Once we finally made it across the clearing the castle sat within, we smiled. Trees had been cut down to make space for buildings, anything required for self-sufficiency. But at the same time, it also makes ground floor monsters much easier to see.

Finally relaxing a bit, we sped towards the castle, even as its guards eyed us suspiciously, their eyes narrowed and weapons raised. One of them even pointed their bardiche at us. I spared them a quick glance, trying to sense something. They used Qi, like most martials, and had just crossed into the core realm. Go figure, minimum qualifications for the post, I guessed.

I looked over the walls a bit as well, and for a moment considered trying to count the dozens of etched magical formations, aligning perfectly along the bricks. It would’ve been futile, since when I shifted slightly, the entire pattern seemed to change. The fortress had stood against the frontier for decades now, apparently, and it would hold for more, courtesy of its archmage.

“This is castle Arhan, adventurers! What is your purpose?!” a third guard wearing a fancy helmet called from the walls. The captain, probably.

Her voice echoed a bit in the forest, causing Liam to scan the edge of the woods for a moment before we turned back. “We’re here on a mission by the goddess Lurelia! There is a nest to the north which we need to take care of!”

For a moment, the Edian turned around, facing whoever else was inside the walls, confirming things. A few minutes of waiting and a couple of barked orders later, the doors swung open.

Our group quickly trickled through the castle gates. The inside was surprisingly nice. The floor was tiled in a chessboard pattern, solid black and white squares covering every bit of it. There were dozens of little alcoves and shelves, each full of strange trinkets, shapes of glass I’d not seen before and rings of metal, interlinked in patterns I couldn’t make out before we moved on.

The captain kept a fast pace, her metal footsteps oddly quiet against the ground. I briefly wondered what her armor was made of, before I shook the thought away. Instead of that, I focused on seeing what was around me. I memorized a good few of the staircases, and made sure I knew how to get back out.

Finally, once we’d been led up a couple stairs, there was a longer hallway, the doors in it numbered. “These are our guest rooms,” the captain remarked. “Don’t mess them up too bad. Enjoy the beds. I’ll let the mage know you’re here. Dinner is in forty minutes, don’t be late.”

“Sorry, madame, but we haven’t caught your name quite yet,” Eric called, just as she’d begun stepping away.

“Lirya,” she replied curtly over her shoulder. “But it’s captain Lirya to you, adventurers.”

With that, she was off already, leaving us to our own devices.

“Alright, let’s meet back out here in thirty. Get yourselves cleaned up and unwind a bit folks. We don’t have very long here,” Maria said, dismissing us with a smile.

I was excited to finally relax a bit after all the walking, and a shower would be more than welcome. Ann had summoned some water for us to wash up, but getting enough for a full shower was a “waste of mana”. She stuck her tongue out at me, even as I just thought it, the vixen.

Flicking her forehead in retaliation, I quickly scurried off into the bath. It was a small room, but it did have a tub and showerhead, which I was very grateful for. Ann would also need some time, so I made sure to only take about 10 minutes, scrubbing myself down thoroughly.

I really wished there was something as simple and easy as a cleanse spell, but no one had invented magic like that in Eden yet. Maybe I’d force Ann to be the first? There was a thought.

Grinning, I kissed her cheek as she headed off to get clean. In the meantime, I plonked down on the bed, enjoying the feeling of the soft mattress against my back and letting a groan leave my lips. Never knew what you loved until you lost it. Beds were incredible, and I also knew I was gonna go without them for a while again.

It made the temporary embrace all the sweeter as I leaned back and closed my eyes, daydreaming a bit. I thought of myself in the mirror, the way my me on the other side looked so much like this one. Sometimes I’d wondered why the guardians didn’t make these bodies more different, better.

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

And now, I still didn’t know that. The keepers were as much a mystery to me as to anyone else.

[Yet you have something no one else does.]

“Thanks, Cass,” I mumbled to my little assistant. I did, indeed. But I ignored that for now and resumed my daydreaming, sprawled out across the bed. If time was passing faster than it felt, that usually meant I was meditating a bit, or at least getting in the headspace.

My eyes drifted closed, and I imagined the mirrors again, the landscape between the gateways. An infinite world of kaleidoscopic reflections, dozens of other “me”s all walking their own paths in a spiral of possibilities from every other direction.

