Chương 35: Realm Breaches

"Where did you hear about breaches?" Ms. Teft snapped as Damion's question brought her out of her stupor.

"I overheard some adventurers in the Bufort Association saying the recent beast wave might have been because of a breach in the Benault Forest." Damion replied meekly.

"Hmm…" Ms. Teft said eyeing Damion.

"Usually, only members of guilds or orders are told about Breaches when they are below C Rank. But it is not against the law for you to know. It is however frowned upon. And, you should know it is against the law for ordinary people without clearance to be told. So, this is a topic you must not share with your parents."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Mages learn of this when they get their licenses, so I guess it is fitting for you to know. Breaches are properly known as Realm Breaches, though some call them by other names. Realm Breaches are tears in the reality of our world that allow Demonic Beasts into our world."

"You mean Demonic Beasts aren't formed by magic like everyone believes?"

"They are, but in our realm, it takes thousands of years for a Ferocious Beast to condense a magic core and transform into a Demonic Beast. That is not true of other realms."

"Other realms?" Damion questioned. Did this mean out there were other worlds? Damion knew the answer already. His first life had been on Earth, though somehow Damion did not think Demonic Beasts were making their way to Nerotath from Earth.

"There are an infinite number of realms. Each realm is unique in its own ways. Other realms are not where Realm Breaches come from though. As far as scholars have been able to discern, Realm Breaches come from one specific realm, that has been dubbed the Demonic Realm."

"So, Realm Breaches send Demonic Beasts to our world from the Demonic Realm?" Damion questioned. He seemed to be missing some information.

"The true cause of Realm Breaches is not clear. Some say it is intentional while others theorize that the magic is so strong in the Demonic Realm that the breaches are a way to expel their excess magic."

"Okay, so Realm Breaches are somehow, for some reason, caused by the Demonic Realm. Are they portals to the Demonic Realm? Is that how the Demonic Beasts come here?"

"Those that do not know about Realm Breaches and report them are told they are portals to the Demonic Realm and then sworn to secrecy. This keeps most people from daring to enter."

"And the truth?"

"Realm Breaches do connect to somewhere. Scholars have determined it is some sort of intermediary realm that forms not a direct connection to the Demonic Realm. Kind of a pocket realm of magic creations, sent to our world from the Demonic Realm."

"So, these pocket realms are sent out from the Demonic Realm and spew Demonic Beasts into our world?"

"Sometimes. It depends on what type of Realm Breach it is. There are four types of breaches. Unstable, Semi-Stable, Stable and Growth." Damion was not sure what to make of there being four different types of Realm Breaches. Sure that Ms. Teft would explain each in turn he remained silent. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Unstable Breaches, spew out Demonic Beasts until they collapse. They can crop up anywhere and are usually the cause of beast waves. Unstable Breaches will collapse on their own, but the Adventurer Association and the Orders try to send people in as soon as they are detected. One to stop the Demonic Beasts wreaking havoc and two to enter the breach and collapse it before it can spew too many beasts out.

"Semi-Stable Breaches, are similar to Unstable Breaches, though they will only spew out Demonic Beasts when they first appear, as do all Realm Breaches. Semi-Stable Breaches keep the bulk of the Demonic Beasts they possess contained within. Again the Association and the Orders strive to close these breaches as soon as they open, however, Semi-Stable Breaches must be cleared anywhere from two to ten times before they collapse."

"What is it like inside a Realm Breach?" the question popped out from Damion's mouth before Ms. Teft could move on to the next type of breach.

"Breaches take many different forms inside, just as the beasts they contain are quite varied. Once inside, you could find yourself in a forest, a graveyard, a castle. Anywhere you could imagine. Most of the time though the inside of a breach is similar to where it formed."

"How do you close a breach, clear one as you say?"

"Each breach contains a core. Once the core is destroyed the breach is cleared. Unstable Breaches have just one. Semi-Stable Breaches present false cores, that when destroyed send out the challengers over and over, until the false cores are exhausted and the true core is revealed and destroyed to collapse the breach."

"Stable Breaches are commonly called dungeons, to disguise their true natures. Stable Breaches, as you can imagine, can be cleared over and over. These always present false cores. So they can be cleared an endless number of times without collapsing."

"Is it possible to collapse a Stable Breach?"

"It has been done," Ms. Teft said.

"If you can find where the dungeon has secreted its true core. You can destroy it and collapse the breach. Such a thing is greatly frowned on though. You see, dungeons are usually the core of a city. They provide resources from their clearing. Resources that fund guilds, the Orders, almost all commerce of a city revolves around its dungeons."

"Are you saying Saung has Stable Breaches. Inside the walls?" Damion asked. The possibilities that arose from that thought were staggering to Damion.

"Yes, Saung has three Stable Breaches contained. It is hoped the new breach in Benault Forest is a Stable one and not Semi-Stable. My understanding is that teams have cleared it eight times and they are preparing the artifacts necessary to move it safely to the city."

"Breaches can be moved?"

"Stable ones can be. Theoretically, Semi-Stable ones can be moved as well, but the expense of moving a breach is… well it makes moving Semi-Stable ones… impractical."

"And the final type of Realm Breach? Growth you called it."

"Growth Breaches are the heart of the White Zones. They can be moved… well maybe in the past they could be, but now it is unlikely they can be moved."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason Stable and Semi-Stable Breaches can be moved is because of their stability, but what makes them costly to move is the magic power they contain. A Semi-Stable Breach would likely be cheaper than a Stable one to move, but because it has a limited life, the return on the investment to move it would make it a poor financial investment. Perhaps costing more than you could earn by clearing the Breach."

"So, Growth Breaches they…"

"Yes, they grow. Stable Breaches are often referred to as dungeons, while Growth Breaches are called labyrinths. Every time a Growth Breach is cleared, it gains a new floor. And when that new floor is cleared, it creates a new floor as well."

"Do they have no end?" Damion asked curiously.

"There are only three labyrinths known. Each at the heart of our world's three White Zone cities. Each has expanded from one floor, in the beginning, to close to fifty floors now."

"Only fifty? I would have thought they would be hundreds of floors by now. Especially if, as you said, the White Zones were built up around them."

"As you delve deeper into a labyrinth, the floors become more and more difficult. The current floors are challenging even for S Rankers and take years to clear. Each time you enter, you start from the first floor and have to work your way up to newest floors."