“I regret to inform you, but your question is too general and can not be answered,” Rinth told the smug faced Adam.

For a moment his face faltered as his confidence was shattered, a nervous glance shot in my direction. In truth it was a question I’d hoped he wouldn’t ask, and why I’d hoped for him not to find out the truth behind our visit. However I wasn’t about to kill him, at the very least he’d shown he could keep a secret.

When Adam noticed that I hadn’t responded to his question he straightened up and looked at Rinth. He reached up to his monocle and fiddled with it, an action that made me want to take it away and toss the darned thing across the room. I think in the time since I’d met him he spent more time playing with his monocle than anything else.

“Then what is the biggest secret he’s keeping from me?” Adam finally asked.

When I sighed it caused Adam to reach for his rifle, and even Lance responded by standing up in preparation of a fight. Kuzu on the other hand shot a glare at Adam that spoke volumes of her protective feelings for me. Out of our little group only Lisa ignored what was happening, as she swung her legs happily and hummed a little song.

Rinth shot me a look before she placed her hands against the table. A look that pleaded for forgiveness, or so I assumed, as to what she was about to reveal. “It’s alright,” I told her with as gentle a tone as I could muster, “you can’t ignore your duty.”

“Thank you,” Rinth said as she flashed a small smile at me, “in regard to the question posited by one Adam Wolfe, the biggest secret being kept for you...well that is actually a very hard one to pinpoint.”

“What’s that mean?” Lance asked. He slowly settled back into his chair once he realized that I lacked any hostile intentions.

“I mean that he has so many secrets that you do not know about. Also your request is a bit subjective.” Rinth placed her forehead against the table as though all her energy was drained. “With your permission, old friend, may I?”

“Go ahead, I’d rather you not break yourself trying to pick one.” I resisted the urge to stand up and walk around the table to her. “I’m sure your mother would be upset with me if I let you injure yourself over this.”

“Very well.” Rinth lifted her head and hands clear of the table. With noticeably paler skin she slumped into her chair and let out a long breath. “The biggest secrets being kept by this individual are three, all three of which are valued of equal greatness. Due to his permission I shall now tell you all, instead of becoming permanently locked up.”

Adam scoffed at that, if only because of how ludicrous it sounded. “How could a single Elf have so many massive secrets?”

“The first secret is that this individual is a reincarnated form of a human from over a thousand years ago,” Rinth told him, “granted the blessing of the Goddess Luticia he has returned to life with a new form.”

Adam leaned forward with hands pressed against the top of the table. “Reincarnation isn’t possible! Otherwise it would’ve happened before! And why the hell would the Goddess do that for him and nobody else?”

Rinth lifted up a finger and then casually pointed at the seat behind Adam. As though a giant hand gripped him he was forcefully pulled back against the cushions. “Do not interrupt me.”

I couldn’t resist the laughter that boiled up from within at that, while Kuzu developed her own smile at the actions of Rinth. The look on Adam’s face on the other hand spoke deeply of how shocked he was, as he stared at the woman across from him who had thus far been amicable

“The second of the biggest secrets is that this is the man who married, and was loved by, the Goddess Luticia,” Rinth pointed at me when she said it.

“That ain’t-” Lance started to refute what had been said before Rinth pointed one finger at him. Instead of continuing he merely sat there, as he tried to sink further into his own chair.

“The final secret is that the man now called Fenix was the one who killed Luticia over a thousand years ago,” Rinth frowned as she spoke those words, her eyes downcast.

The silence in the room was absolute at that moment. The Wolfe brothers turned slowly to stare at me, their eyes wide and faces a few shades paler. Kuzu and Lisa had already known of this, but even they couldn’t resist looking at me at that moment.

“Well, I’m going to go take a bath,” I announced as I stood up, “Rinth, I’ll skip dinner tonight.”

Without a word to the others I walked to the other side of the chamber, where a single door was placed. When I opened it a long hallway was revealed that had other doors attached to it, each one a bedroom with its own attached bathroom. I didn’t yearn to listen to any conversation that might occur after those revelations.

