Chương 60: Rook's Resolve

Rook"Thanks to all your hard work Rook, we've had the best harvest we've ever had," Ebbin said. Elira nodded along beside him.

"I, uh… thank you?" Strange… I didn't remember working on the farm—let alone being solely responsible for the harvest.

"Is something bothering you, dear?" Elira asked. I looked at her. She was beautiful in her old age. She had… brown hair? Green eyes? Blue eyes? Red hair? No… something was wrong. I didn't know her. I didn't know Elira. I knew of her… but not her. Ebbin's wife was dead. She had been dead long before I had even been transported to this new world. I looked down at one of my hands. In a flash of silver light, a small Glowmoth appeared above my palm.

Its translucent wings fluttered softly as it spun around my head, casting a pale glow across the porch. Then it flew toward the nearby fields where Moolisa grazed among the tall green grass. She lifted her head for a moment, gave me a lazy glare, and returned to her feast. When I turned back, Elira and Ebbin glitched in and out of existence. Their bodies flickered between solid and translucent, pieces of the porch briefly visible through them. They looked confused as well.

Then they moved toward one another and held each other in their arms.

"Great…" I heard a voice say, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Then Ebbin and Elira were gone. I stood alone on the porch. The fields remained. The warm sunlight remained. Even the smell of fresh earth and growing wheat remained. But the two people who mattered most to the illusion had vanished.

"Hello!" I spun around. A woman stood nearby. She had pale skin and black hair, cut short on one side and left long on the other. Purple eyes stared back at me above a red corset and fluffy skirt. Long sleeves ended in wide, flared cuffs. And, of course, sitting slightly crooked atop her head… a witch's hat.

"Let me guess," I asked.

"Ysra?" Things were becoming clearer and clearer. Luckily, I had made some Glowmoth Wing Custard with the last of the Storm Roc eggs and Glowmoth Wings. I had asked Sable about the dangers of Ysra's illusions, and she had said it was as good an idea as any. Ysra remained silent.

"So I'm guessing we're still in the mist," I asked.

"What was this all supposed to be?"

"A trial of sorts." I shrugged.

"Sorry for ruining it… or does this mean I pass?" Ysra tapped a finger against her lips and hummed.

"Nope. Not yet."

"So what are you going to do then? I'll dispel any illusion you try. Can we just skip to the part where you tell me what I want to know?" Ysra's smile widened.

"Okay… that will work."

"Wait, what will work—" The world disappeared. Mist surged around me from every direction, swallowing Bramblewick, the porch, and the endless green fields. It churned so thickly that I could barely see my own feet. Ysra stood nearby, only around shoulder-height to me, and waved a hand toward the rolling fog. The mist obeyed. It twisted and folded over itself, changing and morphing at her command.

"You wish to know about your System, correct?" she asked.

"Yes!" I yelled, unsure whether the tumultuous, drowning noise surrounding us was even real. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Then I will show you the paths forward. Paths to go along with the choice that you still refuse to make."

"My passive choice?" I asked. She nodded. I straightened, squared my shoulders, and steeled myself.

"Fine," I said.

"Show me." Ysra smiled and snapped her fingers. I blinked. The mist was gone. I blinked again. My Party stood before me: Sable, Vaelith, Darwin, Moolisa—even Marnie. We were helping people. Earning a name for ourselves. People rejoiced when they saw us. Then more joined us, still shrouded in darkness but no less important. More silhouettes. More companions. More people following in our wake. I stood at the tip of the spear. A shield to protect them. But no matter how much we did… It was never enough.

There were always more people to help. More lives to save. More monsters to slay. More recipes to create and consume. I blinked—they were gone. All that remained were Darwin and me. People respected me as much as they feared me. Some built statues in my honor. Others cursed my name. I was known from the far edges of the world as a hero. A tyrant. A threat. And yet… I stood alone. Always alone. And in the end, I still wasn't enough.

"Fine!" I called into the void.

"You've had your fun. I get it. No matter what I choose, I won't be enough. I won't be happy. Is that what you want? For me to give up?"

"No," Ysra replied, her voice emerging in my head rather than echoing out.

"I simply want you to understand your choice. This is… entertaining. When your life is as boring as mine, not much sets your heart aflutter. But you do."

"You've shown me my two choices… Can I pass now?"

"Two?" Ysra replied.

"Aren't you forgetting about…" Pain exploded through my skull. A headache tore through my mind and drove me to my knees. Bile crawled up my throat, but it tasted less like vomit and more like blood. My vision pulsed in and out of focus as pressure built behind my eyes.

"What… are… you… doing?" I croaked.

"Showing you your third option," she replied simply.

"I figured you would want to have all your options laid out before you." I crawled forward. My hand slipped. Something rough and wet pressed against my palm. I tried to push myself upright. Whatever it was cracked beneath my fingers. I tried again. Another crunch. I dragged myself forward and looked up. There, seated upon a throne atop a mountain of bones and corpses beneath a blood-red moon… was someone I recognized— Me! I peered around. The corpses weren't only human. Demons. Dwarves. Elves.

Monsters of every shape and size. All dead at my feet. All piled beneath my throne. The air was dark and heavy; the ground slick beneath my hands. I caught another glimpse of my face. I looked… different. Paler. My features distorted into something sharper. Angular. I vomited.

"What… is… this?" I cried.

"One future," Ysra said, appearing before me. She stepped onto a skull. It crumbled beneath her heel. She made a small face, as if to excuse herself.

"This is one such future that you can choose. One where you subjugate the world and tear down gods. No… a world where you are a god." I forced myself to sit up straight.

"And why would I ever choose a world like this? Who would ever choose this?" She clicked her tongue.

"You've no idea the pain that is to come. No idea of the injustice you will see. Of the torments you will face." Saddened, I asked, "And is that all? Will there be nothing good to hope for?" Ysra smiled.

"Now that, Rook, is an interesting question to ask. You sit here and gaze upon a world that has no hope because of you, and you ask if hope can still be found? Why? Do you wish to redeem yourself?"

"Not for myself," I replied, dejected, unable to meet the witch's eyes.

"For Darwin. For Vaelith. For Sable, Moolisa, Marnie, Lina… and everyone else I've met." I forced myself to look up.

"And for you, too. From what Sable has told me, you aren't evil, you're just…"

"Cursed?" she asked. I nodded. Ysra laughed. Then she waved her hand. The terrible future disappeared. The corpses vanished. The throne dissolved. The blood moon faded. Once again, I sat in complete darkness.

"You've passed the test, Rook," she said.

"Come and join us. Everyone is waiting for you. I'm told that you can make some truly interesting recipes from monster parts, and I've been dying to try one." She disappeared. In her place appeared a narrow opening filled with light. Beyond it, I could see a town. Buildings. People. I stood on wobbly legs and stepped toward it. At the entrance, I stopped. I took a breath and opened my system window. My passive choices appeared before me. There were the two I remembered: Life of the Party and Solo Predator.

But now there was also a third option… Predation. I grimaced just looking at the word. Before I could scroll over and read its description, I hesitated. My hand trembled. Something primal inside me screamed danger. Suddenly, my finger flicked over Life of the Party, and I made my choice. System New Passive! Congratulations Life of the Party — Level 1 Harvest core ingredients from monsters slain by members of your Party.

Rank up to unlock additional bonuses The knot in the pit of my stomach—one I hadn't even realized was there—loosened. A weight was lifted from my shoulders. Feeling lighter, I stepped into the light.