In the morning, I told the house to open the deck as big as possible. The result was even bigger than last time—at least double. I didn’t know if it was all the materials and mana the house had absorbed, or maybe because it was already open in a smaller configuration. I shook my head, dismissing the thought. The reason didn’t matter. What mattered was that we now had a massive deck to unfold and inflate the balloon.
Once we had the balloon spread out, I turned to Mahya. “I want to try something new. Please, help Al keep the balloon open.”
She blinked, surprise flashing across her face as her eyes widened and her brow furrowed. But then she nodded and moved to hold the balloon with Al. As soon as they had the balloon open, I pointed my hand at the opening. This time, I didn’t ask or persuade the wind—I just pointed, willing it to fill the balloon. The response was immediate. The balloon started inflating much faster than when Mahya had used the Wind Funnel. It was rising in less than five minutes, the basket tilting upright. Splitting my mind, I channeled Heat into the balloon with my other hand. It straightened more and more until it stood upright, leaving Mahya and Al struggling to hold the basket down so the balloon wouldn’t escape. Even Rue contributed one paw to the effort.
“You can take off,” I said. “I’ll close the house and catch up with you.”
They stared at me with wide eyes. I frowned momentarily, wondering what was up—they’d seen me channel Heat before. Then it clicked. The speed with which I’d inflated the balloon and the casual way I’d done it must’ve been new to them. I felt the urge to brush some invisible dust off my shoulders, but I held back. Mahya would smack me upside the head and call me an idiot if I did, so I just called her a party pooper in my head instead.
Once they took off, I hovered in the air, gave the core an order to close the house, stored the core, and flew after them. By then, they’d already risen above the tree line, with Mahya steering the balloon using her gadget.
“Why are we flying northeast and not northwest?” I asked, catching up with them. “I thought we were headed to Crystalspire.”
“Yes,” Al answered. “But we would like to visit the Gate before anything else.”
I mentally kicked myself. I hadn’t even considered checking the location and number of Gates in Lumis. All my attention had been on traveling. Opening the Map, I confirmed there was indeed a Gate to the northeast of the swamp, close to our location.
“Need a boost from the wind?” I offered.
“Yeah, won’t hurt,” Mahya replied.
This time, I played nice and asked the wind, and she appreciated it. Her satisfaction was palpable as she playfully tousled my hair, which was now becoming annoyingly long. I needed a haircut—it was as long as a girl’s. I glanced over at Al’s hair and smirked. Okay, maybe not a girl, more like a former prince. I giggled inwardly at the thought, but kept my expression neutral. As I said, no need to be called an idiot.
The view below was a stunning blend of greens and browns as the balloon glided through the sky. Tall conifers and leafy trees dotted the sparse woods below, their fresh leaves shimmering in the soft sunlight. A narrow road traced the edge of the swamp, winding through the trees like a secret path leading to an unknown destination. The trees formed a natural corridor, their branches swaying gently in the breeze.
Past the trees, the land opened up into fields. The grass was a thick, green blanket that moved in the breeze like waves. There were scattered forest spots in the fields, and with the bright colors and different textures, the scene had more depth. I took out my camera and snapped a few pictures—fascinated with the different visual textures.
The sky was clear, pretty blue, with lazy clouds moving across it. As the balloon flew over the fields, its shadow danced across the grass below. The air was clean and crisp and smelled like new life and growth. Maybe this feeling was coming from my new Nature affinity. I wasn’t sure, but I knew that spring was here and nature was fully awake after letting go of the last bits of winter. It seemed like everything was full of fresh energy and ready to welcome the new season.
We reached the Gate area in less than two hours. After we landed and folded the balloon, we went to the Gate and touched it.
Travelers Gate #468217242
Destination: Earth/Gaia/Terra
Status: Unintegrated
Mana level: 8
Technology level: Low
Threat level: Humans–moderate. Other species–very high.
When we crossed the Gate, we found ourselves in a dense forest, making it hard to determine whether we had arrived at the second Gate in Canada or the one in Alaska—both were deep within wooded areas. I hovered above the tree line to get my bearings. As I looked out over the landscape, a large lake came into view, and I immediately recognized it—it was Great Bear Lake in Canada. The last time I’d been here, I had to land on this lake with a floatplane. The vast, familiar expanse of the lake confirmed our location without a doubt.
