《The Fundamentals》


 Chapter 1: Welcome to Regis!

    Rowan hurtled through the white void uncontrollably, thinking back to the circumstances that led to the situation he was in now.

    In his final clash against the rogue mage who he once called his friend, Rowan finally managed to unlock the secrets within the legendary sword Gladius and obtain power beyond anything he could have ever dreamed of! However, who could have imagined that the power held within the killing blow would be so massive that it would tear a hole through the realm''s boundaries, ending the life of his "friend" as well as sending himself into a limbo between realms?

    Rowan had already considered ending his own life. The threat to his home and all the realms was already over, and he had confidence in his still-living friends to take care of everything. He could not sense any mana or divine energy either, so there was no option to cultivate the strength necessary to break free from this place. Still, he clung on to the faint sliver of hope that he would eventually collide with the boundaries of another realm and obtain the chance either to return home or to begin a new life.

    "Hm?"

    Suddenly, a force began pulling at him! Immediately after, he felt the familiar tug of a new realm''s laws weighing down on him. Rowan was overjoyed.

    "A foreign realm, and so soon! Thank the heavens, I was preparing myself for at least a thousand years of meditation. To think that less than a day would pass..."

    The laws of this foreign realm began to settle around him. He was soon able to tell up from down, and a portal opened up before him, signifying the end of his trip through the white void. Rowan stepped through the portal, preparing himself for danger just in case.

    He did not expect what happened next.

    <hr>

    Within a natural formation of 500m rock spires covered in patches of grass and vines and rock bridges connecting the spires in various locations.

    A man with short, spiky black hair was traversing one of these rock bridges before he suddenly stopped.

    And plopped down into the lotus position.

    "Time to eat!! Man, I''m famished," shouted the man to no one in particular.

    Just as he brought out his lunch and started digging in, a portal crackling with energy opened up in front of him.

    "Mmph? Mwll, diff fudd bwhee innerefding (Well, this should be interesting)," mumbled the man through a mouthful of food.

    <hr>

    As he stepped through the portal, Rowan began to survey his immediate surroundings. Or at least, that was what he would have done had he not come face-to-face with someone else.

    Sitting cross-legged on the ground, the man looked fairly remarkable. He was wearing a smooth, ovoid mask painted over with a symmetrical pattern. This pattern was formed by a sideways ''S'' dividing the mask from left to right, with the upper half colored yellow and the bottom half colored purple. A small, opposite-colored circle was apparent within each half, on the areas where the eyes were meant to peer out from the mask. A similar pattern followed suit in the middle of his upper wear, this one was split into four ''sections'' and had the addition of black and white colors.

    The symmetrical color pattern continued for the man''s clothes. He wore long, silken robes with the right half colored black and the left half colored white. His pants were somewhat baggy, the ends stuffed inside his socks. The color alternated sides with each attire, from the robes, to the pants, socks, and finally shoes. Overall, it gave him the appearance of a sage wearing two different sets of the same clothing.

    This masked sage was grasping a rectangular box of food in one gloved hand, and two sticks in the other. However, the contents of the box were... peculiar. It contained what looked to be an assortment of vegetables, meat, and a mass of maggots.

    "Perhaps this sage is one who lives off the land," he thought. "A respectable approach to life, but the sheer amount of critters this person managed to gather is quite... impressive."

    While pondering the appearance of the eccentric in front of him, the sage finished chewing the bulge of food in his mouth, which led to another point of curiosity for Rowan: "...Why is he eating with a mask on?"

    After swallowing, the sage lifted the hand that was holding onto his meal and waved it side-to-side, palm facing Rowan.

    "Hey there!"

    Rowan assumed this must have been the greeting of the locals. Although it could not be compared to the barbaric lifestyles of ogres and goblins, he still felt it to be a bit lacking. Besides that point, Rowan felt relieved hearing the sage speak in his own tongue. He decided to return it in kind.

    "Hail there!"

    A moment of silence passed with only the sound of wind blowing past from the high altitude. Suddenly, much to Rowan''s surprise, the sage burst into hysterical laughter.

    "AHAAAAAA-HAHAHAHA!! Wha-?! What was that?! ''Hail there'', HAH!"

