Cheela rose and chatted quietly with the others as she passed around the group.

“Alright,” she said as she’d made the rounds. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

Selene nodded and stood. They set off without further ado, and Selene took her position near the front, sent the ghoul to join Meelara, and the wraiths were sent out to scout. They kept a slow pace, to ensure they weren’t overwhelmed or surrounded, but the undead creatures failed to break through.

Meelara was a fiery vortex, sweeping her flaming blade, while the ghoul dashed around, slashing zombies to pieces. The few hostile ghouls they encountered were defeated by the two of them working together, while the wraiths provided support.

Selene had figured out she could make the wraiths possess the ghouls, causing their bodies to stiffen, which made it easy for Meelara to deal with them. Selene only had to hold for a little, and move the wraith away before Meelara attacked, since she’d damage the wraiths as well.

The spire grew ever closer as they traversed the ruined city. Selene took in the scene with a wide-eyed gaze. The spire was made from a white material, and it seemed to shimmer from time to time, as a multi-coloured wave of light flashed. The surrounding buildings were made from grey and brown stone and seemed to have fallen apart due to some disaster.

“Huh,” Selene thought as her eyes narrowed, and her brows furrowed. “Didn’t Meelara say the city was abandoned? This looks strange. I’ll ask later. It’s better if I don’t speak too much now. The situation is tense enough as it is.”

Selene kept following as Meelara led the way, and after a few encounters, they reached the spire.

As she looked up, Selene felt dizzy. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“That’s tall…,” she sighed and straightened her back.

“Alright,” Cheela spoke as she walked to the front of the group. “We’ve made it this far. Let’s head in, carefully, and deal with whatever is in there.”

Everyone nodded, and they entered the spire through a large set of doors. The interior of the spire was of the same colour as the outside, and just as dark. The shadows seemed to linger and resist the approaching light, creating an ominous feeling as the group passed through a large lobby.

They saw a large set of stairs that started on the opposite of the lobby and circled the inner wall. It spiralled into the ceiling, which was several metres above their heads.

“No undead in range of my skill,” Selene whispered. She winced as her voice still reverberated through the lobby, and everyone tensed.

They stood still, on edge for several long seconds before Cheela raised her finger to her mouth.

“Right, no speaking,” Selene grimaced and nodded.

Cheela waved them forward and started walking toward the stairs. No matter how they tried to step lightly, their footfalls created echoes. They felt like the footsteps of giants and caused their already tense nerves to twitch at every shadow. Selene sent her wraiths up the stairs to scout as the rest waited by the bottom.

She switched her senses to the undead minions and saw what they saw, though blurry, and indistinct. The second floor was a circling corridor with empty rooms. Most rooms had a desk and a chair, but there was nothing of interest. Selene gestured to the group that it was safe, and they made their way up.

This way, they ascended the spire, floor by floor, until Selene saw a large open space at the top. The walls were translucent, providing a dominating view of the city. At the opposite side of the room, stood a throne. It was made from a pitch-black material and gave off an ominous feeling. As she saw no dangers, she gestured for the rest and they ascended the final set of stairs.

“It’s empty?” Selene wondered as she looked around the room. The view of the city was impressive. She could see the various undead creatures shuffling around, looking like ants from the height. “Oof! That’s high!”

Her knees wobbled before she scrambled back and closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and turned to the throne.

As she’d seen in her wraith’s vision, it was made from a black material, and it seemed to exude cold. She approached it slowly.

“I kind of want to sit on it,” she thought. The others were looking around the room, muttering amongst each other. Meelara glanced toward her but didn’t object.

Seeing this, Selene sped up slightly and reached the throne. She could feel the cold, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Rather, it felt pleasant.

She placed a hand on an armrest and felt the smooth surface before she turned around, and sat down.

The moment she hit the throne, she felt a wave of energy flash through her. She suddenly felt connected to the city. She knew how many people there were, and how many monsters. A crystal appeared beneath her right hand, embedded in the throne’s armrest.

[Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully claimed the city of Hades!]

[City infrastructure re-awakening!]

[System Interface unlocked!]

Information flooded her mind. She could now restrict the city, open a System Store, allow for immigration and citizenship, and give titles and permissions to the people.

“Selene!” Cheela rushed to her side, wide-eyed. “Be careful. You should have waited for us the check.”

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“Oh,” Selene frowned and looked down at herself. “I’m sorry. I just felt drawn to it. I don’t know what happened.”

“Haah,” Cheela shook her head. “It’s done. It’s fine. Alright, let’s go through this. Did you get a System notification? Is the System interface awake?”

“Yes,” Selene nodded as the others approached. They formed a half-circle in front of the throne.

“Alright,” Cheela nodded. “Can you give me access to the System Store? I have to make a purchase that might allow us to remain hidden.”

Selene nodded and frowned as she opened up the City interface.

