Ethan and his friends were in the central chamber of the Forgotten City, possibly the first to stand there in millenia. They were the most successful team of Hunters to enter the so-called Dimensional Bleed since the Grand Tournament had begun, though the circumstances had certainly been unusual.

  The Brightsouls–that’s what they’d been called, although Ethan had never considered them as such–had placed in the top three of the tournament. It had won them a chance to enter the City, which only opened once a year, and an opportunity for unknown treasures, battle, and glory. They had found that, and so much more.

  Their team leader, Savilar Laurent, a Rift Hunter and brother to the Shield Knight Valanor, had other reasons for coming. He was part of a Church conspiracy, the scope of which they were only just beginning to understand. The man’s true mission had been to prevent anyone from reaching the chamber in which the group now stood, and to destroy any traces of what this place really was.

  Ethan had been the only one to witness the man’s betrayal firsthand, and the only one who knew that Savilar was also the Church’s executioner. Looking at Valanor, a friend, and a man of faith, Ethan wasn’t sure if he would ever tell him the truth. Valanor already believed Savilar had died this day, would knowing of his brother’s betrayal give him anything but more pain?

  Ethan looked back at the other members of the group. Cara Fletcher, Archer and small-town Hunter, struggled to look stoic after the day’s revelations. She’d come for the glory and the treasure, and didn’t appear happy to be leaving with information that could change the world.

  Selina the Runemistress was back to translating the lore carved into the green stone, seemingly finding new revelations by the moment. The tall Nator woman had red skin, horns, and deep purple hair, but after being around her for nearly a year, Ethan barely noticed her inhumanity any longer. Her bright attitude, enthusiasm, and friendship were far more pronounced, and now there was something else to set her apart.

  She was possibly the first person outside the Church to Bond with a monster of the Healing Affinity.

  Ethan shook his head, then looked at the last person in the room. The wildcard. Prince Calevaro was leaning against the doorway into the vault they’d recently opened, staring at the hundreds of eggs that likewise possessed an Affinity that the world didn’t believe existed. Ethan had fought next to the prince, and considered him an honorable man, but he didn’t know how these truths would mesh with the man’s loyalties.

  Either way, they needed to decide what came next. “We should talk,” he said simply, breaking the ten minute silence. “We need a plan.”

  The group moved to join him, all but Valanor who was sitting against a far wall, eyes closed. Syph–the Familiar which had been lost to him until Selina healed an impossible injury–had her massive wolf’s head resting on his lap. The group silently agreed to leave the knight out of the discussion; he’d simply been through too much.

  “I agree,” Calevaro said. “This is more responsibility that any of us could have imagined when we entered this place, and I sense there are still holes in what we know. Could we please start at the beginning, and make sure we have the full picture?”

  “Please do,” Cara said. “I get that we’ve learned a lot in this room, but clearly some people here know more than others.” She looked meaningfully at Ethan, who nodded his agreement.

  “It’s true,” Ethan said. “I’ve been investigating the Church on my own for some time. But I think Selina should start. She basically just read the whole history, and she’s worked with the Church before. We can interrupt with anything missed.”

  The Rune Mage nodded, tapping a red finger against her lips, clearly planning out her lesson. “I suppose a compare-and-contrast analysis makes the most sense. I’ll start with what we’ve always believed was true, then we can discuss what we’ve learned.”

  She took a deep breath, then began teaching. “The Church of the Goddess is a world-spanning organization that has existed for as long as there’s been recorded histories. They preach the word the Goddess, the being who created this world. They’re a massive group, with a military order and countless clergy, but their power has really come from the ‘miracles’ they perform.”

  Cara scoffed. “Miracles,” she said with derision. “They heal people, but leave them crippled and broken in brand new ways.”

  Selina nodded. “Essentially, yes. There are few–if any–maladies that the Church can’t heal, and the act is always attributed directly to the Goddess herself. However anyone healed has secretly had their lifeforce reduced in the process. For normal people this often means rapid aging, or the body wasting away. For the Bonded, like us, it usually means losing Familiars and power.”

