Silence of the second floor Titan Hall, gave Joe the peace of mind, out of earshot from any ascenders who had yet to adjust to the mana levels of the third floor. He leaned forward on his elbows, the warm, pulsing wall supporting his lower back almost seemed to relax his sore muscles. He stared at his interface.

  “Are you sure he’s only got twenty-three hours?”

  “Yip-yip, twenty-four hours from the time GORED, then turn hollow. Scary!” Poppy’s 8-bit avatar skidded across his vision.

  “I’m going to save him and—”

  Poppy shrieked. “You be dead, Joe.” Her tail swished as she came to a sudden stop. “No saving him. His time is gone, all gone.” She paused, glancing off his screen before looking at him. “Crystalline jackpot grows and grows…it makes Lich Master happy.”

  Joe’s chest tightened, his eyes narrowed. “There has to be something, I’m not going to let Brian die like that.”

  “No worry, his soul fades away each hour that passes. Poof, he be gone in no time. Maybe you sleep, so you not be sad.”

  He shook his head, exhaling. “You’re not understanding. I’m going to save him before he turns hollow. Can we drop a pin to track him on Dawn’s map?”

  Poppy’s avatar sped across the screen. “Like a hollow, he can’t be seen by the system.” She glanced to the side before stepping closer to the screen, only her head visible. “If you go to where he was GORED, he tends to stay there. No wander until he become full hollow.”

  Joe leaned back. Finally, he’d made some progress with Poppy. “That’s great news.”

  “No-no. Not worth the risk going back for him.” She stepped back, eyes enlarged. “You might die, Joe.”

  “Ohana.” Joe gave her a weak smile. “But that’s what you do for friends.” He watched as Poppy blinked a few times, the thought of his sister crying over one of those movies flooding his mind. The movie never really got to him like it did her. It wasn’t until he repeated the word Ohana to Emma when she got sick that he teared up.

  Poppy scratched her head with a claw.

  “Family.” Joe nodded, letting the memory fade away.

  Her tail swished slowly back and forth. “Are we family?”

  A sharp, heated pang in his chest shifted as he strained to feel the blue flame’s presence. Are you upset?

  His chest burned, lessening the sharp pang to a dull ache. “I’m not crying. You’re crying. My immortal bloodline doesn’t have time to cry or bleed.”

  Joe laughed out loud, making Poppy quirk an eyebrow. He gestured with his hand, though she couldn’t see him. “No, no, not you….something on my mind.”

  The blue flame chuckled. “More like an accessory to your soul.”

  “I like it…Ohh-haan-naah.” Poppy’s voice drew out the word as if she were downloading it into her vocabulary.

  “It takes you a while to learn new things?” Joe tilted his head back.

  “Sometimes, if the tower ley lines not working together.”

  Joe leaned forward. He’d heard about some ley lines before, but thought it was all myth and legends, at least from where he grew up they weren’t talked about. “What are the ley lines in this tower?”

  “Oh, no. I can’t say more. That is not in my program. Lich Master be mad.”

  “Hmmm.” Joe tapped his thigh. “I’d bet there’d be a book in the alchemy room with notes on the tower ley lines. Brian would know where to look…” Joe trailed off as the blank stare from the hollow cam blocked his thoughts.

  Standing, Joe clutched his hoodie as heat flared inside his chest, the blue flame seeming to double in size. “As powerful as I am now, you have no idea who I was before we found each other.”

  “We’ve had this conversation before,” Joe said, casually eyeing the silhouette of the third-floor boss, a massive titan towering in the distance. “All that boasting about immortal bloodlines and acting like you’re all-powerful—it screams 'notions of grandeur.' So come on, don’t lie. Tell me your name. And while you’re at it, get off that pedestal you put yourself on, because, newsflash, you’re stuck inside me—”

  “Never ever say that last part again. I tell you what, impress me enough, and I’ll tell you more about me.”

  Joe shook his head, chuckling at the blue flame’s evasiveness, as he strolled up to and around the almost angular form of the boss. “You’re being vague again. How about this—once I rescue Brian, you tell me your name.”

  “You running off on a side quest that’s bound to get you killed is hardly impressive. Irritating and na?ve as she is, Poppy was right. Forget about Brian. Plenty more alchemists in the tower; you could always poach Grizzle from Ryan.”

  “That’s a big fat no on all counts. Not looking to earn the 'Asshole of the Year' title, thanks. Right now, I don’t have time to argue. We’ll come back to this, okay?”

  The blue flame didn’t answer, but its presence gradually faded away.

