…

Cold.

Cold and yet in the distance… a familiar warmth waned.

Slowly growing weaker as the moments passed on.

She couldn’t think.

She could only observe.

Until the darkness came.

“-’s here.” A voice pinged.

Almost whiningly.

“***re’s always a chance she survives.” A faint tremor of familiarity arose.

Despite her lack of thoughts she knew who the person was instinctively.

“***vive? No. * ***joined apparation of t** original soul. Likely,” This voice she was unknown, but the feeling behind it sent shivers down her spine.

“How lo-” The familiar voice started before an immediate reply came.

“*ot long. *ime slowed isn’t time stopped. B** ** *ou want her to have a chance, ** it.” The expression on her face came to Waynev in a heartbeat.

It was the same expression Tom had from what felt like a lifetime ago.

Finally looking at the warmth, the familiarity, Waynev saw herself but with almost a look of shame leaking like the tides of emotion she felt a life ago.

It seemed like the blink of the eye before it was hidden away.

“Do it.”

Then suddenly she could speak.

Taking a deep breathe Waynev felt alive, her body warmed, lungs burning, limbs numb and-

“Wha-”

Before the word left her mouth she was back in the orb.

Dizzy but now conscious.

Her surroundings were locked.

Caged.

The seemingly endless void was an illusion, instead wires sprung.

Clearly not made of metal from their glow and their feel.

They did not emanate heat but seemed to be hungry for it.

No, not heat, it was hungry for her.

Her eyes trailed and before she noticed it she was staring at Shadow.

Her arms gripped the cusp of the stinging cage, surrounding her.

“Shadow…? Why am I here?” Even as Waynev spoke the words, a cold sweat was beginning to form as Shadow's form began to splutter.

Shadow glanced before murmuring a word too tender to hear before she disappeared.

A glister of light blue light was left from her departure, almost instantly wisped away by wires.

Just as they were beginning to have an affect on her.

“You have to understand,” A voice broke Waynev out of her revie

“There was never a choice, Vein's pawn is now mine.” The tone didn’t bite but the words told of wonders Shadow would never know.

And with them, the god dissipated.

As she did outwardly the orb began to light up.

As it did, Waynev’s torture had just begun.

Shadow shuddered as the influx of information blinded her, the world seemed red but mostly a difference color.

A color of the old sky.

Shadow saw blue.

Quest:

Survive the Demon Invasion!

Stop the main demon summoning. Stop at least one Goliath Demon from being summoned. OR Kill one Goliath Demon.

Consequence:

The inevitable will have a doorway into this world.

Time Limit:

17 minutes remaining.

The quest they had ignored, what did it mean and why did it appear now?

Shadow subconsciously thought as she watched numb as the quest board slowly transformed.

Quest:

Failed.

Waynev’s soul not found, likely cause.

Death.

You will join those who will burn from the inevitable.

Stop the main demon summoning. Stop at least one Goliath Demon from being summoned. OR Kill one Goliath Demon.

Consequence:

The inevitable will have a doorway into this world.

Time Limit:

17 minutes remaining.

Before she could speak the world around her opened up.

She couldn’t control Wayne-her body anymore.

Her head limp Shadow blinked before realising her dilemma.

She was still bleeding to death.

Waynev’s soul gave her time-

But for what?

For her to join her so fast.

Widening her eyes Shadow began coughing before two shapes quickly attacked.

Shadow was too weak to shield herself from-

“Waynev!! Gods pleash stay awake,” Blake’s voice so loud she cringed before feeling her body gain back some of it’s warmth from her hug.

Directly behind her the birdfolk looked surprised but her expression incited anything but hope in her situation.

Opening Way-her mouth she could only croak out one word before coughing again.

“Blake-”

Blake only cried gratefully in response which snapped Shadow out of her reverie.

She was running out of time.

Closing her eyes Shadow felt at her power, hoping there was anything else she could do, she grabbed onto it and could feel it respond almost asking for a host to seek the answers from-

But that was it, her telepathy skills were only at the beginning of their evolution.

She could read a person’s thoughts once a day.

That was what it came to.

She was going to di-

“Wait-Status.”

Current Status: ([Hollowed] Rank 1)

Agility:

6.71AH→(+1.3)4.3

Strength:

7.70AH→(+1.3)5.1

Vitality:

5.95AH→(+1.3)3.9

Wisdom:

3.05AH→(+1.3)2.7

Mana:

(Locked)

“This can’t, what… but-” Without the orb burning through Waynev she would be dead with the number of injuries she had and with stats these low.

Shadow looked through them again before she saw something move.

A slither of purple.

Her eyes focused on the elusive mana she had seen as clear as day.

It wisped and cur-

“No.” Shadow grabbed the mana from within.

She didn’t have time to hesitate.

She could feel her body lurch and faintly heard a gasp and scream but they weren’t important.

Waynev was disappearing but she wouldn’t let her go without a fight.

“Oh my gods-Kresley!”

Vaud felt the world lurch forward as his body moved faster than it ever had.

Kresley was collapsed with Waynev next to her hidden by two slaves and what looked like their master.

His knee sliding into the earth he nearly slammed into the three before grabbing the tree they were resting on.

“What the Hell happened to Kres-” Vaud felt near pure anger before he realised it wasn’t Kresley that was nearly dead.

Turning away from her battered but breathing body he turned towards Waynev’s body as Pill and the twins finally caught up.

“How did you move so f-” Pill stopped speaking when he noticed Waynev.

