Chapter 30: Three Chances
Streams of cold wind swept along the frames of concrete buildings, the past still affecting the present, but not for its original purpose. Instead of roads, there was destruction, and monsters roamed the empty streets, the ones coming out of the rifts that Keepers had failed to close in time.
Within a radius of hundreds of meters, there were only two people, two Keepers, and one of them had just entered his path. His face was dark with the knowledge that soon he would have to return to the Astral Dimension again.
"When...?"
Kain's hoarse voice rang out.
"When will the Arcane Scripture call upon me?"
Kreyn, looking up at the sunset, muttered. "The first time, any moment within a month. Maybe in a minute or maybe thirty days. It's different for everyone."
"Hmm? The first time? What does that mean?"
In response, Kreyn showed three fingers.
"After a Tainted returns from the Astral Dimension, he will have three chances to accept the call. If you refuse, the second shot will fall within three months. If you reject even after that, the third call will come in a year."
"And..." Kain gulped. "If the Arcane Scripture gets a refusal all three times, the Keeper will never be able to return to the Astral Dimension again, right?"
"Yeah. If you talk about it as a job, that's where your career ends. Sure, there are some ways to get a little stronger without the Astral Dimension, but they're all minor. From my experience, half of the Keepers don't even want to think about coming back. Another half hesitate and accept one of the three calls and only a few wish to re-enter the Astral Dimension as soon as possible."