I stare up at him, he’s absolutely massive… “You’re sure you’re not a machine?” He asks… “I’m Nexus, Sir…” I say, as he gives me a simple. “Are you strong, then?” He asks, his imposing form making it hard to call myself anything BUT strong…

“I fought a dragon… Or so I was told. Or- Well- I was told I used to have a normal human body, but it was damaged- Right? So now I’m like this.” I say, as I stare up at him. “So you too were once hurt…” He sighs, and pulls out one of his knives-

“I suppose…” I say… “Fear not, for we are kindred spirits, my friend.” He says, surprising me. “What do you mean? You don’t…” I say, as he pulls off the large thick plate covering his arm, revealing multiple metal gadgets and plates sticking out of his arm.

“We are both cybernetically enhanced.” He says, as I stare at it, and he places the piece back on… “I was told I’m kind of strong… But you’re like… I couldn’t have ever imagined anyone so strong looking…” I say, as I stare up at him again…

“Not quite. There are many stronger beings than myself, my friend. But still…” He says, as he looks off into the distance at something. “It would be my honor to invite you, my friend, on our holy crusade.” He says, surprising me again.

“Ours?” I ask. “Yes, mine and my brothers. The monster hunting branch, and the holy templar are forever with me.” He says, as I sit here, enamored by such an amazing show of brotherhood… “I… Don’t know what to say…” I say, as I look down…

“I never thought I would meet someone like me… Are you sure I’d be strong enough, though?” I ask, as he stands up. “No. But you are the next generation, and it is just as important that you are set on the right path, my friend.” He says, as I stand up alongside him.

“I would love to then. Thank you for having me. When do we start?” I say, as I recall what my mother had already taught me… She’s right, that place cannot be permitted to carry on with such horrible acts.

“Here, take this.” He says, handing me a necklace with a tiny metal wolf head. The eyes are shut, and the fur jets out like a lion’s mane. “This is your key. If you ever seek a place to rest, show my brothers this. Now come, we begin now.” He says, as I quickly follow him.

-√Z2-

“Welcome, Venetiur.” I say, as we look around. My mom doesn’t seem to be home at the moment. “It’s beautiful. So we’ll be here for a few days? I can’t wait to meet your mother.” He says, as I show him around.

We went to the science fair yesterday, and met a nice girl. She’s pretty strong too, and promised she would help us with our dungeon run, in a few days, just as we planned.

“So where’s this mom I’ve heard so much of?” He asks, as I look out the hole that leads to her favorite perch. “She’s not here right now, sadly…” I say, as I grab us both a drink, and we sit down.

“Anything good on?” He asks, as I turn on the screen. “We’ll just have to see.” I say, as I flick through options. Lots of different things on here, there’s all kinds of people out there, and they love uploading their cool stuff on here.

“It’s crazy that all of this is happening.” He says, as I finally find something. “Yeah, I wonder what it is.” I say, as I take a glance at the perch every now and then. “I think I heard some police talking about this weird thing?” He says, surprising me.

“Something about a plan to fix everything? It sounded pretty dumb to me. I hope it works out though.” He says, as I think about it. “You don’t think they’re trying to keep all us mutants out, do you?” I ask, as he chuckles.

“Well, I’ll go wherever you go, if you’ll have me. Once I graduate, of course. School is very important, after all.” He says, the perfect little pumpkin he is. “Are you already dedicated to me? We barely even know each other.” I say, as he rests his head against his hands.

“I guess that’s just more reason to get to know you.” He says, as I cross my legs- My mother suddenly crashes into the room! “Mom!” I shout, as we both stand up, and run to her!

She looks at me, then changes form- “I’m fine!” She says, as I guide her to the couch, and Venetiur turns off the monitor. No visible damage… “I’m fine. I was just attacked at my workplace, it’s alright.” She says, as I check her a second time just in case-

“Can I get you anything?” Venetiur asks, surprising her, as she rubs her head- “Who is this?” She asks. “Venetiur, the boy I was telling you about.” I say, looking away a little… “Right… Sure, a glass of water.” She says, and so he runs off.

“The facility?” I ask… “Yeah, some sort of monster… Screaming heretic this, holy crusade that. Absolute maniac… I’m fine though, he decided to spare me for some reason.” She slowly says, as I listen, and Venetiur returns with her water.

“Has your wing healed?” I ask, as she stands up and transforms. She’s massive, and absolutely gorgeous… “It seems so… He hit me with something that knocked out my healing… I guess he didn’t want me healing anyone…” She says, wrapping her wing around me just as she used to… “My precious baby…”

She transforms again, and I stare at her… “Are you okay?” Venetiur asks, staring at me- “Of course, I’m a phoenix after all.” My mother says, as her hair ignites itself, and she douses us in her healing light. “Wow…” he says, as it washes away small blemishes from his clothing.

“You should clean yourself better.” She says, as he takes another glance. “Sorry. I guess I’ve been getting a little lax on it.” He says, rubbing the back of his head, then looking at me again.

-√Z3-

I look around, the City’s a lot more abandoned feeling than usual… Lots of mutated people have evacuated almost everyone else. I guess there were more people who cared than either my mother or I had thought. I guess it’s rude to think of them that way, though.

They’re still people too after all, even if my mother doesn’t like them… I just hope Nexus doesn’t hurt anyone…

School’s out for a while though, so it’s a nice break, plus being able to mess with stuff without getting yelled at is pretty cool though-

There it is- The stone. The Stone of the Philosophers. Right in the middle of the park, forever guarded by the city.

