Whitehall stepped back from the embrace with Sadi, and he wondered if he smelled as bad as she did. She had a shower in the Spirit Well, so he reckoned he smelled worse. A flicker of irritation ran through him when he saw that he stood right above her chin despite now having his lifeline restored. She was as tall as Ziel, so he guessed it might not be a realistic expectation. He was never a tall person, not in his previous life and not in this one.

  "Where are we going?" Whitehall asked.

  "Our next destination," Ziel replied cryptically.

  "Okay(?)" Sadi replied, fastening the bag with seeds and a few jars of different Well water.

  Whitehall fastened the large cylinder onto his back; with his recent growth, it was not as unnaturally large as it would have been previously; now, it was only unproportionally large.

  Ziel stood by a hatch on the ground. He placed a gate stone onto the palms of the skeleton on it, and the hatch disappeared, revealing a hole that went straight down. "We go in together," he said, looking over his shoulder. His eyes were not focused on Whitehall or Sadi but on the broken cylinders and towards the door of the stone building.

  Whitehall and Sadi nodded. Despite their oath, Ziel still did not fully trust the Redmoon Hall.

  Ziel grabbed Whitehall at the back of his shirt. "Whitehall is lighter. Meatball, carry Sadi," he ordered.

  Meatball saluted, raising a wing towards her head. "Yes, Ziel!"

  Ziel raised an eyebrow, wondering where the bird learned such a weird gesture. But he knew what Meatball meant by it and ignored her. "Go," he pointed.

  Sadi opened her mouth, about to ask how Meatball was supposed to bring her down, but the bird latched onto her shoulders and dropped down the hole. Her surprised scream echoed through the tunnel.

  Ziel took one last look behind him at the shut stone door and jumped. The hatch reappeared as he passed through.

  Sadi's screams lowered to a whelp when her descent was suddenly slowed.

  "That was fun," Meatball chirped.

  Sadi took a few deep breaths. She was not afraid of heights; she was just surprised. At least, that was what she told herself.

  Meatball gently placed her on the ground, and Sadi's breath caught when she saw their surroundings. The space was plain, with smooth stone walls. Three tunnels were before her, and she eyed them individually.

  Where Sadi and Meatball landed gently like a leaf drifting through the air, Whitehall and Ziel crash-landed onto a green script. A dust cloud rose from where they landed. Ziel came out first, his eyes disinterested.

  "Owe," Whitehall groaned, his form rising like a shadow through the cloud.

  Sadi stepped towards Whitehall and helped him up.

  "Sadi, lead the way," Ziel spoke up. "We can't see."

  "Oh," Sadi said in realisation. She forgot that the others could not see in the dark. "What are we looking for?" she asked.

  "Oooo! What's that?" Meatball squawked, flying through the tunnel on the left.

  "Meatball!" Sadi yelled.

  "She'll be fine. She's excited about something," Whitehall groaned next to her. "She's a Truegold."

  Sadi sighed before her eyes widened as she processed Whitehall's words. "Meatball is a Truegold?" she exclaimed. "How, when?"

  "Life Well, I'm sure."

  "We're looking for a tree," Ziel said. "At least that was what the Beast King told me," he shrugged.

  Sadi continued eyeing the tunnel, but she did not see any trees. She stopped when she saw the last tunnel on the right. A huge man wearing rags with greasy black hair stood with crossed arms. She realised his arms were covered with black scales, but his eyes were yellow and sharp like a dragon's. Those yellow eyes bore into her.

  "There's a man down here," she whispered. "He wears rags like a Wastelander, with draconic eyes and black scaled arms."

  A flash of concern appeared on Ziel's expression, but a moment later, it returned to his usual impassiveness. "It's a projection of Northstrider," he explained. "Just a projection."

  Ziel gestured for Sadi to lead the way and trailed behind her alongside Whitehall.

  "There are rooms around us," Sadi's voice echoed. "Seems like scraps and junk."

  "Heralds probably already cleared them out," Ziel replied.

  When they neared the end, Whitehall saw a hulking figure eyeing them. This was Northstrider, he thought. The Monarch of the Wastelands, and the owner of this pocket world. The man dressed like a Wasteland sacred artist, probably even less well-outfitted. From the way he stood and his gaze. It resonated with strength, power, and absolute authority. Whitehall has seen such gazes, and he almost spat in disgust.