    Rowan was utterly flabbergasted at this reaction. Even Exalts would not dare to breathe too loudly in front of him! If anyone happened to be watching this exchange, they would have been absolutely stunned at the audacity which this mortal had just displayed towards someone who could wipe him out with a mere thought!

    However, as one who had reached the Arbiter level of power, Rowan would not lower himself to kill a mere mortal. Anyone who would lower themselves to kill someone far beneath them in strength might lose a bit of face, but they could not be blamed. This universe was one where the strong determined right from wrong, after all!

    Turning his attention away from the raucous sage, Rowan began to carry out what he originally sought out to do, spreading out his divine sense to observe the realm he had arrived in.

    Immediately apparent were the sun and moon both hanging in the skies. Unusually, they did not seem to move at all, resulting in their respective ''territories'' consisting of scorching hot desert and magma filled terrain to snow covered taigas and glacial mountains. These environmental extremes gradually became less severe as one moved away from either of these celestial bodies, resulting in temperate climates in the area between. Within this area also contained a spectrum of its own, with one end containing flourishing plant life and emanating an aura of exuberance and the other end containing a mass of... glowing buildings?

    Rowan had never seen anything quite like it. They appeared to be brimming with energy, and yet, he could not sense auras of power radiating out from these monolithic structures. Lifeforms could be seen bustling about within this location, giving him the impression that this place was actually a type of city! In fact, he could detect lifeforms all over! Even within the supposedly inhospitable areas spotted earlier, he found that civilization had managed to establish stable footholds, though none were nearly as impressive as the aforementioned glowing city.

    What shocked him the most about this realm however, was just how small it was! Everything used to describe these lands beforehand all took place within what seemed to be a vast crater-like depression of around two thousand kilometers end-to-end. Beyond this ''crater'' and the atmospheric ''bubble'' formed above, Rowan could sense nothing; the realm simply ended at that point!

    As Rowan contemplated the implications of encountering what appeared to be a flat world for the first time, the sage soon began to calm his excessive chortling.

    "Hah! Hoo~, sorry ''bout that. The name''s Jin Sook, nice ta'' see ya!" The man named Jin set down his meal and rose to his feet, extending an open hand toward Rowan in a friendly gesture.

    "Rowan." He saw no reason to grant this ignorant mortal the benefit of knowing his surname.

    "Just Rowan, eh?" Jin lowered his hand after his attempt at cordiality was ignored. "Well hey, listen. I feel kinda bad leaving an impression like that on a guy I just met. So howsabout I treat you to some lunch? My treat!"

    Ignorant though he was, the mortal certainly seemed kind enough. Rowan was curious about the sort of cuisine he might encounter in this foreign realm, though he held off on any sort of expectations. Nothing found on such a lowly plane could possibly compare to the alluring flavor of Skypeak Dragon flesh, after all. He decided that returning home was not something that needed to be rushed however, and chose instead to explore this tiny realm which he found contained only mana and not divine energy.

    "Very well. Lead the way."

    Rowan suddenly felt a pulling sensation, something he recognized as teleportation after having experienced it so many times back home. As the portal made at the beginning of all this closed and the two vanished into thin air, it was as though nothing had transpired just now.

    <hr>

    When Rowan re-appeared, he felt as though he had entered a completely different realm. He had been transported into the glowing city, and while Rowan still believed that nothing in this tiny world could have impressed him, this place most certainly felt like an exception.

    It was a starless night, yet there were still a multitude of lifeforms varying in shape and size traversing the city''s infrastructure. They ranged from plant-like creatures with prehensile vines to hulking, rotund mammals with stumpy appendages. Snaking its way in between buildings were moving roads of differing speeds, allowing pedestrians to travel at the speed which they prefer. The design of the buildings themselves were rather puzzling, as they seemed to lack any glass to see through. Standing at an average height of 100m, the lack of decor on these rectangular buildings granted them a monolithic feeling that could not be understated. On the other hand, the ground level was comparatively flourishing with life and culture. Concession stands were handing out sweets, meats, and even toys to the eager children playing within the park behind Rowan, while everywhere else around him were stores with multiple pictures of what they sold scrolling horizontally across their fronts. What appeared to be floating panels of glass were seen whizzing around, sometimes hovering in front of civilians as the panels were touched or talked to by them. Almost anywhere within the city that was not in use, however, emanated a faint, pale-blue glow, giving it an almost ethereal appearance.

