A courier stopped him halfway down the hall.
"Captain Vorn's asking for you. She says it's not a request but an order."
"Always nice to start a morning with a vague threat," Lucas muttered.
Vorn's quarters were lit by the warm glow of stabilized veins lining the walls. Charts and energy readings littered her desk.
Atop it lay the Reaper's Hook — his weapon, gleaming with faint gold veins in its black metal.
She stood with her arms folded, eyes unreadable. "Karn found it in the lower tunnels yesterday. Said it wouldn't stop humming until he reforged it."
Lucas lifted the weapon. The grip was smooth, balanced, alive. It hummed faintly at his touch. "Feels like it's breathing."
"Then it probably likes you," Vorn said dryly.
He raised an eyebrow. "That makes one of us."
She ignored that, sliding a sealed parchment toward him. "Discharge order. Special assignment status. You're cleared to leave through the upper gate."
Lucas blinked. "You're kicking me out?"
"I'm releasing you," she corrected. "You've done what none of us could. The Heart stabilized because of you. You deserve to see what else is out there. Your service in Holdfast has ended."
Lucas frowned. "My service has ended, huh…"
Vorn's lips twitched — her version of a smile. "Let's just say I have a feeling the world above may need you more than we do now. Who am I to deprive the world of the mighty ducky pajama hero?"
He looked down at the weapon in his hands. The veins along the blade pulsed gold. "You heard the stories, huh."
"Oh, everyone has," Vorn said. "There's not a person in the Holdfast who doesn't know of you and your ridiculous pajamas."
Lucas grinned.
"Go now, before I change my mind."
Lucas nodded, his eyes grateful and a little sad.
As he turned to leave, Lucas gripped his new hook one more time.
A soft chime flickered before his eyes:
[Weapon Upgraded: Reaper's Hook → Golden Reaper]
Infused with a fragment of Heartlight. Resonates with wielder's internal flow.
+25% Damage | -15% Energy Cost | Special Effect: Echo Strike (delayed resonance impact)
Lucas whistled. "So it glows, hits harder, and costs less energy. Finally — an upgrade I didn't have to nearly die for."
The air in the forge was thick with smoke and the rhythmic clang of metal.
Karn barely looked up when Lucas entered. "Back already? Didn't figure you for goodbyes."
Lucas leaned against a pillar. "Thought I'd check if you were still pretending to hate me."
Karn snorted. "Takes less effort than pretending to like you."
He reached under the counter and tossed a folded bundle onto the table. "Figured you might want pants that don't feature children's toys."
Lucas unfolded the fabric. Durable, slate-gray work trousers with subtle gold stitching that shimmered faintly under the forge light. The pattern wound like veins through the cloth — and when the light hit just right, it formed tiny golden ducks, barely visible unless you knew where to look.
Lucas blinked hard. "You didn't."
Karn shrugged. "You saved the Holdfast in those ridiculous things. Felt wrong to let the legend die completely."
Lucas laughed softly. "I might actually cry."
"Don't," Karn muttered, turning back to his anvil. "You'll rust the tools."
Lucas's gaze drifted to a bench nearby — his tattered ducky pajamas folded neatly on top. They were patched in a few places, still stained from battle.
He stared at them for a long moment.
"Karn…" he said quietly.
The blacksmith raised a brow. "Yeah?"
"Can you do me a favor?" Lucas asked, eyes still on the fabric.
Karn frowned. "Depends. How much trouble am I agreeing to?"
Lucas smiled faintly. "You'll see."
He left the pajamas on the bench and walked out without another word.
The Split Vein Tavern was alive again — filled with laughter, clinking mugs, and the faint hum of stabilized veins in the walls.
Ryn, Ira, and Barek sat together in their corner, drinks in hand, faces lit by amber lamplight.
Lucas slid into the booth, pretending to stretch dramatically. "So, who's buying the hero a drink?"
"Not me," Ryn said, smirking. "You still owe me for the last round."
Barek raised his mug. "I'll do it. For the glowing idiot who fixed the Holdfast."
Laughter rolled across the table. Even Ira cracked a smile.
They spent the next few hours trading stories — Lucas embellishing how the Crowned Wolf "was at least the size of a building," Ryn teasing his "dramatic flailing technique," Barek insisting he'd never seen a worse stance in combat.
But as the laughter faded and the crowd thinned, reality settled between them.
Ryn glanced up. "So… when do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," Lucas said. "Captain's orders."
"Figures," Barek muttered. "You seemed like the sort of guy who would stumble into legend."
Ryn elbowed him. "You're one to talk."
Ryn turned to Lucas, her eyes shimmering. "I'm going to miss you… be safe out there, okay?"
Lucas grinned faintly. "I'm the ducky pajama hero — what's the worst that could happen?"
Ryn laughed through the tears. "Seriously. Be careful, alright? I want you back here, telling us how you found the other Hearts and saved the world."
"I will, I will. You've got nothing to worry about."
She tilted her head, smiling. "Promise?"
Lucas hesitated for a moment, then met her eyes and smiled softly. "Promise."
He lifted his mug one last time. "To the Holdfast."
They clinked glasses, and for a moment, the world felt simple again.
The great lift shuddered upward, groaning as it carried Lucas toward the surface. The tunnel walls gave way to brighter stone, then to light.
When the gates split open, sunlight poured through — pale gold, warm against his skin. He squinted, stepping forward as the wind brushed his hair for the first time in what felt like years.
His Golden Reaper rested across his shoulder. The Vein-Link Bracer pulsed faintly with life. The golden veins under his skin shimmered in the light.
Lucas took a small package out from his jacket pocket, unwrapping it carefully. Inside lay a pair of black stained fingerless gloves, trimmed with faint golden stitching that pulsed in the forge light. Underneath the stain, trace of hsi ducky pajamas remained.
Lucas slid them on — soft, warm, perfectly fitted. He flexed his fingers, smiling. "Karn, you outdid yourself yet again." he said to himself.
A soft chime appeared before his eyes:
[Item Equipped: Heart-Stitched Gloves]
Crafted from familiar fabric and reforged with faint Heartlight threads.
Effect:
+5 Dexterity +10% Grip Stability when wielding bladed tools Reduces Vein Channeling strain on hands and arms by 15%
A quiet warmth lingers in the stitching — a reminder of where his story began.
Lucas adjusted his gloves and smiled to himself. "Alright, world. Let's see what you've got."
He stepped into the open air, the mountain at his back and a faint hum — the Heart's steady pulse — still echoing beneath his feet.
The idiot in ducky pajamas was gone.
But the man who took his place carried the same spark — absurd, defiant, and entirely unkillable.
And with that, Lucas began his journey toward the light.
[Quest Updated: The Hearts of Spheria — Part I: Surface World]
Objective: Explore the world above. Locate the next Heart. Be the mistake that saves the world.