Grandmaster Alder tried and failed on many occasions, to convene the Telic order council. In his entire life, all the council members were together in one place, just handful of times. So, he wondered about the affect the horn would have, or if they’d grown more complacent than he originally thought. As he rose around the winding and twisting stone stairway, his wonder subsided into familiar comfort and amusement from the voice he heard, and who it was directed at. It was just like old times! “Just a bit more serious than usual!” He thought out loud with a smirk.

The two young Telic warriors that briefly escorted the GrandMaster remained at the door, at the base of the stairs, that led to the Telic order councils sanctum, keeping guard so that no one not permitted to hear could get close enough to eavesdrop. At the top of those stairs, through an ancient doorway, bordered with pristine elven sculpting that gave homage to the council and its importance; with an image of the very first time, it was initially convened, GrandMaster Alder could see Gar leaning against the wall. Next to, and between Gar and the elevated council members, was a massive archway type window, sealed with stained elven glass that reflected the sun’s light gently throughout the room. Giving an otherwise cold decor, warmth. The sun’s light gleamed off the base of a stone block the council seats sat on top of, that was slightly taller than the average height of a Telic elf. Every member of the council was already present, and standing in front of their respective seats. Behind them, carved into the wall, another impressive sculptor of one of the founding members of the Telic order, a Guardian of Old, Kavarious-Lan. Beneath him, his famous words of wisdom and the Telic orders mantra:

“Illuminate the heart, the body, the mind, and the soul!

Protect the order, the way, the balance, the planet

And

Existence!”

    “Na- Ma- ste!”

“The beauty of my soul’s existence recognizes the beauty of all souls existence!”

The council was peering down at Gar, leaned against the wall. His arms and legs were crossed, and he was looking down shaking his head, shoulders slumped in indifference and annoyance. His jet black dreads were tied back behind his head in a long tail that rested on his slumped shoulder to the left and fell across the front of his folded arms. The weighted caps at the end of each dreadlock matched the complexion of his golden brown melanated skin that painted his squared muscular face. Gars large, round, and dark brown eyes usually lite the world up with wonder, but currently, they were stressed in vexation. 

An all too familiar scene for GrandMaster Alder, but Gar’s body language also conveyed very loudly with increasing irritation, that a certain and usual council member, because Gar was the one who’d sounded the horn, was missing the point. As GrandMaster Alder stepped through the doorway, that usual member of the council wasted no time.

“GrandMaster Alder! Your pupil is out of control! I will have him answer, severely, this time! The horn of Telic is no joke!”

GrandMaster Alder didn’t remove the smirk from his face before he responded.

“Supreme GrandMaster Bone I assure you if Gar has sounded the horn of Telic, then he must have a good reason! Have you asked……”

Gar quickly spoke, making eye contact with GrandMaster Alder.

“No! They or I should say, he, will barely let me speak!”

“He?”

SGM Bone felt disrespected but wasn’t at all surprised by Garbanzo’s lack of it. GM Alder could see that all five members of the council would not be appeased, by his normal token scolding of Garbanzo. This time, it was serious and if this really was just another prank, there would be serious consequences. That thought only lasted for a second. GM Alder knew Gar was smarter than SGM Bone was given him credit for. He definitely sounded the horn for a legitimate reason.

“What reason could he possibly have to sound the Telic horn?”

SGM Bone paused only for a second, before responding himself.

“None, none whatsoever!”

SGM Bone always answered his own questions, much to the dismay and irritation of GM Alder, Gar, and the rest of the council. Even further, “none, none whatsoever”, was like, “his catchphrase or something”, Gar thought to himself on more than one occasion. So, Gar was ready for it and mocked SGM Bone word for word. His impersonation was spot on too. GM Alder and the other four council members barely tried holding back their laughter, that now filled the room. Even SGM Farro had managed to crack a slight smile, which was highly unusual. SGM Bone was furious!

“That is it! I will have you removed from the order this time! Not only do you lack discipline! You lack respect, and what have you done since joining the order? Nothing, nothing whatsoever!”

