(Zack)

As soon as Gavin decides and I respond, I find myself in Big S's chamber. He's sitting, his tail stretching out to the side, curving here and there. As with the last two times I found myself in here, his Crystal's light is comforting and familiar to me. Makes me feel like I am among family, and that everything will be okay. Safe.

"Hi."

"Hello," he responds.

"I wanted to see you in the tutu."

"I burned it."

I laugh.

"Why did you summon me?" I ask. "I was having a serious conversation with my team."

"It was done, though," he responds. "I waited specifically until you finished with it."

"Oh," I look at the miniature crystals. Two are illuminated fully, and a third is almost full. "Is that from the King Monster?"

"No," he answers. "Not all of it, anyway. Some of it came from your small rampage, more from the tens of thousands of monsters you've killed over the last week, while more is coming from Nathan Normar's battles against the hordes. The Kobold King fully restored a full crystal's worth of energy and power, though."

"So I take it," I say. "That when the two die in the battle, you'll be filled back up?"

"Correct," he nods. "The same will go for any Ultimate Monster or Dragon kill, though those will grant me even more, the latter depending on how old and powerful the Dragon is."

"So," I say. "Are you done sleeping?"

"Only for a little while," he shakes his head. "I can stay up longer now that I have more of my energy returned, but until all four are bright, I'll need the extra sleep."

And you'll still need to sleep once they're full, too. You've put such a big burden on yourself.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask.

"Our father," he responds. "Was here."

Existence? A god entered a Boundary-locked place?

"How is that possible?" I ask.

"He is Existence," Big S tells me. "He can be anywhere he wants. I was not aware he could come here."

"What did he want?" I ask.

"To say 'hello'," he answers. "That was… pretty much it."

He shuffles his front feet a little, and I sense discomfort in him.

"Big S?" I ask. "What is it? That's not really why you pulled me here, is it?"

"No," he admits. "I… there is information you should know. About Alexander, the Shadow of Life."

"Does it have to do," I say. "With Alexander's three allies."

He looks confused for a moment, then nods.

"I forgot Chaos told you about our origins," Big S admits. "As you are now, Zack, you are nearly powerful enough to defeat the weakest of them."

"Nearly?" I ask.

"Yes," he answers. "Nearly. "When you reach your Second Ascension, you will definitely be powerful enough to kill him and near the ability to kill the second-weakest, possibly even actually kill the second-weakest.

"And so," he says. "I have a request for you, Zack. Will you allow me, once you are strong enough, to send you into their prisons? It would be a one-on-one fight for each. We estimate that Alexander has two months before he wakes from the stasis he placed himself into, and I was hoping-"

"That I would," I say as his tail shifts around in his obvious discomfort at asking this of me. "Have killed all three before then."

"Yes," he nods. "You would need to do it alone, due to the way I designed their prisons, so it would truly be a solo fight. If you kill them before Alexander wakes, then-"

"Then he might not make proper choices," I say. "Might act rashly, even send the horde sooner than he should because of Nathan's attacks."

"Correct," Big S nods. "Would you… would you be willing to do this?"

"Yes," I answer. "I would be more than willing to do this, Big S. These are the bastards who tried to steal your powers and kill you. They wanted to rule above all, the way I heard it. I will do what I can do put an end to this."

"Thank you," he looks relieved. "Then… then I can tell you something else. I have already expended a full crystal's worth of energy in the last few days."

"Doing what?" I frown.

"Releasing a Boundary."

I find my body stiffening at that. He released a Boundary? Is that what I sensed? But… I sensed two shifts in this Boundary? What was that? And isn't releasing Boundaries bad, since while it does allow them to focus more on what remains, it also grants him more control over what happens in them?

"I see you are confused," he lies down, closing his eyes. "You probably sensed me working on that. The war is soon coming to an end. Alexander will focus his efforts on the Boundary you live in specifically because of your presence. He knows that as long as you or any other brother or sister of yours who opposes him lives in a Boundary, he is doomed to fail. And so he must focus on where a Child of Existence who will fight against him lives."

"But aren't you also allowing him to have more power and control in the ones that exist?" I ask.

"Yes," he sighs. "But right now, he is in stasis. I am hoping that, with your efforts, Nathan Normar's, and the discovery of the Monster Dens and people training in them, I will have enough power to release all others save this one before he wakes."

"Why?" I ask.

"Several reasons," he answers. "The first… is to finally put to rest all those people who live in the Boundaries who should have moved on. I had Wisdom and Intellect release their souls, and the souls of all others within those Boundaries. As soon as the last one had left, we undid the Boundary. Each of us expended a full crystal of power to do so. In order to continue feeding us necessary energy, I had the others spread words about where to find Monster Dens, and not just in the mines. They aren't easy to locate, even if few are guarded by a King Monster. That… was purely coincidental, actually."

And with groups of strong Adventurers battling all of the monsters in there, that's tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of monster kills a day just from that. Well, assuming there are maybe five to ten that are raided every day. Millions, if we factor in other Boundaries, too. And since the monsters are far stronger than what can normally be found in claimed territory, that probably gives a lot more power than the billions of kills every day outside of the Monster Dens.

