As soon as the four of them emerged from the tunnel, the fog began to thin slightly, revealing the outlines of ancient ruins that lay ahead. The ruins were barely visible as the whole area was darker than it had been when they went into the swamp, and it would take over an hour to walk there, provided they did not meet any obstacles.

  "Where does your map say the safe zone is?" Langa asked as there were no buildings between the tunnel exit and the ruins, only a mass of small hedges and a few tall trees.

  Synn's eyes were unfocused for a second. "It's inside one of the trees. It should take us about ten minutes to get there."

  "What's the plan?" Coraloa asked Liv.

  He also checked his map and then said. "Are you sure this safe zone is legitimate? Won't there be any traps between here and there?"

  Synn seemed to think for a second before shrugging. "I don't know. It looks real to me, but if you'd rather we rest here, then it's fine."

  "Let's take the risk. Safe zones in Gates are usually gifts from the gods and we may have a resting bonus in the morning. Langa, if you sense anything amiss at all, let me know and we can double back here," Liv decided.

  Langa nodded and led the way towards the tree under Synn's direction. They didn't meet any monsters on the way, and he sensed nothing out of the ordinary. The only shelter was a hole inside the tree big enough to crawl in.

  It was a crappy safe zone, but it was better than nothing.

  Synn made a fire and cooked some elk kebabs and potato and lentil stew. They ate it with rye bread and Langa, as always, appreciated good food. He moaned contentedly as he devoured the food.

  Synn gave him an annoyed glare. “If you look at me while making that sound again, I will feed you a flaming hot fireball.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, raising his hands. “It’s just that I’m really attracted to women who can cook.”

  “Well go be attracted to them somewhere else, or I will never make food for you ever again," she said folding her arms.

  “That’s a very specific quality to be attracted to, Langa. Did you not eat well when you were growing up?” Coraloa asked curiously.

  “The opposite actually,” Langa said, mouth half full. “I mean yeah there are days when we didn’t have enough to eat but I can cook because I used to look after the kids by myself but I am not great at it. On the other hand, my mum was an excellent cook, my sister is a great cook too and my niece, Khaya is a decent cook as well. I didn't live with my mum, so I always wished to eat more of her good food, you know.”

  “Oh,” Coraloa said, gulping down some water. She gave him a mischievous smile. “So you have mummy issues then.”

  Langa nearly choked on his drink.

  “Wait, really?” Synn asked as Langa dissolved into a coughing fit. “You talk about him all the time, so I always figured you as having Daddy issues.”

  “I’m sorry,” Langa said, getting annoyed at the teasing. “Is there a law somewhere that says you can’t have both?”

  Liv, who’d been quietly poring over the notes of today’s battles, looked up, and clapped Langa on the shoulder. “Nope, none at all. There’s nothing weird about having both.”

  Everyone burst out laughing and then Synn suddenly frowned. “Wait a second, Langa. You said your mother, sister and who…?”

  “My niece, Khaya,” he said, helping himself to the leftovers.

  She inched so close to him that he flinched back. “You have the same eyes, same skin tone, and you’re from the same world,” she said. “Langa, I think I might have met your niece.”

  “What?” He asked, standing up, the joking atmosphere forgotten completely. “When? Where did you meet Khaya?”

  “She and her friends gave me food when I was stranded in the Dayin Forest, and I saved them from Vavuciadsforenkka,” she said.

  That was a lot of information at once, but Langa latched onto one thing. “Vavuciadsforenkka was threatening my niece?” he asked in outrage.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what happened between them, but look, it might not be her,” Synn said.

  “If it is her, that’s not good. Vavuciadsforenkka is a hunter. He won’t stop until his hunt is complete,” Liv said.

  “I know, but I marked him with my Sear. I’ll know if he gets close to her,” she said. “In fact, I think she was there at the Celestial Clash, because I felt that he was a few hundred metres from her when we were in the stadium.”

  “Fuck. I should have killed that bastard three times and permanently sent him to hell,” Langa said. Dammit. This was why Langa wanted Khaya by his side, so he could protect her. “What did she look like?” he asked.

