Rabbits

“How’s the pasta?” Jimin asked.

“It's good, I really like the sauce. Right amount of richness and aromatics,” Derrick said. “Was there no meat option?”

“Nuh uh. Only vegetables. The lady in the inn said they had to ration meat due to the goblin issue.”

“That makes sense,” Derrick said, slurping up another mouthful of pasta.

“How is it still steaming hot?” Jimin asked, leaning forward curiously.

“Another one of my gadgets. A self heating lunch box. It can pressure cook food too if I connect it to a power source.”

“You, my good sir, are basically a walking electronics store.”

“That's a bit of an understatement considering I can build combat gadgets. Electronics stores don't usually sell those.”

The mechanical horse continued on autopilot mode, rolling deeper into the mountainous forest. The path was dimly lit by the inconsequential rays of light that penetrated the dense canopy above, and Derrick had no choice but to activate the horse’s headlamps — literal horse headlamps where light of an absurd amount of lumens shone out of the horse’s eyes.

The path ahead was lit with light brighter than daylight itself.

The cart rolled steadily onward.

Derrick continued eating his lunch. Jimin was fiddling with the good luck charm tied around her wrist. Rei sat beside her with a book open on the retractable table Derrick had installed earlier, the words illuminated by a small orb of floating light she had casted.

Voidborn looked outside silently.

Towering tress pressed closed to the narrow mountain path. Moss-covered boulders and thick ferns lined the route irregularly, creating pockets of dense and sparse undergrowth.

“That looks quite atmospheric,” Jimin said, pointing at an abandoned wooden carriage half-buried in the undergrowth beside the path. Its wheels had been broken, and its frame was tilted at an awkward angle. The wood showed subtle signs of rot, with vines that strangled and consumed it as if the forest itself was slowly erasing any trace of those who had passed through.

“So,” Derrick began, wiping his mouth with a cloth, “want to hear about the six factions? We’re basically cruising now anyway.”

“Okay.”

“Jimin, would you do the honours?”

“W-wha—me?”

“I don't see anyone else named Jimin. Is your actual name Jimin, Voidborn?”

“No.”

“Why me?”

“If I remember clearly, you're the one attending the event, not me. Don't worry and just say what you know. I’ll add on if you miss anything out.”

“Ugh, fine.”

She crossed her arms and straightened herself proudly.

“So uh… if I remember clearly, there are six factions in total. Each faction is tied to a Reborn type. We have of course the Machinist Union, which my family is part of, and that’s the Mechanist faction.”

“Very good, Jimin. Well explained.”

“Why are you praising her?” Rei asked flatly. “That's literally the bare minimum!”

Jimin stared at Rei with narrow eyes.

“It's called encouragement,” Derrick said. “Don't you think you are more likely to remember if I praise you? Or do you want Voidborn to praise you?”

“Y-you crazy bastard!” Jimin squealed, her face turning red. “I’ll complain to Dad when we get back.”

“Sure, go ahead. Your face says otherwise though.”

“Hmmph. Anyway, Zylos has two other factions — Spellbound and Claustrum. As you already know, Rei is from Spellbound, which is the Scholar faction. As for Claustrum, it is an Architect faction.”

“Right, it is because of these three factions that Zylos is known as the Knowledge Sanctum,” Rei said, closing her book to join the conversation. “If you remember MS ADAM, that was a construct that had the combined efforts of these factions. Whilst you may not have seen its capability, the barriers that Claustrum made are top tier.”

“Correct,” Derrick explained. “Architects are exactly what they sound like. Builders. However, they focus on physical constructs and barriers. They are heralded as the defense experts, and even a Rebirth 1 is highly sought after in teams.”

Voidborn raised his hand to ask a question.

“Voidborn… why are you so cute?” Jimin giggled. “This is not a classroom. You can just ask!”

He lowered it immediately.

“What are the known Rebirth names for Architects and their corresponding skills?”

“Good question,” Derrick replied. “I can only tell you up to Rebirth 3. Anything more than that is classified as controlled information.”

“The Architect’s Rebirth 1, 2 and 3 stages are Mason, Builder and Warden. Masons gain the skill to shape terrain, where they manipulate nearby materials to create constructs.”

“For Builders, they can erect barriers out from thin air that are capable of defending against physical and spell damage.”

“And Wardens?” Jimin asked.

“They gain matter manipulation.”

“Matter manipulation?” Voidborn asked.

“Think of it as controlling the matter itself. As long as they have sufficient mental energy, they can reshape material into practically any form.”

“Yeah,” Rei added. “I once saw a Warden harden air itself into invisible platforms and barriers. He literally ran through the sky.”

“That's insane,” Jimin muttered.

“Exactly,” Rei said. “Highborn Reborns are monsters.”

The cart rolled over something hard.