They started practicing together the morning after their return. Samuel had assured Megan that others were discussing the information she and her friends had brought in. The Queen and her councilors were aware of her suspicions, and would come up with their own choice of action. The Exchange was only two weeks away, and she should spend the rest of the available time practicing. So she’d gathered her friends together, booked one of the underground training rooms, and they got to work.

After explaining what they could expect, Samuel had excused her from training until the event was over. A traditional part of the Exchange had always featured group combat, to show which school put more emphasis on teamwork and solidarity. There were several other tests of skill, such as obstacle courses, single duels, and challenging tasks that could only be solved with arcane talents. Every nation sent mages to the event, and each hoped to claim the bragging rights, not to mention the rare magical artifact that was always awarded to the winners of each category.

After nearly a year of training together, their roles were easily assigned. Michael, of course, was their primary fighter. His experience and skill with physical combat really made him the best choice. Jordan would support him by drawing enemy attention away when needed. Rachel was exceptionally skilled in support magic, and so could help strengthen and protect the two fighters. Megan, meanwhile, while having almost no aptitude for combat, worked tirelessly to improve her skill with the anti-magic spells that Samuel had taught her.

“You’ll need to keep a close eye on the fight for me,” She told Rachel during one of their breaks, after a week of figuring out what skills each would focus on. “I can offer some support, but I’ll probably be kept busy with suppressing our opponents.”

To her surprise, the others had accepted her taking the leadership role without much complaint. Even Michael had agreed, merely shrugging when Rachel asked him why he suddenly changed his mind. According to him, his main interest would be in the obstacle course and dueling tournament, so they could sort out the group combat however they wanted. It was an odd experience to see him following her instructions, but Megan was getting used to it. She no longer felt awkward about giving him orders for their group training.

“There’s only so much that we can do by ourselves,” Rachel said now, staring off into the distance. “Training, I mean. Save for practical training, the three of us have next to no combat experience. Even Michael is still relatively new in that regard, being a student.”

Michael looked like he wanted to argue her point, but thought better of it. With a quiet snort, he went back to sparring with Jordan. Megan hummed thoughtfully, considering her reply. “I guess you have a point. But what can we really do to change that? Do you want to hunt bounties or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Rachel said hurriedly, blinking and returning her gaze to Megan. “I’m not sure anything could be done so quickly. I’m just pointing out our greatest weakness.”

“What about Issho-Ni?” Michael asked. Megan looked up at him to see that he’d knocked Jordan down. The larger youth was laying on the padded floor, groaning and clutching his stomach. When both she and Rachel looked at him with confusion, he elaborated. “They lend out their members for training, you know.”

“That’s true!” Rachel exclaimed eagerly. “Remember when Archmage Ashara hired them for that lesson on God’s Eye?”

“I do know that,” Megan replied. “But their service isn’t exactly cheap. Someone like an Archmage could easily afford it, but we’re students. We don’t have that kind of money.”

“I’ll pay for it,” Rachel offered. “It shouldn’t be too much to hire four members for a day.”

When they all turned to look at her with raised eyebrows, even Jordan, she gave them all a coy smile. “I never said I was poor. You just never asked. A girl’s gotta have her secrets.”

“That’s settled, then,” Megan said decisively, jumping to her feet. “Michael, can you take care of that?”

“Why me?” Michael asked. “You three are better talkers than me. Even Jordan, who hardly speaks.”

Rachel gave him the sort of smile she normally reserved for stupid questions. “You’re the sword-user, idiot. You’ve already trained with them before.”

“Oh,” Michael said quietly, glancing down at the sword hanging on his belt. His face flushed slightly. “Right. Fine, I’ll ask them tomorrow. You only want them for one day?”

“Two,” Megan replied at once. She turned to Rachel. “Is that alright?”

She nodded. “Of course. Anything to help us practice.”

They swapped out then, with Michael and Jordan sitting down to rest while Megan and Rachel started training themselves. Jordan looked only too happy to take a break, still holding his stomach and wincing as he moved. He was physically the strongest member of their group, but being Michael’s training partner for an hour straight wasn’t fun. Megan offered him a sympathetic smile, but didn’t want to take his place. She and Rachel moved out to the center of the floor and stood about twenty feet apart.

Rachel flicked a spell at her, flinging simple fire. Megan batted it away with another bolt of chaotic mana, then conjured a shield to block the next attack. Her shield, not to mention her reflexes, had greatly improved since they’d started training. She was, much to her chagrin, starting to develop something like a battle sense. The feeling of slow time with battle was becoming more and more familiar, though getting her body and mind to move quickly enough to react was another matter.

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She was forced to admit that Rachel had a point. She lacked experience, and even she could tell how slow she was compared to someone like Michael, who lived for fighting. She had a larger field of mana at her disposal, but lacked the skill needed to use it efficiently. If she could just get some legitimate training in that area, she might be able to hold her own in a conflict with mages like Michael.

After another hour for each pair, night had really fallen, and Rachel suggested that they stop for the day to get some sleep. Megan and Jordan agreed at once, having spent the most effort that day. Megan was drained completely, and Jordan was limping. They all traipsed back to the surface and snagged cold late-night food from the dining hall, and turned in for the night without accomplishing much else. Megan spared half a glance at the rolled-up essay she was only halfway finished with. That was due tomorrow, she thought with a guilty start. But she was just too tired to even attempt it now.

