Alex’s perception of the world around him shifted as he held the Cadence Stone aloft.

The crowd lining the arena cheered and chanted so loudly that the very air around him shimmered. Fascinated, he focused on the distortion, beating in time to the stomping of human feet and the beating of Koru’qai chests.

He realized then that whatever effect the stone had naturally was melding with his own ability to see ambient mana. Nausea threatened to overtake him as he watched the magical force in the air ebb and flow.

“Just rein in your thoughts, kid. Your mind is reaching out to the item. It’s just a tool, nothing more.”

Concentrating on Maelis’s inner voice, Alex realized he was unintentionally reaching out to the stone with his intent. He was so intrigued by the item, he’d begun to try to explore it.

With an effort, he pulled back his mind while looking up at the sky. Before the effect ended, he saw far-off lines of magic that would otherwise blend with the night sky and wondered what they were and what other uses the stone could have.

His vision slowly returned to normal, the item’s power lingering, rather than cutting off abruptly.

Woah… Have you seen items like this?

“It’s not uncommon for wealthy or successful mages of any craft to have perception-enhancing tools or items. They are rare, but usually more expensive than they’re worth.” Maelis admitted.

Still fascinated, he looked at the blood-red stone in his hand, though his attention was pulled away shortly after as the large pillar in the center of the arena collapsed.

It toppled to the side like a Jenga tower, whatever skill or magic that had been holding it together vanishing with Kinley’s passing. As it fell, so too did the barrier holding back the crowd of freed humans and Koru’qai.

Alex smiled as the first three over the wall were faces he recognized.

“Amazing fight, Alex!” Robert called as he moved easily across the sands. “Where was that kind of decisiveness this last week? I could have sworn that was a totally different person fighting just now.”

“Nope, just me,” Alex said with a nervous laugh.

Aisha stepped close to him, skepticism written all over her face. Her black braids fell around her face as she leaned forward and poked his arm several times. “You sure it’s you? You could barely keep up with us on a run or take a serious punch from Robert in some of our spars, but then you’re here catching Kinley’s hammer mid swing like it was a foam noodle.”

He pulled his arm away and laughed again. “Yes, it’s me. It sounds like Kinley hadn’t had anyone who could challenge him in a long while, so it made him overconfident. He was stronger than I would have thought. I’m lucky he hadn’t been forced to actually use and adapt his powers for more than brute force.”

“Yeah, but he was a freak of nature. The fact that you could beat him alone is sort of mind-blowing,” Aisha stressed, squinting at him.

“Hey,” Robert said, pointing. “What’s that?”

Following his finger, Alex looked over his shoulder. He dismissed the body as a non-threat and returned his focus to the group before whipping his head back in a double-take. His eyes grew wide as the object took shape, and he recognized what it was, and his mind registered the title that Kinley had equipped.

“Whoa,” Aisha breathed, eyes focused on the golden light that condensed over his chest.

A heartbeat later, a golden card roughly the size of a small tablet formed in the air and hovered over Kinley’s chest.

“Ah. That’s not good,” Alex said. “Wait, don’t touch it.” He held out his arm to stop her from moving forward to investigate.

Tilting his head to the side and slowly moving forward to crouch beside it, he tried to get a better look at the Planetary Title card.

A detailed sun was painted on the card. It was symmetrical, and the yellow oranges of the paint mixed perfectly with the light produced by the card, causing it to shimmer and reflect off the sand around his body.

It took closer inspection for him to realize that the shadow in the middle of the sun was a silhouette. Why it was so difficult to discern was that the card was upside down. He quickly realized that the banner and words at the bottom of the card were also flipped upside down due to the card’s orientation.

“Tarot?” Luis asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

Looking back at Luis, Alex saw the crowd beyond them pressing in. Humans and Koru’qai were swarming down onto the sand to get a closer look at the dead tyrant.

“See if you can keep them back for a second?” Alex asked the trio with a nod toward the crowd.

Robert held up his arms and waved as more people approached.

Unsure of how to handle the situation, Alex reached out to the title card, yet it slipped through his fingers. He swiped at it twice more, his hand passing through as if an illusion.

Do you know what this is? Or rather, why can’t I grab it?

“You didn’t earn it. It was Kinley’s card; it’ll disappear in a bit. Just leave it be.”

The card is inverted. I remember reading about that.

Maelis sighed. “It’s unfortunate, kid, but there are bad people in all the Wider Worlds. Inverted Title Cards are normally bad business, and it looks like this wasn’t the exception.”

