Zane sucked in a breath as he stared at Rhian’s figure leaning against the stone wall. 'Hell, I didn't even expect him to get out of the prison.'

"Thanks," Rhian grumbled as he saw the latter approaching at which Zane held a bemused expression as if he expected as such. He glanced at the ceiling again. The <Window> was up there.

The <Celestium> was built in such a way that escape would be impossible to those who’ve been tortured here for long enough. Sure, they could have just walked out of the main entrance, but that was a suicide walk. Even those who entered the <Celestium> as just visitors or disciples didn’t use it despite its grandeur entrance. 

<Celestium> existed in a place that defied time and matter and space. In other words, Zane didn’t know what waited for him outside. Thus, the only safe and known method was using the <Window>. The other methods were still theories. 

"Would you mind telling me how you plan on getting out?" Rhian asked and Zane glanced at him and frowned. He hated that he barely knew anything other than Rhian being a cold-hearted killer.

But. . . He wouldn't be able to reach the <Window> himself.

"What are your skills… or attributes?" Zane asked, narrowly remembering Rhian using some golden Thread, but that would've been two years from now.

[Unspoken conditions have been met!]

[You've acquired something]

'Huh?'

[New skill acquired!]

'Right now? What conditions were met?'

[Peek Lvl1 is in use!]

[System is confused!]

[Skill already exists!]

Zane gazed at Rhian. A pang of pain hit him, making the man stagger back. "Are you okay?" Rhian asked. 

[Ugh.]

[My attributes? Tell him?]

'Ah.'

Zane felt a bittersweet feeling pry at his insides. In his past life, only Rynn was capable of mind reading. She… had earned it after helping a Clan... was it Lu Clan? Defeat the Shu Clan in the fifth level.

[Some nerve to ask me that, Bastard.]

Zane regretted thinking Rhian's perspective would be any different, why did he help him again? "Do you have Golden Thread? The level doesn't matter."

Rhian stared at him in an unreadable expression.

‘I'll take that as a yes,’ Zane thought, scrunching his nose as he bit lower lip. "Give it to me."

'Rhian was a type of guy who rejected every choice, but would consider when posed another—'

"The fuck? Obviously not."

"So you have it." Zane narrowed his eyes.

Rhian fidgeted on his spot, his stance looking more troubled. "So? I'm not giving it to you."

'Great.' Zane glared at him before he opened his mouth, "Fine. Lend it to me." 

"You—"

—Thump

— Thump. 

Soft thumps came from somewhere, making them pause. That’s when Zane realized stupidly that he only had a makeshift plan and said plan depended heavily on Rhian’s cooperation. "Have you not recognized the situation?" he asked. 

Rhian parted his lips softly at his words, his eyes seeming to break in some sort of resolve. If he was having any thoughts, <Peek> wasn’t able to pick on them. 

"The people in the Meeting Room are already at my neck, if they see you out, you're past killed." Zane continued, amplifying the worsening of the situation. "Without that skill neither you, nor I, will survive."

Rhian shifted in his position before he seemed to take a deep breath. 

[Hah?]

[I'll be killed anyway]

"How can I lend it?" Rhian asked. Zane extended his hand forth and only hoped the Contract Administrator had her eyes out.

[The Contract Administrator says she is repulsed by those outside the system making contracts]

[The Contract Administrator has noticed your request]

[The Contract Administrator has given you a Contract]

It appeared she did, although she seemed to be disgusted. 

[The Contract Administrator is vary of you]

[The Contract Administrator is bookmarking you]

Zane would think about that later, for now, a parchment appeared over a blue holograph.

[You, ␣␣, are given the position of 'Contractor']

A white Thread emitting smoke left the parchment and wrapped itself around Zane's wrist as the holograph continued displaying further details. 

[You, Rhian Amren, are given the position of 'Client']

Another white Thread wrapped around Rhian's wrist.

"Read it." Zane said quietly, looking up at the roof that seemed infinite.

Rhian began tracing his eyes over it. After a few seconds, Rhian finally spoke up. "Time limit?" he asked.

[This guy seems like the type to hog]

'Bastard.' Zane thought, inwardly punching a wall, he could have easily had the skill with him for longer if it weren’t for this man. "Keep it conditional. If we escape, the contract is over, if unsuccessful, the contract will stay established until successful." As Zane said the words, the paper filled the blank area with purple ink.

[This man—]

Incoming muffles began echoing slowly.

"Yes?" Zane tried to act calm. 

"Fine, it's done. Now what?" Rhian asked, seeing that the contract was agreed. 

"Speak clearly, say you've lent me the skill." Zane swallowed. 'Hurry up.'

Rhian scoffed. "I have."

"Be specific." Zane hissed. 'This bastard.'

Rhian paused, and the voices grew more clear along with the footsteps. 

'Hurry.' Zane thought, wondering if he were to kill Rhian here. If he killed him, would he achieve the other’s skills? But he wasn’t earning any species and there was no saying he’d earn Rhian’s skills. 

"I agree to the conditions," Rhian muttered, and the moment he uttered those words, the two white Threads bound around Zane and Rhian's wrists and glowed bright before disappearing.

"Follow my moves," Zane said as he moved towards the middle of the prison and paused, scratching harshly on a scabbing wound, drawing blood. A screen opened in front of him.

In his past life, during this time, screens were only described to him by some of the higher-ups and notable colleagues. He only started seeing them two years later. However, he still didn’t know how he was able to see them despite not being registered into the System at this time. 

[Choose skill:

- ␣␣

-␣␣

- Naturist Communication

- Guidance (physical/aural. . .)

- Wisteria (user)

- Peek

- Golden Thread (temporary)]

[Deactivating <Peek lvl 1>]

[Activating temporary skill, <Golden Thread>!]

