The trio of harvesters completed their grim task within the hour, and Nar and the others had some time to stretch under the protective canopy of their tree.

Mul, Jul and Kur, using an array of tools and instruments they were still learning to use in their Harvesting, Pathfinding and Economy class, collected eyes, fangs, tongues, an array of organs, and pried off a multitude of armored scales from the corpses of the three beasts. The unhatched eggs from the nest, three in total, were also stored in the backpack, and Kur told them they would fetch a tidy sum once sold.

"Alright, let's get going," Kur said, once he and the other two were cleaned, and somewhat dried up and warm. "We've made a great time by not actually fighting anything until now, but let's keep up the pace. We don't know what's going to happen from now on."

And with that, they set off once more, leaving behind them a muddied glade and the harvested corpses of the trio of snakes that was their first ever dungeon boss.

Soon, the rain stopped falling upon the muddy forest, and they reached a slope that returned them to their original height down on the forest floor, and onwards they continued on their way, now heading north towards their next target.

"Holy shit!" Viy shouted from up ahead.

Nar, who had been scanning the eerily quiet trees behind him, looked forward at Viy's startled gasp and shout.

"Wow…" he breathed, as sudden, blinding light forced him to half-close his eyes. Peering in between his fingers, he was stunned to find bright, warm, and golden light filtering in through the gaps in between the trees, and the silhouettes of the party grew long shadows in the sudden light as curious, they sped up to see what lay ahead.

Nar stepped into the bright light, and paused, his brain struggling to make sense of what his eyes were showing him.

"What is this?" Tuk whispered, his eyes misting.

"It…" Kur cleared his throat. "It's the prairie."

Nar stepped forward ahead of his party, and bright, warm light engulfed him. Above him, the sky shone a deep, endless blue, with strips of white puffy clouds stretching in long, ragged lines. To his right, a line of tall gray mountains, capped with white, stood proud above them, and before him, a stretch of yellow green spread for about half a mile, surrounded by a line of dark trees. Whites, yellows, reds, oranges and blues popped against the glimmering tall grass, and a kind, warm breeze brought the perfume of a thousand flowers to caress his nose.

"Crystal…" Nar breathed, as he came to a stop before the expanse of grass, shining from rain drops drying on it.

A shadow darted over his head, disturbing the branches, and his sword was in his hands in an instant.

"Just a bird," Kur said, joining him, and covering his eyes against the glare of the light to follow its flight. "A level 0 beast."

"Level 0… An animal?" Rel asked.

"Yes, and not a threat to us," Kur said. "Come on, let's get going. We need to reach the cliff and look for some berries. And hopefully they will be there…"

Nar allowed Kur's words to wash over him and instead focused on his senses.

When he had moved his head faster to look at that shadow, his sight had gone almost blurry for a split moment. Even now, when he moved his eyes a tad faster, there was still a very quick, but very noticeable, moment of blurriness. It was as though his eyes and brain were struggling to comprehend the sights before him, having never seen such in their entire life.

He was used to darkness, colorlessness and straight lines… But here, there was none of that. The quickly turning hot light beamed down on them from the blue sky above, and there was no black to be seen anywhere, and of the white flowers he passed by, they simply accentuated the colorfulness of the prairie, rather than take from it. And as for straight lines… The only one's he could find were the ones on Kur's backpack.

Nature, free aether, grew wild in a million infinite shapes, colors and ways, it seemed, and as Nar walked through the tall grass, dragging both hands across the soft, drying grass tips, he felt as though he walked in a dream.

The rain itself had felt dreamy and surreal, as had the forest they had walked through, but here, surrounded by whispering grass, the scent of flowers and even bird song, he felt as though he could burst into tears at any moment. In fact, he was pretty sure that most of them were, if not crying, pretty much on the verge of it, their minds struggling to comprehend such beauty…

The further into that prairie he walked, the blanker his mind went, forgetting about the dungeon they were in and the danger it still presented to them, but fortunately, nothing came out to punish them for their innocence, and Nar was eventually awoken from his reverie by a sudden shout.

"Wow!" Viy shouted.

"We've reached the boundary," Gad said, looking back at them.

"It's okay, we're not near it yet," Kur said. "Just take us around the edge until we reach the stream."

A red window appeared before Nar's eyes as he neared the aforementioned cliff.

 

Warning!!

You are approaching the dungeon's boundary!

Step back from the boundary at the risk of death!

 

"As long as we don't fall over, we're fine," Kur told them, double checking his map.

Nar dismissed the window, and the view beyond stole his breath. The cliff plunged into a thousand-feet sheer drop, down into the green tree tops below, and beyond, as far as the eye could see, green mountains and ridges spread in all directions towards the infinite, and a new word came to him…

Horizon, he thought, his mind blanking at the expansiveness of such a word.

Endless.

Boundless.

Free.

The word horizon nestled within him as soft as a feather, and as heavy as the very Nexus itself, and for a moment, he simply stared out into that blurry, distant blue and green line.

