haired guard’s eyes go wide.

“S-sir! It is an honor to be graced by your presence. Please forgive my earlier rudeness, please enter the city whenever you wish. I will immediately assign a guide to show you around.” she said, quickly kneeling.

The murmuring crowd suddenly fell quiet.

“That won’t be necessary, I’m just passing through.” Kai said, gesturing for the guard to stand up. “Oh right, these are my friends. I hope you can allow them passage as well.”

“Of course sir.”

“Thank you. Good day.” he said, walking into the city.

I smiled wryly while we followed him.

“Ah wait a moment sir!” said the guard.

I turned around to face her since I was closest to her.

She pulled something out of her Storage and raised it to my face.

“If you see this person, please inform us immediately!”

Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I saw the portrait in her hand.

Black hair, blue eyes and a familiar, young face.

Below the portrait, in bold black letters were written the words:

“Wanted Alive; Lily Grayscale. Reward: 100000 Tel.”

Fuck…

 

Should I do it? It would add a few options and, quite frankly, I could use some options right now.Lily is far smarter than I’d initially assumed and incredibly wary too. Amy guards her like a mother hen, I don’t think I could get through to her in time.

Should I postpone the first phase? Delaying the first phase till after we receive the Fire Goddess’ blessing shouldn’t be a problem, but what if the status quo doesn’t change? What if I can’t get closer to Lily in time? It would throw my entire strategy out the window.

I have no choice. I need options. I need more variables to play with, to manipulate things in my favor. And the biggest variable is…

I climbed up yet another mountain, ignoring the grunts and heavy breathing coming from behind me. I also ignored the accusatory gaze boring into the back of my head.

But what I couldn’t ignore was the bemused smile I saw in the corner of my eye.

I took a deep breath.

Time to take the plunge.

I turned around as soon as I reached the top of the mountain and cast my gaze down to the people below. But I was only really looking at one person.

“Strange isn’t it, how we haven’t been attacked by monsters on our entire journey? In fact, other than the time Lily ran off on her own, we haven’t faced any significant difficulties.” I said, as if I was only thinking out loud.

“Yep, quite strange indeed.” replied Kai, with a smile on his face.

“It’s weird sure, but I sure as hell ain’t complaining. The only things I am complaining about are your weird, unannounced detours and the fact that you still haven’t told us about that thing you dug up.” Lily replied, panting for breath while managing to chastise me at the same time.

My face twitched. Lily was as annoying as ever.

“Ah yes, the Lava Sphere.” I said, taking a pale red orb out of my Inventory. “It isn’t all that amazing though. You see, the Fire Goddess’ shrine is built on a pool of lava that’s hot enough to fry dragons. But as long as we have this, we should be able to walk right through it.”

Lily’s eyes widened and Amy furrowed her brows. Kai didn’t react at all.

I frowned inwardly at Kai’s lack of surprise. Did he already know? Had he Appraised the sphere back when he fixed up that hole without anyone noticing? I still couldn’t see through him and the thought made me uneasy but at the same time, it made me feel a little elated.

“As I was saying. It’s strange that we haven’t been attacked at all, even though we’ve been merrily skipping around one of the most dangerous places on Erath.” I continued, taking a deep breath once again.

“In fact, even though we’ve passed through the confirmed territories of thirty Maglons, ten Fire Drakes and three Flame Wyverns, as well as the well documented breeding grounds of the Orange-eyed Toads and the Forclaws, we still haven’t seen a single monster, let alone gotten attacked by one.”

“W-wait! You’ve been leading us around all day so we could walk into monster dens?” Lily said, incredulously.

I smiled.

“I apologize for the deceit but it was necessary to isolate the cause of this strange situation. After all, I didn’t know who or what was causing this.”

“You did not know. Are you implying that you do know now?” Amy said.

“Of course! Although I’m sure you’ve guessed it already, since it was awfully obvious. Lily was attacked by a Light Ogre and I’ve fought several monsters too, thus removing us from the list of suspects. As such, I could only hypothesize that this situation or lack of situations arose due to either Amy or Kai or from something that one of you possessed. It may also have been caused by both of you or by a combination of all of our abilities or something of that sort. However, after what happened in that disgusting old elf’s shack, I found it safe to assume that Kai was the one responsible for keeping the monsters off our back.”

