《The Soul Keeper》


 Chapter 1: The Transfer Student

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 2: An Unexpected Call

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 3: A Surprising Offer

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    "Alrighty! Make yourselves at home!"


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 4: An Unavoidable Offer

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


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


    "I said-"


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 5: ’PORTAL’

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    "How do I remove it?"


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


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


    I hesitated. "Weird," I mumbled.


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


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


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


    "Slightly ufortable." Imented.


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 6: Game – START

    <h4>Chapter 6: Game ¨C START</h4>


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    She grinned. "Let that be my secret."


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


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


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


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


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


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


    "Samantha!" Alina loudly shouted.

 Chapter 7: Class Options

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    We all approached to see better.


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


    We watched as he scrolled through the avable sses.


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


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


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


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


    "Cheater!" He lightly punched Erik.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    ''CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE''


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


    ''Soul Keeper''

 Chapter 8: Difficult Choices

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    The first thing I saw was a status panel.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 9: Combat

    <h4>Chapter 9: Combat</h4>


    I opened my inventory to see a couple new items.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    ''No extra effects.''


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


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

 Chapter 10: A Chill Down my Spine

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    "Erik, what''s wrong?"


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

 Chapter 11: Dusk

    <h4>Chapter 11: Dusk</h4>


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 12: Bright Stars

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 13: A Dangerous Secret

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    ''New Quests Avable: 3''


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    She nodded too.


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

 Chapter 14: A Simple Ordeal

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 15: A Drop of Crimson

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 16: Sweet Dreams, Little Hatchling

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


    "He''s smart."


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    An interface popped up.


    ''Received Rewards forpleted Quests:


    - 425 Exp


    - Camping Supplies Chest


    - 3 Stat points''


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


    ''2 Quests avable''


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    "No!" I shouted.

 Chapter 17: Following Their Tracks

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 18: Paying the Price

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 19: Clear Skies

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 20: A New Weapon

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 21: Newfound Power

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 22: Moonlit Dreams

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 23: The Path Ahead

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


    ''Please choose a development path.''


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 24: Trails of Smoke

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 25: A Proper Meal

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

 Chapter 26: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 26: Reunion</h4>


    I was sitting right outside the vige, with my back leaning on arge oak tree. Or, well, it looked like an oak tree. It was probably something entirely different.


    I shuffled around. Wearing new, clean, and professionally made clothes felt weird. Nice, but weird.


    After Luhen refused to buy the scythe, he had offered me some new clothes and weapons. While I was upset about his insistent silence about the cursed scythe, I was grateful for the opportunity to buy new clothes.


    The clothes I was now wearing were dark green and grey. I had chosen not to wear armour as to not slow myself down. Instead, Luhen had offered to give me clothes enchanted with a few simple spells. Mainly a protective spell and a self repairing spell. Both enchantments drained my mana to work.


    I nced at the few coins I had left, then at my new sword. It was made of a very light metal. I didn''t feel quitefortable with it yet. I still had my crystal sword, but I didn''t feel like it was a good idea to show it around. After all, it was made of the crystals the Ereth valued so much. I had no idea how they''d react if they saw it.


    Low voicesing from the forest grabbed my attention. My ears perked up as I sprung to my feet.


    "Let''s go to the diner!" Someone shouted. I recognised the voice.


    "We can''t. They forbade Alina from entering, remember?" It was Vincent''s voice. Leaves rustled and someone grumbled, then Alina shouted, as usual.


    "It was not my fault, ok?" Her high-pitched voice rang in my ears.


    "Yeah, yeah." Vincent said as they came out of the woods. "We all know-" He froze in ce.


    "What''s wrong?" Erik asked also stepping out from behind the treeline. He almost tripped on his own feet as he saw me.


    I smiled; it was so good to see them again.


    "No way!" Vincent suddenly shouted as a huge grin appeared on his face. Samantha ran towards me along with Erik and Joshua. Joshua was the first to reach me. "Man, you''re alive Kai!" He shouted as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.


    "You idiot!" Samantha''s quiet, yet audible whisper pierced my heart. "I thought you were dead." She said with reddened eyes. Guilt struck me; I had promised her I''de back. I had almost broken that promise.


    "Sorry," I said with a bitter smile. "I couldn''t make it back before dusk."


    Erik squeezed my shoulder and smiled. I flinched; his sheer strength was incredible. "I''m d you''re still with us Kai."


    I shook my head. "It''s not-" For some reason, the words got stuck in my throat. I couldn''t say them. "I''m d to be back." I said instead, with hesitation still lingering in my heart. I felt a little guilty for feeling as I did but... Was I really wrong to think so?


    "How did you survive?" Alina asked. She stood behind Erik and seemed to avoiding too close to me. I shook my head. "It''s a long story. One I''d rather tell over lunch."


    "Oh yeah!" Joshua chimed in. "Let''s go to the tavern. They serve some pretty good stuff there and it''s cheap too!" Everyone nodded and I soon found myself being dragged to a tavern.


    I couldn''t help but smile as they talked andughed on the way. They were excited and happy. But in the back of my mind, I still wanted something more. The resentment was still there.


    Once we were seated in the tavern with some drinks and food, they directed their full attention to me. I sipped my water; I was in no hurry to tell the story of thest two weeks or so. Instead, I looked around, taking in my surroundings.


    The tavern was on the northern side of the little town. It was arge, yet simple building. The interior was nothing special either. The floorboards were stained with what I could only assume ¨C and hope ¨C were spilled drinks. We were the only customers, which wasn''t all that surprising considering it was still noon.


    "Why don''t you try some of the local drinks?" Joshua asked. "They''re quite good."


    I shook my head. "I''d rather not. I haven''t eaten properly in a very long time. I don''t think I can handle any alcohol." Besides, getting drunk in a virtual world, by consuming virtual drinks just felt wrong. I nced at the group. They didn''t seem to share the sentiment. Alina was already done with her first drink, while Erik, Samantha and Vincent were very slowly sipping theirs.


    Joshua grinned and took a big sip. "You''re just overthinking but whatever." He sighed and leaned back. "So, are you going to tell us how you''re still alive?" He gestured to the west. "I saw that giant creature with my own two eyes. No way you''d survive a hit from that monster."


    I sighed. "Well, you''re not wrong."


    "Wait," Erik suddenly said. "Does that mean you... died?" His serious re and tone were uncharacteristic of him.


    "What? No!" I quickly stopped him as I protested, waiving my hands in the air. "I nearly died, but no."


    "How did you get past it then?" Samantha asked me. Curiosity filled her voice as she fiddled with her mug.


    "That''s what I want to know as well." Erik added. He dipped his finger in his drink and drew a very basic map on the table. I recognised it almost immediately. It was the area where I fought and killed the horned lion. "We estimated it''d take us at least a month of grinding to get to a level where we could take it out. It''d be impossible to sneak by it since it would smell you before you could see it. And no normal person can outrun the thing in such a long, wide and t mountain pass." He red at me.


    A lump formed in my throat. Was that distrust I was sensing? It felt as if something sharp pierced my heart. I felt anger well up inside me. I looked away for a moment, then took a deep breath to calm down and started to talk.


    "It was not as strong as it seems." They stared at me in silence and disbelief. I wasn''t lying though, so I simply continued with my words. "I returned to camp the day after we left for the quests..."


    I told them of my first encounter with the creature, how I almost died, how something saved me by distracting it. I told about how powerless I felt and how I had to waste a whole week just so I could recover enough to walk again. As the words left my mouth, a weight also seemed to lift from my shoulders. I felt better, even if only a little.


    Once I was done talking, I had told them everything. Everything but one detail. I left Vixia and Delthur out of my story. Something about it just felt... off. Something, a little voice in the back of my mind told me to stay quiet about the two demons who seemingly enjoyed haunting me. I took a sip from my water as I smelled a hint of hyacinth.

 Chapter 27: A Calm Dusk

    <h4>Chapter 27: A Calm Dusk</h4>


    "I''m sorry," Erik mumbled. "I''m still having trouble processing all that." He seemed lost; his expression showed a range of emotions throughout my tale. I didn''t me him for taking my words with a grain of salt, but it still hurt a little.


    "Honestly," Alina chimed in. "What were you thinking attacking the thing head on? What if you failed again?" She coughed and took another sip of her drink. Her cheeks were red. She was tripping all over her words.


    "Well," I mumbled. I didn''t really know how to respond to that. "I''m alive, right?" I forced an awkward chuckle.


    "Thankfully." Vincent added, then lightly squeezed my shoulder. "I''m d you''re with us." His words seemed genuine.


    "I''ll be the first to admit that I was lucky," I said with a bitter smile. "But why did you guys leave?" I finally asked. Someone had to address the elephant in the room, right?


    Samantha flinched. "Well,"


    "I''ll exin." Erik said with a sigh. "After we returned to the campsite, Alina healed our wounds. Since she hadn''t levelled up her skill, it took her about an hour or so. After that, I wanted to head out to find you, since it was a little after noon." He looked out the window. "I wanted to check the crystal before that, though. And that''s where everything went to hell."


    "What do you mean?" I asked. I should have just finished climbing the hill at that time.


    "Well," He opened his interface and showed me the quests panel. "Look, we got these two quests."


    It read ''Escape the Torchlight Woods'' and ''Get to Stonepatch Vige''. I raised my eyebrows. "I don''t have these."


    "We wanted toe after you, but the first quest gave us only until dusk. If we failed to leave the woods through the mountain pass by then, we''d be stuck."


    Like I was, was what I wanted to say, but I held my tongue.


    "We made it only minutes before the deadline." Samantha chimed in. "We nned to wait just outside the woods. Once the danger had passed and the quest had been aplished, we''d go back to camp and wait for you."


    "The monster didn''t leave though." Joshua added. "It just... waited there. It was massive, we had no chance against it." He sighed. "We had no choice but to leave ande here."


    "What have you been doing since?" I asked hesitantly. I clenched my fist under the table. A quest was the reason they left me behind?


    "We''ve been grinding, we wanted to kill the creature." Alina said with a yawn. "Avenge you and all that." She took another sip from her mug.


    "Just say it Alina." Samantha interrupted her with a harsh voice. The blonde girl flinched as she continued. "We got a quest to kill the monster right after we arrived here. The rewards were great for Alina and Joshua, so they wanted toplete it. The rest of us agreed because it''d help us avenge you." She red at me with reddened eyes. "We thought you were dead."


    I flinched. "I see." I sharply said. I took another deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. "I''m sorry to have worried you. It wasn''t my intenion." I shook my head. "What happened to the quest?"


    "It''s cancelled." Erik said. "More urately, we failed it." He tapped the table. "It happened at around the time you im to have killed the monster."


    I nodded, that was my proof. "I never received-" I suddenly stopped. What I was about to say was a lie. I had received two quests when I returned to camp the next morning, shortly before running into the giant horned lion. But instead of reading through and epting them, I had dismissed them in my panic.


    "What''s wrong?" Erik asked.


    "Is there one of those crystals around here?" I asked as I quickly sprung to my feet. "I need to check something."


    "The guild houses one. It''s therge building at the centre of town." Samantha also got up. "I''ll take you there."


    "Oh, I''lle too!" Vincent hurried after us while dragging Erik along with him. "You two can pay, right?" He shouted at his brother and Alina as we left through the front door. I could barely hear Joshua''s curses.


    Samantha led us through the now much more crowded main street ¨C a cobble and dirt path, really ¨C to the Guild. The building was a two story, stone building. I spotted two guards at therge doors. I nced at Erik who just shrugged it off.


    We approached the door. Samantha smiled and waved at the guards, who nodded and allowed her to pass. Erik and Vincent both greeted the guards as well. I also motioned to walk through the door, but a pair of spears to my throat were quick to stop me in my tracks.


    "Hey, hang on!" Erik quickly tried to stop them, only to be ignored.


    "Please provide your identification." One of the guards said as his spear poked my neck. I quickly raised my hands to show I wasn''t armed and nced at Erik. I didn''t have anything on me that could serve that purpose.


    "Your status. Show them that." Samantha called out from behind Erik. She was tightly grasping her bow. Worried that she''d make a scene, I quickly summoned my status window.


    ''Level 30 Soul Keeper | Exp: 100/11000 - - Souls 100/100 - - Mana: 480''


    Both guards flinched and quickly withdrew their spears.


    "Our apologies, honoured Soul Keeper. Wee to the Guild Hall." One of them said as he made a weird sign with his left hand. The other one mimicked his friend. "Indeed, please excuse our discourtesy."


    I hesitated; I had no clue as to why they were talking to me like that. "It''s fine, don''t worry about it." I said awkwardly, then rushed inside under the questioning gazes of Erik, Vincent, and Samantha.


    "What was that about?" Erik asked after the doors closed behind us. "Kai? Hey?"


    I didn''t hear him. The interior of the Guild Hall was... very nostalgic. It had a warm and fuzzy feeling; the floorboards and furniture were made of timber. It was very inly decorated ¨C there were several sitting areas with light coloured couches. Nothing in here was hard on the eyes. The soft light of the chandelier only reminded me more of our family''s training hall back at home.


    "Kai?" Erik grabbed my shoulder. I flinched. "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought." I mumbled as I let my gaze wonder around.


    "I can see that." He said with a sigh. "Anyways, the crystal is in the back." He pointed towards the door at the far end of the room. "You can go and check there. Actually, why don''t wee with you?" With his iron grip, he dragged me to the back room with Samantha and Vincent in tow.


    The crystal was, as usual, floating in the air. As soon as I approached its light, my head throbbed with pain. I staggered and massaged my temples. This was annoying, did it have something to do with the crystal, or was it because of the constant ache on my back?

 Chapter 28: Special Requirements Met

    <h4>Chapter 28: Special Requirements Met</h4>


    I pulled myself together and reached to the floating crystal. As soon as my fingers touched its cool surface, an interface popped up


    ''Quests cancelled: ''Escape the Torchlight Woods'', ''Get to Stonepatch Vige'', New Quests Avable: ''Kill the Cursed One'', ''Survive''''


    As we looked at the fading text, new lines appeared. ''Quests Completed: ''Survive'', ''Kill the Cursed One'' Special Requirements Met: ''Cleanse the Torchlight Woods''


    "Wait, what?" I mumbled as the quests disappeared.


    "Oh!" Erik said in surprise. "I heard this was a thing. Apparently, there are some secret quests that you canplete that''ll give extra rewards or something." He paused, then squeezed my shoulder. "You''re lucky."


    I chuckled and nodded as my status panel appeared in front of me.


    ''Rewards Received: 15000 exp, Gift of the Makers, 5 Stat Points''


    "Whoa, cool." Vincent mumbled. "Wait." He said as he spotted my stats. "Why haven''t you allocated any points?"


    I shrugged. "I''m not sure of what to do with them quite yet." It seemed like an important decision, I wanted to be sure of my choices beforemitting to anything.


    "Why?" Erik asked with a hint of confusion in his voice. "You should give them to whichever stat you use the most. For example, I''ve been investing them to Strength and Constitution." He grinned and showed off his muscles.


    I chuckled and closed the interface. "Wait, you are level 31 now?" Vincent asked. "How?"


    I shrugged again. "I killed a lot of monsters before finally getting rid of the giant horned lion. What level are you guys?" I asked out of curiosity.


    "We''re all 17." Erik said after a moment''s hesitation. He seemed somewhat embarrassed. "We''ve been killing creatures since we came here but I guess you did a lot more killing than us."


    "Oh." I said trying to hide my disappointment. I was sure they''d been working hard since they got here. "Well, I''m sure it''s because I killed the big one. It must have given me a lot of experience." I lied with a fake smile.


    "That must be it." Erik said with a nod as we made our way back to the tavern. I couldn''t shake this feeling of doubt no matter how much I tried. The more I thought about it, the stronger it became. I shook my head and looked around in an attempt to distract myself.


    "Did you meet any other yers?" I asked to break the awkward silence. Samantha nodded enthusiastically as she answered with a smile.


    "Yeah. It''s a group of four." She pointed towards the inn I had stayed the night in. "They''re staying there."


    "I don''t particrly like them," Erik quietly spoke. "But they''re not bad. They''re pretty set on killing the Demon Lord too." He hesitated. "Right, about that." He nced at me. "I won''t me you if you hate me but-"


    I shook my head. "I know it''s not your doing." I said with a tired sigh. "I don''t me you, you''re a victim of this whole situation just as much as the rest of us are. I''m sure your dad didn''t intend for us to get trapped in this game either." I stopped in my tracks and looked up to the sky. "I''m sure we''ll eventually get out of here."


    Erik nodded. "Thanks, Kai." His bitter smile hurt a little. I felt a little guilty for doubting him, yet I still couldn''t shake that weird, annoying feeling.


    We soon arrived at the tavern. Now, there were customers besides us too. While most of them were Ereth, I spotted two women who I suspected to be yers. One of them had scaly, green skin and long ck hair. I couldn''t see her face since she was sitting with her back turned to me. She had several meters long scaly tail. The other was petite, wore a simple brown dress and looked human for the most part. She had short, green hair and an almost childish face.


    "Yep, those are them." Samantha said with a smile. "I''ll go greet them,e with me!" Before I could say anything, she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the two.


    "Alex, Rina!" She called for them as we approached. As soon as they heard her, huge smiles appeared on both their faces.


    "Samantha, fancy seeing you here!" The snakedy spoke. She then nced at me and froze in ce. "What on earth is he?" She shouted.


    Blood rushed to my face ¨C which probably only made me seem slightly less pale ¨C as the green haired woman also focused her attention on me. "Oh, he''s interesting!"


    "When did you be so rude, Alex?" Samantha asked the snakedy. "And Rina, please don''t stare at him like he''s some research subject."


    I flinched; she really was looking at me like that. "I''m Kai. Nice to meet you what I''d like to say but..." I nced at Alex''s long tail slowly approaching my legs. "Maybe I should just excuse myself." I continued as I stepped back.


    "Aww, you''re sharp." Alex said. For some reason, her yful tone reminded me of Vixia. Except she wasn''t trying to actively torture me. I think.


    "Ok, enough." Samantha''s harsh tone put a stop to the two women''s teasing. "He''s the guy I told you about." She hesitated. "My friend whom I thought to be dead."


    Both women stopped as they quickly regained theirposure. I had thought them to be tipsy because of the drinks but they very quickly proved me wrong. Rina quickly hugged Samantha. "I''m so happy for you!"


    "I see how it is now." Alex said with a faint smile. "She was really sad about losing you." She stretched her arms, then took a sip of her drink. "I''m d you''re fine."


    "Thanks." I mumbled. This feeling of guilt struck again as I watched Rina and Samantha. "I''m d she''s fine too."


    "Oh, right. You had no idea whether she was alive or dead, had you?" Alex fiddled with some of her hair. Her gaze never left me, I felt like I was being held under a microscope.


    "Yeah." I sighed. "I didn''t know what happened to them." I nced to the back, where Erik and the others wereughing at something. "I''m d they''re fine."


    "I don''t really care much about them, to be honest." She said as she called the Ereth bartender with a wave of her hand. "The priestess is too full of herself and I wouldn''t trust the rogue with anything." She signalled the bartender for two sses, then continued with her words. "The Pdin seems like a good guy, but he''s too scared."


    The bartender put two sses on the counter. "Come, have a seat." Alex used her tail to pull a stool closer. After a moment''s hesitation, I thanked her and lowered myself onto the stool, while still being wary of that long tail.


    "It''s not alcohol." She said as she pushed one of the sses towards me. I nced in it. It was filled with an orange liquid. "It''s like orange juice." She said with a smile as she drank some of it. After a moment''s hesitation, I gave the drink a try as well.


    "It''s not like orange juice. It is orange juice." I said after nearly finishing the entire ss in one go. "Damn, I''ve missed this."


    She chuckled. "It''s better if you don''t drink alcohol in here." She added after ncing at Erik and the bunch''s table. "I don''t think getting drunk on virtual stuff is a bright idea."

 Chapter 29: Starry Sky

    <h4>Chapter 29: Starry Sky</h4>


    "It''s pretty." Rina said quietly. I nodded. Alex stretched and walked a bit ahead. "So, why are not with them?" She asked as she turned towards me. I had to avoid her tail as she tried to trip me with it.


    "Well," I mumbled as Rina finally took her ce between me and Alex. "Erik and the others are drunk."


    After chatting with Rina and Alexa, Samantha had dragged me back to the group, who were a bit tipsy at the time. Soon afterwards, everyone ¨C including Samantha ¨C had gotten drunk. Thankfully, Rina had seen my pain as I tried to keep everyone in check and dragged me out here.


    "Very drunk." Rina added with a sigh. "Seriously, even Samantha ispletely out of it." She facepalmed, her disappointment was very clear.


    "I tried to stop them but..." My voice faded. They hadn''t listened to me at all. "Oh well, there''s nothing to be done about it." I said as I pushed my hair back and enjoyed the cool night breeze.


    "You''ve got that right." Alex said with a smile. "So, Kai." Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "What do you think about somete night monster hunting?"


    I hesitated. I had only met these two a couple hours ago. Was it really safe to be going out with them? Besides notpletely trusting them yet, I also was worried about Delthur and Vixia showing up. I really wanted to avoid ever seeing them again.


    "Wouldn''t it make more sense to do that during the day?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation. I didn''t want to outright decline her offer. She didn''t seem like a bad person.


    "Well, if being safe is your only goal, yes." Rina summoned her status panel. I gasped as I saw her level.


    ''Rina Woods ¨C Level 52 Wizard''


    She was just so much stronger than me. I''d never be able to guess by just looking at her. Laughter sounded from inside the tavern as I stared at her in disbelief.


    "You know staring is rude, right?" Alex said with a yful tone. I felt something sweep my legs off the ground. I fell on my back with a loud thud. "Gotcha!" She grinned. "You let your guard down."


    "I guess I did." I got back on my feet and stretched, trying to get rid of this annoying ache on my back. "Anyways, sorry." I said to Rina. "I didn''t mean to stare; I was just a little surprised."


    "It''s fine. We''re probably one of the highest levelled people around, so I don''t me you." She smiled, then started walking towards the edge of the town. "I''ll tell you how we did it if you help us out with this."


    Alex was quick to follow Rina. I rushed after them as well. I wanted to know how they got so powerful so quickly.


    As we arrived at the edge of town, I faint screeches sounded from the northern woods. While I couldn''t see as well as in daylight, the bright moon still illuminated our surroundings plenty.


    "What are we hunting?" I asked as we watched the woods.


    "A bird type creature." Rina exined as Alex led the way. "It''s been terrorising the Ereth in the surrounding area. We''ve found out it''s nest, but we can''t get close enough."


    I raised my eyebrows. "How so?"


    "Well, it''s nest is atop that cliff." Alex pointed to the north, where a massive cliff rose. It was unnatural. It was the only elevated ce on this side of the mountains. It looked as if someone just pushed the ground up from underneath with a long stick.


    "I know it looks weird." Rina said as she saw my confusion. "It''s not a natural urrence. Apparently, many years ago some mage made that ce and even intended to build a castle on top."


    "That''s... unique." I mumbled. How powerful would someone have to be to have the ability to change the topography to this degree?


    "Lacks taste if you ask me." Alex grumbled. "And it''s done nothing but cause us more issues."


    "How so?" They still hadn''t gotten to the part of the story where they needed my help.


    "Well, we were able to climb about halfway through." Rina exined. "But there is a gap that we can''t cross. If we fall, we''ll surely die." She shivered. "If we had one more person with us, we might have been able to make it."


    "Speaking of," Alex said as a sword materialised in her hands. "We havepany."


    I looked up, to see severalrge birds dive towards us. Their sharp talons reflected the moonlight.


    "Uh, I can''t see." Rina mumbled. "Can you take care of them Alex?"


    The snakedy nodded as she prepared to sh the first creature. I summoned my skills panel and used ''Dark Bolt''. Momentster, all the birds were dead. I shivered as their souls melted into my chest. I was never going to get used to this feeling.


    "I didn''t know you were a wizard!" Alex shouted in surprise.


    "He''s not." Rina said with a deadpan expression. "Am I right, Keeper of Souls?"


    I flinched. "Uh, well..."


    "She is right!" Alex shouted again. Her tail coiled around my shoulders. "I thought that was a myth!" I tried to move away, but she''d caught me off guard again. Was I losing my edgetely? Or was I just rxed because they were so friendly?


    "Apparently not." Rina''s emotionless voice sounded as she shook her head. "What the hell are you even doing here, Keeper?"


    I quickly raised my hands in protest. "No, wait." I nced at Alex; whose eyes shone in the dark like a pair of fireflies. "First of, yes ¨C I''m a Soul Keeper. But what do you mean by what I''m doing here?"


    Both women looked at each other, then Rina sighed again. "I''ll exinter." She nced at the moon. "We should take care of the bird before it gets cloudy."


    I motioned to protest, but Alex''s tail effectively put a stop to my efforts as she dragged me along. "Come on," I grumbled as I finally found my footing and freed myself from her tail. "Can''t you tell me at least a little?"


    "No."


    Alexughed as my shoulders dropped in defeat. "Fine," I grumbled. "Why do you need a third person?"


    "You see," Rina exined. "There is this reallyrge gap. Let me tell you the n..."

 Chapter 30: Of Cliffs and Falls

    <h4>Chapter 30: Of Cliffs and Falls</h4>


    "I don''t like this." I stared at the really wide gap before me. We were at about the halfway point to the summit. Standing on a very narrow path, on one side there was a deadly drop all the way down to the forest floor, on the other, an unscble cliff face. Looking down, I could see the forest below us. The trees looked more like small bushes at this point.


    "Broli." Alex suddenly blurted out. "I can''t unsee this."


    "Not that again," Rina said. I stared at the trees, then nced at the tall snakedy. She red at me with a deadpan expression. "Broli. Am I right?"


    I desperately tried to muffle myughter. I fell on my knees and held my stomach. Soon, Rina was also giggling uncontrobly.


    "What?" Alex asked with a confused and slightly offended expression. "They look like broli guys, I''m not lying!"


    It took the two of us some time to regain ourposure.


    "I''m sorry," I said as I wiped the tears off my face. "It''s just... I hadn''t talked with people for so long... And yourment was just..."


    "I get it, don''t worry." Alex said with a warm smile. "It''s always good to have a nice honestugh like that." She looked around. "Besides, the more birds are awake, the more experience we''ll get, am I right?"


    I chuckled and nodded. How could she be so positive about... everything?


    "Ready?" Rina asked me. She was holding a staff. "Should I cast it?"


    "I still don''t like this n." I mumbled as I turned towards the gap on out path. "Are you sure there''s no other way up?"


    "We''ve looked everywhere." Alex said with a shrug. "Come on, this''ll be fun."


    "For you, maybe." I mumbled, but still nodded. She took a long, thick rope out of her inventory. I lifted my arms a little, allowing her to coil it around my waist and tightly tie it into a knot.


    "Is it good?" She asked.


    "It''s a bit tight," I mumbled. "Better that than being too loose though." I added after a moment of silence. They both chuckled and nodded. Alex tied the other end of the rope to a boulder near her.


    "If you don''t make it to the other side, we''ll pull you up and try again." Rina said, then raised her staff. A blue light appeared at the tip of it.


    "I''m so dead..." I mumbled as I stepped back and used Fallen Grace. Alex ced her tail like a steppingstone right before the cliff as I ran towards it with full force. As soon as I reached her tail, she flung me across the gap. I felt Rina''s magic lighten my body as my fall slowed and I crossed therge gap with ease.


    As soon as my feet touched the ground, I heard the pping of both Alex and Rina. I could see them on the other side, they hugged each other. "You did it!" Alex shouted with a huge grin.


    "Good job Kai!" The wind carried their voices to me as I looked around to find a sturdy tree orrge enough rock to tie this end of the rope to. I struggled to undo Alex''s knot a little and even more to tie an equally steady knot to the nearby boulder.


    When I waved at them to cross the gap, Rina cast the same spell again, this time on herself. With her body lighter, she easily carried herself across the gap. Alex didn''t even need the spell to be able to do it. Though, I did fear the rope would snap from her weight. Once she too joined us over on this side, Rina spoke with a low voice. "We''ve got no idea of what we''ll find after this point. Be on your guard."


    We nodded and with Alex in the lead, continued our climb. Just like her, I summoned my sword. Anything could happen from now on. Walking around without a weapon was just asking for trouble.


    We climbed a little further with little to no issues ¨C the few avian creatures that tried to attack us were quickly killed off by my dark bolts ¨C until a smallndslide brought our progress to a screeching halt.


    "Well, damn." Alex said as she looked at the blocked path. "We either climb over this or turn back."


    "If we disrupt its bnce, we die." Rina said. Her shoulders dropped as she looked for another way across. Alex carefully touched the disced dirt and rocks with her tail. As soon as she did, the ground shifted, and even more dirt and rocks slid down, only to fall into the darkness of the forest below.


    "There''s no way we''re passing through here." She said with a defeated voice. I looked up, if only the cliff face wasn''t so... well, steep. But then again, cliffs tended to be rather steep in the first ce.


    "Hang on." I suddenly said as an idea shed across my mind. "What if we do the same thing, but vertically?"


    They paused and looked up. "I mean," Rina said after a moment''s hesitation. "It''s not a bad idea but... I can''t see anything up there. How will we know where to throw you towards?"


    "I think I can see an overhang over there," I pointed towards it. If we went towards the way we came a little bit, we''d be right under the ce.


    "I can barely see a dark shadow.??? Alex said as she looked at me with curiosity. "Kai, do you have dark vision?"


    I tilted my head, There was no mention of that in my status panel, or anywhere else in the interface. "Uh, no I don''t think so. The moon is bright enough to let me see it."


    The two women looked at each other, then shrugged. "Ok," Rina said. "Let''s give your idea a try. Alex, do you have any more rope?"


    "Of course I do, you know I alwayse prepared." Once again, she tied a tight knot around my waist. "This''ll be a little more difficult." She said as she tried to see the overhang. "I can''t see as well as you do. I might miss the throw."


    I hesitated. "Rina, can you create a small light?" She nodded. "But I can''t see it either."


    "I''ll guide your hand." It took a few tries, but we finally managed to put a small, faint light right under the overhang. "Does that work?" Alex nodded with a grin and, just like before, ced her tail on the small path like a steppingstone. Her job was a little harder this time as my own leap wasn''t going to aplish as much.


    I used Fallen Grace and sprinted towards her. As soon as both my feet touched her tail, she flung me high up in the air. At the same time, I felt my body lighten. The overhang approached me, or rather, I approached it a little too fast. I wasn''t high enough! Realisation struck me a little toote as I was nearly there. If I didn''t do something, I''d just fly past below the rocky surface and hit the cliffface.


    I summoned the scythe from my inventory and swung it towards the overhang. I heard a thud and felt the de of the scythe dig into the rocky surface.


    "Oh my god! Kai, are you ok?" Alex shouted. Considering that I was hanging from an overhang, barely holding on to the shaft of the scythe, I was ok, yeah. Let''s go with that.


    "I''ll... try to... climb..." I shouted between shallow breaths. Though, looking at the situation realistically, chances are I was going to fall. The scythe seemed to have buried deep into the ground as it wasn''t shaking or sliding too much. With a deep breath, I slowly moved my hand up on the shaft, inching ever so closer to the overhang.


    After a few minutes of struggling, I finally reached the overhang. I grabbed the edge of the rocky surface and tried to pull myself up. Suddenly, the scythe slid. Losing one of my handholds, I let out a small scream as the scythe fell into the darkness below. My left hand couldn''t support the weight of my body.


    I desperately tried to grip the surface with my right hand, but I could feel my fingers slowly slip. I clenched my teeth as my left hand slipped as well. I started falling.


    A tight, painful grip on my left hand suspended me in the air.

 Chapter 31: A Dark Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 31: A Dark Shadow</h4>


    I stared into the glowing purple eyes before being lifted up and mmed into the ground. He gagged me just in time to muffle my scared and shocked scream. I felt his w-like nails dig into my skin.


    "Can you at least try to not do something stupid every single damned day?" He whispered with his cracked voice. I looked at him wide-eyed. What was he talking about? Delthur just sighed and continued. "Don''t say a word about me being here, or I''ll kill them." He tilted his head down, to where Rina and Alex were. "Understand?"


    I nodded. He grinned. "Good." He let go of me. I pushed myself to a sitting position. My back ached from being mmed into the rocks like that. "Try not to get yourself killed here." He said before flying off.


    It made no sense. Why did he save me?


    "Kai!" Alex''s shout pulled me back to the present. "I''m fine." I shouted back. "Hang on, I''ll try to find a proper ce to tie this thing to."


    A short while ¨C and a quick Souls'' Respite ¨Cter, the others had climbed up. "How did you even climb up after your weapon fell?" Alex asked me. "I thought you''d fall for sure."


    I nervouslyughed. "I was lucky. Very lucky." I avoided meeting her gaze and helped Rina up. "Are you ok?" I asked her. She was out of breath ¨C her avatar was a lot weaker than ours. It wasn''t made for heavy physical activity.


    "I''m... ok." She said, panting. I shook my head, she was exhausted.


    "Let''s rest here for a bit." Alex said and she sat on a boulder. Rina almost immediately copsed on the ground while I also folded my legs.


    "Oh." Alex suddenly said. My scythe appeared in her hands. "I caught it before it fell down." She handed it to me. "It''s a beautiful weapon. Why are you using the sword instead of this?"


    I hesitated. "I''ve never wielded a scythe in my life. I''d be useless with it."


    "What, you wielded a sword before?" She said with a grin.


    "Yeah." I said as if it were nothing. "I know how to use a sword. I can be useful with it."


    Her smile disappeared. She seemed hesitant for a moment.


    "I''m not some soldier or anything." I said, slightly confused. "I''m a martial artist. In training," I added as I thought about the beating I received the day before I logged into the game.


    "Oh, I see." Alex mumbled. She seemed somewhat lost in thought.


    "We should keep going." Rina said quietly. "It''s almost midnight."


    "Before that," I interrupted her. "Do you mind telling me how you''ve levelled up so fast now?"


    She smiled. "At night, monsters gain power. Whatever curse lingers on them only activates then. You can get twice, maybe even thrice the amount of experience." She hesitated. "It''s risky though. These birds aren''t very strong but there are some creatures that could wipe us out in an instant."


    I nodded, it made sense. "Thanks for telling me."


    With that, I rose back up to my feet. Rina and Alex also stood up. We looked up and ahead. "We''re almost there." Alex said. I nodded again. I could see the greenery that decorated the summit. "Let''s go."


    Despite having put most of the way behind us, the unstable, rocky surface proved a challenge to climb. By the time we arrived at the summit, Rina wasn''t the only one exhausted.


    "Damn," Alex mumbled as we finally stepped on the grass. "Whichever mage made this ce; I want to kill him."


    "Same here." Rina whispered. "But we made it. Now we just have to find itsir and kill it."


    I hesitated. "How do we kill it?"


    "Well," Alex said. "You need a darkmetal de or equivalent to be able to pierce a Cursed Monster''s skin." She showed her weapon. It was a shortsword made from a lightly coloured metal. Nothing about it seemed ''dark'', but she seemed sure enough of herself. I decided not to question it too much.


    "This is powerful enough; Rina has a couple of spells that''ll do the trick and you''ve got the scythe."


    "Right, the scythe." I mumbled as I put my sword away and took the scythe. The dark metal shaft was cool to the touch.


    We moved through the greenery, towards the centre of the summit. I could already see remnants of buildings ahead. Soon, we arrived at what seemed like a small castle, touched by time. Nature had already taken over this ce as overgrown nts covered most of the ruins.


    "There." Rina pointed at what used to be the main gate. Now, it was just arge, dark hole in a wall. "I''ll prepare the spell, you two go ahead. Alex nodded. We approached the hole, taking care not to step on any dry leaves or broken branches. Despite her height and several meters long tail, Alex was just as quiet, if not more so, as me.


    The quiet night didn''t remain quiet for much longer. As soon as we were close enough to touch the stone surface of what was left of the building, a loud, ear piercing screech sounded from inside. I heard the sound of pping wings as wind burst out from the dark entrance, knocking me off my feet and causing Alex to lose her footing for a moment.


    She easily regained her bnce, mostly thanks to her tail acting as a support. I sprung back on my feet too and just in time to greet the resident big bird.


    It was massive. About the size of that horned lion, in fact. It had mustard feathers and glowing, golden eyes. I could see the curse seeping out of it. It was like a mist surrounding the creature. All in all, it looked like an oversized eagle. With two pairs of wings. And three eyes.


    My mind seemed to have trouble processing it.


    "Now!" Alex shouted as she jumped in front of it. "Don''t let it fly!" She struck the creature with her shortsword. Despite her height, she barely reached the lower part of its body. I heard Rina''s humming from behind us. Was she chanting something?


    The oversized eagle screeched again and stepped out of the buildingpletely. Alex tried to stop it but had to back off to avoid being crushed under those sharp talons.


    "It''s going to fly!" She shouted. At the same time, the creature spread its wings wide. Gathering my courage, I sprinted to the side, used Fallen Grace, and leapt high into the air, towards the creatures left wing. Leaving a trail of ck mes behind me thanks to Death''s Scythe, Inded on the creature''s wing. Without skipping a beat, I shed the area where its wing connected with its body.


    An ear-piercing scream sounded as it tried to shake me off. Almost as if they were responding to it, several smaller birds appeared in the night sky.


    "Look out!" Alex''s voice sounded as the oversized eagle tried to shake me off. Holding the shaft of the scythe with one hand, I desperately hung on to its feathers. Looking up, the sky was covered in feathers and stretched talons aiming for me.


    "Get down!" Rina''s voice sounded as I heard a loud thunder. I pressed my body against the giant eagle''s feathers. I felt something brush against my back as the defensive enchantment on my clothes depleted. Momentster, a bright light shed above me as Rina''s powerful magic sent shivers down my spine.


    The momentary silence was followed by a bunch of muffled thuds. Unfortunately, I had no time to see what was going on as the oversized eagle decided it was a good time to fly.


    "Oh no." I said as I threw myself towards its neck. I had to stop it somehow. It stretched its wings and with a loud, pained screech, threw itself into the air.


    "Kai!" I heard Rina and Alex''s shouts. I lifted my head to try and see why their voices were so far away.


    The summit we spent so long to climb looked like a small hill from this height. As the icy wind numbed my face and hands, my breath got stuck in my throat. I could even see the vige from here.


    The creature screeched and made a sudden turn. Its body shook unnaturally as I noticed its left wing move slower and more ungracefully with each p. It took me a moment to notice what was actually happening.


    We were falling.

 Chapter 32: Heights

    <h4>Chapter 32: Heights</h4>


    "Oh,e on, seriously?!" I yelled as soon as we started losing altitude. We were so high up that I couldn''t even see the building on the summit. Yet, we were approaching it so quickly that I was sure I had no more than a handful of seconds to live.


    I pressed my body against the creature''s feathers and shut my eyes. There was no way I''d survive this. Seconds passed, filled with the eagle''s rmed screeches and my shallow, panicked breaths.


    Suddenly, I felt my body lighten. Almost immediately afterwards, we hit the ground with a loud crash. The creature wailed with pain as I couldn''t hold on anymore and gotunched in the air. I opened my eyes to see the world spin before me. The branches of the trees I hit as I flew past them tore into my skin.


    "Alex!" Rina''s voice sounded. I glimpsed the ground as it approached me. Moments before I git the ground, I felt something pull my legs. I felt something crack as my descent suddenly came to an abrupt end.


    "You idiot!" Rina shouted as I saw her feet. Only then did I realise that I was hanging upside down from... something.


    "I didn''t think I''d catch you in time." Alex said with relief as her tail, wrapped around my legs slowly and carefully lowered me onto the ground.


    The world was still spinning. Iy on the broken branches and dead leaves as Alex said something about ending the creature''s misery and walked off with her sword in hand.


    Rina kneeled beside me. "Thank goodness my spell worked." She said with a relieved smile. I nodded but didn''t trust my voice enough to speak yet. Suddenly, I glimpsed arge, dark shadow. I shivered as it melted into my chest.


    "Oh, but you''re wounded." She said suddenly. I felt her warm touch on my skin as she opened her inventory in a panic. "I''ll clean the wounds and pay for the healer''s fees, ok?" Her hands were shaking a little.


    "It''s fine, just give me a second." I mumbled as pushed myself up. The world wasn''t spinning anymore but I still felt somewhat dizzy.


    "I found your scythe. Again." Alex said as she approached us. She ced it on the ground next to me and sat down, folding her legs. "It''s dead." She dered. "I''d like to say we did good but..." Her gaze focused on me. "You almost gave me a heart attack."


    "Sorry," I smiled. They both sighed.


    "Let''s patch you up and get going." Rina said as she took some bandages from her inventory.


    "You don''t need to waste those on me." I said as I summoned my skills panel and used Soul''s Respite.


    Over a hundred souls leapt out of my chest. To me, they were dark, shadowy versions of the creatures I had killed. They brushed against my wounds and disappeared again.


    "Amazing," Rina said as her gaze followed one of the souls.


    "You can see it?" I asked in surprise. Alex also chimed in. "Wait, what did just happen?"


    "Are those souls?" Rina asked me as she gently touched a previously wounded spot on my arm. "Your power is incredible."


    I flinched. "I didn''t know they were visible." I mumbled as I looked away.


    "Wait." Alex suddenly said as she grabbed Rina''s arm. "I didn''t see anything. What souls? What''s going on?" She was visibly confused. Seeing her now, like this was funny ¨C she was so dependable and sure of herself until now that I''d never thought she''s get confused by anything. I couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Hey!" She red at me. Her tail wrapped around my waist and lifted me up. She shook me around like toy as she shouted. "Don''t leave me out of this!"


    "H-hey, Alex, calm down." Rina''s panicked gaze jumped between me and Alex. I felt dizzy again, Alex didn''t seem quite aware of how powerful her tail was. "You''re crushing him!" Rina shouted.


    Alex sighed and put me back on the ground. "You''re no fun, Rina." She nced at me as if she was making sure I was ok, then looked back at Rina. "Is it because of your truesight that you were able to see something I couldn''t?"


    Rina nodded. "Yeah. I saw some shadowy figures floating around him."


    "I saw a darkness spread out." Alex suddenly said. "Pitch ck. As it spread around you, your wounds healed."


    "That''s probably what the souls look like from the outside." Rina added. They both looked at me thoughtfully.


    "Is something wrong?" I asked. Their res were somewhat disturbing.


    "Well," Rina mumbled thoughtfully. "I wouldn''t use that word but..."


    My heartbeat quickened. I felt the coldness in my chest grow and the pain on my back amplify.


    "It''s just that... Apparently the world has legends about some mythical person called ''The Keeper of Souls''," She said, still ring at me. I still felt a little dizzy. "I only know very little," She added with a sigh. "I''d never think it''d be relevant. I''ll tell you what I know though."


    I nodded. I didn''t trust my voice with this lump in my throat. Why did my back hurt still, even after using Soul''s Respite?


    "It is said the Keeper of Souls walked thesends whenever a big event happened, be it a battle, an important discovery ¨C whatever happened, he was there to witness it." She shook her head. "The thing is, I don''t see any mention of this in any of the Ereth libraries. The only ces I found mentions of the Keeper is in old demonic ruins."


    "That''s the weird part." Alex said with a thoughtful tone. I forced myself to focus on the subject despite the pain.


    "Wait," I piped up. "Demonic ruins? I thought demons came here several decades ago and attacked the Ereth. When did they find the time to build stuff and have it fall into ruins?"


    They paused, then Rina nodded. "Good point. Plot hole, maybe?" She mumbled.


    "Hey, Kai." Alex asked. "Are you ok, you seem... sick."


    Rina flinched before I could even answer her. "He does look sick! I''m so sorry I didn''t notice it before!" She ced her hand on my forehead. "You''re burning up." She said after a moment. "Kai, doesn''t that skill you used cure you from everything?"


    I hesitated, then shook my head. "It heals my wounds." I summoned the skills panel and opened its description.


    ''Heals the targets wounds. The amount and quality of healing scales with the amount of souls that have found respite with the Soul Keeper.''


    "Doesn''t say anything about curing." Alex said as she read the pale blue text.


    "We should get you to a priest." Rina said with a worried tone.


    I shook my head. I didn''t feel as dizzy as before and my heartbeat returned to normal. "I''m fine," I wiped the sweat off my face with the corner of my cloak. "I just felt sick for a bit because of everything that happened." I gestured towards the eagle''s corpse. "I didn''t expect to nearly die today. Twice."


    Alexughed at my words while Rina only smiled. I took a deep breath and rose to my feet. "Oh, and thanks for finding my scythe again, Alex."


    "Don''t make a habit of losing it," She said with a grin as she helped Rina get up and stoop up herself too. "I won''t always be there to pick it up."


    I smiled, though her words hurt a little. It was a little saddening that I wouldn''t get to spend more time with these two. They were fun and smart. But most importantly, they had good hearts.


    I approached the eagle''s corpse and gently touched the feathers on its head. Despite its hostility, it was a beautiful creature. I hesitated before plucking one of therger, golden coloured feathers on its head. "Sorry," I whispered. I couldn''t bring myself to hate it, even though it tried to kill us.


    "Kai," Rina called my name. They were standing at the entrance of the ruins. I joined them and shivered as we stared into therge entrance. When Rina finally spoke again, her words sent a chill down my spine.


    "There''s something in there. Something magical."

 Chapter 33: Cobwebs and Rot

    <h4>Chapter 33: Cobwebs and Rot</h4>


    Our slow, careful steps carried us inside. The uneven, cracked stones caused us to lose our bnce several times.


    "Well, this is disappointing." Rina mumbled as she cast a spell and illuminated our surroundings. We were standing in arge room. I could see remnants of furniture beneath the thickyer of dust and filth. The creature''s nest was at the centre of the room: arge pile of dry leaves, rotten cloth, and long wooden twigs.


    "That''s... almostical." Rina mumbled. "It looks like a sparrow''s nest."


    "An oversized, cursed, deadly one." I said with a chuckle. Looking around, I noticed a small door to the side. "Look;" I approached the wooden door. After a moment''s hesitation, I attempted to push it, only to see it fall apart as soon as I touched it.


    "At least it''s open." Rina said with a shrug. "Come on, let''s see what''s in there. Alex-" She paused and looked back. "Alex?"


    The tall, reliable snake woman was standing at the entrance. Her face was pale as her gaze seemed focused on the ceiling. Something had scared her breathless. Fear gripped my heart as I followed her gaze. We were spread out; Rina was standing at the centre of the room. If anything jumped us, we''d be at a severe disadvantage.


    "Spiderwebs?" I mumbled as I stared at a fairlyrge web hanging from the ceiling. It was about the size of my chest. The silky strands of it were just barely visible under Rina''s spell.


    "Oh no..." Rina mumbled as she facepalmed. "Alex, why don''t you wait for us outside?"


    The other woman nced at us as blood rushed to her face. "I- I''m sorry." She said with a pained voice. Her hands were visibly shaking. I smiled and shook my head.


    "It''s fine. Besides, you''ll be making sure nothing can ambush us from behind, so it all works out."


    "Yeah." She said with a shaky voice as she almost ran back outside.


    "I''m sorry about that." Rina said with a faint smile. "It''s arachnophobia."


    I shrugged. "It''s not something to apologise for. Are you sure you''re ok with spiders and dark ces though?"


    She nodded with a bright smile. "Don''t worry about me. Let''s go." She gestured me to lead the way. With a nod, I stepped through the destroyed door, into a dark, damp, and narrow corridor. I could hear the wind whistling through the cracks on the wall. Hesitant, I stepped forward as Rina''s steps sounded from behind me.


    We didn''t have to spend long walking as it soon opened up to a small, cramped room. All sorts of items littered the floor. The walls were lined up with what probably used to be bookshelves. I could see a few intact books, though I couldn''t quite make out their titles because of the thickyer of dust and the cobwebs spanning entire walls.


    "I''m d Alex didn''te in here." Rina mumbled as she walked past me to inspect the books. I nodded and looked around. Something felt off but I couldn''t quite put my finger on in. "Hey, Kai." Rina''s voice sounded. "Do you happen to be able to read this?"


    I approached her with raised eyebrows and looked at the book she was pointing at. It was a little hard to make out the writing from beneath the cobwebs. "Dorith''s Interpretation of Magic." I read text on the cover. "Why?"


    Rina flinched, then shook her head. "It''s a bit difficult to see in this dim light." She quickly brushed past me and grabbed one of the debris on the ground. "Look, some of these are still intact."


    She showed me a golden candbra. "It might be worth something. Let''s collect whatever we can." I nodded and got to work. Soon, we had over a hundred misceneous items stored in our inventories. We didn''t try to take any of the remaining books as they''d surely disintegrate if we even so much as touched them.


    "Well, I don''t think there''s anything of value left in here." Rina said after a moment''s hesitation. "I thought I''d sensed something magical but maybe I was mistaken." She seemed eager to leave. I couldn''t help but wonder, was she also wary of dark ces and spiderwebs?


    I hesitated, a little voice in the back of my mind was telling me that something was still off. There was still something to be discovered in here. I nced at the little pile of junk at the centre of the room. Since it stank of rot, we hadn''t really touched it. "Rina, do you mind waiting for a minute?" I asked as I carefully reached towards the pile.


    "Sure but... Are you really going to touch that?" She asked with disgust in her voice. I nodded and held my breath. I didn''t want to breathe too much of this stuff. I carefully pushed the rotten stuff aside, searching for something. I didn''t know what I was searching for, nor did I know why I was searching for something. But the one thing I had learned in my life was to trust my gut feeling. I wasn''t about to forget that lesson now.


    I stopped when my fingers touched a cold, metal thing. After a moment''s hesitation, I clenched my fingers around it and pulled it up. It was a thin, delicate chain made from a shiny, silver coloured metal. It was about three meters long. There was an equally delicate sp on one end of it and a simple hook on the other.


    "What''s this for?" I mumbled in surprise as I lifted it up.


    "Kai, put it down!" Rina suddenly shouted. I flinched as I felt a tingling sensation at the tip of my fingers. Dark lightning crackled on the chain, then jumped on my hand and arm. I felt it dance on my body, yet I felt no pain. Fear gripped my throat. What the hell was this? My fingers were clenched shut around the chain, I couldn''t let go of it, no matter how much I tried.


    A short moment passed, then the lightning disappeared. I threw the chain on the ground and jumped back, towards the corner of the room. "What the hell was that?" I shouted in panic.


    Rina stared at me in disbelief. "I have no idea."

