Two days later he met up with Mercy. He was nervous but he trusted it was going to work.

“How are your sisters, Sol?” Mercy asked.

“Good. Summer got a scholarship to a high end college in the arts, and June received an apprenticeship in the Grand Library,” Sol replied.

“That is good to hear.”

Mercy led Sol to a room he had never been in before. It was large, circular, and had a doctor's seat in the center. On the sides were metal cuffs that dangled off; on the walls were what seemed to be an array of different knives.

“Is this what I think it is?” Sol asked.

“A torture chamber. Obvious isn’t it? It will be able to hold you down. I’ve also hired an advanced healer from the Church of Odin; he is adept in resurrecting,” Mercy said.

Sol hardened his gaze at Mercy, who didn’t show a hint of worry.

“Just in case,” the man said.

Sol waited as a few people began to enter the room; people he had never seen before. A doctor came in and set up monitors to watch his vital signs. It all began to get a bit too real then.

Five people had entered, and all of them looked like higher ups. Sol remained patient, something the Unwanted had taught him. One of the people who had entered was a man in a silver and golden robe. He wore a priest's hat and held a magnificent staff.

Next, Mercy and a person wearing an Unwanted mask stepped in. It was not usual for someone to wear their mask in the base so Sol guessed it was an overseer- someone who ran the whole organisation.

Overseers were like legends in the Unwanted. They never socialised with anyone, they never trained recruits, never made speeches- they ran it in the shadows.

The doctor began to strap him into the chair, his legs, arms and waist all held down.

Mercy came up to him. “We’ll start first with a skill book. Doctor, are you all set up?”

The doctor nodded.

Mercy pulled out a spell book which glowed a pulsating green. “I shouldn’t have to remind you but you understand how expensive these are? We only received the funding because of what we are trying to achieve.”

Sol nodded.

Mercy faced the book towards Sol and opened it.

Would you like to learn the spell Tunnel Vortex EPIC? Yes/No.

Spell Description:

Summon a tunnel of wind in any given direction. Enemies sucked into the vortex take double damage.

Damage: 337

Mana Cost: 490

Affinities: Wind, Space-Time.

Sol’s eyes widened. It was an incredible spell, which probably cost a small fortune- a king's ransom.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. “Odin is with you,” the priest said before backing away.

Sol knew how dangerous learning a spell of this caliber was. He didn’t possess the required affinities or knowledge about them. He took a deep breath and selected yes.

A force field appeared around Sol; one of the people standing there had conjured it. Gusts of wind began to pick up; Sol could feel the sharp breeze of it.

Suddenly, a surge of pain radiated through his body; the spell was trying to merge with him. He screamed out in pain but it didn’t ease it. He kicked and squirmed but he couldn’t move.

System Notice:

Absorption failed. Spell book has been destroyed.

The spell book in Mercy’s hand crumbled into dust.

“Shit,” the man muttered. “Doctor, any signs of affinities?”

The doctor shook her head. “No, his body has sustained no major injuries.”

“That’s good,” Mercy said while swallowing. He gave the overseer a side eye before pulling out a glowing orange crystal.

Sol opened his eyes to see Mercy standing over him. “It didn’t work,” he said, “We can try the monster core now.”

Sol took a deep breath before nodding. Mercy placed the monster core in his mouth and another prompt came up.

Monster Core RARE

This monster core belonged to a Gentar Lion.

This monster core contains:

Skill: Alpha Rage

-Increases your agility by 50%, all your attacks receive 57 bonus damage.

+2 Constitution

+3400 Experience

Affinities: Golden, Blood, Beast.

To use, please break between teeth and swallow. If unable to do so, please place it inside the body and crush it.

He crushed down hard on the core, which tasted bitter yet powerful. The mage once again summoned a force field for protection. Sol’s hair began to grow on his arms and legs; his teeth began to change shape, and his whole body tried to adapt to the monster core, but it was to no avail.

The hair on his arms fell to the ground, and his teeth returned to normal, as he let out a monstrous roar that shook the room. His chest was heavy as he returned to a normal human.

Absorption failed. Monster core is lost.

“Doctor?” Mercy questioned.

“Nothing. His vitals have returned to normal.”

Mercy rubbed his stubble. He gave another glance to the overseer before walking up to Sol.

“It still didn’t work,” Mercy said, “I didn’t tell you this before but… there is one more… experimental method.”

“Do it,” Sol said, “I can take it.”

“No Sol, we need to kill you in order to do it.”

Sol stopped for a moment and glanced at the priest, in a moment of realisation.

