Chương 18: 018

My first impression of Nexus? Painful. To be fair, that probably had something to do with the stone floor I landed on, face-first. A lush red carpet lay less than two inches from my cheek, its deep crimson threads embroidered with intricate gold vines. Beautiful. Plush. Entirely wasted on me. Of course I hadn't landed on the comfortable part. That would've required luck. Groaning, I pushed myself upright and rubbed my face, setting aside my complaints long enough to take stock. The stab wound was gone.

No lingering ache, no tight pull beneath the skin. The blood-soaked coat I'd been wearing before was missing as well, replaced by a plain tunic and trousers made of rough but durable fabric. A heavy cloak rested over both, and when I tugged the hood forward, the inside scraped against my scalp. Or more accurately, it scraped against the two new ears perched atop my head. Beastfolk. Right. Sliding a hand beneath the hood, I combed my fingers through my hair and froze when I brushed against something soft and round.

Fluffy. The ears twitched at the contact. I'd need a mirror to tell what animal they belonged to, but the shape felt… familiar. Close enough to recognize, but just different enough I couldn't place it. Whatever. I'd deal with it later. I reached inward, along the familiar bond, and sent out a quiet call. Karma? Nothing answered. A spike of unease slid down my spine. I shook it off. She'd warned me she'd need time to recover. No reason to panic. Still… Where exactly was Time?

The hall stretched wide and long, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into shadow. Knights and servants moved through the space with practiced efficiency, but aside from them, it felt empty, too empty. The openness set my nerves on edge. Old instincts hissed. Exposure crawled over my skin like ants. I edged backward, easing into the shadows along the wall. The tension eased slightly once the darkness wrapped around me. Okay. So Time was… late? There was a world of irony in that.

Or he's fucking with you, the pessimistic voice whispered. Setting you up to fail. I shoved the thought back where it belonged. Yes, because he'd absolutely risk the fate of an entire world–and his wife–just to mess with me. Get a grip, Nik. He's probably busy or getting the rundown from Karma. You don't need your hand held, act like it. Breathing out slowly, I took in the hall more carefully. The red carpet covered most of the floor, leaving narrow strips of exposed stone between its edges and the walls.

Naturally, I'd landed on one of those bare patches, right between two suits of armor stationed along the corridor. Their polished metal gleamed in the light streaming from tall windows. Too polished. Too perfect. I stared harder. I could've sworn one of them moved. My muscles locked as I waited, eyes fixed on the armor's visor. Nothing happened. Instead, a translucent menu snapped into existence, and I nearly jumped out of my skin before memory caught up with me. Right. Video game rules. Fantastic.

I exhaled and glanced at the interface. Jeremy Level 10 Hit Points: 100/100 Mana: 180/180 Status: Healthy So those weren't decorative suits of armor. They were guards. None of them looked at me. Not a flicker of movement, not a tilt of the helmet, despite my less-than-graceful arrival. They stared straight ahead, utterly still. Like they weren't even breathing. A chill crept in. Impossible. Don't wind yourself up over nothing. You're here for a reason and it isn't to panic.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. That thought anchored me. Right. Job to do. Find the catalyst for the coming apocalypse. Stop it before it gained momentum. Easy. Karma had mentioned ruin, death, famine. Disease, maybe? … but if that were the case, there should've been signs. I studied the servants passing through the hall more closely. A human woman walked by, her skin clear, her cheeks flushed with health. Others looked much the same.

If illness was the trigger, either it hadn't begun yet, or it was something far worse. Something silent until it was too late. I eased back against the wall and stood slowly, watching the guards as I did. They didn't react. Didn't even glance my way. Lifting a hand, I frowned at the clearly visible palm. Not invisible then… Slowly, I stepped out, just in the corner of one of their eyesights. They didn't twitch, stared still locked ahead. As if I didn't even exist. Is now the time to try and unravel this?

You're undetectable, probably something Karma did on purpose. Ask Time about it later and get moving. That wrongness clawed at my nerves, but I shook it off, focus sharpening. They'd said their only lead was a journal. Maybe I could find it here, before it was destroyed. A journal I don't know the contents of, the author, or even what the cover looked like. Should be easy enough to find… I bit back a groan. This was going to be so much fun. Keeping to the shadows, I slipped into the next room. Then the next.

And the next. Each was a carbon copy of the last. A massive bed on one side, a dresser and wardrobe on the other. A thick circle carpet covered the center, and aside from that, nothing. Easing the latest door shut, I scowled. If not for the shifting artwork on the walls, I'd assume I was in some kind of twilight zone loop. Who designed this place? The bastard responsible for the minotaur's labyrinth? I turned another corner, only to freeze, all but throwing myself back against the wall.

Voices drifted from ahead, sharp and frantic. A man in a regal fur-lined cloak whipped around the corner, his presence commanding the space. Those flanking him struggled to keep up.

"Search the entire castle," he barked.

"Leave no room unchecked. The otherworlder couldn't have gone far from the summoning site. We don't have long, the army will be at our doorstep soon." Army? Unease writhed, twisting like a snake in a snare. Karma didn't mention dropping me into a war…

"Time and I have been so focused on the looming apocalypse that we haven't paid much attention to mortal affairs. Anything I know would be decades out of date." … Right. Fuck. First on the list of 'possible catalysts to the apocalypse'? A war. For my sake, I hoped that wasn't the case. I couldn't very well stop that… The attendants, a rabbit beastfolk and a bat beastfolk, judging by the leathery wings folded behind him, scattered at once. Left alone, the man dragged both hands down his face.

Everything about him screamed royalty. The finely tailored garments. The sharp lines of his features. The crown resting atop neatly combed, graying hair. His jaw bore a shadow of stubble, well-kept but deliberate. When piercing blue eyes swept the room, and landed directly on my hiding place, he relaxed. A smile spread across his face.

"Ah," he said pleasantly.

"There's our dimension-crossing savior now." My stomach dropped. He could see me. As if to prove it, he stepped toward me, hand outstretched. Every hair on my neck rose. When he came within reach, I slid sideways, keeping space between us, and plastered on a polite smile. So much for invisibility…

"There's a lot to unpack there," I said carefully, tone neutral.

"What do you mean by dimension-crossing savior?" Only Karma and Time should've known I was here. How did he-? He stopped, smile never wavering.

"My apologies. I'm getting ahead of myself." He inclined his head.

"Silas Waterglade, King of Nexus. I summoned you from your world to help us fight a great evil." I barely suppressed a scoff. He didn't bring me here, Karma did. … Which he would have no way of knowing. He believed he'd brought me here, and considering I was hunting the catalyst of an apocalypse, that misconception might matter. A lot. Had he accidentally summoned something catastrophic? Or was this 'great evil' the very beginning of the end? Possibilities piled up until my head throbbed.

I resisted the urge to rub my temples. Karma said Time would arrive soon. Until then, I needed information. Better to meet him with something useful than nothing at all. I shoved my doubts into a dark corner of my mind and focused on Silas. It was time to start asking questions.