AA. 216

Udit’s shoulders visibly relaxed when Emily returned from the teleportation area that connected to the arena backrooms. Lily followed close behind her. The oldest member of the Roy family pulled both women into a tight hug. Nil couldn’t help but note how much older and worn his father looked. It seemed time was slowing for everyone but accelerating for him.

“I’m so proud of you and happy you’re safe,” Udit said. He pulled back, beaming at Lily. “Both of you.”

“Thank you, Baba.”

Lily only nodded, lip quivering. 

Neither of the young women appeared happy. Their expressions were bittersweet. 

“It would’ve been nice to get to the top three,” Emily said. “We finished our quest. It's something, I suppose.”

“Met the Silver Gauntlet Promotion requirements?”

When Emily nodded, Nil pulled up his Schema interface and sent her a Silver Ascension Token. “All that matters right now is that you’re safe and can accompany us to the Labyrinth now.”

“She just got out of one battlefield,” Udit interrupted. “Can we not talk about going into the fire straight away? Please. My girls are home and safe and have completed their Nexus duties. Nothing else matters.” His attention moved to Lily. “You’re joining us for dinner. No excuses.”

Lily nodded. Nil let his father lead Emily away, Sam and Selia following close behind. They had all rushed to the arena building to welcome the fighters home. Most appeared disappointed. Only a couple of them seemed genuinely pleased with themselves. The gate rewards were almost the same as winning a standard Bronze Gauntlet match, and the Nexus also rewarded them for knocking out Scourge Worlds and even more for ensuring none of them got the event’s final reward.

“You’re going to get a token, too,” Nil said, taking Lily aside as they headed back toward the apartment. “You understand why it can’t be yet, right?”

The young woman nodded again, wiping her face. She gave Nil a side hug. “It would be fine even if you didn’t she said. I can feel it's close.”

Nil didn’t want to discourage her, but his senses told him she was nowhere near naturally ascending with cultivation. Lily was good. However, the lack of training under Ashe Fall’s masters and the lack of time dilation had her significantly lagging behind everyone else. Several Nexus employees and Forge residents had expressed their displeasure and jealousy, demanding time on Control Worlds from their caseworkers. As far as Nil knew, only a couple, including Zara, had enjoyed the benefit. 

“Just hold on until we settle the Labyrinth team. Then, we’ll see.”

“It’s okay. The fact that you’re considering me is enough.” She slowed as they approached the world tree. Its canopy now covered half the recreational area of the grounds. The trunk was several meters wide, and gold-green glowed through the cracks in the bark. Lily grazed when she passed, just as Emily had. The young woman shuddered. Color returned to her skin, and her smile no longer appeared weak. “You guys are spoiled here. People spend several years at Silver Realm. Growth isn’t supposed to be this fast. Sure, I’d like to catch up with you and Emmy. But taking time isn’t the worst thing ever.”

“You won’t have to wait long,” Nil told her. “I promise. Just wait until we finalize the Labyrinth team. It all depends on whether or not we’ll have a Gold Realmer on the team.”

“You don’t have to explain, Nil. Seriously. You’ve done enough.”

“I just want you to know how thankful I am for you taking such good care of Emily.”

Lily’s eyes narrowed. “I would’ve done that without the tokens, resources, training, and everything. She’s a team member and, more importantly, my friend. I don’t need extra perks to do my job.”

Dinner was a somber affair, even though Emily and Lily seemed adequately cheered up. Udit invited the rest of the Forge team, but only one of the other six joined. Many saw Nil and Seleia as their teachers, and the pair were harsh taskmasters. Their reluctance to spend free and decompression time with them was understandable. Sam spent most of the meal sulking as Udit shut down every attempt at gushing over Emily and Lily’s performance during the Cleansing. 

Things got more lively when Andrew, Susan, and Isabella joined them. The Forge’s halls were full, and a greater percentage of them had soul weapons than most other luduses. By Lily’s estimates, it was more than Wilson Luduses, but their most minor establishments were larger and had more active Summoned. Currently, the Forge had only one other artisan in their employ and no other soulsmiths. As a result, Andrew got little time away from the workshops. High-demand quests also dragged him off to distant worlds once every quarter. CIT business kept Susan busy, too, and the couple saved most of their free time for each other. Nil often wished he had more free time with his oldest friend. 

“Lily is shaping up as a decent asset,” Andrew said when the pair stepped out for a moment alone. “Are you sure she’s ready for something like the Labyrinth?”

“Between you and me, she’s more ready than Emmy. Her arsenal and capability are limited, but Lily is exceptional at what she does.”

“You mean you need her Emily’s bodyguard?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Nil asked.

“No.”

“Zara proved how important mages and Summoned like them are in events like the Cleansing,” Nil continued. “Emily is on the verge of becoming far more potent than her. I need someone I can trust to watch her back.”