    Jin was already proceeding ahead of him to one of the moving roads, swinging his arm over his head in a gesture signifying to follow. "Come on! I''ll take you to one of my favorite restaurants!"

    "Hm," Rowan responded nonchalantly. He was already losing interest in tasting the local cuisine after being presented with the city''s peculiarity. For instance, the aforementioned levitating panels, moving roads, and glowing infrastructure were all phenomena that normally required some form of enchantments to be possible. And yet, Rowan could sense not sense any magical nor divine aura from these objects at all!

    Rowan pondered over these points of interest as he walked towards the moving road that Jin went on. However...

    "Eh?!" Rowan suddenly tripped as he tried to plant his foot onto the moving road, landing firmly on his rear.

    "AHAAAAAAH-HAHAHAHAHA! You''re a pretty funny guy, y''know that?!" Shouted Jin from off in the distance.

    Before Rowan could react to Jin''s repeated affront, he heard a feminine voice call out to him.

    "Are you alright?" The owner of the voice offered a hand to help him up.

    "My thanks. It is good to see that there are well-mannered individuals here..." Rowan tapered off as he accepted the bipedal reptilian''s act of kindness. However, it was not her appearance which had caused the lapse in his reply, but the fact that as soon as he stood up, she wandered off to rejoin her friend! Such an indignity, but Rowan felt it beneath him to be concerned over the fleeting behavior of these mortals, and so he continued onward.

    The rest of the journey was rather uneventful for Rowan. Around him were children playing on the moving roads, their mothers keeping a close watch on them, with some being scolded for running onto the faster ones without their permission. As for the rest of the road''s occupants, they were like any other pedestrian walking and conversing with their companions. A scattered few were talking at floating panels, and others were ducking and weaving between lifeforms in a hurry to get somewhere within the city.

    After a couple of minutes, he caught up to Jin who was already standing off to the side of the road waving at him. Rowan had noticed on the way here that, strangely enough, the doors were made of glass in this city. They stood several meters tall and wide to accommodate the larger civilians, but the most bizarre feature he had observed about these glass doors was that they slid off to the side upon someone''s approach.

    "Heh-hey, look who''s finally here!" Ignoring the slightly exasperated look on Rowan''s face, Jin carried on walking to their destination.

    "Here we are! Hungry? Welcome to The Fish Market!"

    Rowan took a closer look at the supposed fish market in front of him. Peering through the glass doors, he saw absolutely nothing resembling a market. Jin clapped him on the shoulder after an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

    "...Yeah, don''t mind that. It''s just a name. Any-who!"

    Almost reluctantly so, Rowan followed after Jin in entering the restaurant. Once again, he felt contempt building up for the jarring behavior of this ''sage'', but he chose to put Jin''s actions behind him as he once again began to anticipate what the locale had to offer.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    <hr>

    Somewhere within the city. A metallic avian lifeform with a grey and red color scheme was observing a screen within a brightly lit room showing Rowan and Jin as they ventured toward The Fish Market.

    "...What do you think?"

    "HE WILL LEAVE. LIKE ALL OTHERS BEFORE HIM."

    Behind her was a massive, spherical machine with a luminous, crystalline yellow ''eye'' in the center. An array of wires, cords, and cables varying greatly in size were connected to it, suspending it in the air.

    "Seems logical, considering how they all just want to go home." The avian''s head turned around, her tone becoming more casual. "Sure you don''t want to take up his offer?"

    A rumbling noise could be heard from the machine.

    "Hm, alright then. Hey Sen! How about you?"

    There was a drone with a dimly glowing, spherical red ''eye'' hovering in front of an array of monitors. It made a ''pip'' sound in response to the inquiry.

    "Haha, alright Sen, calm your excitement," The avian spoke sarcastically, but the drone she was referring to was left unfazed by her remark.

    After a flash of light, they both vanished, leaving behind only the machine and an ambient humming from the monitors.

