《Soulscapes of Aluria: Ashes to Ashes》 Prologue Jake looked upon the scene before him, his stoic eyes belying the despair growing in his heart. All across his ship, destruction and mayhem made themselves known. Multiple crew had already fallen overboard, no doubt either being drowned by the mad sea or dashed against the hull. The storm had long since ripped the sails to pieces and slammed the crows nest through the hull, causing the boat to take on water at an alarming rate. Despite this, Jake kept his grip taut on the helm, though the rutters had long since been destroyed. Violent angry waves crashed into the boat and rocked it to and fro with each passing moment, yet he stood strong. Even in the hopeless situation they found themselves in, Jake refused to let his men see him despair. It was not a matter of pride, rather a beacon of solidarity for his men. It more or less had the effect he was going for, as his men were running around the boat trying their damnedest to keep it afloat. If one man went over, another came to take his place. Just as always, they held their defiant attitudes against the odds, even knowing the boat would be their final resting place.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. An immense wave then crashed into the stern of the ship, knocking Jake into the helm and splintering it in two. The section with the wheel proceeded to firmly lodge itself in the fence in front of Jake. Before he knew what was happening, it was skewered into his stomach, effectively forcing him to stay aboard. Not that he planned on leaving. ¡°Way hay and up she rises!¡± Jake sang out, spitting out blood and water. ¡°Way hay and up she rises!¡± He cried out again, his men stopping and looking up at him. ¡°Way hay and up she rises!¡± He sang out a third time, his tears unseen in the rain. His men stood tall with smiles on their faces and fists on their hearts, saluting their captain with grim pride. ¡°Early in the morning!¡± they all sang, as a behemoth of a wave three times the boat capsized them. 1 - A Life Rekindled Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Insignificance (0/1) Class: N/A Vigor: 1/10 Spirit: 0/10 Insight: 10/10 Skills: N/A A green screen with black lettering was the only thing currently in Jake¡¯s vision. It confused him greatly, as this was never something he¡¯d seen before. What did it mean by Insignificance? Where had the screens even come from? He brushed those thoughts away, instead trying to focus on his surroundings. He was thus reasonably shocked when he found he couldn¡¯t focus on his surroundings, if they were truly even there. Everything around him was absolute darkness. Last he remembered, the boat he had been captain of for over 20 years, The Blue Rose, had sunk in a freak sea storm. He should by all means be dead, and perhaps he was, but he had a feeling he wasn¡¯t. As the boat capsized it had ripped his torso from the wheel, leaving his legs behind. He had been sure he wouldn¡¯t survive, his only thoughts of his crew and family. Sure, they weren¡¯t all perfect, but they had each others backs. Not one of his men had tried to escape in the final moments, instead choosing to go down with their captain. His only regret while sinking had been his mother and brother back in the mainland. They could continue on without him, as he had set contingencies beforehand, but he knew their lives would be much worse without him regardless. He protected them from many dangers in the world, and no one dared mess with his family as long as he had been alive. Now no one could stop the scum of the earth from disturbing his family¡¯s peace. He sighed mentally, knowing there was nothing he could do about it at the bottom of the ocean. The ocean? Yes, somehow he was quite certain this was still the ocean. Did that mean he could still try and get back to the mainland, in whatever form he was in now? There was a chance, and he refused to let it go if it meant he could get back to them. He began mentally pushing with all his might to try and push himself in any direction. It didn¡¯t matter what direction, it was all darkness anyways. As long as he could move. He strained with all his might, and at one point he swore he felt something when his vision was suddenly assaulted by another green screen. Insight -2 Vigor +1 Vigor 2/10 Insight 8/10 He suddenly forgot what he was doing as he felt some of his mental faculties disappear. He felt bulkier though, and big means good. [Woah there buccaneer! Slow your roll, before you get too dumb to realize you¡¯ll die.] A lax, airy tone stated this directly into his mind. Jake froze, suddenly very much aware of his current shortcomings. He tried to speak, but found himself lacking in the voice department. [By the way, don¡¯t worry too much about speaking right now. Considering what you are, trust me when I say that¡¯s the least of your concerns.] It stated this knowingly, leaving Jake unsure if they could read his intentions. [Name¡¯s Roger, or least it is now. I¡¯m what you¡¯d call a Minor Dark Intent. Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m evil, it just means the main Affinity of my Spirit is Darkness. It¡¯s a pretty common one down here.] He had a very nonchalant tone, as though this was something everyone should know. Jake was confused, which he could tell was going to be a pattern. First, why did this Intent, or whatever it called itself, have his first mate¡¯s name? Second, just what the hell is Spirit? The screens mentioned it before, along with Vigor and Insight. He could guess that Vigor was akin to strength or constitution and Insight to mental capacity. Insight +1 Insight 9/10 Skill Unlocked: Basic Reason 1/5 [Oh nice, I just felt that. I¡¯m guessing you were thinking about something if you got some Insight. Yeah, that¡¯s how you get more, which probably means you also got Basic Reason. That one¡¯s basically a gimme once you figure anything out, but rolling around is harder. I¡¯d recommend you wait until you¡¯ve become at least an Inferior Intent before you try it.] Roger¡¯s explanations were becoming both more confusing and more helpful.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. From what Jake could tell, Roger was a veritable well of knowledge on whatever he was now. If Roger told him not to try moving, he wasn¡¯t about to try it. Insight +1 Insight 10/10 That pretty much confirmed it for him, as he was starting to realize that the system only really rewarded correct thoughts. He still didn¡¯t know where it came from, but he at least knew it was giving accurate info. Basic Reason increased to 2/5 [Wow, you¡¯re really thinking up a storm there, aren¡¯t ya. I¡¯m glad I bubbled you, you¡¯re making great progress. Oh right, you probably don¡¯t know what that means. Well, to put it simply, you were dead. Sorry to be blunt, but it¡¯s the truth. You were just a bunch of Insight floating around, looking for a host or something. So I basically put you in a bubble of vigor, which made you a rational, thinking being. Well, as rational as a pirate-turned-Insignificance can be. After that, I put you inside my area, that way you¡¯re protected.] Jake supposed this was why it was so dark, considering Roger had called himself a Dark Intent. He decided he¡¯d think more on that in a moment, as he didn¡¯t want to miss whatever Roger was saying. [Sorry it¡¯s so dark by the way, but if I didn¡¯t hide you, oh boy would you be in real big trouble. See, right now, I¡¯m collecting Dark Spirit around me, which would kill you without a thought if you were on the outside.] Roger stated the last part in a disturbingly relaxed tone, but that seemed to simply be the way he spoke. Jake tried his best not to think about it. One thing did come across as interesting to him though. Roger stated something about Affinities earlier, and now he mentioned collecting Spirit. Jake was curious how he could do that and what the different Affinities were. If Dark was one, did that mean Light was another? Basic Reason increased to 3/5 Well that basically shouted yes in his face. He pondered to himself if there was anything else he may have been missing. As he thought this, he became aware of Roger talking again. He seemed to quite like talking. [...the different kind of Affinities I¡¯ve found. By the way, you should probably check your Status when you get the chance. Agh, now my Status popped up. Anyways, it¡¯ll help you figure out what you gotta do to get past Insignificance. I¡¯d be lying if I said it didn¡¯t take me a while.] Roger continued on mumbling something about finicky systems, then stopped talking. Jake supposed that was as good a step as any, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to open that screen. Roger did mention it was called Status, which- Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Insignificance (0/1) Class: N/A Vigor: 2/10 Spirit: 0/10 Insight: 10/10 Skills: Basic Reason 3/5 If Jake could yelp he would have, as his vision was suddenly filled with his Status screen. He really hoped that wasn¡¯t how easy it was to open it, as even an idle thought would blind him. Mentally shaking his head, he decided to instead focus on Insignificance, hoping the system would give him more info. Insignificance: A bubble filled with Insight with a shell of Vigor and any Spirit clustered at the center. Without any form of defense to speak of, even gathering life energies near one would kill it almost instantly. Roughly 3 mm in diameter and largely unnoticeable. Due to their small capacities and size they are unable to make any real impact on their surroundings. Race Change Goal(s): Create 1 Spirit Gem of any kind. Progress: 0/1 Spirit Gem(s) Jake¡¯s metaphorical jaw hit the invisible ground. He was currently 3 mm in diameter? It was no wonder he was so easy to kill, if even apebble was bigger than him. He needed to figure out how to protect himself, and soon. Basic Reason increased to 4/5 At that moment, he remembered what happened when he tried to roll earlier. He failed to do it, which he now assumed was because of Roger¡¯s area, but he did gain Vigor. It was at the loss of his Insight, but it had made him bigger. He decided right then to try and put more Insight towards his Vigor. [I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but improving your Vigor with Insight right now is not a good idea.] Roger still seemed chill as ever, but he was clearly chiding Jake for his poor judgement. [It¡¯s the hardestCore Energy to get more of, not to mention most important. Try gathering a bit of Spirit instead. It¡¯s confusing to do at first, but you can use it for pretty much anything. You can take some from me for now. Don¡¯t worry though, you won¡¯t hurt me.] Roger had taken on a more encouraging tone, which put Jake in a better mood. Maybe it was because of his name, but Roger¡¯s presence put Jake at ease. Jake stopped trying to convert Insight to Vigor and instead focused his efforts on gathering Roger¡¯s Spirit. It was all around him, how hard could it be? After what felt like 20 minutes, Jake was starting to get annoyed. He hadn¡¯t made any progress no matter what he tried, and he finally got tired of it. The system was no help either, as no new skill pop-ups of any kind came up. Frustrated, Jake realized he needed better communication with Roger. He wasn¡¯t able to control Spirit yet, and he didn¡¯t want to risk his Vigor, so he decided to use Insight. He¡¯d used it before multiple times, so it was the most familiar to him. He mentally pushed at his barriers, this time only trying to get his thoughts out rather than move himself. He turned his thoughts into a thin point, attempting to prick past the barrier. Just when he thought it wouldn¡¯t give, he suddenly felt it pop through. [Greetings.] That was the only word Jake sent through, and he felt a little embarrassed considering how long Roger had been talking to him. Skill Unlocked: Mental Speech Skill Unlocked: Inferior Insight Control 1/5 2 - Goodbye Insomnia [Woah! Nice man, you unlocked Mental Speech. Now we can get into it for real!] Roger sounded unbelievably excited, as if Jake were the first person he¡¯d ever spoken to. [Is that weird? I remember you telling me not to try yet, but it was way easier than trying to gather Spirit. I still haven¡¯t done that! How long have I even been trying?] Jake sounded more than slightly miffed. No matter how long he had tried, nothing worked, and he was sick of it. [Totally weird, man. Only reason I figured out how to talk to you is cause you¡¯re, like, all up in my Insight already. It was way easy. You¡¯re pretty much forcing your Insight out of yourself to talk! That takes control, man.] Roger sounds genuinely impressed, which brought no small amount of joy to Jake. At the moment Roger was literally his world. Jake recalled all the moments in his life he remained calm in the face of danger. They were a great deal more than he could count, though whether that was from the sheer amount or his currently limited mind, he wasn¡¯t sure. He simply knew many people had found his mental infallibility quite impressive in life. [Well thanks for the compliment. But there¡¯s one question that¡¯s been nagging at my mind for a while now. Why do you have the name Roger now? By the sound of it, that wasn¡¯t always your name.] Jake was satisfied to finally be able to ask that question. [Oh, that¡¯s simple man. When I found you, I also found a bunch of loose Insight hanging around you. I gathered it up, and the name Roger stuck out. It was so choice, I stuck with it. Why, was it important to you? I can change it if you want.] Jake felt oddly touched at the offer, but also wistful. [No, that¡¯s ok, it was the name of my first mate when I was alive. You can keep the name though, it suits you. Besides, it feels like he¡¯s living on through you in a way.] Jake sincerely meant the last part. If anyone should have Roger¡¯s name, it¡¯s the being that saved his life. [That¡¯s awesome man, I¡¯m real glad you think so. By the by, now that you can talk, what¡¯s your name?] [Jake. Jake Ryder Lockstead.] [Nice name, Ryder, I really dig it. Mind if I call you Ryder by the way? I dunno why, but it feels right.] Jake wasn¡¯t surprised at this, Roger used to call him Ryder as well. Well, Captain Ryder, but it was all the same to him. [Not at all, go right ahead. By the way, Roger, how do I gather Spirit? I haven¡¯t been able to figure it out yet.] [That¡¯s so weird man, you¡¯ve been trying for like a month straight I think. You gotta absorb it through your bubble, man. Just picture it, like, passing right through, like the wall isn¡¯t even there. It¡¯s gonna be slow at first, but you¡¯ll get it. I believe in you, Ryder.] Jake was in shock once again, no surprise. He had absolutely no idea he had taken a month trying to figure it out. Perhaps time flow was something he didn¡¯t have a natural skill for? No, more likely he was just so engrossed he didn¡¯t notice how much time went by. Being stuck in absolute darkness probably made it easier to lose track. Basic Reason increased to 5/5 Basic Reason upgraded to Complex Reason 1/10 Just like that, Jake felt his mental faculties increase ten fold. Suddenly, he remembered how to do basic algebra and that tomato doesn¡¯t belong in a fruit salad. It became ten times easier for him to deduce what he had been doing wrong. The entire time, he had all his Insight tightly clumped in his center, for fear something would steal it from him. Now, he passively let it float out until it filled his entire bubble. Upon doing this, he immediately retracted it all back. The sheer presence of Spirit made him think he was about to die. Inferior Insight Control increased to 2/5 After a moment, he realized he wouldn¡¯t die and cursed himself for his momentary lapse. This time he deliberately spread it out evenly across his bubble, unflinching when he felt the massive amount of energy again. Inferior Insight Control increased to 3/5 He tried cautiously thinning a small section of his Vigor bubble and was pleasantly surprised when he felt the Spirit around him begin to trickle in. After what felt like a few seconds, he felt his bubble was mostly full and strengthened it again. He then called up his status. Dark Spirit +7 Spirit: 7/10 (Dark 7) Skill Unlocked: Inferior Spirit Gathering 1/5 Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Insignificance (0/1) Class: N/A Vigor: 2/10 Spirit: 7/10 (Dark 7) Insight: 10/10 Skills: Complex Reason 1/10, Inferior Insight Control 3/5, Inferior Spirit Gathering 1/5, Mental Speech (Innate)If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [Awesome work, Ryder, I felt that little trickle. That might not seem like much now, but you gotta know that¡¯s just the start. Things are gonna get really interesting now. Next, you should probably try and fill yourself up with it. That¡¯ll let you finally sleep.] Jake was surprised to hear that. He hadn¡¯t even realized he hadn¡¯t slept yet. [Do I actually need sleep though? If that¡¯s the case, it would probably make more sense to not reach it.] This felt like a true statement, but when the system said nothing, he had a feeling it was probably untrue. Reluctantly, he repeated the same process while holding his status open to make sure he didn¡¯t overdo it. Dark Spirit + 3 Spirit 10/10 (Dark 10) Inferior Spirit Gathering increased to 2/5 Complex Reason increased to 2/10 Skill Unlocked: Sleeping Jake couldn¡¯t believe his non-eyes. Sleeping was a skill. That seemed more absurd than anything else he could¡¯ve imagined. Though he supposed it only made sense, considering he hadn¡¯t been able to do it before then. Jake somehow instinctively knew how to do it after the skill unlocked, so he immediately tried it. He hadn¡¯t expected just how quickly it would happen. * ??????????????????????*?????????????????????* Jake opened his eyes in a blank white expanse. He looked down at himself in momentary surprise, shocked to see his body again. Though, he supposed, if he was asleep, it would only make sense that he would have his body in his dreams. The only alternative was that he was now truly dead, and he didn¡¯t like that dead seemed more likely. Jake tried calling up his Status and was relieved but also oddly disappointed when it came up. Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Insignificance (0/1) Class: N/A Vigor: 2/10 Spirit: 10/10 (Dark 10) Insight: 10/10 Skills: Complex Reason 2/10, Inferior Insight Control 3/5, Inferior Spirit Gathering 2/5, Mental Speech (Innate), Sleeping (Innate) He was surprised to see Sleeping was now Innate, as it was still a bit unclear what it meant. Would those skills now always be with him? He supposed that only time would tell. Jake then began looking around and soon after came face to face with a massive wall of darkness. This was probably the Dark Spirit he had collected from Roger. Looking at it then, he remembered something important. He pulled up his Status again and looked at the description of his race. Insignificance: A well of Insight within a bubble of Vigor with any Spirit clustered at the center. Without any form of defense to speak of, even gathering life energies near one would kill it almost instantly. Roughly 3 mm in diameter and largely unnoticeable. Due to their small capacities and size they are unable to make any real impact on their surroundings. Race Change Goal(s): Create 1 Spirit Gem of any kind. Progress: 0/1 Spirit Gem(s) He had no idea what a Spirit Gem was, but he assumed it had to do with the wall of Dark Spirit in front of him. He reached out and tried bringing some to his hand. It almost immediately moved, shrouding his hand in darkness. That would be useful if he could do it while awake. Jake sighed, grateful for the ability to do so, and pulled the rest of the Spirit into his hands. He knew from past knowledge that gemstones were made with immense pressure. At least, that¡¯s what he¡¯d heard from scholars during his little time on land, and he hoped that logic would carry over. He began squeezing it between his hands, but quickly stopped when he noticed it wasn¡¯t working. Every time he squeezed it, it would simply ooze between his fingers. It was clear that wouldn¡¯t work but he wasn¡¯t sure what would. Perhaps he needed to use his control over it, as he had before. He tried doing this in combination with active squeezing and was satisfied to see it was no longer oozing. Encouraged by this result, he continued on, pressing and molding it into as small a sphere as he could manage. When it finally stopped shrinking it was about the size of an orange. Satisfied, he released it into the air and watched as it began expanding and losing its shape. He quickly grabbed it out of the air and compressed it back down. He would stay there as long as it took until he got it. He desperately needed to do this, he was tired of living in Roger¡¯s literal shadow. He wanted to see the ocean again, he wanted to explore, he wanted¡­ his family. He wanted to go back home, see his family again, squeeze them as tight as he could, and protect them like he used to. Jake reopened the race description again, this time focusing on Spirit Gem. He was sincerely hoping that he wouldn¡¯t always need to go through so many layers to find what he needed every time. However, he was satisfied when it did in fact bring up a description of the Gems. Spirit Gem: A small, perfectly round, hollow sphere made of Spirit. The smallest version, an Inferior Spirit Gem, increases Spirit Capacity for the specific Gem Affinity by 10. Larger versions can be made at higher levels of the skill Spirit Gem Creation. Well that seemed to be of no help, considering he didn¡¯t even have Spirit Gem Creation. He tried focusing on the skill name, but no info came up. It was either too many layers deep or he couldn¡¯t see it if he didn¡¯t have it. He assumed the latter. Luckily, on the second look over the description, something did stand out. Hollow. He¡¯d been making a solid object the entire time, when it seemed he actually needed an empty vessel. It was just like a boat, it needed some hollow space in order to actually be effective. Complex Reason increased to 3/10 Invigorated by both his newfound reasoning and the hope he could actually do something, he began tightening the inside of the orb in his hands. It was a complex and daunting process; anytime he pulled too hard the outside would loosen, but it also grew easier with progress. Once the inside was as hollow as he could make it, he began to compress it down. It was nowhere near as small as it was before, now the size of a melon, but he could tell it was working. The outside of the orb was tightly packed with Dark Spirit, allowing for just as much Spirit to be compressed inside. Satisfied with what he made, not to mention much more confident, he released it into the air. It briefly jittered, nearly dashing his hopes, but remained relatively stable otherwise. Inferior Dark Spirit Gem successfully created; Dark Spirit Capacity +5. Spirit -10 Spirit 0/10, Dark 0/5 Skill Unlocked: Inferior Spirit Gem Creation 1/5 Race Evolution now possible! 