Emi sat with her eyes closed and her pores open… whatever that meant. She calmly listened to her inner body, like how Max felt his mana system his first day on Nava. Emi was a monster, however, so her mana system was more instinctual compared to organized. But Celenia assured her that this was an important step.

Time slipped while Emi was in this state. Boredom mixed with the feeling of never progressing hung over her head. It was already hard enough for the little monster to focus on things such as this, but with the legacy of a Leviathan on her shoulders, she found it harder than usual.

But still, shifting was something she wanted to learn. Maybe not for the effects themselves, but simply as a way to prove to herself in her… father’s eyes. Although she wondered if Tiodepth would even notice her accomplishments. Probably not as he had to keep his distance.

Emi groaned as she realized her concentration slipped. Shifting was hard. Well, not really. It was boring, which in and of itself made it hard. As Celenia had described, Druid Shifting was a mere copy of Dragons’ Shifting – an innate Racial Trait. Which Emi so happened to be able to learn.

But since Celenia was a [Druid] and only knew a copy of an inherited ability, some general information was missing. Like when the ex-trainee said ‘pores’ she didn’t quite mean pores. But that was how Lady Dreamstem explained the spell’s innerworkings, thus limiting pass-on-able information.

[Druids] were secretive after all.

It was funny to Celenia. Just over a month ago she never would have entertained the idea of teaching Emi how to shift. But, after the fungus exposed all of the [Druid] Order’s lies, she didn’t frankly care. Even at the chance of being executed by the Order’s high court, the young Elf didn’t care.

Celenia was… angry. She couldn’t quite articulate her feelings, but she knew she felt betrayed. She didn’t know her emotions well enough past that. Anger? Irritation? Guilt? Depression? Since being a slave, Celenia had bottled her feelings up tight and guarded. Meeting her mother was something of a milestone when it came to returning to the land of normalcy, but with the Order’s fall, she felt old habits coming back.

But, she had Max to help her with that.

Max had a… curiosity about himself that Celenia just couldn’t quite comprehend. He knew how to analyze and think through a problem, he knew how to help others whether it be emotionally or physically, and he understood complex relationships. But the moment he had a problem, he’s dumber than a brick.

Thinking back on it, Celenia started to notice her boyfriends… antics after he discovered he could see the dead. He had been more moody and distant, something she thought she could understand… after all, seeing the dead seemed rather traumatic. Especially since it started suddenly.

So, Celenia did what she could. Stayed nearby, listened to his words, tried to comfort him when his mask started falling apart – the exact things he had done months earlier when she met her mother for the first time in her adult life. The Elf could tell these small gestures soothed the Lost Lord, even Emi agreed.

But, for some odd reason, after their fight with the [Knight] that captured Isaac, Max had become even more distant. Emi too. Which could only mean a few things, all of which were not good.

“Max? Can you talk with me for a moment?” Celenia asked in a tender quiet voice as to not disturb the meditating Emi.

Max looked up from his massive tome of Every Rune and scratched his head. His eyes were dark and masquerading sand bags, low light reading, and nearly sleepless nights did that to a person. It had been three days since fighting the [Knight] and he had spent a majority of his time reading and sketching runic formations. He felt close to breaking through and creating an inventory ring, something he had marked as a goal for the vacation.

While he used wanting to solve his runic problems as an excuse, the real reason he couldn’t sleep was how his mind continuously wandered. He had so many problems to deal with, might as well use his insomnia to combat stocking Leviathan Works.

“Sure.” Max finally replied.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings. He and the others were on a beach. Celenia sat beside him while Emi meditated a few paces away. Isaac and Alia were both swimming, something they were both equally bad at. But such is life when having been imprisoned for centuries and being a princess that was never allowed to use a bathroom without a guard escort.

“What’s up with you and Emi lately?” Celenia tried to make her words sound harmless, “Since fighting the [Knight] you both have been acting a little strange. I would understand it if it was just you, but Emi? Since when does she get moody?”

“If she doesn’t get a fish for dinner.”

The Elf rolled her eyes and conceded the point, “Seriously Max. Is there a problem? Did something happen? Am I… am I bothering you?”

Max’s eyes whipped open, “No, no. You’ve done nothing wrong. If anything, I’ve loved spending this time with you. It’s just… well, everything really.”

He looked out to the water and continued, “Since Tobyn died, I’ve felt like my life has been rushing around. I didn’t have much stability before, but Eden took all of that away. This vacation – running, more like – changed things. Not for the better. Then finding out I can now see the dead gave me a much too large responsibility.”

“You don’t have to help them.” Celenia tried, “They will pass with or without you.”

“True. But I don’t like to think like that. When I came to this world I promised myself to help those in need. Ghosts may be dead, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need help.” Max smirked to himself, “I’ve helped literally everyone that’s asked since coming to Nava. Clammy, Reep, you, the other slaves, Esmel, the outlying villages, the Lycans, the fungus…”

“I’m not sure I understand. If you want to help the ghosts, then help them. I’m sure our group won’t get irritated if you spend an hour or two dealing with that when it is needed. So far ghosts haven’t been that common.” Celenia took his hand in hers.

