[ Transfer complete! The Seal of the Intrepid Wanderer has fused to your soul. ]

The pain that spread throughout Dexter's body compressed into a rune on his shoulder, leaving a copper taste in his mouth. He opened his eyes to a world of darkness governed by two large blue eyes hovering over him. They were the eyes of a predator, yet held the calculating gaze of a king.

It took Dexter a second for his vision to clear and the fog around his mind to disperse, when indistinct shadows appeared around him. They were none other than Alina and Yassa, who moved as if they were a reflection underwater. He couldn't hear them, but they couldn't hear or see him. It was as if he was looking through a two-way mirror.

"They think I kidnapped you," Kel'zar said.

Dexter turned to the glowing pair of blue eyes, shocked by the scaled monster he could now see. It was a creature of shadows and grace, laying on top of the shadow echo of the dragon temple.

"So this is your real form?" Dexter said to the black dragon. Its form blended the eastern and western styles of the mythical beasts, but it lacked wings, appearing more like a drake rather than a beast that could dominate the sky.

"This realm is spacious," Kel'zar said. "I like to stretch from time to time."

"What does this seal do?" Dexter asked, cutting to the chase.

"The seal contains the essence that formed the heart of your original Class. Part of its structure has deteriorated due to your death, though I managed to bind what was left. As for its secrets?" Kel'zar shrugged. "You'll have to discover them yourself. Time has eroded what you once were."

"What does that mean?" Dexter asked.

The dragon shifted, rising on its haunches. An emotion passed over it, but it fled like a ripple in an ocean. Dexter only noticed the change after a silence fell over the shadows.

"Only death surrenders us from sin," Kel'zar said. "A parting from order. From the mandate of Heaven's will."

"God's?" Dexter questioned.

"No," Kel'zar snorted. "Those are long gone. A new creature lives in their wake. A corruption that seeks to invade all that remains. To your language they are known as Demons," Kel'zar finished, rising to his full height. "Now I must take my leave. The dead and the living don't mix well. My presence may bring more problems."

"More problems?" Dexter raised an eyebrow when a thought struck him. "Wait, you're not the Zone spirit are you?"

"No," Kel'zar said. "And it cost me an arm and a leg to pay the bastard. But I squeezed a few concessions out of him. You'll discover what they are when you upgrade the Core of the Safe Zone. That's one of the requirements to strengthen the Void Gate and connect to other parts of the Nexus."

"How do I accomplish that?" Dexter said.

"By contributing to the Zone," Kel'zar said. "The higher your Renown and quality of your donations, the stronger the Zone and spirit, Grav, will become. The features of the Shop will increase as well, granting access to higher ranked gear and Classes. Skills will also receive variants based on the contributions. Dungeon Cores are the best resource to mold the Shop to your liking, but they also strengthen your soul. Choose wisely."

At the mention of his soul, Dexter found himself scratching his shoulder, when he felt energy stir within. Twice now his world had been flipped upside down and he was finally starting to understand the purpose of the Nexus.

"Before I go…" Kel'zar said, conjuring shadows that morphed into an emblem of sword framed by a fireball. The crest rotated in space until it vanished without a trace. "My contact will meet you at the Guild Hall to finish our conversation. But Iron Shroud isn't enough for you to survive their trials… You'll need far more strength to honor our deal."

As Kel'zar finished, color slowly returned to the world, but Dexter called out before he was sent back.

"Wait! Who were those two in my vision?"

"Little is known about your battle at Skyhaven. But if the rumors were true, then it was your wife, Sayen who fought by your side. I don't know her fate, but the demon has surfaced before. A Wrath Overlord that wields the power of crimson flames."

Sayen, Dexter thought as the blue eyed shadow bid its farewell. The name caused her face to flash before his eyes. Blurry and indistinct, it vanished before he could get a good look at her features. Next his mind switched to the demon.

A Wrath Overlord? Is that some sort of rank? The title held a cardinal sin, similar to the quest he received when the rifts formed.

As color returned to the world, Dexter appeared from thin air next to Yassa who yelled out in surprise. "Are you trying to give an old lady a heart attack?"

"I was near you the entire time," Dexter said, rubbing at his shoulder. "But there was a barrier between us like I was in a different dimension."

"Where did the spirit go?" Alina asked.

"That wasn't the Zone spirit," Dexter said. "It was a ploy he crafted to assess my power in order to compare it to my previous self. The deal we made was real, but I suspect he could have broken it at any time."

"Then how do we enter the temple?" Alina said when the barrier dissolved.

Dexter looked from the entrance to the top of the stepped pyramid and saw the flicker of a shadow. Kel'zar the Wanderer… he muttered. What is this Essence Core you are searching for, and why go through all this trouble?

Looking away from the shadow drake, Dexter turned to Alina. "I'll get Kwame and Nyo. Don't wait up."

