It didn’t take long for Bella to return. Ethan had only been waiting a few minutes. In that time, he’d briefly considered shoving all her scattered belongings into a corner just to clear some space. But, with some restraint, he decided against it. He wouldn’t appreciate anyone touching his things, so he extended the same courtesy.

  Instead, he took a quiet look around. There wasn’t anything particularly revealing. Just gear. Worn but maintained. A few spare blades. Supplies placed where she could grab them quickly. But even that told him enough.

  Bella had been on this level for a while. Long enough to accumulate a large array of equipment. And if that was true, then he shouldn’t underestimate her.

  The door opened without warning. Ethan quickly stopped looking around the place. Bella stepped inside and tossed his pack straight into his chest. Ethan caught it on instinct and immediately felt the need to look it over.

  “Happy now?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he unfastened the flap and checked inside, searching for his journal. It was still tucked exactly where he had left it.

  Good. While someone may have snooped through it, he wasn’t too concerned. For one, his hand writing was bad to say the least. And also, if anyone even could decipher it, they would likely assume it’s ramblings from a crazy man. He had purposely worded things so they wouldn’t make much sense to anyone but him. Still, it was better that no one had touched it. And he kept the details to himself for now. The rest of the contents mattered far less. Spare clothes. Food. Water. A handful of copper. All of it was replaceable.

  But having his journal back eased his mind.

  At the same time, he knew this setup wasn’t sustainable. Carrying a bag everywhere was inefficient. Eventually it would slow him down at the wrong moment, get torn apart in a fight, or simply be lost. As he started facing stronger monsters and stronger humans, that risk would only grow. And at that point, he really would lose his journal.

  Unfortunately, proper dimensional storage wouldn’t be available until the second level. And the other alternative wasn’t an option. He didn’t have the PO or the spare skill slots to justify purchasing a storage skill at his next threshold.

  So he would deal with it. For now.

  “Thanks,” he said, closing the pack without removing the journal.

  He looked her over more carefully. She seemed steadier than before. Less pale and drained.

  “Did you have much trouble?”

  Bella shook her head. “No trouble. The bag was still in the bar. The owner moved it behind the counter. She doesn’t have much love for the Broken Dawns and the way they run things. Said she hid it. Only gave it to me because she saw I took you and she knows me well enough.”

  Ethan nodded. He had picked up on that in her own gruff way and he didn’t bother correcting Bella about the Broken Dawns. There was no point in diving into that right now.

  “That makes things easier,” he said. “We should leave before someone starts asking questions.”

  Bella gave a small nod and turned back to her things. Unlike him, she didn’t reach for a pack. She wore layered, wrapped clothing that allowed her to stash items close to her body. Small blades disappeared into folds. Pouches tied off at her waist and thigh. Everything secured without adding bulk. She moved efficiently and light.

  Ethan was almost jealous as he slung his pack over his shoulders, feeling the weight settle, and watched her for a moment.

  Once she was finished, they left Arrow Town in a hurry, wanting to put as much distance between them and it.

  The dunes swallowed the buildings quickly.

  For a while, they walked in silence. Bella moved easily across the sand, her pace steady but smooth. Her posture had straightened and she started to have a bit more of a pep in her step. Ethan noticed she chose her path carefully, angling toward firmer stretches of ground instead of the loose soft sand. For Ethan’s part, he wasn’t too worried. [Steadfast] made walking along the dunes a breeze.

  After a few minutes, she muttered under her breath, “It’s a lot faster traveling alone.”

  Ethan glanced at her. “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” she said, giving Ethan a look. “I should be slipping into the shadows. Out of this annoying heat and already halfway there.”

  Ethan laughed. “You’re the one who decided to stick with me. Besides, I don’t mind entering whatever that place was again. If it means we can get there faster.”

  Bella huffed. “No, that’s not an option. It was far too hard last time, and I only took us a few yards.”

  Ethan already knew this. He just wanted her to confirm it for him.

  “Besides, you were lucky none of the residents came to devour you.”

  His face fell. “Do you often have trouble in there?”

  She looked sideways at him. “Trouble?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “In that place,” he said vaguely. “The shadow… whatever you call it.”

  “The Shadow Realm,” she replied. “And no. Not really.”

  “Then why were we lucky?”

  “I said you were lucky,” she replied easily. “I was completely fine.”

  “What? They just leave you alone?”

  “Yes. They leave me alone. Now stop fishing for more information. It’s annoying. Unless you want to tell me how you managed to wield your sword like that.”

  Ethan nodded with a slight smile. “Fair enough.”

  Bella studied him for a moment. “How do you even know about it?” she asked. “You weren’t exactly shocked.”

  “I was shocked,” he said flatly.

  “You didn’t look it.”

  “I had other things on my mind. Like not dying.”

  She snorted. “Thought you said you weren’t going to die.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Sure.”

  He brushed it off. “I think I saw the skill in the shop. But it was far too expensive so I didn’t look into it too much.”

  Bella huffed softly. “That’s crazy odds. You must spend a lot of time looking through the shop.”

  Ethan laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, something like that.”

  They crested another dune, and the rocky cut of the gorge came into view ahead.

  Ethan slowed slightly.

  “So,” he said, “where exactly are we going?”

  Bella hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “I guess I can tell you.”

  “It’s not like it really matters. Even if you knew the exact location, you wouldn’t be able to find it without me.”

  “That’s reassuring.”

