Chapter 135: The Third Domino

Few would dispute that, in the wrong hands, power could be warped into a corrupting, destructive force. But power did not need to corrupt to be destructive. Given enough power, even those with the best and purest of intentions had the potential to alter the fate of the world for the worse—but also for the better. Either outcome was possible, and so too were both outcomes occurring simultaneously. With just a whisper on the wind, an emperor could save ten lives while ending another ten: such was the weight of consequence upon the shoulders of those whose very words could part the seas or move mountains.

It would be some time before Zach would learn what the ramifications would be of the incredibly risky decision he was going to make in a few moments from now. It was an idea that had come to him shortly before going to bed and had caused him to toss and turn all night long, even waking Kalana a few times in the early-morning hours—though he did not tell her why. She had no clue what he was planning, and neither did anyone else. And truthfully? It wasn’t even until Zach arose from bed and wiped the crust out of his eyes that he came to realize, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was actually going to go through with it.

I have to do it, he thought. Otherwise, there could be even bigger problems down the line.

A domino cannot be blamed for the existence of the one behind it, nor can the domino behind it take responsibility for any subsequent dominos farther down the line. Nevertheless, if the first one falls, they all do. And though the idea of mucking around with the fate of civilization was the furthest thing from Zach’s mind, the ability to radically transform the world was something that naturally accompanied a boy who could speak with Gods. One day, Zach would better understand this. But for today, he was focused on a much narrower set of problems.

Where in the fuck did Kal put my Gods-be-damned toothbrush?

“Kal,” he said in a whispery hiss, reentering the master bedroom after only having just left it. “Are you awake?”

She yawned. “What is it, baby?”

“Where’d you hide my toothbrush?”

She frowned. His question seemed to wipe away any drowsiness within her, and now she lifted herself up off the bed and entered into a sitting position, causing a single golden strand of her hair to fall before her right eye. “I didn’t hide your toothbrush. It’s in the brush holder in the top drawer.”

“Uh, why?”

“Why?” she repeated, sounding annoyed. “It’s ‘cause I don’t live like a slob. You can’t just leave it lying loose on the sink. That’s gross! Put your things away. Umm, you left your underwear lying on the floor last night and I had to pick it up. I’m not your maid.”

“Why don’t we just hire one, then?” he asked roguishly.

From the way her frown deepened, he knew he was better off easing up before she punished him by pretending not to be mad even though she clearly was. That was the worst punishment of them all. Zach couldn’t stand it when she did the whole “I’m not mad” routine. When Zach was mad, he just said so. Kalana, on the other hand, would say she wasn’t and then have like this weird attitude for a few hours, in which she’d talk in a more quiet, subdued tone, say things more slowly, and more forcefully punctuate her words.

Girls, he thought, rolling his eyes.

Returning to the bathroom, he located the cleverly hidden toothbrush and then cleaned himself up. Despite the safety of the island, he decided to wear his full set of equipment today—but not before pulling up his base stats. It’d been a bit of time since he’d had a look at where he stood while having no gear equipped and no buffs active on him aside from Will of the Favored, which did not grant him any kind of bonus. Tapping himself four times on the shoulder, he smiled and nodded in approval at what he saw. It was hard to believe that, not even a month ago, he’d become so upset and frustrated whenever he checked out his base stats. Boy, what a few good level ups could accomplish.

Zachys Calador: Level 23

(82/265000xp)

54 strength

52 dexterity

47 constitution

82 intelligence

42 speed

15 luck

Observing himself in the mirror, it was impossible not to notice the way his shoulders had become much broader, his jaw a bit sharper, and his chest a great deal more solid. These things had happened to Zach gradually since becoming an adventurer, but it was only during these past two weeks that he’d had the opportunity to slow himself down and really take note of his bodily changes.

I can’t believe this is me, he thought, lifting his left arm and then his right, twisting his body somewhat, amazed at the sight of his own form. His daily, intense “therapy sparring” sessions with Jascaila had also greatly benefitted his body as well as his mind.

I’m actually becoming buff.

Zach had abs now, and his muscles were far more defined. He was becoming strong: capable. It was hard to believe he was the same person who’d cried and begged Varsh to spare his life. If only he had been the person back then that he was now. Even without a single piece of gear—or hell, even without his sword—he was fairly sure he could take down Varsh in five seconds flat if the guy was still alive and tried to pull something like that again.

Don’t get overconfident, he warned himself. Then you’re just asking the universe to prove you wrong.

Still, it was difficult not to take pride in his stats as they now stood. Even without a single piece of gear equipped, his strength was slightly more than twice his level, which meant, technically, he could play the role of an average, mediocre bruiser while completely naked and unarmed. But with his gear on? That shot it up to over a hundred. He grinned as he thought about getting stronger and stronger and how much more he could still improve. Why had he feared it so much? Why had the thought of rising above the clouds caused him such trepidation and angst?

Wasn’t that what I wanted to begin with? Wasn’t that the promise I made to myself? To be strong enough so that no one could ever again do to me what Varsh did?

It was. He remembered it keenly. And truly, more than anything else, what terrified Zach was being an ant for others to step on. That was what really scared him—and always had. Even before he’d become an adventurer, that had always been his greatest fear. It was only due to the shock of discovering his own potential that he became so inwardly afraid of his own self. But those days were over. From now on, he was not going to be afraid of growing as strong as he could: he would not be afraid of himself. That, he was prepared to truly put behind him.

Maybe a bit of overconfidence is a good thing for today, he realized. But only for today. It might help me succeed in what I’m going to do. Actually, it definitely will.

Unlike his new friend, Jimmy, who had the utmost of confidence in the things he believed he was good at, Zach was naturally inclined towards pessimism and feelings of low self-esteem. But he knew that today was not the day to go down that road; no, he was about to do something crazy, and for him to succeed, he had to be confident and sure of himself. He needed to be decisive and in control of his emotions. There was absolutely no room for doubt or second-guessing himself. Actually, come to think of it, what he really needed was to channel a mix of Mr. Oren and Jimmy into himself. For what he planned to accomplish, he could not afford to show even the slightest bit of hesitance or uncertainty; if he outwardly expressed either trait, it would result in disaster, and his plans would backfire on him spectacularly and affect far more people than just himself.

I’ve got this, he told himself. I’m making the right choice. I’m sticking to it. I’m doing this!

Zach got dressed in a hurry, slipping into his dark robes, even darker cloak, and his trousers and gloves. Then he slid on his rings, bracelets, and lastly, his neck pendant. Oh, and of course, he retrieved his sword and scabbard from Bank and Storage. The increase in stats made him feel more powerful physically, which had the psychological effect of making him feel more in control mentally, as well. He was ready.

Exiting the bathroom, he noticed that it would still be about thirty minutes until sunrise. This meant the all-night-long, hellish storm was raging on the island. By now, Zach was so accustomed to the nightly storm that his brain had begun simply filtering out the very loud booms of thunder and the intense pattering of teeming rain and, in some cases, hail.

Briefly returning to the master bedroom, he kept his voice low and said, “Kal, I’m going out.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re not gonna wait for everyone to be up?”

He shook his head. “Not this time, Kal. I need to speak to Eilea alone.”

She glared at him and raised her finger to her nose, shushing him. She looked at him as though he was careless for speaking that name aloud. Yet it was intentional. But Zach was not about to tell Kal that—at least not just yet. Very, very soon, but not quite right now. If all went well, she’d understand within an hour from now, hopefully even sooner. They all would. It was a temporary secret he was keeping to avoid letting her or anyone unintentionally sow doubt in his mind.

She’ll understand, Zach thought. Well, about that secret at least. Not so sure about the other one…

Actually, there was an even more serious secret he was keeping from her, and this one made him feel legitimately guilty. It was going to make her very, very sad and angry when she found out about Zach’s mission to free Vim Alazar. At the moment, only Jascaila and Mr. Oren knew of his plans to rescue the short, sharp-tongued guild-leader of the Royal Roses. But Kalana most certainly did not know—and Zach had absolutely no intention whatsoever of informing her until after it was all over and done with. Because he knew she would try to go with him, and the idea of that disturbed him for a whole number of different reasons.

To begin with, Zach did not want her to witness him killing people again, especially since any last trace of bloodlust Kalana felt towards the guilds genuinely seemed to be long gone. The girl who had texted him back during his first foray into Yorna informing him of her plan to one day kill all the guild leaders—that Kalana clearly no longer existed. Her bitterness had seemingly come and gone, likely in part due to her sessions with Jascaila and the fact that she would soon have real, actual power in Whispery Woods. The responsibility seemed to have sobered her up to the impracticality of world domination, and even if it hadn’t, witnessing firsthand where those ambitions had led the Guild of Gentlemen would have done the job just the same.