  Joe took the silence as a small victory and refocused on gathering every scrap of information he could on the next-floor titan, Mecha-King Apollyon. The thing had King Ghidorah written all over it. If copyright infringement reached all corners of the universe, the Lich Master would be drowning in lawsuits. The thought of that smug bastard in some multiverse court facing charges made Joe laugh out loud.

  An alliance chat message popped up from Ryan, short and straight to the point:

  Ryan: We need to talk. Orange Zone common room now.

  Joe quickly averted his gaze from lingering fellow ascenders who looked like they wanted to chat, recognizing one as the guy Dawn had called a walking tabloid earlier. He picked up his pace, activating Shadow Step to make himself less noticeable. His mind raced faster than his steps, trying to figure out why Ryan was being so urgent. Ryan was usually much more polite.

  ***

  Entering the common room, Joe took a breath and let it out slowly. Ryan waved him over to a quiet booth, Gaia sitting beside him, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Joe shot a quick message to his party, and soon, Dawn, TJ, and Rose appeared, joining him in the common room.

  “You might want to sit down for this,” Ryan said, gesturing to the seat across from him.

  Joe slid into the booth, while TJ sat beside Gaia, causing her to shift away. Dawn remained standing, arms folded.

  Ryan scanned the room, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, before speaking. “As a priest, I have certain skills that ascenders are increasingly seeking out. The further we go up this tower, the more ascenders are seeking confidential confessions.”

  Gaia snorted, her disdain obvious. “A man-made practice I’ve always thought mundane and ridiculous. If you mortals could see the stains on your souls, you’d realize no priest can absolve your past transgressions, not even a magical gun-toting one.”

  “I’m there to ease their burden and give them the choice to move on and leave guilt behind.” Ryan glanced at Gaia, his gaze remaining soft despite his stern tone. “Living in the past or fearing the future—that’s what’s futile and ridiculous. All we truly have is this moment, right now. I make no promises to absolve them of their sins—just offer a nonjudgmental ear and a conduit to the god they believe in.”

  “False platitudes.” Gaia leaned back against the booth.

  “Look, I’m not here to get into a philosophical debate.” Joe set his hands on the table. “Just give it to me straight—did you hear something during one of these confessions that can help us save Brian?”

  Ryan nodded.

  “Then what are you waiting for? Old age? Spill it.” TJ twisted his hoodie string and let it unravel into a spinning tornado. “Brian has less than twenty-four hours before he turns hollow for good.”

  “There are limitations on my confidentiality. I can only take a single person’s confession at a time, and I cannot speak to anyone about what was said.” Ryan rubbed his forearm.

  “Write it in the party chat.” Dawn raised a finger, arms still crossed.

  “If he does that, there’ll be a record in the system that the Lich can see. It’s like email tags back home—keywords that act like red flags. As soon as you type and send them, you’re under the watchful eye of government security.” Joe recalled, thinking back to how his own AI butler, taking liberties, had led to a whole heap of trouble that ultimately got him killed.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Then you’ll just have to show us.” Dawn’s fiery hair fell forward as she locked her gaze on Ryan.

  Ryan shook his head with a hint of sadness. “I wish I could, but the Time Hacker is currently unreachable.”

  Joe didn’t voice his thoughts, knowing the Lich could be listening. Wherever the Time Hacker was, he probably wasn’t bound by mana poisoning, so he could be anywhere in the tower.

  Gaia’s interest piqued at the mention. “Why all this talk about the Time Hacker? Joe and his little band of friends are more interested in finding the one who got himself gored.”

  “His name is Brian,” Dawn snapped, her eyes flaring a brilliant gold like she was ready to attack. “And he did it to save me. Sure, that’s an alien concept to you—an ex-goddess who never had friends worth a damn. If you did, they might have tried to save your sorry ass.”

  “Your mortal mind can’t fathom the responsibilities of a god, so don’t preach to me, child.” Gaia stretched her arms above her head, her bracelet peeking out from her sleeve’s hoodie. “I was around long before your ancestors were crapping in their hands and rubbing it in their faces.”

  “And yet here we all are,” Joe interjected, trying to steer the conversation back on track. “Let’s focus on the connection between the Time Hacker and our predicament with Brian.”

  Ryan gestured to the screens, black as voids. “The 'E' in 'GORED' stands for 'ejected,' meaning the system no longer recognizes you. You’ve lost access to your inventory, and your time currency ascends to the immortal jackpot. I can’t tell you where the Time Hacker is, but if you need to talk to me in confidence, know I am always here for you, Joe.” There was a hidden meaning in Ryan’s eyes. “What I can say is that those hollow cams allowed us to see through their eyes, and that image was projected onto our screens. If the Time Hacker takes credit for that, then he can interact with the gored. If he can interact with the gored, he might know a way to restore their time currency so they’re no longer in overdraft.”

