It’s been a couple of weeks since I cast ‘reaching for the moon’. The concept behind the spell was rather simple in nature, using overwhelming force to create a crack in space, allowing me to travel to that which I desire. However, there were two issues to consider. One, after I cast the spell, there would be a freaking crack in space, connecting wherever I was with wherever I went. Fortunately, Sophia is a genius when it comes to space magic, and was able to repair the crack in reality from the spell I’d cast, but I should probably learn how to fix that on my own before I attempt the spell again.

The other issue to consider is how I apparently collapsed, falling unconscious after casting the spell just one time. For the first time since arriving in this world, I finally understood how the average person feels when they empty out their mana pools. Pure mental exhaustion flooded into me, and it was days before I could think well enough to actually get back to work on my various projects. During that time I also couldn’t think well enough to teach anyone anything, much to the annoyance of Duke. For those first few days after I cast the spell, Ash and I still went down to Earth every day to walk around, touring the Capital under X’s guidance, but I was fairly useless, and ended up being dragged around by Ash. She’d tried to get me to stay in the subspace, but I had made her a promise, and didn’t want my mental exhaustion to get in the way of her having fun.

After the first few days passed, and I was finally able to start thinking clearly again, I began Sophia’s request. I was actually rather excited to teach her all about the science and math behind what we were working on, and kept having to remind myself that I needed to slow down. Knowledge is built sequentially after all, so for Sophia to actually understand the intricacies of breaking through atmosphere, of calculating orbits and travel times, she first needed to understand the concepts of air pressure and resistance, of centrifugal and centripetal forces, and of geometry, calculating angles and lengths, using the numbers you have access to to figure out the numbers you don’t know.

Given that Duke also apparently intended to help in the moon project, I managed to kill two birds with one stone, and have spent the past couple of weeks teaching math and science to both Sophia and Duke simultaneously, while also specifically teaching Duke the English terminology behind the concepts that I was explaining. This slowed down our progress a bit, but at the end of the day, I would end up having two extra minds to help me figure this shit out, greatly shortening the overall amount of time spent on this project.

To be perfectly honest, I’d been expecting Sophia to ask me to teach her this stuff for a while now. After all, she was a being of pure emotion, pure Desire, of Existence. Her entire goal in life is the pursuit of creating her own Everything. Isn’t it only reasonable that she would want to be involved in the process? After all, once we steal the moon, she’ll still have to do all of the work morphing a giant hunk of dead rock into a fully fledged planet, and she’ll need to understand the science behind what makes planets work the way they do in order to do so. Now, I’m no expert in environmental science, my specialty being what’s outside the bounds of our planet rather than within our own atmosphere. However, science is not nearly as segregated as schools tend to imply them to be. Biology, chemistry, physics, as well as the more advanced, or specialized variations of zoology, anatomy, quantum mechanics, cosmology, ecology, none of these…actually exist.

All of these ‘different fields’ of science, at the end of the day, they’re all the same thing. Science in general is simply about discovering the laws of the universe, the rules and patterns that everything follows, and from there, figuring out why everything follows those rules. The different fields of science are nothing more than different angles by which we all observe the same set of rules. The universe doesn’t have set definitions for what is a star, for what is a galaxy, for what constitutes life. In the eyes of the Universe there is functionally no difference between an ant, a human, a rock, even a planet. All of these definitions, all of these differences and segregation of fields of study, are all due to humans compartmentalizing. Humans are the ones who decide what counts as a planet and what doesn’t. Humans are the ones who decide what is a life, and what isn’t. Because in the cosmically indifferent eyes of the universe, everything is nothing but a collection of atoms and energy. There are no solids, liquids, gasses, plasma, or bohr-einstein condensate. Just atoms containing different levels of energy. There is no life, only atoms sticking together through sharing electrons, forming molecules sticking near each other through electromagnetism, forming cells that are functionally nothing more than a constant reaction, similar to flame, where new mass enters, and either old mass is expelled, or a combination of new and old mass splits into two and repeats the cycle, cells sticking together with hooks on the outside, forming larger organisms. All in all, in the eyes of the universe, there are only two types of laws. The laws of mass, and the laws of energy.

Is this a gross oversimplification? Yes. Does this fail to take into account several highly accepted theories of the universe, such as superstring theory, or gravity functioning through the curvature of spacetime, or parallel universe theory? Yes. Does this fail to take into account any theory in which time is something malleable? Yes. However, for all intents and purposes, these theories are far beyond the scope of anything that we have any business in exploring right now. Before we can even hope to begin considering the laws of the universe as a wholistic structure, and attempt to figure out the nature of the bounds, of the ‘walls’ at the edge of what we can understand, we first need to understand the laws of mass, and the laws of energy that exist inside the bounds of the universe.

