Rayna stared blankly at Pycha, convinced at first that she must have heard him wrong. "You can't be serious."

Pycha frowned. "I am. Why would I joke about something like this?" He waved a hand, presumably indicating the rest of Eeran. "I may be a Lerian, but no one lives forever. I need someone to take my place when I'm gone, or everyone in Eeran will perish."

"They seem to be doing fine on their own," Rayna said. "Why pull in outside help?"

Pycha shook his head. "For all their training, my people are weak. When stronger monsters wander into the tunnels, I handle them alone. We would see far more casualties otherwise."

"How do you know I'm not some psychopath that came here to try to wipe you all out?" Rayna said without thinking. She blanched, belatedly remembering that this man could smite her with a single thought.

Pycha just laughed. "Excuse my candor, Rayna, but weak as they may be, you're no match for my people yet. That's why you need training."

"Umm… yeah, it's still a no." Rayna shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. "I mean… I appreciate the offer, but I can't do it. I'm not really free to take on an internship right now and I'm gonna be honest, Queen of Eeren isn't really on my list of career goals."

"Leader," Pycha corrected. "We don't have royalty here."

"Sorry, leader. Either way, I'm too busy at the moment to take on that kind of responsibility. I'm kinda in the middle of a quest right now. Maybe I could come back in a few years when the world isn't falling apart. I mean…"

Rayna trailed off, the awkwardness of the situation making her want to hide under the table. How was she supposed to say 'I don't want anything to do with your creepy underground cult' without sounding rude?

"Quest…" Pycha said slowly. "So, you're part of the System after all. I had wondered…"

He looked at the spot above Rayna's head where her name tag would be if she had it enabled. He almost looked disappointed.

Could she use this? "Yes, I'm part of the System," she said. "If that's a problem, I can just—"

"No, no." Pycha shook his head. "It's not a problem, exactly. I'm part of the System too, though I've barely used it in recent years." He smiled encouragingly. "The System is merely an obstacle for us to overcome. It encourages laziness and leads to mistakes, but it does have its advantages."

Says the man whose people brought an unidentified child to the academy without even asking her name, Rayna thought crossly.

Sass won't help you in this situation, Phira commented, invading Rayna's inner monologue. Especially if you say none of your thoughts aloud.

I know. I'm just thinking. How do I tell him 'no' in a way that will stick?

You don't, Phira replied unhelpfully. This man can grind you to dust without lifting a finger. Are you trying to get both of us killed?

Rayna grimaced. "Well, be that as it may, I'm still going to have to decline your offer."

Are you ignoring my advice? Phira asked incredulously.

Yes.

"We can start your training in a few days," Pycha said. "What's your current level? I'll need to see your Character Sheet as well to design a proper training regimen. From the way your fight with a staff, I assume you're a physical Class. Or no, that might just be from a lack of training…"

"I said no," Rayna said, trying to keep her frustration in check. Was he deaf? Or maybe he was going senile. How old was he?

"Oh, that's right! I'll train your friend as well if you'd like. He won't be able to reach the same power level as you will, but I'm sure he can fight the lower level monsters if he works hard enough."

"You're not listening to me," Rayna tried again. "I said—"

"I don't accept your refusal," Pycha said flatly. "I can't. I'm sorry, Rayna, but I know you will come to accept this."

Rayna stood. "I'm not staying here." She didn't have time for another detour, especially not one as long as Pycha had in mind. Rayna walked around the table, heading for the back room where she knew she would find Corban.

Pycha let out some of his power—not enough to incapacitate Rayna, but enough to send a clear warning.

She paused with her hand on the doorknob. "I can't stay here," she said through gritted teeth. "And you can't force me."

Pycha said nothing as Rayna pushed the door open.

Like the lobby, the office was different than Rayna was expecting. The floor was covered in the same white tile and the desk had been replaced with a long wooden table, rimmed with high-backed chairs. The bookshelves had been replaced with wooden cabinets that were covered in glowing runes.

The mage light in the center of the room cast everything in a pale blue glow.

Something was wrong…

Corban sat at the head of the table, staring straight ahead with unfocused eyes.

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

Rayna rushed over and checked his pulse, losing all trust in the party status checks; Corban's HP hadn't changed since they were separated. He should be in perfect health.

Rayna slumped against the table with relief. He had a pulse. His breathing was steady as well. He just wasn't moving.

"Calm down," Pycha said, standing in the open doorway. "I only paralyzed him."

Rayna gripped the table so hard that she left claw marks in the wood. "Unparalyze him then."

"Agree to train with me," Pycha said. "Then I will release him."

"I have people I'm protecting, too," Rayna snarled. "I can't just abandon them to move in with a—" She cut herself off, swallowing the insult that wanted to pop out of her mouth. "I can't stay here."

"You can bring your people here," Pycha said, unconcerned in the face of Rayna's conviction. "By the time we've finished with your training, there will be nothing on this island that can match your strength. Everyone you care about can lead peaceful and happy lives in Eeren."

"Can they?" Rayna didn't hide the note of challenge in her voice. She thought back to Kunder and the longing in his eyes as he described something as simple as the evening sky. She thought of Larsha, who probably spent every day of her life worried that a monster might sneak past their defenses and kill everyone.

Even if Rayna knew where Emma was—even if Emma was willing to settle in one place—Eeren was not the place that they would choose.

Pycha's frown returned in response to Rayna's challenge. He watched her from the door, still oozing a low level of magic as if to remind Rayna that she was no match for him.

