Dzyl Archipelago, Island and Town of Duruk [Southern parts of the Spire Sea], local time [1794.04.17]

  Somehow, mysteriously, Zeph had managed to fall asleep before his companions had returned last night. Despite being unconscious for a day and a half, he still was feeling totally spent after his short trip to the deck.

  Only after waking up did he realize how wasted he had been back then.

  He was sleeping in his cabin this time; the warm rays of morning sunlight were filtering into the small room through the window. Judging by them, he could tell he had missed breakfast - by a large margin.

  Sitting up didn’t pose any problem anymore. He still felt somewhat weak but it was a far cry from his yesterday’s condition.

  He practically jumped out of his bed after realizing that, eager to tour the town.

  It didn’t take him more than ten minutes before he was ready. Yet, he couldn’t fully ignore his current responsibilities. Because of that, after leaving his room, he started walking to Makani’s quarters.

  He would prefer the company of Ferrandis, but there was no choice this time – Zeph had to visit the System Shrine first and foremost, so taking strangers with him would bring risk.

  He worried that the person he took with him would be able to see through the farce. To see that the System was helping him mask his past actions rather than heal the girl.

  He had a good alibi but, unexpectedly, his unplanned intervention in the Soulscape had brought a noticeable improvement to the girl’s condition. Going by Makani’s description, even if it wasn’t instantaneous, it was still fast. That said, having an assist from a being that couldn’t really be questioned was a huge help. With people focusing on Onji’s words, doubts and unusual occurrences could be put to rest without batting an eye.

  That’s why Zeph was planning to minimize the risk of becoming a suspect to the absolute minimum. He had to speak with the System and the girl personally and Makani could help him with the latter while also bolstering their security and privacy. All that without provoking the universe to uncover his secrets in a wild tantrum of coincidences, as it happened before.

  It seemed that overly knowledgeable and perceptive people – like Ferrandis – were his weak point.

  Makani was waiting for him, as they agreed yesterday. After quick greetings, they were on their way.

  ~~~

  The beachside of the town truly looked like a tropical tourist resort. All buildings were stylized like primitive huts made out of materials available on the island, but they were way too big to be just that. Zeph could spy a more robust framework hidden underneath, especially on the second and third floors that some of the buildings had.

  However, it didn’t take away from the beauty of the place.

  Wooden planks lined the walkways for better support when walking, but even those were covered with the warm, golden sand. The sensation on his bare feet was very pleasant, not strenuous like walking on deep sand at all.

  He was weighing quite a bit more with all his internal implants, as most of them were made from metal alloys and the Fullerene. Visiting sandy regions thus far was quite unpleasant because he was constantly slipping on the loose ground. Pushing with more force – that he now possessed – did nothing except making the problem worse.

  That’s why the simple solution of planting boards under the sand worked miraculously. Also, he wasn’t wearing his armor and normal equipment, so the support was well above satisfying.

  Because of how hot it was in the sun, most people were moving around in their underwear. Not wanting to stand out, Zeph and Makani also dressed themselves in light, whitish shorts and the local equivalent of T-shirts. However, the latter had a strange design – it was made of two layers, one skintight with a deep V-Neck and one made of loose strips of cloth. The loose parts could be left untied to fashionably swim in the air behind them, or be buttoned down for more cover in case of intense sun or cold wind. It was, of course, a local product. Zeph found it in his room this morning and guessed correctly that this was his attire for the day.

  That didn’t mean they left the ship without any weaponry. They both were wearing small backpacks filled with basic equipment, and they had a few well-hidden trinkets for self-defense. As much as wearing full armor might have caused diplomatic friction, they wouldn’t disarm themselves without a proper reason. No matter how peaceful the place was (or was advertised as).

  There weren’t many pedestrians as they walked up the wide, winding path through the tropical forest. Instead of talking, they savored the pleasant atmosphere and exotic views around them.

  Soon, more buildings started replacing patches of the forest. They were built differently – from stone and hardwood. Despite the wide, open terraces and lack of solid doors, those definitely had some defensive capabilities. Still, the town was looking idyllic – with smaller structures resembling those on the beach and decorations made from colorful wood, leaves, scales, and shells filling every empty space.

  Kids were playing around freely, not caring for private property, while the adults strolled unhurriedly, talking to every familiar face they met along the way.

  The further they got, the higher the architecture became, but also the higher the forest was reaching. Yet soon, with the increasing density of the population and their abodes, the forest was replaced by sparse grooves and singular trees, left there to provide shadow, cover, and fruits. The crisscrossing paths made of compacted earth didn’t need wooden support anymore. Hence, the pathways started transforming into stairs, leading to a series of tree passages integrated into the local infrastructure.

  It seemed that people on Corora really liked to go vertical in places with a high population density.

  As the slope of their path started to increase visibly, Zeph took a moment to look back.

  The height they were now at was deceptive. It didn’t look like much from the bay, but now he could spot a few neighboring islands in the distance, even some beyond the horizon of the sea thanks to the strange light effects that Mana was causing.

  The view of the lagoon was also first-class, if slightly obscured by the trees and palms. It truly was a tropical archipelago – something he was seeing for the first time firsthand.

  With renewed vigor, he caught up to Makani. The Shrine was not far away, looming over the greenery and buildings alike.

