They all hesitated outside the second arch.

  They all had three very different experiences the last time they passed through this arch. Kai was cut to ribbons, Alicia was mentored by a nice little old lady, and Syl was turned into an emotional wreck.

  “So we are all going into this with the same expectations?” Kai asked.

  If he was honest with himself, Kai didn’t know what to expect. He was the only one who actually knew who he was going to meet. But that still rendered him clueless as to what he should expect.

  Syl had been an emotional wreck coming out of this arch after meeting with Kain.

  Then her attitude had almost completely switched to a dogged determination in the maze, and now she even quietly acknowledged the woman.

  He needed to find out what happened to Syl during her testing. That and find out what Kain’s intention was when she produced that skill tome for physical manifestation, what she had in mind for a focus.

  “So, Syl, you’ve been at Kain’s pleasure once already; any advice?” Kai carefully asked.

  Syl looked uncomfortable, her face scrunched up slightly as she thought about how to answer him; her internal struggle lasted longer than he liked, and she only relented when he gave her a questioning look.

  “No… No advice,” Syl said confidently.

  He was shocked; even Alicia turned to Syl in surprise.

  “I told you all you really need to know; if I tell you anymore, it could interfere with her intentions. Cause her to shift her plans. I told you she was a Kirylic, that she was psychic. I tried to shut her out, but Kai…” Syl sighed, “I think you should actually let her in.”

  Kai shrugged. “Okay.”

  Now it was both Syl and Alicia's turn to look at him in surprise.

  “Syl, while I lack the memories. You know me; you have watched over me for what, a few hundred years? seeing me when I’m at my best, and probably more often than not my worst. And yet when that was all over, you stuck with me. I don’t know exactly why, but I trust you,” he grinned at her foolishly. “I think I’ll always trust you.”

  “He is doing it again.” Alicia groaned.

  “Doing what?”

  Syl just smiled at him, tapped the side of her nose, and gave him a wink, then pointed towards the arch.

  Knowing he wasn’t going to get any answers anytime soon, he made his way into the arch.

  Alicia watched Kai step through the arch, Syl disappearing the moment he was gone.

  How he managed to say the right thing at just the right time and yet remain totally clueless was infuriating.

  She found herself yearning for it, that same connection, that same oblivious level of trust.

  The way the two of them looked at each other was just improper. But by the spirit, she wanted that even more.

  Her heart sinking, her mind wandered in frustration.

  Would Kai ever look at her like that? Would anyone ever look at her and say those blissfully clueless words for her? Would Kai ever let her in, and if he did, would he ever embrace her the way he now embraced Syl?

  Syl had opened herself to her numerous times. Explaining things about Kai that Kai didn’t even understand about himself. Why he was hesitant, why he might struggle with the culture of her world, why Syl wanted her, and why Syl herself had come to need her too.

  She was relieved it was not just politics as she first feared. It wasn’t even lust. It was something more, a deep, meaningful connection she never quite thought she would have.

  She was relieved; Kai was open-minded, if not a little childish. There was still room for the three of them to manoeuvre, to figure things out.

  Alicia was certainly relieved that Syl was someone she had come to love. Unlike many of her sisters, who had to deal with women they secretly despised.

  She just hoped when she explained how things had evolved within the dungeon to her master, he would help smooth out all the politics. If only Kais current political power wasn't so nebulous. , she would have a much better idea of what to expect and how to prepare them for it.

  Knowing she couldn’t hesitate forever, she followed Kai through the archway.

  Alicia stepped into the same arena as last time.

  This time there was no little old lady waiting to greet her. Instead, a tall man wearing a dark green hood and cloak stood far in the distance, far enough that Alicia naturally assumed this would be a ranged battle.

  As she readied Gift, who vibrated silently to himself in excitement, the man pulled back his hood to reveal short, cropped ash blonde hair and short ears as he retrieved a short bow.

