Li appeared in the material world again, blinking as the realm of gears and blue orbs disappeared. Faint flickers of golden light dissipated around him, leaving him staring down the winding yet majestic path of the Midpath. 

The Aviania angels perched atop the arches lining the bridge were not active, their blue cores dull and lacking energy. Helius had been right – he truly had given up on his angels.

But all that power had to have gone somewhere. It went to the Sunspear, and once Helius himself faded away and his essence imbued itself fully into that weapon, it would be easily on par with the Prometheas in terms of killing eldritch beings.

Well, it was a good thing Li was out to retrieve it by going west. 

"Papa, you back!" said Tia as she grabbed Li's arm from behind. 

"And not gone very long, just like I promised," said Li. In fact, as he started to figure out from the sky – the very same early dawn he had left behind – he had probably not been gone almost anytime. "Looks like I was gone just a few minutes."

"Every minute without you boring," said Tia. 

Well, we will not have any more detours for now," said Li with a smile as he hoisted Tia up to his shoulder. "We go now to this Gigant."

"Aye, we'll be the first men in centuries to ever wade these giant lands," said Old Thane as he flexed his arms in preparation. "Oh, the prospect of adventure, of new adventure, does make this old heart beat so strong."

"If I may, seer," came Mason's voice.

"Hm?" said Li. 

"What…did you have audience with the One Light?" said Mason.

"I did," said Li matter-of-factly. He stared at Mason's almost slack-jawed awe, a stare with eyes alight in curiosity that clearly expected good news from the sun god. 

Li looked at Mason and wondered how the young man, a boy, really, even compared to Li.

How old was Mason? Twenty? And his brother comfortably only in his late teenage years. Both of them were basically children. Even in his past life, Li would have been their senior by a bit over a decade. Older enough than them that the only time he would ever see people their age was if they showed up to his company as new interns, some of them holding that same starstruck or determined glint to make it big and do something with their lives that Li once had.

Inevitably, the years would wear that shine down, and then, there would be nothing, just another cog in the company machine that droned on and on.

Li mentally shook his head, clearing the old pessimism from him. If there was any part of his humanity that he could afford to lose, it was that, a byproduct of a world that had lost its heart and soul. 

No, this was a new world. And unlike before, Li had the power to change it and shape it to his will. If there was anything his training with divine powers taught him, it was that: he had power. He had power over life itself. 

His very presence could infuse life where before there was nothingness. He could hear and change the songs of life, a remarkable feat that no level of genetic engineering from his past world could ever muster up to. And, exercising these powers, his perspective grew.

Mortal lives were, at their base, a collection of notes and beats strung together in a bag of fragile flesh and blood. At any given moment, that bag could pop with all the intensity and suddenness of an imploding balloon, leaving nothing behind, only death. 

But even if that was what they were, they were not just that.

They had potential to be more, to show more, they just needed the right environment to grow in. This, Li knew he had to keep in mind lest he become too detached, too used to seeing the lives around him, some of which were close to his heart, as units and not people. 

"May, I ask, seer, what did the One Light say? The priests all claim to hear his voice, but this, I doubted. I knew the One Light was there, shining over us all, but I did not know he had a voice. Tell me, seer, how was it?" said Mason. 

So much expectation. Li could see that Mason had faith in something that was not truly there. Helius could not give a damn about any single mortal, though he would be willing to give his life to save them as a whole.

"Your One Light will fade soon," said Li. 

Mason looked taken aback.

"It is true. None do hear his voice. He has withdrawn himself. In this coming conflict, he may very well fade entirely," said Li. "But he ends his light for the sake of a greater good. For your lives and your futures."

Li eyed Mason, looking into his expression. "I can sense disbelief in you. That is only natural. You have spent your whole life believing in how eternal this light is. But you know very well not to doubt my words.

I do not tell you this to dampen your spirits. I tell you this to let you prepare for a world without the One Light. His light has done good, but at the heart of it, it is up to you, the people that live atop the dirt, to continue that good, not in the name of some light or some god, but for yourselves and the future."

Li's expression darkened slightly as he remembered the incoming threat of the Chthonia. "And if people like you are ever to steward and champion this world, you must grow stronger, and you must learn to set your differences with others aside, because in the end, to the threat that is coming, whether you are mortal or demon does not matter – all of you are just meat, just things to be fed on and devoured and chewed up until you are nothing."

Li paused for a second as a silence settled among the party. Worried expressions formed on all their faces as words of concern from Li himself settled in their hearts. 

"Forgive me," said Li. "I said something a little too ominous. The future is not set, it never is, so do not worry so much. It may be a grim one, it may not. But if it is indeed dark, then the answer is simple: join me in making the future brighter."

Li nodded to Mason. "That is what your One Light would have wanted for you."

"But I already strong!" said Tia as she pulled on Li's sleeve again, the vast majority of his speech having flown over her head.

"Of course, of course," said Li as put a hand to her shoulder. He pointed out towards the glowing white Midpath bridge, towards the enormous treeline of the Gigant forest that reached above the clouds. "And I've decided: we are going to get stronger, all of you together. I will help you in the coming fights, but I will not intervene unless necessary. 

Hopefully by the time we cross this forest, all of you will have come out a little more prepared for things to come." 

In essence, Li wanted to powerlevel this party. He knew that would take longer for them to reach the West, but Tia and Old Thane both were part of this group. He did not want them defenseless and reliant on him, for even if they were strong compared to many in this new world, they were ants if the Chthonia came to be.

He did not know if they or the rest of the party could level beyond their natural set talents, or if levelling even worked the same as it did in the game, but he would experiment now and try.

For much of his time in this world, he had only focused on farming, not giving a thought to combat related mechanics such as leveling because he was just strong enough to deal with everything himself.

But for the first time, this was going to be a threat he could not handle entirely alone. He needed the people around him, the people that cared for him and he them in return, to be able to stand by themselves. 

"Aye, I'm game," said Old Thane with an expectant smile as he tightened his fist. "My fists are slow now, they are, but crossing the Gigant – a land of legend – will hone them well."

There was still a hint of unease lingering in the air, and Old Thane sensed it. 

He raised his voice and addressed the party. "Do we cower for a future we know nothing of? A future we can shape with our fists? Nay! We follow Li, and by the time we cross the Gigant, we'll have might to our names that will earn us seats in the records of history themselves!"

"I will make certain of that," commented Asala as she wrote down Old Thane's dialogue in her tablet. 

"All of us have different goals, aye," said Old Thane. 

He looked at Sheela. "Some of us wish to reclaim the pride of our people and fend for our homes. 

He looked to Vilga.  "Some of us wish to discover ourselves, to know who we truly are through the fiery forge of combat and adventure."

He looked to Mercer. "Some of us simply want the greater adventure."

Then to Mason. "But all of us, in the end, as Li says, are the same: we wish to do good on our adventures, and without the might to make the right, what use can we be? I'll not dawdle while a Darkening shakes this world, and neither should the rest of ye."