Chapter 1: Into Another World

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Andrew O'Kelley

andrewokelley.com

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Release Days M-W-F

In courage and bravery, I grant to thee,

The heart of the Monster King,

Still beating with his wrath.

There were three of us in days of old.

Held deep within the father’s Hold.

We three who plotted treason.

Three sisters whom the fates lament

Who rent the feathers from his flesh

And yet only I remained.

The poisoned feast on which arrogance fed.

The Elder Sisters Three.

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I got off the bus as the laughs and jeers of “Loser” were left behind me as the rest of my classmates drove away. It wasn't the first time I'd run into issues with all of them. Rather it was just another rough day at school in a series of rough days at school. They'd been happening frequently enough that I'd started ditching class when I could. Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. It wasn’t all bad, and I didn’t mind the school work, it was just the other kids. They had it out for me for a while now. It sucked being the new kid, it sucked worse being new when your poor, even worse when everyone else knows about it.

It was hard to not advertise your differences when you don't quite belong, and I stood out like a sore thumb wearing a thrift store clothes advertising bands nobody had heard of for decades. My mom did all the shopping, and she did her best. It was just all we could afford was the second-hand stuff, and sometimes those screen tees were so old they'd already lost their lettering. Its tough world when puberty hits and nothing fits like it used to.

Anyways, so I got off the bus in front of the apartment building where I lived with my mom. We'd been living there for the better part of the last 4 months, ever since she split from Ron, my step-dad. My real dad lived out on the west coast, but I don’t see him often, and I kind of get the impression he preferred it that way, as did mom.

As soon as I got to the top of the steps, I pushed the building door open and stepped in. The building always had this kind of musty mildew smell to it like air caught without anyplace to go. It’s about all we could afford right now until mom was able to get more hours at the diner. So for now, it was home. I crinkled my nose and walked down the interior hall and headed straight for the stairs. Experience had taught me to avoid the elevator, I’d been trapped in it once already when it broke down. It was basically a death trap.

If I didn’t have my book bag on me, I would have just ran up the flight of stairs to get to the 4th floor where I lived. But since I'd been skipping more school, I had a lot of homework to get caught up on, and all that homework weighed me down. If I could have, it all would have been left in my locker at school, but as mom likes to say "Actions have consequences." One of those was having to carry my book bag carefully so it didn't burst open if I moved around too much.

Step by step I went up the stairs as the sound of my own footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Usually, it didn't bother me, but something was off about it today. As soon as I got to the 4th floor and walked out on the hall, I felt this immediate sense of something being off. Like a gut feeling that I just couldn’t ignore it. I wasn’t stupid, I knew I lived in kind of a rough neighborhood on the wrong side of town. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself from whoever was watching me and that's exactly what it felt like, being watched.

It wasn't anything I wasn't used to. I knew what to do. Just keep walking and pretend you don't notice anything. That is until I heard the sound of clothing rustling behind me as fear broke my concentration for a moment and I turned around, fully expecting to see somebody walking right behind me. But when I turned around to try and scare off whoever was following, no one was there. Only the rustling of the blinds in the hallway. Otherwise, it was just an empty hall sprayed with graffiti that reeked of rot in the walls. There was no place for somebody to hide, and I hadn’t heard a door close. The feeling of eyes watching me though didn’t disappear.

I had to shift my backpack to free up a hand as the feeling of being watched started to grate on me. My gut was starting to really dig in, it was screaming at me, Get out here now, you need to get home. That’s something my mom and life had taught me, never ignore your gut, and I had no intention of ignoring it now. I started to pick up my pace, really striding out each step as far as I could manage without making it look like I was starting to run. I wanted to feel like I was in control, even as my heart started pounding out of control. I tried to calm myself down by repeating, Whatever you do, just don’t panic, act normal, so long as you don’t run, you’ll be ok.

As soon as I walking again, the sound started right back up, but this time I could hear footsteps behind me. A shiver ran down my spine at the sound. I knew something was behind me, there was no way I was imaging that. My gut kicked in again, Don’t look, whatever you do don’t look, just keep walking. The last thing I wanted to do was come face to face with whomever or whatever was following me, and I hoped that if I just pretended I didn’t know, maybe I’d be fine.

