"Caleb?" Kyron groggily asks, signaling that he's awake. "What are you doing?"

The feast and party went until almost two in the morning, and Kyron and I didn't actually fall asleep until about sunrise because we agreed that today would be an off day from adventures and stuff. It's a little after noon now and I've already been up for a while.

Waiting for Kyron was boring, so I started working on another project. Naturally, I sat with my back to him so that I don't get tempted to pull back the blanket so that I can watch him while working, only to get distracted by him and mess up my project.

"Spellsmithing."

"I can see that," he grumbles as I hear him sit up. "I meant to ask what you're making."

"Oh," I say. "Well, I woke up about an hour ago and went outside to stretch my legs. While out there, Rezzy and I talked for a bit, and-"

"Caleb," Kyron groans. "What are you making?"

I guess he can't figure it out based on the dozens of items I have scattered around me, which makes sense. Kyron isn't a spellsmith, and can usually only figure out what I'm making if he's seen me use that set of items enough times. Well, and if he can actually see the item, such as a sword or a staff.

"Can you give me some time to figure it out?"

Kyron laughs, then walks over to me, moves some of the stuff out of the way, then sits on my left, leaning his head against my shoulder as he examines the orb in my hands. It's a five-inch orb made up of light green crystal, the surface coated in silvery runes.

"You needed all of this?" He gestures to the components, reagents, and other items scattered around me. "To make that?"

"No," I answer. "I was just pulling random stuff out, though the crystal and the runes did actually require a lot of stuff. I only just finished etching it."

"I've never seen you make something like this before," he says. "What does it do?"

"I'm not sure."

"Er…"

"I was just doing whatever popped into my head," I tell him. "It's how I invented a good fifth of the things I invented. I did whatever popped into my head, figured out what happened, and then work on improving it."

"Do you even know if the runes do anything?"

"Well, no," I say. "But that's not the point. See, now that I've made this, I can see if it does do something. I can test it and see what works or doesn't, the effects, and so on. After that, I can make modifications until I eventually figure out what it does. First, though, we'll talk with Sozrevin. Hi, Sozrevin!"

The God of Air appears right after I greet him, seated upon his throne of greyish-white stone. Cloud-like patterns flow across it, a tornado design to either side of the back's cushion, as well as on either side of the front of the base. The cushions themselves are pure white, and a single large, greyish-white air crystal is set into the front of each arm.

As for the god himself, he's slender in build, with whitish-grey hair and medium-grey eyes. The God of the Air is probably the simplest of the gods in terms of appearance, often considered quite plain by those who see him, but he's still a god. He simply likes a more plain appearance, is all.

I'm the one who talked him into the magic crystals on his throne, and I'm honestly surprised that a thirteen-year-old was able to manage that.

"Good afternoon," Sozrevin greets us. "How are you this day?"

"Doing pretty well," I answer. "Do you have an update for us? Or did you come to party, too, even though it ended during the night?"

"I'm not here to party," he chuckles. "I'm actually here because of that orb in your hands."

"This?" I hold it up. "Why?"

Sozrevin indicates the orb, and several of the runes begin to glow.

"Memorize those runes," he tells me.

"Already did."

"Never use them again," he says, and the runes burn away as he rests his arm back on his throne. "Their usage is explicitly forbidden on this world, especially in combination. They disrupt the flow and will progress the state of this world too far. Should you use them, it will only hasten your demise."

"By the gods or the universe?"

"The universe," he clarifies. "We only don't want you using them because it would shorten your lifespan, and if what Kapiakoz said is true, then your lifespan is even shorter than we thought. You were likely forgiven for ignorance, but that would not be the case had you activated them, nor if you used them a second time."

"Wait," Kyron says. "You'll believe a spirit's estimations to be more accurate than your own?"

"The first spirits are… special," Sozrevin says. "They're able to read the flows of a universe in a way even we gods cannot. We can make an estimation based on what is and has been, but they can make estimations based on what will be. Even Tyzlevir doesn't fully understand how that happens, but they're never wrong… when they deign to share this information."

"They don't even talk to you gods very often, do they?" I ask.

"They do not," he shrugs. "We don't mind it. They and the spirits of Akrazidonn's status tend to be more quirky than others. This is likely a result of the way they formed – we gods didn't put a portion of our essence into lesser spirits to turn them into higher spirits. Not for the first spirits or those of Akrazidonn's status."

