The call of a deep and powerful symbol resonated through Dollar’s mind as sand and water churned in a cacophony of swirls in front of him. Gravity was in flux, tearing at the physical as it exerted its influence upon reality. An orb of power approximately three inches wide and long had been created, and both fish and flora were helpless as the orb drew them in. Dollar smiled. He had dug his feet into the ground, trying to avoid the same fate as the world around him, but the pull of the gravity symbol was far stronger than he’d imagined it would be.

Then, just as quickly as it began, the effect ended and the orb vanished. In its place was a perfect sphere composed of sand and water, which quickly transformed into a thick sludge that floated to the ground.

“Perfect,” Dollar said.

His voice was muffled by the water, and he lifted himself up and pressed against the transparent wall of the dome, sliding through it and falling into the waiting gazes of Bill and Mitsy.

“It worked,” Dollar smiled. He gave Mitsy a thumbs up, and she returned it with one of her own. Ioa had a thumbs up equivalent, but Dollar had taught Mitsy the earthen gesture during the rare moments when he wasn’t training.

“That was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” Mitsy replied. Her features were etched with worry, and she eyed the sludge remains of the gravity symbol’s work. “Can that thing crush a person? Like, if you put it on their chest?”

Dollar blanched, almost losing his footing in his surprise. “That’s…Probably not possible. It didn’t feel that strong.”

He glanced back and saw that while the sand and water had been impacted for a while, the lake had returned to its normal state. None of the nearby reeds had been damaged or pulled out from their roots, but that didn’t mean much if their insides were torn up.

“Let’s test it with the plants later,” Dollar finished. “Just in case.”

“You’ll be testing it with a lot more than them,” Mitsy affirmed. “I don’t want to turn into sludge, and I’d rather not walk into your room and find you dead.”

Dollar grimaced, but he could see the sense in her words. “Careful testing, then.”

Eventually, they would need to use the gravity symbol on themselves to walk through the lake, but that would be in the form of artifacts. On its own, the gravity symbol was as uncontainable as fire. Gravity was a force of nature, and using it ignorantly could easily go wrong in a hundred different ways.

None of that dissuaded the excitement flowing through Dollar’s veins. He wanted to explore the intricacies of the symbol, and delve into its deepest desires.

But first, he had something else to do.

“I know that look. You’re going to make the artifacts now?” Mitsy said.

“Test artifacts,” Dollar nodded. “A lot of test artifacts. We don’t have the time or money to destroy our valuable materials by shoving symbols into them without practice.”

As though emphasizing his point, the lake’s surface above the dome cracked and Dollar shivered as a portion of Ength’s aura dropped into the lake, sending the sea life scurrying as it swept across the water. He hadn’t had time to examine how the creatures of the lake could sense aura, but it didn’t surprise him that they could.

After all, they’d retreated when that invisible creature attacked. That means they had to have seen it somehow before we did. [Aura Sense] or some kind of aura sight is the most likely option.

Some of the fish had remained docile, either unable to sense aura or too slow to run, and each was knocked out by the silver light. They floated, either dead or barely alive, within the depths, an eerie quiet falling over the lake.

“I need to make us an artifact that’ll help us dive deeper, quickly,” Dollar said. “When people start flooding into the lake, we’re going to be in for a rough ride.”

Mitsy cracked her knuckles, a predatory smile curling on her lips. “Beating people to the prize is half the fun of treasure hunting.”

“I’d rather skip the fun part and go straight to the treasure.”

Dollar sent a gaze out to the floor where he’d been sitting only minutes before. His gravity symbol had been blown away by Mitsy’s stomp, so he brought out the notebook of the Unseeing, its orange eye piercing through him before he flipped the pages open and began painting his newest symbol.

“We can finally make the complex artifacts you wanted, but I’ll need some time to figure out how to put this into the arrays we discussed.”

“Weeks?” Mitsy asked.

“Heck no,” Dollar shot her a rare grin. “Hours.”

