An air of stagnation and emptiness hung heavy in the air as Jack trekked through the castle. Occasionally, his eyes flicked from side to side noting the inert skeletal guards posted in the halls. They probably wouldn’t pose much of a challenge individually since they were likely D-rank fodder but he imagined a single command from the Twilight King was all it would take to clog the halls with an undead horde. He would be at a distinct disadvantage in close quarters against greater numbers.

It’s a good thing I’ve got Al to handle large crowds, he mused pushing open the door to the courtyard. Almost on cue, an explosion flared to life above the practice field sending a wave of heat over him despite it being a fair distance away.

He squinted at the fiery ball of light scowling from the unpleasant ringing that lingered in his ears. As the inferno died, golden sparks rained from the sky illuminating the area in a moment of surreal beauty. Alindal stood in the center of the yard looking up at the stars and Jack had to admit his friend cut an impressive figure amidst the dying embers of his spell.

“That’s new,” he called to the star elf as the ringing dulled, faster than he expected interestingly.

Alindal smiled walking to meet him halfway. “It’s called Burst, one of my new spell shapes.”

Joining Jack on his way to the entrance of the main keep, his fingers deftly sped through the somatic requirements of his spell finalizing with a gesture at the sky. The air distorted above them before exploding outward. The resulting burst of wind kicked up dust around them and blasted across their bodies. The force wasn’t enough to cause damage but given how far up Alindal had placed the Burst and the shockwave of air that followed, Jack had little doubt of the spell’s power.

“Well, shit. Color me impressed,” Jack said, nodding skyward. “I’m surprised you were testing it with Starfire though.”

His friend was silent for a moment, the sound of their footsteps filling the absence. Eventually, he smiled and said, “I’ve decided to stop running from my power. At first, I thought the Starfire was some kind of cruel twist of fate; after all, my magic wreaks havoc yet Starfire radiates the warmth of the Seamstress. However, I can feel her eyes upon us and you bear her blessing so…” He paused taking a steadying breath. “I will help you save this place and change our fates with all I have even if it means using my magic to destroy our enemies.”

He didn’t respond; there was no need. A glance between them imparted all that needed to be said. Alindal’s sentiment didn’t come lightly and the weight of it showed in his gaze. Jack knew his friend wouldn’t hesitate when the time came to act but at the same time, he had no illusions about Alindal’s feelings. The elf wouldn’t suddenly become a weapon that he could point at whatever he desired.

“What’s does your other spell shape do?” he asked after a brief silence. Even at their casual pace, they were nearly upon the double doors that led into the main keep.

“Couldn’t you just look and see?” Alindal asked, raising an eyebrow.

Frowning slightly, he responded, “I could but it still feels like an invasion of privacy even with your permission. It’s a pretty stupid hang-up, I know so I’ll get over it once I have some time to breathe. Until then, indulge me.”

A few strands of lustrous silver hair fell into the elf’s face as he smiled at Jack. “Very well, my friend. The second new shape is more defensive.”

A couple of hand gestures later and several motes of arcane lightning circled Alindal’s body. Noticeably, the cast for this spell shape had taken a quarter the time of Burst spell which corroborated its use as a defensive measure. A quick cast meant it could be used in response to an attack.

The sorcerer further explained, “The motes respond to attacks against me. I haven’t gotten a chance to test it out though.”

Briefly, Jack considered testing the spell himself right then and there but decided against it. While Starforged would reduce the damage of a lightning-based attack due to its aspects of fire and light, he’d rather not underestimated the star elf’s magical power. A wave of Alindal’s hand dismissed the motes as they reached their destination.

“We’ll test it after the meeting. I’ve got a few things I want to try out as well,” he said placing a hand on the door. Alindal nodded though his eyes betrayed a hint of worry as he glanced past Jack at the double doors. Jack smirked at the elf and pushed his way into the main keep calling back, “See you soon.”

***

The walk to the throne room passed without incident although the atmosphere made Jack’s skin crawl. The smell of death permeated the halls like a physical presence. Once he got close enough for the World Boss notification to trigger, the Twilight King’s presence added another layer of dread to the air. He stood directly outside of the throne room, hesitant to enter.

