Adam came to only a few moments later with stars fluttering around in his vision.

Holy fuck, that was intense!

Like waking from a dream, most of the memories he'd just relived started to slip away.

But that last memory.

It didn't go anywhere.

It was burnt into his mind.

Despite it all, despite the feelings he'd had a minute earlier before consuming the Scale of Remembrance, he now felt an aching and longing. It was uncomfortable to be aware of how reliving his past lives affected him, but he couldn't dismiss these new feelings either.

In this universe, Emelia and I were always meant to meet. If not for me she would've died. If not for me she would never have become a time-looper. Of course she would try to save me.

After all, it was the same reason why he'd felt indebted to Willow, even though the version of her he'd gotten to know last loop had been someone other than the one who first helped him.

There was also something else. He'd managed to survive Stage Eight somehow, thanks to the guy named Souleyman. Unfortunately, he hadn't regained any memories of the Stages where Emelia didn't participate, so he had no clue how he'd been saved. But to know it was possible was a welcome revelation.

I wonder what the trick is though.

He still remembered the name of the Stage.

Moonport.

If only I knew more about my past lives. If all the information hadn't been blurred and censored, it might actually have been useful.

Parts of their conversations still lingered, but with every passing moment they became harder to recall. It was like they were messages written on a sandy beach shore and every attempt to read what they said summoned the waves that washed over their letters, making them harder and harder to discern.

He was fairly sure they'd talked about who they fought in Stage Five during the last memory, but like so many things the information had been garbled and unintelligible, probably because it was deemed an 'unfair' advantage.

I need to ask Emelia about it so I can properly prepare for the Stage.

Though she probably doesn't want anything to do with me now…

Instead of running to the Tavern to find her, Adam decided it was best to let her at least think about what he'd told her. Despite the things he'd learnt from the Scale, he still felt that his words hadn't been wrong. There was no problem with them being friends he thought, but to project a past relationship onto him entirely dismissed who he was as a person now.

And even though he felt closer to her thanks to the new memories, he could also tell they didn't belong to him. They belonged to his other self, who differed from him in some fundamental way.

If I get a Scale of Remembrance, I wonder if it would even work. Would it show someone only their past interactions with me in this universe? Or would it show their interactions with this specific version of me that's moved across universes?

He shook his head. Right now it wasn't important. He needed to be prepared for Stage Five. All this other stuff could come later when his survival seemed more assured.

Though he had his barrier next to him, Adam decided to walk to the Market with his Spidersilk Sack full of loot.

On the way there, he prompted his currency to appear.

< < Player Currencies > >

< Points — 3201 >

< Mastery Shards — 2 >

I could buy the Orb of Insight now I think.

He didn't know if it would actually be useful, but it was possible that it could help with Secrets, though Alivida said it was for seeing future opponents. Given its 2-Stage cooldown and 3-Shard cost, he had a sneaking suspicion it did more than just that. It was strange that Emelia hadn't mentioned it though. Then again, she'd probably spent her Shards on the Visiting Stone and other upgrades that were more relevant to her. The usefulness of the Orb of Insight were clearly diminished by having already seen the Stages.

I'll get 500 Points from selling the Forlorn Hearts. I could sell the Skyblue Pearl and Rotmaker Idol, but I feel like those will end up being worth more later. The instinct is obviously to use the Idol in Stage Four, but it's possible there's some special tree later that using it on will unlock a Secret.

There aren't any trees in Stage Five as far as I can tell, and I don't wanna have to carry it around with me.

"Shitbox, I'd like to store the Rotmaker Idol in my Player House."

[Understood.]

The Relic vanished from the Spidersilk Sack.

Then Adam rounded a corner and came out into the Market.

< < Secret Relic Activated > >

The large termite egg lifted up from the sack and into the air, then it flew down to Weaver's stall and planted itself next to it. The dusty nest-like stall popped up in an instant and the Builder appeared within, no less freaky-looking than last time.

[You have unlocked the Builder. This vendor sells upgrades to your Player House.]

Yenna knelt in front of the fountain and played a half-tube zither, which looked like a Chinese Guzheng. In front of her stood Sylvia the Spell Scroll vendor.

Adam approached her and said, "Thank you for the scroll, it was quite useful."

Sylvia didn't turn away from the music but said, "You're welcome. Scrolls are useful for those deficient in the magical arts."