  She was surprised to see the man pull a short bow at such a long range, though that wouldn’t take into account increased stats and better quality materials.

  The man bowed low.

  Alicia returned the gesture with a curtsy.

  The moment she completed the well-practiced gesture and her right hand took Gift's string, the man vanished.

  “I understand the two of you know how to do some impressive things at range, but I ask you this. What can you do when you are pressed? when someone steps inside your range? When your advantage is turned against you? Perhaps you will dismiss your companion and draw that sword? Or can you two work together to overcome?”

  Spinning around to find the tip of an arrow mere inches from her face, she realised maybe this was not going to be a test of their range at all.

  Syl appeared in the arena and immediately checked her connection back to Kai.

  It was foolish. Their souls were bound; it was nigh impossible to separate them. The best this dungeon, the system or anyone else could do was create the illusion of separation. But she couldn’t help it; she checked anyway.

  She could feel him; he was standing his ground, demanding answers in his mind. What a fool; it made her smile.

  Self-assured everything was intact, as it should be, she turned her attention back to her surroundings, back to the arena. The arena she loathed.

  “A pleasure to meet you, dear. Lady Merribellium did not lie; you are indeed an interesting specimen. You should know there was much debate between my companions about how things would evolve, about who would have this pleasure.” A short, wiry, gnomish woman in baggy white robes said in a supercilious tone, "While I count myself lucky that I am the one fortunate enough to reveal myself, I remain disappointed.”

  Syl had to wonder what the woman meant by evolve, why she was disappointed.

  “He’s a sweet, naive boy. Inego is just insufferable. To think that man achieved divinity and is still roaming around out there somewhere. It is my understanding that his wife now seeks an acknowledgement from you. Considering how she broke you down and built you back up again, I perceive the odds of that are low.”

  Syl raised her hand. “Please, can you clarify? You said wife… you’re telling me the person my soul is bound to has formed an informal connection to a divinity that may or may not still be married to the woman who…”

  “Oh dear, as you know, Lady Merribellium is a Kyrilic; they are very selective of their partners. If she still lives, it is almost a certainty that she remains married to that fool of a sword freak. I mean, who learns to grasp the lifeblood of the multiverse and uses it like a sword? Such a waste.”

  She was screwed; if Kai sought out Inego in the future, she would meet that woman again.

  Worse, if the god sought out Kai, Kain would almost certainly come with him… especially if she gave in and acknowledged her. But would that actually be so bad… She would just have to wait and see how she dealt with Kai and his fragile psyche that she had spent the last month building up.

  “Girl, Lady Merribellium is not the only one interested in finding out how things have changed outside this dungeon. Now, how did the sword freak put it? Impress me, and I will let you call me master.” The gnome woman's features twisted on the words, “What an idiot. As if your boy could have known the value of the offer.”

  She snapped her fingers. “An informal agreement. I will do my best to teach you something, something I believe is invaluable to anyone who walks the path of a true mage. And if at the end you see the value of our time together, you acknowledge that I, Eunice, the mad archmage from Trevdoor to the black and beyond, served as your master within the confines of this here dungeon,” she nodded.

  Eunice looked pleased. “Yes, that should serve; no pesky connection to the real me should be formed, though I doubt I have achieved divinity; it would still be nice to know.”

  “That's fair, but aren’t you going to test me and make me show my skills?”

  Eunice chuckled. Dear, if Lady Merribellium thinks you are worth her time, then you are worth my time. You know, she taught me just about everything I know. Now let's start with how you deconstruct and reconstruct spell forms for different desired effects. You have been copying your boys lead in that regard, and frankly, you should know better. He seems to have a talent for brute-forcing mana manipulation; you are more structured.”

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  Syl blinked. “You are not going to tell me I'm not worthy, that I don’t deserve your instruction, that I will never be good enough for…“

  Eunice's eyebrow rose. “For the boy? Yes… that was hard to watch. I remember what the lady put me through; damn near broke me at times. But quite frankly, I don’t understand why you're so hung up on that boy of yours; from what I’m told, you were practically made for him, that in many ways you are still finding yourself. Honestly,“ she tsked, “I think it is he who is not worthy of you.”

