“I am told your husband is doing well in the [Endless Plains].”

Miri had been showing up more and more in the last few months since the integration. She no longer asked if she could be of assistance. Instead she had shown up at random times to almost probe Rebecca, and the kids. Mark had predictably ignored her, instead focusing on his self imposed studying. Rebecca was always proud of him, when he found a subject, or topic that he loved, he showed a level of focus she was jealous of, if she was honest with herself.

“Mmm”, Rebecca responded, reading her own book.

Mark was curled up in her lap reading his own books. He had gotten pretty good with his constructs. Currently, he had a few podiums holding books, floating in front of him. He would read from one book, pause, the podiums would shift allowing him to read a new book. Only for him to pause again, the podiums shifting back to the original book. Rebecca suspected he was referencing all the books he was reading.

“I am told he is a bit behind the curve, but currently in a safe location.”

They sat under a tree at the edge of the Training Field. Rebecca had made it a habit to go there everyday, if Miri was going to follow, she would separate the three of them from Haley as long as she could.

“Mmm”, Rebecca wasn’t taking the bait. She knew Miri wanted information.

At first it was odd, and she appreciated the updates. Talking with the other women in the training fields though, had revealed no other women were getting updates from those that had partners in the Endless Plain. Then the updates started leading to questions.

“Would you like to know where he is?”

“Thank you, but no. I trust Ethan. He is coming for us, and that is all I need to know.” Rebecca lied. She desperately wanted to know. She hated not knowing. She hated how manipulative the Guides were. She agreed with Haley, this place was wrong.

“How are you so certain?”

There it was, the one question that was always repeated. The one Rebecca would never answer truthfully.

“I know Ethan.”

“Not as well as the [System].”

“I know him better than the System.”

“I am sure you believe-”

“Know.”, Rebecca cut off Miri.

“Yes, I am sure. If you want more information, I will be around, call for me.” Miri said as she faded away.

[Haley, she’s gone] Rebecca sent out to her daughter, feeling confirmation from Haley.

[Mom, she suspects something. She has information on Dad, should we try and get it?] Mark sent over Soul Connection.

[No. She has been asking more and more leading questions. She wants information, more than we want information from here. There is something they want, but can’t get. That gives us an upper hand. One we can’t give up. If we give them what they want, we lose control. I think they want confirmation Soul Connection allows us to communicate. I was talking with other women, and discovered they can use a skill called [linked minds] to speak in a similar fashion. But I think the System can monitor that.]

[That makes sense, it is a skill that can verbalize and eventually visualize thoughts. It is used for parties to communicate over distance or in battle when the enemy can understand your language.]

[Did you read about that in one of your books?] Rebecca was genuinely interested in what he was reading all the time.

[There were a couple volumes on general skills. They mentioned helpful skills for parties, I thought that was odd since from what Miri said the Endless Plains was meant to a be solo journey. So I looked more into it. I have a list of skills needed for parties, as well as for families. Different than family units. There was a book on how to start a clan, which is a family by another name. Some species mentioned don’t have a name for Clans. Which lead me to investigating other species. We only have Humans from Earth here. I believe there is somewhere else. Somewhere other than the Endless Plains, and the Training Fields. I haven’t figured out what it is, or what it is called, but it is the only explaination I can think of for all the references of other species, as well as the sub-variant tag you mentioned in your status.]

Shortly after arriving Rebecca confirmed Mark and Haley’s Status Windows were locked. It just showed their name. Everything else was locked, [Redacted] was the only other thing visible on their windows.

[We might be able to use that. The problem is that I have never read a book mentioning that. Can you put on a show of ‘discovering’ mention of that, and showing me the books where it is mentioned?] Rebecca asked, thinking if Miri had questions, she would see if she was still willing to answer some.

“Mom, can you take a look at this, I don’t understand what this means? It says this skill [Mind Link], it works different, depending on the [Race] as some races have alien minds to our own. What does that mean?” Mark said without missing a beat.

“I am sure it just means ‘weird’, sweetie. Let me see.” Rebecca grabbed the book Mark was talking about.

[Did you just have this book waiting for me?]