 Chapter 34: What We Miss

    <h4>Chapter 34: What We Miss</h4>


    "Why should I take this thing with me?" I protested at her suggestion. The chainy on the ground still. "It could have killed me!"


    "Yet it didn''t. It''s clearly magical in nature. It could prove to be a very useful tool." Rina calmly exined. "It''d be a waste if you let it be here. Besides," A glimpse of a wicked smile appeared on her lips for a moment. "We don''t know what it did to you. It could cause you great trouble if it fell into the hands of others."


    "It could cause me great trouble if it zaps me in the middle of a fight too!" I waved my hands around. "Rina, I already have enough cursed stuff with me."


    "I''m not letting you leave unless you take it." She said with a deadly re. I flinched. She was much more powerful than me, she could easily realise her threat and then some more.


    "I''m ming you if this thing gets me killed." I grumbled as I reluctantly took the chain and put it in my inventory.


    "Of course," She said with a smile. "I''m also taking credit if it saves your life."


    "Ugh," I gave up on the conversation and brushed past her. "Let''s just go before I find more cursed stuff." She giggled and followed me.


    The cold night breeze touched my skin as we stepped outside. Alex was waiting right there, with her back leaning on a tree. She joined us as soon as she saw us leave the old ruins.


    "What did you guys find?" Her eyes sparked with curiosity.


    "A bunch of old stuff that we can sell and a magic chain that I made him take with him." Rina said with a straight face. Alex paused for a moment.


    "I''d rather leave it there but..." I mumbled. "Oh well."


    "What does the chain do?" Alex asked. Rina shrugged as I answered immediately.


    "It zaps me." Maybe it was my words, or maybe the fact that we''d survived our adventure, all of us suddenly burstughing. Once we regained ourposure, Rina suggested we go back to Stonepatch Vige. Both Alex and I agreed, we were exhausted.


    We descended the cliff much easier and faster than our climb. By the time we had reached the forest floor, we were joking around andughing.


    "So, wait." I said with a grin. "You both have younger sisters, and that''s how you met?"


    They nodded. "Rina hated my guts for a long time before we finally became friends." Alex said with a chuckle. "All it took was a thunderstorm and a burnt dish."


    "What?" I said with augh. "What kind of a weird situation is that?"


    "We ended up friends after that, so that''s all that matters." Rina smiled. They nced at each other as we passed through the forest.


    "What about you, Kai? What was your life like, out there?"


    I shrugged. "I studied, I trained. It was simple."


    Alex wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "That''s it?"


    I hesitated. "Well, I met Samantha and the others." I nervouslyughed. "I guess that''s how I ended up here." If I hadn''t met them, I wouldn''t be here. I wouldn''t be stuck. It wasn''t a pleasant way to think, but it wasn''t a lie either.


    "I see," Rina mumbled.


    "I''m sure your family will be d to see you when we get out of here." Alex said with a smile. I flinched. I wasn''t sure if I''d survive meeting Mother.


    "What?" She squeezed my shoulders. "You can tell me."


    "Ah, it''s..." I hesitated. "I''m not very close with my family. They''ll probably just be angry that I got myself trapped in a virtual world." I chuckled. "My sister will never stop messing with me for it." Despite my words, I''d kill to be able to see her again.


    Both women chuckled, though there seemed to be some sadness in their eyes. They probably pitied me.


    The rest of our walk passed in silence. Soon, the lights of the vige illuminated the path ahead. As the ground beneath our feet changed to a cobblestone path, it was time to bid each other good night.


    "I know you''ll tag along with Samantha and the others Kai, but can we ask for your help from time to time?" Rina asked.


    "Of course, I''ll be there if you need me." I said with a smile. Alex smiled and gave a rib-crushing hug. Rina was gentler than her. "Just... Don''t let them hold you back, ok Kai?"


    "Don'' worry, I won''t. I still have to catch up to you two." I said with a grin. Theyughed, then headed towards the southern side of town.


    I slowly made my way to the tavern. It was a bit past midnight, probably 2 a.m. or so. I didn''t know where Erik and the others stayed for the night. I could probably ask the barkeep though. I stepped on a loose stone and almost lost my footing. As I regained my bnce, I felt a little saddened. Alex had been helping both me and Rina whenever we stumbled during our climb. I already missed listening to their friendly banter.


    The tavern was still as lively as before. All the lights were on and I could hear the feint humming of low voices. Someoneughed every once in a while, disturbing the calm evening. I hesitated before going through the door.


    I could see about five upied tables. While most of the customers were Ereth, a particr table immediately caught my attention. Five familiar figures were ying cards. As I stood there stunned, Joshua hit the table with his palm, and with a huge grin, said something. I only faintly heard his voice, but I think he dered his victory.


    "Oh, it''s you." I looked around, trying to figure out whose voice it was. The barkeep waved at me, prompting me to approach the counter. "On the house." She said cing arge ss filled with orange liquid on the counter. "As thanks for killing the cursed bird."


    I flinched. "How did you know?"


    She smiled and gestured to the side, where two Ereth sat slouched over what seemed like a bunch of paper. "They''re with the Guild. Apparently, the Crystal let them know of what happened." She sighed. "The two girls here had been trying to get to the damned thing for a week now. I''m d you helped them out."


    I tapped the ss as I spoke with a low voice. "They helped me more than I helped them." I chuckled. "It was fun, they''re good people."


    "That they are." She nced at Erik''s table. "Can''t say the same for everyone here."


    "They''re not evil." I mumbled. "They''re not used to hardships." They had spent their entire lives surrounded with wealth. I''d bet on my life none of them had ever even learned how to cook. They didn''t have the abilities and experience to adapt to this situation.


    "Are you?" The barkeep asked with a grin. "Aren''t you like them? Don''t youe from the same ce?"


    I shook my head. "No. I''m not like them. We only happened to meet by chance." I sighed, finished my ss, and stretched my arms. "Thank you for the drink. It was delicious. I''d like toe again if I get the chance."


    "I''ll save you an open seat." She said with a smile. I nodded and left the counter. As I approached the table, Alina noticed me and shouted. "Oh hey! Look who''s back!"

 Chapter 35: A Normal Day of Hunting

    <h4>Chapter 35: A Normal Day of Hunting</h4>


    "Why on earth would you get drunk on virtual alcohol?" I red at Vincent. Clearly ashamed, he lowered his gaze. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked pale.


    "Sorry..." He mumbled. I felt like a parent scolding the child. With a sigh, I shook my head.


    "Just... Can you keep it in moderation next time? My back still hurts from carrying all of you back to the inn."


    "I think I''m done drinking." Vincent quietly said. I smiled and lightly squeezed his shoulder. The cool breeze blew my hair back.


    "You look different." He suddenly said. I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?


    "Well..." He hesitated, then dragged me to the shadow of a nearby tree. "I knew it! Your eyes are glowing in the dark, Kai." I flinched. "Wow, it''s almost as if they''re burning with magic."


    I quickly pulled my hair in front of my eyes. I didn''t want to look any weirder than I already did.


    "Aw, man." Vincent said with a grin. "Joshua is going to lose his mind when he sees this."


    I shook my head. "Can you try not to pull too much attention to it?"


    Vincent paused, then nodded. "Sure," He gestured towards the entrance of the vige. The rest of the group was headed our way. "I wonder what the n for today is." He mumbled as they arrived.


    "Good morning." Erik said with a tired voice. He also had dark circles under his eyes.


    "More like good afternoon." I said pointing at the sun. "It''s past noon."


    "Sorry," Erik said with a faint smile. "I guess we might have overdone it yesterday."


    "You guess?" I cried out. I couldn''t fathom how he could be so carefree. I clenched my fists, was he really trying to get out of here? Or was he enjoying living a fake life in a fake world?


    "Kai," Vincent grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Calm down."


    I nodded and took a deep breath. "Let''s go." I said, forcing myself to remain calm.


    "Ah, before we get going." Vincent summoned his interface and soon after I received a notification.


    ''Party Request Received''


    I epted it. "By the way," I suddenly said as I remembered. "Why did you guys remove me from the party?" The group nced at each other with confusion.


    "We didn''t." Erik said after a momentary silence. "By the time we escaped the Torchlight Woods, you weren''t in the party anymore. That''s why we assumed you died."


    "I see." I mumbled. It made no sense. At that time, I should have been fast asleep on the peak, by Vixia''s tree. "Anyways, let''s get going. I''d like to be back before dusk, if possible."


    Vincent and Samantha nodded. Erik mumbled something I didn''t quite catch. Alina seemed unhappy; she was clearly still hungover. Joshua simply followed us wordlessly.


    "Erik, you always lead everyone, right?" I asked as we entered the woods. He nodded. "Great," I said with a forced smile. "I don''t want to disrupt the way you''ve been doing things too much, so lead the way."


    "Sure thing." He said. His voice was low, and his steps were slow. He seemed lost in thought. I wondered what the matter was. What was troubling him?


    "Our quest is to clear a nest north of here." Erik dered, breaking the ufortable silence. "As usual, Alina will focus on healing while I and Vincent protect Samantha. Joshua, you make sure nothing can get to Alina." He hesitated as he nced at me. "I''d like you to be on standby. If anything unexpected happens, make sure to keep Alina safe so she can heal us."


    "I can fight just fine, Erik. You don''t need to-"


    "I know." He said cut me off. "I''d still like to do it like this though."


    I clenched my fist, hidden under the cloth of my cloak. "Sure." I faked a smile and slowed my steps, falling to the back of the group. I couldn''t fathom why he didn''t want me to fight. I was the highest levelled one, I had more experience ¨C both here and back at home ¨C than any of them. It made no sense.


    "You seem annoyed." Samantha''s voice sounded from behind me. "Is something wrong?"


    I shook my head as I matched her speed. "No, it''s nothing. I''m just a bit tired." I glimpsed at her hands. "Are you ok? You seem a little unsteady. Can you shoot properly with such shaky hands?"


    She smiled. "I''m fine!" She tilted her head towards Alina. "She''ll use a spell before the battle that''ll help us with our grogginess. She''s also got some buffs, but I don''t think we''ll even need them."


    "I see." I mumbled as I nced at Alina. She needed Joshua''s support to walk in a straight line. Her face was still a bit red and the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible. She didn''t look like she''d be useful in a fight. I understood why Erik wanted to protect her ??? she was their only healer ¨C but I didn''t quite think she was sober and aware enough to heal people during a fight.


    "We''re here." Erik quietly said. "Alina, you''re up."


    I felt Alina''s magic spread to the others. The dark circles under their eyes disappeared. The tattoo under her eye glowed for a moment before returning to normal. "Done." She said with a yawn.


    "Alright. You know the n. Let''s go." Erik and Vincent took point and stepped out of the woods. After a moment''s hesitation, I leapt up, caught a low branch, and pulled myself up the tree. Now, I had a clear line of sight of the battlefield.


    It was a small area, surrounded with fallen trees andrge rocks. Our group was holding the only exit from this ce. Erik and Vincent were facing off against about twenty creatures. They were about the size of arge dog, though they looked nothing like one. They looked more like scorpions without the barbed tails. They had hard shells and their colours ranged from brown to dark green.


    Erik stepped forward with his tower shield, pulling their attention towards himself. Vincent was standing right next to him with his shortsword ready to strike. Nervous, I watched them as the creatures drew closer. I summoned my skills panel, ready to cast Dark Bolt at a moment''s notice. My simple straight sword wouldn''t do anything against creatures with such hard shells, but magic could probably pierce their defences without too much trouble.


    The first creature struck Erik''s shield with its pincers. The young man grumbled and stepped back. Vincent was facing off another one, he blocked the first few strikes with his sword. They seemed to be doing fairly well, so I held on to my Dark Bolt.


    An arrow flew past Erik to hit one of the creatures right in the eye. It fell on the ground motionless with a disgusting squelch. I flinched; I didn''t know Samantha was such a good sharpshooter.


    Almost as if she were trying to prove me wrong, she missed her next shot. The arrow struck a fallen tree on the other side of the battlefield with a loud thud. I sighed and nced at Erik and Vincent. Nearly all the creatures had reached them. They were soon going to be surrounded.


    Vincent screamed as one of the monsters'' pincers found its mark. He staggered and stepped back as blood flowed from the wound on his arm. Even more creatures approached him now, they had smelled the scent of blood ¨C they weren''t going to let their prey get away.

 Chapter 36: A Mutual Understanding

    <h4>Chapter 36: A Mutual Understanding</h4>


    I felt Alina''s magic reach Vincent. The wound on his arm healed almost immediately. Her power was useful, I had to admit. Though, it wasn''t quite as powerful as Erik and the others thought it to be. While Vincent''s wound was healed, he still seemed somewhat shaken, probably because of the pain.


    That wasn''t the only issue the group was having. Since Vincent had backed off, Erik was left alone on the frontline. While he was fairly strong, he was still only human. As more of the creatures focused their attention on him, he also started stepping back.


    An arrow flew right past him and killed another one of the creatures. I nced down at Samantha. She was focused on her archery. She hooked another arrow and released it as I watched. I followed the arrow with my eyes. She had just barely missed the eye of one of the creatures. The arrow hit its shell with a loud ng, then harmlessly fell on the ground. The creature didn''t seem too bothered by it as it continued approaching Erik.


    "This isn''t working." I mumbled as I used Dark bolt. Three silent bolts leapt from my fingers and killed the three creatures, closest to Erik.


    "What the hell?" He shouted, ncing towards me with annoyance. I didn''t care as I shot another volley of Dark Bolts. I wasn''t about to let his inexperience cause any deaths.


    "Kai?" Vincent shouted as the three opponents he was facing off against died to my magic.


    "Erik, look out!" I shouted as the remaining creatures attacked him. He tried striking one of them with his sword, but it bounced off its shell with a ng. I shot another volley, killing another group. With only five remaining monsters, I stopped casting and looked around. We''d made quite themotion; it wouldn''t be unusual to see predatorse our way.


    Soon, Samantha''s arrows finished off thest creatures. The group gathered at the little opening as I jumped down the tree.


    "What the hell was that?" Erik shouted as soon as I approached them. Confused, I raised my eyebrows. "I told you to look out for anything unexpected, why did you interfere with the battle?"


    "What?" I asked, dumbfounded. What had gotten into him? "You were in trouble, so I helped-"


    "I was not in trouble!" He continued shouting. "We''ve dealt with creatures worse than this. Why can''t you just do what''s expected of you? What if something had attacked us in the rear while you were preupied with this?"


    It felt as if he''d punched me in the gut. "What''s expected of me?" I repeated his words. Unpleasant memories surfaced as I clenched my fist. "I-" I shook my head and took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "Vincent getting wounded and being forced to fall back was unexpected. I did exactly what you asked of me." I gestured towards the forest. "I knew nothing wasing our way and even if they did, I could have alerted Joshua and Alina. Stop spouting nonsense."


    "You-" Erik clenched his fist and took a step towards me, but Vincent stopped him by stepping between us. "Erik, don''t you think you''re being too harsh?" He quietly asked. Aline quickly shut him down. "No, he''s right. We could have died if something like that happened. There''s a reason we have a leader, what''s the point if you don''t follow his n?" Her cheeks were slightly red as she spoke. She seemed angry.


    "Let''s try this again," Erik said, pushing Vincent aside. "Only interfere if something aside from what we''re fighting attacks us. Ok? Is that clear enough?" His bright blue eyes were filled with hostility.


    I responded to his hostile gaze with my own. "Crystal." Without waiting for his acknowledgement, I headed towards the next location. I heard the group scramble behind me. A little whileter, we arrived at the location of our next quest. I climbed up on a tree and watched them fight the battle. And the next one. And the next one.


    As dusk approached, we returned to Stonepatch Vige.


    "Let''s go to the tavern!" Alina shouted and started dragging the silent Joshua along with her. Erik relented easily and Samantha reluctantly followed them. I silently watched as they left, theirughter echoing between the buildings.


    "Are you ok?" Vincent asked. I shook my head, there was no point in lying. "I''m sorry about him. Erik, I mean." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "After we thought you had died, he med himself for forcing you to y this game with us. He kept saying how he''d avenge you."


    "It''s fine." I said with a sigh. "You don''t have to defend him. I know he''s a good person. He''s just going through tough times. All of us are." I didn''t say how that didn''t justify his actions, there was no point in discussing it. I turned my back to the vige. "But you guys already have a working system among the five of you. All I am doing is disrupting that." I turned back to look at the young fighter.


    He flinched and stepped back as I summoned my scythe. The crystalline curved de let out a pale shine as the sun set. "I''ll clear my head a little. You go ahead and join them."


    "I told you," He said as he carefully approached me. "I''m done drinking." His sword materialized in his hand. "If you''re going hunting, I want toe with. Do you mind?"


    I hesitated, then shook my head. "No, let''s go."


    Unlike the Torchlight Woods, the forest floor here wasn''t covered with moss. Our steps weren''t as silent as I''d like. Vincent wordlessly followed me as I went towards the faint traces of magic I could sense. Soon, we spotted a bunch of horned lions.


    I used Fallen Grace and Death''s Scythe and dashed at them, leaving a trail of ck mes and a confused and somewhat terrified Vincent in my wake. He didn''t even get to lift his sword as I cut down these creatures. Once thest one fell, Vincent finally spoke up. "That was amazing."


    "I''m trying to get used to the weapon." I cleaned the blood off the de with arge leaf. Even if this was a game, it felt wrong to leave my weapons dirty. Besides, this world was so realistic that Erik''s father may had even chosen to add such a ''feature'' into it. Weapons degrading due to damage wouldn''t be outside his ability.


    "I don''t know man; you seem pretty used to it already." He said with a grin. "They were dead before I finished counting them."


    "Sorry you didn''t get to do anything." I said, feeling a little bad. The situation now felt simr to when a new disciple joined the training hall. They wouldn''t even be able to follow our movements. Both good and bad memories surfaces as a bitter smile appeared on my face.


    We continued hunting for a few hours, though Vincent seemed a bit tired towards the end. On our way back, I finally asked him something that had been bugging me for a while. "Why are you fighting so defensively?"


    He flinched. "You noticed?"


    I nodded. I had noticed the moment I saw him fight the scorpion-like creatures. He never once did anything offensive in that battle, or in the following ones.


    "Erik said that as long as we keep Samantha and Alina alive, we''d beat the game. Alina can heal insane amounts of damage and Samantha is an amazing archer. She can dish out more damage than any of us. Joshua makes for a great lookout and he''s good at keeping Alina safe." He shrugged. "Erik is a pdin; his job is to be the frontline, but he can''t do it alone. He needed someone to stand with him and the only person capable of that was me."


    I shook my head. That thinking was wrong on so many different levels, I didn''t even know how to begin exining.


    "I know what you''re thinking." Vincent suddenly said as he grabbed my arm and stopped me. His sheer strength surprised me ¨C his grip was stronger than Erik''s. "You don''t have to interfere. We''vee to a mutual understanding with him and Alina. Look," He opened his status panel.


    ''Vincent Kestler ¨C Level 19 Fighter''


    ''STR: 28 ¨C CON: 20 ¨C DEX: 18 ¨C INT: 14 ¨C WIS: 14''


    Taken aback, I stared at him. "That''s much more than Erik''s strength."


    "It is. Fighters don''t get any of the cool abilities Pdins or, well, any other sses get. We get a whole lot of stat points instead. I still have some unused points too. Once Erik is strong enough to hold the line, I''ll start working towards bing a Spellsword." He grinned. "I''ll be pretty strong when that happens."


    I forced a smile. What he said was against everything I was taught, and it was exactly what Rina had warned me against yesterday. He was letting Erik and the others hold him back and hinder his growth. Yet, who was I to butt in and disrupt their rtionship? I smiled, nodded, and let the way to the tavern.


    "Come on, we have some drunk people to carry."

 Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 37: An Unexpected Encounter</h4>


    I was sitting on arge branch of the tallest tree in the area. I had used the magical chain to climb up here. I was pleasantly surprised to see the thing lengthen and shorten as I needed it to. Leaning my back on the trunk of the tree, I watched Erik and the others fight a group of horned lions in the distance.


    My shoulders dropped as I remember yesterdays conversation. After finding Erik and the others drunk in the tavern, I had a small fight with them. Eventually, we decided that I''d work separately from the group but still keep an eye on them.


    The innkeeper had rmended me this ce as a vantage point, and I was grateful to her. It allowed me to both keep and eye on the others and do some grinding of my own.


    I spotted some small eagles ¨C much like the ones that apanied the giant eagle we killed with Rina and Alex that night. I used Dark Bolt to dispatch of them. "How does this not have a range?" I mumbled as I opened my stats panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 40 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1200/20000 - - Souls 100/100 + 53 - - Mana: 480


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    I sighed as three more souls joined their fellow dead. I had gotten somewhat used to the coldness they brought with them. It was always there, buried deep within my chest. I shivered despite the ring sunlight. It was ufortable.


    "Look who''s here!" A familiar voice sounded from below. I flinched and looked down to see Rina and Alex standing beneath the tree. I grinned and waived at them.


    "Good to see you both alive."


    "That''s my line!" Alex said with a grin as she lifted Rina up to the lower branches. I was quick to climb down and help her. She smiled as I helped her climb to the higher branches. "Thanks,"


    "Give me a hand, would you?" Alex said as she jumped and caught the lower branch.


    "You know there''s no what I can lift you, right?" I protested. I was nowhere near strong enough to do that. Just the weight of her tail would be enough to dislocate my shoulder. Alex pouted. "Don''t be so rude to ady!"


    "I''ll help out." Rina said as she cast a spell. I flinched; she hadn''t summoned her skills panel.


    "There we go!" Alex said as she pulled herself up with ease. "Thanks!" She climbed past me, then grabbed me with her tail and lifted me up to the branch I was sitting on previously.


    "Uh, thanks." I said with a nervousugh. I nced towards where Erik and the others were fighting. Everything seemed to be going fine.


    "Any time, dear." Alex said with a warm smile. "We were on our way back to the vige when a bunch of bird corpsesnded near us. We guessed it''d be you."


    "Sorry about that," I fiddled with my hair. "I didn''t see anyone else around, so I thought it''d be safe."


    "Oh, it''s fine." Rina smiled. "But why are you here, alone? What about Samantha and the others?"


    I hesitated. "We had a... discussion." I said, averting my gaze. "Our fighting styles sh a bit too much. We decided it''d be best if I kept an eye of them while doing my own thing." I faked a smile and shrugged. "It''s better for me anyways. I''ve been on my own for too long, I can''t quite adapt to fighting with others."


    Alex red at me. She seemed somewhat upset. "We all know that''s a lie, Kai. You were in perfect sync with us the night before. You''re perfectly capable of adapting. The way I see it, they just didn''t want to adapt to your existence." She said with a deep, angry voice.


    "She''s right. You did fine, saved both of our lives too." Rina added with a low voice. "Don''t put all the me on yourself. Calm down, analyse the situation with a clear and subjective view and decide ordingly."


    I remained silent, not because they were wrong but because there was nothing I could say. Part of me wished I could tell these things to Erik and the others but there would be no point in doing so.


    "Is there something else bothering you?" Alex asked.


    "Oh!" I said as I remembered. "It''s not bothering me or anything ¨C I''m just curious; how did you cast that spell without using the interface, Rina?"


    She hesitated, then lifted her palm. "I think I can teach you. I''m not sure, but I can try." A warm light appeared in her palm. "You can sense magic, right?" I nodded. I could sense the flow of her power, though I couldn''t make much sense of it.


    "Try to mimic it with your own magic." Following her, I lifted my hand and tried to focus my magic. It was... challenging, to say the least. It was like trying to move a muscle I didn''t have.


    We intently stared at my empty palm for several minutes before I gave up. "I don''t think I''m very good at this." I said as my shoulders dropped.


    "It''s fine," Rina said with a smile. "I was only able to do it once I got my truesight and the ability to see magic."


    "You can see it?" I asked in surprise. I couldn''t even imagine what it''d look like.


    "In a sense." She said with a smile. "It looks like faint, semi-transparent strings." She squinted and leaned towards me. "Yours didn''t move at all when you tried it just now." She poked my palm. "What about that aura of yours? How do you control it?"


    I hesitated as I recalled. "You know about that too?" Iughed, of course she did, why was I even asking? "I''m not sure. I just do." I clenched my fist. "I''ll figure this out somehow too."


    Alex chuckled. "Don''t be too hard on yourself. I can''t do it either." She grinned and looked at Erik and the group. They were sitting in a small opening in the woods, enjoying their lunch. "Looks like they''re having fun."


    Rina nodded as I sighed. They were taking things way too lightly. Though, I couldn''t help but feel like I might have been too hard on them. I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts and focused on Alex and Rina. "What are you two doing out here anyways?


    Rina opened her inventory to show me a bunch of different herbs. "We''ve been collecting materials for our sisters to use."


    "Wait, so your sisters are also here?" I felt bad for them all of a sudden. They had to worry about keeping family safe. "I had no idea."


    "They''re not fighting." Rina said with a smile. "My sister is doing alchemy. Alex''s little devil is an enchantress." She gestured to my clothes. "You bought these from Luhen''s ce, right?"


    I nodded. The enchanted clothes were really useful. Their protection had already saved me once.


    "My sister''s the one selling them to Luhen. Why don''t we introduce you to those two some time?" Alex said with a bright smile. I hesitated, not because I didn''t want to, but because I worried about scaring them with this look of mine.


    "Oh yeah, that''s a good idea!" Rina chimed in. "I''m sure they''ll-"


    A loud screech interrupted her words. I heard yelling and panicked screamsing from where Erik and the others were taking a break. I looked that way to see something as bright as the sun, descending towards them.

 Chapter 38: To Ashes

    <h4>Chapter 38: To Ashes</h4>


    "The hell is that?" Alex shouted. Rina seemed frozen in ce. I used fallen grace and threw myself off the tree.


    "Kai, wait!" Alex''s voice was already behind me as I rolled as soon as I touched the ground to soften my fall and dashed towards the screams. The forest roof blocked my sight for a short moment. I considered myself lucky as whatever that bright thing was exploded, burning off most of the leaves. I ran towards it as ash rained around me.


    Soon, I heard Erik''s voice. "Stay behind me! We''re retreating!" I burst out of the treeline to see them hunched down behind his tower shield. I stopped in my tracks as I saw it. The source of that screech.


    It was a giant, ming bird. "A phoenix?"


    "Kai, run!" Rina''s voice sounded from behind me. "You stand no chance against that thing!"


    Both her and Alex also came out from the woods. Rina was already out of breath while Alex seemed ready to fight.


    "Who are they?" Erik asked in surprise. Before we could say anything, the creature let out another ear-piercing screech. Its eyes focused on Rina. I felt something change around us as the forest suddenly caught on fire.


    "What the hell?" Alex shouted as she pulled her friend away from the burning trees. "It''s blocking our path!"


    I nodded; the entire forest was on fire. There was no way we''d get through it alive. Even if Alina healed us in the process, we were hours away from the vige. Her mana would never be enough.


    "We have to fight it." Rina shouted. I could barely hear her voice from the roaring fire. "You guys, be ready to support us."


    Erik and the others hesitated. They clearly were scared. The phoenix''s mes roared as it soared above us. With every p of its wings, the air around us grew hotter. We had to do something before the heat killed us.


    "Look out." Samantha shouted as the creature reared its head. I felt the magic around it change. At the same time, Rina grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Momentster, a fireball exploded where I stood before.


    "It can shoot fire?" Alina screamed. I coughed as the smoke of the burning grass made my eyes water and my throat itch. "We have to do something quickly. Samantha, shoot the thing already!" I shouted. She flinched and hooked an arrow.


    "I''ll enhance your shots." Rina shouted as a blue glow appeared around Samantha''s arrow. As soon as she released it, it flew straight to the creature and hit its wing. The phoenix screeched and wailed. The mes around us roared and the smoke got thicker. Soon, even breathing was going to be difficult.


    "Kai, use the chain to try and bring it down." Alex shouted. "If you can hook it around its neck or feet, we can pull it down." I nodded, it made sense. I took the chain out from my inventory and ran closer to it.


    "Erik, be ready to pull when I tell you to." I shouted. He nodded as he blocked another fireball with his shield. I smelt some burned skin as I ran past him. The shield was zing, it must have been burning the skin on his hands. Yet, he persevered to keep Alina and Samantha safe.


    I used Fallen Grace and leapt high up in the air. Throwing the chain, I felt some of Rina''s magic around it. With her guidance, the chain wrapped itself around the phoenix''s chest and hooked itself. The creature screeched and pped its wings in an attempt to get away. As soon as Inded, I threw the other end of the chain towards Erik. "Pull!"


    Alex and Vincent also lined up by the pdin and we pulled the chain. Despite our efforts, the creature showed no sign of defeat. It only pped its wings harder. I felt my feet slowly leave the ground.


    Another enhanced arrow struck the creature, then another. I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my mind that was quickly followed by a lighting strike that hit the creature.


    "It''s working!" Samantha shouted. It really was working. My feet touched the ground again as our collective strength lowered the creature to the ground. Eventually, it couldn''t fly at all anymore and fell on the ground with a thud. As soon as it did, the grass around it caught on fire.


    I let go of the chain and and summoned my scythe. Erik and the others also summoned their weapons as we dashed towards the creature.


    Waves of fire spread from it as Samantha''s arrows barely hit the creature. Erik was the only one who could get any closer to it as his shield was barely enough to keep him safe from the worst of the mes. Right behind him was Vincent. Rina was casting a spell way in the back and Alex seemed to be waiting for that to finish. Joshua stood to the side ¨C his throwing daggers were doing a fair bit of damage to the creature.


    Erik shouted something as soon as he was in range to hit the creature. His longsword let out a golden shine as he cut through the phoenix''s ming feathers with ease.


    "Kai, Alex, go!" Rina''s voice sounded as her magic formed a blue shield around me and Alex. The heat of the mes disappeared. A smile appeared on my face as I dashed forward.


    Joshua''s surprised scream shattered my smile. He pointed towards the creature''s left side. "It''s healing!" His words hit me like a truck. I nced at the points where Samantha''s arrows had hit the creature. There were no wounds. Erik''s shes had disappeared. The only wounds that had remained were from Alex''s sword.


    "Get back!" I shouted as the creature spread its wings wide. A wave of heat hit us. Rina''s shield blocked the heat wave for me and Alex, but the others seemed to have trouble breathing. "I can''t breathe!" Rina suddenly shouted. Her face was red, she was panting, holding her throat.


    "You didn''t cast it for yourself?" Alex shouted as she rushed to her friend''s side. "Idiot!"


    Alina''s healing spell touched Rina, allowing her to breathe a bit better and getting rid of her slight burns. I looked around; it was as if we had entered hell. Everything was burning ¨C Trees, bushes, even the dry ground itself.


    I heard the creature move. As I moved my head to look at it, fear grasped my heart. Its gaze was focused on Erik as it leapt into the air and dove right towards him. Its sharp talons reflected the light of the fires around us as they aimed for the pdin.


    "Look out!" I shouted as I rammed Erik with all my ¨C and Fallen Grace''s ¨C strength. My bash threw Erik out of the way of the creature''s talons, but I wasn''t fast enough to get myself out of the way.


    I felt the sharp talons burrow into my skin as it grabbed my right shoulder and arm. Before anyone could react, the creature had already lifted me off the ground. I screamed, trying to free myself but all that did was cause its sharp talons dig deeper into my flesh.


    "Kai!" Alex shouted. Samantha shot an arrow, but the creature didn''t even flinch as its mes burnt the arrow before it even reached it. I held on to the creature''s leg with my left arm, to lessen the weight on my shoulder and looked down as the ming bird carried me high into the air. I could only hope it wouldn''t let go, we were too high up in the air.


    I thought of trying to cut off its leg but decided otherwise. Even if I decided to that, I''d have to wait until it flew low enough for me to survive the fall. At least I was protected from its mes until Rina''s spell wore off. We flew north, past the summit where we fought the oversized eagle. Just looking down was enough to make my head spin.


    The phoenix didn''t fly for too long, though the distance we''d covered in this short time was incredible. I could see several ruins in the forest below. My shoulder and arms hurt with each beat of its wings, so I was grateful when I started to slow down.


    Unfortunately for me, the ce it had chosen tond was a ratherrge and deep crater. Before my feet touched the ground, it dropped me. I fell on the ash covered ground with a thud. As soon as I did, I used Soul''s Respite.


    I heard the creature alsond with a loud thud. As I got up on one knee, our gazes met. I felt the heat of its mes. Rina''s spell was slowly wearing off.


    I pushed myself to stand up and summoned my scythe. The creature spread its wings wide. I clenched my teeth as it reared back its head. The next heat wave destroyed Rina''s spell. Taken aback by the intense heat, I stepped covered nose and mouth with my arm. My eyes were burning from the heat. I blinked a few times, only to see a fireball approaching me.

 Chapter 39: A Mysterious Smile

    <h4>Chapter 39: A Mysterious Smile</h4>


    I threw myself to the side, just barely avoiding the roaring mes. Theyer of ash around me rose and created small cyclones. The Phoenix screeched again. I quickly got back on my feet and dashed to the side. Another fireball exploded behind me.


    I looked around, trying to find a ce where I could climb up and escape the crater. The walls were too steep, I didn''t think I could get out of here easily. It wouldn''t have been an issue if there wasn''t a bird shooting fireballs at me.


    Another one exploded behind me, sending me flying. I feel on the ash covered ground with a thud. Smoke covered the sky; it was getting difficult to breathe again. I coughed and pushed myself up. The creature screeched at me. The wound Alex''s sword had inflicted was still there, on the creature''s chest. Why was it that only her weapon inflicted any permanent damage?


    The pped its wings, sending a cloud of ash my way. I coughed and covered my face with my cloak. I had to get up and escape. On my own, I had no chance against this creature. I shot a volley of Dark Bolts at it and dashed to the edge of the crater.


    A fireball hit the ground before me, causing me to stop in my tracks. I heard the sound of wings and turned to see a pair of sharp, deadly talons approaching me. Hopeless, I swung my scythe.


    It screeched. I screamed. The scythe cut through its left wing with ease as the sharp talons pierced my chest. The enchantment on my clothes had depleted a long time ago. I used Soul''s Respite again as soon as it retreated a little. My previous wounds hadn''t evenpletely healed yet and he wounds on my chest hurt still, my healing ability was nothing like Alina''s. The souls burst out of my chest and started their ritual of circling around me.


    I nced at the creature. It was preparing another attack. I could sense its magic focus around its mouth. The souls slowly healed the wounds on my chest, but it wasn''t fast enough. I wasn''t going to be able to get up in time to avoid it.


    The phoenix breathed fire my way. I barely crawled out of its range, leaving a trail of blood on the ash covered ground. Fear gripped my throat. I looked at the wound I had inflicted ¨C how long was it even going to remain there?


    The phoenix screeched and pped its right wing. To my surprise, its left wing hadn''t healed yet. Though there was no blood, it was motionlessly dangling. It reared it''s head up and I came face to face with a wall of fire. The mes roared as they reached towards me.


    I couldn''t die right now. Not after finding Erik and the others. Not after meeting Rina and Alex. I grasped the shaft of my scythe and prayed for Soul''s Respite to heal me as the mes approached.


    "That''s quite enough." A soft voice sounded. The wall of mes hit a purple barrier moments before they reached me. I heard the sound of two pairs of wings. Delthurnded right by my side. He didn''t even look at me, his gaze was focused on the phoenix.


    Purple mes appeared around the phoenix as I heard Vixia''s soft voice, chanting. It screeched and breathed fire, only to once again be blocked by that purple barrier. As the demon''s mes burnt it, it wailed in pain. Despite almost being killed by it, I couldn''t help but feel a little bad for it. It stood no chance against Vixia.


    She finally entered my vision,nding right by the creature. She wore simple, dark green protective clothes. Her overdone makeup or extravagant clothes were nowhere to be seen. Her simpler outfit made her no less intimidating. I felt a lump in my throat as her mes danced around the phoenix. Any second now, the one wailing in pain could be me.


    I forced myself to get up. Soul''s Respite had finally finished healing me. I slowly, discreetly stepped back, only to hit a purple barrier much like the one that stopped the phoenix''s mes.


    "Stay where you are." Delthur said with a dry voice. He seemed annoyed. Unlike Vixia, he was wearing chain armour and carried arge, two handed sword with him. He looked very much like the demons in old stories.


    It took a while for the phoenix to finally fall. Motionless, ity on the ground. I half expected it to turn into ash as it died, but it didn''t.


    I noticed the barrier around me dissolve. I thought of escaping, but both Vixia and Delthur had focused their attention on me.


    "Well," Vixia suddenly said with a dark expression. "How long are you going to make it suffer?" Her beautiful voice carried the full weight of her words. "A phoenix can''t be killed by ordinary means."


    Her words sent a chill down my spine. I nced at Delthur ¨C he also had a heavy expression. "What do you want me to do?" I asked with a weak voice. It was impossible to not be terrified of her, considering that she didn''t even look slightly tired after that show of power.


    She gestured towards the phoenix''s motionless body. "Kill it. Let it find it''s peace." Purple mes danced on her fingers. I gulped, how was I going to get out of this one alive?


    I slowly, carefully approached the phoenix. The closer I got, the more sadness I felt. It was a beautiful being, despite its deadly mes. I nced at my scythe. Was it even going to work? With a deep breath, I swung the de, piercing the creature''s chest.


    The body turned into ash as my scythe passed through its flesh. I shivered as its soul dissolved into my chest. I hadn''t expected a phoenix''s soul to be this cold. Suddenly, I felt sick. How was I any different than an executioner? Killing a helpless, already defeated creature like that!


    I brushed past Vixia and ran to the nearest rock. Delthur motioned to chase me, but Vixia calmly stopped him. I bent down behind the rock and puked my breakfast. My whole being felt sick. What I had just done was against everything I was taught. It was against the principles my family upheld throughout the centuries.


    "Weak." Delthur''s dry voice sounded. He cleared his throat and coughed. "Lady Vixia, I-"


    "It''s fine." She said with a soft voice as I stepped away from the disgusting mess I created. I could still taste it. I needed water, though I didn''t expect to live long enough to find any.


    "What happens now?" I asked with a cracked voice. I probably looked funny to them. My legs were shaking, I felt exhausted. Still, I clenched my fingers around the scythes shaft. The feeling of cold, hard metal helped me calm down a little.


    Vixia smiled. "You don''t need to be so on guard, Kai Friseal." She approached me, purple mes still dancing on her fingers. "If I wanted to kill you, I''d done so the first time we met." She walked past me. "Come."

 Chapter 40: Jade Waters

    <h4>Chapter 40: Jade Waters</h4>


    I sshed some water to my face. Again. Probably for the tenth time. I just couldn''t convince myself that I wasn''t dreaming since the situation I was in was... weird, to say the least.


    The jade green waters of theke were crystal clear. I could see the fish swimming with ease. Of course, the same could be said for Delthur as he floated above the water, spear in hand. He readied his spear and skewered a fish. A calm, cool breeze carried the scent of hyacinth towards me. I looked behind me to see Vixia standing by the campfire. She was looking far away, towards the north. As I watched, she sighed and stretched.


    We were in the middle of the forest, not too far away from where I killed the phoenix. I could just barely see the summit in the distance, where Rina, Alex and I killed the overgrown eagle. It was so far away; it''d probably take days to go back. If I ever could, I thought as I nced at the chain locked around my right wrist.


    Of course I wasn''t camping with two demons because I wanted to. They hadn''t given me much choice on the matter. With a sigh, I got up on my feet. I still felt somewhat sick. I approached the camp and after a moment''s hesitation, sat down by a tree and leaned my back on it.


    I was exhausted. My muscles still ached from the strain of thatst battle. I wished this were a dream, that I''d soon wake up to find myself in my room at the inn.


    "You should rest." Vixia''s soft voice sounded. She smiled as her steps brought her closer to me. I felt my whole body tense up. This woman could kill me with ease. She chuckled and shook her head. "I told you before; if I wanted to kill you, I''d done so the day we met." She reached down and extended her hand towards me. I quickly backed off.


    "Why are you keeping me alive? What do you want from me?" I red at her. She paused then turned to face the gentle breeze.


    "Something you aren''t capable of just yet." The wind carried her whisper to me as she extended her wings and leapt up to the air. With a graceful turn, she flew towards herpanion. I shook my head. Her words made no sense.


    I wasn''t left alone for long as they both returned a short whileter. Delthur carried severalrge fish while Vixia had a bright coloured fruit in her hands. At first nce, it looked like an apple. I was pretty sure it wasn''t an apple though.


    "Eat." She said as she gave it to me. "You''ve exhausted yourself." She nced at the fish. "I don''t think you can eat any animals without throwing up right now."


    She wasn''t wrong. I was still shaken up by the death of the phoenix. Just thinking about it made me feel sick. I nodded. "Thanks," I mumbled as I bit into the fruit. I hadn''t realised how hungry I was until I tasted the sweet, delicious vour. It was unlike anything I''d tasted before.


    Vixia chuckled as I finished eating the fruit. For its size, it was surprisingly nourishing.


    "You should sleep." Delthur said, the stopped to clear his throat. He nced at Vixia, who nodded. I hesitated. I didn''t think I could sleep with these two here.


    "You took the soul of a creature much more powerful than you. It''ll take a toll on you." She said with a sigh.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, with some confusion in my voice. The horned lion and the oversized eagle were also much stronger than me. I hadn''t suffered anything from absorbing their souls.


    "The phoenix is a legendary creature." Vixia exined with a soft voice. "It''s not mortal, the only thing that can kill it is to sever the connection of its soul with its body. The only ones who can do that are Necromancers and the Keeper of Souls. You." I averted my eyes as soon as our gazes met. I didn''t want to lose myself in those bright purple eyes.


    "I didn''t intend to kill it." I said quietly. "You forced me to."


    "It was too good a chance to pass up." She said with a chuckle. "Besides, someone had to stop it, or it''d never stop going after your friend."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "Rohir''s pdin." Delthur said with a t voice. "He broke his oath. He did not extract the vengeance he swore to in the name of his so called ''god''." He coughed and cleared his throat.


    "Indeed," Vixia took over as she shot a look of pity and sadness towards herpanion. "Rohir is a vindictive old man. He probably got annoyed that the pdin borrowed some of his power and never gave anything back. I bet he cursed the poor phoenix out of spite too." She clenched her fists. "I''d love to cut him into pieces and reduce him to ashes." Purple mes danced on her as she spoke.


    "My Lady, please calm down." Delthur said with a worried tone, though he also seemed somewhat annoyed, bothered even, by the recent events.


    "Sorry," Vixia said with a bitter smile. Then, she turned to look at me. "That phoenix was still young. It could have lived for all eternity if this hadn''t happened." She gestured towards the sky. "Once cursed, it''d never be free of Rohir''s will. We couldn''t allow that old idiot to have such a powerful servant." She sighed and looked north. " And we couldn''t let the poor thing suffer for the rest of its life."


    With a serious look on her face, she approached me. I tried to back off, but she grabbed my wrist before I could. "But phoenixes don''t die. Their souls cannot be destroyed. The Ereth may have brought you here to kill us," She said with a wicked smile, "But they clearly don''t know what you are capable of. If they knew, Rohir would have never allowed you toe across a phoenix."


    I pulled my hand away and with the tter of chains, quickly got back on my feet and backed off. What was she talking about? "What do you mean? What does the god of vengeance have to do with the Ereth? I-"


    "That''s enough," She cut me off. "You need to rest, or you will not survive whates next." Her voice carried her magic to me. I tried to avert my gaze, but I was captivated by those glowing purple eyes. My eyelids got heavier as darkness embraced me. I felt a pair of cold hands slow my fall.

 Chapter 41: Blazing Dawn

    <h4>Chapter 41: zing Dawn</h4>


    I woke up to a beautiful dawn. The entire forest was a see of red and golden leaves. The grass was dyed in every colour of autumn. Even the previously jadeke looked like a golden pool. The transformation the forests in this world went through in the span of mere hours was incredible.


    "He''s awake." A dry voice sounded. Delthur was sitting on a fallen tree by the firepit. As my sight focused on him, he cleared his throat and with a bitter expression, put a small, crimson cloth away.


    "I told you he''d make it." Vixia said with a yful tone. "You need to learn to trust me more, Delthur."


    He grumbled, but I couldn''t quite make out the words. "What happened?" I asked. I motioned to get up, but a sharp pain shot up my back.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." She said with a serious expression. "You''re changing."


    I shot her a confused nce. What did that even mean? Delthur coughed, got up and headed towards theke. Vixia let out a sigh. "Just stay put. Though, I doubt you''d be able to walk with that pain." She also stood up and rushed after herpanion. Was it worry that I saw in her eyes?


    Since she''d been as enigmatic as always, I decided my best course of action was to check my interface. Thankfully, that seemed to be working properly.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 43 Soul Keeper | Exp: 6750/22000 - - Souls 100/100 + 87 - - Mana: 510


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    Everything seemed fine. I''d levelled up three times, but I guess that was to be expected thanks to the phoenix. I looked at the other panels, hoping to find a reason for this pain on my back but there was nothing. As I was about to give up, I remembered about the choice the game forced onto me after I''d killed the horned lion.


    "What was that?" I whispered to myself as I searched for that panel.


    ''Path Chosen. Please note that this process will take time. Do not attempt any strenuous activities until the process ispleted.'' The pale blue text was the same as before but there was more to the panel than before.


    ''Sacrifices taken.'' Beneath these two simple words, it listed a number of creatures. "Terror of Stonepatch Vige?" I mumbled to myself. Did it mean the oversized eagle? Beneath that, there was another piece of text: ''Core: Ember''


    "What?" There was no exnation, nothing. I scoured the panel for some more information, but my efforts weren''t rewarded.


    Since the interface was as useless as always, the next logical step would be to try and figure out what was going on with my body. I carefully lifted my arm to my head and reached to my back. My fingers touched the skin on my back. I flinched as just touching the skin hurt.


    Aside from the unusual sensitivity, I couldn''t feel anything wrong. I wondered for a moment if I had somehow broken a bone or something, but then realised how stupid that thought was. If that were the case, Soul''s Respite would have fixed the issue. Something else was causing this.


    I forced myself to remember when the pain first began. Wasn''t it right after I killed the horned lion? At the time, I had thought it was because I forced this avatar past its limits. That the mild ache would eventually disappear ¨C just like a normal muscle pain. Clearly, it wasn''t something as simple and insignificant as that.


    "You need to be more careful," Vixia''s voice sounded. With my heart racing, I quickly closed the interface. I had no idea how much of this they knew about, but I wasn''t about to give them such valuable information.


    The footsteps slowly approached, along with Delthur''s disgruntled voice. "You shouldn''t waste time worrying about me." He grumbled as they finally entered my field of view. He nced at me, then sighed and shook his head. "He''s the one who''s in danger." He pointed at me with one of his massive ck wings. Before me or Vixia could react, he leapt into the air and flew north.


    Vixia sighed and copsed on the nearest log. "Damn it." She whispered. Then, with a deep breath looked at me. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was as calm as always.


    I hesitated. "Fine, I think." I wanted to ask her what was going on, but it seemed like a bad time to do so.


    She nodded. "Good. Don''t move around. You''ve pushed your body beyond its limits way too often, so the process was constantly dyed. In the end, it was for the best, but it won''t make it any less painful."


    "What process are you talking about?" I really wanted to know the answer. Was it the same process the interface mentioned or was it something different?


    She smiled but gave no answer. Instead, she nced at the sky. I followed her gaze to see Delthur return. He was carrying something wrapped in a piece of cloth. Momentster, hended before us and gave what he was carrying to Vixia.


    "Beautiful," She said as she unwrapped the cloth. It was a small, crimson crystal the size of my fist. She raised it high up in the air. I held my breath as the sunlight seemingly danced within it. "Did she give it willingly?" She asked as she nced at Delthur. He nodded.


    Vixia seemed to lose herself in the crystal for a moment before finally shaking her head and turning towards me. An uneasy feeling came over me. "What''s that?" I asked with a worried expression.


    "There are things called primal cores." She said absentmindedly. "Cores that hold the most primal elemental powers." She smiled. "They''re not useful on their own. No one can control a primal power." She nced at me. "But power isn''t everything. This is the primal core of fire. It''s an offering to the soul of the phoenix that resides within you. It will merge your souls."


    "I don''t understand." That uneasy feeling only grew stronger as she approached me. "What does that mean?" I wanted to back off but moving hurt and even if I were able to run away, the chain was still locked around my wrist.


    "It means you''ll survive the next hour." She gestured to the east. The sun still hadn''t shown itself, but the sky was already dyed in crimson. "The phoenix revives at dawn if its body is destroyed. This will allow it to ept your body as its own." She smiled. "Don''t worry, you won''t be a primal creature. You''ll remain as the person you are."


    I hesitated; how could I ept that? How could I trust her?


    "Choose quickly," Delthur said with a dry, cracked voice. "It will start reviving soon." He coughed and turned his back to me. I noticed him wipe his mouth with the crimson cloth.


    I nced at the sky. The coldness in my chest disappeared as the first rays of sunlight touched my body. Instead, it felt as if someone had put cinders in my chest. I cried out in pain as it felt like something was burning a hole through my chest.


    "You have to decide ¨C now!" Vixia shouted. "Life, or a painful, empty death!" She held the crystal ¨C the primal core of fire ¨C before my eyes. mes danced in the crystal. It was beautiful. "Decide now, Kai Friseal." She shouted again.


    Of course I didn''t want to die. I didn''t hate myself, and despite its difficulties and challenges, I loved my life. I loved my family, even when they were harsh or borderline hostile. I still needed to get Rina, Alex, Erik, and the others out of here. I wanted to live. I wanted to see the bright smile of my sister again.


    I reached out towards the crystal. I was not going to die here.


    Vixia smiled as my fingers touched the warm surface of the zing crystal. I felt her magic envelop me and the primal core. The sunlight burnt my eyes as whatever spell she cast took effect.


    I cried out in pain as the souls created a vortex of shadows around me. One of them, as bright as the sun, lingered on my body. Vixia shouted something, but her voice was supressed by the wailing souls around us.


    The sun dawned. The forest turned green and the sky blue.


    With a pained cry, I burst into mes.

 Chapter 42: Distant Memories

    <h4>Chapter 42: Distant Memories</h4>


    For only a short moment, I smelled burnt flesh. I saw my pale skin darken and melt. For only a short moment, I was the me. I remembered soaring in the sky, leaving a trail of fire in my wake, searching someone. I felt the mark of a curse weigh on me, forcing me to hunt someone far, far away.


