The city of Moon’s Dream was completely silent. Every building was carved out of the same black stone, and they almost seemed to press inwards on the street between them. Just how Jay remembered it. There were people visible in the streets, all wearing masks. The type of mask they wore depicted their social status. Simple masks were worn by any random commoner, and were relatively cheap. They were easily made, like the ones Crystal and Catherine wore. Grand masks were more intricate ones, with effort put into them. They could be made out of multiple fused materials, or even multiple complete masks. At a glance, Jay’s would be a Grand mask.

Exquisite masks were detailed, well-made. They bore small amounts of significance, woven in by the maskmakers. Finally, the most well-made masks had names of their own, and the power they contained was visible to anyone with the skill to see it.

Those who looked at Jay’s mask could sense the power within, see the effort it had taken to create the half-crystal, half-metal mask. Those who did didn’t lower their heads, but simply walked by, hurrying to report it-this was not a man who wanted to be deferred to.

Jay, for his part, ignored everyone he passed after assessing the amount of threat they posed. They weren’t the ones he needed to worry about. Amon, can we crack open Eternity’s memories to get information about Moon’s Dream, or do you remember?

I remember! Why would I forget?

Well, you haven’t given me any info yet.

Uh… true. I have no argument for that. Alright. The cities of the Void are one society and multiple all at once. Masks are an important part of society here. They depict your social status and how much power you have. Your mask, for example, shows that you’re not afraid to show that you’re powerful. If you wanted to get into politics, people would give you concessions just because of your mask. Right now, you could ask for someone’s house and take it without a fight.

Do all people in the Void live like that? Afraid of when someone stronger will come along and suddenly decide to take everything they own?

…From what I remember, yes. However, the commoners are not without their cruelty. If their leaders try to take someone’s stuff, they will often rise up and kill their leader’s family in front of them, then the leader themself. It’s tradition to kill family before your enemy, in the Void. There’s no room for mercy here.

Jay eyed a suspicious passerby, stepping aside just as they tried to put a knife through his side. He continued to dodge, thinking of what his next move would be.

Kill them.

Huh?

They won’t stop. In the Void, if you’re a commoner, your life is utterly worthless. The only way to gain power is to take a mask from someone above you or to get one from a mask shop, which is unlikely without a significant amount of money. The cities of the Void are constantly assaulted by the beasts that live in the depths-the strongest are the ones who wear the masks, and they only get ever stronger as they fight more monsters. They don’t care about the commoners.

A sapphire and onyx mask formed in Jay’s hand. What if…

He won’t accept it. To earn a mask, you either have to kill enough of the creatures that live in the depths of the Void, or kill someone with a better mask.

Jay’s hand clenched into a fist, crushing the crystal mask. I’ll kill him, then.

Yes, you must.

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A spear of quicksilver carved off their head, instantly decapitating and killing them. Then Jay continued walking, Catherine and Crystal quietly following. Turn right.

Jay turned right, walking down a different street. The buildings started to grow more expensive, better carved from the stone that made them up. Color slowly faded into the buildings, the city turning more vibrant until Amon called him to a halt. Passerby had started to bow to him, all of them wearing what Jay recognized as Grand masks. None attacked, however.

That building right there.

Jay walked in, instantly greeted by a blinding array of masks, all over the store. Mask shops provide information on the entire city. The information is based on the quality of your mask. If you let them examine your mask, they’ll give you any information you want, since yours is… great.

“Hello, Masked of Quicksilver, Crystal, Stars, and Violence. Would you like a Name, or information? A Name is included in the information services.”

Crystal and Catherine stepped in alongside him. Crystal’s voice echoed in his mind. Why are we here?

Information, Amon replied for him.

“What will it cost me?,” Jay spoke out loud.

He turned to face the speaker, noting it was a woman with an intricately carved plain wooden mask, facing slightly away from him, enough that he couldn’t see its eyes.. And yet he could sense the power lurking within. “It will cost you another Name.”

Jay almost spoke up, willing to give up Eternity-and then he stopped, for reasons he couldn’t place. From what he understood, his predecessor had never liked the name-and he did not want to be called that either-his identity lay in the name Jay.

“Is there a way I can buy the information services without buying a Name?”

The mask looked up, and he saw the eyes, black holes without an end. “This will only cost you money. But you must have a Name to receive information. That is the way.”

Amon combined with him for a brief moment, to add power to the Name they were about to speak. “We are Eternity.”

The name resounded for a moment, before slowly dying out. The wood-masked lady stumbled back. “Eternity is dead, and yet, I caution you against taking that name. If he wakes up beyond the grave, he will kill you. Being dead is no barrier to one as strong as him. And besides, he’ll come back soon, to protect the universe like he used to. Your time with this Name is limited.”

“I am special in that Eternity is not a danger to me.”

The black holes in the wooden mask gazed deep into him before the mask-maker jolted back. “No need to pay. What information do you want?”

“Where can I find Drake?”

The mask’s black holes seemed to eat the question, and then pose it to the Void around them as the silence went on. “The Monsters as Men have captured him to bait you into a trap. Take the current filled with Vision mana outside the nobles’ gate and go until you feel an exit point. The longer you wait, the more reinforcements you get. Good luck, Eternity.”

Amon receded into him as Jay nodded, and they walked out of the shop and onto the streets, which were suddenly empty. They casually walked to the gate in the noble district, the guards letting them through without a word. Jay pulled open the current with Vision mana within, and they rocketed through the Void, propelled by the ever-flowing stream of power. As soon as he found a weakened section of the current, he grabbed it and pulled them to a stop. They all left, landing on a hard steel floor. Amon pulled herself into Jay completely as he looked up, noting the massive amount of soldiers gathered in front of them. “We’ve finally got you, Eternity. Once and for all.”

The current behind them collapsed, removing their only path of escape. Jay glanced back before scoffing. “You realize what you’ve done, right?”

“Locked you in here to ensure your death?”

A deep blue sapphire sword built itself out of Jay’s hand as Amon completely merged with him. “You’ve locked yourself in here with us.”