I accept the quest reward on reflex, my excitement getting the better of me. Like before, I feel a surge of power that leaves me a bit breathless, but it’s nowhere near as intense as the first time I’d gained levels from a quest.

  It only takes a few seconds for the dungeon world to fade away into nothing, and I watch, fascinated and horrified in equal measure.

  Watching reality punch holes into itself is... eerie. What doesn’t instantly vanish instead fades away almost like mist in the wind. Eventually, all that’s left is the tunnels.

  Even the entrance is gone, leaving no traces behind. The only evidence of us being at the same place we entered from is the small camp we’d set up to rest before entering.

  Then Fae Ferocity ends, and my knees almost buckle. Suddenly, Folly is there, supporting me by an arm.

  I’m not even tired, thanks to Seeker’s Survival. But the exhaustion from Fae Ferocity is more deep than that. Like something deep inside me is worn out.

  Maybe soul weary is the right words for it?

  Looking around, I find that everyone looks just as—if not far more—exhausted than I feel.

  “Thanks, Guildmaster. I’m okay,” I say, gently pulling away with a smile. My strength is already returning, despite the deep exhaustion in my core.

  He looks at me, concerned at first, then his eyes narrow with suspicion.

  “You have a Skill to suppress fatigue, don’t you?”

  “What? I mean—” I pause, suddenly surprised by the fact that I'm even feeling surprised by the sudden question.

  It distracts me from the question entirely. My emotional suppression had turned off at some point during the fight. It takes a second to sift through my memories and find the answer almost immediately.

  Fae Ferocity activating shut it off? And overrode the side-effects, so far as I can tell...

  Hells, I won’t complain about that. I'm not sure how to feel about my Skills overriding one another, though.

  Folly is staring at me with growing concern, and I realize I’d just stopped talking for a few seconds out of nowhere.

  “Ah, sorry. No—I mean, yes. I have a Skill for it. If I stop to rest, my Skill will put me down for a bit, I think,” I say, scratching behind an ear sheepishly.

  “How long have you been using it?” he asks, his face turning grim.

  “Uh… let’s see… ever since we left? Technically. But it only really got any use once we entered the Dungeon so… wait, how long were we even in there?” I ask.

  “Even now?” He doesn’t acknowledge my question, just gives me a serious look.

  “… yes?” It comes out more meekly than I’d intended, but he’s giving me seriously nerve wracking ‘you’re in trouble’ look.

  “We’re moving! Everyone up! Back to the expedition group, let’s move! Now!” he suddenly says, practically barking orders like Scruffy might, his magic lancing through the air and shoving his words right into our faces.

  Only Kiki seems bothered by the news, probably wanting to fight some more or something equally ridiculous.

  “But Guildmaster! We’d get really good experience here, and it’s pretty safe now,” she whines.

  I’d never imagined a woman as powerful looking as she is could pout, but she manages it. It reminds me of Agora, with how her personality flipped from ‘serious warrior’ to ‘eager puppy’ like nothing. It's honestly kind of ironic.

  Not that I’d ever tell Kiki of the resemblance, though. She’d lose her fucking mind.

  “Emilia’s been burning a fatigue Skill, including through her evolution,” he says bluntly.

  I flinch at the concerned look Kiki gives me.

  “Uh… is using the Skill bad or something? Why’s everyone looking at me like that?” I ask.

  Everyone is giving me looks of pity or…

  What even is that? Commiseration?

  “No, it’s... actually, I’m not sure. You probably haven’t expended so much energy while using it before, have you?” he asks.

  When I shake my head he continues.

  “I thought so. Combine that with the fact that you pushed back the fatigue that comes with an evolution, and…" he says, pausing for a moment to think. "I’ll put it this way: people have died from less. Skills like that tend to amplify the effects, packing all the build up into a single moment when you release it.”

  Shaking his head, he continues. “I have no idea what the repercussions will be for you. So we’re going to get you somewhere safe and then you’re going to disable that Skill. Understood?”

  It’s not a question, so I just nod stiffly. Despite my evolution, I wasn’t going to step on Folly’s toes when he’s actually being bossy. Especially because he seems genuinely concerned.

