Congratulations! You have reached Level 64! +8 Stats distributed between Vitality, Perception, Resist, Intelligence, and Control, +38 Free Stats! +1 Stat to a Mental Stat. +1 to a Physical Defense Stat. +1 to a Mental Support Stat. +2 Control. +56 Health, +65 Mana, +60 Stamina, +6.5 to all Regenerations! +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration!

Due to Guidance of the Wraith Adder, +4 Agility and +2 Bonus Stats!

+3 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Focus, +4 Reaction and Grim Intuition!

+1 Grim Intuition, +1 Reaction, +1 Focus, and +3 Control per Level!

For a second Randidly looked at the notification with a strange sort of suspended feeling. The sweltering heat had gotten to his head. Acri unwrapped itself from his waist, keening an apologetic song. Even his living weapon hadn’t been able to keep up with the sudden burst of emotional force that had surged out of the depths of Randidly’s being. By the time it had reacted, the Ghosthound had already lashed out.

Even more ominously, he had instantly gained enough experience to be 72% of the way through his next Level. A little bit of extra value, as immaterial as it might very well be, was wasted.

He had delayed getting Levels to increase his benefits and he still wished to do that. Yet his hands trembled with a sudden contradictory desire; that horrible river of darkness that flowed from those previously still emotions demanded more. They wanted more violence, more of a hands-on grip upon the death of another being.

Randidly almost couldn’t believe the strange thing had died so easily. The Grey Creature’s jaw cracked and extended downward, revealing bloody teeth inside of Randidly’s own face, stretched and contorted into something monstrous. The Grey Creature had reached within this thing and shattered the source of the energy pulse in a wild slew of murderous rage.

The other mercurial being shifting into a more combat-ready stance finally dragged his attention to the concrete details of the moment. Behind him, he felt powerful image reverberations from his companions’ struggles. They lapped against his back and urged him to a quick finale for the remaining foe. His body continued to burn as he lowered Acri into a battle stance. His images spun together into a figurative guillotine. Wicked Waltz of Tartarus, Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil, The Vindictive Chimera Smites.

He exploded into motion with enough potency that the ground cracked. His three images harmonized perfectly in shape, but that abrupt and scalding darkness within the Grey Creature tried to tear the triplicate image to pieces, demanding a monopoly of this sacrifice. Luckily, his other images could make up the slack. Yggdrasil could stabilize the combination while the Stillborn Phoenix gobbled up the excess violence that the Grey Creature breathed out.

It was a strange feeling, swimming in another strange feeling, as his three images fought against one another.

His weapon pierced easily through the energy barrier this being tried to throw up in front of him. Once Acri’s tip was lodged inside its body, he let the Grey Creature run wild. His other images took a respectful step backward. It sated itself by rampaging back and forth through the semi-liquid body, curdling the substance until it oozed and rotted in a puddle on the ground.

Randidly’s shoulders heaved. His breaths felt humid and swampy. In only a few seconds, both of his opponents lay dead on the ground in front of him. Just like sometimes his Nether Core stuttered in its rotations, that's how he currently felt-- barely able to keep his balance, about to collapse disastrously, off-keel and reelings.

Yet the present marched forward. He turned to the other confrontations. Xershi had seized the upper hand and Pullas was just now slaughtering his own opponent. Over on Fiona’s side, she had somehow annihilated one of the silver creatures and was toying with the final two. Randidly forced his breathing to calm down. The brand of emotional violence seared his ribs, but he could begin to ignore it.

Because weirdly, he felt a flash of insight. He knew what he wanted to do and could do.

“Pullas, Xershi. I need you to protect me for a bit,” Randidly’s voice sounded strained to even his own ears. He sat down in a meditative position next to the remnants of the silver creatures and took several deep breaths. All the semblance of control he had managed with the Grey Creature’s emotions had vanished, the freed emotions transforming into a beast that was a thousand times more destructive and vicious.

Their concerns about what they had seen in Fiona’s reflection fell away as both hurried over with a new concern: him. Pullas spoke first. She clasped her energy in front of herself. “Did their energy infect your body-”

“Maybe he’s just feeling guilty for monopolizing two of the bad guys,” Xershi joked, but it sounded slightly forced. He scanned Randidly as well.

Randidly shook his head. “This… well, I’ll handle it. It just might take a bit of time.”

“We should move.” All three looked up to see that Fiona stood next to them. She was smiling brightly, so she twinkled rather than sucked energy out of the air. “There is practically an entire world on this ring, populated by these things. They work in teams of seven, but they will dispatch two groups now a single one has failed. Obviously, this was their strongest unit, but they each possess a powerful combined image. The sooner we move, the better.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Randidly shook his head, first slowly and then with more and more force. “No, this is important. And Fiona-”

He searched himself for the words, trying not to look at this influential woman too harshly. She had caused this difficulty and made both Pullas and Xershi troubled. Maybe even dislodged his own seal on his emotions. For that, Randidly acknowledged that he resented her. But she also gave them an opportunity. And she was definitely a capable warrior.