    I felt the pain of des and arrows cutting through my flesh, trying to supress my fire. I raged, yet they were strong, I needed to back off. I would burn them all from the sky. I''d be a second sun to them.


    I remembered escaping, carrying one of the small beings with me. He seemed just as scared as me. But the cursepelled me to attack. With a wrongful rage, I attacked. I pierced his flesh as he cut through my wing.


    I remembered the purple mes dimming my light, dousing my own mes. I felt my body weaken as I remembered her. I had saved her, many years ago. Why was she here? Why was she hurting me?


    I remembered that dark scythe pierce my heart. As my mes turned to ash, I saw the woman''s pained expression. Did she... remember me?


    Darkness, apanied by the cold embrace of death surrounded me. The pain was gone. The crushing weight of the curse was gone. I was gone.


    Memories whirled in my mind as I felt my skin tear. I was a phoenix ¨C no, I was a human. I lost sight of myself for a moment. Who was I?


    The sweet scent of hyacinth reached my nostrils. I opened my eyes to see a bright, blue sky. Suddenly, Vixia''s pale face covered my view. "You''re alive!" She said with a smile. "I knew it!" It was difficult to look away from her radiant smile.


    She backed off and gestured me to get up. I hesitated. My body felt...weird. Like something wasn''t quite right about it. I held my head and tried to reorganise my thoughts. I could clearly remember flying through the clouds and being killed by...me.


    "Kai Friseal." Delthur''s dry voice sounded. He was sitting by the campfire. "Focus."


    I shook my head. "I remember things that didn''t happen to me." I whispered. The chain ttered as I ran my fingers through my hair. "My mind is a mess." I said and pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    As soon as I did, I felt something heavy weighing down on me. Confused I tried to look at my back to where the source of that weight was. I flinched, shot up on my feet and promptly lost my bnce.


    Two massive, ck wings ¨C much like those of Delthur and Vixia ¨C were hanging on my back. The tip of the feathers looked like the embers of the phoenix. Speechless I stared at them.


    Vixia''sughter broke the silence only momentster. Even Delthur was chuckling, though that soon turned into a coughing fit.


    "What the hell is this?" I screamed as panic gripped my throat. Why did I have wings? How did I have wings? "What did you do to me?"


    "I did nothing." Vixia said with a grin. "It was your choice. I only made sure you''d survive this dawn." She gestured to the sky. It was still fairly early in the morning.


    "I didn''t-" I stopped halfway through my thoughts. Had I chosen this? I forced myself to remember ¨C What did that panel say? Something about a ''Development Path'' and ''Ember''? Was this the result of the choice I had made?


    "You will have to learn how to use them." Vixia said with a chuckle. "And how to hide them." As I watched, her wings turned into dark blue mist and disappeared. After a good ten seconds or so, they reappeared.


    I hesitated, learning to use a whole new set of muscles was going to be a challenge. I wasn''t even sure if I''d be able to do it.


    As I stood there, pondering, Vixia approached and plucked one of my feathers. I flinched and jumped back from the pain.


    "See?" She said with a beguiling smile as she stroked the plucked feather. "It''s not something you have to think about. Those wings are yours; your body knows how to move them." She tilted her head, prompting me to look at them. They were extended as if I was trying to keep them far away from her. I hadn''t even noticed that I moved those muscles.


    Delthur sighed. "We should try throwing him off of somewhere." He put the crimson cloth away. "That''s what worked for you, might work for him." I flinched and backed off while Vixia shot him a deadly re. He chuckled.


    I hesitated. I felt conflicted. I couldn''t say I didn''t like the idea of flying freely in the sky. Who would dislike it? I didn''t hate having wings and I''d be a fool to not see the sheer tactical advantage they''d give me. I was actually kind of looking forward to learning how to fly.


    But Vixia and Delthur ¨C two demons ¨C were the ones who''d helped me with this. They''d saved my life and were offering to teach me how to fly. There had to be some reason for their actions. Weren''t they the big bad enemy? I couldn''t blindly trust them.


    The cool morning breeze shuffled my feathers. I flinched; it was going to take quite some time to adjust to the new sensory inputs. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. The only course of action that made sense would be to try and take advantage of the situation as much as I could and look for an opportunity to escape.


    Gathering my courage, I asked her. "So, what do you want me to do?" I could only hope I''d get out of this alive. She showed me a mischievous smile that almost immediately made me regret asking.


    "Now," She extended her wings dramatically. Her eyes let out a purple shine that was difficult to look away from. "Let''s see how fast of a learner you are."

 Chapter 43: Training

    <h4>Chapter 43: Training</h4>


    With a loud ssh, I fell into the water. It took me a moment to find my bearing and swim to the surface. Unsurprisingly, having two massive wings on my back was quite the hindrance underwater. When I finally broke through the surface of theke, I gasped for air. I almost ran out of air just trying to get back to the surface.


    "I''d be quite funny if you drowned while trying to fly." Vixia said with a chuckle. She was sitting on arge rock on the shore, dipping her feet in the jade green water. I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the shore. "Aw,e on. It would be pretty funny."


    "For you, maybe." I grumbled.


    "Don''t be so grumpy." She sshed some water my way. "It''s been two days and you already learned how to take off and fly short distances."


    "Not fast enough," I said as I closed my eyes and focused on the embers of my wings. The embers burst into mes momentarily, evaporating most of the water on my wings.


    "You''re too ambitious." She said with a sigh. "You have all the time in the world." She extended her hand. Purple mes danced on her fingers. "Why are you in such a hurry?"


    "Who knows when you decide I''m not fun to keep around anymore?" I said with a dismissive tone. "I might as well find myself dead by tomorrow." With those words, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air. With a few powerful beats of my wings, I was already soaring in the sky.


    It was an amazing feeling. The wind touching my face, the beautiful green forests beneath me. Despite everything that happened in the past weeks, I felt free. Like I could go anywhere, do anything.


    Though that feeling was misleading, I did have more options than I did before. I still needed to train my muscles; I was feeling muscle pain all over my body. It wasn''t too surprising, all things considered. I had never used my body this way before.


    The most challenging part of flying was, funnily enough, flying in a straight line. I tended to veer towards wherever I was looking at. The second most challenging part was maintaining the proper rhythm required to actually keep flying. It actually took quite a lot of effort to move these massive wings. Whenpletely stretched out, each wing spanned a whole three meters. And none of those three meters were wasted ¨C it was all muscle. They were quite heavy.


    For now, I could only fly for about ten minutes before running out of strength, hence my frequent visits to theke. I nced around, taking in my surroundings. I was slowly getting the hang of adjusting the rhythm to adapt to the wind.


    Once I started feeling my muscles burn, I quickly turned back and folded my wings a little. The wind hitting my face only became stronger as I approached the ground. I stretched my wings and with a few powerful ps, realigned myself andnded on my feet.


    "Nicely done." Vixia pped. Out of breath, I approached theke and sshed some water on my face.


    "This is exhausting." I mumbled as Iy on my back. The sun warmed my skin, though it seemed to be unable to get rid of the coldness in my chest.


    "Of course it is." Vixia chuckled. "Did you expect it to be easy?"


    I shook my head. I''d always wondered how she never seemed to get tired, despite moving around quite a bit. Now, it made a lot more sense. "It''ll take a long time before I can fly any more than this." I clenched my fist.


    "Yes," She said with a chuckle and sshed water around with her feet. "But don''t you think it''s worth the effort?"


    I nodded. It really was worth it.


    "Now," She suddenly said with a heavy voice. "I''ve yed my part." She pushed herself off the rock and stepped towards me. I quickly stood up, that change in her tone and demeanour couldn''t mean anything good. She looked me in the eye. "We''ve saved your life many times. You owe us a debt."


    I flinched. She wasn''t wrong, but I disliked the idea of owing them. "What do you want?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "When the timees, I will ask you to meet someone." She brushed past me and walked towards the campfire. "You will not ask any questions; you wille with me." She looked at me over her shoulder. "I will promise your safety. Deal?"


    I hesitated. I could feel Delthur''s gaze on me as he gently stroked the hilt of his greatsword. I wasn''t really given a choice, was I? With a sigh, I nodded. "Deal."


    She smiled; it was bitter, almost painful. "We won''t meet again until then." She said before stretching her wings. "Survive until then, Kai Friseal." She leapt high into the air, followed by Delthur. Their wings carried them far away as I watched.


    I had survived another encounter with them, though at what cost? I nced at my wings, then at the northern sky. What the promise I made would entail, I didn''t know. I shook my head. There was nothing I could do until then. Thinking about it wasn''t going to do me any good.


    With a sigh, I looked to the south. It was time to go back. I opened my interface and checked the party panel. Everyone''s names were still there, and two more were added ¨C Rina and Alex. A smile appeared on my lips. At least they were safe.


    I nced around. I had enough food tost me a while in my inventory and Vixia had given me the chain back. All that was left of the campsite was just a bunch of fallen trees. With a sigh, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air. It was time to go back and find the others.

 Chapter 44: The Journey Back

    <h4>Chapter 44: The Journey Back</h4>


    Despite my best efforts, I couldn''t fly for more than a quarter of an hour. Even that goal seemed out of reach most of the time. Out of breath, I once againnded on the soft, mossy forest floor. With a burning sensation, the wings on my ck turned into a ck-ember mist.


    Vixia had taught me how do to this. She called it ''hiding'' my wings, though it felt more like making them disappear. Once I hid them, I couldn''t feel them at all anymore. The muscles that connected to my entire upper body also seemed to disappear. It was a weird and unpleasant feeling, like I was losing a part of my body.


    Now, with a lighter and more nimble body, I headed south. I alternated between flying and walking. After a few hours of journeying, dusk settled in. I once againnded on the mossy forest floor and checked my surroundings. I was in the middle of a very tnd, covered by this forest. There weren''t very many ces I could use as shelter.


    With a sigh, I walked around, looking for a tall tree. If nothing else worked, I could at least wait out the night on the higher branches of a tree. My efforts were soon rewarded by a nice, tall tree with a thick trunk.


    With a smile on my lips, I summoned my wings and flew to the higher branches of it. When I found a suitably durable branch, Inded and hid my wings. The fiery glow at the end of my feathers would make every creature in the general area aware of me.


    "Now then," I mumbled as I took a fruit out of my inventory. "This is rather convenient." I could see most of the forest from such a high vantage point. It looked beautiful as always. As I watched, the golden-purple glow of the setting sun slowly faded, allowing the dark night sky to take its ce. The unfamiliar stars shone as I closed my eyes to rest a little.


    I woke up to cheerful chirping and a cool breeze. As I opened my eyes, the golden sea of trees before me took my breath away. No matter how many times I saw it, I''d never get tired of it. I took some food from my inventory and ate it, waiting for the sun to rise and the forest to return to its normal, green colour.


    I still couldn''t make sense of how the leaves literally changed colours with the phases of the sun. Was it magic?


    I shook my head. I was being silly ¨C it was how OTHERWORLD had made this world. A thought gnawed at the back of my mind, but I dismissed it and prepared to fly again. Even if it was a fake, virtual world, being able to fly was amazing. I let myself fall, then with a powerful beat of my wings, took to the skies.


    I kept my pace of flying until I couldn''t anymore, then walking and once I had rested my wings enough, flying again until around noon. I''d have kept at it until dusk, but a bunch of vulture-like monsters interrupted my peaceful day.


    Honestly, I wasn''t expecting anything to attack me in broad daylight since I was now much stronger than most things in the general area. So, a sudden rush of wings took me by surprise. Unable to manoeuvre properly, I felt the scratches of their talons and their piercing beaks on my skin.


    I motioned to summon my scythe, but decided otherwise and summoned my in, metal sword instead. I wasn''t used to using a scythe or to flying. There was a good chance I''d somehow end up cutting off my own wing if I tried to do both at the same time. Instead, I swung my sword to cut off one of the vultures'' head.


    The swinging motion shifted my centre of weight, effectively messing up my fragile bnce. Not only did I miss my target, but I also found myself falling.


    Inded on the mossy ground with a loud thud and scrambled to get back up on my feet. Thankfully, the tree branches ad slowed my fall enough, allowing me to survive it with only a couple dozen scratches.


    The cultures screeched, I could see them circling the air above me, but they made no effort to chase me down. I took this chance to use Soul''s Respite and allowed the dark shadows to heal my wounds. Then, with a wicked grin on my face, I sent some Dark Bolts after the vultures.


    Several thuds sounded as the corpses fell all around me. "That''s what you get for messing with me." I quietly said as I looked at the map to find my bearings. As I walked through the forest, I couldn''t help but think about what just happened. I had no clue on how to properly fight in mid-air. I really needed to learn aerialbat if I wanted to take full advantage of these wings and their mobility.


    Thoughts and worries whirled in my mind as my journey back to Stonepatch Vige continued.


    I kind of regretted making that promise with Vixia. But then again, if I hadn''t, she probably wouldn''t let me leave. With a sigh, I gave up on that train of thought. What was done is done. Now, the best thing I could do was focusing on what I can do.


    I had to grow stronger. Strong enough to kill the Demon Lord. Once I''d done that, the game would be over, and we all would finally be released. How I''d do that was another question entirely. I needed to protect Erik and the others. Rina and Alex too, I couldn''t let anything happen to them.


    There was also the question of why Rohir, Erik''s sworn god, would send a phoenix to kill him. It didn''t really make much sense to me and I didn''t blindly trust Vixia''s words. I''m sure she hid more information than she shared with me.


    A distant shout interrupted my thought process. My ears perked up as I recognized that voice. It was Erik''s! But... What was he doing so far away from the vige?


    I sprinted towards his voice. Shortly before I reached him, I heard lightning cackle as several lightning strikes illuminated my surroundings, followed by the pained wail of the creatures it hit.


    They finally entered my vision as I slowed my steps. Erik and the rest of the group were apanied by Rina and Alex. They all seemed somewhat tired as they sheathed their weapons. Before them were the corpses of a bunch of vulture-like creatures, much like the ones I''d killed earlier.


    "This is annoying!" Alex shouted. "We don''t even know where they went!"


    "Hush!" Samantha suddenly said with a serious tone as I made my way towards them through the bushes. "Something approaches!" She hooked and arrow and without skipping a beat, shot it towards me.

 Chapter 45: Questions and Confessions

    <h4>Chapter 45: Questions and Confessions</h4>


    "Whoa!" I shouted and rolled away from the arrow''s path. It hit a tree behind me with an audible thud. "Guys, it''s me!" I called out, finally entering their field of view.


    "Kai?" Samantha shouted in a panic. "Oh my god, I''m so sorry! Did I hurt you?" She ran towards me and looked all over me. Her hands were shaking.


    "No, I''m fine." I said as I tried to calm her down. By then, the others had also reached us. Rina was the first to give me a hug, followed by a rib crushing one by Alex. "Alex ¨C can''t breathe!"


    Samantha also gave me a hug while Alina and Joshua opted to do high fives and fist bumps, respectively. "Are you wounded?" Alina asked with a worried nce. "Do you need healing?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''m good. Thanks, Alina."


    "You really need to stop scaring us like this, Kai." Vincent said with a huge, relieved grin. "If you weren''t still in the party, we would have thought you died for sure." Samantha and Alina nodded at his words.


    "I''m d you''re ok." Erik said with a low voice. "I''m really d you''re still alive." He seemed unsure of what to do. He motioned as if he wanted to hug me, but then stepped back. And nced at everyone''s faces. "Samantha, can you take us back to the river? I think we should make camp for the day."


    "Sure," Samantha said with a cheerful tone as she led the group through the forest.


    "Kai," Erik stopped me before I could follow the rest of them. He had a dark expression as he avoided my questioning gaze. I felt nervous, had something happened?


    "What''s wrong?" I forced myself to ask, preparing for the worst.


    "Thank you," He said with a catch in his voice. "I don''t think I''d have made it alive if I was the one carried off." He was referring to the phoenix. I shook my head; I shouldn''t have made it out alive either.


    "Don''t worry about it." I forced a smile as I lightly patted his shoulder. "We''re all alive, that''s what matters, right?"


    He nodded with a somewhat bitter smile. "Come on, let''s not stay too far behind or they''ll worry."


    We followed the others in silence. Erik still seemed to be feeling somewhat guilty. It was only natural since I basically almost got myself killed to save him. I caught him throwing glimpses towards me but didn''t say anything.


    We soon arrived at a small opening in the woods, bordering a shallow but wide river. Samantha was kneeling beside the sandy riverbank along with Alex. They seemed to be trying to catch fish. Alina was helping Vincent and Joshua set up some tents.


    "Kai," She said as we stepped out of the treeline. "Give us your tent, we''ll set it up too."


    I hesitated. "I don''t have one, actually." I said with a smile. "It''s fine though, I prefer sleeping outside anyways." I said as I saw her smile shatter.


    "Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly. "I can spend the night with Samantha, and you can take my tent if you want to."


    "Oh, no." I shook my head. "It''s fine, really." I nced at the blue sky. "I like seeing the stars and moons."


    Alina hesitated, then nodded. "Let me know if you change your mind, ok?" She gently touched my arm before going back to help Vincent.


    "Here you are," Rina''s voice sounded. "Do you minding with me a bit?" She asked with a harsh tone. I felt my heartbeat quicken. Was something wrong? I nodded and followed her along the river. Her steps had a sense of urgency to them.


    Once we were far enough away, she stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned towards me and simply stared at me with raised eyebrows. Nervous and somewhat worried, I asked her. "Is something wrong?"


    "You tell me," She said, tilting her head ever so slightly. "How are you still alive?" Her deathly serious expression sent shivers down my spine. "I can''t figure it out, how did you survive after the phoenix carried you off?"


    I flinched. I had expected to be questioned, but I didn''t think she''d be the one asking the questions. And I certainly didn''t expect she would be so blunt. I hesitated; how much could I tell her? I wanted to confide in her, to tell her about my suspicions. But what if doing so put her in danger?


    "Kai," She insisted. "Don''t you trust me?" Her voice reflected her disappointment.


    "It''s not that." I finally relented. "I don''t want to put you in danger, but if you insist..."


    "What does that mean?" She asked, no phased the slightest.


    "Well," I leaned on a tree and took a deep breath. "Two demons saved me from the phoenix," With those words, I started talking. I told her about the very first time I met Delthur, how I met Vixia, how they saved my life several times. She remained calm throughout my story as she listened until the very end.


    I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I hadn''t told anyone about this. "So, here I am now." I finished my words as I summoned my wings. They appeared on my back with a burst of embers.


    "Beautiful," She mumbled as she carefully approached them. "May I touch them?" I nodded. She carefully touched the end of my left wing with the tip of her finger. I remained silent as she inspected some of the feathers in more detail. "It looks like there is great detail to these. What does it feel like when you move them? Can you feel the singr muscles?"


    I nodded as I exined how flight worked. When I finished, she nodded in understanding. "I see." She nced at my eyes. "Your eyes are glowing."


    I flinched. I motioned to hide them with my hair, but her next words stopped me.


    "I think I know why they saved you."


    "What?" I froze in the middle of my motion. "Please, tell me." I insisted.


    "It''s a bit of a long story." She said with a faint smile. "But putting it simply, we werete to find you because we stumbled upon an old demonic ruin. I convinced everyone to help me explore it. Inside, I found several murals. One of them depicted a gate of light." She nced around as she spoke. "From it, beings came to what I assume is this world. The same mural depicted a man shrouded in shadows destroying the same gate, standing side by side with the Demon Lord."


    She stared at me as her next words left her mouth. "I think the previous Keeper of Souls stood with the Demons during an invasion."

 Chapter 46: A Blank in History

    <h4>Chapter 46: A nk in History</h4>


    "But ording to the game''s lore, the demons came about a century ago." I protested. "It doesn''t add up."


    She nodded and, with a thoughtful expression, continued talking. "If the knowledge in Ereth libraries is right, then demons invaded this world about a century ago, destroying the Ereth''s ''Divine Pirs'' and taking over most of theirnds." She shook her head. "But if the mural and other information I found in simr ruins is right, then the demons have been here for much longer. For such a long time that an invasion from a different world happened at some point, and enough time passed that not many traces of that remained."


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. I felt my heartbeat quicken. "What if," I mumbled as I reluctantly entertained the thought. "The traces are all around us, but we just don''t realise?"


    She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"


    "Well," I said hesitantly. "We don''t know what the world looked like before. You''re guessing that no traces remain because you consider the current state of this world ''normal''. But what if it''s not? What if something is very wrong about this ce, but we just can''t notice it?" It was a difficult thought to try and exin, though Rina seemed to get my point.


    "I''d agree with you, but you''re forgetting something. This is a game. It makes no sense for them to put an unsolvable mystery in a game."


    I flinched. "True," I mumbled as another thought gnawed at the back of my mind. That one though, I refused to entertain.


    "But I wouldn''t dismiss what you just said," She said with a serious expression. "I think you''re on to something, but we need more information." She hesitated, then shook her head. "Let''s go back, before the others worry."


    I nodded. "Oh, can I ask a favour?" I asked before she could leave. "Would you mind keeping what I told you a secret? I don''t want Erik and the others to worry and-"


    "You don''t trust that they will treat you the same after they hear all that." Rina said. Her uracy was frightening. I nodded. "Just say so from the beginning, Kai. Do you mind if I tell Alex?"


    "No. I know she won''t hold it against me." I said with a smile as I hid my wings again. Rina watched me with a thoughtful expression as they disappeared in a ck-ember mist. We returned to the camp soon after.


    The sun had started to set. The lively camp reminded me of the first day we came here. It was almost a little nostalgic. "I wish we had a crystal here." Erik mumbled as we all sat around the small firepit. "I''d feel much better about camping if we were better protected."


    I chuckled. "It''s fine, we''re strong enough to take out anything thates at us."


    "You say that," Joshua chimed in with a wicked grin. "But we couldn''t handle the phoenix, remember-"


    Alina punched him in the gut, effectively shattering his smile and putting a stop to his words. He bent over himself as he cried out in pain.


    "Read the mood, you idiot." Vincent said with a sigh as Alina turned her attention to Samantha. They started whispering to each other as if the rest of us weren''t even there.


    "Anyways, what happened to the phoenix, Kai?" Erik asked. A silence filled with their expectations followed. I brushed my hair back.


    "Well, I killed it." It wasn''t a lie. It was my scythe that killed the monster. I had delivered the killing blow. "I got lucky," I added as I saw their doubtful expressions. "It was already badly wounded, so once it dropped me andnded, I just waited for a good opportunity to strike." I gestured as if I was swinging my scythe.


    "It was healing though," Joshua mumbled. "How was it still wounded by the time you flew all this way?"


    "Rina''s magic and Alex''s weapon inflicted wounds that it couldn''t heal immediately." I exined carefully. They had no way of knowing that I had gotten help from demons. Rina knew, of course, but I knew she wasn''t going to expose my lie. "Like I said, I was really lucky." I forced a smile, then nced at the sky. I could see a few stars shining already.


    They seemed to have epted my exnation. I breathed out a sigh of relief as their low conversations filled the silence. I wasn''t a good liar in the real world, though it seemed much easier to lie here. Was it because of my avatar?


    "You should get some rest." Rina quietly said to me before bidding a good night to everyone and heading off to her tent. Alex waved at her but remained outside. "I''ll stand watch first." She dered with a smile.


    "Thanks, Alex." Samantha gave her a quick hug before excusing herself. Joshua and Vincent soon followed, dragging Erik with them. Though the pdin didn''t seem to be sleepy, he relented as soon as Joshua whispered something into his ear.


    "Kai," Alina''s voice sounded. I flinched; I had gotten lost in thought as I watched the others. "Are you sure you don''t want to use my tent?" She sat next to me as she asked. I nodded.


    "You don''t have to worry about me so much, Alina." I forced a smile as I turned my gaze towards the distant stars.


    "I can''t help it." She quietly said. "You''re always going off on your own. How do you expect me and everyone else to feel when you do that?" Her shaky voice prompted me to look at her. I hadn''t noticed she was so shaken up about this. As soon as our gazes met, she turned the other way. She mumbled something, but her voice was too low for me to hear properly.


    "Uh, did you say something?" I hesitantly asked. She shook her head and quickly got up. "No, nothing." She quickly said before brushing past me and running into her tent.


    Dumbfounded, I stared after her until Alex approached me. "Are you an idiot, perhaps?" She asked with her arms folded under her breasts. "Or are you enjoying this?"


    "What are you talking about?" I asked hesitantly as I stared at her tail. She seemed prepared to hit me with it.


    "Oh, I wonder what?" Her threatening voice sent a chill down my spine as I slowly and carefully retreated. "Alex, what''s going on?"


    She met my gaze and for a short moment, we were locked in a staring contest. After a solid ten seconds, she sighed and gave up. "You''re hopeless."


    Despite my confusion, I breathed out in relief. I didn''t think I could do much if she decided to beat me up with that tail of hers. Back when we killed the oversized eagle, I had seen just how much stronger than me she and Rina were.


    "Oh, Kai." Her voice sounded. I nced at her with a slightly fearful expression. She grinned when she saw my face. She was clearly messing with me. "There was something Rina and I were nning on doing. She thinks there are some demonic ruins not too far from here. She was intending to ask you; do you want toe with?"

 Chapter 47: Unexpected Visitors

    <h4>Chapter 47: Unexpected Visitors</h4>


    I woke up to a silent dawn. There were no birds chirping, no wind hustling the leaves.


    Feeling somewhat nervous, I forced myself awake. Why was the forest so quiet? I lifted my head and looked around, only to see Vincent silently staring off into the woods. With his sword in hand, he motionlessly stood there. Was he listening to something?


    Everyone else was still in their tents. It must have been Vincent''s turn to stand guard. I quietly got up on my feet and approached the young man. He flinched when I touched his shoulder. He motioned to punch me but stopped as soon as he recognized who I was.


    "You scared me, Kai." He breathed out in relief. "I could have injured you."


    I shrugged; I didn''t think he''d be able to do much to me. Despite the difference in pure strength, I was fairly sure I could beat him with my knowledge and previous training. "Did you notice something over there?" I tilted my head towards the forest.


    "I''m not sure." He sighed. "Maybe I''m just being paranoid. I thought I heard footsteps, but when I looked, there was nothing around here." He shook his head. "Maybe I''m just tired."


    I hesitated. "No, I don''t think that''s it." The forest was too silent. Something was off. "Do you mind waking the others up?" I asked quietly. "Act like it''s normal and tell Rina to look out for magic around here." He seemed somewhat confused but nodded and walked towards the tents.


    I stretched and walked to the river. I knelt by the shallow water and sshed some on my face.


    "Good morning," Rina''s voice sounded. Her hair was a mess and she had some dark circles under her eyes. She also sat by the water and washed her face. "I saw some strands of magic by therge oak tree to the west of camp." She silently said before getting up and walking towards the firepit.


    I ran my fingers through my hair, then rose on my feet and slowly made my way to the edge of camp. I didn''t approach the spot Rina was talking about, instead I walked into the treeline. As soon as I was hidden by the greenery, I used Fallen Grace and with my increased speed and dexterity, made my way to therge tree.


    I made sure to remain hidden as I approached the spot. I could hear Joshua''s loudughter back at camp, they were either doing a good job faking a normal morning, or none of them had gotten the hint. Hoping that it was the former, I arrived at the tree. As soon as I stepped into its shadow, I felt a wave of magic wash over me.


    "Why are we wasting our time here?" A woman''s voice sounded from above.


    "Because we don''t know who they are." A man said, quietly. "Just make sure to stay in the spell or they''ll hear you."


    "I know, I know." She grumbled. When I looked up, I spotted them on one of the lower branches of the tree. The woman had short, ck hair. She wore simple leather armour. The man wore his blonde hair in a ponytail. He was clearly a magic user; his enchanted robes and staff were clear evidence of that.


    "Oh, where did the weird one go?" The woman mumbled. I flinched; they had noticed I was gone already.


    "You lost him?" The man shook his head in defeat. "You''re hopeless. I-" He stopped as our gazes met. I jumped up as he started shouting. I had already reached him before a word could leave his mouth. I rammed him with all my weight as he desperately reached for something to hold on to. We plummeted from the branch as neither of us could keep our bnce on it.


    We fell on the moss-covered ground with a muffled thud. I summoned my sword as soon as I could and before the blonde man could get up, I pinned him down. Putting the pale metal de of my sword against his throat, I shouted. "If you try to stab me, he dies."


    The leaves of the branch above me rustled as the womannded a few meters away from us. "Who are you?" She hissed at me. Her eyes were like those of a cat. The dagger in her hand reflected the sunlight.


    "I''ll ask you the same." I said, then nced at the blonde man. He was preparing to cast a spell. "Stop that." Perhaps it was my cold voice, perhaps the fact that I noticed what he was doing, but something made him flinch and the magic gathering in his palm seemed to fade.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s voice sounded as the rest of the group arrived.


    "Who are you people?" Erik asked, his sword and shield in hand. With his te armour and a group of six fully armed people behind him, he looked quite intimidating.


    "We don''t mean any harm, ok?" The woman shouted. "Let him go, you demon!" She red at me.


    "I don''t trust you. Who are you and why were you watching us?" I asked. I pressed the de to the man''s throat ever so slightly. It was definitely not enough to even cut through his skin, but he immediately shouted. "Ok! Just don''t kill me, please!" I felt him struggle under me. He didn''t seem like he was lying. In fact, he seemed terrified.


    "I won''t hurt you as long as you don''t try to harm one of them." I tilted my head towards Erik and the others. The man nodded vigorously. I nced at the woman, who also nodded albeit with a slight hesitation.


    I slowly put the sword back into my inventory and moved aside, letting go of the blonde man. He touched his throat in a panic and only calmed down a little when he noticed that there was no wound.


    "Now," I said as I rose to my feet. "Let''s talk back at camp." Erik nodded. I offered my hand to the man. "Need any help?" He shook his head and quickly stood up as well.


    We led them back to camp and sat around the ash-filled firepit.


    "So," I said with a cold voice. "Who are you?"

 Chapter 48: An Attempt

    <h4>Chapter 48: An Attempt</h4>


    "My name is Asher Morgan." The blonde magic user spoke. His bright green eyes were focused on me, despite Erik''s clear position of leadership. "She''s-"


    "I''m Astrid." The ck-haired woman said with a cold voice. "And that''s all you need to know about me." She red at us, one by one. Hostility was practically dripping from her gaze. Erik seemed like he wanted to push her for more information, but Alina stopped him.


    "Why were you spying on us?" She asked, responding to Astrid''s re with her own. The two women remained locked in that staring contest for a while. I sighed and nced at Asher.


    "Would you mind answering?" I asked him. As soon as he met my gaze, he flinched and looked away.


    "We were hired by someone." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "They wanted us to find and observe the ones that killed the Cursed Lion and the Terror of Stonepatch Vige." He nced at Erik and the others. "It''s well known that the pdin''s group is the only grouprge enough to pull off such feats."


    "Right..." I mumbled as Erik seemed somewhat unsure of what to do. "Uh, so who hired you?" I finally asked.


    "I don''t know their name." Asher said with a shrug. "All I know is-"


    "Shut up already!" Astrid shouted at him. She sprung to her feet and with clenched fists, continued to shout. "What is wrong with you?"


    "Hey," Vincent approached her with a threatening demeanour. "Listen, you-"


    "No!" She shouted. "I''ve had enough of this!" A dagger appeared in her hand as she lunged towards Vincent. The young man stumbled backwards as the sharp de of her dagger shot towards his neck. She was aiming to kill.


    "Enough!" Rina''s voice sounded as Astrid''s de bounced off a pale blue shielding spell that appeared around Vincent. The short, petite wizard whispered something as distant thunder echoed. Astrid stepped back cautiously as Vincent finally regained his bnce. Erik dashed towards the ck-haired girl, immediately followed by Joshua and Samantha.


    Lightning strikes hit the ground not too far from us. I nced at Rina and flinched as fear gripped my throat. She was floating right above the ground, pale blue lightning danced on her green hair. Her previously brown eyes shone a bright blue, much like the lighting she summoned.


    "The hell!" Astrid shouted as she bolted towards the woods. As the group, including Samantha and Alina ran after her, my gaze met Asher''s just as he was about to get up.


    "Are you going to try and escape?" I asked calmly as my scythe materialized in my hands. I gripped the cold, dark, metal shaft.


    "Would you me me?" He asked with a shrug.


    A smile shed across my face. "No, not really."


    "Well then,"


    We stared at each other for a moment in the now empty campsite. Distant thunder echoed.


    He whispered something. As soon as I felt magic whirl around us, I shot towards him. As I closed the distance between us, a strong wind flung me all the way back to the treeline. I hit the moss-covered ground with a pained moan and forced myself to get up again.


    As I looked towards my opponent again, dread filled my mind. He was casting another spell. I considered using Dark Bolt, but I decided against it ¨C I didn''t want to identally kill another human. Instead, I once again rushed towards him. To my surprise, he didn''t hit me with another spell. Instead, his magic enveloped him and lifted him off the ground.


    "Sorry!" He shouted as his spell carried him off to the distance. "Hell no, you don''t!" I hissed as I summoned my wings. I had already started running towards the treeline as two massive wings sprouted on my back. With a powerful beat of my wings, I lifted myself off the ground. I just barely avoided the upper branches of the trees as I began my pursuit.


    He wasn''t too far away, though unlike me, he could fly for longer. I wasn''t fast enough to catch up to him and I was already feeling the strain my effort put on my muscles. He could fly for as long as he had mana and being a magic user, he surely had plenty of it.


    I clenched my teeth and used Fallen Grace. I had avoided using it as I flew because I didn''t want to push my body too far beyond it''s limits. The embers on the end of my feathers red up as my speed increased. I nced back, only to see a trail of fire behind me. Strength filled my muscles and the feeling of exhausted disappeared.


    I quickly closed the distance between us. As I drew closer, he flinched and turned back ¨C he''d only now noticed me. "What the hell, you can fly this fast?" He shouted in a panic as his face turned pale. I felt magic gather at his palm as the winds around us changed. He was trying to slow me down.


    A sudden chill washed over me as I felt the effects of Fallen Grace disappear. At the same time, Asher''s spell also disappeared and the magic gathering in his palm vanished. He started falling to the green forest below us. I clenched my teeth and, with a few powerful beats of my wings, reached him. He grabbed onto me as I just barely caught him. The added weight of carrying another person finally caused my muscles to give out.


    We plummeted to the ground below ¨C again. We were too far up this time, even I wouldn''t survive this fall without serious injuries. I felt him gripping my shoulders. "You''re insane!" He screamed. Only then did I realise, he couldn''t cast any spells for some reason.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind. It made no sense for Fallen Grace to end. It usuallysted for a much longer time.


    "Do something!" His scream pulled me away from my thoughts. I spread my wings wide. I couldn''t fly us back, but I could slow our fall.


    The pressure on my muscles was insane, it felt as if someone was trying to pluck my wings off. With a pained cry, I managed to finally align myself properly and with a rather steep angle we glided towards the nearest body of water ¨C a shallow but wide river.


    We fell into the water with a ssh. I felt something crack as my consciousness began to fade. The cold water wasn''t enough to keep me awake as the stream started to carry me away. I heard someone shout before water covered my head. Something pulled my left wing as darkness engulfed me.

 Chapter 49: Naiveté

    <h4>Chapter 49: Naivet¨¦</h4>


    I woke up to the sound of flowing water and birds chirping. And the low crackling of a small fire was clearly audible too. I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Asher was sitting by a small fire, poking it with a stick. His long hair was dripping wet.


    He noticed me as I slowly pushed myself up. "You''re awake!" He shouted.


    I flinched, my back hurt like hell, as well as my right wing.


    I nodded. "What happened?" Why hadn''t he escaped? He had the perfect chance since I was unconscious.


    "After we fell into the river, you fell unconscious. I had to carry you out of there." He nced at my wings. "Those things are heavy. I almost gave up a few times." He sighed. "Anyways, I carried you out and decided to wait for you to wake up."


    I raised my eyebrows. "Why would you do that?"


    "Well," He tilted his head to the left. "Look there,"


    I looked to see a massive structure just standing out here, right by the river. It was clearly made with the same aesthetic as the demonic ruins I''d seen before. It was muchrger than any of them though. It looked like arge medieval fort, though most of its outer wall had crumbled with time.


    The walls were cracked, and nts were slowly taking over the structure, but all things considered, it was in fairly good shape.


    "Demonic ruins?" I asked hesitantly. Sure, it was really interesting, but it still didn''t exin why he didn''t run away from me.


    "I think so." He said with a defeated tone. "Look, I''d love to just walk away and leave you here," I flinched, that was more honest than I thought he''d be. "But as soon as we approached the damn thing, all my spells stopped working. I''m a sorcerer. I can not survive without my spells." He looked me straight in the eye. "And I didn''t want to cause another human to die."


    A smile shed across my face. "How about we get away from here, then? You wouldn''t minding back to camp, would you?"


    He sighed. "Look, I''ll tell you who hired us. But honestly, I don''t think it''s such a big deal. They were just curious about the group who took down two bosses. So, can we skip the whole sword at my throat thing and act like civilised humans?"


    I chuckled. "Sure, let''s do that. How about we focus on getting back first, and then we can talk?"


    He nodded. "Can''t you fly us back?" He said as he nced at my wings.


    "Even under normal circumstances, I wouldn''t be able to carry you for long enough. And," I said as I tried to stretch my wings. My left wing stretched nicely but my right wing refused to move properly. "I think it''s broken."


    He flinched. "In that case, we need to get you back to the camp so your priest can heal you."


    "Let''s get out of the no magic area first." I stood up and hid my wings. Asher stated at me in disbelief as they disappeared in a ck-ember mist. "Come on," I said as I summoned my scythe. I looked at the river, we''d probably reach camp if we followed the river. "Let''s go."


    We walked in silence for a short while, though it was clear there were things Asher wanted to say or ask. A while past as the sun slowly climbed the sky.


    "Oh, would you look at that? My magic is back." He calmly said as I climbed over a fallen tree. I immediately froze in ce. Something about his calm voice made me feel in danger. He was stronger than me, he''d proven it with that spell earlier. I did not want to have to fight him again. Was he going to honour our previous conversation?


    For a short while, we stared at each other. "What now?" I asked.


    He hesitated. "Well," magic gathered in his palm. "How about we make a deal?"


    I nced at his palm, then at my scythe. I would never reach him in time. "What kind of a deal?"


    "I''ll heal your wound. And I''ll tell you who hired us." The wind whirled around us. "In return, you tell me how you killed that phoenix and help me out with something." His eyes let out a jade shine. His long hair blowed in the wind.


    I slowly stepped down from the fallen tree. I couldn''t take any chances with him. He was strong, perhaps even stronger than Rina. "Who are you?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes.


    "Someone who is trying to get out of this damned game." He grinned, then his expression darkened. He raised his arm. I felt the magic around us shift and threw myself on the ground. My heart raced as a sh of light illuminated our surroundings. Several muffled thuds sounded. "And I do not appreciate those who are trying to stop me." His cold voice sent a chill down my spine.


    I nced around to see the corpses of nearly a dozen creatures. He''d killed all of them with a single spell and he didn''t have to chant like Rina did before casting it either. I motioned to get up, but a sword seemingly made from pure light touched my throat. "I don''t think I''d be very smart to let you get up, since you''re a little bit too fast for me."


    "Who the hell are you?" I asked as I tightened my grip around the shaft of my scythe. I felt the de of light pierce my skin. As a single drop of blood ran down my neck, Asher narrowed his eyes. "Put the scythe down, Kai."


    After a moment''s hesitation, I slowly ced the scythe on the moss-covered ground, then raised my hands to indicate I wasn''t a threat to him anymore. "Everything you said earlier was a lie, then?" I asked. There was a lump in my throat. "Fearing for your life was an act?" He had tricked me,pletely. I hadn''t even considered the possibility of him downying his own power.


    "No, not entirely." He said as his lips formed a bitter smile. His magic enveloped my scythe and lifted it off the ground. "I did fear for my life, you did catch me off guard." He grinned. "But you''re so na?ve. So, trusting. You didn''t even consider me a threat." I gulped as his magical winds whirled around us.


    "What do you want from me?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. I couldn''t believe I had fallen for such a simple trick. I was an idiot.


    He grinned. "Many things," He said as he gestured me to stand up. I did as he asked as I didn''t really have much of a choice. "But first," He continued with his words. "We''ll have to make sure your allies don''te after us."


    I flinched. "What do you mean?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a distant voice, calling my name. It was Alex''s voice; she was searching for me.


    "Let me make something very clear." Asher stepped closer as he whispered. "I will get out of here. And I will save as many people as I can. But I have no sympathy for the son of the man who trapped us here."


    I flinched. He knew who Erik was?


    "I will never me the child for his father''s sins." He added as the winds of magic around us quickened. "I will never hunt him for something as empty as revenge as many others surely will. But I will use whatever I find to get out of here." His cold, harsh tone sent shivers down my spine.


    "And I couldn''t have asked for a better tool than the Keeper of Souls, who just so happens to be at my mercy."

 Chapter 50: Deception

    <h4>Chapter 50: Deception</h4>


    I stepped out from behind the tree. "Hey Alex, I heard you calling my name."


    The tall woman flinched; she hadn''t noticed my approach. "You scared me!" She breathed out in relief. "We caught Astrid. Come on, let''s go back." She motioned to leave, but I shook my head. "I want to try and find Asher. You guys go ahead, I''ll find youter."


    She hesitated. "But-"


    "I don''t want to leave a mage out in the woods alone. I''m sure he''s strong, but he can get caught off guard. I don''t want to look away when there''s something I can help with." I forced a smile. "You know I''ll be fine. I''ll meet you over at the ruins you told me about. If I don''t find you there, I''ll go back to the vige."


    She crossed her arms under her breasts. "Is everything ok, Kai?"


    "Yeah. Like I said, the guy didn''t seem too strong and I scared the living hell out of him. I have to make sure he gets to safety." She seemed to believe me. With a sigh, she relented. "Fine. I''ll tell the others, just be careful, ok?"


    "You know I will." With those words, I turned my back on her and walked into the treeline. I stopped after taking a few steps as I felt Asher''s magic wash over me. I was hidden by his illusion once again.


    "Well done." I closed my eyes as his voice sounded from the side. "Shall we?" He asked softly.


    "You still haven''t told me what you want from me." I said with a sigh. "You don''t need to hold me at gunpoint." I nced at the de leaning against my throat. "Uh, or sword...point?" I said hesitantly.


    He chuckled. "Well, I don''t trust you." His magic enveloping us slowly disappeared once Alex was far enough away. "But you fooled her. I''m impressed, I didn''t think you''d be such a good liar."


    "What do you want, Asher?" I said with a cold tone. I didn''t want to talk with him for any longer than I needed to.


    "First of all, let''s go somewhere the rain won''t effect us." He said gesturing me to start moving. I nced at the sky. There were no rainclouds. I felt the de pressure my skin as he shot a deadly re at me. I let out a shallow breath and started walking.


    He led me to a cave near the ruins we were at earlier. We were right at the border of the magic-preventing area.


    "Come on," He said as he pushed me inside the cave. It was a small cave with a narrow entrance. There was nothing inside. Not even the moss that covered the entire forest floor had reached this ce. I slowly stepped inside. "Sit down, make sure your hands are where I can see them." He said as he circled around me. He was now standing an arms length away. I slowly backed away and sat on the cold hard stone surface.


    He let go of the sword made of light. To my surprise, it didn''t fall to the ground. Instead it floated right before me, with its sharp end still touching my throat. Helpless, I sat cross legged and rested my hands on my knees.


    Asher raised his hand and cast a spell on the narrow cave entrance. "It''s an illusion spell." He exined, seeing my curious expression. "No one can find this ce." He approached me and sat beside me. "Your hands." He said as he opened his inventory.


    "Look, I''ve already said-"


    "And I told you that I don''t trust you." He cut me off. "Do as I say, and you''ll live. Resist, and I''ll break your other wing." I flinched. Because my wings were hidden, I didn''t feel the pain of the cracked bones and torn muscles. I still clearly remembered it though.


    I extended both my hands with a defeated sigh. A dark coloured rope appeared in his hands. He coiled the rope around my wrists and tied them together with a tight knot. I flinched as the sturdy rope cut my skin a little. I desperately wanted to stop him ¨C to summon my sword and attack him, but the sword leaning to my throat was enough to discourage me.


    "Open your interface." He said when he was done with the rope. I hesitated, by doing that I''d be giving him ess to every bit of information about me. But then again, what other choice did I have?


    "Fine," I said with a low voice. I remembered how I had momentarily tricked Vixia and Delthur back when they caught me in the mountain pass. "Can you at least get rid of the sword?" I nced at the de leaning against my throat.


    He grinned. "If you keep behaving, sure. Now ¨C your interface."


    I opened it. It wasn''t worth dying or getting tortured and he wasn''t as easy to fool as Vixia. With a thoughtful gaze, he inspected every single panel. As he was busy with that, I rested my head on the rocky cave wall. I wish it were Rina who''d called my name. She''d have noticed his magic all around me ¨C she may have even been able to notice his illusion.


    I suddenly felt the de resting against my throat disappear. "You''re not as strong as I hoped you''d be." He nced at me with a thoughtful expression. "We''ll have to feed you more souls before you can be useful to me."


    "What are you talking about?" I asked as fear gripped my heart. What did that mean? It wasn''t the implied murder of monsters that scared me ¨C it was the thought of having to spend more time with him.


    He nced at my status panel and sighed. "I thought you''d be much stronger than this. Honestly, when you caught me off guard back at your camp, I was convinced you were even stronger than me. How did you even survive an encounter with the phoenix in such a miserable state?"


    I shrugged. "I was lucky."


    He raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Instead, he gestured towards my inventory. "The swords, both of them. I''ll be holding on to them for now."


    I reluctantly summoned them. He ced them into his own inventory, along with my scythe. I wasn''t surprised, it only made sense to disarm me. Honestly, it was a miracle that he even waited until now to take them away.


    "What''s this?" He asked, pointing at my skills. "Crystal Sage?" He read it out loud. "Why is there no exnation?"


    I shook my head. "I don''t know. I never figured out what it did." I nced at him. His lips formed a thin line as he continued inspecting the panel.


    A few minutes passed in silence. I felt my body tense up every time he sighed or did anything at all. Eventually he let out a long sigh and stood up. "I''m disappointed." He said as he approached the narrow entrance. "I thought the Keeper of Souls would be a more formidable opponent. And a more usefulbatant."


    I clenched my fists. "I did well enough for myself." I hissed between clenched teeth. "At least I am a civilised person who doesn''t treat others as mere tools."


    "And look where that led you." He said with a chuckle. "If you wish to return to your normal life in our world, you can''t afford to be weak." He turned his back to the entrance and red at me. "I will get out of here. And you''re my key in doing so."

 Chapter 51: The Chill of Death and Warmth of Life

    <h4>Chapter 51: The Chill of Death and Warmth of Life</h4>


    "What the hell does that mean?" I shouted. How was he even nning to get out of here?


    "What is it that''s keeping us trapped in here, Kai?" He asked as he took a step towards me. For a moment, I could almost feel the cold metal of the ''PORTAL'' devices on my skin.


    "Summon your wings." He said suddenly. I hesitated, my right wing was wounded, I didn''t feel the pain now, but I knew the damage wasn''t little. There was at least one cracked bone. It may even have been broken. After a moment''s hesitation, I exined it to him.


    "So, at least let me heal it, please." I said, choosing my words carefully.


    He nodded, so I slowly stood up and summoned them. As soon as they materialized, a throbbing pain dropped me back on my knees.


    "Definitely broken." Asher said after a moment''s hesitation. "Don''t bother trying to heal it. I''ll take care of it." As soon as his words left his mouth, I felt a warmth envelop both my wings. The throbbing pain lessened until itpletely disappeared.


    "Thanks," I said as I felt the bones and muscles return to normal. I nced at him in confusion. "Didn''t you say you''re a sorcerer? How can you heal better than a priest?"


    He smirked. "With enough effort, you can do almost everything." He circled around me to my back. "If you fight and kill enough monsters in this world, there is little you can''t do." I felt his fingers run through the feathers of my wing. "One of those things is to just sprout a pair of wings like you did."


    "So," I asked hesitantly. "You need me because there''s something else you can''t do that I can?"


    "Precisely." Asher said with a thoughtful tone. His touch followed the muscles on my wing. "This is incredible," He mumbled. "Do you feel it when I do this?" He plucked a feather off.


    "Yes, yes I do!" I shouted and pushed him back with a powerful beat of my wings. "And it hurts!" I red at him. He chuckled. "Good to know. These seem more practical for long distance flying rather thanbat."


    I sighed; he didn''t even care about causing pain. "Normally, yes. But I can''t fly for long yet. I get exhausted after about ten minutes."


    "A few weeks of intense training should solve that issue. Or you could use, what was it... ''Fallen Grace'' to enhance your strength." He shook his head. "No, that wouldn''t solve the underlying issue. Training is what you really need."


    He was on point, and that annoyed me. He had figured out everything about me in a matter of minutes while I still knew nothing about him. "Are you done?" I asked, ncing at my wings. The small cave was barelyrge enough for them. I couldn''t even stretch them outpletely.


    "Yeah." He said with a cold smile. "I learned what I needed to." For some reason, his words struck me as odd. What could he have learned in such a short timeframe?


    "It''s almost dark,e on." He said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "You''re not strong enough to be useful yet, so we''re going to grind a bit." He dragged me outside, but not before making sure the rope around my wrists was tight enough.


    "You don''t expect me to do anything while bound like this, are you?" I asked lifting my hands up before my face.


    A smile shed across his face. "No, you just need to be there to collect the souls." With those words, he led me to an opening in the woods. We stood at the centre of it as the sun reached the horizon. Under the purple dyed sky, Asher''s magic created a small whirlwind around us.


    His eyes let out a jade shine as he raised his hand. A single sh of light blinded me momentarily. When I could see again, he was calmly waiting for... something. The wind blew my hair back as the first batch of monsters appeared in the darkening sky.


    I could count at least a dozen of them. And in the distance, even more howls and screeches sounded. I nced at the sorcerer, then at my surroundings. Without my weapons and with my hands tied like this, even if I flew off, I wouldn''t stand a chance against all these monsters.


    Asher was clearly aware of that as well. With a wicked smile on his lips, he cast his first spell. Bolts of light leapt from his fingers to the monsters. The sky filled with pained wails as anything that approached us died.