"Really?" I ask. "There are other ways for spirits to form?"

"Yes," he answers. "A long time ago, before the spirits existed, a drop of primal energy split into four, each quarter taking on an elemental aspect. Those are the first spirits, and their 'births' created the lesser spirits. It appears that Kyron isn't authorized to know that, judging by his expression, so I'll continue with full terms. They are called the Primal Spirits, and the Ancient Spirits are their children in a more literal sense."

"Like… they fucked and got pregnant?"

"No," Sozrevin snorts. "I'm not entirely sure the process, as Primal Spirits and Ancient Spirits actually predate us gods. When we gods create higher spirits, all we do is gather some some lesser spirits and put in a touch of our essence, maybe do it with another god or two or three. Ancient Spirits didn't originate as lesser spirits, but we do know that they came from the Primal Spirits in some way. One theory we have is that they were born from drops of the essence of the Primal Spirits that mingled together."

"But whatever the cause," I say. "It made Ancient Spirits exceptional compared to others."

"Indeed," the god nods. "And it is why their domains are as vast as they are. This world only has four Ancient Spirits of the Oceans, one for each of the four oceans. Four Ancient Spirits of the Continents, one for each continent. Four for the sky, divided into quarters. Four for the underworld, divided into quarters."

The underworld is a vast realm of caves and tunnels and caverns and whatever people call them, deep underground. Even deeper than Iblikdoz's domain. They're full of stone and magma, and are largely inhospitable to people of all types. They're even worse than the magma caves in the Dungeon we went into with Volzaminat.

I've only been in them once, and I left within hours.

"There are other types as well," Sozrevin tells me. "Though I'm not authorized to tell you that. That bit of information is forbidden to all."

"That's fine," I say. "This has still been an enlightening session. Can I get some of your blood?"

"I'm glad that whatever you guys were saying," Kyron says, probably now able to understand us. "I'm just not hearing, instead of being sent into a lot of pain."

"This isn't related to the Truth," Sozrevin says. "So it's simple censoring. Usually. Only spirits and gods can reveal it like this – mortals attempting to would result in other actions. And no, Caleb, you cannot have a sample of my blood."

"Aw."

"Stop pouting," Kyron snorts. "So you came here to let Caleb know about those runes?"

"Yes," he nods. "It was going to be Tyzlevir, but I hadn't yet gotten to visit you two since your resurrection, so I came instead."

"Alright!" I say. "So am I allowed to know what those runes do?"

"No!" Sozrevin laughs. "You can't know what the forbidden runes do, Caleb! You'd just try to find a way around them!"

His expression turns more serious.

"And I mean it, Caleb," he says. "Do not use those runes. The last time someone did, the universe killed them within minutes of it. Their own ripples were significantly fewer than yours, too, which guarantees that you will also be struck down for it. They are considered a taboo on this world."

"Understood!" I respond. "I have burned those runes into my memory and will never use them again, sir!"

"Oh, jeez," Kyron groans. "Caleb, calm down."

"I am as calm as an ocean spirit hugging a bear."

"…what?"

"Stop asking questions."

"I have more questions for you, Caleb," Sozrevin says.

"Oh?"

"You and Akrazidonn seem to have a suspicion as to the force behind your resurrection," the God of Aid says. "One developed in the last couple of days. As we gods have yet to figure out even a hint of this, we would like to know what it is."

"I'm sorry," I say. "But I'm unable to tell you."

"Why don't you tell us?"

"No," I say. "I mean unable to tell you. I have a suspicion, but I am prevented from actually formulating it into proper thoughts. It is directly impossible. Considering some of the things Akrazidonn has said, I'm sure he'd be able to tell you."

"The information is so restricted, you can't even think it?" Kyron asks.

"Yes," I nod. "The only way for me to actually consider the information is to keep from focusing on it and to let it only drift into the fringes of my mind. I think it's because I'm a mortal. Krazzy definitely seems like he's actually able to talk about it."

"Though Sozrevin's face says he's already tried that," Kyron observes.

The God of Air's face is full of exasperation.

"Akrazidonn started speaking in riddles and talking about the 'ocean beyond all oceans'," Sozrevin says. "And anytime he mentions that, it means that we couldn't beat it out of him if we tried."

