Ok Jim, just stay calm. You have already met one Goddess and whatever Azeghial is. Just be polite and hopefully you won't piss her off. I look over to Evain, who is smiling at me gently. As I turn to look back at where Sarge is still running around Ava, I hear Evain's voice in my head.

"Don't be afraid Jim, just be yourself. Ava wants to meet you as well as Sarge." When I glance back at Evain, she is stepping forward to meet Ava. The two embrace as Sarge comes to a stop beside them, leaning his head against Ana's hip. I take a second as they are distracted to get my first good look at Ava.

She is taller than Evain is. Evain's head barely comes up to her shoulders. Ava is dressed in a simple green dress that looks like it's woven from some kind of moss. Her dark brown hair is pulled back in a single braid. A wreath of wildflowers sits on her head like a crown. Her skin is deeply tanned with the exposed skin on her arms, having an almost tree bark like appearance. When she turns to me, her emerald eyes seem to peer into my very soul. A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth as she whispers something in Evain's ear, causing her to laugh.

"So you are Evain's hero?" My mouth doesn't want to work so I nod my head slowly. Ava crosses the distance between us before I can blink. I'm forced to tilt my head upwards just a little to look into her eyes. The scent of earth and trees fills my nose as she stares into my eyes.

"There is a lot of pain inside you… and fear too." I'm not sure how to respond to that. I'm opening my mouth when she starts speaking again. "There is also a strength not found in most people. You haven't found your breaking point yet, I hope you never do." She wraps her arms around me, squeezing me tightly. My arms are pinned to my side and I'm struggling to figure out how to pull myself away without offending her when Evain speaks.

"Enough of that, he's my hero." Her tone is stern, but her eyes seem playful when she gently separates the two of us.

"You're right, and I have my own hero to talk with. Sarge, let's go for a walk. We have many things to discuss." Ava turns and starts to stroll through the mist. Sarge looks to me for a second before turning to follow behind Ava. I start to call after him when Evain slips her arm around my waist.

"It's alright, Jim. She has things she needs to tell him. The same as I need to tell you. They won't be far, at least not in the way you think." I tilt my head to look down at her. I see her smiling as she leans her head on my shoulder.

"What kind of things do you need to tell me?" Evain sighs as she starts to guide me forward, keeping her hand tucked tightly on my waist.

"Many, many things, but they need to wait until we get there." Something tells me to wait and not ask where we are going, so I let her lead me in silence. The only sound I hear as we walk is the gentle clinking of the chains on Evain's wrists. After a few minutes, the mist seems to thin until it has almost disappeared.

Ahead of us is a sight that is uncomfortably familiar. The huge black spire that Azeghial led Alexis and I to. When we reach the base of it, Evain slips her arm away from my waist. She steps up to the smooth stone and rests her hands on it. Her head comes forward to rest on the stone as I stand in silence behind her.

Okkkaaayyyyy, now what? Evain lifts her head from the stone, turning to face me as she leans back against it. She looks sad and more than a little scared.

"This spire is one of the few things the Gods don't understand." She stares into my eyes as she speaks. "When we came into existence, it was already here. It binds the heavenly plane to both the ethereal plane and the mortal's world below." Evain steps away from the spire, crossing the distance between us.

"I am ancient, as are my fellow Gods. We are the creators of life on the mortal plane, yet we don't know where this spire came from. Can you understand how terrifying that is?" I break eye contact to look up at the spire, trying to wrap my head around what she is saying.

"I...I don't know." When I tilt my head back down, she is still staring at me.

"There is power here, power enough to bind a God." She pauses as her eyes unfocus. "Or to kill one, if they are bound to it." The chains on her wrist seem to move on their own, clinking softly. When I look back at the stone, something clicks in my mind.

"You were bound to it?" Evain shudders, but nods her head slowly.

"I was betrayed, my sisters were tricked, and I was bound to it." She steps closer, pulling my arms around her.

"You can't think of the ethereal plane and the heavenly plane in the same way as the mortal plane below. The top of the spire, it sits on the shores of a giant ocean. Where the waves break upon the stones of the beach and crash eternally against the spire." She points up to where the spire disappears into the skies above.

"I was bound there, left to die as the waves crashed upon me." Neither of us speak for a long moment as we look up at the spire. Finally, I ask the question burning in my mind.

"How did you break your chains?" Evain sighs as she leans harder into me, causing me to hold her tighter.

"It took decades for me to break the chains. Decades of standing, bound to the spire as it leeched my power away. Every day, I grew weaker and weaker as the waves crashed into me, until I was left hanging by my arms. I was unable to even stand upright. That was when I knew I was going to die." She goes silent for a long second. When I glance down, I see her eyes are unfocused again.

"What happened? I mean, you are here now, so obviously you didn't die." Her laugh is soft, almost hollow.

"I was saved, saved by a believer on the mortal plane." She slips out of my arms, her hand reaches up to caress my face gently. When she does, I see the image of a man in my mind. His wrinkled face and pale blue eyes speak of a lifetime of hard work bearing down on a person.

"He saw a vision of me, bound and weakened. To this day, I don't know how he saw me. The only thing I can think is in my desperation, my remaining power reached out for help and found him." I see the man kneeling at an altar, praying quietly in an empty room. He takes a small dagger from his waist, slitting his wrist and smearing the blood onto the altar. His chanting gets louder as he starts to sway before falling over.

"He gave his life for me. His sacrifice, the energy contained in his soul, it transferred to me." The image in my head shifts to one of Evain, bound to the spire. Waves as tall as houses crash into her as she hangs from chains bolted to the spire. Suddenly, her head snaps back as her legs straighten. Her eyes glow a bright gold as she pulls against the chains, binding her to the stone. Again and again, she pulls until the chains break with a loud crack. Then she falls to the ground, her chest heaving as she stares down at her hands.

"A mortal's soul, freely given, its power unequaled. It still took all of the energy from his sacrifice to snap my chains." Her voice breaks as she speaks, making me look back down at her. Tears are trailing down her cheeks slowly as she struggles to speak again. My hand comes up to brush them away, making her look up at me and smile weakly.

