Morning Steel, Midnight Shadows

Things have been progressing as well as you might think—which is to say, not at all.

After that whole Class Evaluation fiasco, Keiji came back swinging. More determined than ever, like a man who’d just discovered a second spine.

He even marched straight to Master Jacques to report in the next day. Jacques, of course wasn’t pleased he took four weeks to do so. Lucky for Keiji, I’d already anticipated this issue and came prepared with an excuse so brilliant, it should win awards. The details aren’t important but trust me, it was magnifico.

Jacques squinted at me for a solid thirty seconds, like he was trying to figure out if I was lying but in the end, he bought it. Or maybe he just didn’t care enough to dig deeper.

Not that it spared Keiji from punishment. Oh, no. Jacques slapped him with the harshest penalties in the book—extended drills, extra field chores, and something ominously called The Sweat Gauntlet, which, from what Keiji looks like every night, must involve both boiling water and tears.

As for me? I’ve been keeping a low profile. Nothing flashy. Mostly hanging around Keiji during the late hours, running extra training sessions in secret. The deal is simple: I teach him how to not die in the field, and in return, he helps me figure out this whole glitch situation before someone else does. We’ve been strategizing and gathering information. Keiji’s been the note-taker, organizing everything we’ve learned so far like a conspiracy theorist with a stationery addiction. So far, our findings look like this:

One: The Orchestrator who trapped us in that fake dungeon for two days.

Two: Whoever they are, they knew about my resonance ability

Three: This world was a game

Although that last one has not yet been confirmed and I don’t care how much evidence Keiji waves in my face. He can scribble “inventory screens” and “NPC behavior patterns” in red ink all he wants, but as far as I’m concerned, if it can stab me and make me bleed, it’s real.

But it hasn’t been all research. We’ve been sneaking into low-tier dungeons together. Keiji’s getting better with a sword —still slow, like watching a tree grow in winter, but hey, progress is progress. We’ve cleared two dungeons but have gone unnoticed by the Church so far. The plan was to climb the ladder, hit the high-tiers, maybe take a shot at the Apocalypse someday. Keiji had a theory that if we did that, he could return home.

Everything was going fine.

And then Jacques decided to “help.”

He summoned Keiji to the training yard. Naturally, I tagged along. Jacques was waiting with three strangers lined up behind him, perfectly polished and perfectly miserable-looking. Of course, I don’t know them so I’m basing this purely on the looks they gave us as we approached.

The first was Lira. At least that’s what her quiver’s nameplate said in silver script. She had the kind of posture that screamed “by-the-handbook enthusiast.”. Hair tied so tight it might have cut off circulation to her brain, and eyes that flicked to Keiji like they were measuring his worth in ounces. For once I was glad not to be the center of attention.

“Archer,” she said crisply after Jacques paused. “I am a precision shooter. I expect you to follow formation. If you compromise my line of sight, I will...”

“...write us up?” I muttered under my breath.

She heard me. Oh, she definitely heard me. The glare she gave me, you would think I had killed her entire village or something.

Good start, Ash. Great first impression.

Next was Dorran. Big guy. A shield-bearer. The kind of guy who probably ate bricks for breakfast and called it a light snack. A really thick boy…and I mean in the muscles departments. His armor was scratched but polished, the perfect balance of “I’ve seen war” and “also I wax my gear every morning.” He gave Keiji a slow, respectful nod.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Hero,” he rumbled. “I will be your shield until the very end.”

I like this guy.

Last was Verra, an Elven Mage from the Silver Ring. Her robes were stitched with glowing runes that pulsed like veins under her soft skin. Soft smile, calm voice, but something about the way she held her staff told me she wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. More like the type who’d heal you and then give you a lecture about why you got hurt in the first place.

“Pleasure,” she said, which, compared to Lira, was practically a warm hug.

Jacques clapped his hands, dust shaking loose like his patience. “Briefing. Now.”

The briefing room in the barracks smelled like sweat and damp boots, a deadly combination that made breathing unbearable, but it didn’t seem to faze Master Jacques.

“A collapsing mid-tier dungeon is on the verge of merging with its neighbor,” Jacques began. “If that happens, we’ll have a double-spawn event.”

Keiji tilted his head, calm but curious. “A double-spawn event?”

Jacques folded his arms, the sound like a tree creaking before it snaps. “ A double-spawn event is when two dungeons merge. When that happens the beasts inside them fuse together to become deadlier forms. These new forms are called Rovers, and they feast on flesh. They crave it…and don’t stop until they’ve had their fill.”

Lira raised her hand like she was volunteering for extra credit.

“Master Jacques, shouldn’t we send…more qualified Mages and warriors? No offense but this group isn’t exactly…”

Jacques cut her off with a grunt. “Other personnel have already been deployed throughout the Kingdom to stop similar spawn events. This is what we have. Make do.”

Lira looked away, but her eyes burned holes through the table. I couldn’t tell whether she was angry at Jacques or the situation we found ourselves in.

Then Keiji did the most Keiji thing possible. He spoke.
“Sir… I have a request.”

Jacques’ brow twitched — the kind of twitch that usually preceded violence. “Speak.”

“I want Ash on the team.”

“What in the hell is an Ash?” Jacques asked, all venom.

“Right here,” I said, waving like an idiot.

The silence after that could’ve buried me alive.

Jacques turned slowly, like a beast deciding whether to bite. “You want me to assign a broken scrap-picker to an official mission?”

I know I’m just a background character but broken?

“Yes,” Keiji said. Steady. Unshaken.

Jacques stare flicked from Keiji to me and back again, like he was deciding which of us to strangle first.

“Fine.” The word left his mouth like he was spitting blood on the ground.

Lira wasn’t happy though. She made a little sound that made me want to break every arrow in her quiver. “Rules exist for a reason,” she said glaring at me. “…if we start making exceptions…”

“Enough,” Jacques cut her off with a hand sharp enough to slice tension in half. “The dungeon is the priority. if he slows you down, you leave him. And that goes for everyone.”

I wanted to say something quippy and sarcastic but decided not to.

Lira made a sound that was halfway between a scoff and a polite choke. Dorran gave me a look like don’t take it personally, while Verra’s expression was unreadable—just the faintest narrowing of her eyes.

Jacques shoved a parchment map onto the table. “The dungeons are in the Copper Ring, Eastside village. Find the Nexus core, collapse it before the merge is complete.”

Keiji tried to ask “What’s a nexu…?”

“Go.” Jacques’ bark made the walls shake.

We loaded up. Rations, potions. Verra whispered a prayer that smelled faintly of ozone. I strapped the Mourner’s pack to my back, shovel in hand. Keiji adjusted his fresh armor and tightened the sword at his hip. Across from him, Lira was inspecting her bow with the kind of care you usually reserve for holy relics. Dorran just stood there, staring at the horizon. One can only guess what he’s thinking about.

I leaned against a post, watching Keiji like a coach who knows the rookie was going to fumble but still hopes for a miracle.

“You ready?” I asked.

“No,” he said honestly.

“Good. If you were, I’d think you’d gone insane.”

Lira’s ears practically perked at that. “Are we going to sit around braiding friendship bracelets, or are we leaving?”

I opened my mouth, but Keiji stopped me with a look.
“Let’s just focus on the mission,” he said.