For example, let’s take the concept of gravity. Imagine the universe as a collection of sheets of spacetime that stretch out infinitely. These sheets are stacked on top of each other, forming a three dimensional cube that extends for eternity. Now, if you place a collection of matter in those sheets, for example, a bowling ball, the sheets will be displaced, and curve around it. Now, if you put a ping pong ball on the sheets, it will roll down the sheets towards the bowling ball. This is the concept of gravity, according to the theory of relativity.

However, there is an alternate theory. Every other observed phenomenon in the universe, electromagnetism, light, heat, kinetic energy, has an associated particle with it. Electromagnetism is due to the innate attractive properties between electrons and protons, and the innate repulsive properties between electrons with other electrons, and protons with other protons. Light, heat, and kinetic energy are due to energy particles known as photons. And one of the defining characteristics of these forces is that not only do they exist as particles, but they can also take the form of waves. Think of this like…a rock interacting with a body of water. Now, the rock can exist within the body of water, not really interacting with it. This would be similar to how the previous particles exist in our universe, mainly keeping to themselves, or traveling around, being pulled by the surrounding streams or by whatever internal energy the rock already possessed, if it happened to be thrown. However, the rock could also interact with the body of water by entering it from the outside. This would create ripples, ripples that theoretically extend outwards infinitely. These ripples are analogous with the waveforms of forces exerted on the universe by these particles.

This led scientists to developing an alternative theory of how gravity functions. They came up with a theoretical particle called the ‘graviton’, and, as far as I’m aware, though my memory on the topic could be off, hypothesized that this particle is something that exists within all matter, and that the observed effects of gravity that we know of are another kind of waveform force. Reimagine those ripples on the surface of a body of water, and this time, picture that on top of the surface of the body of water, there are a large number of leaves. Now, each leaf is sending out ripples across the surface, with the intensity of the ripples being directly proportional to how much mass is within each leaf. However, instead of pushing outwards, these ripples would start from the outside, and move inwards toward each individual leaf. This is a visualization of the particle version of gravitational theory.

However, both of these theories have a certain inherent flaw within them. The problem with the particle version of gravitational theory is that, if this particle does in fact exist, we should theoretically be able to find it, to find the frequency of gravitational waves, and figure out ways to manipulate gravity, however, no matter how much we search, we have yet to find it. It could be that this theoretical particle exists in a fourth dimension that we have no way to perceive, but that means that we’d have to operate under the assumption that it exists, with nothing but faith to support our theory. Meanwhile, the problem with the theory of relativity’s version of gravity, is that it is entirely predicated on the assumption that the universe is composed of an infinite number of sheets of spacetime, that can be distorted by mass. Again, we have no real way to prove this is in fact the case, and instead have to rely on nothing but faith that this theory is the correct one.

At the end of the day though, no matter which theory you personally believe in…it doesn’t matter. We can barely handle getting to the moon, or the closest other planet to us in our own solar system, much less exploring the wider universe. At the end of the day, the only thing that actually matters is that gravity exists, and that we can observe how it affects us in various conditions. Does it suck that we can’t fully appreciate, fully understand the exact mechanics of how it operates? Absolutely. God, if we could figure that out, so many inventions could be made, for energy generation, transportation, construction, you name it. However, we can’t, because we don’t understand. Because we are simply humans, trying to see the full picture of a puzzle from the appearance of the one piece that we can actually observe.

So yes, for all intents and purposes, the only true ‘universal laws’ that exist, that science can reliably figure out, are the laws of mass, and the laws of energy. And the benefit to looking at it this way? If you happen to have a very firm grasp on the laws of the universe from one of the lenses, then by extension you have a reasonable understanding of the laws of the universe from a different perspective. I may not be an expert in environmental science, I may not understand how different aspects of the world are important to us. I may not understand the shifting of tectonic plates, of weather patterns, of the different layers of the Earth, or how the Earth’s magnetic field is generated, or how it fluctuates. But I do know that they exist. And from there, I can piece together how to recreate them, even if I don’t fully understand their functions. I can guide Sophia through making a spinning core of liquid metal, which would create the different layers of her planet, as well as the magnetic field. I can guide her through how much gas she needs to introduce into her atmosphere. I can guide her through the lens of chemistry, describing the chemical structures of different gasses, and how she can have them interact with each other to get the environment she wants.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

First, however, before we get into the nitty gritty of magical terraforming, she needs to understand the laws of mass, and the laws of energy. And so, I have spent the past couple of weeks simply teaching Sophia and Duke basic math and physics.

