Karnage stared down at her drink as Zaahr spoke to her left "Hey? Seriously? That is all you have to say?"
Kyle rolled his eyes and turned back "What did you expect?"
Zaahr grimaced in annoyance "Oh I don't know, it seems like you've always been a step ahead so maybe, mind you just maybe I expected an apology? For being used and deceived? You think everyone here just let that go? Just because you were right doesn't mean you were just."
Kyle snorted in amusement "Just? I'm not here to play just, Zaahr."
"Then do tell. What are you playing at?" asked Zaahr as Karnage pulled at her arm.
She whispered at Zaahr "Leave it be…"
Zaahr pulled away "No, I'm done leaving it be. I won't be some foot soldier while these bastards keep us in the dark." quiet agreement came from the other adventurers "If you expect us to trust you, to help you in whatever is to come next then we expect to be let in on what you know about what the hell is going on."
Kyle glanced back at her ("She is right…") his eyes moved around the entire hall to see expectant faces all staring at him, he sighed in exasperation "Alright then." expectation turned to nervousness "What do you want to know?"
Skill leaned in to whisper to Kyle "Is this a smart move?"
Kyle tapped his shoulder "It's fine."
Zaahr didn't wait to be asked again and spoke "There's a lot we want to know, firstly is the Quest itself. What do you know about it? The churches and military haven't exactly been helpful in that regard."
"Not much, same thing you all probably know. Artefact was activated by Liliana and someone from our world who took part in a previous quest, shit went wrong and Liliana is now mad." Kyle lied.
Zaahr frowned "You're one of the chosen Heroes, surely you know more than that."
Kyle shrugged "I thought the same thing until said God that chose me decided to wipe my memory of each time I met him."
"Then how do you remember meeting him?" Zaahr asked with a victorious smile.
"Exactly my point." replied Kyle with a sigh.
Zaahr's frown returned but this time slightly confused "I don't get it…"
"And you think I do?" said Kyle with a surprised face.
Zaahr held her face "Alright…different question…" she faced him again "You sided with the Dezol because they are stronger than the Esfeltian alliance, yet you remain siding with the Dezol even against the Empire? Who are obviously the strongest known faction? Why?"
Kyle briefly stood up and fully turned around his chair to face her and the rest of the guild "Well, at first it was only a theory based on some assumptions we made but now we have hard facts backed by information given to us by the Dezol." Kyle began to explain as he did his best to glance around and not meet Karnage's eyes as she also turned around to listen in "Tell me, why do you think the Empire hasn't fully called war on the Dezol?"
"I can think of many reasons…" said Zaahr.
"But those are only assumptions are they not?" said Kyle before going on to explain, "The Empire hasn't full on attacked the Dezol for multiple reasons, the first is that the Empire is divided into three courts and their main military requires all three to agree on something for them to make a move. So far only the Wood Elves have been moving against the Dezol and not even fighting them but blockading the waters between Ruk and their shores.
The second reason has to do with military strength in general, the Empire is powerful but so are the Dezol. The Empire can defeat the Dezol in a straight up war but that would come with severe losses for the Empire, so they don't."
"I think I understand." said Zaahr "Fighting the Dezol would leave the Empire weakened, which would be the perfect opportunity for one of the other powers to make a move."
"Exactly, this also goes for our current situation. The Empire will bully the alliance but won't actually engage in war against them, it may not show but the alliance is a powerful military in on itself. Lucifer said that the Avians and the Mer may be cowards but shouldn't be underestimated." Kyle explained with a smirk "The Empire planned for the alliance and the Dezol to weaken themselves, that is when the Empire would have struck."
"Okay that explains a lot but doesn't answer my question." Stated Zaahr with a frown.
"Oh I'm getting to that." Kyle added before speaking again "You see we won't side with the Empire for two reasons. One; They are a racist community and will never see us as their equal unlike the Dezol who are a mix of different Demon and Devil races. Two; They are using underhanded tactics to win because they are afraid, why should we join the side that is afraid of the one we are already on?"
