I awaken back in the courtyard of the manor. The first light of the new dawn is on the cusp of the horizon, the stars going out and the sky overhead shifting from the black of night to the deep blues that give the blue hour its name. Chloe is kneeling just beside my tired, aching form, while Kristil and Cara are standing around, keeping watch around me.
Two things immediately grab my attention. First, the Crystal Monolith is completely gone. Vanished into thin air. Not a trace of it to be seen. No crater that would be expected had it exploded, no cloud of dust suggesting it was vaporized, nor shards that hint at it having been sundered and broken. Just… gone.
And secondly, there are no attacks. In contrast to what the former Lord Mayor had said upon his death and the last vestiges of his soul vanishing, there are no signs of mass pandemonium breaking out of the streets. The chains once binding the people of Synthir might have been sundered, and their lives and opportunities returned to them, but their penchant doesn’t seem to be to start rioting in the streets and causing mayhem at the first opportunity. Maybe that’ll happen down the line, but it hasn’t started yet.
As a corollary to that, the guards aren’t bothering us, either. In fact, looking around, every guard I see throughout the city is either passed out or clinging to consciousness. Which, I suppose, makes sense, even if it carries some incredibly unfortunate implications. Just how deep did this man have his fingers into the minds and dreams of all his agents?
It sickens me just thinking that that’s a path I could go down, if the very thought didn’t make me want to violently hurl.
Shortly after I reorient myself, I feel a series of sharp pings assailing my mind. I jump up out of Chloe’s arms, my eyes flickering from place to place, looking for the threat, my mind immediately preparing for combat, drawing Filia out from my [Inventory]. This state of panic lasts until I settle down enough to realize what’s going on, at which point, I promptly collapse as the surge of adrenaline wears off. I never did process my level gains after the last fight, and the System is expressing its annoyance in the only way it knows how. Violently pinging in my head, driving me into insanity like nails to a chalkboard until I relent and take care of the System like I’m the mother of a whiny baby.
[You have gained enough Experience to reach Level 59 (From 57). [Strength] +2, [Speed] +2, [Vitality] +2, [Mind] +2. Please assign free stat points (Remaining: 8).]
Realizing that I made use of all four of my stats to a heavy degree in that last fight, and not feeling the need to focus on improving any single one of them at the moment, I decide to distribute them evenly, assigning two points each to [Vitality] and [Mind] first, then two points to [Strength] and [Speed]. Sure, that little trick is only good for an extra four points of [Health] and two of [Ether], but it’s free stat gains and I’m not going to not take advantage of the minor optimization.
[Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x 2 + Current Level + Rand[1,3] = (284, 288)]
[Maximum Ether increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0,2] = (220, 222)]
Hard to believe how close I’m getting to Level 64… And that System notification I got when I defeated Peter’s spectral will all but confirms my earlier suspicions. I will be able to choose a second class at Level 64. Most notably, I’ll get those sweet, juicy additional Class Skill slots that I so desperately need. So many research opportunities as well. Not to mention, taking more Skills means I can use them and combine them in various ways, which increases the likelihood that I can get them to merge or evolve into even more powerful and flexible ones down the road.
“So, you’re awake at last, Princess,” Cara says just as I’ve finished shaking off the last of the . “That’s good to hear.”
“What exactly happened?”
“I wish I knew. You went into that chamber, there was some sort of fight, I guess? And then we each got a notification that you’d succeeded and the Lord Mayor was dead. Soon after that, the Crystal just started disappearing.”
“And Marcelle?”
“Kristil and I took her down to the local infirmary to rest and recuperate.”
“And you didn’t take me there?”
“Sorry, love,” Chloe interjects. “One of us needed to stay here in case someone tried to do anything. And I wasn’t going to let you out of my sight or let anyone else treat you.” “That is a right and a privilege afforded to me alone, after all.”
I wonder if that really was the best option for the situation, and I’m not entirely sure I like the idea that my unconscious body was left out in the open where it could be attacked. Not that I don’t trust Chloe’s ability to protect me should worse come to worst. Just– I really think there was a better logistical solution to all of this. I’ll attribute the lapse to everyone’s fatigue in the middle of the night; I doubt any of the three of them got much sleep.
“Sorry for being so greedy,” I say. “I should’ve woken up sooner so you could have rested.”
“Don’t apologize, love. Getting to hold you in my lap for several hours is a joy I’ll never pass up.”
“Well, selfishly, I maybe wanted to hold you as well.”
“So bold, Sera. But don’t you worry. When we get back home, we can and will do much more than that.”
“Anyway,” I say, turning back to Cara. “What happens now? Ideally we’d be able to stay and assist in the recovery efforts, but I doubt we’ll even be able to stay past the morning.”
“Travelers, yes,” she says with a hint of melancholy in her eyes. “While I would beg your reconsideration, I can see in your eyes that I could not hope to sway you toward postponing your journey any longer.”
“If that were a possibility, we would,” Chloe says. “But forces beyond us compel us to move with haste.”
