Xerxes had gone through a metamorphosis. He had grown in size and was roughly as big as a horse. His fur had become harder. I wasn't sure I could get through it with my bare hands. His scales were even harder. Staring at them made me think of a mountain or impassable diamonds. All of those changes paled in comparison to his aura. He gave a passive feeling of fire. Like his attention would result in all of Amara erupting into a conflagration.

  "You got stronger?" I asked though from what I could tell he hadn't evolved. The amount of energy in his dantian was roughly the same. Which only made me more confused. Had he gotten a Tao?

  "My bloodline improved and I have access to a beast heritage." Even his mental voice was more powerful than before. It felt like I was speaking with some kind of beast royalty.

  "You didn't evolve, right? You are still First Realm?" I stepped forward and placed a hand in his fur.

  "No, I have not evolved and neither did you from what I can tell. You are starting to fall behind." The smug playfulness in his voice made me release a portion of my aura. Just enough to fill the room and not hurt any of the people outside. Xerxes' aura joined my own and the room transformed into a hellish battlefield.

  We stood in the middle of a burning battlefield. One that had fallen to chaos and blood lust. Where survival was the only thing that mattered. There was a brief moment of resistance before the sigil for Harmonic Resonance expanded. I didn't need to pull up my screen to know that we had just advanced to Intermediate proficiency. Along with the change in the skill came a rush of power.

  It felt like someone had injected adrenaline straight into my bloodstream. I suddenly felt like I could fight an army on my own. I relished the power for a moment before I withdrew my aura. I waited for Xerxes to do the same before I opened my eyes. "I guess that's how we advance that skill. How are you feeling?"

  "Ready for a fight."

  I grinned and gestured for him to follow. "Well, you missed that. Not that it would have been a fun battle if you were there to help me out. I have a quest coming up that you might be able to help me with."

  He snorted as we stepped out into the city. The crowd had grown to two or three times its original size. There was a mix of soldiers, unaligned cultivators, and civilians. I half expected them to turn and run when they saw us but they didn't. Instead, they started to clap.

  "Is this normal? I did not think that they liked you." Xerxes asked as I stood there dumbfounded. Slowly the claps turned to a raucous applause. When my wits returned I grinned and gave them a bow. Something that was immediately overshadowed by Xerxes. Who tossed his head back and let out an earth-shaking roar. It sounded like a jet engine and I had to seal my ears with energy to protect them. Thankfully the others were fast enough to do the same.

  The few that weren't popped healing pills. We both enjoyed the applause and cheer for a few minutes before I activated Apportation. We stepped through the portal and returned to our private quarters. Where we noticed a large problem. "You might be too big for this place." I laughed and sat down on the couch. We should have someone hollow up a lower floor for you. We could probably knock down a wall or two and make you a cultivation chamber."

  Xerxes snorted and then lay across the floor like a massive dog. He cut a visage that was equal parts terrifying and cute. Like a pet bear or tiger that could breathe fire and crush buildings. "That will be fine. I don't believe that the array will be of use to me again. At least not until we've evolved."

  I nodded. "I don't think I am going to evolve for some time yet. I want to max out my Tao and maybe grow them. I am not entirely sure how that works. I know it will have an impact on my class choices. Further, we should be the strongest beings on the planet. Assuming there aren't some monsters hiding somewhere. I want to see what our current strength is like off-world."

  "What is the quest?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know what it is until we go. It just says that I have to 'defeat the challenge'."

  "We should go soon. I want to find someone to test my new power against."

  I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes. "You know we could always fight it out. It would let us both blow off a bit of steam?"

  "We would just hurt each other. If you haven't noticed we draw energy from each other. Besides it wouldn't be much of a fight if we couldn't go all out."

  I gasped and placed a hand over my heart in mock pain. "Are you implying that you could beat me? I am offended." He snorted and I leaned forward. "We will have to go after the Herald. He has been causing problems and killing people. He is also the only person with strength comparable to ours."

  "That's the bloody human you mentioned? The one that kills the weak?"

  I nodded. "He killed a trio earlier. The problem is I don't know where to find him."

  "Well if he wants to be leader of this world won't he have to come to you? If so we could just wait for him to arrive."

  I considered it for a moment and then shook my head. "The problem is that I don't know if that's what he wants. He seems religiously obsessed with the System." I paused for a moment as a slight change to the idea formed in my mind. "If I could make the System force him to fight me though..."

