Cold. And damp. That really cut at the heart of a New England Fall.

It was what Elizabeth Bell, often called Beth, was experiencing right now. She enjoyed taking walks in the small woodlot that was behind her family's home in up-state New York, getting a little sun and exercise. Even if the weather wasn't warm and wonderful.

Beth was looking around, ready to turn for home and jog back, when there was a snap. It was a strange sound, echoing out all around her, followed by the sky turning purple. She pinched her own arm, hard, hissing at the pain. Whatever was happening, it didn't appear to be a dream, though a purple sky was certainly unusual. It was accompanied by a great wind for just a second, a massive screaming gust that howled across the whole Earth.

{Welcome to the Path. Earth's introductory period has just begun. Congratulations on embarking on your new journey.}

Beth saw a message flash in front of her as she was hit directly by the wind and staggered back a step, almost falling as her left foot hit something. She looked back and down, seeing something glimmering, before reaching down and picking up a strange object. It was a large crystal, nearly as thick as her forearm and almost totally translucent. For some reason, as she held it in her hand, she had an overwhelming desire to press it to her head. It was crazy, and she wanted to pinch herself again, but she just couldn't resist, pressing the end against her forehead.

In an instant, everything changed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Beth wasn't sure if she awoke, or was just suddenly aware a second after teleporting, or even if she was now dead. That was cleared up rather quickly as she saw a long, dimly lit corridor stretched before her. As she was pondering what to do, a woman walked through her, right through her, Beth rapidly patting at her body to make sure nothing weird, or weirder than she thought, was happening. The woman who had walked through her had silver hair so reflective and bright it shone in the faded light of the hallway, while her eyes were a liquid gold. The woman was short, at least compared to Beth, who was just under six feet tall at seventeen years of age, but most women would be short in comparison.

Beth had nothing else to do and so, she followed the woman down the long hallway, hearing only one set of footsteps tapping as they walked. Beth wasn't sure if that damned crystal had killed her or if this was just some kind of strange vision, but she did notice that her movements weren't producing any sounds. She tried calling out to the woman in front of her, but nothing happened, no sound emerging from her mouth. Getting frustrated, Beth tried to speed up but found that she was no longer in control. When the woman had appeared, she was now bound to her, being forced to follow her down this never-ending hallway forever.

The hallway did have an end, it turned out, as the woman strode into a massive room with dozens of people working at desks. The others didn't notice the woman sweep through the room, and Beth thought maybe the woman was the ghost instead of her, but a man standing at the far end of the room acknowledged the woman, proving Beth wrong. He gave her a strange salute that the woman answered with a small, short nod, and then the man turned and opened the door behind him, leading the way down another, blessedly shorter, hallway.

"My lady, there has been no word of the urgent matter," he said quietly as they entered a small office.

The woman sat behind the desk before replying, "And we don't know where the destination was?"

"We suspect the City of Mended Dreams, but we haven't had a confirmed sighting," he replied quietly.

"I know she is an Ascended, Ronald, but she couldn't have just disappeared," the woman said calmly. "Devote more resources to this."

"Liveria, we can't-" he started when she interrupted.

"I'm not ordering this as a friend, Ronald. I'm ordering this be done as the sole survivor of the ruling house of Yenllewen, the last with a claim on this empire. If she is not found, far more is lost than you know. Refer to me in my official capacity. We are on duty," the woman, Liveria, reprimanded coldly.

"Apologies, Your Grace," Ronald said quietly, half-bowing to the woman.

"Now, what of the three new worlds that are to integrate in the next five centuries? Has the CRA sent any word on them?" she asked, moving beyond whatever strange topic they had been discussing.

"Yes, Your Grace," Ronald answered. "There is a world that is ninety-five percent oceans, which has a species present that appears to be a type of naga. Their civilizational level is quite low, however, so we don't expect too much. The second world has smaller oceans and is located closer to its primary star, giving it a desert climate. There is no dominate sapient species on the world, so that one will likely be up for grabs. The third and final world to integrate, according to the current calculations, has a fairly primitive human population. Likely the CRA will be busy with them for some time, though the integration will be centuries off."

