The cold outside air bit my lips and sent a chill across my face. The past few days were deceptively warm since spring had yet started. Even so, I stepped into the cold, with conviction. I made sure Danna was asleep before I attempted to leave and even then, I wasn’t sure if she really was when I freed myself from her embrace and made for the exit.

Making my way down the few steps, I stopped after reaching the sidewalk. Something was watching me from the bushes. Looking at it, I saw two red dots peering at me from the darkness.

“Wow, come to see me off, huh?” I said, acknowledging the presence.

“I have only come to verify something,” said the humanoid. “I did not expect a human to keep their word and leave.”

“Well, I was gonna leave anyway, so what I promised was with that in consideration.”

“I see...” After a short pause, the humanoid continued. “Although I want to believe differently, the forest has accepted you... and I have been tasked with convincing your return.”

“Wow, you sound very reluctant. Lucky for you, I have no intention of ever returning. You can keep your forest to yourself. I’m going back home to mine.” I looked up and down the street before choosing a direction to go. Once I was far enough away, I was going to teleport so Danna wouldn’t notice when I left.

“One more thing.” Despite the grit in its voice, it sounded desperate. “Do you happen to know a powerful mage by the name of Amy-”

“Nope. If that’s all, I’ll be on my way.”

“I see.” The eyes vanished.

“I hope you do,” I mumbled.

Once I was far enough away, I closed my eyes and concentrated. Given where I was, I could teleport much farther without setting off any alarms. With that in mind, I felt out my surroundings for any leylines running through the area. The only one I found ran through the forest adjacent to me. Not unexpected, but very inconvenient. I needed a leyline to see far away because I couldn’t teleport anywhere I hadn’t been before and the hospital I was at before might have been within the safe range of where I could teleport. Regardless, it was better not to take chances.

Reaching out my hand, I gripped my staff as it appeared. Its black sheen dotted with white was reminiscent of the sky while the red flames running around the ends reminded me to look up toward the blood moon still hanging above. Holding it sideways, I sat atop it and used my magic to make it fly. Doing that instead of casting a spell on myself made for faster travel since my staff could already move through the air under my command.

The wind whipped by as I watched the topography pass below me. Considering how fast a car goes, I went twice that speed, so it didn’t take as many hours to get somewhere with an airport.

On the way, I wondered if Danna was going to come after me since she knew I was alive. I didn’t want her to uproot her life again because of me but it seemed like something she wanted at the same time. More like, something she’d do regardless. With that in mind, I wanted to take her with me, but it would have been a bad idea to even ponder it in her presence.

The harsh city lights below broke me out of my thoughts. Scanning the sea of beacons, I looked for a long strip of darkness; the only sign of an airport I could think of finding in the dead of night. To my left eye, the city was awash with shimmering, glittery colors from the magic running through the city and the enchantments layered on many parts of it.

Eventually, I found what I was looking for and came to land on the brightly-lit sidewalk by a terminal. Once inside, I looked for the nearest uniform and approached them with my mana card, an I.D. card with my mana imprinted on it. Mine was pitch-black with dots of light and a flowing red hue shining through it; the same as my sword. After showing it to them, they led me to a guard station where they scanned the card with a small machine. Shortly after, they let me into an all-white room. It was a teleporter room. Despite the name, it couldn’t teleport me. It only made sure no alarms were raised when I teleported myself anywhere I needed to go but only from that room.

I simply cast ‘teleport’ and sent myself back to my hometown. I chose guildhall since it was easy neutral ground in case anything out of the ordinary was going on. All eyes shifted and landed on me as I appeared in the middle of the open floor of the bar. There were adventurers winding down after a long night or readying themselves for a morning of taking on commissions. As I scanned the place, more than a few of them had the light of fear in their eyes and the rest just seemed naturally curious.

The commissioner behind the bar simply smiled and said, “Can I help you?”

I walked up to the bar and said, “Yeah, I used to be in a guild a long time ago and I heard the old guild master disappeared recently. Do you happen to have any news about him?”

“Uh, what guild exactly?” He lifted a thick book from under the counter and started flipping through it.

“Starblade.”

“Alright, Starblade...” He stopped abruptly after a minute of searching. “Yes, it seems that the master of that guild has been missing for a short while.”

“Is there a bounty for finding him or anything?”

“Not exactly. There seems to be a request to find him, but it was denied.”

“A request from who?”

“A Mr. Al C. Holic.”

“That explains why it was denied. He chose a stupid name. Regardless, is there a note on where I can find the guy that made the request?”

“Actually, yes. It says, ‘the home of an old friend.’.”

“Ah, makes sense. Only old guild members would know where that is. Thanks for the info.”

“You’re welcome.”

I turned to leave and halfway to the door, I was stopped by a group of three adventurers. One was wearing heavy armor, one was in a gray cloak, and the last one was a boy wearing jeans, a hoodie, and fingerless gloves.

“Hey, you’re not in a guild, right?” said the one in a cloak. Based on voice, it was probably a girl in her late teens.

“I can’t join your guild. If you asked twenty years ago, I’d have asked you to join mine. Now, if you’d excuse me.” I walked past them and continued on my way. I didn’t want to teleport a second time since my presence was hard to hide in transit and I didn’t want to make it too easy for anyone looking to find me.

Leaving the guildhall, I wandered toward the outskirts of town then down the road to the next town northward. As soon as I left the town gates, I stopped and turned around. The small group followed me as if I was their leader.

“What do you want?” I said.

The cloaked girl stepped forward and spoke like last time. “You were in a guild, right? So, you’re not anymore?”

“All you’ve told me is that you heard me the first time we spoke, which leaves me further bewildered as to why you followed me.”

“You’re an old magic guy, right? We’re looking for a mage for our guild and we won’t take no for an answer.” All three of them stood tall with looks of conviction.

“You know what?” I sighed. “Let’s hear it. What’s your pitch?”

“Our pitch?”

“What’s in it for me if I join your guild?”

“Oh... I didn’t think we’d get that far...”

“Well, you have my attention and you’re gonna lose it pretty fast like that.”

“Uh- well-... We’re persistent.”

“Well, if you were more persistent in your training, you wouldn’t need a dedicated mage.” I turned around and started walking. “Maybe take a break from the commissions and focus on covering your own weaknesses.”

“Wait, uh... What if we show you?” The boy in jeans stepped forward. “We could spar right here. That way, you can see what we can do and give us a chance to persuade you to join us by doing what we do best.” The other two looked nervously at their comrade, then at me.

Thinking on it for a second, I figured they wouldn’t even be able to touch me if I didn’t let them, so I accepted. “Sure, let’s see what you got. All three of you at once.” I raised my hands at my sides. “If you can knock me flat on my back once or get me to concede, you win, and I’ll consider joining you. However, if you all give up before then, you leave me alone. If you’re fine with that, come at me.”

The trio looked at each other and nodded.

As if given the signal, the heavily armored one stepped forward, drew a broadsword, and took a forward swing at me. Their movements were sudden as if to not give me a chance to breathe. They likely didn’t want to give me an opportunity to cast a spell.

I dodged the assault and kept an eye on the other two.

Next, the boy wound up his arm and threw something. Something about the throw was suspiciously obvious as if he wanted my attention while the armored one ducked out of the way.

