Dilah'ec was staring at the ugliest monstrosity she had ever seen, desperately trying to figure out a viable strategy, when between one heartbeat and the next, something inconceivable happened.

The ever-present threads of Fate flowing around her twisted and then tangled up into an unreadable knot.

Temporal Iteration, she shuddered, recognizing the phenomenon occurring around her and a memory flashed into her mind.

"If you ever see this," her father, Archduke Calian'ci, gestured with his hands after calling upon the skill, "abandon all your previous plans and run away, my little spider. Flee like your very life is hanging over the abyss."

"And if it looks like the one after me used more than one iteration?" She asked with a child-like squeaky voice.

"Then activate every defensive item on you and prey to Terasil'ab, because for the next ten minutes, your Fate is firmly in someone else's hand."

A loud shout made her jerk back, "Get out! To the walls!"

Tearing herself away from the old memory, she burst into a sprint, trusting John to…

It can't be him, right?! She stopped near the coarse wall and stared at the mysterious native who was in the middle of an argument with Galan'il. Shortly after, her Knight-Protector lifted his glaive and cut John's arm right off.

What are they…

With her disarrayed thoughts, she was not paying attention to the fight and noticed the rushing monstrosity only after she was covered in its shade.

"You idiot…" she mumbled, chiding herself as in the next moment, her body exploded from the collision with the house-sized behemoth.

Groaning, she tentatively opened her eyes and found herself back at the trial's entrance.

"Did we fail?"

As if on cue, a pop-up came into her view.

[Congratulations!

Your group successfully completed all fifteen waves.

As a member of the group, you gain these rewards:

For successful completion of wave fourteen: + 1 Fate

For successful completion of wave fifteen: + 1 Fate]

"We did it!" She cheered only for her smile to freeze on her lips.

Throwing a glance at John, she found him lost in thought, likely reading his System screen.

It can't be possible, she frowned. My dad was adamant that it required the Fate attribute at B. The earliest anyone could use it would be in C-grade, and that was only for the scions of the major factions like the Starstruck Aspirant.

"How are you feeling?" Asked her childhood friend and protector.

"Fine," she sighed. "I had it quick, barely even realized before it happened. What about you, were you there until the end?"

She saw him nod, but couldn't miss the shiver that ran through him.

What in Terasil'ab's name happened there, she wondered. I can't even remember when was the last time something shook him this much.

It wasn't only the shiver. For her, the minuscule signs of his body language spoke volumes about how bad it must have been, and he wasn't the only one. Most of the others were either holding grim faces or were throwing John worried glances.

No… not worried, terrified.

Schooling her features she tried asking the most neutral question she could.

"How bad was it?"

"Honestly, it was much easier than I expected. If anyone told me I'd be facing a C-grade elite a day after we arrive, I'd laugh in their face."

Damnit, Galan'il! She snapped through their link. What happened there… Why is everyone acting so off?

We realized that John wasn't entirely honest with the life-bane property of his blood.

He lied? She sent, doing her best to keep her face neutral so as not to reveal their silent conversation. You said you were there when he…

That part was true, but… Tell me, what would you think if you met someone with dull grey blood and then saw it feed on life fire to turn an undead into a colorless husk?

Trying to figure out any other possibility, she nearly started denying the obvious but then remembered her father's favorite logic theorem—the Orborial sapling.

If you plant the Orborial sapling in your garden, should you expect it to grow upward or to the sides? Her father liked to ask every time he found her overthinking things.

If ninety-nine out of a hundred it grows upward, she sighed and then answered Galan'il.

You believe he has the blood of the Pale Eternals.

I do, Galan'il slightly nodded. And thinking back, I believe that it occurred after he was struck by the Sector Overlord.

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Now that you brought it up, I remember thinking he was still looking sickly pale after Loras'ki brought him back from the brink, she pondered. Let's talk about it later when we are outside.

About that… I don't believe it is a wise choice. We should abandon our previous plans and remain here.

Dilah'ec was about to agree. After all, the native was filled with too many unknowns and impossibilities for her to place her bet on, but his conversation with Melis'ar made her pause.

"Hmm, I can't decide which ones I should pick," he said. "I take it the tithe wouldn't work for me, right?"

"Unfortunately, not." His Highness shook his head. "The System usually accommodates unique Shelters with the same benefits unless directly stated otherwise, but you don't have any of your people working for you, so taking that one would grant you no benefits."

"Yeah, I thought so. In that case, it is between minor short-term benefits and questionably useful permanent upgrade. Honestly, I am leaning toward the Ethereal Arena, because two weeks are barely any time in the grand scheme of things."

"If I was in your place, I'd go for the arena," Melis'ar suggested. "It might not seem useful right now, but in the future, it could be one of your greatest advantages. Having the option to train wherever you are, without any prying eyes, and with guaranteed safety… In the wider universe, those kinds of services are very valuable."

"You are right. Especially since the only other interesting thing for me was the doubled discount at Al'drul's. Thanks for help."

What would the future hold for me if I stayed here?

Giving it a thought, she realized that the answer was, nothing. She would serve Melis'ar and help him cement his position here and only after that would they begin a slow expansion outward.