"Make sure the clerks and Foreign Affairs file all the necessary paperwork for the desert world. Newly integrated worlds are rare these days; so many of them appearing in the last two millennia is a sign of changes on the wind. We need to strike while the iron is hot and secure some advantage."

"Yes, Your Grace," the man answered, bowing very slightly.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"What of the status of the project to level the new warrior cadre?" Liveria asked. "As I recall, there were complaints that they were not earning enough money from the kills they were getting during the leveling process."

"The complaints center around the decision to not allow them to harvest any other resources and sell them outside the training program," Ronald responded. "We've made adjustments to the program already to allow them to harvest the resources at their discretion and sell them through the program, retaining fifteen percent."

"Fifteen percent seems generous," Liveria said leadingly.

"It gives them a sense of reward and demonstrates a generosity on the administration's part they were not expecting. Morale has already significantly improved in the program and sign-ups have increased by almost five percent," Ronald replied calmly.

"I will go through the rest of the ledgers now. Make sure none disturb me," Liveria then said, dismissing the officious man.

"Right, Your Grace," Ronald said, giving the same strange salute before turning very precisely on his heel and walking out in measured steps, closing the door behind himself silently.

"Now, as for you, how long do you intend to hide?" Liveria demanded, staring right at Beth. The woman's eyes glowed like two spotlights shining amidst a dark night, the rest of the room fading into a dim obscurity as she pinned Beth with a glare. The very air trembled and solidified, as if Beth were stuck in a thick block of molasses and couldn't move to escape, not even to twitch a finger as a symbolic gesture of struggle.

Beth tried to reply, to do something, anything, but she was unable to respond. Liveria's gaze only intensified before suddenly cutting out, the room returning to normal. The woman then raised her right hand, palm up, and a massive webwork of strange symbols appeared above it, like ten different three-dimensional shapes made from the odd script were all interlocked together. She made a gesture, and the shapes all started rotating rapidly, the woman watching them a moment before suddenly flicking her wrist and throwing the whole mess at, and then into, Beth. Beth was still powerless to control her body or actions and could only watch on as the weird shapes slammed into her, though they didn't hurt at all or cause any sensation. She instinctively clutched at her abdomen, where the impact had happened, and then realized that she was able to move.

"That's better, though you still seem but a specter," Liveria said. "Child, come sit, and tell me how you entered here."

Beth moved, reveling in the ability to control her body again, walking over to the indicated chair and sitting where she was told. She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Liveria frowned at her a moment before repeating the same action as earlier, though this time creating an entirely different construct above her hand. This one she crushed down until it was no more than the size of a pill one might take for a headache before she flicked it at Beth again, this time many times faster than before. The 'pill' hit her directly in the chest and Beth felt a cool sensation wash over her, like she had just taken a very refreshing sip of a cold drink on a hot day.

"Now, try again, child," Liveria commanded.

"Right, uh, hello?" Beth tried, happy when her voice was heard.

"I would ask what you are doing here and how you came to be here but casting that second working has provided some enlightenment. This is but a memory, is it not?" Liveria asked.

"A memory? I'm not sure; one second, I was outside, and then the next I was here," Beth replied, frowning in confusion.

"Did you touch anything?" Liveria asked.

"Well, there was this odd crystal," Beth answered. "Maybe not the safest thing to touch, but I've seen, like, quartz before and such. I thought it was just a weird rock, but I had this overwhelming desire to put it to my head. It's crazy, I know, but, uh, I actually did it," Beth explained, frowning deeper as her own confusion grew.

"Then this is a fragment that isn't real," Liveria said with a sigh. "I should have suspected something when I detected a person I had never seen or felt before in the palace in my path. I do not want to admit it, but you must have found a memory crystal of mine."

