It took a little longer than I expected for her to calm down.

But seeing my serious face did seem to temper her a little.

"What's got you down, little bro? Your gift is amazing."

"Did Mom and Dad tell you how I got my gift?"

"No, they only talked about how incredible it is. How you control a virtual academy and could use the students to give people in real life powers."

"That's true. But I only received the gift because I incarnated at the edge of the spirit plane."

That did surprise her a little.

"You can do that? I thought it was only possible in the centre of the plane."

I explained to her that it was probably a dying man's wish, and what was happening on the outskirts. That they were preparing for a monster wave of giant proportions. Only this time it wasn't a normal monster wave.

The realm destroyers were on their way.

Her face grew increasingly dark as I explained what I had seen and what my Teachers had told me about the Dread Beasts.

"Are you sure that they are telling the truth? This is huge news. The end of the spirit plane would change everything."

I was well aware of what would change. Most of humanity had never lived in a time without the spirit realm.

"Can you think of anything that has changed lately? Any sign that people are aware of what is happening?"

She took on a pensive look. I knew that it was a lot to ask. After all, she had only been awakened herself for two years. She might not have an idea that what was happening wasn't normal.

"I haven't been paying attention to anything that is going on. But I will now. How long did they say the realm had?"

It would still be a few years before the true powerhouses of the realm destroyers took action. But I had no idea how the natives would respond to the invasion. There was too much history and strife between the nations to be sure of how any would react.

"It will be a few months before the invasion begins, but I have no idea how long it will last."

She stared at me looking for any hint of a joke in my face. Finding none, she sat back with an even more grave look on her face.

Before I could go further into details, the knocking on my door brought me out of my thoughts of doom.

Two little heads poked inside.

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"Is it okay if we come in now?"

I had forgotten that it was now the weekend. I would only have a few more sessions of pure focus before I would have to head back to school for the final few months.

With my sister being back for the first time in quite a while. We spent the afternoon eating and playing together.

Eight hours passed quickly and soon it was time for me to return to the Spirit World. This time I planned to make it to the city.

My sister had taken leave, so she would be sticking around for the next few days. As an academy student, she would have access to a lot more information than I or my parents would. I would have to make use of that in the coming days.

Returning to the Spirit Realm. I was once again surprised by people waiting around me.

It also concerned me that Eddie had a serious look on his face.

At the very least they were all still alive after facing the scouts of the dread beasts.

"Glad to see that you have returned. We need to get moving."

I turned to look at the Teachers in confusion. That was a change. While I had planned to make it to the city today, being in such a rush was a surprise.

"Those bastards in the city have already begun to evacuate. It won't be long before those monsters sense the weakness and attack. Without the protection of Darkfair, the surrounding lands are doomed."

Both of the teachers nodded in agreement with Eddie. It was clear that he was speaking the truth.

"Come on, I'll explain more on the way."

It was fortunate that I didn't have anything I needed to pack. So moving quickly on from the town wasn't a problem. I can't say that I was sad watching it fade into the distance.

Eddie seemed on the verge of carrying me, So I told him and Douglas to scout ahead and that we would catch up.

He didn't need to be told twice, and soon he too was out of sight.

I turned to Harold to try and get a better idea of what had happened in my absence.

"The scouts weren't a problem. But dealing with them did spook the more powerful people in the city. They left not soon after. Leaving most of the city unprotected. We need to reinforce it before the Warrior Dread Beasts notice their absence. A contingent of them would be a lot harder to deal with without the protection of the city."

I didn't even know comparatively how strong the scouts were, never mind the warriors.

"How powerful are these Warrior Dread Beasts?"

"They are about equal to this realm's Rank 4 beasts. They have already quite a number on the shore. A legion of them is not something we would want to face without defences."

That did worry me. A Rank 4 Beast was equal to a High Knight or High Mage in power. Even one of them would be more than enough to kill me. I couldn't imagine an army of them bearing down. That alone would be equal to a large force of any of the great native powers.

I was in pensive silence for the rest of the time travelling to Darkfair. We passed through a few abandoned villages and one more abandoned town before the walls of the city came into view.

Most people claimed that the outskirts of the spirit realm were far behind the central lands. But the first city I laid my eyes on in this world didn't disappoint. Giant walls that stretched for miles protected it. I could see a few high-rise buildings poking over them.

Eddie had claimed that the city was home to more than a million people. Seeing it now I didn't find it hard to believe.

The fact that the natives were sure that the city would soon fall was even more worrying now that I knew what was protecting the city.

There was a long line of people trying to get in. A line that I ignored completely. Harold had no trouble taking us both over the walls.

I had arrived at my first city in the spirit world.