-- Violet - two years later --

We were watching a video on a dark day and all the people's experiences on it when James offhandedly commented. " I wish we knew what really happened." Which pissed me off to no end. I had been telling them for the last six months that it was Aster, and it looks like he still didn't believe me.

"I'm telling you it was Aster," I said glaring at James.

James let out a long sigh turning off the screen, "How many times do we have to have this argument?"

"As many times for you to believe me."

"Violet." James started calmly, "You were delirious when you got back." In my head, I had stayed out in the high-powered area for longer than I should, have and almost got myself killed. I spent a long time piecing it together as James was want to remind me, "And it took you a year to remember what happened, even then it doesn't make sense."

I didn't blow up at him because it was a lot to believe, "Look I know it's a lot."

That's when James got annoyed and started to count off, "One Aster is the starlight thief. That challenged a city and won. No to mention a shadow rogue."

"I admit that's surprising, but not unbelievable." Bay chimed on the side. I don't think she really believed me either, but Keepers at least, she was trying.

James ignored her and went on, "Two he is a Keeper. Maybe even tapped to be one before we ever left the nest."

"That's what he said." I chimed in. Honestly, that was the strangest claim he had made, no one had seen any evidence of a Keeper in centuries. How could he have been tapped for it?

"And there's no way to confirm that. So his word on it and now on else." James said shortly, "Now, three he somehow figured out how to reach thirty in the time we were in that labyrinth, and when we met up again. Otherwise, he would have just powered through everything."

"That was like a month at most," Rowan commented.

"And even after we all learned how to reach Thirty, at a minimum it would take decades at level twenty-nine if not centuries."

"I know it sounds impossible." I pleaded.

"And lastly." James stopped counting his fingers to stare at me hard, "You're saying he was the one who covered the continent in darkness and killed every single monster possible, except the giants and dragons that we had to take care of. Buying us time to prepare for the tide coming."

I had nothing on this. Everything was still hazy from that day, but I had pieced enough together, what he had said. "I don't think he knew of the tide. No one did." He never said anything about it.

"Look Vi." Jame's tone softened, "Any one of those things is near impossible to believe. I might believe he was the star guy, we all were kinda thinking he might be anyway. Rot I might even believe he even became a Keeper. Would explain all the shadiness of his final year, but all of it together?" He trailed off at the end.

I knew how it sounded, Keepers, I didn't believe it myself for the longest time. I thought it was just misremembered mixing things up, but "I know I thought it was a fever dream for a long time. Especially, when Edelweiss said he disintegrated the second he touched the barrier..."

"What's changed?" Bay asked, seeing my distress.

I took a deep breath. It was something he said when he left. Something I had to try, and when it worked, "I hit thirty."

"But you were twenty-Seven a week ago?" Bay asked confused.

"Yeah, I was."

It was James's turn to ask, "But how?"

"I followed what Aster said, and it worked." I had gone out and rented a high-voltage generator, and...leveled up, it took a couple hours but I eventually got there. It was quite painful.

"Are you sure Edelweiss didn't say something? Mentioning a shortcut or something. He was quite powerful himself."

"Yeah," I answered uncertainly. Was it possible that he had mentioned something?

"You sure it's not possible Edelweiss said something thinking the filter was still up and you being deliourous, mixed things up?"

"I...I guess it's possible." I wasn't as confident but I felt my memory was correct. "But I'm fairly certain it was Aster." I had lost the fire in my voice.

"Besides he's probably not coming back." Rowan chimed

"Don't say that!" Bay yelled. She had taken it hard when Aster disappeared, feeling she should have done something. We were told that anyone who disappeared so far away would most likely not be coming back, and it had been two years now. Even I didn't think he was coming back at this point.

I put a hand on her shoulder, "Bay we have to move on."

"He's coming back and the shit they did to him, in the recordings. How can we keep doing this?" She said tears building.

"We need to," I said sadly. I was all for stopping this reality shit, but then. Then we learned what was coming, " The tide is coming and we need to get stronger."

"But."

"Look the celebrity status gets us into places, we need to go. We are armed to the teeth, thanks to it, and better prepared." James commented softly.