"What is a memory crystal?" Beth asked.

"From an uninitiated world as well? This is going to be even more challenging than I thought," Liveria sighed again. "Let me explain very quickly, as I'm sure we don't have much time. Yes, this is real. Yes, I am, or was, a real person in your universe. Yes, magic and other mystical forces are real. No, you're not dead. No, you didn't steal anything or do anything wrong. Did I miss anything?"

"Uh, what a memory crystal is?" Beth replied in a questioning tone.

"Right, yes. What you picked up was a crystal containing someone's memories. In this case, mine. Your mind, body, and most particularly, soul, likely aren't strong enough to fully digest those memories. Accessing them will be spotty after this until you are stronger. Considering I know myself rather well, I suspect that not only did I leave you most of my memories, as well as another surprise, I left you the mana pattern necessary to access my legacy. Which, before you ask, is a special area I left that contains much of my personal wealth; crystals that contain skills and knowledge, and many useful items such as powerful weapons. If that was my only legacy crystal, that memory crystal you picked up, then you are basically my heir, now. I would only ask that you try to do your best with what I've left," Liveria said.

"Okay, that's not heavy at all," Beth said with a sigh. "Is there anything you want me to do, before whatever this is ends?"

"Well..." Liveria said, leaning back in her chair, her golden eyes seeming to pulse slowly. "I would say there is, but I'm afraid that you are far too weak to do it. This new reality you find yourself in is broken into levels, but you have a maximum level. At that level, or sometime before, you can undergo what we call a rebirth to increase your maximum level, though it resets you to level one. That reset does have some other perks, including retaining extra stats, making you stronger each time.

"Anyway, long story short, the problems I deal with are problems those of forty or fifty rebirths deal with, which is a height of power that will likely take you centuries to reach. If you do ever get to that height...find my legacy, take everything therein, and find someone who has conquered the Eternal Depths. I won't explain more than that; knowing too much at this point will only hurt you."

"That doesn't sound, uh, too hard, except for the whole taking hundreds of years thing, which is longer than I'll live, but sure," Beth said. "If I get some massive treasure by following your memories, I'll do it, and then I'll help you with whatever that Depths thing is."

"More than I can ask, being a spirit or just a memory at this point," Liveria muttered. "I doubt we have much time left, but do you have any other questions?"

"Assuming this is all real and not a dream, or a hallucination; what's the best way to level and get stronger?" Beth asked.

"Fight," Liveria declared firmly. "It will be useful to know how to fight other people, though that gives you little experience and almost no money. However, the universe is not a peaceful place, and you should understand how thinking beings fight, as compared to beasts. The Combat Ranking Association, just called the CRA, would be your best bet for that and many more things. They will likely establish branches on your world shortly. Beyond that...just fight, and fight, and fight. The more you fight, the more you learn, and the more power you will accrue. I can't really give you much better advice than that."

"Fight, fight, and fight some more. Got it," Beth said with a nod. "There's so much else I could ask, but I don't even know what I don't know..."

"Just try to survive, child," Liveria commanded. "Fight, grow stronger, and fulfill the hope I'm now placing in you."

"I can do that...hopefully," Beth said, grinning just a bit.

"I fear our time runs out," Liveria said as everything started to waver for a moment. "Quickly now, child, take my hand."

Liveria leaned forward across the desk, stretching her hand out to Beth. Beth reciprocated, leaning forward and clasping the vibrant, powerful woman's hand in her own. As their grasp became firm, the light that always boiled beneath the surface of Liveria's eyes, an inner light that could not be contained, exploded outward. Like a tidal wave crashing across the room, Beth could physically feel the power of the other woman slam into her, causing her breath to catch and her whole body to feel as if it were ablaze. A searing pain crawled up her arm, invading her chest and the rest of her body before striking her head, causing the room to disappear in a blinding explosion of pain.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.