“So, all of the safe zone cities got regularly attacked by beast waves until the seventh floor?” Justin asked after reviewing the floor summary I’d sent to him.

“Basically,” I agreed. “I didn’t personally witness anything on the first two floors, but from what I heard, it was the same.”

My brother grunted lightly as he made an annotation on his tablet. He’d asked for information about the dungeon for a book series he planned to write after he finished his current series. I looked forward to reading it eventually.

Hopefully, he’d finish it before I returned to the dungeon. There was always a chance the dungeon would redact anything related to it, even after I moved beyond the relevant floors.

“And they armed anyone under-tier with manatech weapons and had them help to level up?” he added, more to himself than to me. “That is smart. It probably doesn’t help make them competent, but at least they can gain levels.”

I smiled lightly as I watched the twins playing on a huge playground. There were holographic displays available for parents and guardians to watch their associated children, so keeping track of their rapid movement through the maze-like play area was easy.

“I wish we had something like this when we were kids,” I said.

My comment caused Justin to look up from his tablet. “Yeah. It would have been pretty amazing,” he agreed. “The different kid zones change every week. The variety helps keep the kids interested in playing here, which is good, considering how quickly kids tend to lose interest in things. We come here pretty often.”

“Amie, too?” I asked. She was nearly thirteen, so I would have thought she’d have already outgrown such forms of entertainment.

Then again, the older-kid playground a block over did look pretty amazing. From what I glimpsed on the holoscreen of one of the nearby parents, it looked like the playground for the older kids was more oriented toward virtual training simulations than actual playing.

Justin nodded and swiped at the holoscreen in front of him, bringing up prior recordings.

“Amie loves the training yard. That’s what they call the stage-three playground,” he explained before motioning for me to look. “Check her out. Half of the facility is split into rooms that blend augmented reality and holograms. It’s like the holodecks from Star Trek, instead of pure virtual reality like we used on Earth.”

The screen showed my eldest niece blasting through a mock rift with two similar-aged girls. They used a variety of virtual weapons, and I was surprised at the skill they exhibited already.

“Wow. And you’re okay with her training like this?”

“I kinda have to be,” Justin replied with a sigh. “Holding her back isn’t going to do her any favors. While I don’t like the idea of Amie eventually entering a rift, that’s the reality we live in now. I’d rather she get training and thrive in such settings instead of struggling like so many of our fellow Earthborn.”

“Besides,” he continued, “it isn’t all that different from the video games we used to play. They’re moving around more than we did, but the content isn’t any worse. Maybe it’s even better. At least they aren’t training to kill other people.”

I nodded in unconscious agreement as I watched the recording. We still had no idea what Amie’s affinity was, but anyone could use manatech devices. It was what made them so popular.

“Dad! Aunt Emie!” Daniel yelled from the entrance of the stage-two playground. “Are you watching? Did you see?”

Justin flicked the holoscreen back to the twins, and we quickly reviewed the last several minutes.

“Yeah! You guys got the flag! Good job!” I said with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“Excellent job, boys! What are you going to play next?” Justin asked a moment later.

Daniel said something over his shoulder, presumably conferring with his twin. “We’re going to play Heroes and Bandits. The sim is resetting in two minutes.”

Justin nodded. “Okay. We’ll be watching!”

I grinned and waved as my nephew ducked back into the playground. “What was that you said about not training to kill people?” I asked with a smirk. “I’m actually a little surprised they have simulators for such young kids.”

“Protecting people from ‘bad guys’ isn’t the same as war games and battle royales,” Justin said with a huff. “And the technology is supposed to be safe, so there’s no reason not to allow the kids to use it.”

I watched the holoscreen with interest as the boys and their friends rescued a group of simulated adventurers from simulated bandits. I could easily see the training value of such games.

Most of my feelings of dissonance had evaporated after the first few days of spending time with my family. I’d even grown used to the boys’ exuberance and rambunctiousness… in short doses.

It really was amazing how quickly one could adapt to new settings.

“So… you’re heading out with the Patriarch tomorrow?” Justin asked casually. We’d already discussed my plans, so I understood his question for what it was.

“I am,” I said. “I’ll be back before the kids’ break. You still want to go with me to visit Earth, right?”

“We do,” Justin replied before hesitating. “Are you sure what you’re planning to do is safe? Didn’t you say something about mana wells killing people?”

“I’m not completely certain,” I admitted.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Though the mana well was on a Tier Four world, that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous to someone at Tier Eight. It should mean that, but reality didn’t always follow logic.

“That’s part of the reason why I don’t mind Master Kairos coming along,” I continued. “If something does go wrong, he’ll be able to help. But you really shouldn’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Justin narrowed his eyes at my statement. “I hope you’re right. It would be crazy for you to survive the dungeon and die on some barely mid-tier world.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promised.

----------------------------------------

“Benefactor Kairos! It’s so lovely to see you!” a woman in black robes said as she stood and quickly bowed in greeting. “I’ve let the Branch Leader know you’re here already. She should arrive shortly.”

Master Kairos had informed me years earlier that he’d purchased the land containing the mana well and then leased it to an allied sect, so seeing the black-robed sect members wasn’t much of a surprise.

I wasn’t sure why the mana well hadn’t been developed or exploited in the other timeline, but it didn’t really matter in this timeline. What mattered was that I could still gain access to the resource.

I’d also asked Master Kairos to ensure that Ros would be granted access after he awakened without an affinity. It was the least I could do for someone who’d done so much for me.