I don’t want her to ever become like me, Zach thought. She’s innocent in a way I can never again be.

Through some miracle, Kalana had managed to get this far without ever having killed anyone, and she refused to do so, which while noble—and something Zach loved so dearly about her—would expose her to terrible danger in a life-or-death fight. After all, the enemy definitely did not subscribe to her world view, and they would not pull their punches. Honestly, Zach wasn’t sure he could bring himself to fight properly while the love of his life was there. He didn’t want to see her kill, nor did he want her to see him kill. And her pacifist method of knocking the enemy out cold…that might not fly this time around. Especially not if Zach went with a certain battle plan that he’d begun dreaming up…

There’ll be no avoiding the bloodshed if everything goes according to plan.

At any rate, the specific plan of action was a conversation to be had later today with Mr. Oren. But no matter what he ended up doing, he knew he could not be who he needed to be if Kalana was there. In order to become the person he had to become to fight a battle that had to be fought—her presence would make that impossible for him. No, if he was going to do this, he needed to be quick, efficient, and get the job done as fast as possible. For him to do so, he had to go without her. He simply would not be able to get it done otherwise. Not with her watching him. Not with him worried about her.

I hope I don’t hurt her too badly, he thought. I hope…I hope she doesn’t break up with me because of this. She’s going to take this as a betrayal.

Zach shook the worrisome thoughts from his head, as this was a monumentally bad time to even be considering something so dispiriting and paranoid. Right now, he needed to be the most confident and headstrong he’d ever been in his life. This was a do-or-die moment. And so, shoving his concerns over Kalana aside for the moment, he nodded at her then exited the bedroom, creeping silently to the front of the house so as not to wake anyone.

On his way there, however, he did end up getting spotted, but luckily, it was only by Fluffles, which meant he could buy the cat’s silence with the promise of three cans of premium tuna and Cat-Yum’s Chicken Deluxe. All in all, it only took him about half a minute to deal with Fluffles’ extortion, and then the cat went back to sleep, and Zach crept the rest of the way to the front door. Before exiting, though, he paused to open the closet near the entrance, which contained rain coats and umbrellas; he reached inside to grab himself one of each. He stopped, however, deciding he didn’t even care if he got wet. In fact, the intense rain might even get his blood pumping. He needed to really be on his game right now. Maybe a bit of rain would make him even more alert.

Here I go…I’m really doing this.

Unprotected against the elements, Zach pulled open the front door, stepped outside into the continuous, nightly storm, and was drenched from head to toe in a matter of seconds. Like, absolutely soaked. He laughed, however, as the rush of water down on top of him really did make him feel more alive, and so did the way the dark sky lit up with a brilliant blue, which was followed by a boom of thunder so loud it made the inside of his skull feel like it was vibrating.

His feet making squishing sounds against the grass, he jogged about a half a mile through the darkness before stopping, as there was no set distance he needed to travel. The only reason he’d left the home at all was to make absolutely, one-hundred percent sure that nobody distracted or bothered him as he embarked on what would either turn out to be a successful gambit or one of the dumbest mistakes he’d ever made in his life. Realizing this, he felt the first pinch of nerves enter his belly, but he clamped down on it like a security gate. This was not the time for fear, as fear could be felt. His emotions would not be private.

Be confident, he told himself, saying it over and over while gripping his hands into fists. I know I can do this. Be confident. Be confident. Be confident!

Taking just a few more seconds to let the teeming rain continuously drench him, he forced a grin onto his lips, psyched himself up, and made himself believe he was as confident as he wanted to be. Somehow, through some means, by repeating the chant in his head over and over, he actually succeeded in convincing himself. Feeling much more upbeat and positive, he decided that now was the time. And with that, he reached out.

Eilea. We need to talk. Now.

He waited. There was no reply.

I know we’re not supposed to talk for another hour, but the time’s now. Eilea, can you hear me? I need you to respond to m—

“Zach, what’s wrong?” she asked, appearing abruptly in his head. She sounded alarmed, likely offput by the unexpectedly early contact. When two or three seconds went by and Zach did not reply, she began to speak in his stead—and she spoke quickly, too. She spoke so fast it was almost difficult to comprehend her words, which fired off rapidly in his brain.

“Did you contact me by mistake?” she asked him. Then she continued on speaking without waiting for an answer. “No? So does that mean you wish to start the clock now? We’ve got so many things to discuss, so I hope you’re sure about this. In fact, you should really start talking. There’s not even time for me to ask why you’re contacting me ahead of schedule. I’ll just have to assume you have a very good reason.”

Rather than begin the conversation, Zach closed his eyes and projected a feeling of a sort of calm, confident coolness that he hoped Eilea would pick up on. Whether she did or didn’t, it did not seem to ease her, because in return, he felt her becoming worried and anxious as the seconds ticked down.

“Zach, you need to start speaking. Or should I? Okay, I’ll just talk then.” And she did. “Regarding Project Rejuvenation, you don’t have to worry about it for a bit. Adamus has no choice but to delay it as a result of the damage to the system. So, we’ll shelve that for this week, all right? Now, onto more important matters. Let’s discuss the weapons program. I have a whole lot of new and very important information about that. I also haven’t told you this yet, but Prila is actually the one who—”

Stop, he said.

“—I have working on it. And she—”

Eilea, please, stop, he said again. And now, he could actually feel her confusion.

“Stop?” she asked as if dumbstruck. “Zach, we’ve barely covered anything at all, and we’ve already wasted half a minute!”

Yeah, so uh, about that, he said to her. We’re not going to worry about that anymore. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve got all the time we want.

“Wh-what do you mean?” she asked, her confusion plainly intensifying. “Zach, I can only hold this for five minutes.”

So stop holding it.

“Huh? Am I hearing you correctly?”

Yes. Stop holding it.

“But…if I lower the mental barrier between us, my wretched husband shall overhear our conversation.”

I know. And that’s what I want.

“You what?” she asked, her words coming across as a shout in his brain. Zach wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he could’ve sworn he heard the merry sound of a man laughing in the background. It must have been Eilea’s accomplice she’d told him about: someone she’d claimed that Zach was distantly related to.

I’m tired of time limits and special meeting rooms, he said to her, sending her a strong sense of conviction in addition to his words. Actually, I’m kind of putting it lightly. The truth is I’ve had enough of this bullshit, Eilea. I’m sick and tired of skulking around like some kind of criminal. So, I want you to trust me. I’ve thought this through. Lower the barrier. Please.

“Zach, that’s insane! You can’t possibly be asking me to—”

Eilea, please! Just trust me. I’m asking you to please trust me.

“Are you…you’re serious about this, Zach?”

Very. As serious as I’ve ever been. No more secret chats. Lower the barrier. Trust me, Eilea. Please.

“Very well,” she said with a good degree of reluctance; she now came across as equal parts nervous and confused. “The barrier will be lowered in three…two…one…okay, Zach, it’s down.”

It is? Good, then we don’t have to rush. He paused to take a deep breath. This is so much better, he said. As he spoke, the grin on his lips became less forced and more genuine. For once, he felt sure of himself. His nerves had completely settled. He was growing more confident by the second, and he proceeded with a sense of clarity: a sense of purpose.

So, Eilea, he thought calmly to her. He thought his words slowly—to demonstrate that he was not in any sort of haste. The rain had begun to slow, but it still showered down with enough intensity to give him a bit of a euphoric chill as a heavy breeze rolled across the land. It’s so good to talk to you again this week. We’ve got a lot to discuss, don’t we?

“Z-Zach…”

Yes?

Eilea said nothing else in reply other than his name, though even without speaking, Zach could feel her disbelief, terror, and morbid sense of confusion. She was very worried. Zach knew she was hoping he would stop talking immediately before he said something that needed to remain private. Yet he continued anyway.

What is it? he asked her. Why’ve you gone silent, Eilea?

She said nothing back for nearly ten full seconds. But Zach was patient, projecting only calm. Finally, he heard her voice echo in his mind. “You should be careful what you say to me, Zach. It can be overheard now.”

And it was with this nervously thought message that Zach knew the moment he’d waited for had finally arrived. With an unwavering resolve, Zach addressed her concerns head on. Who cares if he can hear us? he asked her. It’s not like your husband doesn’t know we talk. I’m getting tired of pretending otherwise. I mean, think about it, Eilea. That’s all we’re really doing here: we’re pretending. And you know what? It’s getting kind of stupid, isn’t it? All this sneaking around, communicating in secret like he doesn’t know exactly what we’re up to…it just isn’t my thing. It’s childish. And believe me, I say that as someone who’s a bit immature myself. I’m just so fucking tired of it. And I bet you’re tired of it too, aren’t you, Adamus?