Zaahr nodded in understanding when Karnage suddenly spoke "What about the alliance? How do you think those talks will go? Will the other kingdoms join the Dezol too, keep to themselves or move against us?"
Kyle met her eyes for the first time which she glanced away from "The other kingdoms will join us too."
"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Zaahr.
"Because fear is a powerful force that moves kingdoms." He said before explaining further "With Esfelt joining the Dezol that weakens the alliance, the Empire will take advantage of that and the alliance knows that well. So now each of them has the same option Esfelt has, join the Dezol or become the Empire's dogs."
"Even the Dwarves and the Fae?" Karnage asked with a frown.
"The Dwarves and Fae here are hardly the only ones, most of their population still resides on Ruk. The ones at New Ruk are escapees from a revolution, might as well call them rebels." Kyle explained.
"So you don't care about the ones here." stated Karnage with a bitter tone.
"And you've got a problem with that?" asked Kyle as his calculative gaze set on her sour expression.
"I…" she grabbed her right arm with her left hand while continuing to stare down at the ground "It's nothing…forget it."
Kyle frowned and glanced at Zaahr who stared down at her friend with worry, he sighed ("Not my problem, let them figure themselves out.") he told himself "Well anymore questions?".
One of the officers Kyle didn't know spoke this time "What the hell was that black fox thing that you fought after it completely wrecked the dragons?"
Kyle looked the adventurer up and down before responding casually "My ancient ancestor Gran Pappa Void who devoured an entire realm and became said realm's deity, given physical form."
The adventurer stared at him with a confused expression briefly "So you don't know?..."
"Yeah…" Kyle dismissed him with roll of the eyes "Now if you can excuse me I have a sub-class to choose" he inspected the Obelisk and a window appeared.
Class Manager
Level: 127
Main Class: Lord of Slimes
Sub Class: None
Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard, SpellBlade
{Main Class mastery is available}
Yet he was given no time to inspect it as his world suddenly went pitch black.
Kyle's eyes opened wide as he lay face up on the ground "I am getting tired of this Ym-" he stopped talking as he noticed the sun high up in the sky above him, to either side of him he saw the sides of strange buildings carved out of a shimmering crystalline rock.
"The sun…A sun…One sun…" Kyle noted as he stared up at the single sun "Where…am I?".
"You are where what lays in between the veil and reality itself, boy." Spoke a rough female voice from his left.
Kyle shakily sat up and glanced around himself, he gawked at the shimmering buildings of crystal that seemed to change colour with the sun's light. Each building rose like a spire, bridges of crystal connecting each spiral from windows that faced each other while some bridges spanned around each spire then connecting to another making complex roads up high.
"And where…" Kyle looked down and took in his surroundings "Would that be?..." Kyle sat in the middle of what he figured was a road, or use to be before the grass took it over. No pavement, dirt roads or cobblestone lay on the ground, instead the grass was allowed to grow freely around the spires of crystal.
All around him along with many looking down curiously from above were thousands of people, each with their own animalistic touch be it a wolf's tail and ears, deer's antlers or crow's feathers. The people of this crystalline city were not human, not entirely.
"This." Spoke a Fox-woman as she stepped out of the crowd that surrounded him "Is the Spirit Realm." Her body was shapely and muscular, one you would expect from a trained martial artist. Her short brown hair was tinged with red while her fox ears were crimson and tail fiery red. She wore a dark red combat tunic with black pants and no footwear, strapped to her back was a long single edged curved sword with a shimmering crimson blade and black hilt.
The colouring aside, Kyle recognised the sword as the one he was capable of summoning. He stared at the woman who looked to be in her early thirties, a strange familiarity caught his attention as he studied her when suddenly it hit him. "Auntie Celica?" he asked in bewilderment.
Celica smiled at being recognised "That would be my name yes." She crossed her arms and studied him as he stood up "How you have grown…lazy." she stated with a grimace.
