As Renzo was sitting at the table he blinked and gasped for air as he lifted his head, looked around and saw Zeke, and the surrounding area was the same as that bar they had walked into.
"What the fuck?" Renzo said as Zeke laughed.
"Renzo... you have quite... the power, don't you?" Zeke said, his words translating itself through the Resonance Lens.
"I tried to keep you in illusions... but you kept breaking through them, somehow. I must say, strong indeed. Maybe a Resonance name that allows you to see the truth from lies?" Zeke said as he cleaned out an empty glass before pouring more of that alcohol and handed it to Renzo.
"How about another glass?" He asked, with a warm smile on his face.
Renzo stared at the glass. It shimmered—not with alcohol, but with a liquid that pulsed, softly, like a heartbeat. The color kept shifting… red, blue, then black like ink swallowing light.
His hand hovered for a second before he slowly pulled it away. "No thanks."
Zeke's grin widened, showing teeth far too sharp for a human. He chuckled softly, as if Renzo's refusal only made him more amused.
"A shame. This one would've shown you the moment your mother first cried your name. Or… maybe the day you die, wrapped in silence beneath a different sky." Zeke tapped the side of the glass, and it evaporated into mist.
Renzo narrowed his eyes. "Who... no, what are you?"
Zeke stopped pacing. The smile didn't fade, but it… shifted, somehow. "A mistake, perhaps. Or maybe I'm just a good liar who got too close to the truth. Either way, call me an illusionist—not just any illusionist. The best."
The bar around them flickered like candlelight, then changed. One blink—they were surrounded by thousands of eyes embedded in the walls. Another—back to the bar.
The door creaked open behind him—pure black beyond the frame—and without another word, Zeke stepped through it and vanished.
Renzo looked at the stools around him. Nova, Zay, Malik, the commander, and Silva were there.
Everyone else? Gone.
Zay and the Commander continued dodging attacks from the Warden of Dusk. Flames of white fire and lightning forged from divine judgment rained down, shattering the earth—dissolving it like dust in the wind.
Suddenly, both of them jerked their heads up, their eyes snapping open. They were back in the bar, gasping for breath.
"What the fuck was that?" the commander muttered, glancing around. Zay glanced around for a moment before spotting Renzo, who sat calmly, already recovered from his experience. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Before Renzo could answer, Nova and Silva bolted upright, eyes wide. They were standing beside each other, jaws of a dragon frozen mid-snap inches from their heads.
"What... what the hell," Silva whispered, spinning in place and pinching her arm, checking if everything was real.
After several long minutes, the four of them finally steadied their breathing and turned to Renzo as he spoke.
"So… it seems like that Zeke guy was some kind of Illusionist. A damn good one too. I don't know about you all, but I went through some weird shit."
Zay and the Commander exchanged a knowing glance before sighing.
"We were in the middle of fighting a Warden," Zay said.
"The hell is that?" Silva asked, eyeing him.
"Don't worry about it," the Commander answered for him.
Nova cleared her throat, drawing attention.
"Well… me and Madam White over here were fighting a dragon. A real one. I didn't even think they existed. Its jaws were around us, about to snap shut. Damn dragons," Nova muttered, lifting a glass of alcohol, ready to drink.
Renzo reached out and knocked it from her hand. The glass shimmered mid-air, dissolving into dust before it hit the ground.
"If I'm understanding things right," Renzo said, looking around at them, "it seems like he—Zeke—has a kind of Seal that activates only when you drink something he's prepared. I'm not sure how it works, but when I refused another drink, he just… left. So let's not drink anything here."
"What about that other guy?" Zay asked, shifting his gaze to Malik—just as Malik's body flickered… then vanished entirely.
All of them froze, eyes wide. They looked around the bar.
Everyone else was gone.
Only half of their group remained. The other five had disappeared without a trace—no sign they'd ever existed at all, save for the memories they now shared.
