Sophia Hunts watches as Rin appeared behind the demon king. Another form of him slightly translucent left in his place. Looking up at her, his expression was blank. Void of any emotions, Her mind was muddled and thoughts were hard to form and it was as if her brain was swimming through an ocean of viscous fluid. Barely able to stay afloat. The demon King's body disappeared along with all the robed figures in the cathedral. The false Rin slowly fuzzed out of existence. And Sophia's mind began to clear. The magical bindings holding her, Douge, and Liliandra in place vanished. I'm dropping them a couple of feet to the floor. Her body was sluggish to move and she didn't have the time to react falling face first into the hard marbled floor. With a grown she slowly got back up. It was like she was swimming underwater and she stumbled forward a few times before finally standing on her own two feet. Douge was the first to stand up. Walking over to Rin embracing him in a hug.

  “ I don't really understand what just happened or what you're going through right now Rin. But what I do understand is what you just gave up and I think I speak on behalf of all of us. Thank you.” Douge said, Rin looked at Douge and a smile played across his handsome face. Rin had some new armor Ivory white greaves along with the new ivory white cuirass. The white was a stark contrast to the deep black of his underclothing and the muddled brown of his duster. Rin's blonde hair had streaks of vibrant purple and black flecked through it.

  “Rin?” Liliandra had spoken softly; she hadn't gotten up yet. Instead curling her knees to her chest tears streaming down her face. “ Is…is.” Her voice hitched as she tried to hold back emotions that she didn't want to let out right now. “ Was it all true?” She asked Rin stepped away from Douge walking up to her. He paused for a moment, seeming to consider what to say next before kneeling down to get to her height.

  “ It is true. I stand by what I said. I don't feel remorseful for what I did stringing you along like that, no matter what you decide you want to do next, I will suffer the consequences of my own actions cuz I wholeheartedly knew what I was doing was wrong. It wasn't an impulsive decision. It was a calculated one. One that I thought would help me survive.” Rin's voice was soft, his eyes felt as if they peered straight into Liliandra. With a sniffle Liliandra wiped the tears away from her face and gave a nod to Rin.

  “ Okay, I think I understand.” That resolve and determination she showed while being held by the demon King returned to her face and she smiled up at him. “ I agree with Douge The demon King gave you a chance to gain real magic, albeit at the cost of our lives, yet you chose to save us. I think that's enough repentance for what you did to me.”

  “ Thank.” Liliandra cut Rin off

  “ That doesn't mean I won't stop pursuing you. You know I know it's bad for me but I can't help how I feel and maybe that's why it hurts all the more.” She said, Rin frowned at her. But didn't say a word. With the immediate danger out of the way Sophia surveyed the surroundings she was still getting a handle of what was going on. The last thing she remembered was stepping down the stairs with everyone before being put in a dark room with no way out.

  “ Sophia.” Douge said walking over to her Despite the days they spent training popped their teamwork, she was still startled to see his handsome face. She had been so used to his pudgy round form and his acne pocked face. She could feel the mark of the dragon on him. Her own Mark reacted to it. Strange. She thought to herself. I never thought he would become a part of my destiny.

  “ What is it Douge?” Sophia said her voice struggled to leave her throat and she coughed.

  “That man, was he really the demon king?”

  “ I think it was a vessel. I doubt Rin could have defeated him so easily if it was really him.”

  “ Yeah that makes the most sense. Have you seen Rins mark?” Sophia startled for a moment glancing over to Rin. Did he tell them? She thought. I thought he was going to keep that a secret as long as possible. It was then she noticed the Hydra on the back of his hand. It had a faint purple glow to it and appeared as if the hydra's heads were moving.

  “I hadn't tell now but I knew of a skill he had called Mark Of The Void. We had plans to seek out my grandfather and Alvarez to discuss it with them.” Douge nodded to her, seeming satisfied with her answer.

  “ My head feels like a muddled mess right now.” Douge said. “ I don't think I should trust him but I can't help but want to. I wonder why.”

  Before Sophia could respond, the entire cathedral began to shake columns of dust poured from the ceiling and the floor began to crack.

  Rin helped Liliandra up. She hugged him for a moment. Lingering only momentarily before she stepped away with a smile. The entire room shook violently and notifications appeared in Rins vision.

  [ Warning: Rift closure eminent : Warning]

  [ Anchor entity has disappeared from this astral dungeon.]

  Rin looked around at the collapsing building quickly without a second thought, he rushed to the front doors, opening them again shouting for the others to follow.