I swayed to the side and avoided the projectile, but the broad sword was rising upward where I was leaning. They were trying to trap me in an impossible position. Instead, I reached into the folds of my cloak and summoned my sword, leaning against theirs with mine and making it look like their blade couldn't cut me. “Is that all?” I said, allowing them to hold my weight.

Stoic, the armored one stepped back and the boy in jeans charged at me. Once he was in range, he struck at me with a fist.

Turning my sword sideways and pulling it out of my cloak, I blocked the strike.

“Maul.” The boy called out a name as a black wolf appeared at my side and lunged at me.

Before I could react to it, the armored one stabbed forward with their sword. All the while, I felt the presence of someone creeping up behind me.

Finding the true threat, I waited until the last moment and kicked my foot behind me, making contact with something and launching it away as I then hopped backward toward it. Once I landed, I saw the girl rolling across the ground backward with a dagger in hand.

Tracing my hand across my blade, I rounded the edge and pointed the blunt weapon at my opponents. “Let’s go.”

The two still standing approached quickly, swapping places repeatedly while the wolf followed behind them.

The armored one got to me first with a downswing of their blade that I parried with mine while the boy sent an uppercut under my arm.

In reaction, I lowered my elbow and blocked the strike then swiped my blade at them both, forcing them back.

The wolf leaped over them and while it did so, I stared it down while bearing my teeth with a shout. In response, it flew over my shoulder and landed with a series of whimpers before backing away.

Until then, the girl was recovering on the ground and finally stood back up.

“You kids ready to give up?” I said.

The boy called out, “Maul, return!”

I looked at the wolf out of the corner of my eye and it backed further away. It likely had to get within a certain distance of its summoner before it could be dismissed. I nodded toward the wolf’s master. “Go.”

Hurriedly, the wolf darted around me and vanished as it neared its summoner, who then called for something else. “Stake and Asther.” The head of a gray mountain goat peered out of his shadow, followed by the rest of its body and a tail that took the form of a two-tone brown camo-patterned snake.

“Let me know when you get serious.” I held my sword off to the side, waiting.

The goat charged at me and the boy hid behind it as he followed. At the same time, the one in armor stepped forward with a warcry and as the roar echoed out, the girl started moving as well.

The snake tail reached me before anyone else did. It lashed out with serrated fangs and I responded by raising my blade and pushing against its throat as it lunged at me, moving my blade as it attempted to coil around it for a strike.

Very soon after, the boy approached with a fist reeled back. From him, I sensed a buildup of ki. If I didn’t return in kind, hitting the ground would be the least of my worries.

I raised my knee in retaliation. Not to block, but to strike. I put enough power into it for his fist and my knee to cancel each other out, resulting in a weak shockwave.

As this was happening, the one in armor came from the other side with a swing of their sword.

I wanted to watch where the sword was going and counter with my free hand but instead, my hand moved almost on its own and I caught the sword between my fingers.

The goat was still charging at me, so I waited until it was in range and hopped off the ground, straightened out the leg clashing with the boy, and swung it across.

The boy disengaged and backed off before I swiped the goat into the one with armor as they tumbled away.

Stamping my foot back to the ground to keep my balance, I heard a hard crunch and a yelp.

“I-give-I-give-I-give!” The exasperated exclamation came from below me.

I looked down and the girl was beneath my heel. “Oops.” I stepped off of her and bent down by her side.

“My back-I can’t breathe.” She seemed to be trying not to hyperventilate as her raspy breath quickened.

I placed my hand on her back and felt the bones shift with my touch. ”Sorry about that. You just got unlucky, stay still. Pacific inferno.” Her body became engulfed in flames and a series of popping sounds flooded my ears while her back regained its original shape.

“Ow... You hit like my dad,” said the girl as she stood with her hand on her back.

At that moment, a strikingly familiar feeling hit me, and I felt like I had to acknowledge it. “But I’m not your dad, right?”

“Right...” She backed away with their hands clasped. “Sorry, guys. I gave up. I like my spine.”

The other two with the goat just stood at the ready while the goat itself recovered slowly from my strike.

The boy touched the goat and it vanished. “Crown.” A vehicle-sized brown bird appeared behind him, spread its wings above its head, and flew toward me.

Leaping forward through the air, I went on the offensive. Holding my sword steady, I pressed it against the beak of the bird. “Skyfall.” The bird immediately went into a nosedive and crashed into the ground, burying its beak between the paved stone with a shrill squawk. Standing beside the bird, I said, “Sorry, I got bored of being on the defensive.”

A fist from the boy spiraled at my face as I spoke and I ducked and dodged the flurry of blows as they pierced the air and sent little shockwaves past me.

Finding my moment to counter, I struck his fist with mine, canceling out his momentum and causing him to pause. Next, I landed my fist into his diaphragm.

My punch sent him back a few meters as he held onto the ground with his feet, kicking up a small cloud of dust before he stopped, stunned in place as he struggled not to fall over.

At the same time, the armored one charged at me but was slightly slower than the boy at getting to me. When they came within striking range, I slapped their sword downward with mine before placing it against their throat in the space between their helmet and chestplate as I stepped beside them.

Noting the shock on their face, I said, “Give up yet?”

Their eyes wandered over to the boy in jeans and slowly, a look of realization spread over their face before a feminine voice echoed out of the armor. “Yeah, I give up.”

“Alright.” I removed my blade and swung it by my side, allowing the blunt edge to reform into its normal sharpness. Next, I went over to the boy and placed my hand on the boy’s head. “Awaken.”

The boy blinked once and scanned his surroundings. “What happened?”

“You were knocked out standing.”

“Oh... Well, I guess I lost, then.” The boy fell back onto his butt on the ground. “Damn, you really do hit hard. Dad’s got nothing on you.” He placed his hand over his midsection. “Ow.”

“You two have the same dad?” I said, noting how the feeling from before returned.

“Yeah, and he didn’t really hold back training us.”

“Huh. Alright, you two should go get looked at by a doctor. Healing magic isn’t always permanent and I have somewhere to be.”

“Wait, um, what’s your name?” The cloaked girl was reaching her hand out toward me as if pleading.

“I’m just some old guy. Call me whatever.”

“Wait, what do you think of us?”

“I think with your abilities, you don’t need a dedicated mage. Just learn some ranged weapons if you haven't already. Saves a lot of headaches.”

Taking my leave, I continued down the road and made sure the trio wasn’t following me. After some time, I made it to the small path leading from the road into the forest. Everything looked the way I left it, but it felt like something was missing. Aside from that, there was an expected presence along the path. It was subtle but noticeable enough that I could tell exactly where it was coming from.

“Took you long enough.” A tired voice met my ears and I looked to see Doji off to my right. His usually disheveled appearance was cleaned up a bit with his crooked tie pinned in place and a vest to cover his ruffled shirt.

“I could take longer if you want,” I said with a smirk.

“Yeah, you could have taken longer. You looked like you were having fun with those kids.”

“I figured you were watching. Did you notice anything strange about those kids, by the way?”

“Huh, and here I thought you wouldn’t have noticed. So, what do you think the future holds for you?” Doji looked up wistfully.

“Good question.” I continued walking. “I’ll assume Belial’s up ahead?”

“Good question.” Doji followed. “How much do you want to bet she’ll be furious?”

“She has nothing to be mad about. I told her I wouldn’t go anywhere but I had no choice in the matter. Besides, I’m back.”

“You tell her that.”

“I mean, how do you feel about it?”

