"You want to absorb the Veridical Realm?" Reivyn asked with mounting horror.
"Of course," the Masked Man responded. "The road to immortality is long and arduous. There is only so much energy available to go around. The Realms might seem to be infinite, but so are the denizens of those Realms. I will lead the Abyss to consume the Veridical Realm, and that will just be the start. I will be a Hero to my people."
The Masked Man clenched his fist in front of him as he spoke with conviction. This guy is crazy! Reivyn thought. But not the loony type of crazy. He's the dangerous type.
"Who are you?" Reivyn asked. He didn't get any Danger Sense from the man, so he didn't know if he planned on killing them or letting them go. If he survived this encounter, he needed as much information as possible for the coming days. Galwit stood silently, watching the exchange with a frown on his face.
"Don't ask foolish questions, Reivyn," the Masked Man leveled a gaze upon Reivyn. "I'm obviously wearing a mask. Why would I do that if I wanted people to know anything about me? You only need to concern yourself with my purpose.
"It will be a great undertaking, absorbing an entire Realm. There will be opportunity to advance beyond your wildest imagination. You can become the strongest being in two Realms. Join us. Lend me the strength I have witnessed this past year."
Reivyn was taken aback by the statement. It was more than just this person trying to recruit him to wage a war against his own Realm. He's been watching me? Watching us? He's been in the shadows this whole time, and we've never even had a clue.
"You're out of your mind," Reivyn said before he could couch his words.
"You wound me," the Masked Man said, hand to his heart in a familiar gesture. "Is that any way to speak to the person responsible for everything you have? Everything you are?"
"Everything I have?" Reivyn repeated. "I've worked for everything I have, and anything else given to me was by my parents." Reivyn's mouth wouldn't stop running.
What's going on with me? I'm not acting like myself. Now that I think about it, why am I even in the Dungeon with Galwit? I would never have normally just jumped into things without talking about it with my friends first, much less my parents. There was no reason to rush back into the Dungeon in such haste.
"And who orchestrated for your parents to get together in the first place? Hmm?"
"You..." Realization dawned on Reivyn. "You're the one who initiated the Dungeon Breaks in Vynn."
"And if I hadn't, you wouldn't even have been born."
"You can't take credit for that!" Reivyn denied.
"Can't I? Regardless, I see great potential in you. Don't make a mistake. Join us."
"There you go, saying 'us,' again," Galwit interjected, hands raised with palms out. "I have nothing to do with this." The Masked Man turned his attention to Galwit and pointed at his face.
"You have no say in the matter," he said. "I have use of you, so you're coming with me." Galwit's frown deepened at the declaration.
"My family has worked so hard over the centuries to get where we are today, I'm not just going to betray everything I've stood for my whole life." Galwit pulled out a dagger that had been strapped to his waist and held it up to his throat. "I would rather die than be a party to this madness."
There was no hope of defying the powerful man in front of them. The only way either of them could thwart whatever plans he had for them was to take the extreme way out. Reivyn was shocked at Galwit's decisiveness, but he was unable to react in time to stop his new acquaintance.
The Masked Man turned his pointing hand over and snapped his fingers. Reivyn caught a sense of something happening around him, so he activated his Mana Sight with Veridical and Abyss Affinities infused in each of his eyes, respectively.
Lines of pure Veridical and Abyss Mana sprang into view. They were different from the regular Mana that he could interact with and manipulate. They reminded him of the fundamental Mana used by the very System.
There were countless lines connecting everything to everything. He could see thousands coming even from himself. Some connected to Galwit. Some connected to the Masked Man. The vast majority went from him and connected to the Veridical Realm's orb, spreading out to connect to other people and places, one connecting to the orb itself. Another solitary line connected him to the Abyss Realm orb.
As he watched, powerful emanations of Mana surrounded a thread connecting Galwit to the Masked Man. It thickened and multiplied until one turned into hundreds. Galwit's hand holding the dagger lowered, and he walked to stand behind the Masked Man, face wooden with no expression.
So he's been manipulating us somehow to make the choices that led us here? Reivyn speculated.
"Are you beginning to understand the futility of your struggle?" The Masked Man turned back to Reivyn. "You could be above 10,000, under one. With time you would be my most powerful general, leading the forces of the Abyss to conquer and Ascend."
