Beth's eyes widened and she just stopped herself from cursing. Thankfully, her reaction was basically exactly what the others expected, so it didn't come off as strange that she was so surprised. She took a moment to get herself back under control before asking, "Is it possible that we could see the book?"

"As the winner, you will not only be able to see and use it, you could consider it the ultimate prize. Provided, of course, that you are able to bear that responsibility," he explained.

"I'd like to look it over first, at least," Beth said.

"We are certainly more than willing," he said. "But, we should finish going over the details first."

"Sounds good," Beth said, gesturing for him to continue. It was a little weird, the man very likely being an Ascended, but he didn't mind being deferential to her. Whether it was because of their impressive win, Mortaine's backing, or their interest in taking on this burden, she wasn't sure.

"We suspect that the venerable lady was trapped in a spatial rift that formed near the center of the galaxy," Geoffrey explained. "Over the past five hundred years, there have been quite a few unexplained disappearances in that area. Joanna's is the most notable, though there are several suspected disappearances in that area of similar magnitude. It's also worth noting, one of the last times Liveria was ever seen alive was near the center of the galaxy.

"Several of these prominent disappearances were Ascended, and that's what we want to focus on. We believe there's something going on, based on several clues that have been gathered over the last century and some of what we've gleaned from the book. We have a list of seventeen Ascended that disappeared in ways that can't really be explained, though we're not holding out much hope that many, if any, of them are still alive. We have all but confirmed from the use of powerful skills, artifacts, and spells that seven of them are well and truly dead."

He gestured at the wallscreen, and a list appeared there after his helper tapped at the computer for a moment. Beth noted that there were two columns, with the list of seventeen names, including Joanna's name, on the left, while on the right was a list of names in blue and green. Geoffrey continued, "You can see the lists here. The list on the left is our seventeen missing Ascended, none of whom, apart from Joanna, have been heard from in any way. On the right is a list we compiled of people who went missing in the center of the galaxy but either reappeared elsewhere or were confirmed dead in some other place."

Beth examined the second list, noting the dark blue names were the people who died or had their bodies recovered somewhere else, while the green names were those who were still alive after having reappeared. Beth didn't recognize any of the names on either list apart from Joanna and Liveria's, though she knew Liveria had been missing for some time. "I see Liveria's name is on the second list?"

"That's right," Geoffrey nodded. "She disappeared for a few years, only a decade, in the center of the galaxy. She was then sighted several times in places outside the center before disappearing again, this time for good, apparently. There are a number of others that appeared elsewhere after being gone for years, decades at a time, in the center of the galaxy."

"I suppose that begs the question, what is special about the center of the galaxy?" Beth asked.

"Many galaxies have greater power, and greater danger, concentrated in their centers. You'll find more Ascended concentrated there than any other place in the galaxy, as well as more commerce than any other place. It's not a great surprise that so many Ascended, and their disappearances, are concentrated there. The Milky Way itself is even more fraught with danger than many other galaxies," he explained.

"And why's that?" Beth asked, sharing a glance with Blood.

"It's unknown," Geoffrey said, raising a hand to forestall another question. "There are a couple theories, the leading one being that an ancient relic at the very heart of the galaxy is pulling in and absorbing a huge amount of mana. The higher concentrations of mana increase the danger and volatility of the area, which is the part we're sure of; the increased mana densities, that is."

"Right. So, the next question is: I'm sure Ascended die or go missing fairly often; why's this any different?" Beth asked.

"These were unusual deaths," he replied with a wave to the assistant. The slide changed and he continued, "Each of these people were near or at the pinnacle of the Ascended realm when they disappeared. Each of them disappeared under mysterious circumstances or in some way that others considered unusual. To top it all off, each of them was linked to the investigation of an anomaly in the heart of the galaxy which have all been linked to the strange disturbance at the galactic core."

"OK, sorry for all the questions, but when you say they were at the pinnacle of Ascended, you're talking about rebirth forty-nine, right?" Beth asked.

"Yes, that's correct," he replied. "It's not really something you need to worry about until you're climbing the ranks of Ascended. You have to realize your Ideal before you can do your fiftieth rebirth and become an Exalted. That's not something we really need to get into right now as there are better explanations out there than I can provide. Suffice it to say, it is a very difficult thing to do, a nearly impossible barrier to overcome; for many people, far more so than rebirth nine, rebirth forty-nine winds up being the end of the road. Even with how poor our galaxy currently is, we should have far more Exalted than the paltry handful that are currently here, only breaking the barrier to that realm is unimaginably troublesome. Many spend thousands of years working on it; many burn up the rest of their lifespans trying to bridge that gap."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I see," Beth replied quietly. "So, this is a mystery that concerns the whole galaxy, in which Ascended at their very peak are players, and in great numbers. And…you wanted us involved why, exactly?"

"I apologize for being blunt," he said as he gestured for the next slide, "but it isn't really you exactly that we are looking for. You are a bridge to a powerful faction or person, in this case the Lord of Traversal, someone who can handle the issue we've run into."

"I understand perfectly," Beth said, and she did. They wanted someone to take a weird, difficult object off their hands; an object that led to something too much of a pain-in-the-ass for them to want to deal with.

"I'm glad you do. When we're done with this meeting, we'll take you to look at the artifact. If you're ready, you can take possession of it then, or we can hold onto it for a few days until you're prepared," he said.

"I'd like to look at it, but I haven't talked to Mortaine yet. I'd like to talk with him before taking possession of that book," Beth replied.