Max repaid the gesture. With a deep sigh he whispered, “Ghosts aren’t my main concern. The [Knight] spoke of a small city that was nearly destroyed. Half its citizenship dead sort of thing. He thought I did it, that’s why he was out this far from Salae. Hunting me.”

“Cities, especially smaller ones, fail. Quite often in winter, in fact. What makes this one different? Why would a [Knight] of Salae think a monster attack was you’re doing?”

The Lost Lord shook his head, “No, it wasn’t a monster attack. It was something else… I’m not sure, but instead of hunting the culprit, Salae chose to go after me. After us.”

“And you feel responsible?”

“Yes! How can I sit here on a beach, lounging around like nothing is wrong when half a city was destroyed, and the authorities are out looking for me? I’m irritated that Eden has the gall to condone me to this. But I’m more frustrated that a group of [Bandits], a rogue mage, a [Dark Wizard], or Vast Empire got away with a mass scale attack.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. Max cooled off while Celenia thought through her response. Emi, still meditating, was making a bit of progress. Her scales glimmered slightly red in the correct light, something they did not do previously.

Celenia finally leaned into Max and said, “You want to help the citizens and capture and or kill whoever the true culprit is, right?”

“Right.”

“And you would have gone to the city as soon as you heard about the attack from the [Knight] but you have other responsibilities. Mainly protecting Alia, Isaac, and I?”

Max nodded.

“And you don’t want to put us in danger, either by separating with us or bringing us to a destroyed city with a mass murderer on the loose.”

“Exactly right. Emi and I talked about different possibilities and ways to help the city out, but they all weren’t good enough. For the first time ever, we decided to say ‘no’ and not help.”

Celenia moved closer, “And its eating you from the inside?”

“I feel like I’m letting the dead down, and now that I can see them? I feel even worse. Emi feels similar, but she can’t see what I see, so it’s a bit different.”

“I see. I see.” Celenia stood abruptly and motioned for Max to wait. She walked along the beach to find Isaac and Alia. They were both crouched over a small crab. It ran sideways darting from shell to shell until it made it back to the water.

“Hey, you two! I’ve got something to ask both of you.”

The princess and Immortal turned, “What is it?” Alia asked.

“The [Knight] that captured Isaac talked about a city being partially destroyed-“

“Lullin, yeah. He asked if I had anything to do with it.” Isaac explained, “But I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well… Max wants to help the city, and well, he can’t. Not when we are around and defenseless. Apparently the culprit of the city’s destruction was able to get away for free because Eden told his [Knights] that Max was the perpetrator. The guilt is eating him alive, and I’m inclined to tell him to go anyways and for him not to worry about us."

Alia didn’t hesitate, “Fine by me. Whatever Eden is planning needs to be combated. I thought Clammy would be working to make allies, but evidently not.”

Celenia frowned, “I don’t think Clammy has any-“

“Alia, we talked about this.” Isaac interrupted, “Dealing with Eden is a long-term plan. If your sister has found any support at all, then it most likely is nowhere near enough to combat a King. The early allies are usually the weakest, but they are a means to gathering the strong.”

Both Celenia and Alia stared at the man but eventually shook off the meaning and history behind his words. The Immortal spoke long string-sentences constantly, and usually the subject matter was always heavy.

“So…” Celenia tried, “You both are okay with Max helping out Lullin?”

Alia nodded; Isaac did the same.

The group of three returned to Max and Emi. The little monster was a darker shade of red, but her natural blue still shined through, causing her to cast purple instead.

“We’ve talked it over and have all decided that we are perfectly fine with you helping out that city.” Celenia said.

“What- You all know that I’m probably going to fight some dangerous bad guys, right? If it’s not Vast Empire than its high-level [Bandits] or something.”

“You can just teleport away if things go wrong, right? And if we are in your Pocket World, then nothing can harm us, right?” Alia replied.

“Yes… that’s both true, but I can’t risk it-“

“Max, look. You’ve already done enough by us both. Breaking us out of a dungeon and traveling with us to insure our safety is something not many would do. I know you yourself have a reason to be on the run as well, but that doesn’t cancel the fact that you are allowing us to travel with you.”

“I just don’t want anyone else to die.”

Isaac laughed, “I can’t! Remember?”

Everyone ignored him, Celenia spoke up, “As long as we are within your Pocket World no harm to us can come. Unless you die. But in that case, we would probably die anyways.”

“I could leave you somewhere.” Max said pitifully.

Alia smiled, “And risk a [Tracker] finding us? The only thing that is keeping them from us is your teleportation. There are very few that can do what you do, and even fewer that would agree to helping us.”

Max was still hesitant, so Celenia kneeled in front of him and grasped his hands, “Max, you want to do this. You’ve helped us, it’s time for us to help you.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“You won’t. You’ve been helping me train; you know I can protect myself. Isaac can’t die, so that leaves only Alia. I think between the four of us, she’ll be safe. Besides, I think us out in the open like this is less safe than inside your Pocket World.”

