Elvash

Zale sat in his seat, playing with the idea of how magic and blessings were connected. "I need magic to make magic, but I don't have the means to do that. This sounds a lot like enchanting. That's just an imbued item, though. I can't control magic like that," he thought.

He sighed and slumped back, closing the book after a long bout of silent thinking. "If only I could enchant myself," he grimaced, writing the idea on his tablet before putting it away.

It was still only 11:30, but Zale traded Starbucks for Subway and only managed to eat what was inside his sandwich, leaving bits of bread and sauce in the wrapper. He then caught a taxi and rode the half-hour through traffic to the company, or more accurately, the base. Rather than a highrise office building in the city, Zale's workplace was an impressive facility with many acres of land on Atlanta's outskirts. Many different buildings were strategically placed across the base with a large fence surrounding them and a field that functioned as a practice range. The main building, which was open to the public, had large letters that read 'Elvash.'

Elvash was one of the many companies that recruited, managed, and oversaw the Blessed hunters, with other branches of Elvash managing technology, supplies, and other areas. Zale's taxi pulled up by the curb, and he paid the fare before stepping out. Though it had only been a couple of months, for Zale, it felt like years. The last time he'd been to the base was the day he was struck down.

The memory came back suddenly. He was stood ready to enter a dungeon with his team of five. Nothing special, nothing extra. Just the crew and the team. It was a tier 2 dungeon that opened in the territory just outside of Atlanta's Greater Public Domain. Just as they all approached it, the gate, an ovular liminal film four meters high that warped the fabric of reality around it, spasmed. Lightning jumped out from the gate as if groping. The team retreated quickly, putting up barriers, but the lightning was too quick. It pulsed and jumped, looking like splintery hands reaching in all directions, and passed through the barriers and even Zale's armor. He felt a single moment of terror, and the next thing he knew, Zale was in the coma library.

The taxi pulled off, the sputter of its engine bringing Zale back to reality. He put his hands to his face and took a deep breath. "You lived. Nothing was taken away. There's still a future waiting for you," he reassured himself, his heartrate normalizing as he shook the memory off.

Zale passed casually through the public reception of Elvash's main building. It was a lavish space, a display of power and reputation. The offices, gyms, practice field, and almost all other parts of Elvash were as basic as expected. Cheap tile or carpet, standard florescent lights, and paper colored cinder block walls.

Zale scanned his way into the back and took the elevator up to Effie's office. He knocked on the door. "Come in," she chimed.

Though it was earlier than planned, Effie was ecstatic to see him. "Zale! It's been so long! Well, I'm sure it's felt longer to you. You look...well, you've looked better, but time heals all wounds they say," she rattled off, popping from behind her desk and practically gliding over to him.

She gave Zale a big, toothy smile that showed genuine pleasure in his return. "It's good to see you too, Effie," Zale finally replied, giving his own smile