On returning to the main floor, Luna noticed the usual faces standing around and staring at the magic circle with anticipation burning in most of their eyes. Gail was still in the center but now the circle’s runes were releasing a dim blue hue that almost felt hypnotic when her gaze stayed on it for longer than a minute.

  The only person who hadn’t gotten close to the circle was Valentine. He was silently staring at the circle and the ascenders landing around it. His dark eyes reflected the blue light like a mirror.

  Silently, Luna walked up to the son of house Artemis. The two hadn’t had a normal conversation since they met, so maybe this was the perfect time for one.

  She cleared her throat to speak, but Valentine beat her to it. “Good morning, Lady Lunaris. How are you?” he asked in a friendly tone.

  “I'm good. And please stop calling ‘Lady’. The honorifics are useless. We’ve fought side by side after all.”

  “Oh. I guess that seems fit. Lunaris it is then.”

  Luna raised an eyebrow. People usually called her Luna, to mean Moon. Her father told her she was born on the day of a Luna eclipse so they picked the name Lunaris—to mean the moon will rise. Yes, her father was somewhat of a failed poet.

  “Luna is also fine,” she added.

  “But I prefer Lunaris. It is the full form of your name… it's a strange name, don’t you think?”

  Luna smiled. “Finally. Someone who agrees with me. Maybe my parents wanted something fancy. Who names their child after a celestial body.”

  Valentine nodded in agreement and said, “Lucky you. I am named after some strange saint from the old world. My father claims that history is meant to be remembered so that it doesn’t repeat itself…”

  “But what part of history says anything about cursed creatures?” Luna hissed. “The old world is almost fully gone. I had to be the bearer of bad news, but this is the New World with new history…”

  Crap…she had almost let her emotions wild. How worried was she feeling?

  Valentine smiled weakly and turned his eyes to the group working on the teleportation circle. He wore a scrutinizing look as he studied the light of the runes on the floor. Len, Gail, Snow, and Darkness were watching with serious expressions.

  “Do you ever feel bad about being unblessed?”

  Luna was a bit surprised by the sudden shift of topic. “I always feel bad,” she answered matter-of-factly. “It's the source of my low esteem and depression most of the time. Coming from a Clan as powerful as mine, it is not uncommon to feel this way.”

  “Hmm…well you shouldn’t, Lunaris. We’re the special ones in my opinion. I think zenshi is a shackle meant to hold us back from our true potential. Oblivion’s Aura was Nothing, the concept of nonexistence was at the palm of his hand,” he suddenly began to mumble out his thoughts and Luna listened. “No human has ever wielded such a superior concept. In my Clan, we believe that zenshi was something the gods gave to us as a fighting chance.

  “…But after being here for a while, was it really the gods who gave us these powers?”

  His question hung in the air for a full minute before Luna forced her ignorance. She had already thought of this after talking to Oblivion. For fifty years, the reason for the fall had always been the death of the gods. It was human to think that the gods decided to save the precious mortal realm by giving the humans a fighting chance.

  She believed this theory until yesterday when she found out that there was an entire Epoch where the True celestials ruled the divine realm after the gods died.

  “What are you talking about?” she pretended not to have an idea.

  “Someone gave us zenshi. And it's not the gods as everyone thinks. I’m only here to confirm my hypothesis.”

  ‘Great…a curious one.’

  “So you’re not a spy?” Luna giggled.

  Valentine shook his head right away.“No one knows I’m even here. Traveling from the Western Settlement was hard considering I used my sister as an excuse to come to this continent. I’m pretty sure the council will get mad when they find out I lied in the name of my house and Father.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “So you’re in big trouble?” she raised her brow. She wanted to inform him that she was his sister’s martial combat professor but where is the fun in that?

  “Exactly. I am only here because I’m curious and I want to save our world, Lunaris. I resent my father and clan because they only wish to take over the ruined world. They turned me and my siblings into fierce warriors. So forgive me if I look like an assassin or spy sometimes.”

  “I am sorry for my comment.” She slightly bowed as she apologized.

  “It's alright, Lunaris. I believe you and I have a lot in common. You’re also looking for answers too, aren’t you?”

  Luna lingered and nodded. “You can say that, I guess.”

  Valentine’s gaze shifted to her. He gave her a gentle nod and turned back to the group trying to activate the teleportation circle.

  Snow and Gail were now guiding their zenshi into the magic circle. And before they knew it, a powerful gale of wind burst out of the teleportation circle as it got brighter and brighter.

  “What is going on?” Luna frowned as she asked Valentine.

  “Gail figured out how the runes work. Turns out, to control the runes, they needed to feed zenshi to them in a specific order to make it work. Or something like that…”

  As she watched the circle awaken, a feeling of dread suddenly washed over Luna and all the hairs on her body stood up. Electric sparks began to move out of its center, dancing wildly but not striking anyone. Soon the room was bathed in the light of the blue flashes of zenshi and the electric-like energy that seemed to distort space in a way.

  ‘Why do I feel like this so suddenly?’ she shivered and made a few steady steps towards the group working on the teleportation circle.

  She looked at the glowing runes, then her face paled even more when she remembered what Oblivion had said. He mentioned that the tower is a prison for corrupted beings like him. Beings who were too powerful if they became devils.

  Everlight didn’t kill them because she still needed their powers.

  If they had failed to contain Oblivion what would happen if he made it to the mortal realm?

  ‘But he was just a devil of the Master rank so even a powerful summoner can defeat him.’ Luna consoled herself.

