– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 215, Season of the Setting Sun, Day 43 –

“What is the distance to the anomaly?” asked Megumi.

“Currently around one thousand Terrys,” replied Devon.

“You should not use Terry as a unit of measurement,” reminded Lizzy.

“Around twelve hundred Captains then.”

Lizzy narrowed her eyes at Devon.

“What about our tails?” asked Megumi.

“One has broken off to the direction of the anomaly. The other one is keeping a constant distance. Still beneath the sand.”

Terry looked at the red sand underneath his feet. He still found it difficult to believe and to accept that he was really walking through the territory of the Wastes.

Megumi furrowed her brow. “A death signature moving through sand is unusual. Same goes for moving on its own and keeping a distance.” She clicked her tongue.

After some thought, Megumi continued: “Let’s split up for a bit. Devon, you and Terry go towards our tail. I want to know what Terry’s mana sense can pick up. Don’t aim directly for the signature but rather in the rough direction to get close enough. Make it look as if we are searching for something else. Lizzy and I will move parallel to you. Stay within eyesight.”

Terry followed Devon in calm measured steps. He focused on his mana sense.

Eventually, Terry stopped walking. “Devon.”

“Hm?”

“Close enough.” Terry tried not to show any reaction that could be perceived by whatever or whoever was tailing them. “Let’s go back.”

“And?” asked Megumi.

“Death, earth, air.”

Megumi scowled and pinched her own forehead. “Unless that is a new and very intelligent mana corrupted, that spells high-level death mage or young-ish vampire.”

“Turn back?” asked Lizzy.

Megumi shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Signatures are moving out of the anomaly and towards us,” said Devon. “Seems as if they are popping into existence at a specific location.”

“How many signatures?”

“Six.”

“Death signatures?”

“Five of them.”

“Only five?” blurted Lizzy. She turned to Megumi. “Necromancer?”

“Or a thrall. Or a worshipper of the lower realms. Or any other lunatic deathcult,” grumbled Megumi with tired eyes.

“They’re splitting up,” said Devon. “Only the life signature and one death signature are approaching now. Huh?” Devon tilted his head. “The death signature suddenly became smaller.”

“Vampire transformation,” said Megumi with narrowed eyes. “Makes the thrall theory more likely but no need to cast judgement prematurely. Let’s see if we can get some information out of them first, thrall or not.”

In the distance, they could see a muscular old man approaching. A bat sat on his head. The man had both arms raised and kept walking towards them.

“The bat seems unaspected with pronounced blood and spirit aspects,” said Terry. “The man is unaspected with a comparatively weaker mana foundation.”

“Heeeek!” exclaimed the man and recoiled.

“I believe Devon just entered his range of mana sense,” said Lizzy. “That reaction does not seem very thrall-like.”

“He won’t eat me, will he?” asked the man and pointed at Devon. “What is up with that freakish mana signature? Is that why there are Deathguards here? To capture you?”

“Who are you?” asked Megumi in a commanding voice.

“I’m Logan.”

“What are you doing in the Wastes, Logan?”

“I asked first. Why is the Deathguard here? Why is the Deathguard bringing that?” Logan pointed at Devon.

“That was rude,” said Devon. He turned to Lizzy. “Wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was.” Lizzy scowled at the man.

“I answered one of your questions,” said Logan. “Why don’t you answer mine?”

“Who are you?” asked Megumi again.

“I already told you I’m—”

“Stop it. I’m not talking to you, Logan. You want to know why we are here? We detected an anomaly in the Wastes. Before that, we were investigating disappearances of citizens.”

Logan grimaced. “That’s—”

“Stop it. I’m still not talking to you. Logan was the name of a guard in one of the villages whose inhabitants disappeared.”

“You.” Megumi looked at the bat. “Who are you? If you are not willing to talk, then I can only make assumptions and right now, they don’t cast you in a favorable light.”

“Now, wait a moment,” growled Logan.

“It’s alright,” came a voice. The bat flew from Logan’s head and after a shroud of black smoke, an elven man with blood-red eyes stood in its place. “My name is Ying. It is in an honor to meet the Captain.”

Megumi narrowed her eyes. “If it is such an honor, then why did you not appear in your true form? Or did you think a Deathguard would not recognize a transformed vampire?”

“It was a compromise,” said Ying sheepishly.