This… This was probably correct. The Pocket World was keyed to Max, meaning only he could allow people entry. That was if the entrance was open for some reason. If it was closed, no one would even know about the miniature world.

As if he had seen the light, Max started nodding slowly. He began to think over a plan and what he’d need. First thing was first, however. He needed to see the city and talk with any ghosts.

“Okay. But you all are staying with me at all times, in the Pocket World. Any sign of trouble I’ll teleport away first and ask questions later.” Max said.

The others smiled.

In the dilapidated ruins of a once vibrant kingdom, a castle stood against the test of time. It’s once pristine stained glass windows were broken and boarded. Its dark stone brick was chipped and fractured. Most metal fixtures were rusted and shallow while most wooden fixtures were rotten and bug-infested.

Through the streets of the related citizenship, animals had begun to reclaim their land. Packs of wolves prowled the streets while darker monsters hid with the shadows. Not a single humanoid soul was present, they had been long since murdered.

The kingdom was in a perpetual state of darkness – a Divine curse. Goddess of Light, Ofes, didn’t take too kindly to the mass slaughter of tens of thousands, especially when those sacrificed were spat on by a certain vile God.

Time seemed to work differently within the darkness. Day never came, but one could always tell when day was. As one sat within the kingdom’s territory the effects multiplied, until time felt as though it was always night. The effects were jarring to those not accustomed to the catastrophic tone.

But more interestingly were the beings that were accustomed to the disastrous lands.

Adventurers and those looking for quick monetary gains had long since looted the outer housings within the darkness. But a certain feeling always kept the true heart of the kingdom unmolested. A few brave souls traversed through the dead streets, past the monstrous packs, and into Cresthill proper.

They were dead within a day.

The being that was housed within Cresthill’s castle was unlike any other. She, the [Queen], frolicked within the appalling nation. After all, it was she that caused such abuse. But those adventurers never knew who killed them. Only that their blood boiled as something caressed their skin from behind.

She picked them off one by one. Almost making the hunting of a veteran team into a game.

She left a few alive every now and then as to spread her rumor. As to scatter the fable of Cresthill to the far winds. The kingdom was dead, but something still lived within the walls. Something burned with enough hatred and resentment to mutilate and execute any and all who came near.

Except those who she considered her allies.

Dugal Fenten, last of the Fenten name, hated venturing to Cresthill. He, unlike the masses, had spent some time in the city proper. And while he lived within the castle walls, he never fully acclimated to the horrid winds that licked against his skin every time he walked outside.

Dugal was one of the few Dark Elves remaining on Salarin. He, like his distant brothers and sisters, had odd and ornate magic – the kind that was easily used for dastardly deeds and was often sought out by those wishing to proscribe death.

The worst aspect of Dugal’s magic was that he was the only being on Nava with his type of hereditary gift. He had killed his entire island nation, his entire tribe, and his entire family, thus giving him a unique identity.

Well, not entirely.

His family, his tribe, and his island nation still lived on with him. In fact, all those Dugal killed lived on inside him. They became fodder for his magic, fueling each individual spell and creating complex interactions between those they effected. Devilish activities could be accomplished by knowing the right people.

But still, Dugal hated Cresthill. But he endured its… misery for one reason alone. Its owner, Serana Cresthill.

She, like some before her, had tried to take Dugal’s magic for herself. But, after each failed attempt, she wised up. Instead of trying to capture the man, she simply gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. While their deal would solely be known only by themselves, the fact of the matter was apparent.

Dugal was Serana’s right hand. And he hated every second of it.

“Dugal…” The Blood [Queen] swiveled an overly large golden gem lined chalice. A perfuming deep red wine wafted into the air, a ventage harvest. The smell told a bold tie, it’s sweet scent blinded the air, morphing it into a happy comfort.

“Yes?” He responded trying to grip a mask of confidence.

“Where is Nix?”

The Dark Elf began to sweat. Nix, the [Doppelganger] had been thrown into his lap since the failed attempt to destroy Lesterwood. Weeks of agonizing torture left the shapeshifter in a horrible state, one that Dugal had to diligently clean up.

And he did, but not without a few… mishaps.

“I am unsure.” The subordinate shifted uncomfortably, his mask slipping, but the sweet scent of wine alluring him into a false relaxation, “We traveled far from Cresthill so it could feast and regenerate… But its inner beast escaped.”

Serna set her chalice down in a chilling chime. The clink of the metalware iced the throne room, sending echoes against the vaulted ceiling. She glided down the steps to the commoner floor making use of her magic to levitate herself rather than to walk. She reached Dugal and touched his cheek gently.

While a similar gesture was often looked at as warmth, a [Blood Mage] doing such an act only meant one thing. A threat.

“Dugal,” She spoke in an inflection the mimicked her wine, “Where is Nix?”

The Dark Elf held his skin from shivering, “I have an ancestor tracking its movement. One of the smart ones, not one of the cousins.”

Serana dropped her hand and ascended back to her throne, “Good. Follow and return with it when its beast calms down.”

Dugal kneeled, bowed his head, and spoke, “It will be done.”