The Last Experience Point

A domino cannot be blamed for the existence of the one before it, nor can it be blamed for the one behind: but if it falls, it falls, and so continues the chain. To this point, three such dominoes have now fallen, and the cascade has begun. Once started, it cannot be stopped. Thus, if a fourth exists, a fourth will fall.

And as fate would have it, a fourth existed.

Zach, who had entered into a state of unbearable frustration, was still trying to come to grips with the mere fact that such an unnecessary and arbitrary complication had popped up at a time when he had so many better things to do. To state his feelings in the simplest of terms, he simply could not believe this shit.

He just couldn't.

Although another one of Elendroth's daily, periodic storms had moments ago come to an end, the one that was raging inside of Kalana's large, spacious home was continuing unabated, and if anything, it showed signs of worsening—at least if the intensity of all the back-and-forth arguing was anything to go by.

It was now closer to the evening than noon, and still they were all fighting with Eilea; what should have been a five-minute conversation had stretched into several hours, time in which no progress whatsoever had been made. So yeah…Zach couldn't believe this. The entire ordeal from the ultimatum to Eilea's continued refusal—all of it was so ridiculous as to be insufferable.

"Okay, look," Zach said as a great many Elvish heads turned his way.

Once again, Kalana's kitchen and living room had been turned into some overstuffed meeting area, and there were now more than a hundred Elves "participating" in this "collective meeting" while five fancily dressed "scribes" wrote down every word said by everyone. Actually, that was another angle to the absurdity of all of this; it had now become abundantly clear that every single thing that had just happened, from the moment of Adamus's appearance to this meeting right now, would become a holy part of the Elvish religious text that would be studied and discussed for thousands of years or for however long life continued to exist.

But do they have to write everything down in such a dramatic way? Zach thought, suppressing a groan.

He'd been just about to speak, but the scribe sitting next to him on Kalana's couch began jotting things down in a really weird way; basically, first, the man would write it in the Elvish language, and then immediately afterward, he'd jot it down in Human—using a pencil, nonetheless. Not even a tablet. But that wasn't what bothered Zach. No, it was the way he wrote it down. Glancing at his parchment, he cringed as he watched the line get written in human.

Book of Fylwen Vayra:

21:40: And so saith Zachys Calador, "Okay, look," as he doth call upon the attention of the Elves.

21:41: And with a scowl fierce as the eye of a storm, he doth glance upon I, Terenthiel, the scribe, and he doth saith, "Don't write down what I'm saying right now. I'm still thinking. Stop writing that. Seriously, stop. Dude, stop! Fucking give me a second. Fine, whatever. This is going to be the shit your great-great-great grandchildren read. Me, saying this. Right now, in this exact way. At least edit it. Wow. Fine. If you don't care, I don't care. Good luck explaining this to them a thousand years from now."

21:42: "Seriously," he doth continue. "Can I at least collect my fucking thoughts before you decide to put me in a bible? Kalana, make him stop."

21:43: "Zach, you know I can't do that," saith Kalana Vayra, the Great Princess of Elvadin. "Stop being mean. You know that every word, um, is super holy now that the Great Lord has appeared. This is one of the most important days any Elf has lived through in hundreds of years. Maybe even thousands."

21:44: With eyes full of fire, the young Zachys Calador doth turn to Her Majesty, the queen, and then saith he, "This is going to be edited, right? I don't even know why I care, but the idea of someone being taught me saying these exact words pisses me off. I should just start singing that song Jimmy taught me. Brrr! Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang. Spend three racks on a new chain. My bitch love do—"

"Zach, enough!" Queen Vayra snapped, her entire face turning red as though with anger. Zach stopped immediately. It wasn't smart to piss her off. So instead, he watched, silently, as she turned her head towards Terenthiel, the well-dressed scribe, and said, "Edit some of that out. But not all of it! And edit out these words as well." With that, she glared at Zach. "And as for you, young man, cease being disruptive!"

"I'm not trying to be disruptive," Zach said, annoyed. "I'm just trying to convince you to let me speak to the Great Goddess."

"By all means, do feel free," Queen Vayra said, making a gesture towards Eilea, who sat next to her. "She's right here."

Zach frowned. "You know what I mean. In private."

"Absolutely not!" Trelvor and Seiley both shouted at him, the two of them jumping out of folding chairs that had been brought in for them and rushing over towards him.

The two were taking their stupid "mission" so seriously that Zach was becoming extremely annoyed. He knew that Adamus's "task" was going to become troublesome for him eventually, but he didn't expect to be this angry over it this soon.

"No private meetings between you and the Great Goddess," Seiley said firmly, to which Trelvor nodded. She pointed accusatorily towards him. "If you even try, you'll have to fight us both. And we like you and don't want to do that, so please don't make us."

Zach rubbed his eyes, forehead, and then his mouth, feeling fatigued and stressed at the same time. "Guys, you're not understanding. All Adamus—sorry, the Great Lord, calm down—all he cares about is results. He just doesn't want us scheming, and I've got no intention of scheming. If you just let me speak to her alone for five Gods-be-damned minutes, I know I can convince her to fix whatever she did. That's what we all want, right? Isn't it? To fix this so that she'll be spared, and the island will be spared, too, and then the adventurers can start making their way to Albion-4."

Despite how logical his words, he might as well have been talking to two identical planks of wood, for Seiley and Trelvor did not budge an inch, nor were they likely to do so. Actually, Zach didn't even know why he'd wasted his time trying. As far as the two were concerned, their deity had specifically ordered Zach to not be alone with Eilea, and they clearly weren't going to allow any exceptions to that.

And it seemed neither would Fylwen, either.

"Zach," she began, her voice soft but her tone firm. "The Great Lord showed you such unbelievable kindness today. He granted several of your wishes, such as showing mercy to your friend, and he even granted you yourself mercy in being allowed to remain here on Elendroth when he could have demanded you be sent away. It pains me that you continue to push for more and more from the Great Lord rather than show gratitude for what has already been given."

Having wizened up to the futility of trying to downplay their "Great Lord," Zach knew better than to challenge her on that point. So instead, he nodded insincerely but convincingly, and he made believe that he appreciated these so-called "gifts" which, in all honesty, were just basic Gods-be-damned courtesies.

"There's no way I can convince anyone here to let me have a few minutes alone with her?"

"No!" more than fifty angry Elvish voices shouted back at him.

"Okay, fine. I'll respect that." Very quickly, he met Eilea's eyes, winked at her, and tapped the side of his head.

"And no telepathy!" Seiley shouted. "Zach, do you think we're stupid? The Great Lord warned us about that."

"Okay, fine!" Zach, becoming too anxious to remain seated, stood up from the couch and walked halfway across the living room towards the kitchen, where Eilea sat between Queen Vayra and Jascaila. Speaking of Jascaila, she'd been nothing but wonderful to Zach since she'd come here, but for the very first time, she had become a minor—not major—obstacle to him, namely because she kept warning him, such as right now.

"Zach," she said. "If you're going to try this again, I expect you not to scream at her like you did two hours ago."

"I won't scream," he said.

"Kiddo, I know how serious this situation is, but I also trust that Eilea will give you what you want. She's just going through a process. She knows the urgency of the situation, and she knows what she's being forced to do. If you would just be patient with her."

Zach pursed his lips, doing everything Jascaila taught him in order not to become angry and aggressive with…well, with Jascaila. "Here's the thing," he said. "I have like a billion things I have to do. And I don't feel comfortable leaving here until this gets done. Eilea is someone I really—"

"The Great Goddess!" a nearby scribe angrily corrected.

How come they don't correct Jascaila when she says Eilea's name?

Tamping down even more on his aggravation, he blew out a sigh and said, "The Great Goddess is someone I've come to really care about, just like all of you. And if she doesn't do this one little thing that the Great Lord is demanding of her, he's going to blow up this entire island and kill her. So, excuse me for being a little impatient here. Also, how come she's not speaking to me?"

Eilea had spoken to a number of people during the past few hours—yet she hadn't once responded to Zach. It was starting to unsettle him. "How come you won't talk to me?" he asked her directly.

"Zach," Jascaila said, giving him a very serious look. "You screamed at her. You hurt her feelings."

"Oh, come on."

"No, don't downplay it. You threatened her."

"Does she hate me now or something?"

Jascaila opened her mouth to respond, but finally, Eilea addressed him. "No, of course not!" she shouted to him, tears in her eyes. "I've pinned all my hopes for this world on you, Zach. All of them!"

"What an honor!" many of the Elves around him cried. Zach resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

To Eilea, he asked, "Then why won't you just undo whatever you did?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of you dying to something you are unprepared to face. I just can't." She whimpered.

"Well, you probably won't have to. Eilea, I'm probably not even going to be done with my meeting in time to go. I'll have to catch up to the others. By then, Jimmy will have already mapped a lot of it out, and it'll be safe."

"But what about Jimmy? Aren't you worried about him?"

"Not even slightly," Zach said with a laugh he didn't intend. "I mean, it's Jimmy. He'll probably be done with the planet in three days."

"That's what you might think," Eilea said. "But remember, Zach, I'm the one who brought him here. I know his capabilities better than anyone. And despite how masterful he is against Galterran bosses, T2 worlds are not the same. I am forbidden from speaking on the specifics of it, but the bosses he'll encounter in Albion-4 will be many times more difficult than the ones here."

Again, Zach laughed. "He probably wants that to be the case. But putting that aside, uh, why are you acting like he'll fail? Wasn't the whole reason you brought him here because you thought he'd succeed?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" Zach asked, wrinkling his nose. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eilea averted her gaze. "I brought Jimmy here to support you and to lead the adventurers—yourself included—through Albion-4. But at the time, I reasoned he stood a good, but not perfect chance. Then I started watching him build himself up while he was here. I saw his triumphs and failures—so much in such a short time. I've grown attached." She began to whimper. "What if he died? I would never forgive myself. I've caused so many people I care about to die, and I can't take any more guilt."

If nothing else, her words soothed some of his anger, because despite how stupid, treacherous, and downright insane her actions had been, Zach knew that she was acting purely out of love. Yes, her emotions were making her take senseless actions, but it was hard to be upset with a person who acted purely out of concern for others, even when everything they did seemed so Gods-cursed-fucking stupid.

"I've noticed something about you, Eilea—sorry, Great Goddess," he corrected as Elves glared at him each time he called her by her first name.

"What have you noticed?" she asked.

"Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm just an idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about, but ever since the first time we spoke, I've noticed that your initial instincts are always extremely smart, wise, and the right choice, and then everything after that is dumb."

"Zach!" Fylwen hissed. "Do not ever dare say that the Great Goddess is—"

"No, he's right," Eilea said, interrupting her. "My dear Francis tells me the same exact thing."

"He does?" Zach asked.

She nodded. "Yes. He tells me that my first impressions and instincts are sagely, and that my life would be a thousand times better if I'd only just stick with them."

"Well, yeah…I mean, it's true. You're a really smart person. It's just that every time you think of something great, you backtrack on it. Even the Great Lord says so. That's probably why you can't beat him."

"You don't think he's far craftier and smarter than me?"

