“I believe there is no choice for you four. Our god, Amareth, has claimed you from the very start.”

David winced at the thought of belonging to a god. Zoey looked ready to tell the man standing in front of them off, but David gestured for her to wait. There was no telling what this giant of a being could do. He called himself Nauli. He stood above them, his upper arms folded over his chest while the lower ones stayed clasped behind him. His hair was tied up in a bun, silvery like his pupils. His top half was bare, displaying a narrow but well-built chest and abs covered in some kind of writing. The symbols were tiny, but wherever David focused, they seemed to jump out at him. A deep blue sash wrapped around his waist, where a naked dagger hung. There was a subtle power to him, a quiet depth that David could feel.

“We didn’t agree to be his,” David said. “I believe the tower grants everyone the choice to serve or be independent.”

“You have been guided so far, though,” Nauli said. “From your first step into the tower.”

“Through no request of ours,” David replied. “We can represent Lord Amareth here, on this floor, but we owe him nothing. We did not pray to be pulled into the dungeon. We did not wish to have powers.”

Nauli grinned, amused. “Humans and their stubbornness. You live by his grace, and yet you refuse him.”

David waited, not taking the bait. Nauli shrugged, his smile still in place. But his gaze moved from David to Chloe. His eyes twitched as he bent at the waist to look at her closely. Chloe stepped back to hide behind Zoey, and Nauli grinned.

“Forgive me,” Nauli said, waving to Zoey. “I have not seen a Bard that powerful before. Well, not one so young, anyway. There are Bard gods, of course. High Lords like us can attain that power, but you…”

“What do you mean?” David asked. “Is there something different about her?”

“You must have noticed,” Nauli said, turning around. He gestured for them to follow him. “I guess you haven’t, because she hasn’t really tried focusing on controlling essence. She is closer to a Bard Sage. And those are rare. Perhaps it is something Lord Amareth did, a certain blessing I can’t perceive. Or maybe your family is just naturally blessed. No one has grown like your four in so long.”

“What is the point of all this?” Elisha asked. “The tower—why impose it on other worlds?”

“I don’t know, human. I serve and obey; I do not question. But the gods do not waste resources.”

“That means this Amareth wants something from us?” Zoey asked. Nauli stopped and turned slowly with a dark smile. David moved to stand in front of Zoey almost immediately. His hands were empty, but he was close to summoning his sword. Nauli blinked, and the threatening grin disappeared.

“You should show respect,” Nauli said. “You have been blessed again and again. You are here because he found you and your family worthy. And he has given you the free will to live as you please with his blessings. You should be grateful. Your voice should echo your reverence for one so mighty and yet benevolent.”

“We are,” David said. “Grateful, I mean. None of that reverence thing you mentioned. I am grateful, though. What is it we have to do for him in the tournament? Win?”

“Not just win,” Nauli said. “You must destroy the others. Your demonstration of power is all Lord Amareth wants. Many have heard about you defying Lord Balek. Believe me, that was big news for a while.”

“This is a game, then?” David asked. “This is for their entertainment? We kill each other so they can brag about who is stronger? If they wanted that, why couldn’t they use Lords like you?”

“We are established powers under Lord Amareth. New crops come through the tower, and they are put through the test to see who can become a High Lord and serve. This is one such test. You still don’t know much, but soon you will. I will give you this warning, though. Those you will battle in the next stage are Lords. They are like you Rankers, but they are closer to whoever they serve or worship. While Rankers are like mercenaries, Lords are part of a god’s family. Distant, yet still part of it. You must have noticed there are many here in Or-Garth. Most of them have been stuck in the tower or sent here as punishment. Climbing the tower is their fate, as it is yours. So, be careful. Fight like your lives depend on it, because that may just be the case.”