I looked at Kai who was still smiling pleasantly, unperturbed by what I’d just revealed.

“So what? Even if I’ve been scaring away a few monsters, why should that be a problem? Don’t tell me you find Maglons and Orange-eyed Toads threatening enough to feel awed by my power” he said.

“No, I don’t find your ability to keep away Maglions concerning, but…” I opened my arms and gestured. “Congratulations! Our names will be written down in history books and taught to children in schools all over Erath because we are the first humans to reach the peak of Vandrake Mountain!”

As the words ‘Vandrake Mountain’ left my mouth, Lily’s eyes opened wide just as Amy froze. She then rushed past me and looked over the edge of the mountain, her face glowing with a red light as she stared into the pool of flowing lava on the other side of the mountain.

But Kai didn’t react at all.

“Are you sure? I learned about Vandrake Mountain in my History of Erath lessons and I guess this could be it but shouldn’t there be a-” Lily asked.

“Dragon? Yes, Red Dragon Vandrake, a being said to be as ancient as Erath itself. It’s an incredibly powerful monster that roosts on the peak of Vandrake Mountain. It is rumored that Vandrake kills anyone that approaches the vicinity of the mountain, let alone climbs it. Yet here we are, standing on its peak.” I said, letting the implications of what I’d said wash over them.

It was one thing to keep away toads and snakes but a Dragon was a completely different matter altogether. Vandrake in particular was famous for his pride and power. He was also one of the many Secret Bosses that you could fight in the game after defeating the main storyline and was arguably one of the most difficult to defeat.

I turned towards Kai and met his gaze.

“And since you’ve admitted that you were the one keeping the monsters at bay, I believe it is safe to assume that you are responsible for this historic achievement. Would you like me to raise a flag in your honor? Or maybe rename this place Kai’s Mountain?” I smiled, but I didn’t feel happy or satisfied the way I usually did. The implications of being able to drive back Vandrake were unfathomable since he was a monster that had existed for nearly a thousand years and provoking the person who was responsible for keeping a monster like that at bay was a huge gamble.

If I assumed that Vandrake was at the same level that he had been at in the game, then Kai’s Ability wouldn’t be as surprising. But if he’d had a thousand years to get stronger and gain levels then he would be a nearly unparalleled existence on Erath.

With emphasis on the nearly.

Kai sighed and closed his eyes.

“What would you have done if you were wrong? We did just walk into a Dragon’s nest you know.”

“It was a difficult decision to make, since I wasn’t sure what the limits of your Ability would be. However, when a blazing torrent of flames didn’t come crashing down at us from the sky when we approached Vandrake Mountain, I was forced to accept the absurdity of your Ability.”

“I see. But there’s just one problem with your hypothesis.” He still didn’t open his eyes.

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“Well-”

Roar!

The earth around us trembled, stones flew off the ground and boulders began crumbling. A wall of flame shot up from the lava behind me just as I turned to look.

A giant, gaping mouth stretched out from below, uttering a cry so loud that the lava began rippling and surging around like waves in the sea. A long, scaled neck followed, winding up to the sky while lifting up a massive body glistening with drops of lava that oozed from within the gaps between is blood red scales. The monster’s wings stretched out from behind it, sending molten rocks hurtling through the air and ripping up winds that nearly made me fall off the mountain. I glimpsed its vicious, black talons just as it flapped its wings one more time to rise up into the air, casting a huge shadow on the ground as it flew up in front of the sun.

It roared once more and slammed into the ground behind us, blocking our escape. Its cold, yellow eyes stared at us unblinkingly, while its slit pupils narrowed even further. It went down on its forelegs and puffed out acrid smoke from its nostrils, sending a wave of heat surging over us.

My mind went blank as soon as I saw it but I snapped out of it as soon as the smoke reached my lungs and caused me to cough and gasp for breath. I immediately changed my Ability’s sub goal from ‘Find out Kai’s identity’ to ‘Survive’ and quickly began formulating a plan.

