Within a certain prison, unreachable by many. A sole prisoner sealed by all manners of contraptions tying her still. But even with a sword impale her head, her train of thoughts runs as her eyes continuously producing numbers of green and blues, and in it lies the figure of a certain individual who has appeared out of nowhere. It is none other than Siola herself.

  [Siola]: “Madam Replica? What’re you doing here?”

  [Siola]: “What did you do to my friends?”

  She takes a step closer.

  [Replica]: “They bare their fangs at me. I had to remove them, but they are not dead. At least when I was done with them.”

  A sigh of relieve, “Phew, seriously, now. You got me worried.”

  [Replica]: “I have a task for you.”

  [Replica]: “You are to assist me in retrieving an entity sealed under the ocean floor. Come—.”

  [Siola]: “Phantasmagoria!”

  [Replica]: “?!”

  Teeth grinding as a flash of nightmare appeared for a moment. Upon turning to see the perpetrator, there are two of them flying towards the entrance. She has already figured it out.

  [Siola x Malevolent Shadow]: “Bell Tolls!”

  [Replica]: “Clever girl.”

  A magical clock appears behind the both of them. Replica then teleports ahead, but the two Siola then teleported as well. Further away from her as the clock starts ticking.

  [Malevolent Shadow]: “Phantasmagoria!”

  An illusion once again.

  [Replica]: “Hrnnngh.”

  [Replica]: “Hrrrraaaaaaaaagh!”

  She teleported behind malevolent shadow, but it too teleported as well. One of the properties that a Malevolent Shadow has is its complete mimicry to the original. It can be as useless or as helpful as it can be depending on the caster. The two made it outside and there, Replica finds both Siola on a separate area of the sky.

  [Siola x Malevolent Shadow]: “Cosmic Aperture!”

  A wormhole appears on both areas, one leads towards a gloomy place, and another is place filled with several portals, “Damn it all!”, she bets everything on the version of Siola entering the wormhole leading towards several portals but then, she disappears and the wormhole is closed. Replica has been transferred to the beginning of a Traveler’s journey, and now there are a number of them staring her from the ground. That was the malevolent shadow. Her one eye twitching. Behind the reflection of those eyes is where the sealed woman is. Suddenly, Replica turns into blocks of cubes as the woman’s eyes turns dark brown, a much normal one.

  [???]: “Heheh, I could’ve just wait. So impatient.”

  [???]: “At least you now know what to do. Sorry about this, Siola.”

  Eyes closed. She starts murmuring in soft tone. On the other end of the spectrum, Siola bumps her head on a wall. “Ouch.” She gets a hold of herself. The wormhole she conjured got her to this prison cell where water drips from the crevices of the wall.

  [???]: “Um, hello?”

  A young woman in a rag.

  [Siola]: “Hello there, sorry to interrupt your prologue, gimme just a moment here.”

  She teleports herself out of the prison.

  [???]: “Eh? Wait! What am I supposed to—.”

  She continues to walk without looking back. There are numerous numbers of people in the same predicament as that young woman. All wearing dirty rags. Siola stands out like a sore thumb especially when she takes flight and passes them by. Confusion sparks among them.

  [Man 1]: “Eh?”

  [Man 2]: “What the hell is that?”

  [Woman 1]: “What’s happening?”

  [Man 3]: “Is that an NPC?”

  [Man 4]: “There an event going on?”

  [Woman 2]: “Never seen that before.”

  Siola speeds up, “Prison Realm.”

  [Siola]: ‘Hmm, it’s only been a short while ago, but I remember the time I was trying to escape this place with those old men. I wonder how they’re doing right now.’

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  She opens a menu window, messages.

  [Siola]: ‘Both of them are still online, but why won’t Kurira answer already, that bitch. Well, at least I know Rakuri is alright, but come on now.’

  [Siola]: “First things first.”

  The clock behind her disappears as she reaches the West Gate of the Prison. An enormous one, and in front of it lies its guardians. One is a spear-wielding heavily armored demon with a tail, Avarice, and another is a dark priestess with a large eerie cross hovering behind her back, Malice. Both of them notices her coming closer before landing in front of them.

  [Avarice]: “Luosa?”

  [Siola]: “Avarice, Malice. Oh, it’s so good to see you two again.”

  [Avarice]: “Where in the world have you been?!”

  [Siola]: “Wait! First! I just want to make sure, is Madam Replica here?”

  The two look at each other, and there, Avarice took a step as she lifts her spear, aiming it at Siola, “Why don’t you explain yourself first, Luosa?”

  [Siola]: “Nooooo! Wait, seriously! Madam Replica chased me just now, she was clearly out for blood and I was wondering if it was really her!”

  [Avarice]: “What?”

  [Malice]: “Nonsense, your name alone would protect you, as is your immortal power for being a Traveler.”

  Shattering voice coming from the beautiful woman even though she speaks her sentences softly. Hearing it, shuts Siola’s mouth, ‘WOaaaaaaaaagh, her voice is like thisssssssss?! Hnnngh, she was such a sweet woman but woah! She’s terrifying when she’s angry!’

  [Avarice]: “…”

  [Siola]: “…”

  [Malice]: “You lied to us.”