On a slightly less intellectually intense note, touring the Capital has been fun for the most part. After the first day where we were led to a lot of different kinds of crafters’ shops, X also introduced us to the local bakeries, dining halls, and recreational areas. Due to the relative safety of the Kingdom, the Capital had an extremely large population, even by my old world’s standards. Millions of people lived here, extending the Capital outwards from the base of the mountain for miles and miles. This extremely large population and relative safety meant that this Capital was one of the only places in this new world where the common man wasn’t simply struggling to survive, and focused entirely on essential work. As a result, art, music, philosophy, and activities for the express purpose of entertainment were able to flourish here. There were arenas where gladiatorial matches took place the day after a local popular bard performed there. There were teachers in light magic, who trained their students on how to make spells that served no other purpose other than to be visually appealing.

Another interesting thing of note was that despite being a human Kingdom, the population was actually rather diverse. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, and plenty of other unknown species walked around and lived here. According to X, the founder of the Kingdom happened to have friends with several different kinds of people, leading the kingdom’s definition of ‘Human’ to be somewhat loose. Unfortunately for Ash, Beastkin were still very much considered to be ‘Not Human’, despite these apparently loose definitions. She received several sideways glances from the people around us, until they noticed her wristband denoting her as a Traveler, or the fact that she was walking around with X and Duke, relatively well known adventurers, and pieced together that she was just in town for the Bazaar.

As we explored the city, I also happened to notice an argument between a grocer and a customer, where the customer was trying to barter the price of eggs and bread down to two heads, from the original five. Prices, especially prices of food, were astronomical here. According to X, the months right before the Bazaar were when prices would generally be highest, as that’s when the least amount of food was available. Not to the level where people were starving in the streets, but just enough to where no one was particularly comfortable with selling what they had left.

There was also a very heavy presence from the city guard here. No matter where we were, there was always at least one in your vicinity. Now, for a normal town, this wouldn’t be too concerning, but you have to remember the sheer magnitude of the Capital. Half of the population of NYC lives here, but without the skyscrapers to house them all. This means that the overall square footage of this city is significantly larger than that of New York. For a city guard to always be visible suggested that there was a massive army of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of soldiers, constantly monitoring and policing. Now, this wasn’t necessarily concerning in and of itself, as a larger military meant that this Capital would be safe from any sort of outside threat. However, as far as I could tell, there was no one who intended to threaten the Capital. Which meant that the reason that this massive army was recruited and maintained was purely to monitor their own citizens.

One day, as we were returning to the Traveler’s Station after watching a play about a noble lady from some prominent family I’d never heard of running off with one of the city guard, X seemed to stiffen, and fell to his knee, with Duke following suit, while Ash and I remained standing, looking to see what had happened. In front of us, walking down the road, was a small group. They seemed…oddly modern. They were wearing what looked suspiciously like…denim. As in, blue jeans and jean jackets. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can absolutely appreciate a 90’s vibe, but…to see it in a fantasy world? My entire body seemed to shake from suppressing my own raucous laughter. The only reason I didn’t is because I couldn’t find the reason that X and Duke were kneeling, and I figured that it was probably more important to find out who was so important that ‘Lord Xavier, the Battle Chef’ would drop to his knees, rather than making fun of the dudes wearing jean jackets.

After about 10 minutes, and whoever it was left, along with the jean guys, X finally stood up, turned to me and Ash and said, “If you ever see anyone wearing the color blue, those are members of the Royal Family.”

I tried to remember the crowd. Who was wearing blue… hold up…

I fought to suppress my laughter once more as I asked, “Wait a second…Are you seriously telling me…that here, blue jeans are like…the mark of royalty?”

X turned to me in amazement, asking, “You know about blue jeans?”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and burst into a fit of giggles. Are you fucking kidding me!? Sure, I knew that indigo dye was generally considered something rare in my world, making blue and purple clothing the symbol of royalty in Europe, but Jeans?!? Instead of capes, crowns, and luxurious attire, the king of this Kingdom most likely wore a damn jean jacket?!

X stared at me with his eyes slightly squinted and his brows knit together. Offense? Anger? Ahh, shit, I guess I kind of am insulting his kingdom huh? I tried to explain myself, telling the group about how where I’m from, literally everyone wears jeans, and how basically no one has worn a denim jacket for almost 40 years, so in my eyes, what they considered to be ‘royal attire’ was more like an outdated fashion sense.

X still seemed to be upset, replying, “Those outfits are traditional attire, created by the Founder King Sebastian Miner himself. It is an unbelievable honor to be bestowed with your own set, and the manufacturing method is a complete secret, known only to the highest echelon.” He went on to talk about the royal family, how to this day, they were the only ones allowed within the Spectral Quartz mines, and how those outfits were basically your pass to get in. Apparently, rather than your strength as a warrior like I’d feared, the thing that determines your social standing is how close you can get to the mine. This led to a rather interesting situation in which the top echelon in this kingdom were not warriors, or politicians, but were in fact miners.

