Lee held onto his uncle with all the strength that he could muster. His tears ran freely as he shook shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry, Lee. I’m so sorry.”

Shane broke away from the hug and grabbed Lee's shoulders, giving him a good look up and down.

“I did all I could. I wasn’t even sure that it would work. It took all my power to send you here, and I had to wait to return. When I did, I couldn’t find you.”

Shane shook him with a giant smile.

“But look at you! Hale and whole! I… I was afraid you wouldn’t make it. I pulled some strings for you but wasn’t sure if they would be enough. But enough of my rambling. I’m sure you have some questions, and we have time. Go on.”

Lee could have asked anything. From what he should do to how did Shane become a god, but without any second thought, he asked about what was most important.

“My mom and dad? What happened?”

Shane's grip strengthened, and he smiled softly.

“They’re as good as you can expect. I couldn’t tell them about sending you here, but I made sure they were taken care of. The funeral was… it was hard on them. They talked about the time you graduated high school and fell off the stage. They even smiled. They’re okay. I promise you that.”

“Can you bring them here like you did for me? Please?” Lee begged.

Shane brought Lee back into a hug and swayed side to side.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. You… You did die, Lee. That wasn’t fake or some ruse. It happened. I sent your body here, not you. The healing ability I managed to get for you was a risk. I wasn’t sure it would even work.”

He began to speak softly.

“You’ve had a hard time. I had some friends out and about looking for you. You met one, and they let me know you were here. You’ve seen some hard things. Things I wish you didn’t have to see. I’m proud of you, Lee. Everything is going to be okay.”

Lee broke down again. After a minute of unleashing his emotions on his uncle's shoulder, he began to calm down. Slightly hiccuping still, he tried to ask questions, mostly half-heartedly.

“You couldn’t send me to somewhere nice? I was freezing naked in a hospital gown for a week! Send me somewhere warm next time.”

Shane smiled. They separated and sat down by the apple tree as the animals nuzzled Shane and Lee.

“Hey! I tried my best. Now, I have some questions for you.”

Shane raised his eyebrow questionly.

“Arcani? Was it the looks?”

Lee nearly choked on an apple that the squirrel dropped into his hands.

“What?!”

Shane burst into a bellowed laugh. He looked at Lee with kindness as he rambled on.

“You’re going to sit here and tell me you didn’t notice? I’m just kidding.” He laughed. “She’s a good choice. Xander tried to pry knowledge out of me, too. So you did a good job holding him off. Selene’s just awkward. She’s not a human, by the way. She’s a Nymph. You should tell your friend Neia about that and watch her reaction.”

Lee munched lazily on the apple he was given and tried not to feel massively overwhelmed. His uncle was here. It was the last thing he expected. He thought… He thought he would never see his family again. Now, in one of his lowest moments, he appeared. He couldn’t help but say the words he dreaded.

“I have PTSD.”

Shane's smiling and laughing attitude faltered. He looked at Lee with guilt.

“I figured. That friend I mentioned might have had a hand in that. Don’t hold it against them. They are very different than you or me.” He raised an eyebrow again. “You not gonna ask the big question?”

Lee figured that he should, it was the elephant in the room.

“How, or why, or when, or whatever— did you become a god?”

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Shane exhaled.

“Firstly, I want you to know that I am your uncle. You are my brother's child, and that is a fact. It’s just that… How do I put this? I am always somewhere. I am where people move and travel. No matter the distance. No matter the planet. No matter the dimension or universe. I am there in some way, shape, or form. In the case of Earth, I was your uncle. But I am not only from Earth. I originated here, on Pallesia.”

Shane looked forlorn while he reminisced about his past. Lee observed the true age of his uncle, or, at least, a version of him.

“I was once a man, just like how I was on Earth. I was not a god. I was the son of a merchant. We traveled long and far, but not across the world.”

He turned to Lee and looked into his eyes.

“There is one thing you should know, Lee, Pallesia isn’t a planet. It doesn’t have an end. It’s a dimension. You can never explore it fully, as there is always more out there. Be it across thousands of miles of oceans or vast continents. Most of it is uninhabited, but there are many races out and about. Some are more unique than others. Even if I used my powers to scan across the world to seek those who are traveling, I could go on forever and never find an end.”