Even though I'd tried to talk about remaining calm, as soon as I saw the door to my apartment, I started running that last little bit down the hall in a dead sprint, pulling my keys out of my shirt and held the lanyard in my hand. Within seconds I was pulling the key back out of the door lock and stumbled into my apartment, slamming the door behind me.

I breathed a little easier as soon as I heard the audible click of the automatic deadbolt engaging as it echoed throughout the empty apartment. God, I hate it here, I thought to myself, even as the feeling of fear passed. I turned and looked at the door I’d locked behind me, and cautiously approached it. Holding my breath in some kind of superstition that if I even allowed myself to breathe, whoever I’d tried to get away from would jump out at me. But when I looked through the peephole, the hall remained empty. Immediately the tension in my body eased, but the fear didn't just evaporate. I was sure I was being followed, that’s not normal.

I sank to the floor and leaned back against the wall, resting my back on it as I waited for my body to stop shaking. That freaked me out a lot more than I thought it did, and of course, just by judging the quest, mom isn’t home yet. Again. Disappointed and irritated that nobody was home, I threw my backpack and watched as the bottom of it tore out, causing all the papers, books, and half-finished homework to spill out.

I ran a hand through my face and lightly slapping myself in the cheeks for good measure before I stood up. “OK, man, nobody likes a pity-party. It’s time to man up and get moving.” It wasn’t my best pep talk, but it was all I had in me as I walked past the living room straight into the kitchen to fix myself up some food, leaving the mess and my backpack behind.

The first thing I saw there was a handwritten note was on the two-person table in the kitchen. I knew before even picking it up that the letter was from my mother. Just like I knew, like most letters left by my mother, that it was bad news.

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Hey Chris,

So I got called into the dinner to pull another double shift. I won’t be home until late, so don't wait for me to get home. I left some Fish Sticks in the oven, and a bowl of Mac & Cheese in the microwave. Don’t burn the place down, and don’t stay up too late playing those videos. I’ll call to check on you during my dinner break, make sure you pick up.

If you need anything, ask Mrs. Ferguson down the hall.

Love,

Mom

P.S. they just got some new shows on the app

*******

It made me furious, just looking at the note. “Just once, just once, I’d like to not be alone when I come home.” I shook my head, hating every part of the situation my family was in. I appreciated how hard my mom was working, but once in a while, I’d like to have dinner together as a family, and maybe have somebody to talk to about my day and what had happened. My mom probably wouldn’t have known what to do, but having that option to vent but being able to tell somebody about it would have made me feel a whole lot better.

As my stomach rumbled, I crumpled the note in the palm of my hand and threw it into the garbage on my way to open up the oven to pull out the cold Fish Sticks my mom had left behind. After I pulled them all out, I slapped the fish onto the bowl of Mac & Cheese and heated it up.

It was a quiet meal, and I ate it as fast as I could, it wasn’t delicious by any means. I had a deal going on with my mom, so long as I got my homework finished, she'd have no issue with, or try to put limits on me playing video games. But between that and now, I had a mountain of schoolwork my teachers had assigned to me. It was tedious, demanding, and super boring made worse by having to pick it up off the floor where I’d left it after breaking my backpack. I hated every minute of it, but hours later, when I finished, I was ready to relax, right after putting a load in the wash. When I was done, I made my way to my room fully intending to watch some television and grind some ELO.

I wanted, no needed something else to take my mind off the continued weird feelings and the off vibes I had picked up in the hall. Those gut feelings were something I couldn't help but reflect on now that my homework was all finished and mom still wasn’t home. I need cartoons, something happy, something stupid. Nothing too scary, I just need a few laughs in the background.

“It’s hot in here,” I told myself as I tried to work through the anxiety I was feeling. Needing some to cool off and knowing the AC was still out, I walked over to the window and pulled it up, letting in some of the city air as I looked out at the night sky illuminated by a full moon as a glowing red star shot across the sky.

I wasn’t a kid, but just that once I wished on a star. I wished this wasn’t my life, I wished I could be anywhere but here, someplace where people could see what I was capable of, and what I could do if given a chance, instead of judging me just because I was from the wrong side of town. I shook the thought away and grabbed the remote to the television and turned it on to an old episode of “Adventure Quest,” and saved the recommendation of what to watch my mother had left in the note for later.