"Nope." Zach smiled at her. "I'm not just saying that, either. I really don't think it's a matter of intelligence. I think he's just more willing to follow through, and if you could only just learn to trust yourself once in a while, we might be able to defeat him."

Eilea's eyes dried. "Thank you, Zach. I know I upset you. But hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better. Still, defeating my husband won't be easy. We'll have to come up with a new approach from now on."

"I know," Zach agreed. "That's why we have to first start by thinking up a way to—"

"Okay, now this I will not stand for!" shouted a tall, outraged Elf seated next to Londril, whom Zach only sort of recognized. He was joined by dozens of other Elves who abruptly stood up and began angrily shouting at Zach. For some reason, they were really, really pissed. They were pointing their fingers and shouting, and not just at him but at Eilea, too.

"What did I even do this time?" Zach shouted right back at them, having no idea why everyone was suddenly upset. "Now what the fuck are you all mad at me for?"

Queen Vayra provided him with his answer. She too stood up and pointed at him. "You just implied that the Great Lord is someone to be 'defeated' or 'beaten.' That is incredibly disrespectful and pure, utter blasphemy! From the both of you!"

"Oh," Zach said, chuckling.

"It's not funny!"

"Sorry."

Fylwen approached him, and Zach tensed. But fortunately, she did not come to him to harm him. She placed her hands gently and motherly on his shoulders. "The Great Lord favors you, Zach. You, a human, have been given honors that generations of my kin could only dream of. Thus, it wounds us all when you and the Great Goddess continue to conspire against him—openly now, right in front of us!"

"Zach, seriously," Seiley said, her expression a strange mixture of awe and anger. "You wonder why he doesn't want you two meeting in private? You're surrounded by a hundred Elves, and the two of you literally just started to plot and scheme. I can't even believe what I just saw and heard!"

"Guys, come on, that hardly counts as scheming."

"It was definitely scheming, baby," Kalana said softly. He gave her a harsh look, and she cringed. "Sorry! I'm just being honest."

To Fylwen, he said, "Okay, but in total fairness, the Great Lord is only against us conspiring in secret. Technically, he never said we couldn't plot his downfall in front of the rest of the—ahh! Ouch, ouch! Stop squeezing my shoulders. Okay, okay! I was kidding! It was a joke!"

"Don't joke that way," Fylwen said, easing her grip on him.

"I still don't understand why you guys get so upset that I side with the Great Goddess. I mean, she's one of your Gods too, right? So why isn't that good enough?"

"Because there is a hierarchy. You know this, Zach! The Great Lord Adamus is the highest of all the Lesser Gods."

"What about the Greater Ones?"

Upon hearing his question, Fylwen now looked more annoyed than angry. "For someone as blessed as you to know so little, it makes me wonder why I haven't sent you to the Wise Ones for education." She muttered something that Zach could only slightly overhear, and it sounded like a grumble regarding Kalana failing to teach Zach the most basic of things.

"The Greater Gods are not those whom we, the children of Elvadin, concern ourselves with. They are knowable only to the Lesser Gods. But do not be fooled, as the word 'lesser' does not imply what it may seem. It merely denotes that the Great Lord Adamus and the other Gods and Goddesses answer only to celestial spirits that our mortal minds cannot fathom. Therefore, we, the Elves, do not worship these Greater Gods, as we do not know them, and they are not for us to know.

"What is for us to know is that the Great Goddess, Eilea, ranks highly among the Lesser Gods, but none rank as high as the Great Lord, Adamus. His word is will, and his command exists for us to follow."

Fylwen turned her head and smiled at Eilea. "Truly," she continued, "never in my life did I expect to meet one, let alone two of our Gods, and for having connected us with them, Zach has earned a thousand years of gratitude. And I know I speak for every Elf here when I say that he has also earned our gratitude for caring for you, Great Goddess, and for being a loyal friend to the Elvish people.

"Yet I must warn you—both of you—that now that it has come to our attention that the two of you—as well as my own daughter!—have been scheming and plotting against the Great Lord, we can no longer tolerate it. None of us wants to harm you, Zach. And we certainly don't wish to harm our cherished, beloved, beautiful Goddess. But the Great Lord must be obeyed. That is why you anger us when you say that you and the Great Goddess will defeat the Great Lord. And it's also why you can no longer meet alone."

Zach considered each of her words, and when he replied, he ensured he spoke softly and carefully. "I just don't understand why so much of this is falling on me alone. I mean, Kal also schemed with Eilea. And she still gets to meet privately."

"Actually, no, she doesn't," Fylwen said, her tone matter-of-factly. "Naturally, my daughter will face the exact same restrictions as you. She is free to spend as much time with the Great Goddess as she pleases, but only when I or another high-ranking Elf happens to be around."

"W-what?" Kalana shouted, standing to her feet. "Mom! That's not fair!"

"Of course it's fair. Zach is absolutely right. You've schemed against the Great Lord, too."

"Well, yah, but way less than Zach did. And I can't believe Zach got me in trouble!"

"He did no such thing. Had he said nothing just now, I'd have told you this privately later on. But perhaps it is good to address this now. From today forward, there will be no more private meetings between you two."

"B-but Eilea teaches me cooking recipes from way in the past," Kalana moaned. "And she's teaching me all kinds of ancient Elvish traditions."

"And she can continue to do so—when I am there. In fact, given how much she enjoys spending time with you and also the children, I've been thinking of building an entire center where she can share the lost parts of our culture with everyone, not just you."

"Yeah, but we have private…girl talk."

Kalana strode over and hugged Eilea, who returned the hug. And she started to cry, to which Eilea began comforting her and patting her back. Zach once again had to use maximum effort not to roll his eyes. Kalana's reason for being upset was completely, totally different from Zach's, and also kind of stupid, though he realized that was also a mean, insensitive thing to think, however true.

Basically, Zach was only upset because, eventually, he did want to continue scheming and plotting, or at least have that as an option if Adamus did something he needed to oppose. But Kalana, on the other hand, seemed to be genuinely hurt that she wouldn't be able to have any further one-on-one time with her idol.

There needs to be at least some opposition to Adamus, Zach thought. He's too powerful, and he's too bossy. I'll have to come up with a new way of plotting against him.

As Kalana and Eilea embraced, Fylwen let go of Zach's shoulders and asked, "Do you understand now? Have I made myself clear?"

"Yeah," he said. "You have. And I do totally understand now how important all of this is to you. But can I just please say one thing in my own defense without you guys all freaking out?"

Fylwen tensed as though worried, yet with a clear reluctance, she nodded. "Go on."

Zach thanked her and then spoke. "So, I know that the Great Goddess has made mistakes. I get that. And I know she's done really dangerous things, like the power she used to bring Jimmy here. But putting all that aside, she once told me her actual vision for the world, and it really is a very good one. Like, if you'd all just be willing to listen to what she has to say, Eilea has incredible ideas."

Having spoken those words, Zach tensed just like Fylwen had done, because he worried Fylwen was going to snap at him for having dared to suggest such a thing. Instead, the Elvish queen merely looked at Eilea a second time and smiled warmly at her. Eilea, for her part, was smiling at Zach with gratitude and tears in her eyes as though proud of him for saying such a thing of her. She nodded at him even as she hugged Kalana.

"You do not need to convince me of such a thing," Fylwen said in reply. "In fact, I am certain that the Great Goddess's vision is as beautiful and wonderful as she is." As she spoke, she came across as genuine and sincere—but also strict. "Yet it is also not our—or her—place to decide such a thing. As very clearly stated in the Book of Laws, 18:51, we are all free to imagine the world as we wish, but none are free to break its laws or rewrite them. It is not our right to do so."

"But what if it could be our right?" Eilea asked, letting go of Kalana and walking towards the spot in the kitchen where Zach stood with Fylwen. "What if we could make this world better than my husband ever could?"

Despite being thousands of years older than Fylwen, Fylwen reached out with her finger and tapped Eilea on the nose like a mother to a foolish daughter. "And that, Great Goddess, is the kind of scheming and talk we shall have no more of on Elendroth."

"Wonderful queen, can you at least answer the question?"

"No, she cannot," Trelvor said.

For a moment, Zach thought Fylwen would scold Trelvor for daring to speak in her stead, but then he remembered that when it came to their kooky religious bullshit, the typical rules of formality were traded in for religious adherence.

"As the young Elf states, I cannot," Fylwen said. "Certainly, I can listen to your idea. You can speak to me of the most beautiful world that you can imagine. And together, we can paint pictures of it or compose poetry—as long as it remains in the context of imagination. I will not entertain any discussions of subverting the will of the Great Lord."

Eilea sighed. "Then that is truly regrettable, because I would be so much better to you all than he ever was. If not for my husband hindering my actions, I would have never allowed the massacre of the Elves. I don't deny that my mistakes poisoned Peter IV's mind, but what my husband failed to tell you was that when Peter began his Elvish genocide, he disallowed me from stopping it. I would have never let that happen!"

Fylwen closed her eyes, but before she did so, Zach could see pain in them. "May I ask you a question, Great Goddess?"

"Of course."

"What exactly were you and Peter IV attempting to do?"

At this, Eilea began to quiver somewhat, and Zach could see a lump forming in her throat. "It…it wasn't just us."

"Hm?" She opened her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You may think that you are the first Elves I've spoken with in thousands of years, but that is not true. I've been in contact with many Elves. Even within my confinement, I have occasionally befriended several of you over the years. And the last such Elf I had any contact with before recent times was Faelin Ira: your grandmother."

"You knew my grandmother?" Fylwen asked with a gasp. "I can hardly remember her, though she did once say she was blessed by the Gods. The way in which she was killed still haunts me, and for a time, it broke my faith."

Eilea scowled. "I witnessed that. I am so sorry."

"I cannot believe she knew you."

"We were close. Though she never saw me in the flesh, I spoke to her for many years. My plan was to free the Elves from bondage. By the time I met her, your people had already been in confinement, hidden away from the public for more than a thousand years. I found it to be despicable. That Adamus would allow our kin—our descendants—to be confined to impoverished encampments…I despised it. Yet, I was not alone in this belief."

Eilea took several steps towards the middle of the kitchen so that more people could see her, and she raised her voice as she spoke. "This may be extremely upsetting for many of you to hear, in particular because of the horrors he inflicted upon you. It is to such an extent that I cannot blame anyone who is unable to believe what I am to say next. But to all of you, Children of Elvadin, I swear that these words are the truth: Peter IV, when I knew him, was an Elvish-liberation activist, and he loved all of you."

Her words caused quite a stir, particularly from the green-cloaked Elves born on Galterra. Though no one doubted that she spoke the truth, the faces of many tightened with various emotions ranging from anger to shock.

"I called out to Peter IV after watching the way he interacted with the Elvish, both here and on Archian Prime. He loved the Elves. He loved you so much that he decided to make it his life's mission to free you. Shall I continue? Or do you need more time to write this down? I know this will become part of the official record, and I want it to be recorded properly. Adamus has already spoken on this, and so he cannot now forbid me from filling in the blanks."

"May I ask for just one more moment?" a scribe said. "I am almost caught up." His pencil was racing across the parchment. Zach understood the reason for Eilea's delay; clearly, she wanted whatever she said next to be what future Elves learned.

