After that, the Ethereal system finally returned to normal.
The half-month maintenance had nearly driven the entire player base insane. The second the servers came back online, players flooded in so fast it almost looked coordinated. At the same time, the official website released another announcement: Ethereal would now operate twenty-four hours a day. No more nighttime-only access. From now on, it would function like any normal online game.
Deep within the chaos of Earth, the Order Keeper sat alone.
A stone table rested before him beside an unfinished game of chess. Across from him sat an untouched wine gourd, placed in the empty seat Morzan used to occupy almost every time they met. Every now and then, the gourd trembled faintly, as though reacting to something unseen.
The Order Keeper lowered his gaze, his eyes carrying an exhaustion that seemed to come from somewhere far beyond the present moment.
Morzan still hadn't returned.
