"Where are they?” Joe asked with urgency.

[I Said That They Could Be Alive, Not That They Were. It's Not A Guarantee That They're Still Alive.]

“But there's a chance right? My sister and mother could still be in Grisha?” Joe's heart fluttered with newfound hope. He cleared the last remains of his tears, as he waited for Syr to respond.

[They Could Be, But The Chances Are Low. After Earth Was Deleted, The Gods Chose Around A Thousand Souls To Be Transported To Grisha. Excluding You, That Leaves 999 Souls. From A Planet With Over Seven Billion Inhabitants, The Chances Of Your Family Being Among Them Are Slim.]

“You're wrong, 999 souls is a lot.” Joe argued, “Chloe and mother have to be among them, they just have to.” Joe sprung to life, and began pacing up and down frantically. One hand stroked his chin, his mind racing with questions.

"What criteria do the gods use when choosing a soul to transport? I need to narrow the odds. Is it age? Gender? What is it?"

[Gods Can Do Whatever They Want Whenever They Want. They Don’t Follow A Criteria—They Act On Whim. Trying To Understand Their Methods Or Thought Process Is Futile.]

“That's not good enough!” Joe shouted, breaking his mental communication. Realizing his mistake from his own echo, Joe took a deep breath before engaging in mental communication once again, “I need you need to give me something, anything. Where did the gods transport the other 999 souls.”

[Grisha Is Massive. Figuring Out Where All The Other Souls Were Sent Would Be A Monumental Task. I’m Not God. I Don't Have That Kind Of Power. If You Want To Find Them, There's No Shortcut. You Will Have To Search The Entire World.]

All Joe heard were more excuses. Syr proved less helpful with each question he posed. Not being able to narrow the task down, almost made it impossible impossible. Searching an entire planet was unrealistic. Where would he even start? Not to mention the danger, he barely survived a small dungeon like the Black Forest. How was he going to survive searching the world? The World must definitely possessed creatures way stronger than the Woflin.

Joe came to a stop and leaned against a tree. “No, I'm making excuses.” Joe said to himself in a whisper. “This is my mother and Chloe we're talking about. I don't care what I have to do. I'll find them. I'll find them both matter what.” Joe's voice rose to above a whisper, but nothing intrusive.

Clearly though, he was finding mental communication to be a burden. He was the kind of guy who would rather express his emotions verbally. Mental communication was going to take some getting used to.

Joe decided to sit down after his utterance. Shelly was still sleeping, his pacing was probably going to disturb her sleep. He observed her sleeping form for a few seconds before his gaze turned to the Sky.

By the look of things, morning was rapidly approaching and it wouldn't be long before the sun began to rise. Joe had spent almost an entire day In this Dungeon. It was an incredible achievement for him, yes a small forest wasn't much in the grand scheme of things and he almost died several times. But this reaffirmed to him that he was a surviver. He wasn't going to roll over and die. He was going to fight.

Joe clenched his fists as he glared at the sky. The sight of the heavens triggered a question he'd been meaning to ask. “Syr, you said earth was deleted. What did you mean by that. Did someone or something destroy earth on purpose.” The flashing light the fell from the sky played on repeat in Joe's mind.

[It’s Quite Simple. Most Planets Are Governed By A Primeval God. There Are Exceptions, Like Grisha, Which Do Not Possess A Primeval God. Earth However, Was Not An Exception. A Primeval God Existed There. I Don’t Know Their Identity, But They Are The Ones Who Destroyed Your Planet]

Joe clenched his teeth. This confirmed something he had already suspected. Of course something like that wasn't a natural disaster. Something or someone must've been responsible, and to think it was a God. It was so absurd that one could laugh out loud. But when Joe was introduced to the idea of gods being a real thing, nothing seemed impossible anymore.

”Why! Why would they do something like that! Those people, all those lives. Chloe… they didn't deserve any of that!” Joe's voice had gone out if control.

[I Don’t Know. There Could Be Many—]

“You Don't Know?” Joe interrupted sharply. “Then what do you know Syr? You don't know why my family was killed. You don't know where their souls are, You don't know which god destroyed my planet” Joe's voice boomed. “Looks like to me, you don't know anything! You're useless! Useless!”

[I Understand Your Frustration But You Must Remain Ca—,]

“Just go Syr. I don't want to talk right now. Just leave me alone.”

