The Abbey of Twilight was a vast complex, far larger than what one might expect until you entered within its high walls or traversed its expansive lower levels. It became clear to me how even a modest group of industrious monks could live sustainably with only minimal contact with the outside world. Multiple gardens, a Brewhouse, an Alchemist, a Bakery, multiple wells drawing from a fresh water river deep underground that emptied, via a small waterfall, out into the Orichalcum Ocean. The water smelled slightly of sulfur and minerals, Octave complained, but my companion’s enchanted goblet still allowed for it to convert to wine.

  I left Curmlough and Octave near one of the wells fighting over who was taking bigger sips to enter alone the crown jewel of the Abbey of Twilight-its central Church. It reminded me more of a shrunk down Cathedral in its design, but it had clearly been designed to fit within the confines of the Abbey proper by being as conservative as possible in terms of using space. I examined the artwork, much of it faded, but still possessing traces of its former glory depicting old stories and parables.

  Here upon this wall was Ara and Mir birthing the world, over there across the Nave was Sul’s tricking of Tek when the God of Thieves cut the Moon into multiple equal parts and reassembled them into two new equally sized Moons the same size as the original. Legend was this was why Aramyr had two twin Moons instead of one. Also according to the legend, Tek had not been able to figure out how Sul had accomplished this feat. Of course, Ord’s Ascension was drawn behind the central altar, where I now knelt as I considered how I should pray for the guidance I needed.

  I placed the corrupted Shard of Ara upon a well used red satin pillow I found within one of the pews. I gazed upon the small, grape sized shard for several minutes and didn’t speak. I looked for answers in its faded light. I listened for answers in my heart.

  It doesn’t look corrupted. Its light is dimmer, certainly, but it’s still there.

  I leaned forward and narrowed my gaze. A thought entered my mind. Could it be possible…”

  “Ara…are you in there somewhere? Can you hear me?”

  Gods, Kenric what are you doing?

  Had it been my imagination or had there been a momentary flicker from the shard? I slowly leaned back and looked up at the altar. It was spartan, but had been carved lovingly from a single piece of wood and burnished a deep, cherry color. There was nothing to distinguish it as an altar to any particular God, but I felt a sense of peace come over me as I beheld it. This was a blessed piece of Aramyr itself and as such, was sacred to all Gods. I folded my hands and prayed aloud.

  “Gods of Aramyr, attend your Prophet. I have followed the paths of Light and Shadow set before me, yet my decisions have been my own, guided by conscience. Now, I face a challenge more difficult than any other before it and I fear that if I am unsuccessful, it shall lead to the ruin of all things. Therefore, I submit myself to your guidance. Judge me fit or otherwise, I beg you! Tell me how I can defeat the Infernal who has corrupted this holy place, murdered innocent monks and now squats like one of Nephilim’s gargoyles at the bottom of a Dungeon as it prepares to unleash a Void Portal upon the world!

  A wide, rectangular red window rimmed in golden fire opened above the altar. I gazed up at in wonder and so missed the Shard of Ara pulse weakly in response to the Gods’ answer.

  You have been issued the following SPECIAL Quest!

  A Prophet may witness many different possibilities, but is ultimately beholden to nothing but the destiny they forge themselves. Life is Choice and Prophets facilitate Choice for the good or ill of others.

  Choice 1: Devote yourself to a single Deity and become their lone Prophet. You will lose Faction with all others, but gain +1000 Faction with your Chosen God. You will also receive a full Node refund for free. This will allow you to progress as far as Tier X and unlock the first level of Ascendant ranked spells before reaching Level 40. Appropriate Nodes must still be earned through Achievements and/or establishing multiple Wells of Faith.

  Choice 2: Continue to build up your Faction Web with all current Deities. You will begin a timer of 24 Hours to select your Foci at the end of which if a choice is not made, all Foci will be lost and the Prophet Class will be removed. New Class choices will be provided if necessary. A single use Blood Node, Sacrifice, will be provided for a fee of 1000 Faction from any available *source(s) you designate. This Blood Node will allow for a temporary upgrade of any Skill or Spell by allowing it to be used/cast at its highest attainable Tier.

  *Note: Deities from whom you pull Faction will penalize you with an unspecified amount of cooldown time during which regaining Faction will proceed at a slower pace than before. This debuff to Faction will not be permanent, but it is not recommended that one cast aside the favor of a God without some forethought.

  I reread each Choice twice and kept my hands folded to keep them from shaking. I tried reading between the lines. I was ‘listening’ to what the Gods were saying…and what they were not saying.

  We want you to choose one of us over all others, Kenric. That was one obvious message I easily picked up on. If you don’t choose to be our Prophet, we will find someone else, Kenric. That was another.

  “Great Gods of Aramyr, I thank you for your aid. I know what I must do.”

