In the spotlight’s corridor, I lead Fulzo and Gron to that room.

The pressure is felt, and walking becomes more difficult.

I can use [Dungeon path] and get straight to the balcony on the blue flame wall, but the shock might be prohibitive.

So, it is better to opt for a gradual approach.

I have sent numerous [Necrohounds] out to map the foreground, and the results have been disappointing.

The streets on the ground floor of the building lead only to dead ends or outlets onto the dark glacier. The most attractive option remains this room.

Their balcony revolves around that cylindrical (or spherical) wall of blue flames.

It is not just about reaching a new area. There's also the fact that there are cosmic tree roots mixed with pipes and flames.

A sign that it is an important area. There is a connection to the [core].

I walk in silence. Or rather, I do not have much to say, and I think Fulzo is tired.

As an undead, Gron fares better. Its body feels the fatigue but not its mind.

So, Gron talks. It tells its adventures to Fulzo, and I hear him nod.

Our footsteps on the tiles, so different in their resonance, are accompanied by the constant hum of the electric lights.

We arrive at the last flight of stairs and go up.

The impact is annihilating.

The tsunami of dark light. That intense blue emanates from the gas structure in the distance. The pipes that feed it…

…it is a unique panorama.

I stop on the threshold between the living room and the balcony.

Fulzo staggers past me. He leans against the metal railing and kneels. He breathes in large gulps, a sign that despite his astral form. He is at the limit of his strength.

Gron sits next to him and turns to me.

“Prr… that's incredible power.”

“Yep.”

Now that I think about it… I can use it again.

I raise my arm.

[Scan]

[Scan: Failed]

[Target: too far]

Hmm, too bad.

“I know you are tired, but we must continue along this balcony.”

“But it's huge! Prrr.”

“I know. We need to go around this area to reach a different part of the structure. From maps, it emerges that it is the only internal road left. The alternative is to go out and wander around at random in the darkness of the glacier.”

Fulzo pulls himself up, using the railing as a support point.

He turns to me and blows.

“Not to contradict you. I defer to your judgment as I'm a newbie here. But, couldn't we, once outside, follow those paths on poles?”

“Are you talking about the paths of lights? We might not know how many there are and where they lead—we might get lost and go around in circles. I prefer to complete one area at a time if possible.”

“How big can these spaces be?”

Gron starts chuckling at Fulzo's ignorance.

Of course, even though it took him a long time to move from the camp to here, it is clear that he has no idea of the scale on which things work in this place.

I shake my head. “Forget it. Instead, follow me. We'll try to take a break when—shh. Do you hear?”

Some noises alert me.

Fulzo and Gron look at me perplexed. But now my ears are pricked up, and I can distinguish the sounds of footsteps.

A calm and approaching walk from the floor below reverberates through the stairwell.

“Someone is approaching.”

“Seriously? Could it be Kavfyra and Amerio? Or maybe one of those creatures?” Fulzo brings his hand to the hilt of the sheathed sword.

I raise my hand in anticipation.

“I do not believe. From the sound of it, it sounds like someone in flip-flops. Unless they're yours, why change your boots? Those creatures, on the other hand—have spikes instead of legs so…”

So…

There is only one explanation that comes to mind.

A creature in flip-flops who may have woken up from a long sleep. Precisely because of the actions of the elven adventurers.

That [Bakenekro].

My lookalike.

The noises stop.

Instants.

Stasis.

Voltage.

I turn around.

Darkness appears before us. It is a trick I know, a [skill] I use all the time.

[Dungeon path]

From the darkness, the snake-like tails emerge first. They are different from mine. Six metal skeletons, with skulls and sharp spines. Spines run between each pair of vertebrae.

They are thinner and longer than my tails and have lost the layer of flesh I had seen in the cathedral.

Maybe it was a cover? Two apparent tails, a shell for these six?

Then comes out a foot and the hem of a long dress with veils and loose lace. The side slit reveals the pale leg, and finally, the golden hair and the rest of the body emerge from the shoulders and arms uncovered, except for a velvet collar that covers the neck. Is that where the wound is?

Strange, arms and shoulders have no signs of further injuries…

The creature takes a step forward, and the darkness disappears.

I hear Gron and Fulzo mumbling. But I am not paying attention to what they say.

Teal eyes, golden-furred ears, and a sleepy expression.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

She is a little taller than me.

So, we are not twins.

Consolation.

Slight relaxation of the muscles.

[Scan]

The screen starts to appear but…

It disappears with a click of the girl's tongue.

“Aww,” she yawns. “Sorry, I still have to recover. Please avoid prying into my business, N—hmm, you are the current Empress of the Underwasteland, level eighty-eight… you look, necromancy affinity.”

HEY! In the face, do not peek into other people's ‘businesses!’

I raise my arm.

[Dispel]

The girl lets out an “Oh!” surprised and looks at me. “Of course, you're touchy. I was just trying to understand.”

Ci-cin.

