"Nolan?" Dylan calls out in a panic the moment he exits the cabin. "Nolan? Where are you?"

I felt his panic growing after he woke up, and I think he usually wakes before Nolan in the mornings. He did yesterday, at least, and the confusion he felt upon noticing Nolan's absence today suggested it.

"Around the back with me," I say in a calm voice, a touch of wind magic used to ensure Dylan hears my voice. "He woke about an hour ago, and I figured you wanted to keep sleeping. You did sleep solidly for another hour after."

Dylan hurries around the back, relief filling his mind only once he spots his son, who's sitting on the grass, playing with some small wooden blocks. There are seventy-two of them, and each is an inch and a half on each side. Ten of them have numbers painted onto their sides, thirteen have animals and plants painted onto their sides, while the remaining forty-nine are painted with letters on the sides.

"Probably should have asked you about taking him out of the cabin," I say. "But that would've defeated the purpose of taking him out here. Anyway, I'm just about done with breakfast."

"That's… thanks," Dylan seems uncertain on how to respond. "I've never woken without him still snuggled up against me before… kind of forgot we were staying with someone else. And those are blocks? You bought some for him?"

"Bought?" I raise an eyebrow. "Dylan, you know I can carve stuff. I've made them over the past few days – they're all enchanted as well."

Magic was involved in cutting the wood as that sped it up, and I used magic to dry the wood as well. Otherwise, it probably would have taken me longer, what with us working on the slime barn the last two days. It was the enchanting which took me the most time, as I couldn't use magic to place them the way I could for carving and painting.

"You made them just for Nolan?" There's surprise in Dylan's mind.

"Not just him," I say. "They can help you and Thomas as well. Toy blocks like these are common in towns and cities for helping children learn their letters, in homes where children are taught. Since I'm sure you'll end up playing with them while playing with Nolan, it'll help you some as well. Anyway, I'm now done with breakfast, so let's eat. Nolan? Time for food."

Nolan drops the blocks he was playing with and gets up, then joins us at the table as I set things out. Today's breakfast is a spread with eggs, cinnamon rolls with chopped nuts, sausage patties, and a berry mix, along with technically-fresh milk to wash it down with.

It was fresh when I put it into stasis, at least, so it's still fresh when it comes out. Anyone who says otherwise has never spent time in temporal stasis and should.

"Why did you tell Thomas no work today?" Dylan asks as we finish eating. "Ain't we starting on a new cabin?"

I told Thomas yesterday not to come today, as it's not a lesson day and we won't be working on a cabin. Apparently, I didn't mention why.

"Not today," I shake my head. "A storm's coming. It should be here in about an hour or so and I don't want to bother with having to clear it up repeatedly as we work."

Clearing them only lasts for a few hours at the most, so I'd need to do it a few times. It doesn't take much effort for me to do, but I don't feel like dealing with it today.

"You can clear storms away?" He asks, surprise filling his mind.

"Temporarily."

"Have you ever done it since arriving?" He asks.

"Once," I confirm. "The night I did the expanded enchantment on the cabin. It doesn't last very long, though."

"So that one was you?"

"That one?" I ask. "You mean it's happened other times?"

"Every now and then," he nods. "We just always assumed it was the Magi doing it."

"It's possible," I say. "It's something any upper-level elemental mage can do. Anyway, I decided to head back into the mines for today, to collect more sturdy stones. I still have plenty leftover, but I'll ultimately end up with several structures here needing them and since outside work will be limited, the mines are the next option."

"What about your rain wards?" He asks.

"They don't fully shield the property," I tell him. "They manage the amount of rain which passes through in specific spots. That's it. I don't want to completely restrict it as that'd mean extra effort necessary to make sure everything continues to grow fine."

"Oh."

"Yeah," I say. "Anyway, I'm going to get ready, then head out."

I pull on a tunic, then my armor, then walk over to the waystone and touch it. Rather than accessing its warp menu, however, I [Teleport] away. The first place I'm going to doesn't have a waystone.

Upon arriving, I examine my destination. It's Robin's tower, a structure built beside a lake that's partially in Amberoak Forest, partially in the Mistwood. The lake is quite large, and hundreds of spirits are hanging out around it, as well as around Robin's gardens. Plants grow densely in the gardens, only paving stone paths indicating some form of maintenance takes place.

Not just mid-level ones, either. A spectral fox made of blue and green light pokes its head out of the low hedges surrounding one of the gardens. It tilts its head curiously at me as I walk down the stone path leading to the tower, then cautiously walks over and sniffs my leg.

The whole scene is quite calm and serene, and to a mage as sensitive to mana as I am, it's even more amazing than it looks to the naked eye. The mana flows here are in perfect harmony with each other despite how strong and potent they are.