"I'm not deficient," he replied.

"You're not," she agreed. "If you'd like, I can teach you the spells written upon my scrolls."

He paused. "Really? You can do that?"

"Of course. You would need a catalyst, although I see you have a wand. It will suffice."

I can cast those spells with my wand? It sounds like there are several types of catalysts though. Maybe the Spellcaster's staff is another, and probably those weird blood magic tattoos.

"How much would Conflagrate cost to learn?"

"5000 Points," she answered, eyes still locked on the wasp's instrument.

Of course…

No such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"I'll think about it," he replied. "Out of curiosity, how much would Shade Barrier cost to learn?"

"20000," she answered.

"That's a lot of Points…" he said. "What do you need all of them for?"

Sylvia shrugged.

"I might come back tomorrow," he said and left the mage and musician, passing by the fountain to reach the stalls. Small statues that looked like the Forlorn Captain were shooting water into the top bowl. He wondered what they'd change into after Stage Five.

As he walked to Lucca's shop, he thought about Belamouranthe.

I wonder what happens if she's saved.

Hopefully I can see her again.

It would be cruel if saving her didn't mean she'd return with him, he thought.

The spider vendor leaned out of her stall as he approached, all eight of her eyes locked onto his Spidersilk Sack.

"What a delectable smell," she chittered.

Adam put his hand on her creepy head and pushed it back under the red overhang, then he plopped the sack on the counter, producing a wet and sticky squelch.

"I'd like to sell these."

"Excellent. These ones I will not give away to the gremlin, but instead keep for myself."

Adam suppressed a shiver.

Why is she so interested in the hearts…?

Wait.

"Does that mean you're willing to pay more for them?"

"I am already paying you more for trophies, do not be greedy."

"Pfft."

Well, it was worth a try.

"For these five I will give you 500 Points."

"Deal."

< < Relics Sold > >

< Heart of Darkness (Common) x5 >

< 3701 Points Remaining >

"Would you like to see my wares?" she asked.

"Sure."

Doubt there's anything I'd want though.

The dark chest next to her glowed and popped open.

< < Relics For Sale > >

< Affliction Ward (Uncommon) — Negate any Affliction. Breaks after use >

< Sanctuary Defender's Robes (Rare) — Increases Movement Speed by 25% | Increases dodge chance by 10%. Breaks after 2 hits >

< Cracked Conjuring Stone (Epic) — Combine 2 Relics of Rare rarity or lower to produce a new unique Cracked Fusion Relic. Relic disappears after use >

< Tainted Helmet (Epic) — Attacks inflict Taint, lowering target's Stamina regeneration by 40% for 30 seconds | When an afflicted target dies, its Afflictions are spread to nearby targets | Healing effects are 75% less effective >

Holy shit! Two Epics!

The Conjuring Stone sounds overpowered potentially. I wonder if I can use it on the Wraith Lantern.

"Shitbox, what does it mean by 'Cracked Fusion Relic'?"

[A Fusion Relic is a combination of two Relics and their powers. Cracked indicates that the Relic has a major flaw, usually in the form of some weakness.]

"Like what?"

[It will most often take the form of a large Stat reduction or a permanent Affliction.]

"Is it random what this weakness will be?"

[No.]

"So it will 100% fuck me over then?"

The Eye did not reply, which he took to assume the answer was yes.

Still, it could be super powerful.

"Would the Conjuring Stone work on any type of Relic?"

[No. Weapon Type Relics are ineligible as are Relics of a similar nature to the Conjuring Stone.]

I guess I should've expected that… What a shame.

He looked at the other Relics available, but none of them were useful to him.

"I'll buy and use a reroll," he told Lucca.

"Excellent."

< < Relic Purchased > >

< Reroll Die (Uncommon) >

< 3601 Points Remaining >

The chest closed and popped open again.

< < Relics For Sale > >

< Tainted Bracer (Uncommon) — Fire off a shadowy slash that penetrates armour and inflicts Taint, lowering target's Stamina regeneration by 40% for 30 seconds. Breaks after use >

< Overflow Diadem (Uncommon) — Activate to immediately deliver all remaining damage of Afflictions, dealing 10% increased damage for every Affliction affected. Breaks after use >

< Heartflame Robe (Uncommon) — All summons release a Heartflame on death which will seek out the nearest target and inflict Soulburn, doubling all Mana consumption for 10 seconds | Increases Mana by 50 >

< Glutton Collar (Uncommon) — Consume two potions within 10 seconds of each other without incurring toxic backlash, but toxicity build-up is tripled >

What the hell… Did I burn out all my luck with that first pull?