"As I looked up into the waves, I saw the world below. The pain and suffering of the people in it clearly for the first time. I saw the life my savior had led. How he struggled each day, clawing out a bleak and pitiful existence. The backbreaking work he did to put food on the table for his family and himself. The loss he suffered when his wife and children died." She shakes her head as she starts to walk around the spire. I follow her, almost in a trance as she comes to the pool of murder water.

"When I saw his suffering, my heart ached for him. For all the suffering he had endured, he still gave his life for me. In the hopes that I would be free." She turns to look at me as she sits on the edge of the pool. "What kind of man would give his life for someone who had never helped him?"

"I don't know. A better man than me." Evain smiles up at me, tilting her head to the side.

"You don't give yourself enough credit." She pats the stones beside her in an invitation to sit beside her. When I sit beside her, a silence hangs in the air between us. It's almost like she doesnt know what to say next.

"You said before that you chose me when I was summoned. Why did you choose me?" Evain leans against me and lets out a long sigh.

"You remember when you looked into the pool and saw a possible future?" I nod my head as the fingers on her opposing arm trails through the water behind us.

"This pool is a way for mortals to see what Gods are able to see if they focus. When I looked into your world, I searched it hundreds of times over." She tilts her head back to look into my eyes.

"Then, when I was about to settle on a man who might have done well here, I found you." A smile tuvs her lips upward as she leans her head against me again.

Why is everyone on this world so touchy feely?

"Not everyone, but most see physical contact as comforting. If it bothers you, I can stop." My shock must have shown on my face because Evain starts to laugh quietly. "I'm a God, remember. Here on the ethereal plane, there is no hiding anything from me."

"Sorry, it doesn't bother me. I just wasn't expecting it." Better make sure my mind doesn't wander too far then. Evain smiles at me as she starts to speak again.

"You decided to swim the river with your friend. When you were most of the way across, a fast moving boat came around the bend." I remember the moment she is talking about. I was maybe thirteen at the time. Danny and I were relaxing after working in his grandparent's hay field.

"I haven't thought about that in years." I turn my head away from Evain as I lean forward and rest my arms on my knees. The bass boat came around, moving too fast to avoid us in the water. Danny ended up getting hit by the front of the boat. It barely missed me and started to circle around to help. Before it could get turned around, Danny slipped under water.

"You nearly drowned diving after your friend. You literally blacked out before you got him back to the surface." I'm nodding my head as she speaks. The owner of the boat fished us both out of the water. It turned into a mess by the end of it. Danny ended up in the hospital for a couple days with a fractured skull and broken arm. I got lucky and woke up fine.

"Danny still tells the story like I'm some kind of hero. I just did what anyone would have done." Evain shakes her head as she leans forward beside me.

"Not everyone would have kept swimming down when their lungs were burning already. Not everyone would have kept dragging their friend up when the world was going black. Most people would have let him go to save themselves. You didn't, and you didn't hesitate or even think about leaving him." Her arm wraps back around my waist as she leans in against me.

"You were always a hero. I just brought you here. The man you are, that's why I knew you were the only choice." Evain feels warm against me as my mind starts to drift. I'm so focused on thinking about what she said I almost miss what she says next.

"Even with my abilities to see the most likely outcomes, you still surprised me. I never would have thought you would unlock your skills so early. Or learn to convert your mana as quickly as you did. Even figuring out how to expand your influence, there was no way I could have seen that. The odds that you would do the exact opposite of what I thought, it's amazing and a very refreshing change of pace."

"Wait, so this wasn't all according to some plan of yours?" My head turns slowly to Evain who is laughing quietly.

"Oh, I needed that. No, it wasn't all according to plan. Everything you have done since you got here has been all you. Even the way you arrived in your truck was all you." She leans back looking up into the sky above her. "What the hell made you jump into your truck?" I shrug my shoulders as I lean back beside her.

"When I saw the light, I didn't know what the hell was going on. So I ran for the truck to try and get away the quickest. It didn't seem like I would clear the light on foot." Evain nods her head as she stands, turning back to the pool.

"I've really enjoyed this quiet talk, but we need to talk about something serious now." I stand up too, slapping my jeans to knock the dirt off in a force of habit. When I turn to look at her, she is covering her mouth.

"What?" She shakes her head as she smiles at me.

"There is no dirt on the ethereal plane. It is just funny to see how many habits are ingrained in a human's soul." Her face gets serious as she looks back to the spire.

"King Ekon is going to march on Dolus tomorrow. He wants you to march with him." I nod my head as she turns back to look at me.

"I kind of assumed as much. Do you not want me to go with him?" Evain closes her eyes as she leans her head back.

"I'm the breaker of chains, even if I wanted you to march with him, I could never ask you too. Every choice you make has to be your own." I start to reach out to comfort her, but she moves out of my reach.

"If you do go with him, it will not be clean. You will be in the front line of a war. It's not a simple battle or fight like you have seen since you got here. I'm talking of a long, drawn out bloody conflict." Her chains start to rattle as she shifts around.

"Then what should I do?" Evain turns to stare into the mist for a second before she answers me.

"What do you want to do, Jim? I'm not going to judge you, or hold any choice against you. What is it that you want in this world?" She turns back to look at me, but her eyes glance behind her again. I take a second to think about her question.

"I want to keep Thea, Sarge, and Shiva safe. Part of me wants to run away, to just load everyone up in my truck and get as far away as I can." My head drops to look down at my boots. I notice for the first time the deep scratches and blood soaking into them. "I don't think that is a real option, though. I think if I do, it will just follow me. So I think I need to fight." When I look back up, Evain is staring at me. "I don't think I can walk away from this, can I?"

Evain is pressed against me before I can blink. Her lips are pressed hard against mine. I try to pull away from her, but she holds me tightly. When she pulls away, I can see she is smiling widely.

"I was hoping you would say that. If you are serious, I have a way to help you." As her grip releases me, I take a step back.

"Help me how?" Evain smiles as she closes the distance between us.

"You know time moves differently here, right?" I nod my head as she continues to smile at me. "What you don't know is time moves at the God's will here. We can speed it up or slow it down at will. If you want, I can help you train your skills to be stronger. When you return, your soul will know how to use them. There will be a small backlash to your body, but it will be manageable."