"Me as well," another requested. "I am almost done writing this down."

There was excitement and also some amazement in both scribes' faces as they jotted down what Eilea had thus far said. Even Zach had to admit that, as far as religious texts were concerned, this probably was among the most pertinent of things that had been said today. And he himself was curious to hear more about this, as he only knew the basic details himself.

She really is smart, he thought as he realized exactly what she was doing. She's playing the long game. Whatever she's about to say, she probably thinks it will better endear Elves of the future to her since the ones in the present are not going to change their mind about Adamus.

After pausing for a few more moments, she continued. "After getting to know Peter, I formed a three-way alliance between him, myself, and the queen's grandmother. At this point in time, the queen's bloodline had not yet married into Vayra royalty, but I saw the spark of greatness in her. The three of us worked together to form a plan to free the Elves.

"But things did not go as we hoped. Adamus, the uncaring bastard that he was, began threatening me to remain uninvolved in Galterran conflicts. You see, he did not care for you as I did. He did not seem to mind that you had all been kept suppressed. While you may not have been outright tortured or murdered, you were nevertheless deliberately kept secluded, and do you know why?

"It is because the humans feared your potential. The Elvish, as I'm sure you all realize, level faster and grow stronger than humans do. The Guild of Gentlemen, therefore, spent close to a thousand years convincing the world you did not exist while artificially limiting your population growth, but more than anything else, they sought to keep you from leveling, which was of concern to them as they knew that you could freely enter the dungeons in a way most humans cannot."

Eilea again paused to give the scribes a chance to catch up. "The three of us decided that I would have to break free of my captivity. My husband had placed me in a prison far below the ground where an ancient kingdom used to dwell, although by the time I was sent there, it had already fallen to ruin. But Peter…oh, my Peter."

Emotion flooded into her voice, and she began to sob. "Peter claimed he would come rescue me in person. I did not believe him at first. I thought such a thing to be ridiculous. But he found me. He was such a strong young man. He used his power to punch a hole directly down to my prison. It took him a year of using his strongest ability, Brave Slash, but eventually, he found me. When he did, however, he was still unable to free me, as my husband had created powerful bindings that prevented my escape: a barrier that only I could not pass through."

Eilea wiped her eyes. "Faelin Ira, Peter Brayspark IV, and myself—we worked together, and we enlisted the aid of the other Elves. Slowly, we brought more and more people into our circle of trust, until the entire Vayra royal family became involved.

"Together, they helped me find a certain item that my husband will kill us all if I speak of in too great a detail. Suffice to say, we ended up stumbling on one of his traps, and Peter lost his life. By the time I resurrected him, his brain, which had suffered necrosis, could not be fully healed. He was ill of the mind. He never spoke to me again after that. And he committed the atrocities you have all been forced to endure."

As she concluded speaking, there was a long, contemplative moment of near silence, during which the only audible sound was the jotting of a pencil on parchment as the five scribes wrote at maddening speeds. Looking around, Zach scanned the faces of the Elves all around him, including Kalana's, as she was hearing this for the very first time.

That's right, he thought. She wasn't here when Adamus told us the whole thing about Peter IV. And I never got around to telling her, either.

After the scribes had finished writing, they barely had time to put down their pencils before they started up again, as Kalana was the first to speak. "So…so all that stuff I saw growing up, that was all 'cause…?"

"That's right," Eilea said to her. "It was all because—"

"Because we, collectively, disobeyed the Great Lord!" an Elf cried out, followed by an absolute outpouring of agreement. At once, Eilea's mouth fell open, an indignant look came upon her face, and she began to shout to them, but her voice was utterly drowned out by their collective, universal accord.

"The Great Goddess alone is not to blame!" Queen Vayra yelled, seeming relieved of all things. "As you have just heard, it was a sin upon all of us. The blood of all in this room aside from the two humans—that blood is to blame. Hear me, my kin. What we have just heard may have been painful, but it is perhaps the most important thing we have ever heard in our lives." She pointed to a man dressed in an ornate white robe, one who wore neither a green nor white cloak. "Wise one," she said.

"Yes, my queen?"

"How do you believe we should proceed?"

He stood up from his seat and bowed. "Based on what we just heard? I would like to invoke my religious authority to immediately have a new book of worship printed, and I would like to extend the learning year so that we can ensure our final-year students can demonstrate knowledge and competence of all that has transpired today."

Zach only partially understood what the man was talking about. He was likely referring to the religious education all young Elves had to go through. It seemed that the ones who were about to "graduate" or whatever their word for it was—it seemed they might have to go back and learn some additional new things.

Eilea, looking horrified, began furiously shaking her head as she leaned over and read what one of the scribes had written. "You must not write that!" she shouted. "You vilify me. This is not the point of what I have just said!"

The scribe, apologizing enthusiastically, said, "Oh, forgive me, Great Goddess! In no way have I—or would I—ever attempt to vilify you. I assure you, my words do no such thing."

As if to prove him wrong, Eilea began to read out. "Passage 1:19 on the topic of Godly Enlightenment. It says: 'The Great Goddess, Eilea Vayra, driven by her love of the Elves, made the misguided decision to lead an uprising, in which the Elves of yore were most complicit. In so doing, the Elvish people brought upon ourselves a punishment that was both harsh and of our own making.' That's what you've written. And it is wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yes! The moral of the story is that my husband's an evil, no-good—"

"Great Goddess, please," Fylwen said to her. "There is nothing here that vilifies you. It is all the truth. We suffered because we disobeyed. We do not blame you. If anything, the fact that even you could sin in such a way serves as a potent reminder of how easy the temptation is to disobey the Great Lord."

Eilea, seemingly losing all of her energy, made an exhausted-sounding sigh and walked back over to Jascaila and sat down next to her. Jascaila began whispering words that Zach could not overhear as if to comfort her. Then, lifting her head, she again spoke to them.

"I just love and care for all of you," she said. "Every last Elf here. And Zach. And Jascaila. And even the cat, Nila, and so it breaks my heart that you are all in thrall to such a cruel, wicked God, and it breaks my heart more so that I am a weak, emotional woman who cannot stand up to him, nor will you let me."

With everything she'd done and said, Zach couldn't help but become curious over her methods. And it was for that reason, and that reason alone, that he opened his mouth and said something he really, really shouldn't have said—nor would he have said if he'd actually stopped a moment to really think if he should.

"I don't understand why you keep trying to change their opinion this way, Eilea. I mean, with all the dirt and secrets that Adamus brought up and shoveled onto you, I'm surprised you don't just tell them about the—"

And then he caught himself. But Eilea, looking at him, now seemed far too intrigued to let it go. "About the what?" she asked.

"You know," he said, not daring to speak it. "The one thing that Adamus actually cares about me and Kal not leaking."

"What thing?"

Zach opened his mouth, but he was unsure of what to say. Fylwen, appearing concerned, asked, "What's going on here?"

Deciding to be truthful, he said, "Even though there's a bunch of stuff Kal and I know that we're probably not supposed to know, there's only really one thing that Adamus—the Great Lord, my bad—actually cares about keeping secret. And I just don't get why, with all the times Eilea has gone against him, the one thing she decided never to do is tell you guys about it, since that's probably the only thing that might change your minds."

Eilea's eyebrows raised. "You're referring to…" He could tell that she knew what he was talking about from the way she began to nod. "I have had so much history with my husband that sometimes I forget which plots and secrets are being referred to."

Kal also seemed to understand what he was talking about, and she came over to him and grabbed his arm. "Baby, you'd be going too far if you told anyone that. It's bad enough we have to know it."

Fylwen's face darkened. "What is going on here? Why do I sense treachery? If there is something forbidden to be spoken, I should not have to remind you two not to speak of it."

"In fairness, Fylwen," Zach said, "Kal and I know something so fucking terrible that, when we found it out, we couldn't even speak for an hour. It's that bad. It makes you feel hopeless. Even now, I'm upset thinking about it."

"Whatever it is, it is your burden to keep secret. I cannot believe you would even dare speak of it."

"Well, I will speak of it," Eilea said, once again standing up.

"You mustn't!" Fylwen called out to her, and so too did many of the Elves.

"Zach's right. This might actually be the one and only thing that will finally break his hold over you. I don't know why I never thought to just tell you this."

Panic and alarm erupted throughout the kitchen and the connecting living room as Elves began fearfully looking at one another as if unsure of what they should be doing. "You cannot stop me from saying this, and I can feel my husband's presence. He is daring me to tell you. In fact, provided none of you write this down or allow it to leave this room, I am quite certain he will not mind. Isn't that right, Adamus?"

She closed her eyes momentarily, and then she grinned. "You can all be seated. My husband does not seem to think it will matter. But he has just confirmed to me exactly what I suspected. He cares only that this information does not spread. He does not care if all of you hear it. You can tell them if you want to, Zach."

Zach didn't think she was lying. In fact, he'd bet on it. If Adamus really did have an issue, he'd just come right back and let it be known. Still, he didn't exactly regret this turn of events—at least not at first, because it was something he'd had on his chest for a while now.

"I really can?"

"Yes."

"Queen Vayra?"

She, too, bowed her head in acknowledgment. "I'm uncomfortable, but I know the Great Goddess does not lie, and if the Great Lord does not object, then his word is final. However, I am going to assume I needn't speak of what consequences await any Elf who should ever spread a word of this to anyone, including even their own kin?"

From the enthusiastic nods all around, it was probably safe to assume they understood. And with that, Zach took a deep breath and released it. "This is probably one of the worst things I've ever heard. Me and Kalana have had to keep this to ourselves for a while now, and Mr. Oren, uh, Lord Oren to most of you, he almost went comatose when he heard this."

Zach wet his lips and braced himself, as even speaking this aloud unsettled him. "Despite what you guys all believe, there are no more Gods and Goddesses. There's just the Great Goddess and the Great Lord. The rest of them have abandoned us. They went someplace so far that they can never return, and they will never be among us again. All that's left is Eilea and Adamus. They left because they could no longer tolerate Adamus. They were sick of him. He basically chased them away. There, now you know."

The absolute torrent of emotions that followed Zach's words was enough to tell him that maybe, just maybe, they might finally change their mind about Adamus. The gasps, the shouts, the actual tears that were shed. It almost made Zach feel guilty for even telling them, as they seemed to take the news far, far worse than he and Kalana had—and they hadn't exactly taken it well, either.

The scribes were making "ha-ha-haa" sounds of pain as they put their pencils down with trembling hands, and although they were forbidden from writing this down, the news caused tears to fall from their faces and splash against the pages they'd already written. Queen Vayra was also in tears, and she appeared to be praying to Adamus. "All of them?" she asked, her voice filled with the sound of shocked, unexpected grief. "They've all left us?"

Eilea, watching this all occur, said nothing for nearly five minutes as the news was processed. And then when she spoke, she made it all so much worse. Gods, she really did.

"What Zach just told you is not true," she said, causing Zach and Kalana to both whip their heads in her direction, the scribes to nearly fall out of their chairs, and Queen Vayra to wipe her eyes and dart her head back and forth between Zach and Eilea as though confused.

