The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 64,65,66 (Patreon)

Chapter 64

Test Subjects

The problem of moving mortals from the mortal plane to anywhere else permanently was a massive issue. It was a part of Theo’s plan. He hadn’t fully tested it, and he regretted waiting until now to make it happen. That night, before bed, Theo received good news from Elrin, saying that the system was thrilled about the void island being destroyed. Along with the gong problems, which they solved that very same day, things were looking up for her. She felt less pressure to start the reset right away and promised to give them a few extra days to round off the games.

Theo was overjoyed for the extra time. He needed it to test out his newest spell. Fortunately, as he had promised, Rowan had wrangled up a considerable group who were ready to do the merge early. To the alchemist’s surprise, they weren’t just natives but also people from afar. He was thus unsurprised to see that some of them were elderly and without cores to prolong their life. Others were sick, which was easy enough to solve, but they had gotten it in their head that changing worlds would also change their outlook on life.

He wouldn’t correct them, since he didn’t know.

The alchemist was forced to make a utilitarian decision, selecting the sickest and elderly among the group for transport first. Although there were easily 100 applicants, he picked five. Perhaps this was some subconscious selection based on the number of shards he had just transported, but he was happy with the number. It would give him enough wiggle room if there were any tragedies. Just for good measure, he would bring Sulvan as a backup to heal any wounds he might cause with his flames.

Theo regarded the eclectic group of humans, elves, and half-ogres. He looked back to his traveling companion, who gave him a sharp nod. “Is everybody ready to go? Might as well get started.” For his statement, he received a half-hearted wave of confirmation.

Without waiting for them to change their mind, Theo folded space on itself, snagging the entire group and landing directly on his own planet. As he had planned, Belgar had already provided, had already set aside quarters for them all in an area for them to do the testing. He led them through the streets to a fine, extensive building with a sparsely decorated interior and a series of rooms in the back, which would provide their bunks.

“Whenever you’re ready, Theo,” Sulvan said, giving the alchemist a sharp nod. “I’m unsure how long I can last here, but I can feel Hallow at my side. He’s bolstering me.”

“You can always rely on Hallow,” Theo said with a wink. He clapped his hands together, startling and gaining the attention of the group. “The way this works is simple. I’ll extend my aura to only one of you at a time at first. You’ll tell me how you feel, and if you’re having adverse reactions to the reforging. It will be painful, but that pain should be centered in your chest, where your soul is. Are there any questions before we get going?”

An old elven woman raised her hand. “Can you get on with it?” she said, sounding grumpier than she had on the mortal plane. “I want to get my new life started. Didn’t travel all the way to the filthy kingdom of humans to stand around all day.”

“We’ll start with grama grumps first,” Theo said with a nod. “As I said, this is going to hurt.”

“Oh, what a shame,” Sulvan scoffed.

There really wasn’t much to it. The process was simple enough, and the only thing Theo had to do was flood his aura with that spell concept and hope for the best. Of course, since he was putting the spell directly into his aura, he could control its power. This was untested territory, but there was only one way to find out. His normally dark bubble turned a brilliant shade of orange-red. The light from it filled the entire room, causing several of the experimental members of the party to stumble backwards. The only one who seemed completely unaffected was the old lady herself, who stood her ground and looked at the shimmering barrier as though it was her future manifest.

There was no countdown. Theo angled his aura, narrowing it to a point until it passed through the woman’s chest. She went rigid immediately, eyes wide. Then the wailing began. The alchemist withdrew his aura as quickly as he could, ensuring she only got the appropriate dose. Then the healer rushed over, not casting any spells but monitoring the progress of the old lady. If someone so frail could endure the rigors of a reforged soul, could anyone handle it?

“She’s looking good,” Sulvan said, giving Theo the thumbs-up. “I can see her soul reforming itself.”

“You call that good?” a nervous human asked. “Looks like he just ripped her soul out!”

“You’re welcome to stay home,” Theo said. “I don’t care if you go through the rebirth cycle at Death’s Gate, or if you come with me.”