"Didn't realize spirits could disobey gods," Kyron says, then frowns. "Then again, you mentioned they predate you? How is that possible? I thought gods have always existed?"

"Everything has a beginning and an end," Sozrevin says. "We gods are no different. There was a time in which we didn't exist. Primal Spirits and Ancient Spirits come from before then. However, as with all spirits, they are more akin to forces of nature than actual people, which is why they act like spirits instead of attempting to lord over people or control the world."

"Their interests rest in existing," I say. "Letting their domain thrive in whatever way is best for it at the time, and maybe having fun."

"Indeed," the god nods. "Now, I have said all that I have come here for, is there anything else?"

"Yeah!" I nod, and he looks both hopeful and surprised. "Do you know where the Golden Knight is?"

"You know we're not supposed to share information like that, Caleb," he snorts.

"Well, yeah," I say. "But since you guys won't share any information about them, I was hoping to just approach them at some point. We're going to stick around here for a few days, maybe run a Dungeon with some of Rezzy's people, then head back to the Dungeon camp. After that, we'll head down south, to the spear and Gubam, then we'll either rest another day or three at the Dungeon camp, or head over to the Temple of Forgotten Hopes. That is, as long as nothing else pops up was we travel. If the Golden Knight is near any of those, then we could pop over and ask them some stuff. Like the rules for having the mantel of the Golden Knight, how they pick the next one, and so on."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"The Golden Knight is currently on the southern continent on this side," Sozrevin says. "But he's heard of your resurrection through the spirits. He knows that it will be another week or two before you're strong enough to reach the Temple of Forgotten Hopes, and so will aim to arrive there in around ten days, to await your arrival."

"So he's waiting until we're stronger to meet up?" Kyron asks. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's not to wait until you're stronger," Sozrevin says. "It's more that he doesn't want to have to sit around the Dungeon camp, waiting for you to show up while still hiding himself from everyone else."

"From what I've heard," I say. "The Golden Knights have minimized their contact with others over the last thousand years. When he visited Rezovekk, he went to the dragon's cave directly. While he did agree to teach some combat techniques and magic to the locals, it was to only five warriors and five mages, in separate batches, for one day each group. Based on what I've heard from spirits and other people I've spoken with, that's typically how he interacts – if at all."

"How do you find time to talk with people?" Kyron asks.

"I did ask questions while we were at the town near Krazzy's ship," I say. "And some of the people from Meredith's camp had heard stories of him. The Golden Knights are known, but not too well because of how rarely they interact with society. Usually, it's just one or two days of training five warriors and five mages, if at all. The only reason most people know they still exist is because they keep popping up to deal with major issues. Spirits acting out, dragons causing problems, natural disasters not caused by spirits, and so on. Otherwise, they keep to themselves, no one knowing if the Golden Knights still exist until the next time they make an appearance."

I lean back a little.

"Honestly," I say. "The only reason I don't suspect it to be a group is because of the way the gods and spirits refer to them – always as an individual."

"There is only one, yes," Sozrevin confirms. "And he minimizes contact with society unless he sees that there is a need to contact society. As Caleb stated, he prefers to deal with major issues, typically ones that cannot be handled by others. It is the way of the Golden Knight since the end of the Great Demon War and the subsequent Great Demon Purge."

"I see," Kyron says. "And he actually wants to meet up with us?"

"Yes," Sozrevin nods. "He knows that Caleb will want to retrieve the shield as soon as possible, and so will aim to be there in around twenty days, so that he doesn't have to wait too long for you."

"But with basically no one there," I say. "He doesn't have to worry about dealing with other people. That will make him more comfortable waiting for us to arrive if we take a little longer than expected."

"Indeed," Sozrevin says.

"Well, we are planning to retrieve it," I say. "And unless other stuff comes up, it'll be in around twenty days that we'll reach there, so he's pretty good at these estimates. I bet he's getting fed information by gods and spirits to let him know our progress, to better-guess when we'll be there."

"The spirits," Sozrevin says. "We haven't spoken to him since your arrival."

But the gods do approach the Golden Knight. Do they pick the successor?

"Wow!" I exclaim. "So the gossip of my adventures is already reaching the southern continent? How long do you think it'll be before it reaches the eastern ones?"

