Nightmare Realm Summoner

Alex's heart was still pounding in his chest as he let himself flop down on the ground before Zeal. He could still feel blood pumping through his veins. His body hadn't yet registered that the fight had ended.

And, judging by the look in Claire's eyes, she half-wished that it hadn't. The black that had filled them to the brim receded until they had returned to their normal appearance. That did nothing to conceal the anger brimming in her.

She sat down beside Alex in an uncharacteristically stiff motion. Claire half looked like she was about to lunge at Zeal and strangle the old man where he sat.

What the hell did she see? I've never seen her this pissed before, and she never lets her actual emotions through. Is she faking it? But what purpose would that serve? Zeal already said he'd answer our questions.

I —

Wait.

Is this yet another illusion? I never noticed him putting the first one on. Could he have doubled down with a second layer?

Alex's eyes narrowed. His gaze bored into Zeal's skull in search of any hints. He could still feel what remained of his magical energy within him. That, at least, felt real.

"Is something the matter?" Zeal asked, tilting his head to the side. "You went through quite a bit of effort to come back here and challenge me… and my patience is not infinite. If you have something you wanted to ask, then ask. Just make sure it is worth both of our times."

"I'm just wondering if this is yet another illusion," Alex said.

Zeal blinked. Then he burst into laughter.

"Clever. No, boy, it is not. But that's the fun with illusionists, isn't it? You never know if your senses speak the truth. They lie, you know. All the time. Your mind desires a beautiful picture. Your senses paint you that picture with lies stitched from strands of truth. Only one who looks deeply enough to see the weaving that connects everything together can tell falsehood from reality."

Zeal's words were equal parts threat and advice. It would have been considerably more terrifying just a short while ago, before Alex had gotten his hands on Sovereign Cataclysm. Being unable to tell illusion from reality and getting stuck in an endless loop… that really was a fate worse than death.

But now things were different.

Yeah, that's all true, but I can also just wait for Soverign Cataclysm to break any illusions trying to hold me. They'll shatter in time… and judging by how fast Zeal's last one fell apart, I'm pretty sure what we're in right now is reality.

Alex grinned.

"Thanks for the advice. I'm not too worried about it, though."

Zeal matched Alex's smile. "You speak the truth. One who feels no fear at such a prospect is either a fool or an artist… or in many cases, both. But does your ally share your thoughts?"

Alex glanced to Claire. Her hands weren't clenched anymore, but she was still off guard. He could tell it from the look in her eyes. Whatever Zeal had shown her in her illusion, it been bad.

Claire caught him staring and shook her head slightly before jerking her chin in Zeal's direction. "Just… deal with him. I'll be fine."

"Even the greatest brush cannot paint every line," Zeal said, leaning forward and bracing his hands against his knees as his eyes twinkled in amusement. "Try to do everything yourself and your painting will end a blotchy mess."

Claire didn't respond to that. She just clenched her jaw and looked away.

Zeal's expectant gaze drifted back to Alex and he arched an eyebrow as if to spur him onward.

"We have a town," Alex said, not wanting to wear out their welcome before he managed to ask Zeal any of the questions that they'd come here to get answered. "But it was established in an odd way. It's somewhere between the Mirrorlands and our planet. It's destabilized. I want to stabilize it before it collapses. Do you know how we can do that?"

"That… was not the question I was expecting." Zeal's brow furrowed. His fingers drummed against his knees. "A town trapped between the Mirrorlands and a planet? How did that even happen?"

"I used a Town Token from the Mirrorlands to establish it."

Zeal's eyes widened. "From the Mirrorlands? That shouldn't be possible. The Mirrorlands doesn't have towns. They can't exist in independence. Nothing original can ever come from them. The Mirrorlands can only warp what already exists. The concept of a Town Token originating within the Mirrorlands shouldn't be possible because that could imply that a town could be created entirely within the Mirrorlands."

Alex shrugged. "I'm not sure what to say. We have no reason to make this up. And technically the town doesn't exist exclusively in the Mirrorlands. I used the Token on our planet. It's just in both places simultaneously."

"Fascinating," Zeal said. He pursed his lips in thought. "I must admit that my expertise is not towns. No town could ever come close to drawing my attention when compared to the Empty Court. But I did promise to find an answer to your question. I do not like to guess… but I fear there is little more that I can do. You said your town was destabilized?"

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "And we only have a short while to find a way to stabilize it before it collapses."

"Then my best assumption is the common solution for most issues in this world. Your town lacks power. If a portion of it truly resides within the Mirrorlands — not as a reflection, but as an original — then the amount of power required to keep both parts of it existing independently must be great. Astronomical, even."

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Not exactly what I'm hoping to hear.

"Meaning we need some form of power source to keep it stable?" Claire asked.

"An immensely mighty one," Zeal said with a nod. "The barrier between the Mirrorlands and the universe it spans is a powerful one. If it were not, the creatures that live within this realm would escape. The very existence of your town requires it to slice through that barrier."

Shit. I don't think we're going to be able to get our hands on some ridiculously powerful energy source in time to keep the town from collapsing. If Zeal is saying something is strong, that has to mean it's basically a nuclear weapon. How are we meant to find something that can cut through—

Wait.

Alex's eyes went wide. "That's it! The barrier!"

"The barrier is the problem, yes," Zeal said. "But I do not know of any power source that you would be capable of harnessing that can deal with this issue in a short period of time it seems you have to work with."

"No, I think that's fine," Alex said, thoughts spinning through his head. They didn't need a ridiculously powerful energy source if he could just weaken the barrier between the Mirrorlands and 274-50 in the area around their town. "You've given me exactly what I needed to know. It's not the power source we need. It's a way to break that barrier."

