Mark of Time:

Bond of Fate: Fated strings

Bond of Psyche: Linked Minds

Abilities: Time Leap

Resets: 5

Integrity: 95.62%

Tier: Undefined

Jennifer opened her eyes, setting down the quill in her hands onto the table in front of her. She took a single breath, calming her nerves from the jarring sequence of events she’d just gone through. Though she now understood the need for such a rush.

Getting up from her chair, Jeniffer put aside the notes and study subjects for her admission in the academy past the table. It felt like a century ago when she was still concerned over that topic. How long has it been? Since I’ve gained this Mark? How many times have I died by now?

She didn’t remember, and she knew the numbers were only going to rise further and further. Idly, Jennifer looked at the change in her ability, and tried to expand the selection.

Abilities: Time Leap

Resets: 5

Return to any point within the last 24 hours at the cost of integrity. Ability can only be used once per 24 hours. Returns the chosen to the soul anchor upon death.

Jennifer's eyes widened at the description. This would allow her to not be forced to go through the entire time reset. Ideas and plans blossomed in her mind of how she could make use of this, but she put them aside for the moment. Making her way down the stairs, she absently watched her mother walking through the kitchen in a hurry, with a tray full of food dishes.

“Oh Jenn, hungry? Dinner will be ready in a minute,” her mother said, carrying a tray back to the kitchen as she set about to work.

Jennifer nodded, walking up to the dining chair where her father was seated, reading the same book he always did today.

“What book is that?” She asked her father, taking a seat.

Her father looked up at her for a moment in surprise, before his gaze returned back to the book. “A study of hieroglyphics structure and the importance of intent during casting,” her father replied.

“Zweirilian?” Jennifer asked, leaning ahead on the table.

“Not Zweirilian, in fact. Though I’m curious you would ask. Haven’t you always preferred the standard Arcana? I thought you didn’t care for the others much,” her dad said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I’ve had a change of perspective recently,” Jennifer replied.

“It’s Old Drakan. Stuff from ruins left by the Dragons and their descendants, the drakes. Zwerilian itself borrows heavily from Old Drakan in its system,” her father replied.

“No enchanter talk on the dinner table!” Her mother said, setting down trays full of food on the table. “Sera, the moment I leave you father and daughter together, you start talking magic. Keep the studies to your rooms!”

Jennifer chuckled at her mother, feeling knots untangling in her chest. Tears gathered in her eyes which she quickly wiped, trying not to let them show.

“Thanks for the feast mom, though you really didn’t have to do this,” Jennifer said looking up at her mother.

“What’re you saying, my precious little girl got herself into the Academy, of course I had to!” Her mother said happily, gently taking her hand.

“I’ll go call your brother, don’t wait or the food will get cold,” she replied, heading towards Keith’s room.

Her brother walked in, his face lighting up at all the good food prepared today. “I think you should get into the academy everyday,” Keith murmured, walking up to the table, making Jennifer laugh.

The memory of Keith’s pained sobs echoed in Jenn’s mind. She pushed the image back. She would not ruin this moment she had. An elbow to her side, interrupted Jennifer’s thoughts.

"Hey hey, will you teach me some magic? You’d promised that you’d teach me how to do magic when you got accepted. Can you show me now?" Her ten year old brother, Keith, whispered to her, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear his words.

"Keith, don’t trouble your sister, and finish your food first," her mother chided, as the boy deflated.

"It's fine," Jennifer said and turned towards Keith. “I can’t teach you much, but I’ll show you the spell learned before all others,” Jennifer said, as a ball of light appeared around her.

Keith stared at the ball in excitement, but his excitement fell a moment later as he turned to face Jennifer. “That’s just a light though. Can’t you do something more fun?” Keith asked.

Jenifer smiled. “Is it really just a ball? Look again.”

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise as a butterfly made of golden light landed on his nose. He stared at the butterfly as it rustled its wings before taking off from his nose as it flew circles around the table. “There’s no limit to how far you can take even the most basic of spells. That’s how you see the mastery of magic in a mage,” Jennifer told Keith as the boy watched her, sufficiently impressed.

“That… is quite extraordinary spell shaping, Jennifer,” her father said, watching her with surprise. “When did you learn that?”