☗ ☗ ☗ ☗ ☗

I leaned against the railing of the balcony with my left arm, my right bandaged and pressed up against my body. Behind me a familiar figure leaned against my back, her gentle breathing and warmth a comforting sensation. Beyond the balcony lay an entire city of grandiose spires crafted from crystal and metal.

We stood there in silence as I absorbed the sights of the metropolis. Beneath the distant sight of many white-haired individuals could barely be made out. Each of the citizens walked freely as they went about their lives, unattached to the insanity that was about to emerge.

“Why do you have to do this?” came her voice from behind.

“Because nobody else can,” was my simple response, “because everything will be destroyed if I don’t.”

“Or because you feel guilty?” Luticia asked as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

I let out a long hiss at that comment. “I told him it would be safe,” I muttered more to myself than to her, “I promised his wife he’d make it back fine!”

“You can’t protect everyone.” Lute buried her face against my spine. “Stop beating yourself up. Lets go home to our daughters.”

“You know what Helim is planning.”

“If you push it you’ll die,” Lute warned me.

“I won’t die.” I motioned at the injured right arm with my left hand. “That only happened because I let my anger get the better of me. Next time I’ll crush Helim and every bone in his body.”

“I didn’t say Helim would kill you!” Lute turned away from me as the anger she felt became obvious. “I’ve told you everything and you still don’t understand why you’re being an idiot?”

“No. What are you talking about? If I can take out the Originator I doubt the rest of the Architects would be a problem,” I said while I turned to look at her.

“Nothing, forget it!” Luticia stalked off of the balcony and back into the bedchamber.

I could only respond with a sigh as I rubbed at my eyes. The stress and frustration of the day had only been compounded by this little discussion.

☗ ☗ ☗ ☗ ☗

“Daddy,” yelled out my daughter happily while she bounced on top of me, “time to get up!”

I groaned in protest to her treatment of me. As I rose up from the bed I reached out and ensnared her in a hug. “Morning, Lisa.”

“Kuzu said it’s time.” Lisa hugged me back while she giggled.

“Fine, fine, go tell her I’ll be there in a moment,” I told Lisa as I released her, “I need to clean up first.”

“Alright!” Lisa bounded off of the bed and darted out of the room.

It was a short while later that I left the room. Fresh from a shower I felt more invigorated than I could recall as of late. With the solid sleep on top of that I was primed and ready for whatever the labyrinth might toss at me. I paused outside of the main room for a moment, one hand placed against the wooden door, while I gathered my thoughts.

The door of the main room creaked as if to announce my arrival, and the conversation that had been happening came to an end. The Wolfe brothers looked at me as though it was our first encounter, while Kuzu and Lisa ate from bowls on the table. Our hostess Rinth was seated in her usual place, a golden robe coupled with a red ribbon her outfit for the day.

“A good morning to you.” Rinth nodded her head toward me. “I hope you do not mind but I took the liberty to prepare some soup and bread for breakfast.”

I walked over to the table and picked up the bowl which nobody else had touched. Without a response to Rinth I began to drink it, swallowing noodles and broth with minimal concern for chewing. When I placed the bowl back down on the table I motioned with my hand at the Wolfe brothers.

“We don’t have much time, I’m hoping to use a shortcut but it has a small window,” I told them before I picked up the bread and chewed on it, “So answer two things fast. Are you still with me, and do you have any questions?”

“Please answer my question first and then we can answer if we’ll go with you.” Adam pushed his half-empty bowl of soup away. “Why were you keeping who you are from us?”

“Because nobody can know that reincarnation is possible,” I told him as I placed half of the bread into the empty bowl, “Imagine what would happen if any of the critters we’ve dealt with could reincarnate, learning time and again from every death.”

“Nobody? That ain’t a threat is it?” Lance asked.

“Only if you don’t promise to keep the secret. Though I’d rather not upset Rinth.”

“Calm down.” Adam held up his hands to both myself and his brother. “Fenix, why are you dragging us along when you’re obviously strong enough by yourself?”

“I figured that was obvious. First off everything is different. The shifters have changed, even the gnomes are different. I knew that changes would have happened, especially based on what I saw in the first few floors, so I needed people who were up to date.”

“Ah, so that’s why you looked for the people who have gone the deepest as of late,” Adam said with a nod.

