As she reached me and launched herself into hugging me, I could see tears in her eyes.

Without the Mana Shield I actually felt the hug right into my ribs. "Easy with the hug" Damn she was powerful, and she was an agility class if she had squeezed any harder she might have actually hurt me.

"Where have you been? I thought I lost you" she finally said while wiping away at her cheek.

"Well the portal had some issues but deposited me not far from the forest, the weird dust confused me a little about my location, so spent the night in the forest, but today I found my way here"

She looked at me like there was more to say, but I just shrugged.

"You've been gone a month." her eyes were starting to get glossy again.

"A month? I knew there was something weird with that portal, but I never imagined something like this"

"What happened?" she said.

"Instead of bringing me here I was in a sort of limbo and I think I must have been close or intersected the plane of the gods because there were whispers and I mean really creepy whispers and now with the time shenanigans it all kinda fits."

"So it's been only a day for you?" She asked.

"The portal was different, I think I experienced what the goddess said that time has no meaning, or at least some part of that. But it was all like a dream, it's hard to even put into words… but yes."

She started walking in the direction of the village "Let's get you something to eat, you must be starving."

Now that she mentioned it I hadn't eaten in like two days, we didn't actually have a chance to eat even before the "spy" mission.

As we walked towards the village, she held my hand tightly intertwined like she didn't want to lose me again. She was usually reserved in small displays of affection like these, so her tight hold was a little surprising.

The village wasn't far, and there was an awkward silence building between us on the way there. But when I squeezed her palm, she responded in kind.

Maybe she needed a little time to process all this, so I didn't push further on the way.

As we sat across from each other, the quiet hum of the surrounding village faded into the background. She looked up from her meal, catching my gaze, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. Her eyes, deep and serene, held mine in a silent exchange that spoke more than words ever could. I noticed the way the soft light played on her features, highlighting the curve of her smile and the gentle rise of her cheeks.

How would I have reacted if she had been gone for a month with next to no information and her last moments in a dangerous situation, so say the least. Would I have been still here waiting, searching, hoping for a sign that would lead me back to her?

It was in that stillness, amid the shared silence, that the realization hit me with a force I hadn't expected. I was in love with her. The feeling wasn't a dramatic revelation but a quiet certainty that settled over me.

She tilted her head slightly, a silent question in her eyes, and I felt a warmth spread through my chest. It was as if she had sensed my sudden realization.

Finally breaking the silence I asked "You didn't give up hope even after a month?"

I expected a funny retort, but she looked at me with the same glassy eyes on the verge of tears, "These last few days I came very close but..."

"But?" I asked.

"It couldn't have been all there was, at least with what she told me" she responded.

"I don't believe we can choose how much time we get with the people we love...wait, who told you what?" that was so random I must have been visibly confused.

"Love?" she asked, ignoring my question in the process.

Seems my subconscious had already accepted the new development, the time for being reserved had passed.

"I think we got so wrapped up in saving the world that we overlooked everything else. Seeing you so vulnerable today made me realize that all I want is to hug you, kiss you, and tell you that I love you."

I was expecting her to say a few words or maybe some award silence, but she closed the distance between us in the next moment.

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The second our lips touched, I melted into Alira's embrace. Where I had been so tense a minute ago, it suddenly felt just so right to have Alira’s warm body against me in the cool evening air. But just as I was starting to kiss her back, she gently pulled away.

Alira’s fingers came up to touch my lips as she smiled nervously at me. She opened her mouth to say something, but I moved forward and pressed my lips back against hers. She moaned in approval as I kissed her deeply.

She continued kissing me, her hands gliding up and down my back.

Unconsciously, I pressed her against the wall, our tongues entwined playfully. My hands settled on her hips just above her skirt's flare, while hers wrapped around my neck, drawing me closer. Finding inspiration, I kissed away from her mouth and to her jawline, then down her neck.

Overwhelmed by the sensation of her lips against my skin it was getting hard to think; her touches and kisses swirled in my head, her fingers tracing patterns along my back. Every caress sent shivers down my spine, and I felt myself succumbing completely to the pleasure of the moment, giving in to the intoxicating primal feeling.

I awoke with a smile on my lips, I tried to look for Alira, but the light coming through the window told me it was way past morning, and she was always an early morning person.