Gar interjected for a moment, under his breath but loud enough to be heard.

“Well, that’s new!”

Again, GM Alder and the other council members failed to restrain their laughter. SGM Farro unbelievably had a full blown smile for just a second, before returning his face back to its normal state. SGM Bone, after looking around the room in embarrassment, raised his voice louder, more angry and annoyed.

“You haven’t cleansed any wayward shadows, and of all the Telic warriors in your unit, you are the weakest!”

The council grew serious again! SGM Bone was over the top, and perhaps reacting hastily, but he wasn’t wrong. As far as the council, and the rest of the order knew, Gar hadn’t cleansed any wayward shadows worth noting and was generally viewed as the weakest warrior in his unit. Some even whispered he was the weakest in the entire order and had only been allowed to join, because of who his grandfather was. Again, under his breath, Gar muttered the reason why. This time only loud enough for GM Alder to hear.

“Because I always hold back.”

“Did you say something?” SGM Bone snapped back!

“Because I always hold back!” Gar raised his voice this time, to the surprise of SGM Bone, the rest of the council, and GM Alder.

SGM Bone was the one who couldn’t hold back his laughter this time, before speaking in a sarcastic tone.

“Holding back? You mean you’re a lot stronger than you seem, or than you’ve shown? Ha! Ha! Ha! I get it now, your aim is to lighten the mood of the entire council, so that your punishment won’t be so severe! Well congratulations, you’ve certainly managed to tickle my intrigue, slightly!”

GM Alder had noticed that despite Gar lightening up the mood of the council, it hadn’t lightened up his own. Something was off, Gar didn’t react at all to SGM Bones threat of expulsion from the order. The order was everything to Gar! GM Alder realized that his pupil didn’t need his GrandMaster, nor teacher at the moment.

“Is something troubling you, young master?”

The council was taken aback by two things, Gar, only one. The council members had never seen GM Alder talk this way, and quickly realized that they were no longer watching and listening to a GrandMaster speak to his pupil, but a grandfather speak to his grandson. They also, like Gar, wondered why he referred to Gar as a young master, specifically SGM Bone, who’d huffed at the idea, before jumping back in the conversation.

“What reason could you have to hold back?”

GM Alder, sensing where this was about to go, jumped back in himself, not giving SGM Bone an opportunity to answer his own question.

“What’s happened, my grandson?”

The council now heard the extreme concern being expressed from GM Alders heart. SGM Bone annoyed he’d been interrupted, tried once more to grab control of the conversation.

“Oh out with it already!” He yelled!

It caused the other members to stare at him intensely with death gazes. SGM Bone rolled his eyes and plopped down into his chair.

“Oh for elven sakes!”

Gar finally felt in control of his emotions enough to speak. Still, his voice cracked with raw anger and overwhelming sadness, that continued to build. He’d left the village in a hurry, not being strong enough to know who’d survived and who hadn’t. His spiritual pressure being released helped him sense maybe 50 or so! His stomach turned, and his chest tight at the thought of it.

“The village…..” Gar paused for a moment, feeling his emotions starting to swell up and overwhelm him again.

“What of the village my grandson? What has happened?”

GM Alder grew worried about where this was headed.

“.......The village was wiped out!” Gar responded as he fought back a flood of tears rising up behind his eyes.

SGM Bone continued his attempts to control the conversation.

“What village? Why are we even talking about a village right now?”

He was completely ignored this time. The council was locked in on the conversation between grandfather and grandson, them too not liking where it was headed. There were many villages but they all knew which one Gar was referring too, even SGM Bone, whose judgment was clouded at the moment. Gar could no longer hold back the tears as he spoke, and the flood rushed out and down his face.

“The village of Shea was wiped out by some evolves!” Evolves was what Gar called the evolved wayward shadows.

“What? How many were killed? Questioned GM Alder.

Two of the council members, SGM Farro and the other, a young looking female, slowly took their seats in disbelief. GM Alder assumed that because of Gars personal attachment to the village of Shea, that perhaps he was overreacting. Wiped out, was more than a little hard to believe, especially since, GM Alder had just been there not even 3 weeks prior. He, nor any of the council was prepared for what Gar said next.

