-Are you sure you are alright, Kon? No strange symptoms? Aftereffects? - Jack was still worried. - I probably still have enough mana for a portal…

-No, no, I am fine - he quickly assured him. - I was just a bit distracted, that’s it. And you need to save your mana, who knows where we’ll land…

-That's a good question - picked up Vendi. - What are those rings? Where are we going?

-Your guess is as good as mine - I shrugged.

-I am sure you know at least something about them - said Jack. - Any hints?

-Nope. They look like wedding rings though, so we might end up in some kind of temple - I said jokingly. - Or rather some poor blacksmith’s workshop.

-Workshop, eh? So probably Red Edge…

-You really think that every piece of metal originates from there? - I asked, not very convinced. - Hell, we are apparently close to the border, aren't there any blacksmiths somewhere on the other side?

-Sure… - muttered Vendi - but what are the chances that she got them there?

-Hm… - Jack took one of the rings from me, inspecting it closer. - Looks like silver… It’s possible that it’s from the outside of the kingdom then…

-What, Red Edge doesn’t deal with precious metals?

-They do, but rarely. If they make any jewelry, they are usually from a bit more mundane metals - he said, pointing at my necklace.

-I guess there are not many mines on this side of the border…

-There really aren’t - Jack shook his head. - After the dwarves disappeared, there really are not many mining operations anywhere in the kingdom.

-Yeah, I heard about that… - I said, remembering hearing about dwarves. - What happened?

-Who knows - Vendi shrugged. - Their race was always on the odd side, always keeping to themselves. Not many were living in the kingdom, and those who were started slowly migrating to the other side of the mountains.

-Not exactly right - corrected him Jack. - It just looked like this from our perspective, the truth is that they never made it to the north.

-Ah, your client, I presume?

-Yes.

-So what happened? They got lost during the trip? Or is the border really that dangerous and hard to cross?

-No, that’s not it - he shook his head. - They never wanted to go to the other side, they wanted to go to the actual mountains.

-Ah. Should’ve figured. What, they have some kind of a city in the mountains?

-I have no clue - replied Jack. - But since they are especially talented in earth based magic, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was indeed the case.

-Huh. No wonder I got called a dwarf after emerging from that stupid passage - I muttered to myself.

-You? A dwarf? - Vendi looked absolutely stunned. - Looking like that? Who the hell would think that?

-Well, I still had most of my body intact - I pointed out - but, yeah, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Anyway, enough chatting, we probably should move out.

Kon nodded and took a ring from Jack.

-This one? - he asked, realizing that I was still holding onto the other one from the pair.

-I don’t think it matters - I shrugged. - Go for it, use the one Jack had.

He nodded and started preparing the spell.

I must say, all of us still had some doubts about the ring being a good anchor, but to our surprise, it worked without any hitch. Even better, just like the necklace, the ring was still intact.

-Huh… this went a lot better than expected - Jack said aloud what everyone else had on their mind.

-So, who’s the spearhead of this endeavor? - asked Vendi, but before anyone managed to reply, I already stepped through the portal opened on the wall of the room.

The transfer was fine, no gravitational anomalies or anything else that I noticed, and a seconds later I was spat out on the other side away from Melle’s house.

As soon as I stepped out of the void, my ears were assaulted by the loudest sound I’ve heard in a while.

I found myself on a very small, rocky island, in the middle of some kind of sea. I don’t think it was larger than the garden that we just were in, although this time there were no plants so to speak of.

The horizon was also pretty barren: just sea from every single direction, no islands or landmasses… besides one thing.

In front of me, about a few hundred meters away, the sea was cut off. At first I was not sure what I was looking at, but soon I realized that the sight was slightly familiar.

I was looking at the waterfall… or rather the edge of it. Just like I’ve seen far away from the tower at Red Edge. It was hard to tell, because for some reason, the area behind it, maybe another hundred meters further, was glowing with mana.

I took another look at the horizon, but there was no sign of the familiar tall tower, so I had to be somewhere else. I guess it would be too easy if the portal would lead us to a somewhat familiar spot.

Speaking of, the portal that I stepped through was opened on a large rock. It was one of the two things that were interesting on this piece of land, the second one being a large hole in the middle of the island, looking like an old cave.

