The formerly chaotic battlefield rapidly settled down. The dust gradually settled, revealing an absolutely ravaged sandstone slope sporting about eighty individuals standing around with their hands on their hips.

A few Pinnacle Seekers launched powerful attacks toward the spatial wall, but the aura of disintegration created by those dark patterns weakened the attacking images so much that they barely impacted the defenses around the wall. And so long as those defenses stood, the Pinnacle Seekers wouldn’t be able to reach the spatial wall.

Seeing those defenses, Randidly was absolutely certain that Commandant Wick had made more preparations for this eventuality than he would have originally assumed. Those patterns are extremely powerful and incorporate the principles of both Aether and Nether. But even I can tell its a one-sided, fixed barrier. If this was any other location than an isolated spatial cube, it would be suitable in only very niche instances.

But erected here, with that disintegration field being layered on top of it, even with me being able to utilize Nether, without a flaw in the defenses-

Randidly’s thoughts were cut short by Claudette walking up to him and smiling hesitantly in his direction. He tilted his head to the side in askance as her glance lingered. There seemed to be a query in her eyes as she examined him and it was clear the question she asked was definitely not the one that was on her mind. “Did you accomplish what you wished with this meeting? Were you seeking those objects?”

Randidly spared a glance for the Hierarchy of Burden in his hand and shrugged. Even now, he was drained from his interaction with Shal. “...no, I don’t think I got what I wanted. And looking at this barrier…”

Claudette nodded in sympathy. “The various Pinnacle Seekers have been in contact with their fellows; although this entrance into the final layers is blocked off, there are other avenues of advancement. We will need to spend some time shifting to the other route, but on that side is also the Frost Matriarch, so in the end, it will work out.”

“You are departing then?” Randidly nodded to himself as he stared at the pulsing disintegration runes. A short distance away from where they were standing, the Pinnacle Seekers were starting to congregate in a large group as they stared at the defensive array. “Then we will part ways here.”

“What? You don’t plan to head deeper?” Claudette seemed genuinely floored. She reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ears. “I had thought… I had thought your Path would require you to test yourself in these unique encounters. You can definitely be tempered by the foes waiting in the inner layers. And… I saw your expression as that man fled. The issues between you two have not been laid to rest. You should advance now, while you have this opportunity. Do not give up.”

Randidly could only chuckle at her urging. “You misunderstand me; I will continue forward, but I don’t need to circle around to find another path. I’ll just go directly from here. Might involve some work, but I should be able to swing it.”

“That… is impossible.” Putting her hands behind her back, Claudette looked at Randidly with a serious expression. “It isn’t a matter of power, you know; even Seeker Thunder Wing wouldn’t be able to break through that barrier. The defenses are two-fold: first, all are prevented from approaching by an infectious, destructive energy. Second, all images are inverted when approaching directly, resulting in them being useless. This is not something you can overcome.”

“What happened to the Claudette that said ‘If I would let a small impediment like this shake my determination to move forward, how could I ever hope to reach the Pinnacle’?” Randidly asked with a wry smile. Claudette looked at him speechlessly; she had said that before he had arrived at the isolated spatial island where they had encountered each other. But Randidly’s Grim Intuition had enabled him to observe for a bit before becoming involved. He had listened to her brave and overbearing conversation with the Engraving Guild representative.

At the same time, Claudette wasn’t necessarily wrong about the difficulty; the defenses certainly were powerful. But Randidly could sense a method forward.

After opening and closing her mouth several times, Claudette lowered her voice. “You truly will not come with us?”

But before Randidly could answer, a new and familiar voice cut across them.

“Heh, Miss Claudette, you should not doubt a man this confident. And you, sir, I will assist you with any one thing if you can break down this barrier for us,” Seeker Thunder Wing announced, causing Randidly to turn around. The man’s eyes wandered down to Randidly’s hand and they instantly widened in shock. Then he looked at Randidly with a more probing look. “...and I do not know how you managed to obtain that item, but I guess you don’t understand its history. A certain type of individual would pay a high price to add that to their collection. I’ll throw in information regarding that item, for free, assuming you aren’t just bluffing.”

Randidly squeezed the multicolored pyramid that he held in his hand, surprised to find that it was warm to the touch, as though it had sat for several hours in the sun. Meanwhile, the small black stylus in his other hand was ice cold; the hand holding that item tingled just from the few seconds of exposure. He stored both within his interspatial ring and examined Seeker Thunder Wing closely.

The man stood with his hands in the pockets of his leather pants, looking at Randidly with a small smile on his face. Considering his vest and spiked hair, Randidly could easily picture the man perched atop a motorcycle. But compared to the dismissive and testing encounter they had earlier, this treatment was leagues apart. Seeker Thunder Wing now looked at Randidly directly without sparing Claudette a glance.

Honestly, Randidly would have appreciated it if the Pinnacle Seekers went on their way. There were several powerful individuals amongst them that made him wary. In addition, dropping back down to just his subordinates would mean that he could act without fear of someone noticing his capabilities, especially now that he had rid himself of that Aether tracking device.

Yet due to that same capability, Randidly would have an easier time going forward if he was accompanied by the Pinnacle Seekers. For example, if Randidly went alone through that spatial wall and encountered that massive yellowed skeleton image, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to proceed any deeper. He estimated he could escape with his life, but forcing his way past it would not be a quick endeavor.