“I have no way to feel about it. You haven’t betrayed me yet.”

I sighed. “You know my will is too strong to fall to your curse.”

Doji smiled. “That’s why I’ll give it at least a good fifty years. Besides, your relationship with me isn’t the same as with Belial.”

“What are you talking about? You’re my friend as much as she is.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t lay me as readily if you got the chance.”

His statement gave me pause. “Well, I can’t deny that but that doesn’t mean I value you any less.”

“I know. That’s why you’d better come back alive after whatever it is you have to do.”

“No promises.”

“Guess we’ll be able to drink away our grievances together if you die.”

“You’d turn me into one of your liquid spirits?”

“Nah, you’re too precious for that. And too strong, might I add.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “So, one last drink it is, huh?”

“Had one with Pan before they went.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

We walked rather slowly the whole time so as not to pass Belial who was surely hiding further up the path. A moment later, her presence made itself known similarly to Doji.

“Way to keep your promise, Azrael.” Belial appeared at my side rather abruptly with Mira on her shoulder. “Got anything to say for yourself aside from not being dead?”

“I’m back.”

“The problem was you being gone. Coming back doesn’t change that.”

“Actually, it exactly changes that.”

“Doesn’t change you leaving.”

“Wasn’t my choice. Besides, I got shit to do, wanna help?”

“You know we can’t.”

We came upon the hole where my tower was and I scanned the area. The pit went as deep as the basement did and the hole was slightly wider than the tower itself.

“I’ll assume you three have been here for a while. Find out anything while I was gone?”

“Well, obvious things first,” said Doji, “The hole is magical, nothing else has been affected, and the local fey are being quiet about it. What’s not so obvious is who did it, why, and when and if it’ll be back.”

Mira spoke up next. “I took a look into the hole and it seems like it only goes as far down as the deepest part of the basement. Who or whatever did it was being very precise.”

“I guess we’ll see.” I stepped within a meter of the hole and my foot crossed a hard barrier that showed itself as a purple line across my foot. Before my foot landed, I pulled it back and stepped outside the barrier. “Well, that’s our answer.”

“So, it’s a displacement spell made to react to your presence,” said Belial. “I could undo it if you want. Save you some energy before... whatever.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Just means I have all the time I need.” I sighed in relief. “I should visit my parents.”

“You should.” Doji landed his hand on my shoulder. “Also means we can have that drink, if you want.”

“You know, we should have a drink. Maybe not that drink, but how about one at home? I haven't seen my parents in a while and they’re due a visit.”

“Sure, I’m in,” said Doji.

Doji and I looked over at Belial as she looked to be in thought. After a moment, she said, “Alright, I’ll go. Just promise me this isn’t the last time.”

Cheekily, I said, “That we drink together or that you get to meet my parents?”

“You know what, never mind, I don’t need your promises.”

Some time later, we approached a local weapons shop and walked in to the sound of a bell. Inside, my dad was manning the counter and the three that tried to recruit me, among a few others, were perusing the weapons and items on display. My dad caught eye of me and I shook my head. He responded with a nod.

Walking up to the counter, I said, “Excuse me, sir, my colleagues and I would like to talk business with you.”

My dad folded his arms with a stern expression. “What kind of business?”

“We got a bunch of new swords with no owners. I brought one for your appraisal to see how much of a deal we can strike on them.”

My dad appeared to think for a moment as he scanned his gaze over me and my companions. “Alright, we’ll need to head to the back. Please excuse me a moment.” He placed his fingers in his mouth and made a shrill whistle that got the attention of the others in the shop. “Unless you found something you want to buy, leave. I have business with the three here.”

Most of the perusers simply turned to leave after a moment or sat down whatever they were looking at first before doing the same. One person looking over a crossbow brought it to the counter and bought it before leaving. After making sure everyone else left, my dad flipped the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’.

“Alright, what can I do for my son and his friends?” My dad folded his arms again.

Folding my arms as well, I said, "I just came back from a trip and I thought it would be nice to get a drink with my friends and family."

"Come on, Oscar, you can be honest. Your mother isn't here and by the looks of it, your friends are more caught up than I am. There's something different about you and I bet I know what it is."

I sighed. "You're right. This might be the last time I visit home. I just want this to be a good time."

Despite the implications of my statement, my dad’s face contorted into a beaming smile. "Well said. No use crying over a possibility." He looked over Belial and Doji. How about we all introduce ourselves? I'll start." Keeping his smile, he puffed out his chest and said, "My name is Felix Free. I used to be an adventurer back in the day, but now, I sell weapons."

"I like this," said Doji. "My name is Kazuto Fukushima. I used to be a demonologist and Shinto priest, but nowadays, I'm just a Wizard trying to see how far I can push the human alcohol tolerance."

Belial followed after. "My name is Amy. Sorry, I don't have a last name, at least, none that I know of. I used to be a magic teacher but now, I spend my time researching dragons and their history."

Mira was next. “I’m Mira. We’ve met before but it’s a pleasure to meet you again.”

"I guess it's my turn," I said. "I'm Oscar Free. I also used to be an adventurer but now I'm a Wizard. That's pretty much it, honestly."

"Well said," said my dad, walking up and patting my shoulder. "Your mother will be a while. We can wait for her if you want but it's up to you."

"Yeah, we should probably wait for her."

My dad led us to the dining room and pulled out the wine he was saving for something. According to my mom, he had been saying it since before I was born and never opened it.

Doji seemed to recognize it instantly. "Is that Clear Glitter Springs?" He was as excited to see good alcohol as always.

"Yep." My dad seemed happy that someone recognized it. "Supposedly made with the very water from a place said to be home of the mermaids of Velzed. Nearly lost an arm and a few comrades to get this thing. Turned out the gal we were getting it for was a corrupt diplomat. In the end, her head rolled, and I just so happened to keep this as a prize. I could tell you the full story if you're willing to listen."

"I would be delighted." Doji's enthusiasm was infectious and we decided there was nothing better to do than listen as my dad told his story.

An hour or so later, My Mom entered the dining room with arms full of groceries. She almost dropped them when she saw me. “Oh, that explains the closed shop. I should have known. What’s got you here this time, baby? Seeing as you brought some friends, it can’t be just for a visit.”

“Hey, Mom. I’m going on a journey and I might be gone for a few years. Maybe even decades. I just came home with my friends for a celebration before I’m off.”

“Oh, where’s your apprentice?”

“She’s preparing to go. She’s pretty nervous, you see. It’s pretty big for her.”

“Alright, where are you headed?”

“Don’t know. We’re just heading off to wherever the wind takes us.”

My Mom smiled cheekily. “So, is it just a long honeymoon, or is it something so serious that you thought making up a story would stop me from asking about it?”

I paused. I always knew my mother was a shrewd woman but being away from my parent’s care for so long allowed me to delude myself into thinking I could take her for a fool. The story was believable, but I felt like glass as she saw right through me.

My prolonged silence didn’t seem to surprise her as she continued. “Now, if it’s something you don’t think I need to know, you don’t need to tell me, but don’t make up stuff to keep me from worrying.” She leaned in and hugged me while I was still sitting. “I’m going to worry about you anyway, it’s just what I do.”

I hugged her back. “Alright, thanks mom. I just want this to be a good time before I go. I might not come back.”

