Domain of the Slumbering Dwarves…
Torb didn’t expect to see his Patron again. Not so soon, at least. But he had been mistaken. Fortress’ silhouette lood before him, its deep, earthy hue weighing heavily on his shoulders.
“You have to prepare for the inevitable,” Fortress said, his voice resounding through the ginormous mountain range surrounding them.
Where were they? Torb wondered, turning around, only to tense up as the pressure on him increased significantly.
“Prepare? For what?”
A heavy sigh resounded, and the mountain range trembled violently, sending rocks flying as if resonating with the sigh.
“Enemies from the past have returned. His disciple is on the way, and so are his underlings. If you don’t act, the Sanctuary will fall. There is not much ti for preparations. Still, you must do sothing. Reinforce the defenses, access the treasury, and supply Arc’s Protectors with the Attribute Armants. Equip the Mountain Defenders and the remaining forces with Aspects and make sure they improve their Skills, Rank, and understanding of the Aspects in the following days,” Fortress commanded slowly.
However, while his Patron God sounded calm as he issued several orders in an unhurried manner, Torb shuddered. Fortress was not known for speaking much. It had already been a great surprise when Fortress said so much after they acquired the Rift. But this ti, there was no pleasant occasion that might excuse his unusual behavior. This ti, trouble awaited them. Or so it seed.
But to equip the Protectors with Attribute Armants and retrieve the Aspects from the treasury… that was another matter. Torb shuddered, his senses telling him that sothing was terribly wrong.
“We hired as many Protectors as we could,” Torb hesitated for a mont before he spoke up. “Can… can you send reinforcent? More Mountain Defenders, or maybe the Stone Legion?”
Another mountain-shaking sigh echoed. “Unfortunately, I cannot. The System blocked any attempts to send reinforcent. I have already interfered too much. Talking to you, warning you, is all the System granted.”
Torb looked up as the Patron God bent down. “Everything turned out different than anticipated. But this is not your fault.”
“But I am glad you are not alone,” Fortress said, but his strong voice sounded more like a whisper as the words resounded. The Patron God’s silhouette was dissipating. “You can always ask others for help, Pri Champion. Ask–...”
Torb could not hear what Fortress said. The mountain range collapsed, and Fortress disappeared.
It felt like an eternity had passed, but not much ti could have gone by as his eyes shot wide open. He jumped to his feet, his head flicking left and right.
“Fortress!?” he exclaid, but there was no one. Torb was in his office, alone.
Did I fall asleep? he asked himself, his hair standing on end.
Was it just a dream? Possible. But it felt so real.
Torb shuddered, his eyes drifting to the window, unraveling the flourishing plaza of the Dwarven Sanctuary. It was already close to evening, but the city was still bustling with activity.
“Soone is coming,” he muttered. “An… old enemy…”
Sothing had to be done, Torb thought, holding tightly onto every word Fortress had said to him.
“I won’t disappoint you, Fortress!” he declared, sending a silent prayer to his Patron as he walked out of the office with a determined gait.
It was ti to reinforce the Sanctuary. A great fight awaited them.
***
Dwarven Sanctuary: Familia building…
lach pressed his hands firmly against the massive crystal and closed his eyes. He sent a wave of mana into the crystals, using his family’s decrypted code. The crystal pulsated, sending waves that felt like electric currents through his hands.
One. Two. Three…
lach tapped his feet impatiently when nobody responded after what felt like an eternity. But it could have been only a few seconds when a weary yet familiar voice reverberated through his mind.
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“Head Butler Eronian of the Ystera Household speaking. How may I help you?”
“It’s ,” lach muttered, failing to control his voice. He trembled, unsure of what awaited him.
“Young Master?! Is that really you?” the head butler exclaid. “H-how have you been, Young Master?”
lach hesitated for a mont. What was he supposed to say? He was alive, had made friends with a dwarf—now Fortress’ Pri Champion—and with humans whose behavior suggested the Nightar Tree had stripped them of their sanity. But he and his friends were strong. They had survived various catastrophes, allowing them to surpass their limits.
“I… am fine—alive,” lach answered with a smile.
