Last time, we left Jake on an adventure with Sandy, straight to the moon — just like the current AI stock bubble, which is only growing due to rampant vendor financing and ever-inflating promises.But I digress. On the way to the moon, Jake spent time chilling inside of Sandy, who’d kindly gone as far as to set up an alchemy lab for Jake to do a bit of crafting on the way. Preoccupied with alchemy and with Sandy’s ability to traverse the cosmos quickly, it didn’t take long before the pair arrived on the moon, ready to explore.After exploring around a bit, having found nothing more than a few elementals, the two finally decided to check out the far side of the moon. No, not the dark side of the moon. Contrary to common belief, the side of the moon we never see on Earth is actually brighter than the side we see, as it receives far more sunlight. We only call it the dark side because we can’t directly observe it, thus “leaving us in the dark” about what’s there. In conclusion, the dark

The lodge had once more become the unofficial meeting spot for when things that shouldn’t be shared widely were to be discussed. Probably because only people Jake trusted tended to be invited. This time around, though, things would be a bit different, as quite a few people who would otherwise not be allowed to visit were coming—in part to help build trust, and in part to show that Jake had nothing to hide, his healing journey more or less over.Later on in the meeting, however, he would actively exclude some individuals. That was when they arrived at the part regarding a certain Nahoom.Jake didn’t want those affiliated with large factions to take part, as he feared people would feel obligated to report the details of their discussion to their higher-ups. This did mean that even his own brother wasn’t allowed to take part, but this was the best decision, in his eyes.For now, though, the meeting was merely about the state of the Milky Way and their plans going forward. Before everyone

The atmosphere in the lodge turned cold as Jake returned the Sword Saint’s gaze. “Are you saying I can’t beat him?”“That’s not what I’m saying at all.” The Sword Saint sighed and leaned back. “But I do believe you consistently underestimate how powerful Ell’Hakan actually is. He didn’t take the second spot on the Nevermore Leaderboards because he was a good schemer. He didn’t manage to battle and earn the recognition of Valdemar’s Image in Nevermore through words and deceit. He did it as a warrior, and while he is certainly the slimy sort who loves schemes and spinning stories over direct confrontations, I don’t believe he is someone you can take lightly once cornered.”“I’m aware he’s powerful,” Jake said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not confident.”“What it does mean is that you need to go in with a good plan to ensure the battle plays out how you want it to,” the Sword Saint said as he turned to Sylphie. “Let me ask you something, Jake. Do you believe you could defeat Sylphie in a

The closer Jake got to completion, the harder it felt and the more nervous he became as he questioned whether he’d gone about this the right way. The external time pressure of the final Prima Guardian being slain and the potential of communication opening up with the wider multiverse didn’t help either, but Jake knew he couldn’t let it impact him too much. He simply resigned himself to the fact he wouldn’t be done with his project in time…And then a day passed. No news of the final Guardian being slain or any system messages appearing.A second day went by. Nothing.Followed by a third, a fourth… Soon, an entire week had passed, at which point Jake’s gratitude for the extra time turned into pure confusion about what the hell was going on. This led to him contacting Miranda directly to ask if she had somehow forgotten to tell him there were no red planets left. However, the response she sent made it clear she also wasn’t sure what was going on.“I know it’s odd, and I’m doing what I c

A lot could go wrong in a very short amount of time. Especially when there were so many factors at play and different people and factions with their own agendas, all running around and trying to maximize their own gains from the situation.To further complicate things, add in people who thought they were allies suddenly no longer being in agreement. Oh yeah, and to really fuck things up, have not only the 93rd Universe be in quite a state of change and turmoil, but have other places in the multiverse also reaching a boiling point.Having been told by Lillian to hurry, Jake rushed to the office in Haven as quickly as he could and found the entire place scrambling. People were flying back and forth, and through his Sphere, he saw quite a few familiar faces hard at work doing… something.He didn’t spot Miranda anywhere, though, so he quickly headed inside and straight for Miranda’s office, where Lillian was yelling at two guys. They soon left, and Jake took the opportunity to sneak insid