The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 85,86,87

Chapter 85

Eat Some Stew. Sleep by the River

Theo couldn't hold his balance. He was bowled over as Tresk jumped on him, squeezing him tightly enough to make his left side ache in pain. Alex came next, her massive dragon nose pressing against him and blowing hot air as she giggled. It had only been a few weeks. The marshaling had been on her own planet, trying to sort things out before returning to check on the alchemist. Upon spotting him, she sprinted across the distance and pulled him into an unrelenting bear hug.

“That’s enough of that,” Theo said, trying and failing to push her away.

“No way. I’m gonna squeeze you until we become the same person again.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Both Theo and Tresk groaned as the dragon put a small fraction of her weight on them. That's when the group broke up, everyone rising to their feet and gaining some amount of distance. The alchemist had been taking a stroll just outside the city gates when the pair returned. Life, for the most part, had returned to normal and broken tasks. There still needed to be commerce and food production, as well as some monster-slaying missions. Although those were rare, there were still the occasional goblin that showed up out of nowhere. All the people who had been temporary residents had left, but a fair amount of them had stayed.

Theo had dealt with the loneliness by getting very involved in the running of the city. With no alchemy to do and no problems to work on, he had been lending a hand at the farm or Azrug’s store. He did everything he could to help things move smoothly. The Southlands Alliance had become something of a curiosity for those with access to an airship. There was even a new form of currency, taking the place of the copper, silver, and gold coins.

“So? What did you learn?” Theo asked.

Tresk dusted herself off, shooting a nasty look at Alex. “Not enough. The only thing anyone knows is that the system is resetting. Everyone has a guess as to how long it’ll take, but no answers.”

“Go figure.” Theo smiled, despite the situation. “Anyway, wanna help me? We’re weeding Field 4 today.”

Tresk stared, raising a brow as her mouth fell agape. “We’re doing what now?”

“We’re farming. Banu needs help with Field 4.”

Tresk looked around, as though the idea of actual work offended her. “I’m not sure I understand. Don’t we have a giant monster to kill? Or maybe some goblins?”

Theo shrugged. “All the goblins we spotted are weak. There’s nothing to fight around here. Even the Swamp Dungeon vanished.”

Although Tresk spent some time glowering, she eventually relented. “Okay. I guess.”

Working the fields was nothing special, and Tresk didn't seem to enjoy the job at all. Alex, being far too large to do much more than stomp the crops, flew off to do something far more exciting. But Theo found great peace in working the fields. It had been something he did to come to terms with his loneliness, and it was highly effective. Farming, as it turned out, wasn't very easy. Banu had assembled all the workers he could and was currently fighting with the new state of non-magical farming.

“Man… I hope this crap goes back to normal real freaking soon.” Tresk sucked on the end of her finger, which she had sliced open somehow. “This stinks.”

***

A few months passed with very little happening. Although Theo got a few letters from Khahar, the content of those letters was minimal. They were in a holding pattern, waiting for the system to finish fixing stuff up before they could move forward. No one had been expected to be this bored, but there was a charm to it. Nira and Alise’s wedding was interesting. It was attended by most people who lived in Broken Tusk, and even a few folks from Boar Hollow.

Theo and Tresk were situated by the river, which had sprung to life over the weeks. The sound of the water flowing was always a comfort, and they had fallen into the habit of hanging around there when their work was done. There had been a few goblins in the swamps, which Tresk was beyond excited about, but they didn’t prove to be much of a challenge.

To her, it must have felt like eating crumbs after going without food for a day.

But their relaxation was cut short. Theo barely opened his eyes at first when he heard the sound of someone approaching. Although he was the leader of the Southlands Alliance, people didn’t really bug him lately. They took their questions to the administrators, typically Alise. Only when the alchemist heard the voice of the person approaching did he snap to attention.

“My dear alchemist,” Fenian said with a wistful sigh. “How long it has been.”

Theo sprung up, eyes snapping open as he locked his gaze onto the elf.