3 - Not Even The Final Form Jake suddenly felt empty, like he had just went a day without eating. He also found himself getting a bit giddy, hopping from foot to foot. He could finally Race Evolve, whatever that meant. He was realizing that, in some way, he was actually beginning to enjoy the boxes. They rewarded him for active thinking and genuine effort, which he had available in spades. He hurriedly opened his status to see what had changed. Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Insignificance (Change Possible) Class: N/A Vigor: 2/10 Spirit: 0/10, Dark 0/5 Insight: 10/10 Skills: Complex Reason 3/10, Inferior Spirit Gem Creation 1/5, Inferior Insight Control 3/5, Inferior Spirit Gathering 2/5, Mental Speech (Innate), Sleeping (Innate) Without even another second of thought he selected the change prompt. He felt slightly overwhelmed by the quantity of races he had available. Hopefully, the number would go down in the future, otherwise it would be quite hard to decide which route to take. Races Available: Inferior Life Intent Inferior Soul Intent Inferior Mind Intent Inferior Light Intent Inferior Dark Intent Greater Insignificance Before he made any decisions he made sure to read the descriptions of each of them. He started with Greater Insignificance, as that was most likely to not be his choice. That way, he could start crossing things off the list of options quickly. Greater Insignificance: The bubble has now increased in both size and strength through a tougher Vigor shellwith Insight rotating more rapidly inside to create a form of pressure seal. Though somewhat harder to kill, they still haven¡¯t improved much. They are 3.5 cm in diameter and can only make the smallest of changes on their surroundings. They gain even but small improvement of all capacities. Inferior Life Intent: Has changed into a solid core of Vigor with Insight and Spirit tightly packed in the center. Has nearly the toughness of a diamond, but as a result loses out on mobility and reduces possible circulation for Insight. Roughly 8.5 cm in diameter. Greatly increases Vigor capacity but does nothing for Spirit and slightly reduces Insight. Inferior Soul Intent: Has changed into a mist-like being made of a cloud of Spirit and small amounts of Vigor throughout with Insight hidden deep inside. Is now capable of using Spirit in basic ways to attack aggressors, but they are lacking in terms of defense as a result. Roughly 50 cm in diameter. Decently increases Spirit capacity with small improvements to both Insight and Vigor. Inferior Mind Intent: Has changed into a set of over 100 tendrils made of Spirit with a thin line of Insight inside each. These channels are each coated in a layer of Vigor to give more consistency. They are mainly focused on rapid intentional movement and reactions to confuse opponents. Roughly 15 cm in diameter. Sizably increases Insight Capacity with some improvements for Spirit but none for Vigor. Inferior Light Intent: Has changed into a floating gelatinous cube made of Light Spirit with Insight webbing throughout it to allow fluid movement. Vigor is deep inside so as to be almost impossible to see from outside. Uses Light Spirit to change light around itself and become translucent or become bright enough to blind enemies and escape. Roughly 15 cm in diameter. Sizably increases Light Spirit Capacity with some improvement for Insight but none for Vigor. Inferior Dark Intent: Has changed into a thick sludge made primarily Dark Spirit with Vigor permeating it to increase viscosity. Insight is deep inside and hard to find, but also struggles to move around in the sludge. Blocks any possible vision through it and makes escape and attacks almost impossible to accomplish. Has a volume of roughly 4 liters. Sizably increases Dark Spirit Capacity with some improvement for Vigor but none for Insight. Right off the bat he could cross Insignificance off the list. He wasn¡¯t interested in continuing to be a bubble, he desperately needed independence. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to keep bothering Roger because he knew for a fact that he would continue supporting Jake as long as he needed it. The sooner he didn¡¯t, the better. A Life Intent sounded interesting considering it sounded nigh invincible. His only concern was that he would end up a meathead, and that wasn¡¯t how he wanted to live. His mind was his greatest asset and had served him well, at least until he died. Dark Intent was also off the table because Roger was already a Dark Intent and he didn¡¯t want to create any issues there. He could have been wrong, but either way he didn¡¯t want it to be a concern. Roger already did enough for him with how much he supported Jake, the least he could do was change it up. Jake almost chose Light Intent, until he thought about it and realized he wouldn¡¯t have access to Light Spirit at the moment. It was a shame too, as invisibility sounded like it could be incredibly useful for gathering Spirit and crafting Gems in his Soulscape. It was certainly the fastest way to stop bothering Roger, but it simply wasn¡¯t an option. That only left Soul and Mind. Mind sounded very interesting with its clearly fast paced method of survival, but he had yet to do much with Spirit. Besides that, Jake already had decent control of his Insight and he wasn¡¯t really sure how it could improve. He needed more versatility, and since he already wasn¡¯t going down the defensive route, that left the aggressive one. Jake¡¯s mind made up, he selected Inferior Soul Intent. The red lettering that appeared at the bottom afterwards sent a shiver down his spine. Warning, you are currently within your Soulscape. Attempting a Race Change in this state will subtract 50% from Evolution timer but also put you in a stasis similar to nonexistence. This has been known to cause mental trauma. Would you still like to continue with this process? Evolution Timer: 1 hour (30 min. in Soulscape) At least now he knew what this area was called, but it unnerved him nonetheless. He briefly considered staying, then thought better of it considering the relatively short timer. He wasn¡¯t sure how to leave his Soulscape however, short of waking up, but he didn¡¯t know how to do that. Maybe he could try reconnecting to his outer self? Jake sat down and closed his eyes, trying his best to enter a meditative state like he¡¯d seen in the past. He stayed there for a while slowly expanding his Insight in every direction, eventually realizing this space was practically endless. So he simply focused on breathing and calming his mind. It would come to him when it came to him. Inferior Insight Control increased to 4/5 As he was doing this he slowly pulled his insight back in until it reached him. He then tried inverting it, pulling it into his body, and was satisfied when he found it possible. Upon doing this he quickly realized it permeated his entire body, so he constricted it even further. He was determined to find the center of Insight in his body. Jake breathed methodically, pulling his Insight with every inhale and holding it in place with every exhale. He wasn¡¯t surprised when eventually it reached his head, but was when he noticed something seemed off. There was a channel at the back of his mind that didn¡¯t seem to have any Insight ever flow into it. He began reaching for it with the lightest touch of Insight, using all his will to maintain his control.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Inferior Insight Control increased to 5/5 Inferior Insight Control upgraded to Minor Insight Control 1/10 Just like that, it became ten times easier for him. Not only that, he also gained a higher level of understanding of the channels within him. And luckily for him, the one he was reaching for was directly related to consciousness. With one final exhale, he pushed his Insight through the channel and felt it all rush down his spine. *??????????????????????*??????????????????????* Jake felt his entire consciousness wrench awake all at once, which would¡¯ve given him a headache if he were capable of it. As it was, he simply felt odd not feeling even the slightest bit tired. He would have to make a habit of that, as he had greatly enjoyed his full body while it lasted. [So, you¡¯re finally awake? You were trying to change your Race, right? Then got stopped by the System Warning?] Roger then paused, doing something akin to shaking his head. [Sorry about that man, weird vibe went over me. Anyway, yeah, it¡¯s not always a bad idea to do that. For example, right now I¡¯m a Greater Dark Intent. Took me a day to Evolve. It would¡¯ve taken 2 if I hadn¡¯t done it in my Soulscape.] Roger paused again, this time for a much longer time. [I just¡­ Ryder, if you aren¡¯t sure you can handle it, don¡¯t do it. I barely got out of it intact, man. It¡­ it was the worst.] This was the shakiest Jake had ever heard Roger¡¯s voice before. He sounded like he would¡¯ve been crying if he could. [Hey, it¡¯s ok Roger, you¡¯re out now. It¡¯s over now, you¡¯re back, I¡¯m here. I promise I won¡¯t do it unless I¡¯m absolutely sure I can handle it.] Jake stated this in a firm tone, as an attempt to reassure Roger. [You just relax and do whatever it is you do to relax, ok? Maybe do something interesting with your Spirit? I¡¯m going to Evolve now, but I¡¯ll be right here.] Jake pulled the Evolutionbox back up and selected Inferior Soul Intent. Evolution Timer: 1 hour (30 min. in Soulscape) Are you sure you would like to continue? He confirmed the prompt and immediately felt his capabilities reduce. Whereas his Insight was normally swirling gently when he didn¡¯t control it, in that moment it felt like a thick immovable sludge. His thoughts also felt like that, but he found himself unable to really worry about it. He wasn¡¯t sure why though. As practice, and because he couldn¡¯t do much else, he tried counting out the seconds. He felt like he was already good at it, plus he really wanted the skill for it. He kept on counting and counting until he counted out a total of five minutes. As he finished doing so, he felt the Insight around him begin to swirl again as his thoughts quickened. Race Evolution complete! Base Vigor Capacity now at 15. Base Spirit Capacity now at 25. Base Insight Capacity now at 15. Skill Unlocked: Basic Time Awareness 1/5 Skill Unlocked: Inferior Spirit Symbiosis 1/5 If Jake felt empty before, he now felt like a veritable chasm, and now in every possible way. He became distinctly aware of his mental limits and paper thin physical protection. He would need to ask Roger how he could fix that as soon as possible. Also, he realized just how poorly he was registering time. Luckily, now that he was aware of it, he could improve upon it. Complex Reason increased to 4/10 Jake paused for a moment, remembering Spirit Symbiosis. He had no idea what that could possibly mean, so he looked at the description. Spirit Symbiosis: Allows for the direct sharing of Spirit with others for an increased gradual return to yourself. 10 + 1n% increased return for shared Spirit as long as you have the necessary capacity. Current rate is 10 + 1n% over 2 min/1 Spirit where n equals skill rank. Well that would definitely make keeping track of time easier. He also supposed that was why Roger didn¡¯t mind sharing his Spirit with him, especially if the skill was at a higher level for him. Speaking of Roger, he needed to make sure he was doing ok. Before Jake Evolved, Roger was in a bad spot mentally. [Hey Roger, how¡¯s it going? Are you feeling at all better?] He sincerely hoped the answer was yes, or even just a casual statement. [Huh? Oh, you¡¯re done Ryder? Awesome work, I can probably actually let you out now. You¡¯ll probably outgrow me soon, man.] Roger still didn¡¯t sound all there, which made Jake sorely regret doing his evolution so quickly. [What do you mean I¡¯ll outgrow you? You¡¯re already way bigger than me, there¡¯s no way I could catch up now.] He asked the question already knowing the answer. [I¡¯m done, man. I don¡¯t want it anymore. I don¡¯t want to be frozen for so long anymore. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t always talk to you, I¡¯m stuck in stasis. And I can¡¯t anymore, it¡¯s killing my vibe. I¡¯ll stick with you, don¡¯t think I won¡¯t, but I can¡¯t keep going. I can¡¯t keep growing. Being stuck in my Soulscape ¡®til I wake up or being stuck in stasis waiting out the timer, I just can¡¯t do it.] Jake hated the fact that he saw it coming. He¡¯d heard men struggle with this back when he was a captain. The moment they said they couldn¡¯t do it anymore, that was it. There was nothing that could be done except take them back to land. Except there was no land for Roger. All he had was Jake as far as he knew, and that wouldn¡¯t be enough to pull him through every growth period. [You don¡¯t know how to leave your Soulscape?] Jake was surprised at this, he figured Roger knew most, if not all the things he did. [Nah man, I can¡¯t figure it out. I can¡¯t figure out how to bail so I¡¯m stuck for days. I used to feel super amped about making some new gems, but now it sucks. It¡¯s not a big deal though, I got your back no matter what Ryder.] Jake knew he meant the last part, so he decided to let it go for the time being. [In any case, I think it¡¯s about time I get out of you, Roger. I think I should be safe outside, especially with Spirit Symbiosis. Actually, I have an idea now that I think about that. Do you think we¡¯d be able to form a link that supplies both of us with energy at the same time?] Insight +1 Insight 11/15 Complex Reason increased to 5/10 With that Jake knew the answer was probably yes. Jake allowed a connection between his and Roger¡¯s spirit to open and felt the Spirit start rolling in. Inferior Spirit Symbiosis increased to 2/5 Inferior Spirit Symbiosis increased to 3/5 Inferior Spirit Gathering increased to 3/5 Wow, he had never seen a skill increase by two levels at once. Maybe it was even better decision than he thought. With that set up, he decided to check his status and see what the next step for Race Evolution was. Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Inferior Soul Intent (0/2) Class: N/A Vigor: 2/15 Spirit: 0/25, Dark 0/5 Insight: 10/15 Skills: Basic Time Awareness 1/5, Complex Reason 5/10, Inferior Spirit Gem Creation 1/5, Inferior Spirit Gathering 3/5, Inferior Spirit Symbiosis 3/5, Mental Speech (Innate), Minor Insight Control 1/10, Sleeping (Innate) Inferior Soul Intent: Has changed into a mist-like being made of a cloud of Spirit and small amounts of Vigor throughout with Insight hidden deep inside. Is now capable of using Spirit in basic ways to attack aggressors, but they are lacking in terms of defense as a result. Roughly 50 cm in diameter. Decently increases Spirit capacity with small improvements to both Insight and Vigor. Race Change Goal(s): Create at least 5 Spirit Gems of any one kind of Spirit, excluding Light and Dark. Progress: 0/5 Water Gems 0/5 Air Gems 0/5 Lightning Gems 0/5 Earth Gems 0/5 Fire Gems Get Spirit Gathering up to Minor Spirit Gathering 5/10 Progress: Inferior Spirit Gathering 3/5 Jake certainly had his work cut out for him, but before he could do anything, he needed to leave the safety Roger was providing. He had no way of gathering the Spirit he required from where he was. [Roger, I think I¡¯m ready to be let out now. Is it safe for me to leave?] Jake was honestly unsure of the answer. And considering Roger was probably massive by that point, he needed to be sure that the edges weren¡¯t fraught with danger. [Yeah man, lemme get you outta there. Get ready though, you probably won¡¯t see this coming.] Jake had no idea just how true that statement would turn out to be. 4 - Symbios-is The Way As soon as Jake was practically jettisoned out of Roger, his metaphorical jaw hit the ground. The plethora of different Intents floating around caught him completely off guard. He was prepared to see maybe a dozen different beings but there were probably over a hundred all at different stages of Evolution everywhere. He then turned back to Roger, or rather shifted his attention, as his vision was currently a 360 view and immensely confusing. Even with his large misty form he still felt dwarfed in comparison to the massive slow moving darkness that was Roger. He reached out with his Insight to speak to him but found it was almost impossible through the thick Vigor-Darkness sludge. At least now he knew why it was so hard for Roger to send out his Insight, considering his body was practically a solid object. Good to know that solid objects stopped it from flowing. [Helloooooo, anyone in there? Geez, what is your Insight, 1?] Jake suddenly became aware of an annoyed feminine voice talking to him. He focused in on it, which was technically in the opposite direction he was focusing. He desperately needed to learn to spread his awareness if it was truly that easy to sneak up on him. In any case, the being he saw was unlike any of the descriptions he had seen, which he assumed meant it was a more advanced race. They seemed to be some form of orb with a blue aura surrounding them. From what he could tell it was almost entirely made of Spirit, so much so it was constantly spilling out around them. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but just from looking he could tell they were definitely female. Perhaps it had something to do with their aura? [Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there. I was focused on just how many people there are here.] Jake wasn¡¯t sure if he could trust her but it was still technically the truth. [Whaddya mean ya didn¡¯t see me? You should be able to see everything at once, what¡¯s wrong witcha?] Jake was wondering the same thing if it was truly that easy to do. [Sorry, I recently went through a Race Change, I¡¯m feeling a bit dazed. Also, I didn¡¯t catch your name.] Even if he didn¡¯t trust her, he could still try to be courteous. No sense making enemies of the first people he met. [That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t tell ya.] She stated this in a rather matter-of-fact way. [Ah. Well, can you tell me?] Jake was confused by her strange manner of speaking. [Nope. But I can take ya where ya gotta go.] [And where would that be?] Hopefully Jake could get something out of her if anything. She had been nothing if not incredibly vague. [To Morkin, the leader here. What, are ya livin¡¯ under a rock? Actually, nevermind, you actually mighta. Or under... whoever that is.] Jake was surprised when she literally pointed with her aura. He turned his attention and found her pointing at Roger. He would¡¯ve been lying if he said he wasn¡¯t slightly miffed by her almost disgusted tone towards him. [Do you mean Roger? Yeah, I guess I was under him.] He didn¡¯t want to be too vague, just in case she was quick to anger. [That sludge pile has a name? We just use ¡®em as an example of why not to go down the Dark Spirit path. Didn¡¯t even know they had Insight, ta be honest witcha.] Jake had to stop himself from having an outburst, especially considering he didn¡¯t know this woman. Hopefully this wouldn¡¯t be the norm with her. [Anyways, let¡¯s getcha outta here, it¡¯s dark and stuffy. By the way, good choice with the Soul Intent. Any other path and I probably woulda just killed ya here.] Jake was caught off guard by how nonchalantly she stated this, as though it were a daily occurence. If it, in fact, was a daily occurence, he would need to leave as soon as possible. But only after he figured out how to take Roger with him, of course. At this point they started heading away from Roger, which bothered Jake greatly. He hadn¡¯t figured out how to speak with him yet, and he knew it needed to happen soon. Isolation would do him no good in his current mental state, but an angry mob of hundreds of beings would be worse. He¡¯d just have to figure out how to do it later. Inferior Spirit Symbiosis increased to 4/5 Inferior Spirit Gathering increased to 4/5 Jake paused upon seeing this, then continued on after he heard the woman huff impatiently. Was that connection still active between them? It had to be if he just gained a bonus to those skills. After thinking on it for a moment, he tried sending Insight through the connection. [Roger, can you hear me?] [Loud and clear, man. How are you doing that, Ryder?] Roger sounded tense but relieved to hear him.