The rest of the boat ride went smoothly. The gentle rocking of the floating platform was pleasant to everyone except Ash. The poor moonwolf pup wasn't enjoying the unstable footing, but Tim gave his broken light-stick for Ash to chew on, and the pup settled down happily.

They floated through rolling grass plains, where the wind drifted in the grass. Birdsong filled the late afternoon air, and sunlight glinted off the surface of the water. Jak sat relaxed, leaning back against a crate, and stared at the sheer vibrancy of it all. Was this how everybody else had lived? Did they see this all the time? He had only ever known a dimmer, more shadowy world. The change his aura brought was subtle, but it took the final touch of magic and life from the world. Jak was holding his aura inside him now, and it was becoming second nature. He breathed deeply through his nose, and watched a bird circling in the sky.

Something flashed in the corner of his eye, and he looked down. Ash was still chewing on the light stick, but somehow he had turned it on. It was shining bright, and getting brighter and brighter by the second. Thinking on the old man's advice, and the greed he'd seen in the eyes of the captain, he quickly snatched the stick and put it in his sack.

"Psst. Tim." Jak whispered, waking Tim from a nap.

"Hmm?"

"How do you turn the light stick off?"

"You just hold it and say dark, why? Our one's broken, remember? It won't turn on. Greedy merchant probably sold it to me with a drained core. I should have—" Tim stopped when Jak opened his sack, allowing a glow to spill out. He reached in, grabbed the stick, and muttered "Dark." The stick went out.

After some whining from Ash, Jak eventually let the pup have the stick again, watching carefully. The stick didn't light up again, so he let Ash chew on it. The platform floated down the river, and soon they were approaching the end of the plains. Ahead of them rose a tall forest, going on as far as the eye could see. It was dense enough to be dark, even during the day. Throughout the forest there were pockets of mist among the trees, making the whole thing feel eerie and quite unlike the sunlit grassy plains they had been passing through. At the edge of the forest, sitting along the river, was a town. It was larger than the villages Jak and Alya had ever known, with many buildings standing two storeys tall, or even more. The cobblestone streets were filled with people, and warm yellow lights lit many windows. There was something strange to the lights, but Jak couldn't make out what it was. As they draw closer, he realized that they didn't flicker like fires did. Then he noticed there was hardly any smoke in the air, and a village this big should have many fires burning. The lights weren't flame at all, but something like the light stick that Ash was happily gnawing on. Perhaps it wasn't as rare or valuable as Jak had thought.

The platform reached the town docks and the passengers stepped off. The captain gave them a wave and stared wistfully at Ash as they left. Tim shuddered.

"That man gives me the creeps. Come on, let's find the Traveler's Gate first, then we can find a place to stay. After that we can see the markets and find the school administration building. I've heard you register here, even though Elwind proper is deeper in the forest."

"You lost me at Traveler's Gate." Jak replied, a bit confused.

"Oh! That's right, you two sprouted out of the ground without a single idea about magic, didn't you? Well let me show you something." They set out toward the center of town, weaving around the people on the street. It was a lively place, with many carts loaded with goods being carried through the streets.

"Makers Town is the closest town to the academy," Tim explained, "I've never actually been here before, but I heard it's a hotspot for magical items. Everything produced by the school goes through here." He gestured at a stall on the side of the street selling fish. The fish were lying upon a bed of ice, even though it was the middle of a warm summer's day.

"Where does the ice come from?" Jak asked. Tim looked at him with funny expression.

"Magic, Jak. That's why we're here. Magic."

"Ah."

Jak had always thought of magical items as swords that cut through any armor, or maybe arrows that burst into flame when they hit their targets. The idea of magical items that kept fish from rotting seemed so... practical. The group kept walking and eventually Tim pointed out a small building next to the town square. It had a sign above the door, containing a simple drawing of a man standing in a circle. The building seemed just like all the others, except for a faint purple glow showing through the windows. Tim led them up to the door where a man was standing guard.

"Twelve gold apiece, sirs, madam, no haggling." He said with a gruff voice.

"Hello sir," Tim said with a smooth voice, "we're not traveling today, we'd just like to register this gate. The man nodded, and opened the door, gesturing for them to come inside. They stepped in, and Jak saw the source of the purple glow he'd seen from outside. The floor contained a raised platform made of stone, spanning nearly the entire floor of the building. Throughout the stone were impossibly intricate carvings, twisting this way and that, creating beautiful patterns in some places, and what looked like bird's nests in other places. Every carved line was glowing a soft purple. It was nothing like Jak had ever seen. It was beautiful. Tim stepped onto the platform, and beckoned for Jak and Alya to follow.

"This is a Traveler's Gate. It lets you travel from one gate to another instantly. A bit more convenient than a week's travel, I'd say! Even with the high price." Jak and Alya stared in wonder.

"Why did you travel with us, then? Why not Travel to this gate?" Alya asked. Jak grinned. She was always so quiet, but whenever they discussed magic she became quite animated.

"Alas," Tim replied, "you can only travel to gate's you have visited in the past. That's why were here today. Now that we've stood on this platform, we can travel back here from any other Gate." They thanked the doorman, and left, with Jak wondering when he'd ever have the money to travel through these magical buildings. They wandered around the town, looking at the buildings and the squares. Eventually they saw an inn near a big marketplace, and they stepped inside. It was a grand building, with a big lounge full of tables. Servers went to and fro carrying drinks and plates of food. Tim paid for a room with three beds, and Jak felt a little uncomfortable with the gesture. He really appreciated Tim's friendship, and he didn't want it to change into a kind of employment. He thanked Tim, and silently promised himself he would find a way to provide for himself going forward. They put their bags down in the room and went to have a big dinner. After days of eating whatever they could forage or hunt, the meal was a paradise. Roast meat, heavily salted, with gravy dripping into all the cracks and crevices. Buns, fresh from the oven, with a smell that made Jak's mouth water. At Tim's request, the servers also brought some spiced wine. Jak and Alya had never tried it before, and it had a strange taste. Jak didn't understand the appeal, although it did warm his throat, so he supposed it would be nice on a cold winter's day. Alya's cheeks turned pink as she drank hers, but she seemed to enjoy it. They ate as much as they could, until Jak felt like he couldn't move. They struggled up the stairs to their room, lay down, and slept on a bed for the first time in forever.