"What do you mean my soul will know?" Evain's laugh causes me to tilt my head down at her.

"Your body is still on the ethereal plane, so it's just your soul here. That's why I can do this." She lifts her hand to my face and when it comes away I can see from my missing eye again. My hand comes up to cover the eye in shock.

"Before we start to train, I need you to see something first." She takes my hand and leads me over to the pool of water. I can feel my insides start to churn as I remember the last time I gazed into its murky depths.

"Don't pull away, Jim. You need to see this." She gently pushes my neck forward to look into the pool. "This is what happens if you march with the army of Rathenk." I feel like I'm falling, then the pool begins to swirl.

I can see myself standing in front of a large group of soldiers. In front of us in an open field is a makeshift line of people. Men and women are lined up, clutching an assorted range of weapons. Some are holding shields and swords, most are carrying shorter blades. One woman is even holding a huge meat cleaver clutched to her chest.

From behind the line of people, a man yells out an order I can't make out. The line shuffles forward slowly, dragging their feet along the ground. The people advance in waves, my guess is maybe a hundred people in each line. The line's maybe twenty feet apart. I can see myself yelling at the line of approaching people, but they don't slow. My head shifts as my hands come forward, my muscles are straining violently. The first line of the approaching people pause as their collars snap at once.

When they start to drop their weapons, I want to cheer. Then the second line reaches them, and doesn't slow. When they reach the front line, they cut them down and continue walking forward. I can see the tears streaming down their faces as they march.

In the pool, I see the tears falling on my face as I raise my rifle. The line of people try to shift away as I hesitate. In a split second, I seem to blur as I charge across the field. My body slips between the charging people, avoiding as many as I can, shoving the ones I can't aside. When I reach the back row I'm greeted by Dolus's actual soldiers.

These I don't hesitate to fire upon, taking out the first line quickly. I charge through the lines, driving deeper and deeper into the crowd. The man who ordered the charge yells for the soldiers to protect him. It does no good as a shockwave clears the path to him in front of me. Before he can make another sound his head snaps back, the back of his skull missing. As he crumples to the ground I spin around.

The line of people are still marching forward. As they reach the line of Rathenk's soldiers, the vision shifts. I hear Evain's voice in my head.

"They couldn't stop, even after you took out their handler. This is the reality of what you'd face if you march with Rathenk." I'm on another field, this time gunning down the lines as they come. Shiva and Thea are beside me, firing along with me. Again, the vision shifts. This time to the inside of a tent.

I'm sitting on the edge of a bed, my knees pulled up to my chest. Thea and Shiva are behind me, asleep. It's obvious they have been crying. When my face shifts, I can see I have been too. Sarge is pressed against me, trying to comfort me unsuccessfully.

Again and again, I see the same fate over and over. Countless people gunned down, some we save others we can't. When the numbers are small, I free them of the collars. After the first time, the numbers are never small. We end up gunning down hundreds to save maybe fifty people. At some point, they stopped arming the first few waves of people. So I see myself gunning down unarmed people. When I don't, the lines behind them kill them when I break their collars.

Finally, we are standing in front of the capital of Dolus. My face is gaunt as I look like I've lost a lot of weight. My shoulders are low, my head barely rising as I walk forward.

My hands come up, and I see myself struggling. There is a loud crack as the wall around the city starts to crumble. I fall to my knees as the wall falls completely. Behind the wall is wave after wave of people. Their clothes are worn, most of them are caked in mud.

My body refuses to rise as they advance. I can see myself raise my head to stare at them. With tears streaming down my face my hands rise towards the crowd. A burst of bright blue energy races at the lines of advancing people. Beside me, Shiva collapses. After a second,Thea falls to the ground too. The energy hits the crowd of defenseless people, making them drop as one, wreathed in the blue energy. When they do, my head rises to face the sky as a wordless howl of pain and rage escapes my lips. Rathenk's army is watching me. I can see the fear on all of their faces.

Before the line of troops reach the fallen people, my body shifts again. This time, the blue energy pulls back into me. Thea and Shiva manage to push themselves off the ground. My body stands, but there is a look in my eyes telling me I'm not there. I seem to blur as I race through the streets of the capitol. My rifle is left behind with my grovemates and Sarge.

When I reach the walls of the palace, I'm greeted by a horde of monsters manning the walls. With barely a pause I'm past them, their bodies falling to the ground in heaps. The vision shifts and I'm in the throne room, stalking forward. The King is pleading, but I ignore it as I steadily advance.

There are literal arcs of mana passing between my fingertips. When I reach the King, he crumples to the ground. My hand wraps around his throat as he is lifted into the air. His entire body seems to convulse as some attack racks his body with pain. His eyes roll back in his head as a thick froth of saliva spills out of his mouth. Then he's dead and his body falls to the floor at my feet.

The vision in the pool shifts again to a room I don't recognize. Shiva and Thea are not there. The room is sparsely furnished, just a bed and table with four chairs. I'm sitting in one chair, the one facing the door. King Ekon sits across from me, he looks sad, and apprehensive.

"It's not my choice. I argued against it for as long as I could. My opinion doesn't change what my troops saw. They are afraid of you, so you can't stay in Rathenk. They have already started telling friends and family, despite my orders on secrecy." In the pool, I nod my head as I give him a sad smile.

"I knew it was coming. I just didn't expect it so soon." The King drops his head as he shakes it slowly.

"Where will you go?" My shoulders shrug as I lean back in the seat.

"I don't know, away, at least until I can forget." A dry laugh escapes my lips as I continue to stare upwards. "Maybe I'll just blow my fucking brains out, that would make them stop following me." The King looks shocked at my words, but the vision shifts before I hear what he says.

I'm in a clearing in some grove of trees now. A simple house made of stone blocks sits on one edge, with a well in front of it. On a wooden chair in front of the house, I'm sitting watching the sun start to set. Thea, Shiva, Mynas, and Sarge are across the clearing from the house. Their voices reach me, but not the version of me in the pool.

"It's been ten years, he can't keep living like this." Mynas is glancing at me as she speaks. "The waking up in the middle of the night screaming, his inability to be around people at all. We need to find someone to help him." Shiva is nodding her head, but Thea just stands there quietly.