With the sounds of cartoon violence playing in the background, I grabbed my laptop and flung myself on the bed, not bothering to change out of my clothes first, I didn’t even bother to kick off my shoes. Man, why do I feel so groggy? I had fully intended to watch a few episodes and unwind but instead fell asleep within seconds of my body hitting the mattress. Completely just passed out.

The room was bright from the glare put off by the television as old cartoons and forgotten shows competed with made for television commercials and the light from a computer screen. Not that I noticed any of it. I passed out, completely unmoving, snoring loudly on the bed, as I hugged a waifu pillow in my sleep. From the corner of the room, an old screen saver of a ball moved through a digital maze on the Desktop I used for homework after I’d left running. Once again, I’d failed to turn it off before mom got home.

Though I was passed out in a dead sleep, it was hardly restful. All through the night, I tossed and turned as if some lingering nightmares had taken ahold of my mind. A dream rooted deep in the subconscious that prevented me from getting any sort of quality to my rest. A nightmare born of a surreal sense of being watched. The sensation that put me unconsciously on guard, even as my conscious mind drifted in the realms of Morpheus.

*******

The wolf’s breath was heavy behind me as I ran as fast as I could. The smell of the grave heavy coming from the undead that followed. My legs were already burning, I could tell the wolf was catching up with me and it would soon be upon me. It had only taken one look at the monster’s over sized fangs to know I was in danger, to know that a single moment of hesitation would be death. The monster had been stalking him for hours already, why it had chosen to act now, I couldn’t figure out. I just hoped I could reach the gate in time, screaming, “Open up, its right behind me.” But the gate remained locked as I collapsed in front of the gate in resignation as my body finally gave out, knowing that death was just around the corner, knowing I could run no more. Turning around, I looked straight into the wolf’s eyes, and behind it, I could see the rest of the host of the Night Creatures from beyond the grave.

*******

I woke up just before the dawn and sat up on my bed. “Hey, Mom!? Are you home.” But there was no reply, even as the sun started to break on the horizon through the window of my room. You've got to be kidding me, its morning and she's still gone? Breathing hard in a surge of anger, I realized I was absolutely drenched in sweat, but more I realized that once again, as had become the new normal since mom had got the “new job” I was alone to fend for myself.

Worse still once the anger passed, the lingering fear of the nightmare remained and my heart wouldn’t settle down. The fear of death had been only too real. I really need to stop eating before going to sleep and turn off the television. I was so preoccupied, lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice as a dark presence entered the room. I’d made a mistake and ignored my gut. It was easy enough to do, the dark presence didn’t enter the room through a door or a window, but through a portal from someplace else altogether. It soundlessly materializing at the foot of my bed, unnoticed as it towered over him.

The shadowy figure raised a bony pointed finger from an aged leathery hand and began to speak in a low voice in a language that I didn’t recognize, It was the noise of the otherworldly voice that startled me into finally noticing the monster’s presence, and even though I didn’t recognize the language, I knew what it was saying, “Your wish is granted.” Though I tried to scream, though I tried to move, I just couldn’t. I was completely enthralled and utterly transfixed. Helpless I watched shadows seep out from the figure, enveloping all of my bedroom in a shroud of darkness.

Without warning, the figure grabbed at the foot of my bed and tossed the mattress sideways with a surge of otherworldly, impossible strength of effortless violence. I tried to yell for help, and this time my voice cut through the air as the monster at the foot of my bed stared at me with eyes of unblinking eternal midnight. It was then I knew I’d made a mistake making a wish on a star, wherever it had come from, was not someplace I wanted to go. Even as I yelled in panic, I tried to brace myself in the few microseconds I had before hitting the floor to try and not get hurt. I planned to get up and try to fight off the figure as soon as I hit the ground. But the ground never came. Instead, I fell through a crimson portal and kept falling. Falling through a tunnel to another world, a tunnel opened by the shadows that had seeped out from the figure. Falling into a dark abyss that seemed to be without end.

After some time, be it minutes or hours, I had no way to tell, I saw floating words rapidly fly through the air towards me, and once they reached me, they lingered nearby, glowing in gold lettering. Though I continued to fall, not once did the words seem to move away from me. The letters kept a perfect distance away from me. Reading the words, I wondered in dazed confusion what they meant, but the answer never came to me. I started to pass out as everything started to fade to black, my last thoughts before slipping into a deep sleep were of those words.