“I wonder what date it is,” I said to nobody in particular, mostly talking to myself.
Mahya pulled out her phone, turned it on, and stared at the screen, waiting. After a few minutes, she sighed and said, “No reception.”
I looked around and felt the temperature. It was maybe 14-17°C with a moderate wind. I looked at the trees. They were primarily conifers, so not much help there. I floated up again and looked. I saw a few deciduous trees just beginning to show the earliest signs of autumn—only some leaves had turned, barely tinged with hints of yellow and orange. We were clearly still early in the season, and the landscape was holding on to its summer green.
When I landed back, I said, “Early September. It looks like the month-to-day skip is holding steady.”
“Why would it change?” Al asked me, looking confused.
“I don’t know. Just saying.”
We crossed back and looked at the Map again. I followed the road with my finger and saw it connecting to a larger road that eventually led to Crystalspire. I estimated the time it took us to reach this spot and the distance to Crystalspire.
“If we land just before dark and with a boost from the wind, I believe we can reach Crystalspire in two days,” I said. “If we do it at a slower pace, it will take us three days.”
I noticed that Al and Mahya exchanged a look, one of those silent glances that spoke volumes. They quickly looked away, like they were trying to hide something, but they were obviously keeping something from me. I shrugged internally; they had the right to have their own thing. Besides, from Mahya and Lis, I’d learned that it pays to be patient.
“Let’s find a place to open the house in this area,” Mahya suggested. “After all that time in the swamp, I want to experience some normal nature. We’ll decide tomorrow.”
We walked away from the road into a more heavily wooded area. As we ventured further, the trees grew closer together, forming a natural canopy overhead. The forest floor felt soft underfoot, covered in fallen needles and patches of green moss. It was cooler here, and the air smelled like wet wood and new leaves. We walked in comfortable silence, with just the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant call of a bird breaking the quiet.
We kept walking for a few hours until the thick forest finally thinned out. Then we stepped into a gorgeous, wide-open meadow. The grass was a vibrant green, gently swaying in the breeze and dotted with colorful wildflowers here and there. A little stream cut through the field, with clear water that sparkled in the sunlight. The soft sound of the stream added to the peaceful atmosphere, making it feel like the perfect spot to set up camp. It was like we’d discovered a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere.
When I opened the house, Rue immediately said, “Rue hungry. John make food.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I lit the barbecue. I knew that when Rue said “food,” he meant “snake steak.”
After lunch, I leaned against a tree and let my gaze drift to the stream. This place was so peaceful—the gentle burbling of the water, the breeze carrying the scent of flowers, and the way the tree branches swayed, casting playful shadows on the ground. It was a world apart from the swamp, and I completely understood why Mahya wanted to stop here for the day. I could feel myself adjusting to a “normal” world without twisted trees and bizarre creatures waiting for a concert. I took a deep breath, letting go of the last two or three months. Honestly, I had lost track of how long we’d been in that dreary place—just that it was far too long.
I pulled out the scrolls I’d taken from the dungeon and stared at them, feeling stuck. On one hand, having more spells would be handy, but on the other, Lis’s advice still lingered in my mind. If I wanted to progress as a wizard, I needed to develop my own spells, not just rely on pre-made ones. With that thought, I used Identify and re-read the descriptions of the three spells, trying to decide what to do.
Verdant Grasp
Using this spell, the spellcaster can cause thick roots and vines to burst from the ground, entangling and restraining enemies. The roots wrap tightly around their targets, immobilizing them and making it difficult to break free. It shows particular effectiveness in forested or plant-rich environments, where summoning natural growth can quickly aid in capturing foes.
Flourish
Using this spell, the spellcaster can expedite the growth of plants. It can make seeds sprout, flowers bloom, and trees grow taller, thicker, and sturdier. It can be used to grow natural resources quickly, create impenetrable plant barriers, or restore barren environments.
Nature’s Path
Using this spell, the spellcaster can create a surface composed of stable plant roots that will temporarily cover a difficult terrain. The roots form a stable and smooth route over mud, water, or narrow ravines. Once the spell ends, this path will return to its original state, but it serves as a useful way to navigate difficult terrain without causing harm to the surrounding environment.
