I felt my soul floating in a pool of radiance. I lacked a physical body but somehow I retained my mental awareness. It was similar to my meditations while looking inward at my inner soul's connections to the ley lines. Through my mind's eye, I saw myself surrounded by light. The color was bright and almost white but not quite.

I knew, intellectually, that I should be panicking right now. Especially given the fact that I had died according to the final pop-up notification that I saw. However, I had prepared for this outcome by adding Sister Waverly to my party. The human avatar of Lady Musa will not allow me to die. Therefore, I was 100% confident that I will be resurrected. It was only a matter of time.

That being said, I had no idea where I was. I was floating in something that had some degree of viscosity. It wasn't water but rather something else. And while there was some degree of airiness in my environment, it was not the vacuum of outer space either. Furthermore, I knew that the outer space was extremely cold and the warmth of my flesh will be sucked out rapidly. Yet, my soul felt warm as if I was sunbathing while nude.

I allowed my mind to be preoccupied with this puzzle of my current environment because I had nothing else to do. A part of me feared that if I lost consciousness, I may not revive again. Additionally, the engagement of rational, logical thought was important as a tool to retain my own sanity. Finally, I was constantly surveilling my surroundings to ensure that there were no monsters approaching.

Suddenly, a hand reached into my pool of radiance from above! I realized that the hand belonged to a woman. It looked soft, delicate, slender, and gentle. The hand was headed directly for my soul!

Yet, I remained calm. I suspected that the hand belonged to Sister Waverly and she was in the process of reviving me. I tried to steer my soul closer to the hand. Soon, I felt the hand latch onto my soul and pull me out of the pool.

An explosion of brilliant, white light overwhelmed my mind and blinded me. When my mind's eyes regained their clarity, I saw that I was surrounded by six human-shaped figures. When my eyes focused on these individuals, I immediately recognized them--the gods and goddesses who had branded me.

I noticed that my soul had regained the form of a human but it was still somewhat transparent. However, my form had become physical as Lady Musa was still holding onto my left wrist. Despite the multitude of questions bubbling within my mind, I remembered to pay my respect to my Patron Deities. I offered them a deep, respectful bow. The gods present were Bane, Musa, Luck, Gaea, Jasla, and Leonus.

Lady Musa released me. "I'm glad you're okay," she said with a sigh of relief.

"Kekeke! Our servant isn't so weak that the mere shock of death will shatter his eternal soul!" Lord Bane remarked.

The chimeric god nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lawrence has a strong will which easily puts my own children's to shame."

The succubus, Jasla, hooked her left arm through my right arm and leaned her large bosom against my arm. "I missed you," she admitted shyly and shamelessly rubbed her cheek against mine.

"Um, not that I don't appreciate seeing you here, but where am I?" I asked politely.

Gaea smiled. "You're at the twilight between life and death. We intercepted the passage of your soul before you return to your body, which is being revived by Musa's avatar currently," the goddess explained with a nod toward Musa.

Lady Musa nodded. "Your body is safe. But we need to talk for a bit."

"What about?" I asked.

"Kekeke! How to beat the game and return home. Interested?" Lord Bane asked with a mischievous grin.

"Sure," I nodded enthusiastically.

"But I want you to stay longer and play with us!" Jasla grumbled while hugging me from behind.

Leonus shook his head. "Child, the Gamemaster brought Lawrence to our world for a specific purpose--entertainment while Lawrence struggles to capture the crown. Once the storyline has run its course, Lawrence deserves to go back home."

Jasla pouted at being called a child.

"And this is why we need to talk," Musa added. "As your Patron Deities, we wish to offer our divine guidance to help you accomplish your mission. You are very close to becoming the Champion of Order."

"You need to do a little fetching quest though," Bane interjected.

"Little? Getting the Staff of Merlin isn't little!" Jasla protested.

I quickly held up my hand to stop the brewing argument between father and daughter. Otherwise, the argument could turn into a fight involving fireballs! "Where can I find the staff?"

My Patrons looked at each other.

Lady Luck finally spoke up. "You need to pay a visit to your predecessor and convince him to give you his staff."

My eyebrows shot up. "Wait! My predecessor was some guy named Merlin Hubert Jackson, right? He was a Player Character brought to Britannia and he founded the Kingdom of Merlin. Afterward, he went home to Earth 1, didn't he?"

"You are partly correct," Leonus answered. "He was a PC brought to Britannia and he did form the Kingdom of Merlin, which exists to this day. However, he has remained here on this continent. In seclusion," the God revealed.

My jaw dropped. "How is that even possible? Why would the Gamemaster bring me into this world when another Player Character is here already?" My mind was spinning.

"We can't tell you," Bane replied succinctly.

I looked at him incredulously and we engaged in a staring contest. Finally, the demon lord looked away. But he still refused to budge.

Leonus placed a hand on my shoulder. "Our Overlord has his reasons. It is not our place to question him. All we can do, as his servants, are to help you continue your mission."

Gaea held up a ring. "This is a Ring of Travel. It has enough mana for one use and it has been enchanted to travel to one specific destination. When you are ready, say 'Carmarthen' out loud and the ring will take you to the castle where Merlin has secluded himself."