“And that’s my fear every day.” She gingerly kissed my forehead. “But you do what need to and I’ll just keep worrying.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Some time later, after more introductions, a slew of stories from both of my parents, and a strangely refreshing bottle of wine, I left the shop from the side entrance followed by Doji, Belial, and Mira. The sun was starting to fall high in the sky as we made our way back to the hole where the tower was.

As we traveled down the path to the hole, a plethora of scenarios passed through my head. I could never follow a single one to its conclusion as they all involved my imminent confrontation with Beatrix from the future. A few paces down the path, I felt the presence of my comrades fall behind.

“I guess this is it,” I mumbled before a sigh. “Live and let die.”

Stepping close to the hole, the boundary showed itself across my foot. Steeling my resolve, I crossed it and planted my foot on the other side. In an instant, the tower was back in place. Even so, it felt dead as if all life within it had vanished. Trying to feel out my surroundings, I found what felt like a trail of magic leading away from the tower. It felt like it was going toward the faery forest to the left. When I looked, I didn’t see any traces of mana, but it was as if I was being beckoned that way through someone’s will.

Following the feeling, I entered the faery grove to find it totally intact from the destruction caused from me and Beatrix in our clash. The vibrant flowers all but erased the bruises of blade and magic across the ground and trees while the faeries tending to them worked diligently to renew what had yet been recovered.

Taking a few steps toward one of the few paths between the flowers, I noticed the gazes of the many faeries landing on me while the feeling of being watched from afar developed and grew all the while. Even so, I felt like I was being guided somewhere specifically. Soon, I found myself deep in the grove between a few trees shifting in color between black, white, and red. In the center floated a small green man draped in red and white leaves and flowers that made a tunic. He seemed to be asleep in a fetal position.

“Hierophant, where’s my apprentice?” I spoke softly. “I know you sent me away, but I need to know where she is, too.”

The small king unfurled his emerald wings and stretched his limbs in all directions. At the same time, the distant gaze receded. “Took you long enough.” He took a sitting position as a black root emerged from the ground below him as a seat. He slouched in his seat, seemingly bored, yet amused. “So, you’ve lost your apprentice? Are you sure you didn’t just misplace them?”

I scoffed. “Perhaps I have, but if you knew where she was, you’d tell your friend, right?”

“Maybe... For the right incentive.” He smirked, seemingly trying to put forward his motives.

“Alright, let’s make a deal.” I raised my palm in front of me. “Man to Faery.” Producing a dagger, I pointed it at my hand. “I’ll give you a trickle of my blood in exchange.”

He snickered. “I think we’re past that at this point.” He took a hand and pointed squarely at my face. “I want one of your eyes. Doesn’t matter which one.”

“You’re not getting an eye.” I put the dagger away.

“Then how about I borrow it?”

Thinking for a second, I decided to humor him. “How long do you want it for?”

“Let’s say... Until it decays.” He put his hand down.

“No.”

“Alright, alright, how about I taste it?”

This was it. Based on how his first demand was so ludicrous, this was what he was alluding to. Now, all I had to do was follow the clues.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘taste’?”

“Exactly what I said. A taste. I’ll lick your eye and siphon off a bit of your mana. In return, I’ll tell you what you want to know about your little ‘apprentice’.”

Taking a moment to read into what he was saying, I came to a startling conclusion. “You don’t think I can kill her.”

“I never said that.” Hierophant shook his head. “I just want a bit of your mana for myself. In exchange for information.”

I turned to walk away while waving my hand. “Alright, I’ll go ask Linnea. I’m sure she’ll be easier to persuade.”

Seemingly in response, Linnea’s high voice rang from a nearby tree. “I will not.” The form of a rather tall and shapely woman melded away from the bark of a tree beside me. Her wood-grain skin was shyly hidden by a thin red veil of a silk dress that swayed as she moved while her leafy green, grass-like hair draped below her shoulders. “I wondered what convoluted plan Hierophant had in mind, but it seems to be much simpler than I imagined.” She looked down at both of us with her hands on her hips. “I agree with Hierophant. The power sealed within those eyes seems to be of want by your enemy. We’d best siphon it as best we can in lieu of a seal.”

I stifled a laugh and instead offered a scoff. “And you think I didn’t think of any of this when trying to get rid of the effects of my eyes?”

Eldar’s deep voice rumbled from behind the tree Linnea appeared from. “If I know the little faery man, he knows something we don’t.”

“And I do,” said Hierophant, triumphantly.

I sighed again. “And telling me what you know requires a contract?”

“As it so happens, it does.”

“Explains a lot.” I swept my gaze across both the faery and dryad in attendance. “You both still wear the clothes I made for you and I’ll assume Eldar still wears his. That would mean our previous contracts still stand.” As I spoke, the hints they seemed to be dropping finally sank in. Given the situation, I was in no position to be picky about their involvement. “I get what’s going on. You really think I need to evoke the contract?”

“Your words, not mine.” Hierophant stretched across the root he sat on with a yawn while a look of surprise spread across Linnea’s face.

Eldar let out a boisterous laugh as he came around the tree. He was a large man with well-defined musculature hidden only slightly by the black and red spotted armored vest he wore while his black and yellow diamond patterned snake lower body swayed below him in motion. “Well, that’s the second-best thing to fighting alongside you ourselves. Besides, it’s not like I’m using the power you lent me anyway. Not like I need to move mountains any time soon.”

“Agreed,” said Linnea; her shocked expression replaced with one of determination. “What use is there for great power if it is not in the hands of the one shouldering great responsibility?”

I folded my arms, deciding if I should do what they wanted. “And if I die, then who will protect your people?”

The three of them looked at me as if I stepped into forbidden lands. “Our people,” they said in unison. At that moment, I could feel an energy coming from beyond them. It was as if millions of souls had come together to shout a warcry that could rend the heavens and chase the gods away.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Scary.”

“So, what will you do?” said Linnea.

“Well, it’s not like you’re giving me much of a choice.”

“On the contrary,” said Eldar. “I’m sure you’ve already weighed your options.” His gaze slowly shifted toward Hierophant. “Unless you were goaded to believe this was your only option. To that, I can’t say it’s a bad one.”

I shrugged. “Weah, well, I can’t very well fight at ninety percent, now, can I?”

“I’d say so,” said Hierophant. “We’ve already seen the result of that.”

“Whatever, just give me my power back.” I held out my hand.

“Not without the magic words.”

“Alright.” I took a breath. “Hear me; you, who drink upon the breadth of my power. I take from you as I’ve given. My contract, I evoke and my blood, I revoke.”

The color drained from the tunic over Hierophant, the dress cloaking Linnea, and the vest coating Eldar. They all became dull, gray, and slightly translucent. Despite the obvious signs of reclaiming my power, I felt no different.

Hierophant gave a slow applause. “The look on your face tells me my theory was correct.”

I shrugged. “You think I’m a Silent Wizard?”

This time, Hierophant shrugged. “Whatever you call it, I know you can hold your power all your own.”

I looked at my hand and let a trail of flame run across my fingers. “And that, I will. So, where is she?”

Linnea placed her hand on a nearby tree and looked toward her domain in the northwest. “After your confrontation, we’ve kept the woman deep within the woods and away from any she should do harm.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “You tried to kill her yourselves and nearly died as a result, so you left her there.”

Linnea failed to stifle a giggle. “On the contrary. We’re not so foolish. We only caged her in my domain until you made your return. She’s been there resting and regaining her strength just as you have. I believe she may even have escaped multiple times without our knowing. After all, if she is really your apprentice, she should be capable of at least that much.”