  Not fifteen seconds later, we’re running back through layer five, retracing our steps to the stairs up. I have to actually disable All For One in order to not outrun the group on accident, now.

  It’s a good problem to have, I suppose, but also somewhat annoying.

  If I’m being honest, I’m getting a little frustrated. It’s been what? Ten? Twelve days since my acclimation to the System? I don't even know at this point.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  And the entire time, I’ve been going from one hectic situation to the next with barely any breaks in between.

  Sure, I got a massage, and managed to sneak in most of a shopping day with Cari, but other than that? I’ve not had a single moment to just relax. I haven’t even had time to make any real plans now that I’ve got the System.

  The whole Elderwynd Academy thing came out of nowhere, too. Even if it's a good thing, it's still another thing.

  “How long were we even in that dungeon?” I ask again.

  “An hour at most. Gods, Emilia, you had it active the whole time?” Orin says from behind me.

  “Yes. Why’s everyone giving me weird looks?” I ask testily.

  "Because you just pushed yourself through evolution fatigue and kept going," one of Kiki's party members say with a sigh.

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll die but…” Orin continues seriously.

  That gives me pause. "But what?"

  "But nothing," Folly interjects. "Keep moving."

  I check the Skill again.

  Seeker’s Survival

  Passive, Body

  You will live long enough to see the wonders of the world.

  You no longer need water, food, or sleep as long as there is enough ambient mana to sustain yourself.

  You may push fatigue aside, ensuring it doesn’t hamper you for a time.

  +10% increase to all stats.

  Note: If you push your body too far without rest, you will still suffer the consequences of doing so.

  Oh, right... it has a note. Is it really that bad?

  We slow down for a moment to inspect several dead statues we find in the middle of our path once we turn a corner. They look completely unharmed, as if they’d just dropped dead out of nowhere.

  Folly doesn’t let us fully stop, though. His magic pushes us along, growing more forceful the more I hesitate. On a whim, I tap a foot against one of the dead statues and store it in my bangle.

  I get a few curious glances at that, but nobody says anything. The rest of the way to the expedition is eerily quiet and uneventful. Any statues we run across lie dead on the ground where they once stood, like puppets whose strings have been cut.

  Nothing even tries to ambush us. For once, the Tunnels actually feel empty.

  We don’t talk at all after that, and even Kiki is uncharacteristically silent. Without the interruption of combat, we make it back in just a few hours. When we step into the massive cavern around the stairs, we find the camp at full alert.

  Several of the Tier Ones we’d left behind stand watch, standing close to the entrances leading into the space. The camp itself is quiet and still, as if they’re expecting the worst. All around the space, statues litter the floor in dusty fragments and pulpy messes.

  A few even seem to have made as far as the wards, but I don’t see any that made it through them.

  Then we're rushing through the cramped pathways between tents towards the command tent in the center. A few tired cheers erupt around the camp at our arrival, some sounding more surprised than others.

  Good to know they didn't expect us to succeed. Or maybe they just didn't expect us back so fast? Yeah, let's go with that. Can't be pessimistic all the time, Em.

  It makes sense, honestly. Without Folly’s magic, the trip to the dungeon alone would have taken a couple of days or more. Then the dungeon itself had every chance of taking several more days, or even multiple weeks, to finish.

  That we came back on the same day is unusual, to say the least.

  I privately vow to learn how to do something similar to Folly’s speed boosting spell with my Hemokinesis. It may not be as efficient or effective, but if I can do it at all, it’ll be a huge boon.

  It takes a minute to weave through the tents, but we’re entering the command tent not long after our arrival. The moment I step inside, I’m nearly tackled by none other than the demon herself.

  I keep walking, dragging her along with me as if she isn't even there, glaring at her as I do.

  “You owe me big time,” I mutter.

  “Okay,” she says, hugging me tighter.

  My mouth almost twitches into a smirk, but I restrain myself. The massive boost to my Charisma from my evolution gives me a level of control I hadn’t quite expected.

