We wasted no ti.
Our group moved at breakneck speed, cutting through terrain at a pace that shouldn’t have been humanly possible. Ellison kept up better than expected, though he wasn’t on the sa level as Nick, Mischief, or .
I stayed at his side, matching his pace. But neither of us spoke—except when he needed to stop.
Nick and Mischief didn’t wait. That was the plan.
The two of them would scout ahead, get a feel for what we were walking into before we arrived.
We had to cross ten territories—nearly two hundred miles—and we did it in under a day.
Even now, after everything, I couldn’t ignore the marvel of stats. I should be dead from a run like that. My body should have collapsed miles ago. Instead, my breathing was heavy, but controlled—like I’d just done a comfortable three-mile jog.
Ellison wasn’t so lucky. He doubled over, hands on his knees, heaving deep lungfuls of air.
I held up a hand. “We can stop here.”
“Al—right,” he wheezed.
The forest around us stretched wide, thick pine towering in every direction. Unlike our ho territory—all steep mountains and jagged cliffs—this land was a valley, sprawling and level.
I let my muscles finally relax, inhaling the crisp mountain air. It slled like pine and damp earth—the kind of deep, grounding scent that made you forget, for just a mont, that the world was tearing itself apart.
Ellison, still catching his breath, looked around. “Will Mischief find us? We never said where we’d et.”
I huffed a small laugh. “His Sense stat is through the roof. He’s probably already close.”
Ellison nodded, accepting that, then hesitated. A beat passed before he spoke again.
“…We haven’t had much chance to talk since we left.” His voice was careful now, not questioning—but concerned.
“I agreed to co. But why leave with five raids still left to fight?” He swallowed, looking uneasy.
“I’m worried.”
I’d had this conversation with myself twenty different ways before we ever even set out.
“They’ll be fine.”
The words ca out solid, certain. And I ant them. Durkil, Alex, Daevon and Elise. They were more than capable.
Even if Durkil fought alone, I was confident he could handle it.
The raids so far had been from the dregs of the universe—barely a challenge, even at the higher levels.
But that was what made my skin crawl. Why were they so weak?
Ellison and the Guildians had beco powerful allies in a short ti, but it chilled to think how easily things could’ve gone the other way.
I told myself we had always tried. Tried to reason with them. Tried to give them a choice.
But Ellison still believed that was never an option. And the victory conditions had never proven him wrong.
The defenders could run—leave the territory, abandon the fight. But the raiders? It was win or die.
I glanced at Ellison. “Before you ca to our world, did you think the system was cruel?”
He gave the question real thought before answering. “The system?”
“Yeah.” My gaze stayed on the horizon. “Do you feel like it’s unfair? Like the cards are stacked against so people from the start?”
I let him take his ti.
Finally, he shook his head. “No.”
That surprised .
“You don’t?”
“No.” His response was resolute this ti.
“Life might be cruel. But the system?” He took a long recovery breath through his nose. “It’s not the system that makes life unfair. It’s the ones living in it.”
Richard’s face flashed in my mind.
“What do you an?”
Again, he didn’t answer right away. Ellison wasn’t the kind of man to speak without thinking.
“When I was younger, my life was full of anger.” His voice was asured, but there was sothing underneath it—sothing old.
“I was angry at my lot in life. I wanted to know why. Why was I born into poverty, while others had so much?”
“Exactly.” My frustration bled into my voice. “It was so bad that you were willing to throw yourself into the unknown just for a chance. Why does the system let that happen?”
Ellison shook his head. “Of course we were willing to take the risk. But you’re missing sothing, Layton.”
He turned toward , his expression sharp.
“It wasn’t the system’s fault.”
My breath caught.
“Our situation wasn’t because of so cosmic rulebook that decided who gets what.” His eyes flickered with sothing deeper. “It was people.”
“So people use their power to suppress others. That’s what makes life unfair.”
The weight of his words settled in.
Ellison continued. “The system gave us a path forward. It wasn’t perfect. Hell, it wasn’t even good. But it was a path.”
I let the silence stretch between us. It wasn’t an answer I’d considered before.
Life could be unfair. Life could be brutal. I’d already been the cause of so of that brutality.
But was the system truly at fault?
The existence of mana had created potential for so to beco literal gods. But those gods had once been people. Imperfect people.
What would happen if n like Richard gained true, unnatural power?
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not ant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I didn’t have to wonder. We already had the answer.
Ellison had told about his world. About Devorah. And about Oliver.
Oliver—Devorah’s first great challenger.