Hierophant’s wings fluttered in excitement. “Means that if she’s still there, she’s waiting for you.”

“Best not to keep her waiting then,” I said, taking sure steps in that direction.

After some time walking between the trees, they started to straighten out from the curvature of the faery grove and grew in size to wider, tougher trees of the dryad forest. The flowers were replaced with tall grass as the vibrant rainbow of colors shifted to a still vibrant but far more uniform green. Eventually, I made it to a large clearing. All of the grass was stamped down and the air grew heavy before I even reached the open area. In the center was Beatrix, sitting on a yellow orb with her elbow on her knee and her head leaning on her hand. There were now scars strewn across the visible parts of her entire body; the marks of our last confrontation. She stood when she saw me and folded her arms with a smirk.

She spoke softly, almost wistfully. “I waited long enough, it seems. I was willing to wait longer but here you are-”

“Silence!” Not holding back in the least, I sent a shockwave of magic in all directions with my focus on Beatrix, ignoring everything else. As a result, a small spurt of blood flew from her mouth as she lurched forward, pressed her hand against her throat, and gagged on her words. “Heed these arcane words, lest you drown in the flames of your own lies, speak only the truth. What want you with these eyes of mine? Speak.”

After a sharp cough, she narrowed her eyes on me. “If you want the truth, you shall have it. I’m here because I made a mistake.” She seemed to wait for me to react in some way then continued. “In my time, I already killed you before I knew I needed your eyes. I already have everything I need to cast the spell aside from them.” She paused again as if waiting for my response. “It’s something you didn’t agree with and I had to kill you over it.”

I simply folded my arms.

“Don’t give me that look. You don’t know what I did to get here and you won’t stand in my way again.”

“Is it because I’m the only one who doesn’t fear you?”

At my words, Beatrix’s face twisted into a grimace.

“So, it’s about control?”

In a literal flash, the scowling woman was pushing the pole of her scythe against the side of my sword. “You won’t stop me,” she growled between gritted teeth.

“I’ll give you one chance to return to your time. Live out your days and let go of this greed. Just because they fear you now doesn’t mean they should. There’s always someone stronger; someone who has no use for magic or, even blind to it, who could still have your head should they choose to take a stand. I know it’s hard to hear, but the world could always do much worse than this. I should know.”

Beatrix vanished from my sight and her voice echoed from my surroundings. “It’s too late to go back. I regret nothing.”

“Then, you die here.”

Swiping my sword, I sent a ‘blade wave’ through the air at the spot Beatrix stood before we clashed weapons. The spell sailed right through the space and dissipated on its own. Stepping further into the clearing, I conjured a flame and dropped it. “Hazy flame.” The flame spread out on the ground, creating a series of illusions from the flickering light and concealing my presence.

Before the illusions could take shape, the ground shifted below my feet and fell away revealing a pit of sharp crystals while a gravitational force pulled me down.

In response, I swiftcast ‘flicker’ and ‘reflect’, causing me to teleport in a wisp of flame to solid ground and was immediately assaulted by a series of explosions from orbs of light hanging in the air that bounced away from me in all directions as they were reflected back. Assuming Beatrix set up traps around the clearing, I raised my hand and cast a spell. “Disorder.”

An explosion near the edge of the clearing flung Beatrix in my direction while a series of other traps set themselves off, dotting the landscape with maleficent lacerations.

The blade of a scythe, aimed at my throat, sliced through the air with Beatrix behind it as she used the explosion to fire herself at me.

Summoning my quarterstaff, I stopped her blade mid-swing and leaned in with my sword in my other hand, aiming for her heart.

Quick on her feet, she dodged to the side and swung her scythe around to hook me at the waist.

I dropped my quarterstaff and grabbed the pole of her scythe with my hand before swinging it over my head to the ground with her still holding onto it. She landed hard on her back and I stabbed at her, again aiming for her heart.

Kicking her feet, she shifted her body away from my blade just enough to suffer a minor cut to her side. The desperation on her face told me I had the advantage. I could have tried to capture instead of killing her, but I already found my resolve.

“Infernal tempest.” The spell I cast became a vertex of flame centered around my blade that expanded to swallow Beatrix as it gouged out the ground below my feet.

Instead of letting go of her weapon or scrambling away, she cast a spell of her own. “Blast shield.” It coated her in a yellow aura for a split second to protect her against my flames, resulting in a shockwave when the spells met.

I was flung away and landed on my feet while Beatrix stood with her weapon in hand. She shifted her stance as if she was going to charge toward me.

“Burning sight.” The focus of my vision erupted in flame, that being Beatrix and her immediate surroundings.

She cast ‘reflect’ which sent my spell back at me, making it burn itself out as I watched the flames stalemate in the air. Immediately following this stalemate, the flames started approaching me.

Canceling my spell, I dashed to the side and sent a ‘blade wave’ at the flames.

Beatrix appeared as the fire vanished and ducked around my attack as she rushed to close the distance. Her body was faintly glowing yellow from a newly cast spell and despite her traveling in a straight line, I could only keep track of her movements because of the amount of magic pouring from her.

Just before she came within striking range, I waved my blade as if waiting for melee combat and instead, cast ‘blade wall’ as subtly as I could.

As my spell spawned into place around us, Beatrix slammed the back of her scythe on the ground and took to the air just above my head, twisting herself around to guide her blade to my neck.

I ducked and swiped my sword upward, attempting to hit her hands. Instead, I struck her pole while the magical blades of my spell began slicing through the air around us.

Attempting to use my strike as a springboard, Beatrix pushed away from me but instead, I placed both of my hands on the handle of my blade and swiped it down, dragging her weapon down as well with her behind it.

The blades of my spell were now crowding our surroundings but while they passed harmlessly through me, they crashed into my target and shattered on impact. Her yellow aura protected her from my spell so she all but ignored the impacts as she scrambled to land on her feet and rend at my side as she twisted her scythe away from my blade and turned it toward me in a single fluid motion.

Finding it too late to move out of her range, I dashed forward, grabbed her by the collar, and planted a headbutt into her nose while stabbing at her chest before she could reel back.

Before my blade could make contact, something wound around my limbs and stopped me in place as what looked like black markings appeared to be spreading across my body. It stopped my arm but not the headbutt. Beatrix, however, was able to step back and swipe her blade at my throat while she could.

“Burn.” I cast the spell and the black markings fizzled away in flames. Now freed, I ducked the scythe and dashed forward to close the distance.

As if pulled by a string, Beatrix hopped backward as soon as I tried to press the assault and stayed at a similar distance where her scythe could reach me. It seemed she wanted to play it from her most advantageous range.

With that in mind, I cast ‘magic missile’ and fifteen red orbs of impossible triangular shapes with yellow rings around them appeared behind my back. At my command, they began firing at my target in succession while I tried to close in on her.

With a flourish of her scythe, Beatrix backed off while swiping away my projectiles and parrying my blade. She seemed to have found her comfort zone. Maybe it was what she was aiming for until then.

I wanted to throw her off balance, so I continued my assault while the magic missiles fired between my strikes. I needed to get close enough that she couldn’t just back off so I could overwhelm her and she seemed all too keen of that fact.

As the last projectile passed her, followed by another strike from me, Beatrix turned her back and I was unexpectedly struck from the side. We were a stone's throw from the edge of the clearing and I was launched into the nearest tree where I was pinned to place by gravitational magic.

