Competitive spell-crafting is as much a chance to prove yourself worth recruiting to a position in frontline supply chains as it is a chance to show up your peers with your skills. Not every high-placing participant goes on to a lucrative career in the one industry guaranteed to always be in demand, but it’s by far the most direct path to such a job.


    <hr>


    If he’d be stuck in Veor for the foreseeable future, Jair had a few plans to rearrange.


    First, Solaria. One week remained until the celebration of the transition to the new year, and he had received several invitations in the process of setting himself up as a prodigy.


    He might be able to accrue even more if he went public as the Phoenix Healer, but that sounded like a lot of hassle. Better to stay anonymous—to whatever extent that was still possible. Anyone he''d met in person would potentially recognize him, and he''d have to keep Maelstrom hidden if he didn''t want his identity leaked, but it was overall a minimal danger compared to if he went around announcing himself.


    It wasn''t the same situation as his previous trying to work his way up to financial independence, but considering how to deal with Veori nobility gave him the same vaguely slimy feeling.


    "I''m going to need to assess things first," he decided.


    "What things?" Raina glanced up at him from where she lay on her stomach on a gaudy divan with an open book in front of her. Ryenzo’s collection of oversized furniture was largely more decorative than practical, but there were a few pieces they’d hauled up to use for their makeshift home.


    "Several things.” Jair paused his pacing to meet her eyes. “And I''m going to need your permission for a few of them."


    "Oh?" She sat up straighter. “What kind of permission?”


    "I know Sekir. It''s hard enough to deal with him as a full archmage, and we won’t have that. Maelstrom will make up for some of the difference, but I can almost guarantee that we won''t get this right on the first time. I''m going to need to revert at least a few times, potentially a lot of times."


    "Naturally. So what''s the problem?"


    "Do you want to come back with me, or stay ignorant?"


    "Of course I don''t want to stay ignorant! Why would I ever—"


    "I''m going to set this moment as my default return point. If at any point you want to forget, tell me. Otherwise, I''ll not revert until I get to you or I have no other choice."


    Raina didn''t respond immediately, and when she did it was with a gravity that showed she understood how absolute a commitment he''d just made. "Thank you."


    "Now, as my partner in the upcoming loops, should we bring in others, or keep it to just us?"


    Raina considered, then shook her head. "I don''t know enough. Argue each point for me."


    "There''s no one else I''d trust as much as Eythron and Qahri. If we''re able to snap Eythron out of his ... distressed state, then his insight would be an invaluable tool to have at our disposal. Qahri can be erratic, but if she knows what''s been happening she can be differently erratic and obtain new information."


    "You didn''t mention the beastkin."


    Jair grimaced. "I don''t exactly mistrust Uqiar, he''s Eythron''s most trusted friend, but his appearance is just... too much."


    Raina raised an eyebrow. "You, prejudice?"


    "It''s not that. He shares an unfortunate genetic combination with the Letyran Beastlord who conquers and burns Celsin to the ground, and personally killed me and ate my soul several hundred times. I can''t look at Uqiar without being aggressively reminded of the other guy with the same appearance, and that makes it very hard to remain calm and civil in his presence."


    "Can you focus on the differences when you see him? Different eyes, or horns?"


    "There are none. They are genetically identical."


    "And you''re sure it''s not the same guy?"


    "Absolutely. I spent several lifetimes following him everywhere to see when he turned into a violent conqueror, and he never does. It''s just an unfortunate genetic coincidence."


    "So you trust two out of three of them, and one of them can vouch for the third. What''s your argument against?"


    "None of them has a reason to trust me. The more information they have, the easier it would be for them to act against me if our goals cease to align. The more people I''m trying to wrangle the harder it''ll be to ensure we all come back together. If I''m forced to prioritize, especially if I bring Qahri back and not Eythron, but even the other way, they might grow paranoid and angry about being left out. If I don''t bring any of them along, I can maintain that my information is based on a prophecy power rather than living through it. As you''ve mentioned, reversing the entire universe is not the sort of soulspell anyone has."


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Raina pondered this. "Do you have a preference yourself, now that you''ve listed them out?"


    "I trust them. But I also know them. Without years to accustom ourselves to one another, it would not take a lot to throw us into conflict. If I had a reliable way to easily and absolutely bring back everyone, I''d be more willing to do it. As it is, the risk of someone getting left out and throwing everything into chaos is too high."


    "I agree. Any knowledge or erratic behavior they may provide can be requested with your prophetic visions as easily as if we brought them back. And we can always revisit the issue if we need them to experience specific things personally to learn from them."