For a moment, he considered going back to the courtyard to wait a bit longer. Technically, he was early for the meeting so he could afford more time to plan or steady himself for the meeting but he pushed those thoughts away after a few seconds. He recognized the familiar pangs of anxiety attempting to undermine his resolve. In this meeting, he would have to tell the Twilight King something unpleasant. In the unlikely event things turned hostile during the upcoming discussion, he could escape, thanks to Helbiel, but the consequences would be catastrophic for Fracture let alone Terras.

He took a steadying breath and pushed open the doors of the throne room. There, straight ahead, sat the Twilight King upon his throne of pale bone and midnight crystal. The massive skeleton remained still as Jack walked up to stand before the dais. The partially destroyed ceiling and missing wall revealed the sprawl of the ruined city below. Starlight acted as the sole illumination casting shadows which extended into the unexposed portion of the room until complete darkness swallowed them.

Jack eyed the dark side of the room suppressing his paranoia of Zandur and the living shadows who were almost certainly staring back at him as he waited for the Twilight King to acknowledge his presence.

“You’re early.” The voice sent chills through his body and soul, almost causing him to take a step back reflexively.

The Twilight King’s eyes flared with power but something was off about the energies compared to the last time they’d met. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to identify the abnormality. The pressure in the room locked him in place as their gazes met.

Internally, he reached for the kernel of power entrusted to him by Helbiel feeling it rise to his summons. He didn’t activate it though. He merely kept it primed, a single thought away from being shaped by his will. This was his trump card; the key to saving Terras or dooming it. Despite its size, Helbiel had invested much into it at no small risk to herself.

Finally, he spoke up taking a single step forward and performing a shallow bow. “I’ve rested enough and would rather not delay our audience any longer.”

“An admirable attitude. Let us get straight to the point. Kafkë has informed me of your experience within the Eternal Bastion but I wish to hear it from you. Then, you will tell me how you found your way back here and what information you have learned.” The king’s tone was firm though Jack heard a hint of weariness as well.

He hesitated briefly before he launched into an account of the events following Justiciar Lilan’s appearance. As he spoke of Pope Bohum’s treatment of Lilan, he noted the lack of reaction from the Twilight King. He wasn’t sure what he expected but he wondered if the nonresponse was due to apathy or control over his emotions. One would be good for Jack going forward while the other could prove problematic.

When he recounted his meeting with the Earth Mother and the “blessings” she had bestowed on him, the Twilight King leaned forward and asked to see the Ore Father’s Token. Jack pulled it from beneath his shirt though left it around his neck. To his relief, the monarch didn’t ask him for it; he simply stared at the medallion. The moment stretched into an uncomfortable silence until the Twilight King relaxed back into his throne.

“Hm, so the Crone hid under his nose,” he said with a bone-chilling laugh. The king peered at the ground as the laugh died. Without looking up, he asked, “What of her other blessing?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“I’ve taken to calling it Soul Cradle. According to the Earth Mother, it allows me to store the souls of the recently departed in my body after which I can call to either disguise my visage or aid me in battle. I used the former to evade Bohum’s sight but I haven’t had the chance to utilize the latter,” he explained. Soul Cradle technically wasn’t a gift from the Earth Mother at all; rather, it was a Skill granted by his designation. Still, the lie fit well and spared him the task of having to explain designations or Skills to the World Boss.

The king nodded. “The first sounds like simple necromancy. Show me this soul mantle that fooled Bohum.”

Expecting as much, Jack activated Mantle drawing on the essence of the only soul within his Soul Cradle. The effect felt somewhat like being covered by a thin veil that didn’t impede his senses or movement. He faced the Twilight King waiting for his reaction.

Kafkë who had been silent for some time spoke first. “Pretty convincing, aye boss?”

“We shall see,” the king said in a whisper only audible due to Jack’s sensitive hearing. Before anything else could be said, the silver flame of his silver eye flared covering the top left quadrant of the king’s skull in fire. The flare-up lasted only a few seconds before returning to normal. “Hmph, it seems not even my eye can see through it. A goddess’s blessing indeed.”

