“Boss?”

  “I have to take care of something urgent,” Grandov replied, fully sobered up and in no mood to celebrate.

  ?He slid off the table, boots landing with a dull thud, and shoved his shoulder against the exit door. The hinges groaned, then the noise was lost to the laughter and song spilling from the bar.

  ?The corridor beyond was dim and narrow, its air thick with the scent of herbs, smoke, and spilt ale. A faint amber glow spilled from beneath the closed doors that lined the hall. From behind them came bursts of music, raucous cheers, and the slurred rise and fall of drunken voices singing familiar tunes.

  ?The wedding had turned into a full-fledged brawl of joy and intoxication—an excuse for everyone to forget their daily struggles and to let loose. The crown’s open tab ensured no one bothered with moderation.

  ?The walls hummed with celebration, feeling distant from Grandov as he strode through the dark corridor, his boots creaking on the uneven planks. He scanned for an empty room—somewhere quiet that he could duck into that was free of any commotion.

  ?A narrow door stood slightly ajar up ahead, with no light seeping through its cracks.

  ?Perfect.

  ?Easing it open, it became clear why: it was a cleaning supply closet. It was cramped and dusty, but it sufficed for Grandov’s criteria. Speed was the main concern.

  ?Grandov stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind him, muffling the lively festivities beyond. Broomsticks brushed his shoulders as he turned in the dark, and his boot struck something metallic—perhaps a pail—that clattered once, then fell silent.

  ?The air smelled strongly of soap and damp wood, intermixed with the booze that had evidently spilled on Garndov’s clothes. It was quiet enough that he could hear his own breathing.

  ?Alone now, BlueLizard summoned the familiar translucent blue screen and entered the most pressing, direct question first. There was no time to waste.

  ?[[ System. Where is Luca Frey? ]]

  ?There was a high chance it wouldn’t answer. The System was cautious when it came to Luca Frey’s privacy. It had no qualms reporting Grandov’s location to Luca, but when the query was reversed—when BlueLizard sought him—it often delayed or ignored his request altogether.

  It was plain and simple favoritism. It was not uncommon for Systems to favor one Player over another; BlueLizard had experienced it in other Games as well.

  Still, given it had sent that earlier warning, there was a sliver of hope.

  ?Perhaps it’ll reply, at least out of consideration for Luca, if he’s in trouble.

  ?Grandov’s breath caught seeing a reply come.

  ?[ Luca was last seen in the periphery of the Humpton Forest, after having teleported from the palace. ]

  ?[ Then, he jumped into a new doorway view and disappeared. ]

  ?BlueLizard’s heart sank.

  ?She was aware of Luca’s ability to teleport from one location to the next. Yes, it was a powerful ability and very convenient. But the risk was extraordinary. Those doorways could open literally to anywhere: a neighboring kingdom, an abandoned basement, or a dangerous realm that could disintegrate him.

  ?It was remarkable how well Luca mastered the skill, producing the location he wished to appear in within a reasonable time frame, but mastery was not immunity.

  ?If he slipped or misjudged his destination….

  ?[[ System, is Luca still in this realm? ]]

  ?The answer flashed immediately.

  ?[ No. ]

  ?Grandov closed his eyes. “Oh, my fucking god,” he muttered under his breath, dragging his broad hands down his face and then through his hair. “You absolute lunatic.”

  ?From beyond the closet door came a burst of laughter, a mug shattering against the floor, and someone starting up another off-key verse. The celebration went on, oblivious, while Grandov’s stomach churned.

  ?It was a disaster.

  ?No. Wait.

  ?Grandov’s eyes narrowed.

  ?Maybe it’s not a disaster.

  ?He frowned, the gears in his head turning. Luca Frey was the embodiment of the unexpected and—though the man himself wouldn’t agree—absurdly lucky. Time and again, BlueLizard had watched him charge headlong into catastrophe, only to emerge unscathed, armed with some improbable solution that made her question everything she thought she understood about the universe.

  ?Perhaps this was intentional. Perhaps this, too, was part of a plan.

  ?Their strategy had always been twofold. First, nurture and grow the various supporting friendly individuals, taking those learnings and then stacking the growth loop over loop. The second was for Luca to keep a low profile and remain well hidden. He was their trump card, but also their Achilles' heel. Luca, being a resident of this realm, had many benefits, but it also came at a terrifying potential penalty if he was ever found out by their enemy.