“Well, that’s one way to return,” Tresk said with a laugh. “Ew. What happened to you?”

Fenian looked strange. A band of sigils ran across his face, disappearing beneath the ruffled coat he wore. “Ah, the price of power. Unfortunately, I had to make a deal with the system. The power I gained in Death’s Gate was… immeasurable, which pissed the system off quite a lot. It sealed my power away until the reset.”

“Damn. You must’ve had an adventure,” Theo said.

Fenian let out a breath, taking a seated position by the river. He sighed before pressing his back against the soft grass. “What a tale it is…”

Instead of relaying that story, Fenian placed his hands behind his head, put his hat over his face, and went motionless. Theo and Tresk shared a look, and eventually a shrug. They all reclined on the bank of the river, listening to the sound of the water rushing by. Hours passed and no one moved. The alchemist was certain that Fenian had fallen asleep at some point, and he wouldn’t deny that he dozed off a few times. But eventually, Tresk’s stomach growled loudly enough to wake them all.

Fenian yawned, stretching out and rolling his shoulders. “What do you think? Shall we get lunch?”

“More like dinner,” Theo said, gesturing to the fading sun. “Also, yeah. I’m starving.”

“Me, too.” Tresk patted her belly, flashing a devious smile. “Xam has been knocking it out of the park lately.”

The trio marched through town. If Fenian had arrived with anyone else, he didn’t make that fact known. He wasn’t hiding what had happened. Like the rest of them, he was coming to terms with the boredom of their new lives. Truth was, they all needed an extended vacation.

“So, you have a limp?” Fenian asked, watching as Theo used his cane to move over the streets of Broken Tusk.

“I’m lucky to get away with only a limp, I think.” Theo smiled sheepishly, unsure how exactly to explain it. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. Tresk and Alex were busy, so I figured I’d just do it myself.”

The group entered the Marsh Wolf Tavern. Xam waved behind the counter, handing off a tray of food to one of her many servers. “Fenian! Didn’t expect to see you around here.”

Fenian removed his hat, performing a deep bow. “Xam. Beautiful as ever. While hopping between worlds isn’t easy, I feel the journey was worth it.”

“Doesn’t he have his wife back?” Tresk asked, shaking her head. “The absolute dog.”

“Just take your normal booth,” Xam said, waving the group off. “I’ll bring you what we’ve got.”

“I’ll have you know,” Fenian said, pressing forward. “My wife understands my flirtations.”

“She beats the crap out of you, doesn’t she?” Theo asked. “Blink twice if you’re being abused.”

Fenian paused at the foot of the stairs, almost as though he was planning to blink twice. His face darkened slightly. “Let’s get some food. I’ll tell you the entire tale.”

Xam was serving a real blast from the past. Theo, Fenian, and Tresk found their spot at the reserved booth. Despite the way things had been going, people were sitting, waiting for their meals or eating and chatting. The food came pretty quickly, and it was the same old wolf meat stew she had served back in the day. She didn’t have her cooking class, but the food was still great, even if the meat was no longer wolf meat.

Theo took a bite of the meat and a few unknown vegetables. The flavor was deep and rich, with a lot of mingling herbal notes. It filled him with a sense of comforting warmth, and served to release some of the tension the alchemist had been feeling until that point.

Fenian swallowed the bite of stew he had stuffed in his mouth, letting out a contented sigh. “I entered Death’s Gate after striking a bargain with Khahar. My plan, at first, was to get the soul of my wife. After stealing some dragon eggs, he wanted me to bring a few other souls back. The hard part, of course, was getting there.”

“What was it like?” Tresk interrupted.

“Hellish. There were a lot of chimeras and plenty of energy to suck up.” Fenian traced a finger along the arcane marks on his face. “Infusing the dragon eggs was easy enough. What wasn’t easy was going insane.”

“That doesn’t normally go well,” Theo said. Despite everything, he found himself unable to tear his attention away from Fenian. He wanted to know what the hell had happened.