“A foul one,” grumbled Logan and he looked at Ying. “You knew that she would recognize you for what you are! Why didn’t you tell me when I made the suggestion.”

Ying smiled sheepishly. “Because then you would have continued to object to me accompanying you, which brings me back to the earlier question.” He looked at Devon. “Who are you? Your mana signature is somewhat concerning.”

“I’m Devon,” replied Devon in a cheery voice.

Ying blinked and then looked to Megumi. “Is that supposed to explain anything?”

Terry could not help but chuckle.

“Don’t distract from the main topic,” said Megumi. She never took her eyes off Ying. “What are you doing in the Wastes?”

“It’s an unclaimed region. I am free to be here.”

“Cut the crap. What are you doing in the Wastes with a person claiming the name of a missing citizen of Tiv.”

“Hey, now!” exclaimed Logan. “I’m not only claiming the name, it is my name! Yes, I was a guard at the Silent Stream Village. So what? I was not aware that I have to give the empire notice when I want to leave its borders.”

“Logan!” Ying shot him a glance.

Megumi raised her eyebrows. “What is it that was left unsaid right now?”

She was looking from one to the other. Eventually, she focused her gaze on Ying. “I believe I am already being very open-minded here. Citizens are missing. Now, you appear next to one taking a stroll in the Wastes. If you are not willing to explain yourselves, then I am forced to go by appearances.”

“What appearances?!” demanded Logan angrily.

“Logan, please calm yourself,” said Ying. “Captain, you have a good reputation. As you have said, you are open-minded.” He furrowed his brow. “However, not everyone is like you. As a member of the Deathguard, you will have to report your findings. Some of the people reading the reports will not be like you. Please, turn back.”

“Yeah, shouldn’t you worry about protecting the citizens in the Tiv Empire?” growled Logan. “The Wasted Zone is crawling with death and corrupted! People are getting slaughtered left and right and Tiv is doing jack shit about it! You—”

“Logan, please calm yourself,” said Ying. “The Guardians are not the Tiv army.”

Logan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “They take our taxes, but when the Wastes come knocking, they withdraw all troops. We are not allowed to learn magic to defend our homes or to teach magic to others. If we want to learn magic, then they order us to learn some bullshit or to protect other places instead of our home. If we learn it anyway, they label us criminals and suddenly find soldiers to send out. They tell us to move, but don’t make room for us anywhere.”

The more he talked, the more Logan’s face became flushed from anger. He spat out: “Screw the Tiv Empire!”

Lizzy frowned.

“I’m not here to discuss politics,” said Megumi calmly. “As your friend said, I am not a soldier. Not anymore. I am a Deathguard and I want to know what happened to the citizens.”

Ying and Logan both responded with silence.

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk, then I guess I will have to ask your other friends,” said Megumi. “Lizzy, apprehend them!”

Terry felt mana surging from Lizzy’s direction and a moment later, Lizzy grew as tall as a giant. Her plate armor and other metal equipment grew together with her.

“Life aspect Enlarge Person and metal aspect Enlarge Object,” mumbled Terry.

Lizzy rapidly grabbed both Logan and Ying – one in each fist.

“RELEASE THEM!” A loud and flat voice reverberated through the air. A lich appeared.

Next to the lich, two death mages dove out of the earth and flew into the air.

Down on the sand, two death knights stepped out of camouflage.

All of them wore a lot of protective mana equipment. All of them were infused with a bright cyan aura.

“Cyan?” Megumi narrowed her eyes.

“Oh my,” exclaimed one of the death knights with the voice of an old woman.

“Don’t worry Gretchen, I’ll protect you from the scary man!” promised the other death knight with the voice of an old man. The death knight moved in front of the first and pointed his sword at Devon.

“Aww Wilhelm, you’re making me blush, my life!” A giggle could be heard. “Inwardly at least. I have misplaced my skin, you see.”

Terry stood with mouth agape. He forcefully shook his head. “Did they just talk?”

“Yes, dear,” replied Gretchen. Terry was unable to figure out how the sound was produced.

“Hello!” Devon waved. Reflexively, Terry started waving, too.

“Such nice young men,” exclaimed Gretchen. “Wilhelm, put away the sword. Saul, maybe we can talk this through? Look, the one over there is practically still a child.” She pointed at Terry. “I don’t want to fight a child.”

