I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling while Aria hummed in the bathroom. The transport gate we'd used yesterday... it had worked perfectly to bring us back from that alternate Earth. Could it be my ticket home?

The thought gave me pause. Even though I'd grown more accepting of this body and its nature, it didn't mean I should abandon hope of returning. But what would I find there? Was my original body still around? The idea that the real Lily might be trapped in my old form, just as confused and displaced as I had been, nagged at me.

Gods, I hoped she hadn't ended up in some psychiatric ward.

My fingers traced the silk sheets as I made my decision. This weekend, I would find a way back to Earth - my Earth - and check on my body. But first, I needed to figure out how to operate that transport gate.

Yesterday, I'd watched Professor Auriel carefully. She'd activated specific runes before we stepped through - coordinates perhaps? Professor Morrigan had mentioned Rune Magic in passing during one of her lectures. Could that be the key?

I sat up, my mind racing. The library would have information about transport gates specifically, not just general teleportation magic. Meridia might raise an eyebrow at the topics, but she'd help me find what I needed.

I needed to understand exactly how those gates worked, how to enter specific coordinates. More importantly, I needed to figure out how to reach my specific Earth among what must be countless alternatives.

The bathroom door clicked, and I quickly smoothed my expression. Aria emerged in a cloud of steam, and I pushed my plotting aside for now. After classes, I'd visit the library again.

"You've been awfully quiet since Biology. Still thinking about that mailman?" Aria nudged my shoulder as we walked down the corridor.

"Stop it." I rolled my eyes, but her teasing made me consider something. Maybe keeping everything, secret wasn't the best approach. A partial truth might actually help deflect suspicion.

"If you must know, I was thinking about the transport gate. I wondered if we could use it to visit other mortal realms this weekend."

Aria's eyes lit up. "Whatever you're planning, count me in!"

"Planning what?" Isabella's smooth voice came from behind us as she fell into step beside me.

"Lily wants to go play with mortals this weekend," Aria practically bounced with excitement.

Isabella raised an elegant eyebrow, waiting for explanation.

I sighed. "We have some free time, and I thought... well, there must be so many different places out there. I'd like to see what they're like."

A knowing chuckle escaped Isabella's lips. "Ah, I understand completely. I was the same way when I first used the transport gate. Though I should warn you - the novelty wears off rather quickly after your first few worlds."

I felt relief wash over me as Isabella and Aria misinterpreted my interest in transport gates. Their assumption that I simply wanted to explore new realms worked perfectly as cover for my true intentions.

"I need to check something in the library first," I said. "I'll catch up with you two later?"

"Don't study too hard," Aria called after me as I headed toward the

I pushed open the heavy library doors, immediately greeted by the familiar sight of floating books drifting between towering shelves. The scent of old parchment and leather bindings filled my nose.

Meridia sat at her desk, dark circles under her eyes as usual. She glanced up from her tome with that perpetually exhausted expression.

"Back again so soon?" she asked in her monotone voice.

"Yes, I need some specific materials this time," I said, approaching her desk. "Books about Transport Gates - their mechanics, activation methods, and if possible, a list of known gates and their coordinates."

Meridia's eyebrow crept upward slightly. "Your interests grow more peculiar by the day." She gave a lazy shrug of her shoulders. "But I suppose it's too much effort to care about why you want them."

With minimal movement, she raised one pale hand. Several books detached themselves from different shelves, floating through the air in graceful arcs before landing in a neat stack on her desk. She gathered them up and held them out to me.

"Here. Everything we have on the subject."

"Thank you." I accepted the stack of books, noting the varying thicknesses and ages of the volumes.

I found an empty desk tucked away in a quiet corner, far from the few other students scattered throughout the library. Setting down my new research materials, I settled into the chair and pulled the first book toward me.

I closed the leather-bound tome with a soft thud, my mind processing the information I'd just uncovered. The answer had been simpler than expected - activating these Transport Gates didn't require complex magical knowledge at all.

Despite the gates being constructed with advanced Runecraft techniques we hadn't covered in class yet, using one was straightforward. All I needed to do was channel mana into the runes in the correct sequence. The gate would handle the complicated parts on its own.

My excitement dimmed slightly as I flipped through the coordinates appendix. Finding the right sequence posed the real challenge. The list contained around a thousand different Earths, each with its own set of coordinates and cryptic names like "Earth-387" or "Earth-Ω"

Stolen novel; please report.

I rubbed my temples, scanning the endless columns of numbers and names. Cross-referencing these would take ages. Without knowing which Earth was my original home, I'd have to methodically compare details about each one.

"This could take weeks," I muttered, staring at the seemingly endless list of possible destinations. Even if I memorized the activation sequence, picking the wrong Earth would just waste time and energy.

I gathered the books and approached Meridia's desk, where she lounged with her feet propped up, levitating a cup of tea.

"Excuse me, I could use some help finding a specific Earth."

"Mhm?" Her eyelids drooped as she took a sip.

"I'm looking for one with particular historical events. There was the Roman Empire that conquered most of Europe. Two massive world wars in the twentieth century - the first one had trench warfare and ended in 1918, the second involved Germany and ended in 1945."

Meridia's hand lazily waved, summoning a thin volume that drifted over. She flipped through it without touching the pages.

"That narrows it down. British Empire? United States? Cold War between America and Soviet Union?"

"Yes, exactly!" The familiar history felt comforting to describe.

"Hmm. Could be Earth-2, Earth-5a, or Earth-23b. Those match the major events you mentioned." She yawned. "Want the detailed logs for those?"

"Please, if it's not too much trouble." I stacked the gate operation manuals. "And I'm done with these."

The books floated out of my arms while three new volumes drifted down from different shelves.