“I’ve been practising,” she replied, letting the butterfly fade away.

“She’s my daughter after all,” her mother said, laughing at her father’s expression. Jennifer joined in with a light chuckle as her parents bickered happily.

Keith’s excited talks and the laughter of her family accompanied Jennifer through her dinner, as she enjoyed the moment of peace.

It was good to see them alive.

***

You've entered the Great Dungeon of Lienmont.

Jennifer stepped through the dungeon caverns, taking in its blue illuminated walls with strange nostalgia. She’d taken her time to spend the last night with her family. She didn’t tell them, couldn’t, even if she wanted to. And so she spent the night silently, enjoying a peaceful dinner.

The rest of her night had been less peaceful. Jennifer had made her way through Lienmont, making preparations. A bundle of potions hung by her side, leather armor from her master’s workshop adorning her clothes, and a bag full of clean water stones and dried foods.

She took another deep breath, casting Calm Mind to the best of her abilities, though her skill in mind magic would’ve made Nathaniel weep, and not in a good way.

Feeling more confident, Jennifer silently revised the plan. The million strings of fate spurred in her mind, like threads of thoughts left untouched outside her consciousness. Jennifer closed her mind, plucking a singular thread from the tangle of infinite silver strings, before she opened them again.

It was time to begin the first step of the plan. The descent into the depths.

***

Glass slashed through flesh, a spray of blood scattering across the walls as Jennifer ran, rushing through a pit of veripedes. [Fusion Casting] pulsed alongside her spells, fusing Glass storm and glass blade into her newest torrential attack. Glass Blade Storms, ripped through the creatures, shredding them to pieces, as dark green blood coated the dungeon walls.

Ignoring the corpses as Jennifer made her way deeper into the dungeon. A little patch of notes lay crumpled in her pouch, alongside steps of what she needed to do. Making her way through the maze of the dungeon, she quickly found herself close to the slime infestation from last time. Keeping her eyes out for the sky-serpent, Jennifer walked further into the large chamber in the cavern.

Slimes covered each wall, pulsating in their gelatinous glory as they shuddered and twitched and bloated. Jennifer made her way through the cavern, stepping deeper into the holes formed by the acid slimes.

Jennifer waded through the clutter of pulsating, scanning the chamber. Letting go of the grasp on her Mark's presence, she projected it outwards, as she called out into the [Mind Link] connecting her and Xar together.

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"Hey, Xar? Are you there?"

A moment of silence remained through the slime covered room, before a wary voice called back.

"Soul Mark? Bond?" the concepts washed over Jennifer, before the spider switched to words. "Who are you? How do you know Xar? Why does Xar have a connection to you?"

Jennifer let out a breath of relief. "Xar, listen. This will sound strange but I have met you before. In another timeline. We were together, and we formed a bond, before time reset itself again. So I’ve come to find you."

The spider didn’t move, though Jennifer could feel Xar’s Mark in the distance now.

"Why does Xar not remember? Xar remembers everything!"

"Because your memory were wiped on reset. Which will happen on each reset from now on.You can read my mind to see if I’m telling the truth."

Xar did not hesitate as a probe sent itself in Jennifer’s psyche.

"Alright. Xar believes you, human. But what do you need from Xar?"

"You’ll know very soon. I just need to touch you to restore your memories. I do not intend to do any harm," Jennifer sent, and she felt another probe from Xar a moment later.

"Very well," the spider said, moving closer.

Something rustled beneath the earth, as a white fuzzy creature dug his way out from beneath.

Jennifer bent down, scooping up Xar as she smiled.

“It’s great to have you with me again Xar. It’s gonna be a long few weeks ahead,” she said, closing her eyes, as she focused on the shards of memories buried in her mind.

[Bond of Psyche: Mind Link] restored!

Jennifer felt the bond snap back in place. Xar froze, completely still for a moment, before she sensed nausea and confusion coming from her link to the spider.

"This is… not good. Xar does not feel very good," the spider said, moving up her arm and onto her shoulders as he took up his usual spot behind her neck. "Will Xar really have to forget? Everytime? Xar hates not remembering things."

