The door to Alex’s bedroom swung open. It was dark, and he felt his feet drag as he moved quietly to the bed, longing to let his tired mind and body rest. The carpet quieted the drag of his boots, and he caught the door before it closed too loudly.

He squinted into the room, looking to catch sight of Olivia and her mana signature, but couldn’t see anything in the quiet space.

“Liv?” He said.

No answer came, and Alex took a step to his right to flick on the lights of the room. The bed remained perfectly made, with its corners tucked in.

The last several days’ worth of exhaustion clung to his bones, and he stood motionless for several long moments, confused. There was no other sound in the room. No shower running or lights on.

His body begged for rest, but something about Olivia’s absence set his nerves on edge.

“Val, can you sense her or Nox?”

Valtherion zipped around the room and dipped low to even look under the bed, where Olivia had previously hidden from the wyrm during a game. “No. Where is Oli?”

Alex checked the bathroom and found it empty. The walk-in closet was also empty, and he saw several of her normally neatly folded pile of clothes gone. Her bomber jacket was also gone and his heart sank at the thought of her going somewhere.

Did she go to stay with Jasper and Liam? Why wouldn’t she say anything?

Alex backtracked through the hallway and down the stairs to look for Edwin. He found the older man still awake and sitting at the desk in his room.

“Have you seen Olivia? Did she say if she was going to see Liam?”

“Miss Santoro?” Edwin removed his thin reading glasses. “She returned a few hours ago and informed me that she was going to get some rest. I’ve not seen her since.”

“You’re sure?” Alex pressed.

“Quite certain, sir. I’ve been reviewing the accounts since the evening meal. The door hasn’t opened, and she hasn’t needed anything from me since she went up the stairs.” His look shifted to one of concern, and he clasped his hands together. “Is something the matter?”

“Probably nothing,” Alex said. “I’ll check upstairs again.”

He took the stairs with a few stat-enhanced steps as worry rose in his chest. After everything that had happened with the elves, he feared something might have happened to her as well.

When he returned to the bedroom, Val was still searching high and low, as if playing hide and seek with her. Alex walked to his side of the bed, where his eyes fell on a folded piece of paper propped against the black-and-white photo of them in front of a Rift—the one Olivia had gifted him weeks ago.

Grabbing it quickly, he unfolded the paper to read Olivia’s scribbled handwriting.

Alex,

By the time you read this, I’ll already be inside the Celestial Rift. Don’t worry, I’m going to find some answers, not fight my way through levels. Something is happening with Nox and me that I can’t keep ignoring.

Getting asked to sit from the mission was understandable, and as much as I hate to agree with the brute, Jonathan was right. I’m not stable right now, and the bond is becoming more and more of an issue. Honestly, it’s getting dangerous for both of us.

I’ll be back in a few days or a week at most. With the time dilation in the Rift, that should give me plenty of time to find some answers about The Night. If you’re still handling the mission with the HA, then I might even be able to make it back before you guys are home.

I know this might seem reckless, but trust me when I say I’ve thought this through. Nox is a part of me, and our bond goes deeper than this skill. I have no idea if the affinity makes it go deeper or if it’s because he’s saved my life… but I need to understand what’s happening to him and try to stop it before I lose him completely or before he hurts someone I care about. I need to know more about The Night and what sort of magic those Sun Elves used.

I’ll be back before you know it.

— Olivia

Alex read the letter twice and then folded it slowly and carefully to put it in his pocket. Valtherion floated up beside him and tilted his head at the emotions that the small beast could undoubtedly, feel floating through their bond.

He kept looking down at where the note had been in his hands. Past them, he saw the photograph and picked it up. He spent a few shocked and completely exhausted moments looking at the photograph and wondering how to best approach the situation.

Alex placed the photograph back on the nightstand and felt his tired body reacting slower than his racing mind. His heart began to beat faster, and the realization of where she’d gone caused his blood to stir.

“Oli gone?” Val asked, his voice sounding small.

“Yeah, buddy. But we’ll go find her. Don’t worry.”

Alex pulled out his phone to check for any messages he may have missed. There was a missed call from Elana but nothing from Olivia.

He sank to the edge of the bed and gave himself a few moments to feel everything. Memories flooded back, and he saw Olivia wincing over the last few weeks. Tired and constantly exhausted, even when doing something as easy as walking through the woods. The stress and pale complexion he’d seen on her face while in the Timehold Rift that the Hunters had in the day before the mission.

