It struck Alex that he might have messed up. Meiderly had never said he was well regarded within the Empty Court. The eyeless man hadn''t really seemed like a particrly friendly individual. It was a bit toote to worry about that now. Meiderly''s name was the only thing that had given Zeal a moment of pause, and Alex needed every advantage he could get.


    "Yes. I met Meiderly, and he told me about the Empty Court," Alex said, readying his magic as he searched for an opening. Even though Zeal was holding him by the shoulders, the massive ink dragon was… somewhere. It was invisible, so Alex had no idea where it lurked, but he wouldn''t be able tond a blow until he knew where.


    Zealpletely eclipsed him and ire in strength. There was absolutely no way they could realistically win a fight against the man. It had taken everything Alex had to leave just a single small scratch on Zeal''s arm — and the old man hadn''t even noticed that.


    That only pushed Alex''s desire to find a way forward to grow even more. He refused to let himself fall without a fight, no matter who he was up against.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Death might be nearly inevitable in the Mirronds, but I''ll be damned if I go down like a wuss.


    But Zeal didn''t attack Alex. The old man''s gaze bore into his head as if he were trying to burn a hole straight through his skull.


    "Describe him," Zeal said. There was something more than an order in his voice, something that almost — but not quite — bordered on hope. "If you tell the truth, then tell me about him."


    "He didn''t have any eyes," Alex replied, thinking back to his meeting with the strange man. "And Meiderly wasn''t all that thrilled about meeting me. He was kind of a sarcastic dick for the majority of our conversation."


    "I''ll be," Zeal murmured, releasing Alex and taking a step back as he shook his head in disbelief. "There''s no mistaking it. You have met him… and he liked you."


    "How can you tell that?" ire asked.


    Alex shot a re at her.


    Not the time, ire. Whose side are you on?


    "He left the boy alive," Zeal replied, but it was clear that his mind was only partially there. His thoughts had drifted into the past.  "Meiderly doesn''t leave anyone he dislikes alive — not after they''ve seen his face. I knew he still lived. Where did you meet him?"


    "He was my System guide."


    "A fragment of his soul? He must have owed a favor," Zeal murmured, a frown crossing over his lips. He ran a hand down his long beard. "For eons, we have heard nothing from Meiderly. Some of the Empty Court believed him to be dead. But this is proof. He still lives… and he chose to make himself known to you. He saw something."


    I''m pretty sure that he just decided I was interesting because I managed to mistakenly break the System and miss my entire ss Tutorial and all the information I was supposed to have gotten.


    "It would be a shame if you went against all his efforts helping Alex out by trying to kill us now," ire observed casually. "Especially considering your stage is way higher than ours. Kind of an unfair fight, really. Like kicking cute animals off the edge of a cliff."


    "Likening yourself to a cute animal is arrogant," Zeal said through a snort. He chewed on the insides of his cheeks. "But I did not expect you to be so… fresh. There is no honor in defeating one that cannot even scratch you."


    Alex coughed. He couldn''t help himself.


    "Technically speaking, I did scratch you." His eyes flicked to the tiny cut on Zeal''s arm. The older man''s gaze followed his.


    Zeal blinked in surprise. He touched the tiny wound, then looked down at the speck of blood smeared across his fingertip. "So you did. I have spent so much time within the Cracked Steps that I did not realize just how great the suppression had be. My body has grown soft, but managing tond a blow on me at your stage… that is impressive."


    Alex and ire exchanged a nce. The way Zeal spoke about the Cracked Steps was really implying that this was more than just any mere dungeon.


    The old man''s hands blurred. Alex tensed, but he didn''t even have time to react as a p rang out. Power rushed past his ears as color exploded out from Zeal''s palms and the world was returned to its proper shades.


    He blinked furiously to re-adjust himself to the vibrant swirls of energy that lit the Mirronds all around them. Alex fought down surprise that welled within him.


    He''s not going to fight us?


    "For what purpose did youe here?" Zeal asked, lowering himself back onto his carpet and returning to his seated position. "The Cracked Steps are too powerful for you at this stage. How did you enter?"


    "We thought this was just a normal dungeon," ire said. "We just walked through a portal."


    "That does not make sense," Zeal said with a shake of his head. "The Cracked Steps span through every world, but you would not have been able to enter this location unless you had an artifact to pry open the pathway. You are iming to have just found a portal to this realm lying in wait?"


    "Yes. That''s the truth," Alex said. "We just found a portal and walked through it."


    "That should not have been possible. The barrier between nes resists the presence of the Cracked Steps. Portals to this location cannot open under their own strength."


    "Why would we lie about that?" ire asked. "It doesn''t really get us anything."


    "I am aware. But, regardless of the manner in which you arrived here, you will not be able to go any further. You cannot ascend the Cracked Steps without defeating the one you meet, and I will not allow my ascent to be halted."


    "What are the Cracked Steps, exactly?" Alex asked. "Is it not just some kind of big dungeon?"


    Augh slipped from Zeal''s lips. "No. They are a pathway to the heavens. Or at least, they were. Now, they have fallen into the gaps in the universe and wind endlessly toward a goal that none have achieved. The Cracked Steps are a call to those who seek to refine their power through battle with like-minded individuals."


    "So it''s a dungeon that poptes it with other people instead of monsters," ire said.


    Zeal''s smile fell away. "That would be no different from any dungeon. They are all popted by those who resided on fallen worlds. The Steps are far more than a dungeon, but only one who walks them can trulyprehend their enormity. They are a path to enlightenment — or death. Whicheveres first."


    Dungeons are filled with things that died on other worlds? That''s… kind of dark. I suppose it makes sense in a twisted way. The System recycles all the materials from worlds that somehow get destroyed and puts them toward other ones.