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [That connection I made with you, it¡¯s letting me send Insight right to your core and speak with you. I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can, don¡¯t worry. This woman told me I needed to speak to their leader so that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing. By the way, when you were gathering Insight around me, was there anyone else around?] [Yeah, there were a couple others, but I wasn¡¯t really checking out what they were doing. I was making sure you were all good before anything else. Why, another name come up, man?] Roger was already starting to sound more relaxed, which was a great relief. [Yeah, the name Morkin. I know you probably don¡¯t remember it, seeing as how that isn¡¯t actually part of your memories, but for me it was an old deckhand we had. If I remember, he was one of the first people that went over when the sea storm started. Poor bastard was running to warn his crewmates when a wave suddenly crashed into the boat, rocking it and sending him overboard. Gods above, we would have helped him but it only got worse from there. He was the first to go over, but he unfortunately wasn¡¯t the last.] Jake¡¯s speech grew faster and faster as he described the scene before ending on a low somber note. Whether he realized it or not, there was a certain level of trauma left behind. [Wow man, it sounds like what happened really messed you up. I don¡¯t blame you though, that¡¯s a pretty gnarly situation to be in. But you should probably pay more attention to what¡¯s going on, I¡¯ll talk to you when you get back man.] Roger sounded sympathetic yet touched that Jake had confided in him. [Alright then, I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯ve met their leader.] With that he pulled his Insight back through the connection and returned focus to his immediate surroundings. Insight +2 Insight: 13/15 Jake clearly hadn¡¯t been paying attention for a good long while, as he had no idea where he was at the current moment. Even though he technically couldn¡¯t feel, the heat from his surroundings was still terrifying with its intensity. He could tell that one wrong move would spell disaster, but he had no fear of mistakes. His current form was leagues more coordinated than the average human body, even as a disembodied mist. [Are we almost there, miss? Sorry to seem impatient, it¡¯s just our surroundings have seemingly gotten a lot more dangerous.] Jake sincerely hoped she hadn¡¯t already tried speaking with him, otherwise he probably seemed like a useless fool. [Oh, back with the livin¡¯ are ya? Can¡¯t even begin to tell ya the amounta times I tried talking to ya, but you just wouldn¡¯t notice. You really do got somethin¡¯ wrong with ya, dontcha?] With that Jake¡¯s hopes were dashed, as he clearly came across like a complete buffoon. [I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ve been focusing on gathering Spirit and wasn¡¯t paying attention.] Speaking of which, Jake actually gathered some of the Spirit around him while he was at it. At least then he wasn¡¯t a liar. Fire Spirit +5 Spirit: 20/25 (Dark 15, Fire 5), Dark: 5/5 Fire Spirit, in the ocean? Jake¡¯s metaphorical jaw nearly hit the ground, the realization sending him reeling. He¡¯d heard of things like underwater heat pockets while on land, but he simply chalked them up to inane theories made by bored magicians and scholars. To think they were actually grounded in reality was nothing if not perspective shifting. He gathered up enough for a gem later then stopped focusing on that entirely, for the moment filled to the brim. Fire Spirit +5 Spirit: 25/25 (Dark 15, Fire 10), Dark: 5/5 Inferior Spirit Gathering increased to 5/5 Inferior Spirit Gathering upgraded to Minor Spirit Gathering 1/10 Just like that, Jake understood how to more efficiently gather Fire Spirit, realizing that he had been gathering it in much the same way he did Dark Spirit. Whereas Dark Spirit was a constant and gradual trickle, Fire Spirit worked best when it came through in bursts. This would allow him to greatly improve his technique and avoid unknowingly leaving behind as much Spirit. [Not bad, new guy. If ya keep gathering like that then maybe ya won¡¯t be a useless Conduit.] She practically spat out the last word, almost making Jake reconsider asking what it was. [What¡¯s a Conduit?] [Ha, now I know you¡¯re joking. Wait... by the gods, you¡¯re serious. I thought that¡¯s what you were usin¡¯ that sludge pile for, considering the connection between ya.] Jake had to bite back a snide remark at the words ¡®sludge pile¡¯. [A Conduit is basically someone ya use for the Spirit Symbiosis Skill ¡®cause it¡¯s all they¡¯re good for. Things like your friend back there can¡¯t really do much in the way of gathering since they can¡¯t really move too much. They end up just relying on others to get Spirit for them. It¡¯s their best asset and their biggest weakness since they usually don¡¯t try to get off the path they¡¯re on once they get good enough at it.] Though he hated the way she spoke about Roger, Jake couldn¡¯t deny that what she was saying was the truth. Roger urgently needed to change paths, but without proper help he probably wouldn¡¯t try. Complex Reason increased to 6/10 Jake stared off into the distance, all the possible scenarios now running through his mind. Was the current Morkin the real one, or was it just another being like Roger, who had simply picked up Morkin¡¯s name through his Insight? If it was the true Morkin, was he allowing the power to go to his head like he would on the Blue Rose? He sincerely hoped not, as that was the main reason he had been reassigned to deck hand. The man was not good with power, and considering what they were now, he probably had nothing but power. [What kind of path did Morkin take, if you don¡¯t mind my asking?] Jake tensed up as he asked this. [He went down the Vigor Intent path. Then he went down the Insight Intent Path. He briefly went to the Soul Intent path, but has largely stayed as a Vigor Intent since then.] Well the man certainly knew how to diversify, but Jake had to wonder just how much longer he¡¯d been awake if he had gotten that far. In any case, if he was still a Vigor Intent that was bad news. It meant he was almost indestructible and as a result probably immensely bull-headed. Considering he already had mildly tyrannical tendencies, Jake could only imagine how bad he¡¯d become now. Insight +1 Insight: 14/15 [Hey, pay attention, we¡¯re here. Welcome to the Blue Rose, outsider.] 5 - The Blue Rose Jake found himself surprisingly unable to feel anything, considering he had just been taken on a roughly 15 minute tour of his own boat. They were now walking up to the captain¡¯s quarters when the woman stopped again. [This is where Morkin stays, but he¡¯s probably busy right now. I¡¯ll set up your audience with ¡®im for later today, then you can see ''im.] By this point even she sounded tired of this, likely meaning it wasn¡¯t her first tour that day. [Very well then. Am I expected to stay on the ship or am I free to roam the area in the meantime?] He was hoping he could go back to gather more Fire Spirit. [Ya can¡¯t leave, but you can do whatever else ya wanna. I can take ya back down to the quarters if ya like?] She was clearly only doing her assigned job, and Jake already knew his way around anyways. [That¡¯s quite alright, I remember where they are. Any room in specific I should take?] [Any room¡¯s fine, long as it¡¯s empty when ya get there. Either that or whoever¡¯s there doesn¡¯t mind your presence. Just don¡¯t take the first one, it¡¯s mine.] She said this with a yawn in her voice, which was odd considering they technically didn¡¯t need to sleep. A tad minimalist for his taste, but he supposed it would do for the time being. He wandered off to the quarters with her in tow. She probably decided she would sleep for the time being, but it still felt like she was hovering over him. He wasn¡¯t a child to be chaperoned. Once they arrived at the quarters, which was on the floor below the captain¡¯s, she immediately slipped into the first room on the left. [Oh, before you go, can you at least give me your name? It seems a tad odd still not knowing, especially if we¡¯re going to be seeing more of each other.] Jake had almost forgotten, but they still hadn¡¯t officially introduced each other. [You first, new guy. No way ta know if you¡¯re just gonna get my name and book it, forever remembering so you can attack me in the future when I least expect it.] There was a distinct joking tone to her voice, along with something else. [It¡¯s¡­ Locke. You can call me Locke.] This was a name Jake used whenever he was on land, as he had been extremely wanted. For obvious reasons. [Well Locke, I¡¯m Kyrie. Pleasure ta finally get ta know ya. Hopefully ya don¡¯t suck.] Jake still had some trouble getting used to her odd speech, but it was beginning to grow on him. [I hope so too. Have a good¡­] Jake paused to consider the time before deciding on morning. [Morning rest.] [Pfffhahahaha, it¡¯s like 8 p.m! Geez, someone really needs to teach you better time management.] Her aura visibly shook when she laughed, exuding slightly more Spirit than usual. If Jake could smile he would have been absolutely beaming. He didn¡¯t recognize the name, thankfully, but in either case he was certainly enjoying her presence. He found himself hoping she did as well. Kyrie put up a door made of Spirit, which he learned was common considering there weren¡¯t doors anymore. She said it only took about 2 of her primary Spirit, which was unsurprisingly Water. Also, her current race was apparently Wisp, which made sense. It explained why her aura was so malleable and varied based on emotions. From what he had heard in life, Wisps varied in elements but were always consistent with their more vivid emotions. [Hey, move out of the way, you¡¯re blocking the hall. Irefuse to go through your weird mist, it¡¯s full of Fire Spirit. And¡­ Dark? Ugh, disgusting.] Jake was caught off guard by a feminine voice slightly lower than Kyrie¡¯s and leagues more scornful. [Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there.] Jake immediately regretted saying this. [You didn¡¯t see me? Morkin¡¯s grace, just sign up to be a Conduit now, you¡¯re useless.] Whereas Kyrie was playful even when annoyed, this woman was clearly just trying to be hurtful. She was a brown and blue mixture Jake hadn¡¯t seen before and also a Wisp. Hers seemed different however, her aura gravelly unlike Kyrie¡¯s silky and fluid aura. Jake quickly moved aside to give her room, not that she seemed to need it. Her aura definitely would have resisted his mist, it was simply inconvenient. It was a form of Spirit Jake hadn¡¯t seen before though, which made him wonder just how hers worked. [Oh, by the way, I¡¯m new here. You can call me Locke.] Hopefully he could create a more positive relationship in the future, but he doubted it. [I don¡¯t care what your name is, Conduit-to-be, but my name¡¯s Kate. All things considered, you¡¯ll probably be hearing it a lot.] Her tone grew more sour by the second, her aura literally covered in spikes. [Alright then, sorry to bother you. Have a wonderful evening.] Jake wasn¡¯t trying to brown nose, he simply knew that nothing else would work on this woman. [Doubt I can, now that a useless Conduit¡¯s tainted my day.] She stated this with ice in every syllable as a mud door erupted into existence, splintering the wood slightly and cutting off the connection. Too frustrated by the interaction with Kate, he simply went into the nearest room and tried to make a dark door. The Spirit left his mist and filled the door frame which he then solidified. It became solid for a moment before quickly cracking and breaking to pieces. He then repeated the process, only this time holding it in place rather than solidifying it. It merely dissipated uselessly, but Jake was sure he had it figured out. For the third attempt, he filled in the doorway, solidified it, then coated the solid door with a second layer. This time it took, the solid door keeping the looser Spirit stuck and the loose Spirit canceling out the pressure. Once he released his control, it became true darkness rather than Dark Spirit, making it impossible to see through and hard to get through. He was finally free of any nosy visitors from bothering him. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Insight +1 Insight 15/15 Dark Spirit -6 Spirit 24/25 (Dark 14, Fire 10), Dark 0/5 Skill Unlocked: Inferior Spirit Manipulation 1/5 Perfect, his Insight capacity was now full and he felt his mind running decently faster than before. It wasn¡¯t a huge leap, but it was definitely better, and that was all Jake could ask for. Satisfied with the progress and eager to improve more, he went to sleep. * ?????????????????????*???????????????????????* Jake woke up on his back staring up at a rather large flame raging directly above him. Acting quickly, he shot up and banged his head on the black gem floating in front of him. Clutching his head in pain, he backed up right into the flames, immediately freaking him out. He ran out in fear, then quickly realized it wasn¡¯t burning him. He thanked the gods no one could see him in his Soulscape. ¡°Sup, Ryder.¡± Roger¡¯s voice rang out crystal clear, both terrifying and embarrassing Jake. ¡°Gods above, how are you in here?!¡± Jake shouted in confusion. He was used to Roger¡¯s constant presence, it was more comforting than anything. He was moreso shocked by the appearance Roger had, probably unintentionally, donned in that realm. He looked physically like the original Roger, save for the shoulder length black hair and brown irises, where the original had blonde short hair and blue eyes. He had the same stubble, though obviously in black. He wore a short sleeved black button down with the top buttons undone, leaving his chest hair peeking out. He also had on loose fitting shorts and sandals, which Roger would¡¯ve never been caught dead in. ¡°I changed it up, man. It was really tough, but I wanted to be useful to you. So I changed my race again, this time to Inferior Insight Intent. From there, it got super easy, man. I learned how to bail from my Soulscape so I¡¯ve been buildin¡¯ up a Dark Gem stockpile. Bein¡¯ here is just lucky, to be real with you. Our connection lets me send my Insight through even when you¡¯re in here. Really glad I did, Ryder, I missed you, man.¡± Roger was an absolute softie in Jake¡¯s eyes if him being away was all it took for Roger to force himself to change. ¡°Well I missed you too, friend. I¡¯m also happy to see you¡¯re out of that low from before. Anyways, I¡¯m gonna make a Fire Gem if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Jake began pulling in the Fire Spirit as he said this, not waiting for an answer. ¡°Yeah, go ahead man. I¡¯m gonna head out for now. Later, Ryder.¡± With that Roger faded away, weirdly dissipating into the air. All distractions officially gone, Jake began the lengthy process of shaping the Spirit in his hands into a proper Gem. Unfortunately, no matter what he did with this one, it simply wouldn¡¯t stay in a circular shape, not even close in fact. Every time he tried to smooth it out, the other end began to violently flare up. Unlike with Dark Spirit, Fire Spirit was unstable and didn¡¯t enjoy being otherwise. Just at the peak of his frustration, Jake stopped and tried to think about what he was doing wrong. Brute forcing it would do him no good. He tried to think about what kind of shape would work best before deciding on a diamond shape. The two pointed ends would have miniscule vents leading into its wide hollow center, allowing it to let off heat without losing Spirit. The slanted edges on the exterior would essentially be constantly on fire, holding the gem together rather than breaking it apart. Satisfied with the design, he pulled all the Spirit back into his hands and molded it into shape. Though he had a few hiccups where it nearly exploded, Jake managed to create the Gem. Sweat was pouring from his forehead, most of it from the exertion rather than the heat which he barely felt. Wonderful, now he only needed to do it four more times and he was good to go. Inferior Fire Spirit Gem successfully created; Fire Spirit Capacity +5 Fire Spirit -10 Spirit 14/25 (Dark 14), Dark 0/5, Fire 0/5 Inferior Spirit Gem Creation increased to 2/5 Jake was sincerely hoping that skill would have gone up two levels but no such luck. He supposed it had already been a difficult process; it probably wouldn¡¯t improve that easily. In any case, there was no sense worrying about it, for any improvement was better than none at all. For the time being he moved some Dark Spirit into its gem to free up some space for other Spirits. Spirit 9/25 (Dark 9), Dark 5/5, Fire 0/5 Jake then took a seat on the ground and gradually pulled himself out of his Soulscape. As he breathed methodically he thought back to his current situation. He had a multitude of issues to deal with, first and foremost his meeting with Morkin. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t recognize him, as Jake figured he still hadn¡¯t forgiven him for making him a deckhand so long ago. It felt like years ago even though it had probably only been about 4 months. *??????????????????????*???????????????????????* Jake focused in on a peculiar sight. In front of him his Dark door was gone, and in its place were Kyrie, Kate, and a Soul Intent behind them he didn¡¯t recognize. They only had Water Spirit, but Jake wasn¡¯t worried about them. He was more worried about the fact that three people had just broken into his room and didn¡¯t seem at all friendly. Kyrie seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible, her aura tight against herself. [Locke, you have been found guilty of the crime of Dark Spirit control. Come peacefully or face immediate execution. What say you, scum?] Kate¡¯s voice betrayed her pleasure with this outcome. She knew it would happen but said nothing. [Well I suppose my hands are tied, aren¡¯t they?] Jake moved towards them, then jerked back when a mud spike appeared mere centimeters in front of him. [You move when we say you move, fiend. How you hid your filthy Darkness from Kyrie is beyond me, but I won¡¯t make the same mistake. Torvin, orb him.] [Right away, Lady Strauss.] Jake was surprised by the fact that they were distinctly including him in their mental speech, making him wonder whether or not it was intentional. On top of that, he referred to her as Lady, which was a title reserved for royalty. Did they even have royalty? If so, then just how important was she? He didn¡¯t have time to think about any of that, however, when he suddenly became aware of a globe of water containing him. It was jarring how different it was from the regular water. It was absolutely pure, distinctly missing any form of impurities he¡¯d only just realized the regular water contained. He tried to move around but found it to be a momentous task and gave up. These properties were likely thanks to it being Water Spirit rather than truly water, which meant Torvin hadn¡¯t loosened his control on it yet. Complex Reason increased to 7/10 He tried reaching out to speak but felt the Spirit around him tighten, inflicting actual pain, which he hadn¡¯t felt since he¡¯d come back from the dead. Vigor -1 Vigor 1/15 Wonderful, what little Vigor he had gained was gone just like that. On top of that, he was being accused of breaking a law he didn¡¯t even know existed, and he couldn''t even defend himself. Jake had no doubt he was completely screwed. 6 - I Am The Captain Now Silence. Jake had been surrounded by silence since the very moment he reincarnated. Yet he never noticed, because he¡¯d always had Roger with him. If not Roger, then it was Kyrie. And he was too distracted with Spirit growth and other arbitrary growth in the moments between. For once, he had none of that. He could clearly sense the beings around him, as he realized it wasn¡¯t ¡®sight¡¯ in the way humans perceive it. He moreso passively felt the Spirit surrounding him, with living beings containing extra energies within them that he saw as Vigor and Insight. At the very least, he could sense it in the Soul Intents around him, as the Wisps were much more dense and couldn¡¯t be seen through. Why was this something he noticed? Because for once, he was being left out of the loop, and nothing around him made any noise as a result. He saw a lot of wiggling, auras changing shapes and pointing at him. But nothing made any sound. Not the water surrounding them, nor the fishes swimming in and out of broken portholes, nor even when Kate slammed a block of mud through a desk and smashed it to pieces. Absolute silence surrounded him. At first Jake considered going to sleep to avoid the nigh-absolute sensory deprivation, but one ¡®look¡¯ at the beings around him told him that was a bad idea. There was no telling whether any of these beings that clearly didn¡¯t like him, much less trust him, would decide to destroy him. He was sure they¡¯d face no repercussions for it either, as he was a complete outsider, no matter how he looked at it. It didn¡¯t matter that this was his boat, and the current captain had been his subordinate, as that wasn¡¯t the current truth. The current truth was that he was worthless to the people around him. His growth was clearly slow, his perception was limited, and his understanding left something to be desired. Complex Reason increased to 8/10 If that wasn¡¯t a clear sign he was right, he wasn¡¯t sure what would be. However, the improved clarity also gave him an idea. He was still capable of sensing his surroundings, which probably meant he¡¯d also be capable of improving his perception. So he expanded it. What followed was a pounding unlike any other in something akin to his head. The vision he just received was something unexplainable to even the most intelligent of humans. There were no gaps, not even the most minute of holes. He could see Kyrie to what he considered his left, Torvin and another unknown Soul Intent behind him, Kate in front of him, and more than 15 other beings packed into the room around him. The last part was what hit him hardest. The smorgasbord of energies surrounding him was beyond what any mere human would be able to handle. In fact, he was certain if he were human, he¡¯d be unconscious. He gradually expanded it back outwards again, starting from slightly less than ¡®normal¡¯ vision and working his way back. Once Kyrie came into view he took a break, as that increase was already almost too much, and he hadn¡¯t even started going vertically yet. Kyrie was currently aggressively jabbing an aura finger at Kate, who had a smug aura surrounding her. Kyrie suddenly stopped pointing at Kate, proceeding to retract her aura to something akin to embarrassment or shame. When nothing happened for a few seconds, Jake expanded his vision slightly above him to where most of the other beings were. A few Wisps could be found among the multitude of beings, and they clearly had amused and even smug auras as they shook with laughter. Some were even pointing at Kyrie as they laughed, though none too openly. Not that it mattered, as Kyrie could clearly feel every last one of their gazes as she shrunk in on herself until she barely had an aura. Kate then slammed down the mud cube on the remains of the desk, which made the surrounding beings cease their laughter. She clearly didn¡¯t do this out of kindness however, if the sheer amusement her aura gave off was any indication. Kyrie seemed to compose herself somewhat at this, the shame surrounding her being mixed with anger and even disgust. Kyrie pointed at Jake and the disgust in her aura tripled. That couldn¡¯t be anything good. She was the closest thing to a positive connection to the community he had and that was clearly gone. Out of concern, he continued to expand his senses as far as he could, hoping to see behind himself as well. Just as it grew to be too much, his senses finished expanding. He finally did it. He could see every last inch of the room he was currently in all at once without the splitting ¡®headache¡¯. Skill Unlocked: V.S.I. Sense Wonderful, now he was assured he wouldn¡¯t lose the ability. With that in mind, he opened up the skill desc- Wait, why was he doing that? There were very important events going on around him, and yet he was immediately engrossing himself in self growth again. It almost didn¡¯t feel voluntary, like an addict subconsciously indulging in a vice. Jake cleared his mind of such thoughts and focused back on his surroundings. This was the perfect moment to do so, as the door behind him swung open right after that. Well, not quite swung open, as it was made of pure Earth Spirit. It was more akin to warping around the being entering the room, neatly closing itself once they were inside. And considering the Soul Intent that wasn¡¯t Torvin warbled slightly as this happened, he assumed they were responsible. The being that entered the room was unlike anything he¡¯d seen up to that point. It was a rather large orb made almost entirely of Vigor, with multiple odd angles on the exterior like plating made for glancing off blows. This was clearly a Life Intent, but the size and armor told him it was definitely more than Inferior. Perhaps Minor or even Lesser? One thing that was certain was that the being behind him was Morkin. Morkin rolled up to Jake from behind, as close as he could get before he was blocked by the orb of Water. He was clearly sizing him up, but without a direct Insight connection, Jake had no idea as to his intentions. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. [What is your name, cur?] The words were filled with an odd malice, almost as if it was only surface level. Before Jake could say anything, Kate spoke up with genuine malice thick on her words. [Answer with care, you Dark heathen. You are speaking to Lord Morkin himself.] Kyrie¡¯s Aura clearly did something akin to rolling her eyes at the word ¡®Lord¡¯. [My name is Locke.] The only person on the boat who knew that name had been Roger, so Morkin shouldn¡¯t recognize it. [That voice¡­ I can¡¯t quite place it¡­] Morkin seemed to shake in place, which Jake realized was him shaking his head. [Did you use Dark Spirit on my ship?] Jake winced at the words ¡®my ship¡¯ but said nothing. [Yes, but-] [Then you are no longer welcome here. If you are still here by tomorrow you will be executed.] Morkin was clearly not bluffing, so Jake held his tongue. [Morkin, I was explaining earlier that he was unaware of the law, therefore exile may be unjust.] Kyrie had spoken up in his stead, her manner of speech quite different from her usual casual tone. She then pointed at Kate angrily. [It was at that point that Kate changed the ruling to Conduit duty and¡­ assigned him to me.] A few Wisps shook quietly with laughter, causing Kyrie to shrink slightly. Apparently being assigned a Conduit was as shameful as being one. [Why is this, Lady Kyrie?] Kyrie flinched at being called a Lady, but Morkin paid her no mind. [It was my responsibility to ensure he was aware of the law, but I was unable to do so. Kate then decided a punishment was fitting and assigned him to me.] Her aura started bubbling with barely controlled anger by the end as well as undertones of disgust. [Is this true, Lady Kate?] Morkin had rolled away from Jake and situated himself in the center of the room by that point. [Y-yes, milord, I believed-] [Then it shall be so. Locke, you are hereby exiled from the Blue Rose. Kyrie, for the next 20 days, he shall be your Conduit. I expect you to be utilizing him in every moment and monitoring him.] Kyrie practically exuded shock, while Kate was the very picture of mirth and smug superiority. [But that would exile me too! You can¡¯t be serious!] Kyrie had lost most of her composure, her aura shaking with shock and even mild desperation. [I could die out there!] The last part surprised Jake. He hadn¡¯t noticed anything particularly dangerous aside from the nearby heat vents, but even that was easily avoidable. Of course, they were at the bottom of the ocean, which wasn¡¯t exactly known for its safety. Morkin rolled over until he was just under Kyrie, then whipped out with a lash of Earth Spirit that dragged her down to him. [Then let it be a lesson on doing your duties properly, lest another cur such as this make his way in.] He stated all of it in a barely audible whisper, as if anything higher would result in shouting. An Earth Spirit net then went out and yanked Jake out of the orb and pulled him right next to them. [And you. You will never take this boat back, and I promise you that she will die if she tries to convince me to rescind the exile. And we both know you¡¯re too caring to let that happen.] Considering the lack of responses from the beings around them, it was clear Morkin only said this to him. [Sure thing, Morkin. Boat¡¯s all yours.] Just as he feared, Morkin figured it out. Well, the man was no idiot, so it was only a matter of time. Morkin then left the room with all the other beings, continuing on until he was roughly 10 meters away from the boat. At that point he released his control on them, then turned and left without so much as a goodbye. His connection with the boat now thoroughly wiped away, he reoriented himself and made to find his way back to Roger. Kyrie silently followed along for the time being, seemingly resigned to her fate. Jake decided not to bother her for the time being, at risk of her deciding it¡¯d be easier to just kill him. He didn¡¯t even make it a meter before something started barreling towards their location, clearly looking to use them as sustenance. Before Jake could so much as think, a shield of Water Spirit flew out in front of them and the being crashed into it harmlessly. Immediately afterwards, an inordinate number of needles stabbed out of the shield and turned it into a living pincushion. Or rather, ex-living, as it clearly expired before them, the energy within it slowly dissipating into the atmosphere. By the looks of it, it had been a Life Intent, making the ease with which it was dispatched even more impressive. [Gather the Vigor before ya bite it.] That was all Kyrie said to him as she retracted the shield into her aura, and it was all the prompting he needed. He floated over to where its remains lay and began collecting the Vigor. As he did so, he could see the bit of Insight it contained slowly reveal itself. Vigor +14 Vigor 15/15 Skill unlocked: Inferior Vigor Gathering 1/5 Inferior Vigor Gathering increased to 2/5 Inferior Vigor Gathering increased to 3/5 Inferior Vigor Gathering increased to 4/5 The rush of Vigor entering him increased decently by the time he had finished; what was only droplets at first became a light pour. Jake could feel his mist thicken until it was a cloud, making him aware of just how vulnerable he¡¯d been. [Was I really that close to death this entire time? Also, what do I do with this Insight and leftover Vigor?] He was surprised to find the being had absolutely no Spirit, leaving him wondering just how it had reached that point. [Whatever ya want with the Insight, just don¡¯t collect it if ya don¡¯t want your mind scrambled a bit. As for the Vigor, armor up your strands. That¡¯ll improve ya bit by bit. Of course, it¡¯ll cost ya Vigor, so don¡¯t overdo it. And yeah, ya¡¯ve pretty much been knockin¡¯ on death¡¯s door this whole time. I¡¯m actually shocked ya made it this far with so little.] Kyrie¡¯s aura was shrugging by the end of it, an odd gesture considering she didn¡¯t have shoulders. [I see¡­] Jake prepared his mind for a difficult process, as he knew this couldn¡¯t possibly be as easy as she made it sound. Jake reached his Insight out to some of the Vigor strands and started tugging on them, willing them to become shorter but thicker. To his surprise, they actually listened quite easily, compressing themselves obediently. He then began imitating the armor he saw on Morkin but on a smaller scale, creating plates at various angles with solid Vigor beneath to reinforce them. Vigor successfully reinforced; Vigor Capacity +5. Vigor -10 VIgor 5/20 Skill Unlocked: Inferior Vigor Armor Creation 1/5 Vigor +15 Vigor 20/20 Jake would¡¯ve asked how it could¡¯ve possibly been that easy to improve, but after unlocking the skill he quickly realized it was genuinely designed for meatheads. 7 - Constant Headaches [I suppose a thanks is in order for you saving my life, both figuratively and literally.] If she hadn¡¯t been there to stop that Intent, Jake had no doubts he¡¯d have been dead. [Don¡¯t thank me, it¡¯s all downhill from here. I need ya if I¡¯m gonna make it too.] The usual casual aura Kyrie had was absent, replaced with neutral annoyance. Jake wondered if it was because of him, though it was just as likely the situation caused it. [Ah. Well, if we need partners to make it out here, we should go back to Roger. He can assist us, and I¡¯d rather not leave him alone.] He had been growing rather concerned for Roger¡¯s wellbeing, which only escalated further once his connection was severed. [Oh yeah, because draggin¡¯ along two Conduits is sure to save my life.] Kyrie sighed heavily, her aura drooping when she noticed Jake refused to budge. [Let¡¯s go already.] [Before we go, what can I do with this Insight? I can¡¯t gather it even if I wanted. My capacity¡¯s topped up.] He wouldn¡¯t want to let it go to waste, especially considering how far his high Insight had taken him up to then. [Well if ya really wanna up your Insight capacity, tighten your Core. That¡¯ll take some of the Insight away from the edges, makin¡¯ ya feel a bit slow, but it¡¯ll be worth it later on. Core¡¯s gonna spin faster and that¡¯ll boost ya all ¡®round.] Her aura was slightly warming as she spoke, clearly showing her enjoyment at explaining something. [Of course, some would argue that makin¡¯ subcores would be better, but that¡¯s only once the main one¡¯s gotten some speed.] [I¡¯m sorry, could you slow down? My Core? And what are subcores?] She was giving him a wealth of new information, most of it at a rapid fire pace. [Sorry sorry, I forgot ya don¡¯t know much. Basically, notice how I took that crazy bastard down without trying?] She started idly floating around at this point, her casual tone and pace belying the razor focus exuding from her aura. [Yes, it was quite a terrifying wake up call.] He had been underestimating her small form since he met her, which he was now seeing to be a mistake. [Yeah, well that was only ¡®cause I stabbed ¡®em in the Core. It¡¯s pretty much who ya are, and if that breaks, no more you. Ya get it?] Jake only somewhat, in fact, got it, which Kyrie quickly realized with a sigh. [Just¡­ look inside yourself. As deep as ya can. Lemme know whatcha see.] Jake did as told, focusing inwards beyond the outer edge of his cloud. Despite his ability to see everything outside himself, he couldn¡¯t normally see inwards unless he directly focused on it. They were two mutually exclusive senses from what he could tell. He could still, of course, sense his extremities, as otherwise he¡¯d be totally disoriented. Once he got far enough in, he sensed a gently swirling Insight mass similar to when he was an Insignificance, only somewhat larger and faster. He relayed as much to Kyrie. [Good, that¡¯s your Core, and it seems like ya got alright control of your Insight as well if it¡¯s already spinning. That¡¯ll make this next part easier. Basically, ya gotta condense your Insight, just like with the Vigor, and make the Core smaller while keepin¡¯ it spinning at the same pace. It should get faster if ya do it right, along with your mind. Just a warnin¡¯ though, you¡¯re gonna feel a bit sluggish. That¡¯s normal, and it¡¯ll go away once ya get more Insight.] Kyrie¡¯s aura was slightly tense, and not just because of where they were. Jake pulled some of his Insight into his Core and began to press down on his Core. As he did so, he could feel his mind sharpening slightly, like a reverse whetstone. His Core continued shrinking, all the while maintaining the spin. This resulted in the same rotational power as before, but with technically faster rotation at a smaller scale. Once compressed to its minimum, the Core was sending off much stronger Insight strands than before. They unfortunately didn¡¯t reach out as far, but they would clearly be much better at moving once they did. Minor Insight Control increased to 2/10 Insight successfully refined; Insight Capacity +5. Insight -10 Insight 5/20 Skill Unlocked: Inferior Insight Core Refinement 1/5 [I¡­ uh¡­ believe it worked? It says my capacity improved and I unlocked the skill for it as well.] Jake also noticed it stated refinement rather than creation, though it took him much longer than usual to do so. Likely because he had just lost ten Insight in one go. Insight +1 Insight 6/20 [Great, great. How''re ya feelin''?] Concern was obvious in Kyrie¡¯s aura, along with a small amount of curiosity. [Stupid and slow. I feel too big and not smart enough to deal with it. I don¡¯t like it.] Jake made a mental note to try to keep his Insight slightly above his Vigor in the future. Hopefully he would avoid repeating the mistake. Insight +1 Insight 7/20 The more he thought, the clearer his mind became. It was a strange feeling, his mind growing even faster than it could before. Was this all a result of the tighter Core? No, not tighter, but rather more refined. Insight +1 Insight 8/20 Complex Reason increased to 9/10 Jake would¡¯ve gasped in shock if he were able, the sudden skill increase improving his mental acuity even further. The fact he even remembered the word ¡®acuity¡¯ was a clear sign if nothing else. [Wow, ya sure are catchin¡¯ back up quickly. You sure do overthink stuff, huh? At least it¡¯ll be easier for ya later when the bigger jumps gotta happen. Anyways, if you¡¯re all done thinking-] Kyrie paused to laugh at the absurdity of that statement, her aura shaking warmly and giving Jake a mental smile. [Sorry, as I was sayin¡¯, I do wanna start up the Conduit stuff. As much as I don¡¯t like it, it helps us both grow. So whenever you¡¯re ready, let¡¯s get it goin¡¯.] She stopped moving through the air for the moment, a section of her aura focusing into a thin strand which she held expectantly. [Yes, of course, just allow me a moment to do something with this loose Insight.] Jake was still hesitant on simply leaving it there, yet he was unsure if what he had planned would work. [Whatever ya want, Locke. Just don¡¯t go all crazy and attack me, ¡®kay?] She stated this with a joking tone, but her aura visibly tensed all the same.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Jake reached out with the Spirit Symbiosis skill, creating a thin strand of Spirit awaiting a connection. [Um, ya do know it¡¯s dead, right? Ya can¡¯t send a dead thing any Spirit, not unless ya plan on bubbling it. And I¡¯d rather not have that on our hands.] Kyrie somewhat relaxed nonetheless, visibly relieved her sole companion wouldn¡¯t drive himself mad. Jake made the connection with the Insight despite her statement, noticing she was, in fact, correct. No surprises there, Kyrie was a very smart woman. No Spirit was coming through in either direction, but luckily that wasn¡¯t his intention. With a deep mental breath, Jake pulled the Insight directly into his Soulscape. [Ow, that felt strange. Just a warning, I¡¯m going to sleep for a moment. Feel free to set up the connection. If you want, you can even drag me around.] Before Kyrie had a chance to argue, Jake then went to sleep. *??????*??????*??????*??????* Jake opened his eyes to total darkness. With a sigh, he got up with his hands in front of him, stopping when he felt a large orb. He moved to the side and immediately poked his eye. ¡°By the Cosmic, will I ever get a blasted break?!¡± Jake shouted this out while moving backwards in shock. As he did so, he missed the body on the floor behind him and promptly tripped over it. He windmilled his arms as he fell over backwards about a meter away. ¡°No, I clearly won¡¯t.¡± Insight +1 Insight 9/20 ¡°Oh piss off, will you?¡± Jake was grumbling angrily to himself as he walked over to the body on the floor. He squatted down next to it and shook them gently. ¡°Hey, are you alive in there? Or, I suppose, awake? I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t even sure this would work.¡± Jake had an easy gentle smile on his face, not wanting to frighten them. Just as he was doubting they were even alive, they loudly hacked and coughed into the floor. Jake promptly flipped them over so they would be able to breathe easier. The being immediately sat up and continued on coughing painfully into their hands. Jake began rubbing their back gently as he took better stock of their appearance. The being, which he realized was female, had silver hair growing all the way down to the small of their back. They were rather short, appearing to be about 5 feet even. They had lightly tanned skin with a few scars on their arms and legs, which Jake promptly covered in Dark Spirit as they were currently fully nude. Her face had a gentle demeanor capable of making most anyone let their guard down, with high soft cheekbones, a small button nose, and a round jawline. Her eyes were slightly tilted with piercing blue in the left, green in the right, and nigh invisible wrinkles telling of many smiles had. Her ears were a touch longer than a human¡¯s with slight points at the top. ¡°Hey, are you alright in there? Apologies, the trip may have been a tad disorienting.¡± Jake reached out and grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet gently as she continued coughing. ¡°I-hack-I¡¯m fine, th-hack-thanks. Wait, wh-hack hack-who are you? Why am I hack na-hack-ked? And hack what in all the nine hells is this black crap?!¡± The woman began freaking out and ran off into the distance, yanking the Dark Spirit off as she did, so Jake sat down and started making a Dark Spirit Gem while he waited. ¡°Oh, how nice, there¡¯s some Water Spirit. I suppose Kyrie made the connection after all.¡± Inferior Spirit Symbiosis increased to 5/5 Inferior Spirit Symbiosis upgraded to Minor Spirit Symbiosis 1/10 Minor Spirit Gathering increased to 2/10 Inferior Dark Spirit Gem successfully created; Dark Spirit Capacity +5. Spirit -10 Spirit: 5/25 (Water 5), Dark: 4/10, Fire 0/5 Finished with that rather lengthy process, he rose from where he was and made his way over to the woman. She was currently lying face up gulping down breaths, which gave Jake pause. Why would they need to breathe when they weren¡¯t really alive in here? Insight +1 Insight 10/20 Complex Reason increased to 10/10 Complex Reason upgraded to Advanced Reason 1/20 Jake shot his hands up to grip his head, nearly tearing out his hair in the process. It felt as though his entire brain were being recreated from the ground up to run more efficiently. And by the Cosmic did it hurt. Once the process was over, he became distinctly aware of two things. One: the woman previously in front of him was gone again. Two: His mind was processing things at a flabbergasting pace. So much so he realized the woman was behind him before he even really noticed. As she jumped at his back he deftly rolled to the side, causing her to land face first in surprise. She lay there unmoving for a good few seconds, before quietly getting up, turning around, and sitting down facing Jake. He walked up and joined her, sitting close enough their toes nearly touched, and promptly covered her average yet ample breasts with Dark Spirit. ¡°What, too much for you to handle?¡± She stated this while promptly removing the Dark Spirit from her breasts once again. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way that gross stuff feels, I¡¯d rather be naked. If you have a problem with that, turn around.¡± She sighed loudly as Jake covered his own eyes with Dark Spirit. ¡°I assure you I¡¯m not a horndog, but that¡¯s rather distracting to look at.¡± He sighed inwardly as he immediately regretted his choice of words. ¡°Then just don¡¯t look, problem solved. That¡¯s distracting to me.¡± Jake felt her hands remove the blindfold from his face, leaving him with no choice but to hold the most intense eye contact he could muster. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s your name, first of all. Before you say it, I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Jake, I know. I know more about you than I care to admit. No, I didn¡¯t know you when I was alive, it¡¯s just being in your Soulscape has linked my mind to yours in a way. I¡¯m Flynn, by the way. I know, I know, guy¡¯s name, but my dad¡¯s life was saved by a man named Flynn and he promised to name me after them. Also, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t mind being naked in front of you. I both know you like a brother and I know you¡¯ve got it baaaaad for Kyrie.¡± Flynn took a deep breath at the end, having said it in one long go. After Flynn reached over and closed his mouth for him, Jake shook his head and asked the first thing on his mind. ¡°Why do you breathe in here?¡± ¡°It feels more natural, plus it calms me down. Death by drowning will make you treasure every last breath you can get. Hell, after I ran away from you, I sat down and cried for a good thirty minutes while taking the deepest breaths I could manage.¡± Flynn seemed a bit on edge at the mention of her death, so Jake decided not to pry. ¡°I understand. I¡¯d tell you how I went, but it would seem you know everything about me. Since that is the case, do you mind if I ask you more questions?¡± Once she shook her head no, Jake continued on unabated. ¡°Why did you attack us? You seemed like you had gone totally insane, nothing like the woman sitting before me.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because I had. When I first came back, I was terrified of dying again. There were a bunch of mad Intents everywhere just tearing into each other. I did what I could to gather Vigor from the edges without being noticed. When my capacity filled up, I made armor and kept on gathering. I did that over and over again, just gathering and armoring, gathering and armoring. At some point, I don¡¯t really know when, I was out there too, smashing myself into anything nearby until it either died or ran faster than I could catch up. ¡°Eventually, I made my way to the Blue Rose, where I found you two. From there you know the rest. Sorry about the Blue Rose, speaking of which. If it¡¯s any consolation, I wouldn¡¯t have done that to you if I were in the right frame of mind.