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"I'll reroll again," he decided.

< < Relic Purchased > >

< Reroll Die (Uncommon) >

< 3501 Points Remaining >

The chest closed and popped open, revealing four new holograms.

< < Relics For Sale > >

< Barrage Glove (Uncommon) — All projectiles are split into 3, each dealing a 3rd of total damage >

< Potion Belt (Uncommon) — Carries up to three potions and makes them indestructible | Uses the right-most potion when its associated resource is exhausted >

< Plague-Spreader Mask (Rare) — Afflictions jump to nearest available target within 10 metres when afflicted opponent dies >

< Chaos Fragment (Epic) — All Player's equipped Relics are randomly changed to something of equal Rarity. Disappears after use >

Despite the Epic that appeared, Adam's eyes immediately locked in on the Potion Belt. It felt so familiar to him after repeating the same memories where he'd used it defensively.

I think the 'indestructible' description on it means that nothing can destroy the potions inside the belt, which in turn makes them perfect for defence.

Past me wasn't a complete moron it seems.

"Would the Chaos Fragment also change my Wraith Lantern?" he asked.

[No.]

I guess that would be something then, since I wouldn't lose its power. Although the fact that the scramble is only based on rarity means that I could end up with copies or something like two separate pairs of gloves or whatever.

He looked through the other options but none of them were worth taking.

I'm better off not buying anything since I will be getting a lot of Relics from the next Stage… he mused darkly.

Charlotte Hayes' face suddenly popped into his mind and he frowned. He wouldn't actively hunt down other Players, but he needed to win. If he did have to kill someone to do it, then there was no going around it.

But there has to be a way to defy that, right?

Maybe for now I should just focus on surviving it so I can learn more about what comes after.

Adam left Lucca's stall and made a brief stop in front of Nelly's to see what weapons were for sale. None of them were new though, so he continued down to Weaver's stall and thanked her for the Spidersilk Sack which had come in handy.

Then he stopped by Karie's stall to look at the general upgrades she had.

The cricket made a gesture over the cauldron and a large bubble formed and released a puff showing four upgrades.

< < Upgrades For Sale > >

< Defence (Rare) — Increases all defence by 15% >

< Health (Epic) — Increases health by 10 >

< Venom (Uncommon) — Attacks inflict venom slowing target by 10% for 10 seconds >

< Movement (Rare) — Increases movement speed by 15% >

He didn't even have to think about it and said, "I'll buy Defence."

"Thank you!"

< < General Upgrade Purchased > >

< Defence (Rare) >

< 3201 Points Remaining >

The remaining upgrades were sucked down into the cauldron, and then a bubble appeared and popped, showing four new options.

< < Upgrades For Sale > >

< Defence (Uncommon) — Increases all defence by 10% >

< Damage (Epic) — Increases all damage by 25% >

< Crush (Epic) — Increases the impact of attacks by 25% >

< Bleed (Uncommon) — Attacks inflict bleed dealing 10% weapon damage over the course of 10 seconds >

Damn, an Epic Damage upgrade!

"I'll buy the Damage upgrade," he said.

< < General Upgrade Purchased > >

< Damage (Epic) >

< 2901 Points Remaining >

The cauldron bubbled again and revealed four new options.

< < Upgrades For Sale > >

< Luck (Uncommon) — Increases luck by 2 >

< Crush (Uncommon) — Increases the impact of attacks by 10% >

< Movement (Uncommon) — Increases movement speed by 10% >

< Force (Uncommon) — Attacks pierce armour by 10% >

"I'll get Luck."

< < General Upgrade Purchased > >

< Luck (Uncommon) >

< 2601 Points Remaining >

Hmm, should I keep going? Adam wondered.

The cauldron bubbled and new upgrades appeared.

< < Upgrades For Sale > >

< Dodge (Rare) — Grants a 15% chance to dodge a direct attack >

< Health (Epic) — Increases health by 10 >

< Damage (Uncommon) — Increases all damage by 10% >

< Force (Uncommon) — Attacks pierce armour by 10% >

None of these are that amazing. I suppose Health would be good, but I should have a lot of Defence now.

