The walk back to the guardian tower was not nearly as bad as Rhen thought it would be, but perhaps that was the cushioned boots on his feet that made the journey easier. The sky was still dark when they returned, and Rhen wondered if there was a sun here, or a sky. It was all a bit claustrophobic for him with the purple clouds hanging around over the crater.

The faces of the Guardians they past wrinkled in disgust at Rhen’s passing, and he hurried himself along to the barracks. The shower was simple but effective. It sprayed him with soapy water, then paused to allow him time to scrub the hard-to-get places. He hit the shower button again and clean, cold water sprayed him from every angle. He didn’t want to spend a second longer in there than he had to. All the better, because they had a lot to do.

Rhen’s starter gear was destroyed from the goopy sweat, singe marks, and many rips it had endured during their battle, so he crafted himself a new set with the needle. Somehow, the needle knew not to make him a pair of boots. Rhen wondered if it was sentient, or of there was information stored somewhere. Anything was possible, it was magic after all.

When he was dressed and dry, he hurried out of the barracks, following the signs to the library. Rhen arrived at the most elegant wooden door and on the other side was a tall, towering wonder of architecture. Every library he’d ever seen paled in comparison to the massive archive before him.

The room was shaped like a giant figure eight, with hallways criss-crossing over the open gap from floor to staggeringly heigh up floor. The room just kept going up for what looked like… infinity. From his vantage point he could see that each floor had a smattering of book shelves, glass cases displaying light projections, and pedestals holding artifacts.

Rhen was stunned into silence, his mouth hanging open as he took it all in. He walked through the first floor, then stopped at a placard projecting illuminated text reading, “The Four Prophecies of Hezetra.” On top of the pedestal sat an orb much like the ones Rhen and Aki received for their tower selection.

The object was blackened on the surface, not a trace of anima in it. Rhen reached to pick it up and inspect it, but froze as he felt a presence behind him. He whirled around, his movement so fast he startled himself as well as the poor woman who’d been standing behind him.

She was shorter than Rhen by a good half foot, with onyx skin that shimmered opal in the light and big, orange eyes. Two stubby horns poked out from her forehead, and she had deep red hair folded up into neat braids on either side of her head.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said in a petit voice. “Do you know where information on enon syntials would be?”

Rhen looked around the wide-open space. “I don’t.”

Her gaze drifted down to his shoulder, and her eyes bulged. “Oh, you’re a recruit, too.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

She chuckled. “You were standing with such confidence, I thought you were a guardian.”

“Hopefully soon. But I could help you find it, anyway. I need to get some information on syntial, too. I’m Rhen, by the way.”

“Jakarastambrelithor, but I know that’s a mouthful, so you can call me Jakara.” She raised her hand for what looked like a high-five, so Rhen obliged.

Jakara laughed. “No. Like this.”

She raised her hand again, then pulled Rhen’s hand up to hers and locked fingers, pressing her palm into his. It felt much too intimate for a first greeting, but Rhen supposed every culture had their own quirks. Jakara seemed to sense his unease and released him.

“Right, so, uh, syntials.” Rhen looked around the first floor, spotting a kiosk that appeared to be a directory tucked away near an elevator.

He strode across the open space and placed his hand on the smooth surface etched with a complex cebrum syntial. White anima leaked down Rhen’s arm and into the mandala design, then the glass above the control panel came to life with, “Welcome” text.

“How did you know to do that?” Jakara asked, bewildered.

“Patrocul did it with the forge, and we use the anima mirror in the same way so, it just seemed right.”

Rhen turned back to the kiosk, trying to figure out the next step. Words had power, Zedis said. Alright then… Rhen cleared his throat, then spoke clearly with his hand still pressed against the console. “Information on syntials for recruits.”

His request scrawled out on the screen, and a moment later, more text appeared stating the floor, section, and aisle they would need.

“So confident,” Jakara whispered.

Rhen didn’t let her see his smile as he headed toward the elevator beside it. He placed his hand on the syntial beside the door. It too took his anima, lit up, and then activated another panel. Rhen repeated the information from the kiosk and the door glowed with purple magics. Then, it opened, revealing their destination on the other side.

With much less confidence than before, Rhen stepped through. A cool wave washed over him as he passed through the gateway. Ahead he could see the railing protecting him from the five floor drop back down to the main level. He looked over the edge to see the tiny Jaraka standing outside the doorway. He turned around and saw her on the other side of the door he’d just emerged from, too.

“Wow,” he gasped.

Jakara made herself small and then stepped through hurriedly. “I wish I had your confidence. This magic is so strange to me.”

“No magic your realm?” Rhen checked the aisle numbers and started walking toward their destination.

Jakara kept pace with him. “None. You?”

“Not in my home realm, but there was some in Shin’Bara.”

“Oh, you’re a refugee?”

Rhen nodded.

“Was it bad?”

“My realm was overrun. The Deathless sealed the transport tower just after I escaped.”