The human looked around nervously. Although the other three members of the experimental party were nervous, they all shook their heads. This was a chance to start their new lives early, and each of them was eager to get it over with. Theo couldn’t blame them. He hated waiting for things, especially when the thing he waited for came with so much anxiety. He’d rather rip it off quickly than let it fester. Unfortunately, he was the one who was in charge of monitoring that rot. For now, he would be satisfied if he could reforge the other four at the same time. It wasn’t nearly the number he had to do during the reset, but it was the next stage of testing.

Before moving to the next stage, they monitored the old woman. Reforging would take a bit, but Theo was surprised to see how quickly it was going. Sulvan gave occasional reports over the next hour, reporting that her soul had completely rebuilt itself and that she would regain consciousness at any moment. As predicted, her eyes snapped open a little while later.

“You call that pain!?” the old lady shouted, throwing her head back and cackling. When she was done laughing, she thumped her fist on her chest. “I had three babies. That was nothing. Anyway, see ya later!”

“You should really remain… and she’s gone,” Theo said. “Okay. She seemed to be in better health than before she came here.”

“Much better health,” Sulvan said. “Oddly, a lot of the damage life did to her was in the soul. Her body wasn’t in that bad of shape for her age. I’m no expert on souls, but that seems like an interesting fact.”

“Indeed. Anyway, you guys ready?”

The group now shared a look, a braver look on their faces. “Ready,” the once-scared human said. “Get it over with quickly.”

Theo was happy to oblige. His aura sprang out from him again, taking on the same fiery hues before the remaining four test subjects jumped back but eventually squared their shoulders and faced the reforging with a much different personality. The old lady had given them a standard to go by, and they seemed eager to uphold it. This time, the alchemist didn’t narrow his aura to a spike and instead let it wash over the group in a wave. Sulvan stood at a distance, not wanting to be bound to the planet before his time and the mortal plane was done.

When each member of the experiment group hit the ground, Sulvan was there to shift them into a more comfortable position. “Future note: make them get on the ground before you do this,” he said. “We’ll risk injuring them, otherwise.”

Theo nodded. That was some sound advice. The last thing he needed was for some random old lady to crack her head on the ground after having her soul forged. They monitored the health of the group, ensuring that each stage went off without a hitch. It was a perfect group reforging, and the alchemist was certain that he could do this for much larger gatherings. He could see himself binding the souls of hundreds of people at a time.

At the very least, it was better than praying the system had some protocol in place.

“They’re stirring,” Sulvan said. “Each is going to wake at a different time, though. The damage to their souls was different.”

“Welcome back, ye of little faith,” Theo said, smiling as the doubtful human rose to his feet. “Welcome to your new home, Tero’gal.”

The human looked down at his hands with an expression of disbelief on his face. When he finally looked up at Theo, he had tears streaking down his face. “Thank you,” he said. “I really didn’t think this was going to work. Do we really have a new lease on life?”

“That’s right, this is your second chance,” Theo said. “So don’t screw it up. You could either stay here or strike out into the world if you want. Although I would definitely advise against that. Get familiar with how things work and Boar Hollow, and then decide if you want to go.”

“I think I’ll do exactly that,” the human said. “Who was that dronon? Can I ask him for tips?”

“His name is Belgar,” Theo said, nodding toward the door. “I’m sure you’ll find him flitting around the town like a mother hen… We have that in common.”

“Thanks again!” the human shouted, darting out the door.

Theo ensured that each member of the experimental party was in good health before he declared this a success. He truly didn’t know if his scheme to hijack his aura was going to work, but it had gone perfectly. Everyone had received the effect of the Reforge Soul Potion, and he didn’t have to spend valuable ingredients to make it happen. It was impossible to know if there were even enough ingredients on the planet to serve as many new souls as they would accept.

Sulvan’s powerful hand clapped onto Theo’s shoulder. “You did good today.”

“It was just an experiment,” Theo said, his tone dismissive. “We’re all doing what we need to do to make this work, aren’t we?”

“If that’s what you think,” Sulvan said, “my thought is that from the kindness of your heart, you’re bringing these people here. No matter the memory I look back on involving you, it always contains some act of kindness. You’re a nice guy.”

