Tresk wasn't happy to give up her dream of riding dinosaurs around for the rest of her life, but there were other things they had to do. After the group had created the gongs for the four planets, Theo got an idea about synchronization. Currently, they were working well enough, but he recruited his two companions to help him ensure they were operating at the optimal frequency.

Theo was surprised to see that there were no improvements that could be made to any of the gongs. Indeed, as promised, the planets had tuned them perfectly, forcing each of the celestial bodies to act as massive tuning forks that resonated just the right way at just the right time to store and release energy in measured doses. The alchemist checked and double-checked the readings his senses gave him before deciding that everything was just right.

"Well, I suppose I'm off to meet the system," Theo said, sending his thoughts into the Tara’hek itself. "And did you guys want to come along?"

"I'd rather jump into a pit filled with ticks," Trask said. "Good day, sir."

Suppressing a shiver, Theo folded the void in on itself and soon arrived in the snowy landscape that the system called home. He climbed the steps and stood on the platform, looking at the individual spots where the new gods typically occupied. They were busy right now, training to fend off the attacks that would come the moment they removed the temporal barrier. It didn't take long for the system herself to spring up in the center. This time, she didn't have the manic look on her face or the tone of somebody ready to break.

"An auspicious guest for a hallowed place," the system said, regarding Theo with the cold indifference of an expressionless face. "I feel your efforts in stabilizing the sector deserve some kind of reward.

"I'll take power in the form of attributes or celestial energy," Theo said.

The system actually released a half-hearted chuckle. "Good try. I was thinking of giving you the honor of a certain button. Would you like to see it?"

"Well, I love buttons. Let me see it."

A system message appeared in Theo’s vision, and his mouth fell open.

[Initiate System Reset]

Time Until System Destabilization: 25 days (local).

Reboot Time: 50 years (local).

Would you like to initiate the system reset? Doing so will place the local system into stasis and remove the local temporal barrier? This action cannot be reversed.

CONFIRM?

Theo read the message several times. He thought they had bought the sector a few days, but instead it now claimed they had an additional 25 days to wrap everything up before the system reset. The local sector would also go into a lockdown for 50 years before it could be completed. More importantly than both of those things was that the system had presented the prompt to him. It wanted the alchemist to initiate the reset.

"I'm thinking this is a greater honor than you're letting on," Theo said, looking at the message for a long time before dismissing it. Just to be sure he still had access to it, he summoned it again and shook his head. "You should probably hand this to somebody who's more responsible.”

“But I don't want to give it to somebody who's more responsible. I want to give it to you. Because of all the people in charge of defending this place or making it better, you and your companions have done the most."

Nothing made Theo want to crawl into a hole and die more than praise. He worked a lot better when people were doubting his abilities, not celebrating them. Looking back on the things that he had accomplished since coming to his new home, he knew that most of them were due to the interaction of others. He'd done his best, but in reality, his arrival in Broken Tusk was a catalyst. He figured they would have risen to greatness with or without him.

"Thanks for this great honor," Theo said, bowing his head slightly. "And I apologize. I'm not used to people interacting with me on a level playing field. Everyone has an agenda."

“You may confirm at any moment. When you do, all mortal souls from the mortal plane will be collected and sent to Death's Gate. There, they will await reincarnation when the cooldown period is done. You do not need to give me a warning before you press the button.”

“And what about my plan to scoop up an entire region?” Theo asked. “Do we have any problems with that?”

The system gestured to the empty spots where the gods should’ve been standing. “They’re busy. So, they can’t object.”

“Hot damn. Okay, this is some really good news,” Theo said. “In my position as Dreamwalker, and as a representative of the remaining Throne Holders, I have to ask if you need anything else. I know we’re weaker with Fenian gone, I just can’t find him, but we can still get stuff done.”

“He’s in Death’s Gate,” the system said.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Theo felt his heart increase pace. A cold realization washed over him. “Oh, crap. Wait, what?”

“He took advantage of Death’s distraction and plunged inside,” the system said. “The time dilation within is rather powerful, since the spirits don’t experience time the same way we do. They hardly notice, but for him, a few hundred years have passed.”

Theo took in a deep breath and let it out. The Throne of the Herald was unguarded. The man who was meant to sit atop it was currently adventuring in Death's Gate. The problem was that the alchemist didn't understand exactly what that meant. It was hard to know what life was like in there. The one thing he was certain of was the elf's purpose for plunging into something so dangerous. He was after his wife. It all made sense now. Ever since she died at the hands of Karasan, he had been on a path for revenge. The last part of his plan was to retrieve his wife's soul and get her a new body.

“And I can’t do a damn thing about that,” Theo said, whipping his tail back and forth. “What are his chances for survival?”

“He’ll make it out unharmed,” the system said. “I say that, not because it is easy to survive in Death’s Gate, but because he is Fenian.”

