“What kind of reaction is that?” Alayna asked, clearly offended, or perhaps pretending to be.

“Uh… nothing?” Ian hesitantly replied, averting his gaze.

In response, Alayna glared at him. The short bickering between siblings caused Gaelan to chuckle. Then, Ian looked at Gaelan and, in an attempt to change the subject, said, “Yeah, so, let’s go get that stuff I mentioned before.”

“Hey! Don’t ignore me, bro!” Alayna exclaimed as she crawled around the table to put her older brother in a sleeper hold.

“Gah! Hey! Sto- urgh…” Ian struggled to stammer out while his sister, despite her smaller stature, tackled him to the carpet.

During their wrestling, Gaelan laughed wholeheartedly, briefly drawing the attention of the brother-sister duo rolling around on the carpet. However, they quickly resumed their little tussle, or rather, Alayna choked Ian until he tapped out.

“That makes the score 1,054 for me and still zero for you,” Alayna said, grinning smugly while holding her fingers in the shape of an ‘O’.

Clicking his tongue in between coughs, Ian rolled his eyes. After all, how could he hurt his little sister? Or so he told himself.

“Alright, alright, I get it… I’ll call you next time I come back, yeah?” Ian conceded after he finished coughing and sputtering. Of course, he didn’t hate her or anything, but the awkwardness in speaking with her after discovering her profession had hindered their relationship for five years now. Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, he figured it was about time he tried to set it aside. Why let something so simple interfere with the good relationship they shared as children?

“Good,” she said, confidently placing her hands on her hips. “In that case, I’ll spread word about your little thingamajig after you hang out with me. Deal?” To top off the question that sounded more like a threat, she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Haaaah… fine…” Ian muttered, sore loser that he was.

“Well, I’ve got some errands to run, so I’ll have to say bye for now. See ya, bro. You too, Mr. Marlow. Was nice meetin’ you, by the way,” Alayna said, dropping her harsh attitude in exchange for a polite smile.

“Likewise, Miss Alayna,” Gaelan replied as he stood and gave a gentlemanly bow. A grin cracked across her face since the quilt wrapped around him made it look rather awkward. On the other hand, Ian gave her a nonchalant wave of farewell while still sprawled out on the floor.

A few minutes later, Alayna left the apartment. The room suddenly felt much quieter.

Still standing in front the couch, Gaelan noted, “You have a good sister. A very interesting woman, she is.”

“I guess. Anyway, when are you going to lose the quilt?” Ian asked, raising a brow as he looked up at Gaelan from the floor.

“Oh, I left it on since it was so comfortable, not to mention the fact that your sister was here,” the man answered, finally dropping the quilt to reveal his hulking figure bereft of clothes save for the boxers Ian lent him. Cut and burn scars covered the man’s body. Although some obviously resulted from blacksmithing, many looked more like battle scars.

Confused, Ian furrowed his brows and asked, “What’s with the scars? Isn’t there healing magic in Regnoras?”

“Hm?” Gaelan peered down at his apprentice with a raised brow that wrinkled his forehead. “Ah, the scars… hmm… I must not have mentioned it before, but those of us who use Dark Matter can’t be healed from the magic based on Light Matter. I don’t really know why.”

“What?! Why not tell me such a thing right away?! Isn’t that super important to know?” Ian exclaimed, shooting up to a sitting position to glare at his mentor.

“I simply forgot to mention it. No need to get your spine all twisted. Man…” Gaelan nonchalantly replied while reaching for his clothes.

“I’m not sure whether to be angry about the fact that you forgot something so important or be worried about that spine twisting saying…” Ian muttered while scratching the back of his neck. “Either way, that fact that I can’t be healed by magic… that blows.”

“Well, some herbal remedies work fairly well,” Gaelan mentioned in an attempt to comfort Ian a little.

“Eh? Does that mean there are potions or something?”

“Huh? You mean those nasty concoctions made by witches? Never drink those. Ever. Period,” Gaelan firmly asserted, face contorted in disgust.

“Uh… nevermind, then,” Ian said while awkwardly averting his gaze. Apparently, something convenient like regenerative potions did not exist. If necessary, it might be possible to cross back over to Earth to seek modern medical attention if he ever needed it. In fact, buying some basic over-the-counter medicines later on sounded prudent. Then, nodding, he said, “Alright, let’s go buy a few things. I don’t have a ton of savings, so we might be somewhat limited until I can earn enough off the things you teach me to create.”

“You’re going to have to work off the cost of materials pretty soon, you know,” Gaelan mentioned. A heavy aura of business-minded seriousness surrounded him.

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“Uh, yeah, sure…”

Although Ian thought about the material costs before, he hoped purchasing a few quilts, pillows, and mattress pads would appease the man for now. Well, he would definitely learn a lot of things from the man, too, so it also served as a thank you gift.

“Well, then, let me just finish this coffee first…”

* * * * *

Streaks of morning sunlight shone through the clouds rolling gently overhead as Ian led the way down the main road which now served as more of a guideline than an actual road. As expected, Gaelan couldn’t help gaping at the metallic vehicles flying overhead, the dull hum of their anti-grav engines whirring as they whizzed by. Even the few ground vehicles driving by amazed him. Besides vehicles, the enormous modern buildings lining both sides of the road also impressed him.