  "For you who travel here after my departure," the projection of Northstrider spoke as they walked down the hall.

  "Feel free to ignore it," Ziel shrugged. "It's not that important."

  "None of them delivered what I wanted," the projection continued, unbothered by Ziel's words.

  "Straight there," Sadi yelled. "I see it. A metal tree with cages." She began jogging, and Whitehall and Ziel followed.

  There was an inflexion in the Monarch's voice when they reached the base of a metal tree at the end of a wall, signalling the importance of the Monarch's next words. "Return the Eye of the Deep to the tree. And for the rest of your life, know that you are in my debt."

  Whitehall stared at the looming tree made of scripted metal. The cages were like fruits, dangling on the metal branches. Some of the cages held sapphire stones.

  Ziel reached into his robes and pulled out three Eyes of the Deep. He handed one each to Sadi and Whitehall. Without a word, he knelt at the base of the tree.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Ziel of the Dawnwing sect returns the Eye of the Deep to the place of its birth," he muttered, holding the stone before him.

  The scripts on the tree trunk flared blue, and a metal branch bent down towards Ziel, the cage opening as it neared him. Ziel placed the Eye of the Deep into the cage, and the metal bars shut itself, the branch returning to its initial position.

  A new projection appeared before the tree of Northstrider, but this time, the Monarch was wearing a different set of rags. His beard and hair were longer, and it felt more recent.

  "The Beast King recommended you represent my faction in the upcoming Uncrowned tournament," the projection said. "You have succeeded in my trials; as a reward, I have granted you a drop of Ghostwater." Then the Monarch's gaze hardened. "Do not disappoint me," he stated, his voice absolute and unflinching.

  The projection blinked out, and before Whitehall or Sadi could ask what the projection was speaking about, a whisper echoed through the chamber.

  "Ask..."

  Ziel hesitated, and for the first time, Sadi and Whitehall saw an uncomfortable expression on his face. Ziel clenched his teeth and fought with himself.

  Ziel's voice came out low and conflicted. "How do I advance to a Sage?"

  The question took Whitehall and Sadi aback. Ziel was sure they were surprised he did not ask how to fix his body or, better yet, ask the tree to fix it. He would be in the Uncrowned tournament, so the tree would not do such a thing even if it could. But most importantly, he already knew how. The Beast King and Sunda had spent countless hours researching and experimenting with him. Besides the long-lost Aurelius Pure-storm baptism and the help of several monarchs working together, nothing else could be done. If he wanted to fix his crippled spirit, he would need to win the Uncrowned tournament.

  A wave of blue-and-purple light washed over him, and Ziel learned. He knew now how to be a Sage. It was simple, yet so complicated.

  Sadi watched the blue-and-purple light washing Ziel. The light carried information, she realised. She did not understand, nor could she explain how it worked, as it was more of a feeling rather than anything tangible. To her, the light felt inefficient. The blue-and-purple light incorporated only visible light other than dream madra. Maybe she could do the same thing better if she used invisible light alongside visible light.

  That brought another question as she eyed Ziel's kneeling form. It was not that he did not ask the tree how to fix his spirit. Sadi had quickly deduced that he probably already knew the answer. It was the way he said his questions. It was as if it was a taboo.

  Also, when Ziel introduced his title, it was not Ziel of the Wastelands but Ziel of the Dawnwing sect. Was that the symbol he wore on his grey cloak? She wondered what had happened to his sect, but remembering the state of his spirit, it would not have been anything good. And she would not ask.

  Ziel stood straight, and she saw him approach a basin at the lower part of the tree trunk. A clear tube slid out of the tree above the basin, and a drop of white liquid splashed onto it.

  "This is Ghostwater," Ziel explained, manipulating aura to lift the drop above his face. He faced Sadi and Whitehall. "Even Sages and Heralds will find it difficult to afford a single drop."

  Sadi watched Ziel's green eyes as he explained. They were sparkling as he though had just learned something he had always wanted to know like a hole inside of him had been filled.