Standing over a hundred feet in height and more than forty in width, the circular stone tower toward the back part of the lot might feel imposing to most. This is especially true as Amberwood was cleared for about a hundred feet around the tower, to create the garden space and yard. The planters at the windows on various levels makes it feel less dominating, however, especially with ivy and vines hanging from some of them. There's some moss and ivy growing up the sides of the structure as well, making it seem more of a part of the area than "a stone tower" sounds.

Robin probably constructed the tower here for a different reason than the locals think, though. It's centered directly over a Mana Nexus, or a place where many major mana flows intersect. I can see a major flow for each type of mana there, in fact.

Which makes it the perfect spot to do high-level magic research and power high-level enchantments. It wouldn't surprise me if the wardstone powering the barrier over the entire region is in the tower's basement.

I reach the entrance to the tower and knock on it three times. Robin set it up so that if there's a knock on the door, a chime sounds out wherever he is within it. I know he's here, though, as he actually has the chime on – a previous analysis of the enchantment let me know that it's only active if someone is inside.

Well, I know he's here because my [Empathy] can now stretch far enough to cover pretty much the whole tower and it's not warded against that particular magic. He was on the first floor already and takes very little time to answer the door.

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"Hello, Rowan," he greets me, dressed in his mage's robes. "How may I help you this morning?"

"Just wanted to see if you had any news of the spirit kind," I answer. "Since I know they like you and Rose at least as much as they like me. With as ancient and experienced as you are, I feel you might be more perceptive than me as well."

While I'm a natural prodigy when it comes to magic and have been able to sense spirits since I was a small child, I still have a long way to go in many regards. I don't doubt in the slightest that he's a Spirit Saint, the highest level of beloved by spirits one can be.

And one of his age should be more in tune to spirit energies than me.

"Hm…" he strokes his chin in thought for a few moments. "I'm sure you know the more basic things, so let's see… ah, yes. I know. The ice spirits are feeling particularly mischievous today. If you go into the upper section of the mines, I would advise watching your step."

He's probably assumed that since it's a stormy day today, I'm planning on a mines trip to give myself something to do. As for the ice spirits, I did notice they were in a mischievous mood, but wasn't aware it could affect my trip into the mines.

Wait. What did he just say?

"The upper section?" I ask. "It's a dual-sided Labyrinth?"

Some Labyrinths are a bit special in that they stretch in two directions rather than one. The power scaling is the same whether one goes up or down, though the terrain and monsters can vary. At least, starting after the first five floors in either direction. Even the terrain features can be different – meaning it's possible the upper section doesn't have boulders.

"If that's the modern name for it," he says. "Where there are effectively two Labyrinths that share the same first floor."

"Yeah."

"Then yes," he says. "The lower section eventually transitions into a fiery zone, while the upper zone eventually transitions into an icy zone."

"A fiery zone?" I ask. "I went down to the tenth floor the other day, and it was getting wetter."

"Yes," he nods. "Both sets of the second layer are wetter. You'll need to go deeper still to reach where it warms further."

"Alright," I say. "Thanks for the information, and for the advice. And while I know a mage of your caliber likely doesn't need stuff from others, I did bring you a gift."

"A gift?" He asks as I summon it from my bracelet.

In my right hand now is a glass bottle with a dark green tint to it, a stopper keeping the darker liquid from leaking out. Also to keep air from entering. The berry wine within is a special blend I made with a touch of magic to speed up the process a little. That didn't affect its quality and the wine is as if it were made naturally.

However, the mana berry blend I used makes it quite the treat for mages. I've yet to meet one who didn't like a glass of it from time to time.

"For you and your wife," I tell him as I hold out the bottle. "As thanks for allowing me to stay in the area. It was sourced with local ingredients so the quality isn't as high as I've made before, but I hope you enjoy it."

"You're a good kid," he says. "For many reasons, we would never force you out unless you truly crossed a line. Especially not since it would anger the spirits."

The spectral leopard that's joined us gives a nod, his spots made of flames while the rest of his body is a mixture of clear and yellow. Fire, light, and air, a common combination for high-level spirits with one of those elements.

"I do my best to respect the words of the gods," I say. "And the lairs of the spirits."

"From what I've heard," Robin says. "You also play with the spirits quite often. They do enjoy that."

"I think Aluci accompanying me relaxes them more than normal," I say. "But they are fun to play with at times."

"Yes," he chuckles. "They can be quite fun to play with, and having one of the Ancient Nobles playing with you definitely makes them feel more comfortable around you. I was surprised to find he was still around, when he came to the region to be with you."

Spirits don't die in the mortal sense of the word. Rather, they eventually convert all of their spirit energy into a special form of mana, which seeps into the world and strengthens, extends, or thickens a mana vein. Or mana veins, if they're a high-level spirit or above.

It's their way of dying, and their spirit essence returns to the spirit realm, where it eventually finds itself born anew. For a spirit at mid-level or higher, their essence fragments and becomes multiple low-level spirits instead of just one. This allows the cycle to continue and without loss as the realm we live in expands.

