Chapter 20: Nexus Fragments

His aura grew dangerously large with his killing intent, his eyes taking on a violet hue, growing colder as a faint fog of black aura pulsed from within him.

"Go ahead and announce our presence to them, genius," Argint scowled, jabbing her elbow into his side.

Realizing he had lost his cool for a moment, he forced himself to calm down again. He glared at the few guards in the distance, considering the possibility that they already knew of their presence. He would need to be wary of traps.

He didn't voice his suspicions to Argint, assuming she already knew. Ten minutes later, they reviewed their simple plan and made their move.

Alicarde and Argint infiltrated the village, moving silently through the shadows. They knocked out a guard with precise, swift strikes, his body collapsing soundlessly into the underbrush. As they made their way toward the center of the village, Argint noted with growing unease that it was far less guarded than they had anticipated.

"This doesn't feel right," Argint whispered, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"Agreed," Alicarde replied, his grip tightening on his sword. "Stay sharp. It might be a trap."

"Got it," Alicarde whispered.

They advanced cautiously, using the sparse cover to their advantage. The village, nestled in the mountains and covered with large trees, seemed almost deserted.

The few guards they encountered were easily dispatched, but the eerie emptiness heightened their sense of dread.

As they approached the large cabin in the center, Argint picked up the familiar scent of Carrisa. She nodded to Alicarde, signaling that they were on the right track. They moved closer, carefully avoiding any attention.

Finally, they reached the cabin. Alicarde signaled for Argint to stay back while he peered through a window. Inside, he saw Carrisa and Amena sitting with an elderly, elf-like man. Carrisa was calmly having tea, a serene expression on her face.

Alicarde crept to the door, confident he could take down the old man soundlessly, motioning for Argint to follow. They entered the cabin silently, moving with the precision of seasoned hunters.

Carrisa looked up, her eyes meeting Alicarde's with a mixture of relief and amusement.

"You're late," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

Alicarde blinked, momentarily stunned by her calm demeanor.

"Carrisa, are you guys okay? What's going on?"

The elderly elf-like man smiled gently. "Welcome. We've been expecting you...six hours earlier."

"Huh? What?" Alicarde muttered.

Alicarde and Argint exchanged confused glances. This wasn't the scene they had anticipated. Argint stepped forward, her eyes narrowing.

"Is this some kind of trick?" she demanded.

"Not at all," the elderly man replied. "We mean you no harm—yet. Please, sit and join us. There is much to discuss."

Alicarde's grip on his sword tightened, but he nodded slowly.

"Alright, but no monkey business."

"And what the hell did he mean by 'yet'?" he grumbled, looking at Carrisa, hoping for answers.

They sat down, still on high alert. Amena poured tea for them, her movements graceful and unhurried. Alicarde couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this situation than met the eye.

"Now," the elderly man began, "let us explain why you were brought here."

The old man was decrepit, with wrinkles all over his face and a long beard, giving him the aura of a wise old sage. Most notably, his pointy elf-like ears seemed to droop down with age.

"As per our arrangement with the princess, we will settle this with a duel. Should your party persevere, you are free to do with our tribe as you please, Princess. And should our champions persevere, we will use your lifeblood to restore the Nexus fragments and return to the Demiplanes."

The old man's words confused Alicarde.

"Nexus?" he asked, tilting his head.

Carrisa sighed, realizing she had to explain it to him.

"A Nexus fragment is a shard of an interworld travel gate known as a Nexus. These gates are predominantly found within the Demiplanes, where they are controlled by the most powerful races. Possessing one is a symbol of great power, and for good reason. The Nexus has immense strategic value, as it affects the area where it is located, protecting it from the encroachment of the wasteland and its countless horrors."

"So, it's a magic gate," he replied, still not fully grasping its value.

"In essence," Carrisa said. "The three greatest powers in this world each possess one Nexus gate. It is the source of their dominance over all other forces in this world, including the world government. With a Nexus, one can even connect to different waypoints."

He still didn't understand its significance, but she mentioned another new term. Realizing he was about to ask, she continued.

"A waypoint is a lesser version of a Nexus. Its value lies in its ability to connect to a Nexus as a central source, but that is only secondary. Its primary function is in-world teleportation. It provides minor effects on the land, similar but lesser than a Nexus."

After a few more minutes of explanation, Alicarde finally grasped its importance. Essentially, in the Demiplane, the land is usually deadly and cursed, making it too dangerous to be habitable.

However, these ancient Nexus scattered across the lands act as magical purifiers. They allow the lord who owns the land to make it fertile and protect the region from the horrors in the wasteland with a barrier, among other things.