He brought up his status while trying to figure out how best to spend his Points.

< < Player Status > >

< Adam >

< Fusionist >

< Level 32 >

< Stats >

< Health — 50 >

< Stamina — 75 >

< Mana — 200 >

< Damage — 90% >

< Defence — 155% >

< Dodge — 10% >

< Speed — 85% >

< Luck — 21 >

< Attack Speed — 125% >

< Upgrades >

< Luck +16 >

< Dodge +10% >

< Crush +15% >

< Damage +40% >

< Defence +30% >

Extra Health would be good actually…

"Buy Health," he said.

< < General Upgrade Purchased > >

< Health (Epic) >

< 2301 Points Remaining >

A new set appeared.

< < Upgrades For Sale > >

< Movement (Rare) — Increases movement speed by 15% >

< Bleed (Uncommon) — Attacks inflict bleed dealing 10% weapon damage over the course of 10 seconds >

< Dodge (Uncommon) — Grants a 10% chance to dodge a direct attack >

< Crush (Rare) — Increases the impact of attacks by 15% >

He wondered if he should keep going or not, but decided it was better to hold off.

"Thanks, that's all for now," Adam told Karie.

I'll invest the rest with Luvicidix I think. I'm fairly confident in my current setup and I don't think there are any Relics that could help me right now.

He looked down to the Builder.

Might be worth trying out whatever she can sell me, since it could unlock more Secrets around Interim Island.

Adam paused as he remembered he had the ability to fly. That was way more likely to help him find hidden places than buying random extensions to his house.

He returned to Lucca's stall and purchased three Reroll Dice.

< < Relic Purchased > >

< Reroll Die (Uncommon) x3 >

< 2001 Points Remaining >

That 1 is really bothering me…

"Can I give you 1 extra Point?" he asked the spider.

The Eye was the one to answer. [You cannot give Points away.]

"Why not?"

[The All-Seeing System has decided it should be so.]

"That's a weird rule," he commented.

Adam went over to the Builder. Inside the dirt, sand, and woodchip stall was a workbench upon which lay saws, screws, hammers, measuring tapes, and other such tools.

"How do you do, Adam? You can call me Builder," said the termite with a southern twang.

"Howdy," he replied. "Can you build a basement for my Player House or a well in the garden or anything that goes down into the ground like that?"

"Sure can," she replied.

"How much for a basement?"

"4000 Points. A well would cost you 1500 Points."

There might be something under the Player House that is only accessible with this NPC's help, but it feels kind of wasteful to spend that much.

"I might come back later," he told her.

He fused his barriers into one before flipping it horizontally and shaping it into a sled. Then he climbed on board and lifted up into the air.

The vendors all leaned out of their stalls to watch him fly over the trees that lined the edge of the island. Since he wasn't keen on falling to his death, he slowed down to a leisurely pace when nothing but clouds stretched out below him.

Above, the sun cast its glow down into the bowl-like shape the clouds formed around the island. Ahead of him was the wall of the bowl, but he only managed to get about twenty metres out from the edge before he stopped moving forward. The sensation was familiar.

"Is there a boundary around Interim?" he asked the Eye that floated next to him.

[Yes.]

"Above and below as well?"

[It does not stop you from falling below.]

Adam frowned.

Cool…

"Wait, why are you stopping me from flying out and away then? Or above for that matter."

The Eye did not reply.

That's fishy as hell.

What is out there? he wondered while flying back towards the edge and dipping down.

He was fairly sure there weren't any caves he'd missed, but he really wanted to see the bottom of the island since it was totally inaccessible if you couldn't fly, unless you had some insane climbing skills.

The cliff-side extended down from the edge in a vertical wall for about twelve metres before it started tapering to a point. He hadn't been able to see it from above, but as he lowered his flying barrier down he was able to get a good look.

What he found made him wish he'd remained ignorant.

At the very bottom of the floating Interim Island were three enormous seven-fingered hands grasping an orb with a toothy mouth within which was an eye. The hands and orb were made of solid stone, but the eye looked squishy and alive. And it was staring right at him.

"What the fuck…?" he muttered.

[You should not be here.]

Adam looked at the cube next to him. "What is that thing??"

[You should not be here,] it repeated.

The giant eye stared at him unblinkingly. It made gooseflesh ripple across his skin.