    As soon as the pained wails sounded, the first souls appeared, seeking me. The coldness in my chest grew stronger as more and more souls flew towards me. I felt my power grow as my mind throbbed with a dull, annoying pain. Asher nced at me for only a moment before once again casting that blinding light. More creatures followed, who quickly turned into more soulsing towards me.


    We continued this until a little past midnight. As the whirlwind of magic surrounding us died down, I felt the cool night breeze on my skin.


    "That''s enough for now." He said, as he put something into his inventory. "Let''s go back". He led me through the forest back into the cave. Once we stepped inside, I walked to the back and sat on the ground. It was so cold. It felt as if my heart was freezing over.


    "Hey!" Asher''s voice sounded from afar. "Don''t fall asleep." He shook me awake. I hadn''t even noticed that I was falling asleep. "Use the powers the phoenix gave you." He said as he knelt beside me. "Hurry up."


    "It only gave me my wings." I mumbled. "Nothing more." I just wanted to fall asleep. I was so tired, even though I hadn''t done anything. Even though it was Asher who did all the fighting and killing.


    "No, you idiot." He said as he once again shook me awake. "I''m talking about it''s ember. The warmth that''ll calm the souls you''ve taken in. Stop supressing it."


    I hesitated. What was he talking about? I didn''t have warmth. The phoenix''s soul did.


    Vixia''s words shed through my mind. The phoenix''s and my souls were merged, but how was I supposed to do anything with it? I pictured the scorching mes of the creature as it first attacked Erik. What did that warmth feel like?


    "I think that''s enough." Asher''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. His face was red, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Only then did I notice the warmth radiating from my body.


    "Ah," As soon as my concentration shattered, the warmth disappeared. "Sorry." I mumbled as he wiped the sweat off.


    "Why?" He asked as if I''d said something really stupid. "You learned how to do something, and no one was harmed in the process." With those words, he raised his hand. Magic gathered in his palm. "I think we both need some sleep. I just cast a spell on the entrance." As those words left his mouth, I felt the magic gathering in his palm lunge towards the entrance.


    "It''s a form of barrier." He said with a cold voice. "You can''t pass through. The spell will persist even if I die, so I suggest you don''t kill me in my sleep."

 Chapter 52: Who We Were

    <h4>Chapter 52: Who We Were</h4>


    In the end, I didn''t kill him in his sleep. I had two reasons for not doing so. First, I didn''t believe he would even give me the chance to kill him, however unlikely it was. Second, I didn''t want the blood of a real human being on my hands. Just the thought of murder made me feel sick.


    So, I slept. And in the morning, we both woke up alive and well. Somewhat well, as I was starving. Though that issue was also quickly solved since Asher left the cave for a few minutes and returned with the same type of fruit Vixia had given me.


    "Did you try this before?" He asked as I bit into the tasty fruit. I nodded as the sweet vour covered my mouth. "Really now?" He asked, somewhat surprised. "When?"


    "A few days ago, after I killed the phoenix. I didn''t have any food left, so I survived on these fruits."


    "Lucky you." He said as a smile shed across his face. "These have mild healing properties. You and I don''t really need it, but for those without healing spells, they are invaluable."


    "I didn''t know." I mumbled. Was that why Vixia gave one to me after the phoenix died?


    "Tell me." Asher''s voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "I know about Erik, Vincent and Joshua. I''ve heard of Alina and Samantha. But I never knew they had a friend called Kai." He red at me. "Who are you? How did you meet them?"


    "Does that mean you knew them?" I asked with narrowed eyes. If I were to give information, it was going to be a trade.


    "I knew of them." He said with a grin. "I''ll tell you who I am, if you tell me who you are." He nced at my hands. "The way you used that sword tells me you''re not a random friend from university."


    I chuckled. "Actually, that''s exactly what I am. I just happen to be that one transfer student whoes from overseas and has the highest grades." I shrugged. "Erik approached me after a few days because he''s friends with everyone. I don''t know why he decided he wanted to keep me around after that."


    "Transfer student?" Asher asked with a confused expression. "If you''re not even that close, how did you end up here? Are you rich enough to buy a PORTAL?"


    Iughed. "No, no I''m not." A smile shed across my face. "What about you? How do you happen to know ''of'' them?"


    He sighed. "I should have just threatened you." He mumbled. "I''m- no, I was the lead developer of the OTHERWORLD dev team. We created some of the biggest dive games of recent history."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "Despite being small in size and relying to outsourcing a lot, we did fine. Or at least, that''s what I''d like to think." His thoughtful expression wasn''t what I expected to see.


    "Wait." I stopped him. "Does that mean you made this game? This world?" I shouted with widened eyes.


    "No, aren''t you listening?" He said with a piercing re. "I said I ''was''." He sighed. "I technically still am, though it doesn''t feel that way."


    "What do you mean?" Was he fired? No, it must have been something else. Thoughts raced in my mind, and Asher finally pitied me and exined.


    "When development on PORTAL began, my team began to design a game ¨C a gship title worthy of the most powerful dive console ever made. The working title of the game was ''Journey Through Andromeda''. It was supposed to be a sci-fi game, where you could pilot spaceships and explore distants."


    "This... is not a sci-fi game." I mumbled as he created a small me in his palm. It danced on his fingers as heughed. "No, no its not."


    "What happened?"


    "They shut down development before it even began. Erik''s father outsourced the first game made for PORTAL. Their gship title was being made by apany I couldn''t even learn the name of." He chuckled, though it was clearly a painedugh. "Whateverpany it was, they managed to create this whole world, and everything you''re seeing in less than two years."


    I hesitated. "That''s incredibly fast, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah, you could say that. And do you know what makes it weirder?" He said with a grin. "This is meant to be an early ess trial. That usually means bugs and glitches everywhere. Have you seen any? Cause I sure haven''t." He clenched his fist and the fire dancing on his fingers disappeared.


    "The only thing I can think of is not being able to leave." I said after a moment''s hesitation. He chuckled and nodded.


    "Now you know who I was." He said with a grin. "Your turn, Kai Friseal."


    I hesitated. Not because I had much to hide, but because my mind was a mess. I think I had just gotten some very valuable information, but I didn''t know the significance of it yet.


    "I''m a martial artist. In training." I added after a moment''s hesitation. "My family has a training hall back home, where Mother and my dad teach young trainees. At a certain age, they send us away from home, either via work or school. I was lucky enough to win a full schrship, so I was able to attend that university." I fiddled with hair as I spoke. "I was training under another master in the city." I shrugged. "I don''t really have anything else to say about myself."


    "Really?" He asked with a clearly surprised voice. "How did you get your hands on a PORTAL then?"


    "It was Erik''s doing. He invited us over to his house and wouldn''t take no for an answer. His father offered to let me use an extra device they had. He wanted to know what I thought of thebat ¨C how realistic weapons were and all that." I shrugged. "I couldn''t refuse. So, here I am."


    Asher seemed somewhat shocked. He pondered a short moment, then shook his head. "Interesting for sure." He stood up. "Come on, let''s go and do some more killing. You need to gain just a little more power, I think."

 Chapter 53: The Well of Souls

    <h4>Chapter 53: The Well of Souls</h4>


    "Nice," He said with a grin as we sat by the shallow river. On the other side of it, the no magic zone began. Of course, Asher made sure we weren''t near it as without his magic, he was so much weaker than me.


    Now, we were looking at my status panel. It was... surprising, to say the least.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 69 Soul Keeper | Exp: 6660/42000 - - Souls 100/100 + 340 - - Mana: 770


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    I stared at my status panel, speechless. I had shot up over twenty levels in the span of about one day.


    "What?" He said with a grin. "I told you, with enough effort and some good thinking, there''s nothing you can''t do." He opened his own status panel, though only the part that showed his level. I couldn''t see his skills or anything else.


    ''Asher Morgan ¨C Level 300 Sorcerer | Level 21 Priest''


    I gasped. "How...?"


    "After you reach level 100, you have the option to pick another ss. I only did that after I reached 300."


    "No, that''s not what I mean!" I shouted. "How did you get to a total level of 321 in just a few weeks?" I had worked hard to level up and had only gotten to 43 in all this time. I couldn''t fathom how he''d do that, unless...


    "What we did yesterday and today," He said as he closed his interface. "I did that, every waking moment. Every time I had enough mana to kill anything, I grinded." He shrugged. "You levelled up to this level in less than a total of eight hours of grinding. I had weeks."


    I couldn''t find anything to refute his words. He was right. I had levelled up incredibly fast. I could hardly believe it.


    "Why aren''t you cing any of your stat points?" He asked after a moment of silence.


    I shrugged. "I don''t know what to do with them. I mean, I don''t know what the best choice is."


    He chuckled. "Well, let''s take a look. You''re a hybrid. Your main way of fighting is your weapons -especially the scythe, I believe. But now that you''re almost level 70, you should take a look at all the new skills you''ve unlocked. Your fighting style might change depending on what''s new."


    He scrolled through the list of skills. "Most of these are fairly useless," He mumbled in disappointment. "I wonder why..."


    I shrugged. A few minutes passed in silence. He seemed more displeased as more time passed. "Seriously, what''s this garbage? No way the Keeper of Souls has such weak skills." He seemed annoyed, somewhat angry even.


    I was about to say something, but his suddenughter stopped me. "I knew it!" He said as he pointed at the ''Development Path'' panel. "Look at this. This is how you use the souls... uh..." He paused. "That ''have found respite''?" He hesitated. "Well, that''s a description that takes itself way too seriously."


    "Tell me about it." I said with a sigh. Those descriptions were almost cringy. "Anyways, what were you saying?"


    "Right." He said with a chuckle. "Look, whenever you get a powerful soul ¨C the phoenix, for example ¨C you can start a new ''development path''. Actually, wait..." He said hesitantly.


    "That can''t be right." I mumbled. "The first one became avable when I killed the Cursed Lion."


    He nodded. "Your interface is very secretive. It''s getting on my nerves." A few more minutes passed in silence, until he spoke again. "I think you choose a path whenever you have enough souls, but you need to find a powerful one that''spatible with whatever path you picked."


    "So, I picked wings, and the phoenix waspatible?" I asked. "That also doesn''t make any sense. We killed the eagle before that."


    "What eagle?" Asher seemed somewhat confused.


    "What was its name? The Terror of Stonepatch Vige or something." As soon as that name left my mouth, Asher nodded. "Did you deliver the killing blow?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. I shook my head; it was Alex who''d finished the creature off.


    "That''s probably why it''s listed as a sacrifice, but not a valid merging target." He sighed. "This is weird though. Merging souls is a dangerous concept from a game design perspective." He shook his head. "I''ll have to check this againter." He slowly stood up and stared off into the distance. "It''s almost time. Come on."


    "Time for what?" I asked as I also rose to my feet. The setting sun dyed the sky purple as he answered.


    "For the Well of Souls to open." A bitter smile shed across his face. "It''s the thing that creates that no magic zone."


    I flinched. "How do you know that?" Did he already know that zone was there?


    "Well, that is the reason I needed your abilities in the first ce." He took a deep breath as the sword of light appeared in his hand. "During the day, the ruins are protected from magic, and without magic we can not enter them. During the night, however, the souls that supress magic in the area are released. They fly around the ruins, preventing anything from getting in."


    We walked towards the ruins. As soon as we stepped close enough, he raised his sword. It illuminated our surroundings. "I doubt I have to tell you after you''ve seen my level but," His lips formed a wicked smile. "Don''t try to escape, you can''t." His shining green eyes met mine. It felt almost as if he was challenging me to try.


    "No, I won''t." I said with a faint smile. I looked towards the ruins. A whirlwind of souls had started to cover it. My chest grew colder as I stared at the shadowy figures floating aimlessly in the air. "If these souls are protecting that ce, there has to be a reason for it. There''s a good chance we''ll uncover valuable information. I don''t want to miss that chance."

 Chapter 54: Wails of the Fallen

    <h4>Chapter 54: Wails of the Fallen</h4>


    "Good," Asher said as a smile shed across his face. With a simple motion of his hand, he cut the rope tying my hands together. "Let''s go," He said as he gave me my scythe. "We only have until dawn." With those words, he turned his back on me and walked towards the ruins.


    I grasped the shaft of my scythe and hurried after him. I wasn''t going to miss this chance to learn more about this world we were stuck in.


    As the ruins drew closer, the coldness in my chest grew stronger. The souls circling the building seemed to have noticed me.


    "What happens now?" I asked Asher.


    "I''m not sure." He quietly answered, watching the souls with narrowed eyes. His lips formed a thin line. "I don''t think any of them are particrly strong."


    I nodded. I could see they were mostly weak. Or, I should say, weakened. "They probably used all their strength to maintain the no magic zone during daylight."


    "That''s a probability." He said. "Look out, they''ve noticed you." As he said that, the souls circling the ruins broke the pattern of their flight. A few of them broke off the group and lunged at me.


    "Kai," Asher calmly warned me. "Be ready." He didn''t try to protect me or do anything else. He simply waited, his sword of light in hand. I nodded as the first soul reached me.


    As it melted into my chest, an image shed before my eyes.


    A white-haired man smiled at me; his purple eyes were captivating. I reached to him with my small, scaly hand, but he shook his head. The image faded before I could see anything else. Before I could even say anything, the next soul arrived, apanied by its own image. A ck-haired young demon girl carried a basket. The image faded.


    This kept on for a while, as the souls came one by one. After the first few images, I lost count of how many I saw. They all seemed to mix. After thest soul finally dissolved and I saw a glimpse of its memories, I took a deep breath in relief.


    "So, what happened?" Asher asked calmly.


    "I saw glimpses of their memories. I... I think some of them were demons." I could swear I had seen someone that looked like Delthur in one of the images, though he seemed much younger. And that white-haired person was in so many of those images. Why did I feel like I''d seen that face before?


    He flinched. "Impossible." He said wide eyed. "This ce is at least a few hundred years old. Demons only came here a century ago."


    I shook my head. "I don''t think that''s the whole story." I hesitated. That thought once again gnawed at the back of my mind. I refused to entertain it; it was simply too oundish. "Anyways, we''ll probably get some answers inside, so let''s not waste any more time."


    He shot me a nce, but then nodded and approached the building.


    The building itself wasn''t too big. It looked like it was intended to be a simple outpost. It had a single tower that had mostly sumbed to the years and the main building wasn''t anyrger than the inn at Stonepatch Vige. The weathered and cracked stones were covered in vines and moss. Time had clearly taken its toll.


    "The ce is protected by a simple magical field." He exined as we approached the fortified wooden gate. "Look," He pointed at a carving on the gate. "It''s-"


    "''Protect''?" I mumbled as I read the text. Asher flinched, then hesitantly nodded. "How would you remove the spell, if you were me?" He asked.


    "Well," I mumbled as I stepped closer to the gate. "If this thing is maintaining the protective spell," I said as I reached towards the text. "I''d just... try to disable it?" As soon as my fingers touched the wood, I felt some of my mana drain. Momentster, the spell disappeared.


    "Nice one." Asher said with a nce. "Let''s go." He raised his hand and a floating light appeared. With that illuminating our surroundings, I pushed the gates open.


    The interior of the building was almost pristine. The wooden floorboards were still as good as new. The weathered stone walls did show some signs of damage, though that much was quite normal, considering all the years that had passed.


    There wasn''t much in the name of furniture inside. In fact, the interior was quite empty save for arge wooden table and half a dozen chairs surrounding it. A set of stairs led to the upper floors.


    "I expected more." I mumbled as I looked around inside. "I didn''t think it''d be so... empty."


    Asher nodded. "Let''s keep looking around." We checked around the room, but found nothing of note, save for a few bottles of alcohol and a wilted nt near the wall. With disappointed expressions, we headed up the stairs.


    A narrow hallway led to another set of stairs. There were three doors on this floor. Hesitantly, I approached the first one and opened it.


    "Barracks." Asher said with a sigh. There were half a dozen beds lined up. A set of wooden lockers were lined up against the wall. Unfortunately, most of these were badly damaged. The bedsheets had crumbled to dust while some lockers'' doors were hanging from their hinges.


    Disappointed, we left the room and tried the other door. This one was a more promising room. It clearly used to be an armoury. Weapon racks lined the walls as well as armour stands.


    Asher brushed past me and approached the weapon racks. There were a few swords, halberds and daggers lined up there. I even spotted a longbow. Asher gently touched one of the daggers.


    "The design is amazing." He was clearly impressed. "But you''re right about one thing," He said as he nced at me with a serious expression. "These are of demonic design. Look," He showed me the hilt of the dagger. There was a symbol on it. It was a broken circle, with a me in the centre of it.


    "This ce belonged to the demons. Can we agree on that?" I asked hesitantly. I remembered this room from one of the images I saw a little earlier. The ce was much livelier back then. Asher nodded. "We definitely can." He took the longbow from its rack and ced it in his inventory. "Let''s look elsewhere."


    The next room was also mostly empty, though this was clearly used as storage. We did find a bunch of empty crates, but there was nothing of use in the room. With our disappointment growing, we headed for the next and final floor.


    The wooden stairs creaked as we stepped on them, reminding me of the wails of the souls outside. Something must have caused them to gather here, to protect this ce. I wondered what it was, and why they''d given up on it as soon as they saw me.


    At the top of the stairs, a reinforced wooden door awaited us. As soon as my fingers touched the sturdy wood, I felt some more of my mana drain. I nced at Asher, who nodded. He was ready to cast a spell if the situation called for it. After a moment''s hesitation, I pushed the door. It creaked open, revealing a dark, circr room.


    I stepped inside and Asher followed me. His light illuminated the room, revealing hundreds, if not thousands of books on the shelves lining the walls. I felt Asher''s hand grip my shoulder. His gaze was focused on something right across the room.


    I followed his gaze, fearing what I would see. He was looking at a painting hanging on the wall. As soon as my gazended on the painting, I gasped.


    "What?" I whispered.

 Chapter 55: Let’s Make a Deal

    <h4>Chapter 55: Let''s Make a Deal</h4>


    I looked into my own eyes, staring at me from across the room. Their purple shine was perfectly portrayed on the painting.


    "So, Kai." Asher calmly spoke. "Is it just me, or is that painting depicting you?"


    I nodded. It was the same purple eyes, the same long, white hair, and the same pale skin. The only difference between me and the man on that painting was our clothes. He wore long, ck robes with silver embroidery while I still wore the dark green clothes I''d bought from Luhen.


    "How?" Asher asked as he looked at me, then at the painting, then at me again.


    "I''d like to know that too." I mumbled. I felt lost, what did this ce have to do with me? "Maybe the game glitched and gave me the wrong avatar?" I asked hesitantly, though I didn''t believe my words any more than Asher did as he chuckled. "I don''t think that''s it."


    "I think this ce belonged to the Keeper of Souls." He suddenly said as he walked around in the room. Only then did I notice everything else decorating this ce. There were several shelves filled with different coloured crystals and rocks. Several tables were ced seemingly at random and they were covered in books, papers, writing utensils and other misceneous items.


    Asher gently touched the surface of the closest table. Theyer of dust was so thick that as he ran his finger through it, a clear trail was left behind. "And I think your body ¨C avatar ¨C is designed to be the same as his." He sighed. "Though, it makes little sense, considering this is meant to be an MMO, it''s wrong to give one yer something all the others can''t ever get."


    I nodded, though I was only half listening. I was in a daze, so many of the images that shed before me made sense now. If only I could remember them properly. If only I could talk to these souls and ask them; who am I?


    "Kai?" Asher asked as he snapped his fingers before my eyes. "Hey, now''s not the time to get lost in thought."


    I blinked a few times and shook my head. "Sorry." I nced around again. "Did you find anything?"


    He chuckled. "You could say that. Not all the books are in demonic. I can read some of them, though there are so many that it''d take months to read through them all." With a sigh, he continued. "I think most of these talk about magic or this world''s history."


    My ears perked up. "That''s valuable."


    "It is, but it will take a long time to read through all this." He shook his head. "And I''m sure there are tons of things we haven''t even found yet."


    I nodded. "But we know why the souls waited here." They were waiting for the Keeper to return, so they could finally rest. And they kept his belongings safe.


    "Yeah," Asher mumbled with a thoughtful tone. "I''m d they found their respite." He nced at me. "Let''s go back outside. You''re a bit pale and this ce isn''t going to do you any good."


    I nodded, albeit reluctantly. The books in that room, all that information, I needed to know about it. But Asher was right, I felt cold and tired. We descended the stairs and left through the front gate. As soon as fresh air filled my lungs, I felt a little better.


    I folded my legs and sat on the ground. Asher soon did the same, though he cast a spell before doing so.


    "What was that?" I asked.


    "Just an illusion to hide us. I don''t want some random creatures to spot and attack us now." He said with a tired expression. "How are you feeling?" I''d never seen him tired before.


    "Cold," I said with a shiver. "But I''m fine." A smile shed across my face. "I didn''t know you cared."


    He chuckled. "I''m not some evil person who likes torturing others." He sighed. "I already told you, I will get out of here." His jade eyes met mine. "I will get answers." He said, pronouncing every world clearly. He was adamant about this and honestly, it was almost reassuring. It was nice to see someone other than me actually try to leave this fake, virtual world.


    "What happens now?" I asked after a while.


    "I need to find out more about the past of this ce." He said after a moment''s hesitation. "I need to read those books and learn what really happened a hundred years ago. I can''t let this chance go to waste."


    "Yeah." I mumbled. What I really was trying to learn was what was going to happen to me. I wasn''t so stupid to believe that I could just leave whenever I wanted. Despite my increased level and the massive amount of souls I''d gained, he was still so much stronger than me. I gathered my courage and finally asked. "What about me?"


    A wicked smile shed across his face. "Well," He said with a jade shine in his eyes. "I do have some thoughts about that."


    I nervously nced at him. That smile and his tone were somewhat terrifying. "What do you mean?"


    He looked up to the dark night sky. Clouds covered the sky, blocking the moon and stars. "I was wrong," He mumbled. "It didn''t rain yesterday."


    I flinched. I''d forgotten about that. "Well, you can''t always be right." He chuckled and nodded.


    "I believe what we found today makes things only moreplicated." He said with a sigh. "But it does support what I told you before; you''re the key to some of this world''s secrets. I can''t just let you walk off and get yourself killed somewhere."


    I felt my body tense up. Those were not the words I wanted to hear.


    "But" He said as he shook his head. "I have to admit that keeping you here would be a waste. Your potential can only be realised out there." He seemed conflicted. Unsure, even. It was the first time I''d seen him like that, and it was a worrying sight.


    "I do have an idea." He said as he shot me a thoughtful glimpse. His lips formed a wicked smile as his eyes let out a jade shine. His expression sent a chill down my spine as his next words sounded. "How about we make another deal, Kai Friseal?"

 Chapter 56: Mark

    <h4>Chapter 56: Mark</h4>


    "What kind of a deal?"


    He grinned. "Have you ever heard of familiars?"


    Hesitant, I nodded. "Animalpanions for witches, right?"


    "Not exactly." He said as the cool night freeze shuffled the tree leaves. "OTHERWORLD decided to do it differently in this game. A familiar is any willing being that epts the bond offered to it by the mage." He nced at me. "As in, you."


    I flinched. "Hey, hang on!" I protested. "That''s-"


    "Listen to me before you start yelling." He said with an annoyed expression. "It''s less of binding you to my service and more of a..." He pondered a moment, as if he were searching for the right words. "The bond I''m talking about isn''t a master-servant rtionship."


    "Well, what the hell is it, then?" I asked. I didn''t like where this was going at all.


    "It links my magic with yours." He shrugged. "Sure, it does give me some power over you, but it also benefits you."


    I red at him. "What if I don''t want you to have any power over me?"


    He chuckled. "I already do, though. That''s why we''re having this conversation." The worst thing here was that he was right. That didn''t stop me from ring at him, but I couldn''t say he was wrong.


    "The bond works both ways. It allows us to know where the other is, it let''s you borrow some of my power and vice versa. And whenever one of us gains more power ¨C as in, experience points ¨C the other also gains a small portion of it." He grinned. "Doesn''t sound too bad, does it?"


    I remained silent and continued to re at him.


    "Fine." He breathed out. "There is one thing that should interest you. If you''re ever at the brink of death, it will teleport you to me."


    I flinched. "What?"


    "And since I''m multissing into a priest, I can heal you as long as you''re still alive." A smile shed across his face. "Meaning, you basically get a single free life."


    "It only works once?" I asked hesitantly. He shook his head. "No, but the spell requires aponent, and I only have one of it." He pulled out a small, shining crystal out from his inventory. "I found it a while back. So, if you see anything like this, make sure to take it with you."


    I still didn''t like the idea too much, but I had to admit, it did sound somewhat useful. "And how does this give you power over me, exactly?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "You can''t ever harm me." He calmly said.


    "That''s it?" I asked after a few seconds. "Nothing else?"


    He nodded. "I told you, you need to stay alive. That''s all I''m trying to make sure of. It just so happens toe with a little bit of insurance." He put the glowing crystal back into his inventory. "Ites with a few more perks, such as telepathy." He looked at me with expectation in his eyes.


    "What''s the alternative?" I asked after a short moment.


    "You''ll stay here." He said without missing a beat. I flinched, that was even worse. I shook my head. "That''s not exactly an alternative, is it?" I grumbled.


    "Well," He grinned. "It''s what you get. So? What is it going to be?"


    I sighed. I really didn''t want to do something like this but... I had to admit, it did seem like it was going to do more good than harm. "Fine!" I said reluctantly. "Fine, but not a word of this to anyone!"


    He nodded as his lips formed a wicked smile. "Of course not." He stood up and nced at the sky. The clouds had started to scatter. "It''s as good time as any for it, right? Let''s get this over with."


    "Now?" I asked in surprise. I had expected him to at least wait until morning.


    "Why not?" He said as he rose on his feet. "Come on, get up."


    I sighed but did as he said. "What do I need to do?"


    "You don''t need to do anything. The spell is nothingplex. It leaves a visible mark, so tell me where you want it to be." He showed the back of his left hand. "I''m a sorcerer, so it''s normal for me to have one. I won''t try to hide it."


    I hesitated. I didn''t want Rina and the others to know about this. Mainly because Rina would be furious and probably try to make Asher undo the spell. "My back." I suddenly said. "Right between my wings."


    He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"


    "Rina has truesight. She can see magic. Put it anywhere else and she''ll immediately notice it. There, and I can just say it''s probably because of my wings." I exined, choosing my words carefully. "I''m sure you understand," I added. "Since you also have truesight."


    He grinned. "Good catch. What gave it away?"


    "You can see the souls."


    He chuckled and nodded. "In that case, I''ll make the mark seem like it''s connected to your wings. It will sting a little." He circled behind me and ced his hand on my back. I shivered as I felt his magic seep into my skin. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the spot he was touching stung, just like he said it would.


    "Done." He said as he stepped back. "See, I told you it was easy."


    I turned towards him, only to see him show the back of his hand. The mark looked like a pair of wings. It was ck and looked like a normal tattoo. Honestly, it looked nothing like a magical mark. Despite that, I could feel the magic pulsing within it.


    "That''s it?" I asked. I expected something more, considering how important and powerful this spell was.


    "Yeah." He said with a grin. Then, I heard his voice. "I told you it was easy." I flinched as his lips didn''t move.


    "That''s-"


    "Telepathy." He interrupted me, though this time his words didn''t echo in my mind. "You''ll have to get used to it." I shook my head and sighed. "Yeah, that''s going to take a while. I''m going to sleep."


    I left him there and walked inside, to the second floor. After a moment''s hesitation, I grabbed my old cloak and used that to cover the dusty bed. Iid on the bed and pondered.


    I wasn''t actually sleepy or anything. Sure, I was tired, but I didn''t think I could sleep. My mind was a mess, thoughts whirled inside my skull and there was this incredibly annoying awareness of Asher in the back of my mind. I knew he was downstairs, I knew he was healthy, and I knew he was much more tired than he let on.


    Honestly, I wouldn''t have minded this too much since the perks that came with it were amazing but knowing that he knows where I am and how I feel just... felt wrong.


    With such thought racing in my head, I watched the night sky through the window.

 Chapter 57: Cloudy Skies

    <h4>Chapter 57: Cloudy Skies</h4>


    I didn''t sleep, at all. I watched the moons disappear behind the distant mountains as the sun finally dawned, dyeing the world in crimson and golden once more.


    I knew Asher was still asleep.


    I shook my head to try and get rid of that awareness and descended the stairs. After leaving the building and approaching the shallow river, I sshed some water on my face and, after a short moment of hesitation, summoned my wings.


    I didn''t intend to leave just yet, I still had things I wanted to ask Asher about. But a little bit of training did sound great. There was no better way to distract myself.


    I stretched my wings and leapt up into the air. With a steady rhythm, I rose higher and higher, until the ground trees below looked like small bushes. The freedom of flying through the skies like this was truly unrivalled.


    I started to descend when my muscles started burning with pain. Asher was right, I needed plenty of training if I wanted to use these wings properly. As I approached the ground, I noticed a few avian creatures circling the building. I slowed my descent and summoned my interface. Without a moment of hesitation, I used ''Dark Bolt'' on the creatures.


    As the shadowy bolts hit them, they fell onto the grass fields without even letting out a screech. I felt their souls dissolve into my chest as Inded near the river again. Out of breath, I washed my face again. At the back of mind, I noticed Asher had woken up. With a sigh, I returned to the building.


    "I''m surprised you''re still here." He said as stepped inside.


    "I want you teach me how you cast spells without using your interface." I said as soon as our eyes met.


    He chuckled. "I can try. How about some breakfast first, though?"


    I hesitated; I hadn''t noticed how hungry I was until he reminded me. "Yeah." I mumbled. He took a few fruits and some dried meat out of his inventory. We took our ces at the chairs around the only table in the room and ate in silence, until I finally sighed. "This is annoying." I shouted. "I don''t want to constantly be so... aware of you."


    He chuckled. "It''ll be less the farther away we are. I doubt you''ll stick around me for much longer anyways, so you don''t need to worry about it." I rolled my eyes. That wasn''t exactly the solution I was looking for.


    "Anyways," He said as he ate thest piece of fruit and pushed his chair back. He stood up and headed outside. I followed him and stepped outside, where the newly rising sun blinded me momentarily. He raised his hand and a small, crimson me appeared.


    "I won''t exin how I do this." He nced at me as I stared at him in confusion. Didn''t he just say he''d teach me? Heughed at my expression. "You said you were a martial artist, right?" He asked as the me danced on his fingers. I hesitantly nodded, what did that have to do with my request?


    "Interesting." He mumbled.


    "So, why won''t you exin it?" I asked with an annoyed expression. Why was he making things so much more difficult?


    "You already know how to do it." He said with a grin. I tried to protest, but he stopped me. "Let me finish. You don''t use your interface to summon your wings, do you?"


    I hesitated. "No, but..." I shook my head. "It''s not the same thing."


    "It is. You just need to apply the same principle to your spells." He shrugged. "I figured out how to do it justst week. You''ll figure it out eventually."


    I hesitated. "I''ll try." I said with a sigh. "So, if we''re done here, I''d like to get going."


    He nodded. "We''re almost done." He turned to look at me as his eyes let out a jade glow. "There is one thing I want to make clear. The reason I insisted on forming the bond is clear. We can agree on that, right?"


    I nodded.


    "Good. So, I''m sure you''ll understand why I say this; when I ask you to meet me somewhere, I expect you to be there." His cold tone, serious expression made it clear that he wasn''t joking.


    I nodded. "Yeah." Then, I also red at him. "And I expect some answers, soon." I said as I nced towards the building. He chuckled. "You''ll get them."


    We stood there in silence for a short while before I finally spoke again. "I want to go find the others." I extended my hand. "My weapons." He raised his eyebrows, then understanding dawned on him. "Oh, right." He said as he took my two swords out of his inventory and handed them over to me.


    "Thanks," I said as I summoned my wings. "Oh!" I suddenly stopped as I remembered something else. "Who hired you and that girl?"


    He paused, thenughed as he understood what I was talking about. "Some guy back in the city. The alchemist. I don''t know his name. Technically, he hired Astrid and she asked for my helpter. They just wanted to know who the hell had taken out the Cursed One and the Terror." He grinned. "They thought it was Erik''s group who''d done it. I''m sure their jaw would drop if they learned you soloed the Cursed One."


    "Let''s make sure they don''t learn." I said with a sigh. I didn''t want to draw any more attention on me than I already had.


    Asher chuckled and nodded. "Well, then. Don''t die." He grinned. "I won''t say any farewells since we will talk often." He touched his forehead before heading back inside.


    I sighed, stretched my wings, and leapt into the air. I headed to where the demonic ruins Rina wanted to explore were. As I flew, I focused on the rhythm of the beat of my wings. The strain on my muscles soon turned into pain, but instead ofnding, I used Fallen Grace. As magical strength filled my muscles, each beat of my wings stopped being a challenge. I soared through the cloudy skies with ease.

 Chapter 58: Distant Rumble

    <h4>Chapter 58: Distant Rumble</h4>


    I flew until dusk. Only when the sun started to disappear behind the distant mountain range did I considernding. If I pushed myself, I could probably fly for a few more hours. I certainly had the mana to keep using Fallen Grace but doing so would probably strain my body even more and I''d already experienced the unpleasantness of that.


    I reluctantly searched for a safe ce tond. I could spot a few cave entrances and alcoves from up here, but I didn''t exactly trust those ces. Instead, I searched for a tall tree with a thick trunk and sturdy branches. I could do what I''d done before and perch on top of a nice, sturdy branch.


    Thankfully, I didn''t have to search for too long. As soon as I found a suitable tree, Inded on one of its higher branches and hid my wings. There was no need to alert the entire forest by letting its inhabitants see the glowing embers.


    I folded my legs and leaned my back on the tree trunk as I watched the sunpletely disappear behind the distant mountain range. I watched the silent forest for a while before falling asleep. My eyelid became heavy in time and my consciousness began to drift.


    "Kai," Asher''s cold voice echoed in my head. Startled, I let out a small scream as I nearly lost my bnce on the branch.


    "The hell!" I whispered as I looked around. In my drowsiness, it took me a moment to understand ¨C what I just heard was telepathy. It took me a couple more seconds to figure out how to answer him, and as soon as I did, I did the mental equivalent of shouting. "What the hell, Asher? I nearly fell down because of you!"


    I heard a chuckle, I think. Or maybe I was just imagining it, since chuckling was exactly what he''d do right now. "Sorry about that. You should be more prepared for this, though. I told you I''d be speaking with you often."


    I clenched my teeth. How did he manage to sound so smug even through fricking telepathy? "Anyways, what do you want?" I just wanted to get this over with and go to sleep.


    After a moment of silence, his answer echoed in my mind. "I just started sorting through the books here. Most of them are in demonic, so I won''t be able to read them just yet. I did find something that caught my attention though." His voice disappeared for a short moment before he spoke again. "I found a single paragraph on ''Crystal Sages''. Apparently, they were those who had the ability to draw some power from some very rare things called primal cores."


    I nearly choked on my own saliva. "What did you say?" I replied after a coughing fit.


    "The crystal sages apparently used these primal cores for something, but I''m not sure what that something is because that section of the text is borderline unintelligible. I''m trying to mend it with magic, but that will take quite some time."


    "Let me know when you find out." I replied, doing my best to sound normal. I didn''t want him to find out about Vixia and the primal core of fire.


    "Sure." His voice echoed in my mind before the telepathic connection got severed and I was left alone in my own mind. With a sigh of relief, I closed my eyes again, hoping that I''d be able to sleep tonight.


    It was only hourster that I finally fell asleep, and just a couple hours after that, the crimson-gold shine of the dawning sun woke me up. Feeling tired and groggy, I ate breakfast ¨C which was, once again, arge fruit ¨C and jumped down the tree to fly away. As my wings carried me, I checked my map to see if I was going in the right direction.


    Thankfully, I was. After a few hours of flight, and a lot of spent mana for Fallen Grace, I finally arrived at the ruins I promised to meet Alex and the others at. Inded a little ways away since I didn''t want to reveal my wings just yet and walked to my destination.


    A short whileter, I finally stepped out of the woods and onto the lush green grass. Before me stood arge, partially ruined building with simr design to the outpost Asher and I had found two days ago. Thankfully, there were no souls protecting the ce, no magic preventing fields and no incredibly powerful mages threatening me.


    I chuckled at my own thoughts before noticing something else that was missing. "Alex?" I shouted after a moment''s hesitation. "Rina? Erik?" Fear started to seep into my mind as my heartbeat quickened. Where were they? My mind shed to the first time I felt like this ¨C right after I had met Vixia for the very first time. Had I lost them again?


    A distant rumble pulled me out of my daze and I immediately summoned my wings and leapt up into the air. Lighting struck the ground not too far away from here.


    Leaving a trail of fire behind me, I flew towards the sounds with fear in my heart. Had my friends been attacked? What if it was something they couldn''t handle on their own?


    Soon, my fears were realised as they finally entered my vision. By ake with clear, jade waters, the group faced a massive serpent. It looked like a giant sea dragon as it towered over them. Its lower half was hidden beneath the surface of theke. Its head looked like that of a dragon. It had two massive horns and spikes that ran from the top of its head, all the way into the water. As I approached, it roared and struck the ground near the group. It was only then that I realised ¨C it was blind. Its eyes were scorched, the scales around them were darkened and damaged.


    It reared its head, preparing to strike again. I nced at the group to see their positions.


    Erik was standing closest to the creature. Holding his tower shield raised to protect him; his entire body let out a faint golden shine. A little ways behind him stood Vincent, his stance wasn''t firm like that of the pdin''s. Instead, he seemed ready to jump out of the way of an iing attack.


    At the very back stood Alina, Samantha, and Rina. The two spellcasters were focusing with their eyes closed and hands extended as magic gathered in their palms. Samantha was trying to aim at the creature, though its fast movements clearly made things difficult for her.


    Between them and the two front liners stood Alex. She held a rather long spear in her hands. I spotted Joshua running through the trees, circling around theke. Was he trying to nk the creature?


    The creature roared and prepared to strike again. It was aiming for the three women in the backline.


    I folded my wings a little and aimed for its head. As its downwards motion began, I reached its head. Inded on its nose and shouted. "Hey, I''m up here!" It flinched and tried to bite me. As teeth asrge as my entire body snapped only a hairs length away from me, I jumped up and with a wicked grin, fired a volley of dark bolts at its already scarred eyes.


    With that as an opening move, our fight began.

 Chapter 59: The Serpent of the Lake

    <h4>Chapter 59: The Serpent of the Lake</h4>


    It screeched as I just barely avoided getting eaten. I heard shouting from below. It was probably Erik and the others, though I wasn''t entirely sure which one of them shouted. I couldn''t afford to look, as one mistake could spell death. And I most certainly didn''t want to return to Asher so soon after I left.


    My scythe appeared in my hands as I flew towards the back of the serpent''s head. It twisted its very long body to turn with me, but a well timed lightning strike by Rina distracted it. Inded on the creature''s head and grabbed on to one of itsrge horns. They were nearly twice my own size.


    I swung my scythe. The pale crystalline de cut through the creature''s scales effortlessly as ck blood spurted from the cut.


    The creature flinched, then shook its head like a dog trying to get rid of some annoying pest. I found myself flying as I lost my grip on the horn. It took me a second to regain my bnce in the air.


    An arrow flew past me to hit the creature''s wound. I couldn''t help but be impressed, that wound was so tinypared to the creature''s body. Another lightning struck the creature as its teeth once again snapped not too far away from me.


    "Hey, Kai." I heard Asher''s voice in my head as I desperately beat my wings to avoid its next attack.


    "Not now!" I replied with a mental shout. It was difficult enough to focus on flying and fighting at the same time, I couldn''t deal with the sorcerer right now.


    "What are you doing?" He insisted as I dove down and flew under the creature''s head. I fired another volley of dark bolts as I flew past the scaly body and circled behind it.


    "What the hell do you think?" I responded as the creature''s tail finally showed itself from beneath the jade waters. With a terrifying roar, the creature flung it''s tail at me.


    "Wait," Asher''s voice sounded in my head as I dove further down to avoid getting hit, then flew up again to avoid the dangerous water below. "Kai, what are you fighting?" He almost sounded upset. I ignored him as Rina missed her next lighting strike and electrified theke.


    Though it didn''t do much to the creature physically, it did seem to annoy it a lot more than I could so far. With a roar, it struck the water with its tail and sshed nearly a quarter of the water in theke towards Rina.


    There was nothing I could do to help her. Thankfully, Alex grabbed all three backliners just in time and they didn''t lose their footing. Though all three were wet and probably cold, at least they were still alive and well.


    Feeling grateful to Alex, I approached the creature and struck the scales on its neck. To my surprise, it wailed in pain. "Don''t ignore me." Asher''s annoying voice sounded in my head again.


    "Will you please just shut up let me deal with this?" I screamed as the creature roared at me. I think he was offended as silence was all that followed my words. I was somewhat d, since it meant I could focus on the fight more.


    As I circled around the creature again, I felt more magic gather around us. Rina''s spell once again struck the creature, causing it to il its tail around. I folded my wings and flew under its head again and left a long, somewhat deep cut as I flew past its neck.


    It wailed in pain and tried to bite me. I narrowly avoided the teeth snapping less than an arm''s length away. If it weren''t blind, I''d probably be dead. Despite its wounds, the creature was incredibly fast.


    I knew we couldn''t possibly kill it with one strike, its scales were too thick, and I had no clue as to where its heart was. I nced at its head as I brushed past the iling tail. There was no way I could pierce its skull. We either had to tire it out and then somehow kill it, or just escape.


    Actually, that did make a lot of sense. We could just walk away. Since this thing was water bound, it couldn''t follow us intond, right?


    My thoughts got interrupted by a loud screech. I heard a loud bang as the creature snapped at Erik''s tower shield. Fear gripped my heart as I stopped mid air. I watched as the creature''s tail struck his shield. Just the tail itself probably weighed several tonnes. There was no way Erik could survive that!


    The loud bang echoed as the golden shine disappeared and the tail slithered back into the jade waters. I waited for the dust to settle with my mouth agape. The shock of what just happened froze me in ce. Was Erik really...?


    The dust settled to reveal Erik standing there, unharmed. His body once again let out a golden shine as he shouted something. I sighed out in relief. I had thought we''d lost him. My thoughts were interrupted with screams. I looked towards them, to see them pointing their fingers towards me. Did they not recognise me?


    "Kai!" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind again. I thought I had gotten rid of him for now. Annoyed I ignored him and turned my attention to the creature.


    Before I could evenprehend what was going on, I felt something wrap around my legs and waist. Momentster, I was underwater.


    "Kai, that thing you''re fighting, is it a water serpent?" Asher''s rmed voice sounded in my mind as the surface of theke moved farther away. I clenched the shaft of my scythe, but the water pressure made it impossible to swing it with any meaningful speed. "Kai!" His shout echoed in my mind.


    I felt my breath slowly deplete as I heard muffled roaring. My grip on the shaft of the scythe weakened as my consciousness began to fade.

 Chapter 60: Remembrance

    <h4>Chapter 60: Remembrance</h4>


    I felt magic whirl around me. It was so weak that I barely noticed it. I wondered where it came from. Was it Rina trying to save me?


    "Close your eyes!" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. I did as he said but the sh of light still blinded me. I heard a muffled roar from above the water surface as the scaly tail coiled around my body loosened. Having regained my ability to move around, I quickly ced the scythe into my inventory, hid my wings, and started to swim to the surface.


    Despite my newfound freedom, the surface was so far away. No matter how much I tried, I didn''t seem to get any closer to it. My vision began to blur as my lungs felt like they were on fire. I needed air! I had no strength left to give to my muscles.


    I felt the water around me shift and move. The serpents tail iled below me. I got caught in the currents created by its movements. The surface seemed to be getting farther and farther away. I noticed the creature''s tail moving up, towards me.


    With no hesitation, I grabbed on to it as it brushed past me. The water pressure created by the speed of it nearly crushed me. I almost lost consciousness right before we broke the surface of theke and I found myself in the air. I let go of the tail and summoned my wings. Gasping for air still, I flew up, away from the serpent''s reach.


    I couldn''t believe I almost died because of a simple mistake like that. A stupid mistake brought on by my own carelessness. As water dripped from my clothes, I shook my head. Now wasn''t the time to think of what I did wrong. We had to either kill this thing or run away. I nced at the group below, they didn''t seem like they wanted to run away.


    Still somewhat out of breath, I summoned my interface and nced at my mana.


    ''Mana: 140/770''


    I clenched my fists. This was the first time in a while that I had to worry about my mana. "Hey, Asher." I shouted telepathically. "Do you know how to kill this thing?"


    Silence followed my words. I hesitated; he wasn''t one to ignore me like this. Had something happened? I shook my head. I didn''t have time to think about him right now. He was strong, he could take care of himself.


    I focused my gaze on the creature''s movements, I needed to find a way to kill this thing. I wasn''t going to be able to keep flying for much longer and I was sure Rina and the others'' mana was also slowly depleting.


    I summoned my scythe again ¨C I didn''t think either one of the swords I had could pierce those thick, sturdy scales. I took a deep breath before once again flying into the tick of battle. The serpent noticed me almost immediately and I once again came face to face with those sharp teeth. I evaded them narrowly and flew beneath the creature''s jaws.


    "Kai, aim for between it''s eyes." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "I''ll cast a spell to enhance your next strike, so don''t miss. I can''t cast this twice." It was difficult to focus on his words in my current state, but I nodded and flew up again. Rina''s next lightning strike struck the creature''s long body.


    I nced towards her as tried to make my way towards the creature''s head. The interval between her attacks was getting longer with each lightning strike. She seemed tired. I clenched my teeth, grasped the shaft of my scythe and with a burst of speed provided by Fallen Grace, approached the creature''s head.


    "I''m almost there!" I shouted at Asher, who responded not with words, but with crimson mes bursting out of my scythe. A bright light engulfed me as my strength increased even more and for just a moment, I felt my cloudy mind clear up.


    I swung my scythe as soon as my feet touched the creature''s scales. The pale, crystalline de dug into the scales effortlessly, only leaving charred skin and flesh behind. The creature wailed in pain as it tried to shake me off. I held on to the shaft of my scythe as it finally dug into the creature''s thick skull.


    "What now? I can''t pierce it''s skull!" I shouted at Asher as the creature shook its head. I felt dizzy from being tossed around like that. "Asher!"


    "Think about the phoenix''s mes. Think of how they burn everything and then burn the creature. It''s just like how you summon your wings." His exnation was oddly calm, almost as if he was teaching a ss.


    "Now''s not the time to learn how to use spells without the interface!" I screamed as I almost lost my grip.


    "Now is the perfect time." I felt the connection sever as lightning struck the creature on its head, dangerously close to me.


    I clenched my teeth and promised myself to punch that smug idiot in the face when I next saw him. I closed my eyes and pictured the mes that consumed the forest when we first met the phoenix on the battlefield. I imagined how smoke covered the air and it became hard to breathe.


    My lungs burned as a loud ng echoed. I nced down to see Erik''s shield stopping another tail strike.


    I shook my head, now wasn''t the time to be impressed by his abilities. I once again clenched my eyes shut and tried to remember the heat I felt during that battle. How the mes nearly consumed us.


    My oxygen deprived mind refused to focus as all that shed before me was Vixia''s purple mes, overpowering those of the phoenix.


    "Is it done?" Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "Of course not!" I shouted, desperately trying to focus.


    "Let me know when it is." Silence followed his words as I tried to calm myself with a deep breath. That, of course, didn''t work. Pissed off, cold and exhausted, I couldn''t even scream and shout in anger. I felt the effects of Fallen Grace diminish and fade.


    With the strength provided by that skill gone, it became so much harder to hang on to the shaft. I felt my grasp weaken.


    "Kai," Asher''s voice echoed again. "Remember the warmth of the phoenix."


    I flinched. That I clearly remembered. The warmth that calmed the souls within me, its memory was as clear as day. I felt the coldness disappear. Steam clouded my vision.


    "Now remember how annoyed at me you are." Asher''s smug voice immediately red up my temper.


    "You-" My words were interrupted as I burst into mes.

 Chapter 61: Questions

    <h4>Chapter 61: Questions</h4>


    The creature''s pained wails mixed with the roaring mes. I heard a distant shout. As the creature''s body also burst into mes, I removed the stuck scythe from its head. Barely keeping my bnce on the melting scales, I stretched my wings and leapt into the air.


    As I arrived on the shore, the creature''s charred body fell into the water and disappeared beneath the jade waters.


    A few secondster, a jade-blue soul surfaced from beneath the waves. I let it approach and shivered as it dissolved into my chest.


    "Kai?" Erik''s shocked voice sounded, but before I could even look at him, something with blonde hair rammed me. Alina sniffed as she hugged me and with a shaky voice whispered. "I thought you died when it pulled you under the waves..."


    "Alina?" I eximed as I tried to step back, but she held on tight.


    "You need to stop scaring us like that." Rina said as the rest of the group approached. Alex nodded. Only when I saw her face did I notice how much this battle had pushed them to their limit. All over them I could see scratches and bruises. Their clothes were tattered and wet. They were panting.


    "Sorry," I mumbled to Alina, then gently pushed her away. It felt... awkward. "I''m d you all made it out of this alive." I nced at Erik. "You scared me, I thought you were dead for sure when you took the full force of that hit."


    He grinned. "Thanks to Rina and Alex, we levelled up enough, so I was able to get the key skill of pdins." His smile shattered as he nced behind me. "I do believe you''ve got some exining to do. What''s the with the mes and the wings?"


    I flinched. So much for keeping my wings a secret, I suppose.


    "Can we do that after we get a bit away from here?" I asked, ncing at theke. "I''m sure plenty of scavengers wille soon."


    They nodded, but Vincent shook his head. "Wait," He nced around. "Where''s Josh?"


    "What?" Samantha asked after a moment''s hesitation. "Wasn''t he nking the dragon?"


    I forced myself to remember, when was thest time I saw the young man? "He was going through the woods, I assumed he was trying to circle around to the back of the creature but... that was quite a while ago."


    "Let''s search for him." Alex said after a short moment of silence.


    I sighed and nodded. "I''ll look through the-"


    "I''m fine!" Joshua''s voice interrupted me. "I''m back, sorry." He stumbled out of the woods. His arms were covered in blood and cuts.


    "What happened to you?" Samantha cried out in shock. He really seemed badly wounded.


    "I was circling around thete when I bumped into some creatures. I fought them off eventually, but I didn''t exactlye out unscathed."


