Chapter 38 | The Phoenix 1

~~*~~

Elise Sune was working at the tavern like always. It was a job she enjoyed and one she could do at her leisure. During the afternoon, business was usually slow so she took to reading. Despite her youthful appearance, she had mature tastes. She sat with a wine glass in hand while sitting in front of a window. She enjoyed the feeling of the cool spring breeze as she read her book with the sound of the town in the background.

…

…

“HEY ELISE!” A child screamed from behind her.

“EEK!” Elise shouted loudly from fright. Her heart was thumping hard as she shot up from her seat and turned to see the young boy who frightened her. He had green eyes and short brown hair. “Jack! You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I’m sorry, Elise. I couldn’t resist,” the boy smiled widely as he spoke in a proper tone. “I bring urgent news from Nolan.”

“Urgent?”

“Please send a telegram to everyone in the Phoenix to not access the Network’s servers for any reason and that the danger of using it outweighs the benefits.”

“Did something happen?”

“Yes. You have noticed that Jeromy’s caravan is late in its return.”

“They should have arrived yesterday.” Elise understood that these trips usually took more time, but the fact Jack was here in reference to the expedition worried her greatly.

“Please don’t worry, Elise. Selina and the others are alive but they have engaged the Guardians at Teizen.”

“What?! Is everyone okay?!” Elise said, in distress. Why did this happen in Teizen? They never planned to go there. When Jack shook his head slightly in response, Elise dropped to the floor in grief.

Jack said softly as he comforted her by hugging her, “I don’t know much but we believe your family is not in the count of fatalities.”

They both got off the ground and Jack helped Elise to her chair.

“Due to Teizen’s proximity to Riverside, Nolan also felt the need to inform you and this town of danger. The Guardians are planning an orbital strike on Teizen. Everyone is being evacuated right now. But we need to inform Riverside’s council to prepare for any eventuality.”

“An orbital strike?” She asked, not knowing what he meant. “What eventuality?”

“In case the damage spreads,” he explained.

“Teizen is fifty miles into the forest, how can that affect us?”

“I’m not sure… I’m not sure what the Guardians are planning.”

Elise sunk into her seat and took a large sip of her wine, “How did this happen? Why now?” Jeromy and Selina went on plenty of missions but why were the Guardians after them now?”

“Even if I explain the reason, you’ll likely forget the reason.”

“Forget? Why would I forget?”

“We had many conversations like this but you couldn’t remember after I explain this to you.”

“I will certainly not forget a conversation like this.” They both said at the same time as Jack mimicking her tone.

Elise was scared as Jack looked at her knowingly with a hint of sadness. How did he know what she was going to say?

“They tracked the IP address of the communicator the Second Prince had. I don’t know where he got it from but it somehow accessed the Network servers without a proxy.”

“A communicator? Is that not an extremely rare artifact?”

“Yes. And it runs on electricity. This deepens the mystery because electrical devices don’t work on Theia. In any case, the Prince had a working communicator and the Guardians tracked them with it.”

An uneasy silence took over and Elise took another sip of her wine. “Thank you for telling me, Jack. I will send the telegram as soon as I can and inform the council of a monster horde coming as a cover story.”

“Okay. Will you be alright?”

“Yes. I am okay. I just never thought about what consequences the Phoenix would accrue when prodding about electricity and the artifacts. Thank you for coming to tell me, Jack,” she smiled warily.

Jack was about to turn to leave but then asked a surprising question, “Have you been in contact with a reincarnated person?”

“In fact, I have. How did you know?”

“It’s because you remembered what I said about electricity. Being in contact with a reincarnated person makes people more grounded in reality. The induced amnesia should’ve wiped your memory about our use of electricity but it didn’t… You and your information network has been a huge help to the Phoenix and I’m worried if you get too involved, especially during times like this,” Jack explained. She didn’t understand a lot of what he was talking about but she somehow got the gist.

“No, it is fine. It has been far beyond that point for me now,” Elise said. This whole situation seemed to be far larger than her pay grade but she committed herself to their cause now. At first, she only wanted to help the helpless but now it became larger than herself. This was all Jeromy’s fault but she accepted the duty thrust onto her.

***

At the Alton Manor, the morning came with some concern. Neither Reinold nor Alisha came home yesterday. Although Reinold did communicate through the Soul Phone gem that he would be staying at Alisha’s dungeon, he didn’t say why. At the same time, Benas got a report from Hans about a group of Knights going missing. The Knights shot a flare up into the sky and when the militia went to the position, nothing was found. He already figured out what was going on.