The question was how trustworthy she truly was.

He released a shaky breath. “Help them protect me while I handle this. In exchange, you can be a part of our Ascension Pact.”

“Ha! I thought there wasn’t an Ascension Pact.” Fiona quipped back. But her eyes blazed with a mesmerizing flame of joy. “Still, I agree to these terms.”

“Ahem, I don’t mean to be a stickler-” Pullas begin. Xershi rolled his eyes and she glared at him before continuing. “But we don’t have one. Our loose association-”

“I mean for us to make one after I resolve my issue,” Randidly answered. “This is a weird group. But sometimes, unique and valuable phenomena are worth naming.”

They looked at him silently for several seconds. He shrugged, vaguely uncomfortable with the attention. It didn’t help that the Grey Creature continued to rage and seethe, scraping against his insides as it paced back and forth. “Okay, okay, no more of this. I’ll need to go inside of myself for a bit to find this answer. But it shouldn’t be too long.”

He closed his eyes and began dreaming almost instantly. He sank so quickly that it felt like flying. Once more he sat on his bed, the walls sloshing back and forth. He felt quite gratified that the world moved so predictably. He hopped off the bed and pulled out his Torch of Harsh Truths.

As he reached for the doorknob into the hallway, he heard the flickering laughter that haunted this place. The ghosts of it skittered up over the door frame and strung themselves up in the dark corners. Gritting his teeth, he forced his way through. Once more, he was in the cavern filled with doors. He hefted the torch high and squinted around. He spotted the name he wanted and made a beeline toward it. Every second, the heat inside of him became more intense. A weird urge toward violence was starting to creep out into all of Randidly, dying everything red.

For this budding idea in his chest, he needed Sydney.

Stepping through the door, he stood in his childhood backyard. An adult version of Sydney waited, pressing her back against the tall oak tree that stretched its limbs and shed leaves onto both of their lawns. Randidly drew up short; he hadn’t exactly known what would be waiting within, but he hadn’t actually expected a projection-

Randidly frowned as Sydney turned toward him and sighed. A single breath was enough for him to recognize her distinct significance. “You… you aren’t a projection.”

“This is a dream, Randidly.” More than anything else, Sydney sounded tired as she observed him with cold eyes. “Why can’t I actually be here, also dreaming?”

That made him pause. He shrugged. “That’s definitely true. So-”

“Let me say my piece,” Sydney held up a hand. “I… well, honestly, I’ve blamed you for the way things went down with Ace. For the convoluted situation that ended up making Drake an invalid for a year and a half. That… I admit it wasn’t fair, even if you are the reason that everything became so twisted up in the first place. But… the reason it was twisted wasn’t because of anything you did, not directly. It was because I could see you trying to change and succeeding. You grew. I… I was just so jealous of that. I wanted to change but found myself making the same mistakes, over and over again. Each time, I was quite unfair to you.”

Sydney took a step closer to him, her posture stiff. Randidly eyed her, but she just slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around him. She leaned forward, her touch extremely light, barely squeezing him. “You were the constant in my life for so long, but one that I think we would both admit wasn’t healthy. When you began to shift, I spent too much time expecting you to remain constant. And then I was cruel to you for your steps forward. I’m so sorry.”

Randidly blinked. Then a small smile came over his face, admittedly in a small deflection of the emotional honestly she showed. “This is much easier than I expected, considering the weird dream setup.”

Sydney pushed him back and smirked. “I’m the first door, Randidly. And I’m really just a way to get at an old truth you’ve been avoiding for most of your life. Anyway, here, take this. For listening to my feelings, and for bringing me to a place where I won’t be too embarrassed to be honest, you’ve earned it.”

She held up her right hand. In it, a card floated.

But Randidly shook his head. “I can vaguely guess what that contains-”

“A memory of mine, showing how I saw your mother treat you,” Sydney stated it clearly. Her eyes were sharp. “For all my sins against, you, hers were-”

Randidly continued shaking his head, a different certainty growing. “I admit that is probably what I need… to work on the problem with my image. But right now, I want to help a friend. I want another memory from you. The one-”

“The water balloons, right? Jeez, you are so-” Sydney grimaced. “Maybe you really haven’t changed that much. You realize that addressing this issue you have will be much more difficult without this memory, right?”

Randidly knew, even if he preferred not to think about it. No, that was exactly why it would be hard. But in the end, he thought about Pullas’s expression as she climbed, lost and doubting herself. They had only known each other for a short time, but there was one thing that Randidly knew for sure.

He would rather face his suppressed murderous rage from the Grey Creature a thousand times than swim again in the self-hatred he experienced when he wanted to help a friend, but couldn’t.

Sydney scrunched up her nose. She held up her other hand, producing another card. “You are seriously incorrigible. Here, take both. But just- take better care of yourself, alright?”

Applause! You have obtained the Memory ‘Visions of Balloons’!

Applause! You have obtained the Memory ‘Visions of Emilee (1 of 5)’!