The Newt and Demon

“What!? That’s the big bad!?” Tresk shouted, flailing around. “I was gonna raid your city and stab you in the face. This is disappointing. I’m upset.”

Theo felt unsurprised that Kuzan had outmaneuvered him. Perhaps it wasn’t some brilliant feat, but the alchemist knew this was planned. But what remained of Tarantham? How would this change the state of the empire?

“Is the empire going to be okay without you?” Theo asked.

Death inclined his hooded head toward Theo. “I cannot comment.”

“At least the new gods are bound by actual rules. Instead of fake ones.” Tresk crossed her arms, seeming to grow more grumpy by the moment. At least this bit of news made her feel better.

“Perhaps more gods will appear if we wait.” Void huffed. He seemed more upset about this than Tresk. “With most of the ascendants driven from their realms, I suppose it doesn’t matter. We haven’t cleaned everything up yet, and we’re waiting for the system to figure itself out.”

Theo took a steadying breath. “Clear some things up for me, Void. Are you the boss?”

“Nope. Just the boss of the void.”

“And you can’t share anything that would influence the mortal world?”

“That’s right. You’ll be bound by that when the system reboots.” Void nodded to himself. “Remember what happened last time, Death?”

“Like it was yesterday. That was chaos.”

“So the system will form a council. The four thrones and twelve gods will be on the council. You thronies should already know your roles, right?” Void asked, nodding to Theo and Tresk. “So you do that job and you do it right. No half-assing.”

“Did that elf just move?” Death asked, gesturing toward the elf below.

The space elf man below had moved slightly, edging forward toward the stairs. Theo felt a shiver run up his spine as he observed him. “Why do they have to be so creepy?” he asked.

“Yeah, anyway. While we’re in this transition phase, the rules are slightly loose. After that, everything is set in stone.” Void let out a steady breath. “I’m bored. This place is boring. You guys have fun with the cursed elfs.”

Without warning, Void vanished. Like a dog that had just spotted something interesting off in the distance, he had left the group to stand atop that ziggurat. Death stood awkwardly with the others, looking out over the tropical landscape.

“You can’t say things that influence the mortal world,” Theo said, his mind spinning ways to get information from Kuzan. “What about Earth?”

“I suppose Earth is destroyed. You want to know about the other place, but I’m not sure I have answers. Things were strange. By the end we could move between that other world and Earth. We ascended and fought. The mortals came together, beating back forces that threatened to spill through the veil. Our plans were dashed when the Baleful Eye put a hold on everything. I then waited and schemed. But, we’re finally here.”

“Think we can be besties now?” Tresk asked, fluttering her eyes at Death.

“Maybe. Would you like some cores?” Death asked with a laugh.

“Let’s negotiate.” Tresk rubbed her hands together.

Theo had to turn away from the negotiations. He descended the stairs, poking the space elf in the face as he went. The man didn’t respond at all. These elves would need some serious therapy if they wanted to stop acting like a chameleon stalking a bug. He narrowed his eyes at an elf that had come out of the tangle of thorny bushes. The woman was stalking out of the brush as though if she stayed still she would be unseen. What did these people even eat? Fish from the sea, or perhaps some coconuts. The alchemist looked to the trees, finding no fruit to eat.

“All done!” Tresk said, scampering down the stairs with Alex close behind. “Should we find this throne of yours?”

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“Yeah. Before the elves learn they can move quicker than this.”

“Think they’re stuck in some time dilation crap?” Tresk asked.

“Maybe. My thought is they are insane. Let’s go.”

The party plunged back into the tangle, pushing their way through to find yet another structure. This one was a gray stone tower that seemed half-ruined. It was partially crumbling, and there were a few elves standing outside. They all bore the blue-silver skin that Xol’sa had, marking them as part of the same race. Space elves. While they searched for the throne, they discovered five inert shards. Some had a hint of magic inside of them, but all seemed inactive.

“I can smell the throne,” Tresk said with a laugh. “Ready for a fight?”

The group had moved out of the jungle, pressing forward up a slow rise that brought them to rocky terrain. In the distance, Theo could spot a large white stone building. Like Tresk, he could feel the energy of the Dreamwalker’s Throne rolling over the landscape to smack him in the face. His attraction to that throne was undeniable. He could not resist, finding the easiest path down to the lowland area. Even the temperature changed as they walked, going from a balmy heat to biting cold. He felt it mostly through Tresk, as his Coat of Rake still worked in this strange place.