  I opened up the Faction Web Terminal and navigated to Sul’s Web. I had already revisited the idea of Cel’s Purify Mana, but there was another Tier II spell I could take a risk with as well. Yet, it was taking risks that defined Sul’s Domain of Luck best of all.

  Gambit (2 Active)

  Mana Cost: 222 Mana

  Duration: 5 seconds

  Description: Temporarily double your Luck attribute.

  Cool Down: 24 hours

  “It could work,” I whispered. I looked down at the Shard. “It has to.” He recalled the Lore associated with the spell. Again, his Fate Domain was a double edged sword.

  Lore: A spell that has the potential to change Fate, but is limited by the caster’s own Luck. The greater the Fate to change, the greater the Luck needed.

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  Advanced Lore: Both success and failure of this spell will result in Faction point changes.

  No matter the outcome, the Gods will judge.

  “So be it.” I said, my voice firm.

  I paid a Blue Node each for Gambit and then for Purify Mana. There was a single Green Node option after Purify Mana to increase the radius of the Purification area, which I ignored for now. Gambit had nothing succeeding it in the Tier II tree and so I had nothing to consider there either. I had, as of this moment, spent all my remaining Blue Nodes.

  Next, my Active Spells. Truthfully, this didn’t matter at the present moment. I wasn’t going into battle, per se, but I needed to free up 4 Active Slots for the two spell combination I had planned. Plus, who could say what spells I would have access to after what I was going to attempt? I removed Spoor Blast and Bane Strike to make room for Gambit and Purify Mana.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The most difficult part would be the timing. Gambit’s duration was only 5 seconds. A minuscule amount of time in which my Luck score would jump from 11 to 22. Then, I would be relying upon my Mark of Luck passive to grant me the extra edge as I attempted to purify the ambient mana surrounding the Shard of Ara. My gamble was that this would weaken the corruption enough that when I absorbed the Shard, it would be enough to activate Lore Sight without a mutation penalty.

  I only have one shot at this. The cool down on Gambit is a full day. If this works, I have one more choice to make before I enter the final dungeon.

  “May Sul’s Dice land in my favor,” I said and opened my eyes. I cast Gambit. Instantly, I was surrounded in a figure 8 loop of golden energy. It made my hair stand on end. I felt no pain, but felt electrified and uplifted by a whimsical feeling that swept through my body. I was within the larger loop, the shard in the smaller. I cast Purify Mana next. A greater ring, this one consisting of blue energy, filled the entirety of the Church and expanded outward to encompass much, but not all, of the Abbey grounds. I even felt it expand towards the Red Portal in the graveyard. There, the purifying energy was met by a malevolent force that pushed back against my spell.

  Something was happening to the Mana in the area. I could feel its hesitation, its repressed emotion. It had been muffled, smothered by the overwhelming energy of 3 separate Dungeon Cores operating within a short radius of one another. I could sense it now, a haze of Infernal Mana emanating from Hadaeon’s Descent mingled with the after burn smell of Shadowmurk. I tore apart that haze, dispersing it into nothing, remaking it into what it once was. Serenity. Meditative. Pure.

  I reached down and took the Shard of Ara into my hands, cupping it within my outstretched palms. There was resistance here too, yet I felt the grip of the Corruption loosen, if only a little. Now was my chance and I had no time to spare. I took a breath.

  Gambit ending in 2…1…

  I absorbed the Corrupted Shard of Ara and my vision went black.

  I was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Then…sound. War and agony. The screams of thousands upon thousands of deaths. My sight returned and I beheld a sky burning red with Infernal energies where golden warriors of Celestial Light battled to the death creatures spawned of nightmares. Burning Dracoliches swooped down from the sky to snatch up armor clad human knights and spear wielding Elves. Dread Sorcerers, their demonic countenances hidden beneath black cowls cast spells that shattered the lines of the mortals. Yet, Mages dressed in a variety of styles of robes, Human and Elf both, cast devastating magics that ripped apart Imps, Succubi, Gorgon and other unnameable horrors.

  Then, I saw the Priests. Specifically, the Fate Priests. Many had fallen, yet I saw several surrounding a golden armored warrior. This warrior stood at least twenty feet tall and wielded a sword larger than some towers. With each swing of this great blade, wickedness was cleaved into oblivion. The Fate Priests used their powers of Condemnation, Baptism and other spells I could scarcely believe mortals were able to cast send Infernals screaming back to Hell.

  This was Ara and his Priesthood.

  The Final Battle. My mind registered I beheld a vision of the past. The Shard of Ara was showing me what had once been in that long ago time. I saw other Gods too. Mir was a giant in chainmail that shone a silver bright enough to match her hair. Wherever her stern gaze passed, the dying rose again and demons turned to dust. Qas was a bronze armored juggernaut. I could not see his face, for it was obscured by a helmet the size and shape of a battering ram. The God of Builders rushed towards a great Demon Prince, laughing. The God’s powerful steps shook the world and he lunged forward to slam his armored head into the Demon Prince’s chest, shattering the Infernal armor as if it were the most fragile of glass.

