Ceaseless Horizons [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy]

Time lost meaning as Lev focused on controlling his emotions, the task made exponentially harder by Orianna comforting him. It was impossible to lie to her.

"Where's Sherron?" he asked, head resting on her shoulder. They were both seated on his bed, and she was currently holding him in a gentle hug.

"She's busy dealing with the aftermath. It has been… some time, since you passed out," Orianna replied, a subtle tremor going through her body as she said the second part.

"How long?"

"… Three weeks."

"That long?" he exclaimed in surprise, wincing as pain flared from simply speaking a bit louder. "Where's my team? Are they fine?"

"Lev… they're just fine. No hunter died in that wave, and the city walls also remained untouched."

"Just almost me, huh?" he snorted and straightened. Giving her a small smile, he got up from the bed and made to the bathroom.

Three weeks… he wondered, questioning just how things could go so wrong in a single hour. I hope they don't hold the missed training against me… What am I even thinking?

His mind was very much not in the right state currently. Healing was going to take a lot of time, as his body continued to remind him with every step, so without putting himself through more misery, he returned to the bed.

"Is there anyone else here right now?" Lev asked and lay down again.

Orianna answered while shifting to make more space for him. "No, there was no way to tell when you would wake up."

Or if I ever would, he finished in his head with a silent sigh.

"Where am I, anyway? Seems to be the basement of White Health."

She nodded. "Diana treated you earlier. She couldn't make sense of what was wrong, only that her healing did almost nothing. We…"

Lev couldn't help but chuckle. Sitting back up, he embraced her with slow movements. "It's alright, I'm awake now. I also have some more knowledge I can share, but first, I need to sleep more to heal."

****

Some more people came to visit, but Lev remained too groggy to really converse with any of them. Now that he was actually healing, the pain was way more debilitating. Why he wasn't healing before, he had no idea.

Sherron, Orianna, Alec, his team, Hakim, and even Drakys regularly visited him. Each time he opened his eyes, there was someone new watching over him, though they made him smile all the same. Their presence did wonders for his psyche, allowing him to fall asleep with a sense of calm and security.

Another week passed in snippets of consciousness before a threshold was seemingly breached. Opening his eyes, Lev knew something was different, especially because the all-encompassing pain was simply a dull background noise now.

No one's here, he noted, slowly moving around his limbs to get a feel for their state. Everything felt normal enough, so he picked up Stargazer, which was resting against his bed.

She was still pristine and unblemished, something that brought him a great deal of relief and joy. He remembered almost dropping her, and that would've been the worst thing he could do to such a trusty companion.

Holding the haft close to his chest, he sent a trickle of mana into the healing converter. Lev's soul protested lightly, reminding him that he wasn't completely healed yet, but the mana flowed all the same. The converted mana then seeped into his body, healing the insistent tears and cuts that refused to heal naturally. Something was different about them, though he had no way to know how or why.

Whew, he breathed out and got out of bed. This feels nice.

Taking a moment to marvel at the lack of discomfort, he kept up the small amount of healing while summoning casual clothing on his body just to get out of the patient garb. Once he was properly cleaned up after a shower, Lev left the room he was in.

The hallway was dark, though he could feel some presence a bit further ahead. It seemed that he had been kept extra isolated, and he had to wonder what Diana had seen to want that.

Silently moving towards a higher floor, he ignored the closed rooms until the first staff member noticed him. Walking towards what he assumed was his room, she paused in surprise before hurrying over to him.

"Hunter Lev?" she asked, both elated and concerned. "Are you alright? Why are you walking out here? Is your condition stable now? I can call-"

"I'm fine," he cut her off, amused at the rapid-fire questions. "Yes, my condition is stable, and I can walk properly. Can you show me the way to the exit? Or better yet, the people I need to inform before leaving."

"I..." She took a moment to process what he had just said. "Yes, of course. Please follow me."

So began a rather enlightening journey of walking through the deepest floor of the largest hospital on Monarch. It housed far more patients than he expected, especially because of how easily injuries could be healed.