Wait, wait. I’m confused. What was Kinley the world leader in? I thought that the title holders were supposed to be Earth’s leaders and people at the forefront. ‘Those that will help us through the integration.’

He loosely quoted what Maelis had told him about the Planetary Title holders, wondering how someone as twisted as Kinley could be considered a leader.

“From what I understand, it’s more common to see inverted cards early in an integration. The System doesn’t play favorites, and it knows that in order for there to be ‘good guys’, there has to be some ‘bad guys’. Though all of the card is more naturally drawn to those who fit their natural purpose. He likely would have lost the title to someone else in the coming months. ”

That made him feel a bit better. He watched as the title card shattered and dispersed into golden motes.

His attention was drawn to the growing restless crowd and Robert’s attempt to settle it. Alex knew his dirty clothes wouldn’t make for the best appearance, but he hoped that the fight and display of power would earn him at least a bit of respect from the group.

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With a light hop, he jumped ten feet in the air before creating a shimmering barrier beneath his feet. He knew that to some it would look like he was floating in the air, but the elevated position made it easier for everyone to see him.

Raising both arms, he tried to quiet the crowd, though the gesture seemed to have the opposite effect. The crowd cheered louder, and the thumping of the Koru’qai beat began once again.

It took a full minute for them to quiet down, with Alex pumping his hands up and down.

“My name is Alex Moore,” he called, projecting his voice so everyone could hear him. It surprised him, but as he started to speak, those lingering cheers and conversations quieted further, making it easier to speak.

“I can tell that many have already made their way for the Rift exit, and I don’t blame them. All of you here went through something horrible… but you made it through, you survived.”

He paused, taking in the faces of those watching him. Hard, lean faces with awakened physiques. Some watched him skeptically, while others toward the front couldn’t seem to take their eyes off of Kinley’s corpse.

“You don’t owe anyone here anything. Not me. Not each other. You can leave this place, go home, start over. No one will stop you— at least not here.” He sighed and adjusted his hat to run his fingers through his hair. “The truth is, you’re all really strong. You’ve gained power here, and that is going to make some people outside nervous. Just be wary about who you let know about your strength.”

He lifted the Cadence stone slightly. “If any of you are looking for a place to go, you’re welcome to come with me. We can leave the Rift together, and no one out there will bother you. Not the Hunters and not other Awakened.”

“As for the Koru’qai…” he hesitated, unsure of how to phrase things in a way that would make sense without making it seem as if he were just another human moving in to fill Kinley’s shoes. “Your city is yours again, I have no desire to take over and replace Kinley. Find one of your own to lead you like your chief used to. I won’t claim to understand your ways, but if any of you want to see the world beyond this Rift, to walk under a different sky, then you can follow me. If you want to join me, I’ll lead you out of here and show you a different way to live.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence to follow, and he was unsure of how to end the little speech, so he gave a bit of additional information on his plan. “I can guess that most of you are eager to get out of here and go home. If you want to stay or to follow me, I’ll be staying here for at least another day, maybe two. I need to rest and recover before leaving and will need to coordinate with any Koru’qai who might want to leave. Feel free to come chat with Robert or me if you have questions.”

With that, he let the magic of his barrier spell dissipate and landed gracefully on the ground.

Robert, Aisha, and Luis all moved to follow him as he pushed his way through the crowd and toward one of the nearby walls.

“Do you know somewhere we can go to set up a camp for the next day or two? Preferably not somewhere underground,” he added the last bit with a smile.

They pushed their way free and exited the arena, many humans and Koru’qai following them, while some dispersed in their own directions through the city or toward the Rift exit.

Shael’quir joined their small group toward the front of the wake of people and, after exchanging words with Robert, guided them toward a set of buildings built into the base of a nearby cliff. The bowl shape of the city and massive, vertically built living area were still a marvel for Alex to witness.

A short time later, he was shown an area at the back of the building that he could rinse off, which he noted with a bit of disappointment, was still underground.

Over the next several hours, the city began to wind down. Alex took time plan his next steps and recover. He set aside his advancement for the time being, despite his eagerness to step into the next Rank.

When they had dinner served to them, he realized that they were staying in Shael’quir’s home, and they were acting as a host, providing food and lodging for them.

He had a conversation that evening with Robert, Aisha, and Luis as they ate, explaining his offer to bring the Koru’qai to Earth, fielding questions about how that was possible.

“The Planetary Titles have some special effects, and one of them is the ability to swear oaths. The oaths are enforced by the System, but one of their effects allows a title holder to bring their sworn followers out of a Rift.”

“Can anyone with a title swear people?” Robert asked after finishing a bite of the steak-like meat they were eating.