“Maybe. Maybe I’m like those others,” Theo said. “Atonement, or something like that.”

Sulvan released a bark-like laugh. “Then maybe you’re like me! Did you forget who was hunting you under the orders of the Burning Eye?”

No matter how far Sulvan got from the Burning Eye, there was still that fire in his belly. Even if he had calmed down significantly, it still smoldered. “Thanks for the help today.”

“Well, why stop at five?” Sulvan asked. “You had a few hundred back there, right? Let’s do them all.”

“138, I think,” Theo said, scratching his head. “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could think of quite a few things, my friend,” Sulvan said. “Now, let’s go. Time to work.”

As selfless as Sulvan’s declaration might have seemed, it came down to whether or not Belgar had room for the new arrivals. Of course, the man wasn’t a slouch. Theo approached him, asking about their infrastructure related to new arrivals. They had apparently been very busy. Not only had they created houses within the arrival town, but homes had been constructed across the entire continent. Every settled town within the world could take a few hundred more of the refugees, creating an interlinked network of safety that would ensure nobody went without a place to stay or food in their belly.

“Do you realize the kindness you’ve done for the sector?” Theo asked, throwing his arm around Belgar and pulling him close. “I’ll be damned if you don’t run this entire world when the switch comes.”

“I’m just doing my job like anyone else,” Belgar said. “Besides, I didn’t do it alone. Don’t discount what the locals here have done to make this happen, Theo. We might be disconnected from our brethren on Iardein, but we haven’t forgotten them.”

Looking over the stone-paved roads of the town, Theo didn’t doubt that first second. He couldn’t believe it, but he was thinking they might make the transition without a hitch. Well, assuming he could scoop an entire region from another world and transport it through the void. But that was a problem for another day.

Chapter 65

Practical Test

Coordinating a mass reforging of souls was more difficult than Theo had expected. It wasn't gathering the people who wanted to move to his planet that proved to be challenging, but finding a spot in town where permanent residents wouldn't have their souls reforged for no reason. It was only thanks to Belgar's expert command of people that they could find an area large enough to take care of the remaining 133 people.

“Are we sure everything is clear this time?” Theo asked, arms folded as he looked over the gaggle of people in annoyance. “And are you sure you have enough food and space for them? I feel bad dropping so many people on your doorstep.”  

“This gaggle is hardly a challenge for us. We're prepared for a few hundred thousand between the worlds. We won't have any trouble.” Belgar was preening with pride, and he deserved it. Dude worked harder than anyone else Theo knew.

"I'll begin then," Theo said, concentrating inward to summon the spell once again.

Like a cleansing tide, his flaming aura crossed over 133 people lying on the ground. The prone position was best for them, seeing as the area they eventually had to pick was an open field marked by rocks here and there. It contained enough hazards that if a person were to fall wrong, they could crack their head open even with a healer on standby. If it happened more than once, the alchemist feared they would lose someone to Death’s Gate.

"Looking good so far," Sulvan said from behind Theo. “I can't see their souls as well from here, but I don't sense anything negative happening."

Under the effects of his aura, Theo could feel the souls of everyone gathered changing ever so slightly. He raced his aura out as fast as he could, trying to give those in the front row the minimum exposure. When he had reached the end of the field of people, he drew it back and then watched as a scattering of flames remained. They weren't true flames, and he doubted they could actually catch something on fire. But that didn't mean the healer was any less concerned. Once it was safe to proceed into the open ground, they jogged together to investigate the source of the problem.

“You cooked this one for too long.” Sulvan knelt over one individual, shrugging after a moment. “I see no marks on the surface, and the inside is just as stable. It seems as though if you hold the Reforged Soul aura over any area for too long, it will create these strange flames.”

Theo passed his hand over one such flame and felt maybe the faintest of tickles. Nothing threatened to burn his skin, though. It was confusing and altogether magical. Since the spell was tied closely to properties related to heat and fire, he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Looks good to me,” he said, patting out the fire. He was surprised to see it actually work. “I guess we can just stamp the fires out.”