  ?And what better way to stay hidden than to simply not exist in the realm at all?

  ?Grandov felt a smile tugging on his lips, caught in amusement.

  ?Then he sighed and wiped it off his face.

  ?No, I'm getting ahead of myself. If that was Luca’s plan, he would have sent a message to me. Something. Anything.

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  ?His eyes narrowed.

  ?[[ Oi, System. Did Luca leave any messages—in case something ever happened? ]]

  ?[[ If he’s not in this realm, whatever he has planned will not be able to be carried out without me knowing what that is. ]]

  ?BlueLizard phrased it carefully, leaning into the System’s transparent bias.

  ?[[ Did Luca provide any instructions on what to do in his absence? ]]

  ?Silence.

  ?Grandov pressed his back against the wall, the broomsticks rattling softly behind him. He waited.

  ?If there were nothing, the System would have simply said No.

  ?But instead, there was silence. So BlueLizard was patient.

  ?It must be thinking. Weighing the odds.

  ?Finally, the screen flickered into view.

  ?[ Yes, Luca did leave a set of instructions. However, the messages have been postmarked to specific points within each loop, prioritized by immediacy and criticality. ]

  ?Grandov’s eyes widened at the implication.

  ?No way…

  ?[[ System, display the first day’s set and its timestamps. ]]

  ?The blue screen rippled once, then notifications began cascading in glowing text in front of Grandov.

  ?Grandov stared, transfixed by the floating script.

  ?The notifications came in one by one, relaying warnings and insights from poisoned tea, to assassination plots, notebook insights to pass along, and who to save and how. There were seventy-two notifications for the first day alone, some short and others the length of novels, which BlueLizard realized were the notebook insights that needed to be passed out.

  ?“My god…” he whispered.

  ?Even in his absence, Luca Frey continued to surprise BlueLizard.

  ?I should’ve run a Character Check on him when I saw him today. He shouldn’t have had anything traumatic hacking away at his Intelligence as of late, and if it’s anywhere near where it had been when I first met him—

  ?BlueLizard crossed Grandov’s arms, caught between exasperation and pride.

  ?Outside, the muffled sounds of the celebration swelled—a set of stomping boots in rhythm, laughter echoing down the corridor, and someone shouting the next verse of a drinking song. The vibrations traveled faintly through the walls and closet door, and BlueLizard was beginning to regain some of that festive nature as well.

  ?Grandov cracked his knuckles.

  ?I suppose I’ve got my work cut out for me if I’m to handle all of this in his absence.

  ?[[ Oi, System, did Luca mention how long he’ll be gone for? ]]

  ?[ No. ]

  ?Grandov nodded, unsurprised.

  ?That was mildly irritating, but hardly unexpected. BlueLizard had been playing Adovoria’s Fall for seventy Rounds already. Another few dozen wouldn’t make much difference. Hell, she’d play another seventy if that’s what it took.

  ?And Luca knows that.

  ?

  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

  ?

  “What am I going to do…?” I muttered under my breath.

  I didn’t bother with Illusionary Whispering. It was better to conserve what little mana I had left. Besides, the Pull-Tab Necklace cloaked my presence. And the only one who needed to hear me was Apophis, coiled snugly beneath the chain and invisible along with me.

  ~About what exactly, Master? he hissed.

  “I exited the Game—what will happen while I’m gone?” I said.

  ?~That other fellow is still there, isn’t he? Apophis replied lazily. The Game will simply continue. And given its sheer difficulty, I doubt they’ll manage to beat it and claim the rewards before you return.

  ?I blinked.

  ?“Rewards? What rewards?”

  ?I’d never thought of Adovoria’s Fall as having any reward beyond survival, saving everyone I cared about and stopping the Kobar Empire’s invasion. Whatever prize the System offered at the end had always felt secondary to that.

  ?But even as the thought crossed my mind, urgency returned.

  ?“What if he quits?” I pressed. “Or leaves the Game for some reason? What happens then?”

  ?Apophis turned his head, his purple eyes gleaming inches from my nose.

  ?~Master, he said, tone flat and cutting. You know he won’t.

  ?The snake’s voice cut through my jumbled thoughts like a knife.