Rayna didn't need the reminder. She wouldn't still be talking if she didn't know that she would buckle the second Pycha let his true power show again. She couldn't fight her way out of this, and diplomacy was failing.

Unless…

"My core is damaged," Rayna said. If she couldn't convince him of her conviction, maybe she could convince him of her inadequacy. "The recovery progress hasn't moved in weeks. I'm pretty sure it's beyond repair."

She held her breath, hoping Pycha would see reason.

His power vanished, his shoulders dropping in relief. "Is that all? That's easy enough to fix."

That backfired. Rayna opened her mouth to make another argument, but Pycha spoke first.

"I'll make the first gesture if it'll ease your mind." Pycha waved his hand and the ring on his pinky finger glowed orange.

Corban drew in a sharp breath, his eyes darting around the room until they landed on Pycha. "What the hell did you do to me this time, you damn goat?!" He winced, rubbing his neck.

"Um… Corban," Rayna muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "Maybe don't yell at the guy who can paralyze you."

Corban narrowed his eyes. "He needs to learn some manners. I don't care how powerful he is."

Rayna grimaced. Corban was right, but she wasn't planning on insulting Pycha to his face.

To her surprise, Pycha didn't drop them to their knees with a burst of power. "I haven't harmed you in any way," he said. From the note of exasperation in his voice, Corban had not been as cooperative as he had led Rayna to believe. "I needed to leave, and I couldn't risk you poking around in my things."

"You're in a hub," Corban snapped. "Technically, none of this is yours." He got to his feet, stretching his arms above his head to loosen stiff muscles.

"It hasn't been a System hub in six thousand years," Pycha said dismissively. "Now, Rayna, if your main concern is the fact that your core is damaged allow me to fix it right now and put your fears to rest."

"Fine, I admit it, that was an excuse," Rayna said. "But I mean it, I won't be your apprentice."

"I believe I made it clear why that doesn't matter," Pycha said. "I have time to convince you."

He pulled two chairs away from the table, positioning them so they faced each other. He took a seat, gesturing for Rayna to take the other.

Rayna remained standing, pulling out her final trump card. "I'm not actually a Lerian."

"I can fix your core standing up, but it would be better if you were sitting," Pycha said, not acknowledging her statement.

"I said, I'm not—"

"I heard you the first time, I simply know the statement to be false. Take a seat."

Rayna didn't move, nor did she say anything.

Pycha sighed. "Fine. If you aren't a Lerian, then prove it."

He released his power again, dropping Rayna to her knees. It still wasn't as strong as it had been in the alley, but it made movement difficult.

Rayna forced her head up enough to glare at Pycha. "I… am… not… a… Lerian." She ground the words out, hurting her jaw to do so.

Corban dropped to his knees next to Rayna, but he didn't seem to have any trouble moving. He put a hand on her shoulder, his frown both alarmed and confused. "What the hell are you doing to her?"

"I'm proving that she's a Lerian, whether she will admit it or not," Pycha said. "I proved it quite effectively back in the alley, I believe. There are only two races that I know of that are affected by the release of magic and only one of them can form a core."

The power vanished and Rayna slumped, breathing hard from the exertion of staying upright.

Corban caught her and helped her back to her feet, glaring daggers at Pycha. "She's physically a Lerian, asshole. She's just not from Ember."

Pycha obviously didn't believe them, but he seemed to decide that it wasn't worth arguing. Instead, he changed the subject. "You have a core that needs tending."

"Fine," Rayna took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "How do I do it?"

"I should be the one to do it," Pycha said. "While it's possible to mend your own core, it's slower and less efficient."

"Then it'll be slower and less efficient," Rayna said stubbornly. After the stunt he just pulled, she wasn't letting him anywhere near her.

Pycha didn't bother asking again. He got to his feet, a determined look on his face. Rayna backed away, but he followed her at a pace she couldn't even see. She pressed her back against the wall, growling threateningly, but he was too fast.

Pycha tapped his finger against Rayna's forehead.

Rayna blinked, looking around in confusion. The hub was gone; completely vanished along with Pycha and Corban. The world around her was covered in a dense fog, nothing but white as far as the eye could see.

What happened? Had she teleported?

"Hello?" Rayna called out, her voice echoing in the white landscape.

She had a vague recollection of this place, but she couldn't seem to drag it to the front of her mind, like a dream that she couldn't quite remember.

Phira, do you know where this is? Rayna asked.

Phira didn't answer.

Phira? Are you ignoring me? Rayna dragged Phira's necklace in front of her face and examined it, but nothing seemed to be wrong besides the fact that she wasn't answering.

Right. Alone in a creepy empty world and Phira's giving me the silent treatment… what now?

Unable to think of a better plan, Rayna started walking, trying to find some sort of exit or teleport point, but no matter how far she walked, the fog persisted. Minutes turned to hours as she wandered around aimlessly.

Every now and then, Rayna thought she heard something in the distance; the screech of a monster or the scream of someone in pain.

It's fine, she told herself. It's just your imagination playing tricks. Wherever the hell this is, you're the only one here.

As if to spite her, a shadow appeared in the fog ahead of Rayna. As she moved closer it resolved into the form of a man.

She almost assumed he was a Lerian, but his face wasn't quite right. He was six feet tall, with long curly hair that fell almost to his waist. The black sclera of his eyes contrasted sharply with his vivid green irises. He looked like he hadn't slept in years and from the smell of him, he hadn't bathed either.

A Corvi? Rayna recognized his race from the description that Naomi had given.

The newcomer eyed her suspiciously, a touch of curiosity in his expression. "You're not supposed to be here."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.