She raises a brow at me, her eyes narrowed.
“You don’t believe me?”
“You’re not the problem. Everything elseis. I don’t know… I don’t like this. There are no moons. The entire atmosphere is toxic to mortals. We’re not in Tartareia anymore are we?”
I shake my head. “I think we must have stumbled into another realm… Aima something…”
“Aimaxion,” the wraith confirms.
“Right, and what is this Aimaxion thing?”
The wraith ignores this question. Instead, in the same dead voice as before, he continues.
“Both beings are now authorized. Orientation will commence.” He spares us a glance. “Follow.”
He turns immediately, without waiting for acknowledgment, and begins walking.
With no other recourse, we follow.
It’s clear this world has some odd rules, and if we want to survive we must glean as much information as possible. So far, the wraith seemswillingto give us information, even if it’s under the guise of anorientationwhatever that might be.
We follow him through the vastness of this barren land. The ground shifts beneath our feet as we move—cracked marble giving way to darker stone. The landscape is slightly shifting.
The sky above remains unchanged, a muted crimson expanse that offers no sense of time passing. It makes me wonder where this faintly red light is coming from. It’s a strange hue, its luminosity a mix between night and dawn in Tartareia. It allows us to see everything clearly, but it also hides a lot.
The ruins ahead stretch endlessly, broken columns and collapsed structures rising and sinking into the haze.
Was this a civilization before? Are these ruins the result of a war?
Everyone knows there are realms outside of Tartareia, though it is very hard to reach them. There is a limited number of portals throughout Tartareia that can send you to a designated realm. Due to that, not everyone can afford to travel between realms. And even if it were more accessible, from what I’ve read, it wouldn’t be advisable. Most outside realms are hostile to Tartareians.
It doesn’t seem this one is, though.
The wraith’s voice stops me from my wandering thoughts.
“Realm: Aimaxion,” the guide says as he walks. “Classification: extrajudicial combat realm. Primary function: advancement through lethal engagement.”
His tone never alters. Each word lands with the same weight, as if it has been spoken a thousand times before.
Moe and I falter in our steps.
Combat realm? Lethal Engagement?
Our wide eyes meet as she mouthswhatat me. I shake my head, equally as confused.
The wraith continue.
“Participants acquire Ascension Points through victory in sanctioned combat events. Realm exit condition: accumulation of one thousand points.”
“One thousand points?” I repeat in disbelief. “What the fuck!”
Moe shifts beside me, her unease mirroring mine. “What happens if we lose a combat event?”
The wraith answers simply, “Death.”
Moe gasps.
I close my eyes in defeat. I assumed as much.