"Never," Reivyn denied. "I'll never willingly betray my family and friends. If you want me to join you, you'll have to do the same thing to me as you did Galwit."
The Masked Man considered Reivyn standing before him, still holding his sword and shield in his hands, defiant.
"I'm not controlling him, if that's what you think," the Masked Man finally said. "I simply altered his Fate and tied him to me more closely. He'll snap out of his daze in a little while, though his attitude will have been adjusted.
"You and he are different. He's of use to me, but he could never aspire to be my equal.
"No matter," the Masked Man changed his tone. "I gave you a chance, but you failed to seize it. You'll be almost as useful to me and my plans as an adversary as you would a subordinate."
"What do you mean?"
"You will be a powerful stepping stone for my underlings," the man chuckled. "You've been in the palm of my hand since the very beginning, and you can't escape just by refusing to join me. Even if you fled to the ends of the Realm, far from any civilization, the conflict will still find you.
"Come, Galwit," the Masked Man motioned to Galwit who was still standing in a daze as he walked past Reivyn. Galwit followed like an automaton, and Reivyn kept his stance ready as he turned to keep facing the man as he casually strolled across the bridge toward the Abyss Realm.
"Just like that?" Reivyn called out to the man. "What was the point of manipulating us to come here if you're just going to let me go?" Reivyn was mentally kicking himself as he still couldn't just keep his mouth shut, the effects of having his judgment impaired lingering.
"Isn't it obvious?" The Masked Man paused, turning his head to the side to answer the question. "Only you could open the door. I merely manipulated a strand of your Fate for you to perceive something important for you on the other side of the gate and removed your inhibitions a little. It's not my fault you mistakenly assumed what was important to you was something to do with your Bloodline and not a pivotal moment in your life.
"I already explained that you'll work for me as an adversary, whether you want to or not, so there's no reason for me to not let you go. And revealing this information to you means that you, and the paltry few you'll be able to convince, will train that much harder and put up a better fight in the end. Though..."
The Masked Man trailed off as he fully turned around, once more holding his hand out and snapping his fingers. A black ball of Abyss Mana sprung up from the very void itself. The flickering sparks flitting about in the space around the orbs shied away and fled in apparent panic, avoiding the black ball as far as possible.
Reivyn found himself unable to respond as he watched the Mana float up and expand in size. It radiated a dark light, like an inverse sun, and it grew in size and intensity with every passing breath.
"You did insult me and snubbed my most kind offer," the Masked Man continued. "A little punishment is in order."
As the last word left the Masked Man's mouth, a powerful beam exploded out of the black Mana, piercing through Reivyn's very being. He screamed as fire and ice coursed through his body, pain immediately washing away any rationality. The pain was all-consuming, many times more powerful than the alchemical concoction he had fallen into. His Mental Fortitude and Iron Will Skills did nothing for him this time.
He screamed and screamed, fighting against the insanity that threatened to consume him. He fought and clawed his way back to try and retain his sanity and consciousness. He was able to vaguely become aware of the Masked Man watching him impassively, Galwit still in the dazed state he had fallen into when his Fate had been altered.
Reivyn's awareness began to darken around the edges almost immediately after he gained that last semblance of consciousness.
"Give me," he heard the Masked Man say, turning and walking away with Galwit trailing behind him.
The darkness consumed him as he screamed.
---
Melissa's leg shook as she sat at the table in the manor they had rented for their stay in the Dungeon Town. All of the members of the two groups that had come to run the Dungeon during the summer months were present, minus Reivyn and Teilon.
Melissa was nervous for the potential news that Teilon would bring any moment now. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the nervous energy from rampaging through her body, thus the shaking leg.
The conversation between the large group of students was quiet and sparse. Nobody wanted to ruminate on what words could be delivered, but they also weren't able to muster up the mental energy to distract themselves. Larissa gave Melissa a look and reached over to take her hand, squeezing it in support.
"There's nothing more we can do but wait," Larissa whispered. There was no indication of the bubbly energy coming from the girl, and there hadn't been for quite some time. Melissa eyed her sister. If this is the personality she shows others at the estate, then I'm glad she shows me the other personality. I'm not sure I could get used to a "serious" Larissa.
Melissa attempted to muster up a smile for her sister, but it was a pitiful failure. She patted the back of Larissa's hand, still holding it in her other, and sat with her in silence.
