Alright, anything else that I need before we do this, Val?

Alex heard the sound that his pet made when hungry drifted through his mind.

You just want more mana from the chains.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Alex, and for a brief moment, he considered rushing through the next steps. He felt anxiety about the danger to come and worried that if he didn’t go immediately, he’d talk himself out of it.

But then he stopped himself. Clearly, this was a rare opportunity, and there was no sense in moving too quickly without understanding what was happening around him. The celestial being had been trapped for a decade and didn’t seem to be in a rush to be released, so Alex figured he could do two things at once.

Rest and get information from something so powerful it was hard to wrap his mind around.

He took a deep breath and walked back to his backpack and the flickering lantern on the floor where he’d woken up. He turned the dial down to conserve the oil. Even though the glass had broken, the wick could still burn, which wasn’t needed in the cavern. The natural golden glow radiating from Eura was enough for him to see.

He put the hatchet back in his pack and walked back over to the altar with his belongings. His muscles cried out in pain, and his feet dragged across the stone floor as he moved. Setting the backpack down, he sat on the hard, cold stone floor and leaned against the altar.

There were several quiet moments as Alex gathered his thoughts and forced himself to breathe. He used his hands to rub the tired muscles in his legs and wished he had spent more time exercising or training before entering the Rift.

The sight of Eura’s restrained form and calm demeanor reminded Alex that this was someone with immense knowledge, and perhaps he would be the key to surviving the Rift.

“Eura,” Alex began, “I need to understand a few things before I go through with this. I don’t know much about Rifts or how they work. This is the first I’ve seen people like me, humans, inside of a Rift. Are they aware of what the Rift is? Can they leave it? You called it a broken world. Why?”

Eura smiled and blinked his many eyes. “This is called a broken world because it is no longer whole. It was once a full world that failed its integration. Not enough of my people embraced the System, and there was too much infighting. When a planet is deemed too far gone, the God can decide if it should be turned into a broken world or left as a dead world. My home was torn into a fragment of its former reality to be used for future integration.”

“I remember more than most because I am so long-lived, and I had grown strong enough that my unstructured magic could allow me to live on even once the System was removed from me. As for your other question, most of my people do not understand what the Rift is. I remember from my time, so I know that to escape the Rift, there must be peace. However, our two peoples have never known peace. The bad blood between us prevents us from breaking out of the Rift, as the constant fighting of sentient races is considered culling. My people know that the Rift is there but only view it as a natural point of volatile Qi, so it’s often avoided.”

Alex had to restrain his jaw from hanging open. This was more information on how the System and the integration worked than he’d received in the last few weeks. Even with the reliable information from the Guild, he felt like Eura was a goldmine of information.

“So what about the System? Do they know about it like you do?”

Eura sighed, “The System is ever-present. However, it does not bind itself to the people of a broken world, as our time for progression has passed. The System is removed from most, and those below a certain threshold of power forget about it completely. Within a few generations and a few careful bits of influence, the System is forgotten, as is the way the world once was. Only once the broken world has reached a certain state will the System deem it ready to use in an integration. So, you will only find a small handful of people like me, once strong enough to retain our memories of the System, despite the time and influence to forget.”

Alex paused to consider everything Eura had said. He wished that he had his tablet or a notebook to jot down notes. He was about to ask another question when Eura spoke up.

“Little human, if you are being pursued by one of Rakshasi’s brood, you should not linger here too long. I fear it may find its way to this chamber if given enough time. They live and hunt these tunnels, they will be able to track you here eventually.

Nodding, Alex felt some of the pressure return. He wished he could camp out in the room and pick Eura’s brain for more information about the System and how he had grown so strong.

With a groan, he forced himself to his feet and looked at the pile of items on the altar. While his limbs were tired and the threat of being hunted hung over his head, the small greedy goblin inside of him looked at the loot and wondered if the bag was what he was hoping it was. “That pouch on the altar, you said it’s a spatial bag? How does it work? Can’t I just put more items from the altar in it?”

Eura chuckled, and Alex could feel it in his bones. “It is a spatial bag, so yes, you can take more- you only asked what was most valuable. When you hold it, simply push another item against the opening and envision it being stored. The bag will respond to your intent.” Eura’s many eyes watched Alex. “But remember, the alarm will be triggered once you take it. You must be prepared to break the seal as well.”

He nodded and shouldered his backpack. His body ached from the day’s physical effort, but he felt much better than he had before the rest.

Groaning, he let out a tired sigh. “Val, you can [Siphon] some more mana from the chains if you want. We’re going to break them in a minute anyway. But-” He held onto the little wyrm as it tried to return to the mana chains immediately. “But, you need to come back to me when I say, okay? We will need to run as soon as the chains break.”

At the responding echo through his mind, Alex let go of his ever-hungry companion and looked back at the altar.