The name of the King, as well as the revelation that he had brought denim into this world, also made me realize something. King Miner, and Denim. The King was supposedly reincarnated right? And in my old world, denim was originally invented for the use of miners, a material that was tough enough to handle the rigors of physical labor, while also being light enough to not impede movement or be too stuffy. Was the first king, King Sebastian…was he from my world?

Ash’s POV

These past couple of weeks have been really fun. Walking around, talking to X, making fun of our nerds as they followed after us, Leo teaching Duke how to speak his language and science stuff. We’ve eaten some delicious food, watched plays, and I even learned a new light magic spell, making a flower that looked really pretty, and could open and close.

When Leo started laughing at the Kingdom’s Royal family, I noticed how angry it made X. While I understood that it was a misunderstanding, brought about by Leo being from another world, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Ashamed. And that? That hit like a punch to the gut. How could I be ashamed of Leo? After saving my life, after everything he’s done to look out for me, to take care of me. He has never given me anything but unending support. Hell, the day after he literally collapsed from exhaustion, he still came down to Earth because he made a promise to me that he wouldn’t leave me alone here. And I’m ashamed of him?

A wave of disgust and self loathing coursed its way through me. I’m a shitty friend. Honestly, Leo deserves better. He doesn’t deserve-

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Sophia’s voice rang in my head. How did you know something’s wrong? I asked in return.

“I can see what Leo sees through the soulbond remember? You look upset, but like you’re also trying to hide it. So talk to me, what happened?”

And so I told her. I told her about how Leo came into a foreign nation and immediately started laughing at their royalty. How he offended X, about how I felt embarrassed by him. The longer I talked about it, the more stupid it felt. After I finished, Sophia let out a sigh.

“Ash, did I ever tell you about the first spell Leo ever cast?”

No, but knowing him it was probably incredible.

Sophia let out a…snort? “It was a fireball. Straight up the easiest spell to cast, that children all over the world can use easily. And the first time Leo tried it out…it literally exploded in his face. After that, he thought his head was on fire so he spent like half of a minute just slapping himself.” As she told the story, she couldn’t help but start giggling, and I joined in, X now staring at me like I was the one who insulted his royal family. I pointed at my head and mouthed, “Sophia”, leading him to knit his eyebrows and return to lecturing Leo on the history of the Kingdom.

“The point is, when you’re friends with Leo, you get a front row seat to all of the stupid stuff he does. He once told me, ‘I’m not actually that smart. I’m just smart enough to fully understand how stupid I actually am, and how I can be less stupid.’ Ash, when he does dumb stuff like this, it’s perfectly fine that you’re embarrassed to be seen with him. That doesn’t make you a bad friend, or a shitty person. That just means you’re socially conscious, and care what people think about you. In particular, you seem to care what X thinks of you, and that’s why you felt ashamed of Leo.”

Wait what? I care what X thinks in particular? No way, I mean sure, people in general I generally want to like me, but I mean, who doesn’t want to be liked? There’s no particular feeling I have for X that makes me want him to think well of me specifically!

“Sure, keep arguing otherwise, the blush in your cheeks is really selling it. Hey, maybe you should kiss him to really show me how little you care.”

I’m serious Soph, besides, I like Mike, you know that.

“That’s not how Desire works, Ash. Not when it comes to people, and especially not when you’re alone. It’s perfectly normal to want two different and conflicting things at the same time. It may not be rational, but emotions are irrational by nature. I think what you want more than anything else is just to not be alone. To have someone who’s yours, and while you specifically want Mike in that role, there’s a part of you that wouldn’t mind if someone else took it instead. X is an attractive, powerful man, who understands the value of honor and responsibility. He also has a good sense of humor, always a plus. It’s perfectly natural that you’d want him.”

I stayed silent. There’s nothing I could really even say. I mean yeah, X is really fun to spend time with but…

I remembered a few years ago, back when I lived with Mike’s clan. His father was a large, intimidating man, but Mike stood up straight and fought with him, telling him, “You always taught me Loyalty above all else, and a man’s word is his bond. Ash is my friend, and goddamn it I’m gonna be loyal dad, and I’m gonna keep my damn word. Yes, she’s a mutt, but I don’t care. I told her she can stay here, and if you don’t like it, then you can kick both of us out.” Just remembering that moment, the warmth, the love, the feelings of being accepted, of being appreciated flooded right back into me. Could I potentially see myself falling in love with someone else some day? Maybe. But…it won’t be like that. It won’t be like how I feel about Mike. How can it?