"Akrazidonn is the ocean itself," Sozrevin snorts. "And while Eikrikodol may only extend a few miles out into the ocean, there's another Ancient Spirit over the rest of the ocean. Both of them have been telling spirits there of your adventures – or at least, what they know of it. Since spirits aren't prone to exaggerating or making up details, the information is pretty accurate."

"Wait," Kyron says. "What do you mean, he's the ocean itself? And what's an Ancient Spirit?"

"Huh," I say. "You were a lot closer to being able to handle that than I expected."

"Closer than I was expecting, too," Sozrevin nods. "I had expected that to be censored from him just as the rest had been. Our estimations put him as being about a week away from being allowed to learn that information about spirits."

We try to explain to Kyron about Ancient Spirits, but it seems he's not able to comprehend how Primal Spirits and Ancient Spirits came to be. He is, however, able to learn that Ancient Spirits aren't small domains, but massive areas – such as Akrazidonn being one of the four oceans.

I guess the fact that he actually understood that some spirits predated the gods should have been a sign that he might be able to learn more. That's the sort of news that shocked me, though, so it's understandable I didn't notice the sign.

"And spirits are everywhere in their domain at once," Kyron says. "He's manifested another form on the shores of the eastern continent, hasn't he?"

"Now that he's released his binding from the ship, he can do that," Sozrevin says. "He manifested seventeen just to tell spirits about Caleb slicing a dragon in two with a single spell. That's between both continents. The Golden Knight's reaction to learning about that a few hours ago was quite amusing, I must say."

"I'm sure," Kyron snorts. "This has been… an enlightening discussion. Thank you, Sozrevin."

"You're welcome," the god tells him before looking at me. "Is there anything else, Caleb?"

"No," I tell him. "I know Kyron said he's okay with me getting with others because he knows it's impossible for him to satisfy me and that he'll always be the one I want for more than sex, but there's just a slight complication."

"You don't feel comfortable sleeping with gods?" Both Kyron and Sozrevin ask.

"Oh, I don't have an issue sleeping with any of you," I say. "But if I'm going to start sleeping with gods, then I'd rather the first one I sleep with by my patron god. Who's avoiding me, for some reason."

"He's not avoiding you," Sozrevin says. "He's just waiting for the right moment to approach you."

"Ah."

"Enjoy your day," the god tells us, then vanishes.

"Any particular reason it's Ryzavin?" Kyron asks.

"Because he's my patron," I say. "Now! Since we're both up and this project is apparently a bust, let's go get lunch!"

I clean up all of my stuff, then we get dressed and head outside. We were housed in quite the fancy house… which Rezovekk apparently had built in our honor as the village was constructed. No one has ever been allowed to enter it except members of his choir, for the sole purpose of keeping it clean. There have been exceptions when something needed repaired or enchantments needed replaced, but otherwise none were made.

While the house came with full facilities – bedrooms, washing and soaking rooms, a kitchen, store rooms, training rooms, a common area, and more – it doesn't have any food. We could have acquired some ingredients to make lunch with so that we didn't have to leave, but decided against it.

Rezovekk and the local spirits have made sure the villagers know the true tales of the Sage of Fire and Saint of Frost. These people don't worship us, but they do view us with great awe. Since they're Rezovekk's people, I'm not against interacting with them and their awe.

A couple of the older members of the choir are waiting outside of our manor when we exit it, dressed in their usual robes. While that might seem weird to someone who doesn't know dragons very well, most dragons prefer their singing boys to always wear the robes that represent whose property they are.

Very few dragons are an exception to that, and Rezovekk isn't one of them.

The moment we ask them where the best place to eat lunch would be, they immediately lead us out of the residential district and into the market district. There are a handful of small restaurants here (which is surprising given the smaller population), and we're led into one without any debate or discussion between the boys. Either they agreed on this before we left, or Rezovekk told them to take us here.

After lunch, we're given a proper tour of the settlement and farms. They have a small training ground to train their warriors, and another to train their mages, and another where both will train together.

My estimations of how many were warriors and mages were wrong, too – everyone here has a Class. I've never seen this before, but I guess Rezovekk wanted everyone to have access to magic, probably so that they can help fuel him if he eats them.

No one here has any issue with being Rezovekk's food or servants, either. They're all quite happy. As much food as they could want, a party basically every week, no true threat from predators, and never really lacking for anything. Any who want to go off on adventures are allowed to as well, but they always return home once they're sated, because Rezovekk's land is what feels like home to them.

