The Dragonspire Galaxy was called that because it was a cluster of star systems that swirled like a dragon's tail, Reina said. Earth was in its outer reaches—the frontier.

The civilized parts of the Galaxy lay at its heart. The ‘Corrupted regions’—a mess of Monsters and Corruption and dungeons—ranged around the edges, running out through the emptiness of the Universe.

Earth was stranded in between.

The World Tree Ancestors told Reina the civilized parts were controlled by the Nine Great Factions. The chaotic regions were vast uncharted territories.

The System would protect and hide these frontier sectors from Monster invasion while they weren't integrated yet. But once Integration happened, Monsters would often pass through—and higher and higher level dungeons would spawn too...

The Ancestor Elves said Earth would need protection, Reina said. She looked puzzled—lips pursed, like she was still trying to process it all.

"What about that Monster Wave thing,” said Zane. “Named Monsters? The things the System warned about.”

“They didn't say much about it,” murmured Reina. "They were mostly just giving me a primer, I think… they did mention Monster Waves. From what they did say, it seems like the era we're in is called a ‘Chaos Cycle?’ It's many hundreds of thousands of years—and what they call the ‘yin and yang energies’—the amounts of Corruption essence and essence—wax and wane as these Cycles go on..."

She looked worried. “The ‘Valoran Ancestor’ said we're nearing a high point of Corruption… more and more Monsters are spawning, and being empowered by these high Corruption densities, and breaking out of dungeons. Soon there might be some kind of tide that swamps the frontier regions and attacks the Nine Great Factions’ territories. It could happen as soon as ten years’ time.”

She said they were offering Earth protection. Offering to send protective arrays, and patrols of World Tree Faction disciples. Even an Elder to help shield Earth when it was most vulnerable.

"They seemed eager to get on my good side," said Reina. "And they were very apologetic about what happened in the Superdungeon. They blamed it on the last High Priest of the World Tree Faction— he one who kept sending me those dud treasures… he’s dead—that's where the System punishment struck. He came from one of the ‘Great Families’ of in the Faction, the ‘Arandor family’—and these families all seem to be rivals. Now that the Arandors are falling, they’re rising. And they want a good relationship with me. I assume to cement their position? I think—I think I’m rather important to the Faction…”

She trailed off. It was rare she got this rambly and hesitant—she usually had her thoughts sorted quite neatly. She bit her lip. She could handle a lot, but Zane could tell even she was feeling a little overwhelmed.

Zane considered it too.

He wasn't sure what to make of all this either. He still wasn’t totally over the strange things that had happened in the Superdungeon. Even if it ended up true that the worst of them had already been punished...

“Do you trust these guys?” he said.

"...I'm not sure," said Reina, hesitating. “I think they’re telling the truth about the Monster Waves, at least.”

He wanted to be at her side. The thought of her going alone, into strange and maybe risky territory… Zane shuffled uncomfortably.

“I’m pretty sure, though,” said Reina. “That they need me. They’re making a big show of playing nice. And they’re going through a lot of effort to make good with me, in binding terms… They included a one-way soul contract—it pledges them to be in my service and to keep me from harm. It’s tradition for all their Elders and Ancestors to sign—it’s their way of swearing their fealty. I’ll have to look it over more. But it looks… I can’t find any loopholes, at first glance…”

She pursed her lips. “There’s definitely some politics at play. But I think there’s a lot of opportunities too. This could help us—help Earth—a lot.”

That was the issue, Zane felt. He’d feel a lot better about this strange new world if he could put his body between her and the threat. He much preferred threats he could get his hands on.

Right now he felt a bit helpless, standing there blinking.

When it came to these softer things he knew she could take care of herself. He wasn’t sure about this power struggle going on in the background—but if they thought they could get away with taking advantage of her, or manipulating her.. they had another thing coming.

“If you believe that,” he said at last. “It’s good enough for me.”

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She nodded.

He hesitated. “Does it say how long you have to stay there?”

She smiled in a relieved sort of way. She could tell what he was worried about.

It was rare he got this worked up; he was still shuffling, a bit antsy.

She took his hand. She spoke to him gently, like she was trying to calm a stressed bull. She assured him she would find a way so they could be together. She promised she would never leave him long. Not being with him was a non-starter for her.

“I’m meant to be their High Priestess. And they're bending over backwards to please me. By the sounds of it, I’ve got quite some power...” She narrowed her eyes. “They couldn’t take you from me if they tried.”

She kissed him.

…He felt much better about things after that.

***

The next letter came for Evan. And this one was a lot less dramatic than Reina's—but still shocking in its own way.

The scroll dropped gently to the ground, wreathed in a halo of golden light. It smelled of cozy things, of warm hearths and freshly baked cookies. Evan gasped. He dashed over and picked it up.