Joe got his wish. He was left to his own devices. A feeling of helplessness gripped his heart. Everything that happened to him since that day was the result of a God. He felt like he'd lost any sense of control he once had over his life. Things were being done and decided by forces far stronger than him. Joe was weak, useless.

Tears fell down his face. Joe tightened his fists once more, syr had said something before about how Earth differed from Grisha. Here he could do things in Grisha that he could never have dreamed of back on Earth. If he continued to level up and grow and gather all the power he could get. Would he be finally be strong? Will he finally have control over his life?

“Yes,” he whispered. “I'll do it. I'll be so strong, not even the gods can mess with me or my family. I'll protect them with my own strength.” Joe had made his decision.

After a few seconds, Joe heard subtle movement infront of him. He raised his head and found it was Shelly. She sat up slowly as she rubbed her eyes.

“I'm sorry did i wake you?” Joe had been pacing around, and he lost his cool more than once during his conversation with Syr. He definitely must've woken her up.

“No I was already awake?” Shelly bowed her head instantly, “You're not the reason, I swear I woke up on my own. It's not your fault. It's mine.”

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

Joe didn't buy it, her eyes were still sleepy. “You don't have to take the blame for everything. If I woke you up. It's okay to say so.” Joe offered a small smile.

Shelly raised her head, she looked the opposite direction before nodding so slightly, Joe almost missed it.

Joe dragged himself up and took casual steps towards her. He stood infront of her and reached out his hand. “You ready to go?”

Shelly nodded, she took Joe's hand and he helped her reclaim her footing. The staff she held in her left hand dissolved into a shimmering green light. Once she was steady, their hands separated.

“Before we go, there's something I need to do.” Shelly turned around. She started walking further down the forest. Joe followed silently.

She came to a stop when they reached the corpses of her party members.

The smell of the corpses was more intense up close, but Joe wasn't really bothered by it this time. His mind was deep in thought, “I took too long. if I was quicker, I would've been able to save them.” He clenched his fists.

Shelly placed her hands together, her fingers interlocked as if prepared for a prayer. “All of them. They're all dead because of me. The least I can do is give their bodies the dignity they deserve.” Tears fell down her cheeks as she spoke.

Joe's eyes fell to her, “I don't think they'd want you blaming yourself like this.” His voice was low, “you did everything you could.”

“You weren't there!” Shelly snapped, her voice strained. “I couldn't save a single one of them! They have every right to resent me. I failed them, I'm sure their souls harbor deep resentment towards me. I deserve it.”

Joe took a second before he spoke, “from what I saw, Kite didn't harbor those feelings. He wanted you to survive, he wanted you to live. Blaming yourself won't change what's already happened. It won't bring them back and it won't make the pain go away. If you truly belive they hated you, then take that resentment. Embrace it. Hold on to it, use it to keep moving foward. Use it to ensure that something like this never happens again.”

Shelly looked at him with sad eyes, she offered him a small smile. “Yes... you're right… thank.. you..,”

Shelly turned to her friends, she closed her eyes. A warm green glow bloomed around her hands after a few seconds. It then extended outward and encompassed all of Shelly's fallen comrades In its glow. [Skill Activation: Decomposition]

The light formed a small veil around their forms and it intensified as the seconds went by. After a full minute, it started to fade. In its wake, the bodies dissolved into green colorful orbs of light. The orbs sunk deep into the earth. And then almost instantly, grass bloomed from where they once laid. The vibrant and lush grass sprawled like a small garden. Colorful flowers also sprouted and assisted in transforming the once crimson soil into an elegant and beautiful green patch.

“May the Soul King be with you.” Shelly whispered, before she opened her eyes.

As Joe saw the flowers, his heart warmed. Something about them just made him feel at ease. Now, Shelly's friends would still be a part of this world. They could keep living on, and add beauty to the forest through these flowers. That's what Joe believed, and he couldn't help but shed a small tear.

“We can go now, Shelly” Shelly said, In her gentle voice.

The two began walking north of the forest. Joe's mind was still lingering on what she said. The Soul King. He'd never heard that word before. Was that some kind of God that people prayed to? Were they one of the Primeval Gods? “The Soul King, is that some kind of God” Joe asked, giving in to his curiosity.

“No,” Shelly replied, shaking her head slightly. "There are no gods in Grisha. The closest thing Grisha has to gods are beings called Planetary Guardians. Very few people In Grisha belive in them. I don't believe them myself." Shelly admitted. "The only being i believe in, is the Soul King.”

