Entering the black room teleports us into a normal-looking room. There are already some other participants waiting, and yet no one fights. It is also explained by someone from Melek's team who rushes in to congratulate us for passing the second game and tells us to wait until everyone is here.
A few recording drones zap around, and I swat one away like it is a fly. Then, with Vic, I head to one of the corners of this huge room where I create manablock chairs for the two of us to sit in.
I feel blood flowing from my wounds and pooling up on me, from the wounds Prince Kip caused and from some additional ones as we fought one more group. But it is only the ones caused by white lightning that heal so slowly. Lily's improved healing marks do much better than previously, and using a few of them even partially weakens the effect, but as of now, it can't push through it fully.
"You were careless, Natty." Vic uses my nickname, which she uses only when there are just the two of us.
Currently, we are not listened to, nor are we recorded, as I confirm. Her senses are quite good. As expected of my sister.
"I did not expect him to be a healer, Vic. I know the world is unfair, but both a wyvern bloodline that gives that weird lightning and him being a healer? That is too much. If it were just powerful regeneration, I would be more okay with it."
"That is just an excuse, Natty."
I sigh. "Yes, I was careless." But thinking of it, I say, "Do you think Lily could shoot a [Disintegration] beam out of her eyes as well? Or me? I bet I could make it so I could shoot thermal energy, use my eyes as reflectors. It would be difficult because of the trait I already have, but maybe? Or how about a third eye? Or maybe make it so I shoot it out of my mouth."
"Do whatever makes you happy." She pauses and looks at me, "Are you happy?"
"I am, Vic. I am here with you, so how could I not be?"
"It stays at 40 percent for a while longer, no matter what you say."
"Tsk."
She smiles just that tiniest, little, imperceptible bit. "I meant if you are happy with your group. You told me what happened to your bond and to your twin friends, so I wondered if you would not be happier not having to deal with it all."
"Even with all that happened, I wouldn't just leave it behind."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Good, but remember. Even if everyone is gone, if everything breaks, I will be here."
"I know, Vic. I trust you."
"Truly trust me?"
"What a dumb question."
With that, her smile becomes more noticeable, and she leans closer and squeezes my hand. "Then continue to trust me no matter what happens."
There are many questions that form in my mind, but looking into her eyes, I push them all away and nod.
Melek appears only once everyone is here, not as an illusion or projection, but in person. He walks onto a stage that rises up from the floor, smiling charmingly. Each of his steps is full of energy.
"Congratulations to everyone who has passed the game! For you, it might seem just a mere moment, a few clashes, but for our audience, it was a great show! And that is only as I talk about live streams. Once we get to editing, the finished product will be that much better. Oh, all of the emotions we will be able to get out of it!"
Barely anyone from the remaining participants reacts, as currently there are just around 50 or so of us left. I can't even tell if it's a high or low number.
Melek doesn't let it bother him at all. "But I have decided to change things. To spice them up a little and to hurry up ahead of schedule. I hope you don't mind… well, what am I saying, of course you don't mind."
He stops walking and straightens up with his mana rising up around him dangerously. "Let's say there were some changes and outside pressure that even someone like your favorite face of the Game has to adapt to. Oh yes, even someone like me." He shakes his head, but then, as if it were nothing, pulls all his mana back to him.
"You have one day. Rest, meet with your team, choose some nice clothing, as it might be the one some less lucky of you die in. In your place, I wouldn't rely on the Crescent Lifeline bracelet too much during the last game. Those fucks were one of the first ones to run away," Melek chuckles.
Coughing once and fixing his suit, he says, "Before the last event starts, you will be present at a dinner with all our precious spectators that have stayed, the most generous donors, and such who wanted to see you in person. Behave, be nice to them. Allow them to see up close the people they spent months watching before the Game and during it, and then... may the best one win as they wade through the blood of their opponents to claim the reward."
Selene is alone when we return to our room. Her colleagues are nowhere to be seen, and neither is the vyssari advice guy. There is also no sign of the promised new members of our team that should grow the deeper we go into the game.
It is just a panicked Selene, barely hiding her fear.
We learn she has stayed under the threats, and as soon as she is done with us, she will be gone. Like many rich or powerful people, she will be escaping this planet. Its Absolute is already gone, and so are all of the Champions and most of the organizers, leaving behind a skeleton crew to keep this Game running.
The rumors are spreading already, and soon panic will ensue as the rest of the population learns about the escapes. Just like Selene, they won't know why or for what reason, but they will try to escape, and apparently, not long after, a mass evacuation will ensue by creating portals to nearby moons or planets.
With Selene gone, it's just me and Vic. We didn’t keep the selari woman for too long, and with tears in her eyes, she thanked us while leaving quickly, with over 20 hours remaining before the last event.
I found a few recording devices in our room and on our clothes. There are also a few tracking marks, as well as the marks Selene applied on our heads while working on our haircuts.
There is no way she made them, as they are way, way too impressive. They are marks drawn onto her fingerprints, which she then pressed against our skulls when working on our hair. Some of them serve as tracking, while the others are much more sinister, though all of them are observed by me, and I will remove them in a few hours once I think Selene is off the planet.
We are being spied on, and so was she, so she couldn't warn us. It is possible she wouldn't warn us at all, but I don't judge her too harshly. There is a high chance she will still be killed to get rid of evidence, but there is nothing I can do about it.