"I've tried, he won't talk to anyone." The looks in my direction before continuing. "It's gotten worse lately. I know you haven't noticed, but I think he is slipping away." Before I can figure out what they are talking about, I feel myself being pulled back.

When the connection with the pool is broken, I feel my stomach heaving. I've barely managed to spin around before my body heaves and vomit covers the ground. I struggle to keep myself on my feet as my body continues to heave.

"If it's just my soul here, how am I puking?" Evain rubs my back as my body finally starts to settle down.

"I'm honestly not sure. It's one of those mortal things." She waves her hand and the puddle at my feet disappears into nothingness.

"Why would you show me that?" I'm starting to straighten up when Evain looks back into the mist. She shakes her head before looking back at me.

"I needed you to see what you were getting into if you marched with Rathenk. It's not something to take lightly, and it will weigh on you." I can feel myself starting to yell.

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU FUCKING SHOW ME!? IT'S THE ONLY FUCKING OPTION I'M SEEING RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?" Evain doesn't even flinch at my outburst. She just calmly stares at me as if she is waiting on me to calm down. When I don't say anything for a few seconds, she starts to speak again.

"There is always a second option, it's just more painful." My mouth games open as I stare at her.

"More painful than that?" I fling my hand back to motion at the pool behind me. Evain nods her head slowly as she steps closer to me.

"Not in the same way, but yes. You promised not to make decisions for your grove without talking to Thea. Not to leave her behind or to just do what you thought was best. To take the second option, you would end up breaking that promise." Evain raises an eyebrow at me as she tilts her head back. "Because I know you won't risk them, and the second option is too dangerous to guarantee their safety." I take a second to think about her words before I speak.

"What is the second option?" Evain's smile seems almost sad as she starts to speak.

"You go alone, slip over the border and head for the capital on your own. Then you take out the King and his advisors and hope you survive. Even with the training I can offer, I see your odds as fifty-fifty at best, Thea and Shiva would be safe, though." I let my head hang down to stare at the ground as I mull over her words.

Slipping over the border alone would let me keep Thea and Shiva safe. If I survive, there would be time to make amends later. If I don't, then they can't be mad at me. I take a deep breath as I lift my head to look at Evain.

"Can I talk this over with Sarge before I answer?" Evain sighs and shakes her head slowly.

"I won't stop you from talking to him. If you do, do you honestly think he will keep it a secret from Thea and Shiva?" I shake my head as she finishes speaking.

"No, he would probably tell them right off." My mind wonders for a long second before I speak again. "Is there any way I can think about this for a while and make my choice later?" Evain smiles at me as she nods her head.

"Yes, your training wouldn't be affected by your choice. So there is no real need to decide at all right now."

"Then why give me the option now!?" Evain shrugs her shoulders as she guides me away from the spire behind us. She keeps glancing to her right as she leads me through the mist.

"Because I am the breaker of chains, mine and my followers. Every choice needs to be yours. Otherwise, I am chaining you to my decision. I may give you insights into your possible futures, but I will always let it be your choice." She pauses and motions to a section of the ground in front of us. A stone bench seems to sprout out of the ground at the wave of her hand.

"Before we go any further, I do have one other thing to show you." I take a seat on the bench next to her as she seems to stretch her hands in the air in front of her.

"What's that?" She smiles at me as her hands shift again, seeming to pull the air in front of her. A pale blue glow starts to form around her hands as she manipulates it over and over. The blue light seems to solidify into a square of blue about ten inches across each way.

"Your status, both when summoned and now." I can feel something tug at my core as the square glows brighter.

"I know your stats were jumbled when you equipped the status plate. That was because it couldn't handle your energy. You needed a plate formed especially for a hero. Honestly, you were lucky it showed as much as it did." When I glance over at her face, she smiles up at me. "Don't worry. Before you leave, I'll show you how to do this for yourself." The square seems to glow brighter which causes me to squint. When the glow starts to fade, Evain pulls me in to look.

"See, here were your stats when you first arrived in Dolus." She points her fingers at the floating characters.

Name- James Marsterson

Age- 23

Level- 1

Strength- 185

Agility- 157

Intelligence- 102

Mana- (potential) 245

"I know this doesn't mean a lot to you, but your numbers were already quite high." Evain points to my stats one at a time as she explains them. "The average strength for a mid-range adventure would be somewhere around one fifty, with the high end being in the mid-four hundreds. For agility, the average is mid to high eighties. The high end would be seven hundred-ish. The average intelligence in this world would be somewhere around the mid eighties mark, with a score of two hundred being an unheard of high." She pauses as she looks up at me.

"Your intelligence stat determines your mana regeneration. Don't ask me why as I'm not sure myself." She shifts her finger to the mana stat as she turns back to the square. "This just has potential because you hadn't figured out how to access it yet. Now, here were your stats after the incident in the dungeon." The square glows again and I have to look away. When I turn back, it's shifted again, and Evain is in the process of explaining.

"Of course, it now starts listing your skills too. Just to make it simpler."

Name- James Marsterson

Age- 23

Level- 12

Strength- 435

Agility- 419

Intelligence/Wisdom- 124

Mana- 685 (solo) 1280 (bridged)

Skills-

Alltounges

Parting Blast

Barrier

Sense Presence

Lightning Step

Battle Tempo

Piercing Blow

Temporal Grace

Imitate Spellwork

Basic Telepathy

Silent Activation

"Wait, there are a few I don't recognize." I'm starting to point when Evain nods her head.

"That's the difference between active skills and passive skills. Active skills show up on status readers, like the adventures plate. Passive skills only show up through an in depth appraisal. Sense Presence, Basic Telepathy, and Silent Activation are all passive skills. Sense Presence is how you know when someone is following you, or if they are hiding from you. Basic Telepathy is how you communicate with Sarge. Also, Shiva and Thea picked it up thanks to you. Silent Activation is how you have been using your skills without speaking out loud." She starts to move her hands again when I stop her.

"Wait, what about the level thing? Why did my intelligence stat become mixed with wisdom? What the hell does any of that mean?" Evain sighs and looks up at me.