"I’m afraid so. The Fates are still tied to you. Whoever is watching us, we can’t risk letting them get to you. If you remember me, it’ll clue them in and we can’t have that," Jennifer replied, as she set up a ward to rest in. The slimes moved away silently, clearing up space for her. Jennifer nodded to Xar in thanks for his help.

"Xar understands. But Xar still hates forgetting…" the spider groaned. "It makes Xar feel strange."

"I know bud, I’m really sorry you have to go through that," Jennifer said, as she reached up with her hand, scratching the little spider’s fluffy head. Xar cooed in her mind with pleasure.

"I really wonder, with how much telepathy I use, how come I haven’t gained a skill for it?"

"Xar has one!" the spider exclaimed. "And Xar knows why. It’s because Jennifer does not build the bridge. She merely uses it. Xar is the one building the bridge. Xar can show," the spider said, as something collapsed in Jennifer’s mind.

She tried reaching for Xar through her link yet now only an empty void remained. She felt that she could stretch their bond into something more rigid and concrete, yet even trying to attempt any such thing gave her a throbbing headache.

"Ah, sorry. Xar forgot. People can’t do this, and they shouldn’t try. It makes their brains leak out of their ears," the spider said, as Jennifer pressed her temples to deal with the forehead.

“Ugh, thanks for sharing… not too surprised by that,” Jennifer said, stumbling onto the nearest wall. “Anyway. We need to find the Mark of Storm. It’s in the dungeon somewhere. Likely in the lower regions, if what I saw was right. I need your help in finding it. You’ve lived here your entire life right? Surely you know the way around?” Jennifer asked Xar, as the headache slowly faded.

"The not-voice of the Dungeon home does not like Xar anymore. It will be difficult. When Xar… became Xar, his brothers and sisters attacked him. Like Xar used to, when he say prey, or a threat."

“So the dungeon abandoned you?” Jennifer asked, baffled. “The dungeon can abandon its creatures?”

"No, Xar can still hear the not-voice of the dungeon. But it is angry. At the other not-voice that tells Xar he’s a [Natural Telepath]" Xar replied.

“Okay… so there's another system voice in your head. From the dungeon. And it’s angry now because you have classes. Which monsters aren’t supposed to have. So it’s refusing to help you now.”

"Yes!" Xar exclaimed, happy to have clearly conveyed himself.

“Let me just… soak in that for a moment,” Jennifer replied, putting aside the implication of another system for monsters. She needed to focus on what she wanted.

An idea struck Jennifer. “Okay so, what did the dungeon voice tell you before Xar?”

"Eat. Kill. Grow. Protect dungeon-home. Fight invaders. Survive" Xar sent back, and Jennifer reeled from the barrage of half concepts.

“Alright, and were you ever… lost? In the dungeon? Like you didn’t know where to go?” Jennifer asked.

Xar remained silent in thought for a moment. "No. Xar always knew. The little tunnels in the dungeon walls, the caverns, all of it. Xar just knew," the spider replied.

“Great! So umm, Sera this is difficult. So, the dungeon-voice is angry that you got the other voice in you right? It’s angry… because you have something you shouldn’t. But what if you tell the dungeon voice that it’s to Grow and protect home and survive. It’s what the voice asks, and the other voice helps you do that, yes?”

Xar remained silent for a moment. "Invader. Enemy" Xar sent back.

“Maybe you don’t have to be! You’re still a monster from the dungeon, just, more. Maybe you can help the dungeon voice?” Jennifer tried.

Xar remained silent for a few more moments, before he shuddered. "Angry. Run!"

The dungeon walls shuddered around Jennifer, cracking, as mana poured from within. The slimes bloated, expanding into a blooming plume of acid and exploding mana.

Jennifer rolled shields of hexagonal glass layered with ‘Reflect’ forming around her in a protective shield. Glass exploded from Jennifer’s fingertips as it cut through the slimes. A moment of hesitation later, she plunged into the field of raining slimes, slashing through them as the acid burned her skin and clothes, as she looked.

“We’re trying to help!” Jennifer shouted, at the shuddering cavern walls. “The demons will destroy this place. They will destroy the dungeon and claw out whatever monster sleeps inside and it will spell the end of everything!”

The shuddering of the walls continued, as the slimes began to swarm her. Jennifer stood still, looking up at the shaking dungeon wall silently.