  Ethan jumped in. “I went to the Church to witness a healing ceremony shortly after I arrived on Nexum. At the time, my own healing rune had proven capable of doing basically the same thing as their miracles, but without the side effects. I was obviously suspicious, and began investigating.” His face took on a grimm cast. “After they destroyed my rune, claiming it was ‘dark magic’, I looked even more closely.”

  Calevaro was watching him curiously, hearing this for the first time. “Did you know the truth before we entered this place?”

  “No, but I was sure they were lying. I also knew that the Church executed anyone with any real healing ability, so I understood that they relied on the monopoly they’d established, but I didn’t understand why.”

  Selina gestured around. “The ‘why’ isn’t really clear from this, it just raises more questions. The stories here explain that the Church has always healed, though it fractured somehow long, long ago. I don’t have the full picture, but something happened with the arrival of the Chosen.”

  “I can fill in the blanks,” Ethan supplied. “I have two key sources of information. The first was speaking with another Chosen; he sought me out when he realized I held the Flagras Bond. Apparently all new Chosen are given a bit of a speech when we join the fold. The other source was an agent of the Church who followed us in here. I killed him in Potentia, but not before he tried to recruit me.”

  There was a long silence as the group exchanged looks, some even glancing meaningfully at Valanor. They had to be at least considering the obvious answer–Savilar–but thankfully didn’t say it outright.

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  “This agent,” Ethan hit the word hard, making sure they all understood that he wasn’t going to reveal the identity, “confirmed what I was already told. The three worlds are colliding. Or perhaps merging? I’m not sure if anyone really understands the details. But I know it’s what split the Church, and I may know why.”

  “Merging,” Cara said doubtfully. “I know we’re connected to Terra and Potentia by rifts, but I never heard anything about merging.”

  “The Chosen and the agent were both very certain, and the rifts are supposedly just a symptom of what’s happening. Apparently it started thousands of years ago, but it’s been held back, prevented by those on Nexum who feared what the result would be.”

  “And this is the work of the Church?” Calevaro asked.

  “Yes, and the reason for this false-healing. They’ve been harvesting pieces of people’s souls, and using it as a power source to prevent this ‘collision’. I don’t understand how, but it’s why they’ve kept a monopoly on healing: they need a steady supply of souls to do their work.”

  As one, the group turned to look into the vault, at the many healing Bonds waiting to happen. They had the power to disrupt the Church’s hold, but could they? Should they?

  “I’ve got to say,” Cara said, “I’ve fought enough demons not to want any part of Potentia on my world either.”

  “But we don’t even know what that means,” Selina said. “Merging, colliding, whatever they call it, it can’t be as simple as our worlds crashing into one another. We don’t know enough to be sure the results are bad, but we know the method of holding it back is horrific.”

  Ethan nodded. “They’ve been stealing souls, Cara. I’ve been to Potentia, and I couldn’t agree more that it’s dangerous, but the cost we’re paying…”

  “There’s also the impetus,” Calevaro said. “Something on this scale doesn’t simply happen on its own. If we accept that the gods made our worlds, we must also accept that they meant for this to happen. Perhaps my faith isn’t the core of my being, but I have a hard time accepting that the Goddess would make this world everything that it is, only to destroy it to no purpose.”

  “I can’t speak to that,” Ethan said, “but I know it’s an issue that divided the Chosen. I was warned that I’d have to ‘pick a side’, and that there’s something of a stalemate at the moment.” He took a deep breath, then turned to the prince. “Your brother was killed for the side he picked. I’m sorry.”

  The prince was still wearing his ever-present helmet, and Ethan couldn’t see the man’s reaction, but the pause spoke volumes. Finally Cal spoke in almost a whisper. “Kent–my brother was a man of faith. He would have supported the Church without real consideration. If he died for it…then I need to know why. And who did it.”

  “There’s more,” Ethan said. “When I was in Potentia, I saw a battle between Chosen. It was like nothing I could have imagined–they had to be Champions, their Familiars were at least as big as this place.” He gestured to the village-sized structure they were in. “We’d be killed if we tried to get close…but I need to speak to them somehow. I need to understand how the Chosen fit into all this.”

