It was late into midday when a groggy Gabriel woke up to a shouting Olivia. Mind, she was not in his room, but outside of it. Shouting at somebody to… Let me rest? And leave?

Gabriel got out of bed and angered Liz in tow. He wasn't a particularly bad-mood in the morning type of guy; however, he noticed that Liz was instead of the precise kind.

Dressed only in his night pants, Gabriel was shirtless and with his eyes half-closed when he opened the door.

"May I know what is going on here?" He asked before even taking a look at the troublemaker.

In front of him stood an officer, with his midnight blue uniform and the plates of a Major; the four-times branching Yggdrasil in metal embossing his left pectoral. It took him a few seconds to recognize him.

"Major… Cain, was it? Did you have your hair done?"

"Sir- Gabriel. Yes, you noticed?" He said, slightly taken aback.

Gabriel shrugged, "I didn't immediately recognize you, so. Anyway, could you keep it down?" He then turned toward Olivia, "Love affair, Olive? Really? I thought you hated the guy. Oh, well, hate is just another shade of love after all."

"Asshole! I was trying to keep him from waking you up. I… heard," she said.

Gabriel rolled his eyes back. He did not want her pity. The man really didn't want her pity. He didn't really want anything with her, for the moment at least. Until he figured out what it was that he really needed her to say.

"Why would you come and wake me up, Major?"

"You are wanted. It's the Seer. It's important, Gabriel," he said sternly.

Gabriel massaged his temples, "Alright, alright, just let me change, and wash… and eat something at least."

"I got you breakfast?" He asked more than exclaimed as he raised the package he was holding.

"Really? Wow. That's unexpected… Thank you," said Gabriel, taking it and turning around.

About to close the door, Gabriel stopped mid-way. "The Seer didn't make this, right?"

"What? Why would she- No. I had the innkeeper prepare you your favorite," he said.

"Well, Cain. You've just raised by quite a few steps in my ladder of trust," then he turned toward a half-pouting Olivia. "You," he signaled with his finger zipping here and there, "You've lost points, girl."

"Fuck you," she answered, leaving. To which Gabriel smiled.

"That's not the best tactic I've seen to get a girl," Cain shook his head.

"What about to make one disappear?"

"Oh, then you're going great!" He gave him a double thumbs up.

Gabriel winked at him, then got to change.

"Thank you for breakfast, Cain. Really unexpected," Gabriel said. They had left the building, which was already bustling with people. He barely had time to say bye to Com, it was past midday already, and people were always hungry.

"We've got company tonight, lad! Vald is coming for a game of cards. Ye will play with us!" Com shouted at him, and Gabriel couldn't help but smile and shout him back his "Okay!"

"So, what's new, Cain?"

"New, Si- Gabriel? Nothing much, really. The front is on a standstill, people are trying to catch scent of new activities from the pri-"

"Actually," Gabriel stopped him, "I was asking about you. How are you doing?"

"Me? Fine, I guess." He shrugged, "My father has been stationed on the Shadow Lands, but he's reached Tier 5 now; it's only normal."

"Shadow Lands? Never heard about it," Gabriel said.

"Yeah? It's better this way, trust me. It's a place that if you can avoid visiting, you should stay clear of it as much as possible."

"Worse than The Core?"

"At least, at The Core, the levels are manageable. Dungeon in the Shadow Lands are unstable, and it's not only those; the whole wildlife is. There are more monsters there than The Core, The Den, and The Expanse put together. That's why every single military power in Alter has an obligation to always have clean up squads there, to manage the place," Major Cain explained.

"It sounds like fun."

Cain smirked, "You say it now because you haven't been there."

"Oh, I wish I hadn't been already in a few places, trust me. Anyway, wanna come play cards tonight?"

"What? Really? I mean, yes, I would."

"Then meet you there this evening," Gabriel confirmed. Let's see if my hunch will be confirmed then.

They got to the Seer and Gabriel, once again declined the Major's invite to step on his platform to reach the place, suspended in the air, then he left.

Gabriel could already see Gaia from where he stood, then he stepped there with a Built to Fly-Dash combination.

"Have they been found?" He asked right away.

"Herald, so happy to see you collaborative," said the Seer.

"Can't we just call each other by names? Herald, Seer… they felt so passive-aggressive. RIght Guardian?" Gabriel said.

"I'll keep it formal with the Seer, but you can do whatever you want, Gabe. How are you anyway?"

"I'm doing mostly fine, thank you. So, any news?" He answered coldly. It was clear that Gaia was waiting for a nice to see you! But she received no such things.

Is it me being the one passive-aggressive? Gabriel didn't physically shrug, but Liz, shooting out of his chest, did it for him.

