Plumbing, in this world Luka still didn’t know the name of, wasn’t like Earth’s. Where a lack of magic made Earthlings develop piping systems and gravity-powered flushing mechanisms, that simply was not the case here. Instead, bathroom-cluster glyphs flushed toilets with the use of specialized water glyphs, thus cleaning bowls and removing filth.

But where does the dirty water go? Luka had to ask Eve once she returned from showing the boy and his father a bathroom.

“What do you mean ‘where does it go?’” Eve asked, staring strangely at him.

The two were in World Walker Park’s newest building, a rectangular prism made with basalt stone. It was, for sheer efficiency alone, a box. The park, as far as Luka was concerned, couldn’t be run without a bathroom. And just because it wasn’t a pretty bathroom, didn’t mean it didn’t work as one. An eyesore, yes, for now at least.

Currently, Luka and Eve stood in the “men’s” side of the box, a thin wall separating it from the “women’s.” Luckily, on this world, bathrooms worked the same general way as on Earth. And yet, despite the familiarity, Luka couldn’t help but stand there confused, wondering what Eve meant by asking what he meant.

So, in the end, he just asked.

“What do you mean ‘what do I mean?’” Luka pointed at the trough he’d created. It was not the styling of urinal he wanted, but necessity deemed it so. Again, later, he’d change it. “Where does the pee-water go?”

Eve blinked rapidly at the crassness of the question. “The glyph cluster takes care of it.”

Luka leaned in an inch. “What does that mean? Sounds dangerous.”

“I think it’s teleported into the oceans.”

He leaned back out. “What?”

“The bathroom-cluster of glyphs utilizes a space-bending subset of glyphs to remove… dirty water from—”

Luka held up his hands, smiling despite the oddity of the situation. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“It’s actually quite interesting,” Eve retorted, smiling herself. “Normally, space-bending magic and glyphs are locked behind the Guilds and the Gods, but the bathroom-cluster is an exception.”

“I feel that can be exploited. What’d stop someone from adding a bathroom-cluster to a safe and stealing whatever’s inside.”

“The fact that the teleportation is set to a random location somewhere out in the oceans. Whatever was stolen would be lost at sea.”

Luka considered that. “But there—”

“Ask Aunt Sol, she loves to talk about magical hypotheticals. In the meantime, let me sketch out the cluster…”

The pair spent the better part of an hour trying to get the cluster to work. As it turned out, space-altering glyphs were finicky at best and disastrous at worst. More than once Luka had to bring more stone over because a section of the bathroom was ripped apart and deposited somewhere in the oceans.

“See, this is why most people hire someone from the Guilds to do these kinds of things—the dangers of messing it up are sky high.”

Luka gave Eve a flat look before defrosting. “How’d we forget the bathrooms? Out of all of us planning today, surely one of us should have remembered.”

Eve shrugged. “Most of us orcs just go in the woods.”

“Uh huh. Right-o.” He smacked his lips as he added a few white-light glyphs to the ceiling. The inside of a black stone box was absolutely horrid to properly illuminate. “I think this is a good wake up call for us—”

“’Wake up call?’” she asked.

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“It means—” Luka frowned. “It means… like now we’re aware of a problem.”

Eve raised an eyebrow. “What problem?”

“Planning.”

“I think today is going rather well, don’t you?”

Luka removed his list of things to fix for tomorrow. “I’ve got a list, number one of which is to make it easier for people with disabilities to get around and ride things.”

Eve took the list, reading it over. “Most of these are easy fixes.”

“Exactly—but they are things that should already be in place.”

“What does ‘add lava’ mean?”

Luka chuckled at that. “I was listening to some kids talk about what they thought was going to be in the park.”

“Lava?”

“And searing hot torturous traps. Apparently, they expected me to be an evil World Walker or something.”

Eve smirked. “But why’d you write it down?”

“Because it was their expectations. They, without knowing what the park held, imagined lava traps. On Earth, those same kids, had they grown up there, would have imagined something completely different—something more akin to what the park is now.”

“I’m not following.”

Luka added another glyph cluster to the next toilet, silently praying that it didn’t disappear into the void. When it didn’t, he moved onto the next.

“I’m trying to say that this world has different expectations of imaginative entertainment. On Earth, there were a few world-renowned amusement parks that, especially for kids, could teleport you to a different world the moment you stepped through the gates.”

Eve asked, “Seriously? I thought you didn’t have magic.”

“Metaphorically.” Luka waved off. “But on this world, with actual magic, who knows—AND that’s exactly my ‘lava’ problem. Currently, World Walker Park is not imaginative enough, not for this world at the very least. Besides more attractions, we need to think bigger, bolder, and with more creativity.”

“A park where ‘new’ is redefined,” she said, recanting his opening speech. “I think I see where you’re going. What do we need to do?”

Luka thought for a moment. “Concept art.”

“You lost me again.”

“On Earth, before any ground was broken or tree cut down, artists would meticulously create artful depictions of whatever was being built—house, city hall, Ferris wheel, everything. And only once a concept artwork was presented that the leaders were happy with would they start the groundwork and get the ball rolling.”

“So, you want someone to draw you a picture of what your park might look like?” Eve asked.

“More than that. I want them to paint a world they would want to visit. A place with attractions people can only dream of. A home of entertainment unlike any other. Where spectacle is the norm and the architecture is completely alien. We need artwork depicting what World Walker Park could—and should—be.”

“You want to set a precedent for the future.” Eve didn’t need any more convincing. “Mrs. Leafsong’s a great artist. Though, you’ll have to pay her in paint and brushes.”

Luka knew the resident dryad well. She painted in her lawn daily and practically oozed naturalistic regalness. She was, after all, a being of the tree.

“Hopefully, after today, the park pays for itself—paint and all.” He thought for a moment, adding another series of glyphs to the bathroom. “So, I was thinking World Walker Park should have six distinct lands.”

“’Lands?’”

“Themed areas. For example, ‘Permafrost Kingdom’ where the snow is abundant, and the ice elementals love to hang out.”

Eve nodded along. “Or the ‘Bestial Grove’ where exotic beasts from myths and legends sleep.”

Luka snapped his fingers. “You’re a natural.”

“Well, I’m learning from the master of the park, after all.”

He halted at the compliment, his skin tingling. Luka stared at her, his fractured mind recovering a dozen or so forgotten memories.

The Generals, he remembered, called me the King of Bullets. His eyes drifted down, shame shrouding. And I liked it. I felt… regal and worthy of my cost.

“Luka, you’re doing it again,” Eve commented quietly as she gently squeezed his arm.

He looked up shamefully. Eve, his friend, stared at him as if he was a broken little kid. She knew somewhat of his past, he’d explained as much as he was willing to her, and yet, he couldn’t tell her more. Luka knew he had to speak to someone about his history, his conscience wouldn’t allow his sins to go without being known.

And yet, Luka didn’t want to burden her—nor her brother.

“I—I’m fine,” he whispered before straightening his posture. “An old memory resurfaced, again.”

Slowly, Eve rubbed his arm, nice and tenderly, reminding him she was here and only wanted the best for him.

“Eve… World Walker Park has to work out.” Luka said, his voice fleeting between tears and hardened steel. “It just has too…”

Quietly shushing him, Eve wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. Both would be embarrassed if anyone saw, but here, in the as yet finished bathrooms, they were safe and secure.