Kyle faced her with a raised brow "Excuse you?"
She stomped closer and practically shoved her index and middle fingers in his gut "Untrained." Before quickly forcing his chin up with the same two fingers "Slow." Then moved onto grabbing his right hand with the same and forcefully pulling it up "Pathetic." Kyle being no match for her strength as he struggled to pull his hand out of her vice-like grip.
"Uhm…Nice seeing you too?" he offered with a still bewildered expression.
Celica sighed before suddenly pulling him into a bear hug "But of course it is! You have gotten yourself into quiet the…strange spot." she stated while pulling him away and studying his face "You have been through so much…Now you need to go through so much more…" she murmured with a saddened expression.
"What do you mean? What is this place? Who are these people?" Kyle asked as he looked around, his senses had been being poked and prodded the entire time. It felt as if everyone around him was restraining themselves from affecting him, yet he still felt it, their unmistakable presence touching his very core.
Celica glanced around as they all watched the scene with warm smiles "This is the Spirit Realm Kyle, the land of the dead as you might call it." She looked back at him "Although I think you already know that…with me being here and all."
Kyle's eyes widened "Land of the dead…I figured as much but…Who else is here?" he grabbed hold of her shoulders "Do all that di-"
Celica placed her hand in front of his mouth cutting him off "No child, I shouldn't be here myself. It is only by the graces of the immortals that I am. Each realm has it's own Spirit Realm, this one is solely of Chaoz and anything else around it. My soul was transported here to guide you, I am the only one here you may know. Neither the dead from home nor your friends who might have died on Chaoz lay here, they are somewhere else." she explained gingerly.
Kyle's expression darkened "Ah…I understand…" he felt a hollowness inside his being as he noticed the emotions that had suddenly resurfaced from nowhere. That hollowness slowly began to be filled with anger, anger toward himself for still holding onto such a silly hope.
Yet even more suddenly something, some things swept away that anger and filled the hollowness with themselves. Kyle felt warmth flow through himself, not as in heat but more spiritual than so. He glanced around as he realised where that warmth originated from, not a singular origin but from each individual that stood around him.
He met Celica's warm smile "You feel it don't you? They have been holding back this entire time as to not frighten and confuse you further." she glanced around at the people that were watching them "These are the Spirit Beasts of Chaoz, an extinct race that now exists only in spirit." She looked back at Kyle "They are the same as us Kyle, they are the same as you and are reaching out to you."
Kyle fully understood what their reaching out meant, these people didn't need words to be spoken or written. No instead they reached out and communicated differently, they conveyed their emotions not in speech or text but instead in their original raw form.
Kyle was overwhelmed with emotions as each Spirit Beast sent their own greeting through, each a powerful blast of a sensation within his being. He couldn't bare it all, it was all too much even if he did understand there was just too much.
Suddenly the feelings disappeared as they came, his mind and soul cleared of the sensations. "What…was that?" he asked completely baffled.
Celica chuckled "They were saying hi. You have much to learn about our kind, about your people Kyle."
"My people?" Kyle asked.
Celica nodded as she took his arm into hers and lead him forward, the crowd parted for them to pass and followed "Yes Kyle, your people. Not mine, not ours but yours. Since you remember me I expect you to remember who or what your father is? What are family is?"
Kyle followed her lead as he spoke "Yeah…When that thing was removed from my head…I remembered it…all." He admitted bitterly.
Celica nodded solemnly "Indeed, you know that our family is a bloodline of Kitsune, Spirit Foxes of Fire. Banished to the magicless realm for the doings of our ancestor, the same ancestor who devoured the world that banished us and turned into a Void."
"The same ancestor that twisted our family into monsters…" added Kyle with anger clear in his tone.
"Yes, a family of fallen beasts turned against each other for generations. That, is our legacy. That, is your burden to bear as the one to be cleansed of it's horrific plots." Celica explained as the grassy road suddenly began to curve upward "Then again, that is not the only legacy your blood contains."