Zay turned toward the counter, noticing a curled-up piece of paper. He reached out, picked it up, and slowly unraveled it.
Zay looked down at the unraveled paper and began to read:
"This was a simple test—to see how finely one's perception could be tuned. That's really all it was. If you died within the illusion… well, then you died.
But if you're reading this, congratulations.
Consider this a bit of friendly advice—from one Arbiter to another. What you see on the surface isn't always the truth. Paradise can hide rot. Behind every perfect smile, there may be something broken. Just like with what I did to you all. What you experienced was only the surface. Behind it… was me. I caused it.
And I am sorry for those who didn't survive. But a lesson is a lesson—harsh or not.
Don't trust something just because it looks good. Don't fear something simply because it looks bad. Always be certain. That's how you survive in this world.
The truth is, many people preach good things while hiding poison behind their words. Some criminals exist solely because someone else labeled them that way. Not all criminals are evil. Not all good people are pure.
Now, leave the bar. Go home.
Those of you who lived… you don't belong here. Leave this island. And never come back.
For your own sake."
Zay curled the paper back up before tossing it aside and standing.
"Well… what are we doing?"
The commander stood from his stool as the others followed suit.
"I mean, with the shape Molten Ridge is in, there's no way we're getting anywhere safely without repairs. So… let's find some wood and get to work."
Zay, Renzo, and Silva nodded in agreement as Nova let out a sigh.
"Have fun with that… I can't stay here for a while," she muttered, walking past the tables. She opened the bar's door and stepped outside, her senses overwhelmed by the blood scent lingering in the room. She knew if she stayed, something bad would happen.
As she walked away, her lips parted slightly—revealing two sharp fangs. She reached up and touched them, a grimace forming.
'Damn… I guess starving myself for two months will do that. But still…' she thought, catching the faint scent of blood—someone not from their group. Her body dissolved into mist and vanished.
Back in the bar, the remaining four shook their heads before heading down a hallway. They opened a few doors before finding a large storage room behind the bar, packed with lumber.
"Well, that one guy did say he smelled lumber… so I guess that part was true," Zay said as they took note of the room's location. They headed back to the vessel, placing their weapons down in the helm—the control room.
Then, trip after trip, they returned to the bar and hauled back as much lumber as they could carry, piling it onto the ship. The four of them got to work, repairing the broken wood, hoping it'd be enough to get them moving again—for now.
Nova reformed beside a small wooden structure, her body materializing from a wisp of mist. She stepped silently into the room.
It was simple—wooden walls, a single window letting in the moonlight, and a modest bed tucked into the corner. Lying there was the same woman from the bar, now out of her pink dress and wrapped in a loose, white sleeping gown.
Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of Nova's footsteps—then widened.
Nova stood still, the moonlight tracing the curves of her black, skin-tight outfit. Her silver and violet hair shimmered with every movement, and her golden-brown eyes glowed faintly. Her beauty didn't just strike—it staggered.
A sharp nosebleed formed on the woman's face as her body locked up, overwhelmed.
Nova didn't say a word.
She moved like a flowing shadow—smooth, effortless—as she straddled the woman's waist and leaned down. Her fingertips slid up the side of her neck, and then she pinned her gently but firmly against the mattress.
The woman tried to speak, but couldn't as Nova's hand moved, and slipped two fingers into her mouth.
Nova's lips parted, revealing the sharp glint of her fangs. She paused for only a second—then sank them into the woman's neck.
The moment her fangs pierced skin, the woman shuddered—eyes rolling back as her breath hitched. Nova drank deep, her body warming with the taste. Her grip tightening on the woman.
She fed until the heartbeat beneath her began to slow... then stopped.
When she lifted her head, her lips were stained crimson. She ran her tongue across them slowly, savoring the taste, before wiping her mouth clean with the back of her hand.
Nova stood, looked down at the pale, lifeless form beneath her, then turned to the window. With a whisper of wind, her body dissolved into mist once more—and vanished into the night without uttering a single word.