  “She was young, with very thick curly black hair and a bit naive honestly but she was a decent fighter for her level.”

  That was her. It had to be. “You said she was with friends? Were any of them human?” he asked.

  “Yeah, she was travelling with a demonkin and another human named Ayanda,” Synn said.

  “Oh my gods, it's her,” Langa said in disbelief. “She and Ayanda went to the same university… they were probably placed in the same tutorial. Do you have her mana signature?”

  “ I do,“ Synn nodded.

  “Let me talk to her,” Langa said desperately.

  “We can’t communicate with people inside the Tower from here, Langa,” Synn said, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “I can’t believe you’re her uncle that she… well, I promise I’ll call her as soon as we get back to the Tower.”

  Langa took a deep breath and got his emotions back in check. “Thanks, Synn. I really appreciate it.”

  They were all tired, and while a safe zone made it so they wouldn't be attacked by wild monsters, they couldn't risk sleeping without anyone on watch. Since he would be leading the team again the following day, Langa decided to take the first watch so he could have a restful sleep later.

  Nighttime was quiet and made it easy for Langa to train himself to use his Avatar title. The only life inside the safe zone was that of his friends, and he took turns focusing on each of them, familiarising himself with the differences between each breath so he could tell them apart.

  The girls were huddled together under Synn's blanket while Liv was covered by Coraloa's blanket because, unsurprisingly, both he and Langa had forgotten to bring blankets. While the girls' breaths were even and quiet as they slept, Liv was awake. He was whispering something unintelligible and although Langa wondered what he was doing, he chose not to disturb as he looked around the safe zone area, checking for threats.

  “Go to sleep, there’s still an hour left before we change shifts,” Langa whispered a couple of hours later when he felt Liv’s breath of life beside him.

  “It’s fine. I’m awake now, so what’s a few more minutes of sleep?” he asked, sitting down on the log next to him. “You can go get some rest early.”

  “Okay,” Langa nodded, "What were you whispering about earlier?"

  "You heard that? I was praying. As a paladin, I need to pray at least once a day, but I'm trying to get myself used to praying three times a day so it becomes a routine," he told him, taking out his pipe and lighting the herbs on it up.

  "You have a prayer requirement in your Sponsorship Contract?" he asked, surprised.

  "Not exactly, but praying helps to increase the quality of your Faith, and improves your relationship with your deity," he told him, blowing out smoke. "Pretty soon, I think I'll be able to feel the essence of The Sun God and hear his word even when he's not speaking to me through the system."

  Langa was puzzled. "You don't already communicate with him? I mean, I can always feel Lord Adtonifulmin's essence watching over me and comforting me, even right now."

  "What?" Liv gaped at him. "It's only been a few weeks since you received the contract! Langa, are you sure you're just an Avatar?"

  Langa hadn't known that his relationship with Adtonifulmin wasn't normal. Even now, he could feel his essence passively watching him through the Divine Nexus and knew that the second he asked for help or guidance, Adtonifulmin would turn to him immediately. He wasn't comfortable revealing that he had been offered a Visage contract.

  "Yeah, it's probably because he likes me," he said then hesitated as he changed the subject. “Liv, what is The Trial of Trust like?”

  Liv breathed in deeply from his pipe. “I don’t know, exactly. Apparently, a System Administrator walks you through the trial. It’s one of those situations that can’t be filmed, but from what I’ve read on the Dent, it’s basically, two souls diving into the unknown and learning how to trust each other.”

  That was rather unclear. “So, what? Like a trust fall? I throw myself off the bridge believing that you’ll catch me?” Langa asked.

  “Wouldn’t that be faith, not trust?” Liv asked, with a frown. "No, from what I found out, the Trial accesses some of your worst memories, especially from a time when you didn't trust yourself, and your partner has to get the you from the memory to trust them."

  Langa was curious about Liv's past with his father and grandmother, so it would be interesting to see one of his memories. He still didn't fully trust Liv, so perhaps a look into his memories would be helpful. As he pondered Liv's words, Langa went still.

  "Wait, both of us?" he asked, unlocking a new fear. "Does that mean you'll see one of my worst memories too?"

  Liv nodded. "Of course. It can't truly be trust if only one of us trusts the other, can it?"