Instantly after speaking his name, a silence lingered both in the air and in his mind. It was as though the wind was cognizant of the situation playing out in Zach’s head, causing it to still. Or maybe it was just the fact that the very first rays of sunlight added a hint of orange to an otherwise dark sky, which signaled an impending end to the storm. Either way, the silence was brief, lasting for a mere moment—but one that indeed felt longer than it actually was. Because not a half a second had come and gone when, from somewhere deep inside Zach’s mind, he heard the calm, soft-spoken voice of what sounded like an elderly man reaching across a vast distance to communicate with him in the same manner as Eilea.

“I completely agree, my child,” the voice said. “It is a pointless, juvenile game of cat and mouse during a time when the system threatens to crumble around us.”

The moment the voice rang out in his head, Zach filled with a deep sense of satisfaction. So…I’m guessing you must be Adamus then, huh? he asked, having actually managed to draw the man out. Step one: success.

As Zach stood with his back straight and his hands at his sides, he did a remarkably—and unusually—good job of keeping himself calm and in control. It was proof that the time he’d recently spent confronting his emotions with Jascaila had really done wonders in helping him maintain a grip over them, which was why he was actually succeeding at preventing himself from not only behaving in a way that externally came across as excitable, but from feeling excitable, too.

Right now, controlling his actions alone just wouldn’t be enough. For almost every other situation in life, it would be—but not for this. Not when dealing with God-like beings who could feel what he felt. Truly, this was not a stunt he would have been able to pull off a few weeks ago. And so, as a period of quiet left him with nothing but the ambient sounds of the early-morning winds, Zach was content to wait with a heart free of tension for Adamus to reply.

As he waited, the rain at last came to an end, though the storm was not quite over; a powerful gust of wind nearly blew the hooded cloak off his head. Still, he maintained his grin and relaxed himself both physically and emotionally, refusing to transmit so much as a word until Adamus replied.

Eventually, he did.

“That is indeed who I am, my child. I…had hoped that we could speak. It seems the desire was mutual.”

Zach nodded, knowing that, despite being unable to see the gesture, Adamus and Eilea would both be able to feel it. Do you know why I want to talk to you, Adamus?

“I believe I do,” he said, now replying immediately and without delay.

Why? Zach asked, wanting to see if they were on the same page.

“You wish to strike a bargain. That is why you have sought me out this morning.”

With just those words alone, Adamus proved himself to be just as prescient and perceptive as Angelica had described him. Now, drawing upon every ounce of his willpower, Zach managed to continue exuding certainty as he asked: are you open to it?

“I am,” Adamus replied, causing Zach to sigh with relief. At the same time, he could sense Eilea’s sheer, unrestrained sense of amazement and awe. He could actually feel the fact that she was speechless. She was having trouble believing that Adamus, the stubborn man who never compromised on anything significant—that he would be willing to engage in a deal. But Zach knew that he would. Oh, yes, he did. Because Adamus needed something from Zach. Something badly enough that he would be willing to make concessions.

“That’s correct,” Adamus said, confusing him for a moment. Clearly capable of feeling this confusion, he explained, “Your read on the situation is, sadly, one that I must admit is accurate. Rarely do I entertain negotiations, but indeed, the matters at hand are dire enough that I suppose at least some flexibility is in order.”

Zach was a bit taken aback. It appeared Adamus could read him far more deeply than Eilea could, as Eilea had never shown the ability to understand the thoughts that were formulating in the back of his mind. She was only capable of picking up on what he consciously chose to transmit. It appeared Adamus was able to pick up on anything that Zach did not deliberately try to shield from him. Regardless, he refused to let it rattle him, and he forced himself to stay on topic.

If I don’t help you with this weapons problem, your system might break, right?

“That is correct, my child. The proliferation of these abhorrent creations poses a grave threat to the entire system, and the breaking of the system is something I can assure you would be the worst thing to ever happen in all of history, rivaled by nothing.”

His words caused Eilea to feel a tremendous bout of anger, one that came through so clearly it actually made Zach feel anger that wasn’t his own. Though she stayed silent, she did not need to speak for Zach to understand the cause of her rage. She was displeased by the way in which Adamus viewed his system as being more valuable than sentient life. This anger only continued to grow, and Zach could now tell that she was only a moment or two from erupting on Adamus—something that could derail things before they’d even had a chance to get off the ground.

Concentrating, Zach sent her calming thoughts, and he was surprised to see how receptive she was to it, deciding to back down rather than inflame tensions. This indicated to Zach that Eilea truly did trust him. She was willing to be guided by him if he was willing to lead. She believed in him. For this reason, Zach found himself truly appreciating her.

Though he concealed this thought such that neither Eilea or Adamus could read it, he had come to view Eilea as a somewhat “imperfect” Goddess or Great One or whatever she was. Basically, it didn’t take a genius to see she clearly had some deficiencies, insecurities, and numerous weaknesses, but she was a kind woman who Zach knew he could trust. And something told him that she would jump in front of a sword for him if she could. She was honest, heartfelt, and burned with a desire to see people happy and safe. He felt none of these things from Adamus: only a calm, calculating poise.

You need my help, Zach said. And I’ll give it. I’ll take care of the problem for you. But I want several things in return.

“I did expect that you would. If it is within reason, and if it does not violate my principles, I shall fairly consider each one.”

Good. This was the response Zach had hoped for. But the real battle would begin now. Bringing to mind his memories of Mr. Oren, Zach tried his best to let himself be guided by his former science teacher’s natural gift at this sort of thing. He asked himself how Mr. Oren would proceed if it was him engaging in this conversation and not Zach. He knew he could never truly be a stand-in for the adventurer-turned-world-leader, but if he could just come close…it might be enough.

Let’s see about that, then, he said. How about we start with the easiest thing first? Actually, I think my first demand is something we can actually reach an agreement on without much issue, and it involves all the secrecy. I’ll be honest with you: I’m tired of tiptoeing around and trying to keep secrets that you already know I know. Can we please just cut the bullshit? I’ve let way too much slip by accident over these past few weeks at various times. There’s no way you don’t know exactly what things I’ve found out about you and Galterra.

“Very well," Adamus agreed. "For the sake of proving myself an actor of good faith, I will confirm your suspicions. Though I cannot prove it to my own standards, I am well aware you’ve been apprised of numerous secrets: such as the fact that Eilea and I now stand alone as the only remaining Great Ones or the existence of my secretive-by-necessity organization known as the Orbital Monitoring Platform. You also know of more pressing matters as well, such as the World Eater spawning in five years’ time, though on that point, you are not complicit in harboring such unfairly gained knowledge, as the existence of the World Eater was put directly into your head by Eilea more than a month ago; I have done my best since then to keep it locked away. But you know this as well, do you not?”

Zach couldn’t help but laugh as Adamus demonstrated that he did, indeed, know exactly what Zach knew despite all the attempts he’d gone through to try hiding it from him. The fact that Angelica hadn’t been destroyed or that assassins hadn’t come down from the OMP to cut him apart was likely only because Adamus couldn’t absolutely prove that Zach knew these things. His own, self-imposed values required him to witness these “rule violations” taking place with his own eyes—or in this case, mind—in order for him to act upon them. Eilea had told him as much last week. The fact that Adamus was certain was still not enough to justify him “interfering.”

As Zach thought over what he’d just been told, one thing in particular stood out to him. World Eater, he mentally whispered, repeating the name to himself as it became illuminated in his mind as though he’d walked into the privacy room in Angelica’s. I guess you’re letting me remember it for the moment? Hey, that’s actually one of the things I want you to stop doing. I’m sick of having to sit in a room just to remember a name. Like I said, I’m tired of all the sneaking around, and you messing with my head is part of the reason I have to do it. I want it to stop.

He could sense something strange from Adamus. Something he took as the mental equivalent of a satisfied grunt. “And so do I, my child. That is why, despite clearly violating the rules of the system, I will agree to overlook the transgressions that you, Angelica, and all of your cohorts have made in your acquisition of multiple pieces of ill-begotten, forbidden information, and I shall even allow you to carry around the knowledge you possess under the following two conditions. One: you do not further share what you have learned from Angelica with any additional people, and two, my beloved will cease providing you with any more knowledge of the World Eater and how to proceed from this point forward.”

Zach, now having truly entered the negotiating phase of this conversation, mulled over Adamus’s conditions. I can see myself agreeing to that, but only if I can speak freely about what I already know with the others—including Angelica, too, if for any reason it comes up.

