The last two times we ventured into the Void, I used the demon door I named "Nemo." This time, however, we would be taking the demon door my family had been living at in the Guild—a door I had decided to name "Bastion." The name felt fitting, symbolizing safety and strength amidst the unknown.

Maze would be accompanying us this time, and he had explained that the demon door would disappear as part of an experiment he was conducting. The Guild Master had informed all the students about this upcoming event, building a sense of anticipation. Thanks to the collective effort of the entire Guild, the magic vault had been fully stocked with supplies, ensuring we would be well-prepared for our journey.

“How is the crystal ball faring?” Maze asked, his curiosity piqued as he examined the orb.

I nodded confidently. “It’s in good condition. The Will energy reserves are quite substantial, and it recharges easily. Both the invisibility spell pattern and the physical shield pattern are engraved onto it and inlaid with gold. The Will energy has been bound to the pattern, invoking a Will for it to perform its functions. All we need to do now is test it.”

One of the intriguing theories I had encountered in the book Theories on the Lost Art of Augmentation Creation suggested that augmentations were crafted solely from the heart crystals of trolls. This made perfect sense to me; augmentations resembled precious stones, trolls were inherently magical, and augmentations echoed the essence of other magical creatures that spawned from nature.

“I’ll go outside. Activate the physical shield first, then the invisibility shortly afterward. It wouldn’t be useful to be invisible if you have a glowing blue sphere of a shield standing out, would it?” Maze suggested, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

I placed my hand on the crystal, feeling its latent energy pulse beneath my fingers. “Makes sense.”

Once Maze stepped outside, I activated the physical shield spell pattern, counting to ten before activating the invisibility. I counted to fifteen to ensure Maze had ample time to fully examine the effect before deactivating our first test.

As Maze walked back in, a look of satisfaction crossed his face. “It works. With multiple heroes among us, we’ll all be able to recharge the crystal if needed. Are you going to conduct your chat with the heroes of old now?”

“Not until late at night. We can’t afford to be seen by others,” I replied, a note of seriousness entering my tone.

With some time to spare, I began poring over the array of books remaining. All of Maze's private collection, along with a copy of Assassin's Rush that I borrowed from the Guild Master, had been moved into Bastion, a treasure trove of knowledge just waiting to be explored.

“Why so many spells?” Maze asked, placing a marker in the book he had been reading while looking up at me with genuine curiosity.

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I met his gaze steadily. “First, the unmodified spells won’t take me long to learn, but second, I need to use certain ones as Grey Cowl and others as Arn. Summoning and Assassin's Rush will primarily serve another purpose but will be recognized as Arn's spells.”

“What’s the other purpose?” Maze inquired, his interest piqued.

“That has to do with Scythe. Remember, I need to speak with him when he comes asking for aid for Snowspire,” I explained, my thoughts briefly drifting to the weight of those impending conversations.

“Why does it feel like a secret?” Maze pressed, a knowing glint in his eye.

“Because Scythe is family, and I am not able to disclose his secrets,” I replied, my voice firm yet respectful.

“That’s fair. I wouldn’t want to breach that trust. Scythe and I have known each other for a long time, and some things are better left unsaid,” Maze nodded, accepting my reasoning.

Realizing enough time had passed for the Guild Master to have sent even the oldest apprentices to bed, I signaled to my mother that it was time. She gently handed my baby brother, Kren, to Naia for a few minutes, ensuring he would be well cared for during our absence.

“Dad, it’s time!” I shouted to my father, Brom, who stood nearby.

“Y-yes,” he responded nervously. Clearly, the thought of standing before great fallen heroes and being judged on whether he was worthy had been weighing heavily on him.

“Relax, Father. I will handle this,” I assured him, hoping to quell his apprehensions.

Walking over to the sarcophagi of Sol, Blaze, and Holdr, I led the way. Taking my place before Sol's plaque, I signaled Scarlett to do the same for Blaze's grave and my father for Holdr.

"Will you hear me, Heroes of old in this land? I am something old made new again, one in a distant world once called Abel," I proclaimed to Sol's grave.

At first, there was silence, but then a voice broke through, "We hear you, most selfless of all heroes. Your story is known to us, for even gods mourn your loss, and Death wept rivers of tears." The last part startled me slightly, hinting at a connection I had yet to fully understand. Perhaps we were truly lovers once, or as she had hinted, always had been when I was between lives.

"There is great evil in this world, and to slay it once and for all, we will need aid that only you can provide. We require your legacies, which I know exist. I request Avo's Tear for my mother and the powers you can grant to my father. All of this so they can protect themselves and others while I fight Jack, the Crawler, the corrupted, and whatever evil remains unseen." My speech was grand and earnest.

"You both are and are not Abel. How do we know you are worthy? How do we know your parents are worthy either? They have done little to prove such."

Placing my hand atop the plaque, I replied, "Look into my mind, and you will see your answers."

Willing images of Scarlett protecting her children in another timeline and ultimately sacrificing her soul to stop and destroy Jack played before the old heroes. After that, I showed them how Brom had died swinging an axe at bandits and Jack, trying to save his kids and neighbors in the game. Lastly, I declared, "If my actions so far aren't enough for you, then so be it. You'll never do what is necessary anyway. It will always be too little and too late. You judge the part of me that is Arn, but this is from the part that isn’t—he's worthy because he asked! Because he desired to change the impossible and sought one last chance, begging upon a kind soul, even though it was merely a shell of itself. He made this possible, and he is worthy!"

I stood up, beginning to walk away when the voices spoke again, "We acknowledge the wisdom of you, great hero. Be at ease, for we shall grant you what you wish."