  Langa clenched his fists. He'd locked so many bad memories away inside the depths of his mind, and he wasn't ready to face them. Was he ready to share that with anyone? Which of his worst memories would Liv see?

  "I don't like it, Liv. It makes me uncomfortable," Langa said honestly. "Some of my memories are really bad."

  "It's okay." Liv crushed more leaves and placed them into his pipe. "If you can't trust me with your memories, we can omit the Trial. Hopefully, we'll make enough money to buy a guild token from this quest," he offered.

  If they delayed, Pranav would be the first person in their batch to form a guild. Langa would never let that happen. He sighed and leaned heavily into Adtonifulmin's comforting essence. He had told him that he would be there for him when he wanted to face things, and he knew he needed to open up to someone, one step at a time. He wasn't sure if Liv was that person, but he figured, he had to at least try.

  "I really don't like it, but I suppose if we're going to work together, I also have to let you see the mess in my head," Langa said in resignation.

  More smoke puffed out of Liv's pipe and he looked away. "Believe me, I don't like it either. There are a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of, but I want you to see me as I am," he said. "I don't let people see me as I am, Langa. It's okay if you decide you can't trust the person you see in those memories."

  "Let's just see what happens when we get to the pool," Langa said, standing up. "I'm going to sleep." Gods, he hoped this would turn out alright.

  *

  Synn woke him up gently a while later. "Morning," she said. "Breakfast is almost ready, and if you want to freshen up, there's a pond with clear water close to the safe zone."

  "Thanks," Langa said, yawning. Once he was done freshening up, he joined Coraloa by the fire. Liv was doing his morning prayers off to the side.

  "Good morning," Coraloa said with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

  He sat down on the log as the aroma from the pot Synn was stirring wafted into his nose. "I did, yeah. I was exhausted last night, and sleep rejuvenated me as always."

  She beamed. "That's great. You know, there is nothing more important to do in a day than sleep."

  "Yes," Langa agreed enthusiastically. "So, what's up with your attribute, if you don't mind me asking? Why didn't you use it in the Celestial Clash against Vos?"

  "I can only send someone else's mind, thirty seconds into the past. It takes 50% of my total mana and another 50% of my total mana from the past me. It also takes 25% of my HP from both versions of myself. I can't go myself," she explained.

  "Oh," Langa said, realising she couldn't have used it during the clash. The cost was too much, though. He'd thought his attribute consuming 50% of his total Stamina to activate and Velocity per second it was active was too much. "What happens if past you has less than 50% of her total mana available?"

  "It won't activate. That's why I try my best to conserve my mana usage, but sometimes it's impossible," she sighed. "Time is a subdivision of order, so The Unrivalled has a natural interest in people who can wield space-time magic. Most Guardian Knights have that power, and The Unrivalled can elevate it."

  Was that why The Unrivalled had shown interest in Langa and offered him a Guardian Knight class after the tutorial? "Does Merreddyd have time-based magic?" he asked, remembering how she could move within his slowed-down time.

  Coraloa nodded gravely. "I've heard that she can literally stop time for long periods," she said. "Others say she can turn it back days or even months, and that it leeches off her age when she does that. I don't know what the truth is, though."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Langa couldn't stop time, all he could do was improve his perception of it so that it appeared to be moving slower. If Merreddyd could do either of what Coraloa suggested, then to her it must have seemed like his attribute was child's play.

  “How did your meeting with GM Merreddyd go?” Coraloa asked quietly.

  “Uh,” Langa paused, sure he wasn't supposed to mention that he'd been to The Carciere and met the voident hunter Na'Koma in prison. “It was good. Our karma was compatible, and she was very nice to me.”

  “I see. She spent over an hour with you but… I only got three minutes,” Coraloa said, looking down. Oh. Was that why she'd been upset? He knew how much she looked up to Merreddyd after all. “Have you heard the rumours about me?” she asked.

  “That you're The Unrivalled’s Blessed?” he asked.

  She shook her head and twisted the cloth in her hands. “That I'm the next Guardian Knight.”