  She ignored him. “We’re going back to the gorge.”

  Ethan stopped walking.

  “You’re joking.”

  Bella turned, unimpressed. “No.”

  “I was just there.”

  “I know.”

  He stared at her. Fuck, he should have just kept looking while he was there, instead of this massive detour.

  Bella must have noticed his expression because she continued. “You wouldn’t have found it anyway. Even if you were looking in the right spot.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s covered by magic,” she said. “Not hidden in an obvious way. You can stand right in front of it and see nothing but rock. It’s got an illusion over it.”

  Ethan didn’t like the sound of that. One, because setting up a ward that can block your view or senses was extremely expensive, and two, because that meant whatever was going on here was far larger than he had originally assumed.

  The threat levels had just gone up tremendously. He couldn’t help but wonder what the hell Leah had gotten herself into. He understood the need to gain some levels and power. But he was sure he told her to take it easy until he found her.

  He exhaled slowly and resumed walking. It didn’t change anything.

  “Besides, if you were searching through the gorge, whoever it is that’s taking people would have captured you too. Maybe even killed you.”

  Ethan turned to regard her sharply. She had a small smile on her face.

  “What’s up with you and thinking everything will kill me?”

  “It’s good for your ego.”

  “I don’t have an ego.”

  “Sure.”

  Ethan kept moving, narrowing his eyes slightly, and decided to change the subject.

  “How did you see it?” he asked.

  “I don’t want to tell you that,” she stated. “Let’s just say, I have another skill that makes it extremely easy for me to spot.”

  He glanced at her. “Convenient.”

  She gave him a flat look. “Don’t expect me to quench your curiosity. My skills are mine alone. Just know that I can get us there.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  The wind picked up slightly as they approached the gorge, carrying sand in low sheets across the ground.

  Ethan studied the entrance with new eyes.

  Last time, he had walked in not knowing what to expect. This time, he knew there was something else buried inside. And hopefully his sister along with it.

  —~~—

  If anyone asked Leah how her week had been going, she would probably try to claw their face off. And if that wasn’t clear enough, she would stab them too.

  All of which was to say, Leah’s week had been going spectacularly shit.

  The only upside was that she wasn’t suffering alone. Not that she wanted anyone else dragged into this. It was just… easier with someone beside her. Even if that someone was Alice.

  The usually bubbly woman looked nothing like herself now. Her blonde hair was matted, streaked with dried blood and sand. One side of her face was swollen, turning an ugly purple along the cheekbone. Still, she was breathing. The same could be said for Leah.

  If only she could go back in time. It had all started at that fucking bar.

  Leah had been so sure she was on the right track. Her skill had practically dragged her toward the door, a subtle but persistent pull in her chest that told her answers waited inside. And she had found them.

  Unfortunately, she had also joined the missing Valkyries in the process.

  Now she and Alice sat in a crude cell. The bars were thick and rusted, bolted into stone that smelled damp despite the desert outside. Wind howled through unseen cracks in the canyon walls, whipping through their holding area in a constant, bitter gale. It removed any comfort she could have found.

  The irony wasn’t lost on Leah. She used to complain about the heat constantly. Now she would have traded anything for it. The cold settled into her bones and refused to leave.

  She shifted slightly, the chains around her wrists clinking dully.

  She would get out of here. She wouldn’t join the other poor souls that had been lured here. A shiver ran through her at the memory of Chris. She squeezed her eyes shut for half a second.

  No. She would not end up like that.

  Idly, and against her own will, she wondered if this was what Ethan had endured for years. Was this what he had to go through?

  The thought made something inside her twist. Her poor little brother.

  She kicked out suddenly, her chains rattling as her boot struck Alice’s shin. Alice’s eyes snapped open. Red-rimmed, exhausted, but not broken.

  “Is it time?” she whispered, voice cracked from dehydration and exhaustion.

  Leah nodded and accessed the shop.

  A long, slender pin materialized in her lap, dropping silently against her torn trousers.

  Her PO hit zero again.

  When they had been captured, the first thing their captors had done was force every prisoner to drain their Potential. Buy useless junk. Make sure no one had enough left to purchase anything.

  It had worked on most of them.

  But it wouldn’t work on her. What they hadn’t accounted for was knowledge.

  Leah had sat in this cell. She had endured the beatings. The threats. The endless questioning. And every time they left, she had done the only thing she could.

  She had cultivated, or at least tried to.

  It had taken days, but finally she began to sense mana in the air. After that she slowly studied it and Potential rose with her understanding.

  Now she had managed to claw her way back to fifteen points. It was just enough.

  The weapon she had purchased was laughable compared to what others would use. The weakest and cheapest option in the shop.

  But it was sharp. It looked like a simple chopstick. Hopefully, it would do.

  She wrapped her fingers around it and slid it up along her forearm, concealing it against the inside of her sleeve. The metal was cool against her skin.

  She could not wait any longer for better options. If they had checked again and forced her to drain her PO, this opportunity would vanish.

  She gave a small nod to Alice.

  Alice’s expression turned determined and she grabbed the bars of the cage and shook them violently.

  “Help!” she screamed, voice cracking. “Help! She’s dead! I think she’s dead!”

  Leah let her head loll forward. Her body went slack, chin dropping to her chest. The blade rested along her forearm, hidden from view.

  The wind howled through the cell, tugging at her hair and biting at her exposed skin.

  She would get out of here. No matter what.