The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 97 - A World of Sins and Stars

"So, Pan..." Tave began. "Let’s say we’re living in this world. Yunatea. A world with seven great continents. A world where there’s a beautiful floating island... where you and your..."

He paused for a second, unsure of the right word. "Your people and your kingdom live."

He stopped to take another sip from his water bottle. It was as if he were trying to explain the world-building of a story everyone should already know.

But then again... she had asked for a story, and Tave might as well take the chance to show off his vast knowledge of this world.

"There’s one alternate world directly connected to ours. We know it as Hell. The realm where demons dwell. The place where the 72 Named Demons are locked away, restricted from crossing into Yunatea. And the throne of that realm belongs to the strongest demon of all, King Bael."

He glanced at Panpan, who was watching him intently, her eyes fixed on him with quiet attention. That kind of gaze was enough to encourage him to keep going, to keep sharing everything he knew about this world.

"Do you know how King Bael was able to create an alternate world, something as vast and massive as Yunatea itself, and shape it into Hell, Pan?"

Panpan nodded gently. "Yes... that’s because of the King of Demons’ blessing of the sin. Right?"

Tave gave a slow nod and exhaled. "The Blessing of the Seven Sins," he repeated, his voice low.

One of the strongest forms of Echo in this world is the kind bestowed directly by the deities. And among all the deities that exist in Yunatea, none are more powerful or more world-shaping than the deities of the Seven Sins.

He continued, outlining the core concept. Each of the major races in Yunatea has one among them chosen to bear an Echo of Sin. Just one individual per race, each tied to a different sin.

Humans carry the Blessing of Sloth. The Elves, through a High Elf of noble lineage, hold Pride. Dragons possess Greed. Dwarves harbor Envy. Demons are marked with Gluttony. Giants embody Wrath. And the Fae, whether by fate or misfortune, are bound to Lust.

Each bearer of an Echo inherited abilities that were nothing short of extraordinary. Powers beyond imagination. Like King Bael, who, through the power of Gluttony, was able to create an entire alternate realm. A whole world.

A world now known as Hell. And ironically, it became a prison of their own making.

"These seven great races, each one holds one of the Echoes. At first, it seemed like it was meant to help them balance each other out. To make them all stronger together. To keep the balance intact."

He paused, then gave a faint shake of his head.

"Well... in reality, the Blessings of Sin stayed true to their nature. What followed was a spiral of ambition and distrust. Each race trying to outdo, outsmart, and overpower the others. Wars broke out. Massive wars that lasted for thousands of years."

"In the end, those wars caused a complete severing between Hell and Yunatea. And it was the unstable flow of Gaia Force between the two worlds that eventually gave birth to what we now know as the Rift. This strange phenomenon that connects both worlds, forming dungeons or cracks in reality."

"These Rifts became the proving grounds for Gaia Awakeners, like us, to grow stronger."

He leaned back slightly, eyes scanning the forest shadows ahead.

"That’s the background... of how the Rifts came to exist in this world."

Tave fell silent for a moment, turning his gaze toward Panpan, who was still watching him with those focused eyes, as if thirsting for every word, every detail he had to share.

"I like the way you tell these tales. It sounds so simple, like you’ve got all of it stored neatly outside your head," she said.

"You’re really trying to boost my ego, huh," he replied with a faint smirk.

Panpan let out a soft laugh, then gently eased her gaze back to the horizon.

Tave continued, "So, Pan... there are several types of Rifts in this world. If we look at them by size, we can divide them into two main categories. The first is called a Shattered Rift, and the second is what we call a Fragment Realm, or sometimes a miniature world, depending on who you ask."

Panpan tilted her head slightly, signaling him to go on.

"A Shattered Rift is more like a fragment of a world that’s latched onto a larger one. Like a shard clinging to Yunatea, for instance. The environment inside is often heavily influenced by the main world it’s attached to. These Rifts tend to be smaller in scale. Truly just fragments."

Panpan nodded slowly. "What about the Fragment Realm?"

"That one’s... a completely new alternate world."

"Separate from both Yunatea and Hell, Tave?" she asked.

"Yes... and that’s what makes it so different. A Fragment Realm means greater challenges, higher threats... and the unexpected."

They both fell silent after that, letting the weight of those words settle into the quiet around them.

"And this emergency Rift?" Panpan asked softly.

"This emergency Rift most likely falls into the second category," Tave replied.

Again, silence settled between them. One heavy with the weight of something difficult to process, like they were trying to swallow a truth too large to chew.

"Because of the very nature of an emergency rift... this Fragment Realm," he continued. "We’re likely to encounter an unpredictable variety of challenges, ones we’ve never even heard of, all within a single Rift. Variations in monsters, in trials, the environment, the conditions... even the missions we might be forced to take on. Everything could change."

"That..." Panpan said, "your explanation makes the danger of this dungeon feel much more real."

Tave nodded slowly.

"So, will this Rift also shatter and explode into Yunatea if we’re too late in clearing it?" she asked.

Tave gave a slow nod, as if the weight of it all was finally sinking too deep for words to carry.

"So vast... and yet, what we have to face it feels so small."

They fell into silence again, not out of awkwardness, but as if both were gradually absorbing the immense reality of the challenge ahead, or perhaps quietly savoring the rare calm of simply being together.

"In one way, I’m glad you’re here," Panpan said softly. "But in another... I feel like I’ve dragged you into this madness."

Tave listened in silence, realizing that, for the first time, he was hearing something more personal in her voice. Regret. Worry.

Emotions she usually kept tucked away behind that ever-gentle smile. The one she used to calm the others no matter how grim things became.

And he didn’t answer. He simply let the moment exist, letting them both rest in the quiet.

Until. Suddenly, Tave’s instincts flared like a firecracker, and he sat up straight.

Panpan reacted instantly, without a word, sensing the shift. In a flash, he was on his feet, leaping toward the shadows just as night finally blanketed the mountainside. Darkness had well and truly arrived.

The signal had come from Fang, who had been scouting nearby. And now every sense in Tave’s body snapped to alert as he moved toward the edge of a cliff overlooking an open plateau along the mountain’s base.

From that vantage point, he could finally see, through the dimming veil of night, what Fang had been trying to show him.