—— ? ——

  Oh, my lord. This guy will not stop talking.

  The stroll across Varnholt had only been a few minutes. Fresh snow crunched beneath their boots. Smoke curled lazily from household chimneys and billowed from the vents of workshops. There was a pleasant smell of burning pine wafting through the air. It stood opposed to the acrid smell of metal, burning hide, and other smells that Simon couldn’t identify.

  Simon wanted to admire it. The architecture here was odd. Old looking stone walled buildings stood adjacent to solid concrete like structures that were a mixture of modern, medieval and other designs.

  Some buildings were the very example of efficiency, others covered in complicated delicate carvings and artistic majesty. The town felt crammed together, a mashup of a hundred ideas all using the same materials, but in different ways.

  But no, his companion, some overly chipper guard, would constantly engage him with questions and conversation.

  “So… were you really wearing dozens of corpses of Aurora Hoppers?!”

  Simon gave the young man a look. Brinn grinned sheepishly.

  “I mean, I heard so many people talk about it. I’m new to being a guard, so I haven’t been assigned night shifts yet. But if it was really like what people say, it was something that made even Jorik shake his head. Dozens of corpses? Just lashed to you? That’s just brutal… and a bit gross.. Mostly gross. But still!”

  Simon exhaled slowly. “Like I said before, Brinn, I’m not really in a talking mood. Was this what you wanted to ask this entire time?”

  Simon had a feeling that Brinn had been dancing around something he wanted to ask. They had the usual introductions, small talk, complaints about the cold. On that note, Simon was thankful to the healer for lending him some woolen garments and a heavy coat. They were definitely tight on his frame, but much better than walking to this “hub” cold and practically naked.

  Brinn nodded back to him.

  “You have been the talk of the town. You show up, the council meets at the dead of night, and then they tell everyone not to worry about it.. Guards aren’t exactly known for keeping their mouths shut about town business, but Jorik? He’s being weirdly tight-lipped.”

  Simon squinted at Brinn. “You say that like it means something. Remember, new here.”

  “It does!” Brinn said, boots crunching in the snow beside him. “Jorik’s not exactly… subtle? He’s practical. Direct. Gets annoyed when people beat around the bush. If you don’t say something plainly, he’ll just grunt and walk off. But this? He just mutters ‘not my story to tell’ and goes back to patrol, like nothing happened. Bring it up again? Shakes his head and repeats it. It’s weird.”

  They turned down a broad street where the snow had been freshly shoveled, revealing intricate inlays in the stonework beneath—geometric designs carved with artisan pride. People peeked through windows as they passed, whispering, pointing. Simon felt the weight of their curiosity press against his spine like a physical force.

  Brinn fell quiet, waiting for Simon to speak, letting his earlier words hang.

  Simon appreciated that the guard who had found him in his half-dead state wasn’t spreading rumors. He’d half expected to be named a madman. But while he was grateful for his discretion, it also made him uneasy.

  Varnholt had a council that seemed to be in charge. Was Jorik’s silence his own choice… or was someone telling him to stay quiet?

  Were they nervous about the stranger who had wandered in?

  Luckily, Simon had someone he could ask.

  He slowed his pace, glancing at Brinn. To the younger man’s credit, he didn’t fill the silence. He just walked, gloved hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the road like he wasn’t watching Simon at all.

  “Okay, before I answer,” Simon said finally. “Can I ask you something?”

  Brinn perked up immediately. “Of course!”

  “You said Jorik is usually direct. But he’s been avoiding any details about me. Do you know why?”

  Brinn’s face tightened into an expression somewhere between sympathy and panic.

  “Well… I mean… I’m just a new guard. I don’t know exactly why,” he said, lowering his voice as they passed a man with a faint blue tint to his skin.

  Simon stared too long before snapping his gaze back to Brinn.

  Brinn noticed. He leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Frost-Kin. Don’t worry, everyone does a double-take the first time. They aren’t actually icy… well, at least not physically. Real prideful bunch. That guy’s probably already offended.”

