PERSONAL AWAKENING

Level thirty-nine, Dallion said to himself.

There was something special about that number. Somehow it made him more nervous than the final one. Based on past experience, the final level before the gate was the most difficult. However, thanks to his new skills and items, he felt quite overpowered for the task. As most things with leveling up, once he had dealt with the serious blocker stopping his progress, things had moved on quite smoothly.

“So, what are we fighting today?” Onda asked. Looking at him, he was far too enthusiastic for a simple tool. If anything, Dallion would have thought of him as being a combat weapon.

“The same thing we fight every trial, Onda,” Dallion could stop himself from saying. “Flaws.”

The nymph looked at him in a confused manner, as if Dallion had walked out into the street without his trousers.

“Just run with it,” July walked in with the shardfly on his shoulder. “He thinks weird things sometimes.”

Dallion laughed, but deep inside, he was extremely tense. As much as he tried, he was unsure what fear he might face. Arguably, the last ones dealt with his doubts of making it as a hunter, as well as the fear of facing others who could combat split. However, none of those were really serious. There were several people he feared facing in the real world, so maybe he’d have to fight one of them? Either way, he’d soon find out.

Summoning his gear and weapons, Dallion went into the corridor and straight for the new trial door. The familiar blue rectangle appeared once he stepped inside, only to me quickly waved out of existence.

You’re up, Gleam, Dallion said, taking hold of the whip blade.

You think we’ll be facing a swarm? The shardfly asked.

No, not a swarm. I think it’ll be ranged, though.

The corridor was well built, forming a perfect square. Light crystals were on the ceiling—one of the recent changes that had become commonplace. It made the whole thing look less fantasy and more modern, in a manner of speaking. If Dallion had the option, he would have replaced all old corridors with this method of lighting. Sadly, that wasn’t possible for the moment—each room and corridor was a snapshot of his understanding of the world. Before he had seen light crystals, Dallion couldn’t have imagined such a light source. Hopefully, when he passed the gate, he’d gain the ability to “customize” his realm… or, realistically, let Gen do that for him.

After probably half a mile, the corridor made a sharp right. About a dozen steps further, a large metal door blocked all progress. Covered with finely engraved patterns, it resembled the combat arena of the realm—one of the many areas that Dallion never visited. Moving closer, he placed his hand on the metal surface and pushed. The whole thing spun around a central metal pillar instead of moving to the side.

High tech, Onda said, making Dallion question whether he was sarcastic or not.

Maybe Dal could get a few of those for the rest of his realm, Vihrogon joined in. He had gone into the habit of jokingly picking on the nymph ever since Onda thought he was a woman.

Ignoring both, Dallion stepped through, entering a large oval room. Initially, he thought the place was empty. However, soon enough he found that there were five more metal doors, almost blending with the internal wall decorations.

Six doors, Dallion counted. At this stage, he strongly suspected that this trial wasn’t going to be related to combat.

“Hi, Dal,” a voice said behind him.

Splitting into a dozen instances, Dallion turned around in a few. Jiroh was there, dressed in a flowy outfit made entirely of clouds. It wasn’t the case of clouds forming one robe, but rather each piece of clothing was made from a different piece of floating fluff.

“Surprised to see me?” the fury asked.

“Surprised at the clothes,” Dallion said. While doing so, he had his instances form a circle around her. If it came to a fight, he knew what he had to do.

“You won’t be needing those. Not that they’ll help you. My level’s in the sixties. Sixty-seven if you want to be precise.”

Dallion blinked. That was a pretty high level. Of course, there was no telling whether the real Jiroh was anywhere near there. For the purposes of the test, she was more than halfway to the next. Undoubtedly that was a lot of strength, and yet she refused to use it.

“By now, you’ve heard bits and pieces of the situation. Well, I’m here to tell you how things really stand.”

“You’re not real,” Dallion corrected.

“True. But the information I have is. The Moons tell you more about the world as you grow. Why do you think each trial is based on the thing that keeps you back the most? It’s all a customized tutorial created by the deities of the world. And like any other deity, they do it with something in mind.”

Tutorial? That wasn’t a word Jiroh should be aware of, unless her own world was game heavy as well.

“They haven’t asked for anything so far.”

“That’s a lie.” Jiroh’s blouse darkened until it reached the color of her skin. Thunder sparks danced throughout it, as if a storm was about to start. “One of them has asked you for something very particular. And that’s not all. All of them have things planned. As the saying goes, when you use a service that has no cost, you are the product. That’s what the awakened powers are: one big service that grants you abilities that break the laws of nature. In return, you are expected to entertain the deities. The stronger you become, the more interesting you get. Haven’t you wondered why you have been so favored? Or all otherworlders, for that matter? When one’s eternal and demands new entertainment, they tend to snatch people from other worlds to provide it.”

