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Evil Spirits.
Juliet had grown up hearing tales of them from her parents. She was told their presence began appearing around the time she was born. Her parents, however, had only learned of them through the Order of Artemia, an offshoot of the Church of Artemis.
They were initially a part of the Church of Artemis, which her parents were a part of. But since the existence of the so-called Evil Spirits could not be proven at all, the Order of Artemia was abolished and abandoned by the church.
Those who believed in the existence of Evil Spirits, however, did not waver. They saw it as their sacred duty to expose and eradicate these malevolent entities, and so they broke away from the Church, creating their own religious sect.
Opinions on them varied. Some viewed them as extremists who sowed fear and chaos among ordinary citizens Some believe and agree with them. But most, like Juliet, dismissed the entire notion of Evil Spirits altogether.
She did not believe the Evil Spirits existed at all, but now there were 9 around him, sleeping peacefully.
Well, they weren’t exactly Evil Spirits, they were Players. And from her understanding, it was some sort of soul transference magic, they were from a different plane far away. And they weren’t sleeping, but their soul was now just with their original body.
At least, that’s how it had been explained to her. Juliet still found it all a little confusing, despite hearing about it many times.
Fortunately for her, her swirling thoughts were interrupted by the crunch of footsteps on the slightly frost-coated ground as someone approached her by the fire.
“How are you?”
They weren’t all exactly asleep, since there were 10 of them there, two people were tasked to keep the first watch.
Juliet and Julian.
“Boss.” Juliet glanced up at him as he sat down on the ground beside her, the vapor flowing from their lips extremely visible, “It’s getting a little cold, huh?”
“Hm.” Julian blew out a quiet puff of air, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames of the campfire.
“...Shouldn’t you be resting?” She said.
“I think this body’s rested long enough.”
“Are we really returning to Ethaca? Cyrus told me that you’re going on another run with the dungeon there with these… strangers?”
“Hm. We’re going to check something out. Do you think your old place is still there?”
“The smithy? Well…” Juliet sighed, grabbing a stick on the ground, and started drawing circles in front of her, “...Probably not.”
“I’m sorry you had to sell it, and we ended up returning so soon.”
“Pft, nah. We’re returning, but it doesn’t mean we’re staying, right?”
“Right.”
“And I bet your hands are itching to craft something. I’ve actually been sketching an armor, since that’s the only thing I can do while… while waiting for any news about you. I didn’t really even know if you were alive or not, I was only going with what Cyrus was telling me. It was… hard.”
“You were that worried about me?” Julian hummed as he glanced at Juliet, “Thank you, Juliet. And I also can’t wait to work on the armor you designed when we have the time.”
“Uhm… after the dungeon run, maybe?”
“That would be ideal, yes. It’s just a shame I can’t show you my new crafting skill.”
“What… is it?”
“It’s…”
The conversation trailed off, going from crafting to other memories of Ethaca, the two of them speaking in quiet tones as the night stretched on. The fire crackled and popped, occasionally spitting embers into the chilled air.
And by the time their watch ended, the frost on the ground had thickened, and the fire had burned low. But as they rose to wake the next pair, Juliet glanced at Julian one last time, and a small, bittersweet smile tugged at her lips.
“Boss?” she whispered.
“Hm?”
“I know this isn’t your real world or your home… but thanks for not dying.”
“...Hm.”
Back on Ceres-9, Julian and his temporary party members all used their time on Earth to either eat or workout.
But of course, Julian and Ellie also used the chance to… dabble in more intimate activities until it was time to go back. The group didn’t really spend that much time back on Earth, as their priority was to finish the mission as fast as possible so they could all get paid and return to their normal lives.
“You are not jealous at all?”
And as the group drew closer to Ethaca, Victoria and Ellie’s eyes still reflected their progress as they watched through the holographic screens. The two, well, it wasn’t that the two have grown closer in the 3 days they’ve been spending together… but they’ve grown… comfortable, in a way.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
And right now, Victoria was looking through Ben’s eyes who was behind Julian, who had his arms around Juliet’s waist while riding the seikrobos.
Ellie only glanced at Ben’s stream before letting out a soft chuckle as she saw what Victoria was getting at.
“There’s like zero point in getting jealous.” She muttered, “And Julian… he doesn’t really love the same way we do. And, I guess… that’s what makes him really special?”
“I am aware of his condition…” Victoria’s eyes narrowed, “...But you don’t feel jealous at all? Even with their nightly talks?”
“Hm.” Ellie shrugged, “If anything, I’m quite happy that he’s actually talking with other women. Since you know everything, I’m sure you know that… there was a time when Julian only talked to me and MEGAN for 3 years… and I just let it happen, you know? I felt so guilty that I started taking him out to clubs, malls, and all the places where people gather—but it didn’t really change anything. When people approach and speak to him, he’ll just talk like normal as if he hadn’t spent the last three years being completely closed off from other people.”
“He’s a very colorful person, isn’t he?”
“He is.” Ellie smiled, “And I love him very much for it.”
Another day passed, and the city of Ethaca finally stood before Julian and the party; its towing walls, bathing in the golden hues of the setting sun.
And as they entered the city, Julian found himself staring at the Tower of Mana again—he knew there were a lot of buildings taller back on Earth, but seeing it was still different. It almost looked like it could pierce the clouds.
