The problem of moving mortals from the mortal plane to anywhere else permanently was a massive issue. It was a part of Theo’s plan. He hadn’t fully tested it, and he regretted waiting until now to make it happen. That night, before bed, Theo received good news from Elrin, saying that the system was thrilled about the void island being destroyed. Along with the gong problems, which they solved that very same day, things were looking up for her. She felt less pressure to start the reset right away and promised to give them a few extra days to round off the games.

Theo was overjoyed for the extra time. He needed it to test out his newest spell. Fortunately, as he had promised, Rowan had wrangled up a considerable group who were ready to do the merge early. To the alchemist’s surprise, they weren’t just natives but also people from afar. He was thus unsurprised to see that some of them were elderly and without cores to prolong their life. Others were sick, which was easy enough to solve, but they had gotten it in their head that changing worlds would also change their outlook on life.

He wouldn’t correct them, since he didn’t know.

The alchemist was forced to make a utilitarian decision, selecting the sickest and elderly among the group for transport first. Although there were easily 100 applicants, he picked five. Perhaps this was some subconscious selection based on the number of shards he had just transported, but he was happy with the number. It would give him enough wiggle room if there were any tragedies. Just for good measure, he would bring Sulvan as a backup to heal any wounds he might cause with his flames.

Theo regarded the eclectic group of humans, elves, and half-ogres. He looked back to his traveling companion, who gave him a sharp nod. “Is everybody ready to go? Might as well get started.” For his statement, he received a half-hearted wave of confirmation.

Without waiting for them to change their mind, Theo folded space on itself, snagging the entire group and landing directly on his own planet. As he had planned, Belgar had already provided, had already set aside quarters for them all in an area for them to do the testing. He led them through the streets to a fine, extensive building with a sparsely decorated interior and a series of rooms in the back, which would provide their bunks.

“Whenever you’re ready, Theo,” Sulvan said, giving the alchemist a sharp nod. “I’m unsure how long I can last here, but I can feel Hallow at my side. He’s bolstering me.”

“You can always rely on Hallow,” Theo said with a wink. He clapped his hands together, startling and gaining the attention of the group. “The way this works is simple. I’ll extend my aura to only one of you at a time at first. You’ll tell me how you feel, and if you’re having adverse reactions to the reforging. It will be painful, but that pain should be centered in your chest, where your soul is. Are there any questions before we get going?”

An old elven woman raised her hand. “Can you get on with it?” she said, sounding grumpier than she had on the mortal plane. “I want to get my new life started. Didn’t travel all the way to the filthy kingdom of humans to stand around all day.”

“We’ll start with grama grumps first,” Theo said with a nod. “As I said, this is going to hurt.”

“Oh, what a shame,” Sulvan scoffed.

There really wasn’t much to it. The process was simple enough, and the only thing Theo had to do was flood his aura with that spell concept and hope for the best. Of course, since he was putting the spell directly into his aura, he could control its power. This was untested territory, but there was only one way to find out. His normally dark bubble turned a brilliant shade of orange-red. The light from it filled the entire room, causing several of the experimental members of the party to stumble backwards. The only one who seemed completely unaffected was the old lady herself, who stood her ground and looked at the shimmering barrier as though it was her future manifest.

There was no countdown. Theo angled his aura, narrowing it to a point until it passed through the woman’s chest. She went rigid immediately, eyes wide. Then the wailing began. The alchemist withdrew his aura as quickly as he could, ensuring she only got the appropriate dose. Then the healer rushed over, not casting any spells but monitoring the progress of the old lady. If someone so frail could endure the rigors of a reforged soul, could anyone handle it?

“She’s looking good,” Sulvan said, giving Theo the thumbs-up. “I can see her soul reforming itself.”

“You call that

good?” a nervous human asked. “Looks like he just ripped her soul out!”

“You’re welcome to stay home,” Theo said. “I don’t care if you go through the rebirth cycle at Death’s Gate, or if you come with me.”

The human looked around nervously. Although the other three members of the experimental party were nervous, they all shook their heads. This was a chance to start their new lives early, and each of them was eager to get it over with. Theo couldn’t blame them. He hated waiting for things, especially when the thing he waited for came with so much anxiety. He’d rather rip it off quickly than let it fester. Unfortunately, he was the one who was in charge of monitoring that rot. For now, he would be satisfied if he could reforge the other four at the same time. It wasn’t nearly the number he had to do during the reset, but it was the next stage of testing.

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Before moving to the next stage, they monitored the old woman. Reforging would take a bit, but Theo was surprised to see how quickly it was going. Sulvan gave occasional reports over the next hour, reporting that her soul had completely rebuilt itself and that she would regain consciousness at any moment. As predicted, her eyes snapped open a little while later.

“You call that pain!?” the old lady shouted, throwing her head back and cackling. When she was done laughing, she thumped her fist on her chest. “I had three babies. That was nothing. Anyway, see ya later!”

