"Do you remember your name, at least?" he asked, his voice calm but curious.
I stared at him, my mind briefly circling around the word lingering above my head. Lycoris. The name felt foreign, like wearing a borrowed coat.
"Call me Lukas," I said, letting the lie roll off my tongue.
A brief smile tugged at his lips. "Did you make that up on the spot?"
I chuckled softly. "Maybe."
The sun warmed the ruins around us, its heat a new sensation for me. It was my first time truly feeling warmth—at least, that I could remember. We strolled through the desolation of broken buildings and scattered debris, the aftermath of destruction blending into a strangely serene landscape.
My rune, Eryxion, had fully regenerated, and I could tell Garry's was close to being restored as well. He seemed calmer now, but the weight of something still hung over him, like a shadow he couldn't shake.
"So, why did you kill the owner of this body so eagerly?" I asked, not because I particularly cared, but because I could sense the emotional storm behind it.
His expression didn't change, the faint smile still lingering, but his voice carried the undertones of something darker. "He killed someone close to me," he replied.
"Was it your friend?" I pressed, my curiosity piqued.
"Friend, huh?" He paused, his eyes distant. "I don't know if she saw me as one."
I said nothing, letting him continue at his own pace.
"Maybe she didn't even think of me at all. Perhaps I just... treasured her."
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His tone was even, but there was an unmistakable heaviness in his words. He kicked at a few loose stones on the path, like he was trying to appear indifferent.
"The thing is," he went on, "I've already lost people close to me. This wasn't new. I should be used to it by now."
He paused again, taking one of his signature long gaps. I didn't rush him, merely shifted direction to avoid a large crater littered with debris, and he followed without question.
"What really gets to me," he said finally, "isn't just losing them. It's that I wasn't powerful enough to save them. And when I was strong enough, I wasn't there when it mattered."
He didn't look at me as he spoke, his gaze fixed somewhere far off. "Both times, I was the one left standing, staring at their lifeless bodies."
I didn't respond, steering us through the ruins as he fell silent again. His footsteps were steady, but I could feel the turmoil beneath them.
"The brat," he muttered, "was just a convenient excuse. A reason to dump all this burden. All this guilt."
I understood what he meant, even if I didn't share his feelings. His pain was palpable, but it didn't stir anything in me. No sympathy, no empathy. Just... nothing.
Oddly, I wasn't bothered by my lack of reaction. Should I have been?
"Tell me," Garron asked suddenly, breaking the silence. "Did you ever have a friend in your past life?"
The question caught me off guard. I thought for a long moment before answering.
"No," I said finally.
He looked away, seemingly disappointed, his gaze landing on a group of birds picking at a rotting corpse in the distance.
"But," I added, "I feel like there's someone."
He turned back to me, curiosity replacing the disappointment in his eyes.
"I don't think he was a friend. Not someone close to me, either," I said, my voice quieter now. My gaze drifted to the horizon as I spoke, almost as if I could see the person I was describing. "But I feel like I need to meet him."
Garry's brow furrowed slightly. "Is that why you're going to play the game?"
I considered his question, letting the silence hang between us for a moment.
"Maybe," I said finally.
The ruins stretched out endlessly before us, the sun climbing higher into the sky. For the first time, I felt like I wasn't just walking forward—I was being pulled, toward something I didn't yet understand.
"So how do we play the game?" I asked.
Garry stopped mid-step and gave me a look, a mix of confusion and exasperation. "Seriously? Didn't you say you knew some basic stuff?"
To be honest, I only knew the broad strokes: levels, climbing, and some kind of goal at the end. The finer details? A mystery. I didn't want to complicate things or admit ignorance, so I just shook my head.
He mirrored the gesture with an exaggerated sigh. "Unbelievable."
"How many Nyu do you have right now?" he asked, tapping his temple.
I accessed the dump of information in my head. Tabs, menus, notifications—most of it had been noise to me until now. "225," I said after a moment.
He snorted. "Figures. You'd need at least 320 to ascend to the next level."
Great. So I needed to gather 100 more... like that was going to be easy. "How do I earn them?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
"Normally?" He started walking again. "You defeat others in the same level. Every win nets you 40% of their total Nyu. But, judging by the state of this place, there's probably no one left here who even has that much."
I trailed behind him, waiting for the inevitable "but."
"Of course, you could wait for someone to gather enough and hope they show up. That could take an eternity, though. Or you could form a party... but," he glanced at me, pausing for effect, "luckily, you already have me."
I grinned, sensing he had more to say. "So? What's your brilliant idea?"
He smirked, narrowing his eyes. "Since I already have over 330 Nyu, all you have to do is transfer the leadership of the party to me. Once I'm the leader, it's an instant pass to the next level for both of us."
"That's it? Seems simple enough."
He waved a hand dismissively. "Simple. And don't worry, I'm not about to tric-"
Before he could finish, I flicked open the party menu and tapped the option. A notification popped up almost immediately: [Party Leadership Transferred to Garry.]
He froze, staring at the notification in disbelief. Then, he turned to me, completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, did you actually just—?"
"Why are we still standing here?" I interrupted, grinning. "Let's go already!"
"R-right," Garry stammered, still looking half-confused. His hand raised, and he started dialing in the air, his finger swiping and tapping at nothing. It looked absurd, like a mime attempting to check his email.
I tilted my head. "Why the finger? Isn't that all in your head?"
He ignored me, his attention locked on the invisible interface only he could see. "It's been a long time since I've been in a party and ascended to another level," he muttered. He kept tapping at the air for another minute, his brows furrowing in concentration.
"So, listen up," he finally said, still pressing invisible buttons. "Your body's going to feel heavy when we get there. The pressure will be intense, like gravity's trying to crush you."
"Crushing gravity, got it," I replied, half-listening as I tapped my foot impatiently on the stony ground.
"You might even get sick for a few days—weeks, if your strength and aura aren't up to par."
"Sounds delightful," I said with a smirk, trying not to roll my eyes.
He seemed oblivious to my sarcasm. "Also, I edited some party options to prevent... you know, misuse. I spent 300 gold to buy private chat access in the market. Should last us a month."
"Wow, generous." My foot stomped louder on the earth, the rhythmic thudding hopefully sending him a message.
He glanced at my foot but acted as though it didn't bother him. After what felt like an eternity, he finally said, "Right. The next time you blink, you'll already be in the next level."
He sounded so proud, like a seasoned veteran explaining the basics to a wide-eyed rookie.
I blinked. Opened my eyes.
We were still standing in the same spot.
I blinked again. Once. Twice. Three times.
"Uh, Garry?"
He didn't answer. My patience frayed, my rune began pulsing faintly as my aura flared. Just as I was about to let my irritation loose, I blinked one last time—slowly.
And that's when it happened.
Mid-blink, my body felt weightless, like I'd been unmoored from gravity itself. My mind blanked completely, like a pause button had been pressed on my consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, the world had shifted.
[You have reached Level 2 of Pillar 3!]
A notification appeared in my vision, crisp and golden.