As if to confirm his earlier suspicion, Zach discovered he actually was able to feel what could only be described as a mental nod, which Adamus sent to him. “You may discuss what you have already learned with those who already know,” he said, “and you may do so openly and without fear of retribution. But in return, I must kindly ask that you refrain from further collusion in secret locations outside of the system’s range of monitoring.

“Lastly, I will even agree to allow you to spread your knowledge of the existence of the World Eater, as merely knowing its existence hardly diminishes the road ahead and may, if nothing else, provide an incentive for Galterrans to embrace a better path—though I must admit, I greatly dislike such inorganic methods of encouragement.”

Zach thought over his words. It was a bit much to take in, and he wanted to make absolutely sure he fully grasped them before agreeing to anything. It was the last point in particular that left him feeling most confused, as it seemed to contradict the first one. Wait a second, he said. You’re saying I’m allowed to discuss the World Eater even with people who don’t already know about it as long as I don’t include any information about the things that Angelica, uh…allegedly told me.

For the first time, Adamus displayed some semblance of emotion, which came in the form of a genuine-sounding chuckle in the back of Zach’s mind. “Allegedly?” he asked. “Come, boy. I thought we agreed to dispense with such ‘pretending,’ as you yourself have called it. I know that Angelica has told you much that she ought not to have spoken about, and I have already agreed to pardon her for this trespass provided it does not occur again. Yet let me reiterate that, aside from the mere existence of the World Eater and the clue to be found in Dragon Squire, I am calling upon you not to spread your prohibited knowledge any further than you have already spread it, and that you inform your friends to abide this as well.

“To that end, you may discuss all that you know openly, and you are free to speculate and extrapolate on your knowledge as you wish among those who’ve already been included. But most importantly, there can be no further assistance from my wife outside of general advice that has always been allowed to be given freely between a Great One and a user of the system. She knows quite well what she is and is not permitted to say, and it is incumbent upon her to uphold these terms.”

Zach tapped his chin as he carefully considered Adamus’s offer. Though he would be giving up the chance to learn more important secrets, he would be gaining the ability to recall the World Eater at all times. Based on his conversation with Eilea last week, Galterra was going to be doomed unless big changes started happening now. And Zach’s inability to even remember this threat was seriously hindering his ability to help deal with it. For this reason, after a brief period of contemplation, he decided that it was in his best interest to agree.

But there was one thing he needed from Adamus in order to accept this bargain, and Gods, it was a pretty big ask. Nevertheless, it was the one point he was not willing to negotiate over. If Adamus did not grant him this request, the entire conversation would have been a waste of time, and he was determined to walk away with no agreement at all rather than agree to anything that did not include its most important element. That was how serious this condition was to him. It was the entire reason he’d even taken the risk in drawing out Adamus in the first place.

Okay, he said. I’ll tell you what. I’ll accept your terms, but I can only do it under one condition of my own: and I have to warn you, it’s a big one.

“And what might that be?” the voice of Adamus asked in a whisper that seemed to eerily coincide with a slightly gentler breeze.

I need you to release Eilea, Zach said, projecting the thought sternly and in a way that he hoped would convey that, at least on this point, he was not willing to compromise Not only did he need her up here for a very important purpose, but it was the right thing to do. You’ve trapped her down there for a very, very long time, and she’s miserable and in pain. I want her suffering to stop, and I want it to stop now! I can feel it every time I talk to her. Adamus, you need to let her go.

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Two foreign, conflicting emotions resonated at the same time, and he became aware of each in the exact same instant. Adamus balked as if in outrage, and from Eilea, a feeling of pure love, gratitude, and loyalty flooded into Zach’s brain. It was the closest thing he’d ever felt to a mental hug. Somehow, he could tell that, wherever Eilea was, there were tears in her eyes at this moment, and that he’d just won her undying love and support for the rest of his life.

“This is an outrageous demand. My beloved cannot be released until she agrees to cease her interference. We may not seem it, but we are both beings of power beyond mortal comprehension. Though I do not fashion myself a God in the way my beloved thinks herself a Goddess, it is undeniable that our powers are great and inconceivable to many. If I were to free her from her prison, she would use her power to bend the world to her will.”

What if she agrees not to? Zach asked.

“If my wife was willing to make such a promise, she would not be trapped down there in the first place. What you do not understand is that I have been ready to free her every second of every day since I was forced to imprison her down there. All my beloved has ever had to do was renounce her foolish ambitions and vow to abide by the rules of the system. Yet she has proven herself unwilling to see reason time and time again, and so there she lingers, trapped in a cage of her own making.”

Zach drew a breath, held it, and then slowly released it. This was it. This was the moment that he had spent so much time psyching himself up for. This was why he’d refused to tell anyone about this encounter. It was for this very specific moment in this conversation that Zach had so painstakingly dug deep to find all of his confidence, determination, and emotional restraint. All last night, as he’d tossed and turned and imagined how this conversation might play out, he knew that when he got to this part, Adamus might reject his request, and for that reason, he needed to project a level of confidence so strong that it was practically bleeding out of him, or else this was going to fail.

She will not interfere, Zach said with absolute certainty. And I’m willing to take personal responsibility for her actions. And before you ask: yes, I know what that implies. If she interferes, I pay the price, whatever it might be. I’ll accept any consequence if she does.

There was a lingering period of silence, during which Adamus said nothing, but Zach could feel the man turning over his words. “It is too risky,” he said at last. “She will interfere. She always does. She herself must agree, or I cannot release her. Her suffering shall continue.”

Zach was unsure if that last sentence was meant to test his resolve, baiting him into becoming irate and flying off the handle. If so, it almost did. Really, he found it hard to believe that Adamus could keep a woman he called his “beloved” in a state of loneliness, darkness, and misery for more than a thousand years over a disagreement, and to be quite honest, if he was not working so hard to suppress his more primal instincts, he would have snapped and started mentally shouting. In fact, as things were, some of his disgust was actually leaking through his emotions, requiring him to tamp down on it.

Taking another breath, he regained control of himself so that he did not unintentionally transmit any more of his outrage. But seriously…what even gave Adamus the right to be in charge of which Great Ones were and were not allowed to take certain actions? Who the hell made him king of the universe? For someone who was so against interfering, he sure had a lot of rules he wanted people to follow.

Once Zach was sure his emotions were in check, he responded to Adamus, choosing his words carefully. Out of curiosity, he said, are you telling me that you’d even be opposed to having Eilea use her power to eliminate the weapons all on her own?

“Absolutely,” Adamus replied. “It is imperative we put a stop to their weapons program, though any actions towards that effect must be carried out by those who reside within the system, such as yourself. I can understand why this may be difficult to accept, but know that I do not require you—or anyone—to agree with my reasoning or my beliefs; all the same, they must be abided. If the reason you wish to see my wife go free is because you plan to have her smite our common foe, I must sadly inform you that I shall never allow that to occur under any circumstance.”

Zach exhaled. That’s not my plan at all and never was, he said, knowing that Adamus could actually feel his honesty. I was just curious. And yeah, you’re right: when it comes to your beliefs, I don’t agree at all. Actually, I think it’s fucking nuts—pardon my language. But if that’s how it is, then fine, whatever. I don’t need Eilea to ‘smite’ anybody. But I do need her to be here in person to succeed with an idea I came up with.

“Have you heard nothing I just said?” Adamus asked, a hint of impatience bleeding through his mind. “Eilea must not use her power to—”

No, no, I got that, Zach interjected, fully cognizant that he was interrupting someone many considered a God. That’s not why I need her here.

“Do explain, then.”

For the first time in the conversation, Zach became uncomfortable, though it was not due to a lack of confidence or because of any innate nervousness; rather, he was forced to contend with a sudden rising feeling of guilt for a multitude of reasons as he explained to Adamus the logic behind his actions.

Okay, look, he began. Here’s the thing. Before last night, my only goal was to save a man by the name of Vim Alazar. He’s the leader of the Royal Roses. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s the sort of thing I really do believe I can pull off with just a few people. And I swear to the Gods, that was my only agenda before I went to bed last night, and if it had stayed that way, we wouldn’t be speaking right now. I don’t need to make a deal with you to do that. But things have changed now, because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that saving Vim is just not going to be enough. And if I’m going to get involved, I can’t go halfway in.

Zach shifted uncomfortably as the discomfort attempted to take further hold of him, yet he fought to clamp down on it. So many people died in that blast, he continued. Saving Vim all on its own won’t be enough to make a positive difference in the world. You can feel whatever I’m feeling, right? Then you should know I’m telling you the truth when I say that I desperately don’t want to have to go any further than that, but it’s become clear to me that we’re…we’re going to have to conquer Shadowfall Coast to truly put an end to this. Because even if I and all my strongest friends marched down there and single-handedly somehow managed to destroy every weapon they’ve built and whatever place they’re building them in, they’d probably just start over somewhere else. The Guild of Gentlemen needs to lose all power. I know it, Mr. Oren knows it—everyone knows it. If there was any other choice, I’d take it.