"I forgot how curious mortals can be, fine I'll explain. Your intelligence stat basically combined with a wisdom stat as a result of information overload. Just look at it as a boost, and if you ever see it in someone else, just know they nearly died to get it. It only happens when you are near death and learn something at great cost to you. The upside is it amplifies your intelligence stat, so it ups your mana regeneration." She shifts her finger up to my level, turning to face me.

"As for your level, it's just that. How strong you are, and how much experience you have gained since you got here. There is no level cap, so it can keep rising as long as you are fighting. Honestly, there are maybe ten people in the mortal plane who even know levels exist. Everyone just assumes that they are getting stronger because of the tasks they are doing. They aren't exactly wrong, but they just don't know the whole story."

"Then why show me it at all?" Evain shrugs as she starts to manipulate the square again, making it glow brightly.

"It always shows up with a high level appraisal. Given enough time and practice, you will be able to see it as well. It could be a great advantage in a fight, being able to read your opponents before you ever see them fight." As the glow fades again, she points to the square.

"This is what your stats are now, after getting the boost from Azeghial and adding Shiva to your bond." I bite back on my questions as I stare at the square.

Name- James Marsterson

Age- 23

Level- 14

Strength- 522

Agility- 501

Int./Wis.- 134

Mana 1180 (solo) 2130 (bridged)

Skills-

Alltounges

Parting Blast

Barrier

Sense Presence 2

Lightning Step 2

Battle Tempo

Piercing Blow

Temporal Grace

Imitate Spellwork

Basic Telepathy

Silent Activation 3

Mana Manipulator

Familiar's Sight

Shockwave

Mana Leech

Persevering Stance

Conceal Presence 1

Sexual Stamina 2

"Ok, what the fuck is the numbers beside the skills mean?" Evain laughs loudly beside me as she closes the square.

"Skills have levels to them. If you use them enough, they can get stronger. You reached the second level in Sense Presence and Lightning Step, as well as reaching level three in Silent Activation because of the way you always seem to activate them." She turns her head to look up at me.

"I figured you would be more interested in the sexual stamina skill more than the levels." I shake my head as I lean back on the bench.

"Honestly, I just thought it was a joke you were playing on me." Evain shakes her head as she laughs.

"Not a joke, just a passive skill you managed to acquire. I want you to level it up just to see what happens." She stands up as she stretches her arms above her head.

"Are you ready to start training?" I look around, rolling my neck as I do.

"Now?" Evain nods her head as she offers me a hand up.

"No better time than the present. The sooner we start, the sooner we can finish. Time may move at my whim, but it is still going to take a long time for you to level up to an appropriate level." As she pulls me to my feet, I feel a pressure building in my chest. I raise my eyebrow at her as she smiles at me.

Before I can react, my body is flying through the air. I don't even have time to curse before I slam into the ground, rolling over and over again. Before I can get to my feet, Evain is in front of me again.

"What the fuck was that!?" Evain smiles down at me, her hand comes up as her eyes start to glow.

"Training." I force myself to roll as a blast of energy slams into the ground where I was just lying.

"The fuck! Are you trying to kill me!?" Evain smiles as I scramble to my feet.

"No, but there is always the possibility of death in real training. So make sure you don't die on me." When I barely dodge, her next attack she yells at me.

"You can't just dodge, Jim. You need to attack!" As I scramble to get away, my mind searches to come up with a plan.

Lightning step! Evain's eyes follow me as I race across the landscape. Of course, she would be able to follow me because why would this be easy? Temporal Grace! Lightning step! Using both skills at once causes a tugging sensation to form in my chest. I ignore it as my body charges towards Evain. I can see her moving, turning to meet my charge.

Her hand comes up and a bright blue glow spreads over her fingers. My body twists in mid-step to avoid the light approaching me. Somehow, the energy just misses me as my body connects with Evain's. The two of us tumble to the ground as Evain laughs loudly.

"I didn't expect you to be able to land a blow on me that easily. I can see we will have to step up your train….." She trails off as she stares into the mist again.

"What?" When I strain my eyes into the mist, I can't make out anything.

"The fuck is he doing here?" I turn my head back and forth between Evain and the spot in the mist.

"Who is it?" A slow clapping echoes out from the mist. When the clapping stops, there is a quiet measured set of footsteps moving closer towards us.

"Just a friend. One who can help, if you let me." Evain stiffens in my grip and starts to pull away. Something in me screams not to let her up, so I keep my grip on her. Then her elbow connects with my face, making the world turn black.

"I… don't care. You… my hero and expec… do you understand me!?" Etain sounds pissed, and my head feels like it's about to explode.

Note to self, don't let Evain hit you in the head again. As I shake my head, I use my arms to force my body upwards.

"I swear to you sister, I mean your hero no harm. I came only to offer to help. You know that he needs my help as much as yours. Are you really so stubborn that you would refuse my help because of a mistake?" The voice is male. I'm sure of that much, even if my ears are ringing.

"Can someone please explain what the fuck just happened?" My vision is still blurry as hell as Evain continues to argue with the man. The two seem to be ignoring me, or maybe they can't hear me.

"A mistake! That's what you call it? A mistake! You bound me to that spire, you expect me to just forget that!?" Well, that doesn't sound good. I'm forcing myself to my feet as a wave of energy washes over me and knocks me back down.

"I apologized for that already. How long are you going to hold a grudge?" I can feel a pressure building in the air again.

"That was ten minutes ago! Did you honestly expect me to just forget everything you did all because you said you were sorry!?"

Someone's pissed. I do my best to ignore the aches starting in my body as I push myself back to my feet. When I shake my head, this time my vision finally clears.

There standing beside Evain is a slim night elf. For a split second, I think it might be Tarril, which makes no sense. He turns to face me, smiling broadly. His face is slightly broader than Tarril's, his nose a little longer. It's his eyes that really stand out. Where Tarril and his grove have black eyes, this man's eyes shine a pale white instead.

"Sorry about the noise, James. I'm sure you know how Evain can be." His smile seems genuine enough, and he offers his hand to me. Before I can reach out to accept it, Evain is pulling me away.

"Don't touch my hero!" Evain forces her body between mine and the night elf. Her arms are spread wide like she is protecting me.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I mean him no harm? I'm here to help him to repay the favor that he did for me." I tilt my head at that, staring closely at the man in front of me.