I walk down the stone path, passing by empty benches, and chirping birds who rest upon their favorite trees. Coming to a stop as I arrive at the stone itself.

It has a weird language written on it, but when I rest my hand against it… I am given… Enlightenment. It teaches me so much, I don’t know if I would have ever created Nexus without such a precious thing…

Such a prime opportunity to steal it away all for myself, squandered and wasted due to Nexus wanting to be a waste of my goddamned time.

“What mayhaps you teach me today, o’precious stone?” I ask, as I stare into the weird symbols etched into it, listening…

It speaks to me. Words of destruction, the presence of a being who could tear our world apart. Words of creation, knowledge of conceptual reality as I know it, new inspiration flowing into me. I have a new project now!

I move away, and look around. Nobody. I’m safe. The first time I ever touched this thing, my mother slapped me and told me to never come near it again. “Maybe next time… You WILL be mine.” I say, as I begin to walk away…

I barely make it through the outer gate before a horrible boom shakes the area around me… I turn around almost instantly and look to see the park has been destroyed! I scream, fear of my precious stone being lost forever!

My voice however goes unheard, as this practically giant walking suit of armor fends off this equally terrifying THING. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before… He throws it to the floor, beating it like a drum with explosive bullets, drowning out my own thoughts.

It looks at me, and reminds me of the fact that my mortality is actually very fragile, and I should probably run. I fall onto my butt, and look up at him… “Child, are you alright?” He asks, as I look around. “Y-Yes… Very alright…” I say, as he stands up.

“You should not be out here at a time like this… Please, hurry home.” He says as I quickly nod. “Then I am off! Valhalla awaits!” He shouts, before running off into the distance at blinding speed…

I return to where the stone once stood… It’s gone, their fight must have destroyed it… I scream once more, but instead in complete, unbridled anger! I fall to my knees and clutch my head, as I try to not lose my mind-

-√Z1-

“So this is it?” I ask as he runs his hand across the door, and I start looking for mana signatures. “Supposedly.” He’s left a layer of mana on the rim of the large vault door. “You’re going to detonate that!” I say, as he raises his thumb, and nods.

“Good eye.” He says, as it explodes and I throw my fists into the air in excitement! “I never thought of that!” I shout, as dust and debris slam into and around him. “You’ve seen nothing yet.” He says, as he pulls out a large, powerful looking gun…

He hands me it, and equips the larger one from his back… “Only if you’re ready to take a life.” He says, as I think back on all the combat I’d been through… “Yes!” I say, as he releases it and I nearly lose it from the weight alone-

I yelp in surprise, and adjust my strength before it drops. “That weight isn’t the weight of the gun, but the weight of the monsters it has slain, and the lives it has saved. Remember this forever, Nexus.” He says, as I stare deeply into it…

“Of course! But… Do I have to give it back after this?” I ask… “Yes. The gun’s still pretty expensive.” He says, as I recall all of my training. “Alright, I’m ready!” I shout, as we rush into the facility!

About an hour in, and we’ve already dispatched of many things I could describe as abominations… “It’s horrible…” I say, as I put down another disgusting waste of whatever genes were stolen to create this thing…

“You’re doing them a mercy, I can only imagine what pain they may have been in…” He says, as I nod and perform the prayer he taught me. “May the sin cast upon you be burned away under her holy light.” I say, as I watch it slowly disappear…

“It worked!” I shout, surprising him! “What?!” He exclaims, looking at me again for confirmation! “Haha! The gods recognize you already!” He shouts, as I hug him! “I just knew we were doing something good here!” I say, as he pats my head.

We continue to make our way through each room. “So do you have a name?” I ask, as I put down another mess. “No. I cast off my name a long time ago. Although… I WILL go by Sendrith, as a nickname when the need arises.” He says, as we spot a young boy…

He almost looks entirely human… But his hair is white, and his eyes are red. “What are you?” I ask, as he starts gesturing weird hand signs. “He says he has no name. He was born blind, and he can’t speak.” Sendrith says, as I walk over to him.

“Do we?...” I ask, but he waves his hand. “Hold.” He says. “Boy. Do you hurt?” He asks, as he kneels down, while the boy gestures. “You will come with me then. I have a better home for you.” He finishes, before we leave after telling him to stay put.

“So we don’t kill EVERYTHING?” I ask, as he loads more ammo into his weapon. “No. Some creatures may still be able to believe. We call them the lost children.” He says, as he places a beacon on the door.

“Technically, every horribly mangled THING in this blasted facility is a lost child. But we cannot save all of them. Those that cannot be helped are instead put down, where they will then go to limbo, and slowly be consumed.” He says, as we find more and more weird children.

“Those who can, though… Over time…” We save another, it’s a young girl with snakes growing out of her hair. “They will eternally pray, and empower the pantheon. And if their hearts were true…” He continues, as he hands a beacon to a boy with spider legs sticking out of his back.

They’re covered in strong looking cobwebs, he could probably even fly with them, if he tried. “They will die through natural means, and their souls will return to the mortal realm, where they will be reborn to live a true life.” He says, as I suddenly find myself even playing with one of them…

“So it’s not so extreme?” I ask, as we finish up here, and spot some sort of large creature. “This one might be tough, see if you can find any more lost children.” He says, and I nod in compliance.

For a while I just hand children the beacons Sendrith gave me, and tell them what’s going on. They must be so afraid… They’re just like us… I return to him, his armor is undamaged and he’s covered in burn marks-

“Are you alright?” I ask, as he looks at it. “Just a little bit of cleaning is all that’s needed.” He says, lightly brushing it off. “Did you find all the children?” He asks. “Yes.” I answer. “Good. Gather them up, we’re leaving. I’ve dealt with everything else.” He says, as we do just that.