Which ultimately shattered to pieces as I used appraisal to check its Status and managed to see it. It was a monster after all, so it probably hadn’t learned the Obscure skill, but I wasn’t thankful for that at all. In fact, I wished I hadn’t checked its Status in the first place.

Red Dragon Vandrake…Title Ruler of Lava…Level…999…what sort of bullshit is this?

I heard Amy gasp in surprise and saw Lily trembling in the corner of my eye. But I couldn’t blame them, I nearly fell on my knees too.

The dragon stared at us, its lips curling upwards in a snarl that revealed sharp white teeth the size of my arm.

“Humans…you dare sully my abode with your presence? Leave now before I burn your puny bodies and scatter your ashes to the winds.” said the Dragon in a raspy voice that seemed to come from its mouth despite the fact that its lips had never moved.

I felt hope rise within me as I heard what it said but I furrowed my brows when I noticed that we couldn’t leave because it was blocking our escape. My ability was going full throttle as I fell to my knees.

“Mighty Vandrake! Lord of the skies, King of the molten wastes, emperor of fire and wrath. Forgive us for our transgression upon your holy land! We humbly beg for your forgiveness and dare not stay to offend you with our pitiful forms. However…” I quickly said, while bowing my head slightly. “Your awe-inspiring figure is majestic and grand and we do not have the audacity to sully it by nearing you whilst excusing ourselves from your presence. Hence, we must humbly request your blessing for safe passage down your magnificent home.”

The dragon snorted.

“Human…I apologize but it seems I cannot bring myself to let you leave. Pity, it has been so long since I’ve met an intelligent being, I would have appreciated some company. Die in the comfort that your words were appreciated by me, even if I must regrettably incinerate you now.” Vandrake said.

My power instantly changed gears, showing me how my current plan was doomed to fail.

Of course, the blazing torrent of flames that came crashing towards us made that pretty fucking obvious too.

I stepped into my shadow, not caring about being seen because everyone was staring at the inferno rushing towards us.

I reappeared a few feet away and saw Amy standing in front of Lily while holding back the flames with her sword.

Her feet had carved through the sizzling rock beneath her feet as the force of the Dragon’s Breath pushed her back. She grunted as her red hair began swirling around her, nearly as bright as the flames licking the edges of her sword.

I hesitated for a moment, considering the possibility of escaping while it was distracted by the others but I shunned that thought immediately.

They were important pieces for my strategy…or at least that’s what I told myself as I jumped behind Amy and grabbed Lily, pulling her to safety.

Amy noticed that Lily was out of harms way and swiftly jumped aside, letting the flames wash over the peak of the mountain.

The rocks on the peak began melting and soon oozed down the mountain. The dragon noticed that we had avoided its attack and closed its mouth but Amy used that opportunity to jump towards it while Lily and I readied a Water spell.

The flames died out as the dragon’s jaws closed. Amy swung her sword with an angry grunt, slashing viciously at the monster’s eyes.

“Aqua Burst!” shouted Lily and I, as we released a jet of high pressure water towards the dragon’s glowing chest, hoping to cool its flames before they were even formed.

The water evaporated into steam moments upon contact and the dragon didn’t even flinch.

But that may have been because it was so focused on Amy’s attack.

Her sword had met a red glow that seemed to emanate from the dragon’s eyes. She struggled for a little while before her sword managed to slowly push the red glow back, getting closer to its eye.

Amy let go of her sword and disappeared. Before I could begin to process her actions, she reappeared and grabbed the flashing blur that had come startlingly close to striking us.

She grunted in pain as the dragon’s tail crashed into her body but she managed to hold on to it. She flung the tail to the side and grabbed her sword as it fell from above. Gripping the sword tightly, she leaped towards the dragon and dove headfirst into the torrent of flames that the dragon had just breathed out. But even as she was engulfed by the flames, a translucent red armor emerged on her body.

The flames were cut in half, exposing a blazing red figure that seemed hotter than the flames around it.