The most frustrating thing is that there was literally nothing any of us could have done about this, Melissa thought for the thousandth time. Even if we had known of the possibility, nobody could have changed the outcome.
The group continued to sit around in relative silence. Another hour or so passed before the thumping sound of the front door slamming shut reached the teenagers. Teilon walked into the room shortly after, a serious look on his face. All quiet conversation around the table halted as everyone looked up to him. He scanned the room, looking each person in the eye before speaking.
"It has been a month with no news," Teilon spoke. "The Adventurer's Guild has declared Reivyn to be presumed lost or dead. And the 'lost' provision was only tacked on because of the involvement of Prince Galwit."
The words were expected by everyone, but Melissa still felt the world drop from beneath her. She lost all focus as the words echoed about in her mind.
"Lost or dead... Lost or dead... Lost or dead..."
A gentle shake of her shoulder brought Melissa back to the present. Larissa was staring into her face, a frown of worry upon her own.
"We knew this was the most likely news," Larissa whispered to her sister. "It doesn't mean anything. Just standard procedure."
"I know," Melissa took in a deep breath to calm herself. She looked around the table at the various people sitting around it.
Haylen, Erin, and Alisia were the least affected by the news, though they were still a bit distraught. Alisia gave Melissa a knowing look, the only one of the three of her friends who grasped a little bit of what it meant to lose Reivyn. Her family was a bit more connected and "in the know," so she was more aware of his potential than her other friends.
Tom, Vane, and Trick sat in a daze, not even interacting with each other. They had been together with Reivyn longer even than Melissa or Larissa had, despite not knowing him as early. He had quickly become one of their best friends, and they had planned ahead for years, fully expecting Reivyn to be a major part of their lives. It was not only a devastating blow emotionally, but the very fact that it had happened to Reivyn put their own mortality in full perspective.
Teilon and Kimberly were hit the hardest. Teilon didn't devolve into blustery tears or anything, and neither did Kimberly, for that matter, but Melissa could tell. Teilon sat down at the table, Kimberly hugging him close. They simply sat with their heads together, ignoring everything else around them.
Melissa had long given up on recruiting Reivyn to her family. The emotions running through her were entirely from losing a friend. Melissa hadn't realized how close she had grown to Reivyn. She had thought that she would have to be strong for her sister, but it turned out that it was Larissa that was being strong and consoling Melissa.
Erik and Tahl didn't count, as they were almost exclusively concerned with their charges. That being said, Melissa had noticed a slight frown creasing the otherwise perfectly stoic features of Erik's face for the past week.
"What does this mean for Prince Galwit?" Erin asked.
"Who cares?" Teilon replied without looking up. "As far as I'm concerned, he's the one responsible."
"Well, you should care," Alisia chimed in. "His family isn't going to take his disappearance very well, and then they'll be snooping around us and our families to try and figure it out."
"Let 'em," Teilon mumbled. "It's their death warrant if they want to mess around." Melissa barely heard the rest of Teilon's statement, and it was only because she was sitting right next to him.
"What was that?" Haylen asked, confused. Alisia tilted her head to the side, a confused expression on her face. I'm guessing she heard it, too, but she has no idea about the truth behind Reivyn's family. I only know that they're way more than they seem, but it seems Teilon is privy to the details. That's good, though. One less thing to worry about.
"Did that Lenerd fellow say anything to anyone?" Larissa asked.
"Nope," Teilon said. "They apparently skipped town a day after he emerged from the Dungeon, alone. He knows something, but we're not able to follow up on it until we can get back to The Capital. And the Adventurer's Guild won't interfere with a noble house or their subordinates in a situation like this, or so I was told at the Branch."
Melissa nodded her head in agreement.
"I'm not worried about them," she said. "I'm more worried about what we're going to tell Reivyn's parents."
"I'm sure we'll be able to convey our hopes and concerns," Alisia remarked. "They have to be pretty strong themselves to have raised a son like Reivyn. They can handle it." Melissa looked her friend in the eye and shook her head.
"That's not what I meant," she said. "I'm worried about what they'll do, not how they'll feel."
---
Melissa Cast her Spell at the training dummy, attempting to get back in the right mindset for delving the Dungeon. Reivyn had disappeared for almost two months at this point, and it was time for everyone to get out of their funk and get back to their lives.
