Standing before Bloom, Amelia, Xander and Amanda, I once again let the tears fall, this time out of grief. I no longer blamed myself and I didn’t blame anyone else. I had spoken to everyone and told them about The Blade, and none of them blamed me. In fact, they all said that when the time came, they would stand with me to fight once again. Truly I was thankful to them. Kneeling to those in front of me, I placed my hands into the shape of a moon in front of my heart. This time, I would pray for them, those that had fought yesterday.

“Mother Moon, I pray that these souls find rest in the afterlife. Though they may not worship you, I beseech your great self to guide their souls to eternal peace.”

Standing, I turned to Tessa who had also prayed along with me. I hadn’t been used to this sort of thing, and usually wouldn’t pray like today, but for those who had died thanks to The Blade, I would pray if it allowed them to find peace in death. Tessa smiled at me as she took my hand and walked with me.

“Thanks for the help. My wound will heal naturally now.” Tessa’s wound had indeed begun to slowly heal after I assisted her all night. When asked why she needed me, Tessa told me that Celestial Eclipse mana and energy was powerful, something one would only have after the Crossroads.

“How did you know to come here? Last time we spoke, you said you had left Vale.”

“I did indeed leave. I had been travelling for a while, but yesterday I sensed your hairpin had broken, which shouldn’t happen no matter what. It took me a while to Travel here, so sorry about that.”

“Travel?” I had heard the Demigod of Vale say this earlier.

“Ah, a high-level spell that allows me to travel long distances. It involves opening a ‘door’ so some call it ‘Opening the Door’ while most just say ‘Travel’.”

“So you could Travel to Crater?” Making conversation mainly to distract myself, I sat down in front of the campfire.

“One can not Travel with another. Think of it as a door that only you can open and walk through. If you try to ‘Travel’ with someone, you can’t walk through their door. The distance once can travel is limited, where we are now is about the limit for me. A Demigod could reach a location a few years from here. You also need to have been to the location, alternatively you can head to a destination as long as you know where you are going. For example, young Summer’s adventurer’s plate being shattered told me where you all were. The energy and magic from our fight in turn alerted Getsuna.” Looking up, I saw Alexander walking over and joining us by the campfire. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sister of the Moon Goddess, I am Alexander, the Master of the Guild in Vale and Alisha’s Master.”

“Likewise, Alexander. I am Tessa Moonflow. I am no longer a Sister. You do not need to be formal around me, I am after all a failed Demigod, you do not need to address me so formally.” I tilted my head at her comment, which caught her eye.

“I’ll tell you when you’re ready, Alisha. Perhaps it will help you when it comes time to awaken your Divinity. For now, you would not understand anything if I told you now, if anything it would hinder you. The Crossroads is coming up for you, so you need to prepare for that.”

Glancing at the System, I saw the result of yesterday.

You have levelled to 76!

Status

Elite Hero of History, Alisha

Race: Celestial Nightweaver Fox Level: 76 Experience: 320,00/1,000,000 Class:  Lunar Fist of the Wind Class Level: 2 Class Exp:  137,500/150,000

Occupations:

Adventurer Grade: Gold Rank: C

Stats

Elite Aspiring Hero, Alisha

Stats Rank Base Stat Stat Total Strength: C+ 11,431 13,717 Agility: B+ 20,281 24,337 Intelligence: C- 8,512 10,214 Toughness D- 1,911 2,293

Current Bonuses: Monster Title, +20%

“Can’t believe I was only level 56 before we got here.” Shaking my head, I heard Tessa giggle.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, the Crossroads will put you to the test.”

“That's why there are so many Gold Grades, Alisha. Many falter at the Crossroads, become complacent and do not step onto their Pathway. Work hard and make sure to step onto your Path, only you can do it.”

“What does it involve?” I asked, expecting them to tell me I would find out. Instead…

“Well, it’s best for her to know before, right, Miss Tessa?”

“Yes, it’ll be more beneficial if she can prepare ahead of time. I believe one of her Conditions will be to head to Crater Hell, so I’m a bit afraid she’ll be stuck.”

“I have a solution for that, in fact I had planned to tell her later, but I suppose now is a good time. Do you wish to explain the Crossroads, or shall I?”

“Go ahead, Sir Alexander. She is not my disciple. I have told her a little before.”