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Welcome To Netherworld

Christopher Settlemire

You Are The Last Player To Arrive

A Sol Will Be Bonded To You Shortly

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Chapter 2: The Ethereal Wisp

Andrew O'Kelley

andrewokelley.com

I woke up shivering, laying sprawled out on the wet and muddy ground. As flakes of snow fell in short-lived flurries from a grey sky. Small bits of ice landed on my body before melting as trails of frosty mist were exhaled out of my mouth from the cold with every breath.

Everywhere my body ached. My bones groaned and popped as I lifted myself off of the ground. While I'd been passed out my body reacted to the elements by breaking out in goose flesh. I kept shivering as I hugged myself for warmth. My skin had gone pale, giving my skin an unhealthy bruised looked. Why wouldn't it? After all, screen t-shirts and jeans don't offer much protection when it comes to warmth.

A bright gold light started strobing above my head. It blinded me for a second until I raised a hand to partially shield my eyes so I could look. What I saw amazed me. Above my head floating in the wind was an otherworldly glowing orb that seemed more like compressed energy than gas.

The ethereal orb stopped and lingered above me as it floated in circles as it examined me. Eventually, the orb descended and stopped moving mere inches from my face. I should have been scared but I wasn't, it was calming. I couldn't help but look back at it, admiring the swirl of smokey white, black, and gold energy.

Recklessly I reached out to grab at the orb, but rather than retreat away from me, the orb responded by basking me in a positive area of radiant gold. Whatever fear and unease I'd been feeling and carrying on me were gone immediately, that is until a burst of light erupted out of the orb and grabbed at my hand pulling it and me by extension into the orb.

The feeling of panic was immediate, I was absolutely positive I was about to die, killed by whatever strange and magical creature this was. I pulled and I struggled, but rather than an end, it was just the beginning as the orb synched up with me, joining with me in some kind of symbiotic relationship. It started to pulse with light as it began to project its thoughts into me.

My name is Fel, a Sol guide and an ethereal wisp. I've been assigned to you, Christopher Settlemire. You who made the wish for adventure and gazed upon a shooting star in envy. This will not be an easy journey for you and the others like you, but I will do as I can to help you survive.

!Alert!

You have been granted a Sol, an ethereal Wisp to grant you access to the system.

Information will be processed by the guide in a way that is determined easiest for you to understand.

!!Reviewing!!

Please stand by

!!Reviewing!!

**Conclusion**

A game type system has been selected

!!Rebooting!!

I passed out though I don't think it was for very long. When I woke up, aside from the trickle of blood coming out of my nose and maybe from my ears and the terrible searing pain in my head that quickly passed, I didn't feel that different. That is until I saw the wisp named Fel, my Sol, appeared to be above my head centered and attached to me by invisible threads.

"Where even am I? I'm looking around and all I see are trees as far as I can see. No people, no buildings, no food. I'm all alone here. What am I even doing here?" I asked feeling a need for answers. The only explanation I could come up with was a vague memory of an endless fall through a crimson portal and a dark tunnel that seemed to last forever. A dark abyss that had been opened up in the middle of my apartment and the dark figure at the foot of my bed that had basically pushed me into it. That must have been why I was feeling off, my gut was warning me about a monster.

Something had come for me and taken me away to wherever this was. I just knew it wasn't home, I had no intention of denying the impossible nature of the world around me. Life had taught me I didn't have the luxury of looking the other way and pretending otherwise. Besides, I couldn't if I wanted to, I'll freeze if I don't get out of this cold."

"Let me think," I muttered to myself as I tried to pull up memories that might help me figure out what my next step could be, but beyond those final moments in my apartment, I didn't actually have any memories. Not a single one. Before getting off the bus I didn't remember anything. Whatever past I had left behind, it was behind my reach. Those memories seemed to linger, disappearing as soon as I reached out to try and grab at them.

"Ok Fel, you there? You told me you'd help me get through this right? What should I do?" I asked, looking up at the wisp hoping it had the answers for me.

Yes, I told you I've been assigned to you, though sifting through your memories it appears that being all alone is something you've grown used to. You'll need to overcome your hesitation to work or depend on others. What is to come is difficult to survive alone.

