Alexander stood stunned, his cheek stinging in pain from Megan’s slap. She faced him, tears pouring down her face. Elizabeth angrily stepped forward. “How dare you?! Who do you think are?!”

Erika gasped, her golden eyes going wide.

Alexander signaled for Elizabeth to back down. He looked at Megan, the outline of her hand beginning to form on his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. Thinking about everything he had been through, he realized that it must have been hard for his friends too. To them, he had suddenly vanished one day, disappearing from their lives seemingly forever.

“If you want to hit me again, go ahead,” he told Megan gently.

Instead, she buried her head in his chest as she sobbed, weakly punching his shoulder. “You died! You disappeared! You…you were gone…,” she cried between sobs.

He smiled, his own eyes beginning to water. “I’m not dead. I’m right here.”

Robert approached, his mouth hung open and his hands shaky. “Alex…is that really you?”

Alexander nodded. “Yep, it’s really me.”

For the first time, Alexander saw Robert cry. He hugged Alexander and Megan in his arms, the three of them were finally back together again.

Veronica awkwardly approached the group. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

He playfully quipped, “Good to see you too, Veronica.”

She then inquired about his new clothes, joking about his appearance. “What’s with the new look? Trying out for a fantasy movie?”

Megan dried her eyes and asked about the twins. “Who are they? What were those monsters that attacked us? And how did the three of you fight them off?”

Alexander let out a long sigh. “There’s a lot to explain.” He glanced around as a new crowd began to form, watching their reunion unfold. He didn’t exactly want to have that conversation in the middle of the street, and certainly not in front of a crowd. “Let’s go somewhere more private,” he suggested.

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On the roof of the Mek-Tek Headquarters building, Alexander explained everything to them as he understood it. He told them about the night he was attacked, how Elizabeth and Erika rescued him, his role as World Guardian, and his magical training. He explained that the monsters were vampires but admitted he wasn’t sure what they wanted.

Megan attempted to summarize. “So, basically, magic and supernatural creatures exist, and there are countless realities, each with their own super special wizard, and you’re the super special wizard for ours?”

Alexander laughed. “That’s an oversimplified version of things, but you’ve got the gist of it, I think.”

Robert looked at everyone, confused. “This is just so overwhelming. I can’t wrap my mind around it all.”

Alexander nodded. “I understand the feeling. It took me a long time to come to grips with everything.” He glanced at Veronica, who seemed less surprised than Robert and Megan. He didn’t think much of it. “Thank you for looking after them.”

Veronica irritably replied, “Ew, gross! Don’t ever say that to me again! Besides, I was only looking out for myself. Their dreariness was starting to get annoying.”

Alexander smiled. “There’s the Veronica I remember!” Behind him, he heard Erika whisper to Elizabeth, “This Veronica person reminds me of you,” causing Elizabeth to angrily shush her sister.

Alexander, conflicted, said, “I wish we could stay and talk, but we need to get back to the temple in case the vampires attack again.”

Robert laughed sarcastically. “The temple? Really?”

The awkward silence from Alexander and the twins made him realize they were serious and he awkwardly looked away.

Erika suggested, “They could come to the temple with us, my Lord. There’s no rule that says they can’t.”

Alexander thought it was a good idea. “Alright then. Let’s head to the gatestone in the sewers.”

“Um, what’s a gatestone?” Megan asked, confused

Erika explained, “A gatestone is a magical object that allows for quick transportation between two places.”

Megan nodded. “So, like teleportation…?”

Robert asked, “So then why can’t you just teleport us from here? I’d really rather not go crawling through the sewers…”

Alexander explained, “Teleportation magic without an anchor like a gatestone is an unexplored concept, and a dangerous one at that.”

Elizabeth joked, “Magic isn’t like the movies.” Erika didn’t understand the reference, and Alexander just looked at her, wondering how she knew about things like movies, given that she had been on Avalon since she was five.

Robert then said, “I could just drive us. My truck has room for five people.”

Veronica spoke up. “I don’t need to go and see this temple. I’ve seen enough magic and monsters for one day. See you guys later.” She walked back down into the Mek-Tek building, leaving the five of them.

Robert shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I guess that problem is solved.”