  ~~~

  The Shrine complex was kind of complicated. Each of the seven totem-like towers was dedicated to one of the tribes of old and, as an extension, to their descendants. Of course, the current political structure wasn’t mirroring the old separation one-to-one, so they had access to every tower and the complex in between, but some of the specialized facilities were accessible only in certain towers and only with permission.

  They were informed about that briefly by a guard standing at the entrance to the closest tower – the ‘Suku daun hutan hujan’. The dialect was unfamiliar, but the man explained further that it meant ‘Rainforest leaf tribe’, or something like that.

  They nodded politely and thanked the guard, but they couldn’t care less - the System was sure to inform them what was available in this facility. Directly at that. Either way, the girl was held here, as it was not only the closest tower but also one specializing in medical affairs.

  They were about to reach a free terminal when a sudden notification flashed before their eyes.

  They exchanged uneasy glances. The direct message from the System meant they didn’t want them to interact with the terminals.

  Suspicious as hell.

  Nonetheless, they followed the instructions.

  The interior design was kept in the spirit of the tribal culture. Similar adornments were present on the internal walls, just made in gold and black. The doors looked to be made of dark wood instead of rock, but Zeph had no illusions that they were any less sturdy than the ones in the Lurona. In the first place, what kind of wood could produce a metallic, clanging noise when used? Not to mention the subtle sucking sound the door made when closing.

  He noticed that when passing other used rooms; this place was brimming with occupants and guests for some reason.

  They soon arrived at the room indicated. As expected, there was an antechamber working as a security measure. However, this time they didn’t have to wait for long for the next door to open - the Mana density in the next room was exactly the same as on the outside.

  At the center of a smallish medial facility – recognizable by the folded mechanical arms decorating the ceiling and walls – stood a single bed. Unusually, this one was covered with green foam and a blueish blanket. Their sudden entrance made the occupant sit up in a slight panic.

  It seemed that she was simply resting until now; already conscious. She was wearing her hospital clothes and her long, mostly white hair was let loose, standing on end around her head. Her dark-amber eyes looked at them with fright for a moment, before going wide all of sudden.

  “Y-you!” she shouted, pointing at Zeph.

  He tilted his head, also pointing at himself. “Me? What about me?”

  She opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly trying to find words. After a moment of internal struggle, she looked down and hugged her legs. “I… I saw…” she paused, then took a deep breath.

  “Thank you,” she said, sincerely looking into his eyes.

  “No problem!” he exclaimed happily. “I am—“

  “Zeph,” she interrupted him, looking down again. “Zeph Eiaar. I’m Sibi, n-nice to meet you…” she said quietly.