[I suspected it would be a topic you’d want to know, so I kept the book on me. Plus the mental link skill sounds interesting. I think it can help.]

[Help? Are you ok? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?]

[I know. It isn’t like there is anything wrong. There is just a… wall. Soul Connect, and your harbor help. But there is still a wall. Maybe if I can learn Mind Link I can connect with the other kids. Maybe they’ll want to be my friend then.]

[Oh, baby. You’ll get it, eventually. But I don’t think connecting your mind to other people will be a good idea. People usually hate the idea of others knowing their inner most thoughts.] Rebecca said, as she read the description.

It was a skill that allowed people to connect their minds, forming a connection similar to Soul Connection, but instead of connecting or forming a bond, it allowed the minds to work in tandem, boosting the ability of the users as long as they were focused on the same task. It sounded like a skill for group projects.

But it did have an interesting warning at the bottom.

[Mind Link]

Connects the Minds of all those who accept the connection. Increasing the power of the mind for every Skill User connected.

What is better than two minds? A thousand.

[WARNING: Not all minds are meant to be linked. Farel creatures can not acquire this skill. If a being does not have a compatible conscience the [System] will attempt to facilitate the connection. Not all Races and/or Species are meant to communicate. When first meeting them, it is not suggested to use this skill for communication.

It did allude to something more than they were telling them.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Miri.” Rebecca said, knowing she was always listening.

“How may I be of service, Mrs. Rebecca.” Miri appeared in the same spot she had faded from.

“I have a few questions.”

“Ah yes, the [Mind Link] Skill, it is used mostly by crafters who are working on larger more complex projects. Some spells require more than one person to cast. It has shown promise in pseudo hivemind societies, as a method of retaining individualism, while maintaining a connection to the greater whole.”

“Yeah, I gathered that, but that isn’t what I was wondering about. I have questions about the warning.”

“Ah, that. Yes. There are of course other races. Many Variant Human’s exist in the multiverse.” Miri said, giving no further explaination.

[See Mark, that is how someone withholds information, while giving what is assumed the answer to your question.] Rebecca sent over Soul Connection.

“Yes, it does. But it also mentions Species. It says, Races and/or Species. Meaning those can be, but are not mutually inclusive. Meaning there is something that is not Human, in race, or species. Where are the Aliens, Miri? We’ve only ever seen Humans.” Rebecca said, tired of beating around the bush. She hadn’t realized how exhausting it had been playing this game with Miri for the last few months.

“They have their own Training Fields.”

“Mmhmm, and why would we need to be warned if we weren’t ever going to meet them? I mean, I assumed you’d send us back to Earth like you said you would, after the training, or whatever. But that would lead one to think that at some point interstellar travel would take place. But this is a beginner skill, in a Training Field. There should be no need to for that warning, unless there was some other way of coming into contact with them.” Rebecca laid it all out, everything she was thinking in regards to the skill. Mostly she was leaving no room for Miri to wiggle out of giving up information.

“You are correct. I will submit a request to have the Warning removed from the Skill so as not to create the confusion you are experiencing right now.” Miri said, her all too happy tone long gone.

“I’m not confused. I am merely asking a question. To me, it sounds like there is something else out there. A place we can go, where we would meet others in a similar situation to our own. Others not entirely human.”

“That… Is. Interesting. I. Can. See. Howyouwouldcouldcometo that. Conclusion.” Miri said, broken, and forced.

Rebecca seemed to latch onto Miri’s behavior. She had never seen her act like that. At first she was aloof, cheerful, then as Rebecca kept a distance between them, she had become more professional. Now she was acting like she was being forced to speak.

“Miri, are you okay?”

“Yes. I am fine.” Miri said, shaking her smoke like head, no.

“The [System] is forcing you to answer that way, isn’t it. No need to answer, that wasn’t really a question.”

Miri did not answer.

[Well, that solves that, I guess. Mark, I think you were right. There is somewhere else, and it isn’t something they want to talk about. I’m not sure what is going on here, but it isn’t just paranoia. Not gonna lie, I was beginning to question my sanity. We just need to figure out what it is, and where it is. If it is even somewhere we can go.]