“She’s breathing right?” Pill quickly caught up as Vaud threw off his gauntlet and reached for Waynev’s neck.

The young girl watched hesitantly but could tell he didn’t mean to harm.

Cold.

“She’s-” Turning to meet Pill’s eye, he caught the slaves instead who was holding the empty eyed young girl close.

“She fought a Forlorn and saved slaves and Blake. Waynev’s a hero and she didn’t deserve to die.” Vaud nearly doubled his shock while in the corner of his eye Pill almost fell forward.

“Forlorn-But wasn’t she in your group? What rank w-” Valeria spoke fast almost not believing it if not for the two slaves hard looks.

“She was Hollowed Rank two-the gap between ranks was massive I don’t know how she even got close to hurting him.” Vaud interrupted, still not believing that such a talented young woman was dead.

A short silence came over them before Saleria spoke up.

“If we had come sooner, I would’ve been able to h-heal her or better saved her.” She spoke calmly stuttering only when Valeria gave a warning glare.

Pill began to step forward to pick up Waynev’s body before he heard a wet but deep breath come from behind Vaud.

“Was tha-” Before he could get the words out the young girl nearly tackled Waynev before Vaud held her back at the last second before letting her go.

A small noise came from Waynev bringing the group to a standstill.

Pill was paralysed for a second before springing into action.

“Vaud healing potions or-” His eyes rose as he turned to Saleria.

Vaud beat him to it.

“Please you have to-”

“No we don’t.” Valeria cut in staring at Saleria before she could speak.

“What the he-” Pill already equipped his crossbow before Waynev lurched almost throwing Blake off her body.

“Shit-Valeria! What the hell do you want,” Vaud spoke fast with his palms up.

“You know what I-what we want. A contract for our services.” Valeria moved in front of her sister, her feathers already gaining their silver glow.

“The fuck? You’ll turn us into slave for her-what’s stopping us from forcing Saleria to help?” Vaud grabbed his shield but Valeria was faster.

Her feathers shot through his shield before she turned to Pill.

“Don’t. We’re not asking for permanent slaves, it’s just-” Waynev coughed loudly making Pill’s fingers twitch on the trigger and make Vaud consider whether or not he could run through the blizzard of feathers.

“The academy. Help us as students in the academy and we’ll help Waynev.” Valeria’s face stayed calm but she had too many cards at hand to truly be calm at heart.

Even worse she could feel Saleria rubbing her feathers impatiently and worse furiously towards Valeria.

Pill breathed in sharply but Vaud had already thrown his guild badge as Valeria had thrown hers.

“Vow sworn.” They repeated.

Saleria almost raced forward before Valeria grabbed her.

“Just wai-” Before she could even look at her sister a voice interrupted her.

““She stopped breathing!” The slave birdfolk cried out almost at the same instant Saleria ducked under Valeria and began healing Waynev.

“Pill I sw-” But his token was already in the air.

Throwing hers in the same instant they repeated the vow.

Valeria was nothing but pleased as she almost glided to her sister and Vaud.

Pill joined them in less than a moment to see that Waynev’s breathing had calmed down-

In fact it didn’t look like she had stopped breathing once.

Glancing at the slave responsible he tried to catch her eye but she was fully focused on Blake and Waynev despite her own open wound.

“Dammit.” Shadow could feel it.

It was too much for one person to handle-

But she wasn’t just one person.

They couldn’t be separated, so what if a goddess had told them so.

Gods in this world weren’t omnipresent nor all powerful if they had to rely on people.

Doubling down on her grip, Shadow thought she was feeling herself burning up but it was the opposite.

She was getting colder.

Weaker.

Thoughts of escape plagued her mind before her previous attempt flared.

There was no way around it.

Only through it could she progress.

Focusing every ounce of power Shadow could feel herself lose consciousness before she ripped the purple mana being burned from it’s den.

From the fire, like holding a charred piece of wood, Shadow cradled it until all the embers were gone and all that stood from the charred piece of wood was the pure energy.

As long as she held onto it, Shadow knew she could bring Waynev back somehow.

Then the fire died down.

And nearly out.

As the embers of Waynev’s soul began to dissipate she could feel them falling from between her hands, all except for the wisp of color.

The wisp of violet she saved.

But even that would go if she didn’t get healing.

Yet, despite everything.

She somehow made it.

The familiar green pulse surged as Shadow gave herself a much needed nap.

…

The sky was not blue.

But red.

Her friends stood around her, with Kresley still knocked out cold next to her.

As she opened her mouth, Shadow was overwhelmed with guilt.

“I-” But she couldn’t.

Her body shuddered as her team and new friends comforted her.

Blake’s small hands.

Vaud’s bloodied and callused hands almost cradling her.

Pill’s scaled forearms feeling under her neck, still in disbelief over her surviving.

Then Shadow began to weep.

The worlds colours became fragmented through the tears as she began to mourn.

Then a light in particular shone in the back.

Small but insignificant.

Shadow hugged her friends fiercly despite her limbs protests.

Then the light became more apparant.

A blue light, in particular shone but she ignored it.

She was done.

Everything was over for now and she could finally rest.

Until the blue light grew to a light purple-

Shadow opened her eyes in hopes of having her sister back that ended in unfeeling irony.

Quest:

Swapping Sides.

Don’t think, obey.

Accept Humiem’s summons.

Consequence:

Waynev won’t be the only person you lose.

Time Limit:

Nightfall.

2 Hours remaining.

It was at that moment she knew.

The nightmare had just begun.

End Of Book One.