“Gretchen!” The lich was aghast. Saul sounded a lot more like normal folk now. He addressed the two death mages: “Olivienne, Yancey, don’t let down your guard!” Then, he turned back to the death knights. “Gretchen, they have taken Logan and Ying hostage!”

“Yes, but I told you this way of doing things was a bad idea,” grumbled Gretchen. “I don’t want to fight the Captain. She was always one to truly care about the manaless citizens and wasters.”

“Sh-she was one of my heroes growing up,” said Olivienne.

“The magic of the other one is the Castellan combination,” said Yancey. “The Castellans opposed the Preacher’s restoration of magic restrictions.The old Castellan was also one of the few Tiv officials that spoke in support of the Preacher’s motion to reestablish army patrols to protect the Wasteborder. They may very well be the least despicable of the ruling bunch.”

“Be that as it may!” exclaimed Saul.

Terry could swear that if the lich still had eyelids, then they would twitch.

“We have to think of the others! We are carrying more lives on our shoulders than our own!”

“Lizzy, release the two,” ordered Megumi.

Lizzy was still trying to process what was happening when the Captain’s command resounded through the air. She placed Logan and YIng on the ground. Afterwards, she returned to her normal size.

“I am afraid I have even more questions now,” said Megumi. “I expect some answers.”

Devon poked Lizzy’s shoulder with a finger.

“What is it?”

“Gretchen called me a nice young man. That means she is older than me, right?”

“Seriously? That’s what you took away from all this?!”

“It means that she believes she is older,” interjected Megumi. “Gretchen and Wilhelm – those are names from the list of the Yellow Creek Village.”

“A beautiful place,” exclaimed Gretchen.

“Before it was overrun by the Wastes,” muttered Wilhelm regretfully.

“Our home for more than sixty years,” continued Gretchen.

Megumi’s expression darkened. “Is that what happens to the missing citizens? You turn them into undead?”

“Deathlife,” corrected Ying. “Deathlife. Not undead.”

“And no, it is not what happens to them,” insisted Logan. “Not unless they choose it.”

“We were manaless, old, and dying, dear,” said Gretchen. “We chose to live an afterlife to protect the young.”

“I was sick and bedridden,” said Olivienne. “Now, I get to do something meaningful.”

“I was hunted for violation of magic restrictions,” said Yancey. “The Tiv soldiers left me crippled and on the verge of death. I chose this instead.”

“The cyan aura, the sentient skeletal warriors, the missing citizens,” enumerated Megumi. “I expect answers.”

“Hmph,” uttered Saul.

“We could give the young ones a chance, couldn’t we?” asked Wilhelm. Gretchen took his skeletal hand in her own.

“We could,” said Ying. “But then we will need assurances.”

“Do you want me to hand over my blades?” quipped Megumi.

Ying snorted. “I understand better than most that a mana user does not require weapons to be armed.”

“We could seal their mana,” suggested Saul.

Megumi and Lizzy frowned.

“Oh? Please try,” said Devon nonchalantly. “The looneys said that was not supposed to be possible anymore.” He tilted his head.

Saul’s jaw hung wide open.

“Devon,” exclaimed Lizzy in a reprimanding tone.

“There won’t be any mana sealing,” stated Megumi matter-of-factly.

“Maybe later?” asked Devon.

“A promise from the Captain will do,” said Ying. “Promise that you will keep an open mind and that you won’t cause harm to the innocent.”

Megumi raised an eyebrow. “That’s a promise I have already given a long time ago.”

“He makes it sound like we are the suspicious ones,” grumbled Lizzy.

“I am not only talking about the actions you perform directly with your own hands.” Ying gazed into Megumi’s eyes. “I am talking about your reports.”

“I will report what I find,” said Megumi. “I have no intention of causing harm to the innocent nor will I stand by when innocents get harmed.”

Yancey snorted and spat out: “Big words for one of Tiv’s dogs.”

“The Captain isn’t like that!” objected Olivienne.

“What?! I don’t see her defending the innocent from the imperial censors! What a load of wasted pus! Where was the honorable Captain when the mage hunters came for me and my family?!”

The cyan light in Yancey’s eye sockets flickered. “I don’t want to kill her, but that does not mean that I trust her empty promises.”

“Yancey is right,” said Saul. “They are a threat to our families.”

Ying sighed and bit his lip.

“Let me sum it up for you,” started Megumi. “We have detected an anomaly in the Wastes. We have located some of the missing citizens whose disappearance we were supposed to investigate. If I send the report like this, what do you think will happen?”