    <hr>

    Suddenly, a blast of wind blew at Rowan! In an instant, he spread out his divine sense in an attempt to find the foolish mage that dared to cast a wind spell at him. His search came up short when he discovered that the culprit was a just a long metal bar, with a hole that ran nearly its entire length. It was located above and behind the doors, steadily unleashing a constant gust of air.

    Maintaining his composure to avoid further ridicule from Jin, he stepped past the doorway. The air within the restaurant was pleasantly cool and dry. Various patrons were scattered throughout the place, enjoying a myriad of different dining environments; square lots of differing sizes meant for accommodating customers that required more or less space dotted the scene in front of Rowan. They ranged from grassy plains to wooden floorboards to lily covered ponds, all filled with consumers that matched their particular demographic. Some murk-dwelling, amphibian-looking creatures were seen finishing their meal and leaving, while the swamp area they were in shifted into a smooth, black metallic surface. Rowan could not help but marvel at this. A restaurant that terraformed itself to provide its diners with the best possible setting to eat in? Utterly unthinkable!

    "Pretty neat huh? C''mon! My people are over there!" Once again, Rowan was beckoned by Jin to follow. As they strolled past a group eating in a sandy desert biome, Rowan began to feel a sense of foreboding as he glanced at what they were eating. His fears were confirmed at the sight of the contents of the table he was being led to, which resembled a dining booth on white tiled floor.

    "Well, look who it is, HAH!"

    "Little late, wouldn''t you agree? For someone so fond of food, the fact that you weren''t here to greet me with a mouthful of sushi has left me feeling rather disappointed."

    Jin took a seat on one side, gesturing at his companion to do the same. "Heh, sorry ''bout that! Was just showin'' a new friend around."

    Tearing his eyes away from the congregation of ''maggots'' that was rapidly becoming evident as one of the staple foods in this realm, Rowan took the liberty of examining Jin''s group of friends as he took his place next to him.

    The one who had spoken first with a guttural voice was a heavyset bipedal creature of steel. His mouth appeared to be two serrated edges that fit together perfectly, while the top of his head had a plate of whitish armor that extended somewhat over his face, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a flat cap. Adorned with two conical horns, a robust tail, and blue sclera (or were they just large irises?), this lifeform would have given Rowan the impression that he had frost dragon lineage if it were not for the metallic constitution and the lack of wings.

    The somewhat chipper sounding second one looked like, for lack of a better term, a big metal bird. She twitched her head constantly to view the people she conversed with, either due to her yellow eyes being located on the sides of her head or because of her likeness to avians. The head itself looked like one long helmet with a crest protruding off near the back of it. Besides the stark red metallic feathers of her wings, she shared a similar grey-white color scheme as the ''steel dragon''.

    "Exercising prudence is not one of Jin''s strengths. The whole of the machine community can testify as such."

    "Pffh~"

    "Zzz~"

    A vaguely almond-shaped chunk of floating grey metal roughly the size of a head addressed Jin with an almost monotone, androgynous voice. The last two sitting at the table were the only humans that Rowan had encountered thus far in this realm, aside from the bothersome oaf he had run into in the beginning. Their hair reached past their shoulders in length, with one colored a shade between blue and sky blue, and the other a light shade of turquoise. The latter sporting green hair was resting her head on its side with her arm wrapped beneath it, while the former bore a slightly amused countenance in the wake of Jin''s arrival. Both of them looked fairly attractive, with perfect complexions, though the blue-haired one had a slightly jagged vertical scar that disabled the use of her right eye.

    "Hey don''t worry ''bout it, lemme just make up for the lost time!" Jin proceeded to rapidly toss the colorful "sushi" into his mouth piece by piece, making a single smacking noise each time. This foolhardy action of stuffing one''s cheeks appeared to be carried out with comedic intent, as the rest of the table''s occupants broke out into wry expressions. However, Rowan was far more interested in what sort of enchantment allowed it all to pass through his mask without any sort of visible fluctuations.

    Besides a few curt greetings, Rowan was otherwise left out of their conversation. He pieced together that the natives were not very open to outsiders, further evidenced by the earlier female lifeform that paid him little mind. This did not bother him much. After all, as an alien to these people, being able to keep to oneself was already enough.