  “Oh!” Langa looked up in surprise. “Congratulations. That's awesome! But aren't Guardian Knights supposed to be bound directly to The Unrivalled?”

  “Yeah, but I'm Lady Aquarius' Disciple, and I'm sure you know that Disciple Sponsorships can be delegated," she said. "I can't handle a direct Sponsorship from The Unrivalled, but a Co-Sponsorship through Lady Aquarius is the next best thing. It would change my life, and the lives of my people."

  "I see," Langa said. "So when are you getting the class change?"

  “GM Merreddyd asked which form of order I would guard, and I said I wanted to be a guardian of peace, like Aquarius was when she was mortal. She asked me to invoke The Unrivalled's Blessing, and I did, but Langa... I've never seen someone look as disappointed as she was that day,” Coraloa said. “She said I wasn't ready for the Guardian Knightship because I haven't fulfilled the Higher Blessing quest.”

  Yikes. It must have felt terrible for Coraloa that her idol was disappointed in her. "Is there anything I can do to help you complete the quest?" Langa asked.

  She smiled slightly. "Make sure I'm pushed to my limits? I'm starting to think that maybe Coraloa must die, and a Guardian Knight must be born,” she whispered.

  "Breakfast's ready," Synn called from the fire.

  Coraloa hastily turned to her, leaving no room for Langa to continue their conversation.

  Breakfast was ginger tea and smoked fish that melted on Langa's tongue. When Liv returned, they discussed their party tactics and made some new attack patterns now that they knew each other's fighting style better. Finally, they were ready for what was hopefully their last day in this godsforsaken Gate.

  [You have spent 5 hours resting in a safe zone and consumed SynnForessa's Smoked Fish meal with ginger tea

  +1 VIT for five minutes]

  They began their journey before the vitality boost ran out. It didn't take them long to defeat the larvae and other swamp monsters since they were now used to their attack patterns. None of the monsters they met posed a challenge to them until they finally reached the ruins.

  Langa led the way to a large, half-collapsed building. The ruins were partially submerged in the swamp, with moss and vines creeping up the old stone structures. Broken columns lay half-buried in the mud and the remnants of an archway were barely visible beneath the layers of moss.

  They stopped outside the main entrance as they saw hundreds of rusted metal pipes, their surfaces covered in old inscriptions and remnants of the network that had distributed water from the ruins to the old kingdom they passed the previous day before the Void swallowed this land up and turned it into a maestril domain. Now, however, only black corrupted water flowed from the pipes.

  "According to the runes on that archway, this used to be the main water plant for the snakemen kingdom," Synn said, holding a scroll and scribbling the letters on it. "The map says the Pool of Trust is inside, then we can go to the boss' lair."

  Liv nodded. "That's not all, let's take everything of value in this place. We must leave nothing for the people who come to this Gate after us."

  Langa knew from his research that The Dark Void gave the Gatekeepers a few respawns so they could suck karma from players to make themselves stronger. But Gates were not like dungeons where after a respawn, the Boss could rebuild them, but this was a real world, and whatever they took would not be replaced. This was another main advantage of the First Clear of a Floor Gate.

  The entrance to the ruins was partially blocked by rubble, but Liv coated his sword in solar aura and blasted through it. What looked like a giant stone wall had collapsed, most of it hidden inside the swamp.

  “It looks like whoever lived here holed themselves up in this building, hoping it would deter the maestrils and their corrupted creatures,” Coraloa said, bending down to examine a stone column with enchanting symbols written on it.

  “Be careful where you step,” Langa warned as they neared the door. “This place is falling apart, and it could collapse on us.”

  “Yeah, let's get to the Pond of Trust, beat the boss, and get out of here,” Synn said. “Maybe I’ll have time to revise the Guild Charter before handing it over to the Guardians if we go straight for the boss’ location after this.”

  As Synn surmised, when they entered the ruins, they saw that the fallen walls were covered with faded drawings that depicted water flowing through the buried kingdom they'd passed through the previous day, nourishing crops and filling fountains.