Ellison said there were whispers among his people. Legends. Stories of a ti before Devorah’s rule. A ti when Oliver had stood against her.
So still rembered him. So still called him a just and fair ruler.
But in the end, Oliver had lost. And Devorah had won.
I swallowed hard.
How different would Ellison’s world have been if Oliver had prevailed?
My thoughts spiraled, tangled in a ss of morality.
Devorah’s followers had believed they were justified. They had thrived under her rule, gaining power, security, dominance.
If Oliver had won, they would have lost everything.
Would his people have felt just as righteous? Would they have crushed dissent the sa way?
The world felt like a seesaw, swinging back and forth, refusing to settle. I was desperate for an absolute answer. So kind of truth.
I must’ve drifted too deep, because I barely noticed when a hand rested firmly on my shoulder.
Ellison.
His grip was steady. Grounding.
“Layton.” His voice was calm, asured. “This universe is big. Bigger than either of us can really comprehend.”
I looked up at him.
With his furred face and antlers, it was hard to tell his exact age. But right now, he looked like a sage elder. Soone who had seen far too much.
“I’ve learned that ‘fair’ and ‘unfair’ are complicated,” he said. “So are good and bad.”
Ellison exhaled. “I’m not one to give advice, but…” His sharp eyes softened. “It looks like maybe you could use so.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Take things one step at a ti,” he said simply. “There’s a lot on your mind. But tell … can you see what’s right in front of you?”
I blinked.
And for the first ti in a while… I actually looked.
Just trees.
Grass.
A vast blue sky.
It was beautiful.
It was peaceful.
And I had let fear steal that from .
A tear slipped down my cheek. It was stupid. I felt embarrassed.
But I breathed. I let my shoulders relax.
“I can,” I said softly. Ellison smiled. “Then let’s start there.”
He turned toward the horizon. And we just sat.
It was a while before Mischief and Nick found us.
Ellison and I didn’t mind the wait. We sat in comfortable silence as the sun inched across the sky.
By the ti it started to dip beyond the horizon, our conversation had softened—less existential crisis, more quiet reminiscing.
Ellison had asked about my family. I told him about my parents.
My father. A high school teacher. Hardworking. Patient. The kind of man who never raised his voice but sohow always got you to listen.
My mother. A stay-at-ho parent. Gentle but firm. A woman who could cook dinner, help with howork, and read a book all at the sa ti.
Ellison just listened. Occasionally asking a question, nudging to go deeper.
It settled to talk about my past.
Then—a rustle.
Nick erged from the trees.
"You’re back." I pushed myself upright. "Learn anything we should be aware of?"
Nick cracked his neck. “Oh yeah. One thing’s for sure—they’ve got a much bigger faction than we do.”
Ellison shifted his weight, ears flicking toward Nick. “How big? And are they human?”
“They’re definitely human. At least in the first settlent.” Nick plopped onto the large stone we had been using as a seat.
“There’s several thousand in the first territory. Then a couple of territories over, there’s another settlent. It’s abandoned. If I had to guess, they likely rged together.”
That was… a lot of people. rging seed reasonable. We had done it multiple tis already on a smaller scale.
Before I could respond, Mischief appeared out of nowhere.
One mont, nothing. The next—he was just there.
I was used to it by now, but it still made my skin crawl.
“Did you learn anything interesting, Mischief?” I asked as he settled beside .
His voice slid into my head, smooth as ever. "Depends on what you consider interesting."
I snorted. "Are they doing anything suspicious, or do they seem normal—at least by human standards?"
His amusent flickered through the connection. "You want to use you as the standard for normal?"
I rolled my eyes. "Alright, smart guy, I think you know what I an."
"As far as I could tell, nothing seed strange. Our territory is a lot busier, though. More people in the streets."
That was… interesting.
I frowned. More people in the streets? Did that an they were comfortable? Or just careless?
I guess observation could only tell us so much. The real answers would co from getting inside.
Nick stretched his arms above his head. “So, how do you want to approach this? Probably shouldn’t just run in shouting ‘the sky is falling.’”
I sighed. He had a point. Technically, I wasn’t even sure what I was here to warn them about.
I just knew they needed to take the induction seriously.
“I haven’t figured that part out yet.” I scratched the back of my head. “But… there is one thing.”
I glanced at Ellison. Then Nick.
And finally, Mischief.
Nick groaned, running a hand through his ridiculously long hair. “Let guess—this is about Mischief being too scary again.”
Mischief smirked. "I already know."