  Syl didn’t know what to make of that; Kai had his flaws, sure, but that was what made him the man she loved.

  Seeing her confusion, Eunice let out a long breath. “And that, my dear, is probably the reason I never stayed married more than a century or two, six husbands, five wives and three other spouses of dubious nature. All of them friends with each other, and all of them call me a bitter old cow. Now, ready yourself; you have a lot to learn, and I need to make sure I impress you, don’t I?”

  Kai checked; he had a strong feeling she was still there, but that was the extent of his ability to detect her.

  He really needed to sit down with Syl and figure out the extent and capabilities of their connection.

  Unfortunately, trying to get through a dungeon in a timely manner. He was having a hard enough time fitting in his spectral manifestation training mandated by Inego, never mind finding time to sneak about with Syl.

  “Are you satisfied? Syl should be getting quite the crash course from one of my former students. I would be more concerned with what I plan to do with you.” Kain said as she walked towards him.

  She was a tall, slender woman, a few inches taller than him; she wore an air of confidence only one certain of themselves could manage.

  Her attire, loose and comfortable, certainly implied there would either be no fight or that any fight she committed to would be ended with ease.

  With pure white hair and clean, sharp, angular features, her most striking feature was actually her eyes. They lacked any of the typical anatomy Kai had grown to expect from anyone with the standard humanoid anatomy.

  She studied him, her clear, crystalline eyes filled with distant fractal shapes shifting deep within; they bore into him, trying to see deep within.

  They were entirely alien, yet surprisingly beautiful.

  Thinking of his own glowing eyes, he realised maybe he wasn't one to comment on someone else's eyes.

  Watching her warily, he noticed a shift in her perception, like she was trying to focus on him, but her eyes kept sliding off.

  She huffed, “I understand your hostility, but that spectre's shroud is going to make holding a conversation with you difficult if I keep having to return my attention to you.”

  Kai's defences shot up; she detected his spectre's shroud, and it was affecting her, shifting her attention away from him despite them being the only people present. That meant, well, he didn’t really know, but one of the things he had been told was it would affect people who sought to do him harm, potentially.

  He pulled free one of his grips, formed a spectral blade, and asked, “What did you do to Syl?” his tone sharp.

  Kain halted, a small smile curling her lips, “As I expected, you do not disappoint. If only it weren’t so predictable.”

  “That’s not an answer to my question. She was distraught. I had to-“

  “What, let me guess, oh, I don’t know, comfort her? Maybe you had to stop holding yourself back and do the thing you have been denying the both of you since the moment you entered this dungeon and the time you spent with each other in your domain travelling through the endless unknown?” Kain said in a no-nonsense tone.

  That caught him off guard; Kain had just outlined the exact outcome.

  She sighed, “Kai I know you have been informed of my race's considerable talents, that I can see into your mind.”

  He nodded as she started to walk around him.

  “What you don't know is that my abilities give me a unique role within Atheos’ designs. When you met the requirement for the trials, I was the first consciousness to stir. After thousands of years of stasis, I was awoken to decide if you were just lucky or, if in fact, you were worthy. To that end, I quietly dove into your mind, and by connection Syl’s. Do you know what I found?

  “No…“ Kai felt like she was dancing around answering his question, but he decided he would give her rope. Either she would get to her point or eventually give him the information he sought.

  Kain eyed him and shook her head as she continued, “I found two very fragile, very interesting minds.”

  His eyes narrowed; he knew he was a mess, but Syl was a rock. His one pillar of certainty in this new world he found himself in.

  “Oh, you think so, do you?” Kain tutted, “What you need to understand is while your childhood was rough, and your mind is in tatters. Syl's life was long and lonely. To her, you are the rock, the pillar she desperately clings to.”

