“Lu, I think it’s time we go.”

Her father sounded a bit more upset than angry this time. Which Lu understood.

“Lu, you should listen to your father. Come back tomorrow and I can. finish telling you my story.”

Lu nodded, collected her things, and followed her father out the door.

“Lu I need you to promise me one thing.” He looked at her with a bit of fear in his eyes. He knew his daughter and he didn’t want to lose her.

Lu had a general idea where her father was going with this. So, she entertained his thoughts, “what is it?”

“Promise me you will not go rift jumping. I can not lose you.”

She took a deep breath before answering, “yes, I promise you.” She tried to hide any hesitation in her voice as she didn’t want to hurt her father.

He did something that he hadn’t done in awhile, he hugged her tightly. “I know I have been harsh, but I just fear if I’ll lose you.”

She hugged him back, “you won’t lose me dad. No matter what, that, I promise you.”

*****

They arrived back home shortly after. Lu went to her room and pulled out a book from her bookshelf. The book was titled Rifts Among Us. It was a documentary of sorts that got classified as fiction as it followed three people and their encounters with these rifts that Stalida mentioned.

Lu read the chapter titles and soon realized the names correlated to other places she had read about in fantasy books.

1. Feywild - Elven Culture

2. Sea of Fire - Fire Escape

3. Hellish Wastelands - Outer World

4. The Nine Hells - Pure Evil

5. The Astral Plane - The Endless Sea

6. Obsidian Depths - Darkness

7. Nautical Nexus - Wet

8. Eldritch Oblivion - Mind Creatures

9. Plane of Mirrors - Glass Self

10. Starlight - Celestial

Ten chapters, ten planes of existence, and three different prospective. With Lu’s knowledge from her great grandma, she couldn’t help but wonder if the detailed book was actually true.

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She couldn’t help but wonder what plane Stalida got taken to. Was it the Feywild or was it one of the Elemental Planes? Lu always loved to read books about elves and magic so she couldn’t hope but to find a rift to the Feywild.

Lu knew what she had promised her father. She knew it would break him but she couldn’t help the urge that she was feeling to explore the unknown.

Curiosity burned through her veins. This was something she desired even if it broke a promise.

Knock.

Lu popped her head up from her book, “yes?”

Lu’s father stood in her doorway with a rolled up piece of parchment and a brass metal rod.

Lu looked at her father curiously, the rod resembled what she read about, a rod wizards use to traverse the planes.

“I doubt I will be able to stop you, if the rifts ever open again. This is the last scroll and rod that Novak and Mavrik used and had to bring Stalida back. If you are anything like Stalida, like I think you are, you’ll need this if you plan to keep that promise.”

Lu rushed over to him and hugged him tightly, “thank you dad.” She took the parchment and rod, placed it in her bag.

“I’m sorry again for being so harsh. Our family has been through the thick of it so to speak. The rifts destroyed the beginning of our family but they also the start of it. If it wasn’t for her returning, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I understand dad, I truly do.”

Lu did understand, even though his actions had caused a bit of friction between him and Stalida. Though, she knew those have been brewing for a lifetime.

“I’ll be in my office if you have any questions for me.”

Lu nodded and let her father get back to work. She took back out the scroll that was wrinkled, a bit deteriorated, and wrapped with a blue silk ribbon.

Upon opening it a piece of paper fell out. The handwriting was top notch.

To whomever this concerns.

Do not and I mean do not read until you are ready to use this scroll. The scroll will evaporate upon use and you may not return to the Nomad Plane - the plane that you are currently on.

P.s. use caution. Traversing the planes can be dangerous.

Master Wizard of Planar Travel - Astrid Vangof

P.s.s. You can find me at the center of the universes in Tower of Endless Possibilities.

Lu bundled the scroll back up and placed it back in her backpack, heeding the wizard’s warning.

****

A few hours later her mother returned home and began cooking dinner.

An hour later, “Dinner is ready!”

Both her father and Lu entered the kitchen and had dinner as normal. “How was Stalida today?”

Lu’s father looked at Lu, “She was alright.” Lu responded.

“That’s good to hear. Learn anything new?”

Lu told her mother about the whole conversation with Stalida.

“Interesting, she did have other children?”

Lu nodded, “five if I remember correctly.”

“Interesting, so our family is bigger than we thought. Who knew?”

The rest of the dinner went by with small talk about Stalida and the conversation that they both had with her. Lu went to bed that night, with mixed feelings. She hoped that tomorrow would bring her more answers.