About the rock though… It was actually more like a tablet.

It was maybe twice as tall as me and maybe two meters long. It looked a bit weathered, most likely thanks to the nearby sea. Even with the portal still open, I was able to tell that it was full of writing, although I was not able to read it before the next person stepped through.

It was Jack and right behind him was Vendi. At first I wanted to push them back and return to the forest, but what the hell, at least we can check the cave and the writing on the stone first.

Both of them were startled, surprised with this strange change of scenery and I could tell that Vendi almost wanted to go back, but it was too late: Kon already stepped through and the opening closed, leaving us in the middle of the ocean.

-What the hell is this?! - yelled Vendi, trying to break through the sound of the falling water. - Why does she have an anchor to HERE?!

I just shrugged, not wanting to yell.

-Kon, let’s try and go into the cave. - I said to him in my head, pointing towards the opening in the rock and the slope leading downwards.

He nodded and grabbed Vendi, pointing to the cave as well, but he didn’t even have to do that, he was already on his way down.

Jack was about to follow him, but looked at me first, as I still was not moving and following my eyes he also noticed the large tablet and the writing.

Thanks to the portal being gone, I was able to read most of the inscription, which was surprisingly well preserved.

The writing was actually somewhat familiar too… I could’ve sworn that I’ve seen something similar like this before, and one look at Jack was enough to tell me that he was thinking the same, and also reminded me where I’ve seen this kind of writing.

-What are you doing? - I heard Kon in my head. - Something wrong?

-Nah, will be with you in just a second.

I nudged Jack and pointed to the cave and we started following the pair.

I half-expected for us to be immediately greeted by the water, flooding the corridor, but nope.

The cave itself was a bit strange. At first, the slope led us maybe five meters down, dropping well below the water level. Even then, insides if the cave were dry enough for us so we had no issue walking forwards.

It took us a good few minutes to get to the point where the roaring water was quiet enough so we wouldn’t have to yell at each other just to be understood.

-What are we even doing here… - started complaining Vendi immediately after we stopped being deafened by the roar of the waterfall.

-I wouldn’t say that this is any improvement… - agreed Jack. - I don’t know, between being lost in the woods and being lost on the sea, I’d prefer the land…

-No shit.

-Who in their right mind keeps an anchor to the literal edge of the world in their cupboard? - continued his rant Vendi. - We are lucky that this island is still somewhat intact, or we’d be in the drink.

-What do you want me to tell you? - I sighed. - All of us knew that this was a gamble.

-Fuck this place. Let’s try the other ring - said Vendi, gesturing towards me. - Maybe that thing will lead us somewhere better.

-Calm down - I replied, but pulled out the ring. - Don’t we want to check this cave first?

-What for?

-Think. Why in the hell would someone keep this thing if it wasn’t useful for something? - I pointed out. - There has to be something here, besides that tablet above us.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

-Tablet? Ah, you mean that large rock…

-Yeah. Jack, I saw you look at it too, doesn’t it seem familiar to you?

-It does… but I don’t know what to think of it.

-What, did it have some spell inscribed on it? - asked Vendi, somewhat intrigued.

-Yea… and a familiar one to boot. I couldn’t piece it together completely, but it had some similarities to our barrier.

-I felt like it seemed familiar… that’s where I’ve seen it before…

-Yeah… but a barrier… in this place…? I guess it makes some sense…

-What, you know where we are? - I asked, surprised that he was able to tell after seeing just a bit of water and a piece of rock.

-I have a good idea… it’s not hard to figure that out after seeing that massive waterfall…

I rolled my eyes.

-Ah yes, the edge of the world, blah, blah, I mean more precisely.

-Er… - he was put off by my sudden annoyance. - Well… not exactly…

-Some help you are.

-Wait, the edge of the world? Doesn’t that mean that we are somewhere close to one of the Edges?

-What do you mean?

-You are really from somewhere else - muttered Jack, half amazed, half terrified for some reason.

-Explain then.

-Of course, of course. As you are aware, there are multiple magic colors…

-Elements - I corrected him reflexively.

-Call it however you like. And each and every one of them has a guild associated with them. And just like the Red Edge, each of them has an island on which they live.