Rebecca felt Mark acknowledge he was following along, maintaining his distance by reading.

“So Miri, let me see if I got this correct. There are other Training Fields. There are other ‘alien races’ as well as other Humans. There is the Training Fields, the Endless Plains, and somewhere else. Somewhere for us, Humans, to interact with other Races. But the System doesn’t want you to mention it, or even hint at it.”

Miri stood there motionless, well motionless, except for its usual smokey-ness.

“Got it.” Rebecca said, as a thought occurred to her, “As thanks for your help. I’ll answer your question. So you never ask it again. When Ethan came home from his first combat tour, he was a broken man. He would wake in the middle of the night, screaming. Thrashing about. Covered in sweat. Crying. He had seen so much death, and destruction. We got help. He needed help. It turned out, that when he got back he left a piece of himself there. He wanted to go back, as much as he hated to admit it. I let him go back, when his unit was tasked with a second tour. But I made him make me a promise, to come home. He swore on his soul, on his life, on everything he holds dear that he wouldn’t lose himself, and ALWAYS come home to his family. That nothing could keep him from getting to us. My husband might be a lot of things. Hell, he can be pretty frustrating sometimes, but above all else. He is a man of his word. He will burn heaven to the ground, he will charge into hell itself to make sure he makes good on his promises. The only thing that helped him get through his tours at war was knowing he had a safe place at home. You, the System, took that away. I get it, we’re just ants in an ant farm, with some giant all powerful being watching over us. We are weak, and powerless in the face of whatever it is you are so… passionate about. But your dedication is a weak, empty imitation of what Ethan has for us. I knew, KNEW that in my soul the second I saw the notification. Ethan chose war. Not with some evil amorphous faceless being, but EVERYTHING. He chose me, and he chose his family. You are just in his way. He has one singular goal now. He is coming. He will always find us. The System, you, aliens, whatever you want to throw at him, he will come. Because the longer it takes, the more he will lose himself. Lose himself to the monster he is afraid he has become. He will lose his mind to that fear. But his Soul, his soul was mine long before the System arrived, and it will be mine long after. No monster, no fear, no System will stop him.”

Miri remained still. Not uttering a word. Silence fell over the clearing.

[Mom…]

[I’m fine, Mark. This is on purpose, I’m okay. I’ve been thinking of how to answer that damn question for a long time now.]

“I will ask you this, Miri. You can either step aside, and let it happen, or you can stand in his way. All I ask is that you do not try to fool us. My children know he is coming. They might not know the pain he is going through, but I have a pretty good idea. Survive? No, he will thrive. He will bring a wave a destruction, leaving a scar on anything the System built.”

Bowing her head. Miri finally spoke, “As you believe, Rebecca.” and disappeared.

[Mom, are you sure that was the best idea? I am pretty sure you just threatened Miri, with Dad? What if the System retaliates?]

[They won’t. There is something they value about your Dad. My guess is that they use Men to motivate women to study harder. Men are meant to kill each other, or these aliens. When they die, they pair us up with new men, in some sort of weird breeding program. No other woman here is getting updates on their husbands, or family members. That tells me, your Dad is either doing really well, or has something they want. Right now, we are safe. But I don’t like the feel of this place.]

Haley chimed in with Soul Connection, [Holy shit mom, that was awesome!! Mark filled me in, I can’t believe you said that, oh and yeah, Miri is here. Asking if I am alright. She appeared a moment ago. Whatever you said made her check on me.]

[Haley, Mark. Don’t give any indication you know your Dad is on the way here, or that you are trying to get to him. Hold your cards close. This place feels more like a prison, than a Training Field. We are supposed to learn, get levels, and increase our skills. There is a reason for that. Train, but train for what is to come, not because Miri, or the System wants us to, we have to be ready.]

It was Mark who asked what her kids wanted to know, [Ready for what?]

[If I know your Dad, he is going to bring hell with him. We need to be ready. Whatever he says to do, we have to do it. No matter what it is. We can ask questions afterwards. I have no idea if Miri, or the Guides are going to stop us, but I am guessing there is going to be a lot going on.]