“It is lamentable indeed, my child, but where in this do you require the aid of my beloved?”

I think you already know, don’t you? You’re supposed to be like this super-perceptive dude who can see the big picture, right?

To his surprise, Zach felt something akin to appreciation coming from Adamus. “My child, I am fairly certain I understand your thinking, but I’d ask you to please continue nonetheless, as I still find value in hearing people speak for themselves.”

Zach nodded—both physically and mentally. Well, taking a city and holding it is probably a whole lot harder to do than rescuing just one man. That takes an act of war and a whole lot more people. But the problem is I don’t know anything about war, and the people who do aren’t going to help. They’re too scared. They’re so afraid they might get blown up with another one of those weapons that they’re going to surrender the world to the Guild of Gentlemen. But there is actually a group of people out there who might still be willing to fight: the Elves. They’re also the most powerful group of people on the planet. I don’t think anybody is as capable of quickly taking over a city as they are.

He shook his head. But no matter what I say to Queen Vayra, I just know she’s not going to order the surviving members of her race to storm the city on my word alone. She told me once that she’d stand by me if I needed an ally in war, but that was before this weapon came into being. Even just the chance that Whispery Woods could be hit will be enough for her to sit this one out. And that, Adamus, is why I need Eilea here with me. Because if I can bring her here in person, I can introduce her to Queen Vayra. And then she—and the Elves—will do literally anything Eilea says. She can ask them to help me defeat the Guild of Gentlemen, and if she does, I believe they’ll—

“That’s an incredible idea!” Eilea exclaimed, blurting the words out in Zach’s mind. Her excitement came across as both genuine and opportunistic—the latter being because of how desperately she wanted to see the light of day again, though Zach could also feel that she really was impressed by his idea. “I can convince Queen Vayra to support you, Zach. Of course I can. But why…why do you feel such guilt?”

Before Zach could mentally reply, he was surprised to find Adamus responding in his place—and accurately, too. “He feels guilt, my beloved, because though he wishes not to offend you, he knows that you are not a Goddess and I am not a God, and the idea of presenting you as such for the purpose of supplanting the natural will of the Elves is one he finds distasteful. It appears the boy and I have more in common than I at first thought.”

Eilea erupted with a sense of hurt, and now Zach felt guilt for an entirely different reason. “By any and all metrics, I am in fact a Goddess of the Elvish people and of Galterra herself,” Eilea insisted. “This is not a lie!”

To Adamus, she said, “Furthermore, as much as I long to be free again, I have waited a thousand years and I can wait a few weeks longer. It is only a matter of time before I tear down the bindings that keep me here. Zach does not need to agree to your demands if I can free myself on my own.”

As Adamus responded to her, Zach was surprised to hear what really did sound like regret in his tone. “You will not, my beloved. I know that you tug and tear, believing yourself near escape. For how many years have you cut one binding just to realize there is another beneath? You may believe yourself mere weeks away, but truly, Eilea, it is closer to centuries. And even then, it will all be just so that I will promptly return you back to your cage with an even tighter leash the moment you step foot on the surface.”

Eilea’s rage was darker than anything Zach had ever before felt from her, and honestly, he couldn’t blame her for feeling it. Yet she did not reply to Adamus’s threats despite Adamus pausing as if to allow her the chance to respond. Nevertheless, he was oddly respectful in waiting for her to voice her feelings, but when after half a minute she had still said nothing, he continued speaking.

“I wish not to engage in this tiring argument again. It always begins and ends the same. If I were to risk freeing you, there is too great a chance that you would act in your capacity as a Great One to supplant free will. I cannot allow it.”

Zach, once more, made his absolute, uncompromising position on this matter known. Then your system is fucked, he stated bluntly. Without Eilea, I won’t agree to anything. I’ll even let the system be destroyed, and then we all lose. You know I’m not bluffing or you’d be able to feel it. I came here determined to get what I wanted or walk. And my foot’s going down on this, Adamus. I need Eilea here. I want her suffering to stop.

Zach spoke the words with such conviction that even he himself could not be sure if he was telling the truth or had simply whipped himself into such a determined state of mind that he could no longer determine the veracity of his own statements. But critically, if he himself couldn’t be sure, then neither could Adamus, who was currently inside his head. For this reason, Zach felt more satisfied rather than surprised as Adamus began to “stir” in a sense, his agitation coming through clearly.

“I shall not allow a world in which a Great One—myself included—sits upon a throne and rules as a God. I cannot allow this. I am sorry. But do know that my beloved has always held the keys to her own cell. Without an oath to abstain from using her powers to interfere, I am no more capable of budging on this matter than you are, boy.”

So then…as long as she agrees, she can go free?

“Yes, my child. That has always been the case. It need not require any negotiation on your part.”'

Well, at least that made things simple. Eilea, Zach said, turning his attention towards her. You should just agree.

Her reluctance exploded like a star going nova. Even before she replied, Zach could feel her utter dissatisfaction with the suggestion. “I’ve spent a thousand years in torment because I refused to compromise on my values. You can’t ask this of me.”

I can, Zach said. Because if you trust me, we’ll work around it. Angelica told me you want a better world for us, right? We can still make it happen. We’ll find a way.

“No, you just don’t understand,” she said.

What don’t I understand? he asked.

A mixture of frustration and agitation came through as she replied to him. “The only chance Galterra has of surviving the World Eater is if I am there to join the fight in the end. No matter how much power Galterrans gain in higher-tier worlds, it still won’t be enough. There is no world without me there to fight for it. And contrary to my idiot husband's false assumption that I would ever plan to rule or sit on a throne, the entire reason I have put so much faith in you, Zach, is so that I would never have to do that. Even after all these years, he still fails to understand me.” She was quivering with rage. Zach could feel this. Eilea was not bothering to mask her emotions. "I can't agree to this, Zach. I'm sorry. I would be throwing away all my values. If I am forbidden from participating in the World Eater battle with you and the others, you will all die and then so too will everyone else on Galterra. There isn't a single way that Galterra can succeed without me there fighting alongside the rest of you. There isn't even one!"

No, Eilea, you're actually wrong about that. There is: at least one, I mean. I know for sure that at least one does exist.

“And how can you be so sure?”

Rather than reply, Zach decided to experiment with something. He had absolutely no idea if it would work, but he decided to try it anyway. Up until this point, he knew that he could share ability information with people in his party, but now he began to wonder: could he also send information about his abilities through his mind? It was an absurd idea, but he thought it just might work—and to his surprise, it did. Now, to Eilea—and by extension, Adamus—he sent a very specific piece of information.

Phase Level 6

Exertion Level: Terminal. In exchange for the life of the user, additional + 10,000 to all basic stats, and armor +10,000. User has access to every ability and every spell. User can move faster than light. User can summon up to 5 dragons. Cannot summon Elder Dragons.

“No!” she said with a mentally carried, horrified-sounding gasp. “Never. Not that.”

Only if we really have to, Zach thought back to her. I really do believe if we search hard enough, we can find even more ways. But I’m ready to die if I have to. I’m only trying to show you that there’s more ways than you think. Right now, though, I need you up here with me. And I know you’re tired of being down there. So, please: just tell him what he wants to hear. We’ve got five years to find a better way, but right now, I don’t know if Galterra is going to survive another month. Please. I need your help up here, Eilea.

Zach could feel Eilea’s emotions begin to shift in real time. She was silent for a good minute, and during this time, Zach said nothing—and neither did Adamus. Finally, with a great deal of pain in her voice, but also with a note of hope as well, she said, “Very well. I vow not to use my power to interfere, but only in the narrowly defined sense of the word 'power.' I do not agree to forgo using my power of speech, for example, to influence and pursue my goals as I deem necessary. I agree only to abstain from the use of power insomuch as the word relates to the exertion of psionic energy.”

Though he had absolutely no idea what the term “psionic energy” meant or what it related to, Zach honestly did not even care right now. He was too relieved that he’d actually managed to succeed. This had been such a tremendous gamble, and it appeared as though it was actually paying off. Even Adamus, too, felt relieved, and he did not bother to hide this from being noticed.

We accept your terms, Zach said at last, speaking on both his as well as Eilea’s behalf. Eilea just agreed not to use her powers. You heard her.

“That I did,” Adamus said, sounding surprised. “It seems your conviction won her over.”

