With less than ten minutes on the timer, Isaac and his two fellow Pioneers cut the conversation short. As much as they all wanted to keep talking about possible plans for the next few days, missing the awakening of the Titan was out of the question. Their curiosity wouldn’t allow that.

  And so, they left the house and headed for the path leading off the plateau. The notification hadn’t specified where the Titan would awaken, but given the wide, empty space at the beginning of the Victory Road, it had to be there. And if not, they could always find it with their Legacies.

  For a couple of minutes, they walked in silence, hoods drawn over their faces. Isaac even considered activating Cloaking, but stopped himself. The people they passed didn’t pay them any attention anyway. Right now, everybody had better things to worry about than looking for the local Pioneers.

  That didn’t stop him from studying every face they passed, though. Hell, he was so obvious about it that Carmela even shot him a concerned look.

  Isaac gave her a weak smile and forced himself to relax. Despite his earlier thoughts about not expecting betrayal from everyone, he was doing exactly that. The first creeping signs of paranoia.

  Not a great start to the war, he admitted inwardly, grimacing. What’s next? Jumping at shadows? No. Never. Stop letting fear control you. That’s not who you are.

  Simply being aware of possible danger was enough. Fear, as he had already established before, was useless.

  The Root’s tattoo pulsed with warmth, while the Symphony stirred just a bit. He smiled.

  Thanks.

  His worries and paranoia forgotten for the time being, Isaac sped up a bit, forcing Carmela and Harry to do the same. With this new pace, they reached the edge of the plateau with over a minute left on the timer. There, they had the perfect view of the beginning of the Victory Road.

  In silence, they waited as more and more people began to crowd the Battleworld. Then, at only ten seconds left, the entire plateau shook a bit, followed by a bright glow of green light that appeared above the beginning of the Victory Road.

  “Here it comes, my friends,” Harry muttered.

  Isaac only spared the man a short glance before his gaze returned to the green light. Now that it had stabilized, it looked eerily similar to the orbs Fisk had shown them during the transmission.

  A Titan seed.

  The timer dropped. Three seconds. Two. One.

  Zero.

  The orb erupted, forcing Isaac to turn away and shield his eyes. Beside him, he sensed Carmela and Harry do the same. He also heard quite a few curses from the other nearby Hosts.

  Should have stayed on the ground, people, he thought wryly as the blinding light began to fade. He lowered his hand, blinked a few times, and looked toward the source of the flash.

  Oh my…

  Standing at the beginning of the Victory Road was… well, a Titan. A massive creature, about forty feet tall, if he had to guess. It towered over all the trees that made up the first territory, even if not by much.

  To no surprise, the Titan was humanoid in shape. Two arms and legs, and what appeared to be a head. That, however, was where the similarities to humans ended. Instead of flesh and bone, it was made of interwoven roots and stone. Different flowers also bloomed all over its form, only adding to its unique appearance.

  Isaac would have called the creature beautiful if not for how rotten its left arm looked.

  Dead and withering flowers. Scorched roots. And stone that bled some kind of oily black liquid.

  Essence of the world… Isaac hummed. I guess it fits. Beauty of nature and its destruction.

  Still, that wasn’t the end.

  Slowly, the Titan turned to glance over its shoulder, the front of its head meeting the awaiting crowd of Hosts. There was almost no recognizable feature on its gnarled face, just two orbs that glowed from somewhere within.

  One ocean blue. The other red like flames.

  Those two orbs—eyes—washed over every single Host in sight, not sparing anyone from its cold gaze. Isaac shivered visibly, as did his friends beside him. It felt like the Titan was judging them. For what, he had no idea, and thankfully, it lasted only a second before the beast moved onto the next person.

  Then, once it finished its silent judgment, the Titan turned away, letting everyone breathe again. The Interface, however, refused to give them a real break.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Hosts! The Titans have awakened. From now on, they are yours to protect and support. Lead them toward victory and save your world. Let the Victory Road begin! The march starts in: <5m:42s>

  That was it. Nothing less. Nothing more.

  Five more minutes, Isaac thought with a sigh. He turned to glance at his friends, but before he could open his mouth, a somewhat familiar male voice cut in.

  “Impressive, ain’t it? Earth made into a monster.”

  It’s him, Isaac thought as he looked at the new arrival. “Chris Ewing.”

  The blue-haired man smiled and gave a shallow bow. “Seems my reputation precedes me,” he said, then glanced at Carmela and Harry, the former staring at him in confusion. “Or not.” He arched an eyebrow at Isaac. “Keeping secrets, are we?”

  Isaac stifled the urge to roll his eyes. “Just keeping my end of the deal.”

  Chris laughed. “Of course. Of course. I’m just pulling your leg, man.” He turned back to the others. “Introductions then. I’m Chris, your fellow Pioneer. The last one. Nice to meet you.”

  Harry accepted the introduction like he didn’t care, simply giving the man a nod. Isaac had a feeling that his friend was just as well-informed as he was. Which left only Carmela in the dark. And it showed.