  Simon blinked. “Honestly, I was wondering if I was still hallucinating. Everything is so strange.”

  “You’re not,” Brinn said cheerfully. “And don’t worry. Even if you were, you wouldn’t be the only one in town who deals with hallucinations. I swear the alchemy twins haven’t stopped hallucinating since we got here.”

  Simon gave him a look. “Who now?”

  Brinn waved a hand. “Those two are a story best told over a drink. But back to your question… Hells, the Frost-Kin that just walked by is a great example. Jorik always speaks his mind, right? So they put up all the different homeworld flags by the gates—showing unity or whatever—and Jorik looks at the Frost-Kin’s flag and goes, deadpan, ‘Why does it look like someone planted a dick in the snow?’”

  Simon blinked. Brinn just grinned.

  “Oh man, right in front of the Frost-Kin higher-ups, too. One of them leapt at him—dented Jorik’s helmet. Jorik returned the punch and knocked the guy out cold. Most at the event thought we were about to start a species based war right then and there.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

  “Nothing, actually. The other Frost-Kin looked at Jorik and nodded. They’re really into the ‘might makes right’ thing. I heard the two of them had a rematch that night… but they drank instead of fighting. Jorik did not win that one.”

  Simon laughed. “So don’t try to out-drink one of them?”

  Brinn nodded solemnly. “Yeah, no. Remember how I said the town is mostly craftsmen and artisans?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, turns out nearly every Frost-Kin here makes some kind of drink. Beer, liquor, wine, you name it, they brew it. Some are smiths or magic-focused, but pretty much all of them come from some ancient monastery or tradition with brewing techniques that go back thousands of years. Jorik said it was clear, chilled, and smooth… that was the last thing he remembered, apparently.”

  Brinn chuckled and shook his head before continuing.

  “Next day, Jorik woke up in a wheelbarrow next to the guardhouse. The Frost-Kin he fought had left him two bottles of liquor and tucked him under a woolen blanket. I’m pretty sure the two of them still hang out. Although… they haven’t drunk together since, and those bottles are still sitting on a shelf in his office.”

  Simon tilted his head. “Souvenirs of a night to remember?”

  “Maybe. Or a warning,” Brinn said with a grin, though it faded as his gaze drifted ahead.

  “Thing is… that’s what makes this whole situation feel off.”

  Simon looked at him sideways. “What does?”

  Brinn scratched the back of his head, clearly unsure if he should say it. “Jorik tells that story to anyone that asks. Doesn’t care how stupid he looks, or how drunk he got. Hell, he brags about it. Few here have dared try the Blue Brew. But when the conversation comes to you?”

  He shook his head slowly.

  “Nothing. Total shutdown. Won’t talk about the night. Just mutters something about how it’s not his story to tell and changes the subject.”

  Brinn sighed, voice dropping a bit.

  “So, to answer your question? The only reason Jorik wouldn’t say anything is because someone told him not to. That’s the one thing everyone knows about him. Jorik always does his duty.”

  They walked in silence for a moment before Brinn continued.

  “But… That doesn’t make much sense either. Because I’m here with you.”

  Simon just raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding his point.

  “Simon, right? I’m Brinn, the new guard. The one with the least amount of experience. Why am I escorting the mysterious stranger around town?”

  Brinn frowned.

  “Everyone was convinced you were some badass warrior. Even with Jorik keeping quiet, word travels fast here. Something about a pile of Aurora Hopper bodies and you giving the guards a bloody thumbs-up in the snow. From what I hear, that came straight from a few council members.”

  He shook his head again, more firmly this time.

  “It doesn’t make sense. That’s why I wanted to know about the corpses. If all of that really happened, if you fought through some swarm and dragged yourself to the gate half-dead… why would they treat you like some child to be shepherded around? Why me?”

  Simon was quiet.