    "That''s an understatement." I mumbled as Alina approached him. A soft light shone from her hands as she carefully healed his wounds. "Thanks, Alina." He said with a smile. She nodded, stepped back, and approached me. "Are you ok, Kai?" She looked all over me. "Your clothes are ruined!"


    "I''m fine, really. My clothes will mend themselves once I have the mana to spare. Don''t worry about me." I nced at Joshua. After Alina''s healing spell, he seemed to be fine. He didn''t look as tired as the rest of us, though I guess that was to be expected, since he didn''t fight the giant sea serpent.


    "Can we go somewhere else now?" Alina asked, ncing at all of us. I nodded, and so did everyone else. Erik ced his weapon back into his inventory and pointed in the direction I came from. "That way are the ruins you wanted to explore, Rina. How about we camp not too far from them?"


    "There''s a river close to it." I added.


    Soon, we were off to the shallow river. We were all exhausted, save for Joshua, so our short journey passed in silence. Only once we arrived and set up camp, did I hear some low conversations between some of them.


    I gathered some firewood and lit a nice, warm campfire. Soon, we all sat around it. The sun was still high, so it was a little early to be even eating, but we were too exhausted to even think about the time.


    "So, Kai." Erik finally asked. "Are you going to exin the deal with those wings?"


    I flinched. "Well, apparently, when I kill really powerful, legendary creatures, I can gain some of their abilities." I shrugged. I didn''t want to tell them about Vixia and Delthur.


    "I see," Erik mumbled. "That is really powerful. Is that how you killed the beast?"


    I nodded. "It was thanks to having killed the phoenix that I was able to do it." I smiled. "I guess it was good for at least something." I continued with a chuckle, then suddenly realised something. "What happened to Astrid?"


    "Oh, we let her go after she told us everything." Erik said with a dismissive tone. "She probably went back to report to her employer."


    "Did you tell her anything?" I asked, slightly worried. How much did she know about me?


    "No." Rina said with a cold voice. "I didn''t want her to know too much about anyone here, so I didn''t let them tell her anything."


    Relieved, I smiled. I was worried about the employer Asher had talked about. He did say they were just curious, but I wasn''t going to blindly believe his words.


    "We should rest." I finally said with a sigh.


    "I''ll make sure nothing can get close." Rina chimed in as she cast a spell. Runes appeared around the campsite. Once she was done, she nced at the girls and, with a yful voice, spoke. "Come, girls, lets get cleaned up."


    Alina jumped to her feet and dragged Samantha with her as they headed towards the shallow river.


    "Oh?" Joshua''s ears perked up.


    "Don''t even think about it." Alex''s harsh voice sounded as she smacked his back with her tail. "Keep an eye on him Vincent." With that, she also left for the shallow river.

 Chapter 62: A Moment of Respite

    <h4>Chapter 62: A Moment of Respite</h4>


    With a yawn, Iy on the lush green grass.


    "So," Vincent''s voice sounded. "Are you feeling better, Josh?" His brother nodded and I heard the rustling of his clothes as he got up on his feet. "Where are you going?" Vincent asked him almost immediately.


    "For a walk." He said dismissively.


    "No, you''re not." Vincent said as he grabbed his brother''s arm and forced him back down. "I''m not letting you go and peep on the girls."


    I rolled my eyes at Joshua''s protests. "You know Alex will drown you if you even so much as try it." I said with a chuckle. "And I wouldn''t let you try something like that either." I red at him. He flinched and looked away.


    "Fine! You''re so boring." He exhaled and threw himself on the grass. "Erik,e on. Help me out a little."


    "No." Erik coldly said as he poked the campfire with a long stick. "And stop messing around with that idea." He slowly turned towards me. "Are you sure you''re ok, Kai? You were underwater for more than a minute. And you look quite pale."


    I nodded. "I''m fine, I told you already." I yawned again. "I''ll be back to my usual self once I get a few hours of sleep." With a grin I took an old cloak out of my inventory and rolled it into a ball. "Good night." With those words, I ced the cloak under my head like a pillow and closed my eyes as Erik protested. "It''s not even dusk yet!"


    I chuckled and shrugged. The young pdin mumbled something under his breath, then sighed. The other twoughed at his words.


    "Asher?" I called out to the annoying sorcerer. Silence was all that followed. Slightly worried, I tried again. "Hey, Asher?" He was awake and healthy. I could feel it in the back of my mind. So why wasn''t he responding?


    I tried to reach him a few more times before deciding to actually attempt to sleep. Surprisingly, as soon as I stopped straining my mind with telepathy, the sweet, dark embrace of sleep weed me.


    That dark embrace soon turned into the cold depths of a jade colouredke. The fear of drowning washed over me as I desperately tried to reach the surface. Despite my efforts, my body wouldn''t move, all I could do was to watch as I dove deeper and deeper. Until the something bright illuminated the darkness.


    I couldn''t see what it was, just looking at it was enough to blind me. The bright blue glow seemed to give life to my surroundings as I spotted both normal fish and legendary sea creatures swimming about. I approached the glowing object, then suddenly turned back and shot up to the surface as a rumble shook the water.


    I woke up withughter just before I broke the surface of the water.


    "Shh, be quiet." Vincent''s low voice sounded. "You''ll wake him up!"


    "Oops," Joshua mumbled. My tense body rxed a little. That dream felt too real.


    "Kai." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. I flinched; I didn''t expect him to contact me now. "Was it your annoyance towards me that made you use your power effortlessly?" He said with a smug tone. I couldn''t fathom how he managed to sound smug through telepathy.


    "I guess you were useful for once." I replied, trying my best not to grin.


    "That hurts, you know." He chuckled; I think. "I wanted to ask about that soul you got. I think that might also enhance your body ¨C just like the phoenix did."


    I felt my body tense up again as I became too aware of myself. "How, exactly?"


    "I don''t know. Water breathing? A Tail? Scales?" A short moment of silence followed his words. "We''ll see. I''ll try to figure it out. Get rest for now, it feels like you''re exhausted." I felt the connection sever.


    Annoyed, I almost sighed. Then I remembered I was still supposed to be asleep. Instead, I cursed at the smug sorcerer for a little.


    "Should we wake him up for dinner?" Alina''s concerned voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I was starving.


    "Maybe not." Alex mumbled. "He was so exhausted that-"


    I couldn''t miss dinner, so with a loud yawn, I stretched and opened my eyes. "Hey guys," I mumbled.


    "Oh, good timing." Vincent said with a grin. He pointed towards a te full of raw meat. "I was just about to start cooking these." By cooking, he clearly meant barbecuing them on the campfire.


    "That sounds tasty." I said with a smile. I hadn''t eaten anything but dried meat and fruits in a very long time. Just the thought of juicy meat made my mouth water.


    Rinaughed and got up. She circled around the campfire and sat by me. "Thank you, Kai. I don''t think we would have been able to get through that fight rtively unscathed if not for your help." She lightly squeezed my shoulder, then with a smile, opened her interface.


    ''Rina Woods ¨C Level 58 Wizard''


    "It gave plenty of experience to all of us." She continued with a smile. "This will make our uing exploration mush easier too."


    I flinched. "Yeah," I said with a forced smile. Knowing that I was stronger than her was such a weird feeling. I just couldn''t get used to it. I nced at everyone else. "I''m d I was able to be of help."


    "Oh, please." Alina said with a bright smile. "We all know you saved us there. No need to be so modest." Before I could shake my head, she nced at the campfire. "Oh, we''re running out of wood. Do you mind helping me a little bit?" With those words, she rose to her feet. "There''s plenty of firewood over there." She tilted her head towards the woods by the river.


    "Uh, sure." I said hesitantly. I also stood up and followed her to the nearby woods.

 Chapter 63: Bright Eyes

    <h4>Chapter 63: Bright Eyes</h4>


    As soon as we were out of sight, Alina grabbed my wrist and smiled. "Come on, I want to show you something." She pulled me deeper into the greenery.


    "What about the firewood?" I asked, slightly confused, but she just chuckled. "It''s fine! They can wait five more minutes." She led me through the greenery and we soon arrived at the shallow river''s shore.


    "Look." She pointed west. "Isn''t it beautiful?"


    I looked at where she pointed. "Wow," was all I could say as the view had taken my breath away. "It really is."


    The setting sun had dyed the to a golden-purple hue. The undersides of the rare clouds reflected the crimson light of the sun. The wide river seemed like it wasn''t water flowing there, but gold.


    "I knew you''d love it." Alina softly said. I turned towards her to see a golden shine in her eyes. She showed me a small, silver talisman. "It''s a gift. I filled it with my own magic. It''s a healing spell, if you ever find yourself badly wounded, all you have to do is release the magic in here."


    The talisman was made to resemble an eye. At the very centre of it, where the pupil should have been, was a small, blue gem. She touched the gem as she spoke.


    "I can''t ept this." I protested; this was clearly valuable. I tried to step back, but she quickly followed me. "I want you to have it. Please." She reached around my neck and hooked the pendant''s chain. "It suits you." She said as she stepped back.


    "I..." I took a deep breath as I relented. "Thank you, Alina. It''s beautiful." As soon as the words left my mouth, she showed me a beautiful smile. "I''m d you liked it. Anyways," She looked away as blood rushed to her face. I glimpsed her cheeks blush as she stepped back and turned her back on me. "I''ll go back to camp, you can take care of the firewood, right?"


    I nodded and she quickly ran off.


    "What the hell was that?" I mumbled to myself as I touched the pendant. I blinked a few times and then shook my head. That didn''t mean what I thought it meant... did it?


    A short whileter, I returned to camp with an armful firewood. "This shouldst us through the night." I said as I dumped it not too far from the fire.


    "Thanks, man!" Joshua said with a grin. Vincent handed me my dinner on arge, t stone he used for a te. "This smells amazing." I said, ncing at the young man. He nodded and forced a smile.


    He was clearly preupied with some other thought. I hesitated but decided to keep quiet about it. If he wanted to share whatever he was pondering, he would do so in his own time.


    I ate in silence as the others talked about random things.


    "Oh! What happened to the sorcerer? Asher Morgan, was it?" Samantha asked all of a sudden. I flinched. I had forgotten about that.


    "He got away." I said with a sigh. "he used that invisibility of his and I lost him."


    Vincent raised his eyebrows as Samantha and Aline mumbled something under their breaths. I only caught a few words of what they were saying, but I think they said something about shooting an arrow at him.


    "That''s a shame." Erik said with a sigh. "I''m sure he knew a bit more than Astrid. She couldn''t even say the name of the guy who hired them."


    I shrugged. "I''m sure he didn''t know much more than her." Having finished my meal, I rose on my feel. "I''ll go wash myself."


    I once again walked through the greenery to get to the shallow river. Once I was there, I undressed and stepped into the cold water. The cold didn''t bother me too much this time as I submerged my entire body. I summoned my wings and washed them too. It took me a while to get rid of all the dirt stuck in my hair and feathers.


    Some timeter, as darkness settled inpletely, I returned to camp.


    "Oh, he''s back." Joshua said with a grin as I stepped out of the woods. The first thing I noticed was theck of females in our group.


    "Where did the girls go?" I asked as I sat by the fire again.


    "For a walk. Alina seemed somewhat flustered, so Rina dragged them away." Erik said with a sigh. "I''m sure they will be fine, since Alex is with them too, but I still wish they wouldn''t stray too far from camp."


    "They''ll be fine." Vincent mumbled. He seemed a bit down. "Both Rina and Alex are ridiculously strong."


    "So, Kai." Joshua chimed in with that same grin. "What did Alina want to talk with you about?"


    I flinched. "Nothing much." I said with a shrug. I felt blood rush to my face, but my ridiculously pale skin and inability to blush properly saved me. "I wonder if something happened... Wait!" I red at him. "Did you tell her something weird about me?"


    "What? No!" Joshua shouted. It took quite a lot of my willpower to not grin orugh. Now, with the attention on him, rather than me, I enjoyed the evening breeze as Erik started questioning the rogue.


    "You did tell her something, didn''t you?" He said, pointing his finger at the other man. "Stop spreading lies..." Their bickering continued as I nced at Vincent. Usually, he''d be the first to leap at the chance to shout at his brother. I wondered what was on his mind.


    "I''ll head off to sleep." Vincent said after a short moment. "Good night."


    "Good night." I mumbled while the other two didn''t even respond ¨C they were too busy messing with each other.


    I alsoid on the grass and once again let myself be taken by the dark embrace of sleep.

 Chapter 64: Midnight

    <h4>Chapter 64: Midnight</h4>


    I woke up to a dark sky filled with stars and the two moons of this world. Shivering under the cold night breeze, I pushed myself up to a sitting position.


    "It''s not morning yet, go back to sleep." Vincent''s low voice sounded. I flinched; I hadn''t noticed him. He was sitting by the embers of the campfire. His shortsword rested on his knees as he carefully cleaned it.


    "I could tell you the same." I responded as I rose to my feet. "What''s bothering you?"


    It was he who flinched this time. "I''m not-"


    "You''re a bad liar." I said as I sat not too far away from him. "What''s wrong, Vincent? You''re not acting like yourself."


    He shook his head. "It''s nothing too important. I guess, it just hit me that death is... very real." He hesitated. "When the dragon, serpent, whatever it was, dragged you underwater, we all thought you''d died. Andter, when we couldn''t find Joshua for a bit, I got scared. I thought the idiot had gone and gotten himself killed somewhere."


    I was a big reason for all their worries, so I didn''t really know what to say. Vincent ced his sword in his inventory and sighed. "I''m scared of losing someone, Kai." He looked up to the sky. "I''m scared of losing my friends and my brother. I want to go home. I want this wicked game to end."


    I hesitated then reached out and lightly squeezed his shoulder. I had no words that couldfort him, or help him even a little, so we sat there in silence. After a while I stood up. Sitting here, doing nothing was useless.


    "Where are you going?" Vincent asked me as I stretched my arms and walked a few steps away from the embers of the campfire.


    "Hunting." I said with a smile. "Since I''m awake already, I''d better make use of this time." As I spoke, my wings materialized. I stretched them and leapt in the air, leaving a confused Vincent behind.


    I soared high up in the sky, watching the ground below. My mind was, once again, a mess. But thinking about Vincent''s words wasn''t going to solve anything. I clenched my fists and folded my wings a little, heading down to theke we fought the sea serpent at a little earlier. I could already see plenty of scavengers s circling the area. They all wanted to feast on the serpent''s meat.


    I summoned my scythe as Inded on the trampled and overturned grass. I didn''t use Fallen Grace or any of my other spells. I had put it off for long enough, but it was time for me to learn how to wield my scythe properly. As my wings disappeared into mist, I clenched my fingers around the dark, metal shaft of the weapon.


    "Here we go." I whispered before putting two fingers on my lips and whistling loudly. The loud noise echoed, shattering the silence covering the forest. I didn''t have that spell Asher used to gather creatures around him, but a whistle should work just fine, I thought.


    I was not wrong as soon the howls and screeches of the local fauna sounded all around me. I stood at the centre of the grassy area and waited. My first opponents to arrive were, of course, airborne creatures. As soon as they entered my vision, I motioned to open my interface to get rid of them with Dark Bolt. I stopped myself at thest second.


    "Let''s see," I mumbled as I closed my eyes. I forced myself to remember the warmth of the phoenix, just like I''d done before. I felt the warmth with ease. The next step was turning that warmth into something else. Like a small firebolt, perhaps?


    I imagined a tiny me on my palm. The sound of the creature''s wings drew closer as I forced myself to hang on to the image of that me. I opened my eyes and nced at my raised palm.


    Nothing. I had failed, again.


    My shoulders dropped in disappointment. Why was I not any good at this?


    The first bat-like creature dove towards me with its ws extended. I got rid of it with a simple swing of my weapon, then nced around me. I could spy glowing red eyes in the woods. They were watching.


    My lips formed a grin as I spun my scythe around. I was challenging them toe at me, in their turf. This was their hunting area, and a new predator had appeared. It didn''t take long for them toe out of the woods and even less for them to leap at me.


    I danced between the ws and teeth aiming for my life, using only my scythe to kill them, one by one. I felt their souls reach out to me as the pale de of my scythe cut through their fur and flesh effortlessly. By the time I''d killed thest of them, I was out of breath and exhausted. My clothes where covered in their blood and all the small scratches and bite marks hurt.


    With the coldness in my chest growing stronger, I ced my scythe into my inventory and washed the blood off me in the jade colouredke. Using Soul''s Respite, I let the souls circling around me mend my wounds.


    These forests were seriously overpopted. At no point should a single forest this size have more than a hundred of the same predators in them. I shook my head and opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 71 Soul Keeper | Exp: 7800/44000 - - Souls 100/100 + 570 - - Mana: 790


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 2 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    "Just two?" I said, fairly disappointed. When Asher had done the same, I''d gained over twenty levels. What were we doing differently?


    With a tired sigh, I gave up on trying to figure it out and summoned my wings. It was time to go back and get a few more hours of sleep. With a few powerful beats of my wings, I was soon in the air again. I shivered as the cold night winds hit me. When had it gotten so cold? Did this world even have seasons? Was winter approaching or something?


    I once again wished I knew a little more about this world. There was so much that was unknown to me. I knew nothing about the Ereth, who we were supposed to be helping. I knew almost nothing about demons and what little I knew was challenged almost daily.


    I shook my head, thinking about that stuff wasn''t doing me any good. I needed to learn to focus on my goal and stop getting distracted by useless thoughts like these.


    The camp soon entered my vision, and I folded my wings for a propernding right outside the protective runes Rina ced.


    "You''re alive." Vincent said with a breath of relief. He was still sitting by the campfire, though as soon as he saw me, he leapt up to his feet.


    "Of course I am." I said with a smile I hoped was reassuring. "And you''re still awake."


    "I wasn''t sleepy anyways." He mumbled. His gaze was fixed on my wings. "Can I see them?" He asked after a moment''s hesitation. I nodded, though I did feel somewhat odd. Vincent gently touched my feathers with the tip of his fingers. "They look too real." He mumbled, then stepped back. "Sorry. It''s probably best if we head to sleep."


    "Yeah, but are you sure you''re ok?" I asked after a short moment of hesitation. He showed me a smile that his eyes didn''t reflect. "Yeah, I''m just tired. Good night, Kai."


    With that, he disappeared in the tent he shared with his brother. I sighed andid on the grass.


    I could tell. Something was wrong.

 Chapter 65: Piles of Bones

    <h4>Chapter 65: Piles of Bones</h4>


    "So... Why were we exploring old demonic ruins again?" Joshua asked, ncing at the overgrown ruins before us.


    "Because I believe there may be some important information hidden in there." Rina replied with a cold voice. "Shall we?" She nced at me.


    "Let''s go." I said as I summoned my scythe. "Erik, will you be taking point?"


    "Yeah." He mumbled as he summoned his shield and unsheathed his longsword. "Let''s." Our group, standing by the entrance all this time, finally got moving with Erik''s words.


    Erik and Alex walked in front, with Vincent and Rina following immediately after. I walked behind those two. A bit further behind me came Alina and Samantha, with Joshua guarding our rear.


    The dark entrance to the ruined building looked like the open mouth of a dragon, waiting for us to walk inside before devouring us. The moist, rotten air filled our lungs as we stepped inside. Rina''s spell illuminated our surroundings, revealing cobwebs and... bones. Everywhere.


    "I don''t like the look of this." Erik mumbled. I shot a worried nce at Alex. She was tightly grasping the hilt of her sword. I could see her hands shaking.


    "Rina," I quietly warned. "This isn''t very good."


    She nodded but remained silent. We walked further inside as our footsteps echoed in the darkness as we came across a set of stairs leading down.


    "I think this leads underground." Samantha whispered. Despite keeping her voice low, it travelled quite the distance. Noticing this, she immediately put her hand on her mouth. With widened eyes, she looked down the stairs.


    "We shouldn''t waste too much time here." Rina softly said. "Whatever we maye across surely knows we''re here by now." She gestured Erik to head down. After only a short moment of hesitation, he stepped on the stairs and with an unsteady Alex right by his side, started descending them.


    Our footsteps echoed as we periodically stopped to get rid of the ridiculous amounts of spiderwebs covering the ce. Each time we got rid of one, Alex seemed to grow a little bit more uneasy. I wanted to suggest she stand guard outside, but I knew that would injure her pride more than anything.


    And I also knew she didn''t trust Erik, Joshua, and Alina, maybe even Vincent. She wouldn''t leave Rina''s side now.


    After a short while, we reached the bottom of the stairwell. A long, narrow corridor stretched before us, with too many doors to count on both sides. The entire area was covered in webs, so much that I doubted we could even continue.


    "Rina, it''ll take ages to check all these ces." Samantha said with a low voice. The mage nodded as her shoulders dropped. Just like the rest of us, she was disheartened.


    "Let''s begin." Erik''s words surprised me. "The faster we start, the sooner it ends." He said with a confident expression. Before any of us could say anything, he stepped forward and approached the first door.


    It was a small, wooden door that wasn''t entirely closed. He carefully pushed the door with the tip of his sword. The door creaked open and Rina''s light illuminated the interior. He nced inside, then carefully stepped forward.


    A thought gnawed at the back of my mind as the tiny bones crumbled beneath Erik''s feet. "The hell!" He said as he stepped further inside. Alex gulped before following him. Nervous, I brushed past Rina and Vincent and followed Alex. Something felt off.


    "Kai?" Alina''s worried voice sounded. I ignored her and looked inside the room. On the floor were several small piles of bones. They clearly belonged to rodents as they were tiny. I could spy some animal skulls in the piles. Just like everything else, those piles were also covered in cobwebs. We left the room after seeing there was nothing else inside.


    "At this point, I think we can say for sure that we''ll be encountering spiders, or something else capable of weaving webs." Rina quietly said. "I think I''d feel a lot safer if two people guarded the entrance. I wouldn''t want to be ambushed from there."


    I nodded. "Alex, would you mind?" I asked. She shook her head. "Not at all. Joshua, care toe with?"


    The young man nodded. "Sure. Then, we''ll see youter. Don''t die."


    "You too." Erik said as they bumped their fists.


    I watched them as they climbed the stairs. Joshua was a weird choice; he didn''t seem bothered by the spiderwebs at all. Why had Alex asked him to go with her?


    "Let''s not waste any time." Rina''s words pulled me away from my thoughts. "Vincent, can you guard our rear?" She asked. He nodded wordlessly and we once again moved forward. The next room we checked wasn''t much different than before. And the next, and the one after that.


    After about half an hour of checking every room, I finally sighed. "This is useless. Rina, we''re not even in the ruins themselves. We''re under them. Are you sure we''ll find something here, or should we check the ruins above ground?"


    She shook her head. "I didn''t see an entrance that led to that part of the building. We don''t really have much of a choice, do we?"


    "I could fly up there." I suggested with a shrug.


    "That''s ast resort, I don''t want to send you anywhere alone." She said, then nced towards the unexplored side of the hall. "Let''s finish searching this ce first."


    With deep sighs and not so careful steps, we continued until we reached arge double door at the very end of the hall.


    "This looks like the entrance to a boss room." Erik said with a nervousugh. Vincent nodded while I nced at Rina, Samantha, and Alina. They all seemed on edge. "Should we go in?" He asked, looking at Rina. She took a deep breath, then nodded.


    "Here goes nothing." With those words, Erik ced his hands on both wings of the door and pushed them open with a loud, painful creak, to reveal arge library.


    "Oh!" Rina said with a shine in her eyes. "Finally." She motioned to rush inside, but Vincent immediately grabbed her arm and stopped her.


    "Erik, you go first." He said with a low voice. The young pdin nodded. The noise his armour made with every one of his steps sent chills down my spine. With the sound of metal hitting metal, Erik walked forward.


    A few seconds passed as he nervously looked around. Finally, he nced towards us and shrugged. "My turn, I guess." Vincent mumbled and stepped inside. He approached Erik with slightly faster steps. Once again, nothing happened.


    "I guess it''s safe." Alina mumbled. Still feeling nervous, I shook my head. "Let''s not let our guards down." We also stepped inside, carefully.


    I felt as if I was being watched. A chill ran down my spine as I watched the group carefully look around. I chose to stay near the entrance, both to make sure nothing would block our way out, and because I felt oddly cold. Like the souls within me were restless.


    "Kai?" Alina asked with a worried expression. "Are you ok?"


    I nodded. "I''m fine. Just don''t let your guard down." After a moment''s hesitation, she nodded.


    "I don''t think anything''s in here." Erik said with a sigh as he sheathed his sword and motioned to ce his shield into his inventory.


    "Wait, no!" Samantha''s shout echoed as something dripped onto Erik''s hand. He flinched and dropped his shield. "Look up!" Samantha shouted.


    I looked up to see eight glowing orbs ¨C eight green eyes, connected to a massive shadow.


    As soon as our eyes met, it dropped down on Erik.

 Chapter 66: Ambushed

    <h4>Chapter 66: Ambushed</h4>


    Itnded on the ground, creating arge dust cloud. I held my breath as the cloud of dust settled and revealed the creature''s body.


    With it''s eight green eyes, massive body and eight long legs, it was a spider. Its entire body was covered with a ck chitinous carapace, it probably served as armour. A loud ng echoed as I spotted Erik. The creature''s long legs had pinned him to the ground.


    "Erik!" Vincent shouted; he had rolled away from the massive monster just in time to avoid getting caught. As his voice echoed in the room, Erik screamed. It was then I realised, the creature''s legs had pierced his armour. Pinned to the ground by his left shoulder and right leg, Erik desperately tried to unsheathe his sword.


    "Rina," I shouted as I ran towards the creature. Fear grasped my throat as my heart raced ¨C if I wasted too much time, no amount of healing could save Erik.


    "Now!" Rina shouted as I felt her winds around me. They lifted me up and carried me to the creature''s upper body. With a shout to draw its attention, I swung my scythe with all my strength. With the corner of my eye, I spotted Alina casting a spell while Samantha hooked an arrow.


    Prepared for the blood that would surely spill, I narrowed my eyes as my scythe reached the creature''s carapace. With a loud ng and an ear-piercing scratching sound, the pale de of my scythe only left a faint mark on the surface of its armour-like carapace. I lost my grip on the shaft of the scythe as Rina''s spell faded. I fell on the creature''s back and immediately shivered.


    "Kai!" Vincent shouted as Rina cast another spell. Lightning crackled in the air and hit one of the creature''s leg. I clenched my teeth as my body also went numb for a moment. "Rina, you''ll kill Kai too." Alina shouted. I felt the warmth of her healing spell slowly lift the numbness.


    The creature stumbled. As it did, its legs holding Erik down finally released him. Vincent rushed forward and pulled the wounded pdin away from the stumbling and screeching creature.


    "I can''t pierce its armour." I shouted. As the words left my mouth, the creature seemed to remember I was on its back and shook its entire body. I barely held on my grabbing the pointy sections of its carapace.


    The coldness in my chest grew as I noticed something. Its carapace wasn''t entirely ck. It was semi-transparent. Enough so to let me see through it. And what I saw sent shivers down my spine. Before I could let anyone else know, a low tapping sounded.


    The sound was echoed from what I assumed to be the entrance. Were Alex and Joshua also fighting? As the creature''s body shook, I reminded myself that I did not have the luxury of thinking about others right now. I had to focus on the here and now.


    I saw Samantha release her hooked arrow and hit the creature''s leg. The arrow bounded off, but it seemed to cause at least a little pain as the spider screeched and reared on its four hind legs. It raised its front legs and shot a white substance towards Samantha.


    A shield appearing right before the archer protected her. She nced at Rina and smiled as thanks, the hooked another arrow. I clenched my teeth, I had to do something from up here. I summoned my interface and used Dark Bolt.


    Not a momentter, a volley of bolts left my fingertips and leapt towards the creature''s legs. As the bolts hit it, a dark glow appeared on its body,pletely negating my attack. My body pressing against its carapace felt colder than ever. I held my breath as it screeched again and leapt towards Samantha.


    As its sharp legs struck the ground, Vincent pulled Samantha away. They ran to the side as the creature turned its giant body to follow them. Lightning once again crackled in the air; Rina was preparing another attack. I closed my eyes, but the sh of light still momentarily blinded me.


    "What?" Alina''s shout struck fear into my heart. I opened my eyes to see that same dark glow on the creature''s carapace. "It''s a shield! Rina, don''t waste your mana." Vincent shouted in response, then leapt towards the creature''s hind legs. His sword hit its leftmost leg with a loud ng. I saw him try to control the rebound.


    "It cracked." He shouted as the creature stumbled. A smile appeared on my face. "Rina, do whatever you can to enhance Vincent''s strength." I also summoned my sword, not because I was fool enough to think I was as physically strong as him, but because I might be able to distract the damn thing. With a wordless shout, I used Death''s Scythe and swung the sword towards its head.


    As usual, my strike bounced off of its carapace. But a smile still shed across my face as it stopped to try and shake me off its back. I barely held on to the bumps on its carapace as another loud ng echoed. The creature stumbled again as another crack appeared on its leg.


    "Almost done! Hang on a little longer." Alina shouted. I caught a glimpse of her, as she knelt beside Erik. His wounds had stopped bleeding and his pained expression had almost disappeared. I couldn''t watch them any longer, as the creature once again reared on its hind legs and shot a web at Vincent. A shield appeared around him as well, allowing him to keep circling around the creature.


    "This isn''t working," I suddenly said as another one of Samantha''s arrows bounced off. "Something isn''t right." The dark glow on the creature''s body only seemed to get stronger as its carapace seemed to grow colder. I clenched my teeth and tried to focus on the mes, just like I had done against the sea serpent. I knew that arge explosion wasn''t what we needed, but if I could at least get rid of that glow, then maybe we could start dealing some damage to it.


    I heard the sound of metal hitting metal and opened my eyes to see Erik back on his feet. "Now you''ve done it." He said with a dark expression. He unsheathed his longsword and grabbed his shield before rushing towards the spider with a battle cry.


    "Alina, buff them." Samantha shouted. The other girl nodded and started casting her spell. As she stood there, her eyes closed, the spider seemed to notice how defenceless she was. With a screech, it shot a towards her. Rina''s shield once again appeared just in time to protect her. Just a momentte and she''d been hit.


    I nced at Rina to see her panting. Those shields had started to take a toll on her. Before I could see anything more, the creature turned around with an unnatural speed and struck Erik''s shield. The pdin grumbled under the strength of the attack. I couldn''t believe how fast this spider was. It should have been impossible for it to move its entire body so quickly.


    An idea shed across my mind as I nced at its eight long legs. I summoned the chain from my inventory and put my sword back.


    "Rina, help me out!" I shouted as I threw one edge of the chain in the air. I felt her magic guide the chain around the creature''s legs immediately. As soon as it was within my reach again, I grabbed it and pulled both ends of the chain with all my might, even using Fallen Grace.


    It screeched as the chain wrapped around its legs suddenly forced them together. Unfortunately, the chain was only wrapped around its two front legs, but at least this way, it couldn''t shoot any mores. I kept pulling as Vincent and Erik continued their assault on its hind legs.


    "Good thinking, Kai." Samantha''s shout sounded. The spider finally fell to the ground as the carapace on its legs almostpletely shattered, leaving only a thin, defenceless shell behind. A grin appeared on my face.


    "Finish it off." Rina shouted at Vincent, but before he could do anything, the creature let out an ear-piercing screech. Darkness exploded from its body as it pulled the chain. The chain cut my palms as I lost my grip on both ends. I felt my body go numb again as its darkness spread out, towards the others.


    "Stay behind my shield!" Rina screamed as a muchrger shield enveloped the entire group. I desperately tried to hang on to the bumps on the spider''s carapace. If I fell now, I wouldn''t be able to get away from it in time.


    "What''s that sound?" Samantha suddenly asked as the darkness spreading from the creature disappeared. I regained my senses as that tapping sound from before returned, this time much louder and closer. Had Joshua and Alex lost? Fear gripped my heart.


    "Oh no, above us!" Vincent shouted.


    I looked up to see hundreds, if not thousands of glowing green eyes staring at us.


    "Shit."

 Chapter 67: Battle Beneath the Ruins

    <h4>Chapter 67: Battle Beneath the Ruins</h4>


    As soon as the word left my mouth, the creatures dropped from the ceiling. The first scream came from Alina as maybe hundreds of cat-sized spidersnded on the ground. Without even a moment of hesitation, they leapt towards the group still covering behind Rina''s shield.


    I let go of the giant spider''s carapace and slid to the ground. As soon as Inded, I used dark bolt. As five bolts leapt from my fingertips to the giant spider, arge amount of glowing, green eyes turned on me.


    "Maybe that was not a good idea." I mumbled as the giant spider finally regained its bnce and shook off the chainpletely. It let out an ear-piercing screech and reared on its hind legs. I threw myself aside at thest moment, anticipating webs being shot at me. Instead, its target turned out to be Rina''s barrier.


    "Do something!" The wizard shouted. I spotted Samantha hooking an arrow and shooting one of the smaller spiders. I held my breath in anticipation, were they also going to have that same ck glow protecting them?


    A loud screech and a soul approaching me was enough confirmation that the smaller ones were not too difficult to defeat. "Focus on the small ones!" I shouted.


    "Kai, you have toe closer!" Erik replied. "You''re surrounded!"


    It was then, I realised the hundreds of spiders between me and the group. I really was surrounded. The swarm of creatures looked like a ck sea. A ck sea that stared at me with hungry eyes. I could already see some of them preparing their silvery-white webs. I did not want to get any of that on me.


    "My barrier won''t hold much longer!" Rina''s desperate shout distracted me as I quickly nced that way. "I''m almost out of mana so do something!" She screamed as the barrier finally shattered.


    My heart raced as the ck smarm leapt at them. It was Erik who stopped them in their tracks as his shield blocked their path. They screeched and tried to jump over his shield, but he promptly killed those who tried with his longsword. Whenever one of them tried to walk past him, Vincent would meet them.


    Samantha stayed a bit further behind and rained her arrows onto the creatures. I shivered as the souls of the dead approached me. As usual, there was nothing pleasant about being the Soul Keeper.


    As the shadowy souls approached me, the giant spider suddenly screeched. The souls wailed as they stopped in their tracks. Before I could even react, something pulled them to the giant spider. As they disappeared in its giant body, I was left dumbfounded.


    "The hell?" I mumbled, before noticing movement behind me. I summoned my sword just in time to cut a spider leaping towards me in half. With that opening move, my battle also began. The giant spider seemed more focused towards the rest of the group. While I wanted to take its attention off of them, it''d probably spell my death if I tried something like that.


    "Kai, get down!" Rina''s shout prompted me to throw myself to the ground. Not a secondter, lightning crackled in the air and I smelled burnt flesh. Her lightning had killed arge chunk of the spiders around me. "Get your scythe!" She shouted.


    I looked around to see the weapon. I hadn''t even gotten the chance to look for it ever since I had dropped it. For a moment, it seemed impossible to find it as the swarm of spiders covered the entire ground. But then, I caught a glimpse of its pale metal deying amongst the corpses of the spiderlings.


    I dashed through the charred corpses and grabbed it. As soon as I grasped the cool, metal shaft, I felt Rina''s winds around me.


    "Wait!" I shouted in a panic. "I can''t deal any damage to it!" Maybe she didn''t hear me, or maybe she didn''t listen. I once again found myself floating towards the giant spider. I clenched my teeth and grabbed on to its bumpy carapace. As soon as my body touched the dark glow around it, I felt the coldness in my chest grow.


    It was much colder than before, and the power I felt from the dark glow was much stronger too. I swung my scythe and struck its carapace to no avail. I simply couldn''t get through.


    I noticed more souls approaching it. With each soul, the coldness grew. "Wait!" I whispered. It was growing stronger with each soul it consumed, just like me! My heart raced as I nced at the bunch of charred corpses. Rina had just fed it a whole lot more strength.


    Suddenly, the creature screeched and reared on its hind legs as its body shook uncontrobly. I found myself in the air as I lost my grip. Instinctively, I summoned my wings and regained my bnce mid-air. From up high, I could clearly see the reason of its sudden outburst. Samantha''s arrow was stuck right under its face, between the tes of its carapace. She''d actually wounded it!


    "Kai, under it''s head!" She shouted as soon as our eyes met. I nodded and with a powerful beat of my wings, flew towards it. I prepared to swing my scythe as lightning crackled in the air. A few more spiderlings died to Rina''s spells as the giant spider was finally within my reach. Seeing me, it reared on its hind legs and shot its webs at me.


    I narrowly avoided them by allowing my wings to lift me higher in the air. Then, I folded them and dove down, closer to the monster. It was within my reach now ¨C I was going to finish it.


    A weight dropped on my back. Then, another, on my legs. I lost my bnce in my panic and fell to the ground with a loud thud. I quickly beat my wings to get rid of the weight on me and rose on my knees, to see a bunch of green eyes staring at me.


    A swing of my scythe cut through them effortlessly. I didn''t even wait to see their souls appear. I turned my back on them and came face to face with the giant spider. With a low shout, I tried to back off ¨C such close quartersbat wasn''t ideal for the scythe.


    Lightning crackled in the air and hit the smaller creatures approaching me. "No, stop killing them!" I shouted ncing at Rina. "You''re just giving it more-" I couldn''t finish my words as the creature reared on its hind legs and shot a web at me at point nk range.


    Rina''s shield appeared a few seconds toote. I stumbled as the web stuck onto me. I tried to step back instinctively, but that only made things worse. I felt the web tangle around my legs as I lost my bnce and fell on my back.


    An arrow hit the creature. Then, another. They were charged with lightning. They didn''t seem to deal any damage to the giant spider, but at least they distracted it. It reared on its hind legs and shot a web towards them, which Rina promptly blocked with a shielding spell. I wanted to take this opportunity to get away from it. That was when I discovered ¨C the web was stickier than I''d feared. Not only couldn''t I move my legs, but it also felt as if someone had glued them to the ground. Back drops of blood dripped onto me as I helplessly tried to break free.


    My heart raced as the creature once again turned its attention towards me. It''s four raised front legs came down with force. I noticed the spot where the arrow had struck it before. That was where the blood wasing from. With a little luck, maybe I could reach it. I held on to that thought as if it was my light at the end of a long, deadly tunnel.


    I swung my scythe with all the strength I could muster. I didn''t even hear Alina''s pained scream, echoing in therge room. As the creature''s spear-like legs pierced my body, my scythe struck its exposed flesh.

 Chapter 68: Crumbling

    <h4>Chapter 68: Crumbling</h4>


    I let out a scream as four spear-like legs pinned me to the ground. I felt them pierce my wings and shoulders, and then strike the ground below. I closed my eyes, expecting a painful death, but instead, I felt something drip on my chest. I carefully opened my eyes to see the motionless body of the creature. There was a deep wound at its neck, it was where I''d hit it with my scythe. Its ck blood was slowly dripping on me.


    The giant spider was dead. Its body had seemingly frozen in ce, as it didn''t fall and crush me. I noticed its soul approach me and clenched my teeth. I didn''t expect this to be a pleasant experience, and just as I expected, it wasn''t.


    "Oh my god!" Samantha''s scream echoed in the room as lightning crackled. I couldn''t turn my head enough to see what was going on. "Alina!" She shouted.


    "Guys!" I tried to shout. Even breathing hurt. I didn''t dare move my arms as I was aware of the sharp, ck spear-like legs cutting through my flesh. It hurt like hell. "Erik!" I shouted desperately. I needed them to help get this corpse off of me.


    Nealy a minute passed before someone came to my aid. To my surprise, it was Vincent. His exhausted face entered my vision as he rushed towards me.


    "You''re alive!" He said in relief. He was panting, his face was red with the effort he put in during the fight, though that didn''tst long. He went pale as soon as he noticed my wounds and the spear-like legs pinning me to the ground. "How are you alive?" He shouted.


    "Barely." I replied. "I think I need some help." The absurdness of my statement made me chuckle, though I immediately regretted it. "I can hide my wings, so you can leave the two legs running through them be but..." I nced at the two legs that bore through both of my shoulders. "These two got me good. I need you to pull them out."


    "Are you insane?" Vincent shouted. "No way I can do that alone and the bleeding alone would kill you!" He nced back to where he came from. "If only... Damn it. Wait a minute, I''ll get the others to help you." He ran off before I could say anything.


    I tried to look after him, but the strain that motion put on my body made me give up immediately. Soon, a few approaching footsteps sounded.


    "That''s not good." It was Erik''s voice that I heard. "Samantha, get Alex, we''ll need all the help we can get."


    "Ok..." Samantha''s voice sounded a bit obtuse as she ran off. Was that a sniffle that I heard?


    "Kai, listen." Erik said as he knelt beside me. "Once Alexes, we''ll pull these things out, but we''ll have to treat you immediately-"


    "I can heal myself." I cut him off. "Rina, can''t you lift it up with you magic?" I asked. Something told me I didn''t have too much time left if I keptying on the ground like this. "And can someone get rid of the web on my legs?"


    It took Vincent a few minutes to cut it off, and that was with the help of Rina''s spells. I clenched my teeth and tried to remain patient as more than a few minutes passed since Samantha left.


    "Rina, please." I said as I barely kept my wits about me. "Just use your magic to lift it up."


    She hesitated. "I can try, but it will hurt a lot more since we can''t do it too quickly." She nced away for moment. "But you''re right, we can''t afford to wait any longer. Vincent, Erik, I''ll need your help with this."


    "Sure." Erik mumbled. Both warriors tightly grasped one of the spider legs. "Disgusting." The pdin whispered. Rina nodded and took a deep breath. "Now!"


    With her words, they pulled on the corpse with all their might. As Rina''s spell lightened the giant spider''s body, I felt the four legs piercing my body slowly move. As the group slowly freed me, it took every bit of my willpower to not scream bloody murder. As soon as I could move again, I summoned my interface and used Soul''s Respite. As the souls left my body and whirled around me, I clenched my teeth and waited for my wounds to heal.


    "Amazing." Erik whispered as my wounds started to close. It took a few minutes for me to healpletely. Once I was fully healed, I hid my wings and slowly lifted myself off the ground.


    "Kai, can you heal others with that?" It was Vincent who asked that. I shook my head. "No, why?"


    He nced behind me. "Alina, she..." As soon as those words left his mouth, my heart started to race. I turned to look where they kept ncing.


    Alinay on the ground. There was some blood around her neck and her clothes were tattered and dirty. I could spot lots of cuts and bite marks on her arms.


    "No, no, no." I mumbled as I rushed to her side.


    "She''s alive," Erik said. "I think it''s poison. The spiders got to her at thest second."


    "It was my fault." Rina said with a catch in her voice. "I was too busy trying to help Kai kill the giant spider, I didn''t see them reach Alina."


    I clenched my fists. "Let''s get her outside first." I nced at the entrance. "Speaking of, where is Samantha? Why isn''t she back yet?"


    Everyone shrugged. I felt the coldness within me grow. I could hear the wails of souls at the back of my mind. "Vincent, Erik. Take Alina outside. Rina, go with them. Make sure you''re careful, be ready for an ambush."


    "What about you?" She asked, worried.


    I nced at the giant spider''s corpse. "I''m not done here. I''ll find a way to get rid of the poison." She hesitated, but then nodded. They hurried outside soon afterwards. As soon as their footsteps disappeared, I sighed and leaned on the wall.


    "Damn it." I whispered. So much had happened in such a short time. I clenched my fists and focused.


    "Asher." I reached out to him and was rewarded with a fast reply. "d to know you survived whatever happened to you."


    "Do you know anything about spiders that... feed on souls?" I asked hesitantly. I nced at the giant spiders corpse. I could sense the hundreds of souls trapped in there. I couldn''t help but feel like freeing them was my duty.


    "No, I don''t." Asher replied. He sounded tired, exhausted even. "Are the souls destroyed?"


    I shook my head, then remembered he couldn''t see me. "No, they''re still inside its corpse. Should I... free them?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Please do. It''s your duty as the Keeper of Souls and as someone who gains more power with each soul they get." His answer made sense, though what his wording implied was less than pleasant. "Is that all? You sound flustered." He asked, with a slight bit of worry in his voice.


    I sighed. "A smaller spiderling bit Alina. She''s unconscious. I think she''s poisoned. Can you... help?" I didn''t exactly like asking him for help, but my already damaged pride was a cheap price to pay to save a life.


    A moment of silence followed my words, then he finally replied. "I can''t make promises. But I can at least try. First things first, we need to determine the species of the spider..."

 Chapter 69: Deception

    <h4>Chapter 69: Deception</h4>


    I stepped out of the ruins, into the sunlight. It had taken quite some time to check everything and free the souls trapped in the giant spider''s corpse. I nced at the sun. It waster in the afternoon; we''d spend quite some time down there without even realising it.


    "Kai!" It was Rina who called my name. She was sitting on the ground. Beside hery Alina. Her face was pale as ash and I could see the sweat on her skin. "She''s not ok. We need to do something!"


    I nodded, then nced around. "Where are the others?"


    "Erik and Vincent left to go look for Samantha, Alex and Joshua." Rina''s voice trembled. She was at the verge of tears. "I''m so worried ¨C what if something happened to Alex? I..." Her voice faded as I approached and knelt beside her.


    "It''ll be fine. I''ll find them." I said, trying my best to not let my voice tremble. "First things first; we have to get rid of the poison. Can you get me some fresh water from the river?" She wiped her tears and nodded before darting off towards the shallow river not too far away from here. I could see her almost tumble and fall.


    I waited for a short moment before breathing out a sigh of relief. "I''m alone with Alina." As soon as my thought reached Asher, I felt something drain my mana.


    "ce your hand on her forehead. Let the spell do the work." Asher replied after a short moment. As his magic, mixed with mine, started to gather in my palm, I did as he said. A soft light shone on Alina''s pale face, slowly restoring her natural colour.


    The scratches and bite marks started to heal, though the process was painstakingly slow. I summoned my interface to check my mana. It was being drained with an enormous speed. "How long will this take?" I asked Asher after a moment''s hesitation. He remained silent for a short while.


    "I''m not sure." He replied after some time. "Are you ok? You were in a daze for a while down there."


    I shrugged. "The released souls weren''t exactly kind to me." Seeing the memories of man-eating spiderlings wasn''t a pleasant experience. "But I can say one thing for sure. Demons used to live there. I''m not sure how the spider got to consume a demon''s soul, but I''m sure I saw the memories of a demon."


    Silence followed my words. After a while, the soft glow shining from my hand dimmed as the magic gathered in my palm dissipated. With worry in my heart, I immediately turned my gaze on Alina. Colour had returned to her face and she was breathing a lot easier now.


    "She''s not fully healed." Asher said a short whileter. "I got rid of the poison, but she''ll have to regain her strength the usual way ¨C resting and eating well."


    "Thank you, Asher." I said as my lips formed a faint smile.


    "Any time." I heard the exhaustion in his voice before I felt the connection end. With a sigh, I got up and stretched my arms and legs. Alina was out of the woods, but now I was worried about everyone else.


    Where the hell had Alex gone to? I''d understand Joshua running off somewhere since he was a bit too independent, but Alex just up and leaving like this made absolutely no sense. And on top of all that, Samantha had gone too.


    As I was pondering all this, I heard light footsteps. I nced towards them to see Rina approaching with a bucket of water in hand. I couldn''t help but feel guilty for deceiving her but if she knew about my rtionship with Asher, she''d be furious.


    "Where did you find the bucket?" I asked, somewhat confused.


    "It was in my inventory. How is she?" Rina asked, ncing at Alina. I smiled and replied. "She''ll be fine. Do you mind staying with her? I''d like to look for the others."


    "Oh, thank god!" Rina said with a breath of relief. I noticed a tear rolling off her cheek but decided to stay quiet about it. "But Kai, how will you even find them?" She asked after a short moment. I smiled and summoned my wings.


    "I can move faster like this and I can see farther. Don''t worry Rina, I''ll do everything I can to make sure Alex is safe, so just stay here and look out for Alina." I smiled.


    "Yeah." She said with a faint smile. "Just... don''t disappear on me, ok?"


    "You know I won''t." I said before stretching my wings. "I''ll be back soon." With those words, I leapt into the air and allowed my wings to carry me to the skies. It didn''t take me long to find Erik and Vincent at all, since the first thing I saw was them, walking down the river.


    I folded my wings and dove towards them, only slowing down at thest second. As Inded right before them, they both jumped back, ready to fight.


    "Kai?" Erik shrieked.


    "You scared the hell out of me, man!" Vincent shouted. I smiled and quickly exined the situation with Alina. As they listened to me, I could see the relief in their eyes.


    "But why don''t you want us toe with you?" Erik asked when I finally told them to go back to Rina and Alina.


    "You''ll just slow me down. I can fly, remember?" I said, gesturing towards my wings. Erik flinched, he clearly wanted to protest to my words. "He''s right." Vincent chimed in. "Let him do what he can. Besides, are you really ok with leaving Rina and Alina alone in such a dangerous ce?"


    Erik hesitated, then relented. "Fine. But be careful, Kai."


    "Of course I will. Do you know which way they went?" I asked. Vincent nodded. "I think they followed the river. You can maybe try your luck over at theke." He shrugged. "Good luck."


    "Thanks." I once again leapt into the air and allowed the blowing winds to carry me towards theke. I soon noticed the reason Vincent told me to follow the river ¨C the bushes and grass on this side of the water were trampled upon. Someone, or something, had clearly passed through here. I pictured Alex in my mind. Her long tail was certainly capable of such destruction.


    But... why would she leave Rina ande this far? It made no sense; she wasn''t someone who''d leave those she cared about behind. She was kind, thoughtful and considerate. She would risk her own life to save Rina. She''d even saved me countless times.


    I continued to follow the river until the clear tracks changed course into the forest. I sighed ¨C I couldn''t see the ground from all the leaves. I had tond to be able to continue following the tracks they''d left behind.


    Inded carefully, then hid my wings. They''d be nothing but a hindrance between the trees. With a deep breath, I stepped among the trees.

 Chapter 70: Worries

    <h4>Chapter 70: Worries</h4>


    I followed the broken branches and trampled mossy trail for nearly an hour. Walking amongst the trees, I couldn''t help but feel on edge. While I once felt safer beneath the canopy of the forest, ever since I''d gotten somewhat used to flying, the inability to do so rmed me.


    I shook my head and pushed such thoughts away. I had to focus on finding Samantha and the others. A whileter, my ears perked up as I heard what sounded like someone talking. I hastened my steps and followed the sound.


    As I approached the source of the sound, I slowed down and proceeded carefully. I didn''t want to barge into an unknown situation carelessly. A short momentter, the source of the sound came into view.