Zane chose the sixth option. Gold sparks surrounded his hands. He instantly looked at the ceiling. According to Master Khan in the future, there was a camouflaging bridge somewhere up there. 'I have to take a chance. Shit.'

Zane raised his hand, and three gold Threads left the tips of his fingers. 'One of them is enough.'

It went as anticipated. What Zane didn't understand was why the ceiling was so damn high. Two of the Threads attached themselves to something that was hovering, whilst the third Thread disappeared into the scattered ceiling. 

"What are you waiting for?" Zane asked as he snapped his fingers; he held onto the Thread with his other hand, and Golden Thread began pulling him up, as the length began shortening. <Golden Thread> was made by the creator, [Moirai]. It’s a divine thread who’s grandeur properties were only released once the level of the thread had transcended [56]. Until then, it was simply an unbreakable thread. 

Rhian flinched and turned around. "Everything requires some sacrifice," Zane said, as he glanced back to see Rhian standing frozen. "Anything." He suggested.

Rhian looked at himself in confusion before using his nail to break a scabbing wound on his shoulder. Then his eyes focused into nothingness.

Zane scoffed to himself as he reached the point where the thread had woven itself into an invisible pathway and moved his hand to search blindly for the bridge. His fingertips touched something solid and cold, and he carefully pushed himself to sit on the ‘bridge’.

'Don't look down… don't look down…'  He silently chanted the words as a mantra, as he felt a golden Thread leave his thumb and leave no guidance for him to know where the bridge began and ended. Although, as he felt around, it seemed it was at least two feet in width. Indeed it was a bridge for one to walk on with having much problem balancing.

As he slowly made himself stand up, cold whisks of wind blew at him, pushing back the fringes falling in his eyes. The height was incomprehensible, but he was able to see everything below him at once. His heart papillated—or he was sure it did. It was a dizzying sight—to see the ground of the prison be engraved in a mosaic art of the moon watching the sun, something that made his stomach and head churn.

'Weak,’ he thought to himself when he realized his body was trembling. 

—Creak

Zane looked down and Rhian was no longer visible, but the Prison door had opened. He waited for the first person to be seen stepping in. 

"Shut up." Zane whispered as a short ruffle was heard beside him, but his eyes were fixated on the door. Three men walked into the prison, they seemed to be conversing amongst themselves. Zane could feel an urge to go up to them and pull them into an embrace. But he couldn’t.

Morgen twirled the syringe on and over his palm, while Caue walked calmly in front of Adrian. Zane swallowed a guilty feeling and stood up carefully―narrowly stumbling before he caught his balance. A sharp exhale left his mouth, as he wobbly legged made his way across to where more musky scent was. 

His excuse of a sandals were broken, so it was harder balancing as he made his way to the ‘wall’, where some mist was floating. It wasn't much, but it still was problematic. As he got closer, he could see a black glass frame come into view. ‘Ah.’

Behind Zane, Rhian carefully followed, crouching down and moving his bare feet to reach a safe place.

"What?!"

"What the fuck do you mean no one's there?!" A deep voice echoed throughout the whole prison, sending the sound reverberating through the entirety of almost the six levels of the Celestium’s prison. 

Zane used the commotion to make a single click. He wrapped the Golden Thread around the magic adhesive and began to slowly try to unlatch them.

"Check the other cells! Have you moved them?!"

"They're empty!"

Zane smiled very lightly thinking that Caue's voice wasn't amongst them. That man was calm even during this.

"It's impossible to escape! Switch the bars off." 

Most of the people the <Celestium’ fostered in its prison were far worse. They were in level 0, and that's probably why there were barely any people aside from them. And even if they were there, they wouldn’t dare step out. As the threads got one of the adhesive’s out, which came out in the form of a magic crystal, it accidentally fumbled out of Zane’s hand.

‘Shit.' His heart began racing as he tried grasping it. 

However, before it could actually fall down, a golden thread shot fourth and netted below the crystal, pulling it back up. Rhian looked at Zane, he rushed to Zane’s side and began undoing the Window. 'His balance…' Zane glanced at Rhian's cross footing.

"They're not here!"

"Did you check all of them?!"

"What do you think?"

Zane sighed softly as the two sides of the widow began coming loose. Rhian began opening all sides. As he thought back to the exact words uttered by Master Khan. 

〈"A black glass Window"〉

As he got another magic crystal out, he stuffed it into the small pocket of the cloth he wore. 

〈"Working patiently is the matter, you should earn almost nine crystals from simply opening the Window"〉

Zane rolled his eyes. ‘Screw patience.'

After the ninth magic crystal came out in Zane’s hand, the Window came loose in Rhian's hands. The two men stared into a large blank hole, lit up by neon blue lights. Cold breeze lifted their hair as it blew through it. 

—Clink.

—Clank.

Their heads snapped at the sound and so did the commotion below.' Zane's mind got a bit dizzy as he watched what was happening below them. In just a few moments, Morgan and Adrian’s figures were standing below the bridge they were on. If they looked up, they’d see Zane and Rhian, given that the damn thing was transparent. 

"Jump in," Zane whispered to Rhian. "Forget the panel."

Rhian dropped the panel and jumped into the Window. Zane could feel his heart lodge itself in his throat. 'This bastard. I didn't mean literally.'

The window panel collided with the ground and the glass shattered, causing the mosaic of the moon and sun to look distorted. As Zane averted his attention away from the mosaics, he noticed someone staring at him. Caue was looking up at him.

Zane looked down at him, gazing down at the eyes that he once looked up to.

'Huh. How intriguing. He's missing the scar.' Zane thought to himself, before turning around and jumping into the window. As his eyes were blinded by the sudden velocity he was picking up, he thought, 'he looks better without it.' 

Chapter 3: Celestium (1) > Fin.