Adam decided not to tempt fate and quickly flew back up towards the island's surface, going faster than was probably safe.

I bet Emelia has no idea that's down there.

He thought about the implications of the strange eye as he reached the topside of the island and headed for the Tavern. Although it was different in nature to his constant companion, it felt like the giant eye confirmed that Interim Island itself was alive. And it was no doubt a servant of the All-Seeing System.

Why couldn't it just be a normal island??

The fact that creatures lived on and inside Interim felt very uncomfortable now that he thought it was a living thing. It was like they'd taken the concept of a floating island in the sea actually being the shell of a giant turtle, and then flipped the idea on its head and made it way creepier.

Does that mean that the Player House, Tavern, and Market stalls are all part of its 'body'?

He shuddered.

There was also the fact that with more Players dying, its houses became more coherent, meaning the island itself was fuelled by the death. He hadn't really thought about it much until now, but it was possible that the servants of the All-Seeing System gained more power alongside it.

Adam landed by the Dimensional Tavern and got off his flying barrier, but he paused in front of the door.

This Tavern is part of the island… Maybe its dimensional nature is thanks to that giant eyeball.

It felt like cursed knowledge and he genuinely wished he hadn't discovered this fact about the only place that felt like a safe haven.

With a sigh he pushed open the door. Once inside he resummoned his barriers and fused them together.

Charlie came over, looking for Belamouranthe.

"She's not coming today," he told her.

The ant lowered her head slightly, but then she said, "The All-Mother watches over her."

Adam blinked in surprise at the phrase.

"That's right," he then replied with a grin.

"What would you like to eat and drink?" she asked.

"A vanilla milkshake," he said.

"Any food to go along with that?"

"Surprise me," he told her.

Charlie giggled in that bubbly way of hers and left for the kitchen.

Adam looked at the fused-together barrier in front of him, trying to figure out how best to turn it into a seat. After some consideration, he ended up shaping it into a high-backed throne and sat down on it before floating up to one of the tables on the first floor.

The moment he sat down, the tables on the ground floor and the smaller ones up here all filled with random people. Those who noticed him waved, pointed, or just stared in surprise before flickering and being replaced by others who did the same. His query from last time was still active, since he saw coloured spheres over a couple people's heads.

"How many survived Stage Four?" he asked the Eye.

[160 million Players survived Stage Four. Currently, 87 million Players are utilising the Dimensional Tavern.]

"Holy shit," he said out loud.

Last loop it was only 39 million. That's four times as many who survived compared to then!

Once again he had to wonder if this universe was special or if the last one had been cursed. He lacked a proper frame of reference to say for sure.

[Another Player is trying to communicate with you. Do you wish to talk to them?]

Adam's breath caught in his throat at the sudden announcement.

At some point I won't get shocked every time that happens…

"Who is it? Emelia?"

[Player Princess Buttercup.]

Adam choked on his spit and started laughing.

"Put him through."

Gladwyn appeared behind the small table he was floating in front of and immediately frowned as he saw Adam in hysterics. Next to him were Beck and Emelia.

The time-looper glanced Adam's way but didn't say anything. Gladwyn looked between them and asked, "You aren't doing that thing today?"

"What thing?" Beck asked.

"We're not," Emelia said, sounding very nonchalant about it.

Adam saw the coloured spheres over their heads and did a double-take when he noticed one that Beck had.

"You found all the Secrets??" he blurted out.

Beck grinned proudly. "That's right."

"About time you showed up," Emelia said. "He wouldn't tell me how he did it until you got here."

It was kind of uncanny how she was treating him like nothing had happened.

Perhaps she's really good at hiding her true feelings. What I saw earlier is probably a side of her only very few people have seen.

"First," Beck said, "we need to find a winner and a loser!"

"I got 3100 Points," Adam said.

"3848," Emelia followed. Adam noted that she didn't have the green and red spheres to indicate Speedrun and Flawless.

Gladwyn and Emelia both had a new colour above their heads. It was yellow and Adam guessed it was for the Eradication bonus.

"I got 2535 Points," Gladwyn said. "I defeated the Secret Boss and got the Eradication bonus, but I took about 130 damage from several hits. Somehow the Aristocrat didn't hit me once though."

Adam had no idea how Gladwyn had pulled something like that off against the Secret Boss with a sword and shield, but he knew that behind the man's humble façade was a real warrior.