A tear slipped down her onyx cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

Rhen shook his head. “Don’t cry. Nothing escaped Kavga possession, even me for a time, but the others aren’t not dead. My realm can be saved.”

“And you’re going to save it?”

“I promised.”

Jakara giggled, then turned down the row labeled. “Recruit Manuals.”

“What?” Rhen followed her.

“Your confidence, it’s stronger than magic.”

Rhen hummed. “If that were true, my realm would already be saved.”

“I believe in you.” Jakara stopped and turned to Rhen. Her face glowed and her eyes watered like she was going to cry again.

“Are you all right?”

Jakara wiped at her eyes, turning back to the rows of books. “Fine. It’s strange to me…”

“What is?”

“You all talk about death and destruction with a straight face, like it doesn’t hurt you. It hurts me deeply to think of all the suffering. So many realms. Anyway, syntials.” She leaned in, looking at the lettering on the spines of the books.

Rhen turned his attention to the rows of manuals, mulling over what she’d said. “I feel it too but agonizing over it will only get in the way of doing something about it. We’re going to save all the realms, so there’s no reason to cry.”

“I envy you.”

“Don’t envy; change.”

Jakara looked at him as if he’d spoken gibberish.

“It’s a proverb from my realm. Envy is useless. If you like something you see in someone else, become that. Decide to change.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

Rhen pulled out the manual for enon syntials and held it out to Jakara. “Just do your best every day, and one day you’ll realize it’s already true.”

She took the manual and flipped it open. Inside was a row of empty sockets and at the very bottom were two remaining miniature orbs. Jakara took an orb, then held it up, focusing on it. White anima spilled from her fingers into the object, and text projected above the glassy ball.

“See, you’re more confident already,” Rhen said, patting her shoulder.

A noise like retching came from the aisle over. Rhen looked between the books to see Ferra, one hand over her mouth and the other on her stomach as she pretended to hold back a wave of nausea. How mature.

“I have to meet up with my pair.”

“Me too. I hope to see you again.” Jakara smiled and held up her hand.

Rhen went to grasp it the way she’d shown him, but she gave him a high-five instead.

“Like that, right?”

Rhen chuckled. “Right. See you later.”

He turned away, heading back to the shaft that lead to the kiosk.

“Prospective pair discovered.”

Rhen jumped at the voice and whirled around. Aki appeared at the ledge across from him, one level up, with several different clear orbs grasped in his tentacles. Rhen tried to smooth over the surprised expression that had overcome him. He still wasn’t used to feeling Aki’s voice so present with him though he was far away.

“I’ll meet you at the bottom.” Aki turned away from the edge.

Rhen activated the portal and stepped through to the ground floor. The portal dimmed, then relit when Rhen stepped out of the way, and Aki appeared on the other side. Deathless Magic was so incredible.

Aki held out one of the orbs. “This one has information on Kavga energy and cleansing.”

Rhen accepted it and tucked it away in his pocket for later. His stomach was howling and there was no way he could study well with that level of hunger.

“I located what would pass as a dining hall while you were showering. It seems that once the Deathless achieve a certain level, they no longer require food to survive, so our options are limited.”

They left the library and moved down the hall away from the banker and anima mirrors. Rhen wanted to explore the whole tower, but with their limited time, he felt much of it would have to wait until he was already Deathless.

“I was trying not to eavesdrop since I understand that’s uncomfortable for you, but Jakara seems like us.”

“Maybe. She’s so timid. My trial tower certainly didn’t favor the meek.”

“I understand your intent. Yes, perhaps we’ll get to see more of her, and her pair, then we can decide.”

They stopped at an outcropping in the hall with a darkened machine and a small sitting area. Aki approached the machine and placed his tentacle against the enon syntial on the front. It glowed blue, and the glassy display screen came to life with a few options. It appeared to be dietary profiles; carnivorous, omnivorous, herbivorous, photovorous, and a few additional options for nutrition requirements.

Aki selected his preferences and the machine whirred to life. A second later, a bowl emerged from a hidden compartment and gray paste dispensed from a nozzle.

Aki hummed. “I miss fish already.”

“This is just temporary,” Rhen said, grimacing at the goop. “We’ll find something real to eat in the tower.”

He stepped up to the machine and made his selections. A slightly darker mush dispensed for Rhen. He grabbed a spoon and a tiny napkin from the little side compartment and joined Aki at the table. Aki leaned forward and stuck his beak into the bowl. He suctioned the food up in a few big gulps, then returned to his water body.

“That good, huh?” Rhen asked.

“I was careful to keep my tentacles free of it, so I did not taste anything. The texture leaves much to be desired.”

Rhen inhaled his paste just as fast. He was grateful that the flavor was subtle, almost non-existent, just mild bitterness. They returned their bowls to the machine where they were deconstructed, their energy returned to the machine.

The mirror room was sparsely populated when they arrived, and both were able to find mirrors to see them. Rhen picked a different mirror this time in the hopes that he’d be able to see the dark spot better to no avail. The spot seemed to have grown since last he saw it, but if Zedis was right and it was just a blockage, a good cleansing session would fix that.

