Mallory had only walked a few feet from the table before he stopped and turned around to Jon.

“You know… ever since this whole King thing got started… I don’t know, man. It just feels like me and Hector, we just haven’t been vibing properly, you know?

Jon grimaced.

“I mean, when we were back at the castle… I thought, you know, that me and him weren’t able to connect because we were separated all the time and stuff. But even then, man, I don’t know…”

Jon wouldn’t know how to properly evaluate Mallory’s and Hector’s relationship. He listened patiently, hoping he wouldn’t have to answer for them.

“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” Mallory asked.

Jon shook his head.

Mallory sighed. “It’s whatever man. Let’s get going.”

Jon continued following Mallory until they reached poached the large circular area and walked into a pair of doors that went into another hallway.

Jon felt a little nervous, so he focused on Mallory’s back until they finally went through a second pair of doors.

Here, was an actual room that was technically small, if not for the ceiling which was just as high as the rest of the building.

Several smaller bookcases lined the walls. and a wide rectangular wooden table set up in the center of the room with a chair in front of it. On the table was an open book and a feather pen laying nearby as if waiting for someone to continue writing.

Mallory took a seat at the table and sighed. He picked up the pen and looked at Jon.

“You can sit right there.” Mallory pointed with the feather at a large sack leaned against one of the bookcases.

Sit? Jon walked to the bag and sat down. It was soft, with what felt like little beads inside, and it sunk as he leaned back into the bag.

Ohh…

He was so comfortable, he almost forgot about Mallory.

Mallory was already focused on the book in front of him, carefully scribing into the book..

Jon didn’t know if he would interrupt Mallory by asking him what he was writing, so he waited patiently.

Mallory found his own initiative to talk, doing so while he continued writing.

“Among the many tasks I’ve been given to do on my time here… one of them is to record a record of my mana exploits.”

Mallory’s eyes widened as an indication of his sarcasm, even as he wrote. “I really don’t like writing about myself.”

Jon thought that anything Mallory had to write down would have been interesting, including his so-called mana-exploits. He was surprised Mallory didn’t see it the same way.

“I mean…” Mallory sat up and stopped writing this time, “it makes me realize that, in retrospect, everything I’ve done until now has been an accident. I mean, even the stuff I’ve planned have all been accidents. The more and more I go on, the more I’ve had to make up ideas on the spots, and it just makes me feel like an idiot, you know? Because instead of actually studying like a good little mage and learning of all the ways I can help my teammates, I just run up and cast my little didly-do and hope that everything comes out alright. I mean, come on!”

Mallory blew air out of his body. “I mean, I know what I’m doing. But eventually, I’m gonna have to start swinging at people, you know?”

Jon already had started swinging at people. Granted, he used his gun when he did so, but throwing a punch did still feel weird to him. It felt like a sense of desperation.

“I know I’m pretty damn good, but…” Mallory scratched his head. “I know that when I try to do any type of strong attack mana, I almost end up killing myself."

Mallory flashed a look in Jon's direction.

"You saw what happened back at the farm. Hector’s really aggressive, but that’s always been good for me, you know? Then I never really have to think about who to hit or what to do. I can just sort of follow up on his lead and help him out. A bit of a crutch really.”

Mallory scratched his head. “Hector’s a really good fighter, you know? It never looks like it, ‘cause he’s not like a genius… but he’s in all of these incredibly pressing situations all the time. He’s all worried about not being strong enough… and I don’t know. I can help him with any other problem in the world. I can help him fight… but I can’t make him stronger. Not that he needs to be, but…”

Mallory raised his eyebrow. “He cares about that, you know?

Jon knew. He tried to stay awake, but the bean bag was casting a spell of leisure on him.

Mallory looked down at the journal. “What am I supposed to write? That I got decked in the face by a black-clad armor-wearing bounty hunter? That I almost started to get eaten by a bunch of alligators- I mean, caiman? That I accidentally became a familiar mage because I almost got my soul eaten by some ancient stored away monster?”

He grimaced. “I mean, that actually does sound like a good idea.”

Jon wanted to encourage Mallory some more, but at this point, believing that everything was gonna crash and fail before miraculously coming up with a strong solution seemed to be Mallory’s strong point.

Malloy continued muttering.

