Skoghammaren was the tiniest town Seth had ever seen.

There were maybe a dozen houses nestled on the gentle slope of a hill. This hill was mostly covered in grass, with the large boulder here and there. A winding gravel road navigated through the village and to the top of a hill, where a wooden lookout tower sat. At the base of the hill was the world's saddest gas station. Beside that was a little squat building with a faded yellow exterior and a burnt-out sign that spelled MOTELL.

Chadley parked the car in front of this building.

"This is it," Mrs Beakor cheerfully said.

Seth stared at it the building through the window. He'd seen some really run down motels before, but this was something else. It looked like it should have been condemned years ago.

Both Chadley and Mrs Beakor got out of the car, completely unfazed. It was like they often found dilapidated buildings in the middle of nowhere to visit.

"You're kidding," Seth hurriedly dug out his yellow tinted glasses and put them on before following.

"This is Skoghammaren," Mrs Beakor spread her arms grandly. "Isn't she a beauty?"

Seth looked around dubiously. The place appeared completely abandoned. The few houses all had overgrown lawns and old wood siding that needed a new coat of paint twenty years ago. Most had boarded-over windows.

"Are you sure it's even the right place? There's no signs or anything."

Chadley went to the car's trunk and unlocked it. When it wouldn't open, he simply smashed it with a big fist. The trunk immediately popped open in fright, revealing their luggage.

Mrs Beakor's dark eyes twinkled. "This is where the coordinates said, kiddo. This old motel is what your uncle wanted us to see."

To that, Seth raised his brows. This place looked like it came from the same era as the decrepit little car. The two even shared the same ugly yellow color scheme. He walked closer, surveying the building. There was a thick crack in one wall. A half dead weed grew half-heartedly out of it.

A single crow perched on the roof of the motel. It cocked its head and gave a mocking caw before flying off.

"I can't believe I came all the way to Sweden for this," Seth muttered.

Unperturbed, Chadley walked past, hauling all of their luggage with him. He went straight to the glass door, pulled it open, and disappeared inside.

"Is this place even open?" Seth wondered.

"The door's unlocked, so yes. It's open." Mrs Beakor grinned. "After you, kiddo."

Seth dutifully went in. Instantly, he was greeted with the sight of a rather cozy, but dated interior. Faded red carpet covered the floor, with cream-colored walls and a big wooden reception counter.

To Seth's shock, Chadley was talking—grunting—at a smiling middle-aged woman behind the counter. She wore a colorful knitted sweater and a patient smile.

"Yes? One?" She spoke in heavily accented English.

"Two," Chadley said.

"Two—ah," the woman brightened when she saw Seth walk in. "There is more."

"Yes."

"Two rooms, then." The woman pulled out a notebook, opened it, and turned it towards Chadley. "Write names, please. And telephone number."

Baffled, Seth wandered to Chadley's side. He watched as Chadley proceeded to write three unfamiliar names, along with three random phone numbers. It took everything Seth had to keep a straight face. Who on earth was Benson Boolay? And Mrs Belle Fenderfink? At least the last name was halfway normal at least: James Thepro.

When Chadley passed the notebook back, the woman took a look. She blinked. Then she politely asked, "Driver's license?"

Oh boy. Seth tried not to look as nervous as he felt. Chadley had clearly made up those names on the spot. No way was he going to-

"Hn." Without any hesitation, Chadley took out his wallet and produced the requested identification. Seth leaned in to get a better a look.

James Thepro, from Canada.

Seth just about choked. Did that mean he was supposed to be Benson Boolay? How stupid!

"Thank you," the woman looked satisfied. "Here are two keys. Drop them here when you leave. There is breakfast at eight." She nodded to a small dining area to the right. "If you need anything, just ask for Kate. That's me," she added with a winning smile.

The whole thing felt surreal to Seth. The whole town felt abandoned. But this motel actually appeared normal in a homey, small town kind of way. Even the lady who received them was friendly and welcoming.

Why on Earth would his uncle send him here?

He looked at Kate, a hundred questions brewing in his head. "Do you get a lot of other people coming through here?"

"No," she laughed gently. She flipped a page back in the notebook and showed it. The last date was over a month ago, where an Andrew Nilsson from Lundberg signed in. "See?"

The name was unfamiliar, but that didn't mean much. It could be fake as well for all he knew. Either way, Fenn had to have come here before. Seth opened his mouth to ask. But before he could, a strong arm hooked around his neck.

"Thanks Kate," Mrs Beaker said. "We'll go get settled in our rooms now."

Without further ado, Seth found himself dragged into the hallway. Their rooms were at the end, 105 and 104. Chadley unlocked 105 and pushed open the door. Mrs Beakor shoved Seth through the open door, smiling mischievously.

"Just stay put for now, kiddo. Have something to eat, then go play in Eliona for a while. Leave the rest to me, all right?"

"What do you mean?" Seth protested. "Don't we have to ask her about my uncle?"

"Not like that. There are better ways of going about it. If there really is something going on here, you can't be too obvious about it or you'll scare them away."

Seth had to admit she had a point. "Then I can help-"

"Nope. You stand out too much. Just stay here and be patient, okay?"

With that, Chadley entered the room, causing Seth to move back to make way. Mrs Beakor took the opportunity to shut the door on them.