Zach laughed. Maybe. Hey, why did you even give me a crazy ability like this, anyway?

“I have done no such thing, my child.”

Huh?

“I have not given you that power.”

Then who gave it to me?

“You did.”

I what? He sighed. Actually, I don’t even care. I’ve got too many other things I’m dealing with to bother digging into whatever you just meant by that.

Having convinced Eilea to agree to Adamus’s terms—as unfair as they might have been—he could now feel a small degree of regret and reluctance within her, but it was extensively overshadowed by an ardent, desperate desire to be free of her captivity, and an absolute rush of excitement at the idea of seeing the sun again. Her sense of gratitude towards him just at the very notion of it was so immense it was actually drowning out Zach’s own emotions and making him feel hers instead. He wasn’t sure why. Though he disagreed very strongly with Adamus’s actions, the man’s words were not a lie: she really did hold the keys to her own release.

Zach, now smiling, decided to address Adamus once more. Just to clarify something important, he said. In terms of what information Eilea can or can’t share with us, uh, anything that pertains to the nuclear weapons is now fair game, right? Because I need that.

“Yes, naturally,” Adamus said. “These weapons are clear violations of the rules of the system. They are not permitted to exist. To that end, both Eilea and even Angelica may provide any information that they can offer. But you must destroy them completely and prevent their reemergence.”

I will. I promise you. Zach paused a moment to consider his next words very carefully. There’s one more matter we have to talk about, though. I think you know what it is.

“Indeed,” Adamus whispered. “Let us please keep this segment brief. We are not likely to find resolution, and it will only cause much discomfort.” Zach was positive that he was not simply imagining the awkwardness he now felt coming off Adamus. “Nevertheless, I do feel that it was wise of you to save this for the end, my child, as this is indeed an area of disagreement I see no path towards us finding any common ground.”

Hearing these words only tightened Zach’s resolve. I figured that much, but I’m going to ask you anyway. I want you to leave my new friend Jimmy alone. Your goons almost killed the both of us in going after him.

“As I feared…this is indeed an impasse with which we cannot hope to navigate around. Please understand that James Green cannot be allowed to remain in the system. His natural psychic abilities, if awakened, provide him with an unfair advantage, and he does not belong in this world, inside of which he is an intruder. Above all, his mere presence here angers beings far greater in power than Eilea and myself. Truly, my beloved has committed a crime of immeasurable magnitude in bringing him here. If the Fox-Leader, Jack Harris, ever came to the incorrect conclusion that we have somehow kidnapped the young man, I would not be able to protect our world from his vengeance. He would overpower me in an instant and destroy the entire system in another.”

“Oh, stop, he’s harmless to us,” Eilea said. “Of all the old Gods, you should worry about him the least. It's well known he doesn’t hurt those who don't deserve to be hurt. No, it’s your half-sister, Rose who you should be worried about.”

“My beloved, I should not have to worry over either of them! You risk angering the Gods of old with such incautious recklessness that I am mesmerized by your short-sightedness.”

Zach once more gripped his hands into fists. Guys, I have no idea who ‘Rose’ or ‘Jack Harris’ or any of these people are, and I don’t really care, either. It’s got nothing to do with me—or Jimmy. All I can tell you for sure is that I’m not going to sit back and let you kill him. Having said that, I’m not so dumb that I think I can change your mind on this, Adamus. So let me offer you an alternative suggestion, instead.

“Hm?”

If nothing else, Zach continued, at least promise not to send anyone else after him until we’ve dealt with the nuclear weapons. There’s no damn way I can deal with all that while also having to worry about my friend’s safety at the same time. At least agree to let things be until this is fully over and done with. That’s all I’m asking.

Adamus’s reply came far quicker than expected. “That is both rationally stated and fair. Yes, I believe I can agree to bring no rule-enforcement-actions upon James Green until such a time as the crisis in Galterra has blown over. Afterwards, I am afraid I must exercise my duty. Now, is that all? Have we covered everything you wished to discuss?”

There’s one more thing, Zach said, knowing that he was pushing his luck. Project Rejuvenation: I want you to—

“I will not discuss this,” Adamus said, this time being the one to interrupt Zach. “You do not seem bereft of fairness or sense, my child. Thus, you must know quite well that this is not a bargaining chip I will consider under any circumstance. When my crew has repaired the damage to the system, I intend to return Galterra to its former state. It is both unfair and unacceptable to include that as part of this discussion, and I will not entertain it. That is my final word on this topic.”

Zach did not bother replying, because in truth, he’d asked more to cover every base than out of any sincere belief that Adamus would negotiate over it. According to everything Angelica had told him about the man, the fact that he’d yielded on so many things to begin with was nothing short of staggering. Or was it? Actually, in some ways, he barely yielded at all. He got what he wanted all along from Eilea, and he only made marginal, common-sense concessions with Zach. Even still, it wasn’t about “winning.” It was about getting what he needed, and Zach had now, in fact, gotten exactly what he came here for. So really, both sides got what they needed out of this.

With the sun now fully out in the sky, and Kalana almost certainly worried about him, Zach realized it was time to wrap things up and surprise the Elves with their “Goddess,” which he hoped went smoothly and didn’t cause any kind of overreaction.

Okay, so just to make sure we’re all in agreement, Zach began, looking to bring closure to his gambit, which thankfully appeared to have succeeded, I’m allowed to tell anyone I want about the World Eater, the fact I need to go to Dragon Squire, and the fact that we need to get everyone to Albion IV. Right?

“Regrettably, yes,” Adamus said, not sounding all that thrilled to be reminded of their agreement. “Provided that my wife and Angelica do not give you any more clues or assistance beyond that which you already know. Though this may seem only a small concession to you, in my eyes, it is among the largest I have ever granted. I tolerate this blatant breach of the rules only because it shall give Galterra a fighting chance, without which it has none whatsoever.”

Zach grinned. Fine by me. As long as I can remember what I’m going after, I’ll figure the rest out all on my own. Anyways, it seems like we’ve come to as much of an agreement as we can. But there is one last thing I want to say to you, Adamus.

“Please feel free to do so.”

Having succeeded in most of his goals, Zach finally allowed his darker nature to arise. He dropped the confidence, the control, and the calm, and he traded them for his oldest friend: anger. He allowed it to seep through him like a pollutant, and he not only knew that Adamus could feel it, but he was counting on it, too.

Let me just warn you here and now—and I mean every word of this—the next time you send your Gods-cursed assassins down to Galterra to hunt me or my friends, I’m not just going to give them a few bruises and let them get home in time for dinner. No, if I see Zylor or any of them down here ever again, and it’s to try to hurt Jimmy or anyone I care about, then in the name of the Gods, I swear I’ll be sending them back to you in a thousand fucking pieces. I swear this to the Gods: the real ones.

To Zach’s surprise, Adamus’s tone darkened as well as if it was to match Zach’s own change in demeanor, though in his case, it was only slight, and more than darkness, what Zach felt from Adamus was an eerie sort of sadness. “You will do what you feel you must, and so too shall I. The ability to decide one’s path is a quintessential element of freedom. But I must eliminate Jimmy from the system, and though I regret this responsibility, it is not one I can ignore. I am sorry, but I must send someone to carry out this task.”

Yeah? Zach asked, no longer bothering to suppress his temper. Well, you better try not to send anyone you care about, because I can promise you they won’t be coming home. I’m fucking warning you, Adamus! It's not his death you're ordering, but the unfortunate bastards you send down here to die!

It was in the exact moment that followed these words that Zach came to immediately regret saying them, but it was not because he didn’t mean them or because he had a change of heart or even because he would rather have chosen to rephrase his threat into something more rational and diplomatic. No, it was for none of those reasons. Instead, it was due to the reaction that Eilea had upon hearing Zach’s warning.

Something happened upon those words: something that Zach knew he would never speak of—ever. As in, literally, ever. For a brief moment—an instant in time—he could feel Eilea becoming highly aroused, which she immediately shut down the moment she seemed to become aware of it, creating a follow-up sensation of embarrassment. Zach was sure it was an accident: an impulse she could not control and was ashamed to have allowed, thus he decided never to think of it again due to how unbearably awkward it would make things.

“Your threats have been noted,” Adamus said, also seemingly unwilling to dwell on the strange sensation that he most certainly also picked up on. “Our business here is concluded. I expect you to uphold your end of our bargain.”

I will. It’s in my interest anyway. It’s in everyone’s interest.

“Indeed, it is. I wish you luck, Zachys Calador. Those words are not idle. You fascinate me. With that, I shall leave you now.”

Oh, wait! One last thing.

“Yes?”