Unfortunately, her blade was once again met by a red force-field although cracks had emerged on this one, indicating that it would shatter with another strike.

But the dragon roared once again and flapped its wings, pushing Amy away just as I lost my footing and had to be supported by Lily, who had wisely held onto a boulder.

“You vile, pathetic humans! How could puny mortals like you possibly…” Its eyes narrowed. “I see, you must be the Hero…no, I do not sense that from your aura.”

It continued to stare at Amy.

“You…seem familiar somehow? Could it be…” It began mumbling something that I couldn’t catch.

Amy’s eyes narrowed. A bright red glow started accumulating around her sword as she readied her stance.

The dragon snorted and sparks and embers fell out of its mouth.

I glanced at Lily, wondering if I had the time to grab her and flee with Void step. She was important for my plans but…was she more important than my life? Staying in the middle of a battle as crazy as this one was suicidal and my Ability was telling me to leave if I wanted to ‘Survive.’

But I couldn’t.

I grit my teeth and jumped towards Lily, who was preparing another Aqua Burst with a determined look on her face.

I heard the sizzling sound of flames being released and the bang of a powerful explosion. I saw Lily’s eyes widen just as they were dyed red by the reflection of what she must have been looking at.

Then I heard a whisper so soft that it was carried off by the scorching winds before I could understand it.

Although what happened next was even harder to understand.

“That’s enough for now, I believe.”

The heat vanished. The angry red glow of flames died out around me. All sounds stopped.

Lily’s face was frozen in shock and disbelief. The sweat on her forehead trickled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin but she didn’t react at all.

My skill shut down, something that only happened when I fulfilled my goal or objective. Which in this case meant that I had survived.

I turned around, fairly certain of what had happened but wanting to check anyways.

Even though I wasn’t surprised to see a purple robed boy standing between a girl in illusory red armor and a dragon with a mouthful of blazing flames, it was still an amazing sight to behold.

I calmed my breathing and let go of Lily, who snapped out of her daze and stared at the scene in front of us with gritted teeth.

“Time to leave.” said Kai but he wasn’t directing the words at us.

Red Dragon Vandrake, a level 999 Dragon that could potentially rival the Goddesses, walked to the side of the mountain sending shockwaves through the ground with each step.

Then it jumped off the mountain and fell into the lava below, slowly submerging beneath the molten rocks until it couldn’t be seen anymore.

Kai sighed and walked down the mountain.

The rest of us followed.

< Back | TOC | Next >

“Actually, it may have been a good thing that you ran away so suddenly.” said Runir.“What do you mean?” Lily asked.

“Well, shortly after you decided to take a stroll in the forest, the Celeste came to Fohil no doubt searching for you.” he replied.

I frowned. Was this Solaron’s doing? She couldn’t locate the Hero or the Demon Lord, but sensing me, her sister, was still possible. Could she have been tracking our group through me? And if so, did that mean that I should leave or at least, confront her?

I glanced over at Kai whose lips had turned up a little, like he was holding back a smile.

“The Celeste? What’s that?” said Lily, her eyebrows furrowed.

“You don’t know about the Celeste? Don’t tell me you didn’t know that the assassin that tried to kill you was from the Pandomin?” Runir said, incredulously.

Lily frowned. “No, I didn’t. Now stop being such a bitch and talk.”

“The Celeste and the Pandomin are the elite military units of the Holy Union and the Dusk Alliance, respectively.” said Kai, joining the conversation. “Their abilities are unquestionable but that is to be expected, considering the incredible prerequisites for joining. A group of Celeste or Pandomins is said to be able to fight the Hero and the Demon Lord on equal grounds. In fact, there are rumors suggesting that they have fought Heroes and Demon Lords and occasionally won.”

No one spoke for a few moments, reflecting on the information. The fact that Kai of all people had said this only lent more weight to it.

The Celeste and the Pandomins. They should not be a problem for me and it looks like the Demon Lord can take care of himself. Kai…will be fine. But I’ll need to protect Lily, look out for her.

I glanced at Lily, who seemed to be lost in thought.