¡± Flynn rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she said this. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ve felt firsthand the effects of having a good bit more Vigor than Insight. Though, to be honest, I¡¯m not sure if the reverse is much better. Before I picked up a chunk of your Vigor I had no idea just how exposed I was. It was horrifying to realize even an errant rock could¡¯ve killed me. In any case, I should be going. I¡¯m sure Kyrie is quite miffed with me.¡± Jake rubbed at his smooth cheeks while he thought on that, glad he didn¡¯t need to shave anymore. Shaving on a wobbly ship was how he¡¯d gotten the scar on his left cheekbone. ¡°Yeah, no worries, I understand.¡± She gave a thumbs up and beamed a grin at him. ¡°And good luck wooing her!¡± Jake rolled his eyes as he severed the connection to his Soulscape. 8 - Steamy Discussions Jake was sincerely hoping he wouldn¡¯t come back to hysteria. That the worst thing he¡¯d come back to was Kyrie berating him. That after she was done doing so, they could simply move on with their, or rather his, goal of getting back to Roger. That¡¯s exactly what happened, he simply hadn¡¯t expected quite how long she¡¯d berate him. [...why pretty much everything is your fault right now.] Kyrie¡¯s aura finally relaxed after what felt like an hour of nonstop ranting. [I¡­ don¡¯t even know what to say. I legitimately don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard anyone complain about me for such a long uninterrupted time. I¡¯m sorry, sincerely.] Over the period of her rant Jake had slowly shrunken in on himself, only now feeling safe enough to grow back to full size. Kyrie sighed softly, hopefully a sign she had calmed down. [I won¡¯t tell ya it¡¯s fine, ¡®cause it definitely isn¡¯t. I will tell ya that we gotta move on if we don¡¯t wanna end up as chow for some random insane Intent. Which, by the way, I¡¯ve fought off about three of while ya stayed asleep doin¡¯ who knows what.] Kyrie¡¯s aura briefly became pointed in slight annoyance before relaxing into a more casual state. [Oh, that¡¯s simple. I was getting to know the being I¡¯d added to my Soulscape. Her name is Flynn.] Jake spoke with a casual air about him, along with a small amount of pride. After Roger had appeared in his Soulscape, he figured other beings could do the same and may as well give it a shot. [Flynn? And whaddya mean ya added her to your Soulscape?!] Kyrie¡¯s voice was filled with shock, her aura looking as if it was about to explode. [Heya Kyrie, I¡¯ve heard¡­ well not that much about you, to be honest. But I know who you are, and I think that counts for something.] Flynn shocked both Jake and Kyrie as she spoke up through the symbiotic connection between them. [What? Oh right, this isn¡¯t normal. Well, to make a long story short, I¡¯m talking from inside Jake¡¯s Soulscape, which is super cool let me tell you. Well, not the Soulscape, but talking from it. His Soulscape¡¯s just a big white nothing with nothing to dooooo.] Flynn giggled to herself, clearly amused by the echo in the Soulscape. [I can¡¯t believe this. Ya pop up from a Dark Intent, get me kicked outta my home, turn me into a loser, and ya bring other beings into your Soulscape?! Who are you?] Kyrie was barely even speaking to Jake at this point, floating away in the general direction they had been going while her aura flailed wildly. [I¡¯m sorry, hi Flynn, nice ta meetcha. I wish it was a more normal meetin¡¯, but considerin¡¯ you¡¯re literally supposed to be dead, that¡¯s fine.] She paused mid-flight to say this before continuing on ranting in the distance. With no other real choice, Jake followed behind her. Since she was heading in the right direction he saw no real reason to interrupt her. [Not to be rude, but what exactly do you see in her? She seems a bit¡­ neurotic?] Flynn sounded like she was trying her absolute best not to anger her own house. [She attempted to do right by me and tell the truth so my sentence was lessened. When that failed and she was sent out with me, not only did she not kill me immediately, she even saved my life from¡­ well, you. She¡¯s a good person¡­ being¡­ Wisp¡­ you know what I mean. She¡¯s good. Plus, I like hearing her laugh, and her aura is the most wonderful and unique thing I¡¯ve ever seen.] Jake was starting to ramble by the end, which he realized and promptly stopped. [Why, do you not like her?] [No, I do, I just wanted to make sure you knew why you fancy her. It wouldn¡¯t do good if it was just a case of rose-colored glasses. I have to be a good faux sister to you since Greg isn¡¯t around to keep you in check.] Jake could feel Flynn cover her mouth, but what was said was said. [It¡¯s fine to talk about them. I think about them all the time, therefore it only makes sense you know about them. I hope he and Mother are doing well, and yes, even Kain. He may not be my father, but he¡¯s still a good man. By the Cosmic, I left so many issues behind. Enemies. I need to get back to them, even if I¡¯m... no longer human] The only thing keeping Jake¡¯s tears away was his inability to cry. [Hey, Locke!] Jake¡¯s attention was pulled away at that, Flynn sinking back to do other things. [We¡¯re at the heat vents if ya wanna do some gatherin¡¯. Just, uh, please try to be quick. It¡¯s really hot.] Kyrie was floating a small ways above the heat vents, their heat many times more intense than when they first passed through. Jake opened his Status, unsure if he even possessed the room to do so. Status Name: Jake Ryder Lockstead Race: Inferior Soul Intent (0/2) Class: N/A Vigor: 20/20 Spirit: 20/25 (Water 20), Dark 4/5, Fire 0/5 Insight: 10/20 Skills: Advanced Reason 1/20, Basic Time Awareness 1/5, Inferior Spirit Gem Creation 2/5, Inferior Spirit Manipulation 1/5, Inferior Vigor Armor Creation 1/5, Inferior Vigor Gathering 4/5, Mental Speech (Innate), Minor Insight Control 1/10, Minor Spirit Gathering 2/10, Minor Spirit Symbiosis 1/10, Sleeping (Innate), V.S.I. Sense (Innate) [I don¡¯t mean to be a bother again, but I may need to go to sleep. I only just have enough capacity for one more Fire Gem.] He was beginning to feel like a burden again, which was the last thing he wanted. [Why can¡¯t Flynn do it? She¡¯s in there, right?] Kyrie didn¡¯t sound like she was trying to be rude, yet it still came across as such. [It wouldn¡¯t be fair to her for me to simply delegate my Soulscape business to her. Besides, I enjoy doing it myself.] Making Soul Gems was a very intricate process, though that didn¡¯t detract from his enjoyment in the slightest. [It¡¯s fine, Ja-er-Locke, I don¡¯t mind doing it myself.] Kyrie¡¯s aura narrowed in suspicion, but she stayed quiet. They both hoped it wouldn¡¯t be an issue in the future. [It¡¯s something to do in this great big sea of nothingness. Besides, the Water Spirit looks really pretty!] Flynn was audibly becoming giddy, likely hopping up and down as she spoke. [Very well then, but are you sure you can handle it? It¡¯s a ve-] [It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, I have access to your skills in here! I¡¯m sure I can handle it!] Before Jake could say anything, he felt the connection weaken, a sign she was no longer paying attention. He decided he wouldn¡¯t worry about it for the time being. If she said she could handle it, then she could handle it. Inferior Water Spirit Gem successfully created; Water Spirit Capacity +5. Spirit -10 Spirit: 10/25 (Water 10), Dark: 4/10, Fire 0/5, Water 0/5 Inferior Spirit Gem Creation increased to 3/5 Jake paused just as he was about to absorb the Spirit around him. That had been unbelievably fast, leaving him wondering whether she was skilled or he was subpar. He hoped it was the former, as the latter had multiple implications he didn¡¯t like.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [Kyrie, how hard would you say it is to make Spirit Gems?] He metaphorically grit his teeth, preparing to feel like a fool in the coming moments. [Anything that isn¡¯t Water is beyond me. I¡¯m honestly jealous of Kate, she figured out Earth Gems like it was nothin¡¯. Why, did Flynn make a Gem faster than ya thought she would?] Kyrie¡¯s aura had taken on a mischievous tone as she cautiously floated over to Jake. [Feelin¡¯ a bit weak, huh? Haha, well I wouldn¡¯t worry. Everyone has different stuff they¡¯re better at. Just so happens you¡¯re better at makin¡¯ everyone else good.] She quickly flew away cackling like a madwoman before Jake could respond. Jake was sincerely wondering what he did to be surrounded by so many people who threw him off like this. With a mental sigh Jake gathered Fire Spirit around him carefully, making sure not to burn himself while still being within range. Fire Spirit +20 Spirit: 25/25 (Fire 15, Water 10), Dark 4/10, Fire 5/5, Water 0/5 Minor Spirit Gathering increased to 3/10 [Gah, warn me before you start flooding the area with Fire Spirit, now I have to start over on this¡­ huh.] Flynn began on an irate note but quickly ended up on a confused one. [¡®Huh¡¯? Why ¡®huh¡¯? Did something happen?] Jake was mildly alarmed, believing she had somehow lit something on fire. Fire and Water Spirit combined to create Steam Spirit Fire Spirit -10, Water Spirit -10 Steam Spirit +1 Spirit: 6/25 (Fire 5, Steam 1), ¡­ Inferior Spirit Manipulation increased to 2/5 [Kyrie, I think I may need to go to sleep after all. Flynn just made Steam Spirit by accident.] Jake waited for her response, becoming concerned when none arrived. [Kyrie?] Kyrie was still floating in the same location, so Jake quickly flew up to check on her. Her body wasn¡¯t moving at all, her aura gently swaying with the current. Jake quickly realized she must have gone to sleep and thus decided not to disturb her. She looked lovely as she was, floating peacefully without a care in the world. Mentally shaking his head, Jake went back to where he had previously been and gathered as much Fire Spirit as he could. He then immediately went to sleep. Fire Spirit +19 Spirit 25/25 (Fire 24, Steam 1), ¡­, Fire 5/5, ¡­ *??????????*??????????*??????????*??????????* Jake opened his eyes to a misty haze covering everything around him. He wasted no time in getting up and making his way out as quickly and carefully as he could, for once not hurting himself. ¡°Flynn, what happened? How did you even do this? And why is there so much of it?!¡± He found Flynn off to the side playing with some Fire Spirit that she quickly let go of with a guilty expression as he approached. ¡°Well, when you absolutely filled this place with fire, I freaked out and threw the water in my hands at it. It put the fire out, leaving steam behind¡­ then I remembered it was all Spirit. So yeaaaaah, sorry about that.¡± She flashed Jake as innocent smile as she could manage which, while it had no effect on him, made him concerned for anyone else she might use it on. ¡°Please try not to do that again, it took twenty Spirit to do!¡± Jake squeezed the bridge of his nose in mild annoyance. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s fine, at least now I both know it¡¯s possible and how to do it.¡± Insight +1 Insight 11/20 ¡°How nice, I even gained some Insight. It all worked out in the end.¡± Jake smiled and sat down next to her, then pulled over Fire Spirit to make Gems with. ¡°Woah, I never would¡¯ve thought to make that. The Water Gem was much simpler, I just made a glassy orb.¡± She looked on in wonder and disbelief at the Spirit Gem in the making. ¡°Glassy?¡± Jake paused for a moment to look at her, then quickly refocused as the Gem threatened to spontaneously combust. ¡°Here, let me show you.¡± Flynn then proceeded to call over the most confusing thing Jake had ever seen. It was perfectly smooth and in the form of an orb much like the Dark Spirit Gem, but that was where the similarities ended. Unlike that one, this one was a transparent blue, causing Flynn to giggle uncontrollably as it distorted Jake¡¯s features. It had hundreds of thin cylinders from the top of the orb all the way through to the bottom. Extending out from that orb was a secondary layer that connected at the top, bottom, and four equidistant points along its equator. This enabled the Water Spirit to constantly cycle through it, going up to the top, flowing downwards through the channels, then back up from the bottom. ¡°How did you come up with this design?! It¡¯s phenomenal!¡± Jake finished the Fire Gem and released it into the air, where it proceeded to float by the other one. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to make this even having the design right in front of me.¡± Inferior Fire ¡­Capacity +5. Spirit -10 Spirit: 10/25 (Fire 9, Steam 1), ...Fire 0/10... ¡°Well it¡¯s the same with the Fire Gem for me. I¡¯m not sure where I¡¯d even start with it.¡± Flynn was selling herself quite short, making Jake realize the truth behind Kyrie¡¯s words. ¡°I suppose Kyrie was correct then, as per usual. Speaking of Kyrie, I should go back to the real world.¡± The smile on Flynn¡¯s face evaporated as Jake stated this. She silently stood up with a frown on her face and walked off. Jake got up after a moment and followed after her, unsure what caused her sudden shift in mood. ¡°Flynn? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Flynn continued walking into the distance, refusing to even look at Jake. ¡°Flynn, don¡¯t do that, it doesn¡¯t help either of us.¡± Jake fell to his knees as Flynn suddenly turned and gut checked him with a look between anger and sorrow. ¡°I said don¡¯t worry about it! Go back to the real world and deal with real problems. I¡¯ll just stay here and be your good little imaginary helper.¡± Hot angry tears were running down Flynn¡¯s face as she looked down on Jake. Jake stayed down there for a moment as he thought about what to do. Leaving certainly wasn¡¯t an option, the problem would merely fester. He had his suspicions that there was some underlying issue that caused the sudden outburst, but unfortunately their memory link only went one way. So he went with the only option he thought would help, as corny as it felt in his mind. Before she could react, Jake got up from the floor and hugged Flynn. It was tight enough she couldn¡¯t escape, but soft enough she could still hit him. Which she proceeded to do a lot of, as it turned out. Eventually the blows softened as she devolved to merely crying on his shoulder. ¡°Ple-please don¡¯t forget about me. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m real too. I just¡­ I-¡± ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll never forget you. I may not know you as well as you do me, but I¡¯m your faux older brother. I should treat you with care regardless.¡± Jake pat Flynn¡¯s head softly as she quietly sobbed into his shoulder. She¡¯d tell him why she had these worries when she was ready. ¡°Hehe, I doubt you¡¯re older than me, but that¡¯s okay. Can you show me how to make the Fire Gem?¡± Flynn wiped her face on Jake¡¯s clothes as she still had none of her own to do so with. She then gave him the best smile she could manage. ¡°Of course I can. Only if you show me how to make the Water Gem later, though.¡± He stated the last part with a wink, knowing what her answer was even before she said it. ¡°A lady should keep some secrets!¡± She mimed an offended pout for all of five seconds before breaking into a fit of giggles. ¡°Sure, just let me know when you have time.¡± With that they sat down and Jake went through the lengthy process of teaching her how to make a Fire Gem. Inferior Fire ¡­Capacity +5. Spirit -10 Spirit: 1/25 (Steam 1), ...Fire 0/15¡­ Inferior Spirit Gem Creation increased to 4/5 *??????????*??????????*??????????*??????????* When Jake returned to the outer world, as he henceforth decided to call it, he found that he was no longer by the heat vents. He also found himself surrounded by a bubble of Water Spirit currently in the process of dragging him along the ocean floor. The bubble vanished the moment he stirred and the symbiotic connection between himself and Kyrie was recreated. [Glad you¡¯re finally back up. I would ask why ya fell asleep anyway, but I can see the Steam Spirit in there. Guessin¡¯ Flynn made some and freaked ya out, huh?] Kyrie continued floating on as she spoke, her aura oddly unreadable to Jake. [Um, yes, that¡¯s correct. How did you know it was Steam Spirit?] [Made it by accident a while back. Couldn¡¯t really figure it out, so I ditched it and stuck with Water Spirit. Anyways, I think we¡¯re here, though the place looks real different from before.] Kyrie slowed to a stop, her aura filled with quiet awe at the sight before them. And what a sight it was. A yawning cavern previously hidden beneath Roger¡¯s enormous form was now visible for all the ocean. Above the entrance, however, was also a massive rose etched into the wall along with a multitude of smaller roses branching downwards surrounding the entryway to said cavern. At the entrance was also a bush of roses made entirely of Dark Spirit gently swaying from side to side. Deeper in the cavern was what could only be described as a mass of black tentacles that came flying out by gripping the edges of the entrance and catapulting outwards. [Ryder, it¡¯s so dope to see you, man! I hope you dig what I¡¯ve done with the place.] Jake could indeed ¡®dig¡¯ what Roger created, almost entirely forgetting how he was recently ousted from his own ship. 9 - Big Angry Fishy [Is this what you¡¯d done while I was gone? You even made an entire cavern for us.] Jake was in disbelief at the immense effort Roger had put in to make their home feel more cozy. [I didn¡¯t make this cavern, Ryder. It was already here, I just took up the whole thing before.] At that even Kyrie was in shock, her aura pointing at Roger in accusation. [Wait... you¡¯re tryin¡¯ to tell me ya went so far down the Dark Intent path ya filled out this whole cavern?! Why¡¯d ya waste your time on such a bad path?] Her aura was filled with deep confusion and suspicion, putting Jake on mild alert. [I was just¡­ I dunno, really.] Roger stopped idly carving a niche into the wall as he thought it over. [Ya don¡¯t know? What does that even mean, ya don¡¯t know? Were ya just growin¡¯ for growin¡¯s sake?] Kyrie¡¯s aura was oozing suspicion by this point, refusing to let up the line of questioning. [That doesn¡¯t sound too unlikely. I¡¯ve had issues with that before. If you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯ve learned how to see everything at once now. That only happened because I obsessed over it during my trial, and I couldn¡¯t honestly tell you why I did.] Jake slowly grew more doubtful of his own words, realizing for himself how ridiculous they sounded as he spoke. Kyrie¡¯s aura became several sizes smaller, matching her tone of voice as she spoke again. [So it¡¯s really true. Growth isn¡¯t really voluntary, hell it¡¯s not even an instinct. It¡¯s just an unhealthy obsession we¡¯ve all got that no one can explain.] [Yes!] At Flynn¡¯s voice both Roger and Kyrie jumped, though for two different reasons. [I remember there was a point where I knew I had enough Vigor to survive and I could feel its weird effects, but I just kept on going. It was like every time I tried to leave something pretty much grabbed me and shoved me back over to gather some more.] [I was wondering why I¡¯ve had this unbearable urge to go back to the heat vents and gather more Fire Spirit. If I didn¡¯t have a tight lock on my mind, I¡¯m sure I would have excused myself by now to go do so.] Jake didn¡¯t like things that distorted his mind, which was why he almost never drank even when his crew insisted. To realize he essentially had an involuntary addiction foisted upon him was nothing if not infuriating. [Is that why Morkin never lets us explore the paths? He knows we would overextend ourselves, doesn¡¯t he?] Kyrie¡¯s aura was growing quite angry at this point, though whether from being lied to or being forced to grow, Jake couldn¡¯t tell. [That useless tyrant and my garbage sister Kate have been stompin¡¯ everybody down ¡®cause they knew they¡¯d lose control otherwise.] At her slip of information Kyrie¡¯s aura distinctly shrank in shame. [Sister?! That horrendous woman is your sister?! And you didn¡¯t think to tell me this rather pertinent information?] Jake was shouting into everyone¡¯s minds by this point, absolutely sick of the run-around he¡¯d been going through up to this point. [Whoa whoa whoa, yeah she¡¯s my sister, but it definitely isn¡¯t ¡®pertinent information.