“There are only 50 or so left in that village! Everyone else has perished, eaten alive. Like livestock!”

There was a deafening silence after the soul and heartbreaking gasps. The remaining two council members left standing, both females, fell into their seats like they’d died themselves! One spoke her heart break out loud, while the other buried her forehead into her hand, trying to rub it away like Gar had done before.

“There were over ten thousand people living in that village! How in Ever-land could this have happened?”

“What does this have to do with the horn?”

In unison, the other council members spoke supreme irritation and disdain, directed fiercely to its destination!

“SHUT UP !!! BONE!!!”

Back in Origin, as Kaia and Vinn leave the inn after talking with Rob, they’re approached by a thin Nubian melanated human man, standing about six one or two, covered by robes. His hood draped across his shoulders and hung down to mid-chest. The cape was long but barely touched the ground. It was a modest plant green, and the top and bottom under his hood and cape, that was broken up by a tan rope like belt, were jet black. Kaia and Vinn noticed that the human man, who seemed to be between the age of 35-50, maybe; it was hard to tell the actual age of the people of Origin, also wore no shoes. 

Before the Origin man spoke, Vinn noticed that the sun was already coming up and it’s rays cut through the cool morning air and grabbed him like a warm hug. It felt like he’d just watched the sunset minutes ago. The meeting started a few hours later than they intended, thanks to the jackers, but it had also lasted longer than they intended, as well. Then there was the meeting with Rob, and just like that night turned to day. There was always so much to do in NFNty-laND, and yet they hadn’t explored anywhere or done anything besides train, hunt monsters, and level up. Vinn didn’t find it hard to believe that a little more than a year had already passed since all the players realized they could no longer exit the game.

“You two! Your presence is requested, will you please come with me?”

It came out as a question but Kaia and Vinn understood clearly that it was more of a demand.

“Listen, if it’s about the hover-ship coming so far in, we’ll pay the fine. It’s no big deal, but we don’t have time for this!”

Vinn was visibly annoyed, by the rule and by the fact the someone actually needed to come detain them for it.

“I’m not here about that. The……..”

Kaia cut him off before he could finish.

“Are you from the Origin council?” She touched Vinn’s arm as she asked, calming him down a bit. If he was from the council then that meant….

This time the Origin man interrupted Kaia’s thoughts.

“I’m not a part of the council, but I was sent here to retrieve you on their behalf. Now if you please.”

He motioned them towards the hover-craft that landed in the same spot, Kaia and Vinn had earlier. Vinn was slightly hesitant at first, he didn’t like walking into unknown situations, but like always Kaia put his apprehension at ease.

“Vinn, the horn!”

She was right. The council would definitely know what the sounding of the horn meant. The two hundred years of peace in Ever-land was possibly over, but no one knew this far way from the Ever-pass and Telic itself, how grave the threat was. The Origin council most likely needed a scouting party and protective escort for the emissaries they would be sending to Telic. The horn quickly became a blessing in disguise Kaia thought. Vinn thought the same after Kaia calmed him down, but he also didn’t believe in randoms or coincidence. The game might have become a living and breathing reality for all of the players, but so far it appeared to still operate under the same principles of a Role-playing Game(RPG). Vinn followed Kaia into the hover-craft as Rob watched from Carla’s window. He raised his ale in respect.

“Man, those fuckers move fast!”

Rob had finally found the adventure he’d been waiting and looking for. More importantly, he found the right people to do it with.

“Be safe, don’t you dare fucking die without me!”

Carla’s sexy and inviting voice hit Rob across the back.

“Robbie! My yoni juice isn’t going to taste itself!”