  Stepping carefully on the uneven stone floor, the group moved inside the ruins. The air grew cooler, and the sounds of the swamp faded, replaced by a dead silence punctuated only by the sound of dripping water that could be heard through the corridors. Synn kept stopping to look at and jot down the remnants of magical runes inscribed into the walls. Langa didn’t say much as he led the way since he was nervous about the Trial.

  "Did you figure out what these runes do yet?" Coraloa asked.

  "Hmm? Oh, yeah, actually. These runes once powered the plant, to purify and distribute water to the kingdom below," Synn said. "This one, however, is filled with prayers. The last thing written here is a prayer to their god as corruption overwhelmed the world. They were asking why their gods have forsaken them, as if that's something new."

  In the next corridor, it looked like a tree had grown right over the walls, but only the roots cracked through the floor, submerged in black water. The tree had to be massive if its roots were this big. The roots were scattered in three different directions.

  "Where to next?" Langa asked, not sensing any life nearby except the tree itself.

  "That way," Liv replied, checking the map. "That's where the pool is."

  They moved deeper into the ruins, following the map towards the Pool of Trust and continued through the corridor, as the fog seemed to thicken, obscuring their vision even further.

  "We're getting close," Synn said softly. "I can feel the mana growing stronger."

  The air was dry as if all the moisture had been sucked out. The roots led them to a large control room. Large water pipes were in the centre, crawling down to the other rooms. The chamber was beautiful, with a large, cracked stone fountain at its centre feeding into the pool.

  Inside, the air was musty, and the interior was a maze of rusted metal pipes and broken machinery. The room had a cracked wall on the side, whose roof had fallen in. The stale wind from the swamp filtered in through the broken windows. Black, corrupted water filled the floor, with the black roots of a tree inside it. Glowing lucent stones floated around in the corrupted water.

  "This magic feels... strange," Synn murmured, crouching down to look closely at the roots. "There's a ton of darkness and water lucents here, a byproduct of some ancient and powerful enchantment up ahead."

  "I can feel it too," Coraloa agreed, her grip tightening on her Siyotanka. "It's making me uneasy, but it looks like this was the water plant's main control room."

  Langa looked around the large chamber, and shattered glass was everywhere. The control panel itself was unknown ancient technology, covered in water-lucent crystals and stones, levers, glowing with runes that had once regulated the plant's operations.

  Synn approached the corrupted stones, but before she could touch them, without warning, a dark breath of life filtered through the darkness, sending a shiver down Langa's spine. He froze as he scanned the shadows for the source of the breath. Something was slithering through the water.

  Langa's voice tensed. "We've got company."

  A creature emerged from the water; its form was serpentine. The snakeman's body was covered in thick, armoured scales, and its mouth was filled with rows of black teeth. It wore ancient armour, covered with symbols, and it wielded a spectral spear.

  "Intruder!" the snake man hissed, its voice echoing through the chamber. "You shall not defile this sacred place. No corrupted creatures are allowed here."

  Synn took a step back. "I meant no harm," she said. "I was just looking for some magic."

  Liv stepped forward, his shield raised to protect Synn when the snakeman attacked. He swung his sword at the snakeman's head. It hissed and swung back with its spear, but Liv's shield deflected the blow, and he quickly swung his sword, cutting the snakeman's head off.

  "There are more of them here," Langa whispered as his eyes caught the scent of life in the water below. His teammates all straightened and looked where he pointed. From the corrupted water underground, emerged a pack of reptilian snake men larger than wolves, their bodies dripping wet with corruption as they closed in on the group.

  "Can we purify them?" Liv asked.

  "No. They are too far gone," Coraloa said, shaking her head.

  "Advance!" Liv shouted, his sword now unsheathed.

  Langa's spear struck through one creature's skin. It let out a roar, its body shaking as the electric energy from Tonare surged through it. The inverse effect of lightning and water made the damage even more. But its companions wasted no time, attacking in unison. The heat from Synn's Flame Spikes seared their scales and forced the snakemen's charred bodies to fall limply back into the water.

  Liv moved to the front, his shield raised when one of the snakemen ran at him and his sword cut through the beast's neck with a golden glow of solar aura. The creature crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Coraloa's ice bullets slowed the creatures down and made the battle much easier for everyone.