“There’s… the bounty hunter who learned to nearly match mine and everyone’s wavelength after reading my- I mean, a book. There’s the Ninja Princess who was able to adapt to larger spellcasting tactics and move it over to her offensive capabilities. There’s the Vindhazi swordswoman who learned to cast an alpha level spell thanks to my expertise, and…”

Mallory put a finger to his chin. “There’s my best friend who learned how to properly cast spells so that he could be of more assistance to his friends.”

Mallory turned to Jon. “And there’s the farmer who found a gun that shoots mana and learned to cast spells."

His voice turned lower and he continued to write. “And there’s his mother… and the farm… and…”

Jon was glad Mallory found the gumption to get back into his work. Eventually, he nodded back and went to sleep.

When Jon woke up, he saw that he was now accompanied by a second bean bag under his legs, a blanket over his body, and a large pillow behind his head. He sat up as much as the bag let him and stretched his back.

Up ahead, the book was closed, with the feather pen still inside of its pages.

Jon leaned onto his side to push himself out. He surprised himself by seeing that Mallory was sleeping in the bottom row of one of the bookcases. He was turned over and had a blanket over him and a pillow underneath his head.

Jon also noticed that the room was brighter. The walls were a bright blue, as opposed to the dark shade of purple everything had been the night before. He wondered if it was the fact that there was a window, or that the walls were just reacting to the sunlight.

Jon pushed himself up and carefully stepped out of the room before walking to the door opposite the way he entered.

He took a deep breath to steady himself before opening it.

Wherever they were, this was definitely a place that opened up to the outside. Columns lined up down a large hallway, separating it from a patch of grass that acted as a small garden in the middle of the building. The roof above the garden was open, allowing the sunlight to pour in.

Jon turned into the hallway and casually walked down, not knowing what to look for.

He walked until he heard muttering from one of the closed doors. Thinking he recognized it, Jon pushed the door open.

It was another smaller room, though it was bigger than the one Mallory was working in. This was definitely a living space, as there was a large bed in the corner, with a small desk that had a mirror on the wall above it.

Hector was sitting on the edge of the large bed, digging through his bag.

“Jon. There you are.” Hector didn’t even act surprised. He stretched. “I didn’t really get to sleep last night. What were you doin’?”

“With Mallory,” Jon answered.

“Oh, really?” Hector stretched some more and yawned as he talked.

“So, he never went to bed,” Hector voice in a boisterous boom.

“He went to sleep,” Jon replied.

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“Right, well…” Hector turned back to his bed. “I think I’m gonna turn in. Have fun.”

Jon raised his eyebrow, but Hector already started to climb under the covers, armor, and everything.

He laid still. Jon was ready to leave when Mallory jumped into the room with a book under his arm. Somehow, Mallory had found the time to change into a fresh pair of robes. They were white with blue etching that crossed around the entire body. Jon liked these robes and thought they suited Mallory well.

“Rise and shine, Cupcake!” Mallory yelled, tossing his book so that it landed on Hector’s arm. There was a clink as it did.

Hector groaned, but he didn’t turn over.

“Come on, Hector! You gotta come with us.” Mallory clapped twice. “Up!”

“I’m not gonna do anything,” Hector groaned loudly. “I’m just gonna follow you guys all around and watch you talk!”

“No! You’re gonna be part of the conversation!” Mallory went up to the bed, grabbing Hector by the arm even through the covers and shaking him back and forth. “Come on! Up and at ‘em! You’re on payroll!”

With one more groan, Hector sat up. “Fine… just… whatever.”

He slowly crawled out of the bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked immensely more tired than a few seconds ago when he had climbed in.

“What’s Jon doing?” Hector asked, still staring at the floor to avoid the sunlight leaking through the doorway.

“Jon’s gonna stay around and watch the kids!” Mallory explained. “Or else, you could take that job and stay in-”

“Nope! No!” Hector bounded out of bed, dragging the sheets with him onto the floor before he stretched out his back. “I’m coming! We’re going outside. Today. Right?”

“Right!” Mallory readied his robes. “Tour around the town. Come on!”

Mallory marched off into the hallway with Hector dragging right behind him.