“I lost my mind a few times. Even after finding my wife and giving her a new body, it was hard to hold it together. I spent thousands of years in there, focused on one thing the entire time.” Fenian took a few more bites, eventually shaking his head. “I eventually found the crew Khahar wanted me to get, along with your dead wife. Before anyone could stop me, I did something rather insane. Instead of using a magical item I had obtained, no need to ask how I found it, to leave Death’s Gate, I used it to keep my mind together. Then, we fought our way out.”

“Dead wife express,” Tresk said awkwardly.

“Well, when we got out of Death’s Gate, I almost killed Death!” Fenian produced a dramatic flourish. “I had him by the throat, but the Lady intervened."

“Who?” Theo and Tresk said in unison.

“The Lady of Light. A monotheistic god from Old Iaredin. She was living in the souls of the Warriors of the Shard, but was re-birthed when they left the sector.” Fenian waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t get caught up on the details. She stopped me from killing him, and I had to rush to the mortal world.”

“Oh, tell him about your earthquake stomps,” Tresk said.

“Right! Well, thousands of years of power is a lot of power… When I walked the surface of the mortal world, the mantle of the planet split. I slew thousands of invaders with every single step.” Fenian pulled a sword from his hip, holding it aloft. Unlike the shiny metal of his old swords, this one was made of pure crystal. “During my time in Death’s Gate, I created a new Dragon Flight, then infused my blades with that power. I based the power off of the Shards, so we have their power as a theme.”

Theo didn’t want to have an opinion on all this. Especially not the fact that Fenian had resurrected his dead wife. Not only was it an uncomfortable thing to confront, but it was a damn mind-boggling experience overall. That meant anyone who had died could come back in a new body… even a dragon body, if they wanted. One day he might be ready to see his old love. Today was not that day.

“Having an alignment with the Shards is a really good idea. I think they have powerful spatial magic.” Theo rubbed his chin for a moment. “Did Elrin leave?”

“And the rest of the Warriors of the Shard,” Fenian said.

“An interesting tale,” Tresk said, stroking an invisible beard. “But what does it all mean?”

Fenian eventually shrugged. “Not much. Not until the reset.”

Theo had expected Fenian to come back with some big news. Well, this was some really big news, but not the kind of impactful news he had expected.

“So, what do we do?” Tresk asked.

“We just hang out,” Fenian said. “Eat some stew. Sleep by the river.”

Chapter 86

One Last Card Game

It took a while, but Theo got used to a life of leisure. He found himself uninterested in the management of things without the aid of the system. Keeping track of citizens, buildings, supplies, and all that boring stuff with pen and paper was daunting. Alise took control of the floating island over the coming months, while Belgar fell into his role as a leader without a title on the ground below.

Theo, Fenian, and Tresk spent nearly all their time wandering the many roads of Tero’gal.

“What fish do you suppose that is?” Fenian asked, crouched over the bank of a vast lake. “And what purpose would two tails serve?”

“Faster swimming, duh,” Tresk scoffed. “You said the same thing about the double-ended mole.”

Fenian went rigid for a moment, casting his eyes through the canopy of the trees overhead. “Ah. The party might be over, friends.”

“Is Khahar finally here?” Theo asked.

“Although the grouchy cat is on his way, I’m afraid this is a beast far more fearsome. My wife.”

Somewhere distant, Theo heard the roar of a dragon. Like most dragons, the sound carried unnaturally far. It was bad enough to hear one dragon shrieking far away, but the alchemist could hear several distinct voices. Most of the dragon flights had been silent during the reset. The alchemist had expected far more activity but wouldn't complain. His little slice of the sector had been mostly silent.

“It appears as though she brought the entire dragon flight.” Fenian removed his hat, scratching his head idly. “I honestly cannot say what they would want. I gave them specific orders.”

“Well, I don’t think we have to wait to find out,” Tresk said, pointing skyward.