When he returned to the entrance, he stepped inside the temple and entered an entirely new world. There was an ancient town inside of the temple, overtaken by a forest. All of the smaller buildings were built from stone, draped in green and yellow vines. The draconic statues on the outside of the temple were scattered in the interior, standing atop fields of grass that extended for over five miles in all directions.

"There's a pocket dimension inside of a pocket dimension?" Nyo said, recalling what Dexter had told her about the Nexus.

"Like one of those Russian dolls," Kwame added.

Dexter nodded, staring up at a grand halo that provided light to the Safe Zone rather than a sun. "There are no moons as well," he said, bummed that he wouldn't be able to sleep under the beauty of the night sky. "Let's go find Alina," he added, heading towards a citadel in the center of the Zone.

They neared the entrance when one of the stone statues of a draconic monk blocked their path. "200 essence fee."

"You're charging us?" Dexter said.

"Sorry," the statue shrugged. "Those are the rules. Nothing is more certain in the Nexus than death and taxes. And seeing as how you're already dead, you might as well pay up."

Dexter opened up his status to try and hand over 200 Tokens when the statue waved Nyo in for free. "Hey," he said. "What about the fee?"

"300 essence for questioning me," the statue said. "Oh you want to fight, eh?" it added after Dexter's eyes glowed a white-silver that mirrored the moon.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

[ Earth Elemental - lvl ?? ]

Dexter was taken aback by the question marks over the elementals' head. At his current proficiency rank for his Shade Sight skill he was able to detect up to 10 levels higher than himself. That meant the statue before him was at least level 27 or higher. It was the perfect opportunity to make progress in his Giant Hunter II quest, but he had a suspicion that the elemental creature before him was the true Zone spirit. A guardian that resembled the landscape around them.

"Are you Grav?" Dexter asked.

"Who wants to know?" Grav said, turning to Nyo. "He's not a debt collector, is he?"

"Kel'zar sent me," Dexter said, rolling his eyes. "He said you have something for me."

Grav scrutinized Dexter. "No, I don't know anyone by that name. You got the wrong Grav."

The light inside the temple's dimension flickered and Grav changed his tune. "Oh, you meant Kel'zar. Yeah I've been waiting for you, come on in."

The so-called unavoidable tax fee had been completely avoided, tossed aside as Grav led the trio into the heart of the citadel. Like the entirety of the Safe Zone, inside the building was larger than it should be, defying logic. There was an immense lobby where stone pillars held stone basins that contained large gems about the size of a football. There were six pillars in total dividing the lobby in three sections.

"These nodes generate quests, and you can drop off resources into their basins for Renown points. Rare metals, plants, herbs, they'll start to grow out in the fields if you gather enough material. It'll also help to repair and upgrade your gear," he eyed Dexter, looking at his spear. "A cheaper alternative than buying from the system appointed Shop."

"What do you mean by that?" Dexter said.

"I think he's saying you're cheap," Kwame laughed.

"Oh yeah, well I don't see any of you coughing up the cash," Dexter said.

After exiting the lobby, they headed to the second floor where Dexter was surprised to see other statues helping people pick out skills. Unlike the lobby, there was a bench that circled the entire floor, along with a railing that surrounded a massive crystal that hovered in the center of the chamber. Unlike the below, the crystal was a dazzling silver green, and a radiant blue could be seen pulsing in its depths.

"This fragment connects to the framework of the Nexus, it's where you'll access the Shop and buy gear, skills and Classes. That hall over there will lead you to a chamber where you can test your skills and try out other skills for a minor fee. There are currently 25 instance chambers available and they cost by the hour," Grav finished, once again looking at Dexter.

"Is someone already in there?" Nyo asked, looking at the glowing gem above the hall.

"Yeah," Grav said. "A dark haired woman. She refused the rest of the tour after buying a tracking skill and is currently training it. A weird one, huh?"

"Alina," Dexter said. "By the way, have you seen a blind woman? She wears a cloth over her eyes," he added, filling in the awkward silence.

Grav froze, going completely still as if he was truly an inanimate object, then life came back into his stone eyes and he looked down at Dexter. "Yes, she's in the residential area talking to me about food, shelter and prison. I don't know why anyone would want to take care of criminals, but you sacks of meat are soft in more ways than one," he shrugged as if it was an unfortunate issue that couldn't be helped.

"Talking to you?" Nyo asked.

"Yours truly," Grav nodded, when all of the statues including the dilapidated ones turned to Nyo and waved.

"That's creepy," Kwame said.

"She's a Sage," Dexter said, informing Grav about Yassa's method to level up by absorbing vital energy.

"That's no Sage, that's a Parasite," Grav corrected. "And you're okay with feeding it?"

"She's old, and can no longer move around like the rest of us," Dexter shrugged. "But I do want you to keep an eye on her. People are off limits unless I state otherwise."

"Why bother?" Grav said. "Throw her out into the mud. Parasites aren't called Sages for a reason."

"That's tempting, but at her age exile will kill her, and I've already decided against that. Her usefulness will run its course until it doesn't, and in the meantime her presence will keep her followers in check. Most of them are natives from her island, and respected her before the assimilation."

