CHAPTER 45: [ BACK INTO THE WORLD ]

Alexander and Fae arrived before the open archway that looked like the mirror on the outside.

It was fully blocking the path, a shimmering wall made of white and light blue colors that mixed together continuously.

Still holding onto each other, they stepped through the portal.

The first thing that hit them was the cold wind.

It was night, clouds layered in the sky hid the moon. The parking lot they were in was lit by the multiple lampposts strategically placed throughout.

They stopped after stepping out, Alexander exhaling for several seconds as he let the cold breeze wash over him.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.

Then, re-opened them, with [ Witness Of All Paths ] activated.

Fae’s eyes were still stuck on his, watching his every movement and every reaction.

Alexander exhaled again, taking the first step forward.

"We’re being watched," he said.

She nodded.

Eventually people would learn that they couldn’t hide from him as long as they watched him, but until then, it was a true blessing.

He glanced back at the painting they had stepped through.

It looked as if the magic shimmered away slowly, the painting underneath becoming visible.

Getting his phone out, he looked at the time.

"It’s 9... We could go home now, but we could go and sell everything we found, then buy healing potions first."

On his phone appeared a bunch of notifications he didn’t see before, their pop-ups stacking on top of one another.

He looked closer.

"Sunder, Silver and... John"

[ Silver:

Hey! We need to meet! I have big news for you! Let me know when you’re available! ]

[ Silver:

Hey! It’s been a day! Did you forget? Still waiting! ]

[ Sunder:

Any news? ]

[ John:

This is John, Guild rep. For the Adventurer’s Guild. I’m sorry to inform you that we’ve made a mistake, please refrain from entering the dungeon assigned to you.

Thank you. ]

Alexander lifted his eyes from the screen.

He could see as a black car arrived toward them, a large black SUV with tinted windows, only the driver was somewhat visible.

The car came at a sudden stop several meters away, the tires screaming. The driver’s knuckles whitened on the wheel, his stare locked onto Alexander.

He could see how he wore a suit that resembled those from the Adventurer’s Guild.

The doors on the side opened, several suited men walking toward them.

The one leading at the front looked tired. Alexander guessed they were the ones covering the night shift.

One by one, they all came to a stop, unable to keep advancing forward. Each of them stood still the moment their eyes met Alexander’s.

The one at the front barely realized it, himself coming to a slow stop as he got closer, his tired gaze going from the ground to Alexander’s eyes.

The man stopped mid-motion, his hands slightly shook while his face became paler by the second.

"What are you doing?!" he said, his voice broken.

Alexander recognized that emotion.

It was fear.

"What do you want?" asked Alexander.

His voice changed.

The lighter tone he used with Fae, the one that often lifted at the end of sentences, was gone. There was no joy, no happiness, no smile.

On his face, and in the vibrations of his voice, nothing positive could be heard.

He didn’t sound angry or upset, rather his voice was commanding.

"We’re guild officials! We’re here to assess the dungeon, using spells to constrain officials—"

"I’m not casting any spells. My eyes simply deemed you weak."

The official lost composure. Despite being the only one able to talk, he took a step forward, able to stand somewhat upright.

His tired gaze looked like it had seen a lot. It was easy to imagine he had dealt with people just like him.

"You’re telling me—"

"It’s a passive effect."

Alexander couldn’t use [ The Weight ] on anything inside the dungeon, it was the first time he could see its effect and he wasn’t displeased.

An intimidating gaze that rendered weaker opponents unable to take action. It was interesting, but there was still another spell he hadn’t tried.

"You want me to believe—"

Alexander’s eyes stared into the man’s.

Through the man’s eyes it looked as if he was looking down a barrel, at the edge of an abyss that yearned for him.

It felt as if he wasn’t in the middle of a parking lot, anymore.

He couldn’t see his surroundings, his footing, his men.

He fell to his knees, his heart beating violently in his chest.

He wouldn’t dare look down into the abyss, his head was tilted toward the sky fighting the urge that pulled at him.

Slowly, bit by bit, his gaze ultimately went down.

The man froze, his hands were heavily shaking. He was hyperventilating, quick breaths that accompanied his rapid heartbeat.

His eyes had finally fallen upon what lay below.

He felt as if his heart stopped. Beneath him was Alexander’s eye. It was the size of a planet—and he could easily tell it was his.

That large cross, one that had its horizontal line larger, there were no mistakes.

Back in the real world, where everyone stood beneath the moonless sky, nothing happened.

The man fell to his knees and looked at the sky while shaking, until he finally looked down and fell forward—unconscious.

The rest stood frozen, their eyes trapped by something far beyond reason.

"This—would be a spell," he said, as he looked at the man on the ground.

He then concentrated on the gaze he felt when he first stepped out.

It had turned hostile, he could tell. He felt it coming from a building outside the parking lot across the street. It was far away, but it didn’t matter, their gaze connected them.

Alexander’s expression hardened, as if a blade had plunged through his stomach.

Vibrations echoed through his head, sounds with incomprehensible meaning pulled his mind away, bringing him somewhere dark.

Unlike the man in front of him, [ Whispers Beyond ] was harder to activate this time.

He remembered what it said when he first discovered it.

[ Its vibrations are summoned—older than language, and heavier than thought.

It moves without sound, carried on the stillness between thoughts. Those staring into the abyss as it passes are drawn inward, minds tested by the tones of something vast. ]

It was their first time. A test for the mind, something he had gone through several times already.

He wouldn’t lose this mental tug of war.