Raina reclined against the stone wall of the bath as she played back the events of the audience with the Twilight King. The image of the undead monarch still sent occasional tremors through her body. His presence had been so oppressive even without the use of his Aura of Terror. After Jack had touched the floating skull known as Kafkë, the two had become completely unresponsive. Instead of letting their group wait for the results, the Twilight King had ordered Rovena to return them to their holding chamber which, surprisingly, had been cleaned. Additionally, the table had been removed and four mattresses added. On an impulse, Raina had asked Rovena about the possibility of a wash. Given the medieval-esque vibe of their setting and the fact that their captors were undead, Raina had expected a flat out rejection or a basin of cold stagnant water at best. What she got was an entire bath chamber equipped with a dual valve system for drawing fresh water from an underground cistern and draining used water via a large grate at the center of the bath. It’d been an unexpectedly pleasant surprise after the rollercoaster of events Raina had been through.

I wonder if Ciel will come to rescue us, she thought as she drew her knees to her chest. She still had trouble believing that her benefactor was immortal. In a way, it made sense because of his angelic appearance, but it was so surreal to think of him as alive after seeing the man basically get decapitated. Under her breath, she muttered, “Yeah right, Raina. I’m being held captive by an undead king in his fantasy castle with some kind of psychic, an elven mage, and a cyborg with an Iron Man thingy in his chest, but you draw the line at immortality?”

She relaxed her body letting the cool water soothe her tense muscles and pushing away from the wall to float toward the center. Once the tension left her, Raina plunged her head into the water allowing herself to sink slightly. She opened her eyes. The water was crystal clear and she could see the flickering blue torches which cast their pale light over the chamber creating a dance of shadows at the edges. Underneath the surface, she felt blissfully separated from all of the complications in her life.

After nearly a minute, she resurfaced to breathe then settled against the water’s surface. While she floated, Raina found her eyes tracing over her exposed body. It was so different that she barely recognized it. Her arms and legs which had suffered from muscle atrophy and a poor diet brought about by narcotic born nausea were now well-toned and healthy. No longer did her ribs show against her skin. Her breasts were full and her stomach was lean but not gaunt. Systematically, she flexed her muscles, one by one, from head to toe watching the reactions across her skin which was now pale and supple as opposed to pale and sickly. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure. If nothing else, Fracture had restored her body. Even if she died sooner rather than later, she’d had the opportunity to walk, to run, to feel the strength of in her limbs; in other words, she Fracture had given her agency in her life again. She also liked herself, body and mind, for the first time since her early childhood. Back on Earth, everyone from therapists to the house servants told her to love herself and that her illness didn’t make her lesser. They didn’t know though. How could they? They didn’t understand the depths of self-pity she felt when she lost her ability to walk or when she could no longer lift her arms. They couldn’t comprehend the extent of her self-loathing when she had to have others perform even the most basic and private tasks for her.

The thoughts of her life on Earth brought forth the face of her former nurse, Alicia, and her mood darkened. The haunting memory of Alicia’s fate resurfaced. For the first and only time in her sheltered life, Raina had witnessed the face of evil and the experience had left scars she still wasn’t ready to address. She tried to divert her attention elsewhere but failed.

In a way, Raina realized that she was just as powerless in her current situation as she had been in the events leading up to her own death. She stood up in the bath and gazed at the closest blue torch. Will this be the same even though I’m not in a wheelchair? Will I just have to sit and wait for Ciel or someone else to save me because I’m too weak to save myself?

She didn’t bother wiping away the tears that started falling down her face as the sorrow and regret momentarily overwhelmed her. They dripped from her chin in a steady stream disrupting her reflection in the water below. Alicia’s words played through her mind while Raina tried to focus on the time they spent together instead of the woman’s death. “It’s ok to take a moment to cry when things get hard, little raindrop. If you keep the tears inside, they’ll start to weigh you down, so let ‘em loose and when you’re done, you can face your problems a little bit lighter.”

Once she had cried enough, Raina splashed her face with water and pulled herself out of the bath. She turned the valve to drain the water and watched it disappear down the grate in silence. As she got dressed, she received a surprising notification.

[Congratulations! You have completed the Protector of Mundus hidden objective!]