“Father, is something wrong?” Yuli asked.

“It’s nothing. Have fun at school,” he answered.

“Okay!” Yuli trusted her father and didn’t worry about it.

There were many things a Merchant Lord had to handle on a daily basis. There were many businesses that depended on the coordination of his various contacts for goods and services, especially those importing and exporting to and from Riverside. Lately, he heard whispers of war.

Imperial troop movements, an uptick in recruitment, and more propaganda against the Association. Although none of this was visible in Riverside.

Tension within the Empire was strong and was pointing squarely at the Association. As the Merchant Lord of said Association, he had to be concerned with many things business and personal if open war was declared. But he also knew many things others didn’t know, like the true nature of Jeromy’s expedition to the Grethenian Kingdom. As the bridge to elven territory, the Merchant Lord of Riverside would have to be informed of such things.

Sir Jeromy Powle, captain of the Association Mercenary Guild, was on a subjugation mission in the Elven Forest and they hadn’t reported back on their last scheduled interval or the next, or the next. This had Benas thinking the worst might’ve befallen the group. They were also supposed to arrive five days ago.

Yuli’s biological older half-sister was the lieutenant on the mission and the expedition going dark should be raise for concern. However, the Soul Charm Yuli has of her sister was still shining bright and Elise assured them that they were fine. They were merely having a little trouble with the Maquis. Elise’s information network was extensive in gathering rumors from travelers and so she had plenty of contacts in different brothels within elven territories. The Association has had her on their payroll for some time.

The path this war would take might depend on the outcome of this expedition. A mission of this importance was manned by Jeromy because of his amazing casting ability and capabilities as a leader. It was hard to believe how an expedition led by such a high-level mage could be delayed. The longer they were out in the Elven Forest, the more likely they’d run out of mana and attract a horde that might endanger Riverside.

The other problem was Commander Dustin Rayeth, the person in charge of Imperial force in Riverside. His garrison was stationed across the Sohao River in the New District’s fort facing the Elven Forest. He seemed to be tightening his control as of late and has been using Alisha as a scapegoat.

To the average citizen, it may look like the Imperials were just helping out but given an inch, they’d take everything. It was very important that the Imperials stay in their fort and not interfere in town but that seemed a little unreasonable now that an ‘emergency’ had come up. His passive aggression against Commander Dustin must’ve made him upset.

Severing civilian supply lines to the fort should’ve isolated them but now people were willingly assisting the Imperials. They started patrolling the streets and enforcing rules on businesses and Imperial coinage were beginning to be circulated.

Lord Benas couldn’t just ignore Commander Dustin anymore. Something had to be done before the Empire pulls the rug from under him. He had to meet with Captain Jeromy when he returns.

***

Reinold and Alisha were walking back to the Alton Manor and it was almost noon when they arrived. Alisha was anxious about what happened with Gale but Reinold reassured her that it wasn’t worth the worry. But she seemed more troubled about something else.

“Are you not bother by it?” She asked while avoiding his eyes.

“Bothered about what?”

“About me being a boy in my past life.”

“That? I’m not bothered,” Reinold said simply.

Alisha waited for something more and was confused by his silent acceptance. “…Is that it?”

Reinold wasn’t sure what else to say. “Well, I’ve seen weirder.”

“So, you do think I’m weird…” She pouted and then Reinold patted her head again. He wasn’t referring to her but he went with it.

“That’s a given. And considering how you are, being a boy in your past life is the least odd thing about you.”

Alisha smiled widely, “Thank you, Reinold. I just needed to hear that from you.”

“I’m happy to help.” His smile caught Alisha off guard. She didn’t think she would ever get used to the amount of kindness she was getting from this family. Was this how normal functional families operate? Reinold’s smile continued as he saw her get embarrassed and blushed deeply.

Alisha didn’t know what to expect now but it seemed like events were moving very quickly and she could barely keep up to what was going on. But because of her pre-determined status of being a monster and reincarnated, she would have to anticipate that this was what her life was going to look like for the foreseeable future. She felt bad that the Altons were getting into trouble for her sake but she’d have to deal with it.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

When they arrived at the manor, the servants came out and led them inside. Benas already left for town and left Sophia at home. She was having a tea party in the back garden. After she heard they were back, she left mid-conversation and immediately pounced on Alisha in the foyer with everyone watching.

