Ethan opens his eyes, gasping for air. He finds himself on the beach of Phantom Rock, the island he spent a year of his life on. The sun nears the horizon, casting long shadows amidst the orange landscape. He feels the same as when meeting Maelor in his temple's garden, convinced that he's in a vision.

He glances around and finds Maelor sitting on a rock. The priest's robes undulate in the wind as he watches the horizon. He sips on a coconut, the bubbling sound reaching Ethan's ears.

"They turn execrable the more you drink," Ethan says, stepping to Maelor's side. "Thank you, for saving Russ."

"This is my first time trying one," Maelor begins. "And thank you for saving Sylas. … You were so angry last time we met, yet you are almost amicable today."

"Last time, I was scared for the first time in decades, scared of losing my mind," Ethan answers. "Today I'm just passing by; at least I think I am. Why are you thanking me for? I doubt you knew Sylas."

"I've seen kids like him before. Rapid growth is a curse and not a blessing," Maelor says. "They grow so fast that most enter the Realm of Ascension by the age of fifteen, never to be seen again."

"I've read and heard a lot about that place," Ethan says. "But I am unsure of what to think about it, as no one seems willing to write about their experience."

"You'll do fine," Maelor says. "That place tests you in many ways, using every weakness it can find. But it is nothing for someone strong of both body and mind."

Maelor's revelation pushes Ethan to ask, "Did you ascend?"

"Indeed, I was a High-Priest. I died a level away from my second visit to the Realm of Ascension," Maelor answers. He takes a pause, sipping on his drink. "This isn't over. I'm not meaning it as a threat, but as a warning. Our souls are still fighting, even if you can't feel it for now."

"I know," Ethan begins. "Elowen told me that raising my Willpower was only a temporary solution."

"What do you intend to do then?" Maelor asks, turning his gaze towards Ethan.

"Perhaps I could resolve your unfinished business in exchange for a little knowledge," Ethan says.

"You propose it as if you wouldn't benefit from my departure," Maelor quips. "I know what you want. I can tell you everything about the man you are looking for. But before that, you will find the Etherlight Crucible and bring it back to the citadel of light."

"Not set on changing my ways anymore?" Ethan jests. "What can you tell me about it? The Ether it emits, the individuals it could interest, anything really."

Maelor gazes into the void, remembering the past. "It emits light Ether with an intensity equivalent to that of the source of Ether we visited. But the second my killer placed his hand on it, I sensed it disappear."

"You were dying," Ethan says. "Perhaps you stopped sensing Ether all together."

"No, I clung to life long enough to sense the demon's Ether," Maelor denies. "When I traveled alongside the artifact, I glimpsed into its aura. And I sensed that the Etherlight Crucible wasn't the source of its Ether, but something trapped in it."

"I wonder if there is a place where I could find more information on it. Beside your citadel, of course; its priests would attack me on sight," Ethan says. "I cannot be the only one searching for it."

"Seraphel would have tasked his most devoted servants with this quest," Maelor confirms. He gazes back at the ocean, his expression darkening. "You saw your world disintegrating. Yet, aside from the moment it happened before your eyes, it seems you aren't preoccupied by it."

"I live on a dangling line, a misstep away from death. I've made my peace with that," Ethan says. "But I'll still try to stop it; almost everyone I know lives on Earth."

"How?" Maelor asks, placing his empty drink on the sand. "This sounds like an empty promise."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I don't know yet. I hope the fruit will grant me another, more precise vision," Ethan reassures. "But in the meantime, I have business to attend to. I'm sure a guy like you wouldn't mind ridding the world of an arm dealer that killed thousands, including children."

Maelor lowers his gaze, his face darkening further. "I've seen those memories of yours; they haunt me every single time I try to rest."

"I recall them sometime in my nightmares. No matter how accustomed to death I am, seeing their agonizing, desperate remains is heartbreaking," Ethan says. "But One has it worse than me, having lived it."

"You can use his real name; I won't tell," Maelor jests.

"No one knows it, not even himself," Ethan says. "But perhaps his status showed it to him."

"You should ask him next time you meet," Maelor says before letting out a sigh. "Why couldn't you give him a normal life? You had the money, the influence, and the contacts to build one for him."