There was a certain logic to that explanation, though it wasn’t something that Dallion was ready to believe. However, it was true that the Moons constantly looked at the world, often very literally.

“Doesn’t sound all bad.”

“Being an unwilling participant in a deadly soap opera? If that’s not bad, what is? Why do you think the nobles are always plotting against each other? They know what the deal is, and don’t want the good times to stop. Remember, once someone gets boring, they no longer receive the gifts needed to move ahead.”

“And what’s the grand prize?”

“Does it matter? Thousands are trying to get it, killing tens of thousands along the way. Duels, assassinations, political intrigue, wars, all is done with the sole aim of gaining a bit of favor in the eyes of the Moons.”

If that was true, this was a much crueler world than Dallion believed it to be. Focusing, he used his music skills on her, but as far as he could tell, apart from a bit of answer, the fury didn’t seem to be lying.

“The end of the world is just the end of a season,” Jiroh went on. “It has happened many times before. Sometimes old favorites return. Why do you think races were banished and not destroyed? At least one copyette has already made its way back into the real world. That can’t have happened without the Moons’ blessing. Maybe the dryads will be next, and the dwarves and humans would end up being banished for a few epochs.”

Nil, is she right? Dallion asked.

It’s not my place to say, the echo replied. This is your trial, and you’re the one who has to make the decision.

That was the problem with the control of information. The version of Jiroh before Dallion could be lying, or she could be telling a truth that Dallion didn’t have the level to hear before.

“Is that why you want to leave?” he asked. “Because you don’t want to be part of this anymore?”

“This is all fake, but no, that’s not the reason. The real reason I want to go is that now I know how to.”

The sensation hit Dallion like lightning. So, it was true after all? She had indeed found a way to return to her world.

“It’s quite simple, really. Any awakened can do it the moment they become a seer. There’s one condition, however.”

There always is, Dallion thought.

“You have to ask for it. And I’m not talking about just saying that you wish to go home. You must be very specific and ask the Moons for their blessing to step back into your old world.”

As the fury spoke, one of the doors across the domed chamber spun open. Dallion was able to get a glimpse of a world of clouds. The opening was enough to make his mind imagine what the world of the furies had to be like: mountains and endless skies full of cloud cities floating about. In a way, it reminded him of the battle against the giant colossus he’d had when a semi-awakened. Fighting that monster had been monumental, done very much above the clouds. Could that have been a look at Jiroh’s own world?

“Or, if you wish, you can be asked to be taken to the rest.”

The remaining doors opened, revealing different scenes behind them: a sunny tropical beach, a dryad filled forest, a dark cave let up by light crystals, and… a road intersection of a street in the world Dallion knew all too well.

“Earth?” he asked, unsure if he was seeing right.

“All the worlds that you could go to.” Jiroh smiled. “All you have to do is ask and go through. Since I’ve already done the first part for you, you only have to decide on the second.”

The sudden burst of euphoria quickly faded away.

“This is the test,” Dallion said, disappointed more in himself than anything else. Somehow, he had allowed the echo representing Jiroh to put the itch in him, making him want to return to his own world, even if that wasn’t possible. Dallion’s grandfather didn’t know of a way to return home, and he had seen and achieved a lot more than Dallion at his current level.

“Of course, this is part of the trial, but it’s the part that allows you a way out.” Jiroh placed her hand on Dallion’s shoulder. “The Moons want entertainment, not half-hearted actors. This is why they have provided you with this option. If your heart isn’t in what you’re doing, all you have to do is go to the place that you think you’ll be suited best.”

It sounded suspiciously good to be true. And yet, as flimsy as the explanation was, Dallion found himself wanting it to be true.

“I take it, a trial visit isn’t possible?” he asked. “Sort of a demo preview or something similar?”

“This is all the preview you get. You can look for as long as you want, but once you step through, it’s over.”

Six worlds… Dallion went to the door that led to Earth and stopped there. Buildings of glass and concrete rose in the background. From this section, there was little more to be seen other than the street intersection, a few buildings, and part of a gas station. Objectively, the place was utterly unattractive and could lead anywhere. And yet, Dallion felt a strange attraction to it.

“What about my powers?” he asked.

“They are the Moon’s gift, so they remain behind. Think of them as props. If you don’t want to use them to be entertaining, they’ll simply give them to someone else.”

So, potentially, that’s how Dallion had found himself here. Maybe someone had stepped through, leaving all skills and abilities behind, and Dallion had dropped in to fill in the void.

“What about my memories?”

“Oh, you’ll keep those. After all, there’s always the chance that you ask to return and that would cause quite a stir. Not because it’s you, but because you returned. Who knows, you might even get to become the Moon’s favorite again?”

It definitely sounded tempting. However, Dallion had to be sure. In the off chance that this was actually real, there would be no redos.