"And the other reasons?" I ask.

"I know you remember," he says. "When you earned that burning scar hidden within your arm."

I look at my arm and trace my finger along the sensitive spot. Even though no mark exists visibly, I still know where it is and it still causes a physical response in my body. A slight shiver and shudder of that area, a tensing up with the urge to pull away. It's as if my skin is flinching while my body is not.

I've been extremely careful with how Luca and I sleep so that he doesn't brush it by accident, I don't want to jerk away because of it, that might frighten him or give him the wrong impression, tell him that I don't like him and he can't be comforted at night, when I know his loneliness and fears are at their peaks.

Big S is telling me that they want to avoid situations like that again. An entire Class of Adventurers, an entire set of followers of one of the Crystals, killed because of how spread out the Crystals' focus was and their inability to deal with the situation properly as a result.

They probably realized only after the fact that they should have sent out messages to everyone. Is that why they all rushed to Big S, to have him send out that message when stuff was going down because I was just being a Dark Knight in personality?

They might be omniscient when it comes to the Boundaries, but there are still limits to what they can do and to their knowledge and personalities. They were children when they died, after all, and the situation was new to them.

"You want to be able to focus on just one Boundary," I say.

Big S lifts his head up and nods for a moment.

"Yours is the one closest to falling," he says. "And because of your presence in it and status as his eternal enemy, it is also the one Alexander will focus on. Therefore, we, too, can focus on it. Most of his influence will be in the Lost Territory, but with the current training plan…"

"There will be enough powerful Adventurers on the front lines to handle what he sends."

"Correct," he nods again. "It won't be too much, because his influence increases the more monsters there are, and there really isn't all that many in the claimed territory as there are in Lost Territory. Chances are, it would matter most for anyone going into the Lost Territory. Because there is so much of it, and such heavy monster populations in it, your Boundary is the one where he'd have the least influence in claimed territory, too."

"Okay," I say. "So you're sacrificing a stronger seal for greater power in it, but in exchange, you won't have to deal with a tragedy like what happened in the other one and will also have more power available to you. In addition, you know he'll focus on this Boundary because of my presence in it."

"Correct," he nods once more, then shifts a little and returns to a sitting position. "And there is more. Father told me… he said that within a year of the Battle for Naelmar Valley, the war against the Shadow of Life will be over."

So the ones who are destined to actually end the war are already here? That's the only explanation I can think of for that. That they're already here, and possibly already powerful.

"He came before you began the process, didn't he?" I ask.

"Yes," he admits. "Father told me that no matter what I did, no matter what we did, the war would be over within a year. That is why we talked about it, and then agreed to begin doing this."

He sighs, looking down, depressed.

"Long ago," he tells me. "We had a more active role in the Boundaries. We've begun to again, but as we spread ourselves out, we had to pull back. The Boundaries themselves are massive, and there are so many. More than ten million arrive between all Boundaries every day. Or… did. We now simply allow everyone to pass on, because the war is coming to an end, and it won't make a difference."

That makes sense, I guess. But speaking of passing on…

"What about all the people in the Boundaries?" I ask. "Especially the ones who were born there? You're sending them to the afterlife?"

Gold, Aurum, and Max are all still kids. If he releases my Boundary within a year, they'd lose their first life early. What would happen to them? They'd be in the afterlife, but have they even lived long enough for the scales? Done enough for it? What about all those who've fought?

"The same as if they died," he answers. "The scales of karma are weighed, and what happens to them is chosen based on that. Some will even have options."

"But-" I start, then stop, remembering something he said, back during my Ascension Trial. "I have the option to reincarnate because I was willing to sacrifice myself. Would that mean-"

"That those whom you are concerned about would?" He asks, and I nod. He nods in response. "Yes, Zack. Gold and Max have both earned reincarnation, so long as they continue on the paths they are on. Aurum will have a good afterlife, and though it won't involve reincarnation, all options available to him will make him happy.. As I said, the scales of karma are weighed. Rightly, no one born in the Boundaries should even exist, so they are lucky to have souls to be judged."

That subdues the anger that was starting to build up in me. He's right. The people I'm worried about… wouldn't exist without the Boundaries, without them making them for the purposes of sealing away Alexander and his allies.

When the Boundaries have served their purpose, there is no reason to keep them around. The Crystals will need their rest, too. It takes them a lot of effort and power to sustain them, after all, and short of making it impossible for anyone to procreate in the Boundaries, they would have to keep sustaining them forever because of children being born.

At least this way, everyone who is passed on to the afterlife because of this has a peaceful passage, and not a brutal or ugly one.

"Okay," I take a few breaths. "Big S, what happened to Bryce, when he died? I get the feeling that the souls of those who become Fallen Adventurers… don't have as peaceful of rests as we're led to believe."

He thinks on something for several long minutes, which confirms it to me.