****

“Finally, I’ve done it.”

Dollar pushed himself back and sat on his bed, wiping his forehead. His arm came back drenched with sweat and his eyes refused to obey his commands to stay open. In front of him was the labor of months of work, three new symbols scribbled on the wooden floorboards. Each one glimmered brightly and shouted with joy at their creation.

With a light and hurried touch, Dollar updated his System notes.

My Symbols:

Others: Connection Symbols (four).

Low ranked: Darkness, wood, sound, water, haste, protection, fire, breathing, movement, and light.

Mid ranked: Sustenance and gravity.

Three new symbols had entered his list.

Gravity, light, and movement.

“I did it. I DID IT!” Dollar shouted, his voice echoing across the house.

It was a rare outburst of emotion, but he felt good shouting it. He reveled in his happiness, allowing the endorphins to flood his body and escape in the form of laughter. The sound reverberated across the walls of his room, bouncing off the tidy bed and small bedside table, and hitting the painted walls before smacking into the symbols in front of him.

Dollar turned as Bill’s snout poked his side, the grec had watched the entire array creation process from beginning to end, and now the uni-pig’s opal eyes were eyeing the symbols hungrily.

“No, you can’t eat them. Not yet,” Dollar nudged the greedy grec’s mouth aside. “I need to make them into artifacts.”

“Oink?”

Dollar ignored the grec’s protests and turned back to the three symbols. A wave of his hand dropped three sea stone cubes onto the floor. Each had a piece of glossrock embedded into them and waited patiently to be used to hold symbols. He didn’t want to waste any time, especially now that creating simple symbols arrays out of his new symbols was so easy.

“[Transcriber of Reality].”

His voice was drowned out by the call of his symbols as they entered three different glossrock pieces attached to sea stone cubes. Two of the cubes immediately began cracking under the pressure of the process, self-destructing as the floorboards failed to contain their power.

The gravity symbol was the first to crack. Its power shattered the sea stone cube trying to contain it, and Dollar could only watch helplessly as the glossrock was crushed into dust.

Bill stepped back at the sight, a low rumble exiting his throat. “Oink.”

“Dangerous, and powerful,” Dollar agreed. “Any ordinary material is going to be destroyed by the gravity symbol. But we knew that. Light and movement are doing a lot better.”

In front of him, the two cubes containing the light and movement symbols. Each could hardly be called an artifact, with their symbol arrays being composed of only one symbol each. A faint glow covered each object, originating from the cube with the light symbol array.

“I made a lamp.” Dollar smiled. “I wonder how much I can sell you for.”

The cube shivered at his words, but he turned his attention to its companion, the movement cube. With a push he tossed it into the air and whipped out his hand to catch it. His palm sank as the weight of the cube pressed against it, but he frowned as he examined the stone, trying to sense any changes within.

It feels like an ordinary stone cube, Dollar thought.

“Catch.” Dollar threw the movement cube at Bill.

Bill’s mouth snapped at the cube, chomping down and expecting to catch the cube in his teeth, and the grec blinked in surprise when nothing appeared. , then the grec’s eyes widened in surprise as He’d missed and the cube had dropped to the floor. Looking down, he oinked lightly and pushed the cube curiously.

“I was expecting the movement symbol to make it easier to throw,” Dollar frowned. “Looks like it doesn’t affect the stone at all. What if I threw it underwater?”

“Oink,” Bill said. His head rose excitedly, and his hooves clopped against the wooden boards as he jumped in circles excitedly.

Dollar raised his hand apologetically. “No, no, not yet. I need to test something first. [Transcriber of Reality].”

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The cubes shook in disagreement as Dollar’s [skill] brushed against them. Both symbols didn’t want to leave their new home, but Dollar refused their protests, and gently shifted them away from the glossrock, each individual symbol shifting back into the notebook of the Unseeing and returning to a peaceful state.

So, that does work. Dollar smiled. Sort of.