Ethan inhaled slowly, settling himself on a rock near Maelor. "The turmoil I saw in him mirrored my own all too well. Left alone, forced to hide his emotions to fit into society, he would have become a real monster. So, I did what Four... what Lucian did for me: I made him strong enough so no one could ever harm him again and gave him a semblance of family where he could truly be himself."

"If that's what you tell yourself," Maelor grumbles. He stands up, following the sun as it edges the ocean. "You saw what I went through; it didn't make me a monster. I chose to help whomever I could, to make my world a better place."

The sun dips lower, painting the sky in hues of deep orange and purple. Without another word, Maelor walks away, his robes fluttering in the sea breeze.

Ethan looks at the waves crashing against the shore, their sounds becoming increasingly louder. His sight blurs as his ears fill with a piercing whistle; the rock below him turns softer.

Ethan finds himself back in his living room, comfortably seated on the couch. The distant chirps of birds reach his ears, along with Russ's breathing.

"You gained three Strength points. You gained three Dexterity points. You gained three Constitution points. You gained three Intelligence points. You gained three Charisma points. You gained three Perception points. You gained three Willpower points," the voice announces.

Ethan feels something in his hand and raises it to eye level. It resembles an avocado seed, its surface gnarled and dotted with glowing cracks. 'Identification,' he thinks.

Ishai fruit seed

The seed of an Ishai fruit that may only grow in the solitary quietude of an Ether source.

Ethan glances around, his gaze falling on the tinted bottles above the bar, their colors more vivid than he remembers. His skin maps every seam, loose threads, and imperfections of his clothes. The rays of sunlight passing through the windows warm his chest, illuminating the long ginger hair that flows over his shoulders.

"Adding the Language (Aetherian) skill. Based on your previous experience a level of 50 has been applied," it continues.

Ethan tries to speak in Aetherian. His heart empties of Ether at the first syllable, pulled in its entirety into his throat. He pauses, closing his eyes to restore his Ether from the surrounding threads.

"You obtained the Prescience ability," the voice adds.

'Prescience,' Ethan hesitantly thinks. A spectral version of Russ appears around him, highlighting his presence. It moves an instant before the dog, its predictions seemingly exact. Ethan feels the flow of Ether that the ability guides to his eyes and increases it. Russ's spectral double splits into several versions, depicting futures further away in time.

'This will be … insanely useful,' Ethan thinks, his jaw dropping slightly. 'But I hope these aren't the visions of potential futures the description was talking about.'

"You gained the Oracle talent. You gained the Pastseer talent. You gained the ??? talent," the voice concludes, the name of the last talent a mix of incomprehensible gibberish and electronic noise.

Ethan opens his status to see three question marks instead of the talent's name.

Ethan Reed

Lv.16 (Harbinger) High-Human

Class change available

Strength: 26 + Charisma: 15 +

Dexterity: 23 + Perception: 19 +

Constitution: 23 + Willpower: 26 (24) +

Intelligence: 23 +

Available characteristic points: 4

Talents

Oracle

Pastseer

???

Titles

Dungeon conqueror (D)

First dungeon conqueror (D)

Dungeon conqueror (E)

Dungeon conqueror (F)

First dungeon conqueror (F)

First hunter

Goblin hunter

Hobgoblin hunter

Kin slayer

Kobold hunter

Skeleton hunter

Slayer of the first incursion

Warg hunter

Abilities

Anonymity (E)

Identification (F)

Insight (F)

Piercing shot (E)

Predator's sight (E)

Prescience (F)

Silent steps (F)

Spell casting (E)

Strengthening (F)

"High-Human? It said, the zenith of your species," Ethan recalls. "I was under the impression that it would improve me as a human. Perhaps remove my appendix and my coccyx and reinforce my body. But did it mean that I had several species available? English sure is a pain sometime."

Russ stares at the status window, impatience filling his gaze as he longs to go outside. Ethan checks his phone for hidden notifications.

"Tombstone hasn't manifested herself yet," Ethan says. "I should have some time to choose my class and test my body. After we get you your bathroom break."