What fucking favor is he talking about? The man shakes his head, smiling at me as Evain lets out a low growl at him.

"You saved three of my followers, and helped them make a fourth. I would say that I owe you at least enough help to cover that." His words cause me to stop and think for a second while Evain starts to yell again.

"LaMortan?" Evain pauses at my question, turning to face me slowly. The night elf bows slowly from his waist, keeping his face upturned and looking at me the whole time.

"At your service. Now, can we please wrap this up. We both know that we can barely keep him here long enough to teach him everything he will need to know. If we wait too long, his education and training will suffer." Evain turns back to LaMortan, still keeping herself in between him and me.

"Prove to me you mean him no harm, now!" LaMortan smiles at Evain which causes her to stiffen and press back against me.

"I thought you would never ask." He turns to face me and snaps his fingers in one motion. Evain spins around too fast for me to follow as she stares at me. After a long second, she lets out a sigh and turns back to LaMortan.

"I guess you are telling the truth after all." LaMortan nods his head as he takes a step closer to Evain and I.

"I would suggest you focus on magical training, while I will help him with armed combat. He may not have the muscle memory when he goes back to the world below, he will have the knowledge. It's the best that I can offer, besides what I already have." Evain is still watching him closely, but she is nodding her head along.

"Can someone please explain what the hell just happened? I mean you went from ready to kill him to accepting his help in seconds. What the fuck did he do?" Evain turns to face me again as LaMortan chuckles to himself.

"He gave you a boon, one I couldn't offer." At my confused look, LaMortan starts to explain.

"Think of it as a gift or a blessing, one time use only. As long as you have it, you can't be killed in one attack. If someone was to hit you with an attack, you will survive and have a chance to counter. Like I said it's a one time use, so make it count." Evain steps away from me as she continues to stare at LaMortan.

One time use protection against an insta kill? I can think of a few times that could have come in handy. Or wait, would it have worked against the goblins? I mean, it wasn't exactly one attack, but it was a single wave of goblins. While I'm pondering what LaMortan told me, the two begin to speak quietly. Before I manage to pull myself together, I realize they have both gone quiet.

"Wait, what's going on?" Evain and LaMortan are both staring at me calmly.

"While I am still angry at my brother, I have to admit he is one of the best to learn how to fight from. So we have come to an agreement about your training." A pair of blades form in LaMortan's hands and he tosses one to me. It's a perfect copy of the blade that was forged for me in Shevel.

"So what, I'm training with him first?" Evain's smile becomes evil looking as I turn to her. When she doesn't answer, I turn to LaMortan. "Right?" He doesn't respond either as he starts to smile.

"We don't have an endless amount of time to train you, so we are compressing your training schedule." When I turn to Evain, she is still smiling, but she is backing away slowly.

"Sooooo, that means?" LaMortan is starting to back away as well, swinging his own blade in a loose arc.

"That means you are going to be training with both of us simultaneously. Don't worry, we won't let you die here." Her voice has an almost playful tone to it, and I realize she is enjoying this. She may have been fighting LaMortan just a few minutes ago, but that all seems forgotten now.

"I'm not going to enjoy this am I?" LaMortan shakes his head as we start to circle each other.

"Few ever enjoy that which hardens them. Do you think the steel enjoys the heat of the forge? You are Evain's hero. You are her blade on the world. So we are going to forge you into what you are meant to be." He crosses the distance between us in an instant. The sound of our blades crashing together rings in my ears. I'm so focused on his attack, I don't see Evain's until it's too late.

"Fuck!" Once again, I'm flying through the air. When I hit the ground, LaMortan is on me before I can recover. His blade burns as he slices my limbs over and over.

Shockwave! My attack knocks him backwards and gives me a split second to scramble to my feet. Evain is launching another attack of some kind at me as my feet hit the ground. There is a split second where I could have dodged her attack, then LaMortan cuts off my escape. As I'm flying through the air again, my mind is racing to figure out a plan. When I hit the ground, the air feels like it's driven out of my lungs.

"Does all the training consist of shit like this?" My voice is barely a gasp as I try and force myself to my feet. I'm already sore. It was hard to breath, but it's getting easier by the second.

"No, as soon as you master this, we will start the hard part." At Evain's response, I let out a groan. At the same time, LaMortan slides a blade under my guard. I'm gasping as he pushes me away, my body healing as I fall. By the time I hit the ground, my wounds have closed, but the pain remains.

Fuck, I wonder if it's too late to change my mind about training. Evain laughs and nods her head yes, and I feel my heart sink in my chest.

Evain was right about time moving differently in the ethereal plane. It made it hard to judge how long I had been working on any one thing. It felt like days or weeks of getting pummeled by Evain and LaMortan. I never got tired. My body never slowed down, and I never felt the need to sleep.

At one point, Evain took a step back and let LaMortan instruct me alone. He walked me through countless forms with my sword. I repeated them over and over until each one was ingrained in my movements. He explained as he did the limits to what he was doing.

"It's your soul that is here, not your body. When you return, these forms will be ingrained in your soul. Your body will not know them like you do. You will have to repeat them all over again to build your muscle memory. Your soul will know when your movements are correct, so trust it." Then he proceeded to stab me in the kidneys, or where they would be. He explained that it was an example of why not to let my guard down, ever.

I quit trying to keep track of time after a while. Instead, I submerged myself in my studies, practicing with my sword and skills even when I was given a breather. When I asked about Thea and Shiva, Evain explained that to them it had only been an hour. She threw me across the landscape with an attack I never saw coming. It was a regular occurrence whenever I let my guard down around her.

All of their training seemed to have led up to this one moment. We moved from our usual sparring ground back to the spire. It's looming form is resting at my back as LaMortan and Evain circle me slowly.

"Remember, all you need to do is land an attack on either one of us." I still have to remind myself not to let my eyes follow them. Early on, I realized my eyes can trick me. If I trust them to show me where they are, they will have moved before I realize it.

Instead, I'm listening to the sensation of my body, the changes to the pressure around me. Sense Presence! Battle Tempo! By using my passive skill Sense Presence as an active skill, my mind is reading the presences of Evain and LaMortan. My body moves on its own as LaMortan's blade cuts through the air where I was. My body pivots on my left knee, and my right leg sweeps out at LaMortan, who dances away.