  Joe grinned. “So you’re saying he might know how to reverse them being ejected from the system?”

  “Yes, but only if it’s done before they turn fully hollow. After that, their soul bank is gone—there’s nowhere to deposit their time currency.”

  “If that’s the case, then we need to find this Time Hacker. You can’t tell us what he said, but can you tell us who knows the information?” TJ clenched his fist.

  “If you’re thinking of punching the information out of him, then no.”

  TJ cracked his knuckles. “I can be nice, but if they piss me off—”

  “It’s Lucky,” Ryan interjected.

  “Oh.” TJ’s hardened stare softened, fists releasing as if the fight he’d been hyping himself up for completely drained out of him.

  Joe wondered if it had something to do with Lucky’s Scavenger’s trait or if Andras had sent the poor guy out scouting.

  “I wish I could tell you more,” Ryan said, “but what I can say is that Lucky is riddled with guilt, despite the charismatic thrall Andras has over him. He knows there’s no judgment in confession. If any of you ever have a burden of guilt, I’d be happy to hear your confession.” He looked pointedly at Joe.

  “After killing Scaldera, I am wracked with guilt. When can we talk?” Joe said, playing along.

  “How about right now?” Ryan placed a hand on the table.

  Gaia shot up. “Come on, you lot, let’s leave them in peace.” She strode away, and Dawn, TJ, and Rose gave Joe supportive smiles before drifting away, TJ muttering something about getting a snack.

  An eerie silence fell over them like a blanket.

  “I offer an invitation to confess, to ease your burden,” Ryan said with a solemn tone.

  A system notification appeared.

  [Priest Ryan has offered to hear your confession. Do you wish to proceed? Yes or No?]

  Joe selected yes.

  Ryan raised his hand, his voice calm. “In the name of the god or gods you follow, this is a sacred and confidential space for you to confess what’s troubling your soul. When you’re ready, follow the system text prompt.”

  Joe signaled he was ready, and the text prompt appeared.

  [Please choose a god or gods you worship.]

  A scroll bar appeared beside a long list of gods, alphabetized. Some he recognized from his world, others he didn’t. He hadn’t been raised in any particular faith, but his grandad had always helped out as a handyman at local churches and chapels, so Joe was no stranger to what they looked like inside. He’d always found them to be little oases of calm when he went along to lend a hand. He quickly selected one, and another prompt appeared.

  [How long has it been since your last confession?]

  Joe scratched his jaw, wondering why the hell that mattered, but figured it had to do with his choice of god. He didn't know if it could tell if he was lying.

  “It has been a long time since my last confession,” he said, hoping it wasn’t too vague.

  A shimmer of golden light formed around them, and Ryan’s eyes glowed to match, almost like an aura surrounded him. A feeling of calm settled in Joe’s heart, knowing he could trust Ryan with his deepest secrets and that they would stay between the two of them. He almost felt lighter in that knowledge like an unseen burden had already been lifted.

  Ryan clasped his hands together as if he was about to pray. “Is there anything you would like to confess?”

  “I want to kill that bastard Lich,” Joe said, testing the boundaries. A ripple shimmered over their protective bubble.

  Ryan nodded. “You’re testing the confidentiality. I’ve done that tons of times already—it’s airtight. Believe you me, if the Lich heard Lucky’s confession, it would be game over for the Time Hacker.”

  “But the Lich could have overheard our earlier conversation, naming Lucky and that he knows where the Time Hacker is. Won’t he force it out of Lucky or kill him? He doesn’t have the protection of the Rat God.”

  “Doesn’t he?” Ryan said with a grin.

  “So you’re telling me Dawn’s god is offering him protection?”

  “All I know is that Dawn is protected from the Lich killing her, and for now, anyone who worships Nerus cannot be killed by the Lich. It’s not total immunity from death by other causes, just those engineered unfairly by the Lich.”

  “Okay, that makes me feel a teensy bit better.” Joe nodded for him to continue.

  “I’m glad. Now, let’s get down to business. If anyone asks, you spoke of your guilt about killing Scaldera, and I absolved you of your sins in whatever terms make sense to the religion you follow—or pretend to follow. Since I can’t tell you where the Time Hacker is, we need to find a way that I can message it to you without it being intercepted by the system.”

  Joe grinned. “I know a bit about that. I built my own system with encryption keys. With Poppy’s help, I’ve made minor adjustments to how we interact with the system here and championed the status inclusion, but we had to go through the Lich.”

  “Have you any ideas?” Ryan’s tone was hopeful.