Jon took this time to observe the rest of the room. It was still tall, but the ceiling was a lot closer than the rest of the building. There was also a small window built high into one of the walls.

In the corner were all of the bags that had come with them in the wagon. Jon took note that his stuff was in this room, and stepped towards the door when he kicked something hard.

A small red book skidded across the floor in front of him.

Surprised, Jon walked up to the book and picked it up. The cover was hard etched with red lines.

He opened it and looked inside, curious.

Today, I’m somewhat confused. We seem to keep arguing with each other, but I don’t hate her. I just wished she understood. Maybe I do hate her a little bit. But they’re all annoying. Tallow’s a little less annoying, but that’s because she’s always on edge. Mercy’s only been recently…

“Jon.”

Jon looked up and saw Hector standing in the doorway.

“Are you reading my journal?”

Jon closed the book and looked at the cover. He should have assumed it was Hector’s journal because of the color, and now, he recognized that the hard etchings were flames. He frowned.

“Sorry. No name.”

“I don’t even… let me see…”

Hector walked up to it and calmly took it from Jon’s hand.

“Oh, your right. I guess I never thought about labeling it. Well…”

He handed it back to Jon.

“I suppose you can read it now,” Hector said. “There’s no reason to hide it, especially since everyone isn’t around-”

“Hector! Come on!” Mallory rushed back to the door. “Callach’s waiting for us!”

Hector sighed.

“Maybe don’t let Mallory read it,” Hector muttered before walking back out through the door.

Jon looked at the book, then went back and put it on Hector’s bed before running after them.

This time, Mallory and Hector now matched each other’s pace and not going too fast or too slow down the hallway. Jon was able to catch up to them with ease.

When they got to the end, they turned to Jon.

“We talked about it,” Mallory said. “Jon, you should stay here and watch the kids. Uh, teenagers.”

“You shouldn’t have to do much…” Hector added. “Sorry we’re leaving this with you since is probably really annoying, but…”

Jon shook his head. He was here to work. He would accept any job.

“Dude, you used to babysit Duranny, and you didn’t mind,” Mallory told him.

“I didn’t babysit,” Hector answered. “I just let him hang around, and make sure he didn’t break anything.”

Mallory sighed. "Hector that's..."

“Definitely make sure they don’t blow up anything!” Hector said, raising his finger. “Most of this stuff is important… I think.”

“It’s my job to find out what’s super important or not,” Mallory added. “Until we figure that out…”

“In the worst case scenarios, there should be a worker or two around who can help," Hector added. “Someone’s always around.”

“Yeah.” Mallory nodded. “Someone’s always around.”

Hector and Mallory looked at each other with worrying glances.

“I’ll be fine,” Jon said.

“They're nearly adults,” Hector finally added. “And besides, this is a lot of responsibility on Jon’s part. They’re both from major families-”

“It’ll be fine, Hect.” The two of them stepped through the doors and disappeared into the rest of the building, their bickering lost behind the door.

Jon was happy to do his task. From what he knew of Thalia and Milo, they were mature enough to take care of themselves. He would just have to find them.

Where are they?

Jon felt too embarrassed to go and try to find Hector and Mallory again, so he tried to find another solution.

There’s always someone around, somewhere…

Jon looked out at the indoor plaza. As if on cue, a man in robes walked in from one of the many doors. He was holding a watering can, and he walked out to the garden.

Farming… but not farming. Jon shuddered, then walked out into the plaza. He stepped up to the gardener, who was bent over, watering the plants.

“Hi,” Jon said.

The man stood up and looked at Jon. Jon could help but notice the roses. His mother had planted roses in the back, but hers were always purple, and she never really had more than one at a time.

The roses here were red. He wondered if they had similar properties to the ones that home, then quickly tried to forget them.

“Hi,” the man said.

“I’m lost,” Jon answered.

“Where would you like to go?” the man asked.

Jon tried to think of where. He didn’t exactly have any landmarks.

“The kitchen,” Jon told him.

The man nodded. He pointed to a door.

“Go through there. Stay straight. Three doors in, you just have to keep going opposite of the entrance. You should pass the Hall of Wonders.”

Jon nodded, too embarrassed to ask anymore.

“Thank you.” Jon swiftly walked away.

He went back past the pillars and opened the door.