As Carla and Rob played, the reality of their feelings for each other, and the realization of the intensity of lovemaking, as oppose to just having sex, grew stronger with every thrust, gyration, and change of position. The friction from their movements generated heat. The heat generated sweat, and the sweat generated steam. The energy of love leaked, dripped, and evaporated all around them until their bodies began to shake in passion. Time alternated between the iterations of play, pause, and slow motion, until, the bed began to shake. They tightly held each other in the amazement of discovering the ultimate experience. The merging of souls between a woman and a man, or the return to zero, was a cosmic connection unlike any other. Rightfully so, it had the power to create the ultimate form of life, mind-kind. Pleasure was simply the byproduct of infinite energy in sync, and their sync moved the ever increasing rumble from the bed to the room, until it felt like the entire building was shaking, and then the planet!

Carla and Rob rode the unexpected quake to extreme pleasure, and ecstasy, almost believing that their passion and lovemaking was the cause. How much had they been holding back? It was great before, but this was on another plane. The quake reached it’s climax while helping them to reach theirs. As Carla grabbed her hair and screamed,  she was bouncing up and down in perfect slow motion.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes, Robbie! Oh, my evers sake!

Rob’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he almost tore every muscle and ligament in his feet from the curling of his toes.

“Fuck lady! I think I’m losing circulation, I can’t take much more!”

“Not yet! Yes! Yes! Not yet! Mmmm, baby! Yes!”

The quake banged against Carla’s rising tides and sent ripples through her inner walls. Rob was holding on for as long as he could but tried continuously to roll her off, unable to handle the grip she pleasured him with, but Carla wasn’t having it. She wanted and maintained control. Her thighs quivered from the inner sensations, the pressure, the push and the pull, and her tides that swelled into waves! She pinned his arms down, dropped her hips fast and rose them slow, in a circular motion, repeatedly. She plotted to end this round with a “flawless victory” or simultaneous climax, but the quake had other plans, and before they knew it, they’d both hit the floor. The shaking stopped, at least, for the room.

“Are you okay?” Carla laughed while breathing deeply, alternating between biting her lower lip, while also biting, licking, sucking and kissing on Rob’s neck and lower chin. The waves were still hitting her continuously. Rob could barely speak.

“Yea! Yep.” He paused, breathing deeply and trying to catch his wind. His,  just as heavy and labored in pleasure, as hers.

“Fucking incredible lady!

Carla snapped back to reality and popped her head up over the side of the bed, already wondering if and how they could recreate what just happened.

“What in Ever-land was that?”

Rob was under the impression that Carla was the cause.

“What?”

He paused again, still trying to catch his breath.

“What? You mean you didn’t cause that?”

There was no sarcastic tone in Rob’s voice and it took Carla a second to process that he was serious, which meant he knew.

“You know what I am?” She asked in fear, instantly changing the atmosphere of the room.

She grabbed the cover off the bed, hopped up and was standing over him. Holding the sheet together and up with her left hand and arm, while grabbing her hair with her right, this time in a different type of disbelief. She was staring at Rob with fearful and distrusting eyes. Rob realized very quickly that he wasn’t supposed to know and that he had hit a nerve.

“Who sent you?” She asked angrily, feeling a type of betrayed she’d never felt before.

“What?

What are you talking…”

Before Rob could finish, she yelled in heartbreak and pushed backed, with no luck, one teardrop after another.

“Don’t fucking play with me, Rob! Robbie! Not you, I can’t. I can’t!” The emotions were hitting her like a ton of bricks.

“Who fucking sent you?”

Rob popped up and quickly rushed towards her, she swung, but half-heartedly. Rob grabbed her arm gently, and touched her face, looking deeply into her eyes as he spoke.

“Listen, pretty lady, my pretty lady. You listening?”

She nodded her head slightly up and down as the tears started to fall. He released her arm and wiped her tears way with his thumbs.

“I love you, I really fucking do lady! I don’t know what or who you’re running from, but they’ll have to go through me to get to you! No one sent me, and I’m not after you, just perceptive that’s all. Hey, remember I get paid to be aware of my surroundings. I need to be aware to survive! Carla was relieved and hugged him tightly. Her fear turned to guilt, because of the lack of trust, but it was necessary, and a product of the life she’d lived for so long. She was happy she hadn’t been deceived this whole time and thought about how this would’ve broken her, which made her realize just how in love with Rob she was. She spoke into his tear soaked stomach.