A group of four glittering dragons flew overhead. The one at the front of the formation was by far the largest, and the one Theo presumed was Fenian’s wife. They did a circle over the large lake, three breaking off to patrol the area while their leader swooped down. Her wings created a hurricane of wind that forced the group to shield their faces. When she finally did land in the waters of the lake, she whipped up a splash of water that soaked them all. She turned her head to one side like a predatory bird assessing prey.

The dragon's scales seem to be made of the same crystalline material the shards were made from. They held an eerie glow within them. That seemed to pulse every time she took a breath. She had a crown of elegant horns sweeping back from the back of her head and a spine of similar crystal material tracing the line of her back. It was an incredibly elegant form for a dragon to take, and the alchemist found it difficult not to be impressed.

“How long is this vacation meant to last?” The dragon’s voice boomed, causing ripples to radiate outward in the water.

“We’re waiting for Khahar, my love,” Fenian said, pressing his hat into his chest. "I'm sure he'll arrive soon enough, and then we can return to our planet. Tinesa, these are my friends… Tresk and Theo.”

The dragon regarded the pair with an equally predatory gaze, as though she was sizing up the best way to eat either of them. Eventually, she blew a breath through her nostrils. The air stung with magic.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Tinesa said, bowing her head. “Unfortunately, my husband here doesn't do well unless he is monitored. His planet burns, and he's all too excited to waste his time skipping through meadows and catching bugs like a boy.”

“Nice to meet you, Dragon Lady," Tresk said, waving like an idiot. "Didn't know if we'd ever get to see you alive again.”

"Even death is not powerful enough to keep us separated," Tinesa said with a growl. “Anyway, traveling between the planets is quite difficult. The journey here took quite some time, but only because the gate on Erradon was not large enough to accommodate the forms of those of us who cannot shift yet.” Her eyes lingered on Theo for too long.

He knew who she was talking about.

"But why don't you come sit by the lake for a while, pretty dragon lady?" Tresk asked, wringing her hands together. "We got these fish with two tails, although I'm afraid you might have killed all of them with that landing."

“I’m afraid not. We’re en route to Tal’vengar in coordination with the Storm Flight and Earth Flight.” Tinesa glared at Fenian for a bit longer. “You must return to Erradon the moment you finish with Khahar. Understand?”

“I do,” Fenian said, bowing his head low.

The group stood there for many awkward seconds. Before Tinesa finally took off, Fenian breathed a heavy sigh of relief, wiping visible sweat from his brow.

"Aren't you the leader of the Crystal Dragon Flight?" Tresk asked, tapping her chin a few times. “Interesting.”

Although Fenian glared at Tresk, it didn't go further than that. At least it lit a fire under the elf. The trio were soon heading back to town. The walk was a few days away, and it was possible for them to ride Alex, but each had fallen into the habit of walking everywhere. It was incredibly therapeutic, providing many moments of peace in an otherwise chaotic situation.

This gave them a chance to chat about whatever. Most interesting to Theo was the topics of conversation they always landed on. After Tresk had adjusted to a life that didn't depend on constant combat, her true personality could shine. She was a shy little girl from the swamp who was quite interested in reptiles, fish, and birds. She didn't seem to hold an affinity for mammals and often dismissed any of the deer-like creatures they saw along the road. But if she saw a snake, that would be the only thing she talked about for the entire day. The alchemist mostly took a passive position in these conversations, favoring occasional comments and a more reserved stance.

Fenian was moderately interested in animals, but he had a mind for history since this world was very new. He always talked about the way the things they were doing now would affect the history of the world down the road. No one could have been certain what the sector would look like in a few hundred years. But he was confident it would be a storied existence for all involved.

When Theo stepped foot in Boar Hollow, he was flagged down by one of the guards. Apparently, establishing a militia or any type of military was something Belgar really hadn't wanted to do, but monsters were now spawning in the countryside, meaning they needed somebody to guard the town. The guard brought word that Khahar had arrived and was staying at a nearby tavern.