Sophia hugged Alisha tightly and she returned her embrace, “Alisha, if something were to happen, I don’t know what I’d do!”

“I’m also here,” Reinold said.

“Oh, I know you’d be fine, Reinold,” she said while smiling knowingly. He looked at Hans and gave a similar look of satisfied expectations. “Alisha, did you get taller?”

The talk went to the reception room and Alisha struggled to get the words out. A long silence enveloped the room after her clumsy explanation.

“Gale Ullian is dead…” Hans pondered out loud after ingesting what they were told.

“Is that bad?” Alisha asked while averting her eyes.

“He wasn’t a very high-ranking member of the Church but him being a Knight of Order complicates things. For example, how did he know you were a reincarnated?”

“I’m not certain but I have an idea. I can’t say what it is for now.”

“Okay…It goes without saying that you’ll be hunted more rigorously now that he has passed.”

“I know…” Alisha said sullenly. Elise spoke with someone from the Phoenix and they should come to Riverside any day now to meet her. They would know better than anyone else on what to do next.

“Alisha, dear, you’ll always be welcome at his house,” Sophia said suddenly.

Listening to her saying that, Alisha grew a smile. A smile without a hint of any inhibition. “I know~!”

After tightly hugging Alisha again, Sophia let them both go into town. It was a surprisingly shorter conversation than what she anticipated.

The countermeasure for her aura concealment was known so anybody who had the magic circle could track her. And so, she went outside within one of her duplicate bodies while her main body with her soul gem was still in the dungeon. As long as her channel within the Network stayed within range of her receiver, she should be able to move around like her main body without emitting a distinguishing aura. This would limit her mana pool to only her immediate supply but being in town while maintaining her meatsuit didn’t require much.

When Alisha and Reinold arrived at the freelancer tavern, they were greeted by Elise who was just as worried as Sophia in her own way.

“I really did not know how you would react to Gale hunting Alisha but I want you to know you did the right thing. If you had let that religious oaf hurt Alisha, I would not have forgiven you easily,” Elise said intimidatingly to Reinold.

Alisha sensed some double-meaning in her statement but she didn’t press it. Reinold smiled warily, “You know I wouldn’t do that to Alisha or anyone.”

“Okay, I was just worried. You did shoot Alisha after you guys first met after all.”

“Are we still on about that?”

“Yes, because you shot me, more than once,” Alisha chimed in.

“Are you never going to let that go?”

“No~!” Alisha was giddy at his disheartened expression.

For the next sentence, Elise got close to her wolf ear and whispered, “There’s someone from the Phoenix upstairs to see you.”

With that, Alisha was handed over to Elise and they both went upstairs to Elise’s private study. There, a child, around eleven or twelve was waiting in the chair facing the window. The study was a wide space that was filled with documents in the cabinets but most of the room was for recreation.

The child got up from his seat and turned around. Alisha was expecting someone older to come to meet her but as soon as she met his eyes, she knew the child was far from that.

“Alisha, I want you to meet Jack,” Elise introduced her. The way she held and spoke to her told Alisha not to be afraid. She was a bit nervous and they both picked up on that. Jack was smiling, amused. The momentary silence was becoming deafening.

She overcorrected and spouted out, “G—Greetings, I’m Alisha!”

Both of them were laughing now. For some reason, she was really nervous. For some reason, this person in front of her was very different than the other people she met in this world so far. He was a ‘real’ person, a reincarnated person, a person born from outside the Network and away from its influence. It gave her a great amount of solace in knowing there were others like her here.

Not only that, Alisha could tell since looking at Jack with her Monster Sight that he wasn’t human, much like herself but also different. Jack was more human than monster. The best word she could find to describe what he was: hybrid.

Jack walked over and examined Alisha more closely, “You are cute. I was under the impression that she was a slime.”

“She is,” Elise explained how she obtained the baby wolf body she had right now.

“So, these ‘meatsuits,’ was it your idea?” Jack asked curiously.

“Yes, I needed a solid body so I went shopping in the forest for one,” Alisha said.

“May I see your human body?”

“Of course!” Alisha then leaped out of Elise’s grasp and morphed into the young adult daughter of the Schefters. After that, Elise left the two alone and went back downstairs. Jack poured some tea into a fashionable cup and handed it to her as they sat down.

“So, what year did you pass away?” Jack asked.

“Huh?” Alisha didn’t fully understand the question but answered, “2037.”

Jack gave a slight smirk and pointed to himself, “2645.”

“W—WHAT?! I have so many questions! What happens in my future? Are there flying cars and AI? Did we make it to Mars?!” Alisha was surprised to meet someone from the far future. She was under the impression that everyone came from generally the same time period. Jack was calm during her outburst. She figured Jack was met with this reaction many times before. “…Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m, in fact, from the latest era in Earth’s history the Phoenix had ever found.,” he explained and was amused at the expression Alisha was making. “It wasn’t a happy time. After the 23rd century, things became very difficult. Resources became very scarce and the environment hasn’t fared well.”

Purely on Alisha’s curiosity, Jack filled her in on what happened in Earth events up until his death. It seemed like she missed out when human history was getting interesting again. A secret magical organization called the Dominion revealed itself to the world at the turn of the 22nd century and changed life forever. This revelation answered much sought out questions about existence, especially the afterlife.

Not everyone could use magic on Earth like the people could on Theia and so, for a time, the Dominion became the dominant power on the planet. They controlled the interests of nations because they had casters while the humans didn’t. There were also people in the Dominion who were specialized in handling spirits who didn’t pass on to the other side called the Reapers.

The afterlife of Earth was a closely guarded secret and not many knew what was on the other side. After the chaos from this new era died down and the establishment of a world government, humanity looked towards the stars and began building infrastructure in the Solar System. By the 27th century, there were still problems but it became very peaceful with the exception of demon attacks from the other side and from the frontier on the outer rim.

“I was killed by some marauders when I was delivering freight to the Titan colony. May I ask the circumstance of your death?” Jack said something scifi so casually. The amazement of a realized space frontier era wasn’t lost to Alisha.

The memory of her death was painful so she didn’t want to talk about it, “Why?”

“Just as a census. I ask this of all newcomers.”

“Okay… I was also killed. I…I don’t remember who it was who pushed me from that building…”

“That’s okay. Memory lapses in the last few hours of our lives are actually pretty common.”

Alisha nodded.

“Alisha, there’s something I want to test, if you may. Please humor me.” Jack took out a couple of photos from his coat pocket and placed them on the tea table in front of them.

The one on the left was of a hard-working lady standing in front of a reception desk of the inn. The photo on the right depicted a staged portrait of a husband and wife. The same woman was in both photographs. However, there was something very wrong about the portrait. The face of the woman was overlaid with the face of an entirely different person!

It was a subtitle thing that anyone could miss and she would’ve if not for her access to the Network. It was the first time Alisha had seen the Network influence of perception be this obvious. It was as if a ghost was obscuring the true face.

“We call this the Mrs. Kermick experiment. Can you tell me what you see?”

“The photo of the couple is odd. I know the woman in both photos are the same but it seems like something is telling me that they’re different people.”

Jack was caught off guard by her answer as if both correct yet unexpected, “Can you explain what you mean in more detail?”

“Like the woman’s face is being casted over a hologram.”

“Listen Alisha, in this world, the New Gods control what we see and hear. Reincarnated people are also vulnerable but you are the first person I met to know that this picture is being manipulated without me having told you,” Jack explained.

This ‘Mrs. Kermick experiment’ was meant to objectively deduce who was reincarnated and who wasn’t. If a person was reincarnated, they would perceive the woman as the same person and that was the truth. If a person wasn’t reincarnated, they would perceive the woman as different women.

“So, you know of the Network and how it influences people?” Alisha asked.

“You know about that too, huh? You are a Dungeon Master. And all Dungeon Masters are some manner of spiritualists. Did you figure this all by yourself?”

“Yeah… But do you know how everyone in this world is fake?”

“Fake?” Jack asked, feigning ignorance.

“Like they’re not real. How they’re being influenced by the Network.”

“I’m sorry, I need to know more in detail,” he pressed for an answer but Alisha didn’t like to be tested like this.

“No! I want you to tell me what you know!” Alisha shouted in frustration with tears forming in her eyes. “I need to know that the people here are more real than what I’m seeing!”

Jack felt guilty for pushing Alisha to tears. He wasn’t here to interrogate her but Alisha’s abilities also brought unfounded suspicions.

He apologized, “…I’m sorry about that. I can’t give you such reassurance. But know that the people here are as real as we allow them to be. Just being a part of their lives decreases the influence the Network has on them. I could see it in Elise. I suspect the Altons have also changed for the better because of you.”