The Nexus also provides magical energy, so the closer one lives to it, the more powerful they become. Those closer to the Nexus gate are considered the wealthiest or most influential and are also the safest from the abominations of the wasteland should they intrude upon the land.

Conquering one isn't easy. You must first locate it, then place your energy inside. This can be done by the lord or his vassals in his peerage, but only after defeating the creature guarding it, of course.

By defeating the guardian, you gain access to the Nexus. Each Nexus has a guardian, and should one be absent, the Nexus will seek one out via summoning.

As for the waypoints, they are lesser versions of this. Carrisa also emphasized that all Nexus gates are owned by the rulers of the kingdoms or empires they belong to, and the more Nexus gates you have, the more powerful your dominion.

She briefly explained their mysterious origins from ancient times and the newly created ones that cost vast amounts of resources, even for the Evernight Empire. All that took several more minutes.

During this short lecture, the old man silently listened without intervening, while Argint gave him looks of disdain, as if this should be common knowledge.

Alicarde also learned that the three powers of this world—the Order, the Magicians Guild, and the Truth Association, who ruled from the shadows—all own one Nexus gate each, which is the true source of their great power and prestige.

However, he couldn't forget the elephant in the room. How did this involve Carrisa's life?

So he asked, "Why does this involve Carrisa's life?" His tone was menacing.

"Because I am an Eternal," she replied. He did not understand what that meant.

She looked back at him. "It is my race—what I am. An Eternal is a powerful entity. Supposing I actually survive to reach adulthood—which is highly unlikely considering my circumstances," her tone turned mirthful at the end despite how dark her words sounded.

"By using my blood and my life, which contain all of my latent potential, they could theoretically repair the Nexus. Although I am quite curious how your small tribe managed to bring a Nexus fragment into this world. It is not impossible, yes, but exceedingly difficult, even for the Empire." She furrowed her brows.

"The current Nexus gates in this world were a gift from three different races to humanity—the demons, the angels, and the vampire primogenitors. And that, too, was done collectively, due to their shared interests in humanity's continued existence." Her words shed some light on secrets Alicarde would never have known if he were still an ordinary human.

"How so?" Alicarde asked.

"Demons desire the fulfillment of desires, angels seek faith, and vampires crave human blood," Carrisa stated.

Alicarde nodded.

The village elder sighed, continuing. "Yes, but it was merely an accident. When we were unjustly betrayed and dishonored, we were given two choices, clan extermination or exile into the wastelands. We chose exile. More than one hundred thousand of our people were forced into the wastelands within the Empire's borders."

He took a sip of tea and continued.

"Within mere weeks, our numbers began to dwindle due to the harsh wastelands and the horrors that preyed on our people. But the heavens had not abandoned us yet. We found a part of the wasteland that was secluded and hidden, unknown to the Empire.

Believing we had found a waypoint, our greatest fighters assembled. But it was teeming with countless horrors. Yet we had no other choice, so we fought. One by one, they died."

His eyes clouded with tears, but he continued regardless.

We finally cleared them with great sacrifice. Only a few of our warriors remained, having desperately shielded the young from the horrors of battle. When we reached the Nexus, it was guarded by a formidable beast.

Our warriors fought valiantly, and one of them succeeded in marking the Nexus. However, the creature was relentless, disrupting the process at the critical moment."

"They managed to open the Nexus, but it shattered into fragments, and the creature, wielding space attributes, dragged them into this world. Nearly all perished, but three survived. The creature was left unconscious, and the rest of us, desperate to escape the wasteland, followed with all the survivors. Three days later, the Nexus closed, leaving only its fragments in this world with us."

"We captured the creature and sealed it at the heart of the village. Though we had emerged victorious, it was a Pyrrhic victory. We had lost too much, only the young remained in the village.

Now, the Nexus energy has leaked. Many in this realm must have sensed it. The greedy will fight for it. We did our best to conceal it, but hope had nearly faded. Yet with your blood, we can open the Nexus and return to the now monster-free region, out of sight and out of mind. Thus, I say this, Princess, we must sacrifice you for our survival."

The village elder finished his story in a somber tone. Alicarde found it tragic, but not so tragic that he would allow strangers to kill Carrisa.

Carrisa smiled faintly as Alicarde looked at her with concern.

If they had to die for someone he cared about to live, then it was a price he was willing to pay, although he wished to avoid that. If there was no other way, then so be it. He prayed that their souls would find peace. A duel, so be it. He would not lose today. Let the duels begin.