It had been a struggle for everyone, minus Haylen and Erin. They were sad and upset, but they hadn't been nearly as close to Reivyn as everyone else had been. Even Alisia took it harder than Melissa had expected.
Larissa had shown herself to be an excellent pillar during everyone's self-imposed exile in the manor. The Parties hadn't delved the Dungeon the entire time, and Larissa had gone above and beyond in keeping everyone going and sane.
Despite her best efforts, though, she wasn't able to get everyone back to fighting condition on her own.
It had actually been Josn, who had started coming around more frequently to meet up with everyone else despite Reivyn's absence, who had banded together with Larissa to finally get everyone's head back on straight.
He had been open and forthcoming with his own experiences as the commander of the retreat from the Dungeon Town to Magron during the Break. He had described his own emotions in great detail, and he had patiently sat with everyone individually to help them confront their own.
Melissa had asked Josn why he went through so much effort to help people he hardly knew.
"It's my duty," he answered. "Not just my duty as a member of the Church of Light, but my duty as a friend. I considered Reivyn to be one of my few close friends, and he would want me to help you. I know he would do the same thing for me."
Teilon and Kimberly shared their experience of the first time they had encountered Josn, and Melissa was blown away by the difference in the man who went out of his way to help them compared to the one who had harshly questioned teenagers on the side of the road.
Melissa concentrated on Casting the next Spell. She had been practicing a few hours a day for the last three days now, and she was finally beginning to gain the confidence to return to the Dungeon to run it a couple more times before they would need to return to the Magic Academy to officially end the school year. Despite being well into first place in the third year Rankings with a quota to Eldiar practically guaranteed, she would never forgive herself if she fumbled now and lost the chance because she couldn't master her own state of mind.
A powerful pulse from someone's presence alerted Melissa to the one last thing she was dreading. She paused in her Casting and glanced at the doors leading into the manor from the rear courtyard.
Well, it's finally here, she thought. Time to talk to his parents about the situation.
She walked back into the living area expecting to see a storm of emotions on the two people who had come to visit. Instead, she found Reivyn's parents cheerfully sitting on a couch, playfully scolding Teilon and Kimberly for their slack training.
Melissa frowned as she strode to an open seat. Ameliyn looked up and gave her a bright smile as she sat down.
"What's going on?" Melissa couldn't help herself from asking. "This isn't what I expected at all."
"We know, dear," Ameliyn easily replied. "But let's wait until everyone is here so we can explain."
Melissa nodded her head and settled in to wait for the others. Refix continued to tease Teilon and Kimberly, with Ameliyn occasionally contributing to the banter, and Melissa noticed that they were able to ease the tension in the two youths quickly and efficiently.
They didn't have to wait long for the rest of the group members to arrive. Alisia's eyes widened when she first spotted Refix and Ameliyn sitting on the couch, but her expression smoothed out almost immediately. Tahl showed his worth as an observant bodyguard, as his hand immediately went to the hilt of his sword, knuckles white from gripping it as hard as he could. Melissa could see that sweat had immediately beaded his forehead.
Seems like they have some items or Skills that allow them to sense the threat level of people around, Melissa nodded to herself. Ameliyn isn't flexing on the girl, as far as I can tell, or such a thing wouldn't even be necessary. If Alisia was able to recover her calm mood that quickly from such an interaction, I would have to re-evaluate almost everything I know about her. Melissa quietly chuckled to herself.
"Okay, that looks like everyone," Ameliyn announced, standing up. "First of all, we really appreciate everything you all have done with, and for, Reivyn over the past year. Your concern over his well-being is clear on your faces.
"As to the reason we're not concerned, and the main reason we've made this little trip to meet with you is because we know that Reivyn is alive and doing relatively well."
Ameliyn reached into the pouch at her waist and withdrew an object. She pulled out a fairly large crystal orb, slightly larger than her hand. It gave off a gentle glow, and Melissa could see eight, smaller orbs floating about inside the main crystal. Each orb, individually gave off a gentle glow, though one of the interior ones seemed to be slightly dimmer than the others.
Melissa frowned as she gazed at the object. It looks familiar, but I can't quite place it. It's just out of reach for me to recall what it is. A gasp broke her concentration, and she looked up to see Alisia covering her mouth, eyes as wide as they could go.
