I looked down at the object I'd just collected, brushing away the dust and rubble covering it.
It was a wristwatch—dusty but seemingly brand new.
I turned it over in my hand.
Faint symbols covered its surface, but apart from that it looked harmless.
I frowned.
[Elemental Insight: Artifact detected!]
As I suspected.
This was a Distorted Realm, so this Artifact was likely unstable.
Still... it didn't feel dangerous. And it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Was this a terrible idea? Probably.
I slipped it into my pocket.
I brought my attention back to Llewellyn.
A new wave of Wood creatures was about to crowd him from behind while he was still fighting the ones in front of him, setting them on fire, snapping branches or kicking them away.
He was using Wind to amplify his Fire powers and trigger Elemental reactions, but it wasn't enough. The monsters were too many.
I needed to do something—fast.
Burning branches lay on the ground, probably snapped from some of the creatures Llewellyn had incinerated.
My skill level might be low, but I could use those at least.
Somehow, I managed to get close enough to grab a few of them by the unburnt end, then I hurled them at a cluster of creatures moving toward Llewellyn.
The flames caught—thanks also to the tail end of Llewellyn's Wind—and spread over their wooden limbs.
Ha!
The creatures screeched, recoiling from the Fire—but that wouldn't hold them for long.
I tried to locate a Fire Thread. Maybe I could incite two different kinds of Elemental creatures against each other. Was that even possible?
I scanned the area, my eyes darting between the Threads, the creatures and Llewellyn, who was still slicing through the monsters as they were starting to regroup.
Finally, I spotted a Fire Thread, so buried under other Threads that flagging just didn't work.
A notification popped up.
[System Notification: Do you want to use your exclusive ability "Thread Moderation"?]
Thread Moderation? Really?
The System had a sense of humor, it seemed. And it was Myth level too.
Well, I didn't have many options.
I accepted.
Magic surged through my body again, spiraling at that diamond point in my sternum. I reached out with my mind, trying to grasp at the Thread, pulling to make it flaggable.
The Thread resisted.
I gritted my teeth, concentrating harder.
Sweat dripped down my face with the effort.
The creatures were closing in on me again. I avoided them just in time, my body overcharged with Magic, my heart pounding in my ears—but in the chaos I lost my hold on the Thread.
Shit.
Somehow, after a few tries, I managed to grab it again.
The Thread flared, but refused to budge.
[System Notification: Selecting and muting the dominant Thread might help untangle the target one.]
Muting the dominant Thread? What? Which one was the dominant Thread?
I let my eyes roam.
Finally, I spotted an Air Thread that seemed to be responsible for the mess.
I reached out, throwing all my Magic at it. It resisted, but after a few attempts muting finally worked.
The Thread trembled, then suddenly turned transparent, glass-like.
The wind around us subsided slightly too.
Fuck. Finally.
With the Air Thread muted, I could see the shape of the tangle, just where the Fire Thread was caught. I knew where to pull now.
I tugged at the Thread, trying to loosen it. It came loose a little, just enough for me to flag it.
Yes!
The Fire Thread shuddered and opened up.
Fire monsters erupted in a burst of flames.
My eyes darted between the Fire monsters, now crowding me, and the Earth ones closing in on Llewellyn.
The itch went mad for a second.
Damn, I needed to act fast.
"What are you doing?" Llewellyn shouted. "Do you have a death wish?!"
I couldn't explain now.
Using all I had, I summoned a jet of Water and splashed it at the nearest Fire monster. It was so weak it didn't achieve much, but the monster hissed, recoiling as the flames on its back sputtered.
Good.
I quickly stepped back, trying to create some space.
Llewellyn was still fighting—for some reason the waves of Earth monsters didn't stop, even though he kept cutting them down.
Trying to maneuver around and not be killed, I summoned another jet of Water, this time aiming lower, in the opposite direction, creating a puddle on the ground. I ran in front of it.
