Shade couldn't help but stare at Ryder, confused as to how the normally cold fighter was taking all this information in stride. Ryder! The cause of so many of his resets!

Nothing made sense this time, it was like a central change had been made... but what?

Ryder had never gotten the power of the Black Flame before.

Oto was skilled but always had the slowest growth.

Lily never went missing or ended up with 'his' magic.

Alice couldn't be saved.

Regis always killed someone.

Teach never bowed his head.

Why was everything so different?

What was the trigger?

"Well..." Ryder started, pausing for a moment to try and figure out how to get his thoughts out properly "I believe you, but only because I've been through some crazy stuff myself."

"You do? Just like that?"

"Yeah, you being some sort of person who returns from the future isn't exactly the weirdest thing." Ryder pulls out his journal and starts flipping through some pages. "Between the visions I've been having, the Black Flame, even 'bathing in creations waters' nothing seems out of the question now."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Shade yelled in surprise, his eyes wide and fixed on Ryder now. "You gained access to creation and bathed in its waters?!"

"Yeah? I thought it was just some strange dream at first but there has been noticeable boosts to my magic and skills since then-"

"That's because you gained access to a place that's normally impossible for anyone to venture to!" Shade says in disbelief now. "In all the lives I've lived no one has even made it past the Dark Lord, you especially haven't!"

"Really? Then why was I able to this time?" after thinking for a moment Ryder raises his hand a bit, pointer finger extended in a sort of 'aha!' gesture. "Did anyone ever see the kid before?"

"Kid?"

"Yeah, the kid!" Ryder pauses for a moment, now realizing something. "Huh, I can't fully remember what he looks like... but he's a small mute kid with brown hair wearing green. Oh he also has this book that he uses to write with!"

Shade pauses, thinking for a moment at this.

No there'd never been anything like this before either.

Or at least not that he can remember... remember?

Why can't he remember something... the kid and creation sounds far too familiar.

"That's it!" Shade exclaims excitedly while leaning back now. "The Kid is the key to everything! but there's something that stops us from remembering him... a curse? an outer entity?"

"Woah woah what?" Ryder stops Shade and looks over. "What do you mean he's the key? and what would a curse or an outer entity have to do with anything?"

"Listen I'll explain that later but for now you need to remember as much of the kid as possible, any details you can provide my help remove the block in my memories."

"Alright Alright, but I'm holding you to that explanation."

Ryder begins listing off what details he can remember of the kid in question and creation as a whole.

A mysterious mute kid carrying a large book, the great hollow that doesn't reject him, the knowledge he carries being greater than any normal kid.

The fruit of life carrying the discarded magic of a soul reborn.

Its all familiar.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A figure begins to come to Shade's mind, one that feels like a dear friend to him.

Someone who had helped them time and time again in the past but didn't seem to be here now.

The thought of him tugged at Shade's heart and hurt his mind.

It was as if this person's existence had been erased from his mind and only fragments remained.

Why?

Who is he?!

Who is that figure in the green robe offering his support?!

That extended hand, the feeling of being able to trust this person with his life.

Its too much! It feels like its going to destroy what remains of his soul!

"Woah are you okay?! You're bleeding!" Ryder calls out, snapping shade out of what felt like a trance.

There's the feeling of liquid running out of Shade's nose, cautiously he reaches up and touches it before looking.

Blood.

Whatever it was he had been trying to remember was blocked strong enough it was physically hurting him to remember.

"Well I think we found our key then." Shade muttered while wiping away the blood.

Without another word Ryder stood up and undid what bindings remained on Shade before offering a hand. "Well come on then, let's go talk with the others and see what they can make of this situation."

"That's it, you're trusting me just like that?!" Shade almost yells while standing up now. "I could be tricking you, or I could've stabbed you in the back there!"

"But you didn't though?" Ryder responds while walking to the stairs. "Besides if you wanted to you probably could've broken out of those ropes right? If you were fighting on Alice's level then you definitely wouldn't be held by something like that."

Though he wanted to argue Shade opted not to, instead opting to follow Ryder up the stairs into what looked like an old warehouse of sorts. It's clear though it'd been turned into a little base as a new table was brought in, the place had just been cleaned... and there was new weapons and armor lined against the walls.

"What is this place?" Shade asked while walking over and looking at one of the weapons. It'd clearly been made by a very skilled forger... Radogan perhaps?

"Our current base of operations and guild hall... it's not much but it's all we could afford on short notice." Ryder replies while looking around for anyone. "Seems like they all left already."

"Left to do what?"

"Oh go repair the city, there's a lot of cleanup to do but so long as we hurry and prepare nothing else bad should happen." as he says this Ryder flashes a big stupid smile at Shade who just groans in response.

"Fortifying the place against The Dark Lord won't do anything! that man can level an entire city with a single swing of his sword!"

"Then what do you propose we do?" A new voice spoke up as someone walked into the building. Lily stood there, looking rather beat up but otherwise breathing. "Because all we know to do right now is to train and prepare to defend against whatever shows up."

"No what we need to be doing is moving forward to find someone strong enough to take down that monster!" Shade says while moving over to the table. Quickly he produces a map from his inventory and slams it down while focusing on his fuzzy and distorted memories. "And I think I know just where to start looking..."