Then again, healers are very rare. I can currently feel only six of them, he mused, also noting how white everything was. It really lived up to its name.

"Sir Lev," the nurse said, her voice cracking slightly. "Can… can I ask about what happened that day?"

"Depends," Lev answered easily enough, ignoring how she had addressed him. "What do you know about it?"

"Nothing," she gulped. "No one ever said a word, though there have been rumors. Something about a giant creature suddenly showing up during the wave."

"Then it's not up to me to say anything more, I'm afraid," he answered, unapologetic.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Ah, of course, I just got ahead of myself," she chuckled nervously, no longer confident enough to look behind her. Lev didn't think she had anything to be afraid of, though he was getting somewhat famous now.

It took another two floors before they reached the ground floor, and that one had the smelly air that he had associated with a hospital. Granted, the atmosphere was way better than Earth's hospitals, but his improved senses noted every little detail.

People stared. He didn't know why. Maybe some rumors had spread behind his back? Either way, Lev ignored them all and made to the main counter with three receptionists.

The attendant took her leave quickly after fulfilling her task. Conversation died down when he approached, and a woman with eyes wide in recognition quickly stood up.

"Hunter Lev! I'll call Lady Sherron and Lady Orianna-"

"There's no need for that," Lev immediately shot her down. "Just tell me if there's anything I still need to go through before being allowed to leave."

The receptionist hesitated, though only briefly. "We have been instructed to let you leave without any of our routine checkups. Lady Sherron only wanted us to inform you to use your healing skill as soon as possible. I'm assuming it was the same one you're using right now."

"It is," Lev nodded once, and after seeing that she had nothing else to say, made to leave through the main gates. Outside, the suns were high on the horizon, painting everything in a cozy noon light.

Though not everything was cozy, as evidenced by the face of a Master team currently moving towards the hospital. Their eyes met, and Lev knew immediately that he wasn't going to be able to avoid them.

"Hunter Lev," the lead woman asked, eyes frigid. "It's good to see you alive and well."

Lev tilted his head slightly. "Glad I'm still alive, too."

She nodded and moved on smoothly. "Care to explain what exactly happened that day? There are a lot of people apparently covering up for you, which is quite suspicious. Too many people saw what happened that day."

"Then why're you asking me?" he asked bluntly, letting his gaze slowly roam over her three teammates. "And in the open, like this."

She stared at him for a long moment before sighing lightly. "Apologies. The whole thing is still sinking in. Do you mind following us somewhere more private?"

Lev shook his head. "No one even knows I'm out and about right now. And, frankly, I am not willing to tell you anything more than you saw. You should understand why."

The dissatisfaction on her face was hard to miss, though she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. With a nod, she moved past him, and the other Masters behind her simply nodded at him as well with varying levels of recognition and politeness.

Well, that was that. Maybe staying calm and rational really is the way to go, he smiled to himself, remembering the team he had squared off against before the Chaoswalker encounter. Truly, the teen years did things to one's mind.

Walking through the city was a surprisingly relaxing time. It reminded him to take time off more often, something he had been neglecting.

But at the same time, now more than ever, he had no intention of slowing down. His mind was already planning the next steps, ignoring the background noise of the folks in the city.

Time passed quickly as he wandered to the hunter's guild, keeping his aura tightly concealed. His control had improved slightly for unknown reasons, though he wasn't going to complain. It let him hide from eyes such as Sherron's or Hakim's, both of whom were currently in the guild.

Knocking twice on the heavy double doors, he took a step back and waited, only for Sherron to open them in a blink. Lev didn't have any time to react when he was pulled into the office, Sherron's arms tightly wrapped around him as she sobbed on his chest.

"… Huh? Sherron!?" he hugged her back, ignoring the doors slamming shut.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she croaked out amidst sobs, refusing to even look at him.

"What?" he looked at Hakim, who had no intention of interfering. "Oh, come on. It wasn't… It… It could've been worse," he lamely finished.