  "Do what I did," Ziel continued. "And I would not waste your question on advancement. The Beast King and I can help you with that." He drank the drop of Ghostwater and sat on the ground in a cycling position. "At least I would," he added before closing his eyes and cycling.

  Sadi's gaze shifted back to the tree and stepped forward. "I'll go first," she said.

  "Go on," Whitehall said, his expression scrunched in thought.

  Sadi copied Ziel's action. She knelt and presented her Eye of the Deep to the tree, repeating Ziel's words. Northstrider's projection reappeared, repeating the previous words it said to Ziel. She waited impatiently for it to finish. She already knew what question she wanted to ask.

  "Ask..." The projection disappeared, and the voice finally echoed.

  "How do I create matter from light?" she asked.

  The tree glowed, and Sadi waited for the wave of light to wash over her. It took longer than previously, and Sadi grew nervous. Finally, light washed over her, but she was alarmed when she saw it was red. One word whispered in her mind as the light covered her body.

  Unable.

  Then, a new sentence spoke in her mind.

  Ask again...

  Sadi shifted as she knelt, disappointed that a Monarch's creation could not give her answers. She had not expected this outcome and was unprepared for a second question.

  "You could ask for all its information regarding light aura and madra," Whitehall suggested. "At least for ones you'll be able to handle."

  Sadi thought that was a good suggestion. If she knew how light works, she might eventually figure it out herself. But an annoyance prick at the back of her mind. Does she want to learn only what she can handle as a Highgold? Does she only want to learn about light madra and aura? Is she going to bottleneck herself due to fear of what she could not handle? She already knew the answer.

  "I want all your knowledge on Light," she declared.

  "That was not a good idea," she heard Ziel's voice echoing behind her.

  A few moments later, she understood why. Waves of blue-and-purple light washed over her one after another, and she clutched her head in pain. It was not physical or spiritual. Instead, it felt like her head was about to snap, unable to digest so much knowledge.

  "Ghostwater. Quick!" Ziel snapped at Whitehall.

  Whitehall sprung to action, running towards the basin of the tree. The transparent tube slid out, too slow for Whitehall's liking. Afraid of accidentally breaking it, he waited with his hands cupped underneath the tube. A drop of Ghostwater dripped gently into his hands, and he made his way to Sadi, who was clutching her head on the ground.

  Ziel stood beside Sadi's form, lifting the Ghostwater drop with aura. Sadi's jaw was clenched, so Ziel shoved the water through her nose.

  "Cycle it," Ziel raised his voice.

  "Cycle it!" Whitehall repeated, this time with a yell. "You need to cycle it!"

  It took only a moment for the true prize of the pocket world to take effect. Sadi's hands relaxed, and she opened her eyes. "I'm fine," she said, shaking her head gently as if she had water stuck in her ear. "That was just a lot."

  Ziel sighed. "On the contrary, I think that might've been a good idea after all."

  "How do you feel?" Whitehall asked.

  "Good," she replied, but her eyes were lost in thought. They widened after a moment. "Better, actually. That Ghostwater is amazing."

  "Ghostwater strengthened your mental power. Without it...," he paused and shrugged. "Your head would've exploded, I think."

  "Doesn't matter now," she waived a hand. Then she grabbed one of Whitehall's hands with both of hers; her smile was wide. "I know the key to my path. The tree filled me with countless findings from Sacred Artists on Light Paths. However, the key was actually in the findings by Scholars. But they were still missing a piece of key information. The knowledge that Sunda had filled me on." Her smile grew wider, and she actively cheered as she explained.

  "What's the key?" Whitehall asked, also feeling excited for her.

  "Ahem," Ziel coughed. "We are of limited time."

  Sadi let go of Whitehall and placed her hands behind her back, feeling a little embarrassed. "Of course," she muttered, her voice still sounding excited.

  Whitehall stepped forward to the tree, kneeling as he presented his Eye of the Deep. He placed the stone in the cage and watched as the projection of the Monarch gave his speech. His mind replayed at the other projection's words as he walked through the hall.

  The projection had said that he would be in debt to the Monarch, and Whitehall wanted to outright reject Ghostwater because of that. He would be in debt to the Monarch for his trash. He waited for the new projection to finish. If he is considered in debt to a Monarch, he might as well ask for the answer he sought.