"Does… Does this place go on forever?" Nar asked the party leader, who had stopped at his side to take in the view as well.

"It ends at some point," Kur said, leaning over the edge to stare down. "And those are the other dungeons down there. We are in a dungeon cluster after all, and even that swamp should be down there somewhere as well."

"But if that down there is still our dungeon, then why can't we just climb down?" Tuk asked.

"The boundary between dungeons is more like a rule than anything else," Kur explained. "We can't cross it because the dungeon guardian sets the rules, and will punish those who break them, and respecting boundaries is one of the most important of those rules. As for the boundaries in the outer edge of the dungeon, or the cluster of dungeons, there's just nothing beyond those…"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"It's like it has no end," Cen whispered, a hand covering her eyes from the brightness beaming down on her. "You could fit our whole cubeplant a hundred times in here…"

"More," Mul said, looking up at the endless expanse of sky above the rolling forests. "A thousand. A thousand, thousand and more…"

And more… Nar agreed, struggling to measure the wide, open distances stretching before them.

"Is this what the Nexus is like?" Rel asked.

"Not at all from what I've seen. It's a lot, lot more built up than this," Kur said. "But come on guys, I know it's pretty, but don't forget where we are."

Nar glanced behind him, but saw nothing but the peaceful prairie and its flowers, the dark line of trees feeling like nothing but a distant echo of promised danger. However, peeling their eyes off of the stunning vista, the party resumed walking, and soon reached the stream that divided the prairie. Kur kneeled over to stare down at the dark green bushes that grew alongside the waterfall that plunged below, and amidst the sharp, black thorns, he spotted silvery white berries growing in abundance, shining in the sunshine and waterfall's mist.

"Thank the Crystal!" Kur muttered to himself. "Alright, Mul and Jul, you guys are way more athletic than me, so you're climbing down. Rel, keep an eye on them, Tuk help me hold the ropes, and Nar and Gad keep an eye out behind us."

"And us?" Cen asked, pointing between her and Viy.

"Why don't you check out the stream?" Kur said, smiling. "The rain seemed to mean something to you, so maybe your affinity is water related."

"I don't know…" Cen said, glancing at the silvery line of water that snaked through the prairie.

"Just give it a try," Kur said. "Viy, will you keep an eye on her?"

"Of course!" Viy said. "Let's go!"

"What? But… Wait!"

Nar chuckled as Viy proceeded to drag Cen towards the stream and instructed her to remove her boots.

Meanwhile, Kur and Tuk tied ropes around Jul and Mul's waists, and the two of them carefully climbed down to retrieve the silver mist berries, which were apparently aspected to mist, being a combination of water and air. Close by, Rel kept a close watch on them as they descended, scanning the skies below them for any rising threats.

As for Nar and…

"Gad?" Nar called.

The tank had wandered off towards the stream, and he found her kneeling by its edges, watching the water slowly flow past her.

Is there something in there that resonates with her affinity? Nar wondered. It was the same with that first stream…

"Gad?" he whispered, approaching her quietly.

"Hmm…" the tank mumbled, not looking away from the stream.

Nar crouched beside the morsvar, her dark scales gleaming in the bright daylight, and considered the transfixed way with which Gad was staring down at the flowing, crystalline waters.

There's something here, Nar thought, examining the tank. He was certain that she was only vaguely aware of her surroundings, and that alone was enough to force him to pay attention as Gad was not one to half ass her duties, much less when it came to protecting the party. That meant that there had to be something in that stream that truly called out to her.

He hesitated for a couple of heartbeats, but then decided to press on. "Do you like the water?"

Gad nodded. "It's pretty…"

It's pretty? What's that supposed to mean?

"I'm sorry," Gad whispered.

"What?" Nar said. "What for?"

"The snakes… I could only keep one of them taunted at a time," she said. "You had to handle the actual boss on your own…"

"It's fine," Nar said. "Don't worry about it."

"It's not fine…" Gad whispered, her voice drifting away.

The tank spoke no more and Nar pushed his senses around them, to make sure there was nothing stalking them through the tall grass, or above them, or anywhere else, really.

Seems clear, he thought, focusing back on the water.

He was sure that there was something there, but it either wasn't evident enough to Gad, or it was something that the morsvar herself hadn't considered yet. From what his master had explained to him, affinities could be straightforward, such as fire, or elusive as the Pile, being something like a specific kind of warmth that one could associate to a specific kind of flame and emotion or feeling. So he focused on the part of the stream that Gad was staring at.

There were three, somewhat round, white rocks altering the flow of the stream, and as he stared, something glinted and flashed in the water, though it was gone before he could tell what it was.

Focusing harder, Nar waited for it to happen again.

There! He thought. What is that though? And is that what she's looking at?

Little particles flashed emerald in the bright light of day, as they tumbled and swirled through the eddies and tiny vortices formed by the glistening water passing through the three rocks. He had no idea what those little glitters meant, but maybe that's what Gad was staring at? Or searching for?