Zeal squinted at Alex. "That is likely to be considerably more difficult than any other solution. Shattering the barrier between worlds is not something that just anyone is capable of."

Alex exchanged a glance with Claire. Neither of them said a word. There was no need to go into exactly what he was capable of doing in front of Zeal. The old man wasn't exactly an enemy, but Alex wasn't sure he'd go so far to say he was an ally either.

Zeal was… well, Zeal. They didn't even know exactly what the Empty Court was in the first place. The only other person Alex had met from it was Meiderly — and the eyeless man had been far from a paragon of reliability.

"I think that's it for that question," Alex said. "I wouldn't want to bore you, after all. You gave me the answer I needed. Thank you. We do have another one, though."

"Of course you do." Amusement passed through Zeal's features. "And what would it be? Ask carefully."

"Given you just did that whole thing with looking at Claire's soul… where's the strongest Aspect Gem we can get for her?" Alex asked. "There has to be one somewhere in the Cracked Steps, right? I figure you might know where we should look."

Zeal paused for a moment. Then he smiled. "Well. I was expecting a request to gain power, but not that one. An Aspect Gem for the Claire, is it? And is that what she herself wants?"

Alex blinked in surprise, then glanced at Claire. "Is… it not?"

"I haven't delved too deep, you know," Zeal said. "You broke out of my illusion very effectively. Between that and your friend here waltzing right out of my painting without leaving so much as a drop in his wake, I didn't get a chance to truly get a good look at you."

"That sounds like a good thing to me," Claire said.

"Perhaps," Zeal said. "But it renders me unable to answer the question. I cannot tell you what the best Aspect Gem for you would be… unless you let me take another look. I will not do it forcibly. You children have performed well enough that even an old bag of bones like me enjoyed himself. I will not disrespect you. But I will not lie. I cannot answer your question unless you bring your soul to bear against mine once more."

"You want me to fight you again," Claire said flatly. "So you can get a read on who I really am."

"Correct," Zeal said with a small smile. "But if we fight again, I will not hold back so much. I will see everything that you are. Your true being. So… I believe I already know your answer."

"You do," Claire said curtly.

"Then be on your way," Zeal said. "I expect that we—"

"So fast?" Claire asked. She tilted her head to the side. "Are we already in the illusion?"

Zeal blinked. Genuine surprise washed over his features. "You are accepting my requirements?"

"I'm not backing down from a fight. If you can point me toward the perfect path for that, then I have to accept a few sacrifices along the way. And you aren't the type to go spilling other people's secrets. That much, at least, I'm certain of."

Alex wasn't sure how Claire was so confident about that, but he didn't say anything. He just looked back to Zeal, who was staring at her with newfound interest.

"Well. I can't say I expected that at all. Alex and Claire, was it?" Zeal asked, slowly rising to his feet to stand before them. "I think I will remember your names. Who would have thought that I would find two in a place like this?"

"Two what?" Alex frowned.

"You'll find out soon enough." Zeal raised his brush and pointed its tip toward Claire. "I owe you an apology. It seems that I was wrong about you, Claire. It seems that this old painter's eyes aren't quite as sharp as he fancied them to be."

"No, I think you were just about right the first time," Claire said, holding his gaze as she rose to her feet. "I just have something more important than mere desires to fight for."

"We shall see," Zeal said. He pointed at Alex. "Stay out of the way. Your magic will interfere."

Alex glanced from him to Claire, then nodded. He wasn't going to interfere if this was what she wanted.

Does this somehow circumvent Claire's Trial? If Zeal actually gets a good luck at her soul, just how much is he going to figure out?

"Come at me," Claire said.

"My dear," Zeal's lips pulled into a smile — and Claire collapsed, falling to her knees before him like a puppet whose strings have been cut. He looked down at the Dhampir, his features unreadable. But, deep within his eyes, power crackled like an endless storm. "I already have. May you pass your initiation."

Holy shit. I didn't even see him doing anything.

"Wait," Alex said. "Initiation? What are you talking about?"

"Initiation to the Empty Court, of course," Zeal replied, turning to look at Alex. "Passing the test of any of our members is sufficient to allow access to our order."

"I don't recall ever asking to apply."

"You do not apply to the Empty Court." Zeal shook his head. "You can only be offered an invitation. Entry into our halls after that point is entirely up to you."

Alex's eyes narrowed. He glanced back at Claire, but her features bore no information within them. Her face was a blank slate. She may as well have been unconscious.

Meiderly did tell me to seek out the Empty Court. He seemed way too powerful to bother screwing with me. I'd be stupid to turn this opportunity down. Maybe it'll give me another advantage over the Outworlders.

"Fine," Alex said. "So, what? I have to do some test too?"

"You? No." Zeal let out a burst of laughter. "You've already passed, Alex."

Alex blinked. "I have?"

"Oh, yes. Breaking free of my illusion so easily would normally have been more than sufficient to draw my attention. But you've already got someone within our number vouching for you. You were a shoe-in."

"You mean Meiderly?"

Zeal snorted. "What? No. Of course not. Meiderly hasn't been seen in years. That little mark he left on you was enough to draw interest and bring us together, not earn you entry into our halls."

Wait, what?

Alex blinked in surprise, but Zeal wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. The old man had turned back to observe Claire. He seemed oblivious to the confusion rising within Alex.

I don't know anyone else in the Empty Court. If it wasn't Meiderly or Zeal…

Who vouched for me?