Mathew finished climbing the stairs to the…well he honestly lost count of how many sets of stairs they had climbed. After fifty he stopped caring. When the risk of an ambush on any floor kept you on edge, little things like that stopped mattering.

Since the last ambush, only a few more minor fights broke out. Small groups of guards or the random single servant that was captured. Several tried various questioning methods, with none working.

Twice the elves had killed themselves before anyone could ask any questions. Those that didn’t kill themselves gave nothing all the way up to their deaths. If Mathew could say anything, it was the elves were loyal till death.

Everyone continued to stay on edge, but Mathew was starting to wonder when the next challenge would appear. He remembered his time in the Lost Soul’s Dungeon. They had several defenders ready to protect the Dungeon Core. This was an Apprentice Dungeon as well, so where were the other defenders?

The one blessing was the constant fights were leveling everyone up. Mathew had gained only two levels since he started to help fight, but others were claiming to have gained upwards of six and seven. The level difference was a huge factor in the massive difference.

If he were to guess, everyone who left this Dungeon would be the main defense core of Blue Oaks. These people hardened together through this trial of near death.

He glanced over at Cherry who was sitting on top of Jeffery. Her low physical stats made it impossible for her to keep up with everyone else. So Agnox gave up his favorite spot to the Dryad to help her out.

One or two others were having problems continuing the climb. People were helping out where they could, offering to carry supplies or outright carry people on their backs.

They climbed yet another set of stairs to end up in a unique room. Two things were immediately noticeable. Firstly, there were no doors to any branches. Every floor had at least one branch way connected to it so far, this was the first with none on it. Secondly, there were no other sets of stairs, only the one set that led back the way they just came.

“Are you kidding me? This is the top? There is nothing here! Just a large empty room with a few magical lights. No Dungeon Core, no chairs or tables, no random storage junk, fucking nothing!” Someone shouted in anger.

Others were complaining with one guy near Mathew muttering, “It’s the perfect trap.” He saw the man look back at the stairs to see that nothing happen to them.

Mathew himself also was worried that it was a trap. Yet, he saw nothing. Just before anyone suggested to start climbing back down two figures shimmered into existence up in the air above them.

They were both similar in body shape, but Mathew could see the minor differences in the gender of the elves by this point. The woman wore a long flowing white dress. Her hair was cut just below her shoulders, letting it flow freely. The dress moved as if it was ruffled by a slight breeze. Hovering just beside her was a green gnarled staff. At the top was an orange glowing stone.

Next to her was the male figure. He sported a set of cloth and leather robes, not that different from Mathew’s own in design. His own were much more extravagant and flowy, while the robe belonging to the elf was slimmer and blander in its green color.

Before anyone could fire a single attack the woman spoke. “Hello, intruders. My name is Lady Vernus, and beside me is my cousin Ser Bavnus. Before you attack, know we have a wind barrier surrounding us, any attacks will be rebuffed and thrown back among you, possibly harming any of your allies in the process.”

That didn’t stop the more aggressive fighters. Five various attacks were thrown in their direction, one even coming from Agnox himself. All five were bounced back off an invisible barrier and true to her word they did return back to their small army.

“Told you so.” the lady giggled. “Before you continue to show how stupid you humans are, I am here to deliver a final chance to surrender. Swear your allegiance to the Feathered Halo and Lord Luvenar. In return, you will not die here today.”

“Get down here and fight us! Nobody is going to join you guys!” Someone shouted.

“Really? Why do bad guys always have to do this bit.” Another woman shouted, pretending to yawn.

“None of us are going to be slaves anymore! Keith was an idiot, we didn’t even want him to be in charge!”

More banter was thrown their way by the Blue Oaks group. Mathew was mixed with feelings of pride as well as grimacing at more video game and fantasy book references.

The woman shrugged once the banter died down. “Fine, Lord Luvenar has grown bored of your slow climb up his Dungeon. So he established a final challenge to finish you all off. If any of you survive, know that you have gained his lowest form of respect that is reserved for slaves.”

As she finished, she reached out and grabbed her staff. Mathew didn’t like the feeling that was growing in his gut. She looked exactly at him in the eyes and her voice grew in power. “By Lord Luvenar’s decree, I order you all to fight amongst yourselves.”

Mathew didn’t have a chance to panic at the words as he heard the words. If he were to compare Keith’s power to this woman's, it was comparing a pebble to a skyscraper. It took him over before he had even a chance to try and fight it, smashing into his mind and soul.

The last thing he saw was a mix of red and blue as he aimed his rod at the closest person and fired a [Mana Bolt] into their head point blank.

“Oh? Look who decided to pay us a visit!” The cold words of Doozkora woke Mathew up. Gone was the wooden room and everyone he was fighting with inside the Elven Dungeon.

Instead, he was at the familiar sight of his own mind. In front of him was the bastardized version of his own image. Grotesque monster parts grew out of him. Tentacles, canine legs, a feathered wing that was sistered with a leathery wing. It was the most horrible-looking chimera one could imagine.

“Doozkora, I don’t have time to deal with you.” Mathew already pulled at his Axiom’s, ready to try and force himself awake to try and stop himself from killing everyone.

The grey void they were standing in had a few random boxes of his memories in them. None of them were nearby to reach. He wouldn’t need them this time. “If this was any other day, I would be already trying to kill you. You fucking horrible bitch. Marking me! Thinking you can take my body! AGH! WHY ARE YOU HERE!”

