(Zack)

When I awaken, it's dark out. Max is sleeping on the bed above me, and Luca is snuggled up behind me, snoozing peacefully. Gavin and Braden are missing from the room, but I can hear them downstairs.

Carefully, I extract myself from Luca. A quick check of him and Max show that they've both finished their Stat Stasis, which means that the other two probably have as well. I'm probably done with mine, since I'm not feeling sick. That, and Big FD made it pretty clear that I wasn't going to wake until I did.

My checks complete, I make my way downstairs as I send Nik's cloak into my Inventory. I'll return it to him later, but he'll probably tell me to keep it – while it's a black cloak with red trim, it's also a bit small for him. It is, however, the right size for me.

Which means he probably bought it for me or had it in storage for me already, taken when he went to the training room a couple of nights ago.

I don't bother pulling on a tunic as I descend, as I'm covered in dried sweat and blood, so I need a bath, but I need to talk with Braden and Gavin first.

When I reach them downstairs, they're quietly playing cards. I look around and notice Kit curled up on a blanket where I used to sleep, back when I first arrived.

"He refuses to sleep upstairs," Gavin tells me softly. "But we can't get too loud, or he'll wake up, since that was normal for him before."

"Okay," I open up my Inventory and pull out a pair of Spook Treats. "Max and Luca have already gotten to taste these. These are a candy-treat thingy that tastes pretty good. I wanted to give them to you two as a reward for completing the kill against the Candy Beast."

"Thanks," Gavin accepts his as Braden takes his.

They do their best to open the wrappers quietly, but it wouldn't have made a difference, since Kit wasn't actually asleep. He can smell the treats from there, and is immediately jealous, but scolds himself for that, since beastborn aren't allowed such things. I pull a third from my Inventory, and my teammates give me a curious look.

"For Kit," I explain. "If he wants it."

Kit tenses up, then starts questioning his memory on if I'd said what he thinks I said.

"Kit," I say. "I've given one to Aurum and one to Gold. Gold was a former servant here, and Aurum lives across the street. You're a servant here, too. You can enjoy the things we enjoy. Come on and accept it, I know you want to try it."

Reluctantly, Kit gets up and joins us, accepting the Spook Treat, but holding it hesitantly. Gavin and Braden give him a curious look, but turn their attention to the treats, opening them up and taking a bite out of them. The eyes of both immediately widen as they taste the best thing they have ever tasted before. After watching them for a few moments, Kit gives in to his desire to taste it and tries it. The three of them savor the flavor as they eat their treats, doing their best to not cram it into their mouths.

When they finish, all three stare at me. Kit wants to know how I still have them, while the other two want to know what those were.

"Those are Spook Treats," I inform them. "They're pretty rare. You can only get them from the Spook Time monsters as an extremely rare drop or from the Spook Master, the Holiday Boss for that period. They also have an expiration of around two weeks, which means my special Inventory is the only reason I still have them."

Kit makes an 'O' with his mouth. Max told him about my special Inventory already, it seems, so at least I don't have to explain that.

His face suddenly reddens and he looks down as he realizes that he 'acted inappropriately'.

"You're fine, Kit," I tell him. "You're a servant, not a slave. You can behave like a person, because you are a person. It's absolutely fine. Anyway, I'm going to take a bath. Keep Luca and Max from tackling me, will you? I've got stuff for all of you, too."

I hurry to get to the bath before Max and Luca descend the stairs, and the rest of the team pulls them over. I spend an hour soaking after I scrub down, just relaxing. Then I dry off, dress, and rejoin the others at the table. It's the middle of the night, but everyone is a fair bit awake right now.

According to Gavin, they finished their Stat Stasis states a few hours before I woke up, but did end up sleeping for most of it, as Nik had suggested. I was the only one who slept nonstop, which worried Kit, but Max had reassured him that me passing out for days at a time was perfectly normal.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I'll let it pass this time.

Because it's late, I tell the team to try to get some sleep. I'm not planning on pushing them hard during the day, but giving them another day of rest and relaxation. Despite that, they should still at least try to sleep a bit more, this time without the Stat Stasis. It will help get their pattern restored after the two days of something vastly different.

The team heads to bed, and I think over my vision, from before Big FD decided to hijack it for his own amusement – he admitted that this time, he had intentionally hijacked it, but claims I would've ended up there anyway.

Nik was a Demon, which meant he'd Ascended. If the vision gave me that, then that's the most likely path of events. However, it's not a guarantee. More checking will be required, so I jump up onto the roof of the house and lie down, staring up at the sky. I focus my power of sight and begin to look.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Every single path I check, every alternate scenario I try to look for the route of, Nik is a Demon. I wish I had more experiences and shit, so that I could try even more things. I'm about to give up when a thought comes to me. I knew Nathan had succeeded because of things in reality, but…

What if I tried checking for what would be required for Nik to not accept the offer at the end of the Ascension Trial?

I push that, and am startled by what I find. I try it several times, then try it for Nathan – what would have been required for him to have failed to accept? The result is almost identical to Nik's result.

Me.

I'm the reason Nathan accepted Big S's offer during Ascension. He accepted because he felt a bond to someone, a bond that was worth fighting for. Had I remained the punk I was before – the true asshole I'd originally been – that bond wouldn't have been forged. That friendship with a Child of Existence.