With nothing else to do, Seth surveyed the room. There were two beds, each with a cream-colored duvet. The red curtains on the windows almost matched the carpet as they were a shade lighter. There was an old tv sitting on an even older wooden dresser. A small pack of water bottles sat on the dresser, which Seth was relieved to see.

He snagged one and peeked into the bathroom. It looked as aged as the rest of the room, but it looked clean enough. As a bonus, there were no signs of bugs.

All right, fine. This place was better than he expected. Someone clearly was taking care of it, even if the rest of the houses in the area looked abandoned.

Seth plopped down on the only chair in the room and watched as Chadley made himself comfortable on one of the beds. The frame creaked warningly as the big man sat on it.

"Do you think we'll find anything here?" Seth finally asked. "There's nothing all that weird about this place."

Chadley grunted, which told Seth absolutely nothing. After a few more non-verbal responses to his questions, Seth gave up on trying to hold a conversation.

There was nothing for him to do but unpack. That took all of five minutes, including the set-up of the VR equipment. After a quick snack of trail mix, he logged into Eliona.

It was several hours early, but there was something he needed to do before getting pulled onto the dungeon treadmill.

***

Time Elapsed: 00:01:03

Severance strolled into Olen's office.

"Severance." Olen looked faintly surprised to see him. "You came early today."

The System administrator had been writing a letter in the strange Elionan language. The symbols flowed across the scroll in neat lines, so uniform that it looked like Olen had used a typewriter.

"I had a few minutes to spare so thought I'd drop by." Even though Severance kept his tone casual, he pulled out the little chair in front of Olen's desk and sat down. He observed the clansman closely.

The slender man appeared tired, with faint shadows under his eyes. And were those new lines on the otherwise smooth face? Severance wondered if Bian had been giving the poor guy a hard time.

Then he shook his head mentally. No, he was not here to sympathize with the man.

Olen finished the last line on his letter, and quicky stroked an elegant signature. Then he rolled up the sheet and tied it off with a black piece of cord. The Veiled symbol had already been stamped on the reverse side, so when it was rolled up, it showed on the outer edge of the scroll.

Finished, Olen set the scroll aside and regarded Severance fully. "What can I help you with?"

Severance smiled slightly.

"Do you know which Tower the Fang are trying to get?"

There wasn't a single flicker in Olen's expression. That told Severance half of what he was wondering—Olen knew.

If Severance hadn't already been used to it, he would have been annoyed. Actually, he still was a little annoyed. It would have been helpful to know that he had been walking into another Tower's 'dungeon.'

"I do," Olen admitted. "They are going for the Faith Tower."

Despite himself, Severance's eyes widened. Wasn't the Faith Tower the important piece the Veiled were hoping for? And Olen was okay with the questionable Fang getting it? Unless...

He sat straight, his lips forming a thin line. Surely the Veiled didn't expect him to snatch the Tower away at the last second. As an Outsider, he could swoop in and store it away in Inventory, preventing the Fang from ever taking it.

"What are you planning?" Severance asked.

"It's nothing to be concerned about." Olen was the picture of calm. "We have already agreed to let the Fang safeguard the Faith Tower. It will be no threat in their hands."

That was not what Severance had expected to hear.

"You really mean to let them keep it?"

"Of course."

"But didn't you say it was the most important Tower to saving Eliona? Why would you let another clan have it?" This was what Severance didn't understand.

Olen smiled gently. "Because there is nothing the Fang want more than to restore what was lost. They are single-minded to the extreme, and that is exactly why they will make a powerful Keeper of Faith."

Severance gave the clansman a look. "If this was your plan all along, why was everyone mad about me helping them?"

To that, Olen actually chuckled. "Some of the others are against it, yes. But it was within my expectations. The Fang are straightforward and simple. Of course they'll cooperate with us for the sake of Eliona, but whether they'll remain allies afterwards is another matter."

Severance narrowed his eyes. "I thought you guys have no allies. You don't trust anyone."

"Aside from our own, no. We don't," Olen said. "We have contingencies in place for everything. Should someone betray us again, we will be prepared for it. But that doesn't mean we won't accept cooperation from suitable people."

Severance wondered if there was a contingency in place regarding himself. Knowing the Veiled, there probably was. Weirdly enough, he didn't feel all that bothered about it. That was just the kind of people they were. Ruthless to the extreme.

"I see. And part of gaining that cooperation is through me," he realized. After all, having a healer did make the Untold ruins a lot easier.

"Yes."

"Well." Severance stood, intending to leave. But before he did, he had one last question. "Do you know what the Faith Tower tests?"

Olen looked pensive. "It represents an intangible force, so I imagine its tests would be similar. To have faith, a person needs to have conviction. An unwavering confidence in your beliefs. You need to know exactly where you stand, and to firmly walk towards the future you want to see."

Severance felt his heart thump fiercely in his chest at the last few words. Instantly, he thought of the things he'd seen so far. All of them had to do with his past. His fear of Carly, his family, and even his uncle. He'd already let go of the first two, because they no longer were in the future he wanted. It was a realization he'd come to on his own.

But now, he understood that Fenn, too, was no longer in that future. Even though Severance really wanted him to be.

He closed his eyes briefly as a deep pang shot through his heart. He didn't want to let go. But as long as he didn't, he wouldn't be able to move forward. In more ways than one.

"I see," he said quietly.

He opened his eyes, revealing a steady lavender gaze. With a quiet nod, he turned and left. He had all the answers he needed.