Ying nodded.

“Maybe we should contact the Lightbringer and ask for guidance?” suggested Olivienne.

“No,” replied Ying and shook his head. “The Progenitor is busy at the moment. I don’t know what exactly has him occupied, but he is already troubled by having to provide safe passage whenever we accept new citizens.”

“That Progenitor is a dimensional mage, I take it,” said Megumi.

“Much more than that,” said Saul.

“Yes, he is a dimensional mage,” added Ying. “Not the only one among us but the best.”

Ying watched the faces one by one: Devon, Megumi, Lizzy, and Terry. Then, he sighed. “Let’s take our chances and show them our home. I’ll take responsibility.”

***

Terry looked around. They had left behind the red sand and were now walking on proper earth again. In front of them, he could sense a larga mana distortion. However, his eyes could not see anything. There was nothing but air.

Ying stepped forward and raised his hand. Buildings appeared like a mirage in the desert.

“Welcome to Syn City,” said Ying. He, Logan, and Saul walked first.

Several people were aiming bows at Devon and the others.

“Is everything alright, Dad?” asked a woman that kept a fire-aspected arrow nocked.

“Yes, Romana,” replied Logan. “For now.”

“Please, everyone relax,” said Ying. “We want to show our guests the true ideal of Synergy. Hostilities are unwarranted.”

“I’ll make some cookies,” said Gretchen happily.

“Ehh,” uttered Logan. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t trust pastries from someone without taste buds.”

“Insolence!” exclaimed Wilhelm. “I’ll have you know my Gretchen makes the best cookies in the world!”

“No need to throw the pearls to the swine, dear.” Gretchen chuckled.

“Uhm, where did Devon go?” asked Terry.

“What?” Lizzy looked around. “Oh damned Wastes. Why does he always do that?”

Megumi closed her eyes and listened. Then, she pointed. “Over there. I can hear barking.”

“Why can’t I sense him?” asked Terry.

“Our cloaking inhibits your mana sense as well,” replied Ying. “It takes some getting used to.”

The group walked into the direction that Megumi pointed out. They arrived to find Devon playing with a large molossoid dog. Several children were standing next to them and guffawed.

“Devon,” said Megumi.

“Yes?” Devon was lying on the floor and the dog slobbered over his face.

“What did we tell you about running off without warning?” asked Lizzy.

A small terrier stopped in front of Lizzy and growled. Lizzy squinted at the little furry creature.

“Not to do that,” replied Devon with a blank expression. “Why?”

“You—” Before Lizzy could really get into it, Megumi raised her hand in front of Lizzy to interrupt.

“The children – life or death signatures?”

“Both,” replied Devon. He sat up and patted the dog in his lap. “One of the little ones that are peeking at you from behind the tree is a vampire.”

The large dog slobbered Devon’s face again. “Easy, Buttercup.”

Devon looked at Lizzy and then at the little dog that was growling at her. “Brutus is bluffing. No need to be scared.” The little terrier barked.

“You can wait here if you want,” said Megumi. “We’ll continue inspecting the place.”

“Great.” Devon smiled happily and asked the children: “Anyone got a ball?”

“Did you also come from the Silent Stream Village?” Terry asked Romana.

“Yeah, why?”

“Is this yours?” Terry retrieved the enchanted quiver he had found before.

Romana received the quiver but kept her eyes on Terry. “You’re not from Tiv, are you?”

Lizzy snorted. “Busted.”

“He has nothing to do with the imperial censors,” said Megumi. “Nor do we. No need to worry.”

“It was mine, but I don’t need it here.” Romana handed the quiver back to Terry. “Thanks, though.”

“You don’t need it?” Megumi moved her eyes over Romana’s bow.

“No. In Syn, I can learn proper spellwork and get proper equipment.” Romana was paying close attention to Megumi’s reaction.

Megumi only nodded and then looked back at Ying. “I will take a careful look around and talk to the Tiv citizens—”

“SYN citizens,” interrupted Romana.

“That’s right,” said Logan approvingly.

“I will talk to the people here,” continued Megumi unperturbed. “I need to understand the circumstances of everyone’s arrival. It does not seem as if any of the folk here are under duress or kept against their will.”

“Tse,” uttered Logan.

“Duress was what we lived under in Tiv,” growled Yancey.