I put my arms folded.

“Well, first, you could introduce yourself since apparently you already know who I am.”

She brings her hand to her chest and bows slightly. “Oh, right, right. My bad, I didn't think of it. I am the Yellow Queen of the Underwasteland dungeon. I am also the second oldest Bakenekro, and you can call me Y.”

Her naïve attitude relaxes me. She does not seem hostile. Who knows why I felt the need to get defensive a priori?

Her tails wag and, unlike mine, seem indifferent to the situation.

However, I lower my ears and bow in turn. “Y, nice to meet you. I, as you rightly said, am N, the Empress of this place.”

We both get up. She looks around. She tilts her body to look at her companions behind me. She composes herself.

“Well… aren't you cold?”

“Ah, er—yes?”

“Oh, thank goodness. For a moment, I feared that the stasis had compromised me.”

Stasis?

So, she was not dead?

Right, otherwise, why would she be here now? Fulzo's companions did not start wandering like the normal deceased and—

“N, I'm looking at your history. There is a Judgment performed incorrectly on an elf—cryogenic death due to my containment spell… you shouldn't enter Sanctuary using Astral journey. These errors happen then.”

“Um, here—”

“The real problem, however, is this proliferation of errors. It's not normal. It shouldn't be… Oh. Is the Devil dead? And the backup Emperor died too… N, why did they become one big mistake!? Why are they down here? That—”

She does not finish the sentence and takes a deep breath of air. Her tails vibrate, beating their jaws horribly, rubbing their metal teeth together. The noise forces me to put my hands to my ears.

Then they stop.

“Excuse me, excuse me. Panic was taking over. I imagine there were some problems. Great, great. Corruption is spreading, and we now have an equally big problem.”

I rub my ears to get rid of the ringing. “Y, can you be more precise? For some time now, I have had certain blurred memories, and I believe that—”

“Yes, corruption is getting to you too. In reality, you are the target of a surgical operation. They only damaged information related to the Golden Doors. I can restore them, but it takes time, and we have other things to do first—alt, no. Wait. Have you used Necromancy to return an item to a deceased person?”

The Atmosphere-eater rendered to Mircalla…

“Well, yes…”

“Hmm, okay. We can solve everything, but we are in big trouble. Maybe it's a good thing that I was awakened, but it's also a bad thing. Perhaps the definitive evil for this place. Aww, ouch, ouch, I'm all sore. Hey, you two, you might as well relax. I'm coming to you now too.”

Instinctively, I turn towards Gron and Fulzo. They are tense, one with a contracted expression and the other with its hair up.

I have no way of realizing what they are understanding.

I am confused by this situation. My father never told me about a [Yellow Queen], nor is it marked in the grimoire archives.

I look back at Y. She, haunted, is probably observing her [Scan] screen invisible to others.

“Y, if I may ask, why don't I know anything about you?”

She stiffens and looks at me. Y smiles languidly and puts a hand to her mouth.

“Well, we have very different tasks. Furthermore, I was no longer of any use. I changed some rules of the System to prevent similar accidents. So, it is normal that the Bakenekro of the last—well—three billion years. I think, do not know me.”

Ci-cin.

«Fsss!»

“WHAT!?”

What time scale would that be!? How long was she in stasis?

Has she altered the rules of the System!? Maybe there's something wrong with her. Is she rambling? How could it be possible that—

Y waves her hand and smiles. “Oh, don't be surprised, come on. I spent almost all of them sleeping. I will be yes or no younger than you. When the mess happened, I was very young.”

“Look, it's not age—er—can you change the System rules? Are not you kidding me?”

“Hmm, no? Why should I? I told you there's an emergency, or rather two, underway. Anyway, yes, it's not difficult. The Yellow Queen does exactly this. Supervise and review the rules of the System. The System operates through the Interface, and the data from the Interface is transferred to the rest of the universe via the cosmic tree.”

“Oh, so those slabs in the cathedral are reserved for…”

“Yes. They are empty plates. When I need to change a certain law, which usually means changing a set of rules to maintain consistency, I operate on those. I do some virtual simulations and replace it with the one at the foot of the tree.”

I hear footsteps coming forward. A hand rests heavily on my shoulder.

I turn and see Fulzo worried. “N…”

I place my hand on the back of Fulzo's. “It's okay—I think. Wait a minute, please.”

He nods and pulls away.

“Fulzo, eh, hmm, you're here with Astral journey too… wow, a big problem. Enter my Sanctuary like this—amazing! Rather, it's surprising that there are civilizations capable of reverse magical engineering—okay, I'll fix you up, okay?”

Y winks and smiles. She must have remarkable scanning abilities, as she seems to be able to analyze what she looks at instantly.

Hmm… I should have leveled [Scan] a lot more…

“Anyway, N, why are you down here? Your job is to protect the dungeon from unwanted guests.”

“Hm, maybe you're confused. My job is to give rest and welcome to the deceased.”

