Brian stepped out of the tiny room, legs bent and attention at the ready. Immediately, the scent of fresh mint and tart berries filled his nose. He noticed he was on top of a hill, overlooking a verdant expanse below. As he stepped forward, tiny pebbles moved and rolled under the soles of his feet, hidden by the long red dress. He was growing an appreciation for the garment, as, especially without underwear, it allowed airflow to tunnel in from underneath and cool him down.

Someone closed the door at his back – he had missed them for a couple of seconds, but the guards were already walking up ahead of him down the hill. Alain urged him to move with a slight push, and they started descending. Brian got a sense of deja-vu, as it reminded him of his arrival in Thoum – surrounded by blades of grass and birds flying high above.

He wasn’t as confused, now.

The young man turned his head back a little bit, and before the slope stole his vision Brian nibbled a glance. What should’ve been a room in a hallway was just a cubicle embedded into the mountainside, slightly bulging out from rocks. Its pallid hue a stark contrast against the bright weeds they were stepping on.

His vision was again replaced by grass and he looked back. After Ur’s spell, Brian found his eyes were able to focus better. The light still seemed too bright for his liking, as he had to squint – it would be a while before he’d get used to it.

Ahead of them, some hundreds of feet below, lay a village-wide castle. It was so big his hands failed to grasp it in its entirety as he superimposed it in front of him. This thing put every skyscraper he had seen to shame. Birds flapped their wings and flew in flocks, around its mid way-point as they encircled the building like a mountain. It was surrounded by a wall that must’ve been several tens of people tall. Which looked comical and lackluster, given the castle’s size difference.

Brian stretched face, scars tightening around his visage, earrings jiggling in the wind. The stronghold wasn’t the first thing he had noticed. He squinted even further, and just so he could see… blurred edges. Not dissimilar to a video game failing to render a piece of the map. The analogy let a sneer out of him, and Alain turned his head, eyebrow cocked up. Brian thought this was the perfect moment to ask him a question.

“What… is this place?” Despite the seriousness of it all, the crimson headed butler managed to smile. “Sir. We are currently in what we call a Microcosm, or… a pocket dimension, as Samuel, the third, calls it. You might be more familiar with the term. It is the result of copious amounts of effort by some of the most brilliant minds residing in that castle ahead – we’ll reach it in no time, don’t worry. it just looks big."

“The system… didn’t make this?”

The old butler smirked with the ardor of a youngster. “Precisely, Sir.. This – not the castle – the whole place was created by imitating the structure of the spatial configuration the system has provided for us underground. As of right now, we’ve transcended Thoum.” He let the bomb drop as they strolled amidst tall weeds, reaching up to Brian’s knees, tickling his feet. “We do not know, nor have the desire to figure out what lies beyond its borders after many failed expeditions. Although, something must be out there, given the sudden spikes of power we feel. The only structures tethering this place to Thoum are the various anchors hidden and scattered throughout.”

That meant that this was a castle within a fake world within a room in another castle within another fake world underground… What?

The two guards gave them the stink eye as if Alain had said he wanted to sniff their mother’s calloused feet, but ultimately stayed quiet and continued marching on. The slope was getting steeper – it wasn’t really comfortable, especially considering there was no pathway as their legs had to push the overgrown vegetation aside – but it was manageable. They had already progressed by a fair amount.

“As I’ve said, the Royal family of Sarroth lives scattered inside. Personally, I would not like to reside there. Too much to clean. I pity their butlers.“ They came upon a pit in the ground, and had to jump forward and to avoid falling down hundreds of feet below. “Some… unpleasant things happened, years ago. I shall lecture you about it at a different time.”

It really was like a fairy tale. Royal family? Castle? Yeah, no.

“Didn’t you say… you still hadn’t figured out… how the system had created…” Brian took a breath, his vocal chords not hurting as much as expected, then he resumed. “The space underground?” It still amazed him how the air was so clean.

“Exactly! Brilliant, Sir. I shall be brief as I see the sentinels from here. This Microcosm is currently being fueled by the space it is put in. That is, what’s outside of here, our hideout underground in Thoum, where you woke up. Normally, by leeching on this, the space surrounding this Microcosm would’ve crumbled in no time, giving signs of flickering before it collapsed, taking everything in with it in the unknown – give or take, for such a spacious space, it would’ve taken roughly a…” He stretched his neck and smiled.

“Two weeks, at best. Or at worst. I don’t know.”

“Thank you, Marlòc – you’re the expert in magic here.” Marlòc swept away at his shoulder as they all started approaching the castle. Now, up this close, Brian could see the guards stationed on the thick walls as well.