“Good enough for me!” Belgar said, already smothering a fire with a blanket. “No one is dead and you’ve summoned spectral fire. I’ve seen far worse reactions in alchemy. Back in the day, of course.”

Theo held back his excitement. He didn't want to admit to himself that this might have worked without a problem and kept looking for issues. More fire sprouted up among the group, starting with those who were closer to the front of the formation. If he wanted to do this again, he had to figure out a way to send his aura out quicker. When he had done it this time, he let it graze over those first few people in an attempt to ensure everyone got a nice, even baking. Now he realized that sending his aura out as quickly as it could go was the way forward.

Only when Sulvan gave the all-clear did anyone relax. Theo and Belgar found their way to a decent spot in the grass to sit. The alchemist released a heavy sigh. More than anything, he wanted to return to the mortal plane and check on Elrin's progress with the shards. He didn't know if their mission had been successful and could only assume that everything went well. But this world seemed to have a finite amount of luck, and Theo was often the one to collect it.

When people rose from the ground, the first of those who had had their souls successfully reforged, Belgar sent his people in. He had strategically placed 20 volunteers from town who would run in and take that person off to the side to explain what had happened. Theo could only imagine what this scene would look like when the transition happened in earnest. The first possibility was that nothing would happen and that their souls would naturally adjust to the environment thanks to the system. The second option was that they would begin fading immediately and would inevitably slip into the void and into Death's Gate. That was a reality he couldn't bear to see happen.

After all, why should such a weak god be in charge of something so powerful?

Theo shook away the thoughts of overthrowing gods again and instead focused on helping those who woke up. Without Belgar and his people, this would have been a nightmare. But with them, it was quite a simple process. People ran off. Some of them were eager to start their lives as bakers, miners, fishermen, or other professions they had in mind. There were those who were less directed and instead favored lingering in town, being steered around by whatever Belgar's officials told them to do. Theo couldn't help but wonder which path he would have fallen into and realized that, to an extent, he had been steered by unseen forces after his arrival.

Sulvan fell to one side, only to be caught by an overly swift Belgar. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sulvan said, shooting a concerned look at Theo. “If you wouldn’t mind sending me back. Hallow’s protection has left me, and the voice space is catching up with me.”

With the wave of his hand, spells sent the healer back to the mortal plane, hoping that his reverse interdiction event sent him exactly where he wanted to go. If there was one thing the alchemist prided himself on, it was his aim, and he doubted he would have missed Broken Tusk even from a distance.

Belgar clapped his hands together, breaking the silence in an instant. "That went better than expected," he said, a giddiness in his voice that was somehow contagious.

Theo couldn't help but smile to himself. Belgar was right. That went way better than he had expected. In his mind's eye, he had conjured images of those poor 133 people exploding in flames and dying. As with all things, when it came to somebody who worried far too much about nothing, the opposite had happened.

"I think we're pretty lucky," he said, eyes locked on the pale horizon. "Feels like I've been set up with the exact tools I needed to get this done, which makes me feel as though I'm being led around by a leash."

"Oh, come on," Belgar said. "Nobody likes a brooding protagonist, especially one as annoying as you.”

Theo offered Belgar a playful punch on the arm. Not hard enough to actually hurt him, but enough to say that jabs of endearment were more than welcome. "When you say we get a little something to drink," Theo asked, "I'm not sure I want to return to the mortal plane yet. Something tells me there will be an assembly of people expecting to be sent here."

Belgar laughed and was happy to lead the way back to town. "Well, you're probably right. Once people learn about something, they all pile on it like you wouldn't believe. Do you remember the roller-blading craze?" he asked.  

"How could I forget it?" Theo asked. Seeing a bunch of mostly disembodied spirits roll around my planet was concerning.  

"That's right. This must seem more like a pet than anything to you." He raised the planet. Since she was an infant.” Belgar scratched his chin, looking up to the sky idly as he walked. "Does that make you its parent?" 

A shiver ran up Theo's spine, and he shot Belgar a severe look. "Don't say that word again. I'm not going to call an entire planet my daughter… or son, whatever it is."

