Why? Why would Nia ask for help finding Inopsy, and for us to go to Okeria for that help at that point in time? Not us specifically, I suppose, but whoever she recorded that message for. It couldn’t have been for Keratily. Right?

“If it doesn’t exist, then how did Nia record two separate videos from there?” I asked, completely unsure what anything The End had just revealed meant. “It seemed all wrong just from watching it, but what does it mean?”

The End shook its head in frustration. “I could not tell you. The simple fact remains that this ‘hazard’ existed when Persephonia recorded the first part of this lesson, and it existed once more when she spliced it together. Yet Inopsy was very much accounted for when the second part was recorded from what you’ve been told, so… I truly do not know to what end Persephonia spliced this recording. But it must have something to do with Endra; of that I’m sure.”

I wasn’t quite as sure as The End, but I didn’t have any better explanations.

Jun, however, wasn’t quite as convinced. “I don’t know; three weeks before I came to the all-world was still long before Seb’s people were sent here. If Endra’s plan needed humanity to come to fruition, and nobody knew they were coming, then why would Nia have any reason to record that?”

“...A good point that I had overlooked.” The End admitted. “Which might prove that I had been chasing a shadow this entire time, instead of looking for what cast it. I might need to speak with more of the Staura Embodiments to arrive at the bottom of this.”

The End could do that? Just… call on the Embodiments to know what they were doing? That might be a good way to tell who was working with Endra, then. Which also raised one question I hadn’t even bothered wondering.

“Where do the Embodiments exist if they can’t go to the all-world?”

“Oh, that’s simple. There is a… how should I put it… an extremely large hazard where all of the Embodiments reside. Inside of that hazard, the Embodiments live their everyday lives, unable to leave as they would cause massive harm to the all-world.” The End explained. “They form social circles, usually within their own species, and always avoid their same-Embodiment counterparts from different species for obvious reasons.”

“Sounds lonely.” Jun commented. “So what’s it like? Is it all… ethereal and serene, or is it like everywhere else in existence?”

“It is ethereal, serene, chaotic and cacophonic.” The End chuckled. “Just because an Embodiment is affiliated with a normally positive term, such as ‘endurance’ or ‘affection’, it does not mean they will only have the kind aspects of that term. Endurance of oneself can come at the cost of others, as Endra proved with Persephonia. Affection can turn to a particular type of obsession. And the inverse is true as well; ‘obsession’, ‘paranoia’, ‘addiction’. All of these are inherently seen as negative terms, yet their Embodiments are both sides of the coin. Recovery from addiction. Understanding that obsession leads to ruin. And seeing where paranoia is necessary, or where it is truly unneeded.”

The End stared at me for that entire time. It was speaking about itself, too, in those comparisons. Something I understood all too well.

“The real show of an Embodiment’s beliefs come in who they take as their chosen.” The End continued with a sort of… melancholy in its voice. “Addia takes in those who struggle with an addiction or another, providing a sort of ‘family’ where they can work through their sufferings together. Endra chooses those who survived through horrible events, and offers nothing in return. Then there is the process of choosing; is it voluntary, or is it ‘bestowed’ upon someone? And was that bestowal in a moment of need, such as when I took in Sebastian, or was it sneaking through a crack and exploiting a moment of weakness, as Endra took Persephonia?”

Everything shifted in an instant, and suddenly we were all sitting around a round table the size you’d find in an apartment kitchen. My knees just barely had enough room to not touch Jun’s, but she shifted to touch me anyway.

The End didn’t seem finished, just pausing to think. It was… strange… looking at what I assumed was the strongest thinking thing in existence across a kitchen table. It almost felt normal, no matter how fucked up that sounded.

“When I felt you, Sebastian, I didn’t have time to think. I don’t regret what I did, and I know you don’t hold any hatred for me. That is not the same for the rest of the Embodiments and their chosen. I have known Embodiments who loved their chosen like their own children, and I have known those who threw their chosen away like cheap toys.” The End said somberly, lacing its skeletal fingers together and resting its elbows on the white table. “And do you know what the two halves had in common?”

It looked around, as if asking us to voice our thoughts. When neither Jun nor Mortician spoke up, I took the initiative.

“The more powerful Embodiments love their chosen, while the weaker ones use them?” I guessed.

The End didn’t give anything away with its body language. “An interesting theory. Juniper? Do you have any thoughts?”

Jun pulled her lips tight and slowly shook her head. “I can’t really think of anything. But if I had to guess… maybe it's based on what they’re embodying? I have a feeling a human Embodiment of endurance would be a lot different than our Staura one, so maybe that’s it?”

“Yet another interesting thought. Yet also incorrect.” The End revealed, then turned to Mortician. “Mortician. Why don’t you enlighten Sebastian and Juniper of the reality of the situation?”

Mortician nodded, but didn’t speak right away. They took a deep breath, as if unsure of themself, before eventually speaking softly. “It doesn’t matter. Every Embodiment is different. There is no connection, no constant, no unifying factor. It doesn’t make sense.”