As far as I knew, he’d visited shortly after awakening and had gained an affinity. Master Kairos hadn’t said anything about him beyond informing me about his successful acquisition, but I knew he still kept track of my old friend’s status.

The fact that I hadn’t asked about any of my former party members after being informed that the messages I’d sent had been received made me feel like a bad person. But I planned to change that now that I was out of the dungeon.

“Welcome!” a very attractive dark-haired woman in embroidered robes said as she appeared out of nowhere. I got the sense that her movement was a form of teleportation, though one that functioned with Arcane instead of Space mana.

“Greetings, Branch Leader Unity,” Master Kairos said with a short bow. I copied him, going just a bit lower as etiquette dictated. “Thank you for accommodating my former disciple.”

“Oh, it’s our pleasure,” the woman assured him before turning to me with a wide smile. “It is wonderful to meet a rare Tri-Affinity Mage, especially one with an Arcane affinity! I’d be happy to guide you to the VIP meditation chamber within the mana well if you’re ready now.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. I turned to Master Kairos. “I’ll message you when I’m done?”

“That sounds fine. I have some things to check on, anyway.”

I nodded and turned back to the Branch Leader. “I’m ready, thank you.”

The dark-haired Branch Leader took a sample of my mana to verify my affinity and add me as an authorized person for their wards. Once that was complete, she gracefully led me through the building and out a back door leading to the enclosed grove.

The entire area was surrounded by the pentagon-shaped building we’d just exited, preventing any unauthorized ground access to the mana well.

It wouldn’t stop someone who could teleport, though I imagined the ward she’d mentioned would prevent such methods by those who were not approved.

The edge of the grove was just like I remembered. The turquoise leaves and deep brown trunks of the surrounding trees were dappled with flecks of black as if someone had misted the area in a thin spray of black paint.

A few dark flowers sprouted in clusters that thickened as we drew closer to the open meadow in the center – one I’d only heard of since Ros had insisted we keep our distance when we visited in the other timeline.

Unlike the ragged hole Ros had described, the entrance to the mana well was cleanly cut and led to a set of carved stairs. The access point was covered by a small building, too small for anything beyond the hole leading into the ground.

Around the tiny building, I noticed several gaps in the earth hidden within clusters of black flowers. It looked like someone had taken scoops out of the ground and replaced the dirt with crystalline bowls.

Seeing my gaze, Branch Leader Unity said, “Those serve as skylights, allowing the various rooms to have natural sunlight.”

“Are there a lot of rooms below?”

“Not a lot,” the Arcane Mage replied. “There are only a few that have been stripped of any usable mana crystals. The harvesting process is very slow, but the empty space is excellent for those with an Arcane affinity.”

“Do you get a lot of visitors?” I asked.

Leader Unity pursed her lips as she paused by the entrance to the mana well. “Not normally. We’ve had a couple of new visitors who are connected enough to be allowed access. But there should be no issues with crowding. You’ll be granted exclusive access to the VIP Meditation room for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you.”

The woman nodded before asking, “Do you have an estimate of how long you plan to stay?”

“Not really,” I replied honestly. “It mostly depends on how effective Meditating in the well is.”

I followed the Branch Leader down the carved staircase.

A figure sat cross-legged opposite the base of the stairs, but he seemed to ignore our presence as we made our way into the darkened stone cavern. Light from the crystal above illuminated the modest space while reflecting off tiny slivers of mana crystal left behind during harvesting.

A larger illuminated room was down a narrow hallway to the left, while two smaller rooms were off to the right. Through Spatial Sense, I noted a meditating figure in the closest cavern room on the right and two individuals harvesting mana crystals in the room a bit deeper.

The Branch Leader motioned me toward the room to the left. I thanked my guide and quickly set up a protective formation around the perimeter of the room. While I didn’t think there was any risk within the mana well, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

At a minimum, the formation would alert me if someone tried to enter the space.

Once the formation was active, I settled onto the cushion waiting in the middle of the room and closed my eyes.

The Arcane mana was dense, far beyond what should be present on a Tier Four world.

There was also another energy. It was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

Was it essence?

There were theories that the rare energy might be somehow involved in affinity growth, though it was almost impossible to prove since essence was not containable, or even really measurable.

It was like dark energy for scientists on pre-integration Earth. They knew it existed, but had no real way of interacting with or sensing it beyond noticing how it impacted other types of energy.

Unlike mana, essence would not solidify into crystals, nor could it be absorbed by other materials.

It didn’t help that essence was only rarely found on Sira or in the exceedingly rare variant of mana well. As far as anyone knew, both occurrences were temporary since both sources eventually ran dry.

I wasn’t sure if this mana well had essence, but since Ros had awoken his affinity here in both timelines, there seemed to be decent odds for it.

I could feel the odd energy moving. Most of it was coming from behind me, and I wondered idly if there was a source in that direction.

I could usually influence energy – or rather, mana – by focusing on it and willing it toward me. However, the new energy I sensed was stubborn.

As I focused on the energy, the mass split. Half moved closer while the other half began trailing around the edge of the cavern room.

Though I didn’t sense anything beyond the energy via Spatial Sense, I still opened my eyes to see if I could catch a glimpse of the odd energy – whether it be essence or something else.

Even with Mana Sight, I saw nothing but a hazy blur.

Like the energy itself, there was something familiar about the sight. Narrowing my eyes, I looked more closely at the odd energy that hovered just a few feet away.

With a sudden jolt of recognition, I teleported out of the cavern and onto the surface.

I knew exactly what kind of energy that was, and it sure as heck wasn’t essence.

With an angry frown, I targeted the entire mana well and cast Stasis.