Alexander nods and looks at me. He too was still recovering from his wounds. According to Tessa, The Blade's sword contained a strong power that prevented healing and caused the wounds to get worse over time. They had managed to purge the power, but the wounds would still take time to heal.

“Alisha, the Crossroads is the final evolution for most, making it the final hurdle to overcome. To pass the Crossroads, one must choose their Path. Some only have one Pathway open to them, while others have multiple. There have been cases where individuals have over a hundred Pathways. Once you have chosen a Path to walk, the hurdle appears.

“The System will give you Conditions that you must clear. You’ve seen the message about Hidden Conditions, right? They are also taken into account. Hidden Conditions are awarded if you conquer a task far above your level. The Conditions the System gives you however are based on what Pathway you have decided on, while Hidden Conditions reveal new Pathways. You must complete the Conditions that the System gives you before you can walk your chosen Path.

“The Conditions are based on you, and you alone, as well as the Pathway you have chosen. For me, a Condition that needed to be completed was to complete a Delta-Class Dungeon solo…Oh, a Delta-Class is used to describe strength beyond the Pathways, I’ll explain more when you have started walking your Path.”

“That must’ve been difficult. I had a Condition to hunt and kill a Delta-Class Lunar Dragon by myself. That was possibly the closest I have ever been to death, excluding yesterday.” Tessa and Alexander share a knowing sigh.

“One of the Conditions I am concerned about for you, Alisha, is that it may tell you to return to Crater Hell for something. Whether it’s to remember your memories, see your friends again or perhaps to conquer an old enemy, I do not know. I originally did not know how to assist you with this task as gaining access to the Teleport Gates is impossible now thanks to Harrington. Then you told me about the Blessed Orb of Salus that you placed in Crater.

“By using that link you have with the Orb, I can open a passageway for you to ‘Travel’, but the time is limited. It will only last for four days before it will drag you back to Vale. We can not provide a teleport either, the magic required is simply too high.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I could’ve done so in the past, but I had to use multiple magic tools and an ancient scroll to assist in teleporting Elizabeth here so Alisha would have someone by her side. I don’t have any of them now, the Sisterhood took those back. The magic is impossible to use by myself, and even if we had assistance from a Demigod it’s still impossible. I do regret abiding by the rules of the Sisterhood at that time.” Tessa sighed and shook her head.

“You teleported Elizabeth here? I thought it was an old man.”

Tessa chuckled. “That’s right, it technically was. I used an illusion to make her believe it was an old man. Alisha, don’t tell Elizabeth this. I’ve even made sure she is deep asleep right now. I told her a lot of information back then, information that will be vital for you at a later date. I can’t tell you any of that yet, but when the time comes Elizabeth will remember and tell you.”

“Well, the method I’ve described is the best solution we have. This method of Travelling can only be used once on a Blessed Orb of Salus since it will destroy it in the process. I plan to provide another Blessed Orb of Salus for you, so one of your friends can place it since you would be unable to. Of course, this will only happen once we know what your Conditions are. If it’s not a Condition then we can use it so you can go and visit your friends.”

Looking into the fire as I processed everything they told me, I felt relieved that they were willing to tell me all of this. Recently it seemed less was being hidden from me and now they told me when I asked. I understood if they couldn’t tell me though.

“Thanks for telling me all of this.”

“You’re my disciple, I don’t mind telling you. The more prepared you are, the better. You two best have absorbed all of this as well.”

Tilting my head, I turned to look to my left and saw Summer and Xia sitting there. I had been so engrossed in everything that I hadn’t noticed them join us.

“By the way, Master. How do you fly in the sky like that?”

Alexander chuckles. “No luck on your Gravity training, or does it not work as you expected? Well, it’s a rather easy technique, but very difficult to use. It’s less ‘flying’ and more like we’re walking on the air. It requires tremendous mana control to create a foothold in the air and a lot of focus to actually use it in battle. I’ll start training you on how to use it when we return to Vale and after we’ve recovered for some time. Now that war with Harrington is all but certain I’ll have time to properly teach you.”