  He didn’t have a good answer. The truth was, he barely remembered that night. It was just a blur of pain, cold, and feverish fighting. The cold burning his skin like acid, the wild panic of survival. He remembered everything in fragments. There were things in the snow. Stupid skills. Teeth. Pain. Pulsing fear and grim determination. A moment where he had nearly given up, then just smiled and pushed on.

  Brinn was being helpful, though. He at least deserved some information.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “I did fight a bunch of freakish hell bunnies… Uh.. Aurora Hoppers are what they are called?” he asked.

  Brinn nodded in affirmation.

  “Yeah, Aurora Hoppers. Nasty little fur balls. They aren’t too scary most of the time, though. Pretty easy to kill. Unless you are out at night time. Then it gets really difficult to contend with them.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s where they get their name from. Night time here brings the Aurora and they hunt using it… Wait, how do you not know that?”

  Brinn had stopped walking, partly because Simon’s ignorance confused him, and partly because they had arrived.

  The building towered over the rest of Varnholt, but it wasn’t its size that set it apart. It was the way it pulsed and glowed. Not brightly, but in subtle radiance.

  It looked like light was being reflected and refracted through a thousand layers of glass, each more precise than the last. The structure was made of some kind of crystalline material, cut so smoothly it looked like it had grown.

  Blue and red fractal patterns spiraled across its surface. They seemed alive, their designs pulsing and shifting in slow motion like veins under translucent skin. The colors never touched, but their edges hovered close to each other, dancing along invisible seams that were impossibly complex.

  The patterns formed geometric curves that Simon couldn’t quite track. The structure seemed to obey laws that were one step above what he could understand.

  Simon had seen some crazy things over the last few days, from the realms crafted by the emo god to the god of bards.

  This building was stranger and more beautiful than anything he had ever seen.

  “Crazy isn’t it?” Brinn broke the silence.

  “Yeah, it is. Is this the hub?” Simon replied, still staring at the marvel with wonder.

  “The one and only. Well, the one and only in Varnholt. There are probably more of these around this crazy world. Who knows?”

  “But before we go in and you get synced up with Varnholt. How did you not know about the Aurora? It’s out every night. Crazy thing is gorgeous but a pain in the neck when you are drunk or taking a piss. One moment everything is great, the next you are freezing in… undesired locations.”

  Simon tore his eyes away from the crystalline marvel, blinking as if surfacing from underwater.

  “Wait… I think I remember. I did stop moving whenever the sky blazed. That thing charms you?”

  Brinn looked at him, expression shifting into alarm.

  “Hold on… You didn’t know? And you were out there in the snow?” He whistled. “Damn lucky you are still breathing. If the night you showed up here was the first time seeing it, I’m shocked you didn’t immediately get your head bitten off.”

  Simon shrugged. “Didn’t feel like luck. Also, yeah, they sure tried. It was like my body was listening to something my brain couldn’t understand.”

  Brinn nodded. “Yeah, that would be the charm effect. It doesn’t hit everyone the same, but it’s about that. So, you were out in the snow, aurora blazed and hoppers just started to attack?”

  “About right. I guess I woke up from the charm when one of them sunk their teeth into my arm.”

  Brinn winced. “Oh. Owch. Yeah, that would wake you up.”

  “Then I just kept fighting them… I lost a bunch of blood… and decided that the best defense was making it so it was hard for them to bite onto me.”

  Brinn tilted his head. “Hard for them to bite you… how?”

  Simon scratched the back of his head, not meeting his eyes. “I… uh… Well, I was bandaging myself using strips of my shirt… and there were a lot of bodies… so…”

  Brinn stared.

  Simon gestured vaguely. “Look, it was cold. I was half delirious. When I was fighting them, I was carrying two of the dead ones. One of the new ones jumped on my back and bit down. It didn’t get me because the body of the one I was carrying blocked it. So I just decided to cover the rest of my body that way.”

  Brinn’s mouth slowly fell open.

  “So you were wearing dead bodies!”

  Simon gave a weak grin. “More like layered in them? It started as a practical idea. Got really morbid, really quickly.”

