Warmth.

Stiffness.

Safety.

They weren’t profound thoughts, but they were the first thoughts that roused in the mind of Myles Chase as he cuddled further into his blankets. Though Myles wasn’t normally a morning person, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such a hard time waking up, and as vague as his thoughts were, he was lucid enough to remember something bad had happened.

The color red darkened the halls of his thoughts, and he gripped the sheets tighter as a cold sweat gathered on his brow.

In the crimson shadow of unease, Myles cuddled deeper into the blankets. There, the feeling of warmth and safety returned, but they weren’t alone together for long. A new feeling joined them bubbling up from the cracks the unease made in the blanket’s armor.

Fear.

Like chilled molasses on a frosted morning, his memory hardened around the idea as it latched onto that feeling. Despite the warmth engulfing him, a shiver ran down Myles’s spine as he remembered more and more of the last time he’d been truly awake.

The smell of mint, something he’d normally loved, polluted his nose, joining the idea of red. Then, the smell of bile and copper joined it.

Myles said something to someone, though he couldn’t remember what. An apology, maybe?

Then, there was pain.

So much pain…

The sweat dripped from his forehead as his muscles tightened, and the fog lifted as the memory played out. The sickly pop that echoed along his thoughts was as fresh as if it had happened in that moment and took the last vestiges of calm with it as he realized the truth.

I shouldn’t be alive.

With that thought, his eyes lids opened so fast that not even Ashra could match their speed.

As everything came back to him, the truth in his thoughts was clear as crystal as he recalled the pain, the blood, the overabundance of mana running, no… ripping through his mana channels, and the sheer pain as his skin burned and his organs forcibly erupted from his insides to be thrown into the air as a fine red mist.

Even so, there he was, looking wearily at the ceiling he knew as his own.

Mists, how am I alive?

Myles tried to sit up, but his stiff muscles made it a task even an eleventh floor Runner had trouble with. Every limb and muscle in his body felt as if they’d been crafted from the concept of density. Heavier than any weapon, it took time to get used to their foreign weight.

Slowly, painfully slowly, he flexed and willed each limb to prove their metal.

How long have I been asleep?

Slow and steady, Myles commanded them to move together and, with an effort dwarfing his awakening, he pushed himself back against the headboard and took in his ledger of injuries.

Lifting a shirt a little too large for him, Myles expected to see the worst, but there was no blood, no scent, not even a scab to mark the healing. Instead, there was only a scar that ran the length of his stomach.

From the top of his ribcage, across his abdominal muscles, and down below the hem of his pants, a large star of almost silvery white marked his skin, showing the aftermath of an injury not even magic could remove from his soul’s memory.

His heart slowed as his fingers gingerly moved across it. It was still hard to believe there wasn’t any lingering pain.

Pantheon above…

His breathing caught as the gravity of the situation caught up with him. The sheer monumental amount of stupidity of thinking there wouldn’t be a cost for what he’d done to Morpheus.

Looking for anything to distract him from what he’d done, Myles looked out the window into the dim light of the eventide.

Outside, the wind was blowing and flakes of white fell silently in the coming darkness. Though he couldn’t see the ground from his angle, the trees he could see held loads of the stuff, nearly bending under the weight.

While he’d slept, winter had come like a lion.

For minutes, he watched the snow as a single thought rang true.

I’m alive.

For what he’d done, the risk was astronomical, and the cost he’d paid was even higher. But somehow, someway, he’d survived it and come out the other side.

Blinking ever so softly in the corner of his vision, his interface showed a multitude of notifications he’d missed while he’d been unconscious, but there would be time for that. Exhaustion was pushing at him again, pulling him back into itself with a call more urgent than the blinking notifications.

You’re okay. You’re safe, Myles. Take your time.

There was time, he decided, and took as much of it as he could as he curled back up and let sleep pull him into its loving, dark embrace.

Thankfully, he didn’t dream.

***

The waking world began intruding within his comfortable darkness as the smell of something familiar roused him from his slumber. Warm bread, albeit a bit overcooked, touched his nose. The smell quickly went from overcooked to burning in a matter of moments.

The bread!

Without a second thought of where or when he was, Myles got up and nearly fell on his face as he grabbed the nightstand for support as things came rushing back to him. Apparently, the stiffness in his rebellious limbs had only gotten worse since he’d last woken up.

Stupid body.

Annoyed, he did his best to balance and took slower steps to the door. He wanted to fling it open and find out who was burning down his kitchen, but it was a more careful, controlled movement as he walked into the main room of his house.

He’d have to settle for his voice.

“Who’s burning my bread?”

His voice was hoarse, scratching, and weak, surprising him. It wasn’t like he needed water after a dry night scratchy, but like he’d been sick.

Was it another side effect of his stunt?

Tail was at the stove, cursing as their hand waved back and forth to cool itself from an obvious burn despite the wraps covering it.