“Xar will give up the not voice!“ Xar screamed.

The dungeon paused.

“Xar will give up the other not-voice,” the spider repeated silently. A moment of silence remained, before a pulse travelled through the walls.

“Why her? She’s not from here. Not from Dungeon-home,” Xar spoke, his voice projected through their link.

Another shudder pulsed, as Xar focused his attention towards Jennifer.

"The dungeon… wants Jennifer to give up her not-voice" Xar said, his voice hesitant.

Jennifer stared blankly at the air, unsure of what she was hearing. “It wants me to do what?!”

"Abandon your not-voice. The one that likes humans."

“No, I got that Xar. It- why?” Jennifer asked, glancing up at the dungeon.

"It says that it cannot trust you. It knows what you seek, and it will not help you unless you can show that you can be trusted. It says you cannot even hear its voice, how could it allow you into its soul?" Xar conveyed the message through.

“Well, can’t you use your abilities to connect me with the dungeon’s mind?” Jennifer asked.

"Xar doesn’t think it works like that. Dungeon-home has no mind. The voice is a manifestation of magic speaking. At least, that’s what the dungeon-home says."

Jennifer paced circles around the cavern, thoughts and options echoing through her mind. Slimes covered every other inch of the grounds around her, though they gave her breadth enough to walk in peace.

"Xar can go first."

Jennifer held back a frown, as she looked at Xar sitting on her shoulder. “It’s not about first, Xar. It’s- the work of my entire life. Everything that I’ve built myself up to. How will I ever fight or save anyone if I don’t even have a class? I can’t lose everything that I’ve worked for in my entire life!” ”

“Like Xar. With our Soul-Marks. And our own strength,” Xar replied.

“Well, unlike yours, the only time my Mark works is if I die,” Jennifer said, shaking her head. She muttered, walking circles around the area. “There has to be another way.”

Jennifer glanced around at the slimes, eyeing them for any movement. “Will the dungeon attack us if we don’t listen to it?” she asked Xar.

"It will treat us like any other human," Xar replied.

Jennifer nodded. “Then we’ll delve without the dungeon’s help,” she replied, looking at Xar.

The spider didn’t reply, silently going over some thoughts. "Xar does not wish to go against the Dungeon-home," the spider said.

Xar moved around on her back, traveling down her arm. The little white spider walked down to her palm, legs rising in alternating patterns as it talked with the dungeon. Jennifer felt the ground beneath her rumble, and moved in response to the conversations.

A rumble larger than the others shuddered the room, and the slimes began to move away from the two of them. Xar climbed back onto Jennifer’s shoulders from her palm, taking his place at the back of her neck.

"Dungeon-home will let Xar know places he has been to. That’s all it will allow."

“What did you say to the dungeon?” Jennifer asked.

"Xar’s class. Xar gave it up. Can’t talk to other people so easily anymore. Just Jennifer."

Jennifer's eyes widened in surprise, as she turned ever so slightly towards Xar. “Are you… okay with that? You- it was already a miracle that you gained a class as a monster. Are you really okay with just giving it up?”

Xar hummed in her mind, concepts and images flashing through their link. "Xar does not understand humans," Xar said, as images of merchants, vendors, runners and all sorts of professions played in her mind. "Humans can do all these things on their own. The not-voice makes them more, but it does not take away their ability to do things. Yet you seem to think otherwise"

“Well… I can’t exactly go around slinging spells the same way I did before I had my class can I? So many of my abilities rely on my [Skills],” Jennifer explained.

"Do they? From what Xar knows, Jennifer was using magic even before she had a class."

“It’s not the same Xar,” Jennifer replied, waving the spider away. Xar didn’t respond for a few moments.

"Xar does not understand. Xar is mighty. The not-voice told things to Xar, giving abilities Xar didn’t have. But Xar was the one who was mighty, not the not-voice. It just helped Xar. But Xar is strong even without its help." Xar said, as the link to her mind cut off.

Jennifer stood in silence for a moment. Without much left to do, she quietly arranged her items, before making her way out of the chamber. Questions plagued her mind, a heavy anxiety weighing on her chest, as the two made their way into the bowels of the dungeon’s depths.