He read it, then read it again, then looked up, eyes shining. Then he started babbling quite excitedly.

He asked Zane if Zane remembered the master baker who had taken him under his wing years ago and taught him the secrets of great cookies and then mysteriously vanished.

“Sounds vaguely familiar,” said Zane.

It turned out that master baker was the head of the Faction of Light all along. His real title was the ‘Constellation King.’

“What,” said Zane.

The Constellation King had followed a line of fate to Earth, which told him Evan could be one of the Chosen of their Faction in the future. So he went to go check Evan out and was pleased with what he saw. Now he said Evan was ready.

At first Zane was a bit taken aback. Then he thought about it. Somehow it did seem like the kind of thing that would happen to Evan.

The Constellation King wanted to offer a chance for Evan to become an Outer Faction Chosen. That would put him on the fast track to becoming an Inner Faction member—and then eventually even his personal disciple, if Evan did really well. Then he would teach Evan the secret recipe to making the best cookie in the Dragonspire galaxy. As well as a lot of other important things. Things that could make Evan a hero.

“He says if I accept it won’t be easy,” cried Evan. “But if I do well, I could help save the Galaxy once and for all!”

It wasn’t just Evan’s eyes that were shining now—his whole little body was. He was so excited he was shivering.

He tackled Zane in a hug. With Sage Mind, Zane felt a little ball of pure joy currently latched onto his belly. He blinked down at the boy and remembered back when they met at that Titansteel Tree dungeon.

Evan had also been a little ball then, but a ball of fear, shivering and curled up under a tree… it felt like a lifetime ago.

Zane patted him on the head. There was a strange knot of warmth in his chest that wouldn’t go away. Lots of strange feelings in his chest today. “You did very well,” said Zane. Evan was the best bird anyone could ask for.

Evan looked up. “But if I go does that mean we won’t go on adventures anymore?” he said. His bright blue eyes were a little watery.

Zane wasn’t sure.

But Reina spoke up just then. “Hold that thought,” she said. “Maybe that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case… I might have a way.”

She bit her lip. “I just have to see if it’s possible.”

***

Avery's offer came next, and hers came in a bottle, like a message lost at sea. She had to uncork it to get it out. Then she read it.

“Hmm,” she said when she was done.

“So there’s this one important Elder in the Water Faction who really wants to meet me and make me her disciple,” announced Avery. “She says I could be really strong! I just need ‘focus.’ And then she offered me a boatload of treasures and Law stuff.”

She squinted at the letter again. “I don't know about all that… but! They are offering to fund an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet for me as well. This must be taken into account.”

She closed the letter. She scratched her head. “I just don’t really think I’m the disciple kinda person, y’know?”

Avery was not great with schools in general, she said. Back before the Integration, the teachers didn’t seem to take kindly to her randomly skipping weeks at a time to go take a road trip across the state because she heard there was the grand opening of the world's biggest ball of twine. Or other things like that.

In her experience schools were places where teachers forced you to use the heinous thing known as Google Calendar. Google Calendar was now forever vanquished thanks to the Integration, but following other people’s schedules, and wearing spiffy uniform robes—it made her squirm a little.

She would have to think about it.

***

Zane looked over all his friends, reading their letters. He had known they would not be together forever. But it was only dawning on him just now that the party that had stuck with him through so much of that Superdungeon might be splitting up. Maybe not forever. But these things had to end, he supposed…

He’d known it in his head. He hadn’t really felt it until now.

He blinked.

He was feeling lots of unusual things today. Really just feeling an unusual amount.

He was still in the middle of absorbing it when the sky lit up above them for the fourth time that night.

The meteors weren’t done with them yet.

But this time, there wasn’t just one, but two. One streaking brilliant purple in the halo of flickering flame, the other trailing molten quicksilver, carving a bright scar down the starscape…

The silver slowed before it landed and stopped before it touched the ground. But the weight of its momentum, the sheer force of all the air it displaced, drove a new shallow crater into the dirt.

The purple comet fell just alongside—a good thirty or forty steps away from them, but even from this distance, Zane felt an incredible aura rolling off it, warbling the air like a heat wave. It came from the seal marking the letter. It was secured with a single strand of essence, thinner than a hair, barely there at all—and even then it was so strong it unbalanced the realm around it….

Two ornately carved scrolls. Zane had a feeling he knew exactly who they were from.

He looked to Reina, who nodded to him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and squeezed his hand. He walked up to them.

He went for the silver letter first, which streamed steely light like a smaller brighter moon. It felt warm and sturdy in his palm, and in it he felt a familiar soul-signature. A message waiting for him.

He rolled it open.