“Also as I’ve told you before there’s a limit to how much magic I can toss around. I didn’t want to run the risk of Kuzu or I collapsing in the middle of a major fight.”

“Are you still going to pay us when we reach the fiftieth floor?”

“Of course! If my place on the fiftieth floor is still intact I could even double the reward.”

“No, a deal is a deal, and if anything you being this strong made the job easier for us.” Adam stood up from his chair. “What do you think, Lance?”

“If we’re getting paid I don’t care,” Lance muttered as he sighed, “ain’t like anything changed, just now we know why he’s stupidly strong. Thought he was some demon monster in disguise.”

“Let’s get a move on then, I’d rather not miss our window and have to wait another week,” I commented, as I walked over to the main entrance.

I paused to pick up my backpack that I had left there, noting that it felt fuller than when I had arrived. A quick glance at Rinth and she merely responded with a smile, though it was enough for me.

While the others began to gather around the door Rinth approached us, her movements slow yet smooth. She managed to make it appear as though she glided across the floor rather than walked, a practiced movement due to her extensive age. When she stood next to me she leaned in close, though she made no effort to conceal her voice.

“After we last met only one other has come here, your old friend Markov,” Rinth told me, “he visited a few times to make use of my ability.”

“I’m surprised he found time to leave his labs.” I chuckled lightly. “What did he end up asking you?”

“About you and Luticia.” Rinth patted me lightly on the cheek. “Do not worry about those you left behind, they turned out well. Last I knew of he found a place on the first floor.”

“Oh, the exile finally made a home for himself?” I batted at Rinth’s hand. “Though that helps to explain someone I met.”

Lance opened the entrance and peered out into the cavern of the harpies. With a nod to the rest of us he darted out of the room. Adam quietly followed after his brother, pistol drawn and prepped in case Lance required his help.

“Take care Rinth, this should be the last time I come for your help,” I told my old friend, “I plan to finish all of this.”

The smile that Rinth directed at me was a warm one, her eyes half-closed while her head tilted a little to the left. “That would be wonderful,” Rinth admitted to me, “I’ve grown quite tired.”

With no more words between us I walked out of Rinth’s home. The door closed behind me with an audible click. While Kuzu and Lisa walked on ahead of me to meet up with the Wolfe brothers I paused to stare at the door. The last time I’d seen it I’d never expected to return, focused on the fight that would eventually kill me.

My attention returned to the others in the cave with me as I once more walked away from the oracle. Lance and Adam had already entered into the main nest area. I was thankful to see that Kuzu had approached it with a bit more caution, as she waited near the edge of the darkness with my daughter.

“It’s clear!” Adam called out to me, loud enough to make me cringe. While the Wolfe brothers tended to be overall good divers they often made careless little mistakes, and it was those mistakes that could turn the later floors into deathtraps.

“Quiet down,” I hissed at him, “if any of them are outside they’ll hear the echoes.”

The look on Adam’s face made it obvious he realized his mistake. We didn’t talk and instead approached the cavernous maw that was the exit from the harpy nest, guns at the ready in case one of the foul avians was outside. Instead we were greeted by an early morning sun that sparkled off of the dew on the grass below.

Lance moved to prepare for the climb to the top, his hands rippling visibly as they shifted into claws. A pat on his back from Adam was all he needed for encouragement before he clambered out of the cave and began his ascension.

“Daddy,” Lisa said in a quiet voice as she tugged at me.

“What’s the matter?”

“Why doesn’t Rinth leave and go somewhere else?”

I tried my best to smile at Lisa while I patted her gently on the head. “You know how your mother made all of this?”

“Of course!”

“She had a reason behind it all, but one of the things that she did was put in keys to help people.”

“So Rinth is one of those?”

“Yeah, she’s one of the most important ones.” I mussed up Lisa’s hair before I glanced back outside of the cave. “There are two others, but Rinth is the one that is the most approachable.”

“But why can’t she leave? That seems mean of mom to do!”

“Your mom had reasons behind everything she did, Lisa,” I reassured her, “believe in that.”

“Still, I wish she could come with us,” Lisa pouted.

“So do I,” I replied honestly. I reached out and pulled Lisa toward me into a hug, for some reason feeling the need for it at that moment.