They walked through an archway into a small, dark room. Inside, Nauli’s skin began to glow. The symbols on him danced with silver-white light until a lamp glowed from the ceiling, spreading light throughout the room. A table was set in the middle, filled with food. Cushions were placed for them to sit. Nauli gestured for them to join him as he sat down. David sat opposite him. Nauli’s two left hands picked up a fruit and a goblet of wine. The drink had a strong, sweet scent. The High Lord threw the fruit into his mouth, chewed slowly, and drank from the cup. The others watched him quietly, not moving at all until Nauli burped and chuckled.

“You should eat,” the High Lord said. “You will need the strength for what you are about to face.”

“Can you tell me about the other contestants?” David asked. “Some are strange, and strong enough to fear.”

Nauli nodded. “You are worried about Lord Vish’Lir’s boy, Eliaz? You should be. Lord Vish’Lir is a god of purity. Your gauntlet of chaos has influence over that which is born from chaos, which is almost everything because manipulation of essence is willing reality, exerting control at the fundamental level. That is chaos in itself. But Lord Vish’Lir has surpassed that. His soul seldom stirs, and when he uses Soul magic, it reinforces essence, changes the way it is woven or manipulated, which protects it from your gauntlet’s power. But in truth, it is only because you are weaker. There are ways to go around it, though, but the best way is to push through it with force.”

“Or disrupt the spells?” David asked, and Nauli shrugged. “You don’t agree with that approach?”

Zoey picked up something that looked like roasted meat and wolfed it down. Elisha ate as if the food would run away if he stopped. Only Chloe ate slowly, her eyes fixed on the man with the many glittering tattoos.

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“I frown on it only because I am biased toward strength. I know it is a brilliant way to knock down their protection. Where I come from, we believe that to do something right is to overwhelm it. I have been away from home for so long I have forgotten the scent of the sands there, and yet I can’t change how I see things like battles. Get stronger.”

“Easy for you to say,” Zoey said with her mouth full. She chewed quickly and swallowed. “You are already a High Lord. You can beat those fools easily, can’t you?”

“The girl clinging to you could beat them,” Nauli said, waving at Chloe with all four hands. “Although, not right now. She needs to learn more. From what I saw, she can play the tune but can’t adjust the intensity, so the spells come out without much control. Just instinct and power. I think I know someone who can help.”

“Here?” David asked, looking a bit hopeful. “Before our next duel?”

“No. In Orphus. You can’t reach Orphus unless you have attained the rank of a High Lord. The essence there is denser. It will chew through you until there is nothing left of you. Look,” he said, stretching his top left hand out. Almost immediately, a splash of essence poured and gathered in his palm. It gradually molded into a ball of three concentric spinning spheres. Each sphere spun in different directions and at different speeds. The outer circle enlarged until it wasn’t connected to the first, but David realized something as he watched. It wasn’t just the size that was increasing. He was beginning to find it hard to breathe. It wasn’t noticeable at first, but soon his breaths were labored and heavy. Elisha almost crashed onto the table, but Zoey caught him. Her eyes fluttered as she choked. David nodded for Nauli to stop.

“These circles have nothing to do with what you are experiencing,” Nauli said with a grin. David felt relief wash over him, and he swallowed hungrily, taking large breaths until his heart stopped racing. Nauli chuckled. The essence he was controlling formed into a flower with bright blue petals, which he sent over to Chloe, who seemed unruffled.

“I made the essence in the room denser. That was nothing close to what you will feel in Orphus.”

David nodded, intrigued by what Nauli had done. He wanted to see this place so badly, but he knew he had to focus on the problem in front of them. Elisha slept, his breathing soft and calm. David wished he could rest like that. He ate some more while Nauli answered most of Zoey’s questions. Chloe said nothing.

“You will be called soon,” Nauli informed them when they had finished eating. “My bet is you will be set against a team of Arashin or a team of Orc Lords. The Arashins are humans, but they feed on spirit to keep themselves replenished and strong. Be careful of their lamps. The Orc Lords are from Kreale. They are strong, and their mages are highly specialized in any magic they use. You should watch out for their leader, Caerin. She can use a deviation of wind magic. They call it the whisper of the soul. An Orc Lady like that can blow your head off with just a whistle. You will have to find a way to deal with that.”