  [Siola]: “Noo, you can’t put that on me, you two were the first one to misunderstood and I just went along with it.”

  [Malice]: “Your tone has become more confident now I see.”

  Siola takes a huge breath and let it out.

  [Siola]: “For the short time we spent together, I truly am—.”

  Her eyes widened as her chest suddenly beats hard. The two surprised by the sudden change on Siola’s expression, but that’s not just her.

  [Man 1]: “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh?!”

  [Man 2]: “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!”

  [Woman 1]: “Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

  [Avarice]: “What is this?”

  Siola falling to her knees, “Hnnngh?!” Malice quickly tends to her. Investigating, trying to see analyze what is going on with her.

  [Malice]: “Luosa, what is it?”

  [Malice]: “Avarice!”

  Avarice quickly lifts her tail and aim the tip at the center of her back. Sensing the anomaly that is weakening Siola’s body, “Her life force is being drained. No, even more than that.”

  [Malice]: “Madam Goolag, now!”

  Avarice wraps them both with her tail and all three are teleported to a room full of books and alchemical ingredients. All warm in color. On the other end of the room lies Siola cutting a piece of her own finger to a platter, it turns into a black goo.

  [Siola-Goolag]: “What is this? Coming here without permission while bringing a stranger of all things. You must’ve lost your—.”

  Her eyes widened after seeing Siola falling, but Malice caught her.

  [Siola-Goolag]: “Luosa?”

  [Malice]: “Something’s wrong with her.”

  Goolag turns into a black slime as her voice becomes deeper and echoing. Inspecting Siola as she is convulsing, “Explain.”

  [Avarice]: “Her life force and Mana are being drained.”

  [Avarice]: “The same thing seems to be happening with all the other travelers. They are all screaming in pain.”

  [Goolag]: “And yet, she is not? But more than that, this is…”

  Siola’s eyes switching back and forth between the regular form and a pitch black one.

  [Goolag]: “The Abyss.”

  [Avarice & Malice]: “!!!”

  Taking the form of Siola once more.

  [Siola-Goolag]: “No, the Abyss is not taking anything. Something else is interfering with her transformation, but there’s also another… what is this…”

  [Siola-Goolag]: “This… unsettling yet familiar power.”

  [Avarice]: “Can you help her?”

  [Siola-Goolag]: “Yes, but…”

  She stood and take a step back. Staring at Siola as her eyes becomes pitch black, but then, she shudders when it changes back. She stops convulsing and drops to the ground.

  [Malice]: “Madam?”

  [Siola-Goolag]: “Leave her. It’ll all come to pass.”

  Avarice and Malice looks at each other once more before shifting to Goolag as her fist clenches. Her gaze towards Siola remains unshakable. She saw something inside Siola, something other than the one she has planted. The feeling alone is enough reason for her not to assist her.

  When Siola’s eyes open, she found herself in a pink dark room. Eyes opened wide as she quickly lifts herself up. Her clothes are different. Instead of the usual black and red, it is now grey and black. Eyes looking around swiftly before turning to the windowed wall, a balcony.

  ‘This feeling…’

  As she walks towards it, she raises her hand trying to conjure a familiar thing.

  “?!”

  “The hell?”

  Another one, but nothing.

  “Where in the hell is the status window?”

  Her heart started racing, she enters the balcony and sees the gloomy forest, but the moon in the sky continues to calm her down.

  “…”

  “No way, right?”

  She jumps in place.

  “?!”

  “Haha. Come on now, stop joking around. Did someone debuff me or something?”

  She jumps in place again. Her attempts to take flight failed once more. Putting her arms and palms forward, she took a large breath, “Firebolt!”

  Nothing.

  “Light Spear!”

  “Psionic Lance!”

  Her heart racing once more, she closes her eyes. Keeping her stress level low. She opens them once more and muttered, “Bell Tolls.” Upon uttering that, she found herself in the presence of the enormously gigantic creature of which she has visited the day prior.

  [Siola]: “Kita?”

  [Kita]: “A shift to the balance caused by the intruder.”

  [Siola]: “I couldn’t use any of my power, and the System is gone! You know what happened?”

  [Kita]: “Indeed. What you have obtained remains, but you have only been using them through the Divine System. Think of it as a means of travel. The divine system is a tool that connects you to your destination instantly, bypassing the process itself.”

  [Siola]: “Right, divine, whatever. Wait, Divine? did I get cursed by Armalia or something? Did she take away the system from me?”

  [Kita]: “I have not sensed a presence of the Ruler of the Divine Order. The Divine System, although borrows the name of the order is not connected whatsoever to the goddess herself.”

  [Siola]: “Does this apply to items and such?”

  [Kita]: “Of course.”

  [Siola]: “Damn, so I can’t leave this world then. There has got to be a way to— argh, I can’t protect myself without my power, Kita.”

  [Kita]: “Your power and the Divine System has never been a separate entity. Not all is lost. You still have yourself, and you will rise to your potential even without it.”

  Her brows furrowed and in a blink of an eye, she returns to the balcony, gazing at the moon. There’s nothing on her back, the spell she cast never summoned the giant clock.

  [???]: “Luosa.”

  A crackling voice ever so disturbing, but a familiar one. Donned a black cloak, a piercing dot of silver flame for an eye. A skeleton.