  Apparently it’s still not enough to contend with her puppy eyes. She hangs from me limply, heedless of our spectators.

  “No, you cannot just say ‘okay’. That’s not how this works,” I hiss.

  “But… I did?” she says innocently.

  “I don’t care. You owe me! That—”

  I cut myself off as Kiki enters the tent. I narrow my eyes at the noodle latched onto me, but she just grins and flutters her lashes.

  “This isn’t over, you… you…” I say, floundering for an appropriate insult, but nothing comes to me.

  “Emilia, come over here. Cari, get off of her, she needs to lie down,” Folly orders, indicating the side of the tent where several mats are splayed about.

  Cari lets go with an “Aw,” but doesn’t voice any complaints otherwise.

  “Do I really need to lie down? A chair would be fine,” I say.

  “Trust me, you’ll want to be flat,” he says, so I shrug and lie on my back. “Arlo, Kiki, hold her arms and legs please.”

  “Wait, what?” I say, immediately trying to get up.

  But it’s no use, Kiki is already there, pinning my arms to the ground. Arlo does the same to my legs, and I’m surprised with how gentle they are about it.

  “What’s this about?” I demand.

  I’m fairly certain I could toss them off me if I went all out, but Sense Danger is silent, and nothing about this feels even remotely like betrayal.

  “It’s in case you seize,” he responds.

  “What?!” Cari and I say at the same time.

  “Oh, I see,” Arlo chuckles. “An endurance Skill. I was wondering why I had to hold her down.”

  When he says that, Cari’s eyes light up with recognition, and she gives me the same reconciliatory look everyone else had been giving me since clearing the dungeon.

  “Exactly. Now then, with Kiki and Arlo ready to stop you from breaking things… feel free to disable the skill, Emilia,” Folly says, his voice level and calm.

  As if this is all normal.

  “Wait!” Cari cries. “Healers! We need healers!” she says, quickly sticking her head out the tent flap.

  “Is this really necessary?” My question comes out as more of a whine than a legitimate inquiry, but the instant response from several people throughout the room—including a now very upset Cari—shuts me up.

  “Yes!”

  I stay quiet as a mouse while we wait for what few healers we have remaining in the expedition. Two healers arrive in a rush, looking for the wounded and finding… me. With two of our strongest pinning me to the ground.

  They look between me and Folly with a mix of skepticism, confusion, and annoyance.

  "I didn't do it," I say, instinct and the need to quip overruling my ability to read a room.

  Nobody laughs. Not even Cari.

  Traitor.

  Folly just waves them closer and sighs. “Now, get on with it. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can all finish up and get some rest.”

  Cari gives me a reassuring nod when I glance her way through Kiki’s arms. So, with the most exasperated sigh I can manage, I mentally disable the part of the skill keeping my fatigue at bay.

  I instantly wish I hadn’t.

  A wave of exhaustion more profound than anything I’d ever experienced washes over me, followed by an intense wave of agony. Like every muscle in my body is tearing all at once.

  I can’t help it. I scream.

  Rather, I try to. Everything in me is locked up. Even my lungs.

  Then my vision darkens, and I don’t feel anything anymore.

  Instead, I’m back in the echoing place, from the time when the giant thug at Tails and Temptations knocked me through a wall. Voices explode around me, cracked and reverberating in fragments. Someone screams my name over it all, and I feel like I recognize the voice.

  But none of it makes sense. It’s all so... disjointed. The space around me is somehow both endless and crushingly close. Echoes ripple through whatever it is that makes me what I am in this place, sending tingles throughout my entire being.

  Then even that begins to fade as a feeling of warmth blooms from my core, filling me to the brim.

  “There you are, little fox,” a new voice says. Feminine and ethereal, clear and unaltered by this place. And... familiar, but also not. “Wandering so far into the Realms already... I did wonder when it might happen.”

  I can’t see, or feel, or smell. I’m almost certain that I’m not even actually hearing anymore, either. But her voice reaches me nonetheless.

  “Come now, young fae,” she says, and something caresses me. Not my body or even my mind, but me.

  My soul, I think.

  “We have much to discuss, and I have a debt to repay.”