I notice a portal, as we step outside. “Solasara, these are the children.” Sendrith says, as a woman wearing purple walks over. “So you’re the one they call Sendrith? It’s good to meet you.” She says, as he stands there without a word.

“Alright, come on everyone.” She says, as he turns around and nods, causing them to start walking in. “Hi, I’m Nexus.” I say, surprising her. “Nice to meetcha.” She says, as the portal closes. “This another one of your little recruits?” She asks, as she looks up at him.

“Maybe. If she wishes to, and proves herself to the rest of the Monster Hunters.” He says, as I examine the necklace he gave me… “Oh, you like her!” She suddenly says, surprising me, as she stares at it. “Quiet, witch!” He shouts, as she giggles and backs away.

“Alright, alright~ No need to get angry, I’m just teasing you.” She says, before leaving, and we begin making our way to the city. “So DO you like me?” I ask, as he folds his arms. “Of course, we’re kindred spirits… Are we not?” He asks, his head turning to look at me.

“R-Right!” I say. “There you go. But… There IS more… I am old… I fear my time here is coming to an end… All Templars march endlessly for the holy crusade…” He says, as his head snaps tree branches out of the way, making me silently chuckle inside.

“But they also march for the crusade in their hearts… I guess I’m saying I’m desperate. Once I’m gone, I wish for someone to carry on MY will… MY crusade… When I’m gone, Nexus… WIll it be YOU?” He asks, as a large fiery bird suddenly lands in front of us-

The forest is blown away and engulfed in flames! I pulled out the gun he gave me, and aimed it at the bird- It transformed- “Wait what?!” I exclaim, as I fall down- “Calm down, it’s a Phoenix. Legendary creatures such as this can transform into a semi-human counterpart.” He says, as I stare at her.

“Are they normal?” I ask, as I lower my gun… “Yes, they’re very precious, and they too despise places such as this…” He says, as she continues to stare daggers into us… “So why are you here?” He asks, but she instead unleashes a wave of fire at us…

He protects me with his arm, easily shrugging it off. “My child was in there… Where is he?!” She asks, as Sendrith hands me a weird looking bullet. “Once you see an opening, fire.” He whispers, and I nod instantly. “I won’t miss.” I say, before backing away.

“He’s been saved, you people won’t hurt these lost souls any longer.” He says, but she instead bolts towards him, slamming him against a tree! “Why make these… THINGS?!” He exclaims- “Because I HAVE to!” She screams, but he grabs her leg, and snaps it!

She tears it off, and it grows back almost instantly! What is that?! “Your attacks are useless, the Phoenix is eternal!” She shouts, as she transforms, and shoots into the sky- Amazing… Hellfire rains upon us, and I’m forced to run away, as the immediate area is obliterated…

They trade kicks, punches, talen slices, knife slices, a slap that was so loud it shook the area- She transforms into a phoenix and bolts behind him and slams her leg into his head- He tries to grab her wing but she transforms again, and he blasts her arm off!

As soon as it’s gone, it’s already back, and the lost one turns to ash, instantly blown away from a wave of his arm. He fires more bullets at her, but she manages to dodge a few, and even return fire!

She’s learning! He throws her into a wall, and her body ruptures then repairs itself- I throw myself at her, and she transforms, instantly lifting off- “Nexus, no!!!” Sendrith shouts, as this metal cage begins to melt…

I plunge the gun into her wing, and fire! “What have you-” She says, as blood bursts from it, and my arms suddenly lose their strength, and I begin to plummet- I watch as the phoenix flies away, and Sendrith catches me…

He sets me back on my feet, and the automatic repair functions reactivate my parts. “Are you okay?” He asks, as he stares down at me. “Yeah, I’m fine… Here.” I say, holding his gun out… “No, I think you’ve proven yourself worthy…” He says, surprising me.

“But…” I say- “How about this? You can return it to me when you’ve become a Templar. Then we can buy you one of your own.” He says, raising his thumb again- “A-Alright!” I say, as he pats my back, and looks at the Capitol Tower of everessence.

“I have a meeting to attend, then I’ll be heading to the closest den. Come, seek us out my friend, if I’m around, I’ll personally train you myself!” He says, before we finally go our separate ways, and I find myself nearly home…

-√Z4-

“Hey, Zel.” I say, as I walk up to her. “Hi Foldge.” She replies, as I sit next to her. “Sorry about Qualstra, I tried to convince her…” I say, as she folds her wings. “Hey, it’s cool. Besides, she’s been having a rough go at it for a while, I’ve been enjoying the break…” She says, as I help her drink from her cup.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Foldge. Even my closest family members never want to help me like this…” She says, as I stare at her… “Yeah, well… You’re my best friend.” I say, as I help her again, then pull it away so she can speak.

“Yeah, alright… Remember when we first tried? You got me all wet, and I had to learn fire magic to dry off.” She says, as she forms a couple embers in the air, while I drink from my own cup, and then switching again as she finishes.

“Are you happy here?” I ask, causing her to almost choke on it- “O-Of course…” She says, as she looks around… “I’m good, you can put the cup away.” She says, sighing, before standing up. “They treat me well here.” She finishes, before walking over to the door.

“Well, if you say so…” I say, as we step outside. “Anything you wanna do when we grow up?” She asks, as she stares at the clouds. “Man… You really love those clouds, huh?... I dunno’. Figured I’d find something some other time.” I say, as we continue to watch them pass by.