“That’s all that mattered. Yes. Being alive—being fine—is all that matters. I am grateful to hear your voice again, Young Master,” Eronian said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. “Should I report to your family at once, or do you wish to tell them sothing?”
“I call upon the Mirror of Truth to disclose my Feats as the youngest heir of the Ystera Household. The Will of Ystra shall apprise my achievents, marking them in the Scroll of lach Ystera,” lach said composedly, his voice void of emotions.
There was silence for a mont, but it felt like the silence stretched forever as Head Butler Eronian didn’t answer. A rumbling filled his head suddenly, and the head butler excused himself.
Silence filled his mind, and anxiety settled in his chest.
“lach! Are you well? Why did you not call us earlier? There was no need to ignore us this long—not after everything we heard about the Earthen Union!” The stern voice of his mother echoed in his mind, making him flinch. Still, he smiled.
"You foolish child. Who cares about tradition when your life is in peril? You should have returned when the Earthen Union awakened prematurely. We did not prepare you for this!" Another familiar voice—his sister—rang out. She sounded angry, but lach knew this all too well. She was worried, maybe even afraid. For his well-being.
lach smiled, listening to the ramblings of his mother and sister, but his lips twitched when footsteps echoed through his mind. At last, a third voice, hoarse and void of emotion, rang out.
"You survived. Good. The Mirror of Truth has been prepared. The Ritual shall begin," the man—none other than his father—said neutrally. "Prove your worth as a Child of Ystra."
lach heard his mother and sister grumble, but their voices were re whispers compared to his father’s commanding tone. He swallowed and circulated mana through his wildly palpitating heart. At last, lach shared everything there was to know about his journey in the newly integrated world, starting from the day he arrived.
He heard the echo of his voice, but that was all. Silence stretched far and deep as his quiet voice overshadowed everything. lach could not tell how much ti had passed, but his throat was parched, and his lips were cracked once his story concluded. His part of the Ritual had been completed, yet nothing happened on the other side. lach waited in silence, nibbling on his brittle lips as no one uttered a word.
Suddenly, lach heard the gasps of several people, probably his mother and sister, but they did not say anything.
At last, his father’s voice rang out again. "The Ritual has concluded. The Will of Ystra has heard you. Your achievents have been marked. Congratulations."
Congratulations? Was that it? lach wondered, his tension giving way to confusion.
"We knew you would make it," his father said suddenly, with a trace of—was that pride?—in his voice. "News of the Earthen Union has reached us, and so has Arc’s destruction. Many young ones succumbed to the barrage of incidents occurring in the Earthen Union, and we could not be certain you would make it. I—we—are glad you made it out alive."
Tears welled in his eyes as he listened to his father. This wasn’t a dream, was it? His father… he had just praised him, right?
lach suppressed a sob, determined not to lose his father’s approval re seconds after earning it.
"The Ancestor spoke about you," lach’s mother suddenly said, sniffling. She sobbed bitterly as her words resounded in his head. "Her words were cryptic; so sounded as if you were mortally wounded, while others made us worry—made us wonder if you were still alive. She ntioned a fool, death, destruction, and a cynical healer. We didn’t understand anything, and there was nothing we could do about it… Nothing but to wait…"
The Ancestor? lach’s hair stood on end. Was the Ancestor watching?! No. In the first place… how did she know him? lach was certain the Ancestor wouldn’t know about his existence.
"The System rejected my attempts at crossing over, or I would have co to fetch you, brother!!" his sister declared, cursing the System.
Hearing the head butler and his mother reprimand his sister brought a smile to lach’s lips. It felt like nothing had changed since he had left.
"Don’t be foolish," he chuckled, knowing deep down his sister was dead serious. But it was a good thing she didn’t co to the Earthen Union. She was strong, but the System would have sealed most of her power. By stepping into the Earthen Union at the start of integration, lach and the others could start anew. Their growth was fast, and it was only a matter of ti before they would return to their forr peak.
But it was different for latecors, especially for beings like his sister.
"Your Scroll has been updated. The Will of Ystra has spoken," his father interrupted suddenly.
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