"You are correct," he tells me. "Intellect has a… special instance of his temple for those who are Fallen Adventurers. Their souls can move on to the afterlife, but it's not a comfortable passage for them, and they remain uncomfortable through it until their bodies are put to rest. So he created this special instance to put them in a stasis as well. Your brother, Bryce, was immune to the stasis."

"So he's suffering that disgusting feel of his body being worn by a curse?" I shudder at the thought.

"No," he shakes his head, then pauses. "Well, yes. But also no. Bryce decided to pass on to the afterlife directly. According to Intellect, he's moved on to the heavens, where he's waiting for you."

He's waiting for me in the heavens… I know it's probably not a case of wanting me to die already, but simply waiting until that happens comes. Since Big S is releasing the Boundaries, that will be within the next year.

"Well," I smile at Big S, walking forward and placing a hand on his head. "Big S, I feel confident in saying that, when all of this is done and the nine of you can finally rest, you will each have earned the best possible afterlife lives possible. Reincarnation as an option, and whatever other rewards you can pick from."

"Thanks," he gives me a tired, but happy smile. "It will be nice, to finally, truly rest. Before I send you back, there are a few more things."

"What?" I ask.

"First," he says. "I never finished my prior thing. Long ago, we had a more active role in the Boundaries. Were we willing to continue this, we would resume creating Quests for people. That was something we did, back when we had less to manage and support. They were fun to issue, and often helped new Adventurers get a good start."

"I can see why you'd want to continue that," I smile. "With only one Boundary to focus on, you'd be able to do it better. But you need your rest, Big S. All of you do, and you all deserve it. And whatever rewards you want."

"What I would like more than anything," he smiles again. "Is to remain as a Crystal, but without the need to support everything. To be someone others can come to and speak with, imparting ancient wisdom, knowledge, and abilities upon others. To interact with the living once more as a quest-giver and so much more. But my entire existence now is to support the Boundaries and the System itself."

So some of the benefits of reincarnation, but as a Crystal. I don't think that's something that's possible, especially since he's not of reality. Wait… how would everyone passing on work, with them being from the Boundaries and not reality?

"Don't worry about the heavens ordeal," Big S smiles at me. "I can see the question your face. Father's power allows those from the Boundaries to reach the heavens and underworld. The passages into them grants a sort of alteration to allow them to exist there."

"Oh," I say, then we're silent for a few moments. "You said there were a few things?"

"Yeah," he nods. "Second, in order to actually kill Alexander's allies, who are immortal in a sense, you will need a weapon forged with two specific materials."

"A weapon of two specific materials?" I ask.

"Yes," he nods. "Essence of Life and Essence of Death. They are both Ultimate Resources, and they can only be obtained in a single manner. Not even your King's Bounty can grant it."

"How?" I ask.

"Each has a different method," he answers. "The Essence of Death can be obtained through killing. Lots and lots of killing. It has to be in a short timespan. For the Essence of Life, it is through healing. A lot of it, and in a short timespan, and by a single being. Imagine everything you killed in what you call the 'Experience farm' since entering it the first time. Imagine doing that in a day. With that, you might just manage to acquire one. As for Essence of Life… well, I'm sure you have an idea of just how much healing you'd need to do that."

"Nathan has some, doesn't he?"

He's fought in the previous battles for Cities, which means he's done a fuckton of healing, and he is the most powerful healer in the Boundary. That means that he has likely met the requirements to potentially earn it.

"He has three pieces of it, and no idea what to do with it."

I frown.

"These are Ultimate Resources that are literally essences of life and death," Big S tells me. "It's only natural he'd be hesitant to try to figure out something to do with them."

"Right," I say.

"And speaking of life and death," he narrows his gaze at me. "When you take on Angel and decide to prove that Resurrection exists, please don't snap someone's neck to do it. Just use it on a fucking corpse, okay? You'll traumatize people."

"Is that confirmation it exists?" I grin. "Since you said 'traumatize' and not 'kill'?"

"Yes," he answers. "That's confirmation that Resurrection exists. It's listed in the Skills you can acquire due to a Rank 3 Class once you take on Angel."

"Got it," I flash him a grin.

"Now," he says. "I'm sending you back. Your team is… reacting interestingly to your sudden disappearance."

I find myself seated at the table once more. Max and Luca are playing chess, while Gavina nd Braden are both stressed out. Max quickly tells me that Gavin and Braden both freaked out and ran off to get Nik because of my sudden disappearance. Gavin tells me that Nik said it's normal for that to happen, though I usually don't do it when others are around, but wouldn't elaborate.

"Max kept saying he didn't bop you that time," Luca whispers to me, and I laugh.

"Max," I tell him. "I told you back then, you bopping me had nothing to do with that. Gavin, Braden, I was summoned into the temple for Big S. He and I were discussing some stuff."

"Lord Crystal of the System summoned you?" Gavin asks.

"The Crystals do it from time to time," I shrug. "I'm one of the rare people who can enter their temples directly without issue at any time, not just in special circumstances. As a result, they use me as a messenger sometimes."

Not quite the full truth, but it's enough for now.

"Anyway," I smile. "Let's just relax the rest of the day. Tomorrow, your training will become even more intense."