“And they’re both after me…” Lily said, breaking the silence.

Kai nodded, Runir smiled and I moved to her and embraced her.

She was shocked for a second but then she pushed me away.

“You have to stop doing that. It hurts!” she said, gasping for breath.

“It will be okay. You have me.” I said, ignoring her.

“I’m not scared of some assassins or whatever, but…” her words trailed.

“But we’ll need to change the plan somewhat. Staying in the Light Kingdom probably isn’t the smartest thing to do at the moment so we’ll take a detour.” Runir continued.

“Right, we can take a detour through the Fire Kingdom. We’ll head West, cross the Vandrake mountains and stop over at Ashpoole city. From there we can either cross the desert to Beigo or hike across the mountains towards the Shrine.” Kai said.

Runir raised an eyebrow, possibly impressed by Kai’s geographical knowledge.

“Sounds good to me.” he said.

“I don’t know about those places at all, so I’ll trust you on this” for now. The unsaid words implied by her tone.

“It is a good plan but the Vandrake Mountains are very dangerous. Flocks of flying monsters roam the skies and roost on the mountaintops. Drakes, Wyverns, Dragons, there are many fearsome creatures in those lands.” I said.

Kai chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” He said, not elaborating further.

After planning the route in more detail and discussing a few defensive formations, we packed up and walked off into the wilderness.

–

I stuck close to Lily but I could tell that she was wary of me. She still didn’t trust me.

Although it was understandable, given the circumstances, it still hurt a little. She was the first person I’d opened up to in centuries yet she flinched whenever I drew too close to her.

She will come around eventually. I thought, resigning myself to the current situation.

Instead, I cast my gaze in front of us, staring at the shadows that were beginning to emerge in the distance.

Those shadows belonged to the hills that led up to the Vandrake mountains and eventually, the Fire Goddess’ Shrine.

To my shrine.

I felt a slight pain in my chest. I hadn’t seen these mountains in a long time. A little over 900 years, in fact. I’d been avoiding these mountains ever since Yunni died. Avoiding these mountains and the bitter memories that came with them.

But that was all in the past. For now, I had to protect Lily.

However, there was nothing to protect her from.

This place should have been full of ferocious beasts and vicious monsters who attacked anyone they saw. They didn’t care if you were stronger then them, they would charge at you regardless. In fact, they even attacked me, a Goddess!

Yet we hadn’t met a single monster at all. The journey had been peaceful, almost boring.

Runir was leading us up a rocky path, casually jumping across crevasses and climbing up ledges. We followed wordlessly. After planning the route a few days ago, we hadn’t talked much, creating a long silence that no one wanted to break.

But I was confused. Even though this mountain had been out of the way, Runir had insisted on coming here and Kai had stared at him for a long time before agreeing. Lily didn’t care so I hadn’t rejected it either, but this would delay us by a day at least. And that would give Solaron more time to think of a plan.

She would want the Hero back, or at least under her surveillance, but she couldn’t send the Celeste into the Vandrake mountains even if she could track us through her connection to me.

Which meant that something would be waiting for us at Ashpoole or maybe outside the Shrine itself.

While I debated the possibility of an ambush and questioned the effectiveness of the longer route we had adopted, a small shape began to emerge on the mountain peak in front of us.

Kai and Runir also seemed to have noticed it and Lily followed my gaze and eventually saw it as well.

Thin clouds streamed across the shape, shrouding it in their mists. Runir laughed as he saw it, a little relief detectable in his laughter.

Kai sighed as he looked at the shrouded shape in the distance but he didn’t say anything.

I, on the other hand, was shocked. After centuries of roaming around the world, I was sure that I had seen nearly everything on Erath but I had never expected something like this to be hidden right next to my own Shrine.

I’d never heard of anything being built so high up in the mountains and even if something could be built here, it would never be able to survive the inevitable aggression of the flying monsters in the region.

And yet here it was.

“What is that?” I murmured, unconsciously breaking the silence that had been lingering for several days.

“I don’t know.” Runir said cheerfully.