I tried to think of how I could even begin to develop these spells. Closing my eyes, I expanded my mana sense. Instantly, the vegetation in the area came alive in my perception. I could feel the mana in every blade of grass, every flower, and every tree within my sphere. I let go of my self-awareness, fully immersing myself in the natural world around me, and tried to forge a connection.
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At one point, I connected with the tree I was leaning against. It wasn’t Unity, not even oneness, but there was a clear connection between us. I let my awareness sink into the roots, feeling their shape and how they twisted and dug deeper into the earth. I followed their path until they intertwined with the roots of another tree.
Curious, I returned my focus to “my” tree and attempted to nudge its roots to move. One root shifted slightly, but I also sensed—no, intuited—that continuing to push the roots could harm the tree. It was as if the tree itself was stopping me, warning me.
I looked back at the description of the spells. One specifically mentioned “without causing harm to the surrounding environment,” and I felt confident the others carried a similar intent. It made little sense for a nature-based spell to harm nature. I realized that if I tried to do what the spell was designed to do, I would end up causing damage to the environment, but the spell itself was designed to avoid that harm.
I had my answer.
I opened the first scroll, expecting a magic circle or something arcane. But the scroll contained precisely the same text I’d seen when I used Identify. There wasn’t any additional information—it was identical. This time, I had a hunch about what to do, so I poured mana into the parchment. For a split second, I glimpsed the outline of a magic circle with magic script symbols, and then the scroll crumbled to ashes.
The same thing happened with the other two scrolls. The glimpse I caught of the magic circle was so brief that even with my heightened perception, I couldn’t make out the symbols. It was too short—maybe a tenth of a second or less. I opened my profile and checked. The spells appeared in the general section, not under Wizard.
Rue came over and rested his head on my lap, and I began scratching his ears. I knew what he was after.
“Did you learn the new spells we got?” I asked him.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Rue not need. John knows spells.”
“Don’t you want to learn your own spells?”
“John think Rue need learn new spells?”
“No. I think you should do what you want. You’re a big boy and can decide for yourself.”
His tail started wagging faster. After a minute, he said, “Rue wait until Rue is smarter, then decide.”
“Good idea, buddy. It’s always better to wait until you’re smarter.”
He gave me a big lick from chin to forehead, then settled his head back on my lap and said, “Rue ears need more scratching.”
I laughed and continued to scratch his ears.
When we sat down to eat dinner, Mahya and Al acted strange. They both avoided looking me in the eye, fidgeting and shifting uncomfortably. They kept squirming and glancing away, making the tension in the air almost palpable. After a few minutes of this, I’d had enough.
“Okay, what’s going on?” I asked, cutting through the awkward silence.
Mahya took a deep breath, clearly steeling herself, and said, “We need to talk.”
That didn’t sound good. Throughout human history, that phrase has been the harbinger of trouble. “I’m listening,” I replied, bracing myself for whatever was coming next.
“You see,” she began, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Al and I have been talking, and we feel like we left Earth too soon. It’s not that we don’t have enough ability points—that’s fine. But getting new classes is always such a grind; it takes years and requires crazy feats. Right now, Earth presents a golden opportunity, and it feels like a mistake not to take advantage of it. I mean, look at me. I bought a silly hat in China and was offered a merchant class. Since then, I’ve sold stuff for over three thousand gold here and haven’t received a single offer. I’m pretty sure I could sell ten thousand gold worth and still not get the class. But on Earth, I could sell a few thousand dollars’ worth of stuff and get the class for free. It’s just—”
“I thought you didn’t want the merchant class,” I interrupted, catching her mid-sentence.
“Not exactly,” she corrected. “I said I was undecided. Now, I’ve decided. I like money. I like having a lot of it. Plus, I know the prices and what’s available in higher mana worlds. I want to make a lot of money. And with all my work on vehicles and the skills we learned with motorcycles and car mechanics, I expected to be offered the Arcane Mechanist, Technomancer, or Mechamage class—but nothing. Not even a hint. The same goes for my Mosaic Ritualist class. I got a full-price offer, and then we left—nothing since then. I’m convinced that if we return to Earth, I can get those classes in no time.”
She said it all in one breath, as if she needed to get it out quickly. When she finally finished, she took a deep breath and looked at me with a guilty expression, like she was bracing for my reaction.
I turned to Al and asked, “I thought you didn’t know what classes you wanted yet. Now you know?”