The Fire monsters, drawn to the movement, lunged at me.
I ducked and rolled, so that when the Fire attack came, it landed on the Earth creatures, not on me.
The Earth monsters shrieked, then charged.
Perfect.
I summoned a ball of Water, hurled it at the ground in front of them, creating a slippery surface, then watched as they hit the wet patch, skidding and crashing into the Fire monsters.
Confused and agitated, the Fire monsters flared, their flames engulfing the Earth creatures. The two groups tangled, giving Llewellyn the opening he needed.
My current level was so low I could only continue to use Water this way, trying to cause havoc and create diversions—but at least it seemed to be doing something.
Llewellyn took down the remaining Earth monsters with swift strikes and severed the Earth Thread, his sword slicing through the air.
The Fire monsters, now without targets, turned toward me again.
Shit.
I ducked behind a boulder just in time.
Llewellyn's sword flashed from Fire to Water and he charged at the Fire creatures.
The fight pressed on, relentless. The Knot grew thinner, less chaotic with each severed Thread.
Eventually, Llewellyn paused, breathing hard. His gaze went to the Knot, then to me.
"One more."
I nodded, choosing one final Thread. A blinding red line, pulsing erratically.
[Flag for prioritisation?]
Confirm.
Fire monsters exploded outward, more vicious than before. Llewellyn gritted his teeth, but didn't hesitate, sword switching from Fire to Water as he lunged back into the fight.
When the last creature fell, he didn't wait.
Sword blazing with Fire, he charged straight for the Knot, now thin and exposed.
One clean slice.
A blast of Magic exploded from the Knot and I ducked, shielding my head against the shockwave.
Silence.
The distorted landscape faded, the air settling as the battered grounds of the castle reemerged in the moonlight, free from the Distorted Realm's grip.
Llewellyn turned to me, sweat glinting on his brow. "Not terrible."
I spat out gravel. "You're welcome."
[System Notification: Mission complete! All conditions satisfied! Compatibility threshold exceeded!]
Huh?
Llewellyn sheathed his sword, glancing at me like I was an unexpected line in the code.
"And you didn't die," he said flatly.
"Yeah. Thanks for noticing."
Honestly, I wasn't sure I could safely say that yet. My chest felt raw, my legs wobbled, and I felt like I might collapse any moment.
"Where are we anyway?"
"Guildford," Llewellyn said, tilting his head toward the castle. "England."
Wait. England? I glanced around again. "The System teleported us to another country?"
Llewellyn didn't even blink. "It does that."
Okay, yes, I had heard that before. But.
Something occurred to me all of a sudden. I glanced at my watch and let out a curse.
5:07 AM.
Shit! I'd missed four hours of my shift.
I hadn't even finished checking Emma's filters!
I only had two hours left to clean up whatever mess was waiting now, but apparently I was in a different country entirely. Hopefully, Niamh hadn't sent any more messages.
Damn it. I needed this job. Vanishing mid-shift was not conducive to staying employed.
Apparently I'd said that part out loud, because Llewellyn looked at me with a raised eyebrow, the sword at his hip flashing pale in the moonlight as he shifted.
It was hopeless. I wasn't going to explain.
Besides, my team was technically working for Llewellyn, since it was his PR person who'd hired us, so yeah. I wasn't about to tell him that I had left in the middle of my shift.
As if on cue, the System pinged.
[User Ryo: Mission data successfully logged. Elaboration needed. Returning to point of origin in 3… 2…]
Wait, no—
For all I knew, that was going to be the last I'd see of Llewellyn. I didn't want to leave yet.
"Wait—!"
Before I could finish, the ground vanished beneath me.
The next thing I knew, I was back at my desk, covered in ash, screen full of unread comments.
I glanced around, then blinked at the monitor, currently open on a heated debate about whether Llewellyn's ice constructs violated international glacier preservation treaties.
I banged my head on my desk.