Level Up Legacy

Rain, Sapphire, and Raheem sat around the splinted table as the old woman served them soup. The old man was cleaning his lute on the side before placing it on a box on a shelf.

"After the merge of the two worlds, more monsters appeared. The climate also began to change, causing the drought. These two factors combined rendered our Scorp Town unable to function," explained the old man as he sat down.

"But you are serving us from your food anyway," remarked Sapphire.

"Starvation should not rob us of manners," said the old man with a smile. "And my daughter here has a knack for feeding people."

"Regardless of who you are, everyone deserves to eat a hot meal," added his daughter with a smile as she presented them with a tightly wrapped bread. "Please eat your fill."

Raheem stared at the mushroom soup that smelled delicious, gulping down since he had not eaten anything but rations for the past few days. However, something prevented him from eating, even while the princess and pirate did.

"I was the one to attack your town yesterday, but you feed me here today," admitted Raheem with a pained expression as he looked at the pair, the old man and his daughter. "I do not deserve this kindness."

Raheem realized what a monster he was to treat these people as criminals all this time. Although he never killed any of them, only capturing them and handing them to the wisemen, he never questioned their fate.

In order to be the best strategist of his class, Raheem learned to treat people as pieces rather than living creatures. "If you develop a conscience, you stop being a strategist," their professor always told them.

"You are just another pawn in a bigger game, young man. You are not evil, just misguided. And in this cruel desert, everyone deserves to eat and drink," said the old man as he gestured to them to eat.

"Eat, Raheem," said Rain as she took out a piece of bread for him. "You should not reject their generosity."

Raheem accepted the bread with a conflicted face. He broke off a piece and dipped it in the soup before putting it in his mouth. As the nostalgic taste filled his mouth, Raheem found himself reminiscing about his mother's food.

"I also lived in a town such as this before entering the academy to become a strategist," began Raheem while clenching his fist. "I joined to help my people fight against bandits and monsters, but I ended up becoming the very thing I swore to fight against."

***

After their meal, the three left the town and boarded their boat. Raheem was silent throughout the entire way back until they soared into the sky, heading toward the uncharted lands.

"Those are some nice people," muttered Rain while leaning back, and Raheem nodded in response. "Why did you attack them?"

"The wisemen ordered me to subjugate them because they failed to pay their taxes for three months in a row. I was asked to attack, capture, and deliver them to the wisemen."

"What would the wisemen do with them?" asked the princess with confusion, showing that she did not know about this.

"I have no idea, but I never saw them again," said Raheem with a shake of his head. "It was never my job to care about my victories, only my losses."

Sapphire and Rain exchanged a glance, and the rest of their journey was spent in silence. After a day of travel in the cold night or the harsh heat, the three finally saw the beginnings of the uncharted lands.

"What the hell is this?" asked Rain as she rose from her seat, grabbing the boat's railing with a gaping mouth. It was the natural reaction for anyone who wanted to enter the uncharted lands.

"The Uncharted," explained Raheem as he stood beside her, "is a place that does not allow humans, light, or even sand to enter or leave."

"But why does it look like the edge of the world?" asked Rain with fear.

Raheem did not know either, but it was true. The uncharted lands were separated from Sourna by a wall of darkness that stretched into the sky. Nothing could be seen, as if the world just ended in that place.

"It is said that the person who split Sourna apart is the same one who separated the uncharted lands from the desert," explained Sapphire from the back. "Nothing could be seen or pass through that wall."

"What happens if someone attempts it?" asked Rain as she turned toward Sapphire.

"No one knows, but they are lost forever."

"And that's why I refused to take part in this mission, and am still convinced that we are being banished," said Raheem while holding his head.

"Sapphire?" asked Rain with confusion. The princess smiled and took a step forward, away from the helm. She spread her arms as a forcefield pulsed from her body to surround the boat.

"The Royal Family can create a forcefield that allows us to cross the Black Wall. As long as I'm here, there is nothing for you to worry about."

"How come no one knows about this?" asked Raheem as he stared at the forcefield. "We were always told that there was no method to cross."

"We have our secrets," said Sapphire as she turned to Rain. "Can you take the helm? I have to keep this forcefield up throughout the ride."

"I thought you would never ask," said Rain with a grin as she took the wheel and began navigating toward the black wall.

Raheem watched with fear as their flying boat approached the darkness. Even this close, he could not even see a reflection from within the darkness, making him feel like he was going to fall once he passed through.

The forcefield touched the darkness and pushed it away. Sapphire staggered a bit but steadied her powers to allow them entry.

"It's like being eaten," said Rain to Raheem's dismay. It indeed looked like that. A few seconds passed and they could see nothing but the darkness.

"My chest is getting tight," muttered Raheem with confusion as he turned toward the princess. "Is that normal?"

"It is because the air inside the forcefield is leaking out. We have about one minute before we will suffocate to death."

Raheem turned pale as Rain laughed. The strategist held his breath to make sure that they didn't use all of their air. But Rain just kept on chatting about the darkness.

After a minute of traveling through the darkness, Raheem began getting lightheaded. The air inside the boat was almost gone, making him fall to his knees, gasping.

"We are almost there," muttered Sapphire as her hands trembled. "Pull the lever beside the helm, Rain!"

"On it!" shouted Rain as she pulled the lever. Something exploded to the rear, and the sailboat was launched forward. The forcefield collapsed as Sapphire fell to the ground, and Rain jumped forward to land on the deck.

"Hold on!" she shouted while grabbing the railings. As the darkness drowned them, the boat cut through to reach the other side, but it seemed impossible to reach.

Raheem was on the ground, looking at Rain grinning in the face of the darkness. As the darkness approached, her entire body began to let out a golden glow.

The light shone bright until it blinded the world. Raheem closed his eyes for a long time and only opened them when he realized that he could breathe just fine.

As he rose from the ground, the sunlight blinded his eyes. His eyes adjusted to see Rain raising Sapphire from the ground while staring ahead of them. As his eyes followed the same direction, he saw a scene that he would never forget.

A black mountain pierced through the blue sky, surrounded by clouds and infinite waterfalls. There was nothing but clouds on the ground, as if no land existed in this place other than this black mountain.

"Are those... skeleton dragons?" muttered Raheem with a shaky voice as a giant creature coiled around the black mountain. "What the hell is this place?"

"You should already know that, right?" muttered Sapphire with a smile. "This is the home of the Netherborne Clan."

"Netherborne?" asked Rain with surprise, turning toward the black mountain with curiosity. "So, this place is..."

But she did not finish her words, and neither of her companions had time to wonder what she meant. Because the moment their boat entered this area, the skeleton dragon turned toward them and opened its maw.

"What is that thing doing?" cried Raheem as he was the first to notice that something was off. The dragon's maw began gathering a dark energy, the exact one that the wall was created from. "It's going to attack!"

True to his suspicions, the skeleton dragon released an otherworldly shriek that shook the world. Their sailboat began to crack because of the sound as the dark beam shot toward them.

Raheem ran toward the two women, grabbing them each with his arms, before jumping off the boat. They fell toward the infinite clouds as the dark beam turned their boat into nothingness while they fell through an infinite fog.