Forming symbol arrays using [Transcriber of Reality] had been Mitsy’s idea, but Dollar had taken that application and reversed it, destroying his array but not the symbols within it. Unfortunately, his [skill] only applied to symbols of his own creation, but with a little practice he hoped that he could break up and rearrange symbol arrays on the fly, allowing him to activate various effects before the symbols vanished.

If his idea succeeded, then he’d be capable of creating artifacts and disassembling them in a matter of seconds. Lights when needed, darkness when appropriate. Every effect he could think of would be in the palm of his hands.

That’ll take a few more months of dedicated practice if I can find the time. Dollar held back a groan. He looked down at the pile of dust left by the cube that had tried to contain the gravity symbol. Not to mention I’ll need a core material powerful enough to contain different types of symbols without breaking. Otherwise they’ll end up like the cubes.

Next to the dusty remains of the gravity cube, the glossrock that had held the movement symbol was perfectly intact, but the cube that had held the light symbol had cracks running across its body. Taking the symbol away from it had destroyed the artifact, including the glossrock base, and rendered the materials unusable.

“‘One thing at a time, Dollar’, that’s what Grandma Muriel always used to say,” Dollar muttered to himself.

With a wave of his hand he summoned the clothing he had bought in the city of Tiber. Each woven strand was high quality and had cost him an arm and a leg, but he had made sure to look for materials he knew would hold the power of multiple symbols with ease. When he wasn’t sure about a specific fabric, he inquired with several shopkeepers about the material and compiled their answers to see the truth behind boasts.

Most of the fabric was made from monsters, which Dollar frowned at. Killing monsters was a fact of life in Ioa. They tried to kill humans, and so humans had to fight back. It wasn’t nearly as one-sided as humanity winning, either. Monsters were a true threat that could wipe out cities in hours.

The leather and silk that came from monsters was also incredibly tough, pliable, and the best casing materials that a symbologist could ask for.

“Earl was right. These will be the heart of my masterpieces,” Dollar said. “I should pay the symbologist guild a visit once I take the symbol inside the lake.”

Dollar brought out several core materials and laid them out carefully on the floor. Several fist-sized glossrocks clattered loudly against the ground, and Bill’s eyes twitched as they glued onto the falling objects. These glossrocks were the largest of the ones found by Mitsy as she continued her mission to break every rock in the lake. Recently, Dollar had seen her training even more furiously than before, and instead of avoiding the fish, she had begun to duck, leap, and swim through their schools before they noticed her existence.

It was terrifying.

With another month of practice she might not even need the gravity symbol. She’ll be able to maneuver underwater just as well as she does on land. Dollar thought.

Of course, they’d tried to go deeper into the lake without the help of the gravity symbol. Dollar was willing to wait and train, but that didn’t mean he’d sit back and let months pass by without trying other solutions. The deeper they walked into the lake, the more chances there were of being attacked, so each expedition had been fraught with tension, but the moment he went too deep the current picked up, and passage became impossible without losing footing, direction, and potentially their lives.

Even Bill’s movement symbol wasn’t enough. The symbol let the uni-pig move how he wanted to, but it didn’t fight the current, and the grec couldn’t keep his feet on the ground.

We almost got swept away never to be seen again. Dollar recalled with a shiver. If Mitsy wasn’t there to grab us, we’d be monster chow.

There was also another aspect to the search that they hadn’t considered. The symbol was calling out from the bottom of the lake, but there was no visible entrance to it.

Somehow, father and uncle found it, Dollar thought. There has to be a way.

Dollar shook his head and turned his attention to the core materials in front of him. With the passage blocked by natural obstructions, the gravity symbol was the only way to stay steady on the deeper levels of the lake floor. Which meant he needed to create an artifact capable of holding that symbol array. The glossrocks were the lowest tier of core material, suitable for lower-ranked symbols but not for middle-ranked symbols like his new gravity symbol.

Five large red gemstones fell next to the glossrocks, followed by a single violet-colored crystal. These were the core materials that would make his operation a success.