¡¯] Kyrie¡¯s aura quite literally formed air quotes as she said this. [And for that matter, why¡¯d I even say that? I haven¡¯t referred to her as my sister in years. Whatever¡¯s goin¡¯ on, I don¡¯t like it. It feels like something¡¯s doin¡¯ everything it can to distract us.] As she said this, everyone in the cavern distinctly noticed tremors going through it. After a moment¡¯s hesitation they all went outside to search for the source. They didn¡¯t have to search for very long, however, as they immediately saw a massive, grotesque, and clearly mutated sea creature slam itself into the rose pattern above the entrance. Though at one point it may have been a lanternfish, this was a far cry from their usual appearance. It was about 3 meters in length and so bright it would have instantly blinded a normal human from that distance. Its fins were easily three times their usual relative size and all ended in long spindly whips with small blades at their tips. The control it held over said tentacles, though slow, was much more precise than expected, evident in the way they all perfectly stabbed the same spot in the shield Kyrie had erected not long after they saw the behemoth. It immediately ceased its slamming and turned to face them, opening its mouth to reveal rows upon rows of teeth more akin to that of a shark¡¯s. [Stay behind the shield no matter what. Ya don¡¯t wanna get caught dead in the water by those things.] Kyrie¡¯s voice was harsh but even, immediately assuming a commanding role. Jake had no issues with this, her superior experience clear as day. [How do we fight back?] Roger took on a more serious tone as well, harkening back to their glory days on the ship. [Ya pretty much don¡¯t, least not from so far away. Murderlanterns are no joke, all we can really do is wait it out. It either leaves, or we¡¯re dead. Attrition is their specialty, but it¡¯s mine too.] Kyrie¡¯s aura was grim yet unwavering in determination to survive. [I have an idea. How far can you extend those spikes from earlier?] Jake was sincerely hoping the Steam Spirit Flynn made would help, as it was basically all he had left. [A good distance, but the tentacles can go further.] As if to punctuate her sentence, the five blades once again stabbed into her shield, creating multiple cracks as they did. Before they could try again, Kyrie had already filled in the cracks, though it was clearly taking its toll. Her aura was slowly shrinking in size, a timer to their ultimate demise. [If we can distract it, I can get close enough to maybe even the odds. These things are terrifyin¡¯ at range, but manageable up close. Trouble is gettin¡¯ that close, when ya add their speed to the mix.] [That should be fine, as long as they can¡¯t see like we can. They can¡¯t, can they?] That would immediately throw a wrench in his plan if that were the case. [If you¡¯re gonna take out the eyes, I¡¯ll welcome it. Just a warnin¡¯, don¡¯t get too close. Since it¡¯s a baby it doesn¡¯t have the really bad stuff, but it can still ruin your day.] Kyrie¡¯s aura bolstered itself once a more solid plan started falling into place. [Just lemme know what your planning so we can do this right.] [Oooooh, I can see what you¡¯re planning, and I like it. We might actually make it out of this.] Jake could practically feel Flynn rubbing her hands at the thought.Stolen novel; please report. [Roger, you still have plenty of Dark Spirit, right?] [Ready and waiting, man. What do you need me to do?] Roger immediately pulled out Dark Spirit which exuded from the tips of his tentacles as a pure black mass. [Perfect. I¡¯m going to condense my Steam into a tiny orb. From there, cover it in several layers of Dark until it¡¯s the size of a cannonball.] Jake then did as he stated, condensing the Steam down to the point where it was almost too unstable, then quickly covered it with all the Dark he had at his disposal. [Please be quick, I can only hold this for so long.] Steam Spirit -1 Dark Spirit -4 Spirit: 0/25, Dark 0/10, Fire 0/15, Water 5/5 Inferior Spirit Manipulation increased to 3/5 [I see what you¡¯re getting at, man. Let¡¯s do it.] Roger immediately started layering the orb with Dark and smoothing it out, only stopping once it was slightly larger than a cannonball. [Letting you know now though, that¡¯s not really gonna hold either, man. Dark¡¯s pretty solid, but not too solid, you know?] [That¡¯s fine. In fact, it¡¯s preferable. It can¡¯t be too solid for what comes next.] [Give it to me, I¡¯ve got the best control.] Neither of them argued with Kyrie, sending the orb between her and the shield. After a moment, she pulled the orb into the connection between the shield and her aura, which Jake assumed were one and the same. She then pulled it back until it was almost touching her and held it in place. The murderlantern then sent all the blades careening into the shield again, letting out an ear piercing cry as they failed to break through. At that moment, everything fell into chaos. The moment it began pulling the tentacles back again, Kyrie reshaped the shield into a sideways spoon shape, at which point she cocked back and sent the orb into place. She immediately flew towards it, swinging the orb directly at the beast¡¯s eyes. There was an audible crack as it connected, followed immediately by an explosion as the pressurized steam blasted outwards in a boiling mist shrouded in darkness. The murderlantern cried out in pain as its eyes were practically boiled in the sockets, rendering it blind. Kyrie wasted no time in flying forward, ignoring the terrified flashes from the streaks of light on the monstrous fish. She formed a set of Water claws three times her size and sliced down the underside of the fish, gutting it. She then flew back around and proceeded to cut off each of the beast¡¯s tentacles before being blasted back by a wave of Light from its death throes. Kyrie slammed into one of the swaying rose bushes in front of the cavern, which proceeded to grip down on her and hold her in place. Her aura was clearly a shadow of what it normally was, frail and clinging to life by a thread. [Release!] The rose bush promptly released Kyrie at Roger¡¯s command, spitting her out on the ground in front of it. [Kyrie!] Jake flew forward with much more concern than he intended to show. [I will be once I get some Spirit in me. Glad to see ya worry about me. Also, I told ya so.] Kyrie let off the best smug aura she could manage, allowing Jake to relax somewhat. [Why are you probably correctly assuming you¡¯re right again?] Jake let out a sigh as he decided humoring her would probably be best. Once again, he resolved never to get on Kyrie¡¯s bad side. [I told ya something¡¯s tryin¡¯ to distract us. If a baby murderfish this far out of their territory isn¡¯t a sign, I don¡¯t know what is.] Kyrie laughed as Jake sputtered in disbelief at her words. Flynn instead took the helm at Jake¡¯s inability to form complete sentences. [I¡¯m sorry, that was a baby? The adults must be massive! How have I never seen one?] Kyrie was clearly absorbing the ambient Water as her aura slowly bolstered itself and her wavering float became solid. [What¡¯d I just say? This isn¡¯t their territory, something sent them here. Considerin¡¯ nothin¡¯ else showed up, it was either a warnin¡¯ or they know they screwed up by attackin¡¯ us.] [You¡¯re saying something¡¯s trying to kill us just ¡®cause we don¡¯t want to grow? Ugh, that¡¯s so grody, man.] Roger made his way back into the cavern as he spoke, clearly not thrilled with the events that had transpired. [Hold on, I don¡¯t think we can stay here. We don¡¯t really know how far this thing¡¯s influence extends. It clearly has both the ship and the cavern in its reach, and Cosmic knows what it might send next.] Jake could feel Flynn pacing as she spoke, the anxiety in her voice only growing. [That¡¯s easy for you to say, you¡¯re in Locke¡¯s Soulscape. If we try to leave, we gotta go through either a bunch of insanos, big angry fishies, Morkin the Tyrant, or maybe even worse. Ya get the point, it¡¯s not safe, and ¡®sides, we don¡¯t even know if the thing¡¯ll let us leave. It¡¯s made it pretty clear it can control us if it wants.] Kyrie¡¯s aura was tired from the current events, yet even her voice made it clear she also wanted to leave. [I¡¯ll go where Ryder goes, so I¡¯m good. He came back for me, I¡¯ll stick by him. I gotta stick close to him and make sure he¡¯s cool, man.] While Jake was deeply touched by Roger¡¯s words, he also felt somewhat embarassed by his tendency to hover over him. [I¡¯d agree with Kyrie on this, it sounds absurdly dangerous to simply leave without a plan. But ultimately, if we can ensure a safe or at least survivable route, we should absolutely leave. This being may very well be manipulating us in more sinister ways we are unaware of.] Jake refused to let himself or his friends have their minds clouded or manipulated by some higher being like they were simple chess pieces. [Well, whatever we¡¯re gonna do, it¡¯s gonna have to wait for some stuff. First of all, ya gotta tell me your real name. I get why you¡¯ve been hidin¡¯ it from me, but if we¡¯re gonna stick together, we need some honesty.] Kyrie made it very clear she wouldn¡¯t budge, and besides that Jake didn¡¯t want to lie to her. [My name is Jake. Roger calls me by my middle name, Ryder. And Locke is part of my last name, Lockstead. Jake Ryder Lockstead, a pleasure to know you.] If Jake were capable of the act, he would¡¯ve bowed, so instead he awkwardly dipped to the ground. [Kyrie Strauss. Glad we got formalities outta the way, now for the important stuff. Ya gotta rank up more. Before ya say it, I¡¯m not bein¡¯ brainwashed. If ya plan on survivin¡¯ wherever ya wanna go, ya gotta have some better defense and offense.] Kyrie paused, seemingly expecting some form of remark, then continued happily when none came. [Well you¡¯re easier to deal with than Kate at least, so that¡¯s a plus. Anyways, before ya rank up, we gotta go through the next step. We gotta set a goal for ourselves, a reason why we¡¯re growin¡¯ and gettin¡¯ better other than bein¡¯ forced. That way, we take control of our destiny, or somethin'' like that.] [I like that. It¡¯s something to cling to when we feel down. It¡¯ll also keep us from going crazy like I did, since that won¡¯t help with our goals. Mine is to find my dad and¡­ talk to him.] Flynn sounded much more determined than she had before, ominous implications aside. [I wanna dethrone my bitch of a sister and her tyrant boy toy. Sorry if that was your goal too, Jake, but pick a new one. I¡¯ve had dibs on her for a while.] Kyrie¡¯s aura flared up at the mere mention of Kate, leaving Jake wondering just what she did to Kyrie. Well, besides exile her to near certain death. [I¡¯m gonna remember who I was. The Insight path let me see that it¡¯s not gone, just under the waves, man. I¡¯m pretty sure I can ride them down eventually.] Roger choked up as he spoke, making it clear just how much those memories meant to him. [I need to get back to my family. I know they need me, and I refused to be carried to them by everyone else. I¡¯ve been coddled long enough.] 10 - No Better Man It was a brief expression, nothing more. There one moment, gone the next, like a passing glance on the street. But to Viktor, it was more than enough. A moment of hesitation before the shamanka proceeded with the news of his unborn child. It was immediately wiped away with a smile, but it was enough to set off a deep underlying alarm bell. ¡°It¡¯s a girl, Mr. and Mrs. Morigold! Congratulations!¡± The shamanka, named Tara, still had the same overly cheerful smile plastered on her face, overtly trying to hide any underlying reactions or emotions. ¡°W-wow¡­ Isn¡¯t this amazing, Viktor? Our own baby girl, like you always wanted!¡± Avalia had a truly beautiful smile, yet it was distinctly overshadowed by the subtle wince from Tara at the word ¡®Our¡¯. ¡°I¡­ have no words. Is the baby healthy, Tara? Please don¡¯t sugarcoat it, you¡¯ve worked with my family for years, you know I can handle it.¡± Viktor hoped he was just seeing things, that maybe the baby wasn¡¯t perfectly healthy and he was just looking into it too much. ¡°Perfectly healthy, sugar. Not a single health issue from everything I can detect, right down to her bloodline and anything she might inherit. Take my word for it, I¡¯ve done this for years, hon.¡± Tara looked Viktor dead in the eyes as she said all of this, and it didn¡¯t take an idiot to read between the lines. A tear formed in the corner of his eye; Viktor let it fall freely, knowing Avalia would misunderstand. She never paid that much attention to how he felt in any case. Just like he figured, Avalia neither looked in his direction nor even pretended she cared. She simply kept asking Tara various questions about the baby, which were plainly answered while glancing in Viktor¡¯s direction in concern. Yet Avalia continued as if he wasn¡¯t there, totally unaware of when he got up and walked away. He left through a side door that led directly to Tara¡¯s office from the outside and promptly pulled out a cigrin with shaky hands. He hesitated as he brought it to his mouth however, a memory floating unbidden to the forefront of his mind. The day he had swapped to cigrins. Viktor had just arrived home from his shift as a guard. As soon as he walked through the door he saw Avalia sitting by the kitchen counter, tears streaming from her eyes as she held an odd pink strip in her hands. Viktor¡¯s eyes had gone wide as the realization dawned on him, recognizing what the pink colored strip signified. Without a word he tossed his lit pipe on the counter, ran out to the nearest corner store, and picked up a pack of cigrins. He still remembered the tagline when he had picked them up; ¡®Smoke them and you¡¯ll be left with cinders and a grin.¡¯ They were intended as a healthy alternative to pipe smoking, as the energies used to produce them actually left one healthier after smoking them while ensuring they wouldn¡¯t feel withdrawals from addictions. He then ran back home and slapped them onto the counter next to Avalia, causing her to look up in shock. ¡°I refuse to leave that child¡¯s life early because of my stupid decisions. I¡¯m done killing myself.¡± Viktor had a wide grin on his face that slowly faded when he saw her expression was sorrowful. At the time Viktor had believed it was because she was worried about the financial costs or perhaps even doubts about the child, but now¡­ Now he knew the truth. He angrily bit off the end of the cigrin, releasing the energy to light it, and took a long, hard drag. He started off smooth, but by the end was struggling to hold the smoke in as tears streamed down his face. He lowered his hand as his entire body was taken with choking sobs, hacking up smoke as he released shuddered breaths. ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t I do everything right? I work every day to protect us, I bought us our home, I made sure you don¡¯t have to work a day in your life unless you want to. So why isn¡¯t it enough?¡± He took another long angry drag, doing his hardest not to hack again as he exhaled as smoothly as he could manage. Viktor walked away with blurry vision, cursing the world for granting everyone such a beautiful day. The midday sun cast its blue rays through a cloudless sky. An elderly couple sat on a bench in a park across the road, laughing and enjoying memories Viktor wouldn¡¯t get. A ball bumped into his foot, which he promptly picked up and tossed to a little girl with a guilty face. He didn¡¯t understand how they could all go about enjoying their day. They had no idea that the world, as he knew it, was over. He continued his somber walk, holding back tears with heavy drags on his cigrin. He continued on until he reached a particular house, knocking twice on the front door. He waited patiently until he heard small feet patter up to the other side of the door, then wiped the tears from his face as best he could. The door opened to reveal a little boy no older than 5. He looked up at Viktor panting lightly, having clearly run to the door before anyone else could. Viktor sighed as he saw how pudgy the boy was getting, for he knew just how much his parents spoiled him, though he was still a sweet boy. ¡°Hello Elias, could you p-¡± Viktor paused to clear his throat as tears threatened to spill over again. ¡°Could you get your father, please?¡± ¡°Ok Misser Morigold! Daddy, Misser Morigold came to visit! He looks sad.¡± Elias shouted all of this while running off, twice nearly tripping on his untied shoes. As Viktor watched Elias running off tears broke out in full force. He covered his mouth to quiet his hitching breaths as he broke down completely, sitting with his face in his hands on his best friend¡¯s front steps. He wouldn¡¯t get to have a little girl running around his home causing trouble, to take to her first day of school, to show right from wrong. None of that, all because he wasn¡¯t good enough to keep his wife¡¯s love. ¡°Viktor, aren¡¯t you supposed to be-¡± Stefan had finally arrived at the front door, wordlessly picking Viktor up by an arm and pulling him inside. Stefan walked with him to the living room, seating him in front of a coffee table before walking off. In the distance Viktor could vaguely hear him tell Elias not to come in, but he wasn¡¯t quite focused. His vision was still blurry as he stared down at a red carpet with a growing wet spot. At that moment Stefan walked in with two glasses and a bottle of bedlam, so named for its tendency to cause utter bedlam and knock out lightweights. He then placed a glass down in front of Viktor and filled it before sitting across from him with his own full glass, leaving the bottle between them. Viktor immediately downed the glass before grabbing the bottle and drinking directly from the source. It burned going down, but it was preferable to the chills going across his entire body. ¡°Tell me what happened. I was hoping you¡¯d come to me much happier, but I can see that isn¡¯t the case.¡± Stefan took a sip of his own glass, hissing afterwards. He wasn¡¯t a drinker, but he also wouldn¡¯t leave Viktor drinking alone. ¡°She¡¯s not mine, Stefan. The baby isn¡¯t mine.¡± Viktor was staring down at the carpet muttering, knowing once he said it he couldn¡¯t take it back. ¡°What? A-are you sure? How did you even find out.¡± Stefan leaned in closer, most likely to hear Viktor better. ¡°Tara hinted at it. She couldn¡¯t say it with Ava there, but it was obvious what she was trying to say. Cosmic, I don¡¯t think Ava even noticed I left.¡± He sighed heavily, no longer able to muster the effort to even cry. ¡°Wow.¡± Stefan sat back in his chair, taking another swig of bedlam before putting his cup down in disgust. ¡°What do you plan on doing? Do you know who she cheated with?¡± Viktor paused at those words. He couldn¡¯t say he knew with absolute certainty, but a suspect immediately came to mind. ¡°Captain Shavoss.¡± ¡°Captain Shavoss?! How would he have met her, he doesn¡¯t even know most of us. He¡¯s our company leader for Cosmic¡¯s sake.¡± Stefan leaned forward again, refilling his glass upon hearing the insane accusations. ¡°It was at the party to celebrate our pay raises last year. He¡¯d eyed us from across the hall, which I still don¡¯t know how he did with everyone dancing between us. But I guess the bastard just couldn¡¯t take his eyes off my wife, because next thing I know he¡¯s right in front of us. I introduced Avalia and myself, but he hadn¡¯t so much as looked at me the whole time. We start having a conversation about different stuff, like what we do as guards and she talks about our plans to move into a new place. Seemed harmless, so I went to get us more drinks. Lo and behold, I look over from where I am and they¡¯re laughing about something, she has her hand on his arm and he¡¯s clearly looking down the front of her dress. You know Avalia, she¡¯s beautiful, but I wouldn¡¯t say she¡¯s the most beautiful woman to ever exist. Stefan, when I tell you Shavoss was looking at her like there was no other woman in existence, I mean it.¡± Viktor paused to gulp from the bottle for at least three seconds before slamming it back down, sloshing some onto the table. ¡°So I walked over there all casual with two drinks and hand Avalia one. Then she did something I swear hasn¡¯t happened to me since I was a damn teenager. She says, ¡®Oh, why didn¡¯t you get a drink for yourself too? You should go back and get another one.¡¯ And she grabs my drink and hands it to Shavoss, barely even looking at me. I wasn¡¯t about to cause a scene in front of my superior officer, but you can bet I wanted to. You know how it works, we¡¯re nobodies to Captains. Just another guard, another grunt, another cog in the machine. But that was the first time Avalia ever made me feel like I was a nobody to her.¡± At that point Viktor was crying profusely, his words slurring as he tried to drink himself into a coma. ¡°Ever since then, she barely ever notices me. The passion is gone. And I¡¯ve been trying to bring it back, I really have. Despite the distance between us I still love her with all of my heart. But this was it, the nail in the coffin. If this isn¡¯t a sign she no longer loves me, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Vik, I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if I found out Elias wasn¡¯t mine. I¡¯d probably kill the man Tara cheated on me with, if I ever got the chance.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, Stefan¡¯s eyes went wide as dinner plates. ¡°What am I talking about, I¡¯d never do that. Ridiculous. And hey, just because it¡¯s over between you doesn¡¯t mean your life is over. You can move past this Viktor, you can start again. I¡¯ll be here every step of the way.¡± ¡°Th-thank you Stefan. Can you walk me home? I feel like I¡¯d get trampled if I went alone.¡± Viktor¡¯s eyes were mildly glazed over, his words barely registering even to him. ¡°Sure, just wait here a moment. I need to go next door and get Bethany to look after Elias while we¡¯re gone. Don¡¯t go anywhere while I¡¯m gone, you¡¯ll hurt yourself.¡± With that, Stefan got up and left the room, calling out to Elias in the distance. Viktor sat there patiently, waiting for just the right moment. As soon as he heard the front door close he dragged himself out of the chair while pawing for the half empty bottle of bedlam. ¡°Gah, Urrive is terrible, Stefan. Why don¡¯t you-¡± Viktor slapped a hand to his mouth as his liquid lunch threatened to come up, only moving it when it felt safer. ¡°Urgh, that¡¯s why Pherri is better. Never had that happen with a bottle of Pherri, I can promise that.¡± The room was silent in response to his complaints. Viktor began the process of shambling drunkenly to the stairs, leaning fully on the railing as he walked his way up. After falling forward only twice, a new record, he made it to the top, where he promptly walked into Stefan and Tara¡¯s room. Upon entry his nose was assaulted by the smell of cinnamon and vanilla. At that point he did actually throw up, the personally hated smell of cinnamon too much for him. He did always tell Stefan that eventually the smell would make him throw up, to which he¡¯d respond, ¡®Then don¡¯t go in our room.