Nameless King

"Is that a threat?" Asked Wain, and the dark sword swung from side to side like a pendulum.

Agnes shook her head, "That's advice. I don't know how you got here, but it doesn't matter. I've been waiting a long time for someone like you. But, what purpose did you come here for?"

Wain didn't answer right away. He concentrated on the Swordsman's soul, which he needed. As before, Wain felt a fluctuation of energy and looked toward the source of that energy.

Wain saw in the distance a tall pagoda. This building was so tall that its top was hidden behind the clouds. From there, the energy Wain felt emanated when he was still on the campus.

He smiled and pointed his hand to the top of the pagoda and said, "That way."

Agnes' eyes went wide, and she said anxiously, "I've been waiting for someone to come here, but I strongly advise you to reconsider. If you go there, you will die most horribly."

"You're a bad negotiator." Said Wain and sipped his green tea, "I only came here to go to the top of this pagoda. There's nothing else for me here, is there?"

Agnes said nothing, she just lowered her eyes as if she were wondering about something.

"Agnes, you've repeated several times that you were waiting for someone like me. I take it you weren't exactly waiting for me, but for anyone who could come here, am I right?" Asked Wain.

Agnes nodded.

"Then what is your role? You said you're the watcher, but it's obvious that you have a fear of that pagoda." Said Wain.

He tried to figure out what was happening there and why Agnes acted that way. If she was his enemy, she should have attacked him by now. 

If she was a mere watcher, she shouldn't have been giving Wain any advice, much less waiting for someone to come into the area. It all sounded strange and incomprehensible to Wain.

"I, as a watcher, am obligated to wait here and welcome anyone who could get here. You've been through the trials since you could get out of that fog, haven't you?" Agnes asked.

"Trials? That's too loud a word. It was a little warm-up. It wasn't a test. It was a mini-game. Interesting, a little dangerous, but nothing more." Wain replied quickly.

"I see. My role is to guide the people who get here to that pagoda. It is my duty as a watcher, but... as time went on, I gave up on that endeavor." Said Agnes.

"Why?" Wain inquired.

"You're not the first one who's been here. Many who came here as you did were successfully tested, and then I sent them to the pagoda. But none of them came back. I don't want to be the one to send innocents to their deaths anymore." Said Agnes.

Wain smirked, "I'm certainly not innocent, even the opposite. How many people have died in this pagoda?"

Agnes' face darkened, and she said quietly, "Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine."

"Not bad. It's a nice number, it would be nice to make it round, but I'm afraid that's never going to happen." Said Wain as he finished his tea.

"You decided to go there after all?" Said Agnes.

Wain took out a cigarette and smoked, "Well yes, why not? What's more, you warned me several times not to go there. But, at the same time, you didn't explain how to get out of here."

"That's..." Agnes muttered uncertainly. "The only way to get out of this place is to get the pearl of the soul."

"Where is it located?"

Agnes answered nothing and simply looked in the direction of the pagoda.

"Then what was the point of talking me out of it? Even if you don't want to send me to my death, I still have no other choice if I want to get out of here. I'm not going to stay here until I die." Abruptly Wain replied.

"I believe there is another way. As the watcher of this territory, I have quite a lot of power and can control souls to some extent. If you are strong enough and can help me, perhaps we can create a soul pearl." Agnes said confidently.

"How long will it take?" Asked Wain.

"Not very long. We can get it done pretty quickly. We'll need about ten years." Agnes said confidently.

Wain looked at her in surprise. He thought Agnes was joking, but you could tell from her face that she was confident in her idea.

"Wait, I realize that maybe ten years is nothing to you. But I'm a simple man. What's more, I'm not in a situation at the moment to spend even ten hours just for nothing, let alone ten years." Wain replied, blowing out a puff of smoke.

Agnes looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected Wain to say 'no' so quickly. Her plan was effective and, most importantly, very quick in her mind.

"But, this is a great way for you to get out of here alive! Why do you decide to go to your death?"

"Shut up. You talk too much. The thing I need is there, that's more than enough. Also, I'm not going to wait ten years. I'll be out of here in a few hours." Coldly said Wain.

Agnes didn't answer anything. She just stared at Wain in silence. This man seemed strange to her. She tried to keep him from certain death, but he wouldn't listen to her.

'They're all like that...none of them listened to me, but also none of them came back.' Agnes thought to herself.

"When I get the pearl of the soul, what do I do?" Asked Wain. He had to find out how to get out of this place.

"Before that, I have to answer your first question and tell you what this place is. This little space is one of the zones of Purgatory." Agnes said coldly.

"Purgatory? Does it have something to do with the World of Darkness?" Wain asked. He had not yet heard of such a place called Purgatory. Sven hadn't told him anything about it.

"So you know about the World of Darkness... That's not surprising, though. Some of those who were here before you were also familiar with the World of Darkness." Agnes muttered.

She took a sip of green tea and continued, "Yes, Purgatory is connected to the World of Darkness, but the connection is fragile and unstable. The Purgatory zones are some of the most hidden corners of the World of Darkness. Often the Purgatory zones are even more dangerous than the Voids. These places are also complicated to get into."

Agnes sighed and continued, "Gates to the Purgatory zone appear very rarely in spatial rifts. Even I don't know how it works, even though I've been here for a very long time."

"I see. So what do I do with the soul pearl?" Wain asked.

He hadn't expected that such a place existed in the World of Darkness. Purgatory was a separate space, and so had its zones. The more Wain learned about this world, the more it became like a web made up of millions of threads.

"You need to bring this pearl here. I will put it on the altar and activate the portal with which to get out of here." Said Agnes.

"What makes this pearl so special?"

"You can only get out of Purgatory with a pure and untainted soul. There are no people or beings with crystal-clear souls, without sins, evil thoughts, and deeds. These souls are the pure energy on which a certain part of the Purgatory zone or the entire zone is held."

"Are you saying that after the portal is created and I leave here, this area of Purgatory will be destroyed?"

Agnes nodded her head, "Yes, but not always. Sometimes a pure soul is just a key, and from using it, the Purgatory zone will not be destroyed. Since it is a tiny area, once the portal is created, the place will begin to be destroyed."

"I see. I need to get the soul pearl, give it to you, and get out of here. It sounds simple. But, what happens to you?" Wain asked. He was curious to know the watcher's role in such a case.

"One of my main tasks is to save the soul jewel. After that, I will cease to be the watcher of this place and go after the person who could retrieve the pearl. That person will become my master." Agnes said seriously. This role had been left to her by her ancestors. She took it seriously.

Wain nodded, shook off the ashes, and stood up, "After I get the soul pearl and you open the portal, you can do whatever you want. But, I don't need any subordinates. They're too much trouble. Just do your job, and that will be enough."

Agnes wanted to object, but Wain had already left. All she had to do was wait for Wain and hope that he would be the one to survive and come back.

"This man, he's so sure of himself, and this confidence is not ostentatious. It's based on something substantial. But, why?" Agnes muttered.

She had an ambiguous opinion of Wain, but from this man came boundless confidence. Agnes decided to check out what Wain's secret was.

As the watcher of one of Purgatory's zones, though very small, she had some special abilities. She, like Sven, could look into another person's Soul Altar and see their main soul.

Then Agnes's eyes glowed brightly. In this mode, she could see the souls of other beings. Moreover, this skill also had a special function.

Depending on the strength of a person's soul, Agnes saw different amounts of aura and its density. The stronger a person's soul was, the more aura came out of him.

She found it hard to breathe when she looked at Wain in this mode.. His body emanated unreadable and endless darkness.