“Mathew my favorite human. We’ve always been here. Ever since you bound yourself to our soul, We’ve never left you. One might say we are linked forever. Besides, We didn’t bring you here, you came here of your own choice.”

His anger at the whole situation was driving him. He wasn’t going to banter with her. He pulled his Axiom of Bolster into his fists and jumped forward. His fist sailed right through Doozkora as if she was made of mist.

He turned around, changing to his Axiom of Piercing, and tried to connect with the chimera-looking figure. Each attack caused the parts he hit to turn into black mist and reconnect as if nothing happened.

“You are truly an idiot Mathew. What makes you think you can get rid of us? We are Doozkora. We have always gotten what we wanted. Even if we have to wait a hundred years. A thousand years. A millennium, we have always gotten what we want.”

“I don’t fucking care! You are not taking my body, I would kill myself before then! Yet, I won’t have to do that. I’m going to get rid of you, right after I wake up and take care of more important problems.”

“You know there is a way to gain power.” Doozkora started to pace slowly around Mathew, “We’ve given you what you need. Simply use the ritual. Give in to your greed and absorb your summons. With their power combined with yours, you could fight anyone. Soon you could be on par with when I first started my Path. Become an even more delicious addition to us.”

Mathew’s eyes widened with the realization “That was you? Were you the ones influencing my mind? Making me do things differently?”

“Mathew, I told you. We are linked. Connected. I’ve always been here helping you along your journey to power. Look how strong you’ve gotten on your own. You don’t need Blue Oaks. You don’t need your summons, at least not physically. Absorb them. Add their souls to your own and repair yourself faster. Gain new power!”

There was a silence that remained as Mathew’s face grew dark. His hands clenched into fists. “You come into my body. You’ve controlled me?”

He stopped caring about what was happening in the real world at that moment. His understanding of everything came to a crashing halt. A single memory came crashing into the forefront of his mind.

Fate Marked - Your fate is outside of your control

“Nobody tells me what to do.” Mathew said as he stared back at the monstrous version of himself.

“My parents tried that, and I made my own way in life before The System showed up. When The System came into my life, I gave up everything and chose to be useful. To get power for me. No cheating. No killing others people because it was easy and free experience for levels. I didn’t give up my humanity and I didn’t rely on others.”

The grey void around Mathew and Doozkora pulsed with a blue light. Neither of them seemed to notice it though. “I acquired leadership of Blue Oaks through less than honorable means, but I have grown to be not only a leader that was needed but one that was proud of themself! I am someone who chose to do that, NOBODY ELSE DECIDED THAT FOR ME BUT ME!”

Mathew looked up at Doozkora, his eyes met the monstrous version of his own. “Not The System. Not you. Not the Gods. Nobody chose this path but me. I am the only person who can say what I do. I have taken advice, input, and suggestions, but nobody does anything for me but me.”

Doozkora looked around as the grey void was pulsing more with the blue light. “You think you have any control of your own life? That’s pathetic. There is always someone stronger than you manipulating everything. Even that Elven Lord has made you play his game in his own Dungeon. Leading you into a trap so you kill all your people. You can’t do this alone Mathew. Simply accept your predestined fate. It is absolute. You can not fight it.”

“You are right. I can’t do it alone.” Mathew said with a grin. “That’s why I am a Summoner. When I need help I will call upon it. However, that does not mean I am weak. I am Mathew McGonald. It’s my body, my soul, and my mind. Here and you belong to me, not the other way around.”

“Ha! Do you think we belong to you? I am Doozkora! A loyal servant of The Black King! We belong to nobody but him!”

Mathew shook his head. He remembered something else from when he saw that blue screen with red text. “You’ve made two wrong statements.” Mathew held up two fingers, “First, you are in my body. Attached to my soul. Both Agnox and Cherry understand that I am the one who is in control of this relationship. Agnox is my loyal knight in flaming armor. He is willing to die for me.”

“Cherry on the other hand is still adjusting to me, just like I am to her. But one thing is for sure, she is a kind-spirited dryad who only wants to help others become a better version of themselves.”

“For yourself, I’m going kill you, because I can do whatever I want to those that I have power over. The other thing is you are not Doozkora. I have no idea who you are, but if we are linked, then you are not her. You are a fragment of her.”

“Really? Do we belong to you? Doozkora belongs to nobody!” Doozkora raised her limbs up and laughed.

Mathew shook his head, “You used to be a part of Doozkora, but now you are a part of me. You reside inside of my soul, perfectly linked together. Which means this isn’t my mind as I thought it was.”

The pulsing blue light had grown to a constant rapid pace. Mathew looked around. “This is my soul. I’m not stuck in here with you. You are trapped in my soul. I am simply visiting. So Doozkora, or whoever you are, I realize that you have been tricking me. Deceiving me. You’ve said my fate is predetermined? Do you think whatever path in life I was given is absolute? No, I’M THE ONE WHO IS ABSOLUTE. I HAVE CONTROL OVER MY OWN LIFE, NOT ANYONE ELSE!”

Mathew felt a wave of energy wash over him as he temporarily went blind from the light that surrounded everything. In it were six distinct feelings. Each one corresponded with his Axioms. He didn’t know why, but for the briefest of moments, each one resonated at the same exact time within him.

At that moment, he understood the truth meaning of his Path. One that he would walk not alone, but one that he would create himself with his summons.