I would either return as a legend or die trying. That was the promise I gave to myself and I will stick to it until the bitter end.

Steeling her resolve, she sent her patient companion her decision. Our plan remains unchanged. If John would have us, we are leaving the Sector with him.

"After all that madness, we all need a stiff drink," suddenly shouted Sakhul'la, silencing both the open and the covert conversations. "Who is with me?"

"I am, but none of the fancy shit like Amberlime. How about a bottle of Ralai Springwater?"

"I could get behind that," Friala'el joined in and Duraq'er agreed shortly after.

"Very well," Melis'ar acquiesced. "A small celebration is in order. What about you John, will you be joining us?"

"I appreciate the offer, but…"

As she was listening to their conversation, her chest was filled with anxiety. The time to change up her mind was running out and the ever-present threads of Fate were still eerily silent.

Dilah'ec got so lost in her turbulent thoughts that she nearly missed the opportunity, only realizing it after feeling a light nudge to her side.

"What is… Oh, thanks," she mumbled and lifted her chin in defiance.

"John," she asked, doing her best to keep her voice strong and steady, "could we join you and leave the Sector together?"

"Hm? Why would you want that?" He asked back, looking a little surprised. "You are aware that I'll be away for weeks… that is if I return at all."

"I know, but…" Taking a small pause to think about her answer, contrary to her upbringing she settled on the one thing that she knew John valued the most—an honest answer.

"Because of you, I have already advanced my Fate attribute into D-grade, something that should have taken a few weeks under normal circumstances, and I hope to use your unique presence to gain a possibility to reach C-grade in the following three weeks."

"Ehh, that's…"

"Wait," she interrupted him. "Let me finish before you make a decision."

Seeing him nod she continued with her plea.

"As I was saying, I am aware of how valuable it would be, so in exchange, I will offer not only all the information about the Apocalypse I am allowed to share, including the presence of any valuable places like the Sector's Trial but also I'll offer to teach you more about Fate. As I can tell, your usage is mostly guided by instinct, but there are other things you should not only learn how to do but also how to defend yourself from."

Help me! She sent through her link to Galan'il, desperate to convince John.

"And I can keep our sparring sessions going, and teach you more about the combat against close-ranged fighters," offered Galan'il, taking a step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dilah'ec.

"We promise to not be a burden," Dilah'ec continued pleading, breaking her stoic facade. "Let us go with you, please?"

"I was about to agree, but I do appreciate the offers," John smiled. "The thing is, I was serious about the duration of the expedition. I want to cross the country, well I guess it's called a Territory now, and see the city my parents and younger sister live in. Besides that, I have a neat trick to locate the Territory Hierarch, so I might take a chance at him later, and lastly, there is a group of people in the neighboring Territory that require my assistance, so…"

"I don't mind, anything out there is going to be dozens of times more enjoyable than staying here and securing the Sector." Dilah'ec giggled. "Give us a few minutes to say our own goodbyes and we can head out."

Watching Galan'il jog to his fellow Knight-Protectors, she gestured to the side and waited for His Highness to join her.

"So, you are going through with it?" He said more as a statement than a question, before following up with a deep sigh. "You know, Ulian'al was very vocal about it. Calling you an usurpator and threatening me with our father's wrath unless I forbid your leave. And that was before what happened during the fifteenth wave of the trial."

"And you are not against it?"

"That native…" he turned his head slightly to the left, most likely looking at the inconceivable mystery they stumbled upon. "he might have the potential to shake up the fragile status quo, and if he does…"

"Do you mean…"

"It is too early to say, but if by some miracle he does succeed and we share even a fraction of his glory, we might elevate our whole empire with us."

"And if he fails?"

"Then our lives are expendable. I will be called a royal bastard who tried to reach beyond his station and you… you know what you'd be called, right?"

Flinching, Dilah'ec fought down the venomous retort coming on her lips. Instead, she took a deep breath and calmed herself. "It is as you say. For the glory of Terasil'ab and the Aerilian Empire."

"For the glory of Terasil'ab and the Aerilian Empire," Melis'ar repeated and headed back in hurried steps.

Galan'il rejoined her in the next minute and together, they headed west toward the figure in the distance who was already picking a fight with one of the Rotfiends close by.

"What have we gotten ourselves into," he shook his head, chuckled, and sped up. His wooden glaive already gleaming with his enhancing ability. Unfortunately, before they got there, the colossal undead was motionlessly lying on the dirt.

It feels like he is growing stronger right before our eyes.

"Ah good, you are back. I got bored so I started clearing the path," he swept his hands around him where more than a dozen Rothounds lay dead. "If you don't mind it though, since we are about to spend more time together, I'd like to get to know you better. Maybe you could tell me about your world? It was the Aerilian Empire, right?"

"That's a good idea," Galan'il agreed, offering to speak first. "For a start, our world is more humid and covered in these massive trees, where…"

The group talked as they battled their way further west, slowly cutting through the endless horde until after hours of effort the undead began to grow less crowded and they got the first look at the barren fields beyond.