"Fine, but keep her away from me," Grav said.

"But she's already near you," Nyo said with confusion.

"He means his core," Dexter explained.

"Shhh!" Grav put a large stone finger over his stone lips. "What are you, a neglected housewife? Some things are meant to be kept secret… that's the hint for you two to leave by the way," he said to Kwame and Nyo, who looked insulted.

"It's alright," Dexter said. "Go rest, I'll catch up with y'all later.

"We're fine," Kwame said, rising to his full height after realizing that he was hunched over. "Rest can wait," he coughed, walking with Nyo to the silver green Shop crystal that hovered in the center of the floor.

"Where to now?" Dexter said, when Grav grabbed his shoulder and teleported him to an area that could only be described as a throne room. However, its prestigious interior mirrored the rest of the realm, decorated in an abundance of foliage. "So that's you?" Dexter said, stepping over roots to get to the stone egg with floating runes that rotated around it. "An elemental core?"

"Don't stare so hard," Grav said. "I'm conscious about my body."

"What are the runes for?" Dexter asked, mesmerized by their brilliance.

"They're the record that encompasses the essence of this Zone," Grav said with a moan. "Spilling my secrets to the world."

"It's a status screen?" Dexter asked.

"Unfortunately," Grav said.

As Dexter peered into the runes surrounding Grav's core with Shade Sight, Grav's level made itself known. The elemental was level 50, a whopping 34 levels above Dexter. He was even able to perceive certain skills, but before he could read them Grav placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We haven't even reached first base yet. Get your creepy eyes off of me."

Dexter turned to the statue when a notification appeared.

[ Do you wish to bond with the Zone Core of Skyfall? ]

"That's the name of this place?"

"Kel paid me to change it. You can too," Grav said, "but it will cost you extra."

"No thanks," Dexter snorted.

After he accepted the prompt the runes around the elemental's core changed shape, dancing as their content was altered, adding him into its lore. He was now connected to Grav and felt energy flow between them.

[ Points received! - 7,777 Renown! ]

[ Title: Zone Lord - Bond with the core spirit of a Safe Zone. +10% to vital energy reserves. +5% to all stats when inside the Safe Zone. ]

"Wow, Bronze already?" Grav said. "No wonder Kel is interested in you."

"Tell me about him," Dexter said, looking over his new Title.

"There's not much I know that you don't. Any knowledge I had about the living vanished when I died," Grav answered. "Now my existence revolves around protecting souls from annihilation."

"From the Demons?" Dexter looked up from the notification, walking around the Zone core as he read its status.

Grav nodded. "The Nexus is hostile to their energy. I'd say it's a corruption of vital energy, but that doesn't do it justice. But regardless, they spread their aura into Shards, disconnecting realms from the Nexus."

"How do we stop them?" Dexter asked.

"Purify the corrupted Void Cores they are using to invade," Grav said. "Otherwise they will become permanent and you won't be able to remove the cores."

"We have to enter the rift?" Dexter stopped in his tracks, looking at the statue Grav was currently using to communicate. Kel'zar had said something to a similar effect, but he didn't register it until now.

"Well it's not like I can just get up and walk out of this place now can I? The same goes for all Zone cores. We provide the structure to the Zone. If we move, expect the dimension to collapse on you. Trust me, it ain't pretty like your little friend out there."

"But what about the corrosive effect of the demonic aura?" Dexter asked.

"You'll have to resist it with your own energy. A Class will help," Grav said. "There are also items in the Shop that will help as well. But they aren't cheap, and are locked behind your rank. Your best chance is to buy containment wards. Alongside the natural resistance of the Nexus, you'll gain an extra six months or so to gather resources before the second stage of the invasion."

Dexter sighed, wondering how he got pushed into this mess. "By chance do you know anything about an Essence Core?"

Grav was silent, pondering on the concept before he spoke. "Cores are centers of power, generators that convert energy into reality. My Core powers this Zone, but we aren't separate. Everything you see is a field around me, a part of me like your fleshy skin over your bones…"

"And?" Dexter asked, expecting the spirit to continue.

"That's all I got." Grav shrugged. "If I've ever heard of such a Core, I don't remember. It must not be vital to the Shard realms. But whatever it is, it generates an essence field of some kind."

"Like elemental energy?"

"Yes and no," Grav said. "Vital energy, natural energy, these are the byproducts of creation. Essence is reality, a rope that tethers all things. For such an artifact to exist… it must be from a forgotten era, long before creation itself. Before history was ever recorded.

Dexter stared at the Golem as Nyo's words entered his mind. Dimensions inside of dimensions…

As Grav's explanations took hold, Dexter's concept of an Essence Core expanded, molding with his understanding of the Nexus.

"Uh oh…" Dexter's heart stopped. "We may have a problem."

"What is it?" Grav asked.

"I think I know what an Essence Core is, and I may have entered a soul contract to steal it."