"There has been news indeed, Gabriel." Lena, for that, was her name, Lena Bagrov, did not smile anymore. "A group of envoys from Leaf Dungeon, stationed by the south entrance has dropped dozens of weapons, armors, and bags by the entrance."

Gabriel was a little taken aback by the news. Somehow, he felt he knew where this was going.

"They've taken them as prisoners?"

The Seer nodded, "They said they want to make an exchange, and for N'arr's sake, I can't manage to grasp what they want to do with what they are asking. Something hidden in that Dungeon is blocking my abilities."

"I know I'm not going to like this, but I need to know. What did they ask for?"

"Well. They asked for you, Gabriel," answered Lena.

Gabriel sighed. "Why don't I find this surprising? But more importantly, why? Just why? I even spared the guy!"

"As I told you, I can't see their intentions. However, one thing is clear." The Seer paused, "They have asked us to give their Herald back. In their minds, you are their Herald. And at this point, I'm one step from quitting my job because I don't understand anymore what is going on." Flustered, the Seer let herself plop down on a chair.

After hearing that, Gabriel had to take pause. He understood half what she did, if not even less than that, the only one who stood out wrong in the room was… Liz. She was so carefree. As if everything was normal to her.

So much stronger than me, Gabriel found himself thinking.

How do we really relate? I just can't tell.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Of course we don't give in, we'll try some bargain. There are things sentient beings that dwell in Dungeons madly desire," said the Seer as she got up to pour drinks for them.

"Yeah? Like what?"

She gave him the glass, it looked like pure Vodka, it would have no effect given his Resilience, but people used to enchant such drinks to make them effective, "A peace treaty is one example. It would allow them to grow. Ten years of freedom from the plague, which is the Dungeon Dweller Guild. It might even make it rise in Level range."

"That's not a bargaining chip," Gabriel said, sipping on the drink, "That's an investment."

The Seer smiled, almost wickedly at that. "It will be in their eyes. Everyone wants one thing, Gabriel. That's what stands at the basis of nature, whether human or not, and that is power. Don't you think the Dungeon Boss knows that? If it is intelligent, it certainly does. But it will agree with us if what it's looking at you is nothing but a temporary benefit."

"What if it's not?" Asked Gaia.

"If it is not? At that point, they leave us no other choice but to eradicate them. A new generation of Spirits will take their place, even the Dungeon Boss. Maybe it'll take time before we'll be able to farm it anew, but we cannot surely give in to their threat. Don't we?"

"A new generation of Spirits?" Gabriel asked, "So, you do know how and what Dungeon are."

Gabriel felt Gaia twitch.

"I… do now. What you've discovered, Gabriel, was something many theorized but were never capable of proving. But you did; you killed a level 122 Boss Monster Gabriel, the very thought is inconceivable. It has never happened before. You basically slew a God. And came out with vital information. You thought something like this wouldn't change Alter's view on Dungeon? This information alone is worth all the Mana in The Cradle. That wouldn't even be enough! And we've come out on top for that. We have an advantage nobody had for a long time." After saying so, the Seer raised her glass in a toast to herself.

"I guess my story is public knowledge now. Right, Gaia?"

"I'm… sorry, Gabriel, but what you've discovered was too important. Far too important to keep for me, for ourselves."

"Fine. I guess I don't have a debt with you anymore. You practically bought it."

"What dept? The- the ManaCard? That was no debt at all, Gabe. It was my present for you!" She said.

"You know? My mom always told me not to accept presents from strangers. Now I know you are one, so I accepted your deal, and please… keep the rest," saying so, Gabriel turned away, "Oh. Thanks for the drink," he said, raising his glass to the Seer and emptying it. Before placing it on the table while looking in her eyes with all the coldness, he could muster.

Then he shot out.

***

"Did you have to say it like that, Lena? Couldn't you have been more damn less… evil!? It's like you enjoy putting me in trouble!" Gaia couldn't help but scream at her.

The Seer was never taken aback, but her eyebrows arched as she answered, "Gaia. If you are really feeling something for this man because he saved your life, or whatever other things a twenty-three years old girl falls in love with someone for, then go tell him. Because he still thinks you are just using him and tricking him like the Witch of the Depths did. So, don't blame me for your lack of spine."

"What? But-"

"For N'arr's sake. You are one of the coldest and most efficient commanders of our army that I have ever seen, and you can't deal with something so simple as that? Just give him a rubber and a ring, I'm sure he'll understand. He's just an illiterate fool like everybody else in this damn… tree."

Gaia shook her head. Lena could be heartless when she could.

That doesn't mean she's wrong… at least not on all points, though.

As she left, Gaia sighed. There were things far more important than love right now. The war against the Priests and maintaining the advantage was one, for example. Right now was the most uncertain of times, and she could not let herself slip. Gabriel was tied to her, whether he liked it or not. And she was sure she could have a chance sooner or later. She could wait; she had been waiting eight years to kill off those responsible for her mother's death, waiting for something as juvenile as love was something she could bear with.

