“Later, Alex!” Ian called after him. “That ritual was cool; you’ll have to do it again next time!”

He smiled and waved in response. “Yeah, sure- if you supply the Mana Stone!”

“I was worried you were going to just sit at that table all day and play with your books,” John said to Alex.

Alex leaned forward to look past Olivia at the older man.

The three walked on the driveway toward their vehicles, preparing to leave the Voss Estate.

“I think that’s going to be a trend. I want to try and use magic, as crazy as that sounds to say out loud.” Alex shrugged. “It makes sense that I’ll need to spend more time with my nose in a book than you meatheads.”

Even though he didn’t look to his side, Alex knew that the two were glaring at him with mock severity.

They soon said their goodbyes, and Alex got back into his car.

Man, I wish I’d thought to warm this up before deciding to leave.

He shivered and tossed his pack into the passenger seat.

“Let’s head home, Val.”

There was an answering call in his mind, sounding more tired than usual. The small mana wyrm curled on his lap and closed its eyes as soon as Alex started to drive.

They drove for some time. Val was sleeping, and Alex was thinking contentedly about how the day had gone. After creating his first ritual successfully, he felt his confidence soar.

It was like everyone was looking at me in a different way, too.

The recognition of those around him had felt good. Alex knew that part of his reasoning for enjoying art in his younger years had come from the joy he got after showing his work to others. He had always been talented and others would praise him for his efforts, which caused him to become more and more interested in the craft.

Will the same happen with magic? It seems like most people are focused on fighting with more physical means.

Other than Olivia, Alex only knew of Rylan Voss as an individual interested in magic. However, based on what Olivia said, he was more interested in buying and collecting it than actually using it.

Maybe it just takes more effort to learn magic. But… I mean, it’s magic. Who wouldn’t be willing to spend some time with their nose in a book to learn magic? It’s not like I’m learning something boring like Calculus.

Alex decided to ask John and Ian why magic didn’t interest them the next time they all met up.

While Alex was lost in his thoughts, a sudden blur of movement and screeching in his mind caused him to almost swerve off the road. His heart roared to life in his chest, and he yelled instinctively while gripping the steering wheel.

When he got the car back under control and pulled over to the side of the road, he glared at the small beast in his car.

“Val! What the hell?! You scared the shit out of me!”

His companion ignored him completely. The mana worm was focused on the corner of his door, his head in the crack and his tail wiggling behind him at full speed like a wind-whipped flag.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked, fear and frustration morphing into concern. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?

There was another screech in his head, though this one sounded full of longing.

“Are you trying to get out of the car?” He looked past the scene and saw only woods beyond the edge of the road. “There’s nothing over there, buddy.”

The answering call was louder in his mind.

Alex winced and thought about it for a moment.

The only thing that Val gets worked up over or tries to go after is mana. Could there be an item that way? Like Mana Stones or my manual?

He gave it some more thought before pulling the car further down the road where there was more of a shoulder. The little Nissan pulled onto the gravel shoulder and still left several feet of space between it and the pavement. Next, he pulled his pack to his lap and removed his wand. He stepped out of the car and slung his bag onto his shoulders before walking to the passenger door.

“I’m going to let you out, and I’ll follow you, but you have to take it slow. We need to go together, alright? I want to keep you safe.”

Alex opened the door a crack, and as soon as it was wide enough Val began to try and immediately push his head through the crack.

“Val! No,” he said and closed the door again.

Fuck.

He stood there for a moment, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. Looking around, the road was empty.

This road is so remote because of the mountains; I hope the car is fine to leave here.

Alex looked at his companion, wiggling against the glass and thought about getting back into the car and just ignoring whatever was potentially hiding in the woods. In the end, his curiosity won out. He walked around to the driver’s side once again and grabbed Val from behind. Holding the wriggling mass tightly in his arms, Alex let his head stick out.

There was a moment of panic as Val tried desperately to squirm free and move in the direction of the woods, but Alex held tight and began moving, which caused the small wyrm to settle down a bit. It took almost an hour of walking through dense northeast foliage before he saw what had been drawing Val.

When Alex stepped from the wood line and into the small clearing, he was surprised to find what had interested Valtherion so much.

A Rift? Out here, in the middle of nowhere?

He approached cautiously, looking at his surroundings. When they were within a few meters of the glowing blue portal, Val lit up with the use of his [Mana Siphon] ability.

Even though the first Rift he’d been to was in the city, he’d gotten there so quickly that no one contested his entry. Since then, there have always been Guild representatives or members managing the entry of the Rifts.

Do I report it to the Guild? They said that this is normally worth a big reward.