Then, noticing a large, dome-like structure across the street taking up a large portion of land stuck out to him. A large parking garage stood next to it, towering over its surroundings. Curious, he pointed at it and asked, “What’s that place, Ian?”

“Hm? Ah, that. It’s called the V-R-Cade. It’s an entertainment plaza. No reason for us to go there.”

“Really? What kind of entertainment?” Gaelan hesitantly asked, recalling the profession of Ian’s sister. Well, he wasn’t totally off the mark.

“Games, mostly,” Ian vaguely answered. “There are a bunch of devices that allow you to experience an artificial world.”

“Oh? I guess you wouldn’t need such a thing,” Gaelan said, briefly chuckling.

“Well, even before making my way to Regnoras, it never held much appeal for me,” Ian replied dryly. “I tried a few, but never got into them. Real things always held more impact for me.”

“I see… Anyway, how does all this stuff work?”

“Electricity mostly. It’s a bit like lightning, I guess.”

“Hoh~, how interesting,” Gaelan muttered while rubbing his beard.

About two blocks further, Ian led them around a corner toward their destination, an enormous four-story building complex paired with an equally large parking garage built for both air and ground vehicles. Flashy signs along the outer walls indicated all the stores represented within. The inability to read any of it did not deter Gaelan from marveling at all of it, however.

“This is rather overwhelming…” Gaelan muttered just loud enough for Ian to hear. Then, he asked, “Is this what you felt like when you first came to Concinnata?”

“Like what?”

“Surprise, perhaps.”

Ian shrugged. “Not too much. I’ve seen a lot of the stuff there in history books and even in books or movies. It certainly felt different though.”

“Hmm… Then, are all public spaces enormous like this one?”

“Maybe compared to Concinnata, but I’d say this one is medium-size at best compared to other shopping centers.”

“Incredible…” Gaelan muttered as they approached the swiveling entrance doors. A few other people walked to and fro around them, though it did not strike him as particularly unusual save for the weird black things most of them wore over their eyes. However, as soon as they stepped through the other side of the spinning door, which he hesitated to step into at first, he halted, totally taken aback by the thousands of people wandering the halls. Special windows made up most of the ceiling, regulating the sunlight filtering through. The hustle and bustle of bodies and voices echoed around them, slightly disorienting him.

“Don’t act too surprised, or someone may peg you as a tourist and try to rob you,” Ian suggested, raising his voice over the din of the crowd.

“Sure thing,” Gaelan replied. After calming himself and practically shutting off his sense of the vibrations in the floor below him, he observed the nearby people. Then, with furrowed brows, he leaned toward Ian and asked, “What are the things most of these people are wearing on their faces?”

“Oh, those…” Ian wrinkled his brow at the mention of the expensive gadgets that almost every man, woman, and child probably owned two of. “Those are called ARV, Augmented Reality Visors. They are similar to that artificial world thing I mentioned earlier, but simply add information and stuff to the real world.”

Gaelan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Isn’t all of this like stepping into the realm of gods?”

“Not even close,” Ian answered, an amused chuckle slipping from his lips. “It’s just science. You should see the stuff the military uses. Some of it is out of this world, sometimes literally.”

“Just looking at the everyday things the people here use, I can’t imagine what would happen if dangerous objects were brought to Regnoras,” Gaelan muttered to himself.

Weaving through the crowd with practiced ease, Ian led Gaelan to the first store on his list, a coffee shop. Smiling widely, Ian said, “This is definitely the most important stop today.”

Gaelan sniffed the air as they entered. A slightly familiar scent, delicate and pungent yet earthy, tickled his nostrils. Then, eyes shimmering with expectation, he asked, “Does this place sell that stuff you made this morning?”

“Yep, and I plan on buying quite a bit to bring back, along with a french press, considering it won’t require electricity,” Ian explained while glancing along the shelves searching for the best sales. Now that he thought about it, perhaps he could purchase a surplus at some point and attempt to sell it, or perhaps grow his own beans in the future. A red tag then caught his eye. “Oh, Moondoe’s is rather cheap today. Nice.”

It only took a few minutes to find everything he needed. Arms stuffed with bags of coffee beans along with a box containing a french press, he approached the self-checkout register. The AI program quickly and conveniently scanned all the items, though he now realized it felt far less personable than any store in Regnoras.

As the two of them exited the shop, Ian nearly dropped his merchandise upon seeing a familiar face. Luckily, Gaelan had offered to carry the bag containing the french press, meaning he didn’t have to worry even if he did drop anything. In the hopes that the person wouldn’t notice him, he attempted to calm himself and continued onward. But, to his dismay, that irritatingly unforgettable face looked in his direction and took a half-step back upon recognizing him.

“Ian? You are Ian, right?” the woman asked, immediately causing him to go stiff. The woman lifted the ARV from her eyes, revealing her dark brown eyes, which were completely glued to him at this point. Her long and curly black hair wavered around her shoulders as she faced him. A baby carrier holding a baby boy, no more than a year old and small stuffed animal in hand, was strapped to her chest.

“Hey, Lauren…” Ian said, doing his best to hold back any emotions that could possibly surface during this unexpected meeting which should have had near-zero chances of occurring in a city of 500,000 people. However, as luck, or rather, the lack thereof, would have it, he had bumped into one of the handful of people on his list of ‘those I never want to see again’. A storm of curses swirled within his mind.