Empyrean 40: A New Path (Patreon)

Amelia, here! :) This chapter was a little difficult to write, as I had to take some time to think about how the final trial would go down. Let me know what you think!

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From the corner of my eye, a bright light shone through the door of the hovel. I felt it calling to me and, stepping outside, found myself back in the nymph forest. The trees were swaying softly in a wind I could not feel. The light, in the back of the room, obscured anything but the forest from vision. Slowly, I walked toward it.

And when I reached it, I felt my body jerk up suddenly.

I rubbed my eyes and found myself faced with the nymph leader again. At my side were Soren and Adalinda, who had also seemed to just wake. Looking at Ida, I opened my mouth to speak, but she held her hand up.

“Congratulations, hatchlings,” she said. “You have passed the Trial.”

The nymph walked toward the oak table and removed the white bowl. As with the previous trial, three books appeared on it instead. “You may now pick your reward.”

I stood up, a little dizzy from the dreamscape, and walked toward the table.

The target is an advanced skillbook: Grenadier. This skill is compatible with your Class and may be learned.

The target is an advanced skillbook: Keen Mind. This skill is compatible with your Class and may be learned.

The target is a basic skillbook: Toughness. This skill is compatible with your Class and may be learned.

I looked at the skillbooks, unsure of what to do. Grenadier sounded interesting immediately, but both Keen Mind and Toughness would be useful to my arsenal. I wasn’t too sure what any of them would really add, but I had to think about what my player progression would be in order to make the right choice.

After some thought, I picked up the Grenadier skillbook. I hesitated a little before willing my choice to the Game, however. This would be the last skill I needed to configure my Class. I thought this skill made sense for me, specifically because I wanted to use everything at my disposal to become a formidable fighter. If Grenadier meant what I thought it did, it was the perfect choice.

I took a deep breath.

You have acquired the advanced skill: Grenadier. This skill allows you to use abilities that require precision or strength to throw objects at foes. These abilities can range from magically enhancing rocks to throwing player-made bombs.

This skill can be governed by Dexterity—which allows deadly precision—or Strength, which enhances attack power. You must now choose which one.

Interesting, I thought. This choice did not only mean I would need to invest in a new attribute but would allow me to be more adept in other abilities with that attribute. I didn’t have to think too much about this; Dexterity would allow me to become nimbler—something I felt I was lacking.

You have chosen: Dexterity.

Error! You cannot learn this skill without points in your chosen attribute.

You have 8 attribute points. Would you like to use one to upgrade Dexterity?

Yes.

Your Dexterity has increased to rank 1.

Grenadier as a Dexterity skill allows you to throw objects with deadly precision. The damage you do will range depending on the object you throw.

You have 0 of 6 Empyrean Class slots remaining.

Congratulations, Elana! You have fully configured your first Class.

“El?” Soren said. “What are you doing?”

Without realizing it, I had been standing and learning my new skill for a while. I hadn’t even checked in on my companions. “Sorry,” I said. “I was learning a new skill. How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine,” my brother replied. “But I would like to move on now.”

I nodded and turned to face Adalinda. “Are you okay?”

“I am,” she said. “I would like to talk about what we just experienced, though.”

“We will,” I confirmed. “But let’s get out of here first.”

I looked at Ida, who was patiently waiting for me to finish. “We are done,” I said simply. “I have some questions.”

“Ask them,” she said with a smile.

“What was that world? How did you drop me into a dreamscape like that?”

“We use a magic that has long been forgotten about,” she explained. “it’s the same reason I know you have found it difficult to resist my requests. It’s the main reason the elders let us stay here, and how we can grow a forest underground.”

“Could you tell me about it?” I asked carefully.

“Only nymphs can know,” she said.

A little disappointed at her response, I nodded slightly and reached my hand out to her. But she didn’t take it. Instead, she moved forward and hugged me. “Thank you again for saving us,” she whispered. “I have a gift for you.”

I pulled back from the nymph and looked at her hands. Out of nowhere, it seemed, she had three vials in her hands. I took them and placed them in my backpack.

You have acquired 3x full healing potions.

“Thank you,” I said. It was a simple gift, but nothing to scoff at.

“And don’t forget this,” she said, handing me a token. It was the same one that we received at the end of the Strength Trial.

I took it in hand and, with a last look and wave to Ida and her followers, walked out of the forest with my companions in tow.

When we reached the corridor, Soren immediately started touching the gems that covered the walls. “Do you think these are eggs as well?” he asked.

“If they are, I wouldn’t want to find out like this,” I said, standing next to him. I lifted my hand to touch a smaller blue gem. As my hand grasped it, Soren screamed: “Boo!”

“Ah!”

I jumped back and immediately smacked him. Essentially rolling on the ground laughing, I couldn’t help but crack my own smile at his jest. “Don’t do that,” I said, still smiling.

“So,” he said. “What did you dream about?”

I sat down against the wall, gently, and looked up at my brother. “Alon. He wanted me to sacrifice you to bring him back to life.”

Soren took a seat next to me. “Wow,” he said softly. “Are you okay?”

I touched his knee gently and gave him a somber smile. “I am,” I said. “I think it was trying to test my decision. I am sad that Alon lost his life, but I would go back and save you every time. I don’t regret that.”

My brother pulled me into an awkward side hug and ruffled my hair. “Thanks, sis,” he said. “It was just a test after all. We couldn’t have predicted what happened.”

“What did you dream about?” I asked, specifically changing the subject.

“Mom and Dad,” he said. “They appeared to me and offered me the chance to be a player.”