As he walked a circle around the Rift, Alex did his best to keep an eye on Val. After just a few minutes, Val stopped drawing at the mana and drooped sleepily in Alex’s arms. He went completely limp and cooed inside his mind.

“Full are you? Little glutton. You can’t try to run off like that.”

Do I need to get him a leash or something?

He moved away from the Rift and sat at the edge of the woods for a while, catching his breath and thinking about what he should do.

I mean, it’s not that hard of a decision, right? Either I report it like this and take a set reward for reporting it to the Guild. Or I can enter and scout the Rift and get more rewards for a detailed set of information to present to the Guild.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Alex checked his bag and let Val stay wrapped around his upper arm and shoulder as he stepped toward the Rift.

I want to get stronger; there’s no reason for me not to check out the Rift.

He smiled and thought about John and Olivia’s reaction if he was able to get a few levels closer to them by the next time they all met up. With that thought, the decision was made.

Reaching his hand out, Alex entered the Rift.

----------------------------------------

All of the Rifts Alex had entered until that point were awe-inspiring and clearly of another dimension. The world that lay out before him as he entered the unknown Rift in the Catskill Mountains caused his jaw to hang open.

He looked down and saw a small crack in the earth that seemed to start between his feet. It spread out before him as a crack, then a crevasse, and ended in a canyon, causing the land before him to divide.

Each side was a stark contrast to the other. To the right was a dark landscape made of purples and yellows. Clouds hung heavy in the air and most of the grass that covered the rolling fields was dead and made of a sickly hue. The trees in the distant forest were scraggly and barren. In the far distance, he could see a mountain filled with snow.

To the left of the split, the land seemed fertile and safe. The grass was tall and green, and the sun shone through sparse cloud covering. The sky was blue, and the trees in the distance bloomed with cherry blossoms.

He looked from left to right and felt a bit of vertigo at the impossibility of the two areas. His thoughts were interrupted by a blue window appearing in his vision to show his Personal Quest and the Rift Quest.

Personal Quest: Unmasking the Saboteur

The Celestial Lotus Sect suspects that someone is secretly sabotaging their efforts to secure peace. Work with the Sect leaders to uncover the traitor in their midst. Rift Quest: Heavenly Sealed Prophecy

Destroy or Fulfill the Sealed Prophecy that lies where two worlds collide.

Wow, okay. That’s a bit more complex than killing a few boars or wolves. This must be a higher rarity Rift!

Excitement filled Alex, and he forced himself to remain calm and gather more information.

Alright, they said that the most helpful information would be details about the terrain, quests, and types of monsters present in the Rift. I don’t have the ability to analyze like Andrew, so I won’t know what level they are. Maybe it’s best for me just to view them from a distance and report back what kind of beasts are here?

He looked from left to right, and the decision was clear.

There is no way in hell I’m going to the scary-ass forest.

He began walking through the shin-high green grass. The field before him was vast and for as far as he could see, there were no signs of life.

“Guess we better get moving, huh Val?” Alex asked, but there was no response.

Val continued to sleep on his shoulder as Alex walked through the plains toward the cherry wood forest. As the crack to his right gradually grew into a canyon, Alex would peer over the side to look at the drop. While it certainly grew wider, he was surprised to see that its depth wasn’t quite as horrifying as he had first thought. What made this split so terrifying was the distance. From where he’d seen on the rise where the Rift entrance was, it had disappeared into the horizon.

He kept the edge as a landmark and walked away from the Rift, hoping to spot whatever monsters might be here from a distance. While the side he was on seemed peaceful, he could see crows flying in the distance on the other section of land.

Alex continued to walk for an hour before deciding to take a break. The edge of the cliff was rocky, and it was easy to find a seat for himself. He pulled a snack from his pack and faced the edge, interested in the running water below. It was only a few minutes before something across the gap made itself known.

A snake? Oh shit, that is a big snake.

He felt himself go still as the snake continued to move by in the dead grass across from him. While he couldn’t see the head of the snake, the body had to be close to the size of a small car. It took several seconds of it slithering by for him to see the tail and for it to disappear into the sea of yellow grass.

“I’m so glad we didn’t go on that side,” Alex said to Val.

He tried to keep a close eye out for the black and shadowing movement of the snake while he crunched on his trail bar but didn’t see any more movement during his break. The rest was largely uneventful until he heard the thunder of hooves approaching him from behind.

Fuck.

Alex shoved the wrap into his pack and grabbed his wand in the same motion. Not knowing what was about to clear the rise ahead of him, he widened his stance and prepared to make a run for the Rift exit with [Empowered Step].

To his surprise, a man came over the hill on horseback.

Several meters behind the man, a small group of four others ran after him. They all wore robes of white and bright yellow.

Alex lowered his guard some as they approached, and raised their hand in greeting. He could see the emblem of a golden flower on their chests.

