1


    KARTHIS


    Kalex awoke in a strange room filled with myst of different varieties and strengths that gave him a slight headache when looking at it with his presence sight. Pushing his senses outside of the room, he found more than he was prepared for.


    It was very early morning, with light barely beginning to trickle into an open window and a breeze gently pushing frozen rain into the room. Kalex had felt the cold before, but nothing like this. The only thing he could equate it to was the feeling Lex gave him to get his attention but on the outside of his body.


    As enthralled as he was to see the streets and buildings visible from his room covered in a blanket of white, his attention was stolen by the other inhabitants of the triangular building he found himself in. The two rooms flanking his own were occupied by the people he was most familiar with. Lyla lay still in a bed that looked completely different from the room''s other, more angular decor. He smiled as he remembered he had a similar one somewhere in his inventory.


    Both had taken different routes and been on various journeys to reach the same place and Kalex couldn’t wait to hear everything she had to say. Even though they were on a different planet that most people of the lower worlds couldn’t even fathom, Kalex saw Lyla smile in her sleep and his worries faded.


    The room on the other side of Kalex’s contained either an average-sized man or a giant, merrily snoring. The room was oddly spotless and lacking in furniture other than the undersized bed he was cramped into. To most races, Beers were enormous, usually standing more than double the height of others, but with Kalex spending most of his time in Diat, he reckoned he could look Gretex in the eye if he were in his original body.


    The rooms opposite a narrow hallway housed three more people, but with a glance, Kalex could only see one. Two of the rooms were shielded with myst that wasn’t easily pierced. He could do it, but he decided that breaching the privacy of others after they put so much into retaining it was not something he wanted to do. The other room garnered more of his attention anyway.


    Inside the last room held someone Kalex thought he would never see again. Running a sharpening stone over her weapon’s curved blade, Scyris Everblade smiled with a look he had seen once before. She had the same smile after forcefully retrieving her power from the Potentate of the Realm of Seeds—a pure focus with a hint of madness. Focusing on the wicked woman, the myst within Kalex’s room began to condense.


    Kalex could feel the pull of his core attempting to transform the room’s myst into something molten. The light from the fixtures on the wall changed from a warm white glow to an abrasive red and the temperature rose enough to vaporize all of the moisture that had entered his room. At the slight smell of char emanating from the now singed bedding, Kalex schooled his myst and tempered it to a manageable state.


    His myst further calmed at a knock. It wasn’t his door that had sounded, but the one of his enemy. In the moments following Kalex’s complete focus on his grudge, Lyla had left her room and rapped on Scyris’ door.


    “Scy are you up?” Lyla said in a tone that only people who had spent a long time with the other would use. “We have to be at the Academy tomorrow for some of our tests and you promised you’d help me with my shields!” Lyla waited nearly a minute for a response before pounding on the door again. “Scyris, I know you’re sharpening your armament! I told you, it’s sharp enough already!” Lyla puffed out her cheeks and reprimanded. “Hello!”


    Kalex saw Scyris’ face change to a softer and more natural-looking state. She looked over to the door and shook her head with a smile. “I’ll be out in a moment.” She yelled to the door in a sing-song cadence.


    Lyla walked away happily after banging on the door a few more times for good measure. Kalex sensed genuine happiness from both Scyris and Lyla which allayed his anger. If Lyla found a genuine friend, he couldn’t continue being mad, even if it was the person who had attempted Kalex’s life.


    Leaning back into his pillow, Kalex thought back to his time on Enternia and wondered where he would be right now if he hadn’t happened into the sight of the Lumen. His contemplative frown turned into a thoughtful grin. At that moment, he reaffirmed a promise to himself that he would make his dreams happen, no matter where he ended up.


    An alien chill gripped his midsection at the thought, and Kalex could’ve sworn he heard a faint chuckle. His eyes widened at the thought of his core and his domain, and with a quick breath, he delved into his inner world to check on the two people he had brought with him on his journey and with Lex’s vessel lying inert beside him on a table, he was excited to see him too.


    Kalex closed off all of his external senses and focused inward. An area of darkness waited for him as he opened his eyes. A gigantic sphere of roiling light hid in the far reaches of his domain with a vibrant ball of life in rotation around it. The planet was much larger than he had remembered and had a few new surprises. Along with the sprawling mansion nestled within a forest that engulfed most of the sphere, some areas seemed ready for vast cities and roadways, with foundations laid and landscape cleared.


    To avoid getting lost in finding out every small detail of the planet inside of his domain, he willed himself to one of the doorsteps of the only proper building. To Kalex’s surprise, the door swung open the moment he appeared.