Things had taken a turn after the confrontation with the sun elves, and he hadn’t realized it was that bad. While her control had been slipping, Alex didn’t know it was much worse than it had been all along. Her own signs hadn’t changed, and from what Olivia told him, the bond had actually been draining less from her toward the end.

I thought that was a good sign…

He closed his eyes, thinking about her entering the Celestial Rift. More pressure began to mount behind his eyes, and his breath quickened.

“No,” he whispered to himself. He used his will to squash the illogical thoughts and rising panic. The emotions and feelings wouldn’t do him any good in this situation, and he thought about what should happen next.

Since [Parallel Mind] was already active, Alex thought for a moment and let one part of his mind feel the emotions and embrace the feelings that were flooding in. However, it was that same part of his consciousness that he pushed to the back of his mind, leaving his main focus on a rational and completely detached point of view.

He straightened his shoulders and felt his mind clear. While he was still tired, the edges of his vision weren’t coming in, and he thought through the situation rapidly.

Olivia had already been in the Celestial Rift before, multiple times, from what they’d talked about. Her entering now wouldn’t be any different. There were also allies within the Rift that she could rely on for this information, perhaps getting the information she needed without even putting herself at risk.

She was also smart and had a better battle instinct than he had. There was no doubt she realized how injured she was and what her current state might mean in a situation like the Rift, where she’d be without a team against monsters stronger than she was. It wouldn’t make sense to needlessly throw herself into that danger without a plan.

The Celestial Rift has 8x time dilation. Every day, and every hour, that passes here means that eight more are passing there.

He looked at the clock by his bed and saw that it was 1:37 am. Reaching into the top drawer, he removed the pocket watch she’d given him on Christmas and tucked it into his pocket.

If he assumed that she left two to three hours earlier, it would mean she was already in the Rift for two hours at the most. He thought through his options and what he could realistically do.

“You need rest, kid. It doesn’t matter what skills you have. Your body, your mind, and your magical network are shot.” Maelis chimed in, and Alex remembered that he still wasn’t alone.

Isn’t it time for you to go back to sleep, old man?

There was a snort of amusement. “If the other half of your mind wasn’t busy having an emotional meltdown, I’d be busy giving you a lesson. In the meantime, I’ll stay quiet.”

Curious, Alex allowed the thoughts of both of his consciousnesses to join for a moment and was surprised at the overwhelming wave of sadness he felt crash into him. There were other feelings mixed in, but he quickly shut off the connection and focused on his primary mind.

Well, that seems like an overreaction…

Glad for the ability to separate his minds so clearly, he felt it might be best to let himself get those feelings out and process them. In the meantime, he could focus on action and what steps he could take.

His first instinct was to wake everyone immediately. They could grab gear and be at the Rift site in a matter of hours. But he knew they would be unprepared and rushed. The team needed rest as much or worse than he did, and he had plans he could make while they did so.

At the moment, they weren’t ready to even accompany him there. Mark and Sarah were still too under-leveled to jump into a D-Rank Rift, and he wasn’t sure how Sam would even react to the thought of returning to the Celestial Rift after everything he went through.

Even his recent thoughts on how he’d handled their progression and growth clashed with these thoughts of keeping his friends safe.

Do we still have that luxury? Would they want to be left behind again?

Alex most certainly knew the answer.

He realized the situation might actually offer the ability to achieve two goals in a single action. If Mark and Sarah were willing, it could be a chance for them to get a similar early boost to levels as he had. With his help, he could aid their rapid ascent through E Rank, and if they were willing to spend additional time within, fighting against the Shadow Serpent Sect, then they could work their way through D Rank together, fighting against enemies that were appropriately leveled to prepare for the coming elves.

They’d be fighting things higher level than they were, but if they did it right, they could come out of the Rift easily in the level 40-50 range with only a few weeks having passed on Earth. From there, they could move to other challenging tasks to test their teamwork and problem-solving while gaining more levels to C-Rank.

He stood and began pacing, realizing that the plan had some merit. Despite his desire to go after her immediately, he realized that there were several things that needed to be done at the house before he disappeared for an extended period of time.

“Mana?” Val interrupted his thoughts and nudged his shoulder with his small head. In his mouth was a mana crystal that he offered to Alex.

Alex smiled and petted the top of Valtherion’s head. “Thanks, buddy.”

He started to siphon a portion of the stone’s mana, only to feel it burn against his channels. Grunting in pain, Alex slipped the stone into his pocket, knowing that Val had brought it to him from his personal stash, and he was attempting to make Alex feel better.

