“So you actually live in a giant castle now?” Emily teased her brother as he led her into a private dining room.

“One with temperature control, indoor plumbing and magical lighting,” Orlan replied dryly, “I actually considered having and electrical system put in, but the technology on the other side wasn’t up to my standard.”

“So you came back to this world just so you could have access to a computer again? All these beautiful warrior maidens not keeping you entertained?”

“It’s not like that, and you know it,” the Protector Lord sighed as he offered his sister a seat a the small dining table.

“We are his wives though,” Lailra added with a mischievous grin as she sat down as well.

“Only by legal technicality,” Orlan groaned.

“I was going to ask what kind isekai you got, the dark brutal kind or the power fantasy one, but if you have a whole harem of hotties, guess that answers my question,” Emily smirked as Orlan sat down.

“Despite appearances, it was pretty brutal on the other side,” Orlan admitted, “coming back to this side has been more of a power fantasy than when I was dragged over there.”

“The first couple years were quite difficult,” Lailra confirmed when Emily shot her a glance, “he was only first sphere upon arriving and I often had to drag him back to the protectorate half dead.”

“Oh,” Emily replied, her smile fading, “sorry for making light of it. How did that happen? The whole ending up in another world thing that is.”

“That’s… partly my fault,” Lailra said with a grimace, “my village had been destroyed by a beast rift, with only myself and a few other survivors seeking refuge in the forest. There was an Absent Protectorate near our village and we’d hoped one day it would be claimed.”

“An Absent Protectorate is one that lacks a bonded Protector Lord,” Orlan explained, “there’s about two dozen Protectorates on the other side, with only half active at any given time, at least in modern history. The others are called Absent.”

“And a Protectorate is this floating island thing?” Emily asked, receiving a nod from Orlan, “why not just find someone to activate them, if they’re that useful?”

“Because magic is never simple. Magic is heavily reliant on emotion, feelings and willpower. There is no scientific method when it comes to magic as it works differently for everyone. A spell I might be able to cast at first sphere someone else might not be able to cast until third. Even enchanted items are altered by their user. For something as powerful and complex as one of these Protectorates there are often quite specific requirements for forming a bond. And for many of them, those requirements are partly or entirely unknown.”

“Which is why when a group of mages approached us, claiming to have a spell able to summon a Protector Lord for the Absent Protectorate, I jumped at the chance,” Lailra continued her story, “They needed more mages of at least forth sphere to assist with the casting. I was the most powerful mage in my village at forth sphere, so I jumped at the chance. I was angry, there was someone out there who could have saved my friends and family but they were absent. So even when they told me the summoning spell would enslave the Protector Lord I was happy to help.”

“I take it the spell didn’t work as advertised?” Emily asked as Lailra paused to pour a cup of tea from a steaming mug on the table.

“Actually, it worked almost perfectly,” Lailra replied, “we think that it’s only because of the nature of this Protectorate that it worked, since our theory is that it requires someone born on this side of the worlds. The name for it on the other side is now the ‘Otherworld Protectorate.’ So, because of it’s nature the spell worked, and summoned Orlan.”

“So he was a slave?”

“He would have been, but his inherent ability is Void Strike, which gives him access to void mana,” Lailra said with a slight smile, “instinctively he activated this ability to burn away the slave mark. Seeing this the other mages would have killed him, but they were exhausted from casting the summoning spell and a Protector Lord on his Protectorate is practically a god. Even without knowing how magic worked, and thinking this was some kind of nightmare, he killed or chased off the mages.”

“And you?”

“I didn’t care that he wasn’t enslaved, that he had bonded with the Protectorate was enough for me, and I stepped in to help him when the others turned on him.”

“It took her hours to convince me it was all real,” Orlan said with a bit of a smirk.

“And stop you from running around the keep naked,” Lailra replied, Orlan having the good grace to look embarrassed.

“Turns out those mages were part of a cult or something, and wanted the power of a Protectorate, when they learned their spell worked, they tried to kill me. Presumably so they could retry it and get a proper enslaved Protector Lord,” Orlan added, “between that and fighting beasts with only Lailra for support… I’ll just say I’m not proud of how I acted.”

“I see,” Emily said slowly, taking a sip of her own tea as a couple maids entered to serve them. From what she remembered of her brother, he hadn’t been the most stable or mature when he vanished. Suffering from depression and a lack of drive, thrust into a situation that stressful she could easily see him shutting down completely. That was how he’d been after their father died. Like that, in a strange world, persued by murderous cultists and terrible monsters…

“It seems I have to thank you for looking after my idiot brother, Lailra was it?” Emily said, giving the other woman a warm smile.

“Nallia also joined us in the first year,” Lailra demurred, “so I wasn’t entirely alone.”

“Nallia is busy tonight, by the way, I wanted her to be here, but she decided to do some research,” Orlan answered the question before Emily could ask.