  I saw silent Wik, a shadow clad Assassin, leaving death wherever he appeared. Cel, their face and body obscured by a voluminous blue robe, cast lightning down upon the Infernal casters wherever they were spotted. All of the Gods were present, even the four Elementals stood with linked hands, lending their energies against the Infernals wherever they were needed most. For a moment, I almost could believe the powers of Aramyr would succeed. Then it happened.

  A dark, shadowy mass manifested above Ara. I wanted to cry out a warning. I didn’t want to see this happen, but had no choice. I wasn’t allowed to look away. The Void descended upon Ara and I saw the Golden Warrior go rigid. Something cold slammed into me. I was under assault as well!

  The corruption within the Shard of Ara was attempting to mutate me. I could feel it worming its way through me, trying to reach my Mana Core. Likewise, I saw Ara struggle under the assault. His Fate Priests watched in horror as cracks appeared in the golden armor. I saw Mir’s eyes widen and her mouth opened in a scream that caused a Burning Dracolich to drop dead to the earth below. I tried to scream as well, but I had no air in my lungs. The corruption was suffocating me. I was being changed. I was going to fall as Ara had…NO!

  I refuse! Do you hear me? I REFUSE!

  I reached out a hand towards Ara and as his body burst into flame and pieces of the God shot out across the face of Aramyr, I felt a pressure in my chest when one of those pieces flew directly into and then through me.

  WARNING! You are attempting to absorb a Void Corrupted [Shard of Ara]. Chances of Mutation Success are…calculating…38%! Do you wish to proceed? Yes/No?

  There is no going back! May the Gods be with me!

  I selected Yes and the images of the past vanished in an instant. I was back kneeling before the altar. My lungs were afire and I let out the breath I had been holding for what seemed forever. Then…

  You have successfully absorbed a Shard of Ara!

  Lore Sight, Tier VII has been activated!

  There were other notifications as well, but I ignored them for now.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, tears in my eyes. I had done it! Gambit was now on cool down for a full day and Purify Mana was on cool down for a solid week. It had been worth it. I felt restored. I looked at the Gloves of the Purgos Mystic with Lore Sight.

  Gloves of the Purgos Mystic

  Grade: C (Rare)

  Item Level: 16

  Protection Type: Light

  Quality: Excellent

  Primaries: +7 Wisdom, +7 Charisma

  Secondaries: 10% Resistance to Acid, Fire, Cold, Lightning, Holy, Shadow, Water, Earth and Eldritch energies. -10% Resistance to Void energies.

  Special Ability: Self-Repair

  Lore: This robe is 1 of 5 pieces of the Purgos Mystic Set. Equipping additional pieces will unlock greater Primary and Secondary benefits.

  Advanced Lore: The Purgos Mystics who once wandered Aramyr in the days before and during the rise of the Great Evil and the Coming of Ord wore these magical robes woven from pure nanite threads.

  I also checked the cloak I had acquired from the Planar Frog drop.

  Cloak of the Wild Hunt

  Grade: C

  Class: Any

  Level: 16

  Quality: Rare

  Durability: 50 of 50

  Primaries: +15 Dex

  Secondaries: +15% to all Stealth Techniques

  Lore: This cloak is woven from the skin of the Skulltap Wombat of the South Island Archipelago.

  Advanced Lore: Elite Rangers of the Cult of Aqa are known to covet these cloaks and may be willing to trade a wife or husband for one.

  Ah, Lore Sight. Never leave me again.

  I was used to seeing strange lore pop up from time to time, but chuckled nonetheless over my cloak’s additional lore. Whomever these Rangers of Aqa were, they needed to get their priorities straight.

  I stood and stretched. I had heard the telltale Ding that signified I had leveled up, but I wanted to gather Octave and Curmlough before I checked my notifications and did my final preparations. It might be the last time I ever did so and I wanted to make a few contingencies should the worst come to pass.

  Before I left the Church, I turned one last time and reached out to place a hand upon the wooden altar. It felt warm to the touch. Purifying the mana of the area had done more than I could have hoped for. The Gods were reaching out their hands to the Abbey of Twilight once more and I wanted to keep it that way.

  I had gained, but had lost too. I sensed the Faction changes and would address them soon. I would also make my final choice about whether to honor one God or them all. Either way, there would be a price to pay. I would pay it. I had sworn it to myself, to Goodlabor and to the Gods. I would see this challenge through to the end or this second life would be over. I doubted there would be a third.

  I found Octave and Curmlough both leaning up their backs against the well, an empty well bucket beside them and the Goblet of Sweet Dreams lying empty between them. They both snored contentedly and I grinned to see them both taking a rest together.

  Let them be. We have some time. I will rest myself…right after I check my notifications…oh my!

  I looked over my Faction changes, the first notification I opened. It was not what I expected.