"Ughh, it's so goddamn quiet! What is the point even? We're wasting manpower!" Complained a player, his race that of a wolfkin. His tail drooped in boredom.
He was especially bothered since he had skipped school to join in the fighting. Hoping to make some extra cash from the rewards and loot. Instead, his guild leader had sent him to observe the south, where the fighting was the least intense.
Standing atop the inner walls, it was clear that the outer wall had completely fallen or abandoned. No light was visible atop its distant silhouette. However, no signs of anyone moving were seen either. It was dead quiet.
Between the outer and inner wall, stood many fields and farms. The chaos behind the two players a seemingly distant thing. Unrelated to the peace across the fields.
"Is that really how you see it?" asked the player's companion, a draconian. His large frame suggested a wild nature, but he was leisurely resting against the crenelations of the wall, keeping his eyes wandering over the fields.
Sadly, the barrier's light acted against them on their watch. It blinded them to the outside night.
Near the inner wall was only grassland, with grazing animals—thought few remained close to the wall. They were just barely in sight. Should the enemy arrive from there, they should stir the animals.
Notice would be late, likely too late to rescue those at the gate. But it was the best option they had when they needed to douse so many fires.
"Do you actually expect the enemy to arrive from the south?" The wolfkin asked. They weren't even situated at the gate, where there currently was some fighting. Though its intensity was nothing compared to the north.
"Why else would they be attacking the gate?" his companion asked.
"To distract us and have the city divert manpower to an unimportant location!"
"And does it look like that is what is happening?"
"Well..." The wolfkin player faltered. The number of soldiers directed to the south was just enough to handle the enemy.
When more enemies arrived, reinforcements followed like clockwork. The guild chats were a flurry of messages as everyone reported their encounters. Helping the city keep track of everything in the chaos.
Whoever was filtering the chaos that was all those messages was doing a superb job.
"Still, only one of us would have been enough. Since you don't seem to mind standing her, Paw, why don't I go — What?"
"Look, doesn't their movements seem strange to you?"
"Huh?" Turning to look at the fields, the wolfkin failed to see anything strange. Until a wave of enemies suddenly appeared from the dark. "What? How the hell did they—" He fell to the side, an arrow lodged in his head.
Paw ducked behind the cover of the wall's battlements and immediately reported the arrival of enemies. Taking a peek a few seconds later to confirm their numbers before moving away. Knowing that staying alive and sharing information was the most important thing he could do.
—
"Stop shaking me." Eldrian moaned, turning to his side to stay asleep. Only to have himself drenched in water. "What the hell's your—huh?"
"About time you woke." Two grumbled, "We have a guest."
Turning to the side, Eldrian saw a young female. His foggy mind slowly coming together and recalling who this was. "What's she doing here?"
"She wanted to talk, so I let her in."
"Just like that?" Eldrian grumbled, having thought they would be wary of the AI since the entire tournament debacle.
"Just like that." Two confirmed. His serious tone making Eldrian accept it and move on. Though he really wanted to ask why Two was so confident they could trust Ziraili.
"I believe you will understand once I explain things..." Ziraili paused. "I do not intend to keep anything from you. If you wish, I will even answer your questions without holding back."
"What? Seriously? Why?" From surprise to caution, Eldrian stared at Ziraili. "And why aren't you a wisp?"
"Is that really—nevermind... I'm not in my wisp form since your soul has developed much since last I visited."
"Why does that matter?"
Turning to Two, Ziraili appeared confused. "He doesn't know?"
"He doesn't have a clue about this. I was going to update him tonight, but then..."
"Right, the current situation. Well, that is partly why I am here." Ziraili nodded. "Luckily, you acted much more cautiously than before. Though—"
"There were no warnings about bringing a magic crystal out in a magic tower!" Eldrian countered. He hadn't even done it on purpose. He had done it without thinking, honestly. Wait, is that better or worse?'
During his fight with Zaphreal, Eldrian had learned that the elements of aspects -as his quest put it- were not so easy to use. And they were much more stable than he had imagined. Thus, he hadn't thought there'd be any danger in taking out the crystal.
"That's true. There are no warnings." Two backed Eldrian up. "But... I doubt anyone would have access to a magic crystal without being informed. We're probably the only exception, thanks to Ashliel gifting it to us without much thought."
"You're right." Ziraili commented, "And it's not like we can expect her to warn you. Her fate is a terrible one..."
"Indeed." Two and Eldrian echoed one another. Her story was a truly terrible one. Immortality was more a curse than anything. Especially when it is limited to only you.
Her best bet might have been to go and live with the elves. Actually, now that Eldrian thought about it, he was shocked she hadn't.
"You'll answer all my questions?" Eldrian confirmed after a moment of silence.
'This has become quite cliche, but I don't think they will find it funny if I mention it now.' Eldrian thought as his mind spun to think of appropriate questions to ask.
He had planned to contact Ziraili after talking with Two. However, he had yet to formulate all the questions he had.
"I'm curious what you meant about my soul developing, but I guess Two can fill me in later. My most pressing issue is the contract."
Zipping them to the location where they had imprisoned the contract's energy with the lich's lifeforce, Eldrian asked, "What exactly is a magic contract and is it... contained?"
Ziraili seemed shocked for a moment, looking around at the empty void-like space they were now in. She looked towards Two questioningly, as if he might have the answers to what had just happened. However, she could not bring herself to ask.
Instead, she focused on answering Eldrian's question. "A magic contract is one signed with magic. Depending on the form it takes, it can have varying outcomes and limitations. This contract was a soul bound contract, enforced to ensure no matter the realm, the signed will always have to obey what they had agreed to."
"Then... can I believe in it?" Eldrian asked.
This was, after all, the biggest concern he currently had. And was why he had not yet returned to meet with his family, or at least meet up with Jen. During the past week, he had gotten a new phone and contacted his sister.
For the moment, he was still unsure if he should contact his parent. Jen had decided against informing their parents that Eldrian was still alive. Having thought clueing them in would be too dangerous. Never knowing when she was being observed or not.
Of course, if they had followed the recent tournament, they would have seen Eldrian. But they did not. They despised everything to do with the company that had led to their son's suicide.
Luckily, according to Jen, his faked death had not caused them to fall apart. It had been rough the first couple of months, but now, nearly a year later, they were mostly back to their normal lives. 'I don't know if I even want to tell them...'
Afraid it might just throw them into chaos and pain, Eldrian felt content having his parents continue living as if he was dead. Though a part of him felt sad and another terrible for deceiving them, he believed it might be for the best.
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