  Ask... the whisper echoed.

  A flicker of hesitation flashed as he thought of asking the tree how to get home. But he remembered Sunda had already told him he would be able to one day when he left this world.

  "How do I kill the Dreadgods?" he asked.

  The world darkened, and Whitehall felt an invisible force clench his heart. He looked around and could only see darkness. Sadi and Ziel were nowhere to be found.

  Swear on your soul that you will never reveal the information to anyone who does not possess such knowledge.

  Whitehall felt his chest tightened. He had not sworn anything, but he knew that he would die if he did not swear.

  "I swear," he groaned. The grip loosened, and Whitehall went to his knees as he caught his breath. He felt the oath tightened, and he was not sure to whom he was making the oath. Northstrider would be his best guess.

  Blue-and-purple light washed over him, and he knew then why he was made to swear such an oath. He knew the Monarch were not good people, but only now had he learnt the extent of their heartlessness. They would let millions die to remain in Cradle.

  "Did the tree answer you," Ziel's voice came first.

  "Yes," Whitehall replied in between breaths. "But I was forced to swear an oath."

  "That's too bad," Ziel replied. "Always wanted to know myself too."

  Whitehall looked around, and found who he was searching for. Sadi was cycling behind him, clutching a dream tablet in her hands.

  "She was worried," Ziel said. "But it was either cycle or her head would pop."

  Whitehall nodded and saw the transparent tube retracting into the trunk. He made his way to the basin, eyeing the white drop inside. He slurped it, making sure he swallowed everything. He sat in a cycling position, and a few seconds later, his eyes widened. It felt like he had been blind his whole life, and only now did he finally see. He was able to dissect his poison madra into different parts. Parts where it would cause harm and parts where it would benefit.

  He tried to activate the enforcer technique he had learned from his dream tablet, and it came quickly. He found himself easily identifying and separating the makeups of different toxins, combining the effects he wanted, and cycling them through his body. Could he do it directly on his body instead of his madra? he wondered. He identified a point of light in his skull as the Ghostwater. But before he could continue analysing, the point winked out.

  "It will draw from your spirit to restore itself over time," Ziel said, knowing what Whitehall was thinking.

  A few moments later, Sadi opened her eyes. "I'm done," she said, then turned her gaze to Whitehall. "I'm glad you're okay. Did you get your answer?"

  Whitehall nodded, frowning. "They made me swear an oath not to reveal it."

  "That's never good," Sadi replied.

  Whitehall felt his oath tightening after Sadi's reply. He reasoned with it. How was he to tell how Sadi would find it? Technically, he had not revealed a single thing. The oath loosened.

  "Oath's tight," he explained, massaging his chest.

  Meatball flew in, carrying a ring of keys, which jingled as she flew. The ring was too big, so she held it with her beak and legs. She dropped them at the centre of the three. She laughed, "Look what I have found."

  Ziel bent down and picked up the keys, holding them before his eyes.

  "What are those?" Whitehall asked.

  "Void keys," Ziel answered.

  Whitehall and Sadi gawked.

  "What? How?" Sadi was first to exclaim. "I thought the Heralds would've raided them."

  "The keys were guarded by Overlord-level poison traps," Meatball said smugly. "But I am a Garuda of poison; it strengthened me."

  "Probably because they're the size of rice bowls," Ziel replied, tossing the keys to Sadi.

  Sadi caught them and activated one at random. Sure enough, the void key was smaller than her fists.

  "Thank you, Meatball," she ruffled the bird's back. "I really like it."

  "They're most likely failed ones," Ziel continued.

  Meatball stuck out her tongue. "Don't be a party pooper."

  Ziel raised an eyebrow at the insult but did not reply. "We should go," he said, pulling out a black key, his gate key. "Hold on to me."

  "Wait!" Meatball yelped. "What about me?" she gestured to the oracle tree, her expression covered in disappointment.

  Ziel eyed her disinterestedly. "You don't need one."

  Meatball's expression changed in a blink and shrugged. "Ehh, true," she replied.

  Once everyone had held on to Ziel, he activated the gatekey. One moment, they were standing before the oracle tree. The next, they were standing on grass, a familiar hum of a handpan coming from nearby.