“When you leave, I’m coming with you!”

Three rounds later, right before the break of dawn, Rob quietly slipped out while Carla was in deep recovery sleep. He figured since he probably had a few days to kill, he’d do just that. He wanted new gear and items. They both cost coin, but he also knew a good amount of coin would be necessary for the expedition. Instead of blowing through his reserves, he would just get out there and stretch his legs a bit and earn new coin. Rob decided to leave his modified shotgun this time. The ammo was expensive to make and so were the parts, since guns were so rare in Ever-land. In fact, guns were rare in all of NFNty-laND. Only a few players had them, and of those few, even fewer had the skill to use them. The modifications he made to the shotgun further made it one of the rarest and most unique items in Origin. Rob had been offered, on more than one occasion, sums of coin large enough to waste away in Tookey’s bar. There were also those who’d tried taking it. Stealing and looting rare items were a lucrative exploit, and no one did it better than the Jackers. Rob had more than his fair share of run-ins with them, eventually getting added to the do not engage list, along with the Battle Twins, Tha-Seedlander, and a few other players in or around Origin

The modifications also made it too easy for Rob. He wanted to get up close and personal, sweat a little. It would be good training before the expedition. Besides, “Lovely-Loon” was no handicap in its own right, when in Rob’s hands. Also a rare and unique weapon, his blade, in terms of power and effectiveness, was worth one hundred times more than his shotgun “Lovely-Dis”. Lovely-Loon’s blade was as big as a Telic elf and had a hilt that made most swords look like pebbles. Like his shotgun, it took an enormous amount of skill to wield, but also strength. The blades size made it a shield and sword in one, and also a warning. 

When Rob carried it on his back, in the equally massive sheath; that held secrets of its own, other players stood clear. At least the ones smart enough to know they were no match, but the monsters, however, were of a different breed, and generally feared nothing. No one knew where they’d come from, and though monster was the popular term used around Origin, the unknown lifeform had a few names across Ever-land. Recently they’d become more of a problem than before. Their numbers started to explode, and many thought they’d started to evolve as well. Monster hunting became the most lucrative exploit around Origin and all across Ever-land, while also becoming a huge part of the economy.

The Elven nations of the Kingdom of Nourish were starting to form monster hunting organizations, and using a vast amount of resources to do it. Though, it was about more than just coin for them. When defeated, the monsters would leave behind an incredibly rare energy source. These energy orbs, that many of the nations were starting to learn, held an untold and perhaps infinite amount of power. The Telic order saw this as a potential problem and rightfully so, a number of groups did work within the shadows. Groups, that filled their ranks with rogue elves, that sought to put a new order to things. With relics, the energy orbs, and the development of new tech, the wayward shadows and the Kingdom of Earth were not the only threats to Ever-lands 200 years of peace, just the visible ones.

These were the type of details running in the background, that gave life to the type of adventures Rob craved and looked forward too. While other players merely survived, or worried about the situation, he was excited and welcomed the challenge. For Rob, the game had been changed from the difficulty level of insanity mode and set to real mode. From a role-playing game to a role playing experience(RPE). Between Carla and the expedition, Rob’s excitement level gave him newfound energy and he couldn’t wait to get to Dis(5) and start hunting, but first, his stomach needed to be appeased. 

There was a staggering amount of restaurants to choose from; not all the players were keen on hunting monsters and previous life skills translated in NFNty-laND, but Rob had his favorite spot called Noodle-equip. It sold a wide variety of noodle dishes, but also served breakfast food as well. Breakfast food was Rob’s favorite, specifically lightly scrambled eggs, hash browns, and waffles. The maple syrup that they served with the waffles was the best Rob had ever tasted, and the vanilla hemp milk he drank with the waffles, completed the entire breakfast, he always looked forward too before he hunted.

“Good Morning Rob! Haven’t seen you in a couple of days. Carla keeping you busy huh?”

Rob couldn’t believe how many people knew, but he didn’t care.

“Good Morning Jane!”

“Your usual?”