“No. It doesn’t.” The End said gently. “You can’t think of the Embodiments as above emotions, or flawed reasoning, or their own desires. They are just like the people they manifested from. For better, and for worse.”

My eyebrows rose as I understood what The End was getting at. There wasn’t some catch-all strategy for dealing with an Embodiment. They weren’t bosses created to be defeated, or one-note things who only acted on the thing they embodied. Endra would do things that didn’t make sense. Endra would go against ‘endurance’ if she needed to. And, almost certainly, she’d have dissension in her ranks.

“Okeria can look into that.” I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair while I stared at The End. “But that’s not enough. We need to find an Embodiment that can kill Endra. Which means we need to find humanity.”

That didn’t seem to sit well with The End. “Unfortunately, Humanity is currently under an isolation order for their own protection. The only possible way for you to interact with them would be for one of them to leave the protected lands on their own volition, then take your messages back with them.”

“But… I’m human.” I argued, albeit weakly. “Shouldn’t I be allowed into human territory?”

The End shook its head sadly. “Because of the system’s peculiarities, it did not designate ‘humanity’ as those allowed into the protected lands. Instead, it worked in reverse; those that were initially transported into the protected lands were given the ability to traverse the borders.”

“Damn.” I breathed, reaching for Jun’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “So what now, then? We either wait out the isolation order, wait to find a human who doesn't want to stay safe, or try to convince one of the other species’ endurance Embodiments to help us. None of those sound like something we can actually do anything about.”

Jun nodded in agreement. “It looks like we’re stuck waiting and doing damage control, then. Okeria can search the all-world, and The End can keep an eye on all the Embodiments to know who decides to come down and follow Endra’s lead.”

“Exactly.” The End vigorously agreed. “You need to focus on making connections, training your bodies and cores, and strengthening your gear. I can offer as much information as I have on core upgrading and evolution, but I unfortunately can’t give you any materials or weapons to take back with you. Your inventories simply won’t accept them.”

“Then that can be our job!” Mortician interjected excitedly. “The abilities of our core are locked behind the specific memories pertaining to the powers of the slyk titans and the fourteenth Celaura god, but at the moment, we have access to that of the golden forge!”

Everyone stared blankly at Mortician as they didn’t elaborate. “Mortician, what do you mean by that?” The End eventually asked. “A ‘golden forge’ sounds dangerously close to Sebastian’s core function.”

“Oh, no, we can’t make full items as Sebastian can. But we can reproduce any materials as long as we have sampled them once. Metals, gemstones, bones and herbs; we can create anything. It is necessary for the other function of our core, otherwise we would never be able to gift Sebastian and Juniper the consumable treasures they deserve.” Mortician explained, which only led to more questions.

Such as: “What’s the other function of your core?”

Mortician looked at Jun expectantly, but Jun just shook her head in confusion. “I know you can give us things that… well… do things. And they’re consumable. So you can make more of them, so you can use more of them. Right?”

“Yes! That is one of the three functions of our core. The third of which is a sort of… collage of precious gemstones that provides us with differing effects depending on which stones we use.” Mortician said happily. “It would take too long to explain it fully, but know that the information on it is stored in the Ossuary’s archives!”

“Uh. Okay.” Jun said hesitantly. She turned to The End for her next question. “So why are some cores way, way more complicated than others? Mine is pretty simple compared to… well…”

Jun gestured at me and Mortician for emphasis.

The End made a sound like clearing its throat. “That was another of the points I wanted to touch on. Cores are obviously the most important part of a person’s existence on the all-world, and the knowledge people have of them is… strangely minimal. They separate them into two groups: common cores, which can be possessed by multiple people, and unique cores, which are only ever possessed by one person. The truth is far more complicated.”

“Static cores and volatile cores. Unique cores and common cores. Inward and outward cores. Creation, manipulation, and infusion cores. Those are just some of the groups of designations, but within those groups are quite a fair number of unique variables.” The End held up two fingers, then four, and finally called up countless ribbons to float around them. “Static cores do not change; only the bearer’s skill and imagination do. Volatile cores evolve along with their bearers. I just told you what unique and common cores are, and ‘inward’ and ‘outward’ cores are fairly self-explanatory. And corrupted cores are complete outsiders to all of these.”

I held a hand over where my heart had been, and where a vortex now raged.

“A corrupted core is not constrained by anything. It will evolve as it wishes, suddenly gain abilities that are from completely different groups, and usually have a specific function that fundamentally alters something. A… permanent alteration, if you will.” The End said seriously. “No other cores have truly permanent effects. They may create something, but that thing already existed. A metal. Water. You see what I mean. But Sebastian’s core creates something that did not exist. Mortician’s core forced a change on Juniper’s core that was not possible. And, once Juniper gains the ability to do so, I believe that she will be able to permanently alter something’s ‘number’. To what extent, and on what, I can only speculate. But know that you three have cores that can permanently alter the world around you.”

“And you will only get stronger.”