  With each strike, another creature fell, no matter how hard they fought in their frenzy. Langa and his friends were a better team than yesterday, their movements were coordinated and their attacks well timed. In the end, the ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen creatures, their blood mixing with the swamp water.

  The snakemen were now defeated. Drips of water fell from the broken pipes and into the roots and once Coraloa infused mana into a light-lucent crystal, they could see the rest of the room. There was a large altar on top of a large pool with a large open slot. The most fascinating thing about this was that the water inside the pool was clear and uncorrupted. Its depth couldn't be measured, no matter how hard Langa tried to look down.

  “Holy shit!” Coraloa gasped, looking at it. “It’s a slot for a Legendary water-lucent crystal,” she told them, eyes wide. “If recharged completely, it could fill multiple entire oceans with water.”

  “It looks like Funduvus stole it, then?" Liv said. "If that's her treasure mentioned in the quest, then that's an amazing reward."

  "Why would she only take the crystal and leave all these water-lucent stones here?" Langa asked as they loaded up all the stones and broken pieces of crystals into their bags and inventories. "Some of them are even uncommon."

  "A legendary lucent crystal can only be recharged by rare and above water-lucent stones,” Liv said. A thought occurred to Langa. Did that mean Tonare was embedded with a legendary lightning-lucent crystal? Was that why it only accepted rare and above lightning-lucent stones to recharge it?

  “Who cares,” Synn said, eyeing the empty crystal container greedily. “I’m sure we could earn some money if we sell it. This could be what we need to elevate the guild to the high status!”

  “Sell it?” Coraloa was appalled. “A treasure like that could help out a lot of communities with water shortage and-”

  Despite himself, Langa snorted. “Why? This is our reward, we are working our arses off for this.”

  “How can you guys be so selfish?” she asked.

  "Can all of you stop counting your legendary water crystals before we earn them?" Liv said. "SynnForessa, do you know how we start the Trial of Trust? The forum only stated it was supposed to be started by a System Administrator, but I haven't received any system messages asking if I want to begin the Trial."

  At the centre of the chamber stood an altar, above the fountain and pool, its surface covered in strange symbols and runes. Synn carefully examined the wall, her fingers tracing over the symbols inscribed into its surface.

  "These runes are instructions," she said. "It just states that whoever wants to take part in the Trial of Trust must pass the test. For the record, I’m not taking this Trial with you."

  “Of course not. I would be crazy to want to open up to you,” Liv snapped. “Langa and I will do the Trial of Trust together."

  "You're sharing souls now? You two are never beating the allegations," Synn said, shaking her head.

  "What allegations? The ones started by you?" Langa asked.

  "She's not wrong," Coraloa chimed in, stifling a giggle. "Liv left me half naked on his bed the other night to check on you."

  "That's because he was a drunken mess and he needed me," Liv said unhelpfully. "I wasn't happy about it either."

  Langa was about to retort when he noticed movement next to the altar and tensed. "Someone's here," he said. How had he not felt their breath when they were so close?

  “You’re here already? Did no one tell you that you need to rest before confronting a boss monster?” a voice said. A loud yawn echoed through the chamber, the sound sending a ripple throughout the air. From the shadows emerged a figure, cloaked in a flowing white robe. She was a short, red-skinned apekin. The being fixed her eyes on them and yawned again.

  For a moment, Langa was worried they'd entered the boss' domain without the system letting them know, however, the more he looked at the being, the less likely it was the boss. First, she was the wrong type of creature, as this Gate was mainly insect-themed. He was sure she wasn’t a monster, but no karma or breath was coming from her, yet he knew she was strong. When Langa tried to scan her, there wasn’t much to see.

  Name: ???

  Race: ???

  Level: ???

  Langa was unsure whether to attack or flee. Synn was looking at the being with her mouth agape. When he looked at Liv to see if he had any orders, he found him standing in front of the group, his sword burning with demonic aura, eyeing the being as if he would attack any moment. He probably would have if not for Coraloa suddenly sinking to her knees and bowing her head.

  “Exalted Saint Benkoffyouri! What an honour for you to grace us with your presence!” Coraloa said.

  The being smiled and scratched her head. “Oh wow, somebody recognised me,” she giggled.