"That's a Soul Orb," Alisia exclaimed, pointing at the object in Ameliyn's hand. Melissa frowned as she returned her attention to it. It does resemble one, now that it's been pointed out to me, but why is it...
"Why is it so big?" She voiced her thoughts. Ameliyn shrugged.
"We don't know," she replied. "It's always been this big, ever since we had it made. We also don't know what's up with the eight smaller orbs floating inside of it."
"Each one of the smaller orbs is bigger than any of the Soul Orbs we have for any of our family members," Larissa absentmindedly commented, staring at the Soul Orb.
"I'm sorry," Teilon raised his hand. "A what?"
"This is a Soul Orb," Ameliyn held it out for Teilon and Kimberly to inspect. Everyone else seemed to have already grasped the meaning behind it. "It will crack and shatter the moment whoever is bound to it dies. This is why we know he's alive. Not only that, but the glow is still healthy, so he hasn't suffered any irrevocable damage to his soul or body."
"Ahh, I see," Teilon said, leaning forward to get a better look at the orb. "But this one - one of the ones floating around in the middle - seems to be dimming."
"Yes, well," Ameliyn put the orb back in her pouch. That pouch is way too small to hold something like what she just put inside of it, Melissa idly noticed. "That's the only thing that's caused us any concern over the past month and a half. But it's still glowing with the same intensity as all of the others, and we don't quite know what they are to begin with, so there's still hope that everything is completely fine."
"Ahem," Refix cleared his throat. "Reivyn must be going through some sort of trial and tribulation. We know he's alive and well, and for all we know, healthy, as well. We knew from the letters you all sent, as well as other sources, that you were all worried about him.
"News was sent to Eldiar, too, but Galwit's family hasn't made any moves of any kind. They might know something about the situation. If Reivyn's Soul Orb wasn't showing that he was doing well, relatively, we would have rushed over there to demand some answers. As it stands now, though, we'll simply inquire about it from them when we move up to Eldiar this fall."
"You're still going to move to Eldiar?" Alisia asked, confused. "What about Reivyn and the Dungeon?"
"We have more than one child," Ameliyn answered, placing a hand on the girl's arm. "And we're not abandoning him here. We have friends," Teilon snorted, and Ameliyn ignored his outburst as she continued, "that will keep an eye out for him. They can lead him to either return to the Magic Academy to try for a quota somehow, or they can directly lead him to us in Eldiar. It's not as big of a deal as you might think."
"There's also really nothing we can do about the situation until he comes out of the Dungeon," Refix added. "And it's been nearly two months. Who knows when he'll come back?
"All I know is that I'm confident he will, and he'll be disappointed if we don't take his sisters to Eldiar and accompany his friends over such a 'minor matter.'"
"Yeah, that's exactly how he would react," Teilon smirked.
"That's all we wanted to say," Ameliyn said. "We knew that a message wouldn't be convincing, so we decided to drop in and explain it in person."
Refix stood up and joined Ameliyn, and everyone else followed suit. Tom, Vane, and Trick spoke with Refix briefly before running off to supposedly start training again. They were in much higher spirits, even more so than they had been from Josn and Larissa's help over the past weeks, from the information they had gotten from Reivyn's parents. Haylen and Erin exchanged pleasantries with Ameliyn for a moment before heading off as well.
Everyone else, along with Melissa, walked with Refix and Ameliyn as they escorted them to the door.
"Won't you be staying for at least a meal before you head back to whichever inn you're staying in?" Alisia asked. "The manor is so large you could stay here, as well. There's no need to run off so soon."
"That's sweet, dear," Ameliyn said, grabbing Alisia's hand and patting it, "but we really must be going immediately. There's no telling what kind of mischief Reivyn's sisters could be getting up to in our absence. We really must be back in The Capital by tomorrow evening."
Ameliyn said it casually as she bid farewell to everyone else. Refix imparted some last bits of wisdom to Teilon and Kimberly, and Ameliyn even gave Melissa a short hug, surprising the girl. They were out the door and gone before anyone had a chance to detain them further as Alisia had attempted. Melissa's friend stared after them with a blank look before startling back to herself.
"Wait, what?!" She exclaimed. "Back in The Capital by tomorrow evening?"
Melissa looked her friend in the eye and smirked.