  Rock? She was reading his-

  “Yes, Kai, I am reading your mind… on the matter of what I did to Syl. Syl, like you, she has so much potential, but everything she does, she does for you. It is…unhealthy. And if I had more time, I would get her to do something for herself. Give her the encouragement, the push, to truly find herself.”

  Kain stopped in front of him and said, “Tell me, Kai, besides her love of you, what else interests her? What does she find humorous? What is her love language?”

  Kai thought about it; besides all the easy answers, he had no clue.

  Obviously there was her experimenting with her appearance, the occasional cosplay and her rampant teasing. But beyond that, he really didn’t know her beyond having a strong gut feeling he knew her better than he knew himself.

  His insides knotted up as he realised he really didn’t deserve her.

  He needed to be better, do better.

  Kain’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she shook her head sadly. “I wouldn’t beat yourself up; you know more than you think you know, and the majority of what you did know was taken away from you. So only feelings lacking reason remain.”

  “So you are saying you knew Syl was fragile? But you still found a weakness and exploited it?”

  Kain scoffed; had she normal eyes, he would have thought she rolled them. “I pushed her in the direction she wished to go; I found a wound and helped excise an infection.”

  “An infection?” Kai asked, concerned something was wrong with Syl.

  “An insidious thought that left as it was would sink deeper and deeper until it finally broke her. I merely pulled it to the surface and used it to motivate her. Forced her to face it head-on to prove herself wrong. It was not kind; it was not gentle, but I lacked the time for… as you would call it, kid gloves. I am not proud of what I did, but considering the results, I would do it all again.” Kain said, giving him what he thought was a knowing smile.

  He had to admit, Inego had deferred to a rough approach due to the limited time, but there was a stark difference between inflicting physical wounds and a mental assault.

  “What was the weakness, the infection?” he asked.

  Kain smiled as she opened her eyes. “It is not my place to say. You should try talking to her about it; she is ready to tell you. And it seems she has forgiven me; even now she has decided to accept my proposal and… possibly that of my student, a good choice. Though I see things with me still remain conditional.”

  “Conditional?” Kai asked, thinking back to what Syl had said to him.

  “As I plan to bolster your already growing confidence, her first condition is moot; the second, however, disappoints me.”

  “Her second condition?” Kai thought about it; Syl wanted him back unharmed, and she wanted to know how she was supposed to make her physical projection work.”

  “Yes, so now that I have satisfied your first question, ask the second.”

  It was Kai’s turn to roll his eyes; was it necessary for him to ask? She was reading his mind anyway.

  “Kai, if you ever meet any of the many other psychic races within the multiverse, please know it is etiquette to at least pretend your mind is not being read. Some races can dampen or shut off the ability; others cannot. But we all at least try to pretend we can’t for propriety’s sake.”

  Kai could only imagine how torturous hearing everyone's thoughts. Thinking back to the many troubled thoughts he had growing up and his concerned musings that women could actually read men's minds, he cringed.

  Kain chuckled, “I cannot shut the ability off, merely dampen it. And you are right, the thoughts of others can be… disturbing. That is the reason my kind is reclusive and even more so, selective with those we choose to interact with. Your mind, while fractured and a bit busy, remains pleasant.”

  “Thank you…”

  “It is possible to learn to shield your mind in such a way your thoughts would remain silent to my passive abilities. As your mind is connected to another, and that connection will only grow stronger and more complex with time, I suggest you learn to do this, especially if you want to keep any secrets from Syl.”

  Kai shrugged. He didn’t think he had any secrets he wanted to keep from Syl. In fact, if Syl could actually just read his thoughts, their ability to fight in sync would go through the roof, not that it wasn't getting there already.

  Kain smiled again. “You would make a good Kyrilic, but alas, what would you do if you ever wanted to surprise her, like, oh, I don't know, let's say when you wanted to give her a gift you had been holding onto…”

  He had to admit, Syl knowing his thoughts would make certain things less impactful, less entertaining.