Thinking Beatrix would follow it up with something, I cast ‘flicker’ to put myself on the opposite side of the clearing.

As if reading my reaction, Beatrix planted her scythe blade into the ground followed by an uproar of energy as she charged a spell aimed at the spot I teleported to. “Anti-gravity cannon!”

While I heard her cast the spell, it was only in the echoes of her shout as a bright yellow blast barreled toward me while I was stuck levitating in the air. A simple ‘reflect’ wouldn’t be able to send back something like that so I recalled my quarterstaff to my hand to cast a spell. “Horizon.” In an instant, I was surrounded by a bubble. It was red from the base and fading to clear at the top with stars specked across its surface and it was the strongest defensive spell that I could cast that fast. Just as fast, however, it was shattered as it only lessened the blow while I used my blade against my side to try and absorb the rest of it.

As soon as I felt the pressure of the spell against my blade subside, I cast another spell. “Pacific inferno.” While doing so, I dualcast ‘backlash’ in the event that she tried to close the distance for a finishing blow. The healing flames coated my wounds while the aura now surrounding me would lash out at anyone within range, imprinting my most recent wounds onto them.

When my eyes adjusted, Beatrix stood with her scythe lifted to the side as if to rend the space before her while her blade glowed bright yellow and extended to three times its length and width outside the range of my spell. “Death scythe.” In a single motion, the edge of the blade lashed out as if it was alive and cleared the distance between me and her.

Momentarily, my life flashed before my eyes and all I saw was the bucked-tooth smile of my childhood friend.

“Blood ember.” Finally understanding how grave the situation was, I dropped my quarterstaff again and gave in to my instincts. I pulled my sword apart and split it in two. While doing so, my own blood pooled from the fresh wounds across my side where my sword failed to protect me and traveled up to my blades, coating them in a crimson red flame as the blood itself burned. My healing spell was still at work, but the wounds refused to close.

Dashing forward, I allowed the crimson flames from my blades to coat my entire body and I could feel the flames eating away at me even though they didn’t hurt. The scythe blade would reach me soon but despite the possibility of it ripping the soul from my body, I had a simple way to avoid it. I dropped to the ground and let it sail above me.

Seemingly taken aback by my actions, Beatrix continued the motion with a full turn and sent her blade out a second time.

In that small window, I stood and launched one of my swords from my hand. “Hypernova.” With a single spark, the spot Beatrix stood turned red with a ball of expanding flame that overtook my entire line of sight in an instant. Since I anchored the spell to my sword to cast it more efficiently, the magic retained in the sword literally exploded outward as a result of my spell and it surprised me. I had no idea how much magic was really stored within my sword and if I was any closer, I’d have been caught in it as well.

As distracted as I was, I almost didn’t notice the magic blade of the scythe still slicing through the air toward me. I felt the pressure of it reaching me before it did and I reacted by turning the sword still in my hand and blocking with both hands.

When the magical blade made contact, it stopped as if it lost all momentum and vanished. Despite this as evidence and the explosion of my spell still taking place seconds later, I wasn’t convinced Beatrix was dead yet. Even so, I stood back and watched.

Nearly a minute passed before the red ball broke into particles and dissipated. In the center of the shallow crater made by the blast was a bloodied woman in tattered clothing. She was unmoving, but she was alive. Her singed hair and slightly bent nose were both dripping red and a slew of new cuts littered her body. They didn’t seem to be from the blast, but rather like she didn’t totally block out the damage from my blade wall earlier.

Her eyes moved and locked onto me while her body became surrounded in a bright yellow aura that faded to black.

“No, you don’t.” I took a stance and swiped my blade through the air, able to cast the spell properly this time. “Branding severance.”

The space before me with her in my sights fractured as everything became still. It was like time stopped for a moment while the sound of clashing blades echoed into the distance followed by the sound of shattering metal.

As if I blinked and missed it, Beatrix was within striking range of me with her scythe in mid-swing despite seemingly taking the full force of my attack. She was aiming for my midsection, so ducking wasn’t an option and there wasn’t enough time to jump so I placed my sword behind my back as she pulled me toward her.

Attempting to lurch forward with another headbutt, I was met with a fist to the face as she placed her knee against my gut while we fell to the ground, pinning me between her and her blade. With a shout, she bashed her knuckles, coated in the black aura surrounding her, into my face repeatedly while I made sure her scythe below didn’t cut into me.

In my efforts, I used the hand not holding onto my sword to block but doing so showed me that my healing spell wasn’t enough to reverse the damage done from the blast I blocked. There was a large patch of skin missing under the layer of burning blood coating my body. There was likely more damage I couldn’t see but it couldn’t have been as bad as Beatrix.

Unable to block her assault completely, I moved my head to avoid impacts and look for an opening. Her long arms made retaliation difficult but she leaned in for every other strike, so I used that to my advantage. When she leaned in, I leaned forward, and we traded blows. She seemed shocked that I could reach her and that moment of pause was what I was looking for.

Facing my palm toward her, I cast the spell I was building up. “Fireball.” The ball consumed her and the space around her as well as my arm, pulling in some of the flames surrounding me and turning deep red.

The blast hit Beatrix head-on, but she responded by grabbing my wrist as I cast it a series of times in quick succession, igniting her with flames. She pulled my hand down as the blasts kept exploding around her. “Event horizon.”

As she cast the spell, I cast another. “Flashpoint.” Reigniting the flames of my magic, I hoped to knock her away from me, but she was anchored in place and so was I.

My vision faded to black as her spell took place and I began floating through nothingness. The effects of the spell could have played out fully and I wouldn’t have known or, because of my strong resistance to magic, I was teetering on the edge of the void.

I closed my eyes since darkness was all I could see anyway. Even the flames coating my body brought no light. I began to reflect on more things than I could count since I felt like I had the time. Before my thoughts could wander too far, however, I pulled my mind to the battle at hand. I could have used more defensive spells or focused more on pressing my advantage to wear her down instead of going for the kill every time.

The more I floated through the darkness, the more I was sure I was already dead. That was until I could feel something pull at me from the void. It was a tiny tug, barely noticeable aside from what felt like static as there was a minute strain on my entire body from every direction at once.

“What do you know?” I said, hearing my voice mostly in my head and only a faint distant whisper of it from the darkness. The spell had fully started but it seemed like the burning blood coating my body reinforced me against the ripping, tearing, and crushing of the spell surrounding me. With that realization, one thing came to mind. “Anti-magic chamber.”

The darkness vanished immediately and Beatrix stood before me leaning on her scythe with new scars covering her body. Some of them were still partially open and bleeding. She was in the middle of healing herself and I just interrupted it. In fact, I dispelled all of the magic in the area as far as my spell could reach. All magic would be continuously nullified until my spell broke or faded.

Beatrix staggered backward, wide-eyed and white as a sheet. She looked like she saw a ghost for a moment and started backing up as if she was going to run.

Using my sword, still in my hand as an anchor, I sprung up and lunged at her.

Seemingly panicked, she swung her scythe at me, and I ducked it. The pole of it came around second and I parried it, aiming to send it as far away as I could. Instead, she used the momentum of my parry to bring the scythe blade back around.

Instead of dodging, blocking, or directly parrying it this time, I learned from earlier and pushed my blade into hers, guiding it off to the side where she couldn’t just swing it back around as I stepped under her attack range and into mine.