That the wisp was going through my memories was kind of weird to me, but I couldn't quite figure out why. Or rather, I couldn't think about it, like there was a mental block on my brain. My teeth started chattering a good reminder that I still needed to find shelter and some kind of warmth

!Alert!

Your memories are currently being used by the Sol guide Fel. These memories allow the Sol to transcribe information and communicate with you.

"Alright, Fel, so looks like we're a team you and I? Ok, that's fine, but what do we do next? It's always been just me, are you my fairy sidekick who feeds me exposition?" It was a fair question, I felt like I had a right to know.

Negative. The wisp responded as the orb turned a darker shade to match the tone. I do not exist just for exposition and explanation. I am a wisp. It is my nature to help you lead others to their doom, and my responsibility to interpret and guide you during the game.

"Ok, fair enough," I responded with a nod. Unraveling what a Sol guide could do was a project for another time, there was just too much going on, and this wasn't the right time to try and figure out any of it. "Will I get my memories back? I asked the Wisp, but Fel ignored the question, something I took notice of.

A suspicion struck me, "What is it that your hiding?" The answer seemed like it should have been easy enough for me to recall and easy enough for the Wisp to answer, but every time I reached out to grab at the memories, ever time I thought I managed to start to recall something it faded immediately from my mind. The gaps in my memories seemed to expand exponentially by the second. Well at least I can remember my name, that's got to count for something right?" The only thing that I recalled that remained steady was the memory of the smell of mom's apple pie, but try as I might. I couldn't remember much more if anything about her.

Steadying my thoughts, I dismissed the worry from my mind and took a moment to around as I tried to get a better layout of the land and get my bearings. It was I technique I know, but I had no idea how I knew it. Just a matter of problem-solving using a by the numbers approach to walk myself through obstacles and figure out how to get past them.

"Ok Chris, you’re cold and the weather doesn’t look like it's going to get any better. You need to find a bit of shelter and try to warm up before you freeze to death. These trees are so dense they block out the sunlight in way too many spots which makes everything colder and harder to see. I can hardly see anything, much less where I need to go."

The answer is simple Chris, you follow the road whose mud and dirt you've been carrying on you. Chided the wisp as it pointed out the path I hadn't seen.

Embarrassed and with a spot grim determination, I started on down the road making sure as I did to dust off the very dirt the wisp had referenced. Within seconds I almost passed out from an intense feeling of vertigo that struck me. Something is very wrong about this place But the sensation passed quickly. As soon as it did, I started walking down the dirt path. Doing my best to ignore the way the leaves and the other rubbish from the road had somehow found a way to keep working itself into my clothes. It was something that irritated me more than the damp from the snow.

It was pretty obvious to me at that point that the only clue that seemed like it would provide any sort of answer to any of the questions on my mind would be found down where this dirt road would lead me. It was pretty simple, so I walked down the road, holding myself as I shivered. When I looked behind to see where I'd been it was then I realized the road had only ever been one, as if I had intentionally arrived at some kind of drop off point. I guess I'm going the right way then.

That is correct. Commented the wisp Fel. This is the way through the Dark Forest to Castle Bran, all starting points lead there. Remember as we go forward to pay attention to your alerts. They are not always as innocuous as they might seem.

!Alert!

I Settlemire - Level - 1

Status Conditions Discovered

-COLD-

You have discovered the status of cold. Currently, you are at 61 of 100. If your cold status should reach 100 you will automatically die.

-THIRST-

You have discovered the status of thirst. You are currently at a thirst status of 41 of 100, if your thirst reaches 100, you will automatically die.

-HUNGER-

You have discovered the status of hunger. You are currently at a hunger status of 53 of 100, if your hunger reaches 100, you will automatically die.

The information soon faded, and though I wasn't sure about how the information process worked, I didn't doubt the alerts the wisp was sending my way. I could already feel my tongue was starting to feel a bit dry and parched. I really had no other options but to keep walking down the path.

Seemingly without end, I followed the road through the Dark Forest, and soon, I was looking forward towards this monstrous-looking Castle. Not in terms of size, but in terms of appearances. It was something taken straight out of every dark fantasy I'd ever played.

