I looked down and tried to move, but my body was surrounded by disgusting black flesh. It jerked, and a hole ruptured on the side, spewing gold gunk across the pyramid.

The mindeater flew upwards and grabbed my head. "What have you done! What have you done!"

I punched my tongue through its throat, and chains tried to tear me asunder. But I retracted my tongue and forced them closer while freeing my arms.

"You tried to eat me. So I devoured your god instead. Get fucked," I taunted.

A shard of ice cut my tongue in half, and I tore my body free. I kicked the mindeater into the deflating brain.

The mana threads Xena had been condensing split apart, and I created the object even as my vision shrunk to pinpoints.

A profound wrongness cracked my core, but I didn't care.

I weaved the last of the energy into a barrier in front of me and encased myself in crystal. Another stream of mana shot out and impacted the core, coating it in layers of protective material, until my mana ran dry.

I hefted the metal sphere and lobbed it.

He caught it, but I laughed as I sent a single spark beneath the bomb's plating.

The world turned white.

----

I came to and brushed the dust aside.

Everything hurt.

My mana channels were lava, and my skin was sandpaper. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't move.

"Thhhnnng"

Can't speak either. Damn. Can I move my head?

Pain shot through my spine, but I managed to shift an inch. I found Xena's frail form unmoving atop a pile of rocks.

I can't tell if she's alive. Her wings are gone...

If I couldn't move in the physical, then I had another option.

I shut my eyes and sank into a meditative state. The world fell away, and the pain muted as I took in my soulspace.

To say it was damaged would be an understatement. The island I stood on had massive cracks disrupting the runes embedded into the obsidian. The lake was dried up, and for the first time, I saw a bottom.

A brief chill shot down my spine.

The energy floating above was nothing more than sparse clouds that lost cohesion the longer I stared.

Really fucked up this time.

Yet, in the center, a golden marble floated above. I teleported myself next to it and stared. The very sight of it gave me a pounding headache that.

I looked away and saw a swarm of skillwisps race toward me. They surrounded and tackled me, bunching together as they pushed into my chest.

Only Chomperz stayed away, but that didn't stop me from reaching out and wrapping the spirits in a hug.

"Hey, everyone. I'm sorry for earlier, but there wasn't a lot of time."

They each responded. Some, like Zharia and Sturmrorex, were angry. Áine, Magnus, and even Erebus showed concern.

Time lost meaning as I stood there, hugging my familiars tight. The painful memories while inside the god's illusion, dream? Whatever it was, I remembered them visibly.

Out of all the memories burned away, I felt like a fool for clinging so desperately to the one displaying the faces. Even now, the happy couple haunted me.

Chomp!

I looked up and wiped the tears onto my hoodie. "Yeah, buddy?"

His skill wisp floated closer and tapped through my head. He then tapped the golden marble and jerked his paw away. I nearly lunged for him, but he backed away until I stopped.

He slowly floated upward and reached for my head. As he touched my avatar's skin. A jolt of electricity zapped my brain and brought a cooling sensation.

The memory of the two faces became blurry, and a chest locked the painting away. When I thought about it, the chest appeared, and it began to open, but I quickly slammed it shut and shook my head.

"Thank you,"

Chomp!

I sighed and slowly released my familiars. Only Áine stayed, and I let her settle onto my palm. "I'm going to try summoning you. I know my mana channels are ruined, but ignore my pain, okay? First things first. Heal Xena, then me. Make sure she's alive."

Áine tried to protest, but I had already exited the soulspace. My spirits crowd together, their emotions bleeding through even unsummoned.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I tried to call my mana, but I realized why it didn't work after I stopped seizing.

Fuck. Forgot the no mana. Going to have to wait.

Mana slowly tricked up, but with a wince, I noticed it bleed away, my channels unable to contain it all.

What should have taken me minutes stretched into an hour.

With nothing to do, I thought of how people would react when I told them the story. Besides Teddy, the others would probably be pissed off.

I doubted they would have agreed to be sequestered away in a safe space if they knew what I fought. Truth be told, I could probably have used their help. But I wasn't willing to risk their lives.

Even Panasia nearly died after the double explosions.

I owe her a drink. I hope she likes Bera's brew.

Another half hour passed, and I finally had enough to summon Áine. The mana churned; what little regeneration I had from my perk was too minimal to matter. But still, I forced the mana to connect even as a scream tore from my throat.

Áine popped into existence and slapped my cheek with a burst of healing. She flew to Xena and began pumping mana into her back, but after a minute, she backed away and hopped onto my chest.

"Is she alive?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed my familiar's mana. The flowers and fresh grass calmed me. Warmth filled my body, and I only now realized I had been shivering. I just couldn't feel the effects of the mana shock.

A loud pop burst behind me just as my flesh started to restitch. Áine launched into the air, her fists ready, but then she stopped and floated out of view.

"Áine? Who's there?"

"I believe I owe you an apology, Cyrus," came a familiar voice.

I strained my neck but was casually picked up and sat on a couch with pillows supporting my arms and a table supporting my leg.

"If I'm being honest? I only half regret listening to you," I said.

Cal sat down on the opposite couch. He looked worried, angry–annoyed even.

"I don't blame you," he spoke softly. "This was not predicted."

I tried to laugh, but needles serrated my guts.