He coughed.

“Sorry, I got slightly off track. My mother brought me along in her caravan, and we explored the wonders of the ‘world.’” Shane air-quoted. “During that time, I got my class, leveled up, and met many people. As time passed, I continued to do so. We were wealthy. Extremely so. My mother met people similar to you, healers, and paid to extend our lives.”

It was at this point that Lee had to interrupt.

“What do you mean ‘extend our lives.’ I can’t do that for people. Maybe in a few hundred levels and time magic?”

Shane chuckled and asked a very pointed question.

“Lee, do you know why people die of old age?”

Lee had to think for a moment. He never went to school for medicine and didn’t know everything there was to know about the human body. He recalled hearing about a jellyfish that could live forever but couldn’t recall anything further.

“Not exactly. Some cells get old, and you die because of it?”

Shane nodded.

“That’s partly correct. Your cells break down over time. Environmental or physical trauma slowly degrades your cells over long periods of time. Of course, if cells never died, your cells would continue to reproduce, leading to a form of cancer. But, if you had an ability or spell that could say… Heal you passively over your life? Or maybe you had a spell that could cure cancer?”

Lee’s eyes widened as he figured out what his uncle was trying to tell him.

“Are you saying that I won’t die from old age? That I could live forever?”

Shane shrugged.

“It’s a possibility. This is all taking into account that you don’t ever get attacked, and everything in your life goes seamlessly, but yes. That’s what my mother did for us. I… I am not allowed to go into specifics, but I was once a man who leveled up… a lot. And now, I am a god. Do you understand?”

He can’t tell me? Even as a god?

That was concerning, but even if his uncle couldn’t tell him specifically. The context clues were good enough. His uncle was a mortal, then leveled up, then became a god. So, it would be correct to say that there comes a level so high. in which you become a god. Simple enough of a concept, but how high is high?

“Do you remember what level you were?”

Shane gave a slight grimace.

“I do. I can’t say.” He thought for a moment, then smiled. “Probably double what someone in Neldam has. Maybe a little higher.”

That was enough for Lee to make a solid guess.

Level 1000? How long would that take? How long did he live?

Unable to see himself ever reaching the heights of his uncle, he changed topics.

“I’m just going to focus on staying alive for now. I don’t know how the whole godly thing works between all of you, but you might want to do something nice for Arcani. She’s done well by me. I don’t think I would be standing here today if not for the Arcane Synthesis ability she granted me. I could do without the glowy eye bit, though.”

Shane ruffled his hair and spoke solemnly.

“I will do something for her. But as she has favored you, I am unable to do the same. I can do nothing for your system. I could send you somewhere better though?” Shane asked.

Lee immediately shook his head.

“I have a funeral to attend later today. For the lives lost during the monster siege, plus I already bought what I needed to travel to the Kingdom of Thexis. I’ll take some tips, though.” Lee smirked.

“The levels of mortals in this area of Pallesia are on the lower end of the spectrum. You having the ability you have is a concern. Also, don’t worry about mentioning Dark Elves. You’ll see what I mean when the time comes.” Shane paused, then jumped in with another tidbit of information.

“Also, be nice to the races of the world—all of them. Do not judge others for what they have always known. That is me telling you as your uncle, not the God of Travel. You will have to grow fast, Lee. But it seems your goal of spreading healing magic will take forever.”

Oh.

Lee just put two and two together. If Pallesia never ended, how was he going to spread his healing magic everywhere? It was actually going to take forever—a never-ending goal.

Shane ruffled his head once more.

“I don’t know much magic, as that’s Arcani’s domain, but perhaps for this funeral, you could play a song? Air magic is versatile. Not all spells need to be for battle. Have fun and experiment with your second life. Live the life you never got to have on Earth. I love you, Lee.”

Lee looked up questionably at the way that conversation ended and saw the smirk from his uncle.

“I love you too, Uncle Shane."

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his lopsided mattress in his home.

Lee looked up at the ceiling and shouted with righteous indignation.

“YOU MOTHER FUCKER I WASN’T FINISHED!”