As soon as I saw that Castle, I felt as if I had been drawn there. A sensation of surety hit me as if somebody or something was leading me there. Something besides my Sol guide. It was an attraction towards whatever dreadful presence belonged to whatever monster called that castle home. “I’ve got a bad feeling about that place,” I muttered to no one but myself and the wisp.

But I don’t have any other choice, I’ll freeze to death if I stay out here or die of thirst. With a weary sigh, and tired already as the cold bit into my skin, I shrugged off the bits of snow that had culminated on my shoulders and threw away the cautious fear that held him back and mentally made the decision to head towards the castle and enter it.

You'll die soon if you don't, that's correct. Agreed Fel in a matter of fact tone.

When I was much closer to the Castle, close enough to see some of the intricate carvings on the castle walls in places not covered by ivy, I began to feel a faint sensation of someone else’s approval, and while the sensation was intrusive and cause for alarm. It did nothing to dissuade me from the course of action I was on. The sense of approval reinforcing my belief that heading towards the Castle was the right decision.

The overcast grey sky and the falling snow quickly disappeared as I walked. Through the thin cloud cover, the sun seemed to be moving at a peculiar, unfamiliar, and fast pace. Impossibly fast. A sense of urgency hit me, I had this sixth sense that time was of the essence and I was squandering it.

!Alert!

You must enter the Castle Courtyard before the gate of entry is sealed or you will be disqualified from the games and automatically killed.

For a moment, the announcement stunned me, but it was only a moment. I was able to calm myself saying over and over. “Don’t worry, we can get through this, we can get through this.” But whatever this was, I had no idea, the only real indicator I had was my Sol guide, and so far the wisp had been remarkably short on answers.

Ignoring the Sol guide for now, I started running towards the main gate of the Castle as soon as it came into view. The walls of the Castle were overgrown with green ivy and greener moss from the dank. The stone battlements were devoid of life and were adorned with jagged outward-facing spikes and monstrous-looking statues, but even as I looked, I refused to get distracted. Choosing to remain focused on what I needed to do, which was arrive,

I was quite thankful for that laser-like focus, because the main gate started to slowly descend, and had I lingered there would have been no hope I would have ever made it before those gates gradually sealing the inner castle grounds. The same six sense that told me that if I had any chance of getting home, and getting my memories back, any chance I had to make it out of this alive was entirely dependent on getting through that gate.

With a growl, I forced my legs to move faster, ignoring the burn, ignoring the ache in my lungs. Ignoring all of it, just focused on one stride at a time as the adrenaline flooded my body, helping me to achieve super human-like speed, even if it was just for a moment. The ethereal wisp remained synced up with me the entire time as it started to glow intensively as it prepared to process the upgrade I was receiving.

!Alert!

Ability Unlocked – Adrenal Response – Twice daily, the user may activate Adrenal Response. This Ability allows the user to push past their physical limits, doubling strength, endurance, and agility for a 60 second period.

Instruction – Adrenal Response is activated by verbal command. The activating command is any use of the word series “Adrenaline Rush.”

I guess that’s a start, I thought to myself as I shoved my fear deep down within myself and dived under the Castle Gates with seconds to spare, just before heavy gates sealed the Castle off completely. On the other side, before I could even move to pick myself up and head towards the Castle, I was met by another set of words.

Try not to die here human. This is only the start.

=================================================

Now Beginning Tutorial

The System Is Initiating

=================================================

Chapter 3: The Fallow Courtyard

Andrew O'Kelley

andrewokelley.com

!Alert!

You have entered the fallow courtyard of the Castle of Bran. Once, this was a place of renewed beauty before the Court of the Owls and the rise of the Owl Eater. The Dark God Falanor is the current Lord of Castle Bran.

This is considered a temporary safe zone, as such your Hunger, Thirst, and Cold have been reset and suspended.

*****

With a loud thud, the heavy wooden gate to the Castle Bran slammed shut behind me, trapping me within the decaying, desolate, and damp-looking courtyard. Urgh, it smells, I thought to myself while pulling my body up off the ground. My stomach was stinging a bit from when I had dived under the gate on my belly. I made a point to try and brush off the clumps of dirt that had become stuck to me and rubbed my dirty hands on my pants, waiting for my heartbeat to get back to normal from the sprint I just had. That was too close, I just barely made it.