¡¯ Sound logic, so he never argued the point, though he was sure they¡¯d change the scent now. In any case, Viktor stumbled over to the dresser and pulled out a small combination lockbox. Without even thinking, he put in Elias¡¯s birthday, day, year, and month, and the lockbox popped open. He paused, tears in his eyes. It was such a stupid, small thing, but he sincerely wanted to put his daughter¡¯s birthday as his lockbox combination. It was so stupid he hadn¡¯t even thought about it, and yet now he couldn¡¯t help but cry over it. He removed the spiritgun, which was a revolver he didn¡¯t know the model of, from the small box. He banged it over and over against his forehead as he sat there, wondering if he really wanted to go through with it. He took one last look at the lockbox and made up his mind. Normally he would¡¯ve thought it was such a silly reason for a man to die, but his drunken mind had no such qualms. With a sigh, he got up and left the room, his mind made up. Shavoss deserved what was coming to him. Viktor walked out of the room and hung a left, heading to the window at the end of the hall. He then opened it and looked down, finding what he was looking for. A decently sized yuvaberry bush was directly beneath it, though it was quite a ways down for two floors. Without a second thought Viktor dropped out of the window, landing in the bush with only a rustling of leaves and a spike of pain. In his drunken stupor he had forgotten that yuvaberry bushes had thorns, leaving him bleeding profusely. Luckily for him, Bethany had her laundry hanging in the backyard, and he didn¡¯t think the consequences for using the clothes as bandages would matter in the grand scheme. He limped his way over, a particularly nasty thorn in his left foot, and grabbed various articles of clothing before hopping away on one foot. Apparently he had been in Stefan¡¯s house for quite a while, for the sun was just setting, leaving the sky a deep purple and allowing him to steal away in the gloom of late evening. It seemed no one noticed as he left. * ???????????????????? * ???????????????????? * Finally, after about 20 excruciating minutes, Viktor had both arrived home and gotten the thorn out of his foot. Now he could really kick his plan into action. He hobbled over to the kitchen window as quickly as he could manage, but found that the light was off. Unfortunate. He then hobbled around to the front, taking as much care as a drunk man could to be quiet. He peered in through the living room window before promptly tossing himself into a nearby bush. The front door had opened the moment he walked up. Avalia walked out not long after, wearing a simple sundress and brown wedges. Odd combination in his opinion, but what did he care at that point. Her eyes scanned in all directions, pausing in particular on the bush, before walking off, her heels clacking into the distance. Once he felt she had gone far enough Viktor dragged himself from the bushes, pausing to remove a twig from the barrel of his revolver, then followed her into the night. There was something off about a guard stalking his wife into the night, but Viktor was too drunk to think about that. He followed her for a good 5 minutes before she suddenly turned into an alleyway between a medicinal shop and a tailor. He then sidled up to the edge of the alleyway and peeked in, having to catch himself on a sill to avoid falling. ¡°Hi Gunther, I realize it¡¯s strange for me to have called you out here so late. I just... wanted to tell you something.¡± Avalia sounded hesitant, as if the news hung heavy on her shoulders. ¡°Tell me what, Avalia? Will you finally explain why we haven¡¯t met in over a month. I¡¯ve missed you, your husband be damned. I¡¯d ship him off to die if you¡¯d let me, but you still care for some reason.¡± Gunther Shavoss was many things, a kind man was not one of them. Avalia seemed to be the only exception. Avalia moved in and hugged him tightly, an action Shavoss reciprocated after only a moment¡¯s hesitation. Meanwhile, Viktor had a white-knuckled grip on the revolver, only waiting to make sure he wasn¡¯t wrong, though at this point he doubted it. He had to further restrain himself as tears spilled over when she looked up and kissed him directly. It wasn¡¯t even a quick peck, like the kind she gave Viktor before he left for work. No, this was a kiss of intense passion, where they tightly squeezed each other and wouldn¡¯t back away before the other did. Viktor began to pinch his right wrist, something he did when his emotions started running away from him. It finally ended when Avalia gently pushed Shavoss back, looking him in the eyes as she did so. ¡°Cosmic I¡¯ve missed you, Gunther. You make me feel¡­ alive. Like I actually matter, and I¡¯m not just a housewife to a lowly guard.¡± She looked like she was only barely holding back from throwing herself into his arms again. Viktor continued pinching with more intensity, giving his all to not jump out right then. ¡°I missed you too, pet. You mean the world to me, and I really mean that. My villa still feels painfully empty without you around. Please reconsider your decision to stay, pet, I don¡¯t think I can handle it anymore.¡± Shavoss looked at her with pleading eyes that could rival a puppy¡¯s. ¡°I¡­¡± Avalia bit her lip in silence. Viktor wanted to throw himself at her feet and beg with her not to leave at that moment. Instead he waited, pinching his wrist aggressively. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Gunther. Besides, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I have other news.¡± ¡°What is it, pet? I¡¯ll be with you through anything, I promise.¡± Shavoss looked down at her with a much more serious expression, perhaps even more than when he acted as a Captain. ¡°I¡¯m pregnant, and... she¡¯s yours.¡± Avalia looked down at her feet, clearly fearful for his response. ¡°What?! That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s wonderful news! You have to move into my villa now! Oh, pet, it¡¯ll be wonderful, we can start a real family together. We don¡¯t have to run around behind your husband¡¯s back anymore, or hide ourselves from our families.¡± Shavoss had the widest grin Viktor had ever seen across his face, without a doubt even wider than when Avalia had agreed to marry Viktor. At that moment he pinched too hard and ripped off a small chunk of skin. Without any further hesitation, Viktor jumped into the alleyway, holding the revolver up to both of them. They quickly turned to face him in shock, though from their faces they didn''t immediately recognize him. His bleary eyes made it so he could hardly tell when Shavoss had moved in front of Avalia, though it only served to anguish Viktor further. ¡°Why, Ava, what did I do to deserve this? Was I not a good enough husband?¡± Viktor shouted in half choked sobs, beyond trying to keep himself under control. ¡°What-Viktor?! What are you doing!? Is that a spiritgun?!¡± Avalia was screaming at Viktor, barely concealing how absolutely terrified she was. ¡°Morigold? What the fuck is wrong with you!? If you have a problem with me, then come after me, but she¡¯s pregnant for Cosmic¡¯s sake.¡± Shavoss stepped in front of her as he spoke, ensuring she was out of harm¡¯s way. ¡°Oh good for fucking you, you care more about my fucking wife than I do!¡± ¡°Yes, I clearly do, you psychopath! What kind of maniac pulls a gun on his own pregnant wife!?¡± Shavoss took a step forward, immediately retracting it as Viktor cocked the hammer. ¡°Don¡¯t you try and take the high ground on me, you¡¯re the one who stole my fucking wife from me!¡± Viktor slowly walked further into the alleyway, though he made sure to keep some distance. ¡°I barely even had to try, Morigold! Sure, you paid attention to her, but you clearly don¡¯t see her as attractive! Of course a man who genuinely cares for her will take her away! Name one damned thing you find attractive about her!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Viktor paused, and not just because of his alcohol-addled brain. He was in shock, but he sincerely couldn¡¯t think of one thing he found attractive about her. He couldn¡¯t even remember her eye color. ¡°Exactly. You knew this relationship was dead for years, but you strung her along because you wanted a family, and you didn¡¯t care who gave it to you. Face it Morigold, you¡¯re a piece of shit and you know it.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± With that, Viktor pulled the trigger, shooting Shavoss perfectly in the chest. ¡°Oh Cosmic, no! Gunther!¡± Avalia fell to her knees by Shavoss as Viktor let the gun clatter to the floor. She pressed her face up to his, tears pouring onto his face. ¡°How could you!? Gunther, stay with me, please! I¡¯ll move in with you! Anything for you, I¡¯ll spend my life with you! Just please, please don¡¯t leave me!¡± Tears streamed down Shavoss¡¯s face as with the last of his strength he pulled Avalia in and kissed her before speaking. ¡°I love you, please don¡¯t ever forget that. I just... have one request.¡± ¡°Anything for you, Gunther. Anything.¡± Avalia was bawling at this point, tears pouring like rivers. Shavoss was overtaken by shudders at this point, every word a clear struggle. ¡°Call her... Cornelia. I-it¡¯s my grandmother¡¯s name. I¡­ I promised I¡¯d name a daughter after her. And please, d-don¡¯t stop living for me. F-find someone that makes you happy. All I want is you girls¡¯ h-happiness.¡± Afterwards he began hacking and wheezing, blood dribbling from his lips. Then, after a moment, stillness. Shavoss was gone. Viktor merely stood there, unflinching and unmoving. He could hear the clattering of hooves fast approaching, but made no moves to run. He knew the consequences for what he¡¯d done, and he was fully ready to accept them. Without hesitation, he kneeled on the ground with his hands behind his head. The authorities rapidly apprehended him and shackled his wrists and ankles. He didn¡¯t even wince as they tightened the manacles onto the gash on his wrist. He deserved everything that was coming to him. 11 - Crimes and Punishment Viktor sat on his cell bed in darkness as he awaited a verdict. Well, bed was putting it nicely. Really it was a metal cot with a comforter draped over it. It was still more than he expected or felt he even deserved. At the moment he was being held in a cell with two doors, one a gate with bars, and then a solid metal wall door past that. No windows to be seen, not that he could see in the pitch black darkness. He was right, of course. Shavoss, that is. Viktor had long stopped caring for Avalia, only staying around to have a wife and, eventually, children. His anger was more towards Shavoss than it was Avalia, because though she may have been justified in looking for affection elsewhere, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t feel robbed. He felt shame that the feeling was more akin to having property stolen from him than losing a life companion. No, Viktor without a doubt felt Shavoss had stolen his wife from him, regardless of whether or not she would¡¯ve left him anyways. What was hurting him about the situation was that he couldn¡¯t have been more rational. Granted, anyone who knew Viktor knew his judgement was easily clouded. Regardless, he still hurt Avalia for his own revenge, leaving her alone to raise a child without the loving father she would have otherwise had. And now Viktor would almost certainly be off to his death, one way or another. He was roused suddenly from his wallowing as the door to his cell screeched open, letting in more light than he¡¯d seen in hours. They raised the budget for the troops, but all of the equipment was still terrible, he noted with a pained expression. He subconsciously rubbed the wound on his wrist, which was now both scabbing and inflamed. He sincerely hoped it wasn¡¯t infected, as the government wasn¡¯t exactly known for treating its prisoners well. ¡°Morigold, step forward.¡± A squat overweight guard, whom he didn¡¯t immediately recognize, stood behind a gate meant for shackling prisoners before releasing them fully. Viktor dragged himself out of bed and shuffled his way over to the man, who clearly seemed disgusted with him. To drive home his disgust, as Viktor walked up the man spit in his face before tightening the manacles, once again ignoring the wound on his wrist. This wasn¡¯t the first time he was treated in such a way, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be the last. ¡°If I was scum like you I¡¯d have killed you in your sleep, but you aren¡¯t worth the demerit.¡± The fat guard scowled as Viktor huffed in disagreement. ¡°What, you think I¡¯d get worse? Please, Shavoss may have been harsh, but he was a damn good Captain. Maybe if you could please your wife we wouldn-¡± Without warning Viktor punched the guard in the chest, who unfortunately was standing closer to the gate than he should¡¯ve been due to his short arms and stature. The guard doubled over in pain as he released Viktor''s hands, but Viktor made no further moves. ¡°Son of a¡­ Urgh.¡± The guard leaned on his knees as he struggled to breathe for several moments. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll take me to my death with no more slander about a situation you know nothing about. If you knew just how bad it really was, then you actually might¡¯ve killed me in my sleep. At the very least, I don¡¯t want any better. Though I suppose that makes sense, since prison isn¡¯t about giving us what we want.¡± Viktor gritted his teeth as the guard vigorously tightened the right side of the manacles, digging into the skin and drawing blood. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to hear any of your garbage. Get out.¡± The guard, after taking another brief moment to compose himself, opened the cell gate. ¡°Very well th-¡± It was Viktor¡¯s turn to double over as the guard slammed the baton into his stomach then immediately followed up with a blow to the head. ¡°By the Cosmic, you¡¯re an idiot. What did I just say? Move it.¡± The guard pointed lazily down the hall with the baton. Viktor obediently walked down the hall, this time ensuring he stayed silent. No point in aggravating the guard any further. He¡¯d gotten his point across. They filed down the hall at a leisurely pace, the guard not willing to walk any faster, though that didn¡¯t stop him from jabbing Viktor with his baton. They continued onwards, taking multiple turns until they went into a stairwell different from the one Viktor had initially come through. That didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know where this set of stairs led. The guard reached around him and opened the door at the top, seeing as how he was currently bound. ¡°We will now be hearing the case of¡­ Viktor Morigold.¡± The judge¡¯s words were laced with poison as she called his name. Viktor dared not look at the crowd around them, fully aware no friends would be found there. He walked quietly to his seat in front of the judge¡¯s bench and waited, knowing what came next. ¡°All stand! Honorable Major Anja Rischtin presiding! All can be seated.¡± At this Viktor finally sat down, ignoring the indignant looks he was getting. He was already hated, why should he try to be polite? It was only once he sat down that he looked to his right and dread filled his eyes. For sitting next to him was none other than Stefan, dressed in the same rags as Viktor with manacles around his wrists. His usually well kept glasses were filthy, with the right lens cracked beyond any chance of seeing through it. For the first time in roughly a week he actually felt something that wasn¡¯t disinterest towards another person. ¡°Viktor Morigold. Stefan Schwarz. You are brought before this court for the murder of one Captain Gunther Shavoss. How do you plead?¡± The Major-acting-judge sat forward with disturbing calm, belying the untold amounts of vitriol behind her eyes. ¡°I plead guilty, Your Honor. And may I ask, why was Private First Class Schwarz arrested for this crime? He was unrelated to its events.¡± Viktor looked up at her expectantly, doing his best to challenge her silent anger with his own look of defiance. ¡°As I am to understand, Private First Class Schwarz, while not directly involved, had both supplied the murder weapon and assisted in the planning of the murder. He turned himself in and after we checked the weapon confirmed it belonged to him. Does this satisfy your question?¡± The tone she ended on greatly implied no would not be a good answer. ¡°...Yes, Your Honor.¡± After a moment of disbelief at what he heard, Viktor sat back down. ¡°I also plead guilty, Your Honor.¡± Stefan quickly said his piece then sat back down without any argument. ¡°Am I to understand you will be defending yourselves without a lawyer?¡± Major Rischtin had sat back into her chair, which looked more like a throne and just as uncomfortable to Viktor. They both nodded in approval, to which Major Rischtin sighed in response. ¡°Please state your assent out loud for court records.¡± This time the bailiff had spoken up, the Major clearly too annoyed to do so herself. ¡°Yes.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s correct, Your Honor.¡± ¡°Very well then. Will you be seeking any pleas?¡± Her tone seemed much more impatient than when they¡¯d first begun. It was as though she couldn¡¯t wait to send them both to their deaths, which probably was the case. ¡°No.¡± ¡°None, Your Honor.¡± Viktor looked over at Stefan when he¡¯d said that, sadness in his eyes at the pointless imminent death of his best friend. Stefan didn¡¯t seem to care even slightly, his eyes stoic. ¡°Normally such a grievous crime would result in an immediate execution sentence.¡± The Major then paused, most likely waiting for a response. Silence was all that left either of them.¡°However, due to your many years in service to the City of Zidlenberg and the Kingdom of Odenfaast, you have a second option. You can become part of a criminal platoon, normally reserved for crimes of a¡­ lower stature than your own. What is your decision?¡± The way she spoke, it seemed like execution was the better choice of the two, as she sounded much more¡­ enthusiastic about shipping them off to die in war. Viktor was unaware he had that option as a lowly guard, though judging by Stefan¡¯s more collected reaction he was aware. It wasn¡¯t as if he was unaware the option existed, he¡¯d opened the gates for such platoons in the past. Rather, he didn¡¯t believe his crime was one that allowed the option. Such heinous acts should only be met with immediate death in his eyes, though he was thankful Stefan had the option. ¡°I will join a criminal platoon.¡± ¡°I will become part of a criminal platoon, Your Honor.¡± Viktor sighed in relief as he heard this, genuinely worried Stefan would¡¯ve preferred execution. ¡°Understood. You are to return to your cells and in the morning you will be brought to your platoon. Court dismissed.¡± With that, Major Rischtin rapped her gavel twice, sealing their fates. *???????????????? *???????????????? * When the Major had said ¡®morning¡¯, Viktor had no idea just how early she¡¯d meant. It was currently 4:30 a.m. if the clock tower was correct, which it usually was. The graveyard shift guards still had half an hour left until they swapped with the early morning guards. All of the other members of the ¡®slatoon¡¯, as he¡¯d discovered was a common nickname amongst its members, were still busy blinking the sleep from their eyes. Slatoon apparently meant ¡®Slave Platoon¡¯, which seemed at least somewhat correct considering none of the men and women around him other than Stefan seemed physically fit in any way. He and Stefan had the fortune of having been up that early as part of their job, though that didn¡¯t stop Stefan from sleeping in a cart filled with hay when he thought no one was looking. It was because of this that Viktor currently found himself standing in front of a cart looking out for when their superior officer would arrive. They were brought out by prison guards then told to wait in a pen just outside the city walls, which he¡¯d initially thought was for cattle but was starting to realize was an area made for this purpose. There was an abundance of hay filled carts and loose hay strewn everywhere, which he noticed were meant as beds of a sort. They hadn¡¯t even bothered to take their manacles off, instead adding the ankle manacles as well. It seemed to be necessary however, considering how many people were trying to climb the fences he realized more and more was designed for people. Viktor sighed as he sat back against the cart, figuring he may as well take a quick nap as well while he waited. It¡¯s not like any of the others in the pen were being aggressive to each other, much more focused on hopping the fence and making a run for it. It was at this point he heard an ear-piercing whistle, much louder than he¡¯d even thought possible, causing him to cover his ears in pain. Once the head-splitting sound stopped, he, and most other people in the pen, looked towards the source. Standing there was an unassuming man in military fatigues with a bald man to his left and a towering tanned woman to his right. He had his left thumb and forefinger in his mouth as he took a breath and let out a quick, but equally loud, whistle and gained the last few stragglers¡¯ attention. The center man, likely an officer, had shaggy short black hair and a decent stubble with hints of a wispy mustache. His skin was fair as were most of Odenfaast¡¯s denizens, but nonetheless had sunspots showing off just how often he was outdoors. He was shorter than either of his assistants and yet still gave off an intimidating and commanding aura. This was even more shocking considering that with how babyish his face was, he looked like he was 16. The man to his left was most likely from the southern kingdom of Alsharia judging by his tanned skin tone leaning towards the darker side of the spectrum. Though he was bald, he also had a respectable thick goatee on a rather chiseled jaw and more arm and chest hair than any other man in the pen. His chest hair was noticeable because the man only wore an open military jacket without any sort of undershirt to be seen. The woman on the right towered over everyone present easily, likely around 210 cm. in height if he had to guess. She had a lighter tanned skin, though it was enough he could tell she wasn¡¯t a Odenfaast native. Where she could be from, he had no idea, nor did he know if she was even technically a Neuman. Her brunette hair was in a ponytail that fell to just below her hips, yet another peculiarity about her Viktor couldn¡¯t place. ¡°Alright, listen up, because I¡¯m only going to say this once. I am First Lieutenant Walter Vaanz Lehma, these are Sergeants Ghian Yaslek and Evelia Yufemi. To put it bluntly, every one of us can kick your ass and it wouldn¡¯t be a challenge. You could even come at us with weapons and it wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Good? Good.¡± Lieutenant Lehma nodded in satisfaction before turning to face both Sergeants. ¡°Take apart the fencing and assign sections as you deem appropriate.¡± With that, the two Sergeants began the disturbingly quick process of taking apart the pen surrounding them: they would walk up to a section, pull the poles apart, lift them from the ground, stand someone next to it, repeat. All told, the process took about 5 minutes, resulting in neat ranks with a pile of poles in front of each person. Some had more poles, some had less. After all that was done, Lehma walked up to each of them, unshackled them, and handed them an assortment of straps. Yufemi and Yaslek stood on opposite ends of the ranks, ensuring no one tried to run away. ¡°Stefan, do you know what¡¯s going on? Also, I don¡¯t think you need to be that serious.