-Yeah, I still don’t get why every single one of them chose to build their headquarters at the literal edge of the world - chimed in Vendi. - You’d think they would want to live a bit closer to civilization…

-I don’t know for sure… but after seeing that tablet - Jack pointed towards the way we came from - I might have a guess…

-Hmm?

-That thing was similar to our barrier, right?

-So what?

-Have you ever wondered what would’ve happened if you were to fall off the edge of the world? - he asked, looking him straight in the face. - If we assume that that tablet was part of some kind of similar spell, it could’ve functioned as a safety net for the unfortunate people…

-You really think that there would be someone so stupid to venture that far? - interrupted Vendi. - Come on… But I guess that would make sense why the guilds have chosen their headquarters that way…

-Yeah…

-Wait a damn second - I interrupted them. - You are for real right now?

-What do you mean?

-I mean that whole “edge of the world” thing. You really think that we live on some kind of a floating disc or some shit?

-And how else would you explain that waterfall? - asked plainly Vendi. - I thought you were at the Red Edge, wouldn’t you see the falls from there? Hell, we could see that from upstairs too.

-Sure, but…

-But what? - asked Jack. - I know you are not from here, but you are telling me that you are not going to believe what I am saying even after you’ve seen it with your own eyes?

-Pf. That’s the thing, after seeing it now I am more suspicious than ever.

-What that’s supposed to mean?

-I don’t know for sure yet, but I have some ideas. Let’s leave that for later, I still have something to do before we leave.

-Right… you led us down here, what’s the point even? - asked Vendi. - It’s clear that we are not getting anywhere close to any civilization.

-That might not exactly be true…

-What, you think that we’re going to find the dwarves down here? - said jokingly Vendi.

-Not really… but we definitely are able to find something interesting.

-What’s interesting in some dank cave?

-Follow me deeper and see for yourself - I said, not bothering to explain what I was thinking about.

-He’s got a point, what are we doing here? - asked Kon directly in my head.

-I am interested in this tunnel - I replied, slightly surprised that he was on his own initiating the dialogue using that strange bond we were having. - It’s just as Jack said: that tablet above us was definitely man made. Be it abandoned or not, there is a good chance that we can find something interesting down here.

-Interesting? - he sounded more intrigued now. - Like magic artifacts?

-Possible, but who knows. By the way, do you still have that ring on you?

-Yeah?

-Give it to me for a second.

He looked at me a bit surprised, but gave it back.

-What are you doing? - Jack noticed the ring. - You made up your mind and want to get out?

-No. I wanted to check something.

-Iloa, you awake?

-Of course - the response was immediate. - I don’t intend on missing any second of this adventure.

-Hah. Well, I wanted to ask you, can you now compare the rings and the mana from here? Since now we have a way to compare, are you sure that both are from here? - I asked, gathering the mana to give her a way to get a better look.

-I mean, I told you already, but sure, if you insist.

Once more I felt that strange itch, and soon heard a response.

-Yeah. Still the same. I mean, I was able to tell when comparing each other so I don't see a point…

-Eh… It’s just strange. Why would you want two things leading to the same place? I’d understand if they were a single use…

-It’s not uncommon to have a spare, you know…

- It’s just bothering me for some reason…

-No… - I finally replied to Jack, pocketing both of the rings. - I just wanted to double check something.

-And?

-And nothing. Let’s continue for now.

The tunnel we were walking through was mostly level, only going slightly down. At first, it looked like it was going to end, but after a couple of minutes, the surroundings started to shift.

From the natural-born cave, and the overall wild look of the rocky surroundings, the floor suddenly shifted into a more flat and regular surface. The walls and a ceiling followed suit and it didn’t take a minute before we were walking through a very square-looking corridor, and almost immediately after we had to stop, because we’ve reached the water.

-Huh… that’s a unique place… - said Jack, gazing around and inspecting the smooth walls.

-How did you know that this was down here? - asked Vendi, looking down into the water.

-I just had a hunch. The tablet upstairs was definitely man-made, so a suspicious-looking opening in the rock definitely was…

-Wait, there this thing goes even deeper - he interrupted me, kneeling at the edge of the water.