Of all the things Theo could do in response, rushing to Fenian's aid wasn't the right move. Perhaps he could use his assertively powerful willpower to make it to the man. But without knowledge of the inner workings of the gate, it was just as likely that he would get stuck or killed within. The best thing he could do was ensure that the herald's throne was protected and pave a path for whenever Fenian returned.

“This is good information,” Theo said, his thoughts gathering for his next steps. “I’ll head out… I need to go to Erradon.”

“A wise decision.”

Theo didn’t need to light the beacon for Tresk and Alex. They were getting decent with the void technique, and arrived at the same place and time as him. Calet, the sprawling landscape of snow and ice, stretched before him. The winds didn’t blow with as much snow as they did on Iaredin, but it was still cold enough to cause Tresk to shiver. The group didn’t say a word as they stood there, all their thoughts flooding into the Tara’hek to form a plan.

“Yep,” Theo said, reaching the same conclusion as the others. “We need to defend the throne.”

Tresk withdrew some bars of mystery metal from her Dimensional Storage Bag. A wide smile painted her face. “I’ve been holding onto these for a while.”

The problem with defending Fenian’s throne was that they were forced to move it to Erradon some time ago. When the planet was empty, that wasn’t a problem. But the Throne of the Herald carried with it a piece of the Herald’s Realm, which was the source of their authority. That authority had to be transferred to the planet, making it a more complete thing. Fenian had then shaped his throne room into… An evil castle in the tundra. Of course he had.

The group trudged through the snow, looking and finding absolutely no defenses on the outer area of the castle. The landscape might’ve been hostile enough to deter regular people from approaching, but anyone with enough power or determination could break their way through. Freezing on the spot, the alchemist erected a barrier around him and his companions. Above, forming in an instant, fell a fireball the size of a small town. It crashed against the shield, casting embers to the ground below that melted feet of snow in an instant.

“Halt, ya bastards!” a voice called from up above. “Drop your weapons and kiss your asses goodbye!”

Theo offered a heavy shrug. “We’re unarmed. And the dragon can’t drop her claws.”

“Guess what? Another fireball!” the man called down.

Theo narrowed his eyes, trying to get a good look at him. Somehow, he pushed Tresk’s urge to stab the guy in the face away. They hadn’t expected a defender for the Throne, but there he was. This was exactly what they wanted to happen, so there was no need to take hostile action. But the alchemist still needed a word with the mysteriously powerful guy. The second fireball fell, twice as powerful as the last.

“He cracked my barrier,” Theo said, looking up in indignation. “I stopped a city with this barrier.”

“Come on. Just one stab,” Tresk said, jumping up and down. “It’ll be clean.”

Theo shook his head. He fought against the authority of the Herald, folding space and interdicting himself and the group into the castle. He placed Alex and Tresk in the courtyard below, and appeared behind the elven defender. With long, brown hair and simple-looking robes, the man waved a wooden stick around that radiated magical power.

The elf spun, a look of shock on his face since Theo had appeared directly behind him without fanfare. “Hey, those were some pretty powerful barriers I put up. How’d ya get through?”

“Void folding,” Theo said. “I’m the Dreamwalker, and that’s the Dreamer. We’re holders of Thrones of Power. Why are you, a Warrior of the Shard, guarding Fenian’s throne?”

“Oh, damn,” the man said, nodding as a massive smile spread across his features. “You’re good! That cat-dude said the other throne peoples were smart, but you’re quick, too. Anyway, I’m Zephyr. Archmage and whatever. See, I thought you were baddies.”

“Can I stab him!?” Tresk shouted from below.

“No! You cannot stab him!” Theo shouted down. “Check the throne.”

“Yes, sir!”

Theo cleared his throat. “Khahar put you up to this?”

“Meya gave the order,” Zephyr said. “What was your name?”

“Theo. That’s Tresk, and the dragon is Alex,” Theo said. “Meya is your leader, right? So, she knew Fenian would go for Death’s Gate?”

“I dunno,” Zephyr said, looking around. “I’m out here living my life in Calet while the others take care of the gods. Don’t ask me nothin’ about their plans, because I don’t know.”

“Your orders were to defend the throne, and that’s it?” Theo asked. “Well, they certainly picked the right man. That was some high-level magic.”

“You like?” Zephyr asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Years of practice. So… are you gonna kill me?”

Theo sighed, looking down at Tresk below. She had her daggers out, ready for some serious stabbing. “No. We’re going to help you reinforce this place.”

“Oh, cool. Got some guns?” Zephyr asked.

“You really are from old Earth, aren’t you?”

“Old Earth? Do we have a new one?” Zephyr asked.

“Come on. I need to craft a few golems to help you out,” Theo said. “Without a parameter, you’ll have trouble defending this place.”

“Neat. So, what news from the outside world?” Zephyr asked. “Did we win the war?”

“Yeah, you’re winning,” Theo said. “Just be ready. You’re going on another adventure pretty soon.”

“Cool. Where to?”

“No idea.”