“Finally,” Tresk scoffed. “Let’s see what the big cat wants.”

Theo was the first to step into the tavern. He pushed the door in and looked upon the faces of familiar people from the town. Then he spotted his old friend near the back, nursing a drink and wearing the gold finery of his station. Khahar had a pleasant smile on his face as he beckoned them over.

“About time you showed up,” Theo teased, taking his seat. “How is everything?”

“Just fine,” Khahar said, shaking his head. “The system is close to restoring our thrones, but it’ll take a while longer.”

“How long?” Tresk asked.

Khahar shrugged. “I had a brief conversation with her before she… went away. Disabling everyone’s system was done by the Grand System, not her. That’s the system that manages systems. It has to do a lot of calculations to figure out where we fit into the universe.”

Theo leaned back in his chair. This was a tavern that served some pretty decent food. Unlike some gimmick establishments that sought to import things from afar, the food here was all local. That meant a lot of deer meat, turnips, and carrots. Although his diet had changed, it was still quite comforting to have an establishment that served such homey food.

“We still have our old jobs?” Theo asked. “Am I getting my void travel back?”

Khahar shrugged. “I think so. The void is… strange right now. I tried communicating with the god, Void, but he is silent. I think there are just too many changes at once.”

“Extended vacation?” Fenian asked. “Well, Tinesa will kill me if I don’t come home now that Khahar showed up…”

Tresk made a sound like a whip cracking. Fenian glared at her.

People came and went from the tavern as the group talked. Khahak was doing pretty well, but Theo wasn’t surprised. Khahar had constructed it like an administration hub, ready to handle whatever situation went down. He had some information on what was to come, but not a lot.

During the lead-up to the reset, Tresk had discovered a way to cultivate a primordial kind of energy. That was the energy from the Grand System. The Grand System acted as a universal system, on which all other systems were based. What was happening within their sector was the slow acclimation to that energy. Basically, there was a version mismatch, and it needed to be patched. In the case of this sector, it was a massive patch, considering how many things had been changed and made strange compared to the way they were supposed to be.  

The world that Fenian knew in the old version of his planet was one accepted by the Grand System. But over 60,000 years, things had changed. The ascendants created their own little classes, the thrones had been generated, and an impossible number of class-based changes had been created by those very ascendants. It was a mess that wasn’t easy to untangle.

“I suggest we take this time to relax,” Khahar said.

Tresk laughed. “Too late for that! We’ve been living the good life here recently.”

Theo couldn’t help but join his companion by barking a laugh. “You’re the last person I’d expect to enjoy the ‘good life.’”

Tresk shrugged. “The one thing that pisses me off is the lack of connection with my boy here.”

“That should get repaired just like the rest of the system,” Khahar said. “Just be patient.”

After they were done with their meal, Tresk and Fenian went ahead while Khahar pulled Theo aside. They walked their way to the park, where Theo had first seen Elrin attempting the Celestial Cultivation technique. To the alchemist’s surprise, Yuri pulled a deck of cards out of nowhere and sat on a chair near a table. Without explaining a thing, he began dealing.

“I expected to find you spending all your time getting stronger,” Khahar said, finishing up the spread of cards. “What happened?”

Theo took his seat, checking his cards only to find absolutely nothing to work with. “I could say the same about you. You’ve been relaxing, haven’t you?”

Khahar let out a heavy sigh. “Somewhat. There are some rumblings in the heavens I’m aware of. A war that’ll lead to a schism.”

“What kind?” Theo asked.

“If Silver’s plan works, she’ll create another plane. One right above the Middle Plane. The gods representing elements were always going to be weak, so her plan was to create another class of elemental lords.” Khahar said, fidgeting with his cards. “I got nothing.”

“Same,” Theo said, revealing a Two of Diamonds and a Ten of Diamonds.

Khahar revealed the Five of Spades and Nine of Spades, which gave him a pair with the community cards. “Nothing phases you, does it?” he asked, taking all the cards and shuffling them again. “You’re the same old guy from Earth.”