    Instead, he began to plan on how to return home. The most obvious solution due to this realm''s lack of divine energy was to train to become a mage. His earlier accomplishments as an Arbiter would expedite his ability to advance on the path of magic, so the only limiting factors were the abundance of mana as well as the confined space within this world. Some of the more powerful runic formations stretched across tens of thousands of kilometers in length, while this realm only supported two thousand, with most of it already occupied by its residents. Since the power needed to tear through the realm of Sanctuary required Rowan''s power to reach the Arbiter level, he suspected he would need to reach at least the level of Greater Mage Exalt in order to pierce through the boundaries of this tiny realm. To raise himself this far, he believed he would need hundreds of thousands of years of long, arduous, and ultimately boring training. It could have been cut in half if there were suitable mentors around, but he felt he would be lucky to find even a Bishop. He may have only a couple thousand years left to live after all of this, but he would treasure every single moment he had catching up with friends and family as they all spent their final days together.

    He was brought out of his reverie when a new arrival approached the table, just in time to witness the ''steel dragon'' slam the table and make an exasperated cry of distress at a joke Jin made relating to "nuts and bolts". A grey-skinned, four-armed individual delivered another heaping platter of "sushi" before noticing Rowan. "Ah, another one eh? Looks medieval."

    "''Another one''? There have been others before myself who have wound up here through accident?" Rowan asked before he jumped to conclusions based on a remark that may not even be related to his current predica-

    "For sure! Lost count, but I just know there''ve been over twenty ''I tore a hole through the fabric of reality'' folk that came through these parts. None of��em stick around for more than a day. Heck, I could count on one hand the number of times any fella spent longer than an hour here before we just sent them back home!" The individual spoke in a manner that betrayed a hint of minor annoyance, but that was hardly the point that registered to Rowan.

    This entire time, Rowan was holding back from punishing these mortals for their brazen disrespect because he believed that it would be ages before he could return home. Establishing an unfavorable reputation with the natives and living with it for a hundred millennia would have made for an unpleasant experience.

    Having learned that these natives had a way to send him home, he dropped all pretense of courtesy and respect and proceeded to unleash his aura, suppressed down to that of a Lesser Exalt. His attempt at intimidation appeared to work, seeing the rest of the table''s occupants turning their heads to stare at him, faces frozen in shock or anger. He prepared to make his demands.

    <hr>

    Are you serious?!

    Unbeknownst to Rowan, the supposedly bewildered were having a conversation with each other in their minds regarding the rabble-rouser splashing his aura around so callously.

    You heard me. I''m gonna bring the guy in.

    But why? We''ve encountered dozens of their kind already. All of them share the same aspects: Low cultural diversity, hardly any sense of equality, a "might makes right" mentality...

    Avy, we''re one to talk about "equality" when all we''ve done is treat them like inconveniences without even trying to integrate them into our society.

    Tch, always the optimist...

    Jin. The floating grey chunk of metal joined in Jin and the metal bird��s exchange. Ideal interactions place ethics at the forefront of consideration. Yet, pragmatism takes precedence in a majority of situations. Even in enlightened biological species, their subconscious decisions maintain a certain tendency to be swayed by the degree of practicality of-

    So it''s too much of a hassle.

    Correct.

    I mean, c''mon Jin, one of them even tried to mind control me! That was just flat-out disrespectful.

    I''m not forcing you guys to bear the burden for me! If you guys don''t like the guy after everything, you can continue ignoring him. It''s not something to fault you over.

    What?! But-

    Let it go Avy, Jin''s not gonna change his mind. It was at this moment that the blue-haired female spoke up. But there''s something I need to ask. Why do you care so much about one of these drifters, Jin?

    Oh, that''s easy! See, I made fun of the guy a lot from start to now, and I wanted to make it up to the guy by letting him join us!

    A moment of stunned silence.

    Look, I don''t feel very good making fun of somebody I just met, okay? Just doesn''t sit well with me.

    Ha~, such a simpleton... You could have just not made fun of him, did that ever occur to you?

    Avy, come now. Your life wouldn''t be half as exciting without Jin around to shake things up a bit.