He was back in the room Mallory was using.

Oh yeah. Jon shook his head, feeling dumb, but appreciative of the help. He went around and through the door on the other side of the room, then kept going straight until he pushed through a small door.

Now, he was back in the big circular area that had multiple levels.

Jon sighed. Finally…

Jon accepted that this was the Hall of Wonders. He thought that was a good name, as he wondered how many floors the circular area went up. He was ready to try and find his way to the kitchen for breakfast when he heard something crawling.

Jon reached for his gun instinctively but didn’t pull it out.

He didn’t want to be responsible for destroying the library when he didn’t have to.

Maybe it was a rat.

Jon was wondering if rats ate books when he remembered that he probably wouldn’t destroy anything if he didn’t want to, but the scene outside yesterday made him feel embarrassed. He didn’t want to pull his gun out in any more public places for as long as he could.

The scurrying happened again. Jon turned, waiting. Not as curious as he was anxious.

The figure went from behind a bookcase, running out and latching onto a pillar, crawling up before leaping over the banister of the second level.

Thalia?

Jon wondered how many times she would appear like this. At least he wouldn't have to find her anymore.

“Give it back!” Soon, Milo made his way past Jon, stepping up into the circle. He didn’t even acknowledge Jon as he walked by him. Jon was too intrigued to think about it.

“No!” Thalia’s voice echoed throughout the chamber.

“Come on, I mean it!” Milo yelled. “Don’t make me use my spells!”

“No!” Thalia repeated.

Milo looked at Jon. Jon grimaced.

“Can you tell her to give my staff back?” Milo asked. “She’s being annoying.”

“Don’t involve him!” Thalia yelled.

Jon felt uncomfortable. Was he supposed to tell Thalia to return Milo’s staff? Thinking about it, Milo did look a little out of place without it.

“Fine!” Milo raised his hand and beckoned through the air.

There was a yelp, and the staff flew out from the second floor and hovered its way back to Milo.

“Yeah!” Milo raised his hand as it floated down. “Finally.”

Thalia suddenly stepped out to the banister and thew a book down.

The book sailed down past the staff and hit Milo on the head.

“Ow!” Milo held his head. The staff dropped to the floor as he held his head. “Come on! Stop that! Give me my book back too!”

He began to float up to the second level.

Thalia started chucking more books down.

“Ah!~ Stop it!” Milo covered his face, but he stopped in place. After a while, he used his staff to cast a shield of mana around himself.

Oh no. Jon didn’t want any books to be destroyed.

“Stop…” Jon said meagerly.

“Okay!” Thalia stopped throwing books.

Jon sighed. He didn’t think that he actually had to stop them from destroying the library. He didn’t know what to do next.

“Come down, please,” Jon said upwards.

Thalia scurried down the pillar and ran up to Jon’s side.

Jon couldn’t explain it, but he felt iffy about Thalia responding so positively to him. Maybe it was because he was used to the resistance his friends always gave him, even when they listened.

“Only because you said please…” Milo floated back down to both of them. Thalia held on to Jon’s arm and below a raspberry in his direction.

“You’re such a kid,” Milo said. “Aren’t you older than me?”

“You’re a jerk,” Thalia responded.

Milo sighed.

Jon still didn’t know what to do. He was in one situation, and now he was in the other. He didn’t like having to come up witht he ideas.

“What do you want to do?” Jon asked out loud.

“I want to go outside!” Thalia exclaimed.

“Outside? Among the rabble? Yuck.” Milo crossed his arms.

Jon nearly groaned. He didn’t want to show his displeasure in front of these two.

“You don’t want to go?” Jon asked him.

“I don’t want to be here by myself.”

Jon wasn't sure how to answer back.

“Can we leave?” Jon finally asked.

“Of course, we can. I own this place.” Milo shrugged. “I just want my book back. She took it!”

“It’s in the elemental section of the bookcase!” Thalia pointed to one of the bookcases underneath the ring of balconies. “Where else would I hide it?”

“Oh. Well…” Milo floated to the bookcase. He searched through until he pulled out a large purple book.

“Good. I’m ready.”

“Then… let’s… go…” Jon didn’t how to inspire a direction. He also didn't remember which way the exit was the exit, but thankfully the two of them when the led way.