    "So that''s why you''re here?" ire asked, clearly trying to fish for more information. "You''re trying to get past the Adept Stage?"


    Zeal let out a burst ofughter. "I am not an Adept. It has been a long time since I have been an Adept, but once you have walked the Cracked Steps for long enough, they enable you to focus your efforts on where youck most. I have repressed my power to train it. An Adept would not have a domain as full as mine, but that should not be surprising. Outworlders verymonly follow this practice in order to visit young realms. How fresh are you?"


    Alex and ire exchanged another nce. They''d been doing a lot of that as ofte.


    "My world got pulled into the Apocalypse a few days ago," Alex said.


    Zeal''s amusement fell away in an instant. He stared at Alex for several long seconds. "Days?"


    "Yeah."


    "The Cracked Realm is present within your world just mere days after its Initialization?" Zeal demanded. "I see why Meiderly was interested in you. Something is deeply wrong with your for such a thing to be possible. The Steps should not have found a barrier in space weak enough to take form for months at the minimum."


    Okay. Technically, we came here through the Mirronds, but its sounding like you can get to these Steps from normal worlds, so it might not be a good idea to reveal that we found a way in through them.


    "Yeah, things have been a bit messed up. But… could you borate on the Outworlders bit?" ire asked casually. "Just what kind of restrictions does that put on you?"


    "I am not foolish enough to miss the nature of your question. This is unrted to our conversation."


    "Don''t you feel a bit bad for trying to kill us? You didn''t even check to see if we had domains before you attacked. Is bullying children what you want to be known for?"


    Zeal squinted at her. "You — bah. The restrictions on Outworlders are not always the same, but their nature is. The System demands a fair fight. Worlds that are newly Initialized would be crushed by existing families within moments if there was not a power in ce to restrain them. All that enter a fresh world must lower their strength. Those who are weak will destroy their Mind Pce and rip their levels apart to start anew with nothing but knowledge. The stronger will bind themselves and limit the strength they can ess."


    "But doesn''t that still leave them with a massive advantage?" ire pressed shamelessly. "Even if they bring themselves down to the level normal people start at, they know what they have to do, and have a ton of other advantages."


    "Of course. But for every advantage Outworlders bring, the System weights the favor farther for a world''s natives. That is why they are so careful. If they send powerful artifacts onto the world, the energy from those artifacts will draw an opposite reaction that grants a trial to Natives to grow even stronger. The more powerful Outworlders arrive on a, the more powerful that''s rewards for the Natives grow."


    "Wait," Alex said. "You mean that having a bunch of Outworlders show up on a world is a good thing for the Natives?"


    "It means the world has something that they very badly wish to possess," Zeal said with a nod. "Generally, families do not all send representatives to new worlds. The likelihood of that creating an immensely powerful cultivator that is unaligned with them is too high. But when there is something powerful enough to make the families ignore that risk… they can be blind to the threat. The families will arrive at a new world en masse, and that world bes a battleground for power throughout the universe around it."


    Alex swallowed. He didn''t think Zeal had any idea just how many questions he''d just answered.


    So Earth had something that all these Outworlder families want, and it''s causing the potential power I can earn as a native to massively increase… but only if I can steal the thing that they''re all after.


    "Do you have any idea what kind of thing could cause that much interest?" Alex asked.


    A rumble shook the tform beneath his feet. Alex jumped, nearly losing his footing, and barely managed to stabilize himself before he could trip.


    Out of the corner of Alex''s eye, he saw a flicker of energy from the portal that ire had spotted when they''d first arrived. She''d been right. It looked down upon the Disruptor from above.


    "What was that?" ire asked, her eyes darting around.


    "A challenger approaches," Zeal replied. "And they have good timing. I do not me you for seeking knowledge, but you will not survive if you remain in this location for any longer. Count yourself lucky that Meiderly''s power brought us together. Do not return to the Cracked Steps until you have gotten far more powerful."


    Another rumble tore through the tform, this one stronger than thest. Crackles of energy arced through the air overhead as a portal started to form above them. Waves of power rolled out from within it with enough force to threaten to suffocate Alex.


    Whatever wasing, it was powerful.


    "Thanks for the information!" Alex yelled as he and ire raced for the roots and the tform below.


    "I suspect we will meet again. Seek the Empty Court — and remember one thing. Poweres not to the conquerors, but to those who have something to protect."


    An earsplitting shriek tore free from the massive portal. Enormous ck ws pierced free from the nebulous energy, each one the length of a telephone pole.


    Alex and ire practically flung themselves down the roots,nding on the bottom tform with two thuds. Waves of magic poured into the air behind them.


    Energy bit at Alex''s back as they sprinted for the portal, grabbing each other''s hands as they flung themselves into the twisting green disk. As they flew through the air toward it, Alex craned his neck back to take onest look at the Cracked Steps.


    Zeal stood proud upon his tform, his worn robes and long beard rippling around him as power poured off his body. He held his brush before him in a casual pose, as if sizing up a canvas to determine where to paint the first stroke.


    "Soul Manifestation," Zeal intoned. Each word drove into the world like a physical blow, and Alex realized just how much Zeal had been holding back against them. For an instant, the elderly man nced over to Alex. A grin yed across his lips. He swept his brush down.


    "A Dream of Light."


    The world vanished in an explosion of white.


    Alex and ire hit the portal even as it turned pale, and then they were gone.


    But as the portal ferried them back to the Mirronds, Zeal''s words rang in Alex''s head. They had been more than just a mere philosophical statement. He was certain of it.


    Something to protect that the Outworlders want, huh?


    It sounds like I need to get my hands on that Town Token even more than I initially thought.