"He lied about that?" she asked. "Zach! If you just put us through all that for no reason, it means I have misjudged you, and you are not the person I—"

"No, no, Zach didn't lie," Eilea shot in. "He told you what he believes is true. It's what both of them were told. But it was never true."

Zach, surprised, asked, "Really?"

"Yes. The Great Ones did not leave us."

"So they're still around?" Zach asked, becoming excited and even more confused.

"No."

"I don't understand."

Eilea narrowed her eyes. "They're dead. My husband killed every single last one of them. That, is Adamus's sin."

********

For once, Zach was just as floored as the rest of them. One hour ago, upon hearing the devastating claim made by Eilea, Fylwen had gotten up, ordered the entire home to be sealed off, and refused to let anyone leave or go anywhere until all of this was processed. She had not told her guards why they were sealing off the home, nor had they asked. They simply established a perimeter, but they did so far enough away as to not eavesdrop.

"The people cannot see us grieve," she said, her eyes red and soaked. "Whatever mourning there is to do, it must be done now. We can never allow this to spread."

The grief was overwhelming. Not to Zach, though, and not to Jascaila—she, like him, was more surprised than sad—but to the Elves? This was probably the worst thing that'd happened to them since genocide. Name after name was called out, and despite never having personally met any of these people, they were no less saddened.

"Lenbir the Wise and Patient!" an Elf screamed, bawling. "Even he is gone?"

"The sweet Nefir!" a man wept. "How can she be dead? Please, Great Lord! We beg of you to restore them to life."

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Throughout all of this, Zach had not stopped holding Kalana, who was just as upset as the rest of them. He didn't fully understand why, but that was only because he still did not—and would likely never—fully understand this religion and what it meant to these people.

His shirt was becoming soaked as she cried into his chest, but that was okay. He held her. "I thought they were happy and building another world," she said, sobbing. "Zach. He killed them. All of them!"

"I know, Kal," he whispered.

"Why would he do that?"

And it was at this point that the conversation again began to turn—and in a way that Eilea likely did not anticipate. For the past hour, she had been very silent, letting them process their grief, yet she had done so with something that almost looked like optimism in her face. Zach highly doubted it was because she was happy to see them this way, but rather, Zach suspected she imagined that this would finally cause the Elves to change allegiances.

"Tell us, Great Goddess," Fylwen begged her. "Why did the Great Lord do such a thing?"

"Because he is an evil, wicked God, as I have always said."

"Can that truly be the only reason? It was a mere whim?"

"Well, no, of course it wasn't a whim," she said, speaking the words as though they were obvious. "They were tired of him always insisting he got his way, and they wanted to leave. They thought they were entering a portal to another galaxy. Instead, Adamus had them sucked into a black hole, where they endured a terrifying, awful death."

Fylwen again wiped her eyes. "Wait…they were disobedient?"

"W-why are you even asking that?" Eilea demanded angrily.

The mood in the room changed so quickly that it was palpable. The Elves, still sobbing, began looking at one another. One of them said, "What has happened is the greatest tragedy in all the time that has ever existed and will ever exist—but the Great Goddess says that they had rebelled against the Great Lord. What else was he to do?"

"Of course," Fylwen agreed, nodding. "Of course!"

Finally, for once, Kalana broke away from the others. She pulled her head out of Zach's chest, turned around, and defied the growing consensus. "That doesn't make it okay! And you can all glare at me like that, umm, I don't care. He murdered all the other Gods and Goddesses I grew up worshiping. That all of you guys did! Just 'cause they didn't do what he said to do doesn't mean he gets to just—"

"Kalana!" her mother scolded, interrupting her. "I understand your grief, daughter, as I feel it too. But you must not speak that way."

"But, Mom! She's telling us the truth. He killed them all!"

"As was his right," she said, speaking firmly. "Think, Kalana. How much tragedy has happened in our lives and in the lives of our Gods? And all of it can be traced back to one thing: disobeying the Great Lord. This burden is one that we must now carry. And though we can never speak of this, we can at least ensure we learn from it. From now on, we must be twice as diligent to prevent blasphemy against the Great Lord, Adamus."

Kalana shook her head, which caused several of the Elves to glare at her. One of them even made the incredibly stupid decision to say something rude to her. Zach could barely hear what it was, but he didn't care, because no one talked about his girl that way.

"Hey, you! Asshole!" He sprang up from his seat and pointed right at the guy. He was a young Elf around Zach's age with golden hair and dagger-shaped earrings adorning each of his lobes. "I heard that."

"Zach, it's fine," Kalana whispered to him. "Just drop it."

"No, it's not fine. He called you a disgrace—or something like that."

"That isn't exactly what I said," he replied. "Specifically, I said that if our princess turns against the Great Lord, then she will become a disgrace. This is a simple statement of fact."

Zach narrowed his eyes at the guy. "Call her a disgrace one more time, and I'll break your fucking jaw."

"Hah! You are strong, Zachys Calador, but you are no Elf. I would make quick work of you."

"Oh really? Let's step outside right now. You and me. I'll beat you until you can't even—"

"Zach!" Jascaila shouted. "We just talked about this last week."

Oh, shit, I forgot for a second that she's here.

Zach curled his lips angrily and again pointed at the Elf. "You're lucky. My therapist just saved your life." He made as if to sit back down, but he paused as the Elf began marching over to him. Typically, the Elves wouldn't escalate, but this one appeared to be a bit hotheaded. And he got right into Zach's face.

"Who's lucky, human?" he asked.

"Not you," Zach replied. "You're in my personal space. This now counts as self-defense. Get ready to have every last tooth knocked right out of your—"

"Boys!" Jascaila growled, getting up and physically separating them, shoving each of them back. Trelvor and Seiley also moved to assist, and now there was a bit more distance between the two of them.

Zach smiled at him even as she did so, but it was a wry grin. "Later, we'll settle this. What's your name?"

"I am Taleron II, and I, like my father, speak only truth."

"Here's some truth for you, Taleron," Zach said. "Later, when all these Elves and my therapist aren't around to protect you, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you so bad you'll be crying to your daddy."

"I'd like to see you try, Zachys Calador. They say you killed many humans and even a few Elves. You won't find such luck with me."

"Enough," Fylwen said, and though she spoke with a soft tone, her words nevertheless carried far more threat in them than Zach himself could muster. "Everyone's agitated and upset. This is to be expected. But both of you will return to your seats. And if you absolutely must settle this score, you will go to Angelica's and use the grapes. It's actually something I have begun instructing all my Elves to start doing whenever they need to work out their personal issues in a physical way. Combat between Elves and allies is no longer allowed outside of Angelica's."

"Yeah, that's a much better way," Kalana said, nodding. "Zach, please, don't fight people if it's not in Angelica's. I'm okay with it if you only fight him there or whatever, but I don't wanna see anybody get seriously hurt."

Zach shrugged. "That's fine with me."

"Me as well," Taleron said. "But for the record, let it be known I did not call our wonderful princess a disgrace. I clearly said if—the keyword being if—she turns against the Great Lord."

Zach scowled at him. Angelica better not stop the fight too soon. Who did he think he was to say shit like that? And what was wrong with Zach himself? He was starting to realize he was becoming way too comfortable with violence. The jitters he used to suffer from, while still in existence, had subsided a whole lot. But these days, he was having these sudden, sporadic impulses towards violence that he was cognizant of but nevertheless powerless to ignore.

"Jascaila," he whispered.

"I know. We'll talk later today."

Zach bowed his head in thanks to her. Then he resumed doing what he'd been doing before: he sat silently and watched as the Elves continued to weep and mourn. Only now, they were arriving at a consensus that Zach and, clearly, Eilea, had hoped to avoid. All that heartbreak and pain—and they still did not want to turn away from Adamus.

"Even Olandrin is dead?" one of the Elves asked. She was an older woman whose hair had nearly turned fully silver. "Our beautiful storytelling God of humor and joy."

Eilea made a waving motion with her hand. "To answer that, I must first shield this place from my husband's spying eyes, though at most, I can only speak unheard for a few seconds." Afterwards, she quickly said, "My brother, Olandrin, is essentially dead," and there was sadness in her voice as she spoke. "He has not passed yet, but…he will soon. He has spent a very, very long time fighting the pull of the black hole, but as he has passed the event horizon, the only thing that can save him is something I will likely not be able to acquire in time." She lowered her head and rubbed away her own tears. "When I concentrate, I can even see him in my mind, yet I am powerless to save him."

And it was upon those words that Zach was blasted by a dangerous idea, one so incredible and daring that he actually shook as it came to him. It was something that he knew he should really spend a long time thinking about. It was not something he should impulsively act upon. Gods, no. And yet…such indecision had led Eilea astray so many times that he was beginning to wonder if acting was better than thinking. At least in situations where Adamus was concerned.

I'm insane, he thought. I can't actually be thinking what I'm thinking. I must be insane to even…

But the idea grew on him. It spread. It took hold. It was an exciting idea. One that had the potential to dramatically shift power and perhaps even create an equilibrium of sorts. "Eilea," he said.

"Yes?"

The other Elves were too pained and caught up in grief to scold him for addressing her directly by name. So rather than correct himself, he simply asked, "How powerful was Olandrin, anyway?"

"Slightly less powerful than me, but no less special. My brother was very talented in other ways."

"But he was still really powerful compared to, like, you know, a regular adventurer?"

"Oh, of course. He is a God, after all."

Zach got up, walked over to her, and then sucked on his tooth a moment as he thought on how to do this. "Hey, uh, Eilea," he said. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course."

"If I asked you to do something for me, could you do it immediately and without hesitation, no matter the cost?"

At this, Fylwen immediately snapped her head in Zach's direction, and so did several Elves. Trelvor and Seiley started to move in on him as well. But, for the moment, he kept his posture relaxed.

"Zach, what are you…?"

"I'm going to ask you to do something. And I hate to use emotional blackmail, which is what Jascaila will call this, but if you don't do it immediately, I'll consider it a total betrayal and never forgive you."

"Okay, something's going on over there," a nearby Elf said. "Zach's scheming again!"

"Zach, what are you two up to?" Fylwen asked, drawing nearer. "I hope it's not more scheming!"

"I'm not doing anything," he lied to reassure them. They clearly didn't buy it, but he didn't care. He only needed a few seconds of time to pull this off. To Eilea, he asked, "Adamus is blocking your ability to communicate mentally, right? Does that mean that even if you used all your power, you couldn't send so much as a thought?"

The question seemed to take her aback. "Well…sure, I could send a thought or two, but why do you ask?"

The question itself alarmed the Elves, and now, more than a dozen were storming their way over to him. But still, Zach ignored all of them and activated Unleashed Phase. Having not used the ability in quite some time, he entered with a Phase Level of 0 and an exertion cost of High. Immediately upon activation, an impossibly black smoke began exiting his hands and feet, and the skin all over his body took up a dull, ambient glow.

"W-what are you up to?" Seiley shouted.

"Zach, whatever you're doing, stop!" the queen warned.

"Your Majesty, he's doing something!" one of the scribes screamed. "Stop him!"