"Do you see the little green things flashing in the water?" Nar whispered to the tank, pointing out the closest passage in between rocks. "There, where the water flows through the rocks…"

Gad took a sudden, slow, but deep, deep breath. Her eyes went wide, and she leaned forward, leaning both hands into the shallow edge of the stream.

"Gad?" Nar whispered.

This time there was no response from the tank.

Enlightenment, Nar thought, with both certainty and a touch of jealousy. Sure, he didn't want water for his affinity, but who knew what he could have done with it?

Maybe a lot, he thought, staring at the glimmering sparks of green within the crystal waters.

With a sigh, he sat down and resigned himself to patiently wait for Gad's enlightenment to end, or for the others to finish gathering the silvery berries.

A couple dozen steps from them, Viy and Cen's search for enlightenment had devolved into running around barefoot in the water, splashing each other and giggling, and shouting and pointing at stuff in the stream. Apparently, there was fish in there, to the two's heartwarming delight.

This is why we came out, isn't it? Nar suddenly realized.

It didn't look as though Cen's affinity was going to come from the stream, but at least the caster was having fun. Relaxing. Two things she sorely needed, worrying as she did about her path and making sure she kept the attention of the Master of Aura. And it was nice to see Viy so happy as well, and so free and unburdened by her past and affinity.

We were lucky Tys came for us, he thought. And very privileged… Just like we are privileged to see this. For living this…

He took a deep breath. Rel's right. Got to enjoy the journey as well… Work hard, play hard. Isn't that what Tuk has been saying lately?

And the thought gave him pause. Was he enjoying himself? Inside a dungeon?

Sure, the snakes had been fast and deadly, but they had handled them and came away with nothing more serious than scratches and bruises which had healed in seconds, and a new story to tell. The only thing that still hurt inside Nar was his ego, thinking about how that snake had blown him away as though he was nothing…

Other than that, there were also the strange occurrences going on around them. The lack of beasts, the discrepancies in the guide, the weirdness with the Moss-Back Snake Duo which had turned out to be a trio… However, right here and now, Nar was at peace. Perhaps even happiness.

And maybe I should just enjoy it, he thought, glancing at Rel, who seemed to have joined in the effort of locating the fullest bushes, kneeling over the edge to shout directions at Mul and Jul alongside Kur.

He shook his head as she too had seemingly forgotten about her watch duties, and leaned back on his hands, closing his eyes to let the hot light warm up his face as he stretched his senses even further, to cover the whole of the area. That light beaming down on them was quite pleasant, warming him down to his very bones, and the flowers around him lulled him with their thousand scents and aromas…

A time passed, in which he wasn't sure if he had dozed off in that exact position or not, but eventually he heard footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes and raised a hand to stop Kur.

The party leader gave him a confused look, and Nar pointed at Gad, then lifted a finger to his lips. Kur opened his mouth in silent understanding and gave Nar a thumbs up, then quietly retreated and went back to talk with the others.

I wonder how much longer she's going to take? Nar thought, leaning forward and crossing his legs.

Ahead of them, everyone seemed to have joined in dipping their feet in the water, and Nar smiled at their happy playing. Everything felt right in Creation at that moment, and Nar could only hope that they would have many more such moments in the future.

A long exhale made him glance back in time to catch Gad sitting down heavily at his side.

"Gad?" Nar whispered, shifting to look at her.

"Yeah?" Gad replied. "I'm… I'm alright."

"Did you get it?" Nar asked, almost not daring to believe that it had worked.

However, the tank lifted her eyes to look at him, and slowly, a toothy grin grew in her face.

"Holy Crystal…" Nar whispered. "You did it!"

"I did," Gad said.

"You sure?"

"No way you can mistake it," Gad said, closing her eyes. "It's like… Seeing a new color, and knowing its name. Knowing that you've always known its name."

Nar clasped her on the shoulder. "Well done! Congratulations!"

His shout alerted the others, and soon they were crowded with excitement, laughter and congratulations.

"You'll have to wait for the assessor to confirm it for you," Kur warned. "So, for now, keep it to yourself!"

"Booo!" Tuk said. "We can't know?"

"Not until the assessor confirms it," Kur said. "That's the rule."

"Bah!" the tosser muttered.

"So something in the water of the rain for Cen," Rel mused. "And something in the water of the stream for Gad."

"Two different waters…" Viy said. Then she shook her head. "I don't get it."

Nar shook his head also.

"Is it that different?" Mul asked.

"It is," both Cen and Gad said.

"Hush!" Kur told them. "We'll know in time. For now, let's just keep going. We're still barely into this dungeon!"

"We are?" Tuk asked. "But it's past lunch time!"

"We are. Speaking of which, we're eating on the way," Kur said.

"What? But it's so pretty here!" Viy protested.

"Boots back on, everyone! And let's get going!" Kur said, ignoring her and Tuk's combined pleading eyes.

Rel patted their backs. "Tough luck."

"Party pooper!" Tuk whispered.

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