Mana Barrier! A shield of blue and white energy envelops me, blocking Evain's attack. At some point, Barrier leveled up and caused a split to the skill. The basic barrier was still effective against physical attacks, but I also had access to other forms of barrier. Mana Barrier did as its name said, blocking magic based attacks, I also had Spirit Barrier and Elemental Shield. Elemental Shield was weaker than Barrier itself, but it had the benefit of absorbing elemental based attacks, and funneling the energy back into me.

"Very good, but are you just going to defend all day?" Evain taunts me as she feints an attack on my weak side. I ignore her feint. Instead, I move to open as much distance between us as I can.

Dark Wave! The evolved form of Shockwave launches a blast of dark energy along a single direction. I could have used any element, but I know darkness makes Evain uneasy. When she pulls away from the attack, I move in quickly. Before my blade can make contact, LaMortan is in my way. The fierceness behind his blows drives me back, step after step.

Hmm. Can't go toe to toe with a God, not yet at least. Lightning steps! I break off from LaMortan, putting as much distance as I can between us. The three of us are circling each other again as we judge our next moves. I know that my next moves will decide what happens, if I pass or fail this challenge. I take a deep breath as I prepare myself mentally.

Temporal Grace! Lightning step! Persevering stance! Conceal Presence! Dark Wave! Mana Leech! By stacking my skills, I'm hoping to overwhelm their defenses. Mana leech is pulling any spare mana from the environment, fueling my skills and myself. If I was facing a mortal, it would pull the mana from them. Gods are apparently immune to it. Conceal presence allows me to move almost completely silent. Persevering stance was one that confused me for a long time, until I figured it out. It allows me to take a hit that would normally take me down and keep going. According to Evain, it was an added skill I gathered from the number of times I should have gone down and didn't. It was something in the way I didn't give up and stayed on my feet, combined with my mana formed it as a skill.

I'm moving so fast that I'm barely able to focus on what's around me. If I had to rely on just my eyes, there would be no way I could handle this strain. Instead, I'm focusing on the messages my body is receiving. LaMortan's blade passes within millimeters of my body as I move. I ignore him as I race towards Evain. If there is one thing I've learned, it's who the weak link is.

I have next to no hope of getting through LaMortan's guard. Evain is the one I need to focus my attacks on. Unfortunately for me, LaMortan and Evain both know the same thing. LaMortan appears directly between Evain and me, trying to force me back with wild blows. I meet his charge head on, nearly impaling myself on his blade as my body slips along its length.

Piercing Blow! The sword in LaMortan's hand shatters with the force of my blow. Before I can follow through, Evain hits me with a wall of magic energy. Once again I'm flying through the air, a position I'm almost getting used to. When I hit the ground, I'm laughing, which causes LaMortan to stop his wild charge at me.

"What do you find so humorous?" He tilts his head as I point my finger at him.

"I win." He pauses, lifting his hand to his lip to wipe away a single drop of blood.

"What?" LaMortan looks confused, but Evain is already laughing.

"You dropped your guard when I hit him with my attack. He saw that you did and managed to kick you in the face. He landed an attack on you, he wins." LaMortan stares at Evain for a long second before turning to me. His eyes seem to bore into me for a long moment before a grin spreads over his face.

"So he did." He reaches an arm down to help me up. I take his offered hand and pull myself to my feet.

"No hard feelings?" LaMortan shakes his head as he starts to laugh quietly.

"I can't remember the last time someone managed to land an attack on me. This has been a fun venture. Evain, I'll see you around." He nods to Evain as he starts to leave which leaves me confused. Just before he disappears, he turns back to look at me. "Watch out for my people. They put a lot of faith in you, so don't let them down." He is gone, swallowed up by the gently moving mist.

"Why did he leave?" Evain wraps her arm around my waist as I stare in the direction he walked off.

"Ava will be returning soon. She really doesn't like him most of the time. It was easier for him to leave for a while." A quiet barking reaches my ears, reminding me that Sarge came here with me.

"You told me time moves at the whim of the Gods here. Has time moved the same for Sarge as it has for me?" Evain leans her head against me as she lets out a low sigh.

"No, Sarge probably feels like he has been here for a couple of days." I nod my head as she speaks, knowing that it feels like I've been here longer. My mind wanders to the memories of Thea and Shiva. I feel a loneliness that I've been pushing down starting to rise up.

"So how long have I been here then?" Evain takes a deep breath, and her face screws up in concentration. I get the feeling she is thinking, or maybe calculating in her head.

"A little less than a year, give or take. It's kind of hard to be sure with LaMortan also adjusting time." The emptiness inside me seems to ache in my chest at her words.

"How long has it been for Thea and Shiva?" I feel Evain squeeze me tighter around my waist.

"Less than four hours. So they know something is going on, but they don't know what." I'm nodding my head as I remember the pain and suffering I have gone through here. My body shudders at the memory of my bones being broken again and again.

"I just want to see my Thea and Shiva again." Evain leads against me harder as I speak.

"You will be with them soon." We are silent for a second before she speaks again. "Have you decided what you are going to do?" I shrug my shoulders as I hear Sarge's barking get closer.

"I have, but I'm sure you already know." Evain shakes her head, turning her face up to look at me.

"No, it's hazy in my visions right now." I smile to myself, realizing that she is telling the truth.

"I guess you will have to wait and see too then, huh." Evain pouts, but doesn't say anything else as Sarge cones running up to me.

"Hey Sarge, did you have a good time? Huh, did you have a good time with Ava?" Sarge is trying to climb into my lap when I kneel down to get on his level.

"Boss, Ava taught me so much. She says that in time I'll be able to show you all I learned. What about you, boss? What did you and Evain talk about?" I laugh and ruffle Sarge's fur as he is still trying to knock me over.

"We had a long talk about a lot of things, boy. Nothing you need to worry about right now." Sarge eyes me closely, but doesn't say anything when I stand up. I know that he knows I'm lying, but he trusts me so he doesn't call me out.

"So does this mean it's time to go?" Evain and Ava both nod at me as Sarge presses against my side.

