At first, Mel struggled through the snow until she broke down and used [Firestorm] to melt a path before her. It had the extra benefit of scaring off some of the predators that had been shadowing them in the snowdrifts.

They had to make a few corrections to Mel’s original plan, but the course she laid was generally correct. The only problem was they wanted to go in two different directions once they came down the icy plateau and onto one filled with rolling hills, lakes, rivers, and forests like some fantasy novel.

Heath pointed to the right, toward a plateau that was lowering itself down to the forested plateau they were now on. It was a dark, ominous place with red lightning illuminating the black gloom. “How about this way?”

In some way that she couldn’t define, Mel had been dreading this.

The entire time she had been out here had been for a purpose. Her goal was to reach Copper and…what? Stop? Why? Now that she had a taste of more power, why would she ever sit down and watch the world go by?

Because they need me, Mel thought. She didn’t feel bitter about it, but now that she had a taste of freedom of sorts, she wasn’t so committed.

Part of her wanted to return to Sabrina, Shane, Nathan, Bernard, and Maddie. She felt responsible for them. They were good people.

As more of her memories came back, the more cynical side of herself came to the fore.

They were not toddlers. Each of those people had made their choice to accompany her. If it was too much for them, that was their call. Not hers.

It certainly wasn’t her place to chaperone them!

And if they die because you weren’t there?

Mel didn’t know how she felt about that. She didn’t want that to happen, but she also couldn’t shake the question: how far did her debt to them go? When would she ever be free of the guilt?

What about Heath, and all the relationships just waiting for her in the unknown? People whose faces she didn’t yet know, but could. The possibilities were there, so long as she kept the door open.

If she only continued to explore.

There was at least one Magi out there, a striking woman who tugged at the holes in Mel’s memories. There could be more Magi.

How much did Mel owe people she only knew for less than two weeks?

“Mel?” Heath prompted. “Earth to Mel?”

“Earth’s gone,” she said absently. She saw his wince and felt compelled to add, “Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I said, ‘how about that plateau over there?’ and you just kind of stared off.”

Mel couldn’t deny the thirst for adventure as she looked at the strange plateau. What kinds of monsters would she find there? She was just now Copper.

The discovery of the kindling branches meant that there were more powers possible than the singular ones she received. Which meant there were more aspect skills for her to unlock.

Getting her fifth aspect wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.

She knew with iron certainty that there would be no kindling branches if she returned to the starting plateau.

Mel shook her head.

“How about that one then?” Heath suggested, pointing at a mountainous plateau with jagged walls of stone that rose to a conical point. Mel couldn’t help but wonder what sort of power she might find scaling those mountains to their glowing peaks.

“I’m not going forward,” she said.

He stared at her, eyes widening in surprise. “You’re…wait, what? You want to stop ? ”

Mel chuckled darkly. “Hardly, but I have a duty to some friends who I got into a bad spot. It’s…not fair to them. They’re the only reason I am out here, anyway. They gave me an aspect scroll to find my last piece. I wouldn’t have been here to save your ass if not for them.”

Threads of causality were easy for a Magi to read.

Judging by the confused expression on his kind face, he didn’t understand. “So they used their BP to buy you an aspect scroll, yet they’re…in trouble?”

“We’re all in trouble,” Mel said. “It’s hard to explain, and it’d take too long besides. The core of the matter is, I gotta do this. Once I guide them back to a safe spot on the starting plateau…” She shrugged, unsure what would happen after that.

He looked down at his boots, his shoulders hunching. Gloominess took hold for a moment until he shook it off.

She looked him up and down. “Huh. Really figured you’d pout for longer,” she said, poking fun at him.

Heath gave her a small smile. “Nobody really wants to be alone. I figured I had finally found somebody who I didn’t need to be afraid of–”

“You should be afraid of me. Am I not being scary enough? I can dial it up,” Mel promised.

“You are plenty scary, Mel,” he assured her. “But I’m not afraid you’ll stab me in the back or turn and run as soon as a monster is too strong for us. You don’t have the heart of an opportunistic, self-serving monster, like most people do.”

“Yeah, I am pretty great.”

Heath hung his head. “You’re terrible, you know that? I’m trying to have a heartfelt speech here.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Well, don’t. That’s gross.”

He couldn’t help but snort a short-lived laugh. “Are you sure?”

“No,” Mel admitted. She had a lot to think about on her way back, but even with the greater distance, she imagined it would take less time to return.

“Well, how about this?” He handed her a coin. One that mirrored the one in his other hand. “If you change your mind and want to team up again, explore the plateaus and everything, then use this. It’s something I’ve been trying to make for a while. Just squeeze it in your hand and I’ll know you want to meet.”

Mel looked down at the coin in her hand. “You made this?”

Heath shrugged self-consciously. “I broke some stuff down and put it back together.” He chuckled. “My mom used to hate it when I did that as a kid. Always taking things apart around the house to see how they work. I usually put them back the right way.”