Approaching the stone building, Theo spotted more elves. A lot more elves than were around the various shards. These ones struck various poses, looking like mannequins that had been left to molder among the ruins of an isolated world. The alchemist gained the sense that someone was watching them as they approached the building. He opened the door, listening as magical lanterns hummed to life within. When he passed into the Realm of the Dreamwalker, he felt his skin tingle.

The building was one giant room with dark pillars running along the sides. Braziers lit as he walked, cast from iron and formed into metal cages to contain magical fires. The Throne of the Dreamwalker was made from black stone with a small red cushion on top. Even at a distance, Theo knew the throne was unoccupied. He didn’t know how, but he knew it had never been occupied. Unlike the Throne of the Dreamer, this virgin throne seemed to wait for someone.

“The elves are following us in slow motion,” Tresk said, poking her head out of the door. “I saw that one move!”

“No you didn’t.”

“I did so! He was walking. Like this.” Tresk struck a pose as though she had been frozen mid-sneak. “Like this.”

“Perhaps you should claim the throne. Sooner rather than later,” Alex said.

Theo considered that as an option. Another option would be to take the throne without claiming it, taking it back to Tero’gal. He dismissed this idea, deciding that delaying the world’s restart sucked. Void said it would take a while to get things going. So, why not?

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“I just sit on it?” Theo asked, approaching the black throne. “Why does it look so evil?”

“Because you’re evil,” Tresk said, giggling. “You nasty little boy.”

“I’m not evil.” Theo placed his hand on the throne, swallowing hard. “Here goes nothing.”

A wave of power radiated outward when Theo sat on the throne. He looked at Tresk for guidance and she clicked her tongue.

“Did I tell you about the pain?” she asked.

A breath later, pain lanced through Theo’s chest. He felt the system carving a new core slot in his chest. His head swam as his willpower was increased to an absurd degree. As soon as the pain came it was gone. But within this stone building, he felt his authority grow. The space elves had stolen the throne along with some of the realm, hiding it away here in this chunk of reality. Now that Theo sat on his throne, with his new core in his chest, he could see how much of an affront it was to his position.

“I was expecting more,” Tresk said, tapping her chin.

Theo examined his newest core.

[Dreamwalker’s Core]

Unique

Throne Core

Bound

2 Slots

Level 1 (0%)

The Dreamwalker is the title of the person holding the Throne of the Dreamwalker. This position is the guardian of the void. Their duties include managing the passages between worlds and enforcing the will of the Arbiter.

Effect:

Significant increase in Willpower

Absolute authority when facing those that break the Dreamwalker’s design

[Passage]

It was just like Tresk’s core, with some minor differences in the text. The increase of willpower was insane. Theo could feel this new willpower radiating through his body. He examined the attached skill.

[Passage]

Dreamwalker’s Skill

Unique

The Dreamwalker performs their duties by passing between realms.

Effect:

Allows you to pass between realms unimpeded. While visiting another realm, you will be locked in a passive state unless acting in the interest of the Dreamwalker.

This skill drains your willpower, which will need to be recharged by resting.

“Theo! I don’t think we should linger!” Tresk shouted.

The skill was interesting, but Theo dismissed it for now. Once again, it was close enough to the Dream skill for him to get the idea. He looked up to see twenty-some elves working their way across the room at a snail’s pace. He reached out with his will, wrapping it around this small piece of the Dreamwalker’s realm before plunging it through the void. One moment they were within the abandoned realm, and the other they weren’t.

“Whatever happens to them… the throne is more important,” Theo said, steering them through the void. “Right?”

“Of course. You’re not a murderer.”

“Maybe a bit of murder.”

“It wasn’t as though those elves were helpless.”

“Oh my god stop,” Theo said, swatting at Tresk. The marshling evaded him. “Maybe take the situation more seriously.”

“I can feel you laughing on the inside.” Tresk shivered, shaking her arms and legs out after a moment. “I can also feel how creeped out you are by the weird elves.”

“I didn’t like them at all,” Alex said.

Whatever problem the space elves were having was beyond Theo. The only thing he could think of was a problem with the realm trying to sit out there in the deep void on its own. While the closer void was more like an ecosystem of powerful energy, that deep void was desolate. It wasn’t meant to sustain life. And the life it had sustained was mortal. This led to another problem. Xol’sa would want to know what happened to his people. The more Theo thought about it, the more he realized what must have happened.