***

Gabriel was mad but not surprised. He had learned to expect nothing from the people, or at least, some people. He felt he could trust Commodo and Garena. At least them, maybe Varcivald as well, but he had to know him better before he could really judge him. A one-hundred-fifty years old elf; it would be weird if he didn't have any aces up his sleeves.

Anyway, the man did not know what he wanted to do. It certainly wasn't time for leveling up, nor it was already evening so that he could take his lessons. He could visit Dustille, but he did not feel ready to face deaths to which he might have been responsible with him or Liz, whatever it was, not that he felt the need to blame her. She was just trying to save herself and him, after all. Olivia had recounted him of the deaths and how they came about, and he simply wasn't ready to meet her. Hell, he thought he would never be ready for it.

There was only one alternative left for him... get a breath of fresh air.

Gabriel decided thus to venture up, to reach what was defined as the upper-tree.

Getting there was easy. Elevators. Yggdrasil was chock-full of them. It was a tree tall thousands of feet, after all. It was so big that it could be defined as a stack of cities, one on top of the other, which height could be counted by summing up their tallest skyscrapers' height. He had really no idea how tall the tree was, but it felt right to judge it at least as tall as a mountain, a very big mountain.

He had to get clearance, but that was quickly given to him by Cain. Once he mentioned the Major to the guards, that probably followed orders that required him not to leave, they went to check with him and acknowledged his moving. Gabriel didn't know, but sincerely he didn't care enough to take it to heart whether it was praxis or if he was trapped there. At that moment, all he wanted was to be free of the suffocating atmosphere of the Veins.

The elevator was not exactly what anyone would define as fast, or maybe it was the distance it had to cover, being really vast. Anyway, when it reached its end, quite a few minutes had gone by. But it was worth it.

The upper-tree was one immense treehouse; no, treecity might be the right word. It was entirely built in Yggdrasil's own wood. Transparent, probably heavily reinforced glass was the only thing masking the inside of the treecity from the weather. And the inhabitants of the upper city. The sky was literally obscured by branches and leaves.

This place is… extraordinary! He found himself thinking, and just like him. Liz was plastered against the walls. Staring at the branches and the life making its course on the branches.

There were all kinds of things, visible as day, given their size Butterflies, worms, lizards, giant squirrels, birds. And all had their peculiarity.

Gabriel Analyzed the first thing that really came into his vision. It was a close-by squirrel on the outside of the wall, climbing on top of, most probably to reach its lair.

Upper-Tree giant Squirrel

Race

Rodent

Level 47

Class

Leaf Squirrel

?

Element

Life

Life - 1

Pools

Life

Energy

Mana

?

?

?

Attributes

Affinity

?

Bound

Alacrity

65

Bound

Power

?

Bound

Recovery

?

Bound

Resilience

?

Bound

Stamina

60

Bound

Analysis, as always, prioritized easily observable traits first, which was the reason why physical attributes were more easily shown than others like Affinity and Recovery. However, Gabriel's level was not sufficient for showing it all. He was fourteen levels short for it.

Hell, maybe climbing a level or two here will not exactly ease my headache, but sure as hell would boost my morale. I just need to find out how to exit this place and get on the branches.

There wasn't much movement in the treecity. So Gabriel decided to ask around the first person he encountered. And just as he was losing hope, he met a group of what looked like adventurers. They were dining in the first dining place he had seen. Hell, the very first symbol of civilization up there.

Before that, he had done nothing else but circle around the uselessly big and empty construction.

A guard, one belonging to the police, not the military, because he was dressing in a less sober green uniform, standing by the American style lounge bar and sipping on a drink, saw him and gave him a weird look. "The Dungeon is already booked for the full day." he said, "You should not be here without a permit; have you got one?"

The man was somehow familiar to him; waiting outside, away from the tables, was a massive red ant. I think I know this guy.

Gabriel smiled, "I remember you. You are that police officer. Marc, right?"

He smiled, "Marcus," then he got closer to him and leaned close to whisper something only for his ears, "Herald."

"So, it was to be kept secret after all; how do you feel about that?" He said.

"About you being a Herald? Damn fine! It was about time," he answered with a smug smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we have been without Heralds for hundred of years. Now the Shamans have one, the Priests have Tom, and nobody can convince me he is not. I could understand the Elves getting one before us, but come on. It was damn time we got our own."

"Wait. I think I'm not following. You mean to say that it's confirmed that there are multiple Heralds?"

"Well, it's more of an open secret now. So, yeah. But, don't tell me you didn't know, Herald," said the guard holding up his smug smile.

"Turns out, there are a lot of things I don't know. Anyway, officer, tell me. How can I get on those branches? I'm itching for some fresh air."