Jack suppressed a smirk. He suspected the Twilight King might test his Skill but given that it’d held up against Bohum’s continued scrutiny, he was confident in its potence. The king’s failure to pierce his disguise only strengthened his assertion that it was a blessing from the Earth Mother. Dismissing the Mantle, he continued his tale.

He remained somewhat vague on his time outside of the Logos waving it off as visions of worlds consumed by the Dark Ones. The two undead listened silently to his description of the encounter with Helbiel and his battle against Cor’tikmal, the Harbinger of the Dark Maker. He left out many of the details including much of what he discussed with Helbiel unrelated to the Dark Ones, his meeting with Drake, and explained the World Objective away as a feeling from the Blue Heart.

At the end of it, the Twilight King asked, “I take it from the way you speak of her and the similarity in their names that Helbiel is related to Ciel. Is she another Celestial?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, though unlike the Ciel and Azatiel, the two who hunt me, she has shown herself to be helpful. As I alluded to in my explanation, she agreed to lend me aid in restoring Terras.”

“What kind of aid are we talkin’?” asked Kafkë. The skull bobbed slightly in the air as if excited or nervous.

His heart sped up a little. He wouldn’t be able to put off the potentially troublesome part of the conversation much longer. Despite his trepidation, he answered the question without missing a beat.

“I discussed the situation in Terras with her and learned much about the restoration process including the necessary steps to fix your world. She also gave information concerning the Dark Ones including how to defeat them. Your world is not the only one tethered to Fracture that struggles against those creatures.” The last bit of information garnered a reaction from Kafkë but a look from the Twilight King silenced the potential interruption. “I am almost certain Pope Bohum is working with the Dark Ones though he is likely unaware of their true nature.”

“Hm,” was the king’s only response. He tapped his skeletal fingers against the arm of his throne sending a rhythmic clack through the room. Due to the lack of a face, Jack couldn’t tell what was going through the monarch’s mind so he was left to dwell on his anxiety. Thankfully, standing in front of the Twilight King offered one benefit. He activated the trait granted by Helbiel.

I should’ve done this back in the courtyard when I first got back.

Arcen, the Twilight King

Threat Level: S (World Boss)

Designation: ???

???

Identified Abilities

???

[Due to insufficient rank, the Fracture Eye has failed to identify several elements.]

Jack hadn’t been expecting to get much from his trait given the power gap between himself and the Twilight King. His sole intention was to determine whether or not the Arcen had been compromised by the Dark Ones. If that had been the case, the notification would’ve been black like his readings of Cor’tikmal and the Dark Maker’s Key. The sight of the normal notification lifted a weight off his shoulders, only one of many but still, a welcome sight.

Can’t get complacent though. He could have a way to fool the Fractured Eye. He doubted that was the case; in fact, he wasn’t sure it was possible to fool Logos to the extent that it wouldn’t recognize the corruption of the Dark Maker. However, paranoia was a longtime partner of his and for all the stress it brought him, he wasn’t about to disregard its warning especially not while in the presence of an S-rank World Boss.

“You strike me as a careful man, Jack, one whose trust is not given easily,” The Twilight King said, finally. Before Jack had a chance to reply, the World Boss continued, “So, I assume you have confidence in the veracity of this information.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he replied, not missing a beat. “I don’t trust Helbiel completely but on matters related to Dark Ones, I found her intentions beyond question.” He scowled and turned his eyes to the side. “I should also mention that her aid did not come free. After restoring Terras, I’ll be assisting her in the battle against the Dark Ones in Fracture.”

In Jack’s experience, people tended to trust beneficial arrangements more when there was a perceived cost, a logical impulse in his mind. After all, there was no such thing as altruism. He wasn’t sure if his interpersonal skills would translate well to the undead but the Twilight King seemed to have vestiges of his mortal mind left so he had his fingers crossed.

“So, you’ve consigned yourself to fight for another? Interesting that you would go so far to save a world not your own,” the monarch said, as though he could read Jack’s mind. He’d expected this line of questioning and had a response ready, thankfully.

