There was emptiness, stark darkness that was as clear as it was ethereal. It was a veil hiding something beyond comprehension and imagination. There were no walls, no sorcery, nor even the slightest bit of hindrance. There was only the inability to perceive or recognize what was beyond the nothingness.

In a sense, it was peaceful, but Rana knew better. It was only an illusion wrought with cowardice. She was refusing to go further. However, it was futile. The truth did not care for her fears, and regardless if she chose to accept it, the truth remained unchanged and unmoved.

She sometimes wondered if ignorance was a blessing, to view the world through a lens of convenient excuses, unaware of things below the surface. She doubted that other marked ones had her reservation. They would only be able to see a Status, simplified to rudimentary concepts and terms so that their minds could recognize the presented information.

The System was far beyond the mortal understanding and the Codex was a language of infinite possibilities, and understanding their design was like decoding a message written with waves in an ocean or raindrops in a storm. However, Rana did not need to pick out patterns in the chaos, nor did she need to force order upon something ever-changing. She was born to seek truth within the imaginary.

She reached forward.

[System (notification): talent Imaginary Seeker activated, talent Mana Codex activated]

There was an explosion of information and data. The moment Rana directed her mana into Alpheia and brushed past the surface of the nothingness, a singular instant of revelation shattered the veil. She did not want to look at the Status of the moon-kin, but she had no choice. It was not as if she had no experience in the matter, but seeing an expanded Status of other human marked ones revealed nothing disconcerting. It affirmed her reality. However, her reality was now challenged, and she could no longer deny the truth.

The One Deity was no longer the one and only. His name was Svelto, and there was another named Cierna. Svelto granted humans their mark, and Cierna granted the fiends theirs.

Rana steeled her will. She would not get lost in the truth; she could not allow herself to. The information was already imprinted into her mind, knowledge she could no longer forget, but she still had a task.

She let her mana touch the red sparks cracking and surging. Alpheia was aggressive and emotional, passionate even, something she did not expect from a fiend. It was clear that the moon-kin was very eager to get her hands on the message hidden in the missive. If Rana did not have to concentrate as to avoid her thoughts wandering into the Status, she would’ve slapped the fiend on the head and told the moon-kin to calm down. Still, she had to wrangle with unruly recruits in the past as their mentor, so she knew how to handle it, but that did not mean she liked it.

It took a lot of effort, but she managed to direct mana within Alpheia’s mana core into the runic-pattern that unlocked the missive. She had to fend off powerful sparks that threatened to collapse the entire effort and it required more mana than she anticipated as the fiend was no doubt higher level and more powerful.

“We’re done,” Rana said as she fell to the floor with a thud. She laid on her back and stared at the rocky canopy above. Her mind was exhausted and she did not want to deal with anything until well-rested. Thankfully, the fiend did not know how to read human writing. “I need to meditate, don’t bother me until I call you.”

“Why the delay, are you scheming again, zombie?”

“It’s Rana. Also, no. Your mana control was not easy to guide. I’m exhausted.”

“Why tell me, are you not afraid I rescind our alliance?”

“Unless you can find another Church agent that could not only decipher a high-priority order, but are also willing to treat with a fiend, please tell me. I too would require the service of such a person.”

Alpheia said no more and the two entered into an uncomfortable silence. Neither enjoyed the other’s company, but they had to tolerate. She could also tell that the fiend was eager to set out, to finish their mission. She wondered if this haste was because of her loyalty to the war effort, or just because she wanted to be free to slaughter the zombie that bested and is now annoying her. Whatever the case, the fiend would have to wait because Rana held the cards, for now.

She did not know how long she stared at the stones above, but when her mind was clear of the weighing doubt, she sat up.

Rana then informed Alpheia of what was written on the missive. There were some details that made her question her companion’s motives, as there seemed to be more than what the fiend was letting on, but she would confront them later.

The missive was to relay information on the location of the lost inquisitor technology and instructions on how to use it. The scattered research notes also corroborates what was written in the missive. There were many different research topics, but only one was also completed. However, there was something more to that. The missive was brief in what it said, but the information should not be enough for such an order. Whatever the Church had planned, they were preparing for quite some time. Their scheming was more or less complete, and they only needed the information on the missive.

“Why the vagueness? You humans scheme and skulk, but in the end, I will smash them with my talons. Tell me where I need to go,” said Alpheia, her tone made sure to let Rana know it was a command. “Do not think about tricking me. I am of the mind of leaving you behind. Do not make me consider killing you.”

“You need my assistance.”

“I do not see that. My Status is far more powerful, you should’ve realized it. The only reason you bested me was that you managed to steal the victory from the druid. You are a trickster, weak and full of lesser wile. I do not wish to kill you because I owe you a life-debt, but hinder my duty and I will show you no mercy.”

“You will need me or how else will the Dark Paladin know you are an ally?” Rana asked and she could sense Alpheia’s eyes widened behind the mask. The moon-kin was rather expressive and easy to read. “We are heading to The Tree of Ashen Snow, and I believe my sister is waiting there.”