    I know, I know. Sometimes I feel like a masochist with how willingly I put up with him.

    Hey!

    Pffh~

    Well, now that that''s settled, I''m curious to see how you''ll convince Ron... Rowan? Rowan over there to stay.

    HAH! The ''steel dragon'' decided to pitch in the conversation now that the negative atmosphere had cleared up. Have some faith in my buddy Jin! He''ll mellow down the lil'' upstart there, no sweat!

    Heh, any of you coulda done this easy y''know.

    Whole thing was your idea. Not our problem.

    Ehhh...

    <hr>

    Back in the physical world, only a second had passed since Rowan unleashed his aura. The waiter was the only one who appeared unaffected, as he seemed to be experienced in this regard. He made a welcoming gesture with his two right arms toward the table''s occupants before walking away to attend to other customers.

    Rowan somewhat regretted having to do this, but he would rather not waste any more time than he had to. He had family and friends waiting for him, after all.

    "I will only ask this once. Return me to whence I came, or there will be... consequences."

    "Well, technically that was a demand and not a question-"

    With a wave of his hand, he sent out a wave of divine energy to send that irritating mortal Jin flying. Rowan felt a bit of satisfaction at being able to put such an annoying person in his place after having to bear with his antics all this time.

    However, rather than the scene of a person being flung through the air, he saw Jin sitting calmly with his companions snickering a little at his earlier correction. Not only that, but he realized that his Divine Core was being blocked!

    "What did you do?!" He shouted, visibly shaken by this turn of events.

    "Jammed that ball-lookin'' thing you have in there," Jin said with a shrug.

    Rowan was confused. What did a fruit spread have to do with blocking off his Divine Core?

    No matter. His body was that of an Arbiter''s. He believed that whatever magic they used to accomplish something so profound as to disable his Divine Core would have to be supported by an equally profound formation, which was probably what those strange monolithic buildings outside were for. However, that would not take away his absurd innate strength as a Warrior.

    So it was no wonder that it came as a surprise when he tried to exert his physical superiority by smashing the table and only succeeding in vibrating the table slightly.

    "How...?" For the first time since entering this realm, Rowan actually felt a sort of primeval fear that wreaked havoc on his deepest survival instincts. He now truly felt his life was completely at the mercy of another, which quelled his sense of pride and made him think on how he could salvage his reputation from his earlier brash treatment towards these people.

    "Let me just take a wild guess here, let me know if I''m wrong. You''re someone who''s reached the apex of power in their world, or something like that, right?"

    "...Yes."

    "And you probably think that this is some pre-established formation that gives us the advantage over you while you''re here, right?

    "...Yes?" Rowan was somewhat confused. These mortals could not seriously be implying that they were all powerful enough to suppress him alone.

    Wow, they really are all surprisingly similar.

    Told you.

    He saw Jin turning his head over to the metal bird for a moment before switching his attention back to him. "We don''t really care much about what you just tried to pull here. It''s to be expected, after all. However, we''d like to offer you two choices.

    "The first," he stated. "We return you home and wipe your memory of ever coming to our world. Plain and simple."

    That sounded... oddly convenient. Rowan was fairly certain that there was a catch, but there was still the second option to consider.

    "And the second?" he continued.

    Rowan held his breath, waiting to hear it.

    ...And kept waiting. He began to wonder if he was supposed to respond.

    *Bap* "Ah." Jin was lightly punched by the blue-haired woman, eliciting a slightly surprised sound from him.

    "You don''t need to pause that long, dangit Jin!" Followed up by the metal bird jokingly berating him.

    Their casual, lighthearted behavior did little to ease Rowan. There was still the possibility that they had quick tempers, and he did not wish to test that theory by breaking their moods.

    "And the second!" Jin spit out rapidly before returning to the prior solemn tone. "Is you stay here, and we teach you the fundamentals."

    He had no idea what Jin was talking about. "Fundamentals of what?"

    Oh crap, did we have a better name for it?

    Just go with it.

    Ehhhh...

    Once again, Rowan saw Jin twist his head to glance at the metal bird and back. He started to wonder if they were communicating discreetly without him knowing, though their held-back laughter seemed to suggest they were mocking him instead.