Alisha took a while to answer and sort of knew what Jack was trying to convey. However, there was something more underneath that she wasn’t ready to confront. If everyone was fake and being influenced by the Network, what parts of them could she trust? Alisha wanted to have faith in the way people presented themselves to her. If her belief was proven wrong, she didn’t know what could happen. Alisha was too afraid and asked a slightly different question, “How did the Phoenix know about the Network?”

“It’s impossible not to notice when changes are made in this world. Like this woman in the photograph. She used to be the wife of the farmer here. However, by the time he noticed something was wrong, she became the wife of a merchant just overnight.”

“Could that happen with the Altons?”

“It tends to happen with people with high status but this phenomenon hasn’t happened in the last few years.”

“How do you know?”

“Like the case of Mrs. Kermick, the changes in the world have a ripple effect which causes the perceived timeline of events in this world to shift slightly. We took note of all the changes we could find but no changes have happened in the last five years.”

This was insane to think about reality literally changing and how those changes make the reincarnated misremember things. This world was insane. Alisha asked, “You said the New Gods are responsible for this, how do you know that’s the case?”

“They call themselves the Guardians. They’re our enemy. The Guardians use the church to hunt the reincarnated and suppress information they don’t like. What caught our attention was an incident in the Vultian Empire. We don’t need to get into that now.”

Jack nor the Phoenix knew of the name ‘Zephon.’ For all Alisha knew, the name could be an alias but she knew that the pseudo-god was the leader of the Guardians, the ones manipulating the people and world. They call themselves gods and rob people of their will. Their crimes were reprehensible to say the least.

Alisha inquired, “Elise said the Phoenix might be going to war against the Guardians soon.”

“It has already begun,” Alisha was alerted by Jack’s statement. “The Guardians showed themselves in the Elven Forest against our expedition with Sir Jeromy. They’re taking the Phoenix as a real threat now. There was no time in Theia’s history had a group of reincarnated people banded together like we have. We took steps that undermined their agenda and now we’re all more targets than we were before. That being said, I’m not going to ask for you to join us at this time. However, your ability to access the Network at will is an invaluable asset for us.”

“I’m in,” Alisha didn’t beat around the bush and said what Jack wanted.

“Don’t you need to think it over? This situation is already extremely dangerous and you have a lot to deal with as is.”

“I don’t feel that the hunt for me and the situation with Zephon and his Guardians are mutually exclusive. The Guardians now are hunting me too. Plus, it feels nice to have allies.”

“Indeed. Is there anything we can do for you in return?”

Alisha smiled, “Yes, of course I have three conditions. First, I want to have all the information you have on these ‘Guardians.’ Second, I want to move on my own discretion. And finally, I want to meet your leader.”

Hearing her demands, Jack visibly winched, “Given your importance, the first and last is easily doable. Once you’re formally admitted into the Phoenix, you’ll have a high clearance for information and that includes meeting with our leader, Nolan. However, your second condition will have to be fulfilled by Jeromy when you meet him.”

“Thank you.”

“If that’s all I’ll take my leave,” Jack said, visibly irritated by her conditions. This was supposed to be a simple exchange where he was to invite Alisha to be under the protection of the Phoenix. There was a question on whether it was safe to join or not at this time. With the Guardians breathing down their wrath on them, it was hard to say if they can protect those associated with them.

Although common, no one could expect a newcomer to fight under their banner without some time under their wing. Now, with Alisha, this was something new. A reincarnated person who wanted to use the Phoenix’s resources in their own fight against the Guardians. She was only born a few months into this world. No matter how talented, how arrogant can one be?

“Umm, there’s one more thing I want to ask. What are you? Are you a monster?” She asked simply out of curiosity. Alisha could see through her Monster Sight that Jack wasn’t a normal reincarnated person. Jack was surprised to see that she could see through him but explained.

“I was a monster much like you are now, although I wasn’t a Dungeon Master. I imagine you were very scared and confused when you woke up in a place like that. However, it was Nolan that found me and saved me when a group of freelancers subjugated me. He tested a procedure that turned me mostly human.”

“Mostly human? Like a hybrid?”

“Yes…” Jack was continuously amazed by her abilities and intelligence and made him want her more. Jack demonstrated his inhuman ability by making his sword appear out of thin air. “All monsters have a Pocket Dimension but none are smart enough to utilize it like us. Other than this, I am a human in almost every way.”

“Can you explain the procedure Nolan did for you?”

This was the solution Alisha has been looking for all this time: something that would make her aura human which would negate the tracking spell and to solve her identity problem and to stabilize her body.