  “ Let's go outside. I don't want to be crushed by these rocks!” He shouted. A part of him wanted to put worry and panic into his voice to mask but he decided not to leaving it monotone. “ I just got a notification that the rift is closing!”

  “ Me two!” Douge shouted over the rumbling of the collapsing building as he ran outside. Sophia and Liliandra Said the same thing. This party interface skill will be useful for sure. He thought as the others evacuated. Just like when the rift began to form, Rin's aura ability created a stable field of mana around him. But unlike before it was only a few feet away from his body.

  “Everyone get close to me. My aura doesn't reach out far but I think it can create a safe space for us just like last time.” Everyone seemed to trust his word without question. They all had to hug around each other to get inside the short range of his ability.

  “ Typically when a riff begins to close, there's a staircase that allows the people inside to leave.” Sophia said her voice loud in his ear.

  “ Rin Said this is where he came in. I doubt there's a staircase nearby. Did you see that notification talking about an anchor entity.” Liliandra said

  The world around them shifted the ground under their feet, remaining stable. The surrounding trees swirled into themselves creating nebulas of mana, multiple hues of color swirled around them creating vivid patterns of the previous floors they had been on along with others that they hadn't seen. Notifications appeared simultaneously across all their vision, Rins Aura preventing mana sickness in a variety of other debuffs that would surely kill them. The world around them continued to shift and change. Reds and blues, browns and greens all mixing together. There was a wind that gently ran across their huddled forms; it smelled of dirt and rain. The temperature began to change around them. It was humid and muggy at first, but it rapidly changed to a clean, crisp air with a cool humidity. Voices begin to break through the unending vortex of colors.

  “The rift is breaking down!” One voice called out in a panic.

  “ Do we have any personnel inside?” A gentle yet commanding voice replied. It was familiar to Rin one. He hadn't heard much but one that changed his life forever.

  “No sir!” The other voice yelled out. “ We're getting ready to send in another expedition team after the last one was spontaneously kicked out.”

  “ Good clear the area the rift has been open for too long. We might be getting a monster infestation. I want perimeter set up tanks in the front ranged casters in the back.” The familiar voice called out. Sophia turned her head to find the voice but could only see the shifting landscape.

  “ Was that my grandfather's voice?” She said excitement and hopefulness in her voice.

  With a firm pop the world came back into focus. They were all standing on a flat plateau of stone. Unintelligible shouting could be heard all around mixed in with a shuffling of hundreds of feet. Rin was the first one to look around and assess the situation. They were surrounded by men, women of all sizes and races. The men and women in the front lines formed a shield wall Spears and swords poking out ready to defend against whatever came at them. A line of gunman behind them. Sophia noticed just moments after Rin as she broke off of the group she raised her hands in a defensive pleading posture. Valder step forward from behind the shield wall. Unlike the others around, he wore no armor instead wearing a nicely cut suit of black and blue. He had a cravat around his neck with a double vented jacket to tie it all in.

  “ Hold!” Valder shouted walking up to the group. “ Sophia? Is that really you?” Without a moment of hesitation, Sophia ran up and hugged him, his typical placid expression cracked into a smile before quickly dropping at the sight of Rin. With superhuman speed, he extracted himself from Sophia's hug and gripped Rin's hand looking at the back.

  “ We need to get the four of you to my villa away from prying eyes.” He said quickly. Glancing back towards the shield wall.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “ Why?” Liliandra asked. Valder showed Rin's mark to her.

  “ This is why. There are Church officials here and if they see this they'll try to take him into custody.”

  “ What church?” It was Douge who spoke up this time. He stood on the tip of his toes trying to see who valder was talking about.

  “A subsect of the church of Lumia, the faithful's of judgment. If they see this mark on his hand, they will brand him as a heretic.” Valder aura which none of them had felt until now probed against Rins Aura he, his frown deepened.

  “ Come.” Valder said, turning around. He spread his hands Green and blue mana began to accumulate in his palms. He slowly and methodically brought them together pushing the two opposing mana forces into each other as he spoke an incantation. His voice had the typical grit and guttural tone of the words in command, however, they came out in perfect common.