“You can’t tell us?” Zoey asked. “Or is this one of those things we have to learn ourselves?”

“Yes,” the High Lord said. “Lord Amareth could pull you up the steps of his region, but he doesn’t because he wants worthy servants, not fodder. And this is the journey to making yourself worthy. You will learn, fight, and probably die. No one expects you all to survive,” Nauli said, looking at Chloe. She held his gaze for a second and looked away. David wanted to ask more questions, but there was a knock on the door.

“I think it is time,” Nauli said, standing up. Once again, he looked huge. He’d seemed barely tall when he sat down. David nodded, and Zoey woke Elisha up. Nauli stretched out a hand to David, and David took it.

“You must think that I am some kind of level you would like to attain. But trust me, among Lord Amareth’s servants, I am one of the weakest. In Orphus, there are people who could do what I just showed you even more easily. Many are touched by essence or simply inherited the blood of Tier One gods.”

“Tier one?” David asked, and Nauli chuckled. He led them outside without answering David’s question, even though he could see him burning with curiosity.

A humanoid plant stood outside. His skin was bark-rough, with stray sprouts poking out from his neck and arms. His hair was a wild bush, but his eyes were a deep purple. The tree man bowed to Nauli and then to David and the others. He told them the next duel was ready and suggested they come with him. Nauli waved them away, watching as they walked away.

“He was a strange one,” Elisha said. “Strange but definitely strong. He knocked me out without even doing anything.”

“And he said he was the weakest,” Zoey said, frowning. “The farther we travel, the more I get this overwhelming feeling of weakness. I want to be strong enough not to worry about being left alone.”

“Me too,” Elisha said, scratching the back of his head. “That angel man gave me much to think about.”

“I guess we all have to get stronger,” David muttered. His voice was low, but he was sure the others heard him. The guide remained silent, but David saw his smile as they took a bend into another passage.

“You will wait here,” the plant man said, leading them into a narrow room with a stone door on the other side. A long cushioned chair was set up against the walls on either side. “You will be called on when it is time. That door will let you out into the arena where you will face the other team. Good luck, Rankers! May the gods be with you.”

He bowed once more and left. Chloe fell onto the chair, her head resting on Zoey’s thigh. Zoey’s Vjognir appeared, floating beside Zoey’s head. It had a splash of deep purple, and it wasn’t as fat as it had been before. It had gained more definition now. Its wings were large when it flapped them, and David could finally see small feet beneath it.

“You have changed?” David asked. The beast regarded David for a moment, its eyes blinking rapidly.

“He’s been forgiven?” the Vjognir asked. Zoey shrugged. “I thought so; he hasn’t apologized.”

“For what?” David asked, looking from the birdlike beast to Zoey. She waved his stare away.

“We should be worried about this duel,” she said. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I don’t think we have to worry so much.”

David and Zoey stared at Elisha, but it was the Vjognir who spoke. “Why? Because you can just jump into one of those shadows and hide?”

“No, because we have a chance to beat them,” Elisha said, scowling at the beast. Zoey grinned, pushing the Vjognir away. David watched them silently. Somehow, he’d gotten cut off from them, and now he could see the space growing.

You should be practicing, Ignis said. You can protect them when you are strong. They don’t need to like you; they just have to be safe.

“That is not what I want,” David thought back to the dragon. “That is not what we humans do. We have a family to love and protect. Love is important.”

And yet, here you are, alone even when you are with them.

“It was my fault.”

Ignis snorted. David felt the scorn. You did what you could to bring them here. They might have survived Olam’s test, we’ll never know. But you saved them from the Brothers. In my time, they would be grateful. They would see how much of yourself you have given away for them.

“No,” David thought. “I was meant to give myself for them. That was the promise I made.”

And like Ignis suggested, he began his essence training.