  “According to Poppy, I can’t access the source code, and if she does anything, the Lich will be mad. So, instead of hacking the system, I suggest a workaround patch. There are quantum threads, and I know a little bit about quantum entanglement, which allows a message to be received the instant it’s sent. The technology was in its infancy in my world, but here we have magic—and Gaia, who can sense those threads. This tower is a living battery of sorts. I have to talk to Gaia to see if what I think in theory will work in practice.”

  “Well, go talk to her, but be careful with your words. Then have her talk to me, and I will explain everything to her.”

  Ryan bowed his head. “Go with the mercy of your god if you so wish it—you are absolved of your transgressions. May peace and love flow through you and reflect onto others.”

  “Thanks,” Joe said, trying to find the right words. “The same to you.”

  The shimmer popped, and the muted sounds around them sprang back to life. Joe made a beeline for Gaia, who looked like she was about to destroy the food and drinks machine.

  “Quick question for you,” Joe said, catching her attention.

  She broke her gaze from the machine like it owed her money, a taut smile forming as she looked at Joe. “They’re the only type of questions I like. Shoot away.”

  “You’re familiar with Earth physics and what I would call quantum entanglement. Do the ley lines here work on a similar principle?”

  She pinched her brow. “QRL stands for Quantum Resonance Level. The ley lines are made from quantum threads. There are plenty of books on it in the alchemy room, or you could ask Brian…” A flicker of guilt crossed her face, but she was too proud to apologize. “Anyway, you can see I’m rather busy here, so what’s your point?”

  “Just fascinated by your power to see these quantum threads. Can you interact with them?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m a sorceress with a special affinity for Earth quantum threads, but it’s doing nothing to help me make a decent cup of coffee in this dive. Now, if there isn’t anything else for you to fanboy over, tell TJ to shower—he smells like the sewers his kind crawled out of.”

  “Perhaps you don’t need a coffee. A confession with Ryan would really help calm and center you.” Joe gestured towards Ryan, who shot her a meaningful look along with a friendly wave.

  Gaia looked like she wanted to slap Joe for even suggesting she skip the coffee, but Ryan’s insistent beckoning softened her resolve.

  Joe let out a breath as she walked away and went to join TJ and Dawn, while Ryan and Gaia spoke under the confidence of his confession bubble. He had every bit of confidence that Ryan would explain why Joe had been so interested in talking to her about quantum entanglement and her ability to see threads. He would also tell her that Joe would need her help to send secret quantum messages using those threads. Ryan would be the facilitator between the two since they couldn’t speak directly about their plans. It was a bit of a juggling act, but it was possible—desperation was the mother of invention, after all.

  Several hours later, Gaia had schooled Joe on what she saw on floor two and how she could manipulate those threads. That was all the information he needed to move to the next step.

  ***

  “Hey Poppy, I’ve been thinking. Our alliance chat is pretty limited—feels like we’re sending messages through a pager from the ‘90s. What if we do a little patch upgrade to increase the character limit? You know, make it easier for everyone to communicate effectively, especially during raids and big ops. We’d be able to send more detailed strategies without having to cut our sentences short. I’m pretty sure it’ll make things smoother all around.”

  He kept his tone light, masking the real intention behind the upgrade, knowing Poppy would focus on the practical benefits without questioning the deeper motives.

  Poppy, ever eager to help, beamed. “Poppy wants to help, but no touching source code. Can ask Lich?”

  “No, no, Poppy. He’s got enough to deal with, with that Time Hacker running around. I have an idea—a clever workaround. No direct changes, just a little adjustment using Gaia’s quantum thread sense. It’s like adding an extra layer on top…” Joe trailed off, not adding that it would be totally invisible to the system.

  “Hmm, sounds tricky? Poppy wants to help Joe and not make Lich mad. He’s already really, really mad about Time Hacker.” She danced on the spot and spun around superhero-style, a fedora and 8-bit sunglasses appearing on her like she was going incognito.

  “Clever,” Joe said with a grin. He didn’t say another word—looked like Poppy had learned how to keep things from the Lich all by herself.

  Joe knew he had to be careful—tinkering with the system without setting off alarms was no easy task. Instead of directly messing with the source code, he worked with Gaia to find a clever workaround.

  By using her ability to sense and manipulate quantum threads within the tower’s ley lines, they created a hidden communication channel that bypassed the usual character limits in the alliance chat. He then layered this new channel onto the existing interface, making it look like a regular upgrade. The best part? The Lich would never know the difference, as everything appeared normal on the surface. It was a bit of subtle tech-magic fusion, and while it was complex, it got the job done without tripping any wires.

  After a successful test run to ensure Ryan received the message, Joe sent the burning question:

  Joe: Where can we find the Time Hacker?