  “Final Pioneer? A deal?” she asked, eyes narrowed. “What’s going on here?”

  When nobody spoke for a moment, Chris sighed and looked at Isaac, exasperation clear in his eyes. “Really, man? I get the need for secrecy, but you’re really leaving all the explaining to me now? Someone you barely know?” At Isaac’s shrug, the man pinched his nose. “Ah, whatever. You’re lucky I’m a fan of your work… Give me a second.”

  He reached into his dark blue coat and took out a small object that looked a bit like a pencil. Isaac wanted to ask what it was, but then Chris pressed the button on top, and a wave of almost invisible green energy spread through the area. A moment later, it solidified into a bubble that hid the four of them from the rest of the world.

  Beside him, Carmela tensed, her musket-sword materializing in her hand. Harry followed in her step, his dagger making a rare appearance.

  Chris instantly raised his hands. “Oi! Calm down. It’s just a security bubble. Should stop all the noisy bastards from listening in on us. And by all, I mean it.”

  Isaac’s eyebrows shot up. “Overlords too?”

  The man grinned. “Of course. You can curse them all you want here.”

  Isaac hummed and gave a nod to his friends. They relaxed, dismissing their weapons. Carmela, however, didn’t stay quiet for long.

  “Either of you start explaining. Now.”

  “And here I thought you forgot about that,” Chris muttered, then looked back at Isaac. “Still want me to be the one to do the talking?” Silence met his question. He groaned. “You’re not making this new partnership of ours easy, you know that, right?” Silence again. “All right. All right. You win.”

  Now, Isaac knew he was being difficult. And maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea, given that he couldn’t predict how the man would react. But there was a reason for his current behavior.

  He wanted to hear how the other man would explain their situation. The Beyonders were still a large unknown. So if he could make his new ally spill some details? He would call it a win.

  Spoiler: his plan didn’t work.

  When Chris started talking, he barely mentioned the Beyonders at all. He mostly repeated what Rakin had already told Isaac a few days earlier. So while it was nice to have confirmation of the Overlord’s words, it wasn’t what he had been hoping for.

  Worse, the amused look in Chris’ eyes told him the man knew Isaac’s plan all along.

  “Correct me if I understood it wrong,” Carmela said once the explanation ended. “Overlord Chaos made a deal with some powerful Broken Realm faction to help Isaac—and potentially us—survive if things go to hell this round. They agreed and sent you to us. Yes?”

  Chis nodded. “Correct.”

  Carmela frowned. “Why? I understand why Rakin is helping Isaac. What I fail to see is what your side gains from this arrangement.”

  “Beats me, lady.” Chris shrugged. “I’m a new member. I do what they tell me and reap the benefits.”

  “And those are?” she challenged, raising a delicate eyebrow.

  The man chuckled, wagging a finger. “Nuh-uh. Not telling.” He looked between Isaac and Carmela. “I know what you two are trying to do. It won’t work. Want to learn more about Beyonders and our goals? Ask that Overlord of yours. My mouth is shut.”

  Busted, Isaac thought, sharing a look with Carmela. She didn’t show it, but knowing her, she was most likely annoyed at being denied an answer. Trust me, you’re not the only one.

  That, however, was the end of that topic. Harry stepped forward and spoke for the first time.

  “Ignoring your questionable… benefactors. Tell me, fellow warrior, do you wish to join our team now that you have revealed yourself?”

  Chris’ grin vanished, replaced by a look of pure confusion. “What? No! I work alone, buddy. And even if I wanted to stay, I can’t. It’s best for us to not be seen together too often. Gotta keep the secrecy and mystery alive. You can DM me now if you need anything, though. I added you all to my contact list.”

  “So you plan to stick around? Just in shadows?” Carmela asked.

  “More or less,” the man replied. “And honestly, if you people plan to retake control over the frontline, Walker here shouldn’t be seen with you two either. I heard about that assassination attempt, and it won’t end there. By sticking around, he might do more harm than good.”

  Isaac nodded. As much as he didn’t like it, Chris was right.

  “I was already planning to stay away,” he said, earning Carmela’s attention.

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Were you now?”

  “Yes,” he answered firmly. “Once the Warp Portals activate, people will come after me whether I like it or not. If I stay here permanently, I will only make things harder for us. But if I keep moving?” He shrugged. “I can waste their time while still being useful. And it’s not like I won’t be here when you need me. We just won’t be fighting side by side.”

  Carmela held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. It probably wasn’t the end of this discussion, but at least the woman understood his point. He just hoped the others would too.

  “All right, folks!” Chris exclaimed suddenly. “My job here is done. Need me? Message me. Otherwise, I will see you on the flip side. Bye!”

  Just like that, the security bubble around them shattered. Isaac blinked, and Chris was gone too, no trace left of his presence.

  Harry crossed his arms.

  “I don’t like him.”