"Oww. Yeah, well, I don't think planning things is easy for me."

Cal shared a weak smile. "True enough. But here, eat this."

He waved his hand, and a funky plate of cookies appeared. The cream was made of stars, and the cookies looked like clouds.

I slowly reached for one, which floated off the plate and into my hands. "Thanks,"

Cal chuckled and watched me chew on the cookie.

It tasted surprisingly bitter. But something tickled the back of my throat and slid into my chest. I frowned and dived into my soulspace.

Before my eyes, the cracks along the island began to repair themselves while the world regained some of its lost color.

I exited the soulspace and stared at the plate of cookies. Without asking, another popped up, and I chomped down happily.

As I reached for it, a can of cola appeared, and the tab popped open with a satisfying fizzz. I downed two more before I felt full. I finished the last of the soda and tossed it behind me.

"Why the bitterness?" I asked as I burped.

"I've tried everything, but they stay bitter. No matter what combination of medicinal herbs and sugar, the taste never changes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Never asked, but you cook?"

"You have to have something to keep yourself sane. Immortality is a curse as much as it is a blessing. It's easier when you spend time half awake. But grounded to a world like this? You need a hobby."

"Makes sense. So, uh, why are you here? I didn't know you could come into Helio. The whole fragment of a dead god and all."

Áine booped my nose and hopped onto the table before transferring to Cal's lap. He conjured a strange bowl-chair where she sat and relaxed while dipping her hand into a bowl's worth of juice.

I snorted at my familiar's antics and tipped over. The soft cushions welcomed my face, and I adjusted them so I could still stare at Cal's.

He looked upset again.

"You swallowed the fragment, which means I can visit you, even inside a dungeon. Loopholes. But the other gods will arrive in a couple of hours.

"That's not a lot of time."

"No, it isn't," he scowled. "But the kingdom's cleansers will arrive soon enough."

"So what's up?"

He released a long, full-body sigh. "You were supposed to enter the dungeon, fight with Broken Tower, and fight a tier three monster. The guild master should have helped, and Broken Tower is easily strong enough to handle a tier three themselves. But the godshard taking control of the dungeon core and trapped its fairy? That was unplanned."

I took in the information and shrugged. "You said to be silent before. I still don't see what the big deal is."

"Cyrus... How do you think people will react knowing that dungeons are not only alive but they are being constantly watched while inside? That a dungeoncore exists and if they really wanted too, there are ways to reach it. What will happen when people access the kind of power a dungeon can control? The amount of ether stored inside?"

Oooh. Yeah, I guess that'd be pretty bad.

"Moving past those implications, I am glad you are alive. It is my fault for underappreciating how chaotic your fate is. And now that you've discovered this secret, I am here to ask you a favor. I cannot force it, but I-"

"Done. I won't say a word. I trust you, Cal; you didn't even need to ask."

He cracked a smile and exhaled. "Thank you. But unfortunately, that is not the only favor."

My eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You met Albrus, yes? I sensed his presence before the city was shut off from divine sight."

"Kind old man, shared some tea, had some awesome tattoos? Yeah, I met him."

"And he told you about a choice?"

This time, I stared. Hard.

Cal waved me off. "I know Albrus, and I expected him to contact you eventually. Besides, your memory already told me as much. As scattered as it is..."

"He said I had to make a choice," I said carefully. "I thought I already did the moment I decided to fight the mindeater and his bastard of a god."

"Unfortunately not." He snapped his fingers, and the charred remains of the mindeater floated over. Its entire surface area was nothing but crispy black skin. "The real choice, is this."

"The corpse?"

He replaced the cookies and laid the mindeater atop the table.

"It's still alive."

I moved without thinking and aimed my claws at its throat. Cal's hand easily stopped me and gently pushed me back onto the couch.

"Cal!"

"Calm, Cyrus. You'll want to listen to the favor and the offer," he replied.

My eye twitched but I settled in. If I didn't trust the god, I shouldn't have shared my memories amongst other things.

It better be worth it, though. That fucker traumatized me enough.

"I'm listening."

"To cut a story short, Eraztis has asked me to ask you to spare the mindeater. As well as give up the divine fragment."

I breathed in and exhaled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, believe it or not. Mindeaters are exceedingly rare. It's Eraztis' original species. He can tell you himself, but the Weave dislikes their creation and are usually snuffed out if never born in the first place."

"That's... Why?"

Cal shrugged. "We don't know. We think it has something to do with their tendencies to hop between dimensions. Eraztis is the sole survivor of his kind, and even his memories were wiped regarding his creation. So he wants you to preserve this one."

"And what do I get in return?"

"As a reward? A favor owed to me and you from Eraztis. The safety of the city. And a skillstone of your choosing."

"No."

"What?"

"One skillstone isn't enough. Fuck that. Also, asking me to give up divinity is a lot. I may not know what to do with it, but I'm not stupid."

Instead of being angry, Cal grinned from ear to ear. With a snap, another pop rang out and a new figure joined the opposing couch as Cal shuffled over to make room.

Eraztis folded his hands, his purple robe puffing up until he adjusted. When he finished, he stared at the mind eater on the table and then met my eyes.

"I'm ready to discuss the terms of our deal," Eraztis said, his buttery-smoothed voice filled my ears.