Hopping back, Beatrix tried to pull her scythe to her but all I did was jump with her and close the gap mid-air, grabbing her throat with my unoccupied hand. As soon as I found my grip, I squeezed.

It felt like every joint in my arm popped as I concentrated entirely on wringing the life out of my target. My veins showed through the surface of my skin and hers did similarly while she struggled to claw my hand away. We both only had one arm free since she was unwilling to drop her scythe. Afterall, if she did, I’d still have my sword.

It felt like something was going to give but before anything did, Beatrix dropped to the ground and kicked upward with her feet, hitting me straight in the face and causing my vision to flash white. Even so, I kept squeezing.

Seconds passed while she essentially stomped at me from below. Our height difference fell in her favor since every other kick saw her drag herself further away and since I didn’t have enough leverage against her scythe to keep her from slipping away, she did.

Since I could already tell she was slipping away, I was prepared. As soon as she was beyond my fingertips, I turned my blade around and fell toward her with the tip pointing down.

Unexpectedly, my blade sank into the person it was meant for, then into the ground in turn. Even though her back was against the ground, her feet were up and she could have just kicked me away. Her feet were still pushing against me, but my sword was in the middle of her chest regardless.

When I took a moment to examine her, I saw blood still gushing from the unclosed wounds scattered across her body that multiplied since the last time I could see her clearly. Some of them were partially singed closed from burns that ate at her skin; some cutting even deeper than the wounds they cauterized.

Her blood loss likely weakened her to where she probably couldn’t move my weight without magic. With that in mind, would she have been able to move a full scythe the same? I was likely in similar shape even though I couldn’t yet feel it.

I decided to ignore the possibility when the person under me started moving. Beatrix writhed a bit while attempting to grab my blade with a raspy warcry. Instead of giving her the chance, I twisted my blade, so the edge was pointing toward her heart and raked it across, opening a chasm in her chest that emptied its contents into the ground below, staining it red.

Her hand shot upward and caressed my face as soon as I twisted the blade. “No! I love...” She fell silent quickly and stayed still forever more.

Untrusting of her mortality, I stayed there with her until I felt the heat leave her body, which happened in a matter of time. I didn’t have the luxury to feel disturbed by the gore until later.

Canceling my ‘anti-magic chamber’ I sat beside the corpse of my protege, come from the future to kill me. I now had much to think about but first, I had one last thing to do before anything else. I placed my hand over the fatal wound in her chest. “Funeral pyre.” A brilliant, yellow flame sprang to life in the shape of a cross and turned blood red immediately after as the cold corpse became warm for the last time before burning away into nothing. The only things left were remnants of her clothes and her scythe.

I picked up what was left of her and as soon as my fingers brushed against the scythe, it started glowing bright red and shrank until it looked like a copy of my sword. Looking around, I couldn’t find the remnants of the half of my sword that detonated so I placed the new replica together with the old one and they merged together as if they were never separate to begin with.

Putting the tattered remnants of clothing in one of my few undamaged pockets, I made my way back to the tower. As soon as I was out of the clearing, I felt innumerable eyes on me until I made it all the way back. Entering the tower, I spotted Beatrix with a short stack of sliced meat, cheese, and crackers in her hands leaving the kitchen. She was her normal youthful self in her pajamas. When she saw me, she dropped everything and came to my side. My vision went blurry and I felt myself fade into unconsciousness from there.

Standing under the twinkling lights of what looked like a moonless night sky, I waded through a river of red until I came upon a black shore. Scanning my surroundings, I spotted a sliver of orange-red hanging in the sky. After a moment of watching it, I noticed the sliver getting more apparent. It was as if something was opening in the sky. Soon enough, I realized it was an eye and the sliver slowly unfolded into a familiar circular orb. The moon.

“This is it.” Beatrix’s voice echoed from everywhere. She just died so I wasn’t surprised her spirit was still around. “This is the spell I needed your eyes for. To be honest, I don’t even remember why I wanted it so bad. What was it even supposed to do? I came all this way, and for what? I don’t know anymore.”

After a moment of silence, I said, “Maybe you wanted the world to see things through your eyes? No, if it was something I disagreed with, it couldn’t have been so simple. At least, not so innocent.”

“I don’t remember. I just remember being fed up with being hated by the world.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“I know. It just took me too long to realize it wasn’t the whole world. ‘My, how the mind clears upon death.’ That’s the last thing you said to me. I thought it was fitting for an angel of death to say such a thing.”

“I guess Azrael isn’t exactly a demon’s name, is it?”

“I think it’s fitting.”

The eye that was the moon opened completely, shedding its light in all directions. Seeing it filled me with innumerable emotions, but the one I felt most of all was sadness. Soon after, I felt a drop of warm liquid fall from above, followed closely by a downpour. The air was so heavy, I felt like I was buried underground but I could still breathe fine. It seemed like everything she kept bottled up was spilling out and I could feel all of it.

Wiping away an unexpected tear, I said, “Is this really what this spell’s supposed to do?”

“I don’t know. I never really thought that far in hindsight. Maybe I just wanted everyone else to feel how I felt.”

“Well, with a spell this strong and the right emotions, you’d be able to push half the world to suicide.”

“And the other half?”

“To consider it.”

“Maybe that was the goal... Like I said, I don’t know anymore.”

“So, is this all you wanted to show me?”

“It’s all I have time to show you. My future is fading and me with it. Of course, that wouldn’t happen if you don’t remember me. I wonder if this counts as a time paradox?”

“No, I don’t think your future is fading, only you. Time isn’t static and neither is probability when you mess with them. You may well have guaranteed your future doesn’t come to pass but that doesn’t mean you were never here. I just hope you don’t end up too deep in hell for me to visit.”

A soft giggle resounded through the space, leaving behind dead silence.

The sight of a young Beatrix with her mouth agape in a gasp filled my gaze as my eyes opened. Feeling stiff as a board, I put in a lot of effort to sit up. My breathing was ragged and there was fluid in my lungs I was too weak to cough up. A flash of pain raced across my chest and I fell back.

“What happened?” said Beatrix, sitting attentively at my side.

“Bea,” I said, drowning in my words. “Can you perform CPR? I can’t cough and there’s probably blood in my lungs.”

“I don’t think I want to do that. I’m pretty sure some of your ribs are broken... What happened?”

“How long was I out?”

“Like a day or two.”

“I guess that means I didn’t use up too much magic, just blood.” Moving my arm surprisingly easily, I placed my hand on my chest and cast ‘elemental control’, moving the liquid in my lungs and guiding it out through my mouth. The mass turned out to be mostly clear with a red hue. “That’s better.”

“So, what happened?” said Beatrix, not looking any less worried since the first time she asked.

“Someone from my past came around and tried to kill me. Not the most uncommon with people like me. Speaking of, how long was I gone before I came back?”

“A couple hours, I think? I couldn’t sleep so I got a snack and when I was going back, you came in all beat up.”

“So, I was right. The tower was in a stasis bubble for a month or so.”

“A month?”

“Yeah.” After a moment of silence, I said, “I think I’m done with my experiments.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, my eyes are stars and there’s no need to change that.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“For now, we’ll focus on your training, but first, I have something to show you when I can move properly.” Levitating myself, I stood on the ground and stayed surprisingly sturdy. “I guess I’m in better shape than I thought.”

