Theo stood in the system’s realm, standing on the raised platform and looking over the twelve spots. He assumed he had the entire place to himself, but a faint glow issued from one spot. Golden light pooled on the ground, soon creating the form of a young person. Or one of the smaller races of the world—it was hard to tell. The alchemist watched as the being was given a form. He was surprised when it reached a hand out for him to shake.

“Fate.” The voice of a young woman echoed through the immaterial being, filling the surrounding air with authority.

Theo felt as though he could crumble under that power. No ascendant he had met gave him that feeling. “Theo Spencer,” he said, reaching out a hand. He grasped the entity’s hand, a sense of potential flooding through his mind. “You’re nicer than the other one.”

“Void? Yeah, he’s a grouchy old man. You’re planning some serious stuff, huh?” Fate tilted her head to the side, something of a smile playing into her voice. “I don’t envy the difficulty of the task.”

“Shouldn’t you be off destroying realms?” Theo asked. He looked away from this world’s newest god, eyes locked on the spot where he saw the system before.

“That isn’t my domain. I just follow the fates…”

There was a big difference between the new gods and the old ones. Theo couldn’t stop thinking about how little power the ascendants had. They manipulated the system to become something they could use to gain power over the mortal realm, but the cost was clear. Everything would come crashing down soon enough. That just left one question in his mind.

“This is how Khahar planned to restart the world, huh?”

“Seems like it.” Fate shrugged, but didn’t leave her spot. She seemed bound to it. “A restart will be good, though.”

“Seems like a waste, doesn’t it?”

Fate laughed, placing her hand over her mouth politely. “Your plans are transparent to me. Perhaps you didn’t know you would have been immune to the purge. I’ll say this. You need to increase your willpower by a lot if you want to take as much as you want to take. Pulling the town into your realm should be easy enough, but binding it there will be another matter.”

“Fair enough… Who is that?”

Theo watched as another figure appeared, standing right next to Fate. It exuded a kind of energy that sucked in the light from the room, pulling in some of the golden god’s own essence. She sighed, pushing the other figure, who failed to stumble.

“Playing with the food?” the dark figure asked. “How typical.”

“Ugh. This is my brother, Omen. He’s a stinker.”

“You’re the stinker. You can see the destruction this man will bring.” Judging by his voice, he was a young man the same age as Fate.

“That’s why no one invites you to parties. You’re too dour.” Fate folded her arms, seeming to glare at her brother. “If you’re going to interrupt me, you can leave.”

“Fine.”

“Void should open the way for you to get those shards back. The elves might give you trouble, though. I think they created a pseudo system. I’m sure you can handle it.”

Omen leaned in, speaking directly into Fate’s ear. “Hallow is dying.”

“He’s an idiot.” Fate waved the question away, as though she had already seen the conclusion to her brother’s concerns. “That ascendant was ready for him. The only one who would come for us holds a Throne.”

“That means we’re immune, right?”

“Yes, we’re immune. You’ve forestalled enough disasters to keep us safe this far, haven’t you?” For the first time, Theo saw Fate treat her brother with some warmth. “We’re safe.”

“So…” Theo pointed between the pair. “Where did you guys come from? Earth?”

Omen scoffed, throwing his hands into the air. “This man is an idiot.”

“You’ll figure that out on your own. Concern yourself with your mortal problems for now, Theo. You’ll find the ‘new new management’ isn’t as forgiving as the old.”

An impossibly powerful will crashed against Theo. He was confident he could beat most ascendants one-versus-one in a battle of willpower. But this was something else. All his cheated training was rendered useless against such a force. One moment he was standing in the system’s domain, and the next he was back in the mortal realm. He sucked in a breath, the mortal air stinging his lungs. He fell to the ground, coughing.

“Woah!” Salire said, rushing over. She pulled him to his feet, concern lingering on her face. “You good?”

Theo coughed, covering his mouth. He felt warmth splatter against his gloved hands, pulling it away to find blood. Most of his health had been depleted, so he pulled a healing potion from his inventory and drank it. Relief flooded over him as he was healed, driving whatever it was the god did to him away.

“The new gods pack a punch.” Theo groaned, shifting his stance to stand by his own power.

