Tresk and Theo didn’t know the exact mechanism the planets used to resonate like a gong. But they knew enough to run a few simulations based on what they knew about the old Ascendant realms and how each might be a better medium for conducting energy. With that knowledge, the Dreamwalk was happy to provide simulations of different energy events, including low energy, and high-energy situations. The alchemist tried to keep a straight face as they watched absolutely nothing happen.

The energy was invisible to the naked eye.

“Well, that was boring,” Tresk said, complaining as the Dreamwalk neared its end. “This is my least favorite kind of work. The kind of stuff that doesn’t involve blowing stuff up is the worst possible work.”

“I thought it was pretty fun,” Theo countered. “At least we learned a lot.”

“Did we?” Tresk grumbled, pacing back and forth. Both of them could feel the Dreamwalk nearing its natural end. “I now know the Burning Eye was extremely powerful, and we’re lucky you’re not dead.”

Theo nodded. “True. And the demon gods have a different type of energy than the other gods. Come on, that’s something.”

“I guess,” Tresk said, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. “I’m ending this farce. Gonna get me some more giant lobster for breakfast.”

The way Tresk ended the Dreamwalk was jarring. Theo bolted awake, looking over to find his companion already sprinting from the room. The giant lobster wasn’t as good as she thought. The alchemist preferred the steak, as always. Heading downstairs, the smell of the heated food flooded into his nose. It was a rich mix that had no place during breakfast and he loved every second of it.

In class Broken Tusker fashion, both Sarisa and Rowan had forgotten about the events from yesterday. They greeted Tresk heartily, gesturing to the spread of food on the table. To Theo’s surprise, there were a few egg and sausage dishes spread amongst the stuff leftover from last night.

“Figured you guys would need some more fuel,” Rowan said with a chuckle. “Preparing the world for a change is hungry work!”

“What a turnaround,” Theo said, taking his seat. Before saying anything else, he ensured he got a decent slab of meat. Tresk had a way of shoving it all down her gullet without regard to others. “Seems as though you got over your fear of Tresk.”

“Well, we remembered that silly little marshling,” Sarisa admitted. “She’s still there, somewhere. But now she’s a big working girl doing big, important stuff.”

“That’s me,” Tresk said, puffing with pride

“We can’t forget the demon that made it all possible,” Rowan added.

Both Sarisa and Rowan took their own seats, piling a modest assortment of food on their plates. Theo targeted the eggs, meat, and sausages to fill out his breakfast. Although he was unsure if eating more would make him feel more energized, he wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

“We’ve got a few small things to do today,” Theo announced. “We’re maxed out on dragon energy. The gong project will be simple to finish after our research. And, of course, Elrin has a few shards for me to carry. I think they’re the last five, then the reset can start.”

“That sounds… horrifying,” Sarisa said with a shiver.

“All just standard stuff, really.” Theo dismissed the thought, commanding the table once again. “What I need from you two is a favor. Between your duties at the arena, could you find people willing to make the switch early?”

Rowan cocked his head to one side, his suspicions instantly rising. “Feels like you’re leading them to slaughter.”

“Some of you might burn,” Tresk announced. “But that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Theo kicked her under the table. “I’m not starting with the full power of my aura. We’ll select, at most, five people. And when we get to Tero’gal, I’ll take it easy.”

“Let’s leave that part out of the pitch,” Sarisa said, nodding to her brother. “If they don’t know they might die, they’re much more likely to come along.”

“Agreed,” Rowan said with an eager nod. “I think I have a plan.”

Theo ate the rest of his food, enjoying the fact that the conversation worked its way back to normal topics. He played a passive part, listening rather than chatting along. After everyone was done eating, he stood and slapped Tresk on the back. “Hold down the fort. Elrin is gonna be pissed.”

“Heh. Nerd.”

Theo didn’t wait to exit the building. He instead folded the void, arriving in Boar Hollow an instant later. There was a decent amount of activity on the main road, with people passing here and there. A few bowed their heads, but the alchemist was most interested in those that didn’t. They didn’t know who he was, which put a big smile on his face. That meant the world had a healthy enough population that there could be those unaware of who ‘owned’ the world.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As expected, Belgar came trotting over. “You can tell when I come into the world?” Theo asked.

“Yeah,” Belgar said, matching the alchemist’s smile. “You should see Elrin.”

Theo raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Come on,” Belgar said, jerking his head to one side.

Theo followed closely behind. Belgar didn’t say a word as they worked their way through the town. The alchemist always loved looking at the little things in the town. It wasn’t a sprawling thing like the things in Khahar’s world. Instead, it was a collage of little stories, all strung together by that road. He shook the thoughts away before he fell too far down memory lane, focusing instead on the park area looming ahead.

“There he is,” Belgar said, leaning to one side and pointing through the line of trees.