"It's just."

I pulled Bay into a hug, "I know."

-- Aster --

"The barrier came down and no one noticed. At first. Everyone all around the continent just thought of strange starlight, effect happened where the world went dark and all the monsters died. Even then not everyone believed that especially when all the reports coming in being strange. Some reported that they were fighting a monster then it went dark and when the light came back the creature they were fighting was dead. Some of them reported seeing man-made starlight but, the only thing everyone agreed on was the monsters all died." The transfer wizard, wearing a black patchwork robe and a white hat, explained, "Then everyone who touched the crystal to level or re-spawn received a message."

"A message?", I seem to have missed a lot in the two years it took to get back. Did they all see the message I saw or did they have one prepared for quest completion?

Yeah, I can't believe you haven't heard.

"I was dead," I explained, the truth not seeing a reason to lie, since that was exactly what being at the transfer shop meant.

The wizard nodded in understating. "Can't blame you for not knowing, but kid you won't believe what the message said."

"What did it say?"

He snorted, "That we were on a colony ship that we were in a game until we made it here then mad the world like a game. And that someone completed the quest proving we were ready for the world outside."

Did it have my name attached or was it just some generic message? I wondered. "Who did that?"

He shrugged, "No idea. But it sounds so crazy. "

"Yeah, it does."

"But here's the big thing." The wizard leaned in close to me.

"Oh?"

"There's no filter anymore?"

"Seriously?" What? Was the filter part of the barrier? How could this be possible?

"Yeah. People are spilling the beans on a lot of things hidden."

"Like?"

The wizard answered completely nonchalantly, "How to get to thirty?"

My eyes widened. Never would I think they would allow anyone to let that tidbit of information out, I decided to test this by asking, "Absorb a shit ton of power?"

"What?" The wizard leaned back, confused, and gave me a look like I was an idiot. "No. How would you even do that?"

I could only shrug as I asked, "So how?"

"You have to figure out how to lock in your energy without it leaking as you gain experience." He explained.

I had to think about what he said, based on what I knew. I guess that could work but it would take a long long time, "So kind of the opposite of what I said."

"Not really still a lot of energy, except this is a long long process."

Based on what I did it would take decades depending on how active the person was, "Wow. So what about the questers then?"

"Some are still going. I like those bombardment guys." He answered referring to the team of mages, with a bard for their front piece. I heard they were going from place to place and doing what their name said bombarding monsters with spells.

I was curious about my team so I asked, "What about that team of four?"

"Them? Oh, they're great. Saw them take down a titan, and they helped fight the behemoth dragon. Lost a couple cities during the fight though."

Damn, I didn't realize how big that thing was. I bet it just stepped on the cities it destroyed. "Really? How'd they take it down?"

Combined spells and they went inside it. The creature couldn't fight something killing it from the inside."

"Smart. So..." I decided to go back to the real reason I was here, "Can you do it?

He let out a long sigh, "Look, sorry but your stuff is probably long gone if you were that close to the barrier. I'm surprised you came back." He turned eyes narrowed on me, "Speaking how did you not see the message.

"Honestly, kinda forgot." I lied. I received no message, it had either stopped happening, or because I brought the barrier down I didn't need the message.

After looking me over for a minute he seemed to accept my answer, "Well, in theory, I could open a portal to where you died, but anything that far out, even if it wasn't so close to the barrier it would be a ten percent chance of getting anything.

"Well, it was worth a shot." I said disappointed, "And thanks for filling me in."

"No problem. Least I could do with what they did to you on the show." He said sympathetically.

I was really hoping he hadn't seen that. I wanted to go at least a day or two before facing that revaluation, but not that it was here. "How bad?"

"Real bad. Like they still showing it as examples of what not to do bad. Also, fail compilations."

"Fuck. Thanks anyway."

I left the portal wizard in An La Notre, having lost all my equipment. Including my weapons despite being bound to me. I could feel them but when I reached out I couldn't quite reach I would need to figure out where they were before I could even try to summon them.

"This is all such a pain in the ass," I grumbled as I left for my guild. I needed a nap.