“New what?” Salire asked.

“You good, boss?” Sarisa asked, joined by Rowan.

“I’m good.” Theo rolled his shoulders, checking himself for more injuries. He found nothing. “Just a minor scuffle in the heavens.”

Rowan took it upon himself to check Theo over, making sure he was telling the truth. Only when he was satisfied did he release the alchemist, freeing him to withdraw a communication crystal from his inventory. It was better to make sure Fenian was fine. Uz’Xulven’s Bridge wasn’t immune to the actions of the new gods. If he lost access to that, he might be stranded.

“Yes, what is it?” Fenian asked.

“We got a problem.”

“Oh, is this some town drama? Who slept with who?”

Theo rolled his eyes, explaining the situation in the heavens. Fenian didn’t seem concerned at all, humming along as the alchemist told the story.

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“My throne is fine, right?” Fenian asked.

“No problems there. I’m only concerned about the Bridge.”

“Don’t worry about that, my dear alchemist. I should be fine. Lovely chat, Theo. But I need to go! Have a drink for me, would you?”

Fenian hung up the call before Theo could say anything else. When the elf got weird, things were going down. While it was impossible to tell what his plan was, the alchemist only hoped he made it out the other end unscathed. Not only would it be hard to find another person to sit on the Throne of the Herland, he didn’t know if that was an option. With a deep breath, he flushed those concerns from his mind. It was easier with his higher Wisdom, allowing him to focus on the one thing that had driven him to obsession lately.

Before moving past this bout of weirdness, Theo checked his administration screens. Things were going better than he had expected, especially with Qavell. Thanks to Alise’s ability to over-plan everything, there was no scenario the town wasn’t ready for. They had stockpiles of almost everything now, including food, stone, metal, wood, and Monster Cores. Trade was overflowing, and there were more migrants arriving by the day. Those people were mostly interested in exploring the new world created by Fenian’s battle with the unknown entity, but some settled in the region.

No news about Tarantham was good news. Emperor Kuzan could stick to his plans over there. Far away from the Southlands Alliance.

One item grabbed Theo’s attention, though. It was an entry created by Sulvan. The document was commented on by both Luras and Aarok, but also had an amendment near the bottom by Tresk. Theo stood, nodding at Salire.

“Keep working on getting those materials together. I need to check on something.”

“Right away, boss!” Salire said, shuffling off to tend to the work. She was eager to help him gain even more power.

“Rowan, could you stick with Salire?” Theo asked, jerking his head toward the door. “Let’s head out, Sarisa.”

“Why me?” Rowan asked.

Theo smiled, heading to the stairs. Only when he and Salire were out the door did he explain. “Because I think she has a crush on him. Come on, let’s go round up another adventurer or ten.”

Sarisa giggled, following behind Theo. “Wow, you know what? Feels weird without him around.”

“You two spend too much time together.”

“We’re siblings!” Sarisa objected. “Close siblings, you know? What’s wrong with that?”

Theo didn’t need to enter the guildhall to find who he was looking for. “Jan!” he shouted, waving his hands to gain the attention of the only other Earthling in town. “Come on. Got a job for you.”

Jan approached, brooding slightly. He folded his arms over his chest. Theo couldn’t deny the man was looking more well-built than when he arrived. He was likely grinding levels in the swamp.

“What’s the pay?” Jan asked.

“A shiny copper coin,” Sarisa said, laughing to herself. “See, when the archduke tells you to do something, ya do it.”

“I didn’t vote for him.”

“Stop, you weirdos. Let’s go, Jan.”

Jan fell in line behind Theo and Sarisa. He might have been reluctant but some of that hard-boiled detective vibe he had cultivated—no doubt over years back on Earth—had faded away. The alchemist could sense the man’s power growing, although it was slight. That was simply the transition from having no cores to having at least one. He now had access to the system, and all the benefits that provided. The best part was his core. A Glantheir core. Things might get interesting if Glantheir ascended again.

“When we get back, I want to hire some adventurers to watch Jan and Sulvan,” Theo said, not bothering to lower his voice.

“I’ve done nothing.” Jan’s instinct was to object.

“You’re not the one I’m worried about.”