Zach continued to tune them out. He stared directly into Eilea's eyes. "Right now, without pausing to stop or think about it, send me that image of your brother. Olandrin. I'm begging you, Eilea, just do it."

"Why?"

"Eilea!"

"Okay! I'm sending it now!"

The moment she finished speaking, Zach found his entire body slamming onto the kitchen floor with enough force to put his entire face through the ceramic tile and the floorboards beneath. Kalana started screaming. Jascaila did too. An absolute mess of chaos and disorder filled the entire kitchen. But still, Zach tuned all of it out as the Elves piled on top of him and started grabbing his body and yanking on him as though in some kind of confused frenzy.

There he is, Zach thought, seeing the face of a man concealed in darkness even as he was rolled over and a knee crashed down onto his chest from one of the white-cloaked guards who had been present during the meeting.

Nevertheless, he ignored all of it, and now, taking an obscenely dangerous, poorly thought-out chance that he would stand by regardless, Zach activated Boundless, paused just a moment, and immediately after, he activated Phase Rescue while targeting the sight of Olandrin in his mind, projected to him by Eilea.

"What's he doing?" someone shouted.

"I don't think he's doing anything," another replied.

"Well, we might be hurting him. I don't know what to do here."

"Zach, just tell us!" a different Elf demanded. "What did you just do? What were you and the Great Goddess trying to—"

Dozens upon dozens of voices shouted as though startled as a loud, snapping crunch came from above and the ceiling was broken apart; following this, a brightly shining blue orb slammed down onto the kitchen and came to a sudden, immediate halt, lingering in place for just a moment.

When it did, not even Eilea seemed to yet understand what Zach had done or why he'd done it—at least not until the stunningly handsome young Elf with combed blond hair, a brimmed, artistic hat, a youthful face, and an extremely pleased smile appeared in the kitchen on the heels of the blue orb, which vanished as it deposited him here.

Upon seeing him, all the Elves fell silent.

"Yes!" the handsome young Elf roared. "Yes, yes, yes! I'm alive, I'm actually alive! And I'm free!" He looked down at Zach, who could barely see him as he was buried beneath so many angry Elves. "Hey, you guys. Get off my buddy!" The Elf made a waving motion with his hand, and just like that, the dozen or so of them on top of him were flung to every corner of the room, with many even slamming through walls, creating a resounding series of bangs of various volumes to echo all throughout the home.

"Whoops, too much force. They'll be fine, though."

He made another wave of his hand, and a green mist popped out of nowhere, covering Zach from head to toe, healing him despite the fact that he wasn't really injured. Then, this smiling, beaming man held out his hand, and Zach, uncertain, took it. He found himself yanked up to his feet and pulled immediately into a hug.

"Dude, thanks," he said. "Seriously. I've been there for more than a thousand years. I didn't see that coming at all!" He let go of Zach and then turned to Eilea, and with a joyous extending of his arms, he said, "There's my sis. Come here."

"O-Olandrin!" she cried, practically throwing herself at him, grabbing him so tightly that he actually groaned. "How are you here? What happened? I'm so confused. Is this real, brother? Is this real? What's happening? Why are you here? How are you here? I'm so confused and happy!"

"I'm surprised too," he said. "Your friend Zach just freed me on a whim, which I think is amazing, by the way." He laughed joyously. "I'm free! I'm actually free!"

The Elves all began to surround him, and they were filled with nothing but confusion and uncertainty. They bowed and kneeled before him, but it was unlike the way they had done when Eilea first appeared or Adamus. They did not sing or perform any of their typical rituals. They merely stared as though transfixed and lacking even the slightest clue of what was now expected of them.

This was also true of the dozen Elves who had been flung to every corner of the home, destroying numerous sections of walls and smashing apart the viewing screen in the living room. Covered in plaster and drywall, they hurried over and then knelt before Olandrin, but they said nothing.

"Zach," Eilea said, fresh tears coating her eyes. "For what you have just done, I will be grateful to you for all of eternity." She cupped her brother's face. "Just like that, he's back. How did you think of doing something like this? How could you have known? I can barely breathe, I'm so happy. My brother!"

"Well, you said that you could see him," Zach explained. "And if I can see someone, I can rescue them. Distance doesn't matter. Well, as long as it's not to the edge of the universe." He straightened his posture and made a victorious laugh. "And since might is the only thing that anyone cares about, I knew as soon as you mentioned him that I had to get him here, because now, with two Gods united against one…"

"That's right!" Eilea cheered. "Now, we can form a stronger front against Adamus!"

At this, Olandrin made a playful laugh. "Okay, okay, hold your horses, you two. First, let me again thank you, Zach. I never, ever expected to be free. You're cool as hell, and I appreciate it so much. Really, I do. I did not think this was gonna happen to me today—or ever."

Zach chuckled and shook his hand while all the Elves, including Kalana, continued to stare open-mouthed. The scribes were also staring open-mouthed while somehow moving their hands around and writing all of this without even looking at the parchment.

"It's not a problem," Zach said.

"I've not been this happy in ages," Eilea added. "My dear brother! With you on our side, and with Francis and Zach, now we can finally—"

"Resist Adamus?" Olandrin asked, winking at her.

"Yes!"

In response, Olandrin held up his index finger. "I'm all for pushing back against Adamus. But! We're gonna do it peacefully and in accordance with the rules."

"What?" Eilea exclaimed. Zach also tilted his head, unsure of what he was hearing as he became totally baffled by the man's response.

"What do you mean by that?" Zach asked him.

Rather than answer, Olandrin stretched, extending his arms widely. "Man, it feels good to be in normal gravity. I've been fighting back against that gravity well for so long I've forgotten what it feels like to relax for a change."

Eilea grabbed his shoulder. "Olandrin! What did you mean by what you just said?"

A calm smile still on his lips, he said, "What Adamus did was horrible. I've had hundreds of years to grieve the passing of our friends and family. But you know me, sis. You know I don't hold grudges forever. Adamus and I aren't friends, but we're not enemies."

At this, Eilea actually shrieked, clearly outraged. "How can you say this? How can you even form those words?"

"Sis, think about it. Adamus is always a step ahead of us, whether we wanna admit it or not. If I'm here, it's because he let me be here. It's an olive branch, obviously. He knows I don't hold grudges for long, and from his point of view, he probably never had one to begin with. So, honestly? There won't be trouble between us unless we make it. And you know I won't do anything that could cause someone innocent to die."

"But…but this is the time to fight! With both of us together, we can make him pay!"

Olandrin wiggled his finger at her. "And who would that help, sis? Think about it. Let's say you and I storm the OMP—ahh, don't write that down," he ordered the scribes. "Seriously, you're not allowed to know that word."

The scribes, looking desperately, hopelessly confused, began erasing. Olandrin continued, "Let's say we storm it. He's gonna win. And Galterra might be destroyed in the conflict. So, what's the point? We're better off going back there together. Adamus is a stickler about the rules, and no amount of time or circumstances will change that. That's why, since any two Great Ones in agreement have the right to call for an emergency meeting, you can I can force Adamus to let us make proposals and negotiate. We'll have the power to push out the first system update in years."

Olandrin opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted as Fylwen, still kneeling, said, "F-f-forgive me, Great Lord Olandrin. Forgive me, my kin, and my soul for daring to have the audacity to interrupt, but I beg of you, may I ask you just one question?"

Olandrin turned around and knelt down in front of the queen, smiling at her. "Oh, of course! And you don't gotta beg like that."

He reminds me so much of Kalana, Zach thought, struck by the similarities between them. Clearly, his blood ran through her at least in part. He was just so damn similar to her, only in a more masculine, older, and more self-assured kind of way.

Also, more laid-back, oddly enough.

"Great Lord Olandrin," Fylwen said. "I and my Elves have but one question. Are you…are you in rebellion against the Great Lord, Adamus?"

"Nah, definitely not," Olandrin said. "I don't like him. I'll be honest about that. None of us ever did. But we're not required to like him, are we now?" he asked with a wink.

"No, you are not," Fylwen agreed. "So…so the status quo continues as usual?"

"Yep. Tomorrow, I'm heading to see him. I can already feel that he expects me. He needs me since it seems like Eilea won't compromise or work with him. Not that I can blame her."

"But this makes no sense," Eilea said angrily. "If that was the case, why didn't he just free you himself?"

"I don't think he could. Even if he came to regret his actions, there's no one in the universe who can do what Zach just did. He's the only one. And I didn't even know he could do that. Adamus probably did, though."

"I knew as well," Eilea said. "But I never even thought to use his power that way. But…wait, are you saying that Zach can do something that not even Adamus can do?"

"Yeah," Olandrin said. "That kid has psionic energy that goes way beyond what you realize. He's up there with the Old Gods. He might only be a bit behind Jack Harris or Joshua of the Farm. Damn, Eilea. You really do like to play with fire."

Of all the things they'd just said, Zach shook his head and focused on just one element of it. "Wait, so are you saying I just got fucking played and did what Adamus wanted me to do?"

Olandrin laughed. "Probably, yeah."

"Oh, praise be given!" Fylwen said, shedding what looked like a tear of relief. "Zach is finally obeying the Great Lord!"

"N-not on purpose!" Zach blurted out angrily. He squeezed his smoking hands into fists, becoming angrier by the second. "So, you're saying he knew that this would happen?"

"Yeah, I'd wager so. I mean, that old bastard is good at shit like that. Pardon my language. Anyway, if he really wanted me to stay put, there's no way I'd be here. He wouldn't have let you do that. Oh, and Eilea, I know I'm just getting back into the swing of things, but I'm seeing there's a hotfix you were supposed to accept? Not sure why you didn't, but I went ahead and accepted it."

"You did what?" she shouted at him, her lips peeling back and baring her teeth. "No, Olandrin! No!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"I'll tell you," Zach said.

Following this, Zach briefly informed Olandrin of why they were all here and what Adamus had promised he'd do if Eilea did not cooperate with him. Olandrin's mouth slid open, and a sense of boyish amazement filled his face.

"Whoah, the whole island?" he asked, shocked. "He was gonna blow the entire place up?"

"Yeah," Zach said. "And also, my friends aren't able to progress because Eilea broke the entrance."

"Wait, wait, wait." Olandrin held out both his palms. "Eilea, are you telling me that after we spent thousands of years building higher-tier worlds, you sabotaged the very first group of adventurers that might actually get to visit them?"

"Yes!"

"Why in the hell would you do something like that?"

"Because they could die!"

"They'll die anyway if they don't get strong enough to defeat the World Eater. Gods, Eilea. Bad decision! Good thing we fixed it, though."

As their bickering continued, the expressions on the faces of all the Elves, though still mired in confusion, began to change subtly such that they shifted first from relief, and then to joy as they seemingly realized that Olandrin was intent on assuming his place as part of some grander design.

"Though we have all learned of a tragedy today," one woman said, "we have been granted a miracle from the Great Lord. Another God has returned to us!"

"That's right," another agreed. "The Great Lord Olandrin is no enemy of the Great Lord. We are disgracing ourselves by failing to show him the appropriate respect!"

"Indeed, we are," Fylwen agreed. "Shame upon us all for failing to honor him!"