-√Z5-

“We’ve just got word that the templar has finished, he’s on his way here right now! He said it was an absolute success, sir!” Fell excitedly says, as she nearly dances in place. “I’m just glad this will all soon be over…” I say, as I sit back down…

And on cue, there he is! “I have arrived.” He says, as he steps through the elevator door. “Ah! Thank you! I heard your venture was successful!” I call out, as Fell stands up, moves, and claps lightly. “Thank you!” She says, as he nods and gestures to her to stop.

“All in a day’s work for the Templar.” He says, before turning to look at me again. “I’ve come to report that all mutants have been put down. I will be leaving now. If something like this ever sparks up again…” He says, as the eyes on his helmet guide us to the ruined area where the facility was.

“Always call upon the Monster Hunters. The Monster Hunters will always find the heretic.” He says, as I give him a nervous chuckle. “O-Of course. I’m sure you’re busy, so why don’t you…” I say, before he nods and leaves.

“Until we meet again.” He says, as I simply wave. “Which I hope will never have to happen…” I say, after the elevator door shuts… “He’s certainly intense.” Fell says, as she pulls her seat back into place, and sits down. “Yes, very intense.” I say, as I sit down again...

-√Z3-

I spin my chair around, and stare at her… “Where were you?” I ask, as I rest my hands on the arms of the spinny-chair, my body still a little too small for it. “I was just out with a friend. I’m allowed to do that.” She says, as I stare at her…

“Everything is ruined!” I shout, as I pull myself off the chair and my feet hit the floor. “What do you mean?” She asks as I approach- “My rock! Gone forever! All your fault!” I shout, as I begin pacing.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“What did I even do?!” She asks, as I look at her- “Leave! That’s what! You could not be found!” I say, as I continue to deliberate. “I needed you… My rock is destroyed, and everything is ruined…” I say, as I open the garage door.

“How’s it MY fault?” She asks. “Only you could move it! If you were just there…” I say, as I clench my head again… “If only… It would be safe, everything would be right… Now I am just a dumb kid…” I say, beginning to choke up…

“Sister… I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” She says, as I throw one of my tools at her- “Hey, you could have-” She says, as I toss another one- “NO! Do not call me that!” I scream, as she catches the next one!

“But you…” She tries to say- “No! You were made to obey! You are a failure! I hate you!” I shout, as she falls and catches herself with her hand. “Leave! You waste enough time!” I shout, pointing at the garage door, but she just stares at me…

“Please, just-” She tries to say- “LEAVE!!!” I scream, my voice shaking with an anger I’d never felt before!

She picks herself up, and begins to run away. I close the large door, and walk back over to my chair… Maybe I’ll calm down in a few more hours…

-√Z2-

It’s been a few days now, and I’ve been keeping an eye on my mother… “Are you SURE you’re alright?” I ask, as she stares at the window again… “Listen, sweety…” She says, surprising me… “I need… To go. I may not return.” She says, as I shake my head-

“Mom, no-” I try to say, as Venetiur stares at us. “What’s going on?” He asks, as he stands up from the couch. “I know- I know, but I have to. I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t…” She says before transforming-

“Can’t you at least tell us what’s going on?!” Venetiur asks as she moves into position- “No. Treat her well, Venetiur.” She says, before suddenly shooting through the open window… “Mother, no… Venetiur-” I look for him, but he’s disappeared too-

I bolt out the door, and he’s hanging from her leg- She suddenly transforms into her human form and back again to get him off her- His face hits the ground, and I run to his side- I help him up, and he spits out some grass, and looks at me.

“Sorry, I couldn’t stop her. She, uh, apologized for throwing me like that, though.” He says, before I hug him… “It’s fine… I’m… Used to this… Still, this time, it feels different…” I say, a failed attempt to reassure him.

He looks at the city, then at me again. “Well, the evacuation order should be over…” He says. “Yeah, we can go back to school, and go on dates and stuff…” I say, as we both turn to look at it again. “Come on, let’s head back right now. I need something to get my mind off of this…” I say.

We arrive at the park, and realize how wrecked it is. “What do you think happened here?” Venetiur asks, as we stare at it… “Kinda’ wish I knew. I’m glad I wasn’t here for what happened though. I guess the mayor really WAS protecting us…” I say, as I walk over to the large crater, where that weird stone used to be.

“Sucks about the Stone of the Philosophers. Supposedly it contained a powerful psychic ability.” He says, as we slide down into the crater, and spot a tunnel. “Really? What was it?” I ask, as we look at it- The tunnel suddenly collapses, before we can enter…

“That sucks… Anyways, it supposedly had the power to see into the past. Recall all kinds of random stuff.” He says, surprising me. “Wow. I used to walk by it every day.” I say, as we sit down. “How do you know this?” I ask, giving him a confused look.

“Cult stuff. Where do you think it came from?” He asks, and it clicks easily enough. I shrug and nod my head. “Alright, fair enough.” I say, as we jump out, and spot Nexus. “Hey, Nexus!” I shout, grabbing her attention. “Hey!” She calls back, walking up to us.

“We couldn’t find you for a week, girl! ‘You still up for that dungeon run?” I ask, surprising her. “Yeah, I guess… I was just… Doing a little soul searching? Is that what you people call it?” She asks, confusing me.

“Yeah… But… Why would YOU need to do any soul searching?” I ask, as I put my hands in my pockets. “Things came up. I don’t want to talk about it.” She says, and I nod. “Come by my place tomorrow. It’s the little house on the hill. The one with the hole in it. We can start the dungeon run tomorrow.” I say, surprising her.