“May I speak plainly, Your Majesty?” he asked staring into the undead’s ethereal eyes. The World Boss waved his hand for Jack to continue. “While it’s no secret that my companions and I are at your mercy, I could have fled Terras already along with my companions if I desired but I stand to gain much by restoring Terras.”

“Hm, I assume the Ore Father’s Token qualifies as one of these Relics Cordan mentioned though I would guess your aims go deeper mere scavenging.”

“Yes. To put it simply, my companions and I will be rewarded handsomely by the guild and likely other parties if we manage to restore Terras and return to Fracture,” he lied while feeling more eyes than he could account for on the Ore Father’s Token. He had wondered whether the Twilight King would take the medallion but he seemed uninterested after his initial analysis. Ignoring the spreading gooseflesh on the back of his neck, he elaborated further, “For myself, I’m hoping to display my competence to Helbiel. Although I secured her aid by agreeing to aid her against the Dark Ones should I survive, I’d prefer she viewed me as an extremely valuable asset, one worth protecting from other Celestials like Ciel. However, if that ends up not being the case, the extra money will allow me to evade them more effectively than in the past. There’s more to it than that but I’d rather not get into it.”

Jack decided on this lie because, quite frankly, it made the most sense. He knew his life in Fracture could become much easier by submitting himself willingly to a Celestial’s employ. The easiest way to shield oneself from a powerful foe was to ally oneself with someone of equal or greater power. Unfortunately for him and those he cared for, the Celestial he’d encountered in Fracture had been, probably, the most rotten of the bunch. To say Azatiel had left a bad impression for all Celestials would be a gross understatement. The amount of secrecy with which the Celestials conducted themselves didn’t help at all since it wasn’t like who could tell the good from the bad. Still, he wasn’t so hate-filled or arrogant to assume he wouldn’t have served under a less overtly antagonistic Celestial like Ciel, assuming Raina’s experience with him was anything to go by. His current situation was a mix of misfortune and misery spawned from his weakness and bad circumstances.

A few seconds passed before the skeleton king said, “Very well, I’ll not pry any further. Tell me the information you’ve learned about the Dark Ones.”

Jack failed at hiding his surprise at the abrupt dismissal of his motivations and the change in topic. He had been prepared for the king to press him on the matter a bit more or at the least offer a token threat of retribution to warn against any thoughts of betrayal. He hesitated for a breath as he collected his thoughts.

Well, I guess it’s about time I got to the important part, he thought preparing himself for potential unpleasantness.

“Before we get into the details, there’s something I need to tell you, Your Majesty,” he said. He received a slight nod to continue and had to ignore his quickening heartbeat. “The restoration process is… extensive and due to the involvement of Dark Ones will require a thorough purification of all corruption caused by the Dark Ones including any within living creatures.”

Kafkë scoffed. “You’re sayin’ it like it’s a bad thing.”

“It might be,” Jack said glancing at the floating skull. “The purification will happen swiftly once we initiate Fracture’s restoration process. It will be harmful to any corrupted creatures and… will likely kill any creature with a high amount of corruption. The Justiciars for example would die.”

Jack tensed, his breath coming slower. Silence fell over the throne room as his words settled. He remembered the pure emotion in the Twilight King’s voice and the rage within the memory of the inquisitors dragging Lilan. Would the undead king, whatever was left of Arcen, be able to accept Lilan’s certain death? He hated how little he could glean from Arcen at that moment. Heartrate, breathing pattern, nonverbal cues: he couldn’t rely on any of them to read the undead’s mood. Were it not for the shifting of his unnatural eyes, the Twilight King would’ve been indistinguishable from an inanimate skeleton on a throne.

“Why do you look like you’re not done?” Kafkë asked prompting a scowl from Jack. Sighing, he glanced from Kafkë to the Twilight King. He carefully chewed over his next words.

“Speak,” the king commanded when he took a moment too long.

“Your Majesty, because of the state of Terras restoring it will take a massive amount of energy— energy that will have to come from the Twilight Key. As a result of this expenditure, the World Core will rupture in order to release the energy then reform as new World Core when Terras is fully restored.”

His mouth felt remarkably dry as the next words left his mouth. “Unfortunately, as the Twilight Key’s bonded, the process will kill you, destroying not only your body but your soul as well.”