"Here. Basic overviews of those Earths. Return them whenever." She waved dismissively, already closing her eyes.

"Thank you." I gathered the new books and headed back to my secluded desk, eager to find which Earth was truly home.

I flipped through the first book, quickly dismissing Earth-02. The detailed accounts of open magical warfare between nations and dragons soaring over cities definitely didn't match my memories.

My heart raced as I opened the Earth-5a volume. The familiar historical events lined up perfectly - same countries, same wars, same technological progress. Though the information seemed outdated, ending somewhere in the 1970s, it described a world where magic and supernatural beings existed in secret, known only to governments and select organizations.

I almost closed it, certain this couldn't be my Earth. I distinctly remembered a world without magic. But then I paused, a realization hitting me - of course I hadn't known about magic. I was just a regular person there, part of the general public kept in the dark.

The Earth-23b tome proved this point further as I skimmed its pages. The book described a world where the Soviet Union had developed mind control technology, leading to a drastically different Cold War. This was certainly nothing like the history I remembered.

My fingers trembled slightly as I wrote down the gate coordinates for Earth-5a, particularly the sequence that would open a portal directly to London. Just to be thorough, I copied down the addresses to other cities too.

I gathered the books and brought them back to Meridia's desk. Without even opening her eyes, she lifted a finger. The volumes floated from my arms and zipped back to their proper places on the towering shelves.

I pushed open our dorm room door, my mind still churning with thoughts about returning home. Aria sprawled across her bed, a glossy magazine spread before her. The pages displayed various male models in provocative poses, leaving little to imagination.

"There you are!" Aria rolled onto her side, giving me a sly grin. "What took so long? Find someone interesting to play with in the library?"

I shook my head, settling onto my own bed. "Nothing like that. Just researching different worlds."

"Oh right!" She perked up, tossing aside her magazine. "You mentioned wanting to travel on the weekend. Find anything good?"

"Well..." I chose my words carefully, describing the familiar world I'd left behind. "There's this place with massive cities full of tall buildings made of steel and glass. People drive these metal vehicles called cars, and there are even machines that let them fly through the air."

"Flying machines?" Aria sat up straighter, violet eyes sparkling with interest.

"They're called airplanes. And everyone carries these small devices that let them talk to anyone else instantly, or access information about anything they want to know."

"That sounds exciting!" Aria bounced on her bed.

"The funny thing is, most mortals there think magic and demons are just stories - myths and legends." I traced patterns on my bedsheet, remembering how I used to think the same way.

Aria's eyes widened. "Wait, they don't know about us at all?"

"Not a clue. They write books about demons and make movies about them, but it's all fiction to them."

She jumped up, pacing with excitement. "Oh, that's perfect! Just imagine how much fun we could have there. All those unsuspecting mortals..." Her tail swished back and forth. "Picture their faces when we drop our glamour while feeding. The shock, the awe-"

"Yeah, bet some would even willingly offer themselves if they knew we were succubi," I muttered under my breath, not meaning for her to hear.

But Aria's demon hearing caught every word. She whirled around, face lit up like a hellfire lamp. "Yes! That's brilliant! We could start a cult dedicated to us. Get followers to worship us. Build up a whole network of willing prey-"

"Aria, no." I sat up straight. "We can't reveal ourselves there. It's completely off limits."

Her excitement deflated slightly. "But why not?"

"Magic still exists in that world, but it's hidden from the public eye. We don't want to attract attention from any demon hunters." I wasn't actually sure if demon hunters existed there, but better safe than sorry.

Aria flopped back onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. "You're such a killjoy, Lily." She rolled her eyes but gave me a small smile. "Fine, you're probably right. We'll keep the glamour on."

A strange feeling washed over me as I realized I'd been discussing the trip in terms of "we" the whole time. When had I started thinking about bringing Aria and Isabella along? My original plan had been to sneak away alone, find my old body, and...what exactly?

I glanced at Aria, who was now humming while flipping through her magazine again. The thought of leaving her behind made my chest tighten unexpectedly. Even Isabella, with her calculated political moves, had become someone I trusted more than I'd planned.

"Hey, you okay?" Aria looked up, noticing my silence. "You got all quiet and broody."

"Just thinking about logistics," I said, which wasn't entirely a lie. "We'll need to split up to cover more ground when we visit. Different areas might have different things worth seeing."

"Ooh, good point." She nodded sagely. "Plus Isabella probably has her own agenda anyway. She always does."

Perfect. They were already expecting us to separate at times. When we got there, I could easily slip away for an hour or two - just enough time to track down my old apartment, check on my body, maybe leave some kind of message for my family.

The weekend couldn't come fast enough. But at least now I had a proper plan. Well, the beginnings of one.

"You're doing it again," Aria complained, throwing a pillow at my head.

I snatched it mid-air with my supernatural reflexes, still amazed by them. "Doing what?"

"That thing where you get lost in your head and forget I exist." She pouted playfully. "Stop planning so much. We've got days before the weekend."

I tossed Aria's pillow back at her. "You're right. I've spent too much time in the library today."

"Finally, she admits it!" Aria caught the pillow and hugged it to her chest. "You know what would help clear your head?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She glanced meaningfully at Bellas, who was organizing our study materials at the desk. His muscular back rippled as he moved, the blonde hair glistening in the light.

"Come on," she purred. "You've been so serious all day. Let's have some fun before bed."

My body responded instantly to her suggestion, demonic instincts flooding my system with desire. The research could wait. The plans, the coordinates, my old life - it would all still be there tomorrow.

"Alright," I conceded, watching Aria's face light up. "You win."

She bounced off her bed and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward Bellas. "That's more like it!"