    "The fundamentals of the multiverse! Or, for your convenience, we''ll call it the fundamentals of power. There''s no catch by the way! No contract, no leash, no nothing; anytime you want to leave, we��ll let you leave."

    These people wanted to teach Rowan their ways? It all sounded rather tempting, but he would much rather return home instead. And yet...

    "While you think on your decision, consider this. You know now that there are multiple worlds out there, worlds like this that have incomprehensible techniques or methods that leave you helpless to fight back. Not only that, but it is possible for them to reach your own home world. Intentionally or by accident, therein lies a very real threat that you and those you love can all be killed through the unfortunate circumstance that one of these ''visitors'' happen upon your world.

    "Of course, as catastrophic as that might be, it is also extremely unlikely! Don''t want to make it seem like you have no choice in the matter at all, y''know. So what''ll it be, Row?"

    Way to lay it on thick, Jin.

    Hey! I''m not usually the one who handles this recruiting stuff, alright?

    Pffh~

    Those words summed up his fears perfectly. As simple as it would be to leave it all behind, he could not doubt the fact that there was indeed a danger which would constantly be looming over his homeland. No matter how minuscule the chance of it was, if his home ever became threatened by a force well outside of its capabilities, he would never be able to forgive himself for allowing it to happen.

    The choice was simple then.

    As he saw eyes filled with anticipation all around him (with the exception of the pair belonging to the one that was still asleep), he deeply bowed. "Very well, I will stay and learn from you. Please take care of me."

    While bowing, he began to wonder if the natives even understood the concept of bowing. He knew that their traditions and customs were vastly different, and though he was only here to learn their so-called ''fundamentals of power'', it would not do to leave a bad impression on them like what he did just before. It was a daunting task to try and adopt their conventions, and thinking about how difficult and humiliating it can get with someone like Jin around to constantly ridicule him for it made him sigh mentally.

    "Here''s to the newest member of Regis!" Exclaimed the ''steel dragon'', as they all raised their drinks into the air.

    "Well," he thought. "At least this is one tradition I am familiar with."

    *Clink*

 Interlude - Enjoy your stay!

    After they finished with their cheers, the ''steel dragon'' began to introduce Rowan to everybody, starting with himself.

    "Name''s Aron. Sounds like iron! Pretty fitting, doncha think?!"

    "Haagh~, you say that every time, isn''t it starting to get old?"

    "This snarky lil'' lass over here''s Avisec," Aron gestured with a clawed hand toward the metal bird. "But we just call her Avy."

    Avy gave Rowan a sidelong look before greeting him. "Pleasure."

    He decided it must have been a casual welcoming word in the local dialect rather than something used out-of-context, and returned it with a light bow. It would not do to try and emulate her, lest the situation turn into something akin to his earlier attempt with Jin when he first arrived here.

    "That fella over there? That''s Sentinel, Sen for short," Aron pointed at the chunk of metal floating at the other end of the table.

    Sen responded with a ''pip'', and Rowan did another light bow. He could not garner any hints as to how Sen felt towards him, due to a complete lack of discernible facial expressions or body language. However, he had a feeling that this being''s behavior was just as neutral as its dull grey profile and singular glowing red ''eye''.

    "Quiet one here''s Seryuah," Aron tilted his head at the blue-haired woman. Her particular greeting involved shrugging one shoulder, while the hand that was curled into a loose fist on the table opened with its palm facing upwards. The thing that stood out the most, however, was the strangely exaggerated look she was giving him. It may have been meant for humor, judging by the chuckles it elicited from Aron, Avy, and Jin.

    "What was that supposed to be?!" Jin questioned.

    "Just a spur of the moment thing, I dunno," she replied, returning to her normal, laid-back demeanor.

    "HAH! Well anyways, you''ve already met Jin-"

    "''Hail there!'' *snrkt*"

    "-and I''m sure he''s treated you... somewhat decently?"

    "...Quite," Rowan replied as he gave a look of disdain at the ''sage'' who was mimicking his ''mistake''.

    Aron chortled at this remark, before moving on to the final person at the table. "Last one''s Eto, but you don''t need to worry ