Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Once Again, To The Fire (Part 1)
[The pitiful Master of Shadows has decided to give you a second chance at life, Julian Winters. But for two lives to be dug from the grave, many will suffer…
…that is the punishment that has been imposed upon you for failing the penalty.]
Julian stared blankly at the message floating in front of him. The messages that would usually just enter his mind, not registering at all.
"Huh…?" He touched his head. He might not be clear about a lot of things now, but he was sure his head was crushed, and his limbs were torn apart into pieces. But there were no pieces of him anywhere else at all…
And even the crawlers were gone, leaving only an eerie silence behind.
"...What?" Julian whispered as he ran his hand over his scalp, half-expecting to find a large dent or even a hint of blood. But there was nothing. No pain, no crushing sensation. Only the echo of the monsters' laughter still lingered in his mind… like some cruel joke.
The only thing that was in pieces right now was his mind. Was it real? Had he really been killed? Or… perhaps it was just another part of the trial?
"Uh…" Julian sat on the dark, cold ground, waiting for some sort of punchline to reveal itself. But nothing came. Just the oppressive silence and the message still hovering in his vision—and finally, it started to register in his mind.
"...A second chance at life?" Julian muttered, "Does that mean I actually… died? What does—"
[You have failed the penalty, Julian Winters. The class, Radiant Blacksmith or any other class, will no longer be available to you. Your path to becoming the Shadow Blacksmith has been cemented.]
"I never would have won that..." Julian sighed in frustration, "...this whole thing's... rigged."
And before Julian could express all of his thoughts, a familiar door suddenly materialized in front of him—the very same one he had walked through to enter the Mana Chamber. And soon, the dark atmosphere around him began to recede, replaced by the brightness of the door, as if urging him to move forward… or telling him he was overstaying his welcome.
"...I really should ask MEGAN to research more about this entire thing," Julian wondered aloud, still struggling to piece everything together. But after a few more seconds of trying to think about it, he just slowly rose to his feet and let out a long sigh.
There was no use thinking about this now—and so, without any further thought, Julian walked through the door.
"Ugh…" The light from the Tower of Mana burst into his vision as Julian emerged from the Mana Chamber. The vibrant colors, the bustling energy—it all seemed so out of place compared to the darkness he had just escaped from.
But of course, that bustling energy was completely replaced by the people, most of them groveling or lamenting their lack of mana, their voices blending into a low hum of despair.
"And so, Julian Winters?"
"Hm…?" And of course, Jacob's monotonous voice pulled him back to reality.
"What class did you pick?" And Edward chimed in almost simultaneously.
The twins stood in front of him, their expressions as neutral and emotionless as ever, but their questions came in rapid fire, as if they had been waiting eagerly for his answer.
"A class…?" Julian's gaze dropped to the floor, his mind still reeling from the experience.
"I… think I failed the trial," Julian replied, still slightly confused, "The [Guidance of Artemis] asked me to choose, but—"
"Oh, that is alright," Jacob cut him off before he could finish—a little hint of emotion escaping his tone.
"It happens to most of us. Not us, though. We are lucky," Edward added, almost in sync with his brother, "My brother is a Battlemonk, and I am a Ninja."
"It just means your body wasn't compatible," Jacob said matter-of-factly, "You do not have to be so jealous."
"I'm really not jealous. Something happened there that—" Julian tried to explain, but once again, the twins interrupted him.
"You don't need to worry," Edward said, a small smile creeping onto his face, "you're already stronger than most newbies. I have never seen someone dispatch someone who is almost 10 levels above."
"We have no doubt you'll do well."
"But of course, your end game will be limited," Jacob chimed in as he raised a finger.
"He doesn't need to know that." Edward sighed, "But it is a shame."
"Such a shame," Edward finished, shaking his head as if Julian had somehow missed out on something grand—well, he most probably did.
Julian still wanted to say something, to ask more questions, but the twins' constant interruptions, that might be impossible—and so, he just opted to say one thing that might get their attention instead.
"I died in there," Julian said suddenly, pointing at the Mana Chamber behind him, "And... has there been any record of someone dying on Earth when their clone died?"
"Die...?" The twins exchanged a glance, their expressions unchanged, and then, almost in unison, they let out a quiet chuckle. "That is most likely just a part of the trial to confuse you, Julian Winters. That sounds too ominous for Artemis, she's not like that. She's a guide; hence, the guidance of Artemis."
"No one dies in the Mana Chamber, pft," Edward said, covering his mouth with his hand as if to stifle his laughter—his eyes, however, were still blank, "And no one dies on Earth, no one would be buying Otherworld if that was the case."
"The mana chamber is similar to the LinkGear in this instance—it transfers your mind, or in this case, your soul. There's nothing physical happening inside," Jacob added while nodding his head.
"Nothing... physical?" Julian held his head again. Everything felt physical enough.
"It's alright to be a little shaken up since you do not have mana, or a class for that matter, Julian Winters," Edward also started nodding. "After all, you did pay a lot of money for this."
They… don't know? Julian thought to himself. If so, then it was best to truly stay quiet about this, at least for now.
The Master of Shadows did say it was unique to him. Or is it all truly just part of the trial for the Shadow Blacksmith quest?
"...Guidance." His status once again appeared in front of him, and true enough, the Mana Evaluation quest was no longer present... but the Master of Shadows quest was still there.
If all that happened inside the chamber was real, then... wasn't that dangerous? But at the same time…
…isn't it also actually quite exciting?
"Hm…" And for the first time in a long while, Julian felt a flicker of excitement in his chest for something other than hammering his time away.
"So...where do we go now?" Julian asked, his voice more grounded than before.
"We are going home." Edward shrugged, "As for you—"
"Anywhere you want to, Julian Winters," Jacob answered.
"You're free to go wherever you want now. But just remember…" Edward's voice lowered as he and his brother leaned in closer to Julian, "This is not your world. It might seem like a game."
"It may act like a game," Jacob added, his tone cold.
"But it's not. The things you do here have real-life consequences for the people who live here."
"We are intruders, invaders," Edward said quietly.
"And you, Julian Winters, have already killed some of them," Jacob finished, his voice barely above a whisper.
"And You will probably kill more. But don't worry—the laws of our world don't apply here. Most think Otherworld is expensive, but it's not. Not at all. After all…" Edward's voice trailed off as he looked Julian straight in the eyes.
"…you are paying to do things you'll never be able to do back on Earth."
"Good luck, Julian Winters."
With that, the twins straightened up and gave him a small nod before turning and walking away, leaving Julian just standing there.
And as he watched as the twins walked away, their words lingered in the air.
This is not your world. The words echoed in his mind. Of course, he had known that from the start, but hearing it laid out so bluntly made him feel… something. What, he doesn't exactly know yet.
"I'll… remember that." Julian murmured to himself as he followed the twins out of the Tower of Mana.
The twins did not really say anything else and just left him unceremoniously as soon as they stepped out, saying they needed to let their clones rest. They had suggested that he do the same.
But of course, Julian wasn't quite ready to rest yet. His body was tired, sure, but his mind was racing, filled with thoughts of everything that had happened—the Order of Artemis, Marcus's death, and whatever had just transpired inside the Mana Chamber.
All of that happening in just the span of a single day, not even—He needed something to ground himself. Something… familiar.
And, of course… it could really only be one thing.
"I'll just make one blade," Julian whispered, his voice barely audible to the passersby in the busy street. "Just one blade, MEGAN, and I'll go… home."
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