“Finally, I get to use you,” Dollar grasped one of the red gemstones carefully, cradling it in his hands like he was holding a baby.

He’d pried the red gemstones from the cold corpse of the bronze golem he’d stolen from Christoff Tiberius. Dollar had been wanting to work with them for months, but it was suicide to use them in the artifacts he sold in the city of Tiber. He would have been arrested on the spot.

Each gemstone was also too valuable to waste on artifacts that only used lower-ranked symbols. These were gemstones that were designed to power the core fighting force of his greatest enemy. So, he wanted to use them for an equally grand purpose.

“Mitsy, come here!” Dollar shouted.

“Say it nicer and I might!” Mitsy shouted back, her voice echoing out from the edges of the dome.

Dollar chuckled. Nine months had passed by in the blink of an eye, and he hadn’t taken his attention away from his symbols, but Mitsy had grown more comfortable around him, and he around her. He still couldn’t stand her wasteful views on money, but he was starting to come around to the idea that some compromise was needed among business partners.

“Please,” Dollar called out. “I’m making your artifacts soon. You’ll want to see this.”

Mitsy poked her head through the door and smiled at him. “That’s better.”

While Mitsy bounced across the room to join him, and Bill eyed the core materials curiously, Dollar finally took a breather, and wondered what he was forgetting to do. It felt like he was missing out on something important.

Then something smacked him in the eyes, covering his vision with blue light until he was blind.

“Ow. Okay, now I remember.”

Dollar was looking at nine months’ worth of System notifications.

****

Parelius Tiberius watched the city of Tiber stir as another piece of the aura covering the lake fell. Most couldn’t see it, but all could feel its impact. The three rings of his majestic city had been split into five, with two new outer rings filled with foreign factions and vagrants encircling the proud form of Halcyon mountain. The first new ring was closest to the barrier walls, composed of households that could pose a threat to him, but who had also brought trade and resources that had kept the city from panicking and falling into disrepair. That ring was annoying, but it was the second new ring that bothered him. Adventurers, hunters, lone wanderers, and rogue symbologists littered the ground with their energetic campsites, each dreaming of riches and exploration. They had brought an influx of money, but they were also out of his control. It bothered him.

He stirred his wineglass as he watched thousands of new faces strolling across the lake’s edge, too afraid to step onto it. A brave few had ventured onto the aura, finding it pliable and resistant to all attacks, but that didn’t stop them trying to break through.

The elders of House Tiberius had requested that he send golems, Accensi, and even Ino to try and carve the shield open. Parelius had told them no. The elders had objected, but he knew exactly how much damage the glimmering lights could take, and it was more than his household could deal. He wouldn’t waste House Tiberius resources trying to break through.

Annoying flies, Parelius thought. The household’s branch members had been bothering him more and more since the fiasco in Zendria. No one cared that Christoff was dead, only that he had taken Achimedes with him.

Nobody had seen or heard from the tailor for months, but his house had been destroyed by a colossi, its remains left behind for all to see. Ensuring it returned to the household wasn’t a difficult task, but it had been given to the branch of House Tiberius in Zendria, and they’d refused to hand it back. Now they were plucking at his reputation, believing him responsible for Achimedes’ disappearance. The appearance of the aura within the lake had only given them more ammunition, and their voices were growing louder by the day, calling for his head on a gold plate.

They believe themselves safe just because I cannot kill them openly. Each one hiding behind the threat of rebellion. Parelius allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. How foolish they are.

He had other ways to deal with his opposition. They simply didn’t know it. If they did, then they would be singing his praises while their voices quivered with fear.

“Yroizen,” Parelius called out.

A shadow flickered to life behind him, forming the figure of a man in a red and black mask. His chest piece was made of thick metal, the emblem of House Tiberius covered by leather overwear lined with silver markings denoting the rank of Ino, the next rank higher than Accensi.