Predictably, that didn't help at all. Lev just sighed and gently caressed her head, waiting until she got it all out of her system. His new clothes were now wet with tears and snot, though he couldn't have cared less about that.

Sherron finally calmed down after a few minutes, which was enough to put things into perspective. She had watched him get humiliated in the open without being able to do anything. Her situation was even worse than Hakim's; neither strong enough to intervene, nor strong enough to actually accomplish anything.

What a fucking shitshow, he breathed out, tenderly turning Sherron's head until her eyes stared into his own. They held so much regret, it took all of Lev's willpower not to give in to the negative thoughts.

"I'm still alive, you idiot," he chided with a smile, one that diminished a little when it failed to get a reaction out of her. "Hey, look at me."

She did after wiping away tears, taking long breaths to steady herself.

"We talked about this, didn't we? Back when you told me to look out for any third-threshold monsters that are usually way lower in level," he gave her the best smile he could manage at the moment. "We just have to do our best."

"I don't remember saying that," she said hoarsely, giving him one last hug before sitting back down in her chair. A glance of water was promptly summoned by Hakim, which she accepted gratefully.

"Well, that was what you meant anyway. How long has it been?"

"Twenty-five days now," Hakim answered. "Are you fine?"

Lev took a moment to think it over. Was he fine? It felt that way, even if he was bottling up his emotions again. These ones weren't something he could do anything about, so moving on was the best option.

"I am," he honestly replied. "A bunch to consider, a little pain in the soul still, but that's all. Healing is coming along nicely."

Hakim nodded slowly, his gaze looking for any signs of deception. "That's good. Do not make any rash decisions."

Lev could only smile wryly. That line of thought was trying to take over rational thinking, though the timely reminder did wonders to ignore it.

"I will not. Where's my team? Are they alright? And I remember meeting Orianna. How long ago was that?"

"This week," Sherron replied, calmer now. "She and Alec are still here. Make sure to meet them whenever you can."

"I took over your team's training," Hakim continued, making Lev grimace. "They were as prepared as they could get. All of them earned four useful titles by their own effort. Seeing your state was easily enough for that."

"I see… where are they right now?"

"Do you want me to call them?" Sherron asked. "They're probably in their rooms."

Lev considered that for a moment. "After a bit, sure. I need to talk about something."

Hakim and Sherron listened with rapt attention as he began talking.

"I, erm, well, to be fair, I have no idea what even happened. Most of my memories were removed, and this time, I was glad for it. Something definitely went wrong during the unconscious state, allowing me to see some things that shouldn't have been possible. So, my first question is," Lev looked at Hakim. "How many gods are there on Monarch?"

The man blinked, the most taken aback Lev had seen him. "I don't know of any beyond the Goddess of the moon."

"I see…" Lev sighed. "Well, I have reason to believe that there are two more, though I also don't think saying more is a good idea."

"Three?" Sherron whispered, both shocked and confused. "How do you know that, though?"

Lev shrugged. "I only have the barest impressions now. Something about emotions and the existence of other beings. Which brings me to the next big concern. Why the actual fuck are we on a planet filled with fifth-threshold beings?"

This time, neither of the listeners spoke. They just looked at him with flat, disbelieving eyes, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

"Granted," Lev continued. "I don't think any of them were close to us, but there were still so many. Like dozens of them. How can we ever survive if one of them wanders to the continent?"

"Are you sure they were fifth-threshold beings?" Hakim straightened and asked.

"As sure as I can be, I guess. How would I know? My only frame of reference is the three presences that I couldn't make head or tails of, and the ones exponentially weaker in comparison. Maybe they were something else."

"No, you're correct," Hakim added. "We know for sure that fifth-threshold beings exist. I've even met one."

Lev's usual curiosity rose, only to be pushed down. It wasn't the time for questions.

"If what you say is correct, it still changes nothing," Hakim exhaled and leaned back into his chair. "Can you remember anything else about how you learned of this?"

"A little," Lev answered, head tilted slightly. "I remember that emotions were very important there, and that my own could do something. What that 'something' was, I have no clue."