“Is everyone okay?” I yelled as I dismissed the notifications. I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the new messages yet. And while I planned to discuss it with everyone, I already knew they’d have very little to add.

  We had already been in uncharted water as far as their experience with soul magic went, and the soul realm had pushed it well beyond that. Now we had leveled it up somehow. But the important thing was that Connie was cured and alive. We had again beaten the jesters.

  “No, what the hell was that?” Karlinovo asked, still lying on the floor. Several coughs escaped his lips halfway through his question.

  “Soul reflection, I think,” I replied, not really having a better answer.

  “Mine sure as hell wasn’t like that.” Karlinovo pushed himself to his feet, his coughs finally dying with his complaint.

  “Had to have something to do with how close the jester was to taking over Connie,” I said, looking back down at the Dwarf. She had shown no real outward changes other than during the fight. If her soul had already looked that bad, was it possible the jester could have taken her over entirely, but kept her form?

  Would we have been able to tell if that had happened? That thought triggered a cascade of others, including a worrying realization. How many people within the Spiral were entirely under their control already? To what level had the jesters infested the factions?

  We had just assumed the soul knots allowed them to take control during an attack. But what if they had actual agents acting entirely for the benefit of the jesters, not just during moments of jester influence?

  “Karlinovo, what do you think it would look like if Korl had fought off a jester trying to infect him? Would his mimic abilities be able to kill the infection?” I asked, more of this worry cementing itself in my mind.

  “Probably exactly like what just happened here. Damn. They’ve infested the whole Spiral, then.”

  “I agree with both the curse and the conclusion. This is a problem far beyond us, Dave, and I’m not sure what to do about it,” Elody added.

  “Connie, how are you…” My words were cut off by a loud boom, immediately followed by the sound of something shattered.

  “We have a problem!” Cecile yelled.

  One of the shark-like creatures had crashed through the protection over the nearby hub, and while it looked worse for having done so, it was still whipping its body around in what I worried was a feeding frenzy. We needed to stop it and somehow patch what it had done before we had more of them in here. There was also only one way I knew of to strengthen this place, and that was going to need to be done while we fought off the intruder.

  “Elody, you need to go deal with your soul reflection. Chip get the platform safe for her to cross. Karlinovo, watch Connie. Everyone else we’ve gotta fight that thing,” I yelled as I ran across the bridge toward it.

  The energy building around us as it stared across the bridge confirmed it had already spotted us. Soul detection told me it was some mix of soul energy and something else, but interestingly, the creature itself didn’t have a soul so much as it was entirely made up of soul energy. Was this why they were able to interfere with soul reflections?

  I wished Otis were still here. He was the only one who seemed to have any clue how this all worked, even if he wasn’t so willing to part with the knowledge. I preferred the wink and the nod to nothing.

  “So, what are you anyway?” I asked, keeping my eyes focused on the monster in front of me. I didn’t expect it to answer, but it hadn’t attacked anyone yet, so I had to give it the chance. I wouldn’t kill an innocent creature out of misplaced fear.

  The only answer I got was it lunging forward, sharp teeth crashing into my shield. I flared what soul energy I could spare into the shield, which, after what we had just gone through, was much less than I’d have liked. The shield held, but the cracking and my inability to absorb the damage back to my core meant it wouldn’t for long.

  Elody and Chip had made it to her platform. A loud debate, one voice, Elody, the other a strange imitation, had started. I couldn’t split my focus enough to make out the words, but I hoped once she had her platform under control, it would help with sealing this place back up.

  Several chat notifications swam into view, but the monster in front of me wasn’t willing to give me time to check them. It took several powerful lunges at my shield, each one weakening it further.

  I hit the monster back with soul drain, trying to latch onto its energy. The howl of pain told me I had done something. As I triggered soul absorption, planning to reinforce my shield, the creature decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

  It rocketed back through the hole in the top of the dome it had created. Its howling had only increased as it fled, and I had a very bad feeling about what that would attract. The lack of experience notification told me we hadn’t killed it, which left us with a hurt monster that knew how to get back into the soul realm.

  “Elody, how are things going over there?” I yelled. She was no longer in debate. Both she and her reflection were trading books between each other.

  “We are done. We’ve agreed to share the platform. She will act as a knowledge repository in the soul realm for us,” Elody answered. Both she and the reflection turned to smile at me.

  Before I could ask if that would count toward whatever the exact requirements needed were, the platform lit up the same as any other had once we were finished. Had I made a mistake in dealing with my own reflection? It seemed plausible, considering what Elody had potentially gained here.

  Though considering Otis had been the one to push that path, I doubted it had been the wrong choice. We had also leveled up the soul realm. Was it possible that Elody had just created the first soul structure?

  The continued pinging of chat notifications told me I had to see what was happening.

  “Cecile, Elicec, please help Karlinovo take Connie back to the house, assuming she’s safe to move. I want her resting and recovering in her own room. Tell Pryte everything. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I said, taking several steps toward the bridge that connected to Maud’s platform.

  I had sealed it earlier, in an attempt to keep just the kind of monster who had attacked us out. Hopefully, it was as easy for me to break as it had been for the creature. And even more importantly, this needed to be the right decision. If I got over there and found I still couldn’t activate the platform, did I have the energy to reseal it?

  “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Apollyon, stay in the center there and watch for any potential intruders,” I called back to the cores.

  “What do you need me to do?” Elody called as she ran across the bridge, joining me near the sealed path.