    "It feels strange to be hiding from them, but this is a first. I''ve never convinced them to come to Veor with me before. I wonder what they were promised in return for their help?"


    "I''m sure we''ll learn that when the time comes." Raina laughed, then looked around awkwardly. "What about your sister?"


    "I have no plans to bring her back in time unless necessary. She''s been through enough, and has expressed a disinterest in reliving potentially traumatic experiences over and over.”


    <hr>


    Jair didn''t expect the situation in Veor to fall apart overnight, so when he showed up at Larenok''s to pick up his next set of assignments it was a surprise to the man pacing in agitation like someone had just told him he had to personally repay the value of a dragon''s hoard.


    "Surely you''re distracted for good reason?" Jair asked, as he appeared in a flash of green fire behind the man. "I can''t imagine someone as ambitious as you getting bogged down in petty drama."


    "Welburne!" Larenok jumped and spun. He looked like he hadn''t slept in days. "You''re not concerned?"


    "What''s there to be concerned about?"


    "Well, normally, an entire posse of dragons burning down an oasis would be something everyone would be concerned by."


    Jair''s smile disappeared. "Which oasis?"


    "Veshin."


    And Serin.


    Jair was already disappearing in a flash of fire before Larenok could say anything more.


    In the two days since he''d been to Veshin Oasis last, the place had been destroyed. Mana still floated up from the ground in drifting blue wisps, but that was the only similarity. The ground was scored and pitted, buildings melted into acidic lumps, all greenery withered and sickly. A green haze hung over it which the ambient floating magic only strengthened rather than clearing away.


    Millions of nirei worth of in-progress products—perhaps even billions—had been crushed and slagged. All the curing warehouses were destroyed and gutted. The underground Veshin weapon labs were torn open and hollowed out, misshapen pits in the ground with none of its contents or architecture remaining.


    The Serin gardens were gone. The Veshin armory. Even the handful of outbuildings maintained by smaller houses who had no oases of their own but wanted a presence for one-off projects or meditation.


    Jair tossed Maelstrom up and ascended, higher and higher, until he could see the entire oasis.


    The whole place was one dark scar on the land.


    He leaned down to grasp Maelstrom and darkflamed himself back to Larenok''s office. The man was still pacing, and nearly ran into Jair as he appeared right in front of him.


    "Welburne! Can you give at least a little notice?"


    "Nope, that''s not how my power works." He crossed his arms, consciously slowing down his cadence so he didn''t betray his panic. "Do we know what happened?"


    "No. The Mercurios came down, burned the place, smashed up the Avrighton district, and flew away again."


    Avrighton. That was where the Serin townhouse was located.


    Jair no longer had any doubts. This was targeted vengeance and if they hadn''t been away in Ryenzo''s chambers instead of in the city, if they''d been asleep in Raina''s bedrooms like they''d been before, they would be dead and none the wiser over what had happened.


    Curse you, Mersine. Couldn''t have given me a straightforward warning, like ''get Ajriol out'' could you?


    "The entire Ardent Shield company was slaughtered," Larenok continued, and Jair stopped pacing.


    "Ardent Shield?" The name rang a minor bell. "Adventuring company. One the princess joins after their supplementary team gets assassinated. But that''s not for years yet. What are they doing in Veor?"


    "How would I know? I know a lot, but I''m not omniscient."


    "Right. I need to ask them myself." He paced faster. "Veshin. Serin. Serin again. Ardent Shield. Related? Or accidental?" He shook his head. "I have to get to Raina. Give me the customer list."


    Larenok handed it over.


    Jair scanned it, memorized it, then dropped it and darkflamed himself back to the dragon lair they''d appropriated.


    <hr>


    "Raina, we have to go."


    She woke up with a start, eyes wide. "What? What is it?"


    Jair smiled grimly. "Your first chance to travel back in time to save your loved ones."


    Raina stiffened. "What?"


    "Veshin Oasis and the Avrighton district in Astralla City were attacked and leveled by the Mercurios last night."


    "No! They can''t—father?"


    "We can investigate further if you want, or we can go back now." He held out Maelstrom. "Your choice, but either way, we have to move."


    "Give me a minute." Raina sat up, staring blankly, breathing too fast as she stared at the wall across from her. "What happened?" she asked after a few minutes.


    "During the night, the dragons attacked both Serin holdings and destroyed them, along with a significant amount of collateral region."


    "Is that vengeance for what happened here, for us moving in?"


    "It could be."


    "We need to find out."


    Jair nodded. "Good thing we have Qahrvirna here."


    "Why so?"


    "She can speak draconic."


    <hr>