  Well, shit… Zeph frowned internally. Isn’t that the worst-case scenario? I was able to read some of her memories but I only had contact with fragments. If she was able to read coherent ones from my whole Soul… But how? The ‘death Will’ was depleted, she shouldn’t have seen anything!

  “It’s Einar, but please call me Zeph,” he corrected her. “And that’s Makani,” he said, pointing at the Manacaster. “Makani Borre, to be exact.”

  The girl nodded, repeating his and Makani’s first names while giving them a nod.

  Zeph returned the gesture in satisfaction. He introduced them that way to politely probe if she was ready to keep certain things to herself. After all, using the first names did indicate the parties were in a business partnership, or at least under a mutual contract.

  He used that method to be delicate and indirect, to not scare her. But it seemed that it was a failure attempt despite her giving a proper response.

  Somehow, she looked like she was going to cry any moment now.

  “Um… something’s wrong?” he asked tentatively.

  Makani kept quiet and they both stood near the entrance still. Yet, the atmosphere seemed to thicken.

  “W-what will happen… to me?” she asked, burying her head in her knees.

  “I think… I don’t follow?” he slowly asked, looking at the Manacaster.

  The man had an absolutely disgusted expression on his face. Nonetheless, he turned to Zeph, looking at him as if he was a total idiot. “She’s asking about your means to keep her quiet, you moron!”

  Huh?

  “Don’t worry, Sibi,” the man continued in a gentle tone, turning to the girl. “There will be no killing, blackmailing, Soul-bonding, or anything like that. We have a much better method to assure a mutual understanding,” he stated with confidence, making the young one look at him.

  But somehow, Zeph couldn’t shake the feeling that she was looking at Makani with disbelief and fear.

  “Well, System Onji! Why don’t your Grayness introduce yourself?” the Manacaster asked into the thin air with a great flair, doing a fanciful bow that involved making a half-pirouette.

  An awkward moment ensued as the two other occupants of the room exchanged incredulous glances.

  Looking back at Makani’s bent form, suspended in uncertainty, they both started quietly chuckling.

  “Hey!” The Manacaster sprung up, not able to withstand it anymore. “Why am I getting a cold treatment now?!”

  Makani’s face relaxed immediately, even though the message suggested future problems for the Manacaster.

  Zeph chuckled some more and glanced at Sibi. Her expression took him by surprise, though – her eyes were so wide that they could leave their orbits at any moment!

  Ah, right… Just like Makani when he first saw the golden notification directly from the System…

  An ethereal sigh could be felt, originating from the notification and breaking his musings. It was communicating exasperation more than disappointment, and it was absolutely intentional.

  A second of consternation has fallen onto the room. The three occupants glancing at each other, not understanding what the System was talking about.

  Everyone shivered as the last point was displayed. The forceful infusion of emotions was all too visceral.

  Zeph reacted to the notification first, accustomed to them as he was already.

  “Wait! Sibi, you are not strengthened by the System?” he asked abruptly, waking her up from her own stupor.

  She glanced at him and shook her head, closing her open mouth.

  “Oh, dear…” Makani said, massaging his temples.

  “Okay, okay…” Zeph repeated, trying to parse through all the information. In the end, he had only one question for the girl. “We need to clear something up first. What exactly do you know about me? As you can see, the System Onji here agreed to be a guarantor of our future behavior. I don’t need any other form of reassurance. It’s the best one we could get, anyway.”

  The girl hesitated for a moment. It took a minute, but in the end, she nodded to herself.

  “Zeph is… from another universe,” she almost whispered. “He… you were dying. Almost the same way as me… ” There was a pause as tears showed up in her eyes. She still wasn’t looking at him in the eyes. “And he… no, you… you have survived. And then… “ she sniffed, “helped me… to survive as well…” She clenched her arms harder around her legs as tears started rolling down.

  Oh dear…

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