    A huge wave of relief washed over me as I saw Alex, Samantha and Joshua standing among the trees. They were discussing something with a low voice. As Samantha spoke, I saw Joshua''s face go pale. With a sigh of relief, I stepped out from behind the trees.


    "Kai!" It was Samantha who shouted. "I thought you were stuck under that monster!"


    "Rina, Vincent and Erik helped get me out of there." I said with a faint smile. "But more importantly, why on earth are you guys all the way over here? You worried us."


    Alex and Joshua nced at each other, then at our surroundings. "Let''s go back." Alex finally said. "It''s best if we talk about this when everyone is present."


    I hesitated, what was all this about? Still, Alex seemed wary of something and I trusted her, so I nodded and gestured back towards the ruins. "Let''s go then, I''d like to be back before nightfall."


    Our two-hour long journey back to the ruins passed in silence as both Alex and Joshua constantly seemed on edge as we walked. Samantha seemed just as clueless as me since she constantly nced at the two of them.


    We arrived at the ruins at dusk. As the sun dyed the sky crimson and purple, we stepped out of the woods and rushed towards the group of four, sitting by the entrance of the ruins.


    I sighed a breath of relief as soon as I saw Alina, sitting with her back leaned on the wall. She was still somewhat pale, though not as much as a few hours ago. As soon as she saw us, her face lit up.


    "You''re all ok!" She said with a weakened voice. "I''m so d!" She breathed a sigh of relief. I heard Samantha sniff. Before any of us could say anything, she darted towards Alina and hugged her.


    "I''m so d you''re ok! I was so scared that I''d lose you..." She could barely speak through her tears. Alina also teared up. "I''m ok, don''t worry."


    "Alex!" I nced at Rina, who was having her own reunion with her dear friend. She was also tearing up. My lips formed a faint smile as I took my ce at the fire.


    Only when I sat down did I notice how damn exhausted I was. The fight with that spider had nearly killed me and afterwards I had to take in those hundreds of souls. Not to mention the psychological stress I was under thesest couple of hours. I had genuinely thought we''d lost one of us, if not more.


    "So," I said after a while. By now, everyone had already cried their tears of joy. I wasn''t interrupting anything. "Alex, Joshua. Why did you guys leave?"


    The rogue fiddled with his cloak while Alex sighed. "We noticed that we were being watched." Her words cut through our smiles, shattering them. "It was Joshua who noticed it. We decided to go and have a word with them, but as soon as we made a move, they fled. We were chasing them." She sighed and shook her head. "But they were too fast. I''m sure they used spells to hasten themselves. We had absolutely no chance of catching up."


    Silence followed her words before Erik spoke with a low voice. "Were they yers?"


    Alex shrugged. "I don''t know. We never got close enough to properly see them."


    "It''s an entirely different problem if they''re human yers." Vincent said after a moment''s hesitation. "If they are yers, then why are they spying on us? Who hired them and why?" He sighed. "I feel uneasy, we shouldn''t stay out in the field for too long, Erik."


    The young pdin nodded after a short moment of hesitation. "Do you agree as well, Rina and Alex?" He asked, ncing at the two girls.


    "I only want to check the library for a bit." Rina said. "One hour is all I need. After that, I''d also like to get out of here." Alex nodded enthusiastically.


    "What about you, Kai?" Erik asked as his blue eyes met mine. I flinched. "You''re used to being alone, so I won''t pressure you toe back with us." Erik added, seeing my surprise.


    "No, I''lle with." I said, forcing a faint smile. "But I don''t think heading back to Stonepatch Vige is the right course of action here."


    My words were followed by a nervous silence. No one seemed to want to say anything, so I took a breath and continued talking. "Asher and Astrid both told us they''d been hired by someone in the city, right?"


    Rina nodded. I continued. "In that case, why don''t we go and pay that someone a visit?"


    "We don''t know who it is, though." Alina chimed in. "How are you nning on finding them?"


    "I''m sure they''ll approach us when we enter the city. Besides," I said with a shrug. "There isn''t much left for us to do back at Stonepatch Vige, is there?"


    "No." Rina said with a sigh. "But me and Alex will not be joining you."


    I flinched. "I see." I tried to not show how upset I was, but I clearly failed.


    "I''m sorry Kai. We can''t leave our little sisters alone. We came here because we were worried about you, we thought you''d die. Now that you''re fine ¨C and mostly capable of looking after yourself ¨C we have to get back to our families." Alex''s words were kind, yet they stung.


    "I know," I said with a forced smile. "Thanks, for all your help. You''ve saved us more times than we can count."


    Low conversations followed my words after a short while. We decided on setting off tomorrow at noon.


    Exhausted, Iy on the soft grass and listened to my friends as they conversed and joked around. I was sad that Rina and Alex weren''t going to be with us for long.


    With a sigh, I watched the sky. The stars shone brightly; I could never see them so clearly back at home. I watched the two moons as they travelled through the sky. It was beautiful, more so than the dark nights I''d seen back at home.

 Chapter 71: Tension Rises

    <h4>Chapter 71: Tension Rises</h4>


    The next morning, Rina''s search in the library didn''t yield any useful information. Disappointed and annoyed, we headed back to Stonepatch Vige. Our journey passed mostly in silence. We were constantly wary and on edge. Were we being watched? If so, who was watching us? Why was it us that were being targeted like this?


    With such thoughts upying our minds, we travelled. It took us about four days to reach the outskirts of Stonepatch Vige. During this whole time, there was this weird, foreign feeling in my chest. It took me a while to notice that I dreaded the time Rina and Alex would leave. I''d grown to depend on them, both inbat and as friends. They were like unshakable pirs; I knew they''d be there if I ever needed help.


    But now, they were leaving. Or, more urately, we were leaving them behind. We would move on to the big Ereth city and try to learn more about our situation, while they were going to stay behind to protect and care for their sisters.


    I clenched my fist and took a deep breath as time to say goodbye finally came. Samantha bid her farewells with teary eyes, just barely not crying. Alina was a bit more formal, though she also seemed somewhat saddened to see them leave. Erik and Vincent thanked them for all their help while Joshua remained silent.


    "Take care of yourselves." I said after hugging them both. "We''ll meet again, ok?" I forced a smile as I asked.


    "Of course we will!" Rina said with a sniff, then smiled. "We''ll meet again, and we''ll get out of this ce. All of us. Together." Alex nodded too. "Yeah, so cheer up. We''ll see you all soon!" She said with a huge grin.


    With those words, they left.


    We watched their backs as they walked on the cobble path leading to Stonepatch Vige in silence. Only a whileter Erik spoke. "We should head off too." Vincent nodded as I just sighed.


    We headed off.


    It was silent, all the way. With no Rina to tell of us all the interesting facts she''d learned from the books she read and no Alex to lessen the tension, we walked in an awkward silence. It was getting on my nerves, even the chirping birds and the asional wildlife we encountered weren''t quite enough to break the tension.


    I took to chatting with Asher, who seemed to be somewhat grateful for thepany. Though, he did poke fun at me by saying we were friends now, I didn''t mind it too much this time. He read me passages he''d tranted from demonic, though they were so disjointed it was impossible to make any sense of them.


    Only when the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains, did we set up camp. We put up the tents and dug a small hole for the campfire in silence. As we sat around the little campfire and ate fruit and dried meat, I couldn''t help but feel like something was missing. Was it the cheery chatter that was always present in these past few days, or was I just missing home?


    "Are you tired at all?" Samantha asked Alina. The blonde girl shook her head. "Not any more than you guys. I told you, I''mpletely healed."


    "I''d still like you to take it easy for the time being." Erik said with a t, emotionless voice. "We don''t know if that poison had any side effects. Your condition could still worsen, for all we know."


    I shook my head. "No, I got rid of the effects of the poisonpletely." Well, it was Asher who''d done it, but I couldn''t say that now, could I?


    "You can''t know that for sure." Joshua said with a sigh. "It''s best if we don''t do too much fighting for now." He yawned.


    "I don''t think that''s the best idea." I replied, slightly annoyed. "If we don''t fight, how are we supposed to gain levels? How are we supposed to grow more powerful?"


    "It''s not worth risking Alina over it." Erik said, shooting me a cold nce. "We can farm for experience and loot once we reach the city." Joshua nodded while the others chose to remain silent. I could feel their gazes on me.


    "I don''t think that''s good enough, Erik." I said after taking a deep breath. "I''m not saying we should take unnecessary risks, but we shouldn''t avoid fightingpletely. It''s not like Alina will be in the front lines anyways."


    "She wasn''t on the front lines when she nearly died." Joshua cut me off before I could continue. "And if I remember correctly, Rina couldn''t protect her because she was busy tying to keep you alive." He red at me. I flinched at his words.


    "That''s a bit of a low blow, Joshua." Vincent said carefully. He nced at me before continuing. "Considering you were outside chasing ¨C and failing to catch ¨C spies. Besides, if Kai weren''t with us, we''d probably die there. He was the one who killed the monster." He shook his head. "Anyways, that''s not what we were discussing-"


    "That''s exactly what we are discussing." Joshua cut him off. "Kai is powerful, yes. But we are not as strong; he can''t expect us to perform at a level on par with himself."


    "I''m not expecting anything like that." I finally spoke. "But I do expect you guys to try and get stronger so we can kill the god damned Demon Lord and get out of here."


    "Do what now?" Erik said with a surprised expression. "Kai, that''s probably impossible. The final boss in a game like this isn''t meant to be killed by one group like us. It would take the cooperation of every yer living in this game."


    "Stuck." Vincent said coldly. "Trapped. Imprisoned. Forced to partake in." He red at Erik. "I think one of those is the word you were looking for."


    Erik flinched. I held my breath, though I wasn''t sure what I was anticipating.


    "I want to get out of here." Vincent said softly. His gaze was fixed on the ground. "I don''t want to live the rest of my life in such a bloody and... awful world like this. I don''t want to constantly worry for my life, or the lives of those I care about."


    Silence followed his words. The air was tense. I could almost taste the it. With a sigh, I got up on my feet.


    "Where are you going?" Erik asked as I walked to the woods. I replied, my gaze fixed to the darkness covering the forest.


    "I won''t sit and wait when I can fight."

 Chapter 72: Uncertainty

    <h4>Chapter 72: Uncertainty</h4>


    I returned to camp sometime after midnight to see Vincent standing guard. As soon as Inded, he quickly walked up to me. He seemed somewhat nervous.


    "Where were you all this time?" He asked with a low voice.


    "Around," I said with a shrug. "I found a nice area with few trees a little ways away. I was killing stuff." I nced at the camp. Only embers were left of the campfire. Everyone else was asleep.


    "Erik was furious." Vincent said after a short hesitation. I sighed as my wings disappeared into a ck-crimson mist.


    "I don''t care." I said after a short moment. "I can''t waste my entire life here. I need to get back." I raised my hand, like I were trying to catch a star. "I will find a way to kill the Demon Lord."


    Vincent hesitated, then nodded. "I want to go back home too." He clenched his fist. "I''ve been grinding, I''ve levelled up a bit more than the others." He said with a faint smile.


    "Good." I said with a serious tone. "No matter how strong I get, I doubt I can take on the Demon Lord on my own."


    He shook his head. "Not if you want to have the slightest chance at winning." He nced at the starry sky. "Let''s sit, I''m sure you''re tired." He said, gesturing to the embers of the campfire. I wasn''t really tired ¨C not physically at least ¨C but I nodded and sat by the embers of the fire.


    "Take a look." He said, summoning his interface. He quickly navigated to his status panel, then let me look at it.


    ''Vincent Kestler ¨C Level 38 Fighter''


    ''STR: 28 ¨C CON: 20 ¨C DEX: 18 ¨C INT: 14 ¨C WIS: 14''


    I raised my eyebrows. "Your stats are the same." I said. He grinned before replying. "I''ll have the ability to be a Spellsword at level 40, so I''m holding on to my stat points."


    "Oh." I said as understanding dawned on me. Though, even If he hadn''t given me a sensible reason like this, I''d have no right to say anything since I hadn''t even allocated a single stat point yet.


    "What about you?" He asked suddenly. I flinched, I didn''t really want to show it, since it felt more like showing off. "Come on, I''m curious, you''ve been fighting more than any of us."


    I sighed, then summoned my status panel.


    Vincent''s eyes widened as he read the pale blue text on the interface.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1800/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 864- - Mana: 880


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage''


    "How?" He asked, shifting his nce between me and the pale text.


    "I''ve been killing. A lot."


    A short silence followed my words, then he suddenly chuckled. "You haven''t allocated any stat points at all! Why?"


    I shrugged. "It feels odd and a bit wrong. I''d rather continue with the body I got used to rather than forcing it to change into something different." It had taken me ages to get used to the extra strength and agility Fallen Grace provided me with. Even now I sometimes overshot or misused my speed. I didn''t want to add anotheryer ofplexity with stats.


    "That''s fine, I guess." Vincent mumbled with a shrug, then showed me a grin. "You''re ridiculously strong anyways, you don''t need me to tell you what to do."


    Weughed, though we did take care to keep our voices low. After a short while, I yawned. "I''d better sleep a little."


    He nodded. "I''ll wake Joshua up, it''s his turn to stand watch. Good night, Kai."


    "Good night." I said,ying on the lush green grass. I covered myself with an old cloak and as soon as I closed my eyes, the dark embrace of sleep weed me.


    I woke up at dawn, just in time to see the forest turn from golden to its usual green colour. Everyone else was still asleep, besides Erik who was standing guard with a bored expression. When he saw me get up, his expression turned sour, though only for a moment.


    "Good morning." He said coldly. Was he really still angry about what was said yesterday? But... there was nothing to be angry about, right?


    "Good morning," I replied with a yawn. "So, what''s the n for today?" I asked after a short moment of silence.


    "Well," He said with a sigh. "I don''t know." His cold,posed voice shattered. I flinched. Yesterday''sposed Erik was gone. He seemed somewhat lost. "What do you think we should do?"


    I hesitated. Why was he acting like this? "Didn''t you say that we were going straight to the city Astrid told us about?" I asked after a moment of silence. "Why aren''t you so sure anymore?"


    He sighed and shook his head, refusing to answer me. I pondered a moment, before deciding not to pry. It wasn''t my ce to do so and I didn''t want to cause even more tension in the group. With a sigh, I rose to my feet and headed towards the trees.


    "Where are you going?" He asked, ncing at me.


    "I''ll wash my face." I said with a forced smile, before heading off.


    The shallow creek wasn''t too far away. As I knelt by the water, my reflection caught my eye. I flinched, since when did my eyes glow so much? With a sigh, I shook my head. I looked like that painting we found with Asher more with every passing day.


    As I let the water flow through my fingers, I had to remind myself again that this was a game. I sshed some water to my face, ran my fingers through my hair and got back up. The sun was slowly rising, it was a good time to get going.


    When I returned to camp, I heard footsteps and the sound of a fire. They were preparing breakfast. I sighed; they were too rxed. We didn''t have to eat such a rich breakfast every morning. We could chew on dried meat as we walked.


    "Hey Kai!" It was Alina''s voice that called my name. I looked around and spotted her kneeling by the campfire. "Good morning, Alina." I said with a faint smile. She seemed as healthy as always. All traces of the spider venom were gone, even that beautiful smile of hers was back.


    "I''ve got a gift for you." She said with a radiant smile. My heartbeat hastened as she approached me. With only a moment of hesitation, she took my hand in hers and ced something in my palm. "Thank you, Kai." She said, her eyes shining gold. "Thank you for saving my life."

 Chapter 73: The White City

    <h4>Chapter 73: The White City</h4>


    I nced at the object she''d ced in my hand. It was a white sphere. "It''s a pearl that I found in the river the other day." She said with a soft voice. "I wanted you to have it, as thanks."


    I felt blood rush to my face. "I did what anyone would do, Alina. You really don''t need to thank me." I tried to give the pearl back, but she didn''t take it. "It''s a gift," She said with a smile before turning away and going to where Samantha sat.


    "Man, you''re popr." Joshua''s bored, emotionless voice startled me. I hadn''t noticed him approaching me. Iughed nervously as I shook my head and ced the pearl in my inventory. "Anyways, when are we heading off?" Joshua asked after a shot moment of silence.


    I hesitated. "Well, I just assumed we''d get going after breakfast."


    "Ok," He mumbled and walked away. Confused, I stared after him for a short time. What was that all about? Why was he asking me that? I nced at Erik. He was sitting by the campfire, eating a piece of dried meat, and inspecting his shield. He seemed somewhat lost, though as soon as Joshua approached him, he quickly regained hisposure.


    After breakfast we set off. While the air was tense as the day before, I did feel a little better. I still missed Alex and Rina of course, but it didn''t hurt as much as before. I did hope they and their sisters were ok, though I didn''t really have any way of checking on them.


    "So, what do we know about this city?" I asked Erik. He hesitated before sighing. "Nothing much. We know that it''s where the majority of Ereth live. It''s rich, it''s elite and it''s beautiful, ording to Astrid." He shook his head. "Honestly, all I can really say for sure is that there''s a Divine Pir there."


    I nodded. As far as I knew, divine pirs were the source of the Ereth''s power. Without them, they were surprising weak, which was why people like us were needed to protect viges like Stonepatch Vige. The farther away Ereth strayed from divine pirs, the weaker they''d be.


    "Let''s make sure we find the person trying to spy on us." I said. Erik nodded. "Let''s."


    The rest of our journey passed in silence, save for the few times we had to stop to kill a few monsters dumb or hungry enough to attack us. We took care of them almost effortlessly as the creatures seemed to be weaker, the closer we got to the city.


    The thick foliage prevented us from seeing too far, so when we finally stepped out of the woods, our breath was taken away.


    We were standing uphill. Before usy a city, white-golden. Long spires reached for the sky, narrow bridges extending between them. At the very centre of it stood a giant pir, shaped much like an obelisk. It looked as if it was made of solid gold.


    It was eye-catching and painful to look at as it reflected the sunlight too much. Though, that could be said for the entire city. The buildings were white, with golden murals and lines embedded within the walls. The streets were white,id with golden bricks. Even the city walls were white, with golden lines sectioning them off.


    "Well," Samantha mumbled. "This is... overwhelming."


    "You could say that." Erik replied. "It''s not what I expected at all." He continued.


    "I expected a more medieval design." Joshua said with a sour expression. "This just hurts my eyes."


    We waited for a bit. Not for something, just because we didn''t know what to do.


    The city wasn''t what any of us expected.


    "I guess the ''Divine Pir'' is really divine." I said with a shrug. "Let''s go, we shouldn''t waste any more time."


    The others chuckled and nodded. As we approached the city, our smiles shattered. The entrance was guarded by a group of Ereth soldiers. I flinched as our eyes met. Those were hostile gazes that met my eyes.


    They wore chain armour, though it was clearly made from a different metal than steel or iron as it was white. It created a weird contrast with their pale blue-green skin. They each had a two-meter-long spear as a weapon. They were taller than me and their massive leathery wings were at least as wide as mine, if not more.


    As we finally arrived at the gates, one of them stepped up and blocked our path.


    "Identify yourselves." There wasn''t a hint of emotion in his voice. Erik stepped up and opened his status panel. The guard inspected it for a solid ten seconds before letting Erik pass. Then, it was Vincent''s turn. He also stepped forward and opened his status panel.


    One by one, the guard inspected each of our status panels. When it was Alina''s turn, he hesitated. Somewhat worried, I nced at Erik. He shrugged, clearly also somewhat confused. A few more seconds passed then the guard let her pass as well. We all breathed out in relief.


    It was my turn to step up and show them my status panel. The guard flinched as he read the pale blue text. His nce shifted between me and my status panel a few times before he nodded.


    "You may pass." He said with a cold, formal voice. "Wee to Baile Chailce."


    With that, we were allowed entry into the biggest city on Erdrin. We stepped through the massive golden gates, onto the golden streets with our mouths agape.


    "Well," I finally said quietly. "We''re here but... what now?"


    I nced at the others. They hesitated, then shrugged. "How about we find a ce to stay?" Alina finally asked. "The sun is setting, and I do miss sleeping on an actual bed."


    Samantha pped. "Yes! Proper sheets and a roof!" Her eyes showed her excitement. I couldn''t help but smile as everyone else also slowly got hyped up. Soon, with hope and excitement in our eyes, we set off in search of an inn.

 Chapter 74: Out of Place

    <h4>Chapter 74: Out of ce</h4>


    I woke up to see a white ceiling for the first time in a very long time. My heartbeat quickened as I shot up, was I back home?


    But no, of course not. I was in a white room, on a bed with white sheets. There were white curtains by the windows. The curtains and bedsheets had golden decorations and the frame of the bed was also made of gold.


    The only things in the room that wasn''t white or gold, were the light brown floorboards. Even they had golden flecks in them. I couldn''t say I liked the Ereth''s choice of colour and d¨¦cor.


    I took a bath, got dressed and left my room. At themon room of the inn, I saw the rest of the group. They were the only non-Ereth people in the room. Among all the white-golden clothed Ereth, their colourful apparel stood out quite a bit. And they seemed painfully aware of it as they shot up on their feet as soon as they saw me.


    "Kai,e on." Alina said, running towards me and holding on to my arm. "Let''s go outside." She had started dragging me towards the door before she even finished her words.


    The others joined her and led me outside. Only once we were on the gold paved streets did they let go of me. "Kai, this ce is weird!" Alina hissed, looking around to make sure none of the Ereth could hear her. "I feel so out of ce."


    "I agree." Vincent chimed in. "We stand out way too much here."


    I nodded, then nced at Erik. "What do you think we should do, Erik?" I had a few ideas, but I didn''t want to undermine Erik''s already shaky authority.


    "First of all, let''s go get some proper clothes." He said after a few seconds. "Then, we should drop by the guild and check in with the Crystal." While this wasn''t quite what I had in mind, I didn''t say anything.


    "Good idea." Samantha chimed in. "I''ll ask for directions." She ran off to the nearest store to ask while we waited. A short whileter she came back with the information we needed, and we set off.


    We got quite a few odd looks as we walked in the city. Samantha led us through the streets quickly and we soon arrived at the store. As we looked at the selection of white and golden clothes, our expressions only soured.


    "Yeah, I don''t think I can wear this." I said after a short hesitation. "You guys go ahead." I motioned to leave, but Vincent caught my arm before I could.


    "You''ll stand out too much!" He warned me. "Are you sure that''s a good idea?"


    I nodded. "I do want the person who''s been spying on us to contact me, so it all works out, right?" I shrugged. Vincent sighed before giving up. "Fine." He said before letting go of my arm.


    "I''ll wait outside." I mumbled and left the store. I had to cover my eyes for a bit as the sun reflecting off the golden bricks on the road blinded me momentarily.


    "Hey, Asher." I reached out to the sorcerer. Soon after, I heard his voice echo in my mind. "Good morning, Kai. Have you arrived in Baile Chailce?"


    It took me a moment to remember that this city''s name was Baile Chailce. "We arrivedst night. What do I need to know about this ce?" I asked after a moment''s hesitation.


    "Do not attempt to touch the divine pir at the centre of the city." He replied. "It''s the source of their power and they won''t hesitate to erase you if you even try to approach it."


    I flinched. "Noted, what else?"


    "Well, that''s really it. Use yourmon sense." He paused. "Oh, and one more thing. Steer clear of the pce."


    "Why?" I asked, somewhat worried.


    "Well, you''re the Keeper of Souls. I don''t want those in power to suddenly decide you''re worth their attention." He replied. "Anyways, I believe the person you''re looking for is the owner of a newly established artifact shop. I''d suggest you check it out without all of your friends crowding it, so try to get rid of them first." He severed the connection almost immediately.


    I sighed, it made little sense to try and ask him more.


    "How do I look?" Alina''s voice sounded from behind me. I hadn''t noticed her leave the store.


    I turned to look at her. She was wearing a white battle dress that allowed her to move freely. It was a silken dress that she looked amazing in. The golden embroidery fit her golden hair and the tattoo on her face perfectly.


    Honestly, she was breath taking. She smiled as she waited for my answer. I flinched. "You look great." I said with my heart beating quickly". Her smile widened. "Thank you, Kai."


    Before I could reply, the door behind her opened and the others left the store. "So, what''s next?" Vincent asked after a short moment of silence.


    They were all wearing the same type of white-golden clothes. It didn''t look nearly as good on them as it did on Alina.


    "Let''s go to the guild." Erik said after a short moment of hesitation. Thankfully, Samantha had also gotten directions for the guild. With her guidance, we soon arrived at the building.


    It looked nothing like the one in Stonepatch Vige. The building was one of the spires we''d seen when we first saw the city. It seemingly reached to the sky. Standing in front of it, I couldn''t help but stare at it with my mouth agape. It was massive.


    "That''s quite the sight." Erik mumbled before stepping towards it. "Come on, let''s not waste even more time."


    We stepped through therge, golden doors.


    The interior was almost entirely decorated in white and golden as well. The only different colours were those of the light brown floorboards. There was a counter off to the side. Right before us were couches and coffee tables, arranged into several groups.


    "Wee to the Baile Chailce Guild Branch." A female voice sounded as soon as we stepped inside. The speaker was an Ereth, standing behind the low counter. She had no hair, and a golden veil hid most of her face. I could only see her crimson eyes. "How may we be of assistance?"

 Chapter 75: Where the Game Leads Them

    <h4>Chapter 75: Where the Game Leads Them</h4>


    "We''d like to consult with the crystal." Erik said, brushing past me and approaching the table. He opened his status panel, then switched to the party panel and showed her our names.


    "A moment, please." The Ereth said before checking a small leatherbound book. "Ah, you''re Erik." She said after a short moment. "Of course, please proceed to the elevation sigil."


    "Thank you, ma''am." Erik said with a half smile. "Let''s go," He said, turning to us.


    We headed to the elevation sigil, which turned out to be the magical version of an elevator. It was basically a round, stone tform that floated in the air. As soon as we stepped on it, the runes on it lit up and the tform started floating upwards.


    "This is neat." Vincent said with a chuckle. "I was afraid we''d have to climb all the way to the top."


    Soon, we arrived at a higher floor. Erik was the first to step off the magical elevator. We followed right after him and found ourselves in arge, spacious room.


    "Whoa." Alina said with glowing eyes. "This is beautiful."


    Light brown floorboards covered the floor. The walls were white, as was the ceiling. There was nothing of note in the room except for the very familiar sight of a floating crystal.


    It floated at about chest height, at the centre of the room. The pink crystal shone softly, it was almost as if it were calling us. We approached it hesitantly.


    Erik took a deep breath and ced his palm on the smooth surface of the crystal. A few seconds passed before the pale blue interface appeared.


    "Two extermination quests." Erik said after a short moment of hesitation. He was clearly disappointed. "I expected more. We didn''t even get a reward for fighting the phoenix or killing the sea dragon and the spider."


    "That''s a bummer." Vincent mumbled. Joshua just sighed. Unlike them though, Alina just shrugged. "What do we do next?" She asked with excitement in her voice.


    "We should finish the quests." Samantha chimed in as we returned to the magical elevator. "I''m sure they''ll give us some clues."


    "Why do you think so?" Vincent asked with confusion. I also wanted to ask the same thing ¨C what she said made no sense at all.


    "Well, this is a game, right? Games naturally try to push yers to the next big goal. So, all we have to do is make sure we finish our quests and it''ll eventually lead us to whatever we need." She sounded awfully proud of herself as she spoke. Her eyes gleamed with happiness, almost as if she''d found the secret to our dilemma.


    I wanted to say she was wrong, but I decided to stay silent. I just didn''t want to erase that hope from her expression. Instead, I changed the subject a little. "I want to walk around in the city a bit. You guys can go ahead and finish the quests if you want to, it''ll help make you stronger too."


    Alina''s cheerful expression shattered as Erik nodded. "But wait," She said with a worried tone. "Kai''s the strongest of us. Is it really ok to leave the city without him?"


    Vincent chuckled. "We''ll be fine as long as we stay aware of our limits." He nced at me. "Am I right?"


    I nodded. "As long as you''re careful, you''ll be fine." I was pretty sure they could take on a few small-time monsters on their own and I needed them out of my hair so I could check the artefact store Asher had told me about. "Just make sure you always put some distance and preferably someone else between you and the enemy." I smiled in a reassuring way, or so I hoped.


    "I''ll try." Alina said with a hesitant voice. I reached out and lightly squeezed her shoulder. "You''ll be fine."


    The magical elevator finally reached the ground floor again and we got off. As other groups slowly approached, we quickly moved out of the way.


    "Alright, Kai will check the city while we take care of the quests. Any objections?" Everyone shook their heads and thus, we agreed on Erik''s half-baked n. We left the guild building and bid each other our farewells.


    I watched the group as they headed to the city gates and, once they were out of view, opened my map. The entireyout of the city was before me. It didn''t take me too long to spot the shop Asher told me about.


    "Well then," I mumbled as I started walking in that direction. Both Ereth and others shot me odd nces as I walked by them. With my dark green cloak and clothes, I lookedpletely out of ce. Despite feeling the anxiety of having so many eyes on me, I somehow made it to the artefact store.


    It was arge, three story building at the very edge of the city. It had arge gardenpletely closed off by a tall wall. The building itself, as well as the wall were white, with golden embellishments. I had gotten used to the colour scheme by now, though I still disliked it.


    What I found surprising was the lush green grass covering the garden. The only piece of nature I''d seen in the city was here. I took a deep breath before stepping through the golden gate, onto the golden brick road that led to the building. I couldn''t help but feel nervous ¨C the man or woman who owned this ce had spied on us.


    I considered contacting Asher but decided otherwise. I could feel the magical aura covering the entire estate. I knew the chance that they''d be able to detect telepathy was close to zero, but I didn''t want to take any unnecessary risks.


    I finally passed through the garden and arrived at the golden doors of the three-story building. I climbed the few steps that led to the door and raised my hand to knock.


    Right as my knuckles were about to touch the metal, the door creaked open.


    "Wee,"

 Chapter 76: A Hint of Colour

    <h4>Chapter 76: A Hint of Colour</h4>


    I flinched as a middle-aged man smiled and invited me in. He looked human, for the most part.


    He was tall, though not quite as tall as me. He looked quite dignified with his greying hair. His green eyes watched my every move as they twinkled with intelligence. He wore a white suit and tie. All in all, he was the most normal looking person I''d seen in this world.


    I hesitated, unsure of what to say. Was I here under disguise of a normal customer or was I here to outright challenge the person spying on us. I decided on thetter.


    "I''d like to talk with the owner of this ce." I said with an emotionless voice. A smile shed across his face as he nodded.


    "Of course. Please, follow me, sir." He said with a deep bow and led me inside. I followed the middle-aged man while staying wary of my surroundings. I couldn''t help but feel like he''d epted way too easily.


    The inside of this ce was also white and golden, just like the rest of the city. I was getting sick of this colourbination.


    "Oh, before we head up, sir." The man spoke. "Would you be interested in any of our wares?"


    I nced at the weapon racks and armour stands lining the walls. There were some really beautiful pieces there. A smile shed across my face as I shook my head. I would have loved to get my hands on some on those weapons, but I had no money at all.


    "That''s a shame, sir." The man said with a saddened tone, then gestured me to follow him. We walked up a set of light brown wooden stairs to the second and then the third floor.


    There was a door at the very top of the staircase. It was white, just like everything else in here. The middle-aged man opened the door and stepped onto the third floor. I followed him and entered the room before stopping in surprise.


    The floorboards were a dark brown colour. It wasn''t arge room, but I couldn''t see a single white or golden thing in here. The walls were a dark grey, the ceiling was wooden, and the furniture were either ck or wooden.


    "Did you miss seeing colours already?" A female voice sounded. I looked around to see a tall, slender woman. Her long, maroon hair flowed freely. She wore simple, back clothes that created a contrast with her pale skin. "I hope you find this room rxing then." She said as she turned to face me. I flinched as I looked into her bright green eyes.


    "What?" She said with a bewitching smile. "The Ereth don''t know about this ce, so you can rx. They won''t swoop down the sky if you say you miss colours." She chuckled, the nced at the middle-aged man. "Thomas, would you bring us some tea and snacks please?"


    "Of course, ma''am." He said with a bow before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.


    My eyes met hers as my whole body tensed up. "Who are you?" I asked, clenching my fists beneath my cloak.


    "Why don''t you have a seat first?" She said as she lowered herself onto the ck couch. I hesitated; I didn''t trust her one bit. Not with that face.


    "I''d rather hear your answer." I replied with a cold voice. It took quite a lot of effort to keep a steady voice. "Who are you?"


    A smile shed across her face as she crossed her legs. "Good question." She said softly. "You can call me Thera."


    "How about you give me your real name instead?" I said as I rolled my eyes.


    She chuckled and gestured towards the couch. "Have a seat." She said again. I hesitated, then finally lowered myself onto the ck velvet covered couch. "Now we can talk," She said with a bewitching smile. "Now, allow me to ask, why did youe here?"


    "You see," I said with a cold tone. "I met a woman named Astrid a few days ago." I said as I red at her. "She said she was sent by someone from the city."


    "Oh, really?" The maroon haired woman said as if it had nothing to do with her. "And that is significant because...?"


    "She was sent as a spy." I said coldly. "And I''m fairly sure it was you who sent her."


    She chuckled, but before she could speak, a knock on the door sounded. Then, Thomas opened the door and stepped inside, bncing a rather full silver tray with only his left hand. He quickly set the table, then bowed before leaving.


    A moment of awkward silence followed. Then, the woman before me showed me a smile before taking a sip of her tea. "Thomas'' tea is absolutely perfect." She said almost as if we were having apletely normal conversation. "And his cookies are just as delicious, if not more."


    I sighed. "Stop it." I had no patience to deal with this. "Just tell me, why are you spying on me?"


    She chuckled and ced her cup back on the table. "Oh, dear. It seems you''ve misunderstood something." She clicked her tongue. "I''m not spying on you. The person I''m keeping tabs on is Erik." A wicked smile shed across her face. "The son of the man who trapped us all in here."


    I flinched. How did she know who Erik was?


    "Tell me, young man." She said, leaning forward. Her dress stretched a bit, revealing some of her skin. I could swear I spotted a green spot near her chest, but she quickly tilted her head, allowing her long hair to cover it. "Do you not want to get out of here?"


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Of course I do." Then, I shook my head. "But I don''t see how that has anything to do with Erik."


    "You''ll know when the timees." She said, leaning back again. I shook my head. "I don''t think I want to wait that long." Our gazes met. My purple eyes were locked into her blue eyes. We remained like that until she averted her gaze.


    "Maybe you were the one I should have been keeping an eye on." She said with a sigh, then she looked back at me. "You have the gaze of a demon."


    Iughed out loud. "And you''reparable to a subus yourself."


    A few seconds passed in silence before she chuckled. "Well, I''ll take that as apliment." She paused for a moment before taking a bite of a cookie. "Let''s exchange our names then." She said with a bewitching smile.


    I nodded. That was a good enough trade.


    "Kai." I said carefully as I opened my status panel, making sure only my name was visible. She did the same and stared right into my eyes.


    "Victoria Kestler."

 Chapter 77: A Cold Gaze

    <h4>Chapter 77: A Cold Gaze</h4>


    I flinched. I knew it the moment I saw her face ¨C she looked like Vincent. She had the same features, though I wasn''t sure how they had gotten tranted into the game so well.


    "From your reaction, I see that you figured it out already." She said with a faint smile.


    "What are you to Vincent and Joshua?" I asked. Was she their sister? She looked too old for that.


    "I''m their cousin." She said as she took a sip from her tea. "They don''t know I''m in the game, so don''t hold this against them."


    I shook my head. "Wait," I mumbled. "Then why are you spying on them? You know they''re good friends with Erik."


    She chuckled. "I''m making sure they survive this game." She raised her hand and a tiny me appeared at the tip of her fingers. "I''d be useless on the battlefield." The me flickered before disappearing.


    Somewhat annoyed, I directed my gaze at her. Was I the only one who still couldn''t use magic without the interface? "So, you decided to open a shop and... what?" I asked.


    She chuckled. "I don''t trust this game, Kai Friseal." She said as she once again leaned forward. I spotted that green spot again. What was that? "And I don''t like seeing my dear little cousins trusting Erik with their lives."


    I flinched. "They''ve known each other for a long time."


    She nodded. "But they''d never been in this situation before. No one has." She sighed. "I don''t want them to worry about me on top of everything else they''re worried about." Her voice suddenly turned cold. "So, I''m sure you''ll understand when I ask you to keep this secret."


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Are you insane?" I asked. "Their cousin is here, and you want me to keep that a secret? Go greet them when they return, or I''ll bring them here myself."


    Taken aback, she red at me. "You-" She started to speak with a furious expression, but I cut her off. "You''re their family. They don''t need your spies watching their every move. They need your support; they need to know they can count on you."


    "You''re looking through rose-tinted sses Kai." She hissed.


    Iughed. "Maybe. But I''m alive, aren''t I?" I rose to my feet. "You''re taking this too seriously," I said as I shrugged. "This is a game, remember? We''re in a game. You don''t need to scheme against everyone to get what you want." I stepped towards the door.


    "Do you think your words will be enough to stop me?" She asked, also standing up. My lips formed a wicked smile as I turned to face her. The room grew colder as I used my aura for the first time since I left the torchlight woods.


    "You will talk to them today, or I will bring them here." I said, locking my gaze on her. "You said I''m like a demon. Don''t make me be one."


    Her face went pale as she shivered. I didn''t wait for a response, I reached for the door, opened it, and left. Thomas was waiting at the foot of the stairs. He bowed and bid me a good day as I walked past him.


    Only when I left the premises and stepped onto the gold brick streets of Baile Chailce did I breathe out a sigh of relief. Had I gone too far? Had I gotten too angry?


    No, I didn''t think so. She''d been hiding herself from Vincent and Joshua, instead using her resources to spy on them and Eric. She didn''t need to be useful in a fight to spend time with them.


    I clenched my fists. I didn''t want to be the one who broke the news to the Kestler brothers, so I really hoped Victoria woulde to meet them. With a deep sigh, I shook my head and started wandering the streets.


    "Asher?" I reached out to the smug sorcerer after a short while. It took him a few second to respond. "Did you find the man?" He asked. His voice was groggy.


    "She''s a woman, but yes." I replied. I quickly exined what went down and what she asked of me. "Anyways, did you learn anything more about this world''s history?"


    "Nothing worth telling yet." He replied, then I felt the connection sever. It was a weird feeling that I still hadn''t gotten used to. A thought nagged at the back of my mind. Why was he in such a hurry?


    I wondered the city aimlessly for a while. Eventually, my wandering brought me to the centre of the massive city. There was more than just the divine pir here. I stood at the top of a long, wide set of stairs. They led to an enormous open za. The white, probably marble tiles shone brightly under the sun.


    At the centre of the massive za stood the Divine Pir. It resembled an obelisk, made purely out of gold. I couldn''t help but stare at it with my mouth agape. It was massive, I could barely see the tip of it as the sun''s reflection blinded me.


    There were groups of people gathering in the za, though the non-Ereth poption seemed to take care to stay as far away from the Divine Pir as possible. I watched the za for a while before finally descending the stairs and stepping onto the white marble tiles. I couldn''t even take one step before a pair of halberds blocked my way. I flinched as two Ereth guards entered my vision. I hadn''t noticed them standing guard anywhere, where had theye from?


    "Your identification, please." The one on the left said. I summoned my interface and showed them my status panel as my heart beat incredibly fast. Why were they stopping me?


    A few momentster, the one on the right nodded. "You may pass, Keeper of Souls. Do take care not to approach the Pir." He said as they lowered their halberds.


    "Thank you." I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady and passed by them, finally entering za. Feeling their gazes on my back, I started walking towards the other edge of therge area. I didn''t dare take a single step closer to the pir.


    As I walked near the low wall surrounding the za, a woman ran up to me. She was not an Ereth, though I didn''t think she was a yer either. She handed me a piece of parchment. "You''re here to help us, right?" She asked with shining eyes. "Will you join the tournament?"

 Chapter 78: Quick Decisions

    <h4>Chapter 78: Quick Decisions</h4>


    It took Erik and the others quite a long time to finish the two quests they were given. By the time they returned to the inn, I was about to fall asleep of boredom. My only pastime as I sat in themon room was watching the customerse and leave.


    "We finally made it!" Shouted Erik, startling me and basically every other customer in themon room as the group finally arrived. "Kai!" He called my name with a huge grin on his face. They approached me and ced arge pouch on the table. I heard the muffled sound of metal coins hitting the table.


    "Keep your voice low!" I hissed, ncing around. All eyes were on us and I was sick of that feeling. Erik just shrugged and pulled himself a chair to sit on. "Don''t worry about it." He said with a grin. "I''ve got some news for you!"


    I raised my eyebrows as the others also took their ces around the table. "So," Joshua chimed in before Erik could exin. "Just as we came back to the city, this young woman approached us and gave us a flyer." He put a familiar parchment on the table.


    "Hell no." I said as soon as I saw the tournament flyer. "Are you insane?"


    The group stared at me for a second before Erikughed. "Why are you so worried, Kai? It''s just a friendly tournament. Besides," He added with a grin. "We''ll meet other yers this way."


    "And what makes you think that''s a good thing?" I hissed through my clenched teeth. Victoria''s words about Erik were still very much in my mind. While it would bepletely unreasonable, I wouldn''t be surprised at all if other yers med him for being trapped in this world ¨C this game.


    "If we want to kill the demon lord and get out of here, we will need more people." Erik said without even a moment of hesitation. "I told you, that''s not a feat we can aplish by ourselves."


    I clenched my firsts. I hated to admit it, but he had a point. I still clearly remembered Vixia and Delthur''s power. Even as I am now, I wasn''t a match for them. Not really. I still had a ways to go for that. And I couldn''t even imagine just how powerful the demon lord was.


    With a sigh I shook my head. "Erik, I don''t think a tournament is the right way to go about this."


    "I think it''s perfect." He said. Samantha hesitated a moment before chiming in. "Kai, a girl just ran up to us and gave us the flyer. Remember what I said about the game guiding us?" I flinched. Was she still going on about that?


    "I think this is it." She continued, her eyes gleaming with hope. "I think we need to join the tournament and win."


    I hesitated. That... made little to no sense. I mean, she had a point ¨C the game did kind of made sure we were aware of the tournament and even encouraged us to partake in it. But I didn''t really see that as the game guiding us to some greater goal or something. But looking at the expressions of others, I could tell they believed in that too. Only Vincent seemed somewhat unsure, but I knew he''d go along with them to avoid conflict.


    "We can still get wounded and potentially die." I warned them, hoping that would discourage them, but they didn''t seem to be phased by my words. "I can''t talk you out of it, can I?" I asked in despair. They smiled and shook their heads.


    "Though, Alina won''t be taking part." Said Erik suddenly. I raised my eyebrows. I was d that they were looking out for her, but I couldn''t help but find it a bit odd.


    "Apparently, magic is forbidden." Vincent exined, seeing my confused expression. "It''s almost impossible to stop a magical attack ¨C like a wizard''s fireball ¨C once it''s used, so there would be too many deaths, ording to the girl who gave us the flyer."


    I nodded, that made sense. In that case, Alina would have no role to y during the tournament either. "I won''t be joining either." Samantha said. "Only teams of four are allowed and you''re a much better choice than me."


    I chuckled. "Well, no-" I hesitated. "Uh, yeah." I said suddenly. Most people didn''t have any proper technique when it came to wielding their weapons. Despite my low rank in our family''s training hall, I still had an incredible advantage over most people.


    "That''s the spirit!" Erik said with a grin and patted my back. I couldn''t help but smile.


    Our evening passed, filled withughter and nning. Though as the hours passed and time to head to sleep approached, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat disappointed ¨C mainly because Victoria hadn''t shown up. With a deep breath, I decided to tackle this issue tomorrow, after the first rounds of the tournament.


    My mind was filled with disjointed thoughts when we bid each other good night and went to bed. Exhausted from all the events of today, I weed the sweet, dark embrace of sleep.


    I woke up at dawn as my body had gotten used to it by now. Once again deciding that I hated the colour scheme of this city, I went downstairs for some breakfast. The others soon joined me, though our mood was not as high as it was yesterday.


    The pressure of partaking in a tournament was slowly affecting Erik, Vincent, and Joshua. I was also slightly on edge, though my nervousness had a different source than theirs. Soon, we left the inn and headed to the central za, where the Divine Pir reached for the sky.


    "The tournament will take ce in that huge building over there." Vincent told me as we descended the stairs. He pointed towards a tall, circr building. It was massive and the design reminded me of coliseums.


    We passed through the za silently ¨C it was almost creepy with only us and the guards here. Most residents were probably already in the coliseum. It took us a while to reach the massive building.


    "Wee." An Ereth greeted us. He wore white te armour that created a weird contrast with his green-ck skin. "Please show your identification."


    We did as he said and after a short while, he led us to a simple room. Of course, Alina and Samantha weren''t allowed toe with us, as they weren''t participating. Another Ereth led them to the stands so they could watch our battles.


    "Erik," I said as the door closed behind them. "This all happened too fast. I still don''t think this is a good idea." The young pdin grinned.


    "Stop worrying so much and try to enjoy yourself a bit. This will be fun!" He said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.


    "But-"


    "Kai,e on. Just y along for now." He said, cutting me off.


    I gave up on trying to convince him.


    Half an hour or soter ¨C though it felt like several hours ¨C the Ereth came back and led us through a narrow hall to arge, metal door. "You''re the first match of the day. Good luck!" He said as we heard a muffled announcement.


    "Please wee, Team Reapers!" The sound of a roaring crowd and pping followed the announcement. Then, therge metal door before us creaked open as we once again heard the announcer''s voice. "Please wee, Team Torchlight!"

 Chapter 79: The First Match

    <h4>Chapter 79: The First Match</h4>


    The crowd roared as the doors opened to reveal the sand-covered floor or the coliseum. The stands were filled to the brim. I could see both Ereth and others as they pped and shouted.


    "Team Torchlight?" Joshua asked with a sour expression. "Erik, couldn''t youe up with a better name?"


    Vincent chuckled as Erik smirked. "Nope, not good with names. Deal with it."


    "Alright, focus." I interrupted them as I looked at our opponents. There were four of them ¨C two men and two women.


    The women both carried long spears while the men had longswords. Their sturdy te armour reflected the bright sunlight. With a deep breath, I took point and stepped forward, onto the warm sands. Erik, Vincent, and Joshua followed me.


    We stopped about five meters away from Team Reapers. As I thought of their name, I couldn''t help but smile. They didn''t look like ''reapers'' at all. Not with their bad posture and shaky hands.


    "Erik," I said quietly. "You and Joshua take on the spear wielders. Vincent, you should work with Joshua."


    "What about you?" Vincent asked in surprise. "Are you nning on taking on two of them at once?"


    A wicked smile shed across my face as I nodded. "I''ll be done before you guys." I said as I summoned the sword Luhen had given me. I didn''t need the heavy, clunky scythe right now.


    "Begin!" The announcer''s voice echoed across the sand covered coliseum floor.


    I dashed forward as soon as the announcer''s voice faded. I spotted Joshua as he circled towards the spear wielding woman on the left.


    My two opponents seemed to be taken by surprise as I reached them. They tried to raise their guards, but they knew nothing of real martial arts. Without their magic, they were no threat to me. As one of them attempted a thrust, I easily sidestepped it and blocked the other one''s wild, unsteady swing with my own sword.


    To my left, I heard Vincent''s shout. He was probably trying to distract the spear wielding woman so Joshua could find an opening. To my right, I caught a glimpse of Erik and the other woman, carefully circling each other.


    The guy on my right tried to stab me again, which I once again easily evaded. I focused my attention to the man on my left ¨C he seemed to have a little more knowledge about sword fighting. Namely, he knew that the type of swords they were using weren''t made for stabbing, they were made for shing. So, he tried to do just that ¨C he tried to cut my head off.


    I responded with ducking under his swing, kicking his friend aside and elbowing the man in the gut. I knew that I was fighting dirty, but it was two against one and I just wanted to get done with this. I immediately changed my form as the guy moaned in pain and hit him in the head with the hilt of my sword.


    He copsed on the ground while his friend regained his bnce. With a deep breath, I decided to give the poor man my full and undivided attention. Of course, that meant a proper assault to break his defences. My body moved on its own as soon as our eyes met. I swung my sword towards his legs, then feinted it to a simple swing to his neck.


    Hepletely fumbled his defence and I hit the neck guard of his helmet with a loud ng. He screamed in shock rather than pain and fell on his back. "Stop! Don''t kill me!" He yelped, throwing his sword away and raising his hands. I could see his pale face through the slits of his helmet.


    It took the crowd a moment to understand what happened. After a moment of silence, they started cheering. The battles to my sides paused for a second as the members of both teams checked themotion.


    Vincent whistled. "Damn, Kai. You weren''t exaggerating, were you?"


    "Pay attention." I replied, ncing at the two women still standing. They both stepped back, wary of me. Vincent flinched, nced at me, at Joshua and then at the women.


    "I guess we should continue." He mumbled, I shrugged and nced at the man I''d just beaten. He flinched as our eyes met.


    The battles on both sides resumed. Erik soon managed to defeat his opponent by bashing her in the face with his shield. She screamed and fell down. She touched her broken, bloody nose with shivering hands.


    "Oh my god!" She shrieked. I averted my gaze; Erik didn''t have to end that fight in such a crude way.


    Vincent and Joshua were still locked inbat. Their opponent was much more careful than the others, she made sure to keep them as far away from her as she could. The long reach of her spear made it incredibly difficult for Joshua to approach her, though if he and Vincent cooperated a little, they''d easily defeat her in seconds.


    It took nearly a minute for her to finally lose sight of Vincent as he circled around her. Busy with deflecting and blocking Vincent''s attempted strikes, she seeminglypletely forgot about Joshua, who approached from her back and put his knife to her throat.


    "I guess this is where you give up." He said. The woman red at the knife for a moment, then dropped her spear and raised her hands.


    "Team Torchlight takes the match!" The announcer''s voice sounded over the sound of apuse.


    "We did it!" Erik shouted with a massive grin. Joshua and Vincent high fived each other.


    I heard the metal doors creak open behind us. "Let''s go," I said, turning my back to the arena and heading back inside. Only when the door closed behind us, hiding us from the onlooker''s eyes, did I breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Good job." I said after a short moment. To be perfectly honest, they alsocked proper technique. It pained me to see them fumbling about like that. I considered trying to teach them some basic forms, but immediately changed my mind. It takes months to learn even the simplest of forms. We didn''t have such time.


