Bright sunlight shines through the wide windows. It made its way from the dark skies through the countless Skytowers to this room, also part of a Skytower. Glass decorations around the open room refract it into a dazzling rainbow glimmer. Sitting comfortably on a rocking chair is a thin man, half his body in shadows, the other half dyed in all colors of the rainbow. Facing him are our adventurers. Cenvin pushes open his eyelids with difficulty.

“Who the hell are you?” He asks angrily, “What do you want?”

Alongside him, Durand also wakes up. He struggles to stand, but he realizes both are tied to their chairs with rope. He gives the man a death glare and attempts to break the rope. He fails. Calmly looking around, he notices their gear piled in a corner.

“Let us-”

“Aurelius,” the man cuts him off. His voice is silky, but the adventurers sense the undertone of a fox. Still, they can’t help but calm down at the sound of his buttery words. “The man at a smithy who was brutally murdered by some puny thief. Shame on him.”

Cenvin turns white.

“I am his brother. Lucius.”

“So you’re going to avenge him?” Durand yells. He vaporizes his constraints and stands. “Well, you’re going to have to do that with a battle!”

“Sit,” Lucius waves lazily. “Or float in the air. That would be preferable, on second thought.”

Trapped in an invisible box, Durand floats into the air. He bangs against the clear walls and yells, to no avail. He looks at Cenvin’s restraints and they fall, freeing Cenvin.

Cenvin charges for a tackle, but he smashes his head against a transparent wall and stumbles back, head buzzing.

Lucius speaks to Durand casually.

“I heard you can solidify anything. I imagine that includes air?”

“What’s it to you?”

Lucius raises his head in a pleasant chuckle.

“I specialize in solidifying air. I can even control it. I suppose, after all, a jack of all trades can’t beat an expert in their field.”

Durand bangs against his invisible prison furiously.

“You can’t beat me. At least not here. How about you two accept it, sit down, and hear what I say civilizedly?

Cenvin quickly returns to his chair.

“Nyri…” he mutters under his breath. “She can save us.”

Lucius, who has not heard him, lets Durand down gently. They both return to their respective seats. Lucius takes a breath and drinks a green liquid from a nearby cup.

“Excellent tea. Brewed from spectralroots. Heavily recommended for enhancing your ability, but that’s simply a myth,” he remarks. “Now. Let me explain some questions you surely have in your mind.”

Durand and Cenvin lean back to prepare for a lore drop.

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“Thalia Bright and Sinner the Wandering. They have led you here to see me. I’m the man who can save that friend of yours. They have intended for you two to be recruited into my organization which specializes in dealing with the Otherworld. You see, we are at war. This is a one-sided battle. The Otherworld monsters feed off the people to survive. They have matched our human population, and only a minuscule amount of us are Gifted and able to fight back.

“There are currently two major human factions in the war effort. Us, Shadow’s Edge. We train Mercs who regularly go and perform missions for us to aid the war effort. The other is Starmetal Valley. They are a city district in the middle of the Italica peninsula. The entire city is Gifted and they primarily research technology and the Gifts. Their soldiers are primarily called Orions. Ours are Mercs.

“What’s good for us is that the Kingdom of Italica is on our side. Their lands occupy the entire peninsula, giving them a wide coastline. This allows for swift communication across the Kingdom. The Royalty is also Gifted. She supports us and Starmetal with the kingdom’s resources.

“With those valuable resources, Starmetal had figured out the patterns behind large-scale Otherworld attacks, called hunts. I believe you’ve witnessed one of them in Eldenhaven and Silvergate. Whenever a person becomes Gifted, it triggers a signal only detectable by Otherworld creatures and they all flock to the Gifted’s location to get rid of any future opposition. We have been suppressing any hunts near Italica City with metal machines fueled by abilities. It intercepts and contains the signals inside of it.

“We have many Gifteds in service. Many are healers.”

“Then you can heal Brett?” Cenvin interrupts.

Lucius chuckles again and throws both of them a smooth, round stone. Durand’s stone has a triangular shape etched into the round surface. Cenvin’s a cross.

“Sending stones. If you want us to heal your friend, you will prove your loyalty to our cause. It is a noble one. You will be great assets in our cause of saving the world.”

“I’m in,” Durand says. “Anything for Brett.”

Cenvin rolls his eyes. “Guess I’m in too, then.”

“Excellent! Then I will introduce you to a new member of the team. Meet Lenny the Honey Badger.”

“Why is he a honey badger?”

“My friends, it is but a magical experiment gone wrong,” a high-pitched voice squeaks. A honey badger walks on two feet into the room. It slams the door behind it shut. A flash of annoyance blinks on Lucius’s face. Lenny stands tall and judges the adventurers.

“Not a ragtag group of people, I’ll admit. You two better not get in my way.”

Cenvin turns red, but Durand raises an arm to hold them back. Lenny, who did not notice, superciliously walks to their side. Lucius beholds the adventurers before him like a sommelier and his wine.

“I believe you can be called a party now,” he observes. “Not the best I’ve seen, but you reach the minimum. Every party needs a home base. I have prepared a penthouse for you at a nearby Skytower. For reference, we are currently in the West district. I hope it will be to your liking.”

He bows and orders a servant to show them out. Before they leave, Lucius adds.

“I know I have talked about Starmetal Valley in a good light. Please don’t be deceived. They are evil men who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal of decimating the Otherworld.”

“This place is alright, I suppose,” Cenvin shrugs his shoulders in an attempt to hide his awe.

The penthouse is on top of a Skytower that overlooks the Western street. It doesn’t reach the clouds, but nevertheless, it looms over most other Skytowers. In the lengthy trip on the Hyperslate up the building, Cenvin had argued with Lenny on their different views on blue cheese. Durand declared that Lenny won the debate. For the next ten minutes, Cenvin sulked as they climbed higher and higher until the pedestrians below were mere fleas.

Cenvin shudders.

“Diem, don’t use that word.”

“You’re afraid of fleas?” Lenny teases. “You’re not a joke, you’re a whole comedy routine.”

The interior of the penthouse is spartan yet clean. Every basic need can be met here while providing spaces to move around freely. Durand draws back the window curtains. Sunlight spills into the room, lighting it into a relaxing atmosphere. The warm colors permeate everywhere throughout the penthouse. Added to the black sky and the walking honey badger, the place felt dreamlike—like a figment of one’s imagination.

Woah woah hold on, that’s hitting a bit too close to the truth. Narrator-module is acting out over here. Jonathan! Fix this! Um… Dear readers, we will end this chapter earlier to fix this… technical issue. Thank you!