He was right. The water was not just flooding the room, it was hiding something.

So far, we’ve been walking without much of a light, just getting by with the light that I was giving off, but now it was not enough.

-Usc fi mynu.

I summoned a light orb and directed it under the water, to brighten up the depths.

Sure enough, there was something underwater: a staircase, completely flooded.

-Huh. Well, I guess we’re not going that way… - said Jack, a bit disappointed.

-What, you’re suddenly interested?

-No… it’s just… I am curious about this tablet. It’s clear that it’s been abandoned, but who made it in the first place? After seeing this room I thought we maybe found some indication of who lived here before, but…

-You think someone lived here? - asked Kon, also intrigued.

-Yeah, seems a bit of an odd place to have a hideout at…

-A hideout, huh… - muttered Jack… well… maybe… At first I thought that might be just another Edge that we found ourselves at…

-Edge? You think that a guild would hide itself underground like that?

-Why not? That would also give another explanation to the tablet: they just wanted to protect their headquarters from any uninvited guests…

-That would make much more sense than just it being some great and amazing barrier saving stragglers from falling off the edge of the world… - nodded Vendi, agreeing. - Any of you know a water breathing spell? - he added, jokingly.

No one replied.

At least not out loud.

-I mean, making one wouldn’t be that hard of an issue… - said Iloa in my head.

-What?! - almost yelped aloud Kon, but he managed to contain himself in his head.

-True. But that doesn’t mean that we are going to do that - I cut short her idea. - Besides, we don’t need it.

-Hmm?

-We don’t need it - I repeated aloud. - I must admit, I am interested about this place too, especially after hearing your idea about it…

-Shame then… - said Jack, moving away from the water. - Let’s go back, then.

-But let me finish - I stopped him. - I never said we’re going back. I mean, sure, you can and listen to the overwhelming roar of the water above us, but I am going in.

-Going in what? - asked Vendi, confused. - What are you talking about?

I lowered myself towards the water, trying to check the infusion levels. It was surprisingly tame. It probably meant that it was connected to the sea and diluted enough for me to not be a problem.

-Going underwater - I plainly replied, tossing away my shirt, or rather the rag that a long time ago used to be a shirt.

-What the hell, are you some kind of fish? - Vendi looked at me wide-eyed, same as Kon and Jack.

-Nope. But I am a rock, though. You think rocks need to breathe?

-I… I guess not?

-How the hell does that body of yours work? - Jack was stunned by this revelation.

-I am not sure, but I am not complaining - I replied, shrugging. - You three just wait for me here, I’ll have a quick look around.

Surprisingly, the one who stopped me was Kon.

-What the hell, are you crazy? - he was about to grab me to drag me back, but stopped himself before he touched me, remembering what I was made of. - You’re leaving us here?

-Let him go - said Vendi. - It’s not like we can stop him…

-I know what you are thinking - I said, looking directly at him. - What stops them from teleporting out as soon as you disappear under the water?

-I… we would never…! - started bumbling Jack.

-Sure, sure. But tell me, do you have any anchors with you?

-...

-I thought so. Well, anyway, even if you had, they definitely were already destroyed back when I got to awaken Kon.

Vendi opened his eyes even wider.

-Wait… do you mean…

-Of course. I am the only person here that has any anchors with them - I pointed out, trying to suppress my laugh.

-That’s another reason to not go! - continued Kon. - And I don’t mean that I don’t believe you, it’s just what if something happens to you!

-He has a point - Jack stared at me with a serious face. - I don’t mind you risking your own life, but you are essentially sentencing us to starve down here.

-Maybe that’s what you deserve after what you did to those kids.

That was maybe a bit harsh, and I didn’t really mean it, but it definitely worked. Jack and Vendi winced at me, but nevertheless, Jack continued.

-That might be true, but what about Kon? He’s innocent in all this!

-And he is also part crystal - I pointed out. - As far as I know, he can survive for a very long, probably even indefinite amount of time on just pure mana, he’ll be fine even if something happens to me.

Kon shuddered at the lone thought of that, and was about to say something, but I didn’t let him.

-So, you better hope I won’t get stuck in a cave-in or something.

And, before any of them was able to say anything I dove underwater.