I wonder when I will be strong enough to prevent these things from happening around me. When I can just notice it and then immediately find the perpetrator without caring for the consequences. A Champion? An Absolute? Someone like Lissandra?
For sure not, as I am currently even with all these changes.
The rest of the time I spend talking to Vic. Just the two of us in a single room. Though this one is much more luxurious, with a nicer view of the desert, an oasis, and buildings in the distance. We talk about useless stuff, though it's mostly her listening and me talking.
During that, I watch the sky and count the number of ships I see rise up and leave the planet. Later, mass teleportations happen all over the planet, releasing such a humongous amount of mana that I can sense them even from here.
"What do you think?" my sister asks me once there are just a few hours remaining, and someone knocks on our door.
"I feel rested," I answer.
She doesn't even try to check if it's true in my expression. When it comes to these things, we don't lie to each other, and there is absolute trust.
"Good, one hundred percent it is," she says, and standing up, I nod.
Both of us wear all black, simple yet beautiful clothes that manage to seem formal while casual at the same time. This time, a crown made of mana floats over my head, and both of my rolled-up sleeves reveal dense inscriptions I have drawn over my entire forearms with my blood, which stands out strikingly against my pale left arm.
We exit the room, and before its doors close, I glance in one last time, looking through the huge window to the desert outside and the many lines in the sky drawn by escaping ships. Then I open my status.
Name: Nathaniel Gwyn
Title: Absolute Candidate
Difficulty: Hell
Rank: S, Radiant Gold
Guild: Primordial Knights
Floor: 11 - Xyphos
Time left until forced return: 1y 231d 12h 30m 30s
Traits (3/3): Preeminence Eyes 2/5, Mana Vessel 1/3, Empyrean Ichor 3/5
Lvl 441
Strength: 375
Dexterity: 356
Constitution: 100
Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 2529 + 2529
Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane)
Sub-class: [Adept of Pride]
Active skills (9/10):
Focus - Lvl 83
Perception - Lvl 79
Redistribution - Lvl 81
Eclipse (Pride) - Lvl 74
Empyrean Lance - Lvl 59
Manifestation - Lvl 52
Weave - Lvl 32
Mana Manipulation - Lvl 84
Selective Adaptation - Lvl 19
Constructs:
Physical Fortification Matrix
Mana Flow Control
Mana Sovereignty Field
Kinetic Mana Heart
Sealed Ignition Heart (Partially Sealed, 1/3)
Combat Cognition Frame
High-Density Thought Network
Thermal Flux Controller
Passive skills (5/5):
Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane)
Mana Wave Predation (Unique Arcane)
Cognitive Hyperprocessing Vector (Low Pristine)
Adaptive Defense (Epic)
Heat Resonance Restoration (Low Pristine)
Tokens:
Send a single item to your disciple (up to epic rarity)
Beyond visitor token - 1 year (unlocked after tutorial)
Beyond 14 day stay token (x 24)
Two active skills combination token
Low Pristine Passive skill
Trait strengthening token (up to 2nd stage)
Shards: 10,881,116
Other than the skill level ups, there is one huge change to my body.
After evolving my Mana Physique to Mana Vessel, my mana stat grew as if the trait forced my body to change, or as a result of the clashes with the hyper-condensed mana of my ichor. Now the best stat is higher by 500 points, further doubled by my attribute upgrade.
Before the last game, we find ourselves, as Melek said, surrounded by spectators and other participants, all weaving together. Everyone talks to everyone, be it participants to participants or spectators to participants. Though there aren't that many of them here either, each that remains is either very powerful, likely has an escape plan, or straight up crazy.
My sister weaves into the crowd, talking to Yvaine, who introduces her to Ignis, who seems even more impressive than I saw him on screen. A combination of a tall, wild mora with the fact that he is also an Absolute and a vessel of the Ruler of Greed just seems more threatening in contrast to the friendly feylith Yvaine.
Meanwhile, I rest on the railing of a balcony that creates a huge crescent into the open desert. There is a place where a building and a hallway used to stand miles in the distance, but now that building is entirely gone, and just a small part of it remains. A piece of floor on which a pillar stands, and at the top of that pillar rests the Fragment of Starless Sky.
Just like that.
Adrian seems more relaxed than most as he joins my side, casually sipping on some sort of drink, and also looks toward the fragment.
I am sure he is mirroring my feelings and observing them, but who knows what he gets out of it all that leads him to say, "Have you heard of Project Sundial?"
"A little," I nod.
"Let's say I was always a fan." His eyes harden as he pours the drink over the balcony and watches it fall toward the sand while smiling. "But that's between us, for once the tutorial is over. For now, do your best. Do you want to hear some behind-the-scenes info?"
"You already know the answer."
"Obviously." He smiles and once again looks at the fragment. "The Fragment of Starless Sky appeared here ten days ago with a simple message to use it as a reward in the Game, with only the victor being able to decide what to do with it. Other than that, the message said that it cannot be moved or taken by anyone else."
"How interesting."
"Isn't it? There were Absolutes invited by this planet's Absolute that came to look at it, maybe even to take it for themselves. Yet no one did. Every one of them who saw it refused to even touch it and left this planet as quickly as possible."
Adrian takes a step back from the railing and walks away without saying anything else. I watch as he joins Envy, who greets him warmly, and, noticing my gaze, that lumoran waves at me.
Taking my eyes off him and Adrian, I turn back to the fragment in the distance.