He needs to get stronger, too.

Alex walked to his office and looked around for his laptop, though he couldn’t find it and wasn’t sure where he’d sit anyway, with his desk being destroyed and removed. Grumbling, he walked back downstairs and found Edwin already waiting for him in the kitchen with his laptop in hand.

“Master Moore?”

“Thanks, Edwin. I need to make some coffee. It’s going to be a long night.”

Edwin gave him a searching look but didn’t say anything before turning and beginning to brew a fresh pot.

Alex sat at the counter and opened the computer while pulling up a page to begin jotting down notes and organizing his thoughts. He wasn’t sure how many days he’d need to take to organize everything before leaving, but it would need to be fast.

The first things to pop to his mind were acquiring skills or training schedules for Mark, Sarah, and Sam. He wrote it down in the note and, as a last-minute thought, added Val to the list.

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We need to start thinking of his progression as a separate member of the team.

He thought about progressing plans with recruitment and land acquisition of the nearby properties.

He continued typing, adding specific details under each day’s plans. His list grew more specific, and he started adding contacts to prioritize, equipment and materials, and brainstorming training routines.

Hours passed as he worked on organizing his thoughts. With a half-empty coffee mug at his elbow, Alex rubbed his eyes and looked around the kitchen while taking a moment to stretch. The house felt quiet, and the only real sound he’d heard was the tapping of keys on his keyboard.

Needing a bit of a change, he opened the music streaming service on his laptop and played one of his favorite playlists. AJR began playing over the speakers and he felt like it had been too long since he took time to listen to music.

He took a bit of a break from planning to walk around the kitchen counter and move his body, while looking at all of his gains from the recent mission.

First, he looked at the offered skill merge for his new combination of [Parallel Mind] and [Mirage].

Alex thought through the offer and looked at both skills.

Maelis, what do you know about Skill Merges? I haven’t really seen much on it before. Is it dumb that I don’t want to merge my skills? They’re at level 12 and 15, so they’re getting close to advancing on their own and I do like to use them separately. Like… right now, for example.

“Skill Merges are a bit more on the rare side. It’s also not usually a function of the System that’s used until you’re in B or A Rank or unless you’ve completely plateaued. You’re right to think about the skills advancing on their own. Most people use a Merge to combine two skills that have reached Expert or Master proficiency, as they will merge with all of those effects or benefits.”

Hmm, I see. That makes sense.

“Take this combination you have created. If you merge them now, you might get a clone skill. Not completely unheard of, but definitely rare and useful. However, if you wait, you could evolve [Mirage] to become [Clone], or you could advance [Parallel Mind] to have more split consciousnesses.”

Which would lead to more clones?

Maelis grunted in acknowledgment. “Exactly. Or better clones. Or you could steer it away from clones completely if that’s not what you want. I don’t see a benefit to you using it now. It’ll offer a merge each time you advance or evolve the skills now that you’ve found the combination.”

Alex felt excited at the prospect of diving into the combination of limitations and utility. For the moment, he decided to decline the offered Skill Merge. He moved on to the offered Advance or Evolve options for [Mana Infusion] and [Mana Siphon].

I use both of these way too much. So does Val. I don’t really want anything about either of them to change, just to improve.

He chose the advance option on both skills and looked at the results.

The improvement to [Mana Infusion] seemed minor, but the improvement to [Mana Siphon] seemed extremely strong.

I wonder if that means I can siphon mana just from the general space around me now?

Alex couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he thought of his baby dragon in a yoga pose, siphoning mana from the space around him, never complaining about wanting or needing mana again.

“Mana!” Val mumbled through their bond, stirring from his sleep upstairs for a brief moment before feelings of contentment and safety came through, and Alex knew he’d fallen back asleep.

He’d gained a level from fighting the elves and Rylan, along with a few levels in his skills. It hadn’t been until after the major spell he’d cast that he’d also been given a new passive skill.

The passive was impressive and would no doubt help him down the road. A pessimistic side of his mind wished that it would help him with his currently injured channels. Regardless, the effect of the passive skill made sense based on what he’d done with the elven ritual.

The last thing for him to look at was the [Bound Item] token that he’d gotten from his new title.

Pulling the token from his ring, Alex looked at it for a long moment before breaking it in his hand. It felt like some sort of acceptance of who he’d become and who the System was pushing him to be with such a title.