Assignment Rewards

Select one of the following:

-1 Protector’s Emblem (Living Relic)

-1 Fractured Logos Key (Relic)

-Protector of the Blue Heart (Trait)

“Ah!” she exclaimed as the notification abruptly intruded into her somber thoughts. She stumbled and lost her footing on the moist stone floor, but caught herself on an outstretched hand before she hit the ground. She groaned, “Ugh. You’d think I thought I’d be used to that by now.” She stood up tossing her head back to get the wet hair out of her face. Once she collected herself, she realized the significance of the message. “Wait, so I did it? It’s done?”

Her mind turned to Atlas, or rather Jack. His reaction to her story about the Protector of Mundus objective had been strange from the start making her question the assumption that he had it. Following the meeting with the Twilight King, Raina understood her error. The strange power core-esque object fused with his chest was the World Core. He wasn’t protecting it; it was a part of him. When she thought back to the fight with the Spireman, her intention had been solely to protect Jack. She hadn’t even known about the World Core which meant either her intentions weren’t relevant to the hidden objective or they were and Jack counted as the World Core for the purposes of the objective’s unlock conditions. At the thought of Jack’s strange body, Raina recalled the exchange between the strange man and the Twilight King concerning Celestials. Is he really being pursued by Ciel and another Celestial? Did he do something or is it because of his World Core? Who is he really? Maybe, I should ask him…

She finished getting dressed and with a thought, she probed at the listed rewards in the hopes of gaining additional details. She pumped her fist excitedly when three separate notifications appeared detailing her available rewards. Despite her own wishes, she’d never gotten to play video games due to her disability, so the game-like system at play excited her more than perhaps was normal. It was also a convenient distraction to the darker thoughts she wanted to push away.

Protector’s Emblem (Living Relic)

Relic Grade: D

+5 Stamina

+3 Willpower

Protector’s Mark (Relic Skill)

The user may mark a single creature. Until the mark is removed, half of the damage inflicted on the marked creature is instead sustained by the user.

Range: Touch

Cost: N/A

Living Relic’s Bond (Relic Trait)

Advantages

-The Living Relic bonds with its user and increases its grade in tandem with the bonded creature’s rank.

-The bonded creature may always equip the Living Relic even if she does not meet the Resonance requirements.

Disadvantages

-The Living Relic may only be used by its bonded creature.

-The Living Relic is destroyed upon the death of its bonded creature.

Fractured Logos Key (Relic)

A key formed from fragmented pieces of the Logos. The wielder of this key may open a portal to access the upper levels of Tartarus.

Protector of the Blue Heart (Trait)

Advantages

-The Protector may always know the location of the Blue Heart.

-While the Protector is linked to the Blue Heart, her attributes are increased by 10%.

-The Protector is notified immediately when the Blue Heart is under attack.

-The Protector’s attacks deal 15% additional damage to foes that attack the Blue Heart.

Disadvantages

-The Protector cannot willingly damage the Blue Heart.

-If the Blue Heart is irreparably damaged or destroyed, the Protector receives a permanent 20% penalty to her attributes.

Raina took her time digesting each of the messages as they appeared in her mind. Before selecting anything, she noticed the text for “Tartarus” stood out so she focused on it. As expected, another notification spawned with details.

Tartarus, the Shattered Remnant

Tartarus is the hidden resting place of worlds beyond restoration and a prison for powerful entities untethered to any world. It is split into three sections: the Upper, Middle, and Lower levels. The deeper one ventures into the Shattered Remnant, the more dangerous the journey becomes. However, great power and fortune await those brave enough to venture into its depths.

“So, Tartarus is like a hidden dungeon?” She wondered aloud as she exited the bath chamber. Rovena who waited outside shifted her dark gaze on Raina. The dented armor was gone in favor of white tunic and black breeches tied together with a crystal-studded belt. Her blade hung in its sheath at her hip. Raina froze up under the undead woman’s gaze. One awkward moment of silence later, she came to her senses and stammered, “I-I’m ready to go back now.”

Wordlessly, Rovena began to lead her back to the chamber where everyone else was. While walking, Raina pondered which reward she would select. The Protector’s Emblem sounded like the best investment since it was essentially a scaling item which would increase her defensive abilities. The Relic Skill also appealed to her desire to protect others. At the same time, the wanderlust she’d sated through fantasy novels her entire life begged her to take the Fractured Logos Key. According to Greek mythology, Tartarus was a prison used by the gods to hold the Titans. Could this be that same Tartarus or was it something else, maybe even the inspiration for the myth back on Earth? Whatever the answer, she itched to find out. The last reward was a mixed bag.