    “How about you make your own hammer bags, ‘Mister I need more storage.’” Yelled an angry Sorene with her back turned towards the entrance. Turning around in a huff, she nearly collided with Kalex who wore a face of astonishment.


    “Kalex! I didn’t see you there!” Sorene said but quickly switched to an appraising look that Kalex had only seen on her mother. “Where have you been? So much has happened here and you’ve been nowhere to be seen! Lex told us that you were out saving the world and then eating another, but you couldn’t have stopped by for a quick visit or anything?” Sorene said with her hands on her hips and a worried glare.


    Before Kalex could answer, a lanky face full of soot peeked out of the door.


    “Just the person I wanted to see!” Timik exclaimed while trying to push through the door. “First there was a rumble in your forge and everything went this way and that. The corner I had set up was completely destroyed and my anvil hit me in the head as the bellow blew. You could’ve warned us before reforging the world we were living in.” Timik grabbed his chin with an exaggerated gesture.


    “Actually, I like this place better. My new shop is nothing like the Hammers, but it does the trick! The only downside was that I had to make the house with this wicked woman breathing down my neck.” Timik pointed a thumb over to Sorene who was getting redder with every one of his words.


    “To top it off, she wouldn’t even put my fingers back into place after intentionally scooping my hand with a shovel while we were trying to store this world’s slag! Can you believe that? I’ve had to rely on the ghost to help me!” Timik huffed and crossed his arms, looking almost as frustrated as Sorene.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Before Sorene and Timik could start bickering again, a cold wind that chilled everyone to the bone washed over them quicker than it should.


    “Ghost?! A ghost?” a deep voice echoed throughout the planet. Kalex instinctively knew who it was, but set up barriers around them all to play along and earned a chuckle that only he could hear.


    “IT IS TRUE! I AM A SPECTER. THE GHOST OF DEXIA HAUNTS YOU FOR YOUR MISGIVINGS. QUIVER IN FEAR! YOUR DAYS WILL NEVER AGAIN SEE PEACE AND EVERY ACHIEVEMENT SHALL BE SHUNTED BY MY PRESENCE!” The force of the voice rattled the world almost as much as it shook its residents.


    Kalex felt a heavier pull on his resources and held his expectations on what the exuberant rock was going to do next. He didn’t have to wait long as the surface in every direction donned a thin sheet of ice.


    “BLACKSMITH, SHALL YOUR FINGERS NEVER MEND AND YOUR METAL NEVER TEMPER!”


    The booming voice was followed by the head of an old man peeking over the horizon, with wild eyes fixated on the now trembling Timik.


    In a feat of speed and grace that those present didn’t think Timik could pull off, he bolted inside and crouched behind his invisible anvil whispering prayer to the Lumen who watched over the Realm of the Forge. Finished with teasing the jumpy blacksmith, Lex turned to Sorene.


    “Ms. Mix, you are doing very well and we are all proud of your dedication and advancement in your skills of creation.” Lex said as he gradually shrunk and walked over to the home, defrosting the land with every step.


    “Thank you, Lex, it’s nice to know that there is someone in the world who actually has a coherent thought running through their heads.” Sorene said with a side-eyed glare to the inside of the house and an apologetic one to Kalex.


    Lex quickly approached, shrinking down to his original size, and looked down at Kalex and Sorene with a gentle smile. “This brings me to a question I’ve been meaning to ask you both. Although I know Mr. Wounder’s answer, I’m unsure as to the response Ms. Mix will have.”


    With a flourish of his hand, Lex changed the surroundings around them. Both looked around in amazement at the view before them.


    A grand building that followed the general architecture of Karthinian structures stood before them—tall and seemingly simple with detached staircases encasing the entire building. The top hid in the clouds, casting a long shadow on the city below. They stood in the vast courtyard in front of the Academy where many different races milled around, oblivious to Kalex and Sorene’s dumbfounded gazes.


    Looking closer, Kalex noticed more Beerians than any other race, with humans coming in a close second. Besides the humans and the Beers, countless other races were sprinkled throughout—some with extra arms or legs, and some using other ways of moving around.


    “This is Niteweld Academy; one of the best learning establishments for novices of the higher worlds. It’s renowned for producing geniuses who excel in battle and intelligence, with its most prestigious graduate being the current Rector. A man who was feared during his time in the Academy and more so when he graduated.” Lex said with a knowing smile and a kind gaze towards Sorene. “So this is my question to you, Ms. Mix. With your mental acuity and the growth that you’ve garnered, would you also like to attend Niteweld Academy?” Before Sorene could answer, a disembodied head poked out through the scene around them.