Olandrin, who had been mid-sentence in his bickering with Eilea, stopped as though becoming aware of what the Elves were saying. Then his face seemed to light up. "Wait, do I get a celebration, too?" he asked. "I was watching over you guys for a while since I had nothing better to do while I was trapped. Anyway, I'll be honest: I was so jealous. My sis got all these songs, and food, and wine. Do I get any of that?"

"O-of course!" Fylwen shouted, the words practically exploding out of her.

"Awesome. I'll tell you guys some stories I was working on in the void. Also, Zach, as a thanks, any chance you want an artifact-quality ring? It's a level-500 ring that makes you invincible for five minutes and gives you a thousand to each stat."

Zach snorted so hard he almost choked. "Yes," he said immediately after. "Are you serious? The answer's yes. But…wait, for real?"

"Yeah, I have it in my pocket here." He reached inside his chest pocket of his baggy, slightly goofy-looking robe, and there it was, a ring that actually pulsed with golden light, one bright enough to sting the eyes. "Huh?" He frowned, looked upwards, and then made a tsk sound before returning it to his pocket. "Ah, rats. Adamus says no. He says it's cheating. Sorry."

"Huh?"

"He says I can't give it to you."

"W-w-wait a second," Zach said, panicked. "I want my fucking reward! You can't just dangle that in front of me and then take it back. Give me that ring!"

Olandrin laughed sheepishly. "Can't. Sorry."

"It's right there in your pocket! Give me!"

Zach lurched forward to reach for it, and once again, he found himself tackled as Seiley and Trelvor jumped on him and slammed him through yet another floorboard. "Forgive him, Great Lord Olandrin!" they cried. "He disrespected you! We are so sorry!"

"Zach, how dare you disrespect the Great Lord Olandrin?" Fylwen asked. "Did you seriously just try to grab him?"

"Okay, I've had enough of this," Zach moaned as they finally let him up. "I'm just so sick of being thrown through walls or the floor every time I disrespect Gods. You know what? Fuck all Gods! How about that? There, I said it. Every God can eat my ass. Now that I just lost the greatest piece of loot in the entire universe? Yeah, there goes all my respect. I'm going to need therapy now just over that one thing. So fuck all the Gods! They can all—"

Olandrin burst out into laughter as Zach was tackled a third time and put through a third floorboard. Kalana's entire home was going to need to be rebuilt at this rate. The damage was so extensive that Zach was worried it might just collapse in on itself.

"Hahahaha! Oh man, I love this kid," Olandrin said. "Guys, ease off him. He's my friend now. Come on. Get off him. Let him be."

"As you wish!" they cried, letting him up yet again.

"Zach," he said, helping him up to his feet once more. "I'm sorry about teasing you with the ring. I really was gonna let you have it, but Adamus says it's a forbidden object. It's actually something I made myself shortly before I got trapped, and I guess because it's not technically part of the system, you're not supposed to have it. But Adamus says…" Olandrin closed his eyes.

"What'd he say?" Zach asked as Olandrin reopened his blue-green eyes.

"Uhh, would you settle for picking out your own dragon?"

"My own dragon?" Zach exclaimed. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yeah, Adamus says I can give you one of my non-combat dragons instead if you want. It can't fight or anything, but it's huge and has a house on its back, along with a garden. It can carry up to a thousand passengers, and it's faster than anything humans have built. Any chance you can be convinced to settle for—"

"Yes. Give now."

"Well, you'll have to come to the OMP with me later and pick one out. There are a lot of different colors. This was the update I was working on before Adamus tried to murder me. It's basically finished, but it needs a few beta testers. Also, uh…are you done with that?" he asked, nodding at Zach's hands of all things.

"Huh?"

"You wasted your ability-thingy saving me. You want me to reset it for you?"

"Reset it?"

"I'll just take that as a yes."

Olandrin began moving around his hands and fingers, forming strange patterns with them both as he waved them through the air. Suddenly, a smoky, then solid image appeared before him, one which seemed to contain buttons that looked more like Elvish symbols. At the same time, his name appeared above his head in red lettering.

Soon after, his name vanished, and so did the image before him. Yet as it did, Zach realized the black smoke was no longer coming from his hands and feet, and he was no longer in Unleashed Phase. Incredibly, the ability was also off cooldown, too. It was as though he'd never used it.

And no exertion debt to be paid, either!

"Okay, you've won me over again," Zach said, nodding. "That is so cool. You've got real power. I can see that now. Uh, can you give me more free stuff?"

Olandrin shrugged. "Yeah, sure. What else do you want?"

Zach became filled to the brim with excitement. "Okay, so I'll take a few—"

"That's quite enough," Fylwen interrupted, glaring at him. "Zach, that's not acceptable behavior. It is utterly unfathomable that you can casually ask the Great Lord for free things and in such a cavalier way."

Upon her words, Olandrin looked at the queen, then lowered his eyes to her waist. "That gladius you have is way too low level for you," he said.

Fylwen regarded him with confusion evident in her expression. "Hm?"

Olandrin raised his hand, and from thin air, a pitch-black gladius with fire coming out of its bladed tip appeared in his hand. White, patterned trails ran down the sides of the weapon, and the grip of it contained Elvish writing. "This is level 150 and doesn't even spawn anymore. It's an artifact-quality weapon that hasn't dropped in four thousand years." He extended it in her direction. "For you, my queen."

Fylwen's eyes looked like they would pop out of her head. She immediately began to gasp and weep. "I am…being given a gift…by…by the Gods?"

"You sure are." He patted the top of her head.

The other Elves made "ohhh" sounds of surprise. Kalana was practically beaming with joy while also shedding a few tears. "Mom, that's amazing!" she said with a high-pitched, excited squeak. "It's the most beautiful weapon I've ever seen."

Fylwen knelt down before Olandrin, lowered her head so that it pointed downwards, and raised her hands, palm up, as he placed the weapon in her clutches. "I shall never use this," she said. "It would be vulgar of me to covet a sacred item in such a way. No, this treasure will be put on display and made accessible for all Elves to see from now to eternity. No blood of any form shall ever be allowed to sully this holy artifact."

Olandrin smiled. "Yeah, Adamus figured you'd say something like that. It's probably the only reason he let me give it to you."

"And me?" Zach asked. "Where's my ultra-rare weapon?"

"Zach!" Kalana hissed. "Stop demanding things from God!"

"Well, what the fuck? I want something too."

"He just told you you're getting your own dragon, you dork. Be thankful! I don't even get a dragon."

"Uh, you can have one too, Princess Kalana," Olandrin said.

"I can?" she squeaked.

"Yep. It's yours."

"Can…can it be pink?"

"Yes."

Kalana wept openly, tears of joy running down her eyes. "Zach, did you hear? I'm getting a dragon too!"

Zach frowned. "Can I have a second dragon, then?"

Olandrin frowned right back. "I could get in trouble for that." He sighed. "All right, but fine, since you saved me, you can have two dragons."

Zach made a fist, pumped it, and said, "Yes!"

A minute later, however, his mood once again dropped as the clearly jealous Elves managed to somehow take away his second dragon, somehow convincing Olandrin that he shouldn't "spoil" Zach.

"Zach, you must stop this greed," Fylwen said. "It is embarrassing and beyond disrespectful."

"Okay, but he agreed."

"Of course he did. He's the Great God, Olandrin. Everyone who studies our religion knows that he is a God of generosity who abhors refusing the requests of mortals. It's why we must show grace in what we ask of him."

Olandrin gave Zach a compassionate look. "Sorry, Zach. But seriously, I'm really supposed to wait for the next update to give these out anyway."

"Next update?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Since there's no one left but Adamus and Eilea, Galterra hasn't had an update in a very, very long time. But if the three of us work together, we'll have just enough power to put out substantive updates again. Heh. I bet people are gonna go nuts when they see that."

Zach tried to get a grip on what the man was saying. "You're going to change the world?"

"Not in a huge way. The dragon mount patch is just going to be a small one that extends the Yorna dungeon by thirty floors and adds these dragon mounts as a 4% chance drop from the new final boss. So, it's just a small patch, basically. It was also the last thing we were all working on before…well, you know. Anyways, the patch notes should be up early next year. I figure we should be able to get the patch pushed out live to Galterra by next summer if Eilea actually cooperates."

Zach felt like a whirlwind was spiraling around in his head. "Patch notes?" he asked.

"Yeah, the patch notes."

Zach tilted his head to the side. "You know…I feel like I've heard that term before. Yeah! From Jimmy. During some of the time he spent here, he asked why there were no patch notes. Back when he thought this was a game."

"Who's Jimmy?" Olandrin asked.

Zach was surprised he didn't know, but he did his best to fill the man in. He told Olandrin who Jimmy was, and when he did, Olandrin looked like he wanted to jump out of his own skin. He grabbed the sides of his face and made a "yow!" sound.

"Eilea, you broke the fabric of reality?" he yelled at her. "What were you thinking?"

"Don't," she warned him. "I have missed you and cried over you for a thousand years. Do not make me resent you with this Adamus-like scolding."

"Awhh, sis, I'm not trying to scold you. I just can't believe you'd do that. If you made just one mistake, reality could've broken down and trapped us all in an eternity of paradox."

Eilea folded her arms across her chest. "Olandrin, you have no idea what kind of isolation I've faced. And the mental strains under which I've had to make decisions."

"Actually, I do, sis. I spent the last thousand years being sucked into a black hole after watching all my friends die. I kinda get it."

"Oh. That's true, I suppose."

Olandrin blew her a kiss. Then he said, "Okay, that's enough focusing on the negative. So…about these celebrations. This island seems really nice, but I think we should all go to my place."

"Your place?" Fylwen asked.

"It's called Hamen's Isle. Any of you been there?"

Zach and Kalana both raised their hands. "We love that dungeon!" Kalana said happily. "I forgot you made that."

"Yeah, Hamen's is great," Zach said. "It's one of my favorites, too."

Olandrin made a pleased grin. "Good to hear. In that case, let's go."

Fylwen darted her head around and began pointing at various Elves. "We shall begin making preparations at once! I will make sure you are escorted there by the finest—"

"No need for any of that. We're basically already there."

Olandrin snapped his fingers, and the moment he did so, Zach felt the floor beneath him lurch forward then back so suddenly that he almost fell over. The other Elves did the same. Everything felt like it was spinning. And suddenly, there he was, standing in the bowling alley along with a hundred other Elves—and with more appearing each second, many of whom were confused and in disbelief.

"I'm bringing the whole island over," he said, giving Zach a playful elbow in the ribs.

Eilea frowned. "I never want to hear of breaking rules ever again from you," she said. "I am surprised you lasted as long as you did given how flagrantly you violate them."

"See, that's where you get confused, sis," Olandrin said. "When I break Adamus's rules, I do it to be showy and to have fun. When you do it, it's part of some nefarious plot containing grand ambitions. Everyone breaks the rules sometimes, even Angelica. Adamus chooses to care based on the extent, how often, and the implications behind it."

"Well, every time you've ever come down to Galterra, you've broken the rules. That's all I'm saying."