Otherwise, the spirits would become too spread out.

Each rank of spirit has a different amount of time before they generally choose to convert their accumulated spirit energy into that special form of mana. They aren't set in absolutes and can choose to live longer than that, but most don't. The longer they live, the higher the chance they'll absorb and assimilate enough mana of their type to advance to the next rank as well.

Not an absolute rule, of course. Absorbing mana is a choice, not a passive action.

For low-level ones, the time before they convert their spirit energy is usually six months. Mid-levels often make the decision after around ten years. High-level ones prefer around one hundred years.

Nobles usually choose to live for around one or two thousand years. Very, very few of them appear but when they do, their lives are quite long. That actually gives a skewed perspective on just how often a spirit becomes one.

Even if only one ascends two centuries in a given greater region, that's still another five to ten of them born by the time they move on. When they do convert themselves, a Mistland is formed from how many mana veins are created, strengthened, extended, and thickened.

The Ancient Nobles are noble-rank spirits which choose to live for around six or seven thousand years. They are the oldest and most powerful of the spirits, excluding the Spirit King, the First Spirit. When one of them passes on, the resulting Mistland can span the size of a kingdom.

Aluci is nearly seven thousand years in age and is the second-oldest spirit, or third when including the Spirit King.

"He's mentioned recently that the only reason he's stuck around this long was me," I inform Robin. "That we stumbled upon each other while he was thinking about where to convert himself. Also that he'll stick around at least a little bit longer, since he likes me and wants to hang out for awhile. Then, he'll find a good place to convert himself."

If the war is still going on when that time comes, he'll probably convert himself somewhere on the border just to mess with the war. I'm pretty certain that was his plan back when we met. It definitely seemed like he was scouting out the border. As Silveroak and Goldelm are both High Kingdoms, we're both much larger than normal kingdoms. It would have shrunk our borders by a bit and inconvenienced a lot of people, but wouldn't have destroyed our nations.

At the same time, it would have ended the war.

Spirits don't try to mess with mortal politics… but the noble-rank ones have their own senses of humor. A Mistland popping up right in the middle of a warzone would be hilarious to one, and I think Aluci wants that to be how he goes out. The fact that other spirits would be entertained by such an act probably only makes it more appealing an option to him.

"Speaking of Ancient Nobles," I say. "The one that visits the area is one, isn't he? Aluci said his name was Luminraik, and that they ascended around the same time."

"Yes," Robin nods. "Aluci and Luminraik both ascended around here, actually. Rose and I were not alive back then, though we met them as children. The day they move on will be a sad one, indeed. And Luminraik passing will mark the end of a tradition for the village as well. I think that's the main reason he hasn't passed on yet, though I'm sure he will soon, whether the village continues or not."

From my understanding, Ancient Nobles don't like living much longer than seven thousand years as a sort of absolute rule. I'm not entirely sure why, but Robin and Rose might. Rather than asking, though, I'll save that question for another time.

Talking about our friends dying is dampening the mood and it's not really important, anyway.

"Alright," I say. "I'll stick to going lower down as I know I can grab what I need there. Thank you for the advice, though; it's much appreciated."

"You're welcome," he says, then holds up the bottle. "And thank you for this. I was curious how your blend would taste."

"You saw me brewing it?" I didn't notice anyone observing.

Which I suppose makes sense. Robin and Rose are significantly more powerful than me, and likely far more skilled in magic than I could ever hope to be. It also makes sense that they can observe people – how else would they know if someone is worthy of living in the area or not? Going off of just the spirits' preferences alone wouldn't be enough.

Spirits have their own way of viewing the world, after all.

As for the magi… I'll need to examine my wards and adjust them. I don't like the idea of someone watching me without my awareness.

"I did," he confirms. "I was hoping to ask for one of the bottles, which is why I was here when you arrived."

"You knew I was coming?"

"No," he smiles. "But you always show up around the same time when you do visit, according to my wards. I've been here every day at this time since you brewed the bottles as I knew you would likely show up soon. You come twice a week."

"I don't feel right living so close and not saying hello every now and then," I tell him. "Well, I know it's just your research center, I'm not sure where your home is."

"It's in the barrens," he answers. "The northwestern part of it, beside the Mistwood. There's a nexus we decided to build our home on there. You're more than welcome to visit at any time, Rowan. I would love to discuss magic with a modern mage. For now, though, I believe you were heading somewhere?"

The temptation to not head into the mines today is pretty strong, for the chance to discuss magics with an ancient magus. However, I'm sure he'll be willing to another day based on what he just said. Getting the sturdy stones is a little more important.

"Indeed," I say. "I'll see you around, Robin. May the gods and spirits guide your paths."

"May the gods and spirits guide your paths," he responds.