Lyna was sitting at the table and at his voice stopped herself mid-stuffing something that looked like bacon and eggs into her mouth.

Kendra was brushing Squishy’s hair as both their eyes shot towards him.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Strangest of all, Mitchel was covered in purple slime as he emerged from the bathroom. It was quite the sight and seemed like normal day to day work.

But as his voice had the desired effect on... everybody.

Awkwardly, he reached from connections to feel out the room.

When only his monsters emerged from the depths of his mind, he nearly panicked. It must have shown in his face as their expressions went from surprised to worry. Topoff, Medic, Paragon, Squishy, and Nod all reconnected quickly, drowning his mind in loving support before the next words could leave his lips.

“Was I out long?”

For a few moments, Myles stood unsteadily with all eyes on him but only for a few moments. Jumping from where she was seated with Kendra, Squishy sprung into action.

“Myles!”

In a fluid tackle, Squishy grabbed him around the waist, knocking him to the floor with a chime of concern, happiness, and relief.

That seemed to be what the team needed as the dam broke.

“What were you thinking?”

“About a week and a half, give or take.”

“Myles!”

“You’re a legend!”

“Stupidest thing I’ve ever seen someone do.”

“Are you okay?”

“Sleep well?”

“What in the Mists?”

The assault of words came like an attack from a floor boss but lacked the usual empathic backing his team usually had when they were speaking to him. He’d gotten so used to that input that he had a hard time figuring out which question belonged to which person.

In the chaos, the Support Team came from the bathroom and joined Squishy, climbing all over him in an effort to comfort him as much as themselves. He barely noticed how much larger the group had become before Mitchel tried to shoo them away.

Tried being the key word as the group completely ignored the slime covered defender.

All the while, his mind tried to catch up as he sent assurance out through the link to his monsters. It was a simple communication, and the monsters responded in kind.

All but two.

Reaching through the links, he reached for the stronger of them, Ashra’s connection, but the link was as dry and hard as a riverbed in the dead heat of summer. Her heart and mind were locked down further than he’d ever felt from her before. Not a single emotion leaked past, and not a single thought made it further than his own imagination, but he could tell that she was alive and nearby. The barn, if he had to guess.

Which led to him reaching for another connection.

That was when his head suddenly felt like it’d been struck by lightning as he touched the hair-thick strand that connected the pair. Lightning that took a path through his skull and out his ears.

When he had his next thought, everyone was crowded around him again, and he was looking up at them and the ceiling. Myles realized the shock must have been more than just in his imagination.

Next to him, Squishy helped him to a sitting position again. “Are you okay?”

Myles gave her a smile he didn’t feel. “I’ve been worse.”

She frowned.

Kendra punched his shoulder.

The rest groaned.

Realizing his mistake, Myles rubbed the back of his head and realized how much he stunk. A shower was near the top of his list now, but there was something more pressing at the moment. “Has anyone seen Ashra?”

He didn’t need empathic connections to notice how everyone started looking away, and that put the situation squarely into the not good category.

Without waiting for an answer, Myles began putting some weight on Squishy, got himself up with a little more help from the slimekin, and made his way to the door. His feet stumbled despite the help, but he soon found himself surrounded once more.

He stumbled back but found himself caught by Mitchel.

“We haven’t seen her since that night,” he said, moving to shore up his free side as Squishy shared the responsiblity. “The barn’s been sealed shut ever since, too. No one in or out.”

His heart sank a little, but Lyna took the other side from Squishy and pulled it back into place. “When she knows you’re up and about, she’ll be back.”

Myles didn’t know what to say, but the spark of that raw connection was still fresh in his mind. Weak as he was, there was something that had to be done before he could sit down and take care of himself.

“Can someone help me to the barn?”

He was practically shoved into a chair before he could take another step as food was heaped before him.

“After you eat,” Kendra said as everyone took turns plating his food. “You’ve been out for over a week, Bright Eyes, and you need to eat.”

“But…”

“You’re eating,” Tail said, more gently than Kendra had. “If you can’t do it yourself, Lyna is willing to do it for you.”

***

In the end, he accepted soup and bread. If he really had been out for over a week, he doubted he could take more yet, and even that was a struggle. But a forced meal and protesting friends later, Myles was being supported by Mitchel and Squishy as they walked out the front door.

Looking out into the white of a fresh blanket of snow, Myles felt the chill of an icy wind on his face before realizing that stopping to equip his winter shoes was a good idea.

Mitchel took some more of his weight before giving him some warm words. “It’s good to have you back, Myles. Really, it is.”

“Yes,” Squishy agreed. Having learned her lesson from before, Squishy stretched taller for this trip, using her kinetic iron to form a larger body on par with Mitchel to support him. He’d complimented her quite a bit on her skill, almost making her knock him down with hugs again.

Still, Myles thanked them both for their help and concern, but he took each step in time with his teammates, focusing on the next step before speaking. “I’ll be honest, it’s still a bit of a blur, but I’m glad to be back on my feet. I’ve got too much to do to be dead yet.”

“Don’t we all?”

Squishy laughed, a soft chime that wasn’t out of place with the falling snow, but it died quickly.

For a few steps, only the crunching of their feet in the snow and the barely audible fall of the new snow broke the silence of the world. With snow blanketing everything, the dungeon looked like something out of a fairytale.

It was amazing how much of a difference a week could make when you were unconscious.

“You know,” Mitchel began as they reached the halfway point. “The eleventh floor’s been nuts.”

That wasn’t where he expected things to go.

Myles looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Did we beat it yet?”

“No, the maze part of it is straightforward enough, but no one feels ready to take the dragon yet.”

“Dragon?”

“Yep, and get this, it gives Runners a quest!”

Myles tripped and Squishy lost hold of her quasi-father with a chime. She reached for him, but Mitchel was faster and took more of the weight to keep Myles from ending up face first in the snow.

“Whoa, careful there, Myles. We don’t need to call the healers again.”

Snow was the least of his concerns as Squishy took her place once again. “A dragon?”

“A dragon,” Mitchel confirmed with a broad grin.

Even before Myles knew he wanted to be a Runner, he’d heard of dragons. They were an apex predator, as dangerous as they were powerful, and fickle as a spring wind. They could be kind or cruel, all-knowing or bestial, and everything in between. For one of them to be in the dungeon, the first one he’d ever heard of in the dungeon on top of that, was the greatest stroke of luck or a terrible sign for their future.

“It really talked and gives people a quest?”

Mitchel laughed. “It did! A big, copper thing from what the other teams have said.”

Other teams?

“You didn’t go yet?”

He could feel Mitchel shift on his feet a bit before walking again. “Well, we were waiting for you, fearless leader.”

“You lead the family!” Squishy added, her common improving by leaps and bounds in the week he’d been out.

“Oh.”

The silence returned for a few more steps.

“Yeah…” Mitchel continued, running a hand through his hair as he sighed and left a cloud lingering in the air. “Kendra didn’t want to head out without you since were already down. With you out of commission and with Will gone, we didn’t…”

“What!” This time, Mitchel couldn’t catch him in time and his body flopped to the ground with a curse worthy of the echo it produced. It didn’t stop him from turning over and looking at his friend directly in the eyes. “What happened? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Is he okay?”

Mitchel ignored the look and was quick to pick him up, dust off the snow, and support his friend again.

“Mitchel?”

“We were going to, but after you recovered a bit,” came the guilty response. “We didn’t want to hit you too hard, too fast, what with you nearly dying and Ashra holding up in the barn with your dungeon core.”

Myles felt the blow of his words, and his voice cooled. So what if he had been nearly dead? This was more important than making him eat and slow down. “What happened, Mitchel?”

"I wish I could tell you, but we don’t know,” he admitted. “The going theory is he hit a skip somewhere in Somniums and is trapped on a lower floor.”

If Somniums had skips built in, Myles had a sinking feeling more than just Will would have found it. Had that been why he couldn’t reach his dream?

While he thought, Mitchel took his silence as a sign to continue.

“Tail smelled magic, and there wasn’t a body.” Myles looked ready to ask for more before Mitchel saved him the trouble. “Tail is at peace with it, Lyna is in… I’m not sure if it’s denial or acceptance, but Kendra isn’t taking it as well as she’s letting on. Might be good for everyone for her to go on a dungeon dive or to the eleventh floor before she starts a fight with the Clan again.”

“Dust, Foliage, or Silvertail?” he asked, listing of the three members that rotated watch on his property at night.

Mitchel groaned. “All of them at once.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Better she tell you than me,” he said somberly. “Though you might want to wait until after she’s had something to work her frustrations out on.” Then, almost as an afterthought. “She hasn’t gone to their home since either, and I don’t think its just because she was keeping an eye on you. Not completely.”

“She sleeps on the couch with me!” Squishy said happily. “She’s warm.”

He ruffled her hair, sending off a soft ringing before she turned to look at the barn. As she did, Myles didn’t miss the sharp knife of excitement that came from the young slime.

Maybe ignorance was better in this case.

“I don’t run things, Myles,” Mitchel said, “but still, it might be best if someone’s with her right now.”

Even knowing the older man was more than likely okay, Myles felt a sharp pang of loss as the news processed. Will was his friend. Why hadn’t he asked about him the moment he noticed he wasn’t there?

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Mitchel said, as if reading his mind. “You had no idea.”

“I should have noticed.”

“And you should be dead,” he added, getting a glare from the slimekin. He cleared his throat quickly and added, “Either way, there’s nothing we can do for now and you have other problems.”

Myles felt his heart slump as the barn loomed above them now.

One step at a time, he told himself. One foot in front of the other.