Working their way through town and joking about the events that had just transpired, Theo and Belgar found their way to the cafe. The alchemist had never expected that he would desire to frequent a place such as this, but the food was seriously good. There was a severe lack of baking back in Broken Tusk, and he couldn't deny that the coffee was a welcome change from moss tea. Back on Earth, he had the synthesized instant coffee before, but he had never taken to it, not like the balanced coffee and milk drink he now enjoyed in the cafe.

Belgar shared the numbers for material production, including food, timber, stone, and ore. In a very short time, the denizens of this world had modeled themselves after the mortal plane. They wanted to be prepared in case the change brought more than just a shift in where people lived. It was entirely possible that some of the magical properties of the planet would fade. More than likely, it would operate closer to a true mortal world than anything else. That was a frightening thought that Belgar did not want to face unprepared.

"I'm just surprised you guys could get the world to agree with you in such a short amount of time," Theo said, nursing his coffee and watching the lively action of the cafe before him.  

"But it wasn't just us who shaped the world," Belgar said with a nervous chuckle. "Unless you forgot about all the stuff you were doing in the early days." 

"You're not suggesting I put us on this course?" Theo said with an amused chuckle.

"I mean, you said you had a perfect memory, so why don't you just think back?"

Theo did exactly that, sending his mind back to the early days of the world. It had first appeared as a cube with a small pond and a drop over the edge that led into an infinite sky. The size of the world changed, becoming larger until he was eventually given access to upgrades that made it into a spherical planet. When that happened, there were souls migrating to the planet. This was something he later learned. It was an effect of him as the holder of the Dreamwalker's Throne. He was a magnet for ghosts, like a ferryman, sent to usher everybody into the new world.

Eventually, the world grew to a point where he didn't want everybody to be reliant on the magic inside. He didn't make a decree requiring people to treat this as a real world. He instead created landscape features that made it logical for them to want to start working, and the inhabitants of this world didn't disappoint. The alchemist eventually released an amused chuckle.

"I didn’t think I had that much influence here,” Theo said. “But, when you’re right, you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Belgar said. “Can’t you just pat yourself on the back for once? You don’t have to spend your life in self-imposed punishment like ‘those others.’ You can take a second, sipping coffee and chatting with your favorite demon pal.”

Theo couldn’t hide the amused smile from his face. “I’m almost there. Just another week of punishments, then I can rest. I’ll take a long vacation when this is all over. By the sea, I think.”

Belgar nodded. “I’ve always enjoyed spending time by the ocean. Something about that salt air really does it for me.” He paused for a few long beats, the smile of amusement on his face broadening. “Did I ever tell you about the time Zarali got swept away by the tide.”

Theo leaned in. “I need to know all the details.”

“So, we were running from Zagmoni assassins, and she had the bright idea to lose them on the beach,” Belgar said, pausing for a breath to laugh. “Anyway…”

The seals were all in place. Once the Shards had locked into their role as the World Anchors, everything would start. The system could finally rest, and the tide would come. At least the coffee was fresh.

Chapter 66

We Need to Find Fenian

Hell. That was the best way to describe the realm that had formed on the other side of Death’s Gate. It was a twisting vortex of confusing landscapes. The concept of gravity had been lost on the place, souls wandered without being checked, and the guards were anything but helpful. Fenian had made many mistakes in his life, but this was the worst. Sagging to one side, he pressed his hand into his ribs and groaned.

“Perhaps we’ll look before we leap next time,” he groaned, falling to a seated position against a wall of smooth stone. “I’ll bring better backup while I’m at it.”

Many of the worlds in the sector had been stripped of their privileged time dilation. Fenian felt his stomach lurch, the telltale sign that this place was under a serious version of the slowing effect. As he recovered from his most recent wound, he considered how many days had passed. Without a sun overhead, he could only guess. But it had been a few months since he had arrived, and he was not in the darkest depths where he hoped to find his prize.

The constant swirl of energy around him had been a nourishing life force. Using the techniques taught to him by Theo and Tresk, he was able to maintain his physical form and fight most of the deteriorating effects of the gait itself. But that wasn’t the only silver lining. His swords had changed, accepting that very same energy into their metal and adapting it. Since this wasn’t the smash-and-grab he had anticipated, instead appearing more like a marathon by the day, that fact was vital.