  ?~That Player—the one possessing Grandov—is the type to play the model hero archetype. Their entire style hinges on righteousness, honor, and perseverance.

  ?Apophis’s tone shifted into a mocking drawl.

  ?~Even if they adjusted the playing style of the original, the Player themselves are the righteous type. They’d rather be deleted than abandon a noble cause. So, relax. You’ve chosen your ally well.

  ?I exhaled slowly, feeling more grounded.

  ?He was absolutely right.

  ?Still, even though my initial fear proved to be nonsense, I felt a sense of guilt for abandoning everyone.

  ?As if reading my mind, Apophis spoke again, his voice softer this time.

  ?~Besides, coming here was clever. You nullified that thing, and you’ve hidden yourself in the best way possible. The Kobar side won’t be able to track you here so easily.

  ?I couldn’t help but smile. “Unless I stumble across a Duex coin.”

  ?I wasn’t entirely sure how vast Saga Duex’s reach truly was, but from what Chase had shown me and what she’d asked of me, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that her influence could extend to even here.

  ?~Hah. As I said, not so easily, but not impossible.

  ?“I’ll have to figure out a way back eventually,” I whispered, ducking behind a thick tree trunk as two students in blue uniforms walked by.

  ?The Pull-Tab Necklace should have kept me invisible, but I wasn’t foolish enough to assume it worked the same in every realm. Not all places followed the same rules. And this world was evidently different from my own.

  ?~Master, you don’t need to keep hiding, Apophis hissed in mild annoyance. The necklace conceals us perfectly.

  ?I peered around the trunk, frowning. “How can you be so sure? Maybe it doesn’t work the same way here. This isn’t our realm. I don’t even know what rules it follows.”

  ?The snake’s eyes gleamed, amused.

  ?~I know this realm-type well. Ancient, engraved in tradition and overly reliant on mana, to a fault. I can assure you, none of the mortals here would be able to sense our presence. They are not attuned enough.

  ?Sensing my lack of confidence in him, Apophis sighed.

  ?~If you doubt me, Master, you can always check for yourself. As a Player—even a partial one—you have the right to survey any realm you visit.

  ?I frowned.

  ?“But, doesn’t there have to be in a Game to do so?” I asked.

  ?~Hardly, he replied. That’s a privilege granted to all Players. Many of them rise through their own worlds’ hierarchies using the very abilities they’ve earned through Games. Try it. Simply will it, just as you would your old status screen.

  ?I hesitated, then concentrated, the way the Adovoria’s Fall System had taught me.

  ?For a moment, nothing happened. Then the air before me rippled, and a faint glowing blue screen and text flickered into being.

  ?I stared, wide-eyed. I’d never been so relieved to see that familiar light.

  ?“It worked."

  ?I scanned the text.

  ?[ Realm ID: TXKE2276AP

  Realm age: 23,101,077

  Realm type: Magic-literate (traditional elemental mana) — Level III

  Status: Under review for ascension to Celestial-governed status (0 days) ]

  "But there's not that much info.”

  Apophis stirred on my left shoulder.

  ~That should be the first screen; there are more you can access. What does the overview realm screen state, though?

  “Apophis… it says the realm is under review for ascension to Celestial-governed status.” I frowned, noting the most concerning insight. “What does that mean for me?”

  ~Ah, that explains the Agency’s involvement. I suspected something of the sort. It simply means you’ll have to wait until the review’s complete. How long has it been under review?

  I scanned the line again. “It says zero days.”

  ~Hmmm. Apophis gave a low hiss. Well. As I said, you’ve chosen your allies wisely back home. And it’ll give you enough time to figure out what to do about that thing before you return home.

  My shoulders stiffened. “That thing?”

  ~The shadow, Apophis replied matter-of-factly. It followed you here. But with the Agency’s lens fixed on this realm, it’s weak—barely clinging to existence. It's only means of survival now is to attach itself to the one speck of Chaos available… you.

  His purple eyes shifted downward.

  I followed his gaze.

  At first, I saw nothing unusual—just my silhouette stretched along the bright green grass. Then I noticed it: where every other shadow bled into gentle gray, mine was a shade darker. Denser. And its edges trembled faintly, as if breathing.

  The corrupted phoenix being had followed and attached itself to me. Or rather my shadow.

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