I frowned. “But isn’t that the reason we came all the way out here? I do not know about you but I would rather not waste time pursuing unknown shapes in the Vandrake Mountains, of all places.”

Runir thought for a moment. “Very well, I suppose I’ll have to tell you if we’re going to be working together from now on. But first, Kai, do you know why we’re going to the Fire Goddess’ shrine.”

“I suppose you intend to receive the Fire Goddess’ blessing.” he said, smiling cryptically.

Runir’s face remained expressionless but he was clenching his fists.

“That is partially correct. Lily will be able to receive the Goddess’ blessing and become stronger, but our true objective is to search for a way back to our world.”

“Our world?” Kai said, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes. I was also summoned to this world, even though I am not the Hero.”

“I see. Well, I’m just tagging along for the story so please don’t mind me and answer Amy’s question.” he said, smiling.

Runir nodded and turned to me.

“Right, I suppose you already know but my Ability is called ‘Perfect Strategy.’ It allows me to make plans and strategies to reach any objective or goal that I formally choose to pursue and it gives me hints and suggestions regarding what I should do to achieve them.” He gestured towards the blurry shape on the mountaintop. “Ever since I set ‘reaching the Fire Goddess’ shrine as a sub-goal, I’ve been receiving strong hints to come up here for some reason and I’m sure that that is what I’ve been looking for.”

Well, that is what his ability is called but…

I frowned as I stared at his Status after using Appraisal, but I wasn’t looking at the Perfect Strategist Ability that seemed to be exactly as he had claimed. No, I was looking at his other ability.

Everyone born on Erath had only one ability. Even the Goddesses. But the Hero and the Demon Lord had two.

One was their innate Ability, which was bestowed upon them by Fate, just like everyone else’ Abilities. But they also had another ability, one that was unique to the Hero and the other possessed only by the Demon Lord.

And Runir was no exception and the thought made me uneasy since that Ability was ridiculously powerful.

I grit my teeth because I couldn’t tell Lily about this as it was still considered a part of their battle of wits.

“Do you know why you’re Ability was telling you to go there?” asked Lily.

“I have a hunch. You see, the Fire Goddess’ shrine is built on top of a large, active volcano and there is no way to reach it without someone at the top activating the Teleport Circle. The only problem is, the Goddess’ shrine has prerequisites for entry. First, only families are allowed. Second, that family must include a child under the legal age of adulthood in this world, which is 14 years old. As such, none of us would be able to enter the Shrine conventionally and we can only hope for a more unconventional entrance.”

“And this will help us find that unconventional entrance?” Lily asked, skeptically.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. All I know is that we need to find a way to reach the Fire Goddess’ shrine and this is our best bet.” Runir said, as he started hiking up the mountain again.

“I’m the Hero, can’t I just flash my Sacred Sword and ask her to let me in?” Lily said, running to catch up to him.

Runir shook his head. “Previous Heroes have tried that but the Fire Goddess is very strict with her requirements. She’s refused multiple Heroes in the past.”

Lily frowned. “That’s a stupid rule. What about people who don’t have a family? Or don’t have kids. Don’t they deserve to go to their Goddess’ shrine?”

“Well actually, the Fire Goddess’ Shrine is famous for being the easiest to get into. The requirements to enter the other Shrines are far higher. Some of them are just plain closed off.”

Well what you do if you kept being harassed by farmers with missing cows or lovers praying for a healthy marriage? A thousand years of this stuff is unbearable. I may have closed off my doors too if I had not left the Shrine.

We walked closer to the shape and we could finally make out its features.

First we saw a fence. A broken, rotting, wooden fence.

Then came the muddy field that was full of weeds.

And finally, the chilly mists gave way to a dilapidated old shack.

This is the reason we came all the way here? I frowned and looked over at Runir.

Runir stared at the shack for a moment before muttering something under his breath and walking towards it.

Kai hummed a tune as he followed him while Lily’s eyes kept darting in all directions as she presumably planned an escape route.

The door creaked as Runir opened it, also making splintering noises and sending a cloud of dust into the air.

The shack was dark, dusty and empty, which was quite anticlimactic.