“Oh, look!” Fenian said, forcing joy into his voice. “Another wave of chimeric guards. Just my luck.”

Standing to his feet, Fenian rolled his shoulders. He should’ve figured that Kuzan would employ the same type of creature to defend the gate as he had used to assail Iardein. Perhaps this wasn’t a bad thing. After all, he was getting quite good at fighting these things. And each evaporated with a puff of celestial energy that was downright delicious.

The others had their stay in time-dilated dimensions. But their training was soft. A smile crossed Fenian’s face as loosened up for the fight.

“Let’s see what happens when one is reborn in the blood of the old world.”

***

The meeting room in Khahak had a dour mood that Theo just couldn’t shake. Khahar had called a meeting of the Throne Holders to discuss something Theo had concerns with. Since they no longer had the throne responsible for the defense of the mortal realm, that made things complicated. Instead, it was only Theo, Tresk, and Khahar attending the meeting. And none seemed eager to broach any topic of importance.

Theo eventually released a heavy sigh, sitting forward in his chair. “Look. We’re going to need help down on Iaredin.”

“I’ve sorted that, to an extent,” Khahar said. “Tresk has the most authority there right now, but I’ve seeded an individual who will help fill Fenian’s duties.”

Knitting his brows, Theo sat back and regarded his old friend. “That’s convenient.”

Khahar simply shrugged. “Think what you will, Theo. I’m ready to do my job up here. We don’t know if Leon’s plan will work, so we have to be prepared.”

“Prepared for when his planet burns, right?” Tresk asked. “Then we just gotta worry about a bunch of space psychos rushing our planets and taking our things!”

Khahar waved a hand through the air. “The gong project worked well, didn’t it? Perhaps we can take other measures to ensure the safety of the sector.”

“Yeah, let’s leave thumbtacks by the window,” Tresk said, clapping like an idiot. “Or, we can sit on our butts and do nothing! Just like you!”

“I work behind the scenes,” Khahar said. “My responsibility is the management of the Middle and Heavenly Realms.”

Theo shook his head. Khahar had been holding something back for a long time, and it was hard not to wonder what that might be. As the Dreamwalker, the alchemist’s job was to help the Arbiter. Instead, he had been doing everything for both thrones. Although the man he knew as Yuri was sneaky, he was someone who got things done. Even as Khahar, he went out of his way to put into place insane plans that spanned thousands of years.

So why had Khahar not acted in any way? Theo sent his aura out over the planet, gaining a confused look from the man. For now, he ignored it. There were the energies he expected to find, but something else. Theo’s first impression was that it felt like a familiar raft being dragged down by something. Like the void islands that had used the Shards as bootleg World Anchor to hold the place together. He probed deeper, finding another familiar form of energy.

Khahar’s face was already painted plainly as someone who had been found out. He could only offer a shrug.

“Uh-oh,” Tresk said. “Someone is about to get a stern yet gentle talk from Theo.”

Releasing a sigh, Theo looked up at Khahar. “Did you want me to explain it, or you?”

“I have made a mistake,” Khahar admitted. “I can’t fix it.”

“So, you’re just gonna sit here on a bomb?” Tresk asked.

“A bomb?” Khahar asked, his brows peaking. “I just can’t leave, I didn’t think the world would blow.”

“Tresk has a bad habit of peeking at my theories before I’ve formed them properly,” Theo said. “There’s a lot of things messed up with your planet. And I’m not sure we can disentangle you from it without killing you, the planet, or your throne.”

“You could’ve checked earlier,” Khahar said, folding his arms.

Theo thought about that. He hadn’t sensed it before. The spark of energy resting in the core of the planet that gave it away felt weird, but not altogether unwarranted for a sentient planet. But now it had a wavering pattern to it that revealed the tenuous connections. The things that linked the concepts of Khaha r as the Arbiter, him as an ascendant, the planet, and the throne were tangled. The alchemist wasn’t certain the knots could be untied.