“You fucking know it, but make it four eggs instead of two. I’m going to put a little extra work in today.”

“Coming right up.”

Jane yelled back to the kitchen.

“Four lightly scrambled, a hash and a waffle!”

The female chef yelled back.

“Heard, thank you! Good morning Rob!”

“Good morning Rave!” Rob saluted with the peace sign and Rave, though she never understood the gesture, always returned it back.

As Rob waited for his food, his thoughts drifted. He first thought about how peaceful it was at Noodle-equip in the early mornings. There were tons of other places that served just breakfast. Jane and Rave were well known for their amazing noodle dishes, so they were never really busy in the mornings. The breakfast was a well-kept secret, and Rob enjoyed having the place all to himself. Its setup was simple, Noodle-equip had a bar style counter, with stools, that it shared with the checkout, which was situated at the far right end. Behind it, another counter, for water, condiments, kinds of milk(almond, cashew, hemp, coconut) and freshly squeezed juices. Above that counter, was a window into the kitchen, with a counter space of its own, used to drop the food. 

Rob enjoyed watching Rave do her thing, moving from space to space, carrying ingredients, bowls, and pans. The cracking and whipping sounds of the eggs was comforting and reminded Rob of his childhood. Hearing his old ladies in the kitchen, preparing his favorite meal of the day, was what he woke up to for hundreds of years. His memories made him wish he’d visited beforehand, but how could he have known the game would become his new reality. His thoughts now drifted to the day he walked into the mind-clinic for the last time, which made him think about the first. The first time he entered the game made him think about the first time he’d met Carla, which made it hard for Rob to believe it’s been a little over a year since he first laid eyes on her. He’d gotten so lost in his thoughts, that he was almost done with his food before he snapped back to.

“You okay Rob?” Jane asked as Rave peeked over the kitchen window wondering the same.

“You know, Rave and I go to a support group in the player’s hub. It’s been a year, and we still don’t know when we’ll get out of here, or if we’ll get out of here at all. That can be tough to deal with, missing our other lives, our families, and our friends. We know you’re one of the strongest of us in here but there is nothing wrong with seeking counsel.”

Rob looked at Jane as though she’d said something absurd, curling the right side of his mouth tightly, while dropping his eyelids in disbelief.

“I don’t need fucking counsel lady. I need a purpose, direction, adventure! Sitting around whining to a bunch of strangers about my feelings, isn’t going to get me back home. Introducing fuckers to my blade and my shotty as I quest across this land, will, though!”

Rave laughed in the background while returning to her prep work, expecting Rob’s answer to be somewhere along those lines. Both she and Jane were used to Rob’s personality.

“Your an asshole Rob! Be safe out there. See you tomorrow?”

Rob downed the last of his hemp milk as he stood up, shaking his head up and down to answer Jane’s question. He didn’t know how much more time he’d have in Origin, so he’d already decided to grab breakfast every morning until he left. Rob also decided to wait to tell Jane and Rave that he was leaving, not wanting them to act differently after he thwarted their attempts to convince him not to.

Rob paid and left in a hurry excited to get back out there and hunt again. He’d been spending a lot of time with Carla, in the bar, or training in the arenas, located in the player’s hub.  Rob made his way to the transportation sector(TransSec), that cut through and went around all of the districts of Origin. No one was allowed to have personal transportation in the city of Origin but it wasn’t necessary because of TransSec. The hover-rail took people to the other Districts. The hover-bus took you around the inner areas of each district, and the hover-cabs took you to closer destinations. Rob was headed to Dis(5) so, he hopped on the hover-rail. Dis(5) was on the outskirts of Origin and was nothing but the wilds of nature. It was only considered a district of Origin because of the resources the city depended on from it. Unfortunately, it also was the beginnings of the monster problem as well.

The Origin guard, along with the hunters and the guilds, kept the monsters at bay, but their numbers were starting to increase and because they were also starting to evolve, they were getting much stronger and intelligent. More guards, hunters, and guild members were needed. Dis(5) was enormous, and so the hover-rail ended at a hover-craft hub, which would then take players anywhere they wanted to go within the Districts limits. Outside of the transmission signals limitation from the hubs to the hover-crafts, the craft would not only stop working but self-implode, erasing all traces of its existence. It was the fail safe and security measures used, to not only deter theft but prevent the crafts from being taken outside of Origin limits.