  “I’m not sure yet, but Chip, can you get this bridge ready while I try to cut through the seal I stitched here?” I called to the pumakey as I examined the threads of my soul, that I had used to hold it shut.

  Wait, did I need to tear through this? It was my soul energy I had used after all. Activating soul absorption, I tried a different approach.

  Carefully, I traced the thread with my finger, pushing against it with my soul channels. I felt the ability go to work. There was a surge of energy in me as my own soul mana returned through my channels back to my soul reservoir.

  Alongside the reclaiming of my energy came a new feeling of strength. Any exhaustion from Connie’s cleansing had been banished from my body. I felt like I had had a perfect night’s rest and a great meal.

  Did this mean I could store my own soul energy here to draw on in a pinch? It seemed likely, but how would I access it during a time of need? It was another thing to consider in the future.

  The platform in front of me came into clear view this time. There were no half-faded forms on it. A reflection of Maud, surrounded by small soul creatures, stood in the center, staring daggers at me.

  “Hello Maud, how are you doing?” Elody asked as we crossed the bridge.

  “Why are you coming near me. These are my pets. Stay away from them,” the reflection pouted. It had mannerisms similar to the Maud we all knew, but the way it was using them had none of her usual confidence or unique spark of life.

  “They are very nice pets, I would love to hold one myself if I could,” Elody continued.

  Was this how she had talked her reflection down? Just kind words? I really hoped it wouldn’t have been that easy. Then again, my reflection had been pretty strongly on the attack from the get-go.

  Though as I considered the others, it wasn’t like we fought anyone else, other than the jester corrupted Connie. It was possible that solving the puzzle just had the potential for more benefits. It certainly had helped Karlinovo, and I suspected Chip as well. Fighting mine had unlocked this entire place. I just didn’t have the right frame of mind on how to think about any of this.

  “Oh, you like them? I guess you could hold this one,” the Maud reflection said, lifting up an odd-looking rabbit.

  “Thank you. What is his name?” Elody asked as she reached out and took the offered soul creature.

  “Huh, I don’t know. Why don’t I know?” The soul reflection sounded confusion, almost lost as it replied.

  “I think deep down you know why you don’t know. And I understand that it could be possible for there to be something deeper you were drawing from in your connection to Maud, but is it truly worth the fight to force that connection?” Elody replied, her tone had switched to that same comforting one I had heard when we first met.

  “But if I go, I’ll miss the animals. I really don’t want to miss the animals. Can’t I stay?” the reflection begged.

  “Perhaps, but we would need to understand how you could work with Maud. She is the physical entity outside of this space. You are only her reflection, but I do sense you wish to grow more. Are you aware of what that would entail?” Elody asked, plopping down onto the ground in the center of all the animals.

  “I could help her handle the soul animals here. I’m enough of her to know that she’s going to find some.” There was an excitement in the answer. Some of the fear had vanished, replaced with a spark of hope.

  “That’s one possibility, but that can’t be all. Not that I’m saying you must find more right now. That you want something for yourself is enough to start the path, I think. I will admit this is all as new to me as your existence is. But my own reflection and I were able to find accommodations that made us both satisfied. I see no reason the same can’t be done for you and Maud.”

  “What do I do then? If I’m not Maud, who am I?” the reflection replied, dropping to the ground next to Elody.

  “I don’t know. That is a journey you will have to start on your own. It likely doesn’t need to be walked entirely alone, but the first few steps will require your determination to take them.”

  “Okay, as long as I get to play with the animals, I think I can figure it all out.” A giant smile spread across the face of Maud’s soul reflection. At the same time, the platform fully came to life.

  Along with that new burst of energy came a golden hue of soul mana pouring from the platform over the entire soul realm. It sealed the crack above us, changing the tint of the light across the whole realm just slightly toward that same golden shade.

  The expected chat message notification popped into view.

  “Well, the good news is Maud is looking forward to meeting you and showing you all the animals she can. The bad news is, we can’t stay here forever. Will you be okay if we head out?” I asked the reflection. She was going to need a name eventually.

  “I’ll be okay. I might explore a bit, but I promise I won’t break anything, probably,” she replied, showing off a very similar Maud personality.

  “Please explore, learn, hell, figure out how this place works and teach us,” I replied, honestly. If the soul reflections were able to do that, it would be a pretty big benefit.

  “I agree with Dave, but he is right, we need to return to Alexandria. We will make sure someone visits the soul realm every day to check on any changes here,” Elody added with a smile of her own.

  “Come on, everyone,” I called to the cores and Chip as we headed back for the house. For the first time, I was leaving the soul realm without being in a state of total exhaustion. We had the entire place locked down. The soul knots were gone. And we had even restored communication with Maud.

  Despite how close the call had been, it had been worth it. I’d need to look more into my own soul abilities and possibly create the soul turtle sooner rather than later. I had a feeling Maud’s soul reflection would enjoy the company. But right now, I needed food and a discussion about Korl.

  Deep in the Celestial expansion of the Golden Dragons is a whole star system they’ve turned into one giant ocean. Somehow, at the center of that ocean, they’ve suspended a single black hole. Through the use of countless channelers, the black hole is magically kept in check so that a city may rest on its surface below the water.

  This city is said to be the wonder of wonders of the Spiral. It is a place of pure decadence. It is where the true elite take their vacations, away from their factions and the annoyances that come with them. Thanks to the innumerable workforce the Golden Dragons provide, every desire can be accommodated.

  The magnificent city of ‘It’s Not That Deep’ is truly a shining gem.

  10,000,000 Things to See in the Spiral

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