I accepted the ring and put it on my right pinky finger. "Jasla, can I ask you a question? If the goal is for me to visit Merlin and get his staff, then why did you start me on the quest to unlock the four sets of Ph'laen Ruins? How are the two related?" This was one of the most perplexing questions in my mind. It felt like I was sent on a wild goose chase across half the continent!

I was starting to become upset at Jasla because this felt like a prank that her father, Bane, would pull! To unlock the whole set, I had to travel from the ruins near the Balmore Farms in the western region of Britannia to the southern region in Southampton. Then I headed east to London and finally went north to Oxford. Even with the aid of magical travel courtesy of the Magic Guilds in Southampton and London, I still had to incur huge favors to the Guildmasters who had arranged for the Gate spells.

The succubus spun my body around so that I was facing her. She stared deep into my eyes with a calm facial expression. Jasla felt my body tremble with anger and the demi-goddess wished to dispel my confusion over this matter. "There were two reasons. First, this series of quests offered enormous experience rewards upon completion. You need access to Ninth-Tier spells before the Church leaders will formally vote to recognize you as the Champion of Order. Second, the barrier surrounding Merlin's castle can only be broken with Anti-Matter, which you will have access to when you return to the Ph'laen Ruins in Oxford."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Oh!" I blurted out in response to her logical explanation. If the refuge of Merlin was indeed surrounded by Anti-Matter and the Ph'laen Ruins quest line was the ONLY way for me to gain access to Anti-Matter, then it was the right decision for Jasla to guide me to the first set of ruins near the Balmore Farms. I became embarrassed and lowered my head in shame.

Jasla kissed my forehead. "It's okay. I understand this adventure has been extremely frustrating to you," she said with a kind smile.

Someone cleared his throat. I turned and saw that it was Leonus.

The chimeric god pressed his right palm against my forehead and said, "I am the only Patron God who hasn't provided you with a divine power yet. Let me correct this mistake by granting you my power now."

A light, golden aura surrounded me as Leonus sent his divine power into my body. I tried to read my pop-up message but it did not appear.

"Kekeke," Bane chuckled with amusement. "Let's not be hasty, Larry. You will be able to read all those notifications when you return to your physical body," he said.

I nodded.

"I'm confident that you will find my power useful during your upcoming adventures," Leonus asserted.

"Thank you, Leonus," I said and bowed deeply to the god.

"My child, it is time for you to return to your body," Lady Musa said.

"Thank you for reviving me," I replied and lowered my head to her.

Each Patron God touched his or her divine mark on my forearms.

Without warning, my spirit shot straight up into the heavens! The light became brighter and brighter until my mind was overwhelmed and I lost consciousness.

***

I blinked my eyes. I saw a pair of dazzling blue eyes looking at me and recognized their owner--Sister Waverly.

"Welcome back," she greeted with me a bright smile.

I heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Soon, many faces were peering down at me and blocked my view of the ceiling. It took a moment for my brain to work. I recognized the faces as belonging to my companions. Everyone was either smiling or crying tears of joy at my revival.

I pulled my head off the nun's laps.

Bila reached out to support my back. "Please take it easy, milord," the chastened cat girl said. She had been extremely frightened by my sudden death in the Room of Transportation. Her yellow fur was still puffed up.

"What happened?" I asked.

"When you returned to this room, your body was disintegrated," Sister Waverly answered.

"Do you know why?" Rijana asked. The mage couldn't understand why this happened. No one else in the party received any harmful effect from the teleportation.

I held up my hand. I quickly skimmed through my various pop-ups to find a certain notification: "Title ACQUIRED: Anti-Matter User. +1,000 XP, +5,000 Reputation, +10,000 XP, -500 Health." Ouch. I looked at the enchanter and said, "I unlocked access to something called Anti-Matter. But it reduced my health by 500 points."

My party members blanched at the revelation. They couldn't imagine losing 500 health instantaneously. Nor how painful that would be.

I turned toward the nun. "If my body was disintegrated, how did you manage to revive me?" I asked.

"I used the Seventh-Tier clerical spell Resurrection," Waverly replied. "I simply touched your ashes and the spell slowly regrew your body. Then I was able to grasp your soul and return it to your new body."

"You should be thankful," Van interrupted. "The spell requires the spellcaster to be in extremely good standing with her Patron Goddess. And the price is hefty--one year of the caster's natural lifespan," he noted solemnly.

I bowed deeply to Sister Waverly. I didn't realize my revival would incur such a heavy cost!

"It's quite okay. When you asked me to join your party, you specifically told me that you expected to die during this mission. And you wanted me to revive you. I simply fulfilled my end of the bargain. Besides, the cost to you was also high--the loss of one character level."

I quickly checked my player status report and I shook my head. "Nope. I'm still at Level 15," I replied. "I haven't lost a level."

"How?" Van asked with astonishment.

I raised my hand to placate the temperamental paladin. "While my soul was separated from my physical body, my Patron Deities visited me. Each of them touched the corresponding divine mark on my forearm. In doing so, they each passed a portion of their divine energy to protect me from the experience loss," I explained slowly.