“Nah. That guy was actually good at this game. I hardly remember how to play.” Theo tapped his chin, watching as Khahar shuffled the cards.

“The point isn’t to be good. The point is to have fun,” Khahar said, dealing again. “Now, the elemental lords will serve an important purpose. They’ll have some control over the way magic works.”

“Ooo, a pair,” Theo said.

Khahar narrowed his gaze. “I can’t remember if you’re good at bluffing.”

Theo smiled to himself, placing the Ace of Clubs and Ace of Hearts face-down. “Only one way to find out.”

Chapter 87

Connection Established

[System Reboot]

Rebooting system…

Calculating…

Removing local system-based attachments…

Establishing connection with Grand System…

ERROR: Connection expired. Establishing…

Elapsed time: 1 cycle.

Message (Grand System): Incompatible. Recommend reconfigure.

Reconfiguring…

Elapsed time: 5 cycles.

Message (Grand System): Errors persist. Resolve.

Resolving…

Elapsed time: 3 cycles.

Message (Grand System): Acceptable errors. Establish long-term resolution… Adjusting… Accurate solution found, estimated time to completion: 500 cycles. Report planets, lifeforms, system, purpose.

[Report: Iaredin]

Size: 4,000 planetary distance units.

Population: 0

Features: Mana-rich environment, landmasses and oceans, world anchors.

Description:

Iaredin, originally a world planned for integration into the Grand System, was home to several sapient lifeforms. These include the vulbet, maeth, human, tapu, and elven races. Currently, the surface of the planet is devoid of life as this unit reforms its features. Mana instability is great, showing no signs of release anytime soon. Infusion of Grand System (celestial) energies reveals decent progress to a stable world.

Iaredin is the most important planet in the system, representing the Anchor World. This unit plans to invest many resources into its stability.

[Response]

Recommend redoubling of efforts to stabilize. Next.

[Report: Tero’gal (and Tol’bak the moon)]

Size: 10,000 planetary distance units (Tero’gal), 4,000 planetary distance units (Tol’bak).

Population: 500,000 (combined, fluctuating).

Features: Thrones of Power (Dreamer, Dreamwalker), varied landscape, powerful mana presence, Gates.

Description:

Two worlds under the authority of the Dreamer and Dreamwalker, these planets represent the first in several in the Middle Realms. The creation of these planets was done so by the effort of the Dreamer and Dreamwalker through use of Ascendant Authority, a now-defunct sector feature, and the combined will of a soul-bond. Both worlds have prospered, revealing the tenacity of the people settled here. This unit’s estimation is that both Tero’gal and Tol’bak will continue to be the most stable worlds in the sector.

[Response]

No recommendation. Existence of “Middle Realms” acceptable as per Grand System designs. Next.

[Report: Erradon]

Size: 8,000 planetary distance units (curious to note. Read below).

Population: 80,000 (diminishing due to war).

Features: Throne of Power (Herald), landscape copied from Iaredin, intense mana, one-way gates.

Description:

Erradon is a troublesome world. The creator, Fenian (originally Ivaran), is an idiot. This unit is unsure if he was aware, but he created a world of war. This world exists for the purpose of making people stronger, which means everyone is fighting all the time. Currently, the planet is on fire. Not figuratively. 25% of the current land mass is burning. Originally, the world was created in Iaredin’s image. But as the worlds reset, Erradon grew, making the landscape skewed. This unit is unsure how to proceed, since the owner is too stubborn to listen.

[Response]

Do not invest resources. Let it burn. Next.

[Report: Khahak]

Size: 15,000 planetary distance units (strangely large).

Population: 1.5 million (growing due to stability).

Features: Throne of Power (Arbiter), Arbiter’s Citadel, massive cities, central hubs, incredible organization.