Motes of light coalesced before him, and he watched as the item materialized and hung in the air in front of him. He raised a single eyebrow as it formed, and he slowly reached out to pluck the headpiece from where it hung suspended in the air.

“A hat?”

“Master Moore?” Edwin said as he entered and looked at him questioningly.

Alex looked from the item to Edwin, and back down again.

Fuck me.

He groaned loudly and held up the item to Edwin. “Will you help me scan this, Edwin? There’s almost no chance I’m going to wear this thing…”

The man’s white mustache twitched, and he stepped forward and scanned the hat in Alex’s hand. He shared the System readout with Alex.

“Ahh fuck me.” The stream of curses that began to spill from Alex’s mouth upon reading the hat was certainly excessive. Despite the brief meltdown, Edwin waited patiently for him to finish before dismissing the window and speaking up.

“Will that be all, Master Moore?”

“You’re not funny, Edwin,” Alex groaned as he rolled his eyes. “You get that I’m going to have to wear this damn hat, don’t you? The benefits are too damn good not to. I mean…” He narrowed his eyes and pulled the hat down onto his head.

It fit perfectly, which only seemed to irritate Alex further.

Instantly, he felt a difference in his mind. The space around him seemed clearer, and his memory felt sharper. Out of curiosity, he opened his Status to look at his mental stats.

He began cursing again.

“Yep. Well, get used to it, Edwin. It’s not going anywhere.”

“Sir?”

Alex grumbled and could tell that he was enjoying the show and couldn’t help but give a slight smile to acknowledge the absurdity of the hat. “It basically lets me keep my full Intellect stat, even when splitting my mind with my skill…”

“That does, indeed, sound useful, sir.”

“Couldn’t it have just… been a ring or something?” Alex groaned again and walked a short distance from the kitchen to the dining room to look at the hat on his head.

Alex mentally accepted the prompt and, as his vision cleared, looked at The Magician’s Cap that sat on his head. He adjusted it slightly by tilting it back. It still seemed to fit his head snuggly despite the shift in position. It felt like it wouldn’t fall off, no matter how he moved it. At first glance, it could be mistaken for some sort of farmer’s hat, but it quickly became clear that it was a very stereotypical wizard’s hat. It was a weathered brown tone, the kind someone might expect to see in a children’s storybook or a Halloween costume. The fabric, though, as he leaned forward to look closer and run his fingers along the brim, was an extremely fine quality. It made the hat feel ancient in his hands, like it had existed for a millennium before he got it.

The brim extended outward from his head and was wide enough to cast a slight shadow over his eyes without drooping to obstruct his vision. From there, the hat rose into a conical shape, but rather than stretching straight up in a comical fashion, it bent backward at its midpoint before the tip curved upward again.

He stared at his reflection to see his golden left eye and the scar across his nose, now accompanied by what could only be described as the quintessential wizard’s hat, and he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Despite his enhanced physique and confident posture, the hat seemed to transform his rugged appearance into something from a fantasy illustration. Yet, even as he contemplated removing it, he could feel the clear effect on his mind.

Fuck.

With reluctance, he adjusted it to fit normally on his head and returned to the kitchen.

“Not a word, Edwin. Not a word.”

“Never, sir.”

Alex looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:17, and his eyes felt more tired than his mind did. Edwin retrieved the coffee pot and refilled Alex’s mug.

He gave the old butler a guilty smile and thanked him for the refill.

“Sir, if I might ask… what are you planning this morning?”

“I’ve got to set some things in motion to keep the house moving forward. I want us to start becoming more self-sufficient. That means getting some of those nearby properties and hiring some people to train and get working on turning a profit. Once that’s set in motion… we’re going to train. You’ll hear about it more in the morning, but… things are bad, Edwin. Really bad.”

Edwin watched Alex impassively and listened patiently.

“We’ve only got a year to level up and get strong enough to fight the sun elves. Olivia left to go to the Celestial Rift, and I think we need to go back there, too. We can catch up to her and help with what she needs to do while also getting more levels than we could probably get anywhere else…”

Edwin’s mustache moved, and Alex saw him straighten with a rigid back. “The Celestial Rift, sir? Are you certain?”

“Yeah, I think it’s the best move. With the time dilation, it’ll also let us train longer and at least adapt to our increased levels. Similar to how Sam did.”

The butler hesitated, then set down the coffee pot. “One moment, sir. There’s something I remember seeing as I pulled files from the Guild at your request.”