"What do you mean? What else is there?" Kyle asked bitterly.
"The Nogitsune is the curse our family has struggled against for generations, you are part of that family too but…Have you ever asked yourself, what about the other side? It does take two to make one after all." said Celica as the spires around them suddenly began to grow further apart.
"The other side? Mom's?" Kyle asked as he stared at the grassy staircase they were approaching, it climbed up several storeys high and spanned the entire city from left to right in a semi-circle where the spires ended.
"Exactly boy, that vixen's side of the family is also made up of Spirit Beasts. I thought you smarter than this?" she joked while leading him up the stairs.
"Then…you don't mean?" Kyle suddenly glanced back at the thousands of Spirit Beasts still following after them.
Celica pulled him to look forwards as he almost tripped, she chuckled "Yes, your mother's side of the family, your other Spirit Beast legacy is not of my bloodline's origins but another. That legacy, is of this world, of Chaoz."
New emotions stirred within Kyle as he took in this information, wonder and joy churned with fear and anxiety as they ascended the stairs. Celica remained silent for the remainder of the climb and when they reached the top she suddenly turned them both around to look behind. "Your father's legacy was a curse, a monster created from greed and gluttony."
Kyle's eyes widened as he felt his body grow lighter, his heart pounded relentlessly as he gawked in amazement.
"Your mother's legacy on the other hand." Celica giggled happily "Is a history of art, wonder and beauty." she gestured at the city below "This is a mere replica of the real thing, crafted by the Gods for these people to live in peace within their own accomplishments yet it's beauty is true. This is their legacy, your legacy. Kyle, this is the Crystal Kingdom of Kori."
The spires that rose from the ground connected with each other in complex paths creating a shimmering piece of art that reflected light in a way that the buildings were mirrored into the sky like an illusion. The mirrored city was barely visible but very much there, a beautiful light show created from the sun's light and the marvel built below.
Around the city wasn't a wall but instead an array of gates each so high and wide that Kyle thought a Ram Demon or two could pass through side by side, each open gate had no door and was entirely made of the same shimmering crystal as the city welcoming all and blocking none.
Above each spire was a perfectly spherical crystal of a different colour's shade than any of the thousands of others, they were set with no specific position in mind only that they were all at different heights than any other as were the spire's heights.
"It's…" Kyle was utterly speechless at the sight, no matter how many amazing city designs or artwork he had seen within games he'd played or virtual worlds he'd visited, nothing compared to what lay before him.
"Breath-taking? Unbelievable? Sublime? Spectacular? Magnificent? ghojmoHwI''a'?" asked a voice from behind them "This sight has heard it all, what shall you say to it I wonder?"
Kyle turned around to see an elderly man standing behind them, wearing multi-coloured tattered cloths similar to what a lone hermit would wear the man had little hair except for his long unrestrained white beard that almost reached the ground, his two long pure white fox ears and thin white fox tail.
Kyle slowly looked behind the man and moved his gaze upward to gawk at the palace that lay there. Almost at random spires of crystal rose from the ground at different angles, some even piercing straight through each other, the spires formed a misshapen palace of sorts that shined brighter than anything else within the city.
There was no rime or reason to the shape, no structural basis for the spire's angles or lengths, they simply were and became what they formed. Behind the palace the gates that surrounded the city as a pseudo wall, more so border, grew taller with the hillside but not comparing to the spire's height let alone the palace's that seemed to reach the clouds.
A chilling wind blew through Kyle as he stared up at it "It's fucking fantastic!" he suddenly exclaimed with a wide smile.
Celica snorted at his response but the old man simply stared at him thoughtfully "Certainly an aggressive language but a new phrase to add to the many it is. Welcome little fox to our city within the afterlife."
Kyle's gawking expression suddenly turned to a frown as he looked down at the old man "Afterlife?...Wait…Why am I here again? Am I dead?..."