“Yeah, sure.” She says. “Good to see ya’, Nexus.” Venetiur adds in. “You too, Venetiur.” She says, before we separate again. “Glad we were able to schedule that.” Venetiur says, as he sighs. “Yeah. We should get to school already. Don’t wanna’ be late re-orientation.” He finishes, and I nod in reply.

He looks back at the crater again- “You know, the stone only started showing anomalous effects a few years ago… They showed up out of nowhere, but only egged the cult on… I hope I never have anything to do with that place again…” He says, his eyes going still again.

“Venetiur! Come on!” I shout, knocking him out of that trance. His eyes will go still whenever he’s thinking about it, so I don’t like asking about it. I don’t even really know if he’s telling the truth, that’s how little he’s actually told me about it…

But whenever he gets like this, it certainly tells that story… Maybe he’ll tell me about it some time.

The next day, we found ourselves readied for anything. Venetiur, Nexus, and I… It’s finally time for the dungeon! “You guys sure you’ll be okay?” She asks, as we stare inside. “Yeah, Dungeons usually come in multiple floors.” I say, as she digs at vines and branches blocking our path.

“The first ones are usually pretty easy, but the bottom ones can be a challenge.” I say, as we finally happen upon the entrance. It’s big and grand, above the door, there’s even a name etched into its frame. “Bane of the Arthropod.” Venetiur says.

“Does that mean anything?” Nexus asks, as we look up at it. “Oh, it’s mostly just bug themed. You know, Arthropods.” He says, as I take a step back- “You know, maybe… Maybe I can’t handle this…” I say, as they look at me.

“You afraid of bugs or some’n?” Venetiur asks. “No. But my idea of a fun time doesn’t include having like, a hundred bugs crawl on me.” I say, as all the nature in the area begins to recede, and a puzzle reveals itself.

“A puzzle?” Nexus asks, as she looks around… “Yeah! Dungeons love puzzles! They’re littered everywhere!” Venetiur says, as he steps back, while Nexus walks around. “You should try completing it yourself, Nexus. We already know the answer.” I say, as I rest against one of the large stone blocks.

The puzzle is simple, just push the blocks into the holes. This Dungeon obviously hasn’t had any visitors. “Well, alright… Where is it?” She asks, surpising me. “You don’t know?” I ask, as she kind of shrugs.

“It’s the large stone blocks. See how the rest of the floor is slightly raised? You just have to slide them into place.” I say, as she suddenly picks one up- “What’s to stop me from doing this?” She asks, as Venetiur folds his arms.

“The same thing that’s stopping us from just not coming here. It’s fun.” He says, as she places it back on the ground, and continues to try and work out the solution in her head. “No reason to ruin the puzzle the dungeon worked so hard on.” He adds, as she begins stacking them.

“You notice the-” I try to say, but she shows me her palm- “No- I have to figure this out for myself.” She says, as I roll my eyes. “Just look around, there’s obviously more to it than just a lowered floor, and giant blocks.” He says, as this begins to get boring.

It takes her about five minutes before she realizes the holes aren’t just pits that make her fail forever. “I did it!” She shouts, as we lightly celebrate. “Good job! No more puzzles for you.” He says, as the door slides open, and we stare into its depths.

-√Z6-

“Lute, Bahnj!” I shout, as I look around for them… Damn this empty city, makes it impossible to find anyone… “Hey, Vax, over here!” Lute shouts, making me run over. “Hey. What are you doing?” I ask, as he smashes a window, and grabs one of the items inside.

It’s some sort of box, it was on display. “What do you think it does?” He asks, as Bahnj runs over. “I heard the shattering of glass? What did you break?” He asks. “Why do you think I broke something?” Lute asks. “I think you know why.” He says, as Lute rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. You got any idea what it does?” He asks, as he shows him it. “Did you STEAL this? Lute, come on.” Bahnj says, as he looks at it. “Stealing is COOL, Bahnj… Just stop being a jackass and look at it.” He says, as Bahnj does just that.

He judges it for a moment, then gives it back. “Nothing. It’s just a black cube.” He says, and Lute predictably tosses it back into the building. “Whatever, let’s go.” He says, before we do just that. “Does it actually do anything?” I ask, as I look at Bahnj, while Lute runs ahead.

“Of course. Anyone can make a cube.” He says, as I nod and stare. “Just a vox-caster. Probably didn’t even work anyways.” He says, as we slowly catch up with Lute. He’s staring at someone, it’s one of my classmates.

“Hey!” I shout. “Qualstra! Whatcha up to?!” I ask, as I walk up closer, while she fiddles with her tools. “Inspiration. Life is equal to ruin. New inspiration necessary.” She says, surprising me. “What happened with your robot?” I ask, as she slams her fist into a wall, shattering it-

“Failure! Leave! I will not speak of this!!!” She shouts, before walking away. “Yeash, what’s wrong with her?” Bahnj asks. “She’s just one of my weird classmates.” I say, as he nods and tries to wave it off. “Kid’s a friggin’ savant or something.” I say, as we make our way down the street.

“A savant?” He asks. “Someone who specializes in one field.” I answer. “She’s a year younger than me, but she can barely form a coherent sentence.” I continue, as a vehicle drives by. “Coherent?” He asks, while placing his hands on his hips.

“A fully realized sentence, not missing any words.” Bahnj answers. “Friggin’ idiot.” He adds. “What’d I say about making up words, you two?” Lute asks, making me want to punch him again. “Dude, it’s a real word. It’s not my fault you don’t want to pay attention in class.” He rolls his eyes.

