Endyrion, according to RED, was currently in his office at the Adventurer’s Guild. I wasted little time making my way there, but something was off.

It started as a simple headache, but it soon transformed into something more vile as I approached the building.

[Solution: Warning! The User must avoid Endyrion at all costs!]

RED’s voice rang in my mind like a siren. Static noise filled my ears and it felt like my skull was going to pop like a balloon.

RED, are you doing this?!

[Solution: Yes.]

Why? Please stop!

[Solution: This guide will not stop unless the user agrees to not enter Endyrion’s office.]

I didn’t know what was going on, but I could hear the terror in RED’s voice through the monotone.

RED, what’s going on in Endyrion’s office?

[Solution: Transcendent Level Being has appeared ahead. The User must avoid them at all costs.]

… RED, is it one of the Fae?

[Solution: Data is classified.]

RED’s reply answered my question quite succinctly. One of the Fae was currently in Endyrion’s office… Why was one of the Fae in Endyrion’s office?!

My blood ran cold. Endyrion was the first and only person I had met in this world who had information about the mysterious Gods. How could he know so much unless he was also a ‘toy’ like I was to Nox? Then, could I even trust Endyrion at all?

I also wondered why I couldn’t meet this Fae, too. Why would I need to fear them if I was sent here by one?

[Solution: Data not found.]

RED, why are you stopping me from meeting this Fae?!

[Solution: Data is classified.]

Frustration coursed through me like blood. I was getting irritated by this game. I refused to let Nox toy with me. I needed answers! Unless RED gave me a good reason not to, I would meet this Fae.

I forced my way forward. The pain redoubled and my vision began to falter. I didn’t understand how RED could manage to induce this much suffering onto me.

[Solution: The user must turn back!]

RED’s voice grew more frantic as I finally managed to stumble through the Guild’s front door. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Step by excruciating step I made progress towards my goal.

[Solution: Calliope, please! Stop!]

I listened. RED’s plea reached me and stopped me in my tracks. The pain and static vanished without a trace. I hit my knees and suckled on sweet air, realizing I hadn’t taken a breath for the last few minutes.

RED, what are you protecting me from?

[Solution: ... ]

“RED, let her come in. It’s about time I speak with the toy. She hasn’t amused me as much as I hoped, but perhaps the toy can become an instrument.”

A terrible voice that filled me with dread floated on the air. It was a voice I recognized immediately.

I stood up and walked forward, unabated, into Endyrion’s office. There, in the old man’s chair, sat Nox. Lying on the floor next to the Fae, cold and dead, was the man I came to meet.

“Welcome, Calliope,” Said Nox with a magnanimous grin, “I do apologize for Endyrion’s rather, drab appearance… But, as they say in your world, such things tend to happen when you make a deal with the devil.”

“You killed him?” I asked in voice so calm it surprised me.

“I didn’t ‘kill’ him, I merely collected on a broken deal. His soul was quite a… delicacy.”

“You ate his soul?” I replied in disbelief.

“Yes. Eating powerful souls is the only way for a member of the Fae to grow stronger,” he said with a smile.

“So, you plan on eating my soul as well?”

“Oh no, I couldn’t eat your soul. Your soul is far too… chewy. If I had found you five cycles sooner, then perhaps, but I did not. You have become one of The Tempered, now, and with your insane mana affinity no Fae could devour you,” said Nox.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I walked forward and sat down in the chair opposite the self proclaimed ‘Devil’ and met his stare. His smile only grew wider.

“I came here for answers. Will you give me them in Endyrion’s place?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t have invited you in if I didn’t plan on doing just that, my little toy. You want to know what the Fae are, and you want to know why I ripped your soul from the cycle. The answer to both is related.”

Nox leaned back in the chair and pointed his finger into the air. A stream of mana followed and formed into a crude drawing of a monster and a man, animating his words.

“In this universe, there are two ways for someone’s soul to gain strength. One is by being reincarnated over and over again, tempering their spirit through life experiences they’ll never remember… And the other is to devour the essence of another’s soul. We Fae, the seven of us, were the first to surpass the limits necessary to become Transcendental Beings. We awoke to our newfound power over millennia of lives, and we gained back all our lost memories. We ascended from the mortal realm and, together, formed a covenant.

We were powerful, but we weren’t true ‘Gods’. Once we transcended, we realized just how difficult it was to continue our growth. Reincarnation cycles took centuries to pass.

It was by accident that Samart discovered the method to devour another being’s soul. We grew fascinated by it, and modeled a world of our own creation on that simple principle. That is the world you’re living in now. This world allowed us to grow even further. It let us surpass our limits. By killing beings in this world, we could easily grow our souls outside the slow reincarnation cycles of the universe at large.”

“So experience points…” I interrupted.

“Yes, EXP in this world is nothing but a representation of you devouring another beast or human’s soul. The reason your level was so high had nothing to do with me giving you power. I only created a husk, the soul acclimation was your body absorbing and refining the power of its incredible battery.

When we seven made this world, we made a simple law to go along with it. We decided that any sentient being that reaches level 999 will be killed off. This is to prevent new Fae from being born. One of us monitors this world at all times while the rest of us comb planes of reality looking for other Tempered. Killing them in any world outside of this one will simply cause them to reincarnate, thus we rip them from the cycle and bring them here, like I did with you. It’s also the reason I sent you back to this world after you destroyed the pocket dimension. If your soul scattered outside this created dimension, the pieces would eventually collect and be reborn again in a material plane.

Unfortunately, there are a few whose souls are too powerful for us to absorb even after coming here. The only solution, then, is to annihilate them completely. You are one such case. Your soul is filled to the brim with Chaos Energy, the same type of power as mine.

The other six are typically fanatical about killing off The Tempered, but I’m different. I’ve never liked the thought of a small group holding power, so I’ve been setting up some dominoes for a while. You, my toy, are now a pawn in my game. I am in charge of watching this plane for the next 946 years, and so I have a mission for you… A mission you will enjoy.

Help me raise an army over the next millennia. Level yourself up and Ascend… Then begin leveling up the people of this world. You must keep this a secret, though, for some Fae have organizations here with the means to contact them should trouble arise.

I wish to overthrow the other six Fae. This universe is far too boring, and I think it needs a little bit of chaos every now and then. What do you say? Would you like to help me prove that even the Gods can die?”

…

“If I refuse, are you going to annihilate my soul?” I asked, carefully weighing the information I had just been given.

Nox didn’t reply. A genuine smile split his face… And then he laughed. It was a wicked laugh. A terrible and wicked laugh.