“Alright, I’m going to grab as much of this stuff as I can and run over to the rune. I’ll infuse it with my mana, and then you’ll hold off the serpent, right?”

“Yes, human.”

“My name is Alex, by the way. Sorry, this is all a bit overwhelming to me.”

“Worry not. I remember the start of my journey.” Eura chuckled and blinked slowly. “The path to power is different for everyone, Alex. Never let your warrior spirit be crushed. Focus on your strengths and reach for the top. To aim lower than the pinnacle is to hamper your own growth.”

Feeling like they were parting words of wisdom, Alex nodded and stepped forward, grabbing the items in quick succession. At the bottom was a pouch made of soft leather, the same dimensions as a brown paper lunch bag. It had a drawstring and a purple lining that seemed to disappear into nothingness if he peered inside. He only took a moment to inspect it, as he knew his timer started as soon as he lifted it from its place in the pile.

Next, he focused on the items Eura had mentioned. The dagger belt and flute went directly into the bag without issue, followed by the sheathed rapier and belt. Before stepping off the altar, he crouched and began grabbing as many items as possible, careful not to cut himself on any exposed blades.

He kept stuffing items into the pouch and couldn’t help but laugh out loud from the stress and sheer absurdity of the bag. When he began to feel mental resistance as he tried to push an item into the bag, he cursed and jumped off of the stone altar. He made eye contact with Eura before grabbing the three books from the altar and taking off his camping pack. Before zipping up the lid, he put the pouch and the manuals in his bag. The large man closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I fear that they do not have the power in them you seek. They are just the sullied techniques of my enemies, but perhaps they will give you the edge you need in the challenges ahead.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

His stomach did a flip as Eura mentioned how much harder things were about to get. Alex ran across the open cavern. It felt odd to know that his bag had so many items in it, though it felt to be only slightly heavier than before.

He skidded to a stop over the engraved rune and wondered if he should have tried to study it rather than ask Eura questions. The time to worry about regrets had passed, though, as his timer had already started.

Crouching, he used [Mana Infusion] to begin channeling his mana into the rune. At first, it was difficult, as if the cold stone floor didn’t want to accept his mana, but as he continued to push, he felt it begin to absorb the energy. Alex grew worried as his Mana pool continued to drain and he pulled up his status window, noticing that he was getting dangerously close to the lower third of his mana pool.

Shit, I’m going to run out?

He reached into the top pocket of his bag and grabbed a Mana Stone before using his shared bond skill from Val. [Mana Siphon] drained mana from the stone and refilled his pool at an increased rate.

Congratulations, [Mana Siphon] has leveled up!

As he continued to drain the Mana Stone, it lost some of its shine.

Alex continued to infuse the rune, which eventually shone a bright purple. Just as he was beginning to worry that his mana would empty again, he heard a deafening pop. Link after link, the chains began to snap. As soon as a chain was severed, it would fall limp to the ground and begin to turn into smoke.

“V-Val! Come on, buddy, it’s time to get out of here!”

Even though he was supposed to run, Alex was struck by the scene before him. As the chains began to snap like vines, the Celestial Lotus Sect Head began to struggle to stand. He strained against his bindings. As those restraints strained, Eura roared out his victory.

As chains snapped, Eura began to stand but was unable to straighten completely. As if the restriction didn’t bother him, the large, six-armed man shrunk and flexed his arms while flinging off the last of the chains.

Eura looked toward Alex before giving him a nod and reaching one hand up toward his many eyes. The celestial being's hand covered his leftmost eye for a moment before closing the rest of them tight as if wincing in pain.

Awakened, you have accepted a Hidden Quest. Calculating Rewards.

Processing…

Reward Upgraded by System.

Reward Upgraded by Quest Giver.

Reward Upgraded by Quest Giver. You gain: 1x Unique E Rank Growth Item - Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage.

Congratulations, Awakened! You have gained a Title!

You gain: Title - Pathfinder

Adjusting Rift Difficulty.

Epic E Rank Rift Adjusting…

New Rift Difficulty: Epic D Rank Rift

Adjusting Rift Quest: Rift Quest: Heavenly Sealed Prophecy

Destroy or Fulfill the Sealed Prophecy that lies where two worlds collide.

New Rift Quest: Rift Quest: Security

The Rift’s balance of power grows uneven. Choose a side and help to establish security and safety for the surviving inhabitants.

Adjusting Personal Quest: Personal Quest: Unmasking the Saboteur

The Celestial Lotus Sect suspects that someone is secretly sabotaging their efforts to secure peace. Work with the sect leaders to uncover the traitor in their midst.

New Personal Quest: Personal Quest: Wrath of the First-Born

Survive.

Alex’s vision blurred from pain, and he closed his eyes tightly. It felt like someone stabbed his left eye, and he called out in pain while covering it with his hand.

System windows continued to appear in his vision despite them being closed.

Oh. Fuck.