“Instead of a slow erosion, over time, we’ve found the link’s only growing stronger. And yet, it is leeching off energy – ever stretching the place with no sign of stopping. At the start there was only this castle here.” He raised a finger up high, and Brian almost tripped over his dress’ hem as he looked at it. “This leads us to a single, but powerful conclusion. The system is growing stronger – expanding – ever becoming something more.”

Like a universe.

“There are other interesting ramifications to consider, such as the possibility of other worlds facing similar circumstances to ours at this moment, but I won't burden you with those details. We have arrived.”

They hopped down and thunked on a wooden pathway, leading them to the grand doors of the walls. The road snaked around some other place far away, indicating the way they had just undergone was not the only access point. And not the most comfortable, for sure.

The reverberating thump of their different footsteps traveled across the world. Brian’s were cautious and quiet – stable yet reserved. Alain had a careless but balanced gait which took him far with his long legs. The other two – Marlòc and the other one which hadn’t spoken yet – sounded... like there was something wrong with them, but Brian couldn’t put his finger on it. They both greeted the other sentries dotting the huge doors as they approached them.

“Sir, you’ll be placed under some suppression manacles that will… hinder your Skills. Rest assured, you are not under arrest. The Royal family is able to discern truths from lies, this is merely a fail safe if anything should go wrong. Don’t worry, it won’t.”

Even if Indomitable Human Spirit confirmed the words of the old butler by staying silent, his heart rate couldn’t help but spike up. Frigid blood ran cold through his veins at the mention of the suppression, and he quickly spoke. “A – Alain!” Calling someone by their given name felt weird. “We… must not do this! My human Skill… allows me to keep me in check. I will… go insane without it. I’ll… probably revert to how I was years ago. I’ll go feral. Please.” This time his vocal chords did hurt. Maybe it was because Alain had seen the miserable and pleading face of Brian, but he just raised an eyebrow without saying anything and hesitantly nodded. He skidded forward to the guards ahead.

After an intense conversation, he returned. The old butler looked defeated as he spoke to him. “They say they won’t allow you entry without it. But, if I may offer you my advice, Sir… they are trained Royal guards, if anything were to happen to you, we’ll notice immediately. I can vouch for them.” He looked down at him for the briefest of moments. “And me.”

A guard clad in white armor closed in on them holding two golden bracelets. His short and stout stature couldn’t hide the threatening feel behind him. His full helmet resembled a spiked raw onion.

Brian was too deep in at the moment. He didn’t doubt they would catch him within a blink if he tried to escape. The opposite was probably true as well, as they would be able to... he just didn't know... he hoped they'd be able to stop him if he lost himself in the recesses of his mind.

His thinking stopped as the bracelets were in front of him. His instincts urged him to leave. A strong wash of energy that threatened to boil his brain stopped him in his tracks just as he had bent his knees to leap away.

The young man Adam's apple moved up and down as he felt slick saliva coat the inside of his throat.

“Here we go. I’ve heard your condition from Alain. My buddy has a suppression ability right here – he’s properly fit to be a guard, unlike me, ha!” His voice sounded bubbly and middle-aged, Brian was imagining a sort of chubby man under that tin of metal. “Point is, you won’t even be able to piss your pants if you wanted to. At the slightest moment of something wrong, we’ll intervene. Brawns, and… brawns, at your service. The brains are somewhere else.” He pointed near Brian with a laugh,

The young man wouldn’t even have listened to him if it wasn’t for his skill. His hair stood on end as the guard approached his skinny arm, bracelets at the ready. Brian bailed his fists closed, drawing blood as his nails pierced his thickened palms.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Once clicked them on his wrists, a wave of weakness washed over his whole body, traversing like a wave. The world slowly blurred and dimmed until his vision was robbed by black shifting shadows, then, they too disappeared. Everything lost its colors. The pinging pain in his hands retreated and he felt smaller. Bian’s nape felt a surge of adrenaline as one by one, his skills flickered out.

The first to go out was Howl, a skill he still hadn’t had the chance of using yet, and thus the most susceptible to the change. It was strange how he could still track them out as they disappeared. Natural weaponry was the second one to go, and this is where he felt his flesh warp uncomfortably. His body had reverted back to before the tutorial, humanly speaking. His bailed fists didn’t hurt anymore. He now felt a proper softness on his teeth instead of the rigidness he was used to wearing. He almost lost his footing as his talons retreated, leaving him dizzy. Ambience Of The Deep flickered and fought the suppression for a solid few moments before it too died out at the end. He braced for impact – he could already see how it would go, he would lose his consciousness, then he would wake up in a sea of torn limbs and groaning sounds, with PAIN inside of his head, threatening to explode his brains into mush. He was afraid to go back that place in his mind… the perversion he felt when –

Indomitable Human Spirit held.