A police cop spots us, and walks up to us. “You kids alright?” He asks, before kneeling down on his feet. “We’re fine. Do you need something?” Bahnj asks. “Some kid’s been running around smashing windows all day… You wouldn’t happen to know anything?” He asks, as he stares at us.

“Uh… No… How many have he already struck, though?” I ask, as I grab Lute and pull him in for a side hug. “Twenty eight. Tell me if you see anything.” He says, and I nod before letting Lute go.

We separate from the cop, and round a corner, before absolutely digging into Lute- “DUDE- What the fuck?!” I exclaim- “H-Hey- You know that’s against the-” He tries to change the subject- “Oh yeah- Like you care: Mr. Screw the rules!” I shout, as Bahnj rubs his forehead.

“I was bored! Alright?! They can fix them anyways, it only takes a little mana.” He says, as he forms a glass orb in his hand. “Well people don’t like it, dude. You didn’t break anything expensive looking, right?” I ask, as I fold my arms.

“Nope.” He says, as he looks away, and I take a step back to let Bahnj start nagging him- I have terrible taste in friends.

-√Z5-

“Residents have slowly been returning, only to then leave again.” Fell says, as I stare at the depressingly large list of departees. “It was expected… Everessence will recover.” I say, as I begin to notice a bit of a pattern…

“Wait… The ones in orange are the people who’ve gone missing, right?” I ask, as I activate the sorting function, and set it to color. “Yeah, and the red ones were found dead.” She says, as I begin to realize how very few mutants were killed…

“How many mutant people died in total- No- That’s not right… NOBODY who evacuated should have died…” I say, as I stand up. “Well, if you separate it like that…” She says, as she makes a secondary list.

“About sixteen mutated people were killed, and three thousand human casualties, two thousand four hundred demihuman, five hundred seventy animals, and finally seventeen legendary creatures… Sorting it like that, ANYONE would…” She trails on, as I stand up and look at my window.

“What have I let happen?...” I ask, as I stare out the window… “This IS including people that have gone missing! Comprising two thirds of the total list!” She tries to reason, but I shake my head. “I won’t jump to any conclusions, Fell...” I say, as I return to my desk.

“Report this to the chief, I want investigations, this needs to be figured out. And make sure to have patrols setup, watch EVERYTHING, lives are at stake here.” I say, as she nods before running off to make her report.

-√Z1-

“So this is a dungeon?” I ask, as I equip Sendrith’s weapon, to make sure I’m ready for anything. “Woah- Neat gun.” Venetiur says, as we jump down to the bottom of the floor. “Yeah, I… Got it from a friend.” I say, after taking a glance at Chorimax, while we land.

“It looks pretty strong.” She says, as Venetiur and I look around. The room is massive and open, there’s two giant doors, and another not-so-big door at the other end of the room.

“What is this room for?” I ask. “Probably an arena. See the doors? Creatures and what not will start piling out of those doors, and then the one in the back should be the entrance to the next room.” She says, as we walk forward- A nearly transparent wall appears in front of us.

“What’s this?” I ask. “A force field. Maybe the first test is to try and break it.” Venetiur says, before a door begins to open, and we step back- A massive worm-like creature shoots into the room, and looks down at us…

It’s massive. The orb-like head is bigger than my house, and its body stretches into the distance of the hall that it came through. Runic markings cover the massive green cylindrical body between larger symbols that look like arrows and ripples. All topped with a jeweled tiara.

“Greetings adventurers, I am!... Artemis of the forest dungeon, and the eternal hunt, the master of this Dungeon!” A deep yet feminen voice roars from its direction, yet the mouth does not move.

I look at the other two, but they just continue to stare at it, until I decide to speak up. “Hey there...” I say, and they look down at me. “Are you a girl?” I ask. “Technically no... But I like to think I am.” She says, as she looks away.

“So you’re… The dungeon? I didn’t know dungeons named themselves after stars…” Venetiur says, as he continues to stare. “Stars? I’m not sure what you speak of- Wait, I know you…” She says, as she lowers her head again to stare at him…

“Y-You do?...” He asks, as he falls on his backside- “You were the little boy who used to live near my dungeon! What, you finally build the courage?” She asks, as he looks around. “I guess… You were watching me?” He asks, as she lifts her head again, and the field falls.

“Of course. I couldn’t let my first participant just die like that. How was the puzzle? I hope it wasn’t TOO hard for you mortals!” She says, a wide grin on her face. “Ah- It was impossible! Took me forever!” I say, as I fold my arms.

“Uh- Yeah. Can you expand on the not letting Venetiur die part?” Chorimax asks, as we walk forward again, and she follows us to the door. “Oh- You know, monsters and what not. Always SO hungry for whatever.” She says, as she waves herself around, shaking the room.

“So are you going to challenge my dungeon?! I JUST finished the forty-eighth floor!” She says, as I nod. “Yeah. It sounds fun. Where will you be?” I ask, as she looks over at the other door. “I’ll just be managing my dungeon, making sure everything is fine.” She says, as she looks at the other door.

Her eyes close, and a beam shoots from the jewel on her crow, opening the door. “Good luck with the puzzles! Let’s hope the aim of men is true this day.” She says, before suddenly shooting through the doorway, her body like a train until it finally disappears and the door slams shut.

The door in front of us slowly slides open and we enter!

The doors slide shut behind us, and we look around… Floating platforms! Below them is a pit of lava, while crystals jut from the walls! “Wow.” I say, as I spot a gem on the wall, of which is suspiciously similar to the one from earlier.

