I knocked on the door and waited until a brown-robed man answered. “Can I help you?”
“I need to see Daniel. It’s urgent… I’m Peter, by the way.”
He nodded and disappeared inside, closing the door behind him. A mont later, it opened again and this ti, Daniel stepped out. “What’s up?”
“I need to know where the Essence Realms are. Can you show ?”
“You got a pass?!” he gasped, stepping all the way out.
I pulled out the wooden token and showed it to him.
“Holy… for any elent? Even if it’s just the lower ro—”
“Daniel, I really reeeally need to go as soon as possible, soooo?”
“Alright, yeah. Let’s go now.” He turned and began walking, and I followed as we took the path toward the plaza.
“I’ve got a couple questions for you, if you don’t mind,” I said as we started down the stairs.
“Ask away,” he replied casually.
“Could you take in another servant?” I decided to ask about Synthia first.
“Uhhh, yeah, I guess… but I’m not really in need of any. Why?” He gave a confused look as we veered onto a narrow path climbing another hill.
“Well. If you have to, or rather, if she has no other options, can you take Synthia?”
His expression didn’t clear up any, so I kept going.
“I might have to leave soon. Which brings to my next question.” The trail grew rougher, the ground breaking into loose pebbles and jagged shards of the mountain. “Any way out of this area?”
“Yo—you’re leaving?” He stopped in his tracks. “Is sothing wrong?”
“Peter?” a deep voice called from ahead, and a large figure stepped out of the darkness. “Hey, I thought it was you.”
My dreaded foe appeared, bounding down the steps with absolutely no caution, arms wide open.
“Oh no not aga—ugh.”
I was bear-hugged and lifted into the air by Asmund, who made no effort to hold back. I could feel my ribs dangerously close to being ground into dust.
“Because of you! Kid, because of you!” he shouted gleefully, still spinning around like a rag doll.
“Stoooop!” I managed to shout in warbled tones, crushed by the G-forces of a man built like a boulder with enthusiasm. Just like last ti, he ended the greeting with a dramatic upward toss, flinging into the air without a care.
You know, maybe this guy would be great with kids.
I fell with far more grace than before, slightly better than a sack of vegetables, barely managing to stifle a scream.
Asmund caught and set down with a big grin. “I ford my Fire Essence,” he declared proudly, like he hadn't just perford dangerous acrobatics on a staircase.
Still panting, I nodded. “Congrats.” Then it hit , I had a promise to keep. “Actually, I need to tell you sothing.” I gestured to Daniel, whose brow lifted in curiosity. Illusion or not, this might be my last chance to make good on it. “This guy wants to talk to Janus.”
I turned to Daniel. “This is Asmund. He’s a mber of Quake, Janus’ group.”
“It’s an honor to et you, sir!” Daniel said, voice a little too eager as he gave a sharp nod.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Sa,” Asmund replied, clearly not used to being treated like so celebrity. Then he turned back to . “You want to vouch for soone? I an, considering what I got from you…”
“Yeah, he helped with sothing.” I leaned in, trying to dial down my usual sarcasm and show I was serious. “Anywaaay, two things.”
Thankfully, Asmund folded his arms and gave his full attention. “Yeah?”
“I need a way out of here. Fast. And… any advice on forming an essence?” I showed him the token. His eyes went wide.
“Mmm.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I ca here with the leader, but… I can wait for you. Worst case, we hoof it to the nearest city. If we’re careful, with the two of us, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”
He turned and placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding toward the cave in the mountainside where he’d co from.
“As for forming an essence, I’ll tell you what the leader told . If you don’t have any talent for the elent, or rather, any affinity, then there’s nothing you can do.”
That made my chest tighten a bit.
“But even the smallest bit of affinity is enough,” Asmund continued. “Focus on the feeling. The connection the elent has to the world, and to you. Its reason for existing… and its reason for choosing you.”
“That’s kind of cryptic,” I muttered, already feeling a headache creeping in.
“It gets easier once you’re inside the realm,” he assured . “At least it did for . Then again, you’re still young. Not much spiritual experience yet.” He stroked his beard again, like he was auditioning to play ‘mysterious mountain sage’ in a play.
“So basically,” I said, “just go in and wing it?”
He bead. “THAT’S THE SPIRIT!” His hand clapped against my back with the force of a small landslide, but I braced for it this ti, and only stumbled a few steps forward.
As we approached a stone desk tucked into the base of the mountain, his voice lowered to a whisper. “*Why do you need to leave?*”
I glanced at him. No point in full honesty, but I gave him sothing close. “*An Elder is dead.*”
He stiffened for half a second, then plastered on a smile like he’d heard nothing at all.
“I’m back,” he said to the attendant.
The man behind the desk didn’t even blink. “I can see that.”
I handed over the wooden token. He barely looked at it before slipping it beneath the counter.
“Which elent?”
“Water.”
Seriously, why did every desk worker have the sa dead stare? I get that the job probably sucked, but did they have to act like everyone ruined their day just by showing up?
‘You just like to run into rude people,’ Luna quipped.
“First room on the right. Do not go past it,” the attendant added flatly.
Asmund gave a nudge and we moved toward the indicated door. Just a plain, wooden thing that looked more like the entrance to a cleaning closet than so gateway to elental enlightennt.
I turned to Daniel. “I’ll try to make sure you get a shot to talk with Janus. You should head back now… It was good eting you.”
He shook his head. “You’ve already done a lot. Watch yourself out there.”
We exchanged a final nod before he turned and walked off.
“Can you try to get Janus to give him so ti?” I asked Asmund, hopeful. “I don’t know much about him, but I promised.”
“Sure, it’s no big deal.” He glanced over his shoulder, the attendant was out of sight, but still, he kept his voice low. “*Dawn. I’m sorry to rush you, but I’ll interrupt you at dawn.*”
I nodded. It made sense. Staying here as I was probably didn't help the already risky situation. The earlier we left, the safer. But I needed this.
I turned back to the door and stepped through. As it closed behind , I took a mont to absorb my surroundings, or tried to.
It was… a closet. Small. Empty. The ground felt like stone underfoot, and when I reached out, the walls were a rough blend of packed dirt, gravel, and damp moss. Too dark to see any of it clearly, though.
“I don’t understand. Asmund, there’s sothing wro—” I turned to grab the door, but it was gone. Just more darkness.
‘Luna, can you see anything?’
No response.
‘Luna?’
Still nothing.
“LUNA!” I shouted, but the room absorbed my voice like a sponge, dull and unchanged no matter how loud I yelled.
Okay. Breathe. Maybe this was part of the process.
I turned my focus inward, and felt a wave of unease tighten in my chest. My Internal Force was gone. Beast Force, gone. Grand Channel, gone. Even my Nexus… was barely a spec. Probably just like it had been before I ever knew it existed.
But there was still sothing.
A single presence that remained untouched by the strange nullification around . The reason? Well, its na maybe. Perhaps its origin hinted at why it persisted.
My internal fla, a violet, pulsing light, hovered in the emptiness where my Nexus used to be in a more significant state. It burned quietly in the void of my inner world, steady and strange.
Only my Precursor Energy had persisted.
Okay. That was sothing. A foothold. Should I just try to do what I ca here for?
I turned slowly in place, searching the tiny room once more, but it was the sa. Barely more than a box.
Alright… just gotta feel, right? Let the essence co to .
Asmund said he’d co for at dawn anyway, so there probably wasn't any real danger.
I sat down, drew in a slow breath, and closed my eyes. Ti to focus.
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