  As she approached the teleportation circle, the weary feeling grew stronger with each careful step. And when she stepped into its range…the circle seemed to emit more blue light as if she was also feeding it zenshi.

  She stopped and began to sweat when she remembered the warning left behind in the shrine.

  ‘We will die if we proceed.’

  “This world is a prison meant to keep corrupted deities!” She bellowed with a panic.

  Gail looked at her, confused. “What do you mean by it's a prison?”

  “The Crimson Tower is a prison. We’ve killed the undead king who was the guardian of this floor and the warden who kept Oblivion in this tower by using energy to control the army of cursed creatures, including the Sword Guardian.”

  “When did you come up with that idea?” Snow asked.

  “I spoke with Oblivion. He...um...told me of how he was placed here after being corrupted. This…floor was his prison. We can assume the next two floors are prisons too.”

  Luna explained while everyone listened with a baffled expression. Even Valentine, who was standing far away was a bit surprised by this information.

  Information that stated that Luna had shared a conversation with a deity.

  “I suggest we wait for reinforcements before we decide to move forward. It could be a scythe or a sovereign waiting for us on the next floor.”

  There was a silence as they all stared at Luna. Luna was not the type to enjoy any attention so she felt uncomfortable with being in the spotlight.

  “If that’s the case, then I will go in first and see for myself. The teleportation circle works both ways, doesn’t it?” Snow asked Gail who rushed to shake his head in response.

  “That only works in games. If this were a game, this would be a checkpoint and you would be able to return as you wish. Unfortunately for us…this isn’t a game that grants you a return. We may all be transported to different areas of the wasteland that awaits us,” Gail explained and everyone’s face darkened. The idea of getting separated was something.

  “If that’s the case, then let the strongest ones among us go forward while the rest wait for reinforcements. We can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Lena finally spoke.

  “Are you crazy?” Luna snapped at her sister. “Have you heard what I've just said? Are you deaf?”

  Luna found herself falling short of breath. Was she scared?

  “That is not the right way to speak to your captain, Lunaris.” Len barked and the entire room was silent in an instant. “I have to think of what to do next because you forgot to tell us something important!”

  Luna gasped a little and squeezed her hands into fists till they turned completely white. She looked at Len with a nonchalant expression and didn't respond. If she told everything, their morale would shatter completely. There was also a hex that filtered the truth. She still didn't know what triggered it in the first place.

  “You know what. I think you’ve played your part, Luna. You’ve shown you’re worthy as the next leader the Feng Clan by displaying your skills and growth. Beyond this level, you can’t fight without zenshi. That’s why I have decided….

  Luna’s eyes widened. She wasn’t going to. Was she?

  “I have decided to also dismiss you and Valentine. By protocol, I hereby release you from your duties as a captain and soldier. And you are expected to return to the Mortal realm with Mira and the rest of the Mundane soldiers. That’s an order!”

  “What?”

  Len gritted her teeth. “You’ve heard me, civilian.”

  “But…”

  “You’re not strong enough, Luna. I respect you…a lot. But a human needs to be aware of their limits. I can’t go face to face with a scythe worrying about my sister can’t regenerate like me or take on a heavy attack.”

  Luna’s expression darkened. Did her sister just call her weak? No, she said she wasn’t capable of surviving the next level. Was she calling her a burden?

  “I’m choosing what’s best for you, Luna.”

  “Who says you know what’s best for me?” Luna gritted her teeth in anger. “I came here because mom believed I could grow from this.”

  How could anyone know what’s best for her? How could Lena know that her sister has been depressed for a long time? That she’s jealous of her. Or that she’s doing her best to keep her older sister safe.

  Luna wanted to grab her sister by the collar and scream out everything she felt at the moment. She was burning...

  But…

  She stayed silent. Her fists trembled and the dark nonchalantness in her eyes didn’t waver. After all, facial expressions weren’t her best suit.

  After the short silence, Luna scoffed at her sister and turned her back to her sister as she headed for the open large doors leading to the rest of the city. She felt devastated but maybe Len was right. There are things she just wasn't capable of.

  Whatever happened next was up to her cohort and the other capable ascenders.

  “Take care of her.” Lena requested Valentine who followed Luna as soon as she left.

  Len remained still as she watched Luna leave the tower without even looking back. She convinced herself that this was for the best…

  Luna was the most likely to die in a fight against a scythe or something stronger. They were only lucky this time because they had someone like Snow or Shin.

  “I’m sorry so, Luna. I’m sorry for dragging you into our fight. I shouldn’t have convinced her to let you join this operation,” she whispered to herself then turned to now active circle.

  Gail, Darkness, and Snow were silent after overhearing that conversation.

  “Open it.”

  Once she ordered, Gail and Snow channeled zenshi through a sequence of runes and the world tensed when space itself began to ripple apart as the portal grew from the epicenter of the teleportation circle.

  The first thing that came to Luna's attention was that her breath was visible as the next floor’s temperature fell rapidly. With a thought, a translucent ice blade appeared in her right hand.

  Snow summoned his jian while Darkness created a gladius and a round shield with her zenshi. The three of them were currently the strongest here and could withstand whatever was on the other side.

  When it fully opened, a powerful combination of strong and white snow erupted from the next floor just where the portal had appeared.

  They all shivered from the intense coldness bleeding from the next floor.

  …the next floor was a frozen wasteland.

  A/N: Valentine Artemis's sister is Diana Artemis.