“Oh, no-no, I'm sure of what I wrote on the current plate… wait, I'll check… yes, it hasn't been changed since then. The task of the frontier house is precisely to avoid external invasions… of course, I understand that avoiding the invasion of that Champion and the Devil… damn, I'm sorry. I was foolish not to foresee such risks.”

Those words, even said in such an affable way, create a disturbance in me.

“Excuse me… but shouldn't I welcome the dead?”

“Eh, hm… it's fine to welcome them. The important thing is to judge them before they reach the Interface. Like, why is that cat here at the core?” She aims a tail at Gron.

The [core]?

“Sorry, but the core is not—”

“Nope, that's the Interface. I told you. The real core, the Corestar, is this. Here, the tree takes energy. This nucleus is composed of the hydrocarbon of life, the unquenchable and ever-expanding primordial sea.”

I am confused. I put a hand to my temple and sigh.

“Okay. So, I serve as a shield to prevent the invasions of the deceased?”

“Of course. In your opinion, why don't you welcome insects and simpler life forms? Because they can't use the Interface.”

Oh…

I feel strange… sad. This revelation, the ease with which I am learning about it… I feel silly.

“But what about sleep?”

“Exists. No, no, don't look so worried. We are not deceiving anyone. Everything returns to the Ocean, which in turn warms in depth thanks to dreams. From there, it re-emerges as a hydrocarbon, which powers the core and so on.”

“O—ok.”

Y takes a step towards me. “The Corestar is not a star in the strict sense, but as you can see it is very large. Why are you here with them? Instead of guarding the house?”

I look away.

It is like I feel at fault. I feel guilty for my ignorance and my naivety.

What can I say to this creature? What is she thinking of me, such a distant descendant of hers?

“You look like me anyway, you know?” Y gives me a pat on the forehead and smiles at me.

“Huh? Yes.” I smile with a hint of bitterness.

I feel her tails are intertwining with mine. This makes me uncomfortable, and I take a step back.

I arrive next to Fulzo.

Y blinks. She smiles again.

Fulzo stands between us. “Y, if I understand correctly. I don't know what blood there is between you, but N offered to help me. I'm looking for a home for my people and—”

“Done. Happy return!”

“What?”

Fulzo disappears as if under the effect of [Dispel].

Ci-cin!

“Hey! What did you do to him!?”

Y raises her hands and sighs. “Calm down, I sent him home. I fixed the error that arose from the overlap of Sanctuary and Astral journey.”

“But he was here with a purpose. He was looking for—”

Crack, clack, Crack, clack-clack, Crack…

The mandibles of those tails twitch, reflecting the Corestar's dark blue light. “I know. I know. N, I saved his life. We can't save worlds, but I could save his life. Would you rather see him die like his companions?”

“You know…”

“Yes, it's in his timeline. The party is still valid as long as it is in the dungeon. It records three deaths, one of which was judged incorrectly. The other two are wandering around. I'll look for them later to make things right with them.”

Even though I do not doubt her words, I step aside. I stand in front of Gron. It crouches between my ankles.

“Don't worry, I can't use Judgment. That is at your discretion.”

“You said there's a crisis going on. I assume you're referring to that creature the elves woke up.”

She nods as she untangles a strand of hair with her hand.

“Mpfh, exactly. Its name is Irferno, I don't know what number it is, but it is the last example of its species.”

“And do you want to get to the interface?”

“Good, great deduction.”

“I assume it's undead.”

“Like me, after all.”

I remain perplexed. “But weren't you in stasis?”

“To preserve me. But I'm still undead. You, Bakenekro of the new interface are different from me and my predecessor. Before the distinction between status: Live and malus: Deceased, only Immortality and Undead existed. But there's no point in talking about it now.”

I agree and nod.

Scientific curiosity is secondary if there is a crisis underway.

“If I ask, if Irferno doesn't want to use the core—”

“The Interface.”

“The Interface, right, to be reborn… why do you want to reach it?”

“Oh, bad planning, I guess.”

Hmm, quite a disappointing answer.

“But are you sure of what you say?”

“I'm very sure. I would avoid having to program the System rules again.”

Right, because she said she already did it.

I feel the point of the situation is slipping away.

“If I didn't stop it, what would happen?”

“A sort of universal implosion. A contraction capable of creating a new universe. Things like that, I suppose. I have no proof but only data and conjecture. The last time Irferno screwed up, and I ended up having to sacrifice myself. After having created a compensatory set of rules against it.”

“But is it doing this purely for the sake of chaos? I can't believe it.”

“Oh, okay, you're so insistent. As if the reasons mattered. We have duties towards the System. There is no point in asking too many questions. Anyway, since we have some time, I'll tell you what happened three billion years ago.”

I nod and bite my bottom lip. However—

“Do you mind if we talk about this in another room? I'm not very happy here, and neither are you.”

Y smiles and rubs her shoulders. “Brr, thank goodness! I thought I was going to freeze again!”