Edwin disappeared and returned a few minutes later with a folder. He placed it on the counter beside Alex’s laptop.

“What’s this?”

“Information from the Guild’s Rift section regarding the current state of the Celestial Rift. I took the liberty of accessing and downloading the information I could on any Rifts that were above Common Rarity. Being that this was the only Epic Rift, it stood out to me.”

Alex scanned the first page, then felt his stomach drop. “This can’t be right.”

The document detailed massive changes happening within the Celestial Rift over the last month and a half, which equated to almost a year of time in the Rift. However, in the last few weeks, the Celestial Sect, which had likely been the dominant sect when Alex rescued Sam, had fallen. There weren’t details in the file, but instead snippets of reports on progress as the Guild had made contact with Eura, but seemed to try to stay away from the sects to gain benefits from both. The Shadow Serpent Sect had indeed won their war against the Celestials, killing Eura in a final battle between the two titans of the Rift. Their defeat soon led to The Night’s influence spreading dramatically, leaping across the chasm and taking over the once beautiful cherry tree forest. The last report was from a week prior and reported power struggles within the Shadow Serpent Sect, leading to the group fracturing into factions that followed different “aspects” and controlled different territories.

As he finished reading, Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The words on the page seemed to blur as the implications hit him. He reached up and scratched his forehead, but his hand bumped into the brim of the hat.

Eura. The Celestial Sect. Gone.

A wave of grief threatened to crash through the maintained split in his minds. Eura had been his first real mentor in the new world of magic.

He reached up and touched his cheek just below his left eye.

“Does Miss Santoro know about this?”

Alex forced himself to focus. “I… I have no idea. If she did…”

He didn’t finish the thought. If Olivia had known the true state of the Rift, would she have gone? Probably. Especially if she believed The Night held answers about healing Nox. But that just changed his own thoughts on the timeline.

“I thought she would be entering the Rift to find answers on The Night… probably that she’d go to Eura or the sect for easy answers. But, if they’re not there…” he shook his head at the implications.

Images flashed through his mind of the cherry blossom forest and the tranquil mountains in the background of Tianluo.

What about the Mana Spinners?

The little colony of intelligent spiders had saved his life and taught him about mana control. Were they still alive in the tunnels under the chaos?

He pushed the thoughts firmly into the section of his mind handling emotions. There would be time to process things fully once he reached the Rift. When he had the benefit of time-dilation, and every minute he spent thinking about things didn’t count as eight for Olivia in the Rift.

For now, action was needed.

Alex closed the folder and tapped the trackpad of his laptop to wake it up. This shifted his timeline to an even shorter schedule.

Hours passed, and Edwin worked silently around Alex. Bringing him files and taking his own notes based on what was being planned. After all was said and done, Alex had been thinking that he could accomplish what was needed in a week… but with the news of what Olivia was walking into, he decided he needed three days.

Three days to get things moving around the team house and get Edwin started on the next steps. Any more time than that, and Olivia was on her own in the Rift longer than he was willing to allow. The timing would be tight, as there would be a lot to orchestrate in terms of logistics, contractors, and setting up meetings.

Through it all, Edwin reassured Alex and gave him every confidence that the things being outlined would be handled and the right people would be found.

Valtherion dozed nearby, occasionally waking to check on Alex before tucking his head into his coiled body on the counter.

The sky outside the kitchen window leading into the courtyard gradually lightened from black to blue with shades of pink. Edwin paused in his work and looked out at the dawn.

“Would you care for some fresh air, sir?”

Alex took a breath and nodded, suddenly aware of just how stiff his body had become from sitting at the counter for hours. He stood, stretched, and followed Edwin onto the courtyard patio.

The air was cool and crisp at the early morning hours, and carried the wet scent of dew. He looked back at the sunrise and thought of everything that had brought him to this moment. The powerless graphic designer struggled through the daily grind, and in under a year, he was a completely different person. The path from there to here hadn’t been easy for him, but it led him to a spot that he liked.

He wanted to continue pushing forward on that path, and whatever hardships awaited them in the Rift, he had to believe that they would make it through to the other side stronger for the struggle. And that if they were lucky… they’d make it out strong enough to face the impending threat that was an Epic C-Rank Rift. The words of the overseer played through his head again.

This is not mercy or cruel fate. This is an opportunity.

Progression through adversity, Awakened.

“They’ll be waking up soon,” Edwin said.

“Good.” Alex felt the warmth of the sun on his cheeks as it crested the trees at the edge of the property. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”