  Brinn exhaled and rubbed his chin. “No wonder they told people not to talk about you. It sounds like you showed up out of the snow like some myth people tell their children about to make them sleep.”

  Simon looked back at the crystalline hub. “Yeah, well… It worked. I’m alive.”

  “If what you are saying is true, you’re completely insane.”

  “I prefer resourceful.”

  Brinn snorted. “Yeah, that would be one way to describe it. Still makes no sense why I’m leading an… interesting… person through town then. Well, speaking of that, we should go to the hub. First stop for the dynamic duo of insane traveler and green as grass guard.”

  As he finished speaking, Brinn strode forward, past the glowing archway of the building. He waved for Simon to follow from inside.

  Simon walked forward carefully. He fully expected to be electrocuted by the magnificently strange building.

  He nearly jumped out of his skin when the prompt appeared.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE —-

  > QUEST: FOUNDATIONS OF THE UNIVERSE

  > Status: Complete!

  You reached the hub!

  You didn’t die. Congratulations!

  It’s way warmer here, isn’t it?

  Make your way to the center of the building and touch the hub to receive quest rewards.

  ——————————

  Brinn had already made it halfway down the hallway when he turned around and gave him a questioning look.

  “Uh, you coming?”

  Simon shook his head, his heartbeat erratic.

  “Yeah… coming.”

  Simon stepped further into the hub.

  The inside was… impossible.

  From the outside, the structure had seemed massive, but within it felt limitless. The ceiling arched high overhead, far higher than the building’s physical dimensions should have allowed, lined with fractal skylights that refracted soft ambient light across polished crystalline floors.

  Pillars of glass and metal spiraled toward the ceiling like coiled vines, glowing faintly with red and blue pulses in rhythm with the exterior shell. Strange panels hovered in the air, gently rotating with symbols he couldn’t recognize, flickering like they were waiting for someone to interpret them.

  They approached the center, and Simon gazed at the hub.

  Each cardinal direction had a hallway leading out of the chamber. The chamber itself was like a cathedral. A crystalline cube was seated in the hall's heart, its sides rippling with impossible colors. Red and blue swirled in fractal storms across its surface, their spirals never repeating, never stopping. The patterns moved with purpose, flowing like living paint across a surface that shimmered like molten glass.

  Above the cube, the spirals extended into the air itself, twisting upward in a slow, blooming vortex of color. The building’s vaulted ceiling arched high above it, the stained glass filtering sunlight that bent strangely as it passed through the field around the cube.

  Brinn coughed, waking Simon from his staring.

  “So… you going to sync up? We need to get to the council chamber.”

  Simon looked at him with a dumb face.

  “How messed up is your head, man? Like I know blood loss can mess with you, but come on. Just walk up and touch it.”

  Simon swallowed hard, eyes drifting back to the impossible cube.

  “Just walk up and touch it,” he muttered, more to himself than Brinn. “Sure. Easy.”

  He walked slowly towards the cube, every step bringing him closer to the impossible. Simon heard the guard behind him sigh and tap his foot.

  Gathering his courage, he decided to just get this over with. He took the final steps quickly and practically shoved the cube.

  It was completely solid.

  A flash of light enveloped him for a split second.

  He blinked.

  The cube was still there.

  Brinn was still standing behind him.

  The clothing he had borrowed was neatly folded at his feet.

  He now wore comfortable thick clothing, suited for the area. A white and gray winter coat that seemed to have geometric swirls carved into it. Thick pants and a belt that matched. The clothing had strange metallic clasps and no visible seams. White boots replaced the brown and simple ones he had borrowed from the healer.

  It was extremely comfortable. The coat was layered but weightless, its subtle geometric swirl patterns catching the light with a faint iridescence.

  It felt like someone had looked at the idea of winter clothing and then asked, “But what if it was better?”

  A quiet chime echoed in his mind.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE —-

  > QUEST REWARDS RECEIVED

  > Reward Granted:

  

  
• Basic System Functions: Unlocked. You may now access your System functions such as town or regional quests.