Rhen brought up his stats. His anima count was [173], anima cap of [266], and syntial power level was [2/3/0]. That was strange. If he understood this all correctly, the anima count and syntial level shouldn’t have increased unless he’d tattooed another syntial on him. Rhen leaned closer to the mirror, inspecting his prima syntial closer for any changes. There were none.

But the dark mark on his side had grown.

Aki appeared beside him as if summoned. “I had a similar inkling.”

“I have some memories of the Kavga invasion…” Rhen touched the area over his hip. “That was where the guardian stabbed me.”

“And then?”

“I woke up in Shin’Bara, my realm overrun, and the gateway sealed.”

“Why had the guardian stabbed you in the first place?”

Rhen looked down as unwanted visions of the past blasting across his mind’s eye. “I was infected.”

“Yet here you are, alive and not infected. How did this happen?”

Rhen looked at the blackened mark in the mirror where is anima refused to flow. “The guardian pulled the Kavga out of me without killing me—somehow. I hadn’t questioned it. It gave me hope for my realm, that not all my people are lost if I could just figure out how to use the Deathless magic.”

Aki rested a tentacle on his shoulder. “It is well documented in my realm that removal of Kavga infections kill the host. You are a rare case that should be studied.”

Rhen shrugged him off. “I’ve seen what Shin’Bara scientists do to rare cases like me.”

“I understand. Perhaps the guild will treat you differently when you’re a guardian?”

“Maybe, but I think this mark has more to do with that guardian than me. They performed the magic, they saved me. Somewhere in this list of ancilla and tertia is the ability to pull the Kavga infection from a host without killing it, and I’m going to find it.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you… however I would ask you again to submit yourself for testing here once we’re Deathless.”

Rhen sighed. “As long as you promise to save my sorry ass before they cut me open.”

“Once we are Death Bonded, that won’t be a concern. Your body can be obliterated, but your anima essence will survive within me.”

“And then what? I live inside a cuttlefish the rest of your life?”

“No, I will get a homunculus crafted for you. They’re expensive, and you must restart your progress with your syntial, so Deathless ought not to die too often.”

“Well, that’s a problem for later. If we don’t become Deathless, I don’t tell anyone, I don’t get dissected.” Rhen looked back at his stats. The mark on his hip must’ve been a prima syntial, and the addition of the ancilla must’ve gone there. Was that the burst of strength he’d used to defeat the boss?

“We can experiment back in the tower. Pick your upgrade for now.”

“What did you get?”

“A cebrum ancilla called Horror Aura. It causes a fear response to those who look at me. Then an enon tertia for advanced water control. I can craft icy weapons, or surround enemies in burning steam.”

Rhen lit up with excitement. “Use the aura, I want to see.”

Aki closed his eyes and his skin pulsed blue for a moment, but nothing changed.

“Did you do it? You look the same to me.”

“I thought I had.”

Rhen shrugged and turned back to the mirror. Ouch. He touched the spot on his arm where the crystal had cut him. Right, Sanguine Regen. Rhen knew he’d be standing in front of Aki most of the time—being the muscle and all—so quick and efficient recovery was going to be essential. He wasted no time finding that ancilla syntial and attached it to his prima anima. What was next?

Aki’s advanced control of water was great, but if they were going to cook their own food, they would need fire. Rhen was sure they could find tools and instruments for creating and containing fire, but wouldn’t it have just been awesome if he could manifest and manipulate it himself?

Rhen selected the enon ancilla and moved it around between the three open slots on his prima anima until, much to his delight, appeared the option Pyroflux. He could not only manifest fire using his anima, but he could control it to a certain extent. The first level was wild and difficult to tame, so it would take patience and diligence, but it would be so worthwhile. And it was only twenty-eight to add to his count, leaving him with another twenty-nine points for another spell.

Rhen confirmed his selection and gritted his teeth through the tattooing process. He thought perhaps to leave it at that… but then remembered how close they’d come to dying on the first level of their tower. He selected the tertia options for his kinse Swift Twitch. Despite there being only three positions the tertia syntial could be added to, there was an incredible number of options.

There was no way the other guardians would sort through every available option when they wanted to progress. It was a hunch, but other things in the guardian tower had responded to verbal commands, so Rhen thought about what he wanted. “Getting to my enemy faster.”

Low and behold, the options went from over thirty, to just one, but it wasn’t what Rhen had expected. It was an enon which read, “Shrink the distance between yourself and a target or target area by twenty feet: Spatial Slip. Adds 26 to your anima count.”

He wasn’t sure how that was going to work, but then again he didn’t understand how the bag that fit on his back could hold two treasure chests full of content while remaining as light as cloud, either. Enon syntials were a wonderful mystery he wanted to learn more about. But for now, this would be an interesting ability to explore.

He signed away the last few points in his count and gritted through the quick pain. Rhen stepped away from the mirror and turned to Aki.

“Level two?”

“Let’s go get our base.”