Van shook his head in disbelief. "It's a miracle!" The paladin raised his arms and looked up at the ceiling.

"I have been blessed," I agreed readily. I turned toward Waverly. "How long was I out?" I asked her.

"The reconstruction of your body took six hours to complete. I would say it's around the ninth bell after Noon currently," she estimated.

I jumped to my feet, startling her. "Sorry!" I apologized sheepishly. "I don't want to spend the night here. I can cast Recall to send us back to a town or city so that we could sleep at an inn," I suggested.

"And grab dinner, too!" Bila added. Her mouth began to water just thinking about food. The cat girl did NOT want to eat travel rations tonight.

"You haven't visited Oxford yet," Rijana pointed out. That meant I couldn't teleport to that city even though it was close to our current location.

"London has a nine o'clock curfew," Bjoukia observed. We couldn't go there, either.

"How about Tregome?" Van suggested. "Their curfew starts at ten," he reminded me.

"Sounds good. If The Noble Lady does not have room for us to rent, then we could cross the bridge to visit the Village of Kalistro and spend the night there instead," I suggested. "In the meantime, we could catch a bite at the tavern." Seeing no opposition from my companions, I held out my hands.

My party immediately formed a circle.

I cast Recall and set Tregome as our destination. I half-expected the spell to fail because there was a possibility that the Ph'laen Ruins will block my travel spell. To my surprise, it worked!

We were immediately transported to the Room of Summoning under the Church building.

A bell chimed and a cleric immediately entered the chamber.

"Greetings, Brother Zander," I said with a slight bow. I read his caption quickly to learn his name.

"Greetings, Brother Mulligan," the man replied with a reciprocal bow.

"We'll exit through the Watch Headquarters," I noted.

The guide nodded. He turned right and led us down the long corridor until we reached the staircase. He bowed to me again and turned away.

With Van leading the way, we quickly climbed the stairs, passed through the guard post, walked through the first-floor hallway and finally exited the building.

As expected, nightfall had arrived.

I activated my Spirit Sense to check for any malevolent auras nearby but found none. Even though the likelihood of assassins waiting to ambush me in this town was low, I wasn't going to relax my guard.

Van also used his Detect Evil ability but didn't find anyone either.

I triggered my Navigation Sense and followed my mental map to return to The Noble Lady. When we entered the inn, we encountered Vern, the orcish innkeeper, in the lobby.

The taciturn man grunted at me as I approached him.

"Good evening, Vern. We need two rooms with double beds and a room with triple beds for the night. And dinner for seven people, too," I requested politely.

The orc snorted and shook his head. "You arrived too late, Lord Mulligan. There are no guest rooms available this evening. As for dinner, there is only some bread and vegetable soup. We sold out of the chicken, beef, and fish."

I sighed in defeat. It was foolish of me to expect the kitchen to have any decent food remaining at this hour. "We'll take whatever's left," I replied. I walked into the dining hall, which only had a few patrons nursing their ales.

We split into two tables with myself, Van, Bila, and Waverly sharing one while Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin took a different table.

Soon, Amelica arrived with our orders. Once she distributed the simple bowls of soup to our tables, I stood up and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She smiled and hugged me. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon," she giggled.

"We finished a quest this evening and decided to try our luck in getting a hot meal and a soft bed tonight. One out of two isn't bad," I explained with a shrug.

"No, it isn't," she nodded in agreement. "You should visit the Lucky Shrine one of these days," my girlfriend reminded me.

I nodded obediently.

"I'll be back with your ales," Amelica smiled and made her way to the bar where Vern was serving tankards of ale.

I looked around my table and said, "Let's eat before our soup gets cold."

Bila's ears were downcast as she began to eat the vegetable soup. She was hoping for real food!

When Amelica returned with our drinks, she sat down at my table with her own mug of ale. This was the first time my girlfriend joined my table. "Please indulge me," she requested shyly.

I smiled at her. I ate while she watched silently.

The other patrons noticed but said nothing.

When my party finished eating their meals, my girlfriend spoke up again. "I'm sorry we don't have guest rooms to accommodate you tonight," she apologized.

I shook my head. "It's understandable. We came here so late in the hour," I replied. I gave her a gold coin and received 70 silver pieces as change; I left 20 coins as a tip for her. When I stood up again, we embraced and shared a kiss.

"See you soon," Amelica said with a smile.

I smiled back and left the dining hall.

While we were in the lobby, Rijana held up her hand. "We could stay in my mage tower for the night," she offered.

I nodded. "If you don't mind."

We exited The Noble Lady and Rijana created a portal for us to enter her home.

Once I stepped through, Rijana entered the portal and closed it behind her.

"Please sleep anywhere you find comfortable," the owner said. Rijana took the staircase and went to her bedroom.

Waverly and Bila took the couches. The two elven siblings left the tower to spend the night in the Elven Forest. Van and I slept on the floor inside the mage tower.

I took the lotus position, leaned my back against the wall, and promptly fell asleep.