Theo matched Belgar’s angle, squinting. Sitting cross-legged in a clearing was Elrin, eyes closed in concentration. Ribbons of familiar power raced around him. The signature of celestial energy was undeniable, but the alchemist didn’t recognize it as Tresk’s technique. He patted Belgar on the shoulder before making his way into the park. After hopping over a pleasantly burbling stream, he stood before the elf to study his technique.

There was no denying the amount of talent it took to force the celestial energy in his body while his system was active. Elrin reached out with his aura, snagging stray strands of power and forcing it into his soul like a blacksmith would pound a hammer against hot metal. The technique was different, but it was working.

Elrin let out a steady breath. “About time,” he said, turning to regard the alchemist. “Busy?”

“Yeah, I've been pretty busy.” Theo gestured vaguely to Elrin. “What was that? Did you come up with your own technique?”

A playful smile crossed Elrin’s features. “That’s right. The time dilated areas don’t agree with me, so I need to do everything the hard way.”

“Your technique is good,” Theo said. “Slow, but good.”

“Is that a backhanded compliment?” Elrin asked, pushing himself to his feet. “Doesn’t matter. We’re doing the rest of the Shards today.”

Elrin smiled even wider as Theo’s face dropped.

“Don’t worry. I calmed the system. Your ‘gong’ project put her mind at ease, so you’ll have extra time on the mortal world,” Elrin said. “Everyone’s happy.”

“Wow.Thanks for that,” Theo said. “Did you have some of that coffee yet today?”

Elrin’s eyes shifted from side to side. “No?”

Theo laughed, shaking his head as he turned around. There was always more room for coffee and sweets.

Elrin shared his plans for the near future while they had their treats. There wasn’t much left for him or the Warriors of the Shard to do until the reset. The Shards themselves needed to be tuned, but that was no different than the gongs.

“They seem quite similar,” Elrin said, sipping his coffee with his pinky out. “The Shards have a bigger job than just managing energy, but they can do that.”

Nursing his drink, Theo nodded. As the days rolled on, he wondered how much of this stuff he’d be responsible for in the long run. The stability of the void as it related to the spaces connected within it was his job. There was the god, Void, but his job was currently hamstrung. Until the gods were trained to be proper gods, they’d remain benched. Perhaps the blame for all this work fell on the alchemist himself, who hadn’t searched for help from the other dude on his team. Khahar was technically his other half in maintaining all those things.

Perhaps it was his turn to pull his weight.

“About ready to move the Shards?” Theo asked. “I’ve decided to yell at a cat-person today.”

“Do you have time in-between making some gongs?” Elrin asked with a smile.

“I’ll make time. I suspect something went wrong with the way he bound his realm through the Ascendant system.” Theo drank the rest of his coffee and pocketed a pastry. “We might’ve brushed it off before, but I’ll need to confront him.”

“Exciting,” Elrin mocked. “Come on. After we transport the last Shards, I’ll have an absurd amount of work. Work I’d rather not do.”

“Right. Let’s get it over with.”

Transporting the Shards wasn’t hard. Although Theo had thought it would be a massive project, it was mostly a matter of moving them, then letting Elrin do his thing. Attuning them was the hard part, but as the alchemist approached the void island in the distance, he frowned.

“The island has moved,” Theo said, watching as a large chunk passed them on the right. “And I guess the island is falling apart.”

“Worse than I thought.” Elrin pressed his nose against the bubble. “All the residual energy is gone from the island. Well, islands now that we have chunks. What happens if it slams against the temporal barrier?”

“Nothing good.” Theo quickened their pace, finding himself in the wake of those islands. “Whatever latent energy remained in the chunks is being released into the void. Feels like we’re walking through mud.”

“Walk faster,” Elrin urged. “We’ll snag all five at once. No choice.”

With a nod, Theo pushed them harder toward the main island. Through his senses, he felt the rest of the Shards on the larger chunk. Although they were holding it together, it wouldn’t be long before the whole arrangement crumbled to dust. Even the landing on the surface of the island was rough. Both Theo and Elrin tumbled from the bubble, finding themselves in an environment that was too hot and too cold at the same time. Sections of the ground were covered in frost while supported raging wildfires.

“This isn’t right,” Elrin said, nearly falling over as the ground split beneath his feet. “Not enough time for this.”

Gritting his teeth, Theo reached out into the Tara’hek. His instructions were simple, but he wasn’t sure his companion could do it. As if to prove him wrong right away, the eager marshling appeared next to them.

“Where they at, boss!?” she shouted.

Theo didn’t even need to verbalize what they needed to do. Tresk was already darted off, drawing on the alchemist’s knowledge of void travel. She planned to place the beacon for a random Shard, and handle it herself. Nodding, Theo turned to Elrin.

“We’re doing this weird style,” Theo said, pointing at the two nearest shards. “You get that one, and pray to whatever god you worship.”

“What are you planning, exactly?”

Looking around at the crumbling world, Theo saw how little time they had. Removing one shard would see it crumble even more. “No time to explain. Just mark a Shard, and hold on for your life.”

Elrin offered a confused look for only a moment before nodding. “I’ve done stupider stuff with less information. Let’s go.”