  Kain looked disappointed for some reason; she let out a breath and asked, “Your second question?”

  “How is Syl supposed to complete the spell you gave her? She checked, and there is nothing within the dungeon that will work as a focus, and her hopes for finding something suitable on a world still going through integration aren’t exactly stellar?”

  She smiled, “I just told you. But you missed it; admittedly, I was a bit cryptic… How about this? I need to test you; if you impress me, I will give you a clear-cut answer.”

  What did she mean she had just told him? He thought back and couldn’t think of anything she said being remotely related to what Syl needed. And what was it with these dungeon people and needing to be impressed?

  Letting go of getting a straightforward answer, he decided to play along, “So what’s your plan? Are you going to teach me mana sense, start by breaking me down, and leave the pieces for someone else to clean up?”

  “Do you think it would work? Do you think it’s necessary when you already have Syl? Think about it, Kai. Are you still depressed? Do you still hate yourself? Do you still think things would be better if you didn’t exist?”

  Speechless, Kai had to face it; he was happy. Sure, things with Syl and Alicia were complicated, and he still second-guessed things. But it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it had been in the past. He was actually happy.

  “And Kai, why would I waste my time teaching you to sense mana?”

  Well, that put a damper on his good mood. The skill was amazing, and he had looked forward to lightening Syl’s load by utilising the skill himself.

  “We both know Syl is more than equipped to pass that knowledge on to you and Alicia. You do realise you two should have some level of bleed-through with your skills; what she takes hours to learn should only take you minutes if you put your mind to it. Frankly, it's appalling how little you two have explored your connection. But I guess you're both nothing more than infants.”

  He had all but forgotten about Syl's ability to pass on her knowledge, but he had no idea about there being any bleed-through with their skills; he did the polite thing and asked Kain, “There’s bleed-through with our skills?”

  “Why do you think she picked up the changes you made to Mana Bolt so quickly? Why did her control jump so fast when Inego worked with you to make your spectral manifestation technique?” She smiled, “A much better name than Ghostblade, I might add. The man's simple, but that is what I like about him. Doesn’t stop me from teasing him about it.”

  “So if not mana sense, what then?”

  “Kai, you’ve forgotten this, but travelling through the abyss left its mark on you.”

  Doing his best to forget the abyssal horrors that came to mind, Kai immediately checked the trait he had earned from his time in the void.

  Abyssal Walker:

  You travelled the void before you were ready and survived. Staring into the abyss, the abyss stares back. You have been marked.

  Your willpower is increased.

  “I have a trait; it increases my willpower…”

  “Oh Kai, it does so much more than that.”

  “It does?”

  “Your paired individual trait should be evidence enough that the system doesn't always spell things out.”

  “Okay, so I’m marked by the abyss; what does that mean?”

  “It means I’m in the unique position to teach someone below level ten to reach out and touch time and space, though grasping gravity might be a bit much with the time we have. Just know that the three are intrinsically linked. Only a fool sticks to one.”

  Kai liked the sound of that; grinning, he dismissed his spectral blade.

  Kain looked him dead in the eyes, her perception no longer slipping away from him, “So Kai, would you like to try and twist space or step outside the time first?”

  He didn’t have to think about it, “time.”

  “Keep in mind I will only reveal what it is Syl needs for that spell if you manage to learn the basics of both… But as an added bonus, I will show you how to combine the two if we get that far.”

  This actually seemed too good to be true; there had to be a catch. “You never said how you planned to teach me; that seems like a lot for just a couple of hours.”

  “Actually, we have all day. Because of your quick work in the village, you're ahead of schedule.” Kain smiled at him softly, “As far as how I plan to teach you, I’m going to give you the one thing you craved as a child. Positive reinforcement.”

  “What?” Kai blinked.

  Kain gave him a sad, knowing look.