The priest stepped forward, pulling out one of the most beautiful crystals Sol had seen in his life. The man pushed it forward and touched it to Sol’s skin so he could identify it.

Aura of the Everlasting- LEGENDARY

This one of a kind item belongs to the church of Odin. It projects an Aura of up to 3 metres around the person who activates it. Anyone in the aura will always be brought back to life.

Requirements to activate: High Priest of the Church of Odin.

Mana Cost: None

Durability: Indestructible

Affinity: Life, Healing, Death, Dark

“Woah,” was all that Sol could say. He was looking at a legend that was unheard of. People pay thousands of gold just to see one.

“Do you trust me?” the priest asked.

“I trust the item,” Sol replied.

The priest nodded. “So do I, young man.”

The overseer stepped forward and took off the cloth mask- something unheard of before by this role. It was a male elf with long black braided hair. His eyes were stern and held a sense of sincerity.

“Being beyond the grave is a lucid experience. You will experience death to the fullest; you will see the Yggdrasil and its many paths,” the man spoke elegantly.

“Where will I go?” Sol asked.

“You will most probably wander among its branches until you reach whatever destination your heart has weighed.”

“To Hel,” Sol said.

The man opened his palms. “I cannot say.”

Sol glanced at the priest. “I’m ready,” he said.

The priest waved his hand over the crystal and an iridescent light shimmered out, projecting the aura around the three of them.

The overseer pulled out a plain dagger. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“I am.”

The elf stabbed down into Sol’s heart, and his status flashed red before the bar went down to zero within half a second.

You Died!

Time stopped as Sol’s soul left his body. It felt like a dream to him. His soul seemed to pass through dimensions and into a large sky filled with infinite clouds and no ground. Large tree branches were sprouted across the sky, and Sol found himself on one of them.

He looked at his hands; they were slightly transparent.

“I- I died,” he said, finding his voice held no sound in this place.

He waited to be brought back to life, but nothing happened. He tried shouting but he had no voice.

He tried to panic but felt he had no emotions, he was just a ghost. He instead decided to walk along the huge tree branch. It felt endless, like time had no meaning here. He just kept walking and walking. Minutes turned into hours, hours into months and months into years. He didn’t know long he had been walking but eventually he came to a large building. Columns supported the triangular roof that overhung and it was made from a grey stone.

The doors were open so he walked straight in. Inside was an old weighing scale painted silver. On one end of the scale there was just black mist.

“Place your heart on the scale.” A voice echoed around the building.

Sol didn’t know how or why he did, but he brought out his heart and placed it on the other side of the scale. It wavered slowly before the black mist crashed down onto the hard stone floor.

“Hel,” the mysterious voice said.

In truth, it was not like Sol had led a good life. He had stolen many objects- gold, jewellery- too many he couldn’t even remember. He had killed before once even; taking out a man that tried to harass Summer. He didn’t regret it, even though he knew there would have been an easier way of doing it.

It was not like he could pull the wool over the afterlife’s eyes.

At the back of the large building, a black and crimson portal swirled into existence. Sol walked forward, completely out of control of his own body. He went to walk into the portal, but something was blocking him. He tried again, but an invisible force was stopping him.

Sol opened his eyes, and found himself back in the room. He gasped for air, coughing and spluttering violently.

The overseer and Mercy stood over him.

“Doctor!” Mercy shouted

“He’s… he’s alive,” the doctor said as they carefully monitored his vitals.

Sol tried to grab the wound on his chest, but there was no wound there.

“The affinities!” Mercy demanded.

“Still no- wait, something is there,” the doctor said.

“What is it?” Mercy asked.

“I-I don’t know. It is not something that I- we know of. Perhaps it’s a new type of magic- on the boundaries of space-time or even void but it is hard to say. It could be anything.”

“Sol, what did you see?” the overseer asked.

Sol calmed his breathing down. “The tree, a tree of many paths. I followed it for years and then I found a building on the branch. Then I weighed my heart on the scale and it-”

“Wouldn’t let you through,” the overseer finished.

Sol nodded. “You said I have an affinity, send me back.”

“Are you crazy?” Mercy questioned.

“I need this, you even said yourself. Let me do it.”

Mercy glanced at the overseer.

“The man does not fear death for he has seen it already. If he wishes to go back, let him.”

“Doctor, do you think you will gain a better understanding?” Mercy asked.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know. This is way above my paygrade, you’d need a space-time magic specialist now,” the doctor said.

Sol glanced at the priest. “I want to do it again.”

“The aura is still up. You have my attention for the whole day young man.”

“It is what he wants,” Mercy said nervously. “Good luck Sol.”

The overseer stabbed him in the heart once again.