“I believe it got worse after I tried a few things,” Khahar said.

“Well, stop trying stuff,” Theo said with a sigh. “Guess we’re just going to have to do this next bit on our own, Tresk. You up for it?”

“Yeah, duh. Easy peasy.”

If they couldn’t rely on Khahar for any of the proceeding events, that made things tricky. Theo wasn’t sure how it would impact their ability to do their jobs, but there was simply no choice. Fenian being missing was more impactful than the Arbiter not being able to perform his duties.

“We need to find Fenian,” Theo said.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Khahar said. He cleared his throat, turning to the window. “Now, down to business. I can’t help directly, but I can still send people throughout the Middle Realms. Let’s talk about defending those, including Leon’s new planet…”

Theo split his attention between the speech and his own thoughts. He was certain that between him, Tresk, Alex, and maybe Pogo, they could accomplish enough to make a difference. If you thought about it, the role of the Throne Holders was to ensure the order of the system. They weren’t exactly defenders. If somebody came from a faraway place in the universe and attacked an area, it wasn’t their job to defend. Instead, it was their job to set things that were wrong right. But how far did that power go?

Whenever Theo had seen somebody use their throne-related cores, they had done so in response to something that was devastating to the system. It had to be a calamity for them to intervene. The one example of when it wasn’t a world-ending event was somebody with an older system refusing to adapt to the new one. Yet the cores didn’t respond when the Shards weren’t where they were supposed to be. He took away from this moment of self-reflection that he couldn’t rely on the cores to help do his job. Sometimes it was more about getting it done, rather than drawing on that power.

“Wherever Fenian is, I hope he’s finding what he’s looking for,” Theo said. “Maybe we should check all the brothels of the land.”

“Oh! Good idea,” Tresk said, jumping up and down with excitement.

“She shouldn’t be so eager for something so crude,” Khahar grumbled. “As I was saying…”

***

How many years had it been? Fenian counted on his fingers, trying to remember exactly how long he had spent in the strange realm. Death’s Gate was nothing like he had expected. Eventually, he snapped his fingers, withdrawing a small bit of wood from his inventory and counting the notches. His face fell when he finally reached the end of his markers. It had been 50 years since he arrived, and he was still far from his goal. It was difficult when there were billions of souls trapped within Death’s gate.

The souls came from a hilarious variety of origins, from people who were native to the place where he was born to Earthlings and even those from places farther away that had some implications. He wasn’t entirely eager to face it right now, but that meant that when death was active, he had collected souls from other parts of the universe.

“Leon,” Fenian said, looking at the endless swirl above him. “You truly are the worst.”

Pulling in a breath of pure celestial energy, Fenian empowered his legs. He crouched on the spot and jumped forward, covering a distance that was hard to describe on the mortal plane and impossible to understand within the gate. He covered spans that would make the Bridge of Shadows blush and eventually found another of the many crevasses he had explored before. If there was one thing this world had, it was deep pits where the souls of undesirables were sent.

The dimensional space, like the road outside of it, was mostly straight but also somehow curved in on itself in the shape of a spiral. At first, Fenian had expected he was traveling in a loop, but after leaving enough clues behind for him to find on his next go-around, he realized that was not true. Instead, it was an endless spiraling road filled with angry spirits and even angrier chimeras.

With a single stroke of his sword, Fenian defeated one of the creatures, roughly the size of a mountain range. His blade glimmered with prismatic energy, resonating with the frequency of this place in such harmony it was hard to imagine. The feeling of the mortal plane was often warm, but this one was restless and made him want to push forward, even when sleep was required, especially when he was tired.

Fenian paused after a few more jumps, tilting his head to one side. He took in the sight ahead of him. “If you have to store important souls, I guess that’s the place to do it.”

Looming in the distance was something Fenian could only describe as an evil castle. It had peaking towers with a wall outside made of black obsidian. Even at a distance, Fenian could see signs of activity within. Lights glowed from each floor, casting beams of multicolored light into the fog of Death’s Gate.

“Not to worry, my darling,” Fenian said, preparing for the next jump. “I always make good on my promises. No matter how impossible they are.”