I imagined the way being only forward. Whenever I stepped through a mirror there were no half measures. On this side, it was easy to get eaten. By love, by affection, by the monsters, all of that. Stepping into that took resolve, and no half-measures. And every single other me agreed.

My eyes opened when I heard the bathroom door creak. Ann looked at me for just a moment, then cracked a small smile. “Got another bit of enlightenment or something, bae?”

I glanced at her, gulping down a few deep breaths, then nodded. “Yeah. Classic cultivator stuff,” I huffed, leaning back on the bed and taking a couple seconds to calm my heart. Ann snuggled up against me in the meantime.

“You’re doing great,” she encouraged me, “a couple deep breaths and you’ll be right as rain.”

Taking some time to nod along, I focused on the strange epiphany. Enlightenment was an intense, if pleasant, experience, but it needed to be properly dealt with before it consumed you. My motions were practiced as I took it and mentally stored it away. Like a little enlightenment folder going into the drawer for all of them.

Only then did my heart rate slowly calm down. “Alright,” I murmured once I was feeling okay again, “I’m good.” Slowly, I sat up in bed, then hugged Ann tightly for just a second. “We’re too late for dinner, aren’t we?”

“Surprisingly, no.” She flashed me a bright smile. Somehow, while I was still dealing with my newest discovery, she’d already gotten prepared and was once again in her mage robes. Wearing the armor while on the bed had perhaps not been my best decision, but it had certainly been a decision, and now I was paying my dues.

Ignoring the aches and twinges, the two of us made our way to the end of the hallway, where we’d have a little group meeting. Everyone was already out, and I could see Matt’s hair still dripping a bit of water onto the floor. I smiled, and Marie gave us a short nod as we approached.

“Alright everyone,” she said. “This is an Edian castle. With a little bit of luck we’ll only spend a night here. If the archmage calls us up, go. As always, be honest, but don’t hesitate to use some vows if needed. There’s altars to all the divines in the castle, so any of them will work just fine. Don’t offend anyone, and try to not draw much attention, then we’ll be out of here the next day.”

Once everyone had nodded, we made our way down the staircases into the mess hall, and as usual, dozens of eyes turned to glance at us.

I suppose it was inevitable. Edians rarely trusted Reflectors, not since a few high levelled pieces of crap had pulled some real messy stunts. A couple years ago, maybe we’d have been received with respect, but by now, things had changed.

At least they held back on the palpable disdain and instead looked at us with caution. I saw captain Lirya sit at another table, with a few more decorated soldiers beside her. She nodded as we walked by, and I nodded back. Then we went to pick up some food, a simple stir fry made with some vegetables from Eden.

There were a couple empty tables, so our entire guild simply sat down at one of them. We ate quietly, given that most of the cafeteria was just murmurs. I’d wager a few of them were directed at us, but I didn’t care so much, instead focusing on the table.

I always hated the awkward atmosphere between Edians and Reflectors. The fact that there was no trust there, despite their gods summoning us to this world, never stopped being frustrating. But then again, once the “chosen ones” start burning down a city or two, I suppose you’d get a little suspicious of them.

Luckily, with stricter control from the gods and heavier sanctions imposed for harming Edians, the issues had died down a bit. Distrust was still rampant, and it had started to fester on both sides. Some Reflectors thought the Edians were too arrogant, or impolite, and should hail them as heroes.

Those were egocentric idiots. Sure, the Edians weren’t usually granted access to the system in the same way we were, but they still had just as many opportunities to grow as we did. Some of them even earned the favour of the gods and did get a class, but even those who didn’t could kick some Reflectors’ asses. Which is why it pissed me off so much when they were called “NPCs” or dumb shit like that.

A moment later I realised that I was clenching my fist around the simple fork I was using. I took a deep breath and relaxed, trying to think of something else, when Cass’ voice rang out inside my head.

[Danger detected, Bell. You are recommended to swiftly retreat from this area before the threat arrives.]

I was startled for a second, sitting still just long enough for the cafeteria doors to slam open against the wall. An old man, with a long white wizardly beard and grey robes that seemed to clean the floor wherever he stepped came into the room.

“Who the fuck are these divines-damned adventurers, and why did they drag a fucking gateway into my castle?!” he screeched.

I gulped. ‘Cass. Your warning might’ve been a bit too late.’