Smiling at his comment, all of us continued to make some small talk. Aubrey soon joined us, sitting next to me as she held my hand and joined in our discussion. We made sure to get up and check on those who were injured, that being Elizabeth, Xeno, Leon and the Demigod of Vale, but they had stabilised. Leon had shut himself away in a tent to grief over Bloom and Amelia while Xeno and Elizabeth both had a sense of humour about their situation and the Demigod of Vale was currently meditating. And like that, another day passed as we distracted ourselves with small talk, cheering each other up.

***

The next day, Vale’s Demigod, whose name I had learnt to be Getsuna, Travelled through a crack in the air and told us to gather those who were injured. According to Getsuna, the person he would bring was very difficult and hated waiting for others. He was the one who had regrown my leg in the past and only had done so because he owed Alexander a favour.

After an hour, a crack appeared and opened with Getsuna walking through it. A burst of green flames appeared next to the crack and an old man walked through it. Looking around, he muttered something with an annoyed face before looking at Tessa.

“I can’t heal you, you’re too powerful.”

“I’ll be fine, I have my methods.”

“Good. Now, let's get this done so I can get back to my research.”

Starting with me, he looked at the wound on my hip. “A Blood Curse, work of those nuts that worship the Blood God I assume. I don’t understand how you’re standing, this would bring stronger men to their knees. Alright, bit your lip.”

The man placed a hand over the wound as a green flame surged, entering me as the pain flared. Biting my lip while squeezing Aubrey’s hand, I refused to scream as tears ran down my face. Soon, the pain started fading as I felt my regeneration start healing the wound.

Without a word, he moved to Elizabeth. “Tsk, eyes and arm. Missy, this won’t be pretty and it’ll hurt like hell.” Without warning, he used both hands to tear Elizabeth’s eyes out, causing her to scream. “Stay still, it’ll be over soon.”

The green flame once again worked its way into her eye sockets. I watched in amazement as her eyes slowly started healing. After a few minutes, they had completely regrown. Then he cut the stump that remained of her arm and once again used the green flames, and we watched in awe as her arm regrew. She finally had it back. With a word once again, he moved to Xeno.

“Rot on the leg, poor attempts at healing. You’re a man, right? Then you’ll be fine.” Again, with no warning, the man pulled out a knife and sliced a small part of the stump from Xeno’s legs as he grunted, sweat dripping from his forehead. Once again, we watched in amazement as his leg regrew back. Is this how it was for me?

Next he moved to Alexander. Looking him over, he shook his head. “You’ll heal in time.”

Before he could move though, Getsuna spoke. “He needs to be healed, Rod. You know why.”

“Hmph. Fine, but I’m charging double.”

This time, Rod struck a palm out in front of Alexander. Alexander was then engulfed in green flames, and this continued for about ten minutes before it flickered out.

“Tsk, what power resides in those wounds? Who the hell did you all fight, the Blood God Himself?” Shaking his head, he moved to Xia.

“Severe nerve damage, tendon damage and a bone that is no longer a bone. Eye needs to be regrown too. Missy, bite your lip.”

For the first time, Xia had a look of fear as she steeled herself. Rod used his knife again and cut off Xia’s arm, which was completely unexpected, before he started regrowing it. Soon, it had regrown completely. Next, he pulled her eye out without any warning and did the same. Her eye had completely regrown in the next moment.

“Right, anyone else?”

I called out to Coffee, who weakly answered my call and came out. Rod took one look and sighed.

“Spirit Beast? An exotic pet, but harder to heal than Alexander here. It’ll be double the cost.”

I felt a bit sad and was about to summon Coffee back when Getsuna spoke. “Do it, Rod. I told you before, the cost doesn’t matter. Everyone here needs to be healed back to full strength. We can’t afford any delays.”

“Yes yes. I’m just telling you. Right mutt, get ready.”

Like Alexander, he engulfed Coffee in a green flame, much denser than before. Coffee laid there, not making a sound, causing me to smile slightly. I could sense that he wanted to show me how tough he was. After nearly twenty minutes, the flames disappeared as Rod seemed to pale a bit.

“Triple the cost, the mutt required far more than I had thought. Right, I'm leaving now, don’t forget my payment!”

Coffee sat up and barked at Rod happily before running over to me and nudging my hands, looking at me with concern. I smile as I pet him, noticing his wounds had recovered.