Making my way out of the room, I went to the bathroom and dropped the bubble in the toilet before taking care of other business. Taking a look at myself in the mirror, I saw bruises and bandages seemingly haphazardly strewn across my body. My left arm was completely bandaged, which made sense since it was the one injured most in the fight. My eyes looked tired even though I didn’t feel like it and for some reason, something else seemed off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I realized; my blood curse was inactive. The realization shook me so hard, I nearly fell to the floor, but my back hit the wall from staggering backward instead. After a few minutes of losing myself in this realization, I stepped out of the bathroom and found Beatrix waiting for me in the living room.

“Are you feeling better?” she said.

“A little. Let’s make something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Make something together?”

“Sure. My master taught me how to cook so I want to teach you. Well, at least teach you to cook things you don’t already know.” I headed toward the kitchen. “How about dragonfried rocpeas? They’re pretty easy to make.”

“Um... Okay?”

“Alright, I’ll grab the dayflower oil. The rocpeas are in the cabinet in the back of the cabinet over the sink.”

“There’s a cabinet in there?”

“There’s a cabinet in most of the cabinets.”

Beatrix’s face exploded in surprise. “What?”

“I guess that means you never found the second fridge, huh?”

She simply sighed with a look of frustration. “How come you never told me that before?”

“It’s often more effective to learn by doing. Seeing how confusing everything is firsthand and learning to navigate it on your own is but one of the many little trials for you to overcome, honestly.”

After thirty minutes of gathering ingredients and frying, we had two plates of dragonfried rocpeas. After eating, we washed the dishes together and went down to the training room. There, I stood by while Beatrix attempted to take down the floating targets with her gravity balls. She succeeded in hitting almost every target but couldn’t break a single one. Next, she trained with the wooden scythe on a dummy until her arms were tired.

After ascertaining her current level of power, skill, and tolerance for magic, we went back upstairs to study. After a few hours, Beatrix seemed to get tired and started losing her focus, so we retired for the day. The next day, I took a few hours in the morning just gathering my courage and resolve for what I had to do next and consider my options. In the end, my decision was a shaky one, but mine regardless.

Finding Beatrix in the training room beating on a dummy, I spoke before she could even notice me. “I’m going on a journey.”

“What?” She jumped in surprise.

“I might be gone for a while, but I thought I’d ask if you want to come with me.”

“Um...” She started awkwardly shifting on the balls of her feet while playing with her hands with a shy smile. “You want me to come with you? I mean, where are we going?”

“Since your training is incomplete, I’d like you to come with me, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can probably carry on without me for a while if you choose. I don’t want to drag you into my business involuntarily. I’m going to visit the mother of my children.”

Beatrix’s smile died and her expression fell cold. She stopped shifting around but she kept playing with her hands nervously. “Oh... Uh... Sure? I guess my training still isn’t over so I guess I should come with you. When are we leaving?”

“In a few days. I need to put my affairs in order before we go.”

“Ok...”

“Are you sure you want to go? You don’t seem all that up for it.”

“No, I’m fine, I just... I’m just thinking. I thought you didn’t have kids.”

“Well, a lot of things can happen in a month.”

“Oh... But you said children... Congratulations.”

“Thanks. Alright, for now, let’s get back to training.”

Beatrix nodded and we continued her training for the day.

The next day, I went into Hierophant’s domain. I walked between the flowers aimlessly and found my way to him sitting on a root like always except now, it was green. He was still wearing the slightly translucent leaves and petals that made his tunic.

“You’re alive,” he said with a smirk.

“Surprised?”

“Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Alright, I’m leaving for a while. Do you want to rekindle our contract?”

“No, I’m well off as it is, but if a contract is what you want, you may want to know that my terms this time around are quite different.”

“What are they?”

“That you return. With you gone, things will grow boring quickly. I only wish that you return before you expire. Maybe bring more humans with you to liven up these forests even more.”

“Sure, I can promise that.”

Hierophant waved me away. “Then away with you. The faster you go, the faster you return. Our contract will be sealed as soon as you leave my domain.”

I simply shrugged and left.

Eldar was waiting for me at the edge of his domain on the opposite side of the tower and we spotted each other at the same time.

“I knew you’d come,” said Eldar, patting his slightly translucent vest with his fist. “You’re here to create a new contract, correct?”

“Well, you could say that. I’m going on a journey and I want you guys to have the same kind of protection you had before.”

He nodded as if in thought. “That is unnecessary but if you insist, here are my terms. My granddaughter is a problem child and no one in the village can get her to behave. I’d like you to take her with you. As a familiar, of course.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes.” He reached down between the nearby shrubbery and lifted a little naga girl barely three feet tall with a black and red stripe pattern down her snake lower body and wearing human clothes. She was munching on a beetle the size of her arm. “Spole, this is the man I told you about.”

The girl attempted to wriggle free. “Let me go, shitty old man!”

Eldar looked back at me. “See what I mean?”

I sighed. “I guess I’ll figure it out.” I placed my hand on the girl’s forehead and she proceeded to bite me. “Wizard’s contract.” Her eyes started glowing bright red and I learned what she wanted. “Alright, I can give you that. Come with me and you’ll be far away from all of it.”

Spole nodded and her bite became less intense, allowing me to slip my hand out of her mouth. Eldar sat her down and she immediately clung to my leg.

From there, I went to the back of the tower and met with Linnea who was in a clearing overseeing a group of young dryads. When she saw me, she beckoned me over.

“I know why you’re here and you know what I want. Mother nature always requires new life.”

Mildly surprised, I said, “Oh, so, nothing different with you this time?”

“The difference is that I will not be the only one receiving your seed. Like last time, no children will come of it, but mother nature will be spurned to create new life regardless. Even if only to repair the damage done to my domain from your altercation.”

With a shrug, I said, “Sure, I’m all yours but I have this little lady with me.” I shook my leg, wiggling Spole about.

Linnea nodded and said, “No need to worry about that. She can play with the other children.”

Taking a knee so I was closer to eye level with Spole, I said, “Are you willing to play nice with the other kids for a bit?”

She shook her head vigorously at first then stopped and nodded softly. Next, she let go and slithered toward the small shrub-like children playing a little farther away. Some time later, I came back to find her sitting on the head of the tallest one and directing all the rest to do things to her amusement. I promptly picked her up and took her with me.

Back in the tower, Beatrix fawned over my new familiar and I had to remind her of what happened with Mira to get her to calm down.

Next, I visited my parents with Beatrix and Spole. They fawned over Spole like Beatrix did but not nearly to the same degree, although, she did bite my dad. To that, he just laughed.

In the end, they sent us off with a new scythe and a set of chainmail for Beatrix. It took a while to find a scythe that she felt at ease with. Originally, they wanted to give her a sword, but she looked at it awkwardly. They wanted to give her a set of splint armor too but it was a bit weighty for her, so they gave her a set of chainmail instead.

Finally, I went to the roof of the tower and sent letters to Belial and Doji about my departure. I got an almost immediate response from Belial, reminding me of my promise in the form of a teleporting raven with an annoyingly shrill voice yelling at me. From Doji, a crystal-clear pill fell into my hand with a letter stating it was for a special occasion.

Since I took care of everything I needed unexpectedly fast, Beatrix, Spole, and I left the tower only a couple of days later. What happened after is a story for another day, but it may yet be one worth telling. Who knows, maybe I will tell it.