For the first time in months, the wind stopped. All movement stopped. The trees always swaying like an ever present ocean of leaves froze. Power erupted, blanketing the entire Training Field.

[Mom?] Haley, and Mark spoke in unison.

[I don’t know. Haley, get over here, fast.]

[On it. Running now.] Haley tried to sound confident, but Rebecca felt her fear.

The sky, usually a calm light blue, had shifted a few hues, now a deep rich blue. Low rumbling came from the other side of the Training Field. They felt it, before they saw it. The all encompassing power consolidated on two points. The rumbling grew, it wasn’t just background noise anymore, it could be felt as two massive pure white obelisks grew out of the ground in the distance. Taller than the three story building in the center, everyone could see them. No one moved, everyone watched.

“It seems you were once again correct.” Miri said, she had appeared unnoticed by Mark or Rebecca.

“What?” Rebecca said not turning away from the growing stone.

“Your Husband is coming.”

Grabbing Marks hand, Rebecca ran. Mark doing his best to keep up, sent the podiums away, the books all coming together, inside a backpack he constructed as he ran alone, being dragged more than anything. Running towards the central building, Rebecca spotted Haley, and caught her up on what Miri had said.

“Is it really Dad? How is that Dad? How is he doing that?” Haley almost shouted through ragged breath.

“Haley, ask questions later, we have to confirm what Miri said. I know as much as you do. I told you everything I know. Relax, and I promise you we will find answers.”

“Mom. I don’t think that it is Dad doing that.” Mark said, content on some contraption he had summoned. It looked like a skateboard, but had no wheels. It was wider, and shorter than a skateboard as well. It hovered a little over an inch off the ground. It was semi transparent, like the rest of Mark’s constructs, and in the same soft purple hue.

“Why is that sweetie?” Rebecca asked, not stopping for a second.

“Those are runes, specifically Portal Runes.” Mark said pointing to the side of the obelisks, just as the stone faces started lighting up, Mana flowed up the sides, filling the Runes like growing vines.

“Another book you read?”

“Yeah, I wanted to see if there was a skill or spell to track someone, and it mentioned tracking someone, and locking on to them so you could open a portal to their location. Which lead to Portal Magic, which is pretty interesting, did you know it doesn’t deconstruct your body, like in Star Trek? So it isn’t teleportation. In that sense, it opens a hole. So like Stargate-”

“Mark, not right now. I promise I want to hear all about that, but not right now.” Rebecca stopped Mark, she had to, she could feel it coming on. His tendency to just unload all the info he had on a topic was infamous in their family. Rebecca continued, “Get ready, I don’t know what is going to happen, but keep an eye out for your Dad. Haley, keep your brother safe.”

[When we get there, I am going to see if the Guides are there, when I give the signal, Mark, I need you to get back to the apartment, and take all the books and food you can. Haley go with him. Keep your intentions on getting somewhere safe. Do not focus on what you are doing.] Rebecca instructed her kids.

[Already done.] Was all Mark had said.

[What? When?] Haley asked, confused.

[When I unlocked my Construct Skill, I looked into what it could do, and one of the first things it can do is create a temporary subspace. It took time to maintain it for long periods of time, but I have kept it active for weeks now. I have been filling full of books I haven’t read, or might need in the future. Also, I’ve been swiping food at every meal for just as long. I have at least a months worth of food on me.]

[Way to go sweetie, that is awesome! Next time though, let me know. Okay?] Rebecca said as they reached the building.

[Am I always the last to figure things out? Or what?] Haley said, a bit upset as well she hadn’t been let in on Mark’s actions.

Coming around the corner, the three of them looked up at the 10 story tall Obelisks. Five meters thick, they had glowing runes carved into them. The pure white reflected light off the surface. They covered their eyes at first, the blinding light died down. But the power in the atmosphere spiked.

A swirling mass formed between the pillars, spinning faster and faster, as it spread out, and flattened.

The spinning stopped. The portal opened, and stabilized.

Everyone present, their breaths hung in the air, afraid to speak. Afraid of what was to come.

The portal began to ripple. Agitated.

Rebecca grabbed her children’s hands.

[Mom, what if it isn’t Dad?]