“Just deal with it, buddy.” Sarisa shot him a look. She turned to Theo, the confusion she felt finally coming to her face. “But what’s the problem?”

“Glantheir is a pacifist. But I don’t know what happens when he ascends again.”

“Again? How many ascensions are there?” Sarisa asked.

Theo didn’t answer, but that was a good question. They pressed on through the market and north of the harbor until they reached the massive stairs leading to the city above. The alchemist inspected Qavell before ascending, deciding that it hadn’t tilted to either side. They had stabilized it completely. But that wasn’t the reason for their visit.

The group met with King Hanan at the palace. Theo couldn’t help but notice how hardened the man had become. With his imposter guards gone, he had drawn other people from his city to become his protectors. He was now flanked by humans, wearing whatever armor they could scavenge. While they weren’t as impressive as the old guards, they seemed loyal enough.

“I’ve been reporting on the monolith.” Hanan walked beside Theo, bringing pride to his station as a king and his people. “No visible changes. Your barriers hold firm.”

“That’s good. Did you decide what you’re going to do? Want to join the alliance?”

“I think so.” Hanan sighed, holding the door open to allow the others entrance to the lower levels. Both Theo’s and Hana’s guards came with them, leading the way. “The longer my city is here, the more I think we’re not ready to be on our own. I think we need each other.”

“You don’t think the need is one-way?” Theo asked with a wink.

“For now. But once we get back on our feet? Qavell is strong, Theo.”

Theo wouldn’t accept Qavell as a member of the Southlands Alliance because they were strong. If the world was going to be remade, he wanted people with conviction to join him in the new era. His mind flashed back to Tero’gal, and the way those people had transformed that world into a paradise. He wanted that for everyone, even if it was a dream that was too far.

“The Southlands Alliance would be happy to have such powerful people,” Theo said, patting Hanan on the shoulder. “Especially those with such a rich history in the region. Perhaps we can forge a world that doesn’t crumble after a few hundred years.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Hanan asked with a laugh. “Watch your step through here. We had a minor collapse.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.”

“Ziz reinforced the walls. It should be fine, but we haven’t cleaned up the rubble.”

The passages under Qavell were winding. The group traced a familiar path to the lowest level, finding the abandoned ritual room. Theo sent his senses out the moment they entered, seeing that his wards were holding themselves in place perfectly. Whatever was inside the monolith hadn’t gotten out, but Hanan had missed something. The veins of poison that ran through the strange structure had grown thicker. The Venom potion that Tresk applied to the entity was still doing its work.

“Remind me never to argue with Tresk again,” Sarisa said. She picked up on it, too.

“What is this?” Jan asked.

“Think of it as the helm of a flying city,” Theo said. “Hanan here was coerced into attacking us by someone else. We took the city down.”

“Wow. Now you guys are best friends?” Jan asked. “I would’ve killed him, Mister King.”

“The situation was complicated.” Hanan narrowed his eyes at Jan. “That’s a strange outfit.”

“Not really. Looks like a karatan-driver’s duster to me.” Sarisa shrugged the comment off.

“Yeah, wait until you see the gun… Jan, do you feel anything inside the monolith?” Theo asked.

“Why would I?”

“Fair enough.”

The Venom worked its way through the monolith, but it wasn’t moving quickly. That was the point of the poison potion, after all. It did low damage over vast amounts of time, which was nasty. Purging the entity’s influence on the Kingdom Core and Town Core was something Theo couldn’t solve on his own. Like Qavell, he needed to lean into others and dedicate some time to this problem. But what was the nature of the infection? Fenian confirmed it wasn’t something that violated the system’s laws, so what was the deal?

The Arbiter made sure everything was right within the heavens, while the Dreamwalker was his right hand. The Herald sorted mortal affairs with the Dreamer as his right hand. Theo nodded to himself as a Wisdom of the Soul message appeared.

[Wisdom of the Soul]

Arbiter, Herald, Dreamer, Dreamwalker. You missed the connection between these Thrones and the infection of Qavell at first. But now you realize what’s going on. The Herald did his job by banishing the entity, but the Dreamer still needs to put a cap on it.

In order to purge Qavell from this infection, the Dreamer must delve into the sleeping entity’s mind, cutting free the diseased flesh.