It was almost night by the time Kael exited the police station. Most of his time had been as uneventful as can be, filled with waiting alone in his uncomfortable cell. They had brought him food twice but refused to answer any of his questions. Thankfully, meditation and mana gathering kept him from going insane through waiting. It was ultimately Barbara that got him out. She only asked him if he was alright and reassured him that both of his friends were fine before they left the station under the fearful eyes of the police. He had never seen her so angry before. Outside they met Sean and entered a waiting taxi. The ride back to the restaurant was quick but tense. Questions needed to be asked and answered, but with the driver being in earshot, any serious conversation had to wait.

They got back to the restaurant by nine pm. Avoiding the dining room, they took the staff door into the building. From there, Sean dove into the kitchen to grab them something to eat, while Kael and Barbara went downstairs into one of the private rooms. “So,” Barbara began as they sat down. “can you tell me what happened?” So he told her. How he had gotten the invite to the festival, how they were on their way back home and heard a scream. He told her of Martin recognizing the voice and Andrea sprinting to help before they could warn her about the possible dangers. Their food had arrived and been consumed sometime during the conversation, leaving them with drinks as they talked. “From here things get a little bit fuzzy. When I rounded the last corner to the alley, fog rose from out of nowhere and…”

“... and then I awoke in the cell, waiting for something to happen. That was in the morning today, before you came to get me out.” Now that he was done, silence descended upon the room. Barbara had kept asking some clarifying questions during his telling, focusing on listening instead. “Haa, well, that answers some of my questions atleast.” Barbara finally said. “I am sure you have questions, but first.” She looked Kael right in the eyes while she spoke. “Why, by all that is holy, did you not call for help? Do you think so little of us?” The disappointment and hurt in her voice slammed into him like a sledgehammer. Why hadn’t he called? She was the strongest mage he knew. But the thought had not even entered his mind at the time. “I, I don’t know. Everything happened so quickly that…” He averted his eyes from her intense stare. “No, that is just an excuse. There was time to think, time to call. Maybe… I am sorry Barbara. I guess my mindset still has not changed. Living so long without a backup plan… the idea of calling for help did not even enter my mind.” Another thing he would have to work on in the future, should he have one here. He was fairly sure that Barbara was not the type to throw him out, but there was this tiny little voice in the back of his mind that was constantly reminding him of all the other disappointments he had experienced. Why would this one be any different?

“I am very sorry Kael.” His heart set out for a beat or two at her words. Was this it? The end? No! Please, I can do better! He screamed his thoughts out, unable to find his voice. “...placed into a life-threatening situation without understanding anything because I was stubborn in not teaching you.” Wha? Had he missed the part where she threw him out? “I can’t promise to be perfect, but I do promise to be better. What do you say we set a weekly date where you can ask questions and I answer them for you? Sadly, I don’t have enough time to offer you more than that. Are you ok with that?” - “So, I can still live here?” His voice was shaky and almost a whisper. “What? Of course!” The mountain of bricks that had unwittingly been pressing on his heart fell away. His vision, narrowed by stress at some point, widened again. “Tha, Thank you.” He croaked out, fighting his tears from overflowing. “Ah, sure, of course, that, that would be fine with me, very fine with me. Ju, just give me a moment to, to calm down, yeah?” It took Kael half an hour to regain control over himself. “Thank you, Barbara.” He finally said. “Oh? What for?” The pure surprise reflected by her voice and face made Kael smile. “For being you, I suppose. Anyway, might I ask a few questions now?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What the hell was that thing we fought? Is it dead?” This had been the question that burned the most in his mind after learning of his friend's safety. “Ah, yes, the Thrizon. They are beings of mana, able to shift between, ah damn, guess I have to start with some of the basics.” Kael was hanging on her words. This was much more than he had expected she would share. “This is the very, very short version. There will be history classes in the institute that cover this in much more detail, ok here it goes. Fact one: There is a world outside of Arkund.” She let that sink in for a moment. Of course, there is more outside of Arkund, Kael thought, why would she even mention… Wait. Why did I never think about the outside? They had vacationed when he was small, right? “Before you question your self too much, there is an explanation for what your feeling. Surrounding the entirety of the territory called Arkund, like the capital, is a magical barrier. That barrier protects everyone from the dangers lurking outside, and when it was constructed way back when, the founders decided to incorporate some mental magic. The influence is subtle, but made everyone not specifically aware of it ignore everything outside of the territory as unimportant. Have you, for example, ever wondered how you know about medival times while knowing nothing of Arkund’s history past the last three hundered years? Reasons are complicated, but our government decided to keep the population in the dark rather than in fear.”

It felt like his mind was about to explode. All of a sudden, there were so many inconsistencies in his knowledge. Little things that he had simply chosen to ignore. It was a difficult thing to wrap his head around. “I have so, so many more questions, but… Whhuu, Ok, Accepting all of that for the moment, what is this Thro, Thrizon? A creature from outside of the territory I imagine?” Barbara nodded. “Yes. They are some of the least dangerous beasts that roam the plains surrounding Arkund. Very lethal to non-mages since they are immune to physical attacks since they are pure constructs of mana. For the same reason, a well-placed fireball takes them out with ease.” - “And how did that one get inside? I figure that was what the barrier was for, keeping them out I mean?” - “Partially, yes. Someone had to have brought it inside.” - “Brought it inside? Why?” - “Don’t know, but I will be sure to ask them when we find the one responsible. That brings me to another topic. Even though I doubt you will meet the Thrizon again, you need to know how to defend yourself against it. I will have Sean show you how tomorrow if you’re up for it?”

Kael accepted quickly, and their conversation drifted back to the barrier and what lay behind it. Back in his room, Kael started recharging his smartphone while he took a shower, happy to let the hot water wash over his head, removing some of the grime that remained of the day. His phone was recharged enough to boot up. He was greeted by a flurry of texts from Martin, asking where he was and what happened to him that night. He shot his friend a short answer, confirming he was well and home and that they would talk more in person. Andrea received a similar message. Satisfied, Kael dove into his bed.

When he lay in bed later that night, his thoughts continued to drift to Barbara’s stories about the lands outside the barrier. She spoke of other territories, some defended by shields and barriers, others by mages. Having lived his whole life in a city, Kael was fascinated. Sleep brought with it dreams of oceans, rolling hills full of exotic plants, and mountains so high they pierced the clouds.