Mel held up the coin and nodded. “I’ll bother you about how you did it later. Thanks.”

He nodded. “Maybe by the time you come back, I’ll have found some good hunting spots. Places too tough for a soloer.”

Judging by that look in his eyes, he was in some serious denial. He was clearly holding out hope that Mel would come back.

It’s probably not easy dealing with the apocalypse.

Despite the temptation she knew it would bring, Mel didn’t toss the [Signal Coin] into her inventory. She flipped it into the air with a thumb, snatched it, and slipped it into her pocket.

Mel looked him up and down. “I’m going to get 50 feet before you use this coin to let me know you want to come along with me, aren’t I?”

“I promise I won’t use it unless you contact me,” Heath said. “That help?”

“Don’t make any promises you won’t break,” Mel told him. She patted the pocket where she had put the coin. “I’ll keep it on me, just in case. I hope I’ll see you on the leaderboards, Heath.”

“I hope I won’t be lonely up at the top,” he said, making a blind stab for false bravado. He looked away from her purposefully. His voice cracked as he said, “Maybe I won’t remember you when I’m at the top.”

Mel laughed and slapped his back. “Better keep an eye on your rearview, then. If you get to the top, I’ll be coming for your spot.”

Heath sniffed hard, puffing out his chest. “I’ll look forward to it.”

They parted after that.

Though it had been a brief partnership, Mel would miss him. He was a bit naïve, but surprisingly insightful at the same time. Especially for somebody who didn’t know a damn thing about magic.

The boy was observant.

All the time that Sabrina and the others had been back at camp, none of them had tried to make anything magical. They simply made things they already knew how to do. Even Shane’s attempt at crafting had been whittling wood. None of them had attempted to push the limits of their knowledge into the unknown realms of magic.

Mel took off at a steady jog, using [Tempest Heart] to summon [Windstorm]. It double-dipped, raising her agility and her movement speed.

She ate up the distance with ease. Compared to her speed when she first set out, Mel was now moving at nearly twice that rate with considerably less difficulty.

Mel looked over her shoulder at the retreating parting spot. She could pick out the black-clad man still standing there, rooted to the spot. He was watching her go.

Poor guy, Mel thought. She really did want to go with him. They could have racked up the Battle Points. He was right, they were a good team. Both could see in adverse conditions, and they were of comparable strength.

Maybe in another life, Mel thought. She had a promise to uphold. If she didn’t have her word, then she had nothing.

On the way back, Mel had a lot to think about. She put one swift foot in front of the other. She was back on the rolling hills by midday. By the time she took her first break, she was near a familiar spot.

Sitting in the grass, Mel watched as the gloom of dusk settled on the world. Fires sprang up all over the place. Some close enough that she could have easily visited them.

Something kept her away though.

Even if they were friendly and she could trust them not to hurt her, it would be a temporary friendship. She had only gotten close to Heath because they were forced together.

And he had proved trustworthy, Mel thought to herself. Without him, I wouldn’t have gotten out of there. At least, not without a great deal of trouble. Even then… She shook her head, taking out the [Kindling Branch of Dark (Yellow)].

Mel watched the way the embers glowed on the small piece of charred wood. Without Heath, Mel wouldn’t have learned of kindling branches.

That information alone was more valuable than gold. It meant she could open up new avenues of power if she only sought them out.

She put the branch away, not daring to strike up a campfire. Alone, she was far more vulnerable than the other groups huddled around their campfires.

There were far more people than she remembered. I guess Sabrina and the others were right. People are spreading out from the starting areas.

There was a downside to being Copper, Mel realized as she ate the rest of the food she and Heath gathered earlier. She was still hungry.

She could go longer if needed between eating, but her appetite had grown considerably. Mel scarfed down half of the fish jerky before realizing that she could have eaten all of it without trying.

Ugh, what have I become? Mel shook her head.

By her own estimation, when she could have eaten a few slices of pizza before, now she could’ve had the whole thing to herself.

With dessert, her thoughts reminded her. She laced her hands behind her head and imagined all the delicious foods she would try as soon as the trial was done. The multiverse would have more magical and fantastical foods than even she could dream up.

It was a nice exercise, nearly meditative as she rested and allowed her mana and stamina to recover after her dinner.

By the time she was ready to go again, night had come on in full. That only made it easier to move. With [Gaze of the Serpent], the world was illuminated in rolling waves of color.

There were an uncomfortably large number of people out and about. Several were sleeping in bushes, hidden from prying eyes. Others were out hunting hares and other grassland creatures. They hunched and got low when Mel zoomed by as if expecting an attack.

They probably didn’t even know what she was based on their reactions. She moved so fast that even if one of them tried to attack her, they’d hit nothing but air.

What had taken Mel two days to cross, she finished in a single night. Dawn crested over her shoulder as she climbed up the sheer cliff face back to the plateau where her old camp was located.

A Magi always made good on their promises.