"True, but I also rarely ever came down. And chances are I won't get to see any of you for years after this, since I'm probably going to be stuck in the OMP working to catch us up on updates. Wow! It feels so good to be free and to get back to work again. I really was planning on leaving for another galaxy, but having had so much time in the dark, I just wanna get back to my old life."

Zach, feeling a bit dizzy, put his hand on the wall near him and looked around. The Elves were all whispering to each other, but their volume was steadily growing. This was likely their first time here. Of the Elves, only Kalana, Trelvor, and Seiley were familiar with this place. She hurriedly went around and began explaining to them where they were. It seemed there were varying levels of confusion among them, as well.

Those who had been in the meeting with Zach were the least confused, and the ones from Elendroth who had just been yanked here suddenly—they were the ones who looked frightened, in addition to being puzzled. But nothing compared to the level of confusion that was about to be sprung upon the next few arrivals.

"Olandrin," Zach said to the man. "I really, really want to stay here and enjoy this place with you. That's not just something I'm saying to be nice. It's basically the thing I'd like most of all right now."

"So? What's the problem?"

"The problem is that Kal and I have to meet some very important world leaders for my final briefing before a meeting with the global community, and we don't have time."

"That sounds so boring."

Zach laughed. "It is. I hate that I have to do it. But I do."

"How many people are you meeting with?"

"About ten."

"Okay, so just bring them here."

Zach sighed. "I can't. They don't have the buff. Well, some of them don't."

"Just out of curiosity, who are you supposed to meet?"

Zach tapped his index finger against his chin as he thought on the question. "Well, there's Mr. Oren, and then there's—"

"Wait, what's his name?" Olandrin asked, interrupting him.

"Mr. Oren. Ohh! It's Alex Oren."

Olandrin again bumped his shoulder with his elbow. "Check this out, kid." He raised his hand, turned it, and made a reel-like gesture as though he were pulling in a fish. An instant later, there was a whooshing sound, and then Mr. Oren popped into existence in front of him, stumbling forward at a jog and nearly falling over.

"W-wh-wh-what happened? Where am I? Wait, is this Hamen's Isle?"

"It sure is," Olandrin said to him. Mr. Oren spun around and adjusted his glasses. "Sounds like you've been to my fungeon before."

"Who are you? Why am I here?" He continued to adjust his glasses. "Wait, did you just say your…"

"I'm Olandrin," he said. "Zach saved me from the ether."

Mr. Oren looked back and forth between Zach and the Elvish Great One. "Zach, what have you roped me into this time?"

"Nothing," Zach said nervously. "I honestly didn't know he was going to do that."

"Yeah, you're all good, Mister Oren."

Zach laughed much harder than he expected at Olandrin calling him "Mister Oren." He didn't even know why he found that so funny. But he really, really liked this guy. By far, he was the best Great One.

"Donovan is going to cry tears of joy when he meets you," Zach said with a laugh. "You're everyone's favorite. I never had the heart to tell them you were gone."

Mr. Oren gasped. "That's right. You were supposed to be gone!"

Olandrin scratched his head. "I'm guessing this guy is involved in my sister's plots, too? Otherwise, he shouldn't know that."

"It's a long story."

"Heh. I'll bet."

"Anyways, I can't wait for Jimmy and the others to meet you."

"And where are they?"

"I think they're raiding in the Grandest Library."

"Ohh! Someone finally found that place?"

Zach tried not to look too smug as he said, "Yep. It was my idea to check how long that hall went on for, and it turned out I was right."

Olandrin held up his palm, and it took Zach a second to realize he was offering a high-five. Yeah, this was definitely his favorite Great One now. It wasn't even close. The two high-fived as Mr. Oren kept staring back and forth between them as though unsure if he was going to scream or faint.

"Hey, why don't I bring them over here, too?" Olandrin asked.

"You can do that?"

"Yep."

"They'd love it, but…Adamus says Eilea and Jimmy can never be in the same place together ever again."

"Why not?"

Zach opened his mouth to explain, but Olandrin cut him off. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. My sister is so messy, Zach. So, so messy."

"I am not," she grumbled.

"Yeah, you are. But anyway, it'll be fine. I'm here, so it's gonna be okay." He spoke the words so confidently that they left no room for doubt. Even Fylwen, who was standing nearby, simply continued to gaze at them both as though in a total stupor; this, as the Elves, at the behest of Olandrin, began to bowl. They were pretty good at it, too. It was nice seeing them unwind. Though it was also an unusual sight.

"Everyone, start having fun," Olandrin said, speaking up. "This place needs more people. But those of you here now: stop being frightened and start playing games!"

"Yes, Great Lord!" many shouted. Though Zach was pleased to see that they soon did begin to have genuine fun.

"I am so, so confused," Mr. Oren said. "Zach, you've really done it this time."

"Yeah, sorry, Mr. Oren. I'm guessing now's a bad time to tell you that me and Kal are getting our own dragons?"

"Yes, now is a very bad time, my man."

"And mine's gonna be pink!" Kalana said cheerfully as she dragged her mother's sleeve and forced her to "play bowling" with her. Fylwen objected at first, but before long, she had learned the game, and now the two were taking turns in the same alley while an NPC brought over pizza.

"So, who else is going to be at this meeting?"

Zach laughed. "You're really going to bring them here, aren't you?"

"Before you do," Mr. Oren said, holding out his hand as if desperate for things to slow down a moment. "Can you please tell me why I am here? And why do you plan to bring the leaders of humanity here?"

Olandrin nodded. "Zach says he wants to spend some time here, but that he has obligations elsewhere. So, I figured I'd just bring this 'elsewhere' over here so he could play games and have fun and still do whatever it is you want him to do."

Mr. Oren nodded. "That's true. And as the second-in-command of the Lords of Justice—a pleasure to meet you, Lord Olandrin, by the way—I have to thank you for both your kindness and consideration. However, as a leader of humanity, I must please request that you send Zach and myself to Slopes of Dal'Zarrah, as conducting a formal briefing in a place like this is against our laws and customs."

Zach glared at Mr. Oren. "Don't listen to him, Olandrin. He's being a spoilsport."

"I am not. Zach, you should know that this is not how we do things."

Olandrin patted Zach's shoulder. "If this is how he feels, I kinda have to listen to him."

"What do you mean? I thought you're supposed to be the most fun of all the Great Ones. Yank all of them here like we planned."

"That would be irresponsible, Zach."

"So?"

Olandrin shrugged. "You know what? Good point. Give me their names."

"Yes!" Zach cheered. "Oh my Gods, I've really found the greatest Great One ever. You know what? I'll be honest with you. I think religion is bullshit, but I'm going to worship you anyway."

"It is bullshit," he whispered. "But don't let Eilea or the Elves hear you say that. Elves are crazy religious." More loudly, he said, "Thank you, noble human. Now, start giving me names."

Mr. Oren, shaking his head and groaning, took a seat as Zach said, "Vim Alazar of the Royal Roses, and Haisel Ragora of the Royal Roses."

Olandrin responded by making another rowing gesture, and two whooshes filled the bowling alley as a well-dressed man in a military uniform and a completely naked Gnome with bath suds all over his body both appeared in the middle of the bowling alley, drawing everyone's attention.

"Wh-wh-what the fuck just happened?" Vim screamed. "What was in that margarita?" He looked around and covered his genitals with his hand. "Where am I? Nobody look at my penis! Except Fylwen. She can look." He removed his hand as she turned her head in his direction, then recovered it when she turned away.

Olandrin croaked. "Oops. I forgot to make sure he was dressed. Ka-blam!" He waved his hand, and suddenly, with a loud pop, Vim Alazar was now wearing a ridiculously expensive-looking suit with gold cufflinks and black dress shoes.

"You can keep that," he said. "My gift to you."

"Who are you?" he asked, hurrying over. "Why am I here? How did I get here?"

Zach laughed. "Okay, so right now, Vim, you're in a dungeon on another planet."

The blood seemed to drain from his face. "I'm in a dungeon?"

"A fun one, though," Olandrin added. He held out his hand. "I'm Olandrin, Great One and admin."

Vim shook it. "I'm Vim Alazar, the leader of the Royal Roses. This is my second-in-command, Haisel Ragora. Are we really on another planet?"

"Yep. A beautiful, oceanic planet where it's always summer and always day. I had to terraform this island by bringing in land from a terrestrial planet orbiting a neighboring star."

Vim looked like he was going to pass out. "I see. Well, that's…that's nice. Zach, a word?"

Zach moved off with him to the side while Olandrin engaged in lively chatter with Mr. Oren. Vim, looking totally caught off guard, said, "I have so many questions I don't even know where to start. What have you done? Let's start with that. Let's start with what Zachys Calador did this time."

"Almost nothing," he said. "I freed a God and brought him here. That's it."

"Oh, is that all?" Vim asked. "I'm glad nothing of consequence happened today. You just brought an omnipotent being into the world. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Relax, he's a great guy."

"I'm sure he's amazing. And why am I here?"

Zach explained it to him. But rather than explode with anger, his eyes lit up, and he began to nod. He even started to pat Zach with approval. "Ahh, I see. You crafty bastard. You're planning to throw the other guild leaders off guard. A power play. You should've led with that. Yes, it's brilliant."

"Yep, that's what I intended," Zach lied.

"Gods, it really is. Just imagine how they'll feel when they realize the Royal Roses can summon and dismiss people across planets at a whim. And yet, we're bringing them to this cheerful party place. So it's a clearly displayed threat superficially veiled by the cuteness and atmosphere. Ingenious."

"My thinking exactly," Zach said. "Anyways, go bowling until the others get here."

"Bowling?"

"See if you can beat my high score. Fylwen will show you."

Just by mentioning her name, Vim seemed to perk up. He hurried over to her. Zach couldn't tell if he liked, loved, hated, or was neutral towards the Elvish queen. Or perhaps it was a mixture of all those things.

Returning to Olandrin, Zach said, "Okay, next up?"

"Actually, wait a second. Didn't you want to bring your friends here?"

"My friends?"

"The adventurers. No party is complete without those." He made a sheepish grin. "Also, I love meeting fans."

Zach laughed. "Oh, right. But what about the Eilea and Jimmy situation?"

"Like I said, as long as I'm here, it won't be a problem. Isn't that right, sis?"

"I suppose," she said. "I'm not the one who imposed such a harsh restriction."

"Just don't speak to him, and Adamus won't care."

"I know."

"Okay. Come with me, Zach."

"Uhh…okay."

Loudly, Olandrin said, "Everyone, have fun! I'll be back in two minutes!"

The Elves cheered, and then Zach again felt sick as the world twisted, turned, and inverted onto itself, this time with far more force and in a way that was far stronger. Suddenly, the noise level ratcheted up—intensely so. There were loud shouts and cheers that could only be one thing: adventurers. There was also the smell of old books and glue.

"Where—mmppvv."

Zach's words cut off as Olandrin placed his hand over his mouth, an extremely mischievous, humored look in his eyes. "Shh," he whispered, removing his hand.

"Where are we?" Zach whispered.

"Floor F70 of Grandest Library." He pointed. "It looks like your friends are about to take on that big raid boss."

Hidden behind a bookshelf, Zach looked through the cracks at what seemed to be a large arena where a tremendous, absurdly huge humanoid boss with a gigantic belly and a club was standing around as though waiting for a challenger.