I hesitated. “Look, I know I say it a lot, but there’s no other way to put it. You look dangerous. And that’s not exactly… ideal for first impressions.”
Mischief’s grin widened. "Are you asking to stay hidden? Or to spy?"
“…Both.”
He let out a slow, deliberate exhale. Then, he bared his teeth in a sharp, unsettling grin.
"I like being scary."
Nick muttered, “Yeah, no kidding.”
Mischief tilted his head. "They should be scared."
I sighed. At least he was enjoying himself. “Alright. Thank you, Mischief. A true terror.”
We waited out the night on the outskirts of the territory.
Ellison and I sat in companionable silence while Nick and Mischief did one last sweep of the area.
The night passed uneventfully. If anything, that was almost more unnerving.
A faction this size should have been more active. Guards, workers—soone moving.
Instead, the land just sat there. Waiting.
At first light, we moved. The town ca into view just as the sun crested over the horizon.
Even from a distance, I could see the contrast between the modern hos and hastily built cabins.
The cabins looked rushed. Slapped together with whatever materials they could find.
Not like the reinforced, carefully planned buildings Jared had constructed back ho. There, every structure had a purpose. Thoughtfully designed. Sturdy.
This?
This felt… temporary. I tried not to judge. But the differences were hard to ignore. The streets weren’t empty.
But they weren’t alive either. People moved—but with purpose. No idle chatter. No gatherings.
Just heads down, shoulders tense. As if they were avoiding notice.
As if staying quiet kept them safe.
Nick exhaled, scanning the town. "Town this size, you’d expect more talking, or more anything really.."
I nodded. Nick was right. This town just felt so off. Everyone kept to themselves, if they were in the streets it wasn’t long. I had entered the town expecting so kind of reaction, especially considering Ellison was with us.
People might’ve been surprised by his appearance had they looked up from their feet. As it is, we’re barely an afterthought.
Then finally–movent.
A patrol of four n, walking at a purposeful stride toward us.
Not rushing or especially hostile, but we are definitely their target.
They had seen us imdiately. They noticed Nick and , but their focus was elsewhere.
Ellison.
As the guards approached us, the feeling in the town shifted. A woman stacking supplies fumbled her grip.
A man pulled his coat tighter around himself. A child, playing near a doorway, was hurried inside.
The patrol leader was broad-shouldered, late 40s, clean-shaven. He wasn’t a picture of discipline but he was controlled.
He stopped a few paces away, eyes locked on Ellison. The hesitation was subtle. But it was there.
"Hello strangers, you're new here."
Not a question. I kept my tone calm. "My na is Layton. We just arrived.” I shook my head with a smile. “It was a sight for sore eyes to co across more people in this crazy world."
I did my best to flash a friendly smile. The group of what I assud to be so kind of guards quietly assessed our group.
“I’m Tom.” The man in front pointed his thumb to his chest. “Welco to our little faction.”
Tom seed open minded but guarded. He spoke slowly, controlled.
Then one of the younger n started shifting uneasily— "Is… is that a dungeon spawn?"
Ellison didn’t react, staying calm as ever. I didn’t let the irritation creep into my voice. It was very unlikely they have had any friendly interactions with anything but other humans since the world changed.
"His na is Ellison. He’s not a dungeon monster. He’s with us."
Tom, the man who I had pegged as the leader, maintained a calm deanor just asuring.
"Well, Ellison doesn’t look very human."
His gaze flicked toward one of his n. The guard shifted his grip on his weapon, uncertain.
I wanted to give a sharp answer. But it wasn’t the ti.
"You’re right. He’s not." I kept my voice even. "But we’re in a weird world. Ellison is my friend, and we’re here peacefully."
I emphasized the word.
"You probably have questions–I’m happy to answer any you have."
The youngest guard took a small step back, wary. Tom continued to maintain his calm presence, the young guard looked at him and settled down a bit.
His posture wasn’t quite relief, more like a decision to let things play out—for now. He trusted Tom.
"I think Jordan will want to et you," Tom said finally. "We can take you to him."
Nick raised a brow at . A silent question on his face–Seriously?
I gave the smallest nod. Why not?
"Who is Jordan?" I asked carefully.
"Jordan is the faction leader here. We’ve been asked to introduce any newcors." Tom's gaze swept over us again. "Especially newcors like you."
"Alright. That seems fair." I figured that this is really what we wanted anyway. eting the faction leader could give us a good idea of what we were dealing with.
"Lead the way."
Reviews
All reviews (0)