Pain. Overwhelming, crushing pain engulfed me as I revived from my last run. It felt like I was being burned from the inside out, as though flames licked at my organs while icy needles pricked at my skin. My bones throbbed with a deep, relentless ache, and every nerve screamed for release. The agony was unbearable.
"Was it always this painful when I revived?" I thought, gasping for breath. The intensity was new, sharper, more focused. I could hardly think straight.
I forced my eyes open, expecting to see the sewers of Aerlyn, the familiar damp, decaying dump that had become my second home—or, more accurately, my second hell. But this... this wasn’t the sewer.
I blinked, trying to focus through the haze of pain. The room I was in was pristine, untouched by the filth and decay I had known for so long. The walls shimmered with a soft, golden light, smooth and elegant like the surface of a perfect pearl. Delicate, intricate patterns danced across them, glowing faintly like they were alive. It was as if the very air in the room was breathing, pulsing with energy. The floor beneath me was cold but polished, reflecting the ambient light like water under a full moon.
"This isn’t the sewer," I muttered, my voice barely audible over the ringing in my ears. "Where am I?"
As I struggled to sit up, I noticed the space above. The ceiling seemed to stretch on endlessly, soaring into the heavens. It was like standing beneath a dome of stars, though no stars I had ever seen were as bright or close. The light in the room wasn’t harsh, but it was omnipresent, casting everything in a serene, golden hue.
Then I saw him.
A figure stood before me, tall and radiant, his presence undeniable and all-consuming. Golden antlers adorned his head like a crown, their tips gleaming with an ethereal light. His eyes, molten gold, locked onto mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl. He radiated power, an aura of authority that made the air thick and hard to breathe. I was in the presence of a god.
Aurentum.
"Where are we?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling slightly.
Aurentum smiled, a slow, almost condescending smile, and brought a blindingly green apple to his lips. He took a bite, the crisp crunch echoing in the room, the sound far too loud to be natural.
"Oh, just my domain for the first and second floors," he said casually, as if we were discussing the weather. His voice was smooth, warm like the light that surrounded us, but there was a sharp edge beneath it—an edge that warned of danger.
I struggled to my feet, every movement sending another wave of pain through my body.
He stepped forward, towering over me, his golden gaze piercing as he examined me like a creature caught in a snare. “Rod, Rod, Roddy, Rod... what am I going to do with you?” He sighed dramatically, pacing in slow, deliberate steps. “First, you scare her away, and now you let another god kill your crystal? It's like you aren’t even trying to escape Penance.”
I clenched my fists, frustration bubbling up inside me. "I didn’t—"
“And now,” he continued, as though I hadn’t spoken, “you only have ninety-three more chances.” He clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk.”
His gaze pinned me down, and I felt small under his scrutiny. "Malikap’s faithful is doing so much better than you," he said, his tone light, almost teasing. "Whatever am I going to do about this?"
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My blood boiled at his words, but I couldn’t find anything to say. He was toying with me, the godlike presence, the judgmental, amused look in his eyes. But what stung most was the truth behind his words. Ninety-three chances. And I was running out.
“You really should be more careful,” Aurentum continued. “A little focus, a bit more effort, and who knows? Maybe you’ll actually make it out of here. Promise and reality don’t often line up, but I see... something in you.” He smiled as he took another bite of his apple, as though this were all a game and I was merely an underperforming piece on his board.
My frustration surged, and before I could stop myself, I snapped, "I didn’t sign up for any of this!"
Aurentum’s smile widened, and he let out a low chuckle. "Well, now, that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one." With a casual wave of his hand, a parchment materialized in the air between us, floating just inches from my face.
I stared at it, my heart sinking. Words written in elegant, flowing script. Contracts. Agreements. Choices I had made—choices I didn’t fully understand at the time, but choices nonetheless.
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain lanced through my skull, forcing me to my knees. My vision blurred as memories I had buried resurfaced with brutal clarity. Every moment of weakness, every decision I had made out of desperation, all of them crashing into me like a tidal wave.
“Gahhhh!” I cried out, clutching my head as the pain intensified. "Make it stop. Please. Make it stop."
Aurentum didn’t move. He just watched, his expression unreadable. “You made your choices, Rod. There’s no going back now. Only forward.”
The pain sharpened, and I gasped as my memories ripped through me with renewed force. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, leaving me trembling on the floor.
And then, as if summoned by my agony, another figure appeared, his white robes fluttering in an invisible wind.
Rellum.
The sight of him made my stomach churn. His calm, calculating expression always set my teeth on edge, and now he stood beside Aurentum as though he had always been there, part of this twisted game. The gods’ machinations were endless.
I had thought, perhaps foolishly, that Penance had given me a break from their manipulations. My longest run—the one where I had only crossed paths with their schemes once—had felt like a blessing, a moment of peace in a world designed to break me. But now, kneeling on the cold, shimmering floor, I realized that reprieve had been nothing but an illusion.
Rellum stood before me, his presence suffocating. His expression was neutral, but there was something predatory about the way his eyes lingered on me, calculating. I felt like a trapped animal, caged not by physical bars but by the expectations and constant meddling of forces far beyond my control.
“Rod? Hmm… Is this what you’ve called me here for?” He said, steepling his fingers.
To my right, Aurentum observed the scene, his gaze steady and unnerving. The god’s appearance was ethereal, his robes shimmering with faint light that contrasted sharply with the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
"You see, Rod," Aurentum said, his tone measured, almost condescending, "even the best-laid plans fall apart when you forget the rules of the game. And you've been forgetting quite a few lately."
The weight of their judgment pressed down on me, suffocating. I was a pawn in their game, and I had played my part poorly. But what choice had I been given? None of this was fair—none of it ever had been.
Aurentum stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "I see great promise in you, but promise and reality do not often line up."
I gasped, feeling the weight of his words. "What do you want from me?" My voice cracked, a mixture of desperation and exhaustion seeping through.
A faint smile touched Aurentum's lips, the kind that sent a chill through me. "With the other gods awakening, I need you back at the library. But things have changed, Rod. I can't fast-forward you past the first two floors again."
I froze. The words hung in the air like a death sentence. No more shortcuts. No more manipulation to push me forward. I had been clinging to the hope that Aurentum could still bend the rules in my favor, but now...
"So, what does that mean for me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Aurentum tilted his head slightly, as if considering how best to explain the crushing reality he was about to impose. "It means you'll have to make your way back on your own. And as for your companion, Elizabeth... I can't fix her, but perhaps I have a solution."
END OF BOOK 2