The suppression encircled it, slammed against it. Fought it. Even tried to cajole it into letting it in. It was all futile. His skill was a rocky mountain, a pillar holding the world together.

Iit wasn’t going to crumble due of a mere mortal power.

Brian’s hackles lowered and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Well, it seems all your Skills got sealed up real good.” The armor creaked and groaned. “I’m glad your fears were unfounded. Come on, move on or you’ll be late for the meeting. Alain, you too.”

Everything was dim.

A swoosh of wind approached him and he lowered his chin, avoiding it by a hair, head lowering as he crouched, hands spread apart.

“Uh, sorry, I – uh, well, let’s just go.”

Brian immediately noticed this wasn’t an attack.

The guy had tried to pat his shoulder.

He touched his phalanxes with his other fingers. his claws had retracted inside of his body. He couldn’t even feel them. Blood trailed down his palms from the holes he had pierced before, he could feel the finger-sized cavities in his fists. Was this how human hands were intended to be? His fingers were still crooked and ugly, and with more scars and calluses than they had any right to be, but they also felt properly weak – without its usual sharp edges. He didn’t feel himself.

“Yeah, body transformations are freaky, alright.” Alain then urged him to go with a slight push and Brian almost tripped but regained his balance. He could hear them much worse than before. Although his hearing was still his best sense after a decade of ambushes. He'd been on either end of them too many times to count. “Sir, are you okay?” He heard Alain’s concerned voice from behind and he straightened himself. His skill was glowing in the recess of his mind, calming and soothing his spirit, assuring he wasn’t in any danger.

“Then, Sir, I suggest we move forward.”

Aside from some light perception – his eyes only saw blurred dark shapes, not even the outlines of his feet were visible.

He was blind.

Brian just now understood that without Natural Weaponry – his first skill – he would’ve been lost in this new world. Without being able to parse his skill descriptions, he was now aware that it helped with his vision as well. He just couldn’t confirm it before as he mostly lived in a world of darkness.

No matter if he turned his head to the right or to the left, the luscious green grass disappeared, the castle seemed to have vanished, and the people around him lost their faces. His mind was back in the cramped rocky tunnels, and thus, had to adapt.

He intently focused on his dampened hearing to locate the other’s footsteps. Remembering where the door was located helped as Brian lowered his back and walked up to it. He picked up the metal groaning and a change in cadence, then the sun above didn’t hit as much on his skin and the whipping of the wind ceased to an almost imperceptible level. They were in.

“Sir. You two, thank you for your hard work. Dismissed.”

As Alain said so he heard two “yes sir”, one clearly from Malròc, before they parted ways in different directions. How… high up in the ranks was Alain, actually? Brian frowned. It… nevermind. He wouldn’t complain if his butler ended up being someone high on the social ladder.

“Our job is done here. See you then. Good luck!” The other two sentries beamed as the door closed. The small pinpricks of light in Brian’s vision vanished, leaving him in total darkness. They strolled forward.

Brian thought back to an hour or so prior, when his leg had been crushed and Ur had strung him together. His senses, along with his body, had spiked up, he had felt younger then, stronger, better. His lowered center of gravity and arched back allowed him to stabilize him as he put one foot in front of the other. The young man’s spread toes gripped the smooth ground solidly, half expecting his jagged toenails to scrape the ground as usual.

He detected a shift in the sound of Alain’s footsteps and he turned to his right. Then they continued on.

Contrary to popular belief, Brian wasn’t unhappy, if a bit weary. He had time to delve deep into his thoughts, for once. Alain didn’t say anything, surely because he had seen his pensive expression. He couldn’t see his face but he was starting to make an estimate of the old man. He felt motivated – currently Natural Weaponry was only on a lowly Gold tier… what would happen once he raised it? Would he be able to see as well as an eagle? His dry tongue licked his lips, Brian liked the sound of that.

He could feel the solidity of the bracelets on each of his wrists, heavy for his now weak arms. The young man raised his hands near his impassive face – he couldn’t even see its outlines. He knew they were there, but only because they were his own hands.

How could have they made something like this, something that hindered Skills? Was such a thing possible to make?