“Let’s see,” she thought as she looked over the options. “There, Store access. So, it requires citizenship and certain permissions. People in the city… There’s a list of names. There’s Cheela, and done.”

“There you go,” Selene nodded. “I’ve given you access.”

“Can you do me as well?” Meelara asked as a smile spread on her face. “I’ve got an idea.”

Selene nodded and gave Meelara Store access as well.

“Done,” she said.

“Good,” Cheela nodded as she seemed to read through something before her eyes. Shortly afterwards, an object dropped into her hands. It was a metallic sphere with complex symbols engraved in it.

Meanwhile, Meelara dropped several barrels in front of her, and her smile widened.

“Let’s celebrate!” she said as she looked around at the gathered group.

Selene smiled, just as a wave of light flashed from the metal sphere in Cheela’s hand.

“There,” Cheela muttered and sighed. “It’s done. We’re hidden for now. Let’s take a load off.”

She turned to Meelara and smiled.

“We don’t have any tables and chairs, though,” one of the warriors in the group said.

“There were several downstairs,” Selene said. “We could go down there, or bring them up?”

“Let’s bring them up,” Cheela said after a few seconds.

“Right,” Meelara nodded, grabbed a few people and headed down.

They worked quickly and soon brought up several tables, and chairs.

“We still don’t have any cups,” Meelara grumbled. “But, we can use canteens and waterskins.”

“Right,” Cheela nodded. “Just don’t empty them all. We still need water.”

“Yeah,” Meelara nodded, grinning and skipping from foot to foot.

“You’re excited,” Selene smirked.

“Of course!” Meelara exclaimed. “We’ve made it! We’re hidden, we’ve activated the city. Things are looking up.”

“Haha,” Selene smiled as she looked at her mentor. “Alright, yeah. We’re in a better position than yesterday, at least.”

“Aww,” Meelara grumbled. “Don’t be a buzz-kill, girl. Let’s party!”

Selene shook her head but filled her canteen with ale from a barrel. She sat down and watched the others do the same.

Soon enough, they started drinking and chatting. The atmosphere grew lively as laughter and merriment spread across the tables. Selene couldn’t help but smile as she took a sip.

“Ugh,” she grimaced. “This is foul!”

She shook her head, but didn’t put the canteen away.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” she thought. “How are they drinking this so fast?”

She took small sips, and swallowed fast, hoping to taste as little as possible.

“Don’t like it?” Cheela sat down beside her.

“Ehh,” Selene smiled crookedly and shook her head. “I suspect this is one of those acquired tastes… Am I right?”

“Yeah,” Cheela laughed and leaned back. “It tastes terrible at first, but you get used to it.”

“Right,” Selene looked at the canteen in her hands, and then up at the others. “They seem to enjoy themselves.”

“Oh yeah,” Cheela grinned. “We know how to let loose. It’s necessary to blow off some steam from time to time. Our lives are hard enough as it is. We all need some leisure time.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Selene said, nodding. “It just feels strange to me. How can people be this happy; have this much fun, when countless people are suffering? After the Integration… I can’t remember the last time I saw people this happy…”

“Ah,” Cheela turned her gaze downwards to the table, and the canteen in her hands. “Yeah… I suppose that’s difficult for you to understand, given your experiences. We’re working to change that, though. Remember that. You can’t help anyone if you die, and relieving some stress is a good way to keep cool. It helps with your state of mind.”

“Hahh,” Selene leaned back and looked toward the ceiling. It was very high and tapered into a peak. “I guess… Yeah, alright.”

She smiled and took a long sip of the canteen. The room was slowly starting to blur around her, and she found herself smiling easily.

“Haha!” Cheela laughed. “I think it’s starting to work on you.”

“Yeah, I think so,” Selene grinned. “That’s fast!”

“Heh,” Cheela took a large sip. “Yeah. Meelara must have gotten some strong stuff. Even I’m starting to feel the buzz.”

Selene looked around and saw people staggering around, their smiles were wide, and they held each other. Some sang while others seemed to play some card game. The atmosphere was intoxicating and infectious. Selene’s smile grew as she felt herself able to forget her trauma for a moment.

She took another deep sip before she pushed the chair back.

“I think I’ll try to learn that card game,” she said to Cheela, but as she looked over, she saw her with her head resting on her arms. “Heh.”

She laughed as she tried to stand. Her feet didn’t respond as she wanted, and she almost stumbled. She grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself and looked at the people around her.

“What?” she thought, her mind felt slow, and she was losing the strength in her legs. “What’s going on?”

Around the tables, the people were slumped over. Several had fallen over where they stood, while others had fallen out of their chairs. Most lay slumped on the tables, similar to Cheela.

“But…,” Selene’s thoughts felt sluggish. “They were just… They were laughing, and having fun. What happened?”

She tried to take a step forward, but her legs gave out. She fell to the floor and rolled to her back. Her eyes darted around as her vision started to fade.

The last thing she saw, was white teeth in a wide grin, and long, red hair.