I need you to let Angelica portal Mr. Oren to Angelica’s later today. And maybe tomorrow, I don’t know. I also need a way of bringing Eilea here.

“Allow me to simplify this for you. Provided the action you wish to take is solely and exclusively for the purpose of dismantling these abhorrent weapons, and provided that the actions you wish to take do not fall afoul of anything you and Eilea have specifically agreed not to do, I will allow the bending of the rules for that one purpose alone. I ask you to do so only in good faith, for if not, I shall consider our agreement discarded.”

Yeah, yeah, I get it.

“Regarding my beloved, the moment I leave your mind, she will be free, and she can bring her own self wheresoever she wishes to venture. And with that, this matter is concluded. Best of luck to you both.”

Following those words, Zach could sense Adamus’s presence fade, and now, he was alone with just Eilea in his mind.

“You are the most amazing boy I’ve ever met in my thousands of years of living,” she said, her voice breaking as though she were holding back tears.

Oh, come on, Zach said, laughing aloud. Then, with a groan, he said, I need to introduce you to some people now. Gods, I hope they don’t make TOO big a deal out of this.

******

“Have you lost your mind, young man?” Fylwen asked, becoming terribly concerned. She had been led to believe that the woman, Jascaila, had been helping him cope with some of his issues. But clearly, the therapist had only driven him mad. She rather liked that woman, too. A shame. Whatever she was doing, it was not succeeding, as Fylwen could scarcely believe a word she was hearing. Really, it was preposterous!

At the moment, she, her daughter, and her daughter’s two Elvish friends were sitting in the kitchen at the dining table along with Jascaila and Zach’s two human friends, whose names Fylwen could not recall. The vampires were here as well. They, along with her daughter, had tried several times to interject, but they too seemed just as mystified by what the boy was saying.

“I’m telling you the truth,” the young man said to her, his hands flat on the table. “The only reason I’m saying this before I introduce you is so that you guys won’t get all weird and go into a shock or something.”

Fylwen risked reaching out with one of her hands, placing it on top of the boy’s. “Young man, you cannot be serious. You mean me to believe that, all this time, you and my daughter have been in secret collusion with one of the most sacred of Elvish Goddesses? That you hear her voice in your head: she, the Great Steward of Elvadin herself! Come now, child. You must be suffering from some sort of delusion. I am gravely concerned.”

The young man released something that sounded like a cross between a moan and a sigh. “Okay, well, clearly there’s only one way you’re going to believe me, and it’s going to be by seeing her for yourself. Hey, Eilea? It's almost time.” To those in the kitchen with him, he said, “And remember: I don’t want any of you guys freaking out or overreacting, because I know you take this Elvish 'Great One' shit way too seriously, and the last thing in the world I want is to have you all freak out and lose your minds, all right? I want you guys to please at least try to be cool. I’m serious. I want everyone to be cool. Can you do that?”

Fylwen placed her hand on his head. "You aren't running a fever. Perhaps you've simply exhausted yourself."

"Stop," he grumbled. "I'm serious. Look, even if you don't believe me, will you at least just humor me and tell me you won't freak out?"

Fylwen did not know if it was wise to enable his delusions, but seeing as how the boy was clearly becoming agitated, she reluctantly decided to humor him. "Very well. I shall maintain my composure."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good. Eilea, it's time. Come say hi."

The moment he finished speaking, there was a flash of light, which both startled and confused Fylwen, as for a moment, the entire kitchen was rendered invisible as this blinding light came then faded away. And now, a figure stood in the middle of the kitchen. A figure with golden hair, pointed ears, and—

Fylwen gasped.

****

“Okay, so this is exactly what I did not want to happen,” Zach said, moaning and slapping himself on the forehead. “Will everybody please just stop? This is insane!”

Right now, Kalana, Queen Vayra, Seiley, Trelvor, and literally—yes, literally—twenty-five green-cloaked Elvish warriors and ten white-cloaks were all stuffed inside the living room and kitchen, and every single one of them were lying on their bellies, their faces actually kissing the ground in an extreme act of worship unlike anything Zach had ever before witnessed and never wanted to witness ever again.

“WE APOLOGIZE FOR ZACH’S TRANSGRESSIONS!” Trelvor screamed at the top of his lungs, reaching up and yanking Zach with all his might so that Zach came slamming down onto his own belly. Flute-boy was stronger than Zach gave him credit for, because he cracked a piece of kitchen tile as he hit the floor. “HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND OUR WAYS! PLEASE SHOW HIM MERCY, OH GREAT GODDESS!”

“Fucking ouch, Gods-dammit,” Zach muttered. “Guys, you really don’t have to—”

“FORGIVE HIM!” Kalana screamed. Yes, Kalana too. She was going along with this one-hundred percent. But the part where Zach really became uncomfortable was when her mother began kissing the kitchen floor.

This is some fucking crazy bullshit going on right here, Zach thought.

Jimmy seemed to get caught up in this too, but for a very different reason; the moment he entered into the room, his eyes widened, his lips peeled back in what was quite honestly a remarkable mixture of hope and rage, and then he extended his arm and actually snarled. “Y-you!” he shouted at Eilea. “Oh, hell nah. I dunno why you’re here or what’s going on, but bitch, you better send my ass back the fuck home right now before I open up a can of—mmvvv!”

“Forgive him!” Seiley cried, having cast some kind of magic gag on him. Now, Kalana’s brand-new kitchen floor was broken apart as roots and vines bound around him and forced him to also get on his belly. She didn’t even seem to care, either. She actually seemed to support the destruction of a hip-sized chunk of her new home. Tena, on the other hand, observing her boyfriend’s fate, apparently did not require any additional convincing. She dropped down willingly.

Zach croaked. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Elves began to sing songs—for two fucking hours! And when he complained, they used magic to gag his mouth, too. Even as Eilea tried to assure them that they could rise and none of this was necessary, it only seemed to increase their religious fervor a hundredfold.

Like, Zach understood that, as a broken people and survivors of genocide whose hope had been destroyed and whose culture had been ripped from them time and time again for the past thousand years, this was probably very, very important to them. Maybe more so than he could even possibly understand. Even still…this was kind of extreme, no?

“Forgive them,” Eilea said into his mind, a chuckle in her spirit that she managed to hide on her face. “They need this badly. The tears in their eyes are genuine. You cannot imagine their pain and their joy.”

Even you must know this is stupid, Zach said to her. I’m gagged and tied by vines to a kitchen floor while they literally sing in a mixture of human and Elvish lyrics about fairies and light. Why would anyone even write a five-minute song about light? It's light, for fuck's sake. It's not that complicated. Sorry, Eilea, but if this isn’t dumb, then nothing is.

“They need this, Zach. Please understand that. Let them sing their songs. They’ve held so tightly to their sense of identity for thousands of years. And for them—for the sake of their dignity—I must now live up to their expectations and be the Goddess they have waited for. I owe that to them. It is a debt I must give my all to repay, for I have been unable to comfort them in their time of need. This is the absolute least I can do after a thousand years of imprisonment. I cannot deprive them of this. You simply do not understand what they have been through and how badly they need this.”

Does this really make them happy?

“It does,” Eilea said, speaking as though there was no doubt in her words. And indeed, Zach could see for himself that she spoke the truth.

He looked over to Kalana, who was shedding tears along with her mother. Even after everything she’d learned in Angelica’s, and all the doubt that she should now have harbored about the Great Ones, the sight of Eilea had awakened some kind of primal longing in her, and she shed tear after tear of both joy and sadness. As Zach observed her behavior, he began to realize that this ran deeper than basic questions of what was true and what was sensical. Seeing this woman here, regardless of whether or not she truly was a Goddess or merely something close—her very presence served as some sort of vindication to Kalana and the Elves. That their culture and their people endured.

“Thank you for coming back to us,” Kalana said, whimpering. “I’ve wanted to meet you so bad. I was super jealous that Zach got to talk to you. You’re my hero!”

“I am so sorry I doubted your chosen human prophet,” Queen Vayra said. “I apologize both for the young man’s rudeness and also for my lack of faith in him.”

Prophet? Zach thought—but only to himself. This better not become a thing.

“No one here has anything to apologize for,” Eilea said. “Aside from me, that is. I am sorry I was gone for so long, my young princess, my beautiful Elvish queen. You both honor me.” She waved her arms ahead of her. “You all honor me.”