I nod. I don’t know what would happen if we mentioned something about all of this being just a giant simulation, an alternate continuity we’ve been placed in, either an opportunity to change the course of a town, or perhaps the System or the Entity wanting to revisit itself, see how things might have gone differently had we been present at this particular time and place.
Both existences, metaphysical as they are, are beyond my ability to properly conceptualize, let alone try to understand or comprehend. All I can really do is accept the reality I’ve been placed within and adapt with the changes that follow.
“I am… sorry to hear that,” Cara says, the melancholy stronger than before. “Were it my decision, unfettered by your constraints, I would like to orchestrate a celebratory feast and offer you remuneration from the former lord’s treasure vaults as payment for your services to Synthir and Threndara as a whole. As it is, however, I would like to offer each of you an item from my personal stores as a show of appreciation for saving my life and those of many others.”
“I’d like something that will help me to better resist attacks against the mind,” Chloe says. “I have strong warding and shielding spells against both magical and physical attacks, but when we fought, I learned how feeble my defenses are against attacks that target the mind rather than the body.”
“Hmm…” Cara trails off for a moment. “Unfortunately, there may not be as much I can offer on that front as you or I would like. Attacks of the mind are particularly pernicious for a reason. Unless you have specific training in defending against them, or are fortunate to have a Skill that resists the same as Seraphina does… However…”
Cara peels back reality, revealing a black void of emptiness in the palm of her hand. A moment later, a tiara appears. Nothing fancy, I think the deep marbled black keystone in the center is onyx, and the number of diamonds on the outside are few. It radiates a significant amount of power, a grade above the strength of the equipment we wear.
Only as I gaze upon the beautiful piece of jewelry and perform a cursory analysis of the thousands of tiny glyphs buried within do I realize that our current equipment, while sufficient for the earlier floors of this Gauntlet, is completely lacking. At the same time, however, I feel a compulsion to finish my exploration sooner rather than later. The fall semester is starting in just a couple of weeks, and once that has commenced, I’ll have little time available for these sorts of deep dives into the unknown.
Maybe— and I feel this especially strongly after our last battle— this is yet another way that my life is changing. High school is over, and the summer that follows is coming to an end. Chloe has already started working with some of the local hospitals, and soon, I will be as well, down at the university. Childhood is coming to an end, and with it, it’s come time for me to mature as well. Into the woman I know I’ve always meant to be, to serve the purpose I was brought here through the dimensions to carry out.
“This is called a [Tiara of Dusk]. It doesn’t have any particular affinity at blocking mental attacks specifically, but it does provide a substantial amount of resistance against magic in general. I believe it should confer at least some protection in your future travels.”
“Thank you,” Chloe says.
She takes off her [Spellcaster’s Hat], slipping it into her [Inventory] with a warm, golden shimmer. Then, she hands me the new tiara and smiles, lowering her head. Not needing any prompting, I slip it on for her, letting my fingers flow through those smooth brunette locks for a moment or three longer than strictly necessary. As she looks up at me, I smile, her already radiant beauty somehow enhanced even more by the new piece of gear.
“And you, Seraphina?”
“Any sort of item allowing for long-distance communication powered by Ether. Even if you don’t have a matching set to spare, it’ll at least be a step toward learning how to build our own.”
Cara furrows her brows, pulling out a small orb, about half the diameter of the crystal balls she uses as foci for her magic. She tosses it to me, and I catch it and stash it away.
“Are you sure this is all you want? These are pretty common; surely you can find one where you come from?”
“We are from very far away. Such technology is unknown to our land. But I should be able to decipher it, now that I know it exists and have a piece I can reverse-engineer.”
“If that is truly all you wish, then I will not begrudge you for your kindness or your generosity.”
“We’re happy we were able to help,” Chloe says.
“And I’m guessing Kristil got her chosen reward earlier?”
Cara nods.
“Well, the sun is nearly up and we should get going,” Chloe says. Despite the lack of sleep, she doesn’t appear to be all that tired. Praise the goddesses for high [Vitality] indeed. “It was nice to meet you, Cara. I– I don’t know if our paths will cross again, but if they do, I hope they will be in a more peaceful circumstance.”
“I would like that as well. After everything we’ve been through, my door will always be open to the three of you.”
“Thank you,” I say.
We each shake Cara’s hand before departing alongside Kristil. The fringe of the sun’s disc rises above the eastern horizon just as we cross the threshold leading out of the city. And for a few moments, we stand there, listening to the town of Synthir slowly rousing from its long slumber. Whatever fate will follow in our footsteps is yet to be written, but as long as there are people who are prepared to fight for the causes of freedom and possibility, the future should surely be bright.
But it won’t be ours to write; within a minute, the sights and sounds of this artificial world created by the System fade away, just like the previous ones, leaving a mechanical space behind, another void in every direction except for a beautiful, refracting staircase leading to what I can only hope is a transporter floor. Because I think I’ve had just about enough mortal danger for one day, and could use some time off to really think about everything that’s transpired.