“If you are worried about your status as a member of Military High Command… Don’t be,” Claudette stepped closer and unleashed another winning smile toward Randidly. But perhaps due to some lingering shock, the expression wasn’t as single-mindedly bright as it had been previously; there was some conflict in her heart. Yet she spoke confidently, all the same. “We clash regularly against the military, but that is just due to their refusal to acknowledge our decisions as legitimate. For someone like you… the Pinnacle Seekers can even be a friend.”

Seeker Thunder Wing chuckled and nodded in agreement. “The short truth is that she’s right. And I’ll be blunt; we’ve noticed the way you were holding back your image. Significantly so. If you are doing this to deceive us, don’t bother. We won’t target you for your potential like I’m sure you’ve experienced from other factions in the Nexus. In fact, that potential is why we’d help. Just like part of the reason I’d tell you about that item is so you can improve yourself. We all wish that another individual would reach the Pinnacle. That is the reason that we Pinnacle Seekers work together.”

Pursing his lips, Randidly slowly nodded. Seeker Thunder Wing’s words sounded genuine, and moving with the Pinnacle Seekers would definitely help keep his followers alive. He spared a glance to the side, where Kerwin was patting Lay’mel’s back as the elf sat on the ground and covered his head with his hands. Randidly’s lips twitched. He looked back to the Seeker and spoke. “Then I’ll do my best to break through the spatial wall. But first, I’d like to hear the information you have about my pyramid.”

Seeker Thunder Wing nodded and gestured for Randidly to follow him. The seventy or so Pinnacle Seekers that survived the conflict ceased their gradual retreat and moved to set up camp at the top of the slope, near the spatial wall. Randidly saw several powerful individuals within the group giving him and Seeker Thunder Wing thoughtful frowns, but no one spoke out against their lingering.

Seeker Thunder Wing beckoned and the two men walked some distance away from the rest of the group. Claudette watched them go, pressing her lips together as she watched. When they had gone about twenty meters, Seeker Thunder Wing cut sharply with his hand and a powerful electromagnetic pulse surged to surround them, shearing away all ambient sound.

The middle-aged man turned and regarded Randidly calmly, stroking his chin. Then he shrugged. “Well, there is no reason to beat around the bush. When I saw that pyramid, I first thought that I must be mistaken; the object you hold hasn’t been seen in the Nexus for two thousand years. But considering some of the broader trends of this most recent Cohort… the movement of raw Aether, the emergence of this Nether King… I suppose the Nexus is approaching an inflection point. And in dangerous times, old secrets will always dislodge and float to the surface.”

While Seeker Thunder Wing slowly spoke, Randidly looked down at the crystalline pyramid. As he noticed earlier, there were five layers to the pyramid. The bottommost, and largest, layer was pure silver. The layer above that was ivory. The middle layer was sapphire. The second from the top was translucent. And the tippy top of the pyramid was a dull red. The combination of colors was even rather off-putting. There was something ancient and sinister about the Hierarchy of Burden, even to Randidly’s unfamiliar hand.

But it’s still my Fatepiece. Randidly said to himself. With this, I’ll be able to somehow strengthen my soul. Whatever that means...

And all those slight feelings of discomfort when he looked at the pyramid were magnified by one thousand whenever Randidly looked at the tiny black stylus. The implement might be innocuously shaped, but the material was heavy and foreboding.

“That item… is one of a certain type. Generally, they are called Hierarchies.” Seeker Thunder Wing continued. “There were originally five in total, as far as I know. They each relate to a particular… aspect of our existence that was changed during the Nexus Reformation, after the Second Cohort. Or I should say that in the First and Second Cohort, these five Hierarchies were tools given to the Nexus’ chosen representatives to deal with the increasingly problematic complications that we faced.”

“You… were alive for the earlier Cohorts?” Randidly asked curiously. Before he could even begin to judge the information that the Seeker was providing, he hoped this question would give him a little insight into the powerful man.

Seeker Thunder Wing responded with an awkward, smile, although his eyes began to gleam as he looked at Randidly. “Truthfully, no. I was born during the Second Cohort, but the Third Cohort began by the time I had a firm grasp of my own image. Most of what I’m telling you I learned from the generation before me. But still, it should be accurate. I… am relatively confident in my grasp of history.”

Randidly’s eyebrow twitched. Ah, that’s why he was so enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge. He can’t even help himself; Seeker Thunder Wing loves being a know-it-all.

“These Hierarchies… you said there were five? What were they called? Why were five created?” Randidly asked. Would that make his Hierarchy of Burden a sixth Hierarchy…? Then perhaps understanding the original five would give him some insight into how his Fatepiece.

“There were five because constructing the Nexus ran into five extremely large issues,” Seeker Thunder Wing cracked his knuckles and then folded his hands in front of himself. “You understand how Nexus Citizenship works, yes? How the higher citizenship gives you ‘access’ to a larger portion of the Nexus? The Nexus Reformation after the Second Cohort reorganized and layered the Nexus so it wasn’t so… heavy. So it didn’t create as much ‘drag’ against the base universal laws. After all, the Nexus was originally conceived as a method to accomplish the impossible; that drew interference from the universe.

“Five individuals were given powerful items to address those five problems. The Hierarchies had three functions: they helped the user detect issues, they bestowed upon their user a powerful capability to address the problem, and finally, they acted as a skeleton key that allowed those chosen individuals access to the secret places of the Nexus.”

Seeker Thunder Wing scratched his cheek and frowned as he thought for a few seconds. Randidly inwardly rolled his eyes; it was obvious that the man was pausing dramatically for effect. “As for the Hierarchies… I believe the five were the Hierarchy of Margins, the Hierarchy of Current, the Hierarchy of Will, the Hierarchy of Karma… and the Hierarchy of Burden.”