  “Temperuest winds and unyeilding torrents yield to my commands. A journey far is made a journey short by your guided hands.” The mana in Valders hands expanded to a perfect sphere of water dust kicked up as a light wind pushed the dirt around. No one objected; they were exhausted and ready for something normal, they didn't question why the church would arrest Rin or why they were even here. The demon king's aura could still be felt even if it was faint it still seeped out of Rin. Stepping into the sphere of water was a refreshing feeling for Rin, he hadn't bathed in so long and missed the feeling, yes he had showered thanks to Liliandra's portable bathroom but this was different. He leaned back and let his body float, taking in a deep breath. Just like the orb of water Alverez had once submerged his head in, he was able to breathe the water air entering his lungs. As Douge stepped in he pushed Rin's foot sending him spinning. The moment everyone was in, the sphere shot off flying through the sky at an incredible speed. Liliandra, excited by the magic, began talking animatedly about it to no one in particular. She spoke with the enthusiasm of a toddler telling you a story about a rock he found, Sophia nodded along with short replies

  “ Yeah….uhuh, really?, well he is really powerful.”

  Rin could tell Liliandra was trying to hide her panic and anxiety. She was masking it well but Rin could still tell. Years of hiding himself made it easy. It didn't matter if you put the mask on to fake emotions or hide them it still looked similar

  “ Still the fact that he can produce enough mana to create a vessel that can fly is mind boggling. We need technology to help with that most of the time. You know our cars make a good example.” She continued rambling on. The water sphere moved at an incredible speed and within minutes it had already reached Xulun city. From outside the city it looked like a large concrete jungle with wide passages through the trees. Each building raised to the same level until smaller builds sprouted out the top. The sphere passed around the side of Xulun until it reached an open entrance at the bottom, slowing down as the sphere approached an elevator; it was small, not like the one underneath Hunst Academy. The magic holding the sphere together disappeared, dropping its passengers on the elevator unceremoniously. Douge landed on his feet the same as Sophia and Liliandra but Rin had remained laying down on his back, falling with a heavy thump . He groaned in pain as Douge helped him to his feet. Both Sophia and Liliandra laughed at him with smiles. He simply rolled his eyes and walked onto the elevator. Valders villa was located on top of a set of sprawling towers all connected with a series of bridges. There was green lush grass that was well manicured covering most of the ground space with trees placed along flagstone walking paths, gardens and ponds filled in most of the empty space. In the center with multiple bridges connected to it was the villa itself. The villa was a five story octagonal pagoda. According to Sophia there was a large courtyard on the inside that the first floor blended into seamlessly. To Rin this place seemed ostentatious. To take up so much real estate it seemed like a waste however from this high up Rin could see plenty of larger villas some seemed to be even twice the size of this one. He walked to the edge where there was some railing and he looked out at the city. The city was almost an endless sea of towers, parks, and gardens going as far as the eye could see. The city blended into the horizon from this high one would never think billions lived beneath their feet. Despite living in Xulun his whole life he didn't recognize a single building he couldn't even see Hunst Academy or the adventurer administration buildings. Rin pulled up his map and zoomed out as far as he could small icons pointed out points of interest. Douge placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “ Breath taking isn't it?” He asked Rin simply nodded in response. “ You came from a block right. Do you remember where?”

  “ No. I lived between floors two hundred and fifty and two hundred and twenty-five, Even though I would often move from building to building and even up and down a few hundred floors for work I never knew how to get around from block to block.” Rin replied

  “ How would you get back home?”

  “ I knew my block pretty well and I'm sure if we ended up around there I could find my way back but I would just follow my foremen or the others on my crew.”

  An excited voice yelled out from behind them. “ Are you two coming? We actually have a chance to rest, put fresh clothes on, even take a proper shower.” It was Liliandra who was jumping up and down like an excited toddler from a balcony on the fifth floor. Douge gave Rin a smile and started walking away before turning around to Rin.

  “ Let's go. Your friends are waiting.”

  Sophia sat in the shower her knees held to her chest. She let the water wash over her as she was thinking. Sophia was currently in one of the many showers located in her grandfather's villa. Although she and her team had the space to spread out amongst the multitude of suites, everyone felt strange being separated after spending so much time together so they all decided to stay in one of the larger suites on the fifth floor. Her grandfather had built this villa with family in mind and as such there were plenty of suites around. each fitted to house a family of four at minimum. Sophia understood the anxiety of being away from the people whom you felt safe with and despite being not even a few rooms away from the others she was starting to feel alone and vulnerable. The past couple of months played back in her head as still frames from a movie with a voice playing behind it. Absently she thumbed her mark running her fingers over it.

  “ Grandpa. Did you know about Rin?” She had thought it strange back when her grandfather had placed Rin on her team even when she thought he was a bastard child of her grandfathers he had almost no training at the school and should have never been put on her team. A sharp knock broke Sophia away from her thoughts.