She wasn’t at all surprised to find herself dreaming of Earth, but she was surprised to see where she ended up. Expecting to appear in or around Eric’s house in Alaska, she was instead thrown off as she recognized the campus she’d only just started attending. She was back in the Dean’s office, sitting alone with Samuel. It was the same memory she’d been remembering in their first official meeting, she realized.

“So, what exactly are the terms of this scholarship?”

Samuel offered her a wide smile. “We want to sponsor your growth at another college. We believe you are specifically qualified to attend, and will of course provide you with everything you could ever need while you train.”

That was an odd word, her earth-self thought, though her Ahyan mind could easily understand what he meant. She heard herself speaking, sounding very hesitant. “Train? What do you mean by train? Is it some athletics scholarship?”

“No,” Samuel said. He seemed to think on his words for a moment, then continued. “It is an invitation to train in magic, if anything.”

Megan’s view of the situation changed at once. Now she was floating a few inches off the ground, beside herself and Samuel. She could see the nonplussed expression on her face, and had to suppress a laugh. She imagined it was identical to the way she felt when Samuel had explained her real life to her, before showing her this memory.

“Magic.” She said dully. It wasn’t a question. “What?”

“There is no easy way to explain this,” Samuel said. He cast a nervous look at the door, as if expecting the Dean to reappear suddenly, and spoke more quickly. “I can prove my claims to you, every single one of them. But first, let me explain. Then you can ask anything after we leave here.”

She could see the nervous expression that crossed her face as he mentioned taking her elsewhere. Strangely, she didn’t say anything but gave him a curt nod. Probably paralyzed by his sudden earnest behavior, she thought. Samuel gave the door another quick glance, took a deep breath, and started explaining.

“The Ahya Support Fund doesn’t really exist. Well, it does, but it’s just the money that I’ve managed to fabricate here. I can create any amount you want after you help us. But Ahya is a real place. It’s a world, all its own, far far away from here.”

She opened her mouth to interrupt, but Samuel held up a hand to forestall her. He had to get all the basic facts out at once before the Dean came back. Could he wipe modify the memory of someone while he wasn’t in Ahya? She wasn’t sure.

“I will give you as much time as you need to get used to the world, but we need help. Something bad is coming up in the near future. We don’t know what it is, but my god told me to find someone from Earth to fight it off. Yes, gods are real in Ahya. I want to bring you to Ahya, and train you personally in magic. Hopefully, I can teach you enough to help.”

He paused then as if to let his words sink in, then added. “And of course, as I said, I will reward you for your effort. I will give you a lot of money, an excellent house, and anything else you might want. Now, for the proof.”

He held out his right hand, palm up, and conjured a flame there. It was weak, even by Megan’s standards, only reaching about two or three inches above his hand. He was either unwilling to make a bigger one and risk startling the Dean who was likely right outside or simply couldn’t. Megan wasn’t sure which one was true. Her earth-self jumped about a foot into the air in shock, nearly toppling her chair backward at the sudden appearance of the fire. She was surprised that she didn’t scream.

“You really can do magic!” She exclaimed, her eyes on the small flame dancing on Samuel’s palm. “How are you doing that?”

“I am a mage,” Samuel said simply. “I have, let’s say, many years of experience with magic.”

Many years, Megan repeated in her mind with a laugh. Try many hundreds of years. But she was focusing on her earth self’s reaction, wondering just how she took this sudden, unexpected news of Ahya. To her surprise, she didn’t see much shock there. She was more suspicious and concerned.

“Why do you need me?” She asked. “I’m no good with fighting. And I’m sure I can’t learn magic like you.”

“You show many of the qualities that make a good mage,” Samuel assured her. “I see those qualities all the time in Ahyans, and you have them as well. I don’t know why your world doesn’t have magic anymore, but I am certain you could learn, and quickly.”

“Are there any other people from Earth that you’re bringing over?”

“Only one,” Samuel said. Megan saw the sadness cross over his face and felt a pang of sympathy. Eric’s death was still fresh on his mind, only happening a few months prior, she thought. “He… He failed his training, but I compensated him for his effort.”

“And you think I’ll do better than he did?” She asked, settling back in her chair now that the fire had been extinguished from Samuel’s palm. “What happens if I refuse?”

“I will try to find another,” Samuel replied at once. “But I would really rather have you. Our world needs you.”

Her earth-self opened her mouth to reply, but, just as had happened the first time she’d tried to see this memory, darkness began to fall over the scene. Megan was blind, unable to make out any features in the black around her. Oh well, she thought. She’d wake up now, and continue training for the Exchange. Maybe she could get the rest of the memory later.

But, instead of waking up, she felt something behind her. Whirling in place, she immediately drew her mana up to protect her, encountering nothing. There was a strange figure there, floating on the same level as her, only slightly lighter in color than the blackness that surrounded her. It had bright white eyes that shined like a fire, and were unmistakably focused on her. It had a hostile air to it that immediately set her on edge. Before she could react in any way, either verbal or otherwise, it spoke to her in a deep voice that reverberated through her skull.

We do not belong here. Set me free!