Scott narrowed his gaze as he took in the figure standing a few paces away. She wore all black, save for her head, where amber hair hung freely to one side, parted by two furry ears that perked up with alertness. Two nose rings adorned her face, and red lip gloss highlighted her plump lips, giving her a distinct yet calm presence.

“I figured we might run into one of you,” Orion began with a smirk, folding his arms. “But I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.” His grin widened, clearly amused by the encounter.

Scott, however, was more direct. He stepped forward. “What’s your name? And what are your intentions?” His gaze flickered to the system window in front of her, one he was all too familiar with. I wonder how Zara would react if she were here, he mused, studying the variant’s demeanor.

Though the feline shared an uncanny physical resemblance to Zara, Scott could tell their temperaments were worlds apart. While Zara was like a volatile volcano on the edge of eruption, the variant had an air of reserved calm, the kind possessed by those who avoided unnecessary risks.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to claim the bounty on your heads,” the variant responded with a wry smile. “Not that I have the ability to, even if I wanted to.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “As for my name, there’s no need for you to know it. I have no interest in getting involved with you or anyone else.”

Orion chuckled and took a few measured steps forward. “You look so much like our Zara, you know? I wish she could see you. Thankfully, you don’t have the same personality. If we’d run into someone like her, there’d probably be a huge fight by now.” He stopped a few paces from her, grinning.

The variant raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Undeterred, Orion continued, his curiosity piqued. “So, what’s your timeline like? Have you encountered me or Scott before? How do you handle people confusing you with your variant? Wait, do you hate us? Oh, and how did you get here? Is there anyone else ahead? If so, how many? Do you—”

“I’m not interested in playing your games,” the variant interrupted, her tone sharp with displeasure. “It’s bad enough my variant was foolish enough to defy the gods. I don’t want to make the same mistake of associating with you two.” With that, she retreated, backing away before Scott or Orion could respond.

Orion giggled, shaking his head as he turned toward Scott. “She was nice. Too bad she wasn’t in the mood to chat.” He sighed theatrically.

Scott averted his gaze, staring down the path ahead. Did we make a mistake letting her go? he wondered briefly before turning back to Orion. “Let’s keep moving.”

Orion nodded, and without another word, the two resumed their journey. They crossed the invisible barrier, and the same monotonous path stretched before them. This time, however, it split into several forked paths.

"Oh wow," Orion muttered, a grin spreading across his face as he scanned the scene before them. "I wasn’t expecting this."

More than twelve paths forked off in different directions, each one bustling with champions from numerous races. Most were gathered near the branching paths, their eyes glued to the system notifications hovering in front of them. Scott noted how many of the champions turned toward them, their expressions shifting between greed, surprise, and apprehension.

"So, what do you want to do?" Orion whispered from behind, his tone casual but watchful.

Scott, still studying the reactions of the champions, replied coolly, "Depends on what they want. If they’re looking for death, who am I to deny them?"

Orion chuckled softly. "Seems your little experience during the inheritance gave you a sense of humor. I like it," he said, summoning his staff from his inventory with a flick of his wrist.

"Need my help, or are you eager to test your new powers?" Orion asked, glancing at Scott, who remained fixed on the assembled champions.

Scott stayed silent, and Orion, sensing the moment, followed suit. Seconds ticked by before a group of five champions cautiously made their way toward them. Though they displayed no obvious signs of hostility, greed was unmistakable in their eyes.

"You two—you're the ones the gods are after, right?" the leader, a four-armed centaur, asked as he halted a few paces away from them.

Scott and Orion exchanged glances, their silence unnerving the group, whose expressions grew more tense by the moment.

"I said, you're the ones the gods are after, right?" the centaur repeated, his impatience seeping through.

"Isn't that painfully obvious, dumbass?" Scott snapped; his voice sharp. "If you want to start something, then get on with it. If not, fuck off. I don't have time for this."

The centaur’s companions stirred, but a quick motion from their leader stilled them. Their bloodshot eyes remained locked on Scott, though, tension barely restrained.

"We have no intentions of claiming the bounties on your heads," the centaur said after a pause, clearly trying to maintain composure. "We'll be on our way." His companions exchanged surprised glances, but none dared question him as they turned and retreated.

"How disappointing," Orion sighed dramatically. "What a shame. It seems a lot of people are using their brains lately." He shook his head with a grin.

Scott watched the group retreat to the others before disappearing down one of the paths. He then turned his attention to Orion. "Which path do you think we should take?"

"I don’t have enough data to make an informed choice," Orion admitted. "So, we’re guessing. If that’s the case, I’d pick that one." He pointed toward a path where a few snakemen were lingering, their slit eyes observing the scene with measured interest.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Why that one in particular?" He knew Orion well enough to know he wasn’t the type to guess aimlessly.

Orion giggled. "It's faint, but I can sense something familiar down that path."

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"When you say familiar, what exactly do you mean?" Scott asked, his interest piqued.

"It's hard to explain, but in simple terms: it's very likely that if we take this path, we’ll find a way out. I can feel the same energy undulations from that distortion we encountered back in the forest," Orion explained.

Scott’s brows lifted as he focused on the path with renewed intensity. He noticed that the snakemen ahead shuddered before quickly dispersing, as though afraid of being noticed.

"Let’s go, then," Scott whispered.

Without another word, the two moved toward their chosen path, their steps deliberate. After a moment of silence, Orion spoke up again.

"It’s surprising, though."

"What is?" Scott asked, not bothering to look back.

"Silvanya mentioned there was nothing here. I doubt this qualifies as 'nothing,'" Orion replied, a strange smile playing on his lips.