¡± Viktor looked to his right where Stefan was standing at attention, unmoving. ¡°I have no clue, but this is exactly the time to be this serious. If you didn¡¯t notice, they¡¯re all oozing power that shakes me to my core. I¡­ I think they might be Dreamers.¡± Stefan whispered the last word as though it were a slur that could land him in hot water. All of the people closest to them immediately turned to face Stefan, shock that he¡¯d dared even utter the word. Viktor, on the other hand, was completely lost. He¡¯d never left Zidlenberg nor did he ever feel the need to. Whatever a Dreamer was, it was clearly something that wasn¡¯t to be messed with, so he followed Stefan¡¯s example and faced forward. After a moment of nothing happening the people around them visibly relaxed as they returned to facing forward. Eventually everyone was unshackled and holding straps in front of them. Reflexively Viktor looked down at his right hand, which was swollen to a terrifying degree and clearly infected. He was almost certain he was beyond saving his hand by that point, but if nothing was done he was guaranteed to die. After a moment¡¯s hesitation he raised said infected hand, gasping when Yaslek was suddenly in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Just as Viktor thought, a man of few words. ¡°If something isn¡¯t done about my hand, I¡¯ll almost certainly die. Is there any way I can be treated?¡± Viktor held his hand out for emphasis. ¡°Mmm.¡± Yaslek looked at it with a puzzled expression before waving Yufemi over. She appeared almost as quickly as Yaslek did, bringing an odd sensation of heat with her as she did. ¡°Is everything alright here?¡± Yufemi possessed a much higher voice than Viktor expected, with an accent he couldn¡¯t place. She looked at Yaslek before looking down at Viktor¡¯s hand, at which point she took on a grim expression. Without any more words she simply nodded to Yaslek. Before Viktor could ask any questions he felt a sudden slice followed by an audible wet plop. When he looked down he immediately noticed his hand was too far away from him as his world began to swim. A shoulder suddenly propped up his falling body and he looked over to notice Stefan holding him with clear horror and concern on his face. He was then blindsided by an unimaginable searing pain as the smell of burning flesh reached his nose. He looked down with teary eyes to notice Yufemi had his arm in her hands and seemed to be burning where his hand used to be with only her hands. Not even a drop of blood had a chance to leak as she fully sealed the wound. ¡°Will he last until the Will Impartment tonight?¡± Yufemi¡¯s voice was distant, almost inaudible as his consciousness faded. ¡°He should.¡± Yaslek¡¯s words were the last to reach Viktor¡¯s ears before his eyes rolled back and his body shut off. 12 - Whats Done Is Done Viktor woke up in a cold sweat, eyes darting to and fro as he tried to figure out where he was. Last he remembered his right hand was just removed and cauterized in seconds. He very quickly shifted into confusion as he noticed he was apparently in his home, having fallen asleep in the living room chair in front of the lit fireplace. He removed the blanket from himself, sighing wistfully as he noticed it was the one Avalia had made him for their first anniversary. He still couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d spent over a week making something for him. It was slightly scratchy because she couldn¡¯t afford the best material, but it was more than enough for him. After a moment¡¯s hesitation he looked down at his hands, sighing in relief as he saw both hands were perfectly intact. Even his wedding band was in near mint condition, causing him to smile. Avalia had been so worried his ring was permanently stained by a metal paint he¡¯d gotten on it at work, but just look at it now. It was practically glowing. He got out of the chair with an audible sigh, feeling several joints pop and click in disagreement. He ignored them entirely, fully focused on going to the kitchen to see his wife. He still had a chance to get her back, to change her mind about him. Maybe she wasn¡¯t actually pregnant yet and it was just one big nightmare. He surely showed her how much he loved her and found her attractive in reality, didn¡¯t he? Of course he did, she was his wife after all. He knocked on the kitchen archway as he walked in, causing Avalia to yelp as she dropped an empty pan and letting it clatter to the floor. Viktor winced as he knew what that meant, but he didn¡¯t care. Viktor made sure to walk up behind her and embrace her before she had a chance to yell at him about being in the kitchen. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion? I didn¡¯t forget your birthday or something, did I?¡± Avalia had a smirk on her face, knowing full well she hadn¡¯t forgotten anything. ¡°Oh you didn¡¯t know? It¡¯s national ¡®Love Your Wife¡¯ day. That means that today is all about you, just you, and no one else but you. Now what can your awful husband do for you?¡± He embraced her even tighter as he spoke, giving her a peck on the cheek for good measure. ¡°Well, you can start by picking up that dirty pan and washing it, kind sir.¡± She gently pulled herself from his arms and gestured towards the pan on the floor as though she were holding a door open. ¡°As you wish, milady. I aim to please.¡± Viktor tried his best to hide his slight drawl as he gave her the classiest smile he could while bowing, picking up the pan while he was down there. Viktor walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet, not for the first time wondering just how these worked. He remembered guarding the building where they ensured the sewage and water was running, but other than something about gems it was beyond him what went on. He shrugged the thought away as he picked up a towel and began drying off the pan. He then put it away and dried his own hands with the same towel. It was at that moment that he began to hyperventilate slightly, his eyes filled with horror. For on his wrist was a small piece of skin missing where there wasn¡¯t before. He tried his best to rationalize it before he went into a full-blown panic. Maybe it was just from something in the week that freaked him out. He was an emotional person after all, it wasn¡¯t unlikely. Or maybe he¡¯d hurt himself while on the job, it was dangerous after all. It could¡¯ve been any one of those things, possibly even more he couldn¡¯t think of. He was fine. His relationship was fine and his wife still loved him. He loved her. She was attractive to him. She was a beautiful woman that he couldn¡¯t get enough of. He especially loved her¡­ He thought her prettiest feature was¡­ He whirled around and stared at his wife, currently preoccupied with putting away dishes. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. She looked so¡­ unattractive to him at that moment. It was genuinely at a level where he couldn¡¯t understand how anyone found her attractive. As he thought this, the smell of cinnamon wafted into his nose, forcing him to cover it with both hands. ¡°A-Ava darling, what¡¯s that smell?¡± ¡°What smell, sweetheart?¡± Avalia was looking at him with confusion plain on her face. Viktor walked around smelling the air looking for the source. His heart sank as he knew where it was coming from. He got closer to Avalia and smelled the air around her, nearly vomiting as he did. He quickly backed away, nearly falling over the counter in the middle of the kitchen. ¡°St-stay back, Ava. I don¡¯t know what it is, but you stink of cinnamon! D-did you buy a perfume or something?¡± ¡°Perfume? Viktor you know perfumes don¡¯t agree with my allergies, I¡¯m not wearing anything. And I haven¡¯t been around any cinnamon, you¡¯ve gone mad.¡± She tried walking towards him as she said this, her soothing voice jarring with the monster he saw in front of him. Viktor quickly scrambled over the center counter to the other side of the kitchen. He didn¡¯t know what that beast¡¯s plans were, but he wouldn¡¯t allow it anywhere near him. ¡°Stay back you beast! Don¡¯t come any closer.¡± He pulled a knife from the drawer nearest him as he screamed at her, hands quaking. But once he looked up, the beast was gone. All that was in its place was his wife, perhaps a bit homely but definitely no beast. What she was, however, was crying. He quickly dropped the knife as he approached her. ¡°Ava, I-I¡¯m so sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me. I-I thought-¡± ¡°Thought what? That your horrendous beast of a wife was going to attack you? I can assure you, I have no reason to want to be anywhere near you.¡± She ran away crying as she said so, the bedroom door slamming in the distance. Viktor stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. He swore it was real, the hideous monster with the stench of cinnamon still fresh in his mind. But it wasn¡¯t, was it? His mind was still reeling from the nightmare before, that¡¯s what it was. Subconsciously he reached down to pinch his wrist, gasping as he retracted his hand in pain. He looked down in shock at the disgusting swelling on his wrist. It was clearly infected and even looked to be spreading; the pus under the surface was all the way to his mid-forearm. He shook his head and looked down again. All that remained was the same small mark from before. He shuddered in fear, hesitant to see what other tricks his mind might play on him. He sighed and began making his way to his bedroom. He still needed to apologize for the other trick his mind played on him. He sincerely hoped it would stop happening. He knocked on the door to their bedroom before calling out gently. ¡°Ava?¡± ¡°Go away, there¡¯s only beasts in here.¡± She was clearly crying as she said this, causing Viktor to wince. He tried the doorknob, but it was unsurprisingly locked. ¡°Ava, please let me in. It was a misunderstanding. I had a nightmare and my mind is still playing tricks on me.¡± ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ll never look at me like Gunther does!¡± Viktor then heard a muffled slap, like the sound of her covering her mouth. Gunther? So she already left him for Shavoss? He was too late. He could feel his mind unravel as his nightmare started becoming reality. He could suddenly hear faint moaning behind the door, growing louder with each moment. He covered his ears as it clearly sounded like she was having sex with someone. ¡°Oh Gunther, yes! Say it again. Keep going!¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing. I¡¯ve never seen anyone like you! Cosmic, I love you!¡± Viktor ran away from the door, pressing his hands into his ears until it hurt. Yet he could still hear it as if he was in the room with them. He tried kicking his front door open, not daring to move his hands, but it wouldn¡¯t budge even slightly. That caught him off guard, considering even a hard push could force that crappy door open. He then ran to the living room window, but paused before he jumped into it. Outside were Shavoss, Avalia, and a little girl no older than 5 he didn¡¯t recognize all playing together. They were spraying each other with a tubeless gemhose, an unbelievably expensive appliance they could never afford on his salary. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you, Cornelia!¡± Avalia was chasing around behind the girl with her hands miming claws. ¡°Eek! Daddy, help me! The scary monster¡¯s going to get me!¡± The little girl was giggling as she shouted, waving her arms above her head like noodles while she ran. Shavoss then sprayed Avalia down with the hose, causing her to stop in her tracks as she hissed. He walked up to her while spraying her, then stopping and dropping the hose. ¡°The monster has been stopped! And now a kiss to turn her back.¡± He then twirled her on her feet and kissed her passionately before looking into her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s my beautiful wife.¡± Avalia was blushing a deep red, accenting her soaking wet brown hair and button nose. They were suddenly interrupted when Cornelia sprayed them both with the gemhose. ¡°Ew, stop kissing! Bleh!¡± The little girl put on the best pout she could before she started giggling again. Shavoss had picked her up sideways and was blowing into her belly button. Viktor ran away from the window, tears blurring his vision as he ran into the kitchen. He stopped as he felt himself bounce against nothing, falling backwards onto his hands and butt. He shook his head and stood up, the scene in front of him becoming clearer. ¡°Um, Gunther. I have news.¡± Avalia was looking down at her feet, her hands behind her back. ¡°What is it, pet? Can it wait? I¡¯m almost done with dinner.¡± Shavoss hadn¡¯t looked up from the pan he was searing vegetables in, his face soaked in sweat with a focused yet casual expression. ¡°Not necessarily.¡± At that she held up a small blue strip in front of Shavoss, which he looked down at after a moment. Realization gradually dawned on his face, a toothy grin stretching across his face. ¡°Wait, really? A son?! I¡¯m going to have a son?!¡± Shavoss dropped his stirring spoon in the pan, instead embracing Avalia next to him. ¡°You¡¯ve made me such a happy man, pet.¡± Avalia had tears streaming down her cheeks, an equally big smile stretching from ear to ear. Wrinkles from frequent smiles became more defined at the corners of her eyes. She hesitantly pulled herself from his arms, clearly not wanting to leave his arms. ¡°Cornelia, come here please!¡± She walked over to the kitchen archway, leaning out as she called down the hall. A child of about 11 slowly came walking down the hall. She had the same brown eyes as Avalia, but they were closer to Shavoss in their large size. Her high cheeks reminded him of Shavoss, yet the pudginess was clearly Avalia. She had her brown hair in a braided crown which she was almost finished putting together. Her skin had clearly gone the more sunkissed route of Shavoss as opposed to Avalia¡¯s paleness, and scratches could be seen along her legs from frequent active play. ¡°What is it Mom? Is dinner ready, because it smells like it¡¯s burned.¡± The little girl had a cheeky grin as she could clearly see Avalia¡¯s embarrassment. She walked right by Viktor as if he wasn¡¯t there, sitting at the center counter and continuing to braid her hair. ¡°Oops, I totally forgot! Pet, you tell her while I try to salvage this.¡± Shavoss quickly turned back to the pan, doing his best to quench a small fire that had started. ¡°Cornelia, I just want you to know that me and your dad love you very much and nothing will change that. With that in mind¡­ You¡¯re going to have a little brother!¡± Avalia tensed up as she said this, awaiting Cornelia¡¯s response. ¡°So¡­ does that mean you won¡¯t get mad at me anymore?¡± Cornelia had a curious expression on her face, as though she were deep in thought. ¡°What do you mean? Have we been too harsh with you?¡± Avalia appeared concerned by Cornelia¡¯s statement. ¡°Well, you always get mad at me for having so many scratches and bruises from climbing. With a boy around though, he¡¯ll be way worse! You won¡¯t even notice me!¡± Cornelia adopted the same cheeky grin as before, clearly pleased with her sound logic. Avalia and Gunther both laughed as they heard this, while Cornelia looked at them both slightly offended. Suddenly the kitchen archway grew dark, hiding the scene from Viktor¡¯s view. He shook his head and walked off, his eyes puffy and tired from crying. He walked over to the back door, no longer able to muster the energy to run anywhere. As he walked, the hallway leading backwards grew longer and longer. Open doors started to fade into being on either side as he walked, each one showing a different, yet just as painful, event. In one doorway he could see Cornelia holding her baby brother as they sat in front of the fireplace. In another he saw the boy, now around 5, running around with a small book as Cornelia chased after him with an angry expression. In another he saw they had adopted a stray Riesin, one of its rear paws missing and its mouse-like ears covered in bite marks. In another he saw the boy around 7 riding the grown Riesin around the house, his face full of joy. In yet another he saw an older man with a striking resemblance to Shavoss visiting their home. Viktor¡¯s gradual walk sped up into a jog until it broke into a sprint as he no longer bothered looking in the doorways. Not like it mattered, his mind still being assaulted with events as they forced themselves in regardless. Sad moments like the old man¡¯s funeral, happy moments like the Riesin having a litter. The children grew older, as did Shavoss and Avalia. The children had children, happily bringing them to their childhood home. Shavoss retired from the military, spending every day with Avalia. Eventually Avalia grew sick, and she lay bedridden. Every door after that was day by day of Shavoss caring for her, sitting by her bed, or speaking with a doctor. In every door Avalia continued having a smile, regardless of how far she deteriorated. Finally came her funeral, with Shavoss sitting at the very front with his children and grandchildren. Tears were streaming down his face, yet he was giving a small smile. He gave her everything she could¡¯ve ever wanted and he knew that. Viktor knew that as well, lingering for a long time at her funeral¡¯s door. After a long moment Viktor tore himself away from the door, walking up to the only remaining door. The door to the garden, which looked decrepit with age yet clearly still saw care. He stood in front of it for a good long while before he reached for it with his left hand. He didn¡¯t need to look to know he was missing the right. He opened the door to the garden and took the first step into the fading blue light of the sun. It was always so beautiful the way it perfectly set on the garden, and he had frequently caught Avalia standing there watching it. Now, a gravestone stood where she normally would, with a rocking chair to its left. In it sat an old man with wispy gray hair, a far cry from the luscious full blonde hair of his youth. Viktor walked around to the opposite side of the gravestone and stood there, watching the sunset with the old man. He idly rubbed his hand along the top of the grave, its gray stone cool to the touch. The old man suddenly cleared his throat, causing Viktor to look over at him. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Shavoss¡¯s normally rich voice had faded into a gravelly imitation, yet it still held the same amount of dignity. ¡°Ready for what?¡± Viktor didn¡¯t need to ask to know what was coming next. Wordlessly, Shavoss held up a small lockbox that had clearly seen better years. The wood was rotted through at multiple points, weak enough even a slight press would cause it to cave in. Its hinges were rusty enough he didn¡¯t think there was any way it would open. And yet the dials for the combination were pristine, as though they had been held in an immutable stasis until that moment. Viktor reached over and put the combination in, not able to hold it while doing so anymore. As soon as the combination was in place and he pushed the button, the box crumbled to dust, leaving behind only a spiritgun. He picked it up as he wiped away tears, making his way over to stand in front of Shavoss. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this, Captain. I can walk away and these happy memories can still exist.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for regrets, Viktor. And please, call me Gunther. I haven¡¯t been called Captain in years.¡± ¡°Cap-... Gunther, I¡­ I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know how happy you would make her. I never loved her the way you did.¡± ¡°Do it, Viktor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice anymore. You already made this decision.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t make me! She can still be happy!¡± Viktor held the revolver up to Gunther¡¯s chest, finger off the trigger. ¡°These memories already don¡¯t exist. Accept that fact.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Avalia.¡± ¡°DO IIIT!¡± Viktor pulled the trigger, and the world around him began spinning. Memories began swirling around him before fading to dust. He fell to his knees as the swirling began to grow louder, each memory audible all at once. They slowly grew louder and faster until everything became a screeching blur, forcing him to close his eyes and cover his ears. Eventually it became a dull roar, then a quiet breeze, and finally silence. Nothing was happening around him, and yet he feared opening his eyes. Opening his eyes meant accepting the nothing he left behind. After what felt like hours, Viktor finally opened his eyes. Status Name: Viktor Morigold Race: Neuman Class: Pathless Spirit: 0 Attributes Strength 3 Constitution 1 Endurance 1 Agility 4 Reaction 2 Clarity 2 Perception 3 Skills N/A An Update Hey. Just thought I''d let everyone know I''m not dead. I also haven''t abandoned this series. And yes, series. Ashes to Ashes is the first in a line of books in the Soulscapes of Aluria universe. And it''s not a short book either. But I digress. I''ve been working on a rewrite and an actual proper schedule for writing Ashes to Ashes and the series as a whole and have been on and off writing. The good news is that once I actually start uploading again, I won''t be stopping until the entire book has been uploaded, and the second shouldn''t be long after the first. The bad news is, I don''t know when I''ll actually start uploading. I can at least guarantee that it will be sometime this year, I just can''t specify when.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I''ve gone through so much in my personal life these past two years, and the end of last year was a boiling point I didn''t think I could come back from. But I have, and I''m back in action now, and there shouldn''t be anything else to stop me now. Y''know, unless the universe itself decides to come down and break my fingers. And even then, I can work around it. With all that being said, I really am sorry I haven''t been updating anything here, and unfortunately that''s not really gonna change for now. All I can say for certain is that once I come back sometime this year, I''m not going anywhere. Hope to see you then. -Ishmael