“I concluded that the Merchant class could aid me greatly in my journeys. Since I chose not to return to Leylos and continue my exploration of the worlds, I will require a consistent source of money. Currently, my Storage is filled with merchandise I can sell, but those resources will diminish over time. In such circumstances, I aim to accumulate considerable money to sustain my travels without concerns about finances. Moreover, given the multitude of Trait numbers and advantages each class offers, it would be unwise not to pursue the merchant class.
“Also, I have always been aware that I will eventually choose the Mage class. It is a customary class in our family, and as a result, knowledge about it is abundant in our family archives. So, it is logical for me to pursue the class. Previously, I believed that if I did not return to Leylos, I would be compelled to seek out a mage who could instruct me until I acquired the class. However, armed with the spells we acquired from the dungeon and the one you have created for me, I am now assured that by employing them on Earth, I will receive an offer to take the Mage class.”
“How exactly do you plan to use them on Earth? There aren’t any monsters you can fight and turn into crystals.”
“I am aware of that fact. However, I have thoroughly considered the matter. I may deliberately venture into a high-crime zone, conspicuously display significant money, and provoke the criminals to pursue me. Employing the roots spell to impede their progress before eliminating them should be enough. In addition, I possess the ability to utilize the last two spells. I can employ one to induce vegetation blossoming as a diversionary tactic. Alternatively, I can employ the other spell to traverse challenging landscapes and elude pursuers. What is important is that I own these spells, and I did not purchase them from the Guidance or for gold. This should be sufficient to prompt the offering of the class.”
“So what exactly do you want to do? The time skip is crazy—as far as I’ve figured out, one day on Earth translates to twenty-seven to thirty days here.”
“I have a suggestion,” Mahya said, locking eyes with me. “Al and I are ready to give up traveling Lumis. We’ve been thinking about moving back to Earth to achieve our goals. You can keep traveling with Rue. I’m sure you’ll finish your journey in Lumis before we’re done on Earth. Like you said, the time skip is crazy. But during all that time, we’ll keep each other updated through the Archive—don’t worry, you’re stuck with us as long as you want us. But we also don’t want to let go of our dreams and ambitions. So there are two options,” she said, ticking them off on her fingers.
“One: You continue to another world and update us on the Gate’s location so we can meet you there.
“Two: You come back to Earth and wait for us.
“We know you don’t want to return to Earth, so we hesitated to bring this up. But the other side of the Gate here leads to forests, lakes, and open nature. The nearest settlement is something like thirty or forty kilometers from the Gate. You can open the house and do your own thing until we arrive. The wait won’t be long since we’ll both be on the same timeline. I believe we won’t need more than a month, two tops, to get the classes we want if we focus on it intensely.”
I sat there, looking at both of them, entirely at a loss for words. A storm of emotions whirled inside me, and I couldn’t quite grasp how to respond. If I insisted we continue traveling together, it would be selfish—wrong, even. Yet, for the first time in my life, I had real friends, friends I genuinely liked and felt in sync with. The thought of letting that go was almost unbearable.
A part of me knew that someone else in my situation might smile, wave it off, and say, “Sure, go chase your dreams.” But for me, it wasn’t that simple. I’ve always been a bit too clingy and attached, and though I recognized this flaw, it didn’t stop it from surfacing. The urge to throw a tantrum and demand they stay with me gnawed at my insides, but I held it back. I was a grown man, after all, even if the book on long-lived races insisted I was barely entering adolescence.
They sat there, waiting patiently, while I wrestled with my thoughts. The silence between us grew heavier while our dinner grew cold. After what felt like an eternity, I let out a long, resigned breath.
“Of course, I won’t stop you from achieving your dreams,” I finally said, trying to mask the tremor in my voice. “I understand that the situation on Earth is unique—I remember what Lis wrote. I’ll continue traveling with Rue, and when I finish up in Lumis, we’ll talk and decide what’s next.”
With a momentary pause, I made myself meet their eyes. “I don’t think having that discussion through the Archive is a good idea. Instead, leave me your phone. Send an SMS to your old number when you get a new one. When I’m done with Lumis, I’ll go through the Gate—either the one here or the one to Alaska that we haven’t found yet and call you.”
“There is no reception near the Gate,” Al pointed out.
“I can fly,” I reminded him, managing a small, strained smile.
As the words left my mouth, I felt relief and sorrow. I knew it was the right decision, but it didn’t make it any easier.