That's correct, Christopher. You are lucky Adrenaline Rush has no drawbacks save for its commonality. Your survival in this was but by only the thinnest of margins. Many of the challenges ahead of you will be much the same. The first of which will start shortly. Whatever you do, mind your tongue, volunteer little, and be wary of the others. You will find no friends here.

"What do you mean, mind my tongue? From who? Who are the others?" I asked the Wisp, hoping for clarity and getting none. Without any kind of guidance, it fell on me alone to figure out what to do next.

That is correct. I am a Sol, a guide. I am neither your servant nor sidekick. This is your adventure and your wish, not mine. It is only my responsibility to guide you.

"Well, thanks, I guess," I replied, annoyed with the Wisp's intentional cryptic words. With no further conversation between us, I looked around the courtyard. A task which was more difficult than it sounded with how thick the mist was. Everywhere I looked, I saw dark shadows and heard hushed voices, but as soon as I got closer to any of the shadows, they were revealed to only be statues of heroes long forgotten by time scattered throughout the castle courtyard without any apparent reason.

The last statue I checked out before leaving the courtyard drew my attention like none of the others had. This bronze statue long turned green that depicted a man with a long sword in hand and a flaming spear in the other, the flow of the flame etched into time in the bronze. The man wore a dragon skull helmet and jagged medium-looking armor that seemed to be crafted from crimson scales, scales that appeared to have a razor's edge to it despite the oxidation of the statue.

His name was James. It was he who once slew the Monster King and he who brought peace to this realm. He carved from the monster's body artifacts of great power and gave them to his most trusted of vassals. All of them gone now, all lost to time and madness of the Owl Eater. Their bones and their curses all that remain, fouling this world.

The wisp’s words seemed sad, and I didn't know how to respond or even if I should. It seemed oddly personal, and I didn't want to linger on it. Almost as if by magic, a tunnel through the stone walls of the castle courtyard appeared behind the statue, and I walked through it, careful to mind my steps as I passed through the darkness between the courtyard and whatever came next.

The other side of the tunnel opened up into what might have been a royal garden. Beneath my feet were bricks of grey and faded red bearing a seal I couldn't quite make out. Withered vines clung lifelessly to stone walls, joined by long-dead trees and bushes.

"Looks like we got a straggler!" called out a man's voice as I realized I wasn't alone. On the far end of the garden grouped together on a small dirt reception field, I saw a large number of people mingling together, they were too many to count, but I figured it was at least a few hundred people, give or take. "Get over here, we've been waiting on you," the man yelled again, and this time I was able to get a good look at him, a teen like me with long white hair in old military khakis.

"I'm coming, sorry, sorry," I responded as I ran over to the group, holding up my hands in well-meaning greetings. On the edges of the courtyard, though, I could tell that plenty of people were lingering in the shadows, taking a measure of everyone who was there. Those guys might be a problem later on, I told myself and without needing a response, I knew the Wisp agreed with me.

"Hey guys," I called out to the group, excited to meet up with other people, despite the Wisp's warnings. "I'm Chris." A few of them returned the wave with a half-hearted greeting of their own but mostly ignored, except for the kid with the white hair. "I'm Atticus, welcome to Netherland. Hope you're ready for this. This will be my third round since I first got here; not many survive to make it to this point."

Without a word more, he turned around to look at a balcony overlooking the garden. I ran over to try and question him, but before I could ask anything, the door on the castle balcony swung open loud enough for everyone to hear it. From where I was at, the only thing I could see through the open door was an impenetrable interior of perpetual gloom.

A shiver of fear ran up my spine as out walked the same dark figure I had seen at the foot of my bed when I had been taken to this realm. The monster who dragged me here. A quick sideways glance showed the exact same concern, and fearful looks on everyone else's faces. It let me know I wasn't the only one who had been taken. I wasn't alone. Though I noticed that Atticus stood apart, on his face I saw a look of grim determination and pure hate as he stared at the monster.

I felt this immediate sensation of panic and, without even thinking, turned to try and run away from that dark figure. But as soon as I tried to move, my legs became rooted to the ground as twisted and gnarled poisonous-looking ivy wrapped around my lower half.

!Alert!

You have become ensnared through the use of a root ability. You lack the power to pull yourself free and must wait until either the spell is released by the user, or the timer expires.

*****