Beck's victorious smile faltered. Aside from the All Secrets bonus, he just had Speedrun, which meant he'd taken damage which would hurt his overall score.

"Just admit you lost," Emelia told him.

"Becky lost?" Gladwyn teased.

"He won't be 'Becky' for much longer," Adam said with a devious grin.

Beck frowned. "If you give me a horrible nickname I won't tell you how I got the Tainted Blade."

So the last Secret was a weapon. Sounds like it came from one of the Forlorn Knights perhaps.

"How many Points did you get?" Adam asked.

"1780…" Beck said. "I would've gotten a lot more if the timer actually mattered for Points like the previous Stages. The System fucked me…"

Still a lot better than my last loop.

Emelia gave him a serious look. "1780 means you took 140 Points of damage! Unless you upgraded your stats like I told you to, you should still just have 75 Health and 75% Defence."

"I upgraded it," he said. "I have 90 Health now and 40% Dodge."

"Defence is better than Dodge," she told him.

"If not for my Dodge, I would've been dead," he said. "It's better to completely avoid damage than to have it reduced." It was clear he was gunning for as much Dodge chance as possible.

"You've gotta be careful," Adam told him. "Also, at 100% Dodge doesn't make you immune to attacks. It has an internal cooldown of 2 seconds according to Shitbox. Plus, it won't protect you from indirect attacks."

Beck folded his arms. "It's working just fine for now. Besides, it was worth it, wasn't it?" he replied.

Emelia shook her head. "Regardless, you lost so I get to pick your nickname."

"Hey, that's not fair," Adam protested. "You're not even part of the bet."

Emelia pointed her tongue at him petulantly. "We're getting into Stages that are a lot harder to breeze through, so I think it's more than fair that I get to join in on the bets."

Beck grinned. "She's got you there," he said. It was also clear that he thought she'd be more merciful with her nickname.

"From now on your name is 'Grenouille'," she told him.

"Hah," Gladwyn said.

When neither Beck nor Adam got the joke, he explained, "It means 'frog' in French. Actually, I think it's also slang for pr—"

"Anyway," Emelia interrupted, "tell me how to get the weapon."

Beck shrugged. "It was easy. I just bum-rushed the first knight before he could get through the breach. He dropped his greatsword onto the ground and I could pick it up. It doesn't really work with my build, but it seems strong enough. It comes with a special cleave that sends a shadowy slash through the air and inflicts Taint."

Emelia frowned. "I can't believe it was something so simple…"

"Did you get nothing from the Rotmaker?" Adam asked.

"I got a 'Seed of the Great Tree', but that's about it."

"What's that?" Gladwyn asked.

"It was a Collectible that automatically planted itself in my garden, so now I have two trees there. But it doesn't do anything as far as I can tell." She sounded disappointed about that. Adam guessed that she'd taken damage from the Rotmaker as well, since it had to have been enormous. To get such an insignificant reward must've made the frustration of taking damage hurt a lot more.

As though the different versions of Charlie across dimensions were synced together, all four of them received their food and drinks at the same time. The one in Adam's dimension had to walk up the stairs to reach his table on the first floor. He was still floating up in the air in front of the table on his barrier chair, but none of the others had made any comments about it, so it probably looked like a normal chair from their perspective.

Adam looked down at the food he was served. She'd made him five different tacos with three types of sauces on the side in small ramekins. There was salsa verde, salsa taqueria, and a chipotle salsa from the looks of it. The five tacos were: al pastor, tinga de pollo, barbacoa, one with just melted cheese that was closer to a quesadilla, and one with what looked like mushrooms that he didn't know the name of. There were also chopped white onions and cilantro to add on top, as well as a lime split in half and a small bowl with guacamole.

He turned to the ant and said, "This looks delicious, but I can't eat cilantro."

"Try it," she encouraged him.

He wasn't super excited to be proven right but did it nonetheless.

"It doesn't taste like soap…" he muttered in disbelief.

Charlie giggled and left.

Adam turned back to his friends and said, "Guys! You won't believe this!"

"What?" they asked.

"Cilantro doesn't taste like soap anymore!"

Emelia shook her head with a smile while Beck just laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gladwyn asked.

Emelia took a sip of her glass of rosé and then lifted a French fry from her McDonald's happy meal to point at them with.

"It's time I tell you three about The Forbidden Altar," she said.

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