As the silvery words formed in my vision, I slumped to the ground in relief. It was a frightening fight, but the heat of the moment had carried me through it. My hand holding the knife, which had survived the death, if that was the right word, of the zombie woman intact, was shaking violently, and I felt drained of all strength.

  “Wow, that was… I don’t know what I was thinking…” I scolded myself. I had told myself I didn’t want to risk my life, and thehe time came and my life was definitely on the line, I did the stupid thing and fought. It worked out, and I had even mao level up again, but if it had gone wrong, just a little differently…

  “You have impressed me.” Exposition-san said, standing in front of me. “Ireme circumstances you dispyed surprising nerve and bat prowess. If you tio do so, then a future as an Astral Emperor may not be out of your reach. Perhaps your world still be saved.”

  “I think I’d rather py it safe.” I muttered. “I thought I had a ce there, but if I was mistaken… I think the safest way is to build up my power slowly.” I pulled myself to my feet and collected the ether the zombie woman had left behind, before taking up the e Etherite arag the ether from that as well. Now the glow around me was very bright, and as the final orbs of ether joined my orbit more silvery letters fred into my vision.

  Your initial Territory Anchor will cost 1000 Ether. You currently possess 1021 Ether. You struct your Territory Anchor in aory you trol.

  “I have enough… man that was hard.” I let loose a long whistle of exhaustion.

  “It appears as if this was a zombie who was feasting upon others to try and break through its limits. No doubt the high ether density and quantity of Etherite ore is reted to that. Should it have tinued for lo could have evolved to a leader css, able to use aether sciously. In that case I fear all that awaited you would have been annihition. You must strive to quickly grow stronger.”

  “I guess luck was on my side then.” I said wearily. “Still, relying on luck is not the way to go, as eventually it always runs out. Any gambler knows that, and my life is a bit too muble with. If I decide to tihis fight, I’ll definitely make sure I stack everything in my favour wherever I . No more leaving things to ce.” This reminds me too much of fag that dog when I was younger. I was wouhen too… still, that time I had no choice, or else…

  “Maintaining safely is of course a prudent decision.” Exposition-san advised. “However there are times to take risks. For example, those who build up a powerful Territory aheir armies fight for them will be inferior in personal power, while those who heir Territory will face other obstacles. Bance is the key.”

  “Yeah, risk and reward. I get it.” I wrehe iron railing out of the ground using both arms, as it had really sunk in uhe effey increased weight attack. “Time to go and pce my Anchor… wait a minute…” Looking out into the bess I could see another red glow in the distance. Aherite. Now that the elite zombie woman is dealt with, I hopefully snatch it up for a quick ether boost.

  “I’m just going to grab that Etherite quick.” I advised Exposition-san. “After all, in an RTS, resources are king.”

  “I am not sure what this ‘RTS’ you speak of is, however I ot disagree that more ether is always wele. However, do not tarry too long, your o establish the Anchor soon…”

  “I know, I know.” I cut Exposition-san off, moving swiftly towards the red glow deeper into the tre of the graveyard. As I approached the glow was brighter, the ground around it dyed ruby. It erched in the roots of a huge tree, one much rger than I remembered being in this cemetery ierial world. It would have been an impressive sight if not for the eerie crimson glow that stai, as if it was dripping blood.

  As I approached the rge tree, eager to obtaiherite, the air lit up with hundreds of red spots, small but bright. Somehow I doubted that they were all Etherite ores. On closer iion I could see they were the ruby-red eyes of a series e crows that had been sitting in perfect sileheir bck feathers blending into the inky shadows. They turo stare at me, beaks stained red in the glow of their eyes, like bloody daggers, their unblinking eyes very eerie.

  “I think… I’ll go set my Anchor now.” I said, bag away slowly uhe stare of the flock of crows. Each of them was massive, the size of a small cat, so I definitely didn’t fancy my ces of fighting them off.

  “A wise decisioablishing your Territory is a priority, ohat is plete you will have gained many bes and sider other challenges.”

  ********

  “Here we go then…” I said to myself as I stood at the tre of my room. I had returo my fledgliory, only pausing along the way to take out another zombie and drain the few lesser spirits that crossed my path. The fatigue I was feeling earlier was increasing slowly, and I could feel my aether steadily fading away, the warmth within decreasing. I had taken a small amount of ether from the newly sin zombie and tur to aether, but even so my stockpile was shrinking.

  “You should make haste. Your subtle body is not developed enough to sustain this level of strain, the aether usage for remaining in the Boundary will scale rapidly as time progresses until you perfect it. In deeper pces such as those that touch the lower Astral you will expeher at an even faster rate. As such, training your abilities is paramount to overe this critical shorting. But not for today.”

  I nodded. trating on the nebu of ether I had so painstakingly collected, I willed the stru of the Anchor. The cirg ether flowed from me and melded all together into a glowing silver rod, which then pierced into the ground in front of me.