    "That''s a lot,ing form you." Vincent said. I shrugged. "No, not really." I cleared my throat. "Let''s rest until our next match begins."


    "Good call." Erik said as we headed back to the room given to us. "Let''s prepare for the next battle."

 Chapter 80: The Second Match

    <h4>Chapter 80: The Second Match</h4>


    We once again stepped onto the sand covered floor of the coliseum. The crowd cheered as the announcer started the match.


    This time, we were up against a different group. Three men and one woman stood before us. One of the men wielded a massive warhammer ¨C much like the ones seen in movies. It wasicallyrge though he seemed to lift it with ease. One hit of that monstrous weapon would be enough to kill me.


    Another man wielded a scimitar. Its slightly curved de reflected the sunlight, momentarily blinding me. The man grinned; he was doing it on purpose.


    I diverted my gaze to the other two. The woman wielded a dagger and stayed a little to the back, much like Joshua usually did. The man had arge tower shield and a mace. I guessed he was also a pdin, though his ss didn''t matter much as he couldn''t use any magic here.


    "Joshua, take the woman. Erik, the shield guy. Vincent, survive against the hammer for ten seconds." I quietly said.


    "I can do that." Vincent mumbled, tightly grasping the hilt of his sword and assuming his usualbat stance. The others also nodded.


    With a deep breath, I lightly held onto my sword and dashed forward. Erik and the others followed my lead.


    And thus, our battle began.


    I was the first to reach my opponent. Our swords shed and the sound of metal, hitting metal echoed in the battlefield. My opponent grinned as our swords shed again and again. So far, he was the first human I''d fought who moved like he knew what he was doing, even if only a little.


    I clenched my teeth and focused. I had asked Vincent to stay alive for ten seconds. I needed to beat this guy ¨C fast!


    To my left, I heard the sound of a mace hitting Erik''s shield. Erik grunted, but didn''t step back. To my right, I could see Vincent dodging the massive, slow swings of thaticallyrge warhammer.


    I didn''t have the time to look for Joshua, as my opponent reengaged almost immediately after I stepped back. With a grin on his face, he swung his scimitar to my neck. With narrowed eyes, I raised my sword to block his strike.


    "Ha!" He shouted as he feinted his strike, redirecting it towards my sword arm. I flinched and threw myself to the side at thest second. I felt a sharp pain on my right shoulder as my blood wet the sand.


    I got up on one knee after rolling away from his next attack. I''d underestimated him and now, I was paying the price. How long had passed? Seven seconds? Eight? All I could hope was that I''d be the only one paying a price.


    I got up and lunged at my opponent. I couldn''t let him stall me any longer. I had to go help Vincent. My opponent blocked my next strike easily and tried to trip me. I stepped back, then once again lunged forward, extending my right arm as far as I could.


    With a huge grin, he stepped aside. With my momentum, I''d never be able to stop in time ¨C or that was what I wanted him to think. I let go of my sword, spun around, and caught it with my left hand. My opponent''s eyes widened as he noticed he couldn''t block my strike in time.


    My sword pierced his left shoulder. I quickly pulled it back and with three swift strikes, wounded his right arm, hand and shoulder as well.


    "What the hell?" He asked, dropping his sword. I kicked it away and without a moment of hesitation, lunged towards Vincent and his opponent.


    The crowd didn''t even get to cheer for my victory before I engaged with the warhammer wielding man. If his defeated friend hadn''t shouted a warning to him, he probably wouldn''t have even noticed me.


    He stopped his relentless assault on Vincent as soon as he saw me approach. "Vincent, go help Erik!" I shouted as my sword met the shaft of his warhammer.


    "Got it." The young fighter replied with some worry in his voice.


    I once again lunged forward. I couldn''t afford to take this slowly. Our weapons shed a few times before I disengaged and stepped back a little. He didn''t really know what he was doing, but his wild swings were incredibly dangerous simply because of the immense strength behind them.


    I let myself take a few calming breaths as I nced at the others.


    Vincent had reached Erik and they were pressuring their opponent. I didn''t think he had a chance of winning against both of them as all he could do was try to block everything with his shield.


    Joshua was locked in a very fierce and painful to watch battle with the dagger wielding woman. They were both covered in tiny, insignificant cuts. None of them had the upper hand right now.


    I once again directed my attention to my opponent. He was approaching, ready to start his relentless assault again. A smile appeared on my face as an idea urred to me. I dashed towards him again, but not engaging. Instead, I let my sword touch the sand behind me. As soon as I was in range and he started swinging, I lifted my sword and attacked his right shoulder with a single swift motion, throwing some sand in the air in the process.


    He closed his eyes and stepped back with a surprised shout. At the same time, I dashed forward and circled around him. Only a momentter when he regained his bnce and opened his eyes, I was already behind him. I put the tip of my sword against his back.


    "Drop the hammer." I said with a cold voice.


    He hesitated a moment, then dropped it with a loud sigh. "You''re a monster." He grumbled.


    "Sure," I said as I nced at everyone else. Vincent and Erik had just beaten the pdin ¨C he was unconscious. They nced at me, then rushed towards Joshua. Once his opponent realised it was a three to one battle, she gave up with a sigh.


    "And Team Torchlight wins again!" The announcer''s voice echoed. "Now, for the next match..." He continued to speak as we walked back inside, through therge metal door.


    "That was a good one, Kai." Vincent said as the door closed to hide us from the onlooker''s view. "I thought he was going to crush me there."


    "I barely made it. I''ll be faster next time," I replied as I finally allowed myself to rx a little. Before I could continue, an unfamiliar voice sounded.


    "How intriguing."

 Chapter 81: A Familiar Name

    <h4>Chapter 81: A Familiar Name</h4>


    I flinched; I hadn''t noticed anyone else here with us. It took me a moment to find the owner of the unfamiliar voice.


    He was standing not too far away from us, with his back leaning on the wall. He had dark blue skin that reminded me of the night sky. His yellow eyes shone in the darkness of the hall. His pupils were thin slits that reminded me of snakes. A pair of thin, elegant horns were visible on his head. His red hair covered the left side of his face a little.


    "I didn''t expect you to win that match." He continued. "But that was before I knew of your skills with a sword."


    "I''m ttered." I replied. "And who might you be?" I didn''t really expect an answer, but I figured, asking wouldn''t hurt, right?


    "My name is Luca Morren." He said as a smile shed across his face. I raised my eyebrows, why was that name so familiar?


    "I''m K-"


    "Kai Friseal, if I''m not mistaken." Luca interrupted me. "Anyways, it was a good fight to watch, that''s all I wanted to say. Take care to keep winning. I would love to get a chance to fight you soon." He turned around and left before I could even say anything. As he disappeared in the dark corridor, Erik asked hesitantly. "Do you... know him?"


    I shook my head. "No, I''ve never met him here before." I hesitated. Did I know him from... back home? But how would anyone even recognise me? I didn''t look remotely like my real self. A thought urred to me as I nced at my left hand. Was it because of that?


    I shook my head again. That was impossible. "Let''s prepare for the next fight."


    Erik nodded. "We should get you and Joshua healed up." He said, ncing at our young rogue. He had tiny cuts all over him.


    "How did you get so many cuts?" I asked with genuine confusion. "And how are all of them so tiny and unimportant?"


    "Don''t even ask." He grumbled. "It feels like I''ve got a million papercuts."


    We chuckled and went back to the room given to us. Soon after, an Ereth healer came and fixed us up. I did consider using Soul''s Respite but didn''t out of fear of being disqualified.


    "Thatst fight was tougher than I expected." Vincent said after the healer left. "But Kai, I didn''t know you were ambidextrous."


    I flinched. "Oh. Well, I''m not. Not entirely. My right hand is my dominant hand when ites to most daily tasks, but I taught myself to fight left-handed as well." While Mother had disapproved it at the time, my efforts had proven somewhat worth the time I had invested in it.


    "You''re crazy." Joshua said, shaking his head in disbelief. "First you take on two guys at once and beat them in a matter of seconds, then you take on two guys back to back and use your left hand to fight. What''s next? Are you going to solo the entire tournament?"


    I couldn''t help butugh. "No, I''m not that good." I said with a chuckle.


    Silence followed my words. Somewhat confused, I nced at the other two. "Guys?"


    "Well," Vincent mumbled. Erik tilted his head to the side. "I''m not so sure I believe you."


    "Oh,e on!" I cried out. "Stop overestimating me!"


    "I don''t think we are." Erik said as a grin appeared on his face.


    "No, you definitely are." I said with a more serious tone. Erik''s grin shattered as I continued with my words. "Don''t go into the next fight thinking that I can take care of everything alone. I need each and every one of you to be able to hold your own, at least for a while."


    Joshua drew a sharp breath. I continued. "With each match, our opponents will be getting stronger. Take that guy ¨C Luca, for example. I don''t know if we can beat a team with each member as powerful as I believe him to be." I hesitated. "No, I know we can''t beat them. So, try to learn with each victory."


    Silence followed my words. I did feel somewhat bad for shattering their fun, but I felt that I had to say it if we aimed to win.


    A knock on the door broke the awkward silence. The door creaked open and the Ereth who first brought us here spoke. "Your next match is about to begin. Please follow me to the gate."


    With a sigh, I got up on my feet. "Let''s go," I said to the others and followed the Ereth to the massive metal gate.


    "Oh, one thing." The Ereth said stopping me as the others passed by us. "This is today''sst match, so I''d suggest making yourself..." He hesitated. "How should I put it? Make sure you stand out. Please the crowd."


    I flinched. Was he supposed to be telling me this?


    "Why?" I asked after a moment of silence. A smile ¨C I think ¨C shed across the Ereth''s face. "Because the happier the crowd is, the bigger your pay-out." He gestured towards the gate. "You should hurry."


    "Right." I said after a moment''s hesitation and joined the others.


    "What was that about?" Joshua asked, ncing at the Ereth calmly waiting a little behind us.


    "Let''s make sure we win this." I replied. "Quickly." As these words let my mouth, the massive metal gate creaked open. The bright sunlight burned my eyes as the announcer''s voice echoed. "Once again, we see Team Torchlight take the stage!" He continued to speak as we stepped onto the sand covered arena. "Will the twice victorious team win again, or will they be snuffed out by Team Darkswords?"


    I flinched. That name was just as cheesy as ''Team Reapers''. Though, seeing our four opponents, all d in dark coloured armour, all wielding dark metal shortswords, I couldn''t help but think the name was fitting. Somewhat. Maybe.


    I stepped forward. I couldn''t even guess which one of them was stronger.


    "Begin!" The announcer shouted.

 Chapter 82: The Darkswords

    <h4>Chapter 82: The Darkswords</h4>


    As soon as the announcer''s voice sounded, the warriors d in dark metal armour lunged towards us. They had moved before I had the chance to.


    With identical movements, they raised their swords and leapt into the air.


    "Stay on the defensive!" I shouted as I rolled out of the way of my opponent. Hended on the ground, lifting some of the sand to the air and turned to face me. Without a second of hesitation, he swung his sword, aiming for my neck.


    I rolled my eyes as I avoided his attack with a backstep. His assault didn''t stop with that, however. His next strike aimed for my legs. I blocked it trying to figure out his goal. His movements were fluid ¨C he had at least some training, that much was clear.


    A muffled groan caught my attention and I nced to the side. It was Erik, he was just barely holding back the assault of his opponent. Covering behind his shield, he groaned with each hit he blocked.


    A sword, almost touching my cheek reminded me of my own battle. I quickly turned my attention to my opponent. I blocked his next strike, and the one after that. As the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air, I prepared myself with a deep breath.


    I waited for an opening ¨C something that''d let me break through my opponent''s defences. I waited and endured his flurry of attacks. Only when he stepped back and leapt into the air did I notice ¨C something wasn''t right. I sidestepped his overhead strike, then lifted my sword to the level of my neck. As his de hit mine, a grin appeared on my lips.


    Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped over his next attack and rammed him with my shoulder. I heard a muffled scream as he fell onto the sand. I kicked his sword away and ced my sword against his neck. "Give up." I said, looking down on him.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s scream alerted me. I didn''t turn around to look at him. Instead, I threw myself to the side and thus narrowly avoided getting my neck sliced.


    "The hell?" I shouted, ncing behind me to see another ck d warrior leaping towards me. I rolled to the side as the de thrust into the ground inches away from me. I quickly leapt back up on my feet and blocked another strike.


    "So, it''s a two on one?" I asked, ring at my first opponent. He''d taken his sword back and was ready to fight. He shrugged. "If we want to win, yeah." As soon as those words left his mouth, the other guy lunged towards me.


    I had no time to check on the others ¨C I could only hope they were fine.


    My two opponents confused me ¨C their movements were almost identical. They were by no means untrained, but I couldn''t help but feel like this set of moves were the only one they knew. To test them, I kicked some sand in their faces.


    "You-" One of them shouted as they blocked their eyes. Taking advantage of their momentary blindness, I stepped up and struck one of them in the shoulder. As my sword bounced off the dark te armour, I kicked the other one''s knee. He shouted in pain and tried to regain his bnce, but I didn''t give him any time. Instead, I used the force of the rebound from my other opponent''s armour to hit this guy''s helmet with the hilt of my sword.


    Unconscious, he copsed on the ground.


    "What the hell did you do?" My remaining opponent shouted, stepping back a little. I didn''t intent to give him any time to rpose himself. Instead, I once again dashed forward and swung my sword, aiming for the slit between his helmet and the neck guard of his armour.


    He stumbled back, letting out a fearful scream. I barely missed the slit and struck his neck guard instead. Without giving him any time to regain hisposure, I struck his chest. While my de couldn''t cut through the te armour, it still caused him some pain.


    He stumbled back and finally regained his bnce. As soon as he did, I once again leapt towards him.


    "No!" Someone shouted as I kicked him in the head. He fell to the ground, motionless. I turned around to see another one of his allies running towards me. He leapt towards me, or attempted to, but Joshua was much faster than him. He didn''t hesitate to fight dirty as he first tackled the guy, then once he was on the ground, sat on his back.


    "You look like a turtle in all that armour." He said with a grin.


    I chuckled ¨C I could see the resemnce as the guy tried to get up and failed hriously. Only when I heard an unusually loud ng did I turn to look at Erik and his opponent.


    "Oh,e on." Vincent shouted. "Again?"


    Erik nced at his opponent ¨C who was holding his nose as hey on the ground. "Stop bashing people with your shield!" Vincent shouted. "Seriously, you''ve got a sword for a reason!"


    The young pdin hesitated, then shrugged. "It works, doesn''t it?"


    "And Team Torchlight wins again." The announcer''s hesitant voice echoed in the silent coliseum.


    I shook my head. "Let''s just go." I turned my back to the silent crowd and passed through the metal gates. The others rushed after me, though they didn''t seem as happy as they didst time.


    "Kai?" Vincent called my name, ruching after me. "Hey, why aren''t you happy?"


    I sighed and slowed my steps. "This is supposed to be a tournament." I said. "You don''t bash people in the face with shields and you don''t sit on their backs and you don''t mock them in tournaments!" I tried to keep my voice calm, though I think I failed.


    "But-"


    "Don''t tell me it''s fine." I said harshly. "Did you hear any cheering just now?"


    "Well," He mumbled, but his voice faded. "What were we supposed to do, though?" He asked after a short moment of hesitation. "We can barely keep ourselves alive without our spells, we''re not like you."


    I shook my head. "I know that. Believe me I know but..." I sighed and gave up. "It''s fine, never mind me. It''s just old memories speaking."


    Despite my words, I couldn''t help but feel like we hadn''t won that match. Mother would have ¨C no. I wasn''t back home. I had to stop thinking of things like that.


    "Let''s just go back to the inn. We''ve got another match tomorrow."

 Chapter 83: Help Me With This, Please

    <h4>Chapter 83: Help Me With This, Please</h4>


    We arrived at the inn not too long after. It was still light out, so when we went inside and sat around one of the tables at the back of the room, the numbered customers stared at us for a short time.


    "So," Erik finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Good job today. Especially you, Kai. You made those battles seem easy."


    I didn''t say anything. I was still angry, despite knowing that I was being unreasonable. I pushed my chair back and stood up. "I''ll head out for a bit. Make sure you get plenty of rest for tomorrow." I said before leaving the confused group behind.


    I stepped onto the golden streets and headed to the city gates. I passed through the gates and as soon as I was out of view of the Ereth military, leapt into the air and flew towards the highest concentration of magic I could sense.


    It was time to level up some more. I needed more strength, more power if I were to protect Erik and the others. With clenched fists and an almost hateful expression, Inded in the middle of a monster''s nest. As tens of hungry eyes turned on me, a wicked mile formed on my lips.


    It was time to fight.


    A whileter, Asher''s voice echoed in my mind as I watched the setting sun. "So, you wreaked havoc right outside Baile Chailce and no one noticed?"


    I chuckled. "Well, I wasn''t close enough to the city to get noticed. Anyways, what did you want from me?" I asked. He had contacted me in the middle ofbat. Since I was trying to focus at the time, I had asked him to wait a little.


    "I heard about a pale man with white hair and purple eyes, utterly destroying his opponents in a particr tournament." I could almost hear his disapproval. "What the hell were you thinking, Kai?"


    I shrugged. "I was thinking that partaking in this tournament is a horrible idea. Erik and the others didn''t share my opinion."


    Silence followed my response. He only spoke after a few minutes had passed. "This is dangerous," He said as the setting sun dyed the sky crimson and purple. "It''s a risk, but we might be able to use this to our advantage." He continued. "The reward for the victors of this tournament is the support of the Ereth leaders. Do you know what that means?"


    I hesitated. I could hazard a guess. "Help, probably material and financial." I said after a moment.


    "Exactly. This is to show each party''s potential." He said with a grim tone. "They are deciding on who to support for their goal of killing the Demon Lord."


    I looked down from the branch I was sitting on. "You want me to win this."


    "Yes." Asher said. "I said I''d get out of here. Even if that means using you, and anyone else I meet. This is the best chance we''ll get ¨C the Ereth''s support will be game changing."


    He wasn''t wrong. While I didn''t approve of his methods ¨C such as kidnapping me ¨C we did share the same goal. And I''d have to be an idiot to think the Ereth''s support would be worthless.


    "I can''t." I said after a sigh. "Not as I am now."


    I could almost feel Asher''s confusion and surprise. "What do you mean?" He asked with some anger in his mental voice.


    "I need your help." I said as I opened my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 82 Soul Keeper | Exp: 5600/72000- - Souls 100/100 + 981- - Mana: 900


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 15 ¨C INT: 18 ¨C WIS: 17''


    As the pale blue text hovered in front of my eyes, I nced down. In fine text, it read ''Stat points avable: 241''


    "Tell me about stats." I said after taking a deep breath.


    Asher hesitated. "What do you want to know?" He asked.


    I drew a sharp breath. "If you were me, how would you allocate 241 stat points?"


    "What?" I could hear the confusion in his voice. "Well," He mumbled after a short while. "Let''s see..."


    His voice faded. I slowly breathed out. I hated the idea of artificially enhancing my body ¨C no, my avatar''s body. I shook my head. It was getting harder and harder to think of this body as an artificially created avatar. I knew, in my mind, that it was nothing more than a whole lot of code, but subconsciously, I had already gotten used to it.


    "I''d suggest Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom." Asher''s voice echoed in my mind. "Tell me your stats."


    "15 Dexterity, 18 Intelligence, and 17 Wisdom." I replied as I nced at the pale blue text.


    "You don''t need strength." He said after a short while. "You''re too used to your avatar. Increasing your strength will only mess up your ability to fight. Same goes for constitution ¨C there''s no point in increasing it since you''ve got a healing skill already."


    I pondered for a moment before nodding. "Why dexterity?" I asked after a short moment had passed. "Will that not mess up my ability to fight as well?"


    "I doubt it." Asher replied. "Sure, you''ll be a bit faster, but nothing you''re not used to, thanks to that skill of yours. What was it... Fallen Grace?" he asked. I nodded, forgetting that he couldn''t see me.


    "So, what do I do?" I asked after a short while.


    "Before you decide on anything." Asher said with a more serious tone. "What made you decide to allocate your stat points? You were adamant about not using them."


    I flinched. He was right, I didn''t want to allocate them. It just felt... wrong. "Because if this tournament is the best chance we''ll get, then I can''t leave things to chance. So, can you help me with this?"


    I could almost imagine the smug grin on his face as he spoke. "Of course."

 Chapter 84: The Pale Demon

    <h4>Chapter 84: The Pale Demon</h4>


    "And now, time for the three-time victors, Team Torchlight, to take the stage again." The announcer''s voice echoed as the cheering of the crowd died down.


    With a deep breath, I stepped through the metal gates with Joshua, Vincent, and Erik in tow. As we walked on the hot sands under the midday sun, my eyes met with my opponent''s.


    We only had two opponents this time. One of them was a knight, wearing te armour, wielding a bastard sword. A red feather plume on his helmet fluttered in the wind.


    "You guys will take him on." I said as I directed my gaze on our other opponent. She was about as tall as me. Her pitch-ck eyes and dark purple skin weren''t even the most unusual things about her. A pair of elegant, ck horns were visible on her head. A thin, dark purple tail slithered in the sand behind her. She carried a sword in her right hand a dagger in her left.


    "Will it be Team Torchlight who win this match, or will the elegant and powerful Twilight Duo defeat this group of contestants?" The announcer''s voice echoed amongst the cheering. "Let the match begin!"


    As soon as his voice faded, both I and my dual wielding opponent dashed forward.


    Our swords shed mid air with a loud, clear ng. As soon as our des touched, I stepped back, narrowly avoiding a sneaky dagger strike she attempted.


    "That''s usually enough to get rid of most people." She said with an intoxicating voice. I was immediately reminded of Vixia ¨C though her voice was soft as silk, unlike this woman. A smile shed across my lips as I carefully circled her. "Are you really going to give me the silent treatment?" She asked with a fake frown.


    I dashed towards her once again. She flinched; she clearly didn''t expect me to strike first. Raising her sword to defend against mine, she turned her body a little to hide the movement of her left hand. I knew what she was trying to do, her bodynguage gave it away. Instead of allowing our des to meet, I feinted my thrust and turned into a sweep, aiming for her legs.


    With a surprised expression, she tumbled back just in time. I didn''t stop ¨C using my speed and agility to the fullest, I dashed towards her. My de was at her throat before she could even get up.


    "My win." I said coldly. "Give up."


    With clenched teeth, she nced behind me. Despite my curiosity, I knew that taking my eyes off her even for a short moment could spell my doom. I continued to re at her, until she finally dropped her weapons.


    I kicked both of them away, then looked at our other opponent.


    He was surrounded by Erik, Joshua, and Vincent. Despite being outnumbered, he didn''t seem to be having trouble dealing with them at all. As we watched, Erik swung his sword to the man''s neck, though he easily sidestepped it. Vincent dashed forward at the same time, probably hoping to catch him off guard.


    As he met with the sharp de of the bastard sword he threw himself aside just in time. Joshua didn''t even attempt to do anything ¨C he had already noticed that this man was a trained swordsman.


    I pulled my sword away from the woman''s throat and approached the others with slow, careful steps.


    "Erik," Despite my low voice, everyone stopped and looked at me. "Retreat." I said as my new opponent red at me.


    "A one on one?" He asked after a short moment. He tilted his head and nced at the woman I just defeated. I nodded. It was the proper way to do this. "Are you sure you can take me on your own?" He asked.


    I couldn''t help it as a wicked smile appeared on my face. I wasn''t the weakling I was before. He was nothing to me.


    "Easily." I replied, assuming a low, speed reliantbat stance. He looked at me for a second before chuckling. "Sure, you keep believing that."


    As soon as those words left his mouth, he dashed forward. He wasn''t too fast, but I could see the strength behind his every move. He raised his sword for an overhead strike, using his whole body to strengthen his blow. If I tried to block that, I''d end up with a broken arm or two.


    With swift and precise movements, I sidestepped his attack and easily moved out of his range. He calmly tried again, though this time it was a sweep to my legs. I leapt into the air as the sharp de approached. I saw his eyes widen through the narrow slit of his helmet. Without skipping a beat, I aimed for that slit with a thrust. He ducked just in time to keep his life. Inded on the ground as the red feathers of his plume scattered in the wind.


    "You-" He started to speak, but then his voice faded as he just barely blocked my relentless assault. Our des met again, and again as loud ngs echoed in the silent coliseum. Everyone was holding their breath as my opponent stepped back. Not intending to give him any time to breathe, I lowered my body and dashed towards him.


    "Gotcha!" He shouted as I came face to face with an armoured boot. My heart skipped a beat as time slowed down. I let myself fall on my knees as I twisted my upper body backwards. I felt the heel of his booth graze my forehead as I slid beneath it.


    The sharp pain disappeared as fast as it appeared, thanks to the adrenaline that kept my senses sharp. As soon as the danger had passed, I rolled forward, brushing past him as he tried to regain his bnce. As soon as I was behind him, I leapt back on my feet and hit his shiny helmet with the hilt of my sword.


    A loud ng apanied by his annoyed groan echoed. "You!" He shouted. I stepped back as he stumbled and wildly swung his sword. Staying just outside his reach, I carefully circled him. He was powerful, yet slow. His defences were nigh impossible to break, yet there was nothing he could do to defeat me.


    My lips slowly formed a wicked smile as I dashed forward. He blocked my strike with ease and tried to counterattack, but I easily moved back out of his reach again. If I had my scythe, this battle would have been over in seconds as its de would cut through his te armour like it were butter.


    We fought for a while, wordlessly. I moved in and out of his reach, constantly striking this helmet whenever I had a chance. I was searching for an opening ¨C a slit in his armour, something to let me draw a little bit of blood.


    I didn''t have to wait long as with his next overhead strike, I found what I was looking for. A tiny opening between his gloves and the armguard of his armour. A grin appeared on my face as I moved faster than he could react. My sword found its target with ease as I pierced the skin on his left wrist. He screamed in pain as red blood drops coloured the sand beneath our feet.


    As he stepped back, I motioned to attack again. He raised his guard with a shaky left hand. His entire posture had changed; I had already won, and he knew it.


    I let go of my sword and caught it with my left hand. As I pierced the skin on his right wrist, he dropped his sword and stepped back. "Stop! I lost!" He shouted.


    "And Team Torchlight ¨C no, the Pale Demon wins again!" The announcer''s voice was almost drowned by the cheering. I twirled my sword around my wrist to get rid of the few drops of blood on it, then let it disappear into my inventory.


    Without a single word, I passed through therge metal gates opening behind us.

 Chapter 85: The Silver Spears

    <h4>Chapter 85: The Silver Spears</h4>


    As the metal gates closed behind us, I leaned my back on the cold wall of the shadowy hallway and took a few deep breaths.


    "What the hell was that Kai?" Erik shouted wide eyed. "Did you use magic or something?"


    I shook my head. I wasn''t stupid enough to do that. "I used my stat points." I said as I moved away from the wall and headed to the room we were given.


    "You what?" Vincent asked wide eyed. "Wait, what did you dump them into?"


    I pushed the door to our room open and lowered myself on one of the benches. "Dexterity, Wisdom and Intelligence." I said with a faint smile. I summoned my interface as I spoke. As lines of pale blue text appeared before me, the others immediately crowded around me.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 1800/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 864- - Mana: 1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    Silence covered the room as the group read the text. It was Joshua who broke the silence with a shriek. "No way, how many god damned stat points did you even have?"


    "Plenty." I said with a chuckle. "Anyways, I didn''t use any magic." I added, ncing at a dumbfounded Erik. He kept wordlessly staring to the pale blue text until I closed the interface.


    "Erik?" I waved my hand in front of his face. "Snap out of it."


    "Oh, uh, sorry." He mumbled and nced at the others. "I can''t be the only one who thinks those stats are ridiculous." Joshua shrugged, while Vincent nodded. "Yeah, they''re a bit... unbnced."


    "What do you mean?" I asked as I took my sword from my inventory and carefully cleaned the few drops of blood still remaining on it.


    "Well, usually stats are distributed more or less equally." Vincent exined hesitantly. "You have no constitution and no strength at all, but your dexterity and two magic rted stats are basically through the roof. Why?"


    "If I tried to be a jack of all trades, I''d fail at everything. The entire reason there are parties is so that everyone can specialise on only one, maybe two things. Am I wrong?" I asked. We''d talked about this with Asher plenty. And I knew that despite his smug attitude and controlling behaviour, he was the most knowledgeable person around when it came to game mechanics.


    "You''re not wrong but... Don''t you think it''s a bit risky? Not increasing your constitution, I mean." Erik asked.


    I chuckled. "No, I''ll be fine, don''t worry." I lowered my gaze to my sword. "Let''s focus on winning the tournament." I said with a smile.


    "Howe you''re so invested in this?" Erik asked after a moment of hesitation. "You were against even joining it."


    A smile shed across my face. "It reminds me of good times. Come on," I said as I got up. Before they could ask what was going on, someone knocked on the door. Shortly after, the same Ereth who brought us here gently opened the door.


    "Your next match will begin shortly. Please, follow me." When he nced at me, our eyes met. I nodded, then looked at the other three. "Let''s go."


    "How...?" Vincent began to ask, then gave up and shook his head.


    The Ereth led us to the huge metal gate. As we walked, he once again stopped me by my arm. "The crowd liked yourst performance. Keep that up," He said with what I assumed was a smile. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. "And you''ll win our leader''s favour."


    I flinched. "I hope they like what they see." I said, forcing myself to keep a calm voice.


    He smirked, then left me standing and headed back. As he disappeared in the shadows of the long hallway, I rushed to where the others were waiting.


    "What was that all about now?" Erik asked. "What''s going on?"


    "He just told me to keep the crowd happy. So," I red at him and Joshua. "No sitting on people''s backs, ok?"


    Vincent rolled his eyes with a sigh as Joshua grinned. "I''ll try my best." He said jokingly. "Let''s see who we''re up against now."


    We didn''t have to wait long, as the metal gates soon opened, revealing an empty arena. As soon as we stepped out of the shadows, the crowd started cheering.


    "And once again, we wee Team Torchlight and their Pale Demon into the arena!" The announcer''s voice prompted only more cheering. "And their opponents, the Silver Spears!"


    The gates across the sandy arena slowly creaked open. Four women stepped out of the shadowy hall. They wore white clothes, just like everyone else in this city. They all carried spears and I could see daggers hanging in their sheathes on their hips. As they walked across the sands, I narrowed my eyes.


    "Astrid?" I whispered, looking at one of the women. She''d cut her hair short and was definitely wearing make up, which threw me off a little, but it was definitely her. "Wait, wasn''t she a dagger user?" I asked, ncing at her spear.


    Erik and Joshua shrugged, while Vincent nodded. "Yeah, and she was somewhat good with it too. How do we take them on Kai?"


    I nced at the other women. Astrid was not the most dangerous person here. My eyes met with our other opponent, the one who seemed to be their leader. She wore her green hair in a ponytail. Tall and confidant, her posture was enough to make me be wary of her.


    "I''ll take the green haired one. Remember, fight to live." I warned them.


    "And now, thest match of the day is upon us!" The announcers voice was apanied by the cheering crowd. "Let us see, which team will emerge victorious! Fight!"


    I lowered my body and dashed forward, leaving a trail of sand behind me. As my sword''s de shed with my opponent''s spear, a smile slowly formed on my face.


    I could win this.

 Chapter 86: Shivering Hands

    <h4>Chapter 86: Shivering Hands</h4>


    Under normal circumstances, she would be forcing me to stay on the defensive, since she had the range advantage with her nearly two-meter-long spear.


    The circumstances, however, were nothing even close to normal. As soon my de met her spear, I pushed her back a little. Our weapons locked, she responded to my smile with a grin and used all of her strength to push me back.


    As soon as I felt that pressure, I pulled my de back, turned my body and stepped aside. My opponent stumbled by me with the force of her push as I corrected my posture and rushed after her. I struck the shaft of her spear, then quickly stepped back to avoid her wild sweep. I went back in as soon as the danger had passed. With a surprised shriek, she somehow blocked my continued strikes while slowly retreating.


    Vincent''s pained scream pulled my attention. I stepped back to nce to my right, where hey on the ground with the tip of Astrid''s spear leaning against his neck.


    "I admit defeat!" He shouted, as loud as possible. The crowd cheered for Astrid as I clenched my teeth. His shout was a smart move, the crowd knew he''d given up, so if anyone wanted to harm or kill him now, they couldn''t defend themselves by iming he was still in the fight.


    "Not smiling now, are you?" My green haired opponent asked as she regained her bnce. I nced at the other two who were still fighting. Erik was holding off his opponent ¨C she still hadn''t figured out a way to get past his tower shield ¨C but I didn''t imagine that was a fight he could win. Joshua was busy dodging his opponent''s strikes ¨C he didn''t seem to be in a good position.


    "Oh hey! You''re that guy!" Astrid shouted suddenly as she pointed at me with her spear. "Mary, he''s the guy I was telling you about. Don''t take him lightly."


    I tightly grasped the hilt of my sword. "Hey Astrid." I carefully stepped away from them. I didn''t want to take them both on at once. "d to see you''re still alive."


    "Well," She shrugged. "I can say the same to you." She narrowed her eyes and nced at my sword. "I don''t suppose you''d, uh... surrender, would you?" She asked.


    I chuckled. "No," I said ncing at Joshua and Erik. "Not a chance." I twirled my sword around my wrist. I had to take one of them out quickly ¨C before Joshua or Erik lost their battles.


    "Thought so." She said with a shrug, then nced at Mary. "Be wary of him."


    "Yeah, yeah." My green haired opponent mumbled. She pointed her spear at me. "Here wee!"


    As soon as those words left her mouth, I dashed towards her.


    The sound of metal, hitting metal echoed in the arena. As soon as our weapons touched, I moved aside to dodge Astrid''s spear. It felt as if time had slowed down ¨C I could see each of their movements clearly. I moved a single step aside and allowed Mary''s spear to harmlessly swing past me.


    As a smile appeared on my lips, I blocked their next attacks with ease. The results of increased stats were clear as day ¨C without such enhanced senses, I''d never be able to move like I did now. I never be able to read their movements as urately as now. Dodging their strikes was almost child''s y.


    But I wasn''t one to toy with his opponent. With a sharp breath, I dashed past Astrid and stepped behind Mary. Before she could even react, I hit the back of her neck with the hilt of my sword. She copsed on the ground silently, leaving Astrid alone to face me.


    "Want to keep going?" I asked with that same smile. She stepped back, wide eyed. "You weren''t this fast!" She shouted. I shook my head before dashing towards her.


    She shrieked and just barely stopped my thrust. Despite that, I didn''t stop my relentless assault. As my de hit the shaft of her spear again and again, I continued to push her back. With each step she retreated, the crowd shouted and cheered more. After a few seconds of continued strikes, I attempted and overhead strike. Astrid raised her guard to block it.


    I silently dropped my sword from my right hand, caught it with my left and with a swift strike from the left, wounded her arm.


    "I''d suggest you give up." I said as she dropped her spear, stumbled back, and shot a horrified look at her bleeding arm. "It''s just a cut," I said with a shrug. "Nothing that''ll kill you." I pointed the tip of my sword to her. "Do you admit defeat?" I asked coldly.


    She nodded.


    I said nothing, since even if I did, my words would be lost amidst the cheering. Instead, I nced at the others. Vincent had retreated to the metal gate ¨C he sat on the sand cross legged.


    Erik continued to stay behind his shield, blocking everything. Not once did he attempt to strike his opponent. As I watched, a sour expression formed on my face. What was the point of wanting to join a tournament if he wasn''t actually going to fight?


    A loud ng and a woman''s scream sounded from my left. I quickly directed my attention there, only to see Joshua kicking his opponent in the stomach. As soon as she lost her bnce, he lunged forward and rammed her with his shoulder. She fell on the ground with a thud and soon found herself staring at Joshua''s dagger.


    "I give up!" She shouted. Joshua grinned, stood up and nced at me. I couldn''t help but smile ¨C this couldn''t have been an easy match for him. He had somehow ovee both his range disadvantage and the experience gap between him and his opponent.


    I once again directed my gaze to Erik; he still hadn''t attempted to do anything but defend. With a sigh, I approached him and his opponent. They were so focused on their battle that neither of them noticed me approach.


    "I''d suggest you give up." I said, just loud enough for her to hear me. She flinched, jumped back, and looked at me, then at her three defeated friends.


    I noticed her expression harden and her grasp on her weapon tighten. Without even a moment of hesitation, I pointed my sword to her. "Unless you want to fight me."


    "Sorry, Mnie." Astrid shouted. "But there wasn''t much we could do anyways."


    Mnie hesitated, then dropped her weapon. "Well this was boring," She said, ncing at Erik. He grinned and shrugged.


    "And Team Torchlight wins yet again!" The announcer''s voice sounded as the metal gates behind us creaked open. I retreated into the shadowy hall, away from the cheering spectators'' eyes.


    "Man, this was fun!" Joshua said as the gates slowly closed. "I didn''t get to see what everyone else did. How did Kai do?" He asked, ncing at his brother.


    "Well," Vincent grinned. "Let''s just say you looked like a turtlepared to him."


    I couldn''t help butugh ¨C this banter somehow helped alleviate all the stage fright. "Well, let''s get you two healed up." I said, ncing at the Kestler brothers'' wounds. "You look like you fell on some needles again, Joshua."


    Erikughed, then shook his head. "Man, I''m d we joined the tournament."


    I hid my frown and looked away.


    "Excuse me." A voice sounded from the side. A woman stood in the shadows of the halls. As soon as I saw her, my mind nked for a moment.


    She nced at me with a weak smile, then approached us. I could see her hands shaking. "Are you two Vincent and Joshua?"

 Chapter 87: Challenged Authority

    <h4>Chapter 87: Challenged Authority</h4>


    "Erik,e on." I said as I lightly grabbed his arm and dragged him away before anyone could try and stop me. "We''ll be back at the inn." I said to the Kestler brothers.


    "Hey, Kai, stop!" He said as I dragged him outside. "What''s going on?" He finally grabbed my wrist and shook me off. I could see the anger in his eyes.


    "Rx, Erik." I said as I pulled my hand away. "She''s no danger to them. Let them talk privately."


    Erik flinched. "What?" He whispered. I nced around us ¨C we were standing right outside the coliseum.


    "Come on, I''ll tell you all about it." I said as I tilted my head towards the street. "Let''s go back to the inn." I didn''t want to cause a scene in the middle of the city and the matter was somewhat private.


    Erik relented after a few seconds. "We should wait for Alina and Samantha though." He said, ncing at the coliseum entrance. I nodded; this was something they had to know as well.


    We didn''t have to wait long as the two girls soon stepped out of the coliseum gates. As soon as they saw us, Alina''s expression lighted up. She showed us a beautiful smile as she ran towards us.


    "Oh my god, Kai!" She said taking my hand in hers. "That was amazing! You were so fast; they didn''t stand a chance against you!"


    "Thanks, Alina. But they were fairly strong in their own right." I said with a smile.


    "Let''s go." Erik''s cold voice sounded.


    I flinched. His demeanour had changed so suddenly. I had noticed it happen before too, but today it was a lot more obvious. I considered asking if something was wrong for a moment, but then decided otherwise.


    "Where are Vincent and Joshua?" Samantha asked as we walked back to the inn. "Are they ok? They were both wounded a little. Vincent even more so." She said with a worried expression.


    "They''re fine." I said with a faint smile. "They''re meeting someone."


    Despite my words, I couldn''t help but worry. Honestly, I hadn''t expected Victoria to take my words seriously. I didn''t think she''d actuallye to meet them. And now that she had, I couldn''t help but wonder ¨C did she have another agenda?


    Before I even noticed, we had arrived at the inn. We stepped inside and took our ce around a table in the back. Erik ordered us some drinks, though I chose to not have anything alcoholic.


    "So," He said leaning forward on the table. "Who was she?"


    As soon as he said that Alina and Samantha''s ears perked up as soon as the words left Erik''s mouth.


    I took a deep breath. "She''s Victoria Kestler. Their cousin." I had to pause as a young local brought our drinks. We thanked him, and once he was out of earshot distance, I continued.


    "She owns a rather well-known store here in the city," I started to exin. Naturally, I left out all the parts involving Asher, instead saying that I stumbled upon her shop while exploring the city. Erik, Samantha, and Alina listened to me with varying expressions.


    "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Erik asked after I finished. I flinched as I noticed his expression ¨C his eyes were filled with anger. "You should have told me, Kai." He hissed through his clenched teeth.


    I felt my body tense up as I met his re. "Because this is about their family, first and foremost." I replied. "I have no right to interfere, and neither do you. Let them have their reunion in peace."


    Erik clenched his fists. "No, I do have the right to interfere. I am the leader of our group; I am trying to keep each and every one of you alive. I need to know what''s going on if I am to do my job!"


    I drew a sharp breath. "What?" I asked quietly. "You''re not-" I stopped myself before I said something too hurtful. "Erik, just let them have a little bit of time alone with their family. If I thought she''d harm them, I wouldn''t have let them meet her alone."


    "I''m so happy for them." Alina said with a soft voice. She nced at Erik with a somewhat confused expression. "Why are you so hung up on this?"


    "I''m not." The young pdin said through his clenched teeth. "Kai, there''s something I need to take care of. Why don''t youe with?"


    I sighed. "Sure," I nced at Samantha and Alina. "Can you let the others know when theye back?" The girls nodded.


    I followed an impatient Erik outside. "So," I said after a moment of silence. "Where are we going?"


    With clenched fists, he walked down the street, towards the city gates. I knew what wasing ¨C I could even name a few things he was probably going to shout at me in theing minutes. As we silently passed through the gates, I couldn''t help but sigh a breath of relief. Seeing the green grass on the ground, the colourful flowers and the massive forest stretching before me was rxing, despite the situation I was in.


    We walked amongst the woods for a while. Eventually, once we were out of view and a ways away from the city gates, Erik stopped in his tracks.


    "What are you trying to aplish, Kai?" He asked with clenched fists. "Why are you trying to undermine my authority?" He was shouting.


    I forced myself to stay calm, though it was proving to be challenging. "I am not trying to undermine your authority. I told you everything, haven''t I?"


    "Stop lying!" He shouted. His face twisted with an ugly expression. "What the hell do you want from me? Why can''t you just let me do what I always do?"


    I flinched. "Erik, what on earth are you talking about?" I asked. His stupid assumptions and insecurities were clouding his judgement. "I don''t want anything from you! All I care about is getting the hell out of this ce. Getting all of us out of this ce!" I realised that I was shouting after the fact.


    For short while, we stared at each other in heavy silence. Eventually, it was Erik who spoke through his gritted teeth. "Then why are you always in the spotlight?"


    I shrugged. "Maybe it''s because I get stuff done." While I didn''t intend to hurt him, I didn''t regret saying what I said.


    His eyes red up as he summoned his sword and shield from his inventory.


    "Does that mean that I don''t?" He shouted, pointing his sword to me.

 Chapter 88: Enough

    <h4>Chapter 88: Enough</h4>


    "Fight me!" He shouted as he rushed towards me with his shield raised and his de ready.


    I flinched; I could see the wrath in his eyes. He was genuinely angry. As he drew near, I nced around. I did not want to fight him. Wasn''t there anything I could use to avoid this?


    With a twisted expression, he raised his sword as he finally reached me. I rolled to the side and took a few steps back, putting some distance between us. "Don''t be ridiculous, Erik." I said in a futile attempt to calm him down.


    "I''ve had enough!" He shouted as he red at me and dashed towards me again. As I glimpsed the sunlight reflecting off of his deadly de, my instincts took over. My scythe materialised in my hands as I turned my body to the side a little. As the young pdin approached me, I swung my scythe.


    The dark, cold metal shaft of my scythe met his de. A clear ng echoed in the forest as I easily stopped his charge. I red at him as I held the shaft of my scythe with my right hand. "Stop this, Erik." I said as I felt power rushing through my body.


    I knew this feeling; it was same thing I felt when I used Fallen Grace. I raised my left had as magic gathered in my hand. A me made of pure darkness appeared in my palm as my heartbeat quickened. Had I just used my skills without the help of the interface?


    "I''m sick of this!" Erik shouted as his shield let out a golden shine. I jumped back just in time as his shield emitted a shockwave. "I was the one they looked up to! I was the one they came to for advice and protection. I was the one she thanked and admired!"


    I flinched. Was this about... Alina?


    Before I could say anything, he lunged at me again. Lightning crackled on his sword as his entire body let out a golden shine, though it had a hint of red in it.


    "Erik!" I shouted as my de met his. "Stop it you idiot!" Was he seriously fighting me over Alina? Did she mean so much to him? Or did I mean so little? "I''m not trying to rece you!"


    My words did nothing to quell his wrath. As his sword left a trail of crackling lightning behind, I narrowly avoided his swings. As I watched him try to strike me down, consumed by his anger, I couldn''t help but feel wrath building up inside me as well.


    "Enough!" I shouted as fire erupted from me, sending Erik flying back. As he hit the ground, I summoned my wings. I walked towards him, scythe in hand, leaving a trail of ck crimson mes behind me.


    "I am not trying to rece you." I said, speaking each word clearly. The young man''s face twisted with a mix of anger and fear. "But I''m sick of how you treat me. Do this again and I''m done with all of you."


    I didn''t wait for him to say anything. Instead, with a powerful beat of my wings, I took to the skies.


    Aimlessly, I flew through the sky. My heart burned with anger. It was consuming me; I couldn''t focus on anything else.


    "Kai," Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "Listen, there''s something you need to know."


    "Not now." I responded as I folded my wings a bit. The wind pulled at my clothes as I approached the ground with a dangerous speed. I stretched my wings wide moments before I hit the trees.


    "What happened?" Asher asked after a few moments passed. "Are you unsatisfied with what you did with your stat points?"


    Iughed. I almost wished that were the case. "No." I replied as I once again climbed to the sky. "Anyways," I forced myself to calm down, though that was no easy task. "What did you want to tell me?"


    I could sense Asher''s hesitation. "Asher?" I insisted.


    He only replied after a while. "I found out something about the gods." He said. "They are the ruling caste of the Ereth society."


    I flinched. "What does that mean to us?" I asked after a short moment. Ever since Vixia said something about Rohir being a vindictive old man, I had guessed they weren''t just abstract beings, but I didn''t expect them to be so present in the daily lives of the Ereth.


    "It means you have to be careful." Asher said. "If my guesses are right, they will not want to let the Keeper of Souls out of their sight. Do not let them know what you are."


    I nodded. He wasn''t wrong, the Keeper of Souls did seem to have a special importance to the Ereth, though I couldn''t hazard a guess as to why. "I don''t know how long I can keep it from them though." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "The Ereth at the gate already know since I had to show my status panel before I was allowed to enter the city."


    Asher remained silent for a while. I beat my wings with a steady rhythm while looking for a good spot tond. "You need to win that tournament. No matter what, Kai."


    I furrowed my brows. "Is there something I don''t know about?" His wording added a sense of urgency to his words. Why was he so adamant about this?


    "I don''t think we have too long before the demons decide to do something. Everything is lining up too nicely. Demon sightings in the farthest reaches of the Ereth-controllednds, the tournament..." He hesitated. "I believe an invasion will soon begin."


    I flinched as I slowlynded on a small hill. "You think the demons will attack?" I asked. I shivered at the thought of having to fight beings as powerful as Vixia. "We wouldn''t stand a chance on our own." I said after a short moment.


    "Indeed. Which is why I have some more information for you." I could almost hear the smug grin he probably had on his face right now.


    "What is it?" I asked with a t voice. I wasn''t even sure if I wanted to have any informationing from him. Though, his next words were enough to convince me.


    "I found out where the primal core of water is."

 Chapter 89: Wrath

    <h4>Chapter 89: Wrath</h4>


    My heartbeat quickened as his voice reached my mind. I still remembered the power of the primal core of fire vividly. Even now, I could feel it whenever I summoned my wings or used my mes, I could sense it within me.


    "Where?" I asked, my voice filled with excitement and anticipation. The power I''d gain from it, I couldn''t help but feel thrilled as I imagined it.


    "I''ll let you know soon." He said slowly.


    "What? No, tell me now." I said, irritated. "Where is it?" I needed that power ¨C now.


    "Be patient. You still have a tournament to win, remember?" His calm voice did nothing but annoy me. "Then, we''ll meet up and I''ll help you get it."


    "Just tell me now." I insisted, clenching my fists. "The next battle is in two days. I have more than enough time." I could fly there, get the core, ande back. My wings gave me that ability, it was stupid not to take advantage of it.


    "No," Asher said. I flinched; his harsh voice sent a chill down my spine. "Focus on the tournament. Don''t get ahead of yourself."


    I gritted my teeth. Why was he trying to hold me back? "Asher, just tell me. I don''t have time for your games."


    "I said no. You''re angry, I can feel it. It''s eating you up. You''re not fit to get your hands on the primal core of water. Calm yourself down, win the tournament and then we''ll get it." As soon as hisst words reached my mind, I felt the connection sever.


    "Damn it!" I punched the tree I was standing next to. Naturally, pain shot up my arm. With a pained moan, I nced at my bleeding fist. I leaned my back on the tree and sunk into the ground.


    What the hell was I doing? I was so pissed off ¨C I just wanted to destroy something. I took deep breaths to try and calm myself down.


    I stayed there for a while. Long enough for the blood on my hand to dry. Long enough for the sun to approach the horizon and dye the sky crimson and purple.


    Only when darkness began to envelop this world did I force myself to get up. I took to the skies again, this time with controlled anger. We had no match tomorrow. It was a good chance to do some grinding outside the city walls. It was a good chance to let loose a little.


    Inded not too far away from the city gates and walked the rest of the way. I didn''t want the Ereth to know about my ability to fly. As I approached the gate, my steps slowed down. There was a crowd waiting. Both Ereth and other local races had lined up at the gate. The Ereth guards were checking each person before allowing them entry.


    Hesitant, I approached the crowd. I could spot some human looking people there. Assuming they were other yers, I decided to stay a bit farther away from them. Instead, I approached the Ereth guards.


    "Please show your identification." The seemingly tired man said with a t voice. I quickly summoned my status panel and showed him my name. He checked it for a moment before gesturing me to enter the city. I thanked him, then stepped on the golden streets.


    The bustling streets were filled with people. People who wore clothes that weren''t just white and golden. Finally, I wasn''t the only one being stared at for my green clothes. Despite that thought, I couldn''t help but feel anxious. Why had so many peoplee to Baile Chailce?