“You should really remain… and she’s gone,” Theo said. “Okay. She seemed to be in better health than before she came here.”

“Much better health,” Sulvan said. “Oddly, a lot of the damage life did to her was in the soul. Her body wasn’t in that bad of shape for her age. I’m no expert on souls, but that seems like an interesting fact.”

“Indeed. Anyway, you guys ready?”

The group now shared a look, a braver look on their faces. “Ready,” the once-scared human said. “Get it over with quickly.”

Theo was happy to oblige. His aura sprang out from him again, taking on the same fiery hues before the remaining four test subjects jumped back but eventually squared their shoulders and faced the reforging with a much different personality. The old lady had given them a standard to go by, and they seemed eager to uphold it. This time, the alchemist didn’t narrow his aura to a spike and instead let it wash over the group in a wave. Sulvan stood at a distance, not wanting to be bound to the planet before his time and the mortal plane was done.

When each member of the experiment group hit the ground, Sulvan was there to shift them into a more comfortable position. “Future note: make them get on the ground before you do this,” he said. “We’ll risk injuring them, otherwise.”

Theo nodded. That was some sound advice. The last thing he needed was for some random old lady to crack her head on the ground after having her soul forged. They monitored the health of the group, ensuring that each stage went off without a hitch. It was a perfect group reforging, and the alchemist was certain that he could do this for much larger gatherings. He could see himself binding the souls of hundreds of people at a time.

At the very least, it was better than praying the system had some protocol in place.

“They’re stirring,” Sulvan said. “Each is going to wake at a different time, though. The damage to their souls was different.”

“Welcome back, ye of little faith,” Theo said, smiling as the doubtful human rose to his feet. “Welcome to your new home, Tero’gal.”

The human looked down at his hands with an expression of disbelief on his face. When he finally looked up at Theo, he had tears streaking down his face. “Thank you,” he said. “I really didn’t think this was going to work. Do we really have a new lease on life?”

“That’s right, this is your second chance,” Theo said. “So don’t screw it up. You could either stay here or strike out into the world if you want. Although I would definitely advise against that. Get familiar with how things work and Boar Hollow, and then decide if you want to go.”

“I think I’ll do exactly that,” the human said. “Who was that dronon? Can I ask him for tips?”

“His name is Belgar,” Theo said, nodding toward the door. “I’m sure you’ll find him flitting around the town like a mother hen… We have that in common.”

“Thanks again!” the human shouted, darting out the door.

Theo ensured that each member of the experimental party was in good health before he declared this a success. He truly didn’t know if his scheme to hijack his aura was going to work, but it had gone perfectly. Everyone had received the effect of the Reforge Soul Potion, and he didn’t have to spend valuable ingredients to make it happen. It was impossible to know if there were even enough ingredients on the planet to serve as many new souls as they would accept.

Sulvan’s powerful hand clapped onto Theo’s shoulder. “You did good today.”

“It was just an experiment,” Theo said, his tone dismissive. “We’re all doing what we need to do to make this work, aren’t we?”

“If that’s what you think,” Sulvan said, “my thought is that from the kindness of your heart, you’re bringing these people here. No matter the memory I look back on involving you, it always contains some act of kindness. You’re a nice guy.”

“Maybe. Maybe I’m like those others,” Theo said. “Atonement, or something like that.”

Sulvan released a bark-like laugh. “Then maybe you’re like me! Did you forget who was hunting you under the orders of the Burning Eye?”

No matter how far Sulvan got from the Burning Eye, there was still that fire in his belly. Even if he had calmed down significantly, it still smoldered. “Thanks for the help today.”

“Well, why stop at five?” Sulvan asked. “You had a few hundred back there, right? Let’s do them all.”

“138, I think,” Theo said, scratching his head. “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could think of quite a few things, my friend,” Sulvan said. “Now, let’s go. Time to work.”

As selfless as Sulvan’s declaration might have seemed, it came down to whether or not Belgar had room for the new arrivals. Of course, the man wasn’t a slouch. Theo approached him, asking about their infrastructure related to new arrivals. They had apparently been very busy. Not only had they created houses within the arrival town, but homes had been constructed across the entire continent. Every settled town within the world could take a few hundred more of the refugees, creating an interlinked network of safety that would ensure nobody went without a place to stay or food in their belly.

“Do you realize the kindness you’ve done for the sector?” Theo asked, throwing his arm around Belgar and pulling him close. “I’ll be damned if you don’t run this entire world when the switch comes.”

“I’m just doing my job like anyone else,” Belgar said. “Besides, I didn’t do it alone. Don’t discount what the locals here have done to make this happen, Theo. We might be disconnected from our brethren on Iardein, but we haven’t forgotten them.”

Looking over the stone-paved roads of the town, Theo didn’t doubt that first second. He couldn’t believe it, but he was thinking they might make the transition without a hitch. Well, assuming he could scoop an entire region from another world and transport it through the void. But that was a problem for another day.