"Understood," Geoffrey said.

"Is there something you expect us to do with the book beyond take it off your hands?" Blood interjected to ask.

"We have no expectations other than you take a little time to look into the events that are mentioned within the book. That is, of course, if the book will even show you what it has shown before. It is…a strange thing," he said.

"I understand what you're saying," Beth said. "Is there anything else we really need to go over before seeing the book?"

"I just want to cover one more thing as vital," he said, nodding at his assistant. A final slide came up on the wallscreen and he said, "This is a recreation of the four pages that pointed towards Joanna and what they said. I'll give you a moment to read over them; we'll send you a copy of the four pages as well."

Beth and Blood read through the pages as the others waited. The main thing Beth got out of it was that Joanna mentioned exploring a particular solar system, one of particular danger even for a powerful Ascended, when a terrible accident happened. The details were, seemingly, intentionally left a degree vague, but the idea was some kind of explosion was triggered, so powerful that it ripped apart the fabric of space and sent Joanna to an alternate place. It was a place of immense danger and many trials, and the message from Joanna had been received by someone more than a century before. It didn't give Beth much hope that the woman was still alive, but if they could find her still breathing, they could get some answers, possibly even some answers about Liveria.

"Alright, anything beyond the pages?" Beth asked after they finished reading over them.

"That's all. Would you like to see the book now?" Geoffrey asked.

"Yes, please," Beth said, standing as Geoffrey did so.

He led them out of the room and down a long hallway, his assistant following along behind. He took them to an area of the building that at least seemed more secure, with locked doors blocking even the hallway that he had to shepherd them through before bringing them to a locked room at the back of the building. He entered a code and swiped his ID to open the room, leading them in to find several sets of shelves with strange items lining them. He took them to the back of the room where there were four tables, showing them the book on the second table.

Beth examined it, finding it to have a thick, green leather cover and a clasp to seal the pages that was unbound. The pages were thin, almost with a quality like vellum, and quite numerous. The cover had no other marks than the clasp apart from a symbol of the head of a deer imprinted in golden leaf on the spine. Looking at Geoffrey for permission, Beth carefully touched the cover, flipping the book open after a moment to a random page. The two pages facing her were blank but, before she could look up to inquire about it, writing started to appear in thick, black lettering. She hadn't realized the slide from earlier had presented copies of the pages exactly as they appeared, but that was rather apparent now.

Beth read the writing:

My love, is that you?

No, the color is different. I had thought…but no, it has been so long and there is still no sign. Who is it that reflects the color of the other half of my soul? Has my love truly died, that another carries her light? Would that I could hear your voice. Curse that this artefact is nothing but a minor sending medium.

Whoever you are, I am trapped in the Eternal Depths, a place where even the greatest of Ascended fear to tread. I have survived down here for…I know not how long, in these lightless, terrible depths. I do not know how much longer I can live, for my will and spirit are all but spent. Whoever you are, you who have the flavor of my lost love, please, if there is any way you could find to send me help. I cannot return to the surface, no matter how hard I try; any who come to assist must brave the greatest depths, thousands of miles down. I know it would be like searching for the smallest needle in the largest haystack, but if there is any hope, I must still cling to it.

Beth waited for a few moments and, when no new writing appeared, she closed the book and made it disappear into her necklace.

"I take it you saw something important?" Geoffrey asked in an amused tone.

"We will take responsibility for the book," Beth stated calmly and coldly. "This matter just became personal."

"Knowing who is backing you and what you are able to accomplish, I think we can trust that this matter is in good hands." Beth was able to read between the lines quite easily, translating his last sentence to 'Thank God somebody was willing to take this massive headache off our hands for free.'

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Geoffrey asked them as he escorted them back to the front of the building.

"No, I think that's more than enough," said Beth in response.

"If you ever need anything in future, don't hesitate to let the United Stellar Hegemony know," he said before they left the lobby.

"What was that all about?" Blood asked.

"Not here," Beth said, leading her back to their room before showing her the book.

"This seems…bad," Blood said after reading the page in the book.

"Not something we can handle yet, that's for sure," Beth said.

"So, what now?" Blood asked.

"What level are we right now?" Beth asked rhetorically.

"Two-thirty-three," Blood replied, monotone.

"Then you know what we're doing," Beth said.

"I hate my life," Blood replied with a whine.

"Not here, though," Beth said.

"Fine. Val left anyway," Blood grumbled.

They went down to the front desk and checked out before making their way to the CRA Hall where Beth booked a room in the basement. Once there, they could be assured that no one would be intruding on their room. At least, no one below the power level of someone like Mortaine would just be randomly showing up, which made it basically a non-issue. Beth deployed her gate once they were settled in and the room was secured, setting it to something they could fight for hours and hours at a time without rest; goblins.

Goblins at high level were rather different than at lower levels, and that was not including the variants like hobgoblins or separate species. They were taller and stronger, both more muscular and more resistant to damage. They used better armor and better weapons, and fought with a greater ferocity, which didn't necessarily make them more dangerous for Beth and Blood. The goblins increased aggressiveness was able to overwhelm groups that weren't prepared for it, but the two girls were used to fighting Tides and rushes and weren't at all easily overwhelmed.

They spent days that quickly turned into weeks fighting through the goblins, resting for a few hours here and there. They were able to go for days at a time before having to sleep, but they were at a point where it took thousands of kills, even fighting up-level, for them to get a single level. Getting through the two-thirties to two-forty would take them quite a few months of grinding, enough that it would be a month of objective time before they were done.

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