The next day, we started swapping items between our storage. Mahya insisted on giving me five MK-47 rifles along with three big crates of ammo, “just in case.” No matter how much I protested, she wouldn’t budge.
Al handed me five boxes full of potions, each one carefully labeled. There were health potions, mana regeneration potions, life force restoration potions—which he pointed out were leftover from the last time I needed them after the big dungeon—and mana channel restoration potions from the same escapade. He tried to give me a few others, but the names raised red flags. When I asked about them, he sheepishly admitted that they contained either Earth drugs or hallucinogenic mushrooms from the gorge, so I refused to take them. He shook his head, thinking I was making a mistake, but I didn’t want to risk getting addicted to something by accident. He also gave me the rest of the sleeping potion he had left after Vegas.
I dug out the damaged weapons I’d been storing since Tuonela, which I had done nothing with. I restored them, channeling Restore into each one and returning them to their original state. There were seven swords, two with runes, and one adorned with gems. I also had seven daggers—one with runes, the others with ornate handles—all clearly from the same source, given their identical craftsmanship and design. There was also an axe, which still looked quite simple even after restoration, and a metal spear with runes and a pattern of leaves and branches. Restoring these weapons took a lot of mana, so the process stretched over two days. When I finished and scanned them with my mana sense, they felt different, as if they were now made partially of metal and partially of my own mana.
Curious, I handed a sword to Mahya and asked, “Hold this and tell me if it feels strange in your mana field.”
She held the sword, closed her eyes briefly, and said, “No, just a sword. A beautiful sword, but nothing more.”
I shrugged and handed over all the weapons.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“These are the weapons from Tuonela that I hadn’t gotten around to restoring yet. You could probably sell them for a good amount on Earth.”
She sorted through the weapons and handed back all the ones with runes. “Keep these. They won’t realize their worth, but they would know exactly how valuable these weapons are in the mana worlds. Save them for a world with higher mana—not Lumis. I’ll take the simpler ones if you don’t need them.”
“They’re yours,” I said. “I have no use for them.”
“We need to find a place with water so I can give you the boat.”
“I don’t need the boat,” I replied, shaking my head. “Leave it with you.”
“Why not? I’m leaving you the balloon and the boat.”
“I don’t need them,” I insisted gently. “I can fly, and I have no intention of sailing to the other continents in Lumis. We’ll be in touch after I’m done traveling the main continent.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, searching my face for any sign of hesitation.
“One hundred percent,” I assured her.
She didn’t look pleased, her brow furrowing slightly, but she let it go with a reluctant nod.
I pulled out the new dungeon core and handed it to her. “If you want to get the classes you mentioned, you’ll need to work on the jeeps. Take this core too. I’m not sure one jeep with a core will be enough to get the class.”
“I thought we were connecting you to that core,” she said, looking confused.
“For now, it makes more sense for you to connect with it while you work on the jeep. When we meet again, we can do the ritual and transfer the core to me.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she replied, nodding as she handed me a box.
“What’s that?”
“The quills from Tuonela,” she said with a shrug. “I didn’t have a chance to do anything with them. Take them for now. Maybe you’ll think of something. If not, give them back when we return to Lumis, and maybe by then I’ll have an idea.”
Once we finished swapping everything, I spent a few hours cooking, so they’d have food in Storage until they reached the city. That evening, we sat down to dinner together, chatting about unimportant things, avoiding the heavier topics that loomed over us. We left those for the next time we would meet, whenever that would be.
The next morning, we made our way to the Gate together. They both hugged me tightly, then turned their attention to Rue, scratching his ears. Mahya hugged me again, leaning in close to whisper, “Don’t have doubts, not even for a moment. We’ll meet soon. Or soon in our time, a little longer in yours. I want you to remember that every day, every moment, okay? Promise?”
I nodded, feeling the weight of her words, the unspoken hope and certainty in them.
“And don’t be an idiot,” she added, bringing an unexpected laugh out of me, lightening the heaviness in my chest for just a moment.
Al hugged me once more, whispering, “Thank you for everything. We will meet soon.”
What’s with these people and whispers? I thought to myself. Why not just say it out loud?
They scratched Rue’s ears one last time, and with a last wave, they stepped through the Gate, back to Earth. And just like that, they were gone, leaving me with an ache that I couldn’t quite shake.