  "How do you intend to do that?"

  "The king quest. The System enjoys conflict so if I complete it and become the recognized king it might force him to fight me for it. Or at least give him the quest. If that happens then he would likely come for me."

  "So it all comes back to your quest. The sooner we complete it the better."

  I nodded. "It seems like that. I had wanted to work on a new spell but I don't know when he will attack again. It would be safer for everyone to get things done quickly. Especially while he knows I am still around."

  "We can go tomorrow."

  "Alright, I guess tomorrow I begin our journey to be the King of the World" Xerxes and I talked for a bit longer before I decided to rest. It was still a bit freaky to not need sleep but I still wanted it. The next morning Xerxes and I made our way to the teleportation room just before sunrise. I wasn't sure if the Herald had eyes in the city so it was best for me to leave before anyone else knew I was gone. With any luck, we would be back in a day or two. I did send a warning to Trey so he and Aaliyah would be aware. When we were ready I placed my hand on the hub and read the prompt.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  Begin Trial?

  I confirmed and in the next moment, the world narrowed to a pinprick. Even the Eye of Heaven was blinded. My body was pulled away only the sensation lasted for less than a second. I blinked several times to get adjusted to the new lighting. When I was I nearly stumbled back a step. I was in a room made out of dark grey stone. A weird sort of sigil was on the ground. One that made me think of a ritual circle in a book than anything from the System. Lit braziers were hanging from the ceiling and no windows. I felt Xerxes arrive a moment later which calmed that worry. I wasn't sure why that teleport was so much faster and easier than the others. I might as well have been asleep for the journey with how easy it was.

  Before I decide what to do next I made a startling discovery. The energy density here was tragic. It felt horrible almost like I was trying to breathe through a mask or face covering. Further, the Eye of Heaven showed that there was almost no energy.

  "Did the ceremony work?" A high-pitched voice asked from behind us. "Are these the warriors?"

  We turned around to find that we were not alone. There was a group of ten people five of which were armor. Armor that was reminiscent of plate but not. It was kind of like they had seen plate armor in a book and then tried to make it. It wasn't until I expanded my soul sense that I realized I was wrong. They weren't people in armor they were the armor. It was like a ghost was inhabiting or possessing the armors. Only there was no death energy.

  "Excuse us for not providing more appropriate gifts honorable warriors but we are in desperate need of your assistance."

  "Are they robots like in your world?" Xerxes' mental voice woke me up and I started processing what happened. I was about to give the lead knight an answer when a message from the System appeared.

  Road of Kings(1): Take your place with resolve. All obstacles shall fall away.

  So I guess that means this is the first in the quest chain though it doesn't mention how long it actually is. It also doesn't tell me what to do. I waited another second before I decided to give up. The System would give or it wouldn't. There was nothing I could do about it. "What do you need?" I did my best to project the air as a noble warrior or grand adventurer. A process that was harder due to the lack of facial expressions from the people who summoned us.

  The person who had spoken was clearly some kind of king. Their metallic body had trails of gold that stretched through them. In a way that was reminiscent of veins. It also had a spikey head that kind of looked like a crown.

  "Thank the Grand Maker. My name is Regelus and we are in desperate need of your assistance." I expanded my soul sense to its limit as the Regelus continued. From what I could see we were in the basement of a large building. Maybe a castle or something like that. For its size, it was sparsely populated.

  "The traitor's siege has already begun and need someone to deal with it."

  I raised an eyebrow at him and then at Xerxes. Surely the System hadn't called us to kill a bunch of people. "Are you asking that my companion and I end your civil war? Do you have the details of the people on the other side?"

  Regelus shook his head and tentatively looked at both of us. "These are still my people. My maker did not want us to fall into disarray nor did he want us to kill each other. If it is acceptable we would like to descend into the elder tomb." I stared at Regelus until he decided to continue. "According to legend, our founding ancestor left an artifact in the heart of his tomb. Whoever possesses the artifact would be considered the true ruler of our people."

  I nodded and then looked at the other soldiers. "Are you not the true king?" As soon as I finished a strange energy emanated from the soldiers and aimed at me. Initially, I thought it was killing it but it wasn't the same. It definitely felt like they would fight and kill me if they could but it was more like what I said was evil. Like they considered the very question to be wrong. Was it faith? Like zealotry?