Alex opened his left eye and looked at Eura as the large humanoid shrunk. His vision swam with colors, and it hurt to look at the being before him, but he did his best to focus on the humanoid to see what he was doing despite the thick blue haze around him.

What the…

Above Eura’s head, a small window appeared that was only there for a moment. As he looked at what was in the window, his mind seemed to scream at him, and a lancing pain ran through his head.

He clutched onto his face as he turned and began to run. He tried to blink them open, but his left eye was in excruciating pain, and after a few seconds, he could feel hot liquid running down his cheek.

“Val, I need your help. You need to show me the way. Right now.”

Alex let out a yell of pain as he stumbled on his feet. He used his left hand to reach out in front of him. His eye hurt so badly that he felt the instinctive need to cover that side of his face with his hand, but he had to remove his right hand from his face to grab the handle of the lantern and begin running.

A roar made the cavern at his back rumble, and in his heightened state, Alex couldn’t even tell if it was made by Eura or the monster he was holding back. He cursed to himself as the shaking of the ground caused him to miss a step and almost fall to the ground. For some time as he ran, following Valtherion’s link through the bond, he could hear yelling and the smack, grapple, and slam of combat. It sounded unlike anything Alex had ever heard in his life. The fact that the beings were so powerful that simply being nearby almost knocked him off of his feet, Alex ran for everything he was worth.

They made their way through the tunnels as quickly as possible. He used [Empowered Step] frequently, but soon ran out of mana and was left to the mechanical action of running. He hated the idea of burning through his limited supply of Mana Stones, but he removed another and used [Mana Siphon] to refill his mana. The strain on his lungs caused a stitch of pain to bloom in his side with each inhale of air.

I’m just too exhausted. I feel like my body is going to give out.

While Alex knew he wasn’t in the worst shape, he certainly hadn’t done any extended strenuous activity like this in all his life.

For a time, he could hear yells and thrash from behind him, but as they gained distance, the sounds grew muted, and the tunnels stopped shaking.

Alex’s run slowly turned into a shuffle as he began to feel the mana fatigue earlier than before. Unwilling to refill his mana again, he trudged on by the power of his own legs. He leaned forward and used his hiking backpack to counterbalance his weight, falling forward just enough that he was forced to catch himself to move. As he was beginning to feel that he couldn’t make it any further, they emerged into another open cavern and cliff face.

The path of the tunnel became open on the left side, showing that it was created along the edge of a huge drop. When he glanced over the side, Alex vaguely saw another ledge and white netting.

Are there others here? Have I stumbled into a Serpent Sect base?

His vision blurred, and he realized that he’d accidentally let his hand drop. He covered his face, fearing the pain in his head may return from the Heavenly Eye.

Val screeched in his mind, and Alex turned to see an enormous serpent emerge from the tunnel behind them. It moved slowly, head weaving from side to side.

I’m not dead yet. What do I do here?

He looked around, feeling strangely calm in the tense moment. The edge across the chasm seemed impossibly far. But, compared to fighting the giant shadow serpent, it seemed the less impossible of two options.

He turned his body and pushed against the tunnel’s far wall, trying to give himself a small running start.

Alex could see the ledge, and his vision swam as he uncovered his eye to give a slightly better depth perception.

Fuck.

He covered his eye again and could no longer see the netting below the ledge that was there before.

Guess I’ve got to make the jump.

One more time, he looked to his left at the ruby-eyed snake.

No way in Hell I’m fighting that thing.

Alex pushed off from the wall and ran the remaining four strides, using the dregs of his mana for [Empowered Step], before leaping off the edge and reaching as far as he could. An involuntary yell escaped his lips, and for a brief moment, all drowsiness left his mind.

The world went quiet as he was airborne, and Val sped ahead of him. The jump was close to superhuman, something Alex could only attribute to sheer adrenaline-induced strength and skill. He sailed through the air like an Olympic long jumper.

Reality crashed back into him as his midsection collided with the corner of the ledge. All the air left his lungs just as his nose and forehead cracked into the floor. The weight of his pack pushed him into the ledge at first, but as his momentum faded and his body bounced from the wall, so too did the pack.

Panic flared in his mind, and he let go of his eye as he scrambled desperately for anything to grab onto. Naturally, he released his hold on the damaged lantern to grab for any cracks or rocks. There was nothing there. Cracking his fingernails as he clawed at the stony floor, Alex slowly slid back off of the ledge and fell.

He only dropped a few feet before his momentum was arrested, and he felt like he was floating on a cloud. His vision swam, and Alex fought for consciousness. Unsure of what was happening, he looked around and saw the serpent staring at him with blood-red eyes from across the chasm. His vision swam, and it turned and slithered to the tunnel it had come from.

Out of immediate danger, all of Alex’s stress and pain from the last day overwhelmed him, and he passed out. His final thought was the embarrassing realization that he’d pissed himself when he thought he was sliding into the abyss.