    “Wait, Will she be safe in a place like this? This is completely different from Enternia and everyone here looks more powerful than anyone we’ve ever seen!” A crooked finger poked out joining the floating head. “Look at that guy, for example, he looks like he could fold all of us in half without breaking a sweat!” The man that was pointed at was a completely different race than any they had seen before. Standing shorter than most with pale green skin and four arms, he would’ve looked like a daunting opponent if it wasn’t for the lack of dexterity. As if on queue, The man caught his toe on the lip of a large paver, falling onto his face. Another student with bird-like features stepped over him with a sound of disgust with a Beerian following suit.


    Sorene turned towards Timik. “I have a feeling I would be fine, but thanks for your concern. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure and leave a few bags behind that you can use for your smithing.” At those words, Timik fully joined the group inside Lex’s simulation, pumped his fist in the air, and ran out, back towards his home. A dull thump and a pained grunt followed, but no mind was given to the sound.


    “I think I’d like to join the Academy. In between all of the changes that have happened here, I’ve learned so much and continue to gather knowledge, but having a room of like-minded people to learn with would be a nice change.” Sorene turned to Kalex apologetically. “No offense to your world, Kalex. It’s just been a tad turbulent recently.”


    “None taken,” Kalex replied. “I know you and Timik haven’t had the smoothest ride into the higher worlds.”


    The world around them distorted and quickly disappeared. “It’s sorted then, tomorrow is the first day of tests and you two need to prepare. The first thing that you need to do is find Ms. Graves. She will give you some information on the tests and give you some background on the school.” Lex moved himself to the front door of the home and looked back towards the two.


    “I think there is some catching up to do and some introductions that need to be made. Don’t worry about your blacksmith, I will tend to his injured extremities and, more recently, his broken nose.”


    Lex went into the house, leaving Kalex and Sorene. “I know that this is a long way from Grangardd, but thank you for coming with me,” Kalex said. “There are a lot of people to meet and we’re on a little bit of a time frame, so would you like to get started?”


    Sorene looked around at the new world she found herself in, then up to the dark sky. “You betcha.”


    Kalex pulled himself out of his domain while giving Sorene the information to leave it herself. Opening his eyes, he found himself in the room he had woken up in. A moment later, a brief light pulsed from him, with Sorene appearing a second later.


    “Oof, does everywhere in the higher worlds smell like burnt fabric?” Sorene said as she materialized in the room, holding her nose.


    Calm washed over Kalex as he looked blankly at Sorene. A laugh escaped him and soon the room was filled with it.


    “Lex mentioned a ‘Ms. Graves,’” Sorene said after she had caught her breath from her bout of laughter. “Do you know who he was talking about?”


    Kalex stiffened, realizing that they had never spoken about the reason he had made the journey to the higher worlds. “She is family that had been taken by the Lumen when they were unable to take me. Everything I have done so far has been to find her.”


    “Lex gave us a little bit of information on your reason for coming to the higher worlds, but he only mentioned that you strove for power, and in that pursuit, Enternia became unable to hold you.” Sorene said thoughtfully.


    “That is true as well. I’ll explain everything once we finish our testing for the academy, but for now, there are a lot of people I need to introduce you to!” Kalex exclaimed.


    Walking over to the door and opening it revealed two people at the foot of it. During the time Kalex and Sorene spoke, both Gretex and Wren left their rooms and walked over.


    Kalex, it’s nice to see you up and about! And Sorene, I didn’t expect to see you here, but in the time that you’ve arrived, Gretex has told me all about you!” Wren said with a perfect smile.


    “Gretex?” Sorene questioned while looking to the side where the tall man stood. “How do you know about me?”


    Gretex rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I know about most of the people inhabiting Enternia. Since it’s in my domain, it’d be weird if I didn’t!”


    Sorene’s face became blank as she tried to put the information together. Noticing this, Wren spoke.


    “We’ll explain everything, Sorene. But first, let’s get something to eat. Rigel is known for his confectionaries, and I smell something amazing.”


    Kalex and Sorene gave each other a look and followed as Wren skipped through the house.


    Arriving at the room that Kalex assumed was the kitchen, he was met with a table full of fragrant dishes and an intense stare from the seat closest to him.


    “Hello, Kalex.” Scyris spat, each word filled with venom.


    Before he or anyone else could respond, a scythe, gleaming with power appeared in her hands. She stood with a grin and prepared to strike. Both Rigel and Wren moved to intercept, but surprisingly, someone beat them to it.


    A bottle made of glass shot out at Scyris, making contact with her amarament. Confusion plastered her face as the scythe disappeared.