Walking through the village, I felt a slight chill. Realizing without my Mana Shield I now had to dress accordingly, I went in search of a sunny patch to warm up.

It didn't take long to find a makeshift bench, or was it a comfy log for me to sit and bask in the sunny rays that had managed to reach through the canopy.

While my thoughts were on Alira and our night spent together, they started drifting to the error message. I tried again to focus on the spells, but nothing seemed to work. And worse yet was the uncertainty, was it permanent or could it be overcome by some specific action.

"You're shivering!" Alira voice almost startled me.

It seemed the sun's rays weren't enough, "Yeah, I never realized it was so cold in the village." I really had to start thinking of the things I just didn't pay enough attention before when I was relying on Mana Shield.

"I thought your shield dampened the temperature difference?" she sighed and continued, "Did I mention how jealous I am of that ability?"

"Well, you won't have to be, I can't use it anymore." I said with a sigh of my own.

"Why? What happened?" she said as she sat down next to me, putting her hand over my shoulder.

The warmth of her arm send shivers down my spine and I unconsciously moved closer to her "The portal or the journey through it did something to me, when I check my stats on Intelligence I see the word error instead of the value"

She seemed more puzzled than shocked, "I have never heard of anything like that before. And you can't cast any spell? Or just the Shield?"

"Nothing" I said with a calm that surprised even myself.

She gave me a closer look before pulling me into a hug. As she released me, a slight twitch appeared on her lips. "Hey, I did always say it's good you have another profession to fall back on."

"Yes, very funny. Laugh at the disabled guy." I said while trying to appear hurt as I always did.

Still, she became serious and said, "What about the quest?"

"It waited a month while I was in limbo, guess it would have to wait some more. To start back on it would be suicidal." Seeing her troubled face, I tried switching it up a little. "First I have to get used to new enemies like cold mornings"

"Yes, let me help you with that" she said while reaching to hug me again.

"So, what are you thinking?" she said.

I guess after the hug, I lost focus a little, my thoughts again scattered trying to find anything to maybe explain things.

"After you left we had a little chat before I jumped into the portal, he was trying to convince me to join his side, you know classic evil guy things" she politely smiled "but he managed to slip out that they don't grant the powers you all have here in this world which means there must be something else behind it"

Now she was in shock, "But the boons and the power they have?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong they are powerful indeed, but there are not the source of that power, they just have enough knowledge of it to make use of it. Even share a few things or two like the boon system." I mentioned.

"While a monumental discovery that people will never believe and if they did wars might start over it, so I guess it's better that they don't, why do you sound so exited? It doesn't help you."

"Well, if I'm an optimist, there could be a way." I replied.

She laughed, "It's a good thing optimism was one of your superpowers."

"Obviously, this could be permanent and there is nothing I could do about it, but where's the fun in that. If I were to speculate, there is a fifth fundamental force, he called it the Aether."

"Ok, I didn't even know there were four but continue" she said.

"People can feel and focus this force. Remember when I explained how we make light and it's power flows through metal wires? Here we are the wires and through us flows this new fifth force" it did seem somewhat logical.

"And you think your wires are somehow messed up because too much power flowed through you when you jumped into the portal?" she said

"Basically yes" I said with surprise, she was always so perceptive, she would have been a way better student than me.

"But again, how does that help you?" she said.

"Unlike wires, humans grow and heal and maybe even adapt, so since I'm not dead....oh I forgot to tell you about the feeling like I was dying in the portal"

She winced but said nothing and let me continue, "it means I overcame whatever extra juice flowed through me, so it's at least plausible it will heal"

Her face lit up for a second, "Maybe a healer could speed up this recovery."

That was actually a brilliant idea "You're right, it seems so logical, guess my mind is set in its old ways."

"The ursine have some good healers" she said

"Well, they do owe me one."

She smiled, "That they do, although they weren't that happy about the magical dust"

"You mean the one outside the forest that covers everything? Where did it come from?" I had forgotten all about that.

"Well, not long after I teleported out, there was an extremely loud explosion and a cloud started to rise in the sky from the direction of the valley we went to."

"Let me guess, it looked like a mushroom?" I interrupted her.

"Yes, a giant gray mushroom that went beyond the clouds and ash or dust started to come down from it. See, you still can be helpful." she did love to tease me.

"Well, where is the closest healer? I can tell you all about mushrooms while we find him or her."