“So the elves get themselves caught in the deep void. There’s no way they wanted to stay there.” Theo let his thoughts gather, clicking his tongue. “So they sent Xol’sa away. To the mortal realm. That’s kinda sad, actually.”

“I’m depressed. Can we stop talking about the doomed elves?”

“They’re not doomed,” Alex said, honking. “We can bring them back to the mortal plane. Or Tero’gal.”

“But not today,” Tresk said, patting Alex on the head. “Hey, what’s up with this stuff anyway?”

The marshling walked around the space that Theo had created for them to travel through the void. He was wondering when she would notice how his method had changed. Instead of overpowering the void with his willpower, he used his new skill. It had created a bubble around them and the chunk of the Dreamwalker’s realm. This brought more questions to his mind, but he didn’t have answers that would satisfy him. He didn’t want to spend more time than he needed fixing the void, let alone time fixing the realms of the throne holders.

But as Theo drew them closer to the near void, catching sight of the swirling galaxy, he felt something in his chest. His new core was practically vibrating, ready to do something after they returned to Tero’gal. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up, and he nodded. That made sense. It was as though the realm understood his intentions beforehand and prepared itself for what happened next.

“Might be a hot landing,” Theo said, watching as his planetoid came into void. “Brace for impact.”

“What? Really?” Tresk asked, holding onto Alex’s neck.

Theo couldn’t hide the smile from his face. “No.”

“You dirty little demon.”

Theo felt his bubble pressing against Tero’gal. Instead of a smooth transition, it was like pushing an orb through a bucket of molasses. The bubble rocked back and forth before everything went black. A prompt appeared moments later.

[Evolution Synergy]

Your realm has consumed another realm. The Realm of the Dreamwalker has been absorbed into Tero’gal…

[ERROR]

Dual-souls detected containing signatures for both the Throne of the Dreamer and Throne of the Dreamwalker. Signatures almost indistinguishable… Recalculating soul signature detection sensitivity…

[ERROR]

Detection failed. Seeking solution…

[Solution Achieved]

Solution reached, please stand by.

“Why is it dark!?” Tresk shouted.

“The system is having a fit, just give it a second.” Theo clenched his jaw, hoping the system would reach the same conclusion he had. A moment later, another message appeared.

[Realm Evolution]

Tero’gal, the Throneworld wants to evolve into a Twin Throneworld.

The proposed evolution would transform this realm to support two primary thrones. This evolution was instigated by the power of the Tara’hek bond shared by the primary owners.

Failure to accept this change will result in the ejection of the Throne of the Dreamer.

“There we go,” Theo said, accepting the change. Although they were still in darkness, he knew which message would come next.

[Evolution Synergy]

Your realm has consumed two additional realms. The Realm of the Dreamwalker and the Realm of the Dreamer have been absorbed into Tero’gal.

The owner of the Realm of the Dreamer has proposed a joint building to represent these realms within your throneworld.

Would you like to accept the following proposal?

A BIG OLD PALACE WITH BUTTRESSES AND STUFF.

The sound of Theo’s palm slapping against his face echoed through the void. “How did you get the message faster than me?” he asked, accepting the proposal.

“I’m just cool like that. Come on. I want my palace.”

Theo sighed, accepting the proposal. His sight shifted, giving him a view of Tero’gal from the sky. Below was a green-outlined version of a massive building. He fought with Tresk on the building’s placement. But they ended up selecting the top of a remote mountain range. While both Theo and Tresk could teleport around the world, others couldn’t. If they wanted to go for the thrones, they’d have to climb a damn mountain. Good luck with that.

The landscape was evened out to accommodate the giant palace. Once it was placed, Theo and Tresk were teleported to the large wooden doors near the front. They looked up at the white stone building, mouths hanging open. The building was enormous, looking like the old cathedrals on Earth. As Tresk had instructed, it had buttresses… and stuff.

The interior of the building was wide-open. The pair’s footsteps echoed off the pillars that stabbed to the impossibly high ceiling. Several hundred feet later, they stood at the foot of two thrones on a platform. One black and one white.

“Gaudy, don’t you think?” Tresk asked, tapping her foot. “That echo is horrible.”

“Yeah, this is a bit much. We have to guard these, don’t we?” Theo asked.

“What are you thinking? A million golems?”

Theo nodded. “At least.”