I collapsed to the ground and rested my back onto a barrel. “You…are…horrible.” Talking took more energy than I had. “You almost killed me.”

  He knelt next to me and offered me a bottle of water. I wanted to throw it back at him, but I didn’t want to waste a free drink. I snatched it from him and drank the entire contents. It wasn’t just water, there was something sweeter about it.

  “Feel better?” Mr. Black asked with a much softer voice.

  I coughed. “Yes. But I still think you’re horrible.” I wiped my mouth.

  Mr. Black gave me a small smile. “You’re free to think that. But you will find the Soul Nexus is far crueler.”

  I took a shaky breath. “So what you did was a favor to me? That’s hard to believe. You broke bottles over me. And what was the deal with that black liquid?”

  Mr. Black nodded. “I did. I gave you the chance to try again. This was all because I wanted you to understand the risks. As for the black liquid, that was something you needed—what you asked for.”

  I was feeling a lot better, but my body was still sore. “What did you do to me? What are those messages.”

  He offered a hand. “You only have time for the short version. You will have time later to go into the specifics, but simply put, you now have nanites that grant you a system.”

  I refused to take his hand and just stared at him. “Explain.”

  The old man frowned. “You don’t have time for this.” He snatched his hand back and snapped his finger. The cellar faded into the white room where I met him. I was still sitting on the floor, but I was looking right at the table with Mr. Black still standing over me. The dagger I had been holding disappeared with the cellar. “In case you forgot, you have an assassin still after you.”

  I dropped my head. “Right. I need to leave.”

  Mr. Black nodded. “Correct. You can ask for the tutorial once you’re in a safe place. That will answer all your questions. But for now, you need to be on your way. The assassin is moving a lot faster than I thought he would.”

  He offered his hand one more time. “I know you’re still upset. But you must trust me that what I did was to help you. However, for now, this is your last chance for questions.”

  I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up. “When I climb to the top of the Soul Nexus and get this assassin to stop hunting me and spare Marc, what then? Do I just go home to Earth?”

  I stared at the doorway. “All I have to do is climb to the top of the Soul Nexus. After I do that, can I escape my fate of being hunted until I’m dead and go home?”

  Mr. Black smirked. “If that’s your wish. But do you really want to go back to a world that ignored you completely? There are many worlds out there, maybe you might want to make one of those your home. All I’m saying is that you have some time to decide what you’ll want by the end.”

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  I bit my lip. “More worlds? And Marc is safe?” He nodded. Tempting. “Can you at least tell me why artificial souls are deemed so dangerous? And what happens if I no longer have an artificial soul and get a real soul?”

  He shook his head. “That’s a very long story. One we do not have time for, especially if you wish to avoid the assassin. I can’t stop him for you. I’ve simply opened the door. This journey is yours. What path you take and what adventure you find will be all yours. Your final destination is in your hands. There are infinite worlds for you to choose from. But to reach any of them, even Earth, you will have to climb to the top of the Soul Nexus and make your wish.”

  Infinite worlds? And on them I won’t be invisible? That sounds much better than my life on Earth. I won’t have to be a thief. I can be someone who matters with real relationships where I don’t have to explain who I am everyday for months before they remember me for longer than a few hours.

  I took his hand and stood up. “This has been interesting, to say the least. Honestly, I don’t know what to make of all this, but I have to figure it out.” I gave the old man a smile. “You are a strange man. Your methods could use a softer touch, but you have at least given me a chance I otherwise shouldn’t have. That’s something I will always remember.”

  He gave me a wrinkled smile back. “Don’t be fooled. I’m not a human. I just took this form to help make things a little easier for us to communicate. You shouldn’t have a body and be a formless soul. That is another story for another time. But I digress.” He walked me over to the door. “When you go through, you’ll be on your own, and there will be no coming back. You either succeed or fail. There is no middle ground.”

  I turned to look back at the cookies. Maybe just one more. “Could I…”

  Mr. Black smiled and held up a cookie. “For the road. And let me also do this favor for you.” He snapped his fingers. I was cleaned from head to toe, and my clothes were equally cleaned and repaired.

  “Thanks.”

  When I grabbed the cookie, Mr. Black grabbed my wrist. His touch was warm and leathery. “You must remember this; until you die, you have not failed. If you can get up, you must.” He let me go.

  I held the cookie. “Uh, okay? Well, see you later.” Creepy.

  He grabbed the door and opened it. A milky white sheet swirled in front of me felt ominously inviting. “I really hope this isn’t the last time I see you, Miss Lone.”

  What is that supposed to mean?

  Something reached through the door and pulled me into the portal, cookie and all.

  *****

  Mr. Black jumped back as he watched the portal vanish right after abducting the poor girl. “That’s never happened before. So much for a quiet vacation. At least the last twenty years have been quiet.” He shook his head and closed the door. “But something tells me she’ll be number five.”

  Those who went to the Soul Nexus with power always failed. But those who succeeded before had one thing in common. They were the weakest of the weak who found strength in the Soul Nexus. He already gave her a leg up, and a lead away from the assassin. He interfered far more than what was usually allowed, but given the game, it was necessary.

  The man laughed as his body evaporated and was replaced with a ball of soft green light. “It’s funny how the taste of death ignites one’s desire to live. And I’ve only seen one other person who had as strong a will to live. And now she’s a force to reckon with for The Judge.”

  The plate of cookies dissolved. “Hopefully, Rina eats that cookie soon. She’s going to need it. The Soul Nexus shouldn’t take notice of her too quickly. It’s time to let the games begin. A child should never suffer from the sins of the parent, but a parent should be responsible for the child that lost its way.”

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