Planetary Guardians? Syr had never mentioned them before. Joe suspected Syr knew about them through. He seemed to know a lot about Grisha.

Shelly continued, '"The Soul King is something many of us choose to believe in. He’s said to welcome souls to the Soul Realm, protect them, and give them a happy afterlife.”

The Soul realm? Weren't the Primeval Gods the ones in charge of souls. That's what Syr said anyway. Joe was going on the limited information provided to him. He really didn't know enough to disprove or argue anything Shelly was telling him. Maybe things like the Soul King or afterlife did exist. Anything could exist and he'd belive it no matter how unreasonably it sounded.

“I'm sure your friends will have a happy afterlife.” He managed to say, after breaking free from his thoughts.

There was an awkward silence after those words. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard. Seeing the change in atmosphere, Joe spoke again. “Healing me must’ve used a lot of your mana. I’m sorry," he said, clasping his hands together to apologize.

Shelly shook her head. "It wasn’t that much, I promise." She sounded sincere, but Joe could tell that even after her rest, her mana pool hadn’t fully recovered.

"You don’t have to thank me," Shelly continued, her voice quieter as she glanced at the ground. "I’m the reason you got hurt, after all."

Joe smiled. "Let's call it even, okay? I helped you, you helped me. We're equal. You don't have to take the blame for everything. You're too young for that.”

Shelly let out a giggle after Joe's words.

“What? Did I say something funny?” Joe asked, not getting the joke.

"No..” she shook her head still giggling. “My grandpa talked a lot like you. I'd swear you were his son or something.”

“Oh come on! You're comparing me to some old geezer?” Joe wasn’t sure he liked that comparison.

Did he somehow get wise and boring during his transportation to Grisha. Did he reach enlightenment or something? He had never met his grandparents, but he'd spent enough time around older people during his job back on Earth to recognize how they spoke.

Shelly's giggling died down, her voice lowered as she looked at the ground. “My grandfather was the best. I’m sure he’s watching over me right now. I know he is.”

Joe frowned, “I'm sorry… Did he…?”

"Yeah, he passed away a long time ago. He’s the reason I became an adventurer in the first place."

Joe felt the mood shifting, and wanted to focus on something less depressing. "An adventurer, huh? That sounds pretty cool. So… do you like… venture out?"

Shelly looked at him, with a blank expression.

Joe winced. "Right, of course she ventures out. She's an adventurer, for crying out loud. Idiot," he thought to himself, feeling the heat of embarrassment rise to his face.

"You’re an adventurer too, right? Or are you just a solo explorer?" Shelly asked, her eyes curious.

"Yeah, that’s me. Totally a solo explorer," he was sweaty but somehow maintained his composure.

Shelly tilted her head. "Most people don’t do that anymore. I can’t decide if you’re brave or just…"

"Stupid?" Joe finished for her.

"No," she said, with a small smile. "Excited.”

Joe was convinced she was going to say stupid.

"Being a solo explorer is dangerous. Most people stick to adventuring parties these days. Traveling alone isn’t just risky because of bandits or harsh conditions. Mana beasts are also a constant threat. Back in the day, there were lots of explorers, but now it’s all about adventuring.” She explained.

“So people choose to become adventures due to the safety it provides while traveling?”

“No, it's more than that.” Shelly smiled. “Wealth, fame, power—everything you could want is attainable as an adventurer.”

Joe's face lit up, “That sounds awesome! I want to do it—I want to be an adventurer! Not for wealth or fame, though. I just want to find my family.”

“Your family?”

“Yes, “ Joe's head lowered as his expression shifted. “ I got separated from my mom and sister a while back."

"I’m sorry to hear that.”

Joe raised his head, his face resolved. “It’s all right. I’ll find them. We’ll reunite, no matter what!”

Shellly looked at him for a good minute before asking, “Grisha’s a big place. Do you even know where to start?"

Joe responded with a hardened expression, “No. But I won’t stop. I’ll search the entire world if I have to!”

Joe and Shelly had reached the edge of the forest. The sky had turned golden as the morning sun came into view.

Shelly pointed ahead at something visible in the distance. "Well, if you want to register as an adventurer and find party members, that’s the town you want to go to."

Joe's heart burned with excitement as he looked at the towering gates In the distance.,”Let's do it. I'm ready for whatever lies ahead.”

With those words, the two of them proceeded foward. Edging closer and closer to the town gates.

[Black Forest Arc - End]