Inside the large cottage house had a warm fireplace roaring, wooden chairs, and a table in the kitchen. Long blocks of stone formed as a couch. The walls and shelves displayed many totems and old antiques.

The group lounged silently, waiting for Benjamin to calm down so he could explain his dilemma and situation before appearing here. Darla petted a dragon resting on her lap as she observed the rest of the group, waiting to see how they reacted.

Eventually, Benjamin let out a heavy sigh. “Alright.”

“Hmm?” Darla glanced up and rested her hand on her chin. “Are you ready to talk?” Benjamin nodded. “Alright. First off, can you tell us how long you’ve known them for? Your familiars, I mean.”

“About a year or two, I think.”

“I meant before you formed an alliance with Chiara and Harris.”

“Oh, I had just met them.”

Sebastian shook his head in disbelief. “You accepted their offer, no questions asked? And you’re surprised when they don’t end up helping you?”

“What are you saying?” Benjamin inquired, fuming up. “They planned to backstab me and take over the world!”

“Like you? How is that–?”

“They were going to overthrow me when I ended up successful!” Benjamin stood from his seat. He slammed his hand on the table and glared at Sebastian. “I should know; I witnessed the whole thing in the vis...” His voice faded as he paused. Something clicked in his brain as his mouth stayed agape. “...Oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Trinity inquired, sipping tea on his lap.

“Uh...” Benjamin scratched his head as he looked away. “I never actually heard the entire conversation and just assumed.”

Sebastian messaged his temples and groaned. “Are you serious?” He sighed and slumped in his seat. “And I thought blindly accusing you of destroying our school was stupid of me, but you took it to a whole new level.” We both made idiotic decisions and blamed it on the other, so I guess we’re even now. How embarrassing.

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“What have I done?” Benjamin looked out the window. Staring at the horizon, his hands clenched into a fist. “I need to go back.”

He turned on a heel, about to head out, when Trinity grabbed the magician’s shoulder, stopping his progress.

“And how are you going to do that?”

“Um, I’m not sure about that.” Benjamin rested his hand on his chin. “I remember ‌I got here from the water thing, after another failed attempt at magic.” Trinity let Benjamin go as he paced around the room. “I mean, I could just go back in the water to find the portal again, but I’m not sure if it’s predetermined or random. Should I take the risk?”

“Do you at least know a spell on how to breathe underwater?”

“Well, no.” Benjamin crossed his arms, finding himself in a bit of a loop. Finding them again would be harder than he thought.

“You don’t know where this place is, do you?” Sebastian pointed out.

That’s a good point. Shoot.

“Is it possible to scout the area?” He asked, turning to Darla.

“Well, you’re welcome to check the tower. It’s not far from here, but it’s not super tall either.”

“That’ll do, thanks!”

Before Benjamin could exit the house, Darla cleared her throat and pointed to the door beside her.

“Use that. It’s a shortcut.”

Benjamin ran past Sebastian, causing him to stumble off his chair as he headed out the door. Sebastian rubbed his sides as he got up and followed the magician closely behind.

Benjamin sprinted up the stairs, the sunlight creasing the open windows, as he was short on breath with each step he took. Eventually, he reached the top of the tower and stumbled out onto the balcony. He walked over to the edge to inspect the forestry from the outer regions of the abyss.

All around, everywhere he looked, nothing but green trees and mountains as far as the eye could see. The dragons took to the skies, their wings sending out a gust of wind in the valley. Benjamin shielded his eyes and held onto his hat to keep it from being blown away. Once the winds died down and he cleared his vision, he spotted a sparkle shimmering amongst the trees. It was faint, but noticeable. Benjamin squinted his eyes, and spotted pinkish shrubbery surrounding the greenery. However, it was at a considerable distance, and he had no clue how to get there, and fast.

Sebastian finally caught up as he bent down and panted, out of breath from all the trekking and running he did earlier in the day. He was about to retort, when he noticed the area and stood beside Benjamin. Benjamin pointed out the direction on the horizon.