Bursting into flames, Rod disappeared as Getsuna sighed. “I fucking hate him.” Muttering this, he flicked his wrist, creating a crack and disappeared through it while saying “I’ll leave you to handle everything else, Alex.”

“Alright, you guys will need time to adjust to your newly regrown body parts. Don’t get used to it, it can only be used once or twice. It uses your lifespan, and the cost is not small. Once you pass the Crossroads you can afford it a bit more.” Alexander stood as that aura of his confident, strong self returned. He looked at Summer. “What are your plans, are you going to continue your exploration or return to Vale?”

We had discussed this last night between all of us. “We’ll continue for a few more days then head back. We still have Olivia and Alice to pick up before heading back.”

“Good. You’re adventurers, while your comrades may die you need to always move on and finish what you’ve started. I’ll take Bloom, Amelia, Xander, and Amanda back with me. Leon also wishes to return so I will take him with me. Miss Tessa, what are your plans?”

“I’ll watch over these guys while they finish up here and ensure they return to Vale in one piece. My wound needs more time to heal so I can’t Travel right now.”

“Thank you.” Snapping his fingers, a pulse of mana went out from him as Bloom, Amelia, Xander and Amanda floated behind him. He headed over to Leon’s tent, used the same magic and started walking into the air. “I’ll see you all back at Vale. I’ll make arrangements for their funerals and wait for you all to be there. Alisha, come and see me once you’ve returned and rested, we’ll begin mana control lessons.”

After my confirmation, Alexander gave us one last nod and disappeared as he moved quickly through the air, and was soon out of our sight.

“Are you guys planning to head back to the centre of the city?” After telling Tessa we were, she nodded. “Good, if you wanted to explore the other side of it you’d be shit out of luck. Here, I’ll show you.” Tessa puts her arm around my waist and leaps into the air. At first I was surprised, but she held me up while keeping a foothold. “There, that is the result of the fight Alexander and the others participated in.”

Looking in the direction she pointed, I was stunned. Half the city beyond the centre was gone, a giant crater replaced it. Parts of it were aflame, earth spikes and domes covered it while black flames and corrosion lingered. I could see massive cuts in the earth, and I could tell there were sword cuts. The size is what terrified me, you could fit a mountain or two in there!

Tessa guides us downwards before bringing others up to see it, they too all looked pale. I knew that at full strength the most I could possibly do would be like, a person wide hole in the ground, but a crater that huge? I shuddered at the thought of the power needed for that.

“That sight? Never forget it, that is what it looks like to fight as one who has stepped beyond the Crossroads and gone through some tribulations. All of you will experience fights like that once you’ve passed the Crossroads.”

“How the fuck do we even have a world if that’s the result of a fight?” Summer had a look of excitement and fear in her eyes as she asked.

“Because most of the time we fight in the air, Domains or Dimensions, avoiding damage to the world, in most cases. Oh, that reminds me, you guys should start learning about Dimensions, it’s the upgraded version of Domains, though a lot harder to use but far stronger. Learning about them will help you guys prepare for when you’re faced against them. Right, before you guys pack up and leave, do you want me to go and fetch Olivia and Alice?”

Pondering, I nodded. “Please. I fear Alice might’ve witnessed everything through my eyes and is now scared.”

“Got it, I’ll head there now. It’ll be about an hour there and an hour back at full speed, but with my injuries it’ll be likely several hours.” We got to work packing everything as Tessa stepped into the air and left.

While everyone got used to their regrown body parts, I sat with Summer while we talked. It was mostly to distract us. In truth, the deaths of Bloom and Amelia weighed heavily on our minds, as did Xander and Amanda. If we didn’t spend time to talk to each other like this we’d probably fall into sadness.

Soon, I saw Tessa in the air with Olivia in one hand and Alice in the other. Both saw me, Alice waved heavily while Olivia looked confused but still smiled. I see, they didn’t know or see any of what happened. Olivia’s gaze looks towards the crater in the distance and I see her pale.

They land near me and Alice runs over, hugging me tightly before letting go and hugging Coffee who had been sitting next to me. As they went to go and play, Olivia approached me.

“You look terrible. Both of you do, everyone here does. Where is Bloom, Amelia and Leon? I thought they came with you guys?”

Pursing my lips, I started to tell Olivia everything that had happened while holding back my frustrations.