“Something’s not right…” Runir said, walking inside the shack. “But they should be right around…here!” He stopped over a seemingly random floorboard.

He reached for the board and pulled it off, revealing damp, brown soil underneath. Not hesitating at all, he began to dig with his hands.

“Um, Runir. What are you doing?” asked Lily, giving him a weird look.

“Just a little further…there!” he said, his hands stopping.

He pulled out his muddy arm and gazed at his fist, his lips curled into a wide smile.

“Um, Runir. Why are you staring at a bunch of dirt?” Lily said, confused.

Runir looked at her with a deadpan expression. “This isn’t dirt. This is a-”

“Oi! Whacha doin ere? Get outta ma house!” An angry voice came from behind us.

We turned around and stared at the owner of the voice.

He was an old elf with wilting brown ears and a pudgy nose along with broken teeth. He was wearing dirty yellow clothes that I wasn’t quite sure had started out yellow and they gave off a foul odor that reached us all the way where we stood.

“Um, sorry. We didn’t know someone was living here.” Lily said, wrinkling her nose.

“Well now ya do. So scram!” the old elf grunted, spit flying out of his mouth.

“Er-actually, the real owner of this place sent us to get something that belonged to them. Just give us a minute and we’ll-” Runir said, walking out of the shack.

“Waddaya mean real owner? This is ma house! Been livin ere fer fifty years.” the old elf shouted angrily.

“But this house belonged to someone else before right? It’s obviously been around for more than fifty years.” Runir replied, calmly.

“Does that matter? No one was usin it so it’s mine! Now get out before I knock ya out.”

“Look just give us a minute and we’ll be gone. Besides, we still need to fix up-” he turned towards the inside of the shack, gesturing towards the hole in the floor.

But he froze. There was no hole.

I looked at the floor, stunned. The hole had been there moments ago and now it was like it had never been there at all. Then I noticed Runir’s hands and my mind went blank.

His hands were clean.

“Ah, kind sir. We were just about to leave. We apologize for disturbing you, thank you for your hospitality.” said Kai as he casually walked forward and smiled at the old elf before walking out of the shack.

His words jolted me from my shock.

Did he do this? I thought, staring at his back as he started walking down the hill.

Runir and Lily recovered soon after and we began following Kai. I was sure that we all had the same question, but none of us was willing to ask.

“Oi! Wait a minute!”

We turned around.

“It’s gettin late so ye can stick around fer the night. But don’t come ta me looking fer food! Hard enough ta feed myself these days.” said the old elf, turning his back on us and shutting the door to the shack.

We looked at Kai and he shrugged. We decided to stay the night on the mountaintop, mostly because Lily had wanted to see the sunset from up here.

We made camp and sat down to watch the rays of light dancing around the skies, bouncing off the thin clouds and mists and painting the already beautiful mountain scenery with brilliant hues of red and gold.

The grumpy old elf ended up joining us at night after he caught the scent of Kai’s cooking.

Kai took out some wine from his storage, at which point the elf’s eyes started glittering and we all started drinking while sitting outside the old shack.

We ended up chatting with the elf for hours. He told us some of the stories from his younger days and we told him some of ours. He waved us goodbye and went inside the shack while we settled down for the night.

I looked over at Lily, whose head had rolled out of the sleeping bag while she slept.

I felt a lot of things as I stared at her face. I wanted to protect her, to guard her, to keep her safe.

Because for better or for worse, I cared about her. She already seemed like family to me. A little sister, just like…Yunni.

I looked over at Runir, who was curled up into a ball due to the cold, mountain air.

My gaze drifted to Kai, who was lying on his back next to the campfire, just like he always did.

This time I felt confused because I’d felt something again. Despite knowing that Runir was the Demon Lord and that Kai was ominously mysterious, I’d felt the urge to protect them too.

Did I think of them as family? Were they like little brothers to me, the way Jeffi had been? Did I…care?

I didn’t know the answers to any of these questions so I closed my eyes and lay down the way Kai always did.

It was surprisingly helpful.

Yes, I believe I do.