Anything that made Kalana this happy—no matter how weird—was worth it, Zach supposed. Even still, he desperately hoped he was misreading the situation, because unless he was mistaken, the word had already gotten out that “The Great Goddess Eilea Vayra” had manifested “in the flesh” at “Kalana’s house,” and now every living sentient Elf in existence, including one-hundred percent of those on Archian Prime—and every single child—were apparently rushing like madmen and madwomen over here to prostrate themselves before her. At this rate, Zach would be stuck on his belly all fucking day. Gods dammit at least let him go swimming or something. Or, if nothing else, couldn’t they at least take this to a larger area? Incredibly, even amid her religious fervor, Fylwen seemed to have the same thought.

“Oh, Great Goddess,” she said, “all the living children of Elvadin come to gaze upon your beauty and splendor. May we please be given your blessing to rise so that we may relocate to a larger area? I fear that this home may not suffice to contain us all.”

“Of course,” Eilea said, nodding. Zach had to admit that she at least looked the part. In person, she moved with a grace and majesty that outdid even Fylwen’s best efforts. She also seemed to truly believe herself the part as well, so at the very least, it wasn't like she was conning these people.

Queen Vayra ordered everyone present, Elf or otherwise, to rise and prepare to decorate the “fields” with golden flower petals in anticipation of a holy welcoming party for the Goddess herself. Then she snapped her fingers, and the vines holding him and Jimmy disintegrated—without the floor repairing itself, though—and the magical gags fell away from their faces. "What're you laughing about?" Jimmy asked Rian, spitting out a piece of vine.

"Nothing," Rian said, clearly lying. "Do you think I could laugh at a time like this? I, like those around me, am appalled that you had the audacity to disrespect the Goddess, Jimmy." He waggled his finger. "I've never been so offended in my life."

Lienne rolled her eyes. "Shuttup, Ri."

"What?" he asked, his voice sounding overly innocent. "I think Jimmy needs to be punished even more. Zach too. We got ourselves a bunch of fucking Goddess-disrespectors. I'm disgusted, Li. Disgusted."

Zach laughed, then prepared to retaliate, as he had about fifty even better quips he could say to Rian in reply, but before he had the chance to sling even one of them, Fylwen approached him. Then, in quick order, she hugged him, kissed him, and slapped him. “That’s for bringing her here. That’s also for bringing her here. And that, young man, is for disrespecting her.”

“Uh, okay,” he said to her. He was just glad that she didn’t hit him with any real force, as he would’ve certainly felt it if she had. Honestly, it was like more of a “ceremonial slap” than anything. Or maybe not. Who knew? At any rate, it at least looked like he finally had the chance to slip away and do literally anything else besides this, like maybe coordinate with Mr. Oren or something.

As the Elves began to rise, Zach released an exhausted sigh, glad that this was finally over. He stood up straighter, stretched his back, scratched his chin, and then turned around to walk into the living room so that he could watch some entertainment. Maybe that new show about Grundor was on. He was dying to check that out, actually.

“Z-Zach!” Kalana shouted at him, pouting as he grabbed a bag of potato chips from out of a kitchen cabinet and began to walk away towards the living room.

He halted mid-step. “Now what is it, Kal?”

She looked at him as though he was the insane one in all this. “Where are you going? You do know you’re coming with us, right?”

“I’m what now?”

“You’re the human prophet!” she said, speaking the words as if they were something he should just, like, have known or whatever.

“I am?”

“Duh!”

Zach rubbed his eyes, frustrated. “Are you fucking kidding me, Kal?”

“No!”

“Does this mean more lying down?”

“Yes!” she said, nodding in a way that was cute for some reason that he couldn’t understand.

Lowering his voice, he said, “Kal, we’ve been in cahoots with her for like several weeks now. Why are you only now, all of a sudden, acting like this is some kind of big d—”

“Nah-uh!” she interrupted, heat behind her words. “You were the one who was in ‘cahoots’ and got to talk to the Goddess. All I ever got to do was hear about what she said afterwards.” She clapped her hands together excitedly then kissed him on the forehead. “Now we get to see her for real and talk to her for real. My mom’s going to honor for you this!”

“Isn’t she mad that you kept this a secret from her this whole time?”

“Nope. I was only going along with the Goddess’s will.”

“Were you, though?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, but here’s the thing, Kal. If you think logically about what we’re doing right now, the only reasonable conclusion is that—”

He stopped speaking as Jascaila tapped him on his back. “Let them have their happiness, kiddo,” she whispered to him. He turned to face her, and then she winked.

Lowering his voice so that only she could hear him speak, he said, “Come on, you know this is bullshit, Jacs. I know you know that.”

“Yeah, probably. But sometimes in life, we have to go along with customs we find silly in order to make the people we care about happy. And hey: I don’t think Eilea’s doing this maliciously or for want of power. I think she’s trying to live up to their dreams. But that’s just my take on it.”

“Your take is usually the right one.”

“Aw, shucks.” She gave him another pat on the back. “If lying on the grass for a few hours and singing a few songs can bring this much happiness to people who have been so badly abused for such a long time, don’t ya think it’s worth it to let them have their joy?”

Zach sighed. “I do, I guess.”

She smiled. “You’ve got so much good in you. I know you do or I wouldn’t spend my time here when there are so many other people I could help. You’re going to grow into a truly incredible man. Sometimes life is about making small sacrifices to benefit others. Try to focus on that instead of how silly you find all this.”

With that, she followed everyone outside, and begrudgingly, Zach went along with them. Hopefully, this would be done with before Zach was scheduled to meet with Mr. Oren. Actually, maybe it was best to text him now and let him know what was going on. Donovan, too.

****

How do I keep making things worse? he yelled at himself, unable to believe how he'd caused yet another escalation of events.

Zach wanted to claw out his own brain and smush it. How was he supposed to know that texting Donovan would cause the entire Explorers Brigade, Lost and Found, God Slayers Guild and…and well, basically every single adventurer who’d heard the news, which was almost all of them, to come rushing over here? And they were all here. All of them, low level and high level alike. If the raid camp had been big, there were so many people here that it defied belief. There was now an entire sea of people on the island, including even Angelica, who hugged Eilea tightly and began to weep with actual tears pouring down her eyes, something he’d never seen an NPC do before. From the smell of cooking all around on the green hills, this place had basically been turned into Angelica’s, at least for the moment. And since everyone was now here, Zach was willing to bet there was not a single—not even a single—patron at the inn, which was probably why Angelica felt free to come here.

“I missed you so much,” Angelica said to her. “You are the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had, and I was so scared I’d never get to see ya again, Eilea.”

“I’m so glad you’re doing well, Angelica. You will always be in my heart. Thank you for looking after the adventurers.”

“Everything I am is because of you. I would be dead if you didn't save me. Adamus was gonna delete me.”

“I’ll never let him do that to you. I promise.”

The two hugged again, and then Angelica broke away. It was almost as if she knew that she could not hog all of Eilea’s time when there was a storm of people who wanted to meet her. If nothing else, at least everyone was allowed to stand up. They’d gotten the belly-lying thing out of the way early on.

After Angelica released the embrace, her gaze turned serious as she craned her neck to look at the sea of adventurers and Elves. “There are a lot of people here today,” she said.

And it was at this point that Zach gasped as he realized that his plan of action, which involved mobilizing the Elves, might just have expanded both in scope and in potential. Unlike the political guilds, adventurers were stronger, made of tougher stuff, and did not die nearly as easily.

Once he’d set Vim free and began working out the logistics with Mr. Oren as to how they would deal with Shadowfall Coast, he planned on using the Elves as the brunt of his attack force—assuming that was what Mr. Oren thought they should do, as Zach was no military person. But now, as Zach realized the potential around him, he began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the adventurers might be willing to break their ironclad rule about not becoming involved in politics and wars.

Not only did the adventurers hate and despise the Guild of Gentlemen more than anything, as they had stolen the loot of the dragon raid, which to adventurers was worse than murder, but they had also disrespected Donovan and attacked the raid members right after they'd saved the world. Seeing them all mingling and partying with the Elves made him wonder: if everyone here on this island worked as a team, how many innocent lives could be saved?

They wouldn’t need a single level-one ground troop. They wouldn’t need any air support or fire from the sea. If every capable adventurer and every Elf all joined forces, they could easily accomplish, with overwhelmingly fewer civilian deaths, what the alliance had originally set out to do.

And if people shoot at them from windows, so what? Zach realized, his eyes widening. The bullets will bounce right off most of us here. We don’t even need to retaliate. We can spare everyone who doesn’t pose us a threat. Even if they become violent!

A chill traveled down his spine. If the adventurers and the Elves went to war…

They could conquer Shadowfall Coast. And they could do it without blowing up a single building. Without killing a single level-1 civilian. Without dropping a single bomb.

Without painting the streets red in the blood of innocent people caught up in this.

A domino falls.

And then so does the next one.

And the next one.

And the next one…

And the next one.