Description:

This unit doubts there is a better example of a well-run planet than Khahak. The owner, Khahar (Formerly Yuri), has prepared his people well for this task. He has established massive cities, large trading hubs, industrial zones, administrative mastery, and more items than can be listed here. Everyone on this planet is cared for. Dungeons are regulated and cleared with brutal efficiency. This unit cannot be more satisfied with this world. The planet also has a moon, which is currently not in use.

[Response]

Interesting. No action required. List more relevant details.

[Report: Antalis and Telbaris]

Size: 3,000 planetary distance units (each).

Population: 10,000 (diminishing due to lacking resources).

Features: Almost none.

Description:

There are people on the moons of the mortal world. This unit has no record of how they got there, other than the current “Emperor of the Moons,” Uharis Banetouched. Somehow, this man has learned, on his own, how to cultivate celestial energy and has been gathering power. This unit is unsure how to contain him, since he grows in power even now.

[Response]

Seal passage from the moons.

Report completed. Please stand by while Grand System injects establishment protocols.

***

Theo, Tresk, Khahar, and Fenian all felt it at the same time. Something pulled at them, dragging them through space and forcing them into something. The alchemist was the first to resist, but he could do nothing. The intensity of the pull was unlike anything he had experienced and his willpower was crushed like a bug underfoot. It took only a few moments for the change to happen, and before he knew it, he was standing in a massive, white marble room with almost no features. The only thing in sight were torches that burned on the walls, and the flickering light they cast.

“I’m gonna puke,” Tresk said, falling to her knees.

“Oh, it wasn’t so bad!” Fenian said with a laugh. He looked around, tapping his chin in confusion. “Ten years? We had to wait ten years for this?”

Khahar walked through the space, studying every surface. “This was expected. Perhaps not 10 years, but we’ve had a good time… right? Time to get back to work.”

Theo yawned, finding it all a bit boring. He wouldn’t even lie to himself. This new life, a life where he wasn’t required to do almost anything, was lovely. He didn’t want it to stop. “I’ve got a date with a hammock. If we could speed this up a bit.”

The group walked around the space for some time, but nothing happened at first. Finally, all felt something racing through their chests. Theo let out a laugh when a message finally appeared.

[System Reset Completed]

Removing all cores…

Resetting personal level to 1…

Adding core exception for Dreamwalker’s Core…

Setting Dreamwalker’s Core to Level 100…

Adding core exception for Tara’hek Core…

Setting Tara’hek Core to Level 100…

Establishing connection with local Voidspace…

Establishing connection with local Twilight.

Establishing connection with distant Voidspace… ERROR, DENIED.

Authority established. Please get to work, Dreamwalker.

“My gods… I’m so weak,” Fenian said, releasing a heavy sigh.

Khahar flexed his hands, smiling to himself. “I can feel my connection… How about you guys?”

Theo reached out with his senses, something he hadn’t done for 10 years. It was different. He wasn’t using his willpower to do it, but the core itself. He could use it more freely, and soon found his mind locked onto the void… Or was it this new Voidspace? It felt different, like a series of rooms sprawling on toward the horizon forever. He took one step toward those spaces, and felt himself falling toward it. The alchemist stopped before accidentally teleporting.

“My connection is back,” Theo said, gritting his teeth. “I can travel through the void again.”

Tresk’s eyes went a milky color, a smile spreading across her face. “I can see dreams again!”

Fenian vanished for a moment, and returned an instant later. “I can teleport to the mortal world. Only Shards, apparently. Oh, this room is called the ‘Meeting place of the Throneholders.’”

“Not the best name,” Khahar grumbled. “I guess we’re supposed to meet here. Everyone has a teleportation power, right?”

The group took a moment to confirm. Everyone could teleport to their own planet and the meeting place. Theo and Fenian could teleport other places, and Khahar was certain he had conditional teleportation based on his position as the Arbiter.

“Ah, finally,” Khahar said, shaking his head. “I can petition the gods.”

“Really?” Tresk asked. “Tell them I want a pony on my world.”

“Just one pony?” Fenian asked.

“Okay. Maybe two.”