  Liv's face was furious, his demonic aura radiating off him as he suddenly charged towards the being as if in a daze.

  “None of that now, demon child,” she said, raising her hand, and a white light flashed from it, causing Liv to stop and blink as if he'd woken up from a trance. "There is no need to die a pointless death.”

  "Dammit, Father!" Liv said, sheathing his swords and clutching his head.

  “What are you all doing?” Coraloa hissed, staring at her party mates. “You should show your respect to her. Saint Benkoffyouri is a seraphim and a former Guardian Knight! Bow.”

  “I don’t bow to anyone except The Lackadaisical Herald,” Langa said, wondering why a seraphim was here.

  “What a fascinating party. Three of you have received The Unrivalled’s favour, One the scorn of The Dark Void, one the favour of Death, and another the interest of Life,” the woman said.

  “I knew it,” Synn said, nodding as she circled the woman with stars in her eyes. “Madam, your essence control is astounding.”

  "Thank you. That means a lot coming from a former-" she paused, and looked up. "Oh, right, professionalism. Sorry, Master," she said, and then cleared her throat and stiffly stood up. When she spoke, her voice was more authoritative. "I am Randi Benkoffyouri, a System Administrator. I am here to oversee the Trial of Trust."

  Ah, now Langa understood why she was here. But Floor Overlords and System Administrators? The Unrivalled was singlehandedly keeping seraphim employed across the multiverse.

  "Guilds, clans, groups, cults, and any organisation recognised as such by the Tower may only be founded by someone who receives the acknowledgement and trust of at least one of their followers," she said. "Although some people sell the tokens or steal them, anyone who possesses a guild token can start their own organisation. So if you pass, you better guard the token with your life, understood?"

  "Understood," Langa said.

  "To prove your worth, you must jump into the undefined Pool of Trust and pass the trial. Only then will the guild token be issued," she said. "Liv'Kungsadu, this is your quest. Please state whether you will take the Trial of Trust, and choose your partner."

  Liv straightened. "I will. My partner will be Langa Zulu." Synn snickered, and everyone ignored her.

  "Langa Zulu, do you agree to take part in Liv'Kungsadu's Trial of Trust? Do you agree to open your soul to him, test your trust in your chosen leader, and in turn allow him to test his trust in you?" the seraphim asked.

  "Yes, I do," Langa confirmed.

  [System Administrator: You have agreed to share a portion of your soul with another player. This action is irreversible.

  Confirm decision- Y/N?]

  Well, that wasn't helping his confidence. What the fuck did sharing his soul even mean? He'd already promised, so he wasn't one to turn back on his word. "Confirm."

  "Get ready," the seraphim warned them. "Show your Faith by diving into the Pool of Trust. I will be waiting on the other side if you pass."

  “Alright, while Langa and I take the Trial of Trust, you two continue exploring the ruins. Take anything useful, we’ll share the loot later,” Liv instructed Synn and Coraloa. "I don't want to waste any time, we need to complete this Gate today. You know if we finish it within 52 hours, we can get the full double bonus experience for defeating the boss as well."

  “Sure, of course,” Coraloa said with a nod. She placed a hand on Liv’s arm. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” he said, tensing slightly.

  “Oh, and Coraloa, please watch that Synn doesn’t pilfer anything. I know her hands are twitchy,” Langa called as he stepped towards the altar.

  Synn, who had been eyeing the scattered lucent stones, snapped towards him. “Excuse me?” she said indignantly.

  “Don’t worry, Langa,” Coraloa said with a chortle. “The party menu records everything we loot, even if she tries to hide it.”

  “Hey!” Synn’s voice was cut off as he entered the altar.

  The seraphim rolled her eyes as she lit up the runes. "I'm opening the pathway to link your souls," she said. "Remember, only those who choose to trust each other no matter what can overcome the pool of the soul."

  Langa nodded. "It's fine. I've faced worse," he said, trying to psych himself up. "I can handle this."

  A blinding light filled the Pool, as the symbols on the pool started to glow.

  "See you on the other side," Liv said, and Langa jumped into the pool, even though he could not swim.