“As far as I know,” Alex affirmed.

“Why didn’t Kinley try to do that, then?” Aisha asked, sensing where Robert was going with the question.

Alex shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t know it was possible? I didn’t know until my mentor told me. The System doesn’t exactly give a lot of direction with stuff like this— even when it’s earned.” He couldn’t help but let his tone turn a bit bitter, but those at the small, low table laughed knowingly.

“So what would you do if they swear to you?” Robert asked.

“I’ll give them a place to make a new home. I have a lot of property now, and I can give them a space where they won’t be disturbed or mistreated. I see a lot of value in their kind of magic and feel like I could learn a lot from it.” His mind naturally thought of the Cadence Stone in his bracer and hoped he could get some help in understanding its capabilities by talking to the Koru.

“And what about the humans?”

“What about them?”

“Can they swear to you, too?”

Alex paused mid-bite. “They can… yes. But if I’m being honest, swearing a lot of people makes me uncomfortable. If there are humans from the groups here that want to follow me, they don’t need to swear.”

Robert looked at Luis. The quiet man nodded, blinking slowly as he did. Aisha smiled and gave Alex a thumbs-up.

“What?” he asked.

“We’d like to follow you,” Robert said plainly. “None of us has a place to return to after this, and while I think we could make our own way… you’ve proven yourself to be a good leader and a better person. If you’ll let us, we’ll come back with you and whatever Koru’qai decide to follow you.”

He set down his wooden two-pronged fork. “Of course you can. I hoped the three of you would join me, but didn’t want to ask.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you really think any of the Koru will want to come? They seem very rooted in tradition.”

Robert was nodding before he finished the question. “Yes, I think some of them will, but I’m not sure how many. They believe strongly in their ways, but their way is to follow the strong. That’s why so many dealt with the harsh conditions Kinley set, because he was the strongest. With you beating him, some will follow you just because of that.”

“Hmm. Do you think you guys could take some time and talk to the people that stayed, human and Koru’qai, to figure out who would want to come back with me? Anyone is welcome, but depending on how big the group is, it could be tricky to get back to Jersey.”

The trio agreed, and Luis pushed his plate away before walking out.

“I didn’t mean right now,” Alex said guiltily, attempting to stop the duelist.

Luis kept walking, waving over his shoulder without looking back. Aisha chortled at the look on Alex’s face.

“What will you do in the downtime?” Robert asked.

“I got the level up to push into C Rank.”

The statement caused both Aisha and Robert to freeze, their eyes going wide.

“Really?” he asked. “Why haven’t you accepted it?”

“Well, one of my stats is extremely high. I’m worried that if I advance, my body will change and my mental stats will be unbalanced. I need to prepare a body tempering ritual and make sure it’s ready to go for as soon as I advance.”

Their faces filled with confusion, clearly not following him.

He waved it away, not feeling like explaining in the moment. “I just need to prepare something, and it’ll take a bit of time. After I advance, the ritual will take a few hours, and I’ll be… indisposed.”

“Wow, look at that. You were listening to me after all.”

Shut up. It’s impossible not to listen to you, plus, you love to point out how low my Intellect is. Eura prepared the materials for that body tempering, and I’ve been eager to use it anyway. I have no idea how the advancement will affect my mind.

They finished out the meal in a comfortable silence, only occasionally interrupted by a question about the outside world or the oath’s functionality.

Shael’quir’s home, while primitive, was comfortable and had many sets of fur and woven cushions for lounging. Most things were low to the ground, which he found interesting, considering the Koru’qai’s natural size.

As the night wound down, he decided to get a full night’s sleep before setting up the ritual and accepting the Class and Rank advancement. He was eager to take in his gains, especially the offered advancement or evolution of his movement skill, but he knew a clear mind would set him up best for what was to come.

He settled into the room he was provided and decided that, despite his aching body, there was one laborious task he should complete before resting.

Leaning his head back into the soft furs, he let one of his lines of consciousness focus on creating his [Fractured Body] clones. The other two returned to his magic and how much it had developed. The fight against Kinley had been a clear indicator that his spell circles were growing in versatility and power, turning a fight that should have been nearly impossible into an almost easy encounter.

He let those two remaining lines of thought split, one focusing completely on the more complex runes that he planned to use in the recreation of the elven ritual, while the other focused on the vast number of new possible combination spells that he could create with two runes per spell circle.

Alex was so engrossed with the task that within minutes, he’d forgotten about the System’s offered rewards. He was so excited to develop his own magic, create his own system of power, that he didn’t even notice the smile that crept across his face.