She didn’t have to speculate on what the Blue Heart was. Basic deduction based on the nature of the hidden objective brought forth the image of the glowing blue sphere melded into Jack’s chest. The Protector of the Blue Heart trait provided undoubtedly powerful benefits, but its drawbacks were intense especially given the circumstances. Raina intuitively understood that selecting this trait would mean connecting herself to Jack’s fate in one way or another and she wasn’t so sure she wanted that. She had mixed feelings about the half-metal man. Unlike Julian, his eyes weren’t gentle nor honest; they were grim and full of mistrust as though he constantly expected an attack from those around him. His rugged and downtrodden appearance likewise contrasted with Julian’s elegant handsomeness. Finally, there was his overt hatred of Ciel which seemed to be the reason he treated her so harshly. Despite all that, Raina recognized that there was more to Jack than she knew. From his seemingly deep friendship with Julian to the subtle shifts in his facial expressions during their audience with the Twilight King, she saw the hints of a greater mystery floating outside of the reach of her awareness. Her curiosity wanted to peel back the layers of Jack’s story; however, picking her reward based on her whim would be foolish especially since she didn’t have a clue what being “linked” meant.

In the end, indecision won the day and she decided to wait until she had more information or until she could ask Ciel assuming she ever saw the man again.

While they walked, Raina eyed Rovena’s sword. The curved shape of the blade looked like it would be particularly effective at cutting as opposed to piercing whereas her own sword was more balanced in its offensive options. Her eyes wandered from the blade over Rovena’s body which was quite shapely, particularly so for a dead woman. Despite herself, she asked, “Are you actually undead?”

When the woman stopped and turned to face her, Raina felt her entire face flush. She quickly tried to explain her outburst, “I’m sorry. I was just wondering about… I mean, it’s just that, um… Well, you aren’t all rotting and gross so… You know what, never mind, I’m sorry.” She inwardly cringed so hard she got lightheaded as Rovena’s haunting eyes and embarrassment sabotaged her speech into babbling nonsense. Once she managed to clamp her mouth shut, her guide continued walking.

While Raina berated herself for failing so hard at basic communication, Rovena spoke. “I am no longer among the living. None of us are.”

Raina took great pride in the fact that she didn’t stumble at that moment. She mentally high fived herself when she smoothly responded, “Ah. If you don’t mind telling me, why are you so different from the other undead?”

She didn’t get an answer for nearly a minute as they traversed the dark halls of the Twilight King’s stronghold. Finally, Rovena said, “My magic allows me to halt my body’s deterioration.”

“Oh, wow,” Raina said. She mentally rebuked herself. “Oh, wow.” Come on, Raina! What kind of response was that? After a moment, she cleared her throat. “It’s amazing that you can use magic and fight like you do.”

“If you say so.”

Raina stopped talking after that feeling completely embarrassed by her fumbling attempt at a conversation. Her admiration for Rovena’s strength and skill made it even worse. The rest of the walk passed in silence until they stopped in front of the door to the holding chamber. Raina reached out to open the door, but hesitated. She glanced at the undead woman who stared at her impassively.

She stood there awkwardly trying to formulate her request for a few seconds before Rovena frowned and said, “Either speak or enter. I might be dead but I’ve not the time to wait on you.”

Unprepared for the sudden command, Raina blurted out, “Will you teach me to fight like you do?”

As her words settled between them, their gazes locked and Raina refused to break eye contact. She wanted to appear strong and confident even if she obviously wasn’t. Her request was a little outrageous. What kind of captor trained their prisoners? Still, her own desire to be stronger drove her to ask. Rovena was a woman capable of fighting off Ciel who was not only powerful but apparently immortal. With strength like that, Raina wouldn’t be helpless anymore. Sadly, Rovena’s answer was unsurprising.

“No,” Rovena said. Her response left Raina crestfallen. She opened the door but shivered when the undead woman added, “Until my king decides what your fate will be, you are all as good as our enemies in my eyes. I would advise you do not forget that.”

Unsure of how to respond, Raina entered the room and closed the door behind her.