Even with everything severed by Big S and the boundary between reality and here, a bond with a Child of Existence remains. Anyone who is close to me, anyone who looks at me fondly, anyone with a bond with me will pass the Ascension Trial because they have something worth fighting for, even if they don't know it.

Nik will accept Big S's offer at the end of the Ascension Trial because he has someone who is like a son to him. The child he never had. Just like how I had Luca to give me reason to fight, just like how Luca kept me from turning down the offer and dying, as I should have.

I teleport into Big Flame's temple, then into the Dark Temple as I ignore my patron's protests. Running through, I locate Nik in his quarters and wake him up.

"Zack," he groans. "It's the middle of the night."

"You're Level 248," I say. "Get your ass in the mines, to a place you can farm hard for Experience. Reach Level 250, take on the Ascension Trial. You will succeed."

"You can't be sure of that," he says.

"I can be," I point at my eyes. "Nik, I saw it. Over and over and over again. You'll have no memories of here when you go through it, but you will be given an offer at the end of it. The offer to fight to protect reality from a force so dangerous, even the gods fear it. What prevented me from refusing it and passing on was my connection to Luca, my desire to protect him at all costs. What prevented Nathan from refusing it and passing on was his friendship with me, a bond that surpassed the severing of bonds forged in the Boundary that comes from the Trial. You have a bond with me, Nik. You're like a father to me, and I'm like a son to you. You will accept the offer to fight to protect reality at the end of the Ascension Trial, because even if you forget about me, about all of us here, you'll still know there's something for you to fight for."

He thinks over my words.

"You really think I'm like a father to you?"

"Erm," I pause for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I've told you that before. Plus, who else would I be that antagonistic too when they're not my enemy?"

"Everyone," he sits up. "You really think I'd accept it because of you?"

"That's what my vision say," I say. "The family-like bond we forged here, because I'm a Child of Existence, it continues. You'll not remember me, but you'll still feel the bond. Everyone who interacts with me regularly who thinks of me fondly, even if they think I'm annoying, will accept the offer. My team, you, Nathan, Jesse, Blaine, Travis, Mama Bear-"

"Mama Bear?"

"Don't give me that look!" I exclaim. "She makes good food! The point is, Nik, you have nothing to worry about! You won't cripple us by taking on the Ascension Trial, you'll only become more powerful! So get your ass training hard so that you can train even harder once you Ascend!"

"Okay," he groans. "I'll do that, Zack, if you're so confident I'll make it through. You've not been wrong before when you push your sight to see things, even when they're only the possible futures. But first, go get some sleep."

"Also, there's going to be a Flame Slime King at the battle."

He rubs his temples.

"I thought all slimes were, like, under a single King," I say. "Like most monsters of a type. Apparently, they're classed completely differently. I suppose that makes sense, since they naturally form as different types of slimes."

"Go get some rest, Zack."

"By the way," I tell him. "Good job on putting me into Stat Stasis when even me fighting the Demon Kobold King couldn't do it."

"Go rest, Zack."

"I'm going to go see how Kylie is doing," I tell him. "She's probably recently recovered from her Stat Stasis. Oh, and Big FD says it's impressive you were able to force the Stat Stasis on me, and that anytime you want to kick my ass, just do it. He told me to pass that on, so I am, but don't actually come and kick my ass whenever you want, or I'll start stealing Kulkul and force him into a dress."

"Go!" He laughs.

I leave and make my way to the assassins' hideout, where Kylie is awake and mixing up some potions. All of the little assassins are taught how to make a few certain potions necessary for their trade. Blaine's been teaching me some alchemy, too. Every asset that will help me, especially once my team and I head into Lost Territory, I am reaching for.

I just wish Big S would tell me who the brothers are. Knowing who they are can make a huge difference. We have to make sure the one who will kill Alexander is trained enough for it.

For now, I'll say 'hey' to Kylie.

"Hey."

"Hey, Zack," she keeps her gaze on her work. I think she's making smoke bombs. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," I answer. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better now that I'm out of Stat Stasis," she answers. "I'd heard of it, but never met someone who'd been through it. I doubt I'd have believed them on how terrible it was, even if I had."

"Same," I answer.

"You were unconscious for the entire thing," she snorts.

"Yeah," I sit across from her. "And I spent two days playing games with Existence himself. That's not fun, take it from me."

"Wait," she gives me an incredulous look. "I know your father's Existence, Zack. Are you saying that you were playing games with your father while you were unconscious?"

"My consciousness exits the Boundary and enters… funky places," I tell her. "It's weird, don't think on it too much. Making smoke bombs?"

"Yeah," she decides not to think on it too much, because it really is a headache to think about. "A good assassin has backups, just in case things go south."

"They do," I nod. "What are you going to do with your Candy Ingots?"

"Have them made into daggers," she answers. "At least six pairs of knives and throwing knives. I might sell the rest of it. It's a high-quality material, and the coloration can be dealt with by an experienced Blacksmith."

It turns out, Candy Ingots and other similar ones don't actually have 'special effects' like Frost Ingots and Spook Ingots. They're just as special, though, because of their quality and resiliency. Without the special effects, however, they're a little bit cheaper in cost. Plus, they aren't as rare. There was one Spook Master for the entire valley, but four Candy Beasts. I think the selling price was a gold each, according to Nik.

Luca and Braden can't do much with them, but I've got plans for that. Ah, crap. I forgot that I had stuff for my team, and even told them that.

They're still awake, aren't they?

I bet I can pop over to the mines for some training while my team waits.