“So you don’t have to babysit her,” Andrew added.

“Precisely.”

“Have you thought about the final position?” Andrew asked. “You are the striker. If the Labyrinth is a maze, as I imagine, there is no better person for scouting and assassinating than Selia. Emily is better than most mages—”

“No thanks to your soul weapon.”

Andrew continued without missing a beat. “And Lily is an excellent rearguard. What do you need for the final spot?”

“I know the archetypes are obsolete, but a knight or another ranged attacker would’ve been excellent, ideally someone who can hang back with Emily. It might be overkill, but a second person to cover her or like our old friend Chain Knight would be amazing.”

“What about Iris?” Andrew leaned against the balcony railing. Nil didn’t directly look at the man but could feel his eyes. Andrew was studying him. “She was an excellent addition during the Cleansing. And—”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Nil said. “It's an excellent option, but I’d rather keep complications in my life to a minimum. Recruiting her means accepting the invite to her world and spending a while there to train together. Baba won’t appreciate it. Then, there might be pressure from her family for the marriage stuff.”

Iris had invited him on a handful of quests since the Cleansing. She hadn’t brought up 

“Despite the complications, Iris would be perfect for your team. She’s reliable. You have experience fighting together. If you want to win—”

“I know. I know.” Nil sighed. “I need someone who I know and can trust. Possible candidates are few and far between.”

“Have you asked Zara?” Andrew asked.

“She hasn’t changed her mind,” Nil answered. “Isabella turned me down. She doesn’t want to take on something with that high a mortality rate.”

“I bet she’s rusty, too. That leaves Shawn as your only other option.”

“He wouldn’t join us even if we asked him. I bet he’s putting his own team together with Ateeq and his new clique of assholes.”

“Doesn’t sound like you have a whole lot of options.”

“I don’t,” Nil replied. He didn’t want to settle on someone he didn’t know or trust. Competent Silver Gauntlet fighters were a rarity. “Seven months isn’t a lot of time, is it.”

Andrew shook his head. “I’ll do my part and ensure you’re geared to the teeth.”

The evening didn’t last long. Emily wanted to use her Ascension Token and reach Silver Realm. Everyone else had far too much on their schedules and dispersed. Nil sent Selia to their shared suite and stuck around to help Udit and Sam clean. Most of it went to reassurances and squashing concerns. 

Nil pushed the idea of Udit accompanying Sam to Ashe Fall again. It wasn’t just so Sam could enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime but also for his father’s sake. The magic in the environment was bound to improve the man’s health. Managing the Forge was also a stressful job. He believed it was about time Udit retired.

Unsurprisingly, the subject didn’t sit well with Udit. He snapped at Nil for bringing up the topic again and at Sam for pushing the matter further. Neither could tell whether the topic ended up shelved or thrown out of the winter. Both were told to shut up and go to bed.

Changes around the world tree caught Nil’s attention as he returned to the suite. All surrounding foliage appeared taller, denser, and more robust. All glowing plant life had gained luminosity. Everything pulsed, thrumming with life. Most curious was a patch in front of Yggdrasil’s youngest daughter. It was where Meatball had buried herself. The ground rose and fell like it was breathing. One With The Source detected her deep underground. Her arcane signature was bigger, denser, and lacked more impurities than before. Nil was sure she’d ascend in a matter of days, if not less.

“You’re going to become a badass plant dragon of some sort, aren’t you?”

Much to his surprise, the energy signature flickered, almost seeming to respond to his question. He couldn’t tell if Meatball was conscious. Nil’s didn’t just involve theoretical physics but also cultivation and beasts. Dragons and similar creatures fascinated Nil. They were incredibly rare and so powerful that their presence greatly impacted their realm. Apparently, several Control Worlds had benevolent dragons to thank for their status. Many, alongside their descendants, controlled to rule.

Many sources called drakes the lesser cousins of dragons. They were physiologically nearly the same. Drakes were bulkier, often stronger and tougher but lacked wings. Dragons compensated for their physical inferiority with intelligence that put most mortal species to shame. Both subspecies had powerful magic. Drakes used theirs instinctually, relying more on abilities like Regenerate and Reinforce. Meanwhile, dragons were supposedly spell casters and scholars.

Nil knew now that Meatball was some variety of drake. Nature drakes were apparently common on the rarity scale. However, there were no records of Ironroot variants, let alone specimens that had bonded with a world tree. There was no telling what the future held for Meatball or what she’d become given enough time. She was as good as another team member and far more impactful on the battlefield than Selia’s Mirror Clone and Shawn’s Aegis—or the little Nil had seen of it.

Nil spent a handful of minutes talking to Meatball and studying the warming magic pulse and flicker before returning to his suite. Selia was already asleep. He crawled in next to her, expecting to fall asleep straight away. Unfortunately, concerns regarding his father, cousin, and the Labyrinth kept him up.