  “Then we’re going to Sanctustella,” a deep voice cut in. The group looked up in surprise as Valanor strode forward, ice wolf at his side. “It’s the Church’s holy city, and where those Chosen who’ve aligned most closely with the Faith reside. That’s where we’ll find answers.”

  Ethan wasn’t sure the best way to respond. “Valanor, are you sure you want to be a part of this? I know you were raised by the Church…fought for them–”

  “My faith belongs to the Goddess, Ethan, and I’ve never blamed you for not understanding it. Your world has moved away from our creators, but I follow her words. If the Church is truly corrupt, possibly even working against her agenda, then they have made themselves my enemy. Faith is about trusting in the Gods, not in those who claim to speak for them.”

  “Well spoken,” Calevaro said, giving the knight a nod of approval. “The road to Sanctus is long, but it also passes through Terranova, which serves us well.”

  Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise. Terranova. He’d been hearing about the place since he arrived on Nexum. It was supposed to be a human kingdom, one that was originally populated by people from Earth. They had apparently arrived centuries ago, which had reduced his excitement, but more and more signs pointed in their direction. He had a rifle in his inventory that had clearly been made on Nexum, and so many questions that needed answers.

  “I have my own reasons for wanting to visit Terranova, but why would it benefit the group?” Ethan asked.

  Cal turned back to him. “It houses the other population of Chosen, those not directly aligned with the Church. They are all wanderers by necessity, but if anywhere could be considered their homes, it would be those two lands.”

  “Well, I know I’m going,” Ethan said definitively. “I need to speak to the other Chosen, and find out how we’re connected to the worlds merging. Apparently I may also need to pick a side…” He shook his head with irritation. “But what of the rest of you? I can’t ask you to be part of this.”

  “I go to find answers,” Valanor said. “The Church has secrets within secrets, and I will learn why. I need to know the true will of my Goddess, and why the Church has betrayed their flock.”

  “I’m going too,” Selina said. “The Church refuses to heal my people. Nator have always been turned away, and I need my own answers. Before I thought it was just some ancient prejudice, but if it’s tied to this whole conspiracy…well, a Nator needs to be part of solving it.”

  She turned to look at Cara expectantly. The Archer sighed. “This is miles beyond anything I joined this team for. Are we even a team, with Savilar gone? I never wanted to be a damned ‘Brightsoul’ in the first place, and I have no love for the Church.”

  “Then come with us!” Selina said brightly. “You’ve always fought for the people on the margins, those who are ignored or taken advantage of. Who is that more true of than those who've been hurt by the Church?”

  Cara rolled her eyes, then let out a long sigh. “You know, I was damned good at avoiding things until we became friends,” she said.

  “Best friends!” Selina added, beaming. “So Cara is on board, what about…” she looked at the prince meaningfully.

  “I will know why my brother was killed,” Cal said forcefully. “Besides, I was always meant to leave after this, now my destination is simply made clear.” He suddenly looked uncomfortable. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

  “You’ll always be welcome by my side,” Valanor said. “And behind my shield,” he added more somberly.

  “I’m happy to fight beside you again,” Ethan added. “Provided you can sort everything out with your family.” Cal seemed to ponder that statement as Ethan continued.

  “That still leaves one big bastard of a question,” he said, then gestured meaningfully at the vault. “What do we do with this secret? Every day that goes by, people all over the world are having their souls devoured without knowing it.”

  Cal spoke again. “Even if all of Viridus screamed this truth in every direction, it wouldn’t be believed. The Church would destroy my entire nation to protect their lies…I believe they may even have done so before. Our history will need to be examined with a new lens.”

  “But we can’t just allow it to keep happening!” Selina said.

  “And so we shouldn’t,” the prince agreed. “But we must be careful, and precise with our actions. If the Church finds out we know the truth, we’ll never survive.”

  Ethan considered for a moment, then grinned. “I think I have a middle ground solution that will work for now, and possibly keep the Church looking in the wrong direction.”