As Veil stepped through the front gate of the village for the first time, the world seemed to sigh in relief, welcoming him into a realm untouched by time and the ravages of war. Peace had done the world around him justice. The gate’s aged wood whispered closed behind him, shutting out the clamor of the village’s world. Before him, the glade spread out in tranquil splendor.

The grass, soft as down, cushioned his steps, each blade swaying gently in the caress of the breeze that carried the heady perfume of wildflowers. Dots of color—crimson, violet, and gold—sparkled amid the lush green, as if the earth had sprinkled its finest gems upon the landscape.

The ancient trees encircled the village, their towering forms and twisted branches creating a cathedral of nature. The sunlight streamed through the gaps in the foliage, casting dappled patterns on the ground and warming his skin with its gentle, golden touch. The air was filled with the melodious whispers of birdsong and the rustle of leaves, creating a symphony of peace and beauty that seemed to hold the secrets of the ages.

He had never been this way. He’d spent the last six months studying the language, learning to fight, and ingratiating himself with the denizens of the village. But as he glanced around and took in the surroundings from the front gate, he understood why the elders had chosen this location for the town he had come to love. It was more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen. He turned to Grok, noticing that Grok had been staring at him since he had walked out of the front gates.

“What?” Veil asked.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Grok said, gesturing to the wider world.

“It truly is. I don’t think I have a word powerful enough to encapsulate how truly beautiful it really is,” Veil said.

“Oh, I have one,” Grok said.

“You do?” Veil replied.

“I know a word. It’s really good. Do you want to know it?” Grok asked.

“Yes, you know I do. I thought the whole thing, this whole setup, would have given you the clue that I wanted to know the word,” Veil replied with a frustrated sigh.

“I’ll tell you then, on one condition: you beat me to that post over there.”

Veil looked around, noticing a post with three signs pointing towards various forks in the path and one turning back to the village itself. He immediately knew they were path markers.

“You’re on,” Veil said.

“Yay!” Grok proclaimed, jumping into the air. “Okay, then,” he said, pulling down on his undershirt.

“Three. Two.” Grok began running towards the sign.

“Hey, no cheating!” Veil said as he began to chase after his brother.

“Hahaha!” Grok laughed as he ran towards the post.

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As Veil ran, his legs began to glow, and his speed picked up until he was a blur. What the— he thought to himself. He almost instantly made it to the post, but his feet were going so fast he tripped on the edge of the grass that marked the end of the path. He tried to catch himself, but it was already too late. His body collapsed onto the grass and rolled violently onto the ground. His armor creaked and groaned thunderously. As he lay sprawled on the ground, he took mental note of all of his appendages, starting from the ground up. Okay, I can wiggle my toes, he thought. My legs are moving, my fingers, my arms. Oh, thank Dei, I’m not broken. What was that? he wondered.

“That was me,” he heard Tank’s voice ring inside his head.

“That was you?” he thought back.

“Yes. I told you, you and I are one now. You can summon me at will, but as long as our bodies are one, you can use my skills and powers. I can heal you and make you faster—just think about doing the action, and as long as it’s something I can do, you can do it too, including healing at four times your normal rate,” Tank replied in his head.

“But why—” Veil began.

“Why were you not warned?” Tank thought.

“Yeah,” Veil thought.

“Because I honestly assumed you’d realized it was a thing,” Tank thought with a chuckle.

“I’d realized,” Veil said, anger entering his mind.

“Yes, think now on it. Are you still injured?” Tank asked.

“What?” Veil asked in his mind.

“Take note,” Tank replied.

Veil took another inventory of his appendages. All the pain he had felt before from his disastrous attempt at the race was gone.

“Oh,” Veil said in his mind.

“Yes, you gain all my powers. As long as you haven’t summoned me, I can heal you and you’ll be faster. You just have to think about doing the action, and as long as it’s something I can do, then it will be something you can do too, including healing at four times your normal rate,” Tank replied in thought.

This entire interaction happened almost instantaneously.

Grok ran over. “Are you okay, brother?” he said, holding his hand out to hoist his brother. “What was that?” he asked.

“I’m okay, and that was Tank,” Veil said with a sigh, taking Grok’s hand.

“Well, you won, so I will tell you the word,” Grok said with a chuckle as he lifted his brother to his feet. “The dwarves have a word for the most stunningly beautiful sight you can imagine.”

“Yeah? What’s the word?” Veil asked.

“It’s hailswēos,” Grok replied. “Anyways, brother, let’s get started. And maybe, for a while, you shouldn’t try to run again. Let’s check the sign. See which path to take,” he said, turning back to the signpost.

Veil followed his brother, thinking about his new powers. “Hey, Tank,” he thought.

“Yes, master?” Tank replied.

“How do I stop when I’m running using your power?”

“You simply stop running,” Tank asked, confused.

“Yeah, that didn’t work last time,” Veil thought.

“Then maybe practice,” Tank responded sardonically.

“Thanks,” Veil replied, annoyed.

“Hey, hey, Veil!” Grok said, snapping his fingers in Veil’s face. “Focus, brother!”

“Oh, sorry,” Veil said.

“So, as I was saying,” Grok said, pointing to one of the signs, “we’re headed to the adventuring guild. It’s located at the heart of Nova City. We have to go, um, that way,” he said, pointing to the west.

“Great, so let’s get going,” Veil said, turning to the path that led out of the glade and towards a darkened forest.

“The path is safe as long as we stay only on the path. If we stray, we will probably be stuck in some kind of fairy trap.”

“Wait, aren’t you half-fairy?”

“Yes,” Grok looked at Veil, confused.

“Shouldn’t you be immune to fairy magic?” Veil asked.

“Why would I be?” Grok said with a quizzical look on his face.

“Because you’re half-fairy,” Veil said.

“Oh, yeah. No, I’m likely slightly more resistant than you, but I would still succumb,” Grok said.

“Why?” Veil asked.

“Humans make bombs. Are you immune to bombs?” Grok said seriously.

“That actually makes so much sense, Grok,” Veil said. “So, um, should we head out, Grok?”

“Yes, let’s,” Grok said, skipping towards the woods.

“Hey, brother,” Grok said.

“Yes, brother?” Veil replied.

“Should we stop to eat?” Grok said with a smile.

“No,” Veil said, an edge of exasperation creeping into his voice.

“Oh,” Grok replied with a sullen expression.