“She got lost in playing with that phone thing you mean,” Lailra replied, “she’s always been a bit of a bookworm but with access to the ‘internet’ she’s been… obsessed.”

Orlan didn’t add that she was attempting to find more information on what he’d heard from Theodor. Perhaps he’d been naïve to think that this side wouldn’t have any secrets, but to find there were a number of divine level relics controlled by an unknown group who was unfriendly was worrying to say the least. They could only hope that those items had very strict activation requirements like the Protectorate did.

“Anyways,” Orlan said, changing the subject as they began to eat, “now you know what I’ve been up to, what about you? You have children now?”

“Yup, three,” Emily nodded, “the oldest is fourteen and the twins are twelve. I only have one husband but I’m happy.”

“The whole married thing is only legal convention,” Orlan insisted in an overly dramatic strained tone, Emily smiling that she still could still annoy her brother.

“We also moved to Florida, couldn’t stand the New York anymore. The traffic, crime, poor public schools…” she shook her head, “not to mention everything is so expensive up there. Not as exciting as being pursued by some magical cult in another world, but…”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Sounds like things have gotten more exciting over the last year though,” Orlan commented, “since the rifts started appearing.”

“It’s been worrying, but the government has been assuring us we’re safe. Paul, my husband, did get a shotgun a few months back though.”

“Not a bad idea, the most dangerous part of a rift event is the first few minutes, when the beasts first start appearing. Even a nonmagical weapon can be the difference between life and death.”

“If you find a magical shotgun that allows a middle aged mother of three to use it let me know,” Emily smirked.

“Oh, no, not an enchanted weapon, just a magical one,” Orlan said after a moment, “a magical item is one imbued with mana, it’ll be stronger, and heavier than a mundane item, but typically won’t have any additional effects. My shirt is a magical item, imbued to tier four but beyond being more durable than normal cloth it’s still just a shirt. The Protectorate and my spear, on the other hand, are enchanted items. They have special abilities and unique powers, making them far more powerful and useful, but that also comes with them having a… call it a personality. A will of their own. That’s where the requirements for use come from.”

“I… think I understand,” Emily said slowly.

“Anyone can use a magical item, but enchanted items are alive and pick who can or can’t use them and when they can or can’t be used,” Lailra offered.

“Like I said, magic is weird,” Orlan shrugged, “normally I’d offer you a magical weapon or two but a modern shotgun is probably better than a magical musket.”

“Could you teach me magic?” Emily asked with a grin.

“We could, but it’s risky,” replied Orlan, pausing for a moment before continuing, “we’ve found that a number of people on this side are, to put it simply, allergic to mana. We think it’s because there hasn’t been much mana on this side so the condition has gone unnoticed.”

“And the only way to test for it is to have you absorb some mana and wait for a reaction,” Lailra added, picking up a bit of fruit from her plate and focusing on it, the grilled fruit glowing with a soft green light, “I’ve imbued this fruit with a tiny amount of mana, enough to get a reaction if you have the allergy but probably not enough to kill.”

“I… see,” said Emily, eyeing the bit of fruit, “what are the chances I have a mana allergy?”

“Around one in twelve from what little data we’ve gathered,” Orlan said.

Emily nodded, hesitantly reaching out towards the piece of fruit, pausing just short of it before sighing and lowering her arm.

“I can’t take that chance,” she said, “as much as I’d like magic, being a parent changes things. I won’t risk leaving my kids without a parent.”

“I think that’s the wise answer,” Lailra said with a grin, popping the fruit into her mouth, “looking after your children is, in my opinion, a calling at least as great as being a Protector Lord.”

“Do you have any kids?” Emily asked.

“Nope, someone’s been too focused on his job to think about children,” replied the other woman with a subtle glance at Orlan.

“But he’s the one you’d have them with?” Orlan’s sister asked, a devious glint in her eyes, “does he even realize?”

“He can be dense but he’s not stupid.”

“We’ve also got plenty of time,” Orlan interrupted with a dry stare at the two women, “at our level we can expect to live several hundred years.”

“I was wondering why you looked so young, I was planning to ask what your secret was,” Emily said, “that makes it more tempting to learn magic.”

“Once your children leave the nest you can come back,” Lailra said, “then you can teach them.”

“By then we should, hopefully, be able to identify those with soul blight, a mana allergy, without harming them,” Orlan nodded.

“Something to look forward to then,” Emily nodded, taking another bite of her meal before looking up with a serious expression, “tell me honestly, is my family safe? Will people be coming after us to get to you? I’ve been thinking about it ever since this morning and I can’t stop worrying.”

“I… don’t know,” Orlan admitted, “I’m not even sure who my enemies are, much less what they want.”

“If you want, you and your family could move into the castle for a bit,” Lailra offered.

“And take my kids out of school? No,” Emily shook her head immediately, “it’s kind of you to offer but, if our world is changing and magic is real now I want them to get as much normalcy as they can while it lasts.”

“I understand,” Lailra nodded, smiling warmly at the other woman, “but the offer will remain if you change your mind.”