I jump to one of the other platforms and look around… I have no idea how to do this. “Nexus, you should try hitting one of the crystals!” Chorimax calls out, as I look at my gun… “Alright, I’ll try!” I call back, as I aim and fire a bullet, destroying the crystal!

“I did it!” I shout, but they’re kind of shocked- “Is that supposed to happen?” Venetiur asks, as they jump over. “No- I didn’t think your weaponry would be so strong.” Artemis suddenly says, as I look at the gem on the wall.

“Sorry!” I call out. “It’s alright, I’ll just make another.” She says, as her body suddenly bursts through the wall- “What the?!” Chorimax suddenly screams, as Artemis places another crystal with her mouth and shines that same beam on it.

She pulls her body back through the wall, and begins reconstructing it with the beam again. I guess that’s some sort of all-purpose construction laser- I put the gun away, and aim two of my fingers at it. This time I fire a much weaker magic bolt, and the crystal lights up.

“I did it!” I say, shooting my arms into the air, as the other two clap. “Good job! Let’s get the rest!” Venetiur says, as he does what I did and we begin firing bolts. The doors slide open, and we jump from platform to platform until we reach it.

“I didn’t know you were a marksman.” Chorimax says, as I shrug. “I guess. Not sure what you mean though.” I say, as we look around at the next puzzle.

The room has a ton of random objects scattered around, and pedestals to presumably place them on. There’s a leaver next to us. “You’ll definitely struggle with this one!” Artemis suddenly says, through another one of those gems on the wall.

“Should I tell her?” Venetiur asks, as he rests his head against his hands. “Maybe when we get to the end.” Chorimax says, as I look at them. “What do you mean?” I ask. “Oh- Nothing.” They quickly say- “Here, I got this.” Venetiur says, as he steps forward.

He pulls the lever, and a laser shoots out of the crystal next to it- “What?!” I ask, as he suddenly turns the crystal, and aims the beam- “That’s so cool!” I shout, as he picks up one of the objects. “Check it out, this probably redirects the laser.” He says, as he holds it up to the laser-

The laser does just as he predicted, as I stare at it… “That’s even cooler…” I say… “You think so?” He asks, as he pulls over one of the pedestals and places it on it. He then proceeds to show his mastery over puzzles, to my complete amazement…

“Simple enough, just laser redirection.” He says, as the door opens. “Hey, you should check out the wall covered in vines.” Artemis says, surprising us- “Oh- Uh- Okay.” I say, as we walk over to it.

I notice a ton of cracks on it, and push my hand into it, making it fall apart. “It’s a chest.” I say, as the rubble settles around us, and I open it. It’s a bow and quiver! “Oh, I used to have one of these.” Venetiur says, as he picks up the bow.

He pulls the string back, and forms an arrow with mana. “Wow! Are you a mage, person who used to live near my dungeon?” Artemis asks, surprising him. “No, I’m still in school. Anyone can do this.” He says, as I pick up the quiver, and follow behind him.

We enter the next room, and look around again. This time, there’s a picture on the wall, with a bunch of metal plates on the floor. “I’ve got this! My mother and I love these!” Chorimax says, as she starts putting all the plates together on the floor.

“I’ll look for any hidden treasure.” I say, as I walk away to do just that. I don’t manage to find anything before they finish, and I take another glance at the picture. It’s like an interpretive picture of a deer, using only black and white as the colors.

“Sorry if it’s a little hard to tell, it’s supposed to be a deer.” Artemis says, as we stare at it. “I was very young when I made it.” She adds, as we walk over to the open door.

It’s a large room, probably an Arena, like what they were talking about. “Arena?” I ask. “Yep, better ready your gun.” Chorimax says, as Venetiur and I ready our weapons.

A door begins to open, and a large creature walks through. It has the torso of a human, the head of a bull, and the legs of one too… “A minotaur! A mythical creature!” Venetiur says, as he charges an arrow, while I aim my gun at it. Chorimax, on the other hand, builds a sword with her mana.

It carries a large decorated battleaxe with a wooden handle. “It’s better than nothing. I can heal myself quickly, you two just focus on ranged attacks.” Chorimax says, as she charges forward, forming a shield to block the axe-

The minotaur brings the axe down on her shield, denting and bringing it to the floor, while Venetiur fires an arrow into its shoulder! It huffs and deflects another, as I run around and wait for an opening.

It slams the flat of the axe into Chorimax, sending her sliding against the floor- Its ears perk up, and I fire- The bullet slams into the axe and destroys it! “Damn!” Venetiur says, as the Minotaur just looks at it, then raises its arms.

“Nope. I ain’t beatin’ that.” He says, as we lower our weapons. “Oh…” I say, as I approach. “So you can talk?” I ask. “Of course.” He says, as I stare up at him. “Sorry about your weapon.” I say, looking at it. “It’s fine, Artemis will get me a new one.” He says, as Artemis busts through the wall.

“Hey boss.” He says, as the other two approach, and we look up at her. “You couldn’t last a LITTLE longer?” Artemis asks him, as she lowers her head. “What do you want me to do? I know when I’m beat.” He says, as she rolls her eyes.

“What’s your name?” I ask, as I look at him again. “Morley. How about you?” He asks. “I’m Nexus. This is Chorimax, and that’s Venetiur.” I say, as he folds his arms. “Hm. Nice to meet you.” He says, as Artemis looks at Venetiur again.