    I remembered Asher''s words. Was this about the demon sightings in the outskirts of Ereth controlled territory? Were people fleeing? Had an invasion begun?


    "Asher!" I called out to him. I waited a short moment for a response, but all I heard was silence. "Asher, something is going on in Baile Chailce. People are flooding into the city ¨C do you know why they are all here?"


    Once again, all I got was silence. Annoyed, I hurried to the inn. Maybe Alina and Samantha had a clue.


    I somehow made my way to the inn, despite the massive amount of people on the streets. I nervously opened the door of the white building and stepped inside the inn. I was half expecting the inn to bepletely filled up with travellers - I was d to be wrong.


    "Kai!" It was Alina''s voice that called my name. I looked around and spotted her all the way in the back of the room. She and Samantha were still sitting at the table. I hurried towards them, I couldn''t see Erik, Vincent, or Joshua anywhere.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked as soon as I reached the table. Both girls'' eyes were red. Had they cried?


    "Viges are being attacked by rampant beasts." Samantha exined. "Stonepatch vige was also attacked." She sniffed and shook her head. "Kai, I''m worried about Alex and Rina. What if something happened to them?"


    I flinched. Those two women weren''t easy targets to take down, but they weren''t all powerful. I considered flying there for a moment, could I make it in time?


    "I''m also worried about Vince and Josh." Alina said. I flinched, had they not returned yet?


    "Where is Erik?" Samantha asked.


    Too many things, too many questions... I was being overwhelmed. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.


    "I don''t know about Erik. I''ll check on Vincent and Joshua now. Can you two wait here in case any of them return?" They both nodded as I pushed myself up and rushed to the door.


    My heart racing, I sprinted to Victoria''s shop. Had she done something? Were they in danger?


    As I reached the green, grass covered garden, I spotted the door of the building slowly creak open. The butler from before stepped outside with a tired expression. He paused when he saw me, then chuckled as I approached.


    "Sir Kai, I guessed you''de here." He said with a respectful nod.


    I forced myself to remember his name. "Thomas," I said as it popped into my mind. "Has Lady Victoria brought two young men over? Their names are Vincent and Joshua."


    He nodded. "They are currently having tea. Follow me please, I''m sure all of them will be delighted to see you."


    I doubted that''d be the case, but still, I thanked him. He led me inside, up the stairs to the room I had talked with Victoria in just a few days ago. He knocked on the door twice, then pushed it open.


    "Ah," Vincent''s voice sounded as I stepped inside. I heard the door close behind me.


    "Kai," Victoria said softly. "I''m d you''re here. Join us, there are things happening that you should also know about."

 Chapter 90: Gears in Motion

    <h4>Chapter 90: Gears in Motion</h4>


    "Demons weren''t spotted?" I asked in surprise after Victoria finished speaking. "Then what about the reports that im they did?"


    She shrugged. "I don''t know." She nced at the Kestler brothers who were sitting on the couch. "My people have checked the ces and none of them could confirm what the reports said. All they imed to have seen was an increase of wildlife. Rampaging beasts, signs that creatures of legend have started to wake up." She nced at me as her lips formed a smile. "Such as that phoenix you killed."


    I flinched. The phoenix Vixia had defeated was indeed a creature of legend, but it hadn''t just woken up ¨C it was simply cursed by an Ereth god, Rohir.


    "What do you think is happening?" Vincent chimed in. "If its not demons, does that mean we have another enemy?"


    Victoria shook her head and fiddled with her long, maroon hair. "I don''t think it''s as simple as that," She replied. "I think there''s something else going on behind the scenes. Something the Ereth aren''t telling us." Her ominous words left a bad taste my mouth. She was right ¨C something felt off.


    I took a deep breath. "You''re right." I nced at Vincent and Joshua. "I''ll head to Stonepatch Vige now ¨C Rina and Alex might be in danger. I want to make sure they''re fine. I''ll probably be back before the next match. If I''m not..." I hesitated. "I''ll be back." I finally said. I was not going to die. Not now, not after everything I''d been through.


    "Be careful." Vincent warned me after a moment''s hesitation. "Things may have changed ¨C the path might be more dangerous."


    I nodded. Any number of rampaging beasts could have taken over areas along the road. Even the skies could be filled with danger.


    "What about Erik?" Victoria suddenly asked. I paused. How much did I want to tell her? How much did I trust her?


    "We had an argument," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "So, I''d appreciate if you could keep an eye on him. I don''t think he wants to see me for a while." I looked at my hands. I somewhat regretted using my mes against the young pdin.


    "What happened?" Joshua asked, leaning forward. I could see the glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.


    "It''s nothing," I said with a sigh. "Nothing but a misunderstanding." I shook my head. While our argument ¨C no, our fight ¨C troubled me greatly, I didn''t have time to worry about it now. I had to focus on those who might be in danger.


    I pushed myself up and nced at Victoria. "Can I count on you to keep the girls safe while I''m gone?" I asked. While our rtionship consisted of threatening each other, I knew she cared about Vincent and Joshua. She wouldn''t let anything happen to their friends, especially since they''re innocent.


    "Of course. Try toe back alive." She said with a faint smile. I chuckled, then motioned to the door.


    "Kai, hang on." Vincent shot up and hurried after me. "Let mee with you to the city gates."


    "Sure," I said, somewhat confused. Did he want to talk about something in private?


    After bidding farewell to Victoria and Joshua, we left the room. As we made our way to the city gates, Vincent remained silent. Only once we were out of the city ¨C and out of the view of Ereth guards did he finally speak.


    "Thanks, Kai." He said with a low voice. "Victoria told us about what you did. She said she''d never have contacted us if you hadn''t forced her hand."


    I smiled. "Anyone would have done the same. I''m d you three have found each other." I nced at the sky. The sun had set; it was already dark out. "I have to hurry if I''m to make it back in time Vincent. Take care of the others for me, would you?" I asked as I summoned my wings.


    "You take care of yourself," He said with a faint smile. "We''ll be fine."


    Iughed. "See you in two days."


    With those words, I leapt into the air. As my massive wings carried me to the sky, I adjusted my bearing. With my wings beating with a steady rhythm, I soared through the sky.


    Soon, I felt the exhaustion set in as my muscles started to burn and my body to ache. I focused ¨C could I do it again? Suddenly, a burst of magic spread through my body. My wings, seemingly caught on fire, left a trail of embers behind them. As Fallen Grace enhanced my body even further, I felt the wind hitting my face strengthen. With anger burning within my heart and worry filling my mind, I flew towards Stonepatch Vige.


    Hours passed. I could hear nothing but the blowing wind and the rhythmic beat of my wings. I nced at my hands ¨C was I strong enough to take on anything that was powerful enough to threaten Rina and Alex?


    I couldn''t answer that with a yes. With a sigh, I summoned my interface and nced at my status panel.


    ''Kai Friseal ¨C Level 80 Soul Keeper | Exp: 65000/70000 - - Souls 100/100 + 889- - Mana:1940


    Fallen Grace Lv. 5 | Death''s Scythe Lv. 5 | Dark Bolt Lv. 5 | Soul''s Respite Lv. 5 | Explorer | Crystal Sage


    STR: 10 ¨C CON: 10 ¨C DEX: 100 ¨C INT: 100 ¨C WIS: 91''


    I nced down, where more text could be seen.


    ''Skill points avable: 60 ¨C New skills unlocked''


    I hadn''t given any skill points to any new skills in a very long while. It was mostly due to all these new skills being mostly useless ¨C I didn''t need a mass heal that required me to stand still as I cast it. Same for this ''Ritual of the Night'' thing. Summoning darkness that blinded me too wasn''t very sensible in the thick of battle.


    I scoured the list, hoping to find at least something useful. I needed more power. Long minutes passed as I looked in vain. Eventually, I gave up. I probably had to wait for level 100 before anything useful popped up. That was when my power would grow significantly.


    A sudden pain cut through my mind. I let out a shout as I barely managed to stay in the air. It felt as if something had cut into my arm. The pain disappeared as soon as it appeared ¨C I almost thought I was hallucinating.


    But this was no hallucination ¨C that pain was real. But I wasn''t the one it belonged to.


    "Asher!" I shouted into his mind. "What the hell happened?"

 Chapter 91: Those We Lose

    <h4>Chapter 91: Those We Lose</h4>


    A painstakingly long silence followed my words. I nced towards Stonepatch vige, then towards the old demonic ruins we''d explored with Asher. Even if I tried to make my way there now, I''d never make it in time!


    I stopped in the air, conflicted. Was I going after Asher, or was I going to Rina and Alex? I clenched my teeth; I couldn''t forsake any of them ¨C I had to help them somehow.


    I felt a faint connection form in the back of my mind. "I''m fine." Asher''s weak voice sounded. "Some beasts attacked the fort. I wasn''t prepared ¨C they caught me off guard." I could sense the pain he was in.


    "I''m ¨C I think ¨C two hours away. Do you need my help?" I asked as worry filled my mind.


    "No. I''m wounded, but nothing I can''t heal." He hesitated. "I''ll borrow some of your mana." As soon as he said that, I felt my mana drain through our mental connection. Somewhat worried, I nced at my status panel. I watched as the numbers representing my mana diminished.


    "Thanks," He said after a short while. I had about five hundred mana left by then. It was enough to get me to Stonepatch Vige. "Why aren''t you in Baile Chailce?" He asked after a short moment.


    I sighed. "Because I''m worried about Alex and Rina," I replied as I once again set off. "There were some reports of rampaging beasts. I wanted to check on them ¨C help them if I can."


    He hesitated. I knew what he was thinking ¨C the tournament. Only a couple of matches remained before the finale and whoever won that would be favoured by the Ereth. Naturally, he didn''t want me to miss my chance to win. "Fine," He said after a while. "Be careful, don''t let your guard down, and make it back in time for your next match."


    "I know. I''ll let you know of what I find out." I hesitated. "Stay alive, Asher." As soon as my words reached his mind, I heard his chuckle. He severed the connection without a single other word.


    I couldn''t help butugh, partly because I was relieved that he was fine and partly because I had expected him to act like that. He was bing predictable, even if only a little.


    As bright colours started to bleed into the night sky, I spotted buildings in the distance. Stonepatch Vige slowly entered my view.


    I drew a sharp breath as I looked over the settlement. The buildings were damaged ¨C I could see broken walls and copsed roofs. Rubble and ash covered the streets. My heart racing with worry, Inded at the edge of the small settlement.


    It was only when I stepped on the damaged streets that I realised the damage wasn''t as bad as it looked from the sky. Yes, most roofs were damaged, and some buildings hadrge holes in the walls, but it wasn''t as bad as I feared it''d be. All buildings were still standing, I could even see light in most windows.


    As I slowly walked on the streets, I spotted a familiar figure in the distance. A one-winged Ereth was sifting through the rubble, seemingly looking for something. As I approached, he lifted his head and looked at me.


    "You''re alive," He said with a bitter smile. I flinched. "Luhen?" I asked as I saw the wounds covering his arms. "What happened?" He already had countless scars before, now he looked in even worse shape.


    His smile faded as he nced at the sky. "We don''t belong here." He whispered and shook his head. "And neither do those that came with you." I flinched. Was he talking about the other yers?


    "Those two girls saved us." He continued, ncing towards the inn. "And the others like them, though some of them didn''t make it."


    I drew a sharp breath. Had people died? "Alex and Rina, where are they?" I asked with panic in my voice. He tilted his head towards thergest building in the vige ¨C the guild.


    "Thanks!" I said. Fallen Grace filled my muscles with power as I dashed towards the guild. The usual Ereth guards weren''t there, instead, an old local sat by the stairs at the door. He flinched as he saw me. "Keeper!" He whispered. "He''s here!" He shouted suddenly. "The Keeper of Souls is here!"


    With a pale face, he ran inside. I hadn''t even gotten the chance to say anything.


    Soon, a familiar figure stepped outside. "Kai?" Rina''s tired voice sounded. Her clothes were burnt and torn, she had scratches and wounds all over her arms. She looked terrible. "Kai you''re alive!" She shouted with teary eyes and ran up to me for a hug.


    "I''m so d you''re ok." She whispered. "I was so worried!" Her voice cracked. After letting her hug me for a bit, I gently pulled myself away.


    "I was worried about you and Alex too." I said with a soft voice. "I''m sorry I couldn''t be here before." I nced at the building. "Where is Alex? And how are your sisters?"


    Rina flinched. "Come," She said and slowly walked inside. My heartbeat quickened. Alex couldn''t have died... could she? No, that woman was ridiculously strong, nothing could kill her. I refused to believe it.


    The interior of the guild hall was turned into an emergency shelter and hospital. Makeshift beds were lined up by the walls and most, if not all of them were full.


    "We weren''t prepared." Rina said as we walked towards the back. I nced at the wounded ¨C some were simple wounds, nothing that would prove deadly with a little care, but others... They seemed barely alive. "We mounted a defence as soon as we noticed the horde of beastsing our way, but it wasn''t enough." She nced at a young woman lying unconscious on a bed. The cloth bandages that were used to quell the flow of blood had a red tint to them. She needed medical attention ¨C now.


    "Alex and I gathered the other yers and defended the northern side of the vige." Rina said with a bitter voice. "We somehow made it out alive ¨C both of us. But many others died," her voice faded as we arrived at the back room. I drew a sharp breath.


    The crystal that protected the vige from demons, the crystal that gave the Ereth their power ¨C it was in pieces.


    Then, I spotted Alex. She sat on the ground. A young girl sat by her. I followed their teary gazes.


    My heart broke as I saw the body, covered with a clean, white sheet.

 Chapter 92: A Breath of Life

    <h4>Chapter 92: A Breath of Life</h4>


    I had no words.


    I couldn''t see the body itself, but from the sight of it, it looked like it belonged to a young girl. Too young.


    "Alex," Rina said quietly, kneeling down by the tall woman. "Kai is here." She said, gently touching the grieving woman''s shoulder.


    Alex flinched and looked at Rina. Though the green scales on her face hid most of her emotions, they couldn''t hide her red, swollen eyes. She looked at her petite friend with an empty, soulless expression. A tear rolled down her scaly cheek.


    "It''s Kai." Rina showed a bitter smile. "He''s here." She patiently said.


    Alex stared at her for a few more seconds before finally turning her gaze on me.


    "Kai...?" She asked. Her voice was weak, her spirit clearly broken. It took her a moment for her to recognise me. Life returned to her eyes for just a moment as she whispered. "You''re alive. I''m d."


    "I''m d too," I said, finally getting rid of the knot in my throat. "Is that...?" I asked hesitantly, ncing at the covered body.


    Alex''s shoulders dropped. "My sister." She whispered with a cracked voice. "My little Amy." She clenched her fists as tears rolled down her cheek. "I couldn''t save her." She said, shaking her head. The young girl beside her sniffed and hugged her.


    "I''m sorry," I mumbled. I was at a loss for words ¨C there was nothing I could say that''d make her feel better. There was nothing I could do.


    "I need some time alone," Alex said after a short moment.


    "Of course," I said quietly. "I''ll be outside, Rina." With that, I quickly left the room and closed the door behind me. I felt sick, down to my very soul. Someone so young had died because of this stupid game.


    I clenched my fists. If only I hade here one day earlier... If only we hadn''t gone to Baile Chailce...


    I felt something tug on my cloak. I looked down to see a little Ereth child. "Mister, mister, can you help us?" He was barely tall enough to reach my waist. His tiny little wings were folded and wrapped in bandages.


    I knelt on the ground beside him. "Hey," I said as gently as I could. "What''s wrong?" I could see the fear in his eyes.


    "You''re the Keeper, aren''t you mister?" He asked with a shaky voice. I nodded, though it pained me. "Can you help us?" He asked again.


    "I can try." I said slowly. What did he want? He smiled, though it was a pained one. He took my hand and led me to a nearby bed, where a young Erethy unconscious. The kid that brought me here ran up to the bed and held the other one''s hand. "Look, brother." He whispered. "The Keeper is here."


    It felt as if someone had stabbed a de into my heart and was twisting it with each word of the child. I gritted my teeth, wasn''t there something I could do to save these people?


    "Can you help him, mister?" The child asked with reddened eyes. I forced myself to smile as I approached the bed. Could I help him? Soul''s Respite only healed me but what if I unlocked that mass healing skill? Couldn''t I save everyone here?


    "Kai?" I head Rina''s voice calling my name. She ran towards me but fell silent once she saw the little child and his unconscious brother. "Oh."


    I pondered, could I save them? I opened my status panel, then scrolled down to my avable skills. There it was: ''Keeper''s Haven'' I quickly read the skill''s description.


    ''The Keeper must channel this ability. Creates an area around the Soul Keeper. All living beings in the area are constantly healed. The Soul Keeper may not use any other abilities while the spell is active.''


    I hesitated, from the description of it, it seemed like it''d be useful, especially now.


    "Oh, what the hell?" I mumbled as I allocated a skill point.


    "What''s that?" Rina asked, leaning forward and rising on her toes in an attempt to read the pale blue text.


    I took a deep breath and focused as my interface faded. I felt the new skill activate as a dark circle burst out from beneath my feet. The young Ereth child screamed as the area expanded. Soon, it epassed the entire building.


    The air grew heavier as a silver ¨C green mist slowly settled in.


    Momentster, I felt my mana drain at an incredible speed. The spell was finally active ¨C I could move again.


    "What is this?" Rina asked as souls left my body. I could see them as they dashed towards the wounded.


    "Healing." I said through my gritted teeth. "But I don''t think my mana will be enough." As the souls jumped from person to person I shivered. What little mana I had left was almost depleted already.


    "I can help with that." Rina said with a faint smile. She gently reached out and ced her hand on my chest. Immediately, I felt her mana flow through me. It felt like an ocean was trying to fill a small dam ¨C I couldn''t help but be amazed by her incredible power.


    "Mister?" The small child asked with fear in his voice. "What is this?" His little hands tightly grasped the wrist of his brother.


    "I''m helping them." I said after a moment''s hesitation. "They''ll be fine, I promise."


    I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I forced a smile, then nced around. Some of the unconscious patients were starting to move and shift on their beds. Slowly but surely, their wounds started to disappear.


    "It''s working!" Rina said. It was the first time I saw her genuinely smile. I nodded.


    It took about ten minutes for everyone to wake up. Rina let go of me as thest of them opened their eyes in confusion and fear.


    "Mister?" The little child tugged my cloak again. "Mister, will you help the girl in the back too?"

 Chapter 93: The Silence of Death

    <h4>Chapter 93: The Silence of Death</h4>


    My heart shattered as I stared into the big, innocent eyes of this small child. I wanted to say something, but a lump had lodged itself in my throat.


    "She helped me and my brother when the beasts attacked." The child said, seemingly not noticing how much his words hurt me. "Can you save her too, mister?" He said, still tugging at my cloak.


    I gulped to get rid of the lump in my throat, then knelt beside him. I could hear Rina trying to supress her crying behind me. She ran off ¨C she probably didn''t want the child to see her like that. After a moment''s hesitation, I reached out and gently wiped the child''s tears away.


    "I''m sorry." I said quietly. "I wish I could help her."


    He stared at me wordless for a few seconds before finally mumbling. "That''s sad." He looked down, then at his sleeping brother. "I thought you would maybe save her if I asked nicely." With dropped shoulders and a saddened expression, he returned to his brother''s side. He leaned on the bed, then shot me a nce. "Like you did for my brother." He mumbled, avoiding meeting my gaze.


    I couldn''t bear to look at him. Instead, I slowly turned around and headed to the door. After closing the door behind me, sat on the steps in the front of the building and turned my gaze to the sky. The sun had dawned a while ago.


    A soft breeze blew my hair back. While I usually enjoyed fresh air, now it carried the smell of ash and blood with it.


    "Kai?" Rina''s voice sounded from behind me. I hadn''t noticed her open the door at all. "Are you ok?" She asked after a moment.


    "Yeah. I''m fine," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "How about you, Rina? How are you holding up?" I asked, finally gathering the courage to look at her.


    Her eyes were red and swollen, she seemed to be barely holding everything together. "I''m ok." She said with a voice that clearly showed she was not ok. "Alex, on the other hand..." Her voice faded.


    "I wish I hade here sooner." I finally said as she sat besides me. "I wish there were something I could do to help ¨C anything." I shook my head. "I''m so sorry, Rina."


    She shook her head. "I couldn''t do anything either. None of us could." She tightly grasped the cloth of her dress. "We weren''t warned ¨C there was no way for us to defend this ce!" Her voice was but a whisper. "Kai, so many died. Both Ereth and yers like us." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Why are we stuck here? Why can''t we go home?" She held onto me and stared me in the eyes as she spoke. "Why did this happen to us? Kai, how do we leave?"


    Dumbfounded, all I could do was shake my head. I didn''t have the answers to her questions. I was just as much in the dark as she was. All I could do was to offer a hug, which she dly epted. We sat there for a while, Rina shivering and crying in my embrace.


    Only after a while had passed did she pull herself back. "I''m sorry." She whispered, wiping her tears away. "Let''s go check on Alex." She said with a sniff. I nodded. Every fibre of my being wanted to avoid stepping into that room ¨C I didn''t think I could bear to see Alex like that ever again, but that wasn''t something I could tell Rina. So, I followed her back inside the building.


    Alex was in the same position as when I left her. The younger girl besides her had fallen asleep while hugging her.


    "Hey, Alex." Rina gently spoke as she knelt beside her friend. "Can I bring you some food? Or water?" She asked. Alex shook her head. While her eyes were as lifeless as before, I saw a glimmer of... something, when she turned her gaze on me.


    "Kai." She said with a broken voice. "Did you... take her soul?"


    I flinched. I hadn''t even thought about it. I felt sick to my stomach as the thought of absorbing a real, actual human''s soul suddenly became very real. I quickly shook my head. "No!" I almost shouted as my face went pale.


    "Is she here?" Alex asked with a speck of hope in her voice. "Can you see her?"


    I didn''t need to look around for the answer. "No," I said as I avoided meeting her gaze. "I''m sorry, I can''t help you Alex." It broke my heart to see her like this, yet I was once again powerless.


    "It''s ok." Alex said after a short while. "I just hoped that..." She nced at Rina, then shook her head. "No, it''s nothing."


    Why had she decided to keep whatever it was she wanted to say to herself? I nced at Rina as well. She was watching the younger girl with a bittersweet expression.


    "Whatever it is, you can tell me, Alex." I finally said. If getting something off her chest was going to make her feel better, even if only for a moment, I would dly listen.


    She hesitated, then shot an apologetic look at Rina. "I just thought that... Since you''re the Keeper, maybe you could..." Her voice faded. Each word seemingly made the next one much harder to say. "I thought... Maybe you could bring her back."


    I flinched. That was just... wrong. Especially now, when I could feel hundreds of souls resting peacefully, I couldn''t imagine interrupting that rest to bring them back to life. Ever fibre of my being screamed at me that this was very wrong.


    "I can''t do that, Alex." I said, trying my best to keep my expression calm. "I''m sorry."


    Rina breathed a sigh of relief. Alex just looked down at the covered body of her sister.


    "I''m sorry," She said. "I guess not even the legendary Keeper of Souls can break the silence of death."

 Chapter 94: Promises of Vengeance

    <h4>Chapter 94: Promises of Vengeance</h4>


    I watched my reflection on the flowing water. I was pale, much more so than usual. With a sigh, I sshed some water on my face. I had to pull myself together.


    "Come on," I whispered as I brushed my hair back, revealing my facepletely. I took a deep breath and got back up on my feet. I stretched my wings wide and leapt up into the air. It was the afternoon ¨C I had little less than a day before the tournament resumed.


    With clenched fists, I flew to Baile Chailce. I was going to win this tournament, get the support of the Ereth''s ruling caste and end the Demon Lord. I wasn''t going to let this game of death drag on any longer than it already had.


    I couldn''t help but constantly think about what Rina had asked of me as I left. As she convinced all the residents of Stonepatch Vige to travel to Baile Chailce, she looked so sure of herself ¨C like a pir that all of us could always lean on. Butter, as people packed their valuables and prepared for the long journey ahead of them, she hade to me and made me promise ¨C I''d take her and Alex with me when I went to kill the Demon Lord. They wanted to be there to see his demise.


    I had epted, though reluctantly. If they were blinded by the revenge they sought, that final fight could very well spell our demise instead. But seeing her expression, I couldn''t bear to say no.


    "Kai." Asher''s voice sounded in my mind. "How are you holding up?"


    "I''m ok." I said after a while. "I''m on my way back to Baile Chailce." Hoping to get to the city before midnight, I flew faster. As the rhythmic beat of my wings elerated, the wind hitting my face grew stronger.


    "I''m on my way to the city as well." Asher''s words surprised me. "I''ll be there to watch your next match. Once you win the finals too, we can head to where the primal core of water is." He paused. I could feel it in the back of my mind ¨C he was pondering something.


    "What is it, Asher?" I asked after a short while.


    "I''m d that a fear of mine proved to be unfounded." He replied with a chuckle. "I''ll see you tomorrow." I felt the connection sever as his words faded.


    While I wasn''t entirely sure of what he was talking about, I was pretty sure he wasn''t making much sense. I shook my head and let my wings carry me to the white-golden city.


    The sun set and the stars began to shine, yet the city was still not in sight. Only hourster, as exhaustion set in and I began to slow down did I see the shining lights of the chalk city. With a sigh of relief, I approached the ground. Once the city gates were in view, Inded among the trees and walked up to the gates.


    "Halt." An Ereth guard raised his spear, effectively blocking my path. "Identify yourself."


    I opened my interface and showed my name. "Ie from Stonepatch Vige. They were attacked and had many casualties. The remaining poption is on its way here ¨C they will probably arrive in theing week."


    Another soldier stepped up from the shadows. "Do they have military backup, guards to protect them?" She asked. From her fancy cloak and armour, I assumed she was a ranking officer.


    "No, some adventurers are with them, but they don''t have enough fighting power in case another attack of a simr scale happens." I said, worried they wouldn''t believe me. Alex and Rina needed all the help they could get ¨C including help from Ereth military.


    "Thank you for the information, Keeper." The Ereth officer said with what I assumed was a smile. For some reason, despite their humanoid appearance, I was having a lot of trouble deciphering Ereth facial expressions. "I will prepare a squad and escort them here." She said before turning to leave.


    "Thank you." I said with relief. Protection from the Ereth military was probably the best we could hope for. While I knew the Ereth''s power outside the range of their crystals and Divine Pirs was reduced greatly, they were still fearsome fighters.


    "You may pass." The Ereth guard said. "And good luck at tomorrow''s match, Keeper."


    I chuckled, thanked him, and stepped through the gate. As soon as I did, the white and golden colours of the city assaulted my senses.


    Exhausted, both emotionally and physically, I headed to the inn. All I wanted to do was fall asleep, but I knew that I wasn''t going to be able to sleep. The sight of that covered body and the child, asking me to help Alex''s sister... They would haunt me for a long time.


    It was probably written on my face that I didn''t feel good, because as soon as I stepped inside the inn, the innkeeper started pouring a drink.


    "You look like you went to the abyss and back."


    I chuckled. "It sure feels like it." I replied before sighing. "I don''t drink alcohol." I said, ncing at the ss, filled with a crimson coloured liquid.


    "I know," She said with a shrug. "This is juice, no alcohol."


    I hesitated. I wanted to go to sleep but...


    "A drink and a hot bath." She said with a warm smile. "You''ve already paid for the room and I won''t charge you for anything else."


    I relented. I sat on a stool by the bar and took a sip of my drink. I flinched, I hadn''t tasted anything like this before, it was bitter, warm, and fuzzy.


    "What is this?" I asked as I took another sip. It actually tasted pretty good ¨C just unusual.


    "Nectar of the bleeding trees." She said. I almost puked what I drank. "Bleeding trees?!" I asked in shock.


    "It''s just nectar, not blood." She said, trying to contain herughter. "It helps with sleep and enhances the flow of magic in your body." She chuckled. "For the Keeper of Souls, you sure are na?ve."


    I sighed and shook my head. "Thanks for the drink." I put the empty ss on the counter and got up. "I''ll take you up on that bath offer."

 Chapter 95: Once Again, Stepping into the Arena

    <h4>Chapter 95: Once Again, Stepping into the Arena</h4>


    Morninge; I exined the situation at Stonepatch Vige to the others. Samantha and Alina''s reactions basically boiled down to unintelligible weeping. Vincent barely contained his anger, while Joshua was more shocked than anything.


    As for Erik... He wasn''t there. He had left the inn as soon as he saw mee down the stairs. Despite everyone''s efforts to stop him, he had hurried off to the coliseum.


    As we now walked there together, I couldn''t help but feel somewhat angry. He was causing an unnecessary and meaningless divide in the group.


    "Oh, Kai." Alina said quietly, matching her steps to mine. "How will you fight with Erik by your side?" She asked with a worried expression. I sighed, that was something I was worried about too. I didn''t know if I could trust him on the battlefield anymore.


    I sighed. "It''ll be fine," I said, not believing a word I said. I wished I could talk to Erik ¨C convince him that he was being delusional, but I knew that wasn''t going to happen.


    We walked the rest of the way in silence, then separated from Alina and Samantha as they headed to the stands. Soon, it was just the three of us, being led to our room by an Ereth. He showed us the door, then left.


    "Kai," Vincent said after a moment. "What happened between you and Erik?"


    I flinched. I had hoped he wouldn''t ask. "Well," I said after a moment''s hesitation. "I guess you could call it a misunderstanding on Erik''s part." I shrugged. It was such a silly and meaningless thing that I almost felt embarrassed talking about it. "He thought I was trying to rece him. I think." I added.


    Joshua facepalmed as Vincent just sighed and shook his head. "Ok, yeah." He mumbled. "Just what we needed before the semi-finals ¨C high school drama." Joshuaughed while I just rolled my eyes.


    "Let''s go," Vincent said after his brother''sughter subsided. He pushed the wooden door to reveal the small room we were given. Inside, there was a table and a couple of benches, just likest time.


    Erik was sitting by the table, slowly and carefully cleaning his shield. He lifted his head and nced at us as we stepped inside. As his gaze fell on me, his face twisted, and his expression turned dark. I hesitated ¨C was it a good idea to try and talk to him now?


    "Erik!" It was Vincent who spoke first. He stopped right in front of the young pdin. "What the hell are you doing?"


    I flinched. Was this really the best way to go about this? I feared this would just make Erik even angrier and more guarded.


    "Nothing, what''s up with you?" Erik replied with a nk expression.


    "I''m angry is what''s up with me!" Vincent shouted. Joshua flinched and dropped the dagger he was holding while I almost choked on my own breath. "You are just so-"


    A knock on the door interrupted him. "Your match is about to begin," The Ereth who led us here said. "Please follow me."


    "Let''s go," I said before anyone could move. "We can talk about itter."


    Vincent clenched his fists, took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah."


    As we turned to leave the room, I could feel Erik''s deadly gaze on my back.


    It was only when I approached the door that I noticed something. Asher''s presence, orck thereof. Wasn''t he supposed to be in the city by now? I could only sense his presence faintly ¨C he was far away.


    I took a deep breath and took my sword from my inventory. "Let''s win this, then we can deal with everything else." We reached the massive metal gate as I spoke. Joshua and Vincent nodded while Erik remained silent. I could feel his anger ¨C he was blinded by it.


    "And now," The announcer''s voice echoed. "The undefeated Team Torchlight once again steps into the Arena!" As his words were met with loud cheering, the gates slowly creaked open once again. Before usy the sand covered floor of the arena. With a deep breath, I lightly grasped the hilt of my sword and stepped onto the sands.


    The sun burned my eyes as the crowd started cheering. I could barely hear the announcer among their roars.


    "And now, their rivals, the Four Swordsmen"


    The gates across the arena opened as four men stopped onto the sands. Each of them carried a different type of sword.


    The leftmost man was the tallest. He wore simple dark blue clothes that matched his hair. He carried a scimitar and from the way he was walking towards us, I could tell he wasn''t weak.


    The man next to him wasn''t exactly human. I could see a pair of horns on his head. In his clow-like hands, he carried a shortsword. While he looked somewhat intimidating, his posture gave away the fact that he didn''t really know what he was doing.


    Next up was the third man ¨C the one who stared at me intently. He was taller than me, wore simple leather armour and looked quite dangerous. From his posture alone, I could tell he was knowledgeable. He was a force to be reckoned with, it was clear as day. I nced at his weapon ¨C it was a greatsword. He was going to be a tough opponent.


    Thest of them was a short, slender man. He had a tail and scales on his body. He nervously fidgeted with his curved sword.


    "I''ll take the greatsword guy." I said quietly at Vincent and Joshua. "Keep an eye on Erik ¨C don''t let him interfere if he finishes his own opponent first."


    The Kestler brothers nodded. I nced at Erik. His deadly re was fixed on the man with the greatsword. He was going to try and take him on ¨C probably to prove himself. The simple fact that he was trying to ''regain respect'' was so stupid that I couldn''t even begin fathom it.


    "And with that, the semi-finals begin!" The announcer''s magically enhanced voice sounded. "Fight!"

 Chapter 96: The Semi-finals

    <h4>Chapter 96: The Semi-finals</h4>


    Erik dashed forward, straight towards the man with the greatsword. I motioned to follow him ¨C he stood no chance against that man.


    "Kai!" Vincent''s shout warned me of an iing attack. I rolled on the ground as a scimitar cut through the air where my neck was a moment ago. I quickly got back on my feet and shot an angry nce at the tall man. When had he moved so close to me?


    Tightly grasping the hilt of my sword, I lowered my body and dashed towards him. I had to finish this quickly, before Erik got hurt. Our des met with a loud, clear ng. My opponent grinned as I noticed a movement below. I motioned to retreat, but he kicked me before I could move.


    I fell down with the force of his kick. I quickly rolled to the side, only to see that it saved my life as his scimitar cut through the sand where my throat was just now. Was he trying to actually kill me or what?


    I leapt back up on my feet, now much more wary of my opponent. Both his attacks were made to vital areas, if I hadn''t dodged them, I''d be dead.


    "Where did that spirit go?" He asked with a disgustingly sly, mocking voice. "Scared?" I gritted my teeth. He was trying to rile me up, make me prone to mistakes.


    "Not really," I replied with a half smile as I slowly circled him. I didn''t dare take my eyes off him to nce at the others. "I''m just surprised to see you going for the kill."


    A loud ng threatened to distract me, but I kept my eyes on my opponent. All of a sudden, this had be a fight for my life. I couldn''t take any chances. I spun my sword, waiting for him to make the first move.


    We stared at each other for a while as the other three battles continued around us. Eventually, it was him who grew impatient and dashed towards me. I felt as if time had slowed down as my heartbeat quickened. I could see his actions clearly; I knew exactly what he was going to do.


    As he swung his de, aiming for my neck, I stepped back and let the de pass by perhaps a hair''s length away. Confused, annoyed and clearly irritated, he swung his scimitar again. I backstepped his attacks, waiting for him to lose his bnce while swinging wildly like this.


    Eventually, he overextended. Leaving himself wide open to a counterattack, he swung for my throat and narrowly missed. A wicked smile appeared on my lips as I used this chance to go on the offensive.


    He jumped back as soon as I attacked him, though he wasn''t fast enough to evade my attackpletely. My de touched his arm and left a shallow, clean cut behind. With a low-pitched scream, he backed off. I didn''t give him a chance to regain hisposure. My flurry of attacks left him with more bleeding cuts.


    "Stop!" He shrieked as I continued. I didn''t stop ¨C this man had aimed for my life; he wouldn''t have hesitated to kill me, and I doubted he''d have felt any remorse had he seeded. Unlike with Astrid and her allies, I felt no sympathy for him. In my eyes, he deserved nothing but utter defeat. And that was why I didn''t hesitate to wound him.


    I continued, with my purple eyes glowing with wrath, I attacked him relentlessly. How dare he got in my way now, while I was already busy with dealing with Erik and worrying about Asher! With each strike, I could see his face twist with fear.


    "I give up!" He shouted as my sword cut his left brow. "Stop!" He threw his weapon to the ground, his hands shivering in fear. I looked down at him for a moment before turning my back on him. The so far silent crowd roared as my gaze fell on Erik and his opponent.


    As I watched, Erik swung his sword wildly. His opponent didn''t even bother to block, instead he stepped back and prepared to swing his sword. His sword raised over his right shoulder, he waited for Erik''s wild swing to leave him open to a counter and swung with all his might.


    I drew a sharp breath as the man''s swing struck Erik''s shield with a loud ng. As I watched in disbelief, the young pdin flew backwards, all the way to the edge of the arena. He hit the wall with a thud, then slid down to the sand filled floor.


    "Erik!" Vincent shouted in a panic. Joshua was focused on his own battle; I didn''t think he was even aware of his surroundings.


    I dashed forward, towards the man with the greatsword. As I went past Vincent, I shouted. "Eyes on your enemy." He flinched and turned his gaze on his opponent.


    As I approached the man with the greatsword, he grinned. I could see it in his eyes, he was enjoying this. He loved the thrill of the fight.


    I stopped in my tracks, just out of his massive greatsword''s reach. Considering the strength he just demonstrated, I couldn''t risk taking a single direct hit from that sword. I lowered my body and readied my sword.


    It was him who struck first. He swung his massive sword, clearly aiming for my chest. Drawing a sharp breath, I rolled under the massive de and dashed towards him. I wasn''t going to give him any time to attack me. Naturally, he didn''t want to let me get much closer. He swung his sword again, this time trying to cut me in half.


    I narrowly sidestepped his attack and swung my sword, aiming for his left shoulder. He quickly raised his de to defend. I supressed my grin as I let go of my sword and caught it with my left hand. In that same motion, I stepped around him and cut the back of his knee.


    He shouted in pain as he fell on one knee. Almost immediately, I hit him in the head with the hilt of my sword.


    "Give up!" I hissed, finally cing the sharp edge of my de against his throat. "Don''t try anything stupid."


    He hesitated, then dropped his de. "I surrender." He loudly eximed.


    Only after the crowd started cheering did I pull my de away from his throat. I turned my back on him and stepped away. Now, all that remained was Vincent and Joshua''s battles. They were on even ground; both had sustained mild injuries ¨C I could see cuts and bruises on their arms ¨C but so had their opponents.


    The crowd shrieked suddenly, causing me to flinch. My heart skipped a beat as I noticed a shadow on the ground behind me. A muchrger shadow rose behind me, with a massive de in hand. It was aiming for my neck.


    I didn''t have time to evade that!

 Chapter 97: Divine Intervention

    <h4>Chapter 97: Divine Intervention</h4>


    Time slowed down as I watched the shadow of the massive de descend. The air grew heavier as I tried to move my body. My heart felt as if it were about to burst out of my chest. Was I really going to die here? Was this the end?


    Suddenly, the air grew thicker. It felt as if I was trying to move in jelly. With each passing second, the air solidified, eventuallypletely trapping me. I could feel the cold metal of the de touching my skin.


    "What is this?" My assant shouted. I could see from our shadows before me ¨C he couldn''t move either.


    "Enough!" Amanding voice echoed. It was only then I noticed ¨C the entire arena had frozen in ce. Joshua was in the air; he was leaping onto his falling opponent. Vincent was stuck in the middle of an attack. "We shall not tolerate any treacherous actions on this day!" The voice sounded.


    I tried to move as I felt incredible amounts of magic gather all around us. Yet, I couldn''t even move a single muscle. All I could do was wait for what''s toe.


    The crowd fell silent as I heard the sound of beating wings. Somethingnded a little ways behind me. I nced down to try and see its shadow.


    It was tall, much taller than me or the man whose sword leaned against my back. I could see two massive wings extending from its Body. A long tail slithered on the ground. On its head, I could see a pair of horns ¨C thick, curved horns that reminded me those of a ram.


    It reached out to the man behind me with its w-like hands. "None who disrespect the code of honour shall be tolerated." The male voice echoed. My heartbeat quickened ¨C what was going to happen?


    Magic crackled in the air around us. "Thee have attempted murder." The voice dered. "Thy punishment shall be equivalent to thine crime." The shadow raised its w-like hand as a de appeared seemingly out of thin air. With a swift motion, he cut the man''s head off.


    I flinched. As I watched the shadows, the head fell on the ground with a muffled thud. Then, the rest of his body copsed. The de leaning against the back of my beck slowly dropped to the ground.


    "This match is finished." The Ereth dered. "Thus, I dere the treacherous team disqualified." Magic cracked around us as the air finally stopped being solid. Vincent and Joshua fell on the ground as I slowly turned with shaky legs to face the Ereth.


    I barely reached his chest ¨C that was how tall he was. His face was covered by the hood of his ceremonial robes. I could see his two massive wings, they were almost asrge as mine, though they looked more like a bat''s wings rather than a bird''s.


    "Thee may leave now." He said. Despite being unable to see his eyes, I could feel his intense stare. His power was incredible ¨C He could probably toy with Vixia as she did with me.


    I gulped. What was I supposed to do now? I didn''t have a clue as to his identity. How was I supposed to respond to him? Was I supposed to bow? Kneel? Just nod?


    As these thoughts shed through my mind, he lifted his head and stretched his wings. With powerful beats of his wings, he flew back. As his wings raised the sands around me, I shielded my face with my arms. Only when he left could I breathe properly again ¨C at least until I my sight fell on the corpse.


    The cut off head''s expression was twisted with fear ¨C no, terror. Blood still seeped into the sand below. I felt nauseous and quickly looked away.


    "No!" The man I had just defeated shrieked a momentter. "No! No!" With tears in his eyes, he ran up to his friend''s body. I moved away, unable to bear the screams of the grieving man. "This is your doing!" He screamed as I slowly walked to the metal doors. "You killed him! Murderer!" His screams followed me as I finally stepped through the gates.


    "A healer will help your friend." The Ereth gatekeeper said as I brushed past him. "You-"


    "I''ll be in the room, please let my allies know." I said with a weak voice. I could still hear the man''s screams. With fast, uneven steps, I went into the room we were given and puked my breakfast to the small garbage can.


    I copsed on the ground. I felt sick to my very soul. A person had just died in front of me. A yer! A real human! A human!


    I couldn''t get the sight of his head falling to the ground out of my mind. I couldn''t forget the muffled thud as it touched the ground. I couldn''t forget his expression, frozen solid with terror.


    That could have been me, who died there. Or Erik, Vincent, Joshua, Alina, Samantha, Rina, Alex, Asher, Astrid-


    "Kai?" Alina''s gentle voice sounded as the door creaked open. "Oh my god, Kai!" She said, drawing a sharp breath. I quickly tried to hide my tears, but it was already toote. She ran up to me and knelt by my side. "Kai, what''s wrong?" She said wide eyed. I felt the soft warmness of her healing magic envelop me.


    "I''m not injured." I said with a catch in my voice. I didn''t want her to see me like this ¨C weak and broken.


    "I was so scared for you." She whispered, suddenly hugging me. "I thought you were going to die when he..." Her voice faded. "I''m d you''re ok." She finally said. She sniffed, wiped her tears, and got a piece of cloth out of her inventory. She used the ss of water on the table to wet in and gently wiped my face.


    I wanted to stop her ¨C I felt embarrassed enough already, but she firmly pushed my hand away. "The others will be here soon." She said as she fixed my hair and shook the sand particles off my hair. "Do you really want them to see you like this?"


    I was about to shrug when I noticed ¨C I did care. I needed them to trust me for the next fight. If they saw me weak and broken like this, would they follow me? The answer was clear. No one would follow a weak person into battle, irrelevant of their personal opinion on that person.


    I took a deep breath, then slowly stood up and dusted off my clothes. "You''re right." I said, forcing a bitter smile. She brought me some water so I could wash my face.


    "You''re lucky to be so pale." She said as I dried my face. "Even after you cry, your eyes don''t get red."


    I couldn''t help but smile. I heard the door creak open as I drank some water.


    Vincent, Joshua, Samantha, and Erik stepped inside.


    "Well," Joshua said after a moment of awkward silence. "That was weird, to say the least."


    "Yeah." I said. And this still wasn''t the end. We still had the final match tomorrow.

 Chapter 98: A Familiar Face on the Sands

    <h4>Chapter 98: A Familiar Face on the Sands</h4>


    "What was that?" Vincent asked after an awkward silence.


    "I couldn''t move at all." Joshua said. "It was weird."


    Vincent nodded. Samantha shook her head. "It was terrible, he just cut the man''s head off like it was no big deal." She clenched her fists, tightly grasping the cloth of her cloak.


    I sighed. "Whoever that was, he was the strongest person I''vee across." While that didn''t mean much to Erik and the others, it was quite a big deal to me. Even Vixia didn''t have that same presence as the Ereth. "We need to be careful, don''t do something stupid ¨C I don''t want any of us to end up like that." I said.


    "That should be said to you." Erik mumbled. I flinched. I was not in the mood to deal with his stupidity. I didn''t want to have yet another meaningless fight now.


    "What does that mean?" Vincent asked.


    "What do you think?" Erik asked with an agitated voice. Vincent raised his eyebrows, waiting for further exnation. Erik gritted his teeth but remained silent.


    "This isn''t getting us anywhere." I said, getting up and heading for the door. "Let''s go back to the inn. We should rest for tomorrow''s match."


    Erik red at me but remained silent. With a sigh, I stepped out of the room. We soon left the coliseum and returned to the inn. Our table in the back was empty, so we didn''t hesitate to order something to eat and sat around therge wooden table.


    Soon, the bartender brought our drinks. I couldn''t help but smile as she ced the ss of nectar in front of me. Then, she gave everyone their drinks and left without a word.


    "To Kai still being here with us." Alina said, raising her cup.


    "Yeah!" Vincent said.


    "To those who are no longer with us." I replied, also raising my ss. I couldn''t help but remember Alex as I spoke.


    "Why are you mourning the guy who tried to chop your head off?" Erik asked with a deadly re. "Do you think he''d mourn you if you died there?"


    I flinched. "That''s not what I meant." I said slowly. I didn''t want a fight, not right now. "He''s not the only one who died."


    Erik clenched his fists. "Then who is it?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "Who matters so much to you that you mourn them?" He made a vague gesture epassing everyone here. "Shouldn''t you be focusing on keeping everyone else alive?" I could see the anger and jealousy burning in his eyes.


    "Erik." Samantha suddenly chimed in. "It''s Alex''s sister, and most yers that were in Stonepatch vige." She said with a weak voice. "That''s what Kai was talking about this morning, after you left."


    The young pdin flinched. "What?" He looked at me with wide eyes. "People in Stonepatch vige?" He mumbled, almost in a daze.


    I nodded and exined what happened. Once I was done talking, Erik pushed his chair back and got up. "I''ll head to bed early." He mumbled and headed upstairs with wobbly, uneven steps. Confused, I nced at Vincent. He shrugged.


    "What''s up with him?" Joshua suddenly asked, finally breaking his silence. "He wasn''t close to anyone there and he borderline disliked Rina and Alex."


    "Maybe it just hit him that people actually die." Samantha said after a moment of silence. "After all, I''m sure he feels at least partially guilty about all of this."


    I sighed. "Probably," I said, taking another sip of nectar. "But that doesn''t excuse any of his behaviour. Anyways," I pushed my chair back. "I''ll head to my room too. I need some rest ¨C I didn''t get much sleep thesest few days." With that, I finished my drink and headed to my room.


    As I closed the door and threw myself on the white sheets of my bed, I reached out to a certain smug sorcerer. "Asher, where are you?"


    For a while, silence was all that I heard. Then, I felt the mental connection establish. "Busy guarding your friend''s caravan." His bored voice echoed in my mind. "Nothing attacked them so far, save for a couple of wolves, but I''ll keep an eye on them still, just to make sure."


    I sighed a breath of relief. "I wish you''d told me that before," I said with a faint smile. Knowing he was watching over Alex and Rina made me feel so much more at ease. "Anyways," I continued with a more serious expression. "A lot happened today..."


    Morninge, I descended the stairs to themon room and sat on our usual table. The sun had just dawned, so not many people were around.


    "Feeling better?" The bartender said as she brought me some fresh juice and a pretty nice breakfast. I smiled and nodded. "You could say that, thank you." I motioned to pay for my breakfast, but she stopped me. "I have a bet on you winning." She said with a grin. "So, if you want to pay me, just make sure you win."


    I couldn''t help butugh. "Don''t worry," I said with a smile. "I don''t n on losing. Not this one."


    The creaking floorboards caught my attention. I nced at the stairs to see Vincent and Joshuae down. "Good morning," Vincent said with a yawn.


    "I''ll bring you some breakfast too." The bartender said with a warm smile as she went back to the kitchen.


    "Did you sleep well?" Joshua asked me as he pulled a chair. "You seem well rested."


    I nodded. "Yeah, I''m feeling good." A smile appeared on my lips. "Let''s win this match."


    "Hell yeah!" Joshua said with a huge grin. Then, he flinched as a muffled, low rumble sounded. "Uh, after breakfast." He added. Vincent let out a loud, bellowingughter.


    Soon, the girls also came down. "Hey guys!" Alina said, showing us a beautiful smile. "Ready to win today?"


    All three of us nodded as they also sat with us. "Please look out," Alina continued. "Don''t risk your life for this, ok?"


    I faked a smile and lied. "Don''t worry."


    "No way he''s dying." Joshua said with a grin. "Even the Ereth royalty protects him!"


    Soon, Erik also came down and we left for the coliseum after finishing our breakfast. As we passed through the now very familiar hallway and approached the room we were given, I couldn''t help but feel almost nervous.


    We sat inside in silence. Everyone was on edge. This was the finale, if we won this, we''d get the support of the Ereth, if we lost... Well, I''d have to deal with Asher.


    A knock on the door sounded, causing us to jump on our feet. The Ereth pushed the door open. "The match is about to begin. Follow me."


    Just like that, we once again stood before the metal gates.


    "Team Torchlight is up once again!" The announcer''s voice echoed as the gates slowly creaked open, revealing the sand filled floor of the coliseum. With a deep breath, I stepped onto the sands. The crowd''s cheering almost drowned the announcer''s voice.


    As I walked to the centre of the arena, the others followed me.


    "And they are up against Team Shadowde!" The announcer shouted.


    The gates on the other side of the arena slowly opened, revealing a familiar face.


    A tall man with a slender build stepped onto the sand filled floor. His dark blue skin reminded me of the night sky. His yellow eyes stared into my soul as he walked, his allies following right behind him. A pair of thin, elegant hornspleted his devilish look perfectly. His blood red hair covered the left side of his face a little.


    As he and his group arrived at the centre of the arena, he stood right across me.


    "We meet again," He said as his lips formed a smile.


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