Scott said nothing.

"Could it be that the bridge is shifting without us knowing?" Orion mused aloud. "These barriers might be zones that connect different layers of the bridge, but to us, it just seems like a straight path. Even if we retreat or advance several times, it might feel seamless. Whoever designed this place did an excellent job. I’d love to meet them," Orion grinned, his eyes scanning the towering walls around them.

Scott remained focused on the path ahead. While he understood the mage’s fascination, he had little interest in such details. His only concern was getting off the seemingly endless bridge and reuniting with the others.

Now that I think about it, what's stopping me from using my domain to get out of here? Scott suddenly paused mid-step, and Orion quickly followed suit.

"What’s the matter? Did you sense something?" Orion asked, curiosity lacing his words.

"We've been going about this all wrong," Scott began, watching Orion’s curiosity deepen. "With the restrictions lifted, nothing’s stopping us from leaving through my domain."

A wry smile crept across Orion's face. "I was hoping you wouldn’t figure that out," he muttered, barely able to hide his disappointment.

"Wait... you knew? Then why didn’t you—" Scott stopped, realization dawning on him. Of course. Orion’s the type to let his curiosity get the better of him. He probably wanted to see where this path would lead. It’s my fault for not realizing sooner. No way he would’ve reminded me unless I figured it out on my own, Scott thought, taking a deep breath.

"Let’s head back to Carcosa. We don’t need to worry the others any longer," Scott decided.

"I don’t have any arguments against that. But wait a second," Orion interjected. Before Scott could respond, the mage summoned a vial from his inventory and hurled it toward the path they had been approaching. The tiny vial arched through the air, vanishing in an instant.

"What was that?" Scott asked, eyeing the mage.

"Just some cells," Orion replied with a mischievous smile. "They should propagate into numerous clones under the right conditions. Nothing to worry about."

Scott stared at Orion, words hanging on the tip of his tongue. I shouldn’t even be surprised. It would be more shocking if he didn’t leave something behind. With a soft sigh, Scott prepared to activate his domain.

Suddenly, a blackened system window appeared before him:

The Nameless One is now watching you!

Scott froze, his eyes locked onto the ominous message.

The Nameless One advises you not to make a rash decision you will regret! The Nameless One has stopped watching you!

Scott's brow furrowed, his thoughts racing. What does that mean? How is leaving considered a rash decision?

"What's going on? You look like you've just seen an annoying message," Orion remarked, watching Scott’s tense expression.

Scott raised his head, meeting Orion’s gaze. The two stared at each other for a moment before Orion’s smile faded.

"Wait… did you actually get an annoying message?" Orion’s curiosity piqued. No system notification had appeared in front of him, which meant that if Scott had received one, it had to be from a higher entity—one beyond detection. Two names came to mind immediately. "It wasn’t from the administrator, right?" Orion probed mentally.

Scott gave a silent nod, and Orion’s eyes widened. "What did it say?"

"I was advised not to make a rash decision I’d regret," Scott replied, his voice low. "I think leaving this place, at least through my domain, would cause trouble. That’s the only way I can interpret it."

"You’re not wrong," Orion muttered after a brief pause, his brows knitting. "The real question is, why?"

Scott’s thoughts drifted back to their previous encounters with the lesser god of misfortune and the lesser god of torture—the mass of malevolent energy the misfortune deity had deposited in him and his companions.

Turning to Orion once more, Scott said, "I want to try an experiment. Come with me."

Orion's grin returned. "An experiment? Sure, sure, I’m down for it." Though those weren’t words he usually associated with Scott, he couldn’t help but feel excited to see what Scott had in mind. As soon as Orion agreed, the world around them seemed to stir—yet, strangely, it remained unchanged.

Did he just pull us into his subspace again? Orion wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted as his limbs began twisting, and dark, ominous beings descended upon him, torturing him relentlessly. I remember this... this is definitely his mental subspace. But why did he bring us here? Orion cast a glance toward Scott, and his eyes trembled.

The eerie figures crowded near Scott but didn’t dare touch him. Moreover, Scott’s form kept shifting between three distinct appearances: the first, his normal self; the second, a formless entity of nothingness, bent on reducing all existence to mere wisps of its will; and the third, a cloaked figure draped in unmistakable yellow, hovering imperceptibly, as though beyond time and space.

This… is truly glorious… Orion thought, his vision turning red before fading. His head snapped violently to the side, his body contorting as one half of his face transformed into a blackened mass. His right eye turned hazy white, his nose split in two, and half of his mouth twisted grotesquely.

The Lesser God of Misfortune reveals himself!

Orion’s body twisted further, and the torturous figures vanished, leaving only Scott and the possessed mage in the subspace.

“There were rumors of someone recently being acknowledged by the Throne of Madness," the god of misfortune sneered, its voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who would’ve thought it was you?"

Scott, however, looked different from their previous encounter. The god took note.

"Still a being of few words, I see. Then allow me to—"

"Who gave you the authority to manifest in my presence?" Scott’s voice boomed, mighty and thunderous, reverberating through the subspace.

Orion's possessed form recoiled in shock before anger quickly replaced surprise, the human remnants of the mage’s body giving way to the expanding black mass.

"A neonate like you dares to question me?" The subspace shuddered violently, teetering on the brink of collapse. "I’ll bring misfortune upon your wretched existence so that—"

"Be gone," Scott declared, his voice cold and absolute.

An overwhelming pressure descended, erasing the formless god and the remnants of the torturous beings from the subspace.

The Nameless One praises your ruthlessness! The Nameless One would like to bestow upon you the inheritance of the Nihilithians!