“I’ll request quite a few things.” Khahar’s eyes were locked on something in the middle-distance. He was clearly interacting with a system screen.

Theo couldn’t remember the last time he had seen one. The reset message he got after teleporting was the first one he’d seen in ten years, he realized. Before that, he saw messages every day. It was such a strange sensation that he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had known this was where it would come to. All that work he had done brought him here. This was the end of his old road, and the start of a new one.

“We gotta get some furniture,” Tresk complained. “Look at this place. All barren and boring. I’m not hanging out in a secret base unless it has a decent sofa.”

“Agreed,” Fenian said. “I’m bringing along a bed. My planet is currently on fire, which you can imagine isn’t pleasant.”

“Your plan is to live here?” Theo asked, raising an eyebrow. “Interesting strategy.”

“Oh!” Fenian said, clutching his hand over his chest. “What’s that?”

Something had appeared in the center of the room. Theo cocked his head to one side. It was a bulletin board with quite a few sheets of paper pinned into the surface. He approached, reading through a few of them before letting out a soft laugh. “A mission board. Seriously?”

“What, we’re supposed to fix all these things?” Tresk asked. “Someone with nightmares. Another guy with nightmares. Dream demons. Eldritch entities.”

“Mine are all about the mortal world,” Fenian said. It seemed as though no matter which paper anyone plucked from the board, the moment they touched it the text changed to suit their role. “Oh, they all have rewards.”

Theo’s missions were all about the new Voidspace, which meant he would be working with the god Void for a while. Void was an okay guy, so he didn’t mind that much. But the volume of work wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Then again, this was the price of power. They had all signed their lives away to protect the planet, and now they’d have to pay the price. The alchemist didn’t mind, although he guessed he wasn’t much of an alchemist anymore.

“There we go,” Khahar said. “I sent a list of things to the gods, and we’ll see if they respond. The system gave me a message saying they’d be busy for a while. Apparently there’s a decent war going on.”

“Cool. Five seconds into the new world, and they’re all killing each other,” Tresk said. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“We all have a lot of work to do,” Khahar said, standing up tall. He was their leader, in a way, so Theo paid attention. “This is the end of many years of planning, so we can’t screw it up now. Everyone here knows what they signed up for, so I don’t wanna hear any bitching, okay?”

“Yes, sir!” Theo and Tresk said at the same time. They both shared a smile. The Tara’hek was growing stronger yet again.

Fenian produced a snappy salute. “Let’s do it!”

“Right,” Khahar said, pulling a paper from the board. He read over the sheet before frowning. “I don’t know how it happened, but a space worm is attacking Erradon.”

“That was fast,” Fenian said. “First I’m hearing of this.”

“Fenian, Theo, I think this one goes to you,” Khahar said, holding the sheet out. “Do you have something to work on, Tresk?”

Tresk waved her sheet through the air. “Yep. Eldritch monsters are attacking people’s dreams on your planet. Something about a cult.”

Khahar snapped his fingers. “I knew there was a cult… Okay. Everyone has their tasks. I know we’ve been hanging out for a decade, but we need to get to work. If you have any trouble, we’ll meet back here.”

“Let’s do it!” Tresk shouted. Then she sat on the ground, her eyes going milky again.

“Giant worms,” Fenian let out a contented sigh. “Sounds fun. I’ll meet you there, Theo.”

Nodding, Theo turned to watch Khahar vanish. With Tresk busy with dreams, he stood alone in their new meeting room. He studied the cracks between the stones, watching as the light flickered through the area. Things had been hard. He’d seen a lot since he arrived on Iaredin. Now he bid farewell to that world and the life it helped create. With a sincere hope in his heart, he fell through reality and arrived in a strange environment.

As Theo pressed forward, trudging through unfamiliar swampland, he couldn’t help but wonder. What would the next generation do for the sector? What kind of people were still waiting in the queue? And what plans did people like Kuzan and Leon have? Who would write their story, and who would be there to read it?

There was only one way to find out.