“Wait- You have names?” She asks. “Yes, ma’am. They have names.” He says, as he looks up at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks in disbelief. “You didn’t ask- Why didn’t you ask?” HE asks. “Well, I… Huh…” She hums, as she begins circling the room.

“She hasn’t met many people... Has she?” Chorimax asks. “Nope. I’m one of the only people even here. Most of the inhabitants are from the synthetic biomes she created to produce creatures for her arenas.” He says, as she looks down at us again.

“I’ve come to a decision.” She says, surprising us. “I’m canceling your dungeon run, instead… You’re going to tell me about the outside world… For my research.” She says, as the other two sigh. “Do I get to keep the bow?” Venetiur asks, surprising her.

“O-Oh, of course. I actually have a bunch of other stuff too, for you-” She says, before bolting off into the hole she made. “Well that’s nice of her.” He says, smiling… “She’s never given me anything…” Morley says, as he folds his arms again.

“You got any chairs around here?” Venetiur asks, as Morley builds some with his own mana. “So you work here?” Chorimax asks, as we sit down again. “Yep. Artemis pays well, and I get to laze around all day. I would have brushed up on my skills if I knew you were coming…” He says, as he scratches the back of his head.

The tail finally disappears and Artemis reappears, she moves at unbelievable speed… She looks down at us, and approaches Venetiur, dropping a bunch of chests out of her mouth, just like the crystal.

“Do you HAVE to barf them out?” Morley asks, as she looks at him. “How else am I supposed to hold it?” She asks. “Make arms?” HE asks, in disbelief. “Well I didn’t think about that.” She says, as we look at the chests…

“Oh my god, this one is full of clothes!” Chorimax says, as I look over- She’s right, it’s full of clothes for a child, the size tells me for someone at the age of six. “Oh, aren’t they cute? I never did get to give them to him.” She says, as he looks over.

“You really WERE watching…” He says, as he pulls out a stick with two lances sticking out of it. It suddenly extends into a spear lance, and he spins it a little. “I knew it was there, but I was worried I would die…” He says, as she looks back at the door we came in through.

“I see…” She says, before looking back down at him. “There’s more to you humans, than I was… Told.” She says, observing all of us. “I told you. Even if they DID fall into the lava, they’d still probably survive.” He says, surprising her.

“Well… How was I supposed to know?” She scoffs, as he slaps his forehead- “I LITERALLY told you.” He replies. “Whatever. I’m not talking to you right now anyways.” She says, as I pull out a shirt and look at it.

“This one’s so cute, Venetiur!” Chorimax says, pointing at one with a happy simplistic bunny drawing on it. The one I’m holding just has stripes on it. “Can I get a new axe?” Morley asks. “Fine.” Artemis replies, after sighing. “Wew.” He says, before standing up and leaving.

“I’mma head off, see ya’. Come get me if you need me.” He says, as the door opens up, and he walks down the hallway. “Lazy-bones.” Artemis says, as we return to the chests.

“So you really made all of this for me?” Venetiur asks, as he opens another chest, and we look inside. “Of course. I had lots of time.” She says, swinging her head lightly, leaving the rest of her body strewn around us.

Inside are weird objects, one of them is like a little bear, but it’s soft and plush. “Oh, those are the toys I made for you.” She says, as he picks up the bear and looks at it, sitting down on the chest. “You made all of this for me, and I never even knew…” He says, as he stares at it.

“I guess I could have maybe come out and told you…” She says, looking away. “My mother never did anything like this for me…” He says, grabbing her attention away from whatever silly movement she’s doing to express her emotion.

“I should have died at five, but I didn’t. She tried to kill me… Why?...” He asks, as he lowers his head… “Hey. That’s all in the past, man.” Chorimax says, as he looks at her, while Artemis lowers her head to look at him again, like she did earlier.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to accept it…” She says, but he quickly shakes his head- “N-No- I- I love it. Thank you… I just never knew somebody cared so much…” He said, as he brushes his arm against his eyes.

-√Z4-

We landed on top of a building. “We’re finally home, it seems.” I say, as I look around. “Yeah… You wanna’ go find Qualstra?” She asks, as I kind of just sigh. “Not really… She’ll probably just yell at us, and tell us to go away anyways.” I say, as she frowns and looks away.

“You’re… Probably right. Sorry I asked.” She says. “No- It’s fine. She’s our friend after all, we’ll meet up with her at school.” I say, as she smiles again and nods. “Yeah, alright… Hey, wanna’ go get some ice cream?” She asks, surprising me.

“Yeah- Oh, wait… I need to head home. I’ve got homework sadly… Bring it over! We can study together!” I say, as she nods and flies away. I jump down from the building, and land on the ground.

I head home, and wave at my dad, then head to my bedroom to get started, as I wait for Zelzara...

-√Z3-

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah.” She answers, as I stew in my anger… “What right do you have?” I ask. “What right don’t I have?” She asks. “I… You’re supposed to- Why can’t you just?!” I throw my head into my hands and scream-

“Stop whining.” She says, as she packs up her stuff, and hoists it over her shoulders. “I’m leaving to become a templar, just like Sendrith.” She says, as I close the garage door behind her- She tears it down, and throws it out of her way…

“Is this it? Is this strength for you? It’s MY strength… I never wanted this…” I say, as I step outside and glare at her… “You didn’t want anything for me, and now I’m leaving. I know what I want.” She says, as she kneels forward-

“This is your last chance, Nexus! Leave now, and I’ll never forgive you!!!” I scream, as she suddenly leaps off the ground, and disappears into the distance…

End of Chapter: 11√Z6 “Heart of the Templar.”

Thank you for reading.

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