  You have structed a Territory Anchor. 1000 Ether has been ed in this process. This Anchor will solidify your Territiving you a stronger cim over the area. This process will take some time. Anchor stru 0/24 hours.

  As I watched a radiant silver glow, yet ohreaded with a myriad of colours, fshed from the Anchor and diffused into the air. As it spread I could feel it, as if my senses were somehow… lio the very area itself. It was quite a disf feeling. Twenty-four hours? It already feels like I’ve been out here for half a day or so… I know he said time flows differently… but I am exhausted…

  “You have done well.” Exposition-san approved. “Though it takes a period of time to solidify, as long as you hold your Anchor secure from threats for the period, your Territory will be formed and promoted. Remain vigint until it is pleted, then your time here is done for now, and my tasks with it. All that remains is to decide whether you will tio challehe Astral, for the right to be an Astral Emperor. Will you stand up and defend your world, or leave your fate in the hands of others unknown?”

  “Holy, I don’t know.” I thought back to what I had aplished. The strangeness of it all was the clearest thing, as if being scious in a dream. But the highs of living through my was something I would probably always remember. Still, the lows were there too, especially the fear of death that pressured me when the zombie woman came so close to stabbing my vital areas. “I think I o have a think about it when I return to the real… err the Material world. It’s too hard to think here, watg this.” Besides, there isn't just me to sider…

  “I uand. Your body will naturally accumute aether through your Silver Cord, and after some time you will find yourself able to ehe Boundary again. Use this time wisely, to think and decide. Should you enter once more, I will be gone. However as you have mao reach beyond your zero status, and solidate a Territory, you have the basic ptform needed frowth, and your potential is only limited by your effort and fortune.”

  As the liquid metal glow spread out further I decided to go outside and see if there were any lesser spirits to hunt. Once I left the apartment I could see the walls shimmering with a faint glow. It was quite the eerie yet beautiful sight. Still, there was no time to admire it, as I could feel heat slowly draining from my body.

  “Time to restock.” I muttered, leaving the makeshift railing-club lying against the outer wall. I would make do with the kit knife I had obtained. Lesser spirits were ing, seemingly drawn to the waves of energy my Territory formation was giving out. Moving towards them quickly, they were helpless as I absorbed their ether, turning it into aether to keep stocked up. Behihe silvery glow was intensifying, vivid fshes of red, e and yellow shining out, with rarer ripples of green, blue and purple pierg the darkness. The sense of presence I could feel was growing, my Territory seeming more solid, more real, not only in the Boundary, but inside my mind.

  For hour after hour I fought, draining the lesser spirits that flocked towards my Territory. Luckily there seemed to be o them, wave after wave drawn in from the wider area. My arms and legs felt leaden, and the drain of energy was intensifying, a lesser spirit only enough to keep my energy topped up for a few minutes now. I had no way of telling the time other than by cheg the progress of my Anchor. Anchor stru 22/24 Hours.

  “It should not be much longer.” Exposition-san said quietly, with a trace of respe its to least I imagined I could hear such. “If you have any final questions for me, then now is the time to ask.”

  “So, there will be others, right? Other didates to be Astral Emperors, ready to defend the world?”

  “Indeed. I myself am far from the only oo be sent out to this newly opened world. My eight kin have also e to choose their didates, and other camps will likewise be seleg them. They will not be on, but in this nation alohere will be a more than a thousand chosen. Though not all will succeed, and many others will dee the honour. Still, for those that triumph, the bes in both the Material and the Astral will be legion. Remember that, if naught else from this time. But also beware. Not everyoh the power to save will use it for that purpose. There will be some didates who seek ruin, to destroy the world, either because they have joined a fa of wiess, or simply for the pleasure of it.”

  I uood the allure. Even just looking at the bonuses from my statistics alone, if they carried over to the Material world, they would be a huge boon to me. Imagine if one was to gain ten, or twenty, or even more Levels? They would be a superhero in truth. That was before whatever bes a Territranted were factored in. It was a tempting forbidden fruit indeed. One could be a hero of great virtue, or a vilin of deep depravity. But I couldn’t truly decide what to dht now. I o think about it carefully after the adrenaline of this strange experience had died down. ‘Decide in haste, repent in leisure’ as my mom used to say.

  Turning back to ask another question, I caught a hint of movement from behind another nearby building. There was a fsh of light and suddenly I was struck with a fre of cold pain ay cheek. There was a thud, and behiig out of a wooden post was a quivering arrow, the fletg smeared with scattered blood. Staggering backwards I could see a figure lifting up his bow and fitting another arrow to it, but what I could see defied belief. It looked like some sort of giant rodent, some five feet tall, with beady yellow eyes and fur matted with dirt. As it stretched back the bow its tail was shing around, and its lips curled into a manic grin, exposing curved, jagged teeth.

  With a croaking ugh I could hear even at a dista loosed an arrow, which flew towards me, metal head glowing in the light of my f Territory…