“What did you do?”

“I rejected it,” he said. “I trust you as the ‘chosen one’ in our family. I am happy as a non-player.”

“And you, Ada?” I asked aloud.

“It was strange,” the celestial said. I relayed whatever she said to Soren, knowing he couldn’t hear her talk. “I don’t feel I was challenged, really. I dreamt about a life I used to have. I was large, and I was flying across a lush grassland. Someone was on my back, but it wasn’t you. It felt more like a memory.”

Adalinda has been assigned a new task: Touch of Memory. An old life has been resurrected in her mind, and her objective is to find memory shards that help her recollect what happened in her old life.

“I just got a quest for you,” I said. “You were right, it was a memory.”

The celestial’s tail swiped side to side, and I saw something of a smile appear on her maw. “That means I can recover it,” she said. “Does it say how I will find these memories?”

I shook my head. “It didn’t specify. But we will find out how you can. I am sure there is someone who can help you piece this together.”

“Thank you, El,” she said. “Let’s find the next Trial.”

Standing up, I held my hand out to Soren to help him up. Reaching into my pants pocket, I pulled out the token we received from Ida and handed it to him.

Then we looked for the next door.

✵ ✵ ✵

As we entered the third chamber, a tall man ran toward us.

“Ma’am! We need your help!” he shouted. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward the back of the chamber. With Soren and Adalinda behind me, I tugged my hand away from the man and stopped in my tracks.

“Wait!” I shouted. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“Please, help!” he shouted, continuing to run to the back of the room.

Sighing, I looked back at my companions and shrugged. There was nothing to do but push forward now and see what the man wanted. Starting in a slow jog, I took some time to inspect the chamber. It was nothing special. There were some broken bookshelves lying in the corners, and there were desks scattered around, but the telltale gems of the dungeon were present.

But, as we neared the back of the room, it grew colder. My breath became visible as I panted hard, almost as if we were climbing a mountain.

Ignoring this change, I stopped next to the man who had called for our help. He was standing over the body of a woman. Her hair covered her face, and I couldn’t tell if she was dead or not.

“What happened?” Soren asked.

“She just fell down,” the man said. “We were exploring the dungeon and she collapsed out of nowhere. I don’t know what to do.”

I knelt beside the woman and inspected her. She was short, near my height, and her hair was the same color as mine. In fact, the closer I looked, the more I realized that I knew who she was.

It was… me.

“What is going on here?” I demanded. “This is my body.”

“No!” the man argued. “This is my wife. You just have the same color hair.”

“I don’t believe you,” I argued.

“Turn her around,” he said, a little calmer than before. “Then you will see.”

Standing back, away from the woman on the floor, I stared at the man. His face had turned from a panic-stricken husbands’ to a darker, more desperate visage of a person who wanted me to obey his command.

“I don’t trust him,” Adalinda said.

“I don’t either.”

“I won’t touch her,” I said to the man. “I don’t trust you. Something else is going on here.”

“Don’t be scared,” he said, his voice turning grim. “You don’t know this person. She just needs your help.”

I looked back at the body of the woman. Notably, her hair color had suddenly changed. From what I saw previously—the same umber tinge as my own—it had turned black. It felt like I was looking into the void.

Her clothes had changed too. From the same plain dark clothing I was wearing, she had donned a blue tunic and white pants in a matter of seconds.

But without moving.

“Did you see that?” I asked Soren. “She changed her hair and clothing.”

My brother gave me a puzzled look. “I don’t see any change,” he said.

Taken aback by my observation, I could not help but wonder if the Hatchling Claw was the reason I saw the woman’s transformation.

“Help her please,” the man sneered. He was getting impatient.

I walked slowly toward the woman and studied her again. And, just as before, she changed back to the original color I had seen. Once again, I was looking at my own body.

“Tell me your name,” I said, not looking away from her.

“What does that matter?” the man snapped. “It won’t save her.”

“It will save me, though, won’t it?” I guessed, standing up to face him.

His mouth twisted into a grimace, and without hesitating, he shot a bolt of fire at me. “Well, aren’t you clever?” he said sarcastically.

Managing to dodge out of the way just in time, I channeled light’s fury into my hands and let the tendrils grab his neck. Holding him in place, the force flowed through his body, and he was unable to move.

“Em… Empyrean?” he said, struggling to get the words out.

“Yes,” I snarled. “Tell me your name.”

The man stood silent, only letting out small groans in response to the waves of light coursing through his body.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated and pushed more force through him. “Answer me,” I demanded. “Your name.”

“Naberius,” a hoarse voice said. It was not the same high-pitched note the man was speaking with before. As he answered, his body dropped to the ground. In his stead, what I could only describe as a demon appeared.

His eyes, flushed red, stared me down, and I struggled to hold his gaze. But I couldn’t let up. Channeling more light into my hands, I continued holding him down with the tendrils slipping from my fingers.

“Begone, Naberius” I said.

As the words escaped my mouth, the creature disappeared without any ceremony or scream. I looked back down to the ground and noticed that the body had vanished as well.

“What the hell was that?” Soren asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I am not even sure why I was asking for his name. It felt natural.”

“Well, it looks like it was the right thing to do,” my brother said, his tone impacted with a hint of admiration. “What now?”

“Congratulations, Hatchlings, you have passed the final Trial,” an angelic voice said before I could answer.

I looked up in the direction it was coming from. And, instead of the usual disembodied voice that had been speaking to us before, I saw the haze of a tall woman.