  “ You okay in there? I'm coming in.” Liliandra stepped into the bathroom before Sophia could respond.

  “ I'm fine, Iili , just enjoy the water.” Liliandra gasped with excitement.

  “ Did you just give me a cute nickname? Princess professional gave me a nickname!” Sophia groaned and stood up.

  “ I'll be out in a moment, okay.” Sophia said

  “ Okay Sofa.”

  “ Don't call me So…and she's already gone.”

  Sophia stepped out into the living room where Liliandra was already sitting at a table silver wear set out ready to be used. Liliandra was wearing a pink plated skirt that went down to her knees. She had cut a hole for her tail to go through. She wore a graphic t-shirt with Kuro and her friends on it. She was a very popular cartoon character that Sophia adored going as far to fill her room with a large amount of Kuro paraphernalia. The table was technically in the dining room but the open floor plan mixed the two rooms together. She could feel the aura of Douge in the kitchen but was unable to find Rin when she poked around.

  “ There both in the kitchen Rin's been cooking dinner…lunch? Some food for us.”

  “Okay.” Sophia sat down with Liliandra and the two of them ideally talked about nothing of importance. Sophia's eyes kept drifting back to the kitchen doorway. Were she would catch a glimpse of Douge and Rin every now and then as they walked to and from the sink. Eventually the food was ready and the two boys came out. Rin came out holding two plates full of food and was wearing tri-ball shorts that were red, moving to blue in color with a plain red t-shirt. His hair was still flaked with that vibrant purple and black despite him washing it. Douge was next to him carrying out even more food wearing a similar outfit of tri-ball shorts and a plain T-shirt. His shorts were pure blue, the same as his shirt. It was still startling to see Douge as thin as he was now. The two men were of similar height but they were built completely different. Where Rin was tall with muscular but then shoulders he had a frame meant for quick and dexterous movement Douge was built like a brick house, broad shoulders and a wide chest paired with his tall frame and newly chiseled face really stunned some one. Liliandra leaned over to whisper in Sophia's ear.

  “ I'm definitely writing a fanfic about those two. Everyone on the forums is gonna go wild for them.”

  “ Lili.” Sophia said admonishingly as Douge and Rin set the food down.

  “I'm impressed at how well you can cook Rin. I know you prepared all our food while we were in the rift but. Those were just MREs.” Douge said as he sat across from Sophia. The food Rin had prepared smelled astonishingly good and even looked the part. The dishes were slices of meat wrapped in some kind of breading. Each slice had a thin layer of mushroom puree with a thin meat layered into it.

  “ I had to teach my self to cook.” Rin said he had no deflection in his voice and he paused thinking for a brief moment. “ I found it helps me think. Like my head becomes less foggy.”

  “ It's calming then?” Liliandra asked.

  “ I suppose”

  Douge was the first to dig into the food his elbows planted firmly on the table as he dug in. Between mouthfuls of food he would talk using his fork to gesture. A piece of meat hanging off it limply. Despite being the heir to one of the richest nobles families in Xulun Douge showed no manners.

  “ So why do you think the church was there in the first place? And what would they want with Rin? I mean I can guess why but I just wanna hear your thoughts.”

  “ I thought it was obvious.” Rin said, placing his left hand down to show his mark. “ This is a clear connection to the demon king. I assume they would just kill me on the spot.”

  “ You're not far off Rin. Your aura as hard as it is to feel from a far has a distinct feel of a demon's aura. It becomes increasingly more potent the closer someone is to you. Or that's how I feel it anyways.” All of them nodded I'm agreement to Liliandra's statement. “ It was hard to tell at first but there's no mistaking that feeling and if the church felt that aura they wouldn't kill you but imprison you possibly torture you for information on the void cult. Lumia is a benevolent God but judgment is a God who resides under her jurisdiction is a little harsher. I'm sure the founder knew exactly what they would do.”

  “ But why were they there in the first place? I thought the procedure for a rift was to form an encampment around it to make expeditions simple and in the case of destabilization they could deal with the influx of monsters. None of that involves a church.” Douge said eating the food from his fork to make a statement.

  “That is a simple answer, Dougelee this rift was different. It wasn't the adventurers administrations that found it. It was the church they handed it over to the adventurers administration with a contract that allowed them fifty percent of all looting rights.” Sophia's grandfather Valder Hunst had somehow taken a seat at the dining table without anyone noticing him. He glanced at Douge's and Douge immediately corrected his posture pulling his elbows from the table and cleaning the grease from his face.