Each step Yroizen took demonstrated poise and skill, emitting confidence and caution. He had his hands wrapped around a sheathed sword resting at his side.

“Here, sir,” Yroizen said.

Parelius smiled. He could see the questions swirling within the Ino’s eyes.

Why me?

Why not one of the other Ino?

Or even a Geist?

The soldier before him wasn’t his best. Or the only one that held the rank of Ino. No, that wasn’t why Parelius had called for him.

“How old are you?” Yroizen asked.

“My age?” Yroizen’s eyebrows rose.

Out of all the possible orders or questions the Ino expected, that hadn’t been one of them. Parelius didn’t reply to Yroizen’s question, and instead took a sip of his wine as he let the silence of the moment expand.

Finally, Yroizen gave in. “I’m twenty.”

“Young enough to enter the Tournament of Kings,” Parelius praised. “Though you wouldn’t get very far.”

“That is true, sir,” Yroizen pursed his lips.

He doesn’t believe me. Parelius noted. Good. I need someone who thinks better of himself.

“You know my son well,” Parelius said, skipping over his conclusions. “Assemble a team to accompany him when the lake becomes accessible again.”

“Sir?” Yroizen frowned. “We don’t know what could be down there. The young heir might be in danger.”

“I do know. And he will be. But danger is what fosters growth.”

“Even entering the depths of the lake is impossible without careful preparation. It could cost him his life,” Yroizen protested.

“Then in his dying moments he will wonder why the Ino I picked to lead his team is constantly courting death.”

Parelius raised his hands as he spoke, and the ring of his sleeve lit up with light. Yroizen reacted quickly, jumping back and unsheathing his sword in one swift movement, but it was too late. With a jolt, Ino’s knees slammed into the ground, and his sword was ripped out of his hand, cutting into the wooden floorboards and nearly severing his toes.

A single Ino couldn’t resist the primal force that was gravity.

Yroizen struggled valiantly as Parelius watched him with dark eyes, but it was no use. He had been trained by the household since his youth, but now he was as helpless as a farm animal guided to be slaughtered.

“Your son will die.” The Ino screamed the words through gritted teeth.

An Ino that is not loyal to House Tiberius, but to Jasper himself. Parelius pondered. Good.

With a flick of his wrist the gravity dispersed, and Yroizen gasped for air. The Ino was shaking, but not shaken, and even though stinging sweat poured into his eyes, he refused to look away from Parelius.

“You are skilled. Talented, even. Your grit is admirable, but I need more from you. Courage is only valuable to me if it won’t falter in the face of madness,” Parelius said. “You will find a company of Ino to enter with you, and they will obey you because you speak on my behalf. Take five teams, including yourself. All must be under the age of twenty five. There must be seven in each team.”

“Seven?” Yroizen asked, glancing at his sword that still lay on the ground.

Parelius ignored his question. “Take Uinso with you.”

“The Geist?” Yroizen blinked with surprise. “He’ll never listen to me.”

This time, Parelius didn’t fault Yroizen for his outburst. At sixteen years old, Uinso was the youngest Geist in House Tiberius history. He was a talent that could have entered the Tournament of Kings and brought fame to House Tiberius. And a secret weapon that couldn’t be revealed. He was asking the man to take command of a natural disaster. One that could kill the Ino and smile in the same breath.

“He will listen because he is ordered to,” Parelius said. “Now, go.”

Yroizen picked up his sword, hesitating a single moment before sheathing it. Parelius noted a twitch of the man’s left hand, but it was devoid of artifacts or weapons. Or maybe not. He could sense something there, hidden from him. A power that could be used to slay an enemy, or a patriarch.

Then the Ino turned around and left, taking off his black and red mask as he walked into the long corridors of the household estate.

Parelius chuckled.

A few more days and his wait would be over. People would flock to uncover the secrets of Lake Tiber. He would make sure to give clear orders to his men. No matter who appeared, or what affiliations they had, none except Jasper would leave the lake alive.

“Finally, House Tiberius will rise.”