“Thanks. But that’s enough serious talk for now, it’s been years since I’ve seen my little brother, so tell me,” said Emily, leaning towards Lailra, “would you like to know some embarrassing stories about him?”

“Oh, do tell,” Lailra replied with a conspiratorial grin as Orlan sighed, nearly banging his head into the table.

\-\-\-\-\-

“Alright, focus,” Topaz said as Amy held out her hand, “feel for the energy within you, and imagine it flowing down your arm and out your palm.”

Amy nodded, closing her eyes and reaching inside herself. Her mana was soft, yet all covering, like a thick blanket, and moving it was odd. Simply imagining it moving wasn’t enough, she had to immerse herself in the feeling before encouraging it to move. She’d been practicing for the last week, but now was her first attempt at summoning a spell circle. Apparently, you had to let a sphere settle before using it or you risked damaging it.

So as eager as she was to attempt magic, actual magic, something part of her still couldn’t believe, she’d waited. But now she guided the energy up her arm, it felt like her blood had turned cool and thick, branching at random as it traveled along the limb. She had to be careful, trying to force the mana would only cause it to seize up and retract back into her soul, she was simply guiding the energy, not controlling it directly. This process was different for every person, apparently, so the sisters couldn’t offer much advice beyond the general. But they were helpful enough that, with Lady White watching on from a distance, she felt the energy reach her palm.

Grinning she pictured it flowing out of her hand and into the air before her and, after a moment, a single circle of energy appeared before her outstretched palm. Amy smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but as she did the circle flickered and vanished.

“Wait, damnit!”

“Well done!” Topaz said with a smile, “you got he full circle to appear, that’s good!”

“But why form a circle? I wasn’t imagining a shape.”

“We don’t call your soul ‘spheres’ for nothing,” Topaz answered, “what you’re doing by pushing the mana out is projecting your soul. But the projection is flat, so what does a sphere look like if you flatten it?”

“A circle!” Ruby cheered, hugging Amy, “you’re a natural!”

“How do you two cast so quickly?” Amy asked as she returned Ruby’s hug, “I’ve seen you cast spells in an instant, but it took me nearly a minute to coax my mana out. Is it just practice?”

“Partly,” replied Topaz, glaring at her sister, “as you get better with mana you’ll be able to summon it faster and easier, but mostly it’s that you’re only first sphere. The more spheres you have, the faster you can cast the lower spheres. The difference is quite stark too, Lord Orlan, who’s currently fifth sphere, can cast multiple first sphere spells at once almost without thought.”

“You’ll get there!” Ruby added.

“Alright, so, what’s next? Going to teach me a spell?” Amy asked, stepping away from Ruby and lifting her arm again.

“Nope, now you are going to keep practicing summoning the spell circle till you can maintain it for thirty seconds,” Topaz shook her head, “If you want to be a Protector Knight, first you have to master the basics.”

Amy took a breath and, suppressing a sigh, nodded, calling upon her mana once more. Despite magic being, well, magic, it still required practice it seemed.

\-\-\-\-\-

“Lord, you’re here,” Nallia said, barely looking up from the projection of Amy’s first sphere.

“You missed a fun dinner,” Orlan replied.

“I found something,” the woman spoke, pointing at a part of the projection, “it’s very slight, but there’s a spike right there.”

“And?”

“I looked through the Grandmaster’s library,” she said, gesturing to several large tomes opened on a nearby table, “spikes don’t form with soul runes. In every example I’ve ever seen soul spheres are smooth, rounded. No hard edges much less spikes.”

“And?” Orlan asked, leaning in to squint at the area she’d pointed to, “could just be a flaw in the spell.”

“I considered that, but no, the spell completed successfully.”

“So there is a difference between the soul runes of this side and the other?”

“Possible, but unlikely, the other runes are the same,” she shook her head, “no, I found another explanation, but it’s not one you’re going to like. These spikes can form when someone creates a new sphere while a spell is affecting them. As the mana crystalizes it follows the spell link, forming a spike. Thankfully the spike will collapse after a few days, and have no lasting effects.”

“But a spell was cast on her? One of the knights cast something maybe?”

“No, this was an active spell that was influencing her. It might still be in place.”

“You’re right, I don’t like this,” Orlan said after a minute pondering the possibilities, “have you tested her for active spells?”

“Not yet, I wanted to inform you first.”

“Do it, according to Theo there might be other people on this side who can use magic already.”

“I’ll do it now,” Nallia started only for Orlan to grab her shoulder.

“No, go eat first,” he ordered, meeting her eyes. Despite her outward lack of expression he was good at reading her, so while she might look normal to anyone else he could tell she was stressed. She didn’t like secrets, likely one of the reasons she had light mana, so learning of such a big, and dangerous secret as the bomb Theo had dropped on them had sent her into a researching craze.

“Of course, my lord,” she nodded after a moment, turning to walk the other way, the projection flickering out behind her.