“Do as you wish,” said Ying. “Everyone is free to talk to you just like they are free to leave whenever they want.”

“Free to leave and brave the Wastes you mean,” said Lizzy.

“As opposed to our lives in Tiv?” sneered Romana. “In Tiv, the Wastes came crawling right into our homes and nobody gave a crap. Here, we still have patrols.”

“I will talk to people,” repeated Megumi and addressed Ying. “Later. For now, there are still the questions of the cyan aura, the sentient skeletal warriors, and the choice you spoke of before.”

“Follow me,” said Ying.

They walked past vertical farms and greenhouses. Inside, skeletal warriors were working.

“Are all of them sentient?” asked Terry.

“No,” replied Saul. “Only the afterlives of those that committed to Syn.”

“The others are truly undead,” added Ying. After catching Megumi’s expression, he added: “They’re not corruptible by death aura. There is no risk of them joining the hordes in the Wastes.”

They continued walking in silence. Terry saw some people practicing spellwork or sparring. Most of the people he saw, however, were engaged in leisure activities – chatting, drawing, reading, playing games.

Eventually, the group reached a large building at the center of the city.

“You may activate your mana sense, but please refrain from channeling any mana,” said Ying and used an inscribed panel to open the door.

Inside, Terry saw a large brazier with a bright yellow fire. The fire was even more intense in his mana sight.

“This is the Heart of Synergy,” said Ying. “The Progenitor calls it the Fountain. Many of the citizens call it the Light of Reason. This is the answer to your questions.”

Megumi examined it cautiously.

“It does not look like a normal spell structure,” said Terry.

“It is not,” said Saul. “It is the work of a very complicated ritual.” He praised: “Good eye.”

“So how does this work?” asked Megumi. “Could it be used to tame the hordes in the Wastes?”

Saul snorted. Terry was becoming increasingly curious how the sounds were created.

“I’m afraid not,” said Ying. “A person has to accept the Heart before their death in order to be reborn.”

“Is the death aura still active?” Megumi observed Ying’s face. “If a cyan skeletal warrior kills a life, what happens?”

“An undead rises,” replied Ying. “However, they won’t develop a regular death aura. They will forever be bound to the Heart. Yellow aura instead of green.”

“And what if a yellow skeletal warrior kills a life?”

“Nothing will happen,” replied Saul. “The Light prevents the spread of the death aura curse.”

“How does one accept the Heart then?”

“That is a literal description,” said Saul. “If you reach your hand into the brazier, the Light will enter your body. You have to allow it.”

“And if I die, then I would rise as an undead?”

“As deathlife,” corrected Ying. “Not as an undead.” He exchanged a look with Saul. “There is more.”

“Hmph.” Saul hesitated but chose to follow Ying’s lead. “It will also siphon some mana and life energy from the Lightbearer.”

“What?!” blurted Lizzy.

Megumi kept her eyes on Ying.

“Best trade I ever made,” said Logan.

“A few miserable years of life in exchange for a peaceful paradise,” said Romana.

“Paradise?!” Lizzy was aghast. “How is this different from the Lich Kingdoms?”

“You’ve never been to the Lich Kingdoms if you ask such a question,” spat Ying. It was the first time that the vampire displayed signs of anger.

Lizzy was taken aback by the change in tone, but she pressed on. “How are people here different from cattle?”

“Cattle?” Logan laughed. “We are not being eaten. We are being fed.”

“We are being protected,” said Romana. “Which is more than we were granted in Tiv.”

“People are free to learn, too,” said Yancey.

“A-and we can protect everyone in our afterlife,” said Olivienne.

“No one here has to work unless they want to,” said Logan. “I wish this place had existed when I was still young. I’ll be damned if others wouldn’t feel the same. Happiness instead of drudgery. Safety instead of the Wastes. What siphoning of life?! In the Wasted Zone, we risked death every day. Here, we can grow old in peace! No sane waster would choose differently!”

“No one is forced to accept the Heart,” said Ying. “People get to choose after they become of age.”

“What if a person refuses?” asked Megumi.

“Hasn’t happened yet,” said Logan. “People have some sense around here. They’re neither idiots nor selfish pest beetles.”

“They are free to leave,” said Ying. “Or to perform alternative work. If they do not accept the idea of protecting Syn in the afterlife, then they will have to contribute differently during their lifetime.”

Megumi clicked her tongue. “We will need a place to stay. I want to take my time talking to people.”

***