The abandoned building in front of me looked more like a mausoleum than a shelter, with its ivy-choked walls and shattered windows. It had once been a communications outpost, I think. I had the Handmaidens find a secluded spot for me to do the final quest for the first act.
Thales was the first to see me approach when I got to an empty room.
"You took your damn time, Phaser. We thought you'd run into a boss fight out there."
I gave him a smirk as I stepped into the dim interior. "Maybe I did."
I reached into my coat and pulled out the second fragment of the Azure Sword. The moment it caught the light, the entire room went silent.
Verdamona turned. Xaessia froze mid-step. And even Hinesia, who had been standing by the window, turned her head in quiet disbelief. Thales broke the silence first.
"No way. That's the second fragment? You're joking."
I flipped the C shaped disc lightly in my hand and caught it. "No joke."
"She leveled a city landmark to get it. How the hell did you—"
"I made a deal."
Hinesia tilted her head. "With who?"
I hesitated. For a moment, the memory of Haruno's eyes flickered in my mind.
"I'll tell you later. For now, what matters is that we've got what we need to start moving. The Synsiline Treasure Vault is no longer out of reach."
Xaessia's eyebrow arched. "We? You mean you're taking us with you? I thought this whole 'Treasure business' was Thales's part."
Thales rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's what I thought too. You said you'd help me get my Primal Synsiline Treasure, not turn this into some group expedition."
"There's another way."
I walked to the far wall where a rusted metal locker stood. The lock clicked open under my palm. Inside were five black backpacks lined up neatly, each packed and sealed.
"What's that?"
"Supplies, dear sister. They are emergency rations enough to last us at least a week each."
Thales whistled. "You really came prepared."
"Had to, because we're not just going after one Primal Synsiline Treasure. We're going after four."
The room went quiet again. Verdamona looked at me like I'd grown another head.
"Four?"
Hinesia's voice was the first to cut through the silence.
"You're talking about the trials, aren't you?"
"Exactly."
Verdamona used to be the Witness in the original MoDS storyline but I replaced her. And anyone who enters with the Witness becomes a Witness as well. Well, partially.
"We will experience trials based on our number. Each one has a chance to earn a Primal Synsiline Treasure."
Verdamona's lips parted slightly.
"That's insane, Phaser. The Primal Trials aren't designed for more than one at a time. The risk doubles with every participant. If one of us fails, the others could lose everything."
"Yeah, I know."
In truth, I wasn't lying, not entirely. In the original MoDS storyline, Thales's quest for the Azure Sword was a turning point. Verdamona's success as his Witness and doing her own test unlocked her own treasure bound to her soul. But now, with me as the Witness, I wasn't planning to just mirror the game's path. I was going to burn through its rules.
I wanted Xaessia, Verdamona and even Hinesia to claim a Primal Synsiline Treasure each. And me too because there's no way I'm missing out on that.
Xaessia looked at me for a long while, then smirked faintly. "You really thought this through, didn't you, brother?"
"Of course. You think I'd drag everyone up a haunted hill for nothing?"
She chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You really are turning this world upside down."
Thales frowned. "Hold up, how do you even know about all this? This isn't common info. Half these legends aren't even in the data mine."
"I found old texts about the Primal Synsiline Treasures in Egypt. The ancient texts mentioned the trials."
Hinesia gave a slow nod. "He's right. I read something similar while decoding the archives. It's consistent."
Nice save, Hinesia. Lying to Thales is starting to get harder.
Xaessia sighed, leaning against the cracked wall. "Fine. Then what's next?"
"Next, we enter the first trial."
But deep down, I knew the truth I hadn't told them except Hinesia. The game only ever made Verdamona do one. I was going to make us do four and this time, there would be no respawns.
I handed each of them a backpack.
"Rations, medicine, basic survival gear. It's nothing fancy but it'll keep us alive for at least a week. Don't waste it."
Thales lifted his pack, giving it an experimental shake. "You really packed all this? You planning to start a hiking club or something?"
"If we're lucky, it will feel like a hike. If not… well, try not to die. Time runs different there."
Xaessia chuckled. "Your optimism always inspires me, brother."
Hinesia didn't laugh. Instead, she reached into her satchel and drew out the third fragment, which was a sphere. Its surface shimmered faintly with the same energy as the Azure Sword's first fragment. She handed it to me carefully.
From the inner pocket of my coat, I drew out the first fragment, which was a glowing flat disc and a hollow circle at its center. It pulsed faintly, resonating with the fragment in Hinesia's hand as if they recognized each other. I placed the first fragment on the dusty floor.
"Okay. This is how it starts."
The others gathered around as I placed the sphere gently into the hollow circle. Immediately, a ripple of energy coursed through the air. I took out the second fragment, the C-shaped disc that Haruno had handed me, and aligned it against the circumference of the first. The fragments clicked together with a sound that wasn't quite normal. For a brief moment, nothing happened.
A surge of blue Xana exploded outward.
The light was blinding like a flashbang. The fragments spun in place. Sigils appeared across the walls, glowing brighter and brighter until the entire room was illuminated in cascading waves of blue.
The floor beneath us trembled. Xaessia took a step back.
"Uh… Phaser?"
I didn't answer. My eyes were fixed on the fragments as they began to form a sigil made of shifting geometric patterns. The beam of Xana concentrated downward, burning through the stone floor, carving a pattern. A circular door of light opened beneath our feet, expanding rapidly until the entire floor dissolved into a glowing pit. Wind howled up from it.
Xaessia cursed under her breath as she looked down.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Thales grinned, his eyes reflecting the spinning abyss below. "No time like the present!"
Before anyone could stop him, he jumped, laughing as he disappeared into the light.
"Idiot!"
Xaessia shouted, but she was smiling. She followed without hesitation, diving straight in after him.
Verdamona stood with a sigh.
"We'll meet on the other side," she said softly and stepped into the radiance.
That left only Hinesia and me. She looked at the swirling void, then at me. Her crimson eyes were unnervingly calm.
"You really don't do things halfway, do you?"
"Where's the fun in halfway?"
She adjusted her backpack and exhaled slowly.
"Good luck, Phaser. Try not to die before we meet again. I'm not done satisfying myself yet."
"I could say the same to you."
She gave a rare, small smile and then let herself fall.
The room was empty. The fragments still spun above the hole. I took one last look around, feeling the tension in my chest rise.
This was it. This is the beginning of the final quest, the moment that separated players from authors. In the original MoDS, this was where Thales's personal trial began, where he would awaken the Azure Sword's resonance. But now… we were rewriting everything.
I stepped to the edge of the glowing pit.
"Here we go."
And I jumped.
The fall was endless. It was a tunnel of shifting color and sound, blue and violet ribbons of Xana twisting around me as though I were falling through a living vein of reality. My body spun weightlessly. I tried to focus, but something was off. I didn't see Thales or the others.
"Wait—"
I tried to speak but the words vanished in the rush of energy. The light faded. All that remained was darkness.
Everything went black.