The only rule for those who leave is that they tell no one of this place. Those that do suffer greatly for their crime, but none ever day because they want to protect this place as much as anyone else here. Rezovekk truly is a great being in their eyes. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they view him as some sort of deity.

Especially considering how they view Kyron and me due to the way Rezovekk has spoken with them.

"Caleb?" Kyron asks while the boys are showing us the lake.

The giant platform island we saw on it is apparently where those who are chosen to feed Rezovekk go for their final song. They're stripped naked, cleanse in the center pool, and then Rezovekk eats them. It's a huge ceremony, and the dragon uses a little-known power of dragons (outside of the locals, apparently) that keeps their food alive until both the brain is consumed. This same power nullifies pain, so the boys, teens, and young men who are chosen for this honor are able to go more happily than if they were in pain the entire time.

"Yes?" I respond to my husband.

"Do you know why the two boys keep giggling?"

"Probably the lightning elemental that's following us around."

"The what?" Kyron whips around to try to see the elemental, but I know he can't. "There's nothing there, Caleb."

"That's because there's a high-tier air elemental that's using its ability to manipulate light to hide them whenever you or I look," I inform my husband. "He's also using his ability to manipulate air to keep us from hearing the lightning elemental's crackling from the sparks."

Our guides start laughing pretty hard now, probably because Kyron looks even more baffled now.

"They're visible when we're not looking," I let my husband know. "Isn't that right, Ezrovitt?"

"Fwing!" The air elemental responds as both it and the lightning elemental turn visible, a light sparking sound now audible. The air elemental shifts its form a bit as it pushes out some of its crystallized air bits. "Fwiiiing!"

"You weren't able to fool me a thousand years ago!" I say. "Do you really think dying would dull my senses?"

"Fwing-fwing!"

"Oh, you wanna go another round," I start pushing up my sleeves. "Come at me!"

"No! No, no, no!" Kyron steps between me and the elemental. "The last thing anyone needs is you sparring with an air elemental in a friendly match, especially since I'm sure the lightning elemental will join in. And on top of that, why were you pushing up your-hold on. It can think?"

"Higher-tier elementals have actual minds," I let my husband know. "Not just pseudo-minds. When did you move here, Ezorvitt?"

"Fwing!"

"Huh," I say. "So only the spirits knew, then?"

"Fwing!"

"Alright," I say. "You and your buddy go have fun. See you around!"

"Fwing!"

The pair of elementals fly off, and I look at my husband and the boys, who are all staring at me in confusion.

"What?" I ask.

"How the heck were you able to understand it?" Kyron asks.

"Oh," I say. "Ezrovitt came up with a way to communicate with people. He's not able to make actual words even if he can suppress or amplify sounds, but he figured out that if he moves air in a certain way, it makes chime-like noises like those fwings he was doing."

"That's… not an answer," Kyron says. "They all sounded the same, just with different pitches."

"It takes awhile to learn how to understand him," I say. "He apparently heard about our return from some spirits wondering if they'd see me anytime soon or if they have more time to prepare, and he figured I'd probably come visit Rezzy. So he made his way here, but only arrived while we were sleeping."

"How were you even able to identify him?" Kyron asks. "Or know that there were elementals following us?"

"The presence of lesser elementals affect spirits," I say. "And I can sense that. As for identifying him, he has a chip in his central core of crystallized air. He got it in a fight with another air elemental. One of his kids."

"Elementals can have kids?" One of the boys asks.

"Sort of," I answer. "If they get old enough, they split off pieces of themselves to reduce their size. That piece of themselves has no real mind because it's no longer a part of them, but can eventually 'develop' one of its own."

Now that I'm thinking about it, elementals live unreasonably long amounts of time – they can live as long as any spirit, I think. Are they like Ovrodonos, splitting off a portion of themselves for the same reason he reduces his power? Does it actually reduce their power to do so, and therefore, reduce the amount of power they have? That would definitely explain how they can live for so long – they're decreasing the waves they create.

"Huh," he says. "I always wondered why some would just suddenly appear here out of nowhere. That makes sense! Lord Rezovekk wouldn't tell us, he'd always get cryptic and say we hadn't 'earned' that knowledge yet. But we knew he was just messing with us."