"Tyson, you ready?" asked the distinct voice of Donovan.

"I am ready, Sir Donovan!" the voice of Tyson replied confidently.

They all seemed to be in an amazing mood. "Hey, Tyson," Jimmy said, "try to take this one down in under five."

Wow, Tyson looks really, really sure of himself. Never thought I'd see that.

The red-headed man was nodding. He also seemed to be wearing a full suit of leather armor, but one that had fancy symbols and patterns woven into the fabric. Actually, a lot of the adventurers seemed to have acquired new gear. What the hell was going on here? Were they just gunning down boss after boss?

"Why are we whispering?" Zach asked.

At this, Olandrin began to giggle. "I just thought of something hilarious."

"What?"

"How about I enchant your sword so you kill the boss in one hit? I obviously can't let you have any XP or loot for it 'cause then Adamus would lose his shit. Hell, he's gonna be mad just over this little prank. Still, it's worth it, though. Just imagine how funny it would be if you jumped out from out of nowhere and one-shot that boss in front of all your friends?"

At this, Zach too began to chuckle. "Oh, man, can we really do that?"

"Draw your sword."

Zach reached behind himself, only to remember he was dressed nicely and had nothing on. "Oh, shit, I forgot it's in Bank and Storage. Let me summon it."

"I've got it," Olandrin said. And just like that, Zach's sword appeared in his hand from out of nowhere. Zach took it.

He really is a God.

Tapping the blade with just two fingers, a white, flickering energy began to cover the blade until the entire sword glowed with it. "Okay, go," Olandrin said, snickering. "This is gonna be so funny."

"Wait, wait. Should I say something cool?"

Olandrin covered his mouth as he began to cackle. "Yeah, do it!"

Zach studied the situation first, deciding to choose the perfect moment to appear. It seemed things were just about to start, too.

"All right, everyone," Jimmy said. "Get in position." He made a loud, confident, and excited laugh. "We're about to knock this shit down! 100 floors, baby! We're doing it! We're not stopping till we hit 100, right?"

"Yeahh!" the adventurers roared.

"Okay, here we go."

Seeing the adventurers beginning to move in, Zach decided that this was the perfect moment for him to appear. He peeked out from between the bookshelves, readied his sword, and then raised his voice as loud as he could.

"Everyone, get down!" he screamed at them, causing nearly every adventurer to immediately stop, halt in place, and then spin around with looks of total bewilderment on their faces. "This boss isn't what you think! It's a super-duper God boss! I rushed over here as soon as I found out!"

Zach darted at them from behind the bookshelf as fifty confused, startled faces turned towards him, mouths dropping agape. "Z-Zach?" Jimmy shouted, and so did Tena, Maric, Olivir, Kolona, and even Donovan and Zephyr.

"Why are you here, kiddo? What happened?"

"And what did he just say?" Zephyr asked. "Something about this boss being a special kind of—"

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Zach screamed. "I WILL SAVE YOU ALL!"

With that, Zach bent his knees, launched himself forward into the air, did a couple of flips to piss off Rian, and swung his blade down onto the raid boss with all his might, dealing—oh Gods. Oh Gods! Dealing about fifteen trillion points of damage!

15,010,400,322,997

"Grohhhhh!" the boss cried out as it lifted up its arms while its entire body shriveled, then vanished like burned paper. "At least I perish in a glorious battle, adventurers! It was close, but you have won!"

The adventurers looked like they were going to shit themselves as Zach landed, blade still in hand. "Whew," he said. "What's up, guys? Like my new ability that I learned? I can only use it once every three minutes, though."

*********

Unlike the stuffy, perpetually serious political guilds, Zach had suspected the adventurers would appreciate the joke. And yup! They really did. The laughter was nonstop and riotous. Every single one of them loved it, especially Donovan, who slapped Zach several times on the shoulder.

"I'm never forgetting that, kiddo. Bahaha! That was great."

"Zach, that was perfect," Zephyr said. "You one-shot it!"

"I had no idea what was going on," Jimmy added, laughing. "That shit was crazy. Oh, man, that was funny though."

Not only did the adventurers like Olandrin's goofy little joke, but they were also overjoyed to meet the man himself. Actually, it was more accurate to say that they fawned over him, with several adventurers practically pushing each other to get a better look at the Elvish man. "It really him!" Fluffles said with a loud meow. "It Olandrin! Fluffles favorite!"

"Everyone's favorite," Zephyr said. "It's sure good to meet you."

"Thank you, thank you," Olandrin said, bowing. "Adventurers have always been my type of crowd. You wouldn't believe how uptight my Elvish kin are. Oh, Gods, it's good to hang out with you all." He cleared his throat. "Okay, so, I know you're all busy here doing this raid, but me and Zach were actually hoping you'd come back with us to Hamen's Isle for a party. I'd bring you all back here when we're done, of course. The only reason I ask is because I'll be going away for quite a few years, and—"

"Of course!" they cried. Not a single voice raised a word in objection. They didn't even need to be fully asked once, let alone twice. They all wanted to join the moment that they understood what he was trying to say.

"Kolona, I never imagined we'd get to meet the Olandrin," Olivir said. "I've read so much about him, yet…here he is!"

Olandrin shook the vampire's hand. "It's good to meet you too. Olivir, was it?"

"Yes, sir." He beamed at the Elvish Great One. "Gods, I just wish Grundor was here to meet you, too."

"Who's Grundor?"

"He's my sentient zombie."

Olandrin nodded. "Got it. Say no more."

He made a rowing motion with his hand, and then, just like that, Grundor was present, causing another round of cheering. Incredibly, the adventurers all still loved Grundor, even despite the fact that he was wearing a Royal Roses uniform and had become a genuine, real member of the guild. "What's up, everyone?" he asked, flexing his biceps and striking various poses. "I was in a meeting but oh well. Hi, Master. Hi, Mistress Kolona."

"Hi again, Grundor," Kolona said, kissing him on his cheek. "We've both missed you."

"I've been working!"

Zach smiled. He wanted to soak up every moment of this. He knew there would be some very hard times ahead, and moments like these were rare. He also wished he could have Olandrin around all the time. Life would be so much easier with someone like him in his corner. He even told Olandrin as much. He whispered to Olandrin that his life would be a thousand times better if every day were like today.

"I wish it could be," Olandrin whispered back.

"I honestly can't believe Adamus is letting you do the things you're doing."

"Well, you have to understand," Olandrin whispered to him. "He tried to kill me. He murdered almost everyone I loved. So he's going to give me some leeway, especially since he knows I'm only having some fun. Eilea's the one he'll remain worried about. She's always been the schemer. I just want to enjoy life. It's why I left. I stopped having fun."

Zach wasn't sure what to say about that, especially as Olandrin spoke to him in a way that took on a far more serious tone than any he'd used so far.

"After today, Adamus knows it'll be a long time before I can see you all again. So he's putting up with my shenanigans. He views the world in a very calculated way."

"What're you two whispering about?" Donovan asked. "Zach, stop hogging up the Great One. We all wanna ask him stuff."

"Can we go back to the bowling alley first?" Olandrin asked. "The others are all waiting."

"Hell yeah we can," Donovan said. Then he grunted. "Uh, so let's see. If we take the shortcut down to F40, we can probably cut through—"

His words ended in a yelp as the world again shifted, twisted, turned, and inverted. Up became down, down became up, and a wave of nausea rolled through Zach, lasting for only a few seconds as he returned once more to the bowling alley, now with all the adventurers.

Fylwen, who stood nearby, made two quick nods with her chin the moment they appeared. "Seiley, Trelvor. Go."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The two of them ran over to Jimmy, and then they began whispering to him. Jimmy threw up his arms as if outraged. Zach didn't know what the Elves were saying to him, but he had a pretty good idea. Especially as Jimmy protested and said, "Man, I wasn't even gonna talk to her in the first place. Ya'll going crazy over nothing."

"We just need to make sure," Seiley said, speaking a bit more loudly. "Do not look at or speak to Eilea."

"All right, all right, fuck. Hey, since you two are gonna be on my ass the whole time, how about I destroy you both at bowling?"

Seiley laughed. "You're on."

Trelvor smiled. "We have been here before. We know this game."

"Prove it."

It was in this moment that Lienne and Rian broke away to go join them. "I've missed you so much!" Lienne ran and embraced Trelvor, and Rian hurried to Seiley.

"We'll help you make sure Jimmy doesn't spy on the Elvish Goddess," Rian said.

This sparked a hilarious argument between the two, but with so much going on, Zach didn't have time to pay attention to it. He sat down at a table with Vim, Mr. Oren, Queen Vayra, Kalana, Haisel Ragora, Olandrin, and Eilea.

"Naturally, the two Great Ones are most welcome to sit in observation," Mr. Oren said. "In fact, it would be a terrible breach of decorum and invite hostility among the guilds if we did not give them the opportunity to meet our newest arrival."

"I'm always happy to meet whoever," Olandrin said. And then, for seemingly no clear reason, he reached into his front breast pocket, which looked empty. Yet, somehow, he began pulling out stacks upon stacks of red coins and paper tickets. "Here, for all of you. Free tickets for prizes and coins for games."

"Th-thanks," Vim said, eying the gifts as though unsure of what to do with them. At the same time, four serving NPCs hurried over and began placing down plates of incredible-smelling food. Zach's mood perked up immediately.

"This smells like Angelica's."

"Hi, Zach!" Angelica said.

Only then did Zach realize there was now a portal open near the bowling alley's entrance, one that led directly into Angelica's. This allowed for even more adventurers to cross over, which they all did, as they were likely curious and wondering the reason for such a thing.

Angelica hugged Olandrin. "I've missed you so much. I thought you were…far away."

"I ended up staying behind," he said, clearly lying.

It was here that Zach realized that not even Olandrin was going to spill the truth that the Elves had learned in the meeting. In other words, those who had no idea that the Great Ones had gone missing would continue to have no idea, and the few who believed they had simply traveled to another world would likewise continue to remain under that notion, such as Angelica, Mr. Oren, Zephyr, Donovan, Tena, Jimmy, etc. They would not be told the truth: that the Great Ones were dead.

"So, you stayed behind all this time?" she asked. "Why did you never come and see me? Or your sister."

"It's complicated."

She frowned. "You're keeping secrets again."

"Angelica," he said politely, winking. "There are humans all around us who can hear what you're saying."

Angelica looked at Vim Alazar and Haisel Ragora. "Good point!" She patted Zach on the head and then hurried back through the portal as if to go and bring more food. Zach could actually hear the adventurers cheer in excitement as they began crossing over. The portal now expanded so that it was as though Angelica's was a naturally connected room and not a place infinitely far away.

He's so powerful.

Olandrin, leaning back and putting his foot on the table, said, "I'm gonna put on a magic show later. You're all gonna love it."

Zach laughed with glee. "I bet."

Kalana clapped with excitement.

The rest of them, however, either grunted or said nothing. Mr. Oren did not look impressed, and Vim didn't seem to care one way or another. "So," Olandrin said. "Who else do you want me to bring?"

Zach gave him the list.