This is the Celestial Lotus Sect?

The man on horseback reached Alex first and pulled on the reins. “Ho- Greetings, stranger. I don’t recognize your sect colors. Where are you from?”

“I was looking for your sect! I've been lost, and I'm glad you found me.” Alex answered, trying to think up a lie on the spot.

The pause grew as they stared at each other, "Who is the first Elder?" the man asked.

Shit.

The wand in Alex’s hand began to point toward the ground as he thought of a response.

"Where are you from?" He asked as Alex struggled for an answer.

“What?”

The man shifted his head, and his long hair spilled from his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow in a condescending manner. “Hard of hearing boy? Where. Do. You. Come. From.” He began speaking slowly and punctuating each word as if Alex was a toddler.

Alex’s brows came together. “I’m from Hoboken.”

“Ho-bow-kin?” The man seemed to taste the word.

The others arrived; all of them seemed to be breathing normally and were unphased by sprinting uphill after the man on horseback.

“Senior Brother, you apprehended the spy! Great work.”

“Spy?” Alex asked. "No, no. I'm not a spy. I'm here to help you!"

“Yes, his struggle was not great. I feel the Elders will find him to be interesting. Bind his hands, Gu-Feng.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.” A young man said as he stepped forward.

“Woah, woah. Wait a second,” Alex said. He held up his free hand and clenched his wand tighter in the other. “Bind me? No way, who are you guys? Why’re you all talking like that?”

“How dare you speak to our Senior Brother that way!” “Do you know who we are!” “Bow down before our Senior Brother!”

All of the young men who had arrived on foot exploded at once, yelling at Alex for speaking out.

“What the fuck, man?” Alex couldn’t get his mind around what was happening. As the one continued to step forward with a rope, he looked at the man on the horse. The smile he was giving Alex was wicked, almost to the point of perversion.

What is with these people? I’m out.

“Val, hold on,” Alex said as he grabbed his pack, used his skill at the maximum output, and pushed off toward the Rift exit.

There were startled cries of surprise from behind him as he took off at full speed.

“He’s a cultivator?!”

“I couldn’t feel his Qi!”

Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw that two of those on foot had begun to chase after him, and the one on horseback was maneuvering his steed around the slower ones.

Can I outrun a horse?

The thought seemed absurd, but it made Alex laugh aloud.

The wind whipped at his face, and he held up his wand and sent a shot toward the two pursuing him. While he wasn’t particularly aiming to hit them, he was hoping that it would serve as a threat and slow their approach.

Damn, how do people do this in movies?

The chase continued for several minutes, and Alex was curious to see how his mana was holding up. He still had more than half of his available Mana, thanks to his increased pool size from Val. He looked over his shoulder again to see that he was slowly outpacing the horseman.

His smile froze on his face as he saw the man unsheathe a sword that promptly began to glow a gold flecked with purple. The blade fell and sent a slash toward Alex, his eyes widening in shock. Alex dove to the side just as a blade of magical energy sliced vertically through the air where he would have been if he had continued running. He cursed and scrambled to his feet before continuing to run.

He continued to look over his shoulder but knew that things had become more complicated and dangerous. He threw wand potshots over his shoulder in a panic, but the man seemed unconcerned as the distance was slowly closed.

The crack to Alex's left narrowed as they made their way back toward the Rift. When the group was almost upon him, and he knew there wasn’t an hope to escape, he swallowed his fear and leapt into the chasm. His stomach felt like it lifted into his chest as his body plummeted toward the water below.

Val chirped at him indignantly and quickly unwound himself from Alex’s arm and shoulder before taking off in flight and disappearing from Alex’s peripheral vision.

Flailing his arms, he looked up and heard several voices of outrage call after him. He slapped into the water in an awkward angle and when he surfaced he struggled to keep his head above the water as his backpack attempted to surface from the air held within it.

It was too awkward to keep the straps on, so he wrestled them off and pinned the bag beneath himself, using it to stay afloat. He looked up and saw several heads peaking over the edge, watching him drift down the river. They followed for a short distance before he heard distant calls of panic, and they disappeared.

Moments later, a large, scaled head twisted into view on the opposite side of the crack. The inky black skin was sharply contrasted by the beady-read eyes. Its tongue flicked out once, then twice before the beast disappeared over the edge once again.

He did his best to hold in any expletives, but as the current of the river pulled him into a branching split, he couldn’t help it.

“Oh, fuck me.”

The branching current of water pulled him into a secondary canal that moved directly toward the dark side of the Rift.

Alex kicked and struggled against the current, hoping to reach the edge of the river, but the current was too strong and continued to pull him along. Soon enough, it was all he could do to keep the backpack under him and keep his head above water.