Zack took a moment to get his bearing when he opened his eyes. He felt different. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something had changed since he had been put to sleep.

With a muffled groan, he held off on pulling up his status sheet for the moment. Rolling off the hard surface of the platform, he stumbled over to Zara’s side.

She and Tessa were slowly coming around as well, while farther away the three bears were still out cold.

“You don’t need to worry. I didn’t do anything to the three, well, six of you.”

He spun around and noticed a nondescript young woman sitting on a table, letting her legs swing freely beneath it.

“You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe you. My sister and I have been in a similar position before, and it ruined our lives for years! Besides, I know you did something. I feel different.” He said that, but still couldn’t place what exactly had changed. Without looking at his status or taking a moment for some introspection, it was impossible to say for sure.

“Do you? That’s interesting.” She hopped off the table and flickered towards him.

It was only then that he realized she didn’t have a physical form.

“Because I really didn’t do anything to you. All I did is examine the system you all use. I did, however, invite Charles and his sister here to look at your cores. The area inside you where your magic is hidden. He is, after all, going to be the key to getting you all home. So, if you feel different, then it is because he or his sister did something to you.”

Zack frowned at her confession. He swore Charles had said that Gaia was going to be the one responsible for getting them home. Had something changed while they were unconscious?

“They didn’t happen to mention what it might have been, did they?” He backed up as the apparition drew closer.

“Hmm? Oh no, nothing of the sort. Now hold still, I want to take a look.” A ghostly finger suddenly jabbed into the middle of his chest. “Oh, is that all? How boring. They simply enhanced a certain trait you received from your parents. I dare say you should be thanking them not complaining.”

“Maybe I would if I knew what it was,” He muttered, retreating again. “I have no idea what kind of trait I would have gotten from my parents.”

She rolled her eyes, looking distinctly unimpressed with his complaints. “It’s the same part of you that feels welcomed each time you use one of those fancy portals. They made that connection stronger, that is all. It will be a good thing for when you go back to Aperra.”

Even if it was a good thing, what kind of effect would a stronger connection serve? Zack couldn’t help but wonder, his mind getting distracted for a moment while she was still talking.

“Now hurry and wake up your sister and the other one. I have some tasks I want you to complete and don’t worry. If all goes according to plan, you will all be getting plenty from helping me as well.”

Zack nudged his sister first and then shook Tessa when she stirred.

Despite how civil Gaia was being, the suspicion never left his eyes. The lack of control was bringing certain memories uncomfortably close to the surface.

Zara rolled over with a yawn, her arms reaching for a bear that wasn’t there. All three bears were still lying comatose on the ground. Zack wasn’t even sure what had been done to them. Hopefully, they were just asleep. He knew that Zelda slept occasionally, or at least acted like she did.

Regardless, if something had been done to them, Zara would go absolutely ballistic on the powerful spirit.

As soon as her hands hit nothing but air, she bolted upright, eyes wide open and suddenly wide awake. That was all it took to have her on the edge of a full-blown panic attack. The bears were the main defense that kept her mind under control at all times. He helped, but they were what she reached for first.

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Even now, the amount of progress they had made could be undone in an instant. He just hoped it wasn’t permanent. They had worked too hard to make headway to have it all disappear because of something like this. Zara deserved better than that.

It was a fear that he felt spike anytime something went wrong. No matter how small, if it threatened to rob them of the small amount of hope and joy they had finally managed to attain. He felt that fear and anxiety ramp up.

“It’s alright, calm down. I’m right here.” He stroked her hair and hugged her. All the while ensuring that she knew he was there. “We’re okay, and Zelda, George, and Aisha are just on the floor over there. I think they’re asleep.”

The cloud of unthinking fear slowly withdrew from her eyes as he held her. It took another minute for Zara to blink and settle against him as her mind began to clear.

“Right. We’re in the tower with Gaia, not at the research facility. That was destroyed.” She breathed out in a long-relieved breath. Then, patting his arm once, she slid off the table to check on her bears. “I feel a little different. Did she do something to us after all?”

“Ugh, not this again. Quit your dallying. The bears are fine. I just had to put them to sleep, is all. One of them kept trying to stab me and the others were just plain annoying. Now finish waking up the red-haired girl so we can get started.” Gaia was growing impatient with them.

Across from them, the cloaked Lich that had brought them to her originally reappeared and quietly walked to her side.

Zack rushed to shake Tessa awake, making sure to use more force this time. A minute later, the three were lined up before the spirit who controlled the world they had found themselves on. In each of their arms was a still sleeping bear.

“Good. Now, I’m a benevolent sort of Grand World Spirit. If you help me, I’ll help you. Of course, the opposite is also true. You betray me, and well, I can hold a grudge until time has lost all meaning. The three of you have provided me with a modicum of help by letting me examine the portions of system you have floating around inside each of you.”

They shifted in place, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation was taking.

“However, you also have been causing me problems because of that exact same thing.” There it was, they groaned internally. “So, while I want to reward you for the help you have given me. I’m afraid you are going to have to work for it. Understood?”

They nodded slowly, not sure what they were actually agreeing to.

“Good, that makes this easier, then. Now, there is still a little time before Charles will be ready to take you home. So, let’s have a little fun.” She snapped her ghostly fingers, and the floor fell out beneath them.

Zack felt the tower deposit them somewhere else and resisted the urge to gag. His stomach fiercely protested at their method of movement.

Tessa was unaffected. Whereas Zara seemed to be having a difficult time, like him pushing past the initial unsettling moments.

The bears began to stir and jumped from their arms as they woke up. They crowded around Zara, ensuring she was alright first, before looking at the other two and then inspecting their surroundings.

“Where are we?” Tessa wondered. “What does she mean that we need to work for our reward?”

“We’re still inside the tower somewhere,” Zack muttered, joining the bears in looking around. “As for what she meant… I’m guessing she wants us to fight whatever is in here so she can inspect us more. What do you think, Zara?”

“I think you’re half right.” She muttered a few moments later as George reappeared. The metal punching gloves he wore were now bloody. “I think this place is part of our reward. George and Aisha have both found a lot of low-level monsters nearby. Nothing that would give us any real experience, even if our system wasn’t on the fritz. However, it would let us use our full assortment of spells and abilities without worry.”

“So, what the reward is helping us to level up our spells and abilities since we can’t gain normal experience while here?” Tessa folded her arms. “It’s odd, but I’ll buy it. Everything about this place has been more than a little off since we arrived.”

“Agreed.” He glanced at his little sister. “Assuming we are right, of course, with any of this, then this place won’t be of much help to you.”

It was true her current spells and ability were geared towards the use of her puppets, not repeatedly attacking on her own.

“I’ll just keep modifying my suit, same as always.” She shrugged. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was all she could do in this sort of situation. That and practice her magic control.

Zack had been making decent strides in his own magic control during their time on Earth. Having access to his magic constantly made the process easier. Though even that had recently changed for him and his sister, at least back on Aperra. To his knowledge, they were the only two who had access to their magic outside of the portals.

Of course, that was before they had been launched into this strange world. Who knows what they would find when they made it back? If they made it back.

With all of the portals undergoing their Changes at the same time, he wondered what effect it would have on the world?

Zara sidled up to Zack as Tessa mentally prepared herself for what was to come. It was no different from what they had done before, yet it felt like it was. It felt both more real physically and less so emotionally at the same time. It was an odd mixture that she needed to adjust her mind for.