  Regardless of what it was, it wasn't enough to stop or even threaten us. Xerxes responded before I could, his killing intent exceeding the combined power of the soldiers in an instant. I was about to add mine to the mix when a groaning sound filled the chamber. It was a bit like we were in a desert and Xerxes just provided a torrential downpour. The stone around us grew weaker and the bodies of the warriors trembled.

  "Enough." I declared and Xerxes stopped. "Where is this tomb? Why are you sure that obtaining this relic will solve your civil war?"

  "It is this way." Regelus turned and walked toward the exit. "The traitors are misguided. It is their belief that my maker intended to choose a worthier successor and some believe that he had."

  "I see, so you are the original heir? Or have you decided that your make picked you? Either way, it doesn't matter to me. Do you know what this relic looks like? Or even where to find it in the tomb?" Regelus' non-answer made it clear we were going into this blind. Our group fell into an uncomfortable silence. The guards walked in lockstep with us and I was pretty sure they were trying to intimidate us.

  Not that they could. The lack of energy in this world only made it easier to tell that these people were weak. I wasn't sure how Earth before the System would have looked but this might be it. They barely had enough energy to be considered level one. Which only made the System seem stranger. Trey had more energy when I met him than any of these people. "What is your cultivation level?"

  Regelus and most of his guards froze a step at the question. For a moment I wondered if I had done something wrong or if I would need to intermediate them again. "We have not been blessed by the energy of Heaven and Earth. Otherwise, we would not have resorted to the summoning."

  "What do you think?" I asked Xerxes while we headed deeper underground.

  "They are very weak but this tomb might be interesting. We could also fight the rebels if everything else fails."

  Once again I was slightly impressed by my companion's desire for violence. Of course, I probably wasn't much better, especially by Earth's standards. We went over a few more things until we were led into a massive stone door. The door had to be at least twenty feet high and had the image of an orb surrounded by six black orbs. I wasn't a mathematician but I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to open the door.

  I stepped up and placed a hand on one of the doors. I tried to send a small amount of spiritual energy into it but there was nothing to accept it. After a moment I shrugged. Brought force it is I guess. I placed a hand on either door and pushed. The door nearly flew open. The lack of weight and my surprise caused me to stumble forward a step as the doors slammed into the walls. I coughed and then looked back at the group. "I will bring you the relic soon."

  "Thank you. May the Grand Maker honor you amongst all great elders." Regelus called out as the door slammed shut behind us. I watched the group with my soul sense until they decided to leave.

  "Alright, well it doesn't seem like they were lying. Nor did they try to trap us in here so I guess we should play along?"

  "I do not smell any living things here. Nor do I smell any blood. Let's get this done."

  I laughed and interlocked my fingers behind my head. "Well let's see if we can find anything in here. I am not sure if it's tomb robbing if we were invited inside." We started walking while I monitored the path a head with soul sense. I took a moment to appreciate the images on the wall. They were a type of hieroglyphics that likely detailed the creation of whatever people those were. It looked like a person crafted the first of the knights through some kind of meteor that fell to the ground.

  It was hard to tell if any of the story was real or how accurate it was. It did make me curious as to how it worked or rather how did golem or machine-like life came to be in the multiverse. Did they come from a single crafter or did they just evolve differently? I put that question into the growing pile of things to learn if I ever got the chance. Xerxes and I continued into down the hall until my soul sense hit something. My senses stopped when they encountered a barrier. From what I could tell it was some kind of array and a really complicated one at that. After I let Xerxes know we both decided to pick up the pace.

  I extended my Tao field to cover both of us just in case were about to encounter something dangerous. When we could finally see the array I was left dumbfounded. It was in a style somewhat similar to the System's. It was in more formal-looking box text. From what I could tell the array acted like some kind of trap or container. It trapped all the spiritual energy inside the tomb. From what I could tell the array wasn't difficult to deal with.

  Thanks to the Eye of Heaven I figured out what the real problem was. The Tomb was covered in arrays. Just from here, I could see two arrays before the tomb turned up ahead. If the amount of energy inside the tomb was indicative of how many arrays were present then we were in for it. "I guess this means that the real challenge is to see if I can break the arrays?"

  I looked over at Xerxes who looked like someone had stolen Christmas.