  
• Personal Status Interface: Unlocked. You may now interact with your personal status at any time.


  
• Stabilization Anchor: Established and Anchored. Local area has a hostile environment, Granting appropriate gear set.


  

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  The first step has been taken.

  May you rise, break every boundary, and echo far beyond your beginnings, Simon Starfall.

  Good luck.

  ——————————

  As he closed the prompt, another took its place.

  —- STATUS —-

  > Name: Simon Starfall

  > Level: 0

  > Class: Unassigned - Reach level 10 to make your choice.

  > Stats

  Health: 134/150

  Stamina: 136/140

  Mana: 80/80

  Body

  

  
• Endurance: 14


  
• Vitality: 15


  
• Dexterity: 12


  
• Strength: 16


  

  Mind

  

  
• Wisdom: 8


  
• Intelligence: 7


  

  Soul

  

  
• Willpower: 18


  
• Charisma: 7


  

  Essence:

  

  
• Luck: 5


  

  > Skills

  >> Unshakeable Resilience (Unique)

  Level: 0 / ?

  Description:

  You don’t know when to quit, and your body and mind agree.

  Every step forward is a choice. Every breath, an act of will. Let them fill with your intent.

  For you refuse to be moved by anyone or anything but yourself.

  Firm Soul: Your soul resists direct control, anchoring your identity against external forces.

  Attempts at possession or coercion must now contend with your internal will and resolve.

  Threshold Stabilization: Increases your chance to stay conscious during injuries by channeling intent and resolve to stabilize both mind and body.

  Presence Resistance: When reduced to critical health or exposed to extreme stress, you may ignore minor debuffs (pain, dizziness, fatigue) for a short time. Duration scales with willpower.

  >> Theodia’s Instrumental Summon (Inferior) - Growth-Class - Ravenous

  Level: ? / ?

  Description:

  Theodia was a bard with exceptional improvisational mastery. Gifted with an innate ability to adapt to any melody, instrument, or performance, she refused to be constrained by the tools available to her. Dissatisfied with the limitations of the instruments she carried, Theodia created an improvised summoning technique, allowing her to manifest instruments on demand.

  This early version of hers was an imperfect skill. Though limited, it laid the foundation for her eventual ascension as one of the most celebrated bards who followed Melodian the Magnificent.

  Use: Summons a random instrument for the user. This instrument will persist for five minutes.

  Cooldown: 60 seconds.

  Note: This skill is a Growth skill; it can grow in rarity. Theodia’s desire for the skill remains, causing it to be Ravenous. Ravenous skills will consume all skill points available until they reach their potential.

  >> Weaponized Repetition (Unique)

  Level: 0 / ?

  Description:

  The first fifty times were annoying. The next thousand were torture. But over fifty thousand? Are you okay?

  > Fracture Frequency: Repeating a sound, note, or word with enough precision and persistence begins to resonate with the environment. Effects scale with time, focus, and stamina. The longer you sustain repetition without interruption, the more destructive the outcome.

  > Current Equipment

  Adaptive Survival Attire of the Newly Integrated Being - (Uncommon) - Soulbound

  Description: Issued by the System for beings who find the beginning of their story in an area less than temperate.

  Effects:

  

  
• Self Cleaning.


  
• +15% Environmental Resistance.


  
• Very comfortable.


  
• Cannot be upgraded, disassembled or altered.


  

  ——————————

  Simon closed the window and blinked several times.

  So many questions.

  He turned and found Brinn staring at him as if he’d grown a second head.

  “What?”

  “The clothes… You’re level zero?!” Brinn sputtered.

  Simon frowned, still reeling. “Aren’t you?”

  Brinn didn’t answer at first.

  He just stared.

  Then, slowly… shook his head.

  —— ? ——

  — AUTHOR NOTICE —

  > I cannot believe it. We hit Rising Stars!!

  ~TheBusyBard

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  ——————————