"I think he sometimes forgets that we don't live as long as him," the other boy says. "He talks about stuff from hundreds of years ago as if it just happened. Like, there was one time, he was talking about how he was marveling that a new Dungeon appeared just a few minutes before, and you suddenly showed up ready to go into the Dungeon! As if you'd known it was there! But then he figured you'd probably guessed about there being Dungeons here and didn't actually know about it."

"That's exactly what happened."

Kyron gives me a look that says he knows I'm the reason the Dungeon appeared, even though I've assured him many times that I don't know what causes Dungeons to spawn.

"Sure," my husband says. "Speaking of Dungeons, you boys mentioned that everyone has a Class? How many run Dungeons?"

"Lord Rezovekk allows us to," the first boy says. "Once we reach the age of thirteen. After that, it depends on how good we are at fighting and clearing them. We have over a dozen of them, with different difficulties. Our toughest one, you'd need 100 Might to have a chance of surviving in. But there's one that even beginners like us can handle."

"Speaking of Dungeons," a trio of guys about my age approach. "Our Tier 3-2 Dungeon is opening up in a couple of days. We were going to go into it with a couple of others, but if you're going to be here long enough, we thought it might be good to ask if you wished to go into it as well. Akrazidonn mentioned that you were about that level of power."

"Though he also mentioned," one of the other guys says. "Something about you knowing 'what the extra runes mean' for it, Sage Caleb."

"The extra runes?" I ask, then realize what he might be referring to and start drawing on the air with fire. "Specifically, this rune on the Dungeon's entrance border?"

"Yes," he nods. "We haven't learned what it means, but the spirit seemed certain you did. At least, if we interpreted him correctly."

"You guys have a lot of Mana," Kyron says. "Based on what we can sense. What's your Might?"

"We're all at about 55 Might," the first guy says. "Which Akrazidonn said was about where you were."

"We are," I nod. "Kyron, you okay with staying a bit extra to do a Dungeon run?"

"Depends on how long it takes," Kyron answers. "Would you be able to keep up with our pace? A Tier 3-2 Dungeon would typically take between a month and a half to two months to clear. Caleb doesn't like staying in Dungeons too long because he gets bored, and that makes him restless, so we push as hard as we can, usually."

"With breaks," I clarify. "We do rest and recover as needed, but we don't do many things that are normally done. We don't set up a main camp to fall back to between major pushes in the Dungeon, we just set up camp wherever we're at."

"We do that as well," the first guy responds. "Though I've heard from those who've left and returned that other groups look at us like we're crazy for it. They want a safe, secure area to fall back to after any major push to make it easier to recover without having to worry about monsters. We simply clear the area we're in and keep watch in case any wander."

"Which isn't common in this Dungeon," the third guy finally speaks. "It's a floating islands one that's well-mapped, so we know the islands to go to and clear if we want to rest without having to worry about flying monsters coming over and harassing us."

"If a push is needed, then we can do that," the first guy says. "And this Dungeon is typically cleared in under a month for parties here. There is, however, a five-member maximum."

Unusual for one with the hidden layer. I'm not sure we should run the Dungeon, though. I want to head down to the Temple of Forgotten Hopes sooner, so that we can meet up with the Golden Knight. Though I guess depending on our speed, we could still manage both the Dungeon and visiting the other two places before going down there.

It's not like we have to be there right when the Golden Knight arrives. Sozrevin said that the Golden Knight is fine with waiting for us, so we can take a couple of extra days if needed.

"Alright," Kyron says. "We'll think about it. There's something Caleb wants to do in a few weeks, and we have a couple of other stops to make before then. Even if we do agree, we may not reveal what that extra rune means. It depends on how long the Dungeon takes us, and making use of it adds extra time."

Which is a fair decision – if I'm too restless and want to head down to meet the Golden Knight then, then we won't run the Forbidden World even if I feel our party is sufficient for it with just the five of us. If my burning curiosity about the Forbidden outweighs my restlessness in the Dungeon, then we'll run it if I think the party is sufficient to handle it.

Of course, all of that depends on if we decide to enter the Dungeon in the first place. Right now, we don't know.

"We'll let you guys know by the time the Dungeon opens up," Kyron adds.

"And we'll test your abilities tomorrow, too," I add. "So that we can see how good you are."

"Caleb, you just fought a dragon yesterday," Kyron says. "If you want to spar with something, ask a spirit to battle you, not some poor person who's going to get their rear handed to them in seconds."