It had been only a few months since he last laid eyes on the city of Ethaca, and yet it felt like a lifetime ago with everything that had happened to him.
The rest of his party members didn’t linger to admire the view, however—as each of them parted ways to prepare for the dungeon. Natasha and Ben headed toward the local market with Jin, while Vijya just stormed off without a word.
They were to meet an hour later outside the city, and as for how Julian was planning to spend this hour, well, he visited Juliet’s old smithy along with her, and Cyrus and his original party members also tagged along.
But alas, when they arrived, Juliet’s sigh almost pierced through their ears as someone had already taken over her old smithy. But she didn’t seem as crestfallen, however, as her eyes quickly wandered to the smithy of her old boss.
It was now abandoned, the once-consistent chimney that had blown smoke and fumes without pause was now just fuming out… nothing.
“Heh… serves him right.” Juliet scoffed, “I’ll just go check on it—I’ll meet you at the tavern when you’re done with the dungeon, Boss?”
“Okay.” Julian hummed.
And soon, Cyrus and the others also started bidding their farewells.
“We’ll see you later, Newbie.” Talia lightly punched him on the chest, “You better be careful with those guys, especially that Vijya dude. I think he's more loose in the head than you are."
"Right... Thank you."
"I don’t care what kind of unique classes they have, but if they do anything to you… tch. Me and the guys will find a way to fuck them up.”
“Right…” Julian smiled and repeated, “...Thank you.”
“Take care, for real. Now…” Talia then let out a long and very loud sigh as she looked at Cyrus, who seemed to be sulking as he walked away with his head down, “...We have to take care of that guy. He’s been going on and on about how he’s bummed that he won’t be able to stream your hidden quest—you better bring out something good, or else the guy’s going to be like that for weeks.”
Talia, Dyrroth, and Titus all laughed as they made their way to Cyrus. As for Julian, he lingered in the plaza of smithies for a moment—after all…
…he wasn’t just here to check on Juliet’s old smithy.
He wanted to fill his [Shadow Vault] with a few… necessary things.
***
An hour later, Julian and the new party have gathered at the gates of Ethaca, and they did not waste any time at all.
Soon, the vine-covered entrance to Ethaca’s dungeon loomed before them, the air around it thick with life… and something else. The group moved inside, their steps crunching softly against the dried leaves beneath their feet.
“This place is a waste of time,” Vijya muttered, breaking the silence as he glanced at Julian and smirked. “We’ve already been here before, and nothing happened. Do you really think the retard’s presence would change anything?”
“How about you shut up? You’re the one who shouldn’t be here.” Ben scoffed as he glared back at Vijya.
And while Ben was coming to his rescue, Julian didn’t react at all. His gaze was distant, or perhaps close… since there were words floating before his eyes.
[When two graves are dug, many will suffer. You are within the gods' reach and have been detected, Julian Winters. The punishment shall now be carried out.]
The punishment… again?
He had initially thought that the Master of Shadow’s punishment was over. He had already gone through it already, and he was now also officially a Shadow Blacksmith.
Or was this something else entirely? He wasn't even actually sure if he was talking to the same gods since they weren't talking to him at all, but rather just presenting themselves as floating words.
Well, whatever it was, Julian was not really complaining as it was their way to the hidden quest. And soon, the walls began to shift. The vines along the entrance twisted and coiled like serpents, sealing off their only way out.
“You were saying?” Ben scoffed, shooting Vijya a glare.
The ground beneath them soon trembled, cracking and breaking apart as the dungeon roared to life. They were already expecting what was happening next, but they were still surprised when the floor gave way, and they were swallowed into the abyss.
And while they were sliding down through this darkness, several thoughts were racing in their mind—but one stood out: there was something special about Julian Winters.
They have actually already been invited by Humanity Engineering to do this dungeon, just a day after they bought the information from Cyrus—and when they visited it last time, just like Vijya said, nothing happened at all.
Julian Winters was the key. But why? What makes him more special than them when they all have unique classes?
But of course, the party did not really have time to think of any of that as they found themselves in the stomach of Artemia, each of them landing with an unceremonious thud, grunting as they were spat out into a vast chamber of bricks and aged marble. The air was thick with dust and the faint scent of iron.
The darkness pressed against them like a heavy veil, but it didn’t last long.
“Well, let’s light it up,” Ben whispered.
He snapped his fingers, and the transformation was instant. The floors of the chamber began to glow, streaked with veins of orange that pulsed like molten lava—or perhaps it was. The only thing stopping it from being so was that it was not emitting a searing temperature at all.
Instead, the warmth was almost… soothing. But most importantly, it lit up the entire cavern.
And there, reflecting the vibrant orange light beneath their feet, were the living copper statues… all completely whole and standing again.
They seemed frozen in time, but Julian could feel it—the subtle vibration in the air as if the statues were preparing to awaken.
And they did.
Julian was about to pull out Searadyn’s Veil, but Ben suddenly kneeled on the glowing floor and placed his palm flat against its surface.
And as he did so, the floor rippled… and the once-solid ground around them moved as though it were truly… magma.
And it was.
All at the same time, the copper figures were swallowed by the rippling floor, their bodies sinking and melting as if they were no more than wax in a fire.
And just like that—the hundreds of living copper statues were gone.
From what Ben had told Julian, his class allowed him to control magma, and transmute inanimate and non-living things at a molecular level, reshaping them into molten energy.
The Molten Architect, he called his class.
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