Rob’s thoughts drifted again as he rode the hover-rail. This time he thought about the quake, and what actually caused it, which made him think about what and who he thought originally caused it. All his thoughts brought him back to her. He wondered what decision he’d make if he, they, actually found a way to leave NFNty-laND. It wasn’t like Carla could leave with them, because the truth was she only existed here, which meant she didn’t exist at all. Rob argued with his own thoughts about her existence. It sure felt real to him, in more ways than one! This had to be beyond what people meant when they said love could be complicated. Rob grew frustrated at how his mind raced and thought about how meeting that young soldier as he left for R&R that day, changed his life!

Back in Telic, in the Order sanctum, minutes before the Quake…...

The council looked at Gar differently now and noticed what they hadn’t and maybe should’ve before. The young warrior was hurt! Everyone in the order knew how much that village meant to him. Gar unhinged by this devastating loss, the council could now understand while consumed by his emotions and grief, he would feel the need to sound the horn. GrandMaster Alder now had the same line of thought and had come to the same conclusion. GM Alder rushed to console Gar, but before he could give Gar the hug he knew he needed. Gar had already wiped his tears away and quickly regained his resolve, reaching to his hip behind his robe. As he handed his soul relic to his grandfather, he made eye contact, letting him know he would need that hug later, but for now, it was back to business.

“This will show you all, everything you need to know about the village! We will discuss why I sounded the horn afterward!”

GM Alder made eye contact with Supreme GrandMaster Farro, who earlier, had slowly sat in anger over the revelations about the village. SGM Farro detested the wayward shadows even more now, but many could also argue that he detested everything, including himself. His face and demeanor always appeared to be frozen in boredom and disinterest. He had no pupil and had never taken one because he simply lacked the patience for it and them. When he frowned his face in anger, it cleared rooms. When he smiled at you, it made you wonder what you’d done to deserve the plot he hid behind the smile, and if the day would be the last you’d experience in existence!

If you weren’t avoiding GM Alder, then you were avoiding running into SGM Farro. His frame was slight, and his ebony-melanated skin was as dark as night. His copper brown eyes, that set in a boney but muscular thin face, burned fear into everyone and everything. They were like two sunsets, lighting the way in an infinite darkness. SGM Farro was extremely intelligent and was one of, if not the top, scientist and engineer in Telic. Quite possibly the top in all of Ever-land. Previous to some unknown person or persons altering, and upgrading the soul reader’s he’d created, his technology was considered the most impressive invention in perhaps all of NFNty-laND, but most certainly in Ever-land.

SGM Farro made his way down to GM Alder and accepted the soul relic. He then proceeded to the soul extractor, that hovered and twirled in the center of the room, encased in a red vibrant energy, and humming a calming and persistent sound with every rotation. As SGM Farro drew closer with Gars soul relic the machine stopped tumbling around and began to open in all directions, a light quickly shot out the middle and grabbed the soul relic, pulling it out of SGM Farro’s hand, and towards its center, fitting perfectly. The machine reclosed around the relic and gently flipped upward, as a holographic keyboard appeared in the air. SGM Farro began to type, executing the program needed to extract all the energy orbs he collected since the last time he’d had his soul relic cleansed. 

No one in the room, including GM Alder, was prepared for what was extracted, or what putting so much energy into the machine at once, would cause. As the energy orbs flowed out of Gars relic and upward into the enchanted Elven glass cylinder, that also hovered in the same red glow, the orbs collective power created a non-violent energy wave that exploded out across the land and beyond. Awakening and unlocking ancient unknowns, and knowns alike. The Telic Order didn’t know it at the time, but that wave shook and rattled more than just their entire planet, setting many things in motion that would later change the landscape of existence itself, in a true instance of the butterfly effect!

Next Chapter: You haven’t leveled up?(6)