Was it due to a Quest? They spoke about them earlier, so it was a fair assessment that they could partake in taking them. Or… was that a Quest reward from one of the other pioneers? Samuel’s? Such a reward wouldn’t have been easy to obtain. His crimson earrings jingled in the dark.

More steps approached. Some armored, thundering in the tight corridors. Others just faintly audible.

It felt good to recognize a familiar voice as greetings exchanged in the air. Heavy steps approached fast and nearly went through him. He put himself behind Alain, using him as a human shield.

He could almost see the metal brass mask smile and shift in his mind.

“We're here. You arrived pretty early.” Alain remarked. Brian’s face shifted to his left, where Alain’s breathing indicated his presence. Ur spoke. “Everything is checked. Sir Brian, we are ready. The king graciously allowed us to have a… private audit. For you, strong one, this would have happened after a week or so from now – we would’ve preferred to wait until you could settle in properly. Due to our… circumstances, regrettably, this outcome just wasn't possible.”

Brian nodded to the nothingness in front of him, and the steps parted sideways. He got the clue to move and trudged forward. He shut his useless eyes. Alain’s familiar footsteps beamed as a beacon in the night.

The king was waiting.

***

Bethany Yidogui’s eyes replayed the fight – the beatdown – through Ur’s strange mask for the third time today. It displayed a man dressed in lady’s clothes – a rather unusual custom, fighting against the envoy he very much despised with every fiber of his being. Or rather, her little, puny puppy. His wrinkled hands grasped the wooden armrests of his throne with passion. It wasn’t even a full day ago that he had appeared, yet he could not stop thinking about the man. He was unlike the other two.

The little fucker – Majin it was called – attempted to pummel the man for the third time but missed by a hair each time. Brian, the pioneer, creased his tattooed forehead. You could see it in the replay when he had the idea to rush for Esenaji after he had put considerable distance to the icy statue. Textbook strategy for fighting a summoner. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t one, but it mattered little.

He would’ve succeeded, too, if their power gap wasn’t so outlandishly different. Bethany's weakened fingers failed to pierce the wood of his armrests as he watched the young man get hammered to the ground. He had tried his best, but the glacial grip holding his leg was a wicked vice. It was commendable that after considerable hits he was still conscious. Excessive use of authority. Excessive force. Excessive, excessive, excessive… Currently, Esenaji was still to be found, the last time someone noticed her presence she was running amok the corridors of his underground citadel. He admonished himself for letting such a thing happen. His geass tightened his chest, but the proof that he was still alive was there – punishment would await for her, whether she liked it or not.

The angle of the fight was superb, and he replayed it again a fourth time. From such a high up vantage point, he could see things others couldn’t.

There were thorns present on his side, trying to further their greed instead of their survival – and, more than ever before, as this was a crucial time, he needed to weed out the bad grass. To mow it down, utterly. With three to four months left, at best, before their calamities arrived, they could not waste time on such matters.

If things progressed like this, they’d hopefully receive a lot more calls from the Earthlings – even better if they could manage to get to them quickly. They had lost the first one, and he grit his teeth. The survival of his Red Line was above anything else. His back itched as he shifted his position around. He would have rather preferred a comfortable hammock instead of this slab of wood, even padded as it was, it still hurt his back. Alas, appearances mattered. Bethany lightly wheezed, then he pushed out his Echo as it pierced the veil of the walls. He felt them approach. They were moving in quickly. Giving Alain to the kid was a great idea, albeit an unintentional one, as they were currently understaffed. He watched the fourth, Brian, move with his eyes closed as if he could see as well as himself. He frowned, Ryan's bracelets should've suppressed everything.

The fellow who was probably just a few months in from a tutorial had returned with the abilities of a veteran. What he lacked in was obvious. His frail body failed to accommodate his abilities. It looked as if it had been withering under the sun for too long. His odd fighting style also piqued his interest, as he relied on bursts of speed rather than calculated forms, but without a shadow of a doubt, that was a fighting style. He’d have to ask that later.

Bethany sighed. He withdrew his echo. It was going to be a long day, he could feel it. His eyes scanned the sheet of paper in his lap, detailing the status of the man, written with hurried ink strokes. Had he really been in the Tutorial for mere months? numbers didn’t add up at all. Gold? Sapphire? And that odd thing he had only heard about in tales since he was a little kid…

He let out a breath of stale air. "Yarlo." He croaked as he turned his head to the right. "We'll need to talk later. Ten. No. Maybe Eleven."

His massive son stiffened on his chair, hands folded over his chest, not letting anything out of his expression. Bethany burned the piece of paper as he thought about it all.