"Remember Jim, you are going to get a big backlash, but you will be alright." I nod my head as I feel a pull at my center.

"Jim, I have a gift for you too, but you won't get it until you get back. Sarge knows about it already, so if you are doubting it from me, just ask him." I tilt my head and start to ask Ava what she means, then the pulling gets stronger. It feels like I'm being pulled backwards through a pool. Before I can open my mouth to complain, I'm back in the chair in King Ekon's tent.

"Jim, your back!" Shiva practically pounces on me, knocking both of us into the floor. "King Ekon said it might be a while, but you were gone forever. Don't do that again. If you have to go back, take us with you, ok? It is seriously boring here without you." I tilt my head to look up at Thea who is trying not to laugh.

"So, Shiva seems a little more hyper than usual?" Thea nods her head as she pulls the two of us to our feet.

"So apparently someone in this camp has charth. Shiva remembered what you said about coffee, and how Vaunea said it was probably similar. So Shiva just had to try it. Turns out charth plus Shiva equals hyper cat girl." I can't help but smile as Shiva pulls herself closer into me. I wrap my free arm around Thea and pull her in closer. At this moment, all I want to do is be with these two. So of course, that's when my legs decide to give out.

"Fuck!" Shiva and Thea catch me before I completely collapse. I can see they are worried so I try to reassure them.

"Don't worry, it's just a little mana backlash. I knew it was coming, just not so soon." When I look around the room, I notice that we are alone again. "Where did King Ekon go?" Shiva pushes me over to the bed, pulling the covers back as she pushes me down into the covers.

"When you were in that trance for over an hour, he said he had to go. He promised he would return in the morning some time, but he has an invasion to plan." Thea is staring at me as she speaks, and I can feel her curiosity in the bridge. She pauses and tilts her head as she looks down at me.

"Jim?" I smile up at the blonde elf, holding a hand up to her.

"I know you can feel it, trust me it's nothing bad." Shiva looks at me confused, tilting her head as she does.

These two look cute when they do that. God I've fucking missed them. When they both continue to stare at me, I let out a long sigh.

"I spent a little time learning how to use my skills more effectively. Time moves differently there, so what was a few hours here was a lot longer there." I hold my arms out to both of them, motioning for them to lay down beside me. "So please, come here. I've missed you both so so much."

Shiva is the first to crack as she snuggles into my chest, a low purring noise escaping her chest. Thea glares at me for a long moment before laying down beside me slowly. She uses one hand to brush the hair away from my missing eye before leaning in to give me a kiss.

"Is that why your mana feels so different now?" I pull her in closer to me as my lips press firmly against hers.

"Yes. Now come here, you are still too far away." Thea raises her eyebrow as she glances down both of our bodies.

"The only way I can be closer is if I was on top of you like Shiva is." I smile as Shiva shifts to the side to make room for Thea.

"So, climb on. Shiva doesn't seem to mind." Thea lets out a low sigh, but slides over to lay on my chest beside Shiva.

"So what happened there?" Shiva's finger is tracing over my chest as she speaks. I sigh as I lean my head back into the pillow, not sure how to answer. I luck out because Sarge comes to my rescue.

"We met Evain, and then I met Ava. Ava and I spent a few days talking. She showed me how to use my skills better, and told me Evain was doing the same for boss." Thea turns her head to me as she raises her eyebrow.

"So you spent a couple days with another woman, huh?" I chuckle as Shiva leans up to look into my eyes too.

"Not like that, but kinda." Shiva opens her mouth to say something when Sarge cuts her off.

"Then Ava gave me this for Thea." I'm turning my head to look at Sarge when Thea gasps. When I turn back to her, her eyes are unfocused and staring into space.

"Thea?" She doesn't respond so I shake her gently. When she still doesn't respond I start to worry, sitting up in the bed as I pull her upright.

"Thea, can you hear me?" Her eyes are still unfocused as she turns to me.

"I told you I had a gift for you." It's not Thea's voice that passes her lips, but Ava's. Shiva starts to slide off the bed, but Sarge stops her.

"Don't worry, they will be ok." Thea's hand comes up to cup my missing eye's socket. I feel a warmth start under her hand that soon becomes painful. I bite back a scream as Thea calmly stares at me, a smile slowly forming on her face. The pain fades as she drops her hand, a smile forming on her lips.

"So that's how you do it." I'm blinking my eyes rapidly, wondering what she means when I understand. Somehow, I can only assume it's Ava, Thea has regrown my missing eye.

"Well shit, wasn't expecting that." Shiva grabs my face, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Can you see me out of both of them?" I smile as I close one eye then the other.

"Mmmm, yep, I can see you fine." When Shiva smiles, I pull free of her grip to lean in and kiss her.

"Now come on you two, let's lay down for a minute so I can catch my breath. Then I'm going to show you two how much I've missed you." Shiva giggles as she lays back in the bed beside me as Thea slides into the bed beside us.

"You know you have only been gone a few hours for us, right." I pull Thea closer as Shiva starts to squirm against me.

"Trust me when I say it was longer than that for me. Just let me hold you for a minute, then maybe more than hold after." Thea and Shiva don't seem to mind me holding them close, and their scent fills my nose as we lay in the bed. My mind is wandering to what I'm going to do, and I find myself worried that Thea won't forgive me.

Alexis, we need to talk soon. Not right now, but in a little while. There's a chance you might have to build your dungeon sooner than we thought. I feel a mental nod from Alexis as Thea leans in closer.

There will be time to think of all that later. For now, all I want to do is lay here with these two beautiful women. To just live in this moment for as long as I can. The bed dips as Sarge climbs on the bed, settling in at the foot of the bed.

All the people I care about are here. I have to keep them safe, no matter what. I pull Thea and Shiva closer even as Shiva squirms against me. Caffeine really does wire her up. I feel a smile tug at my lips as I try not to think of what's going to come later.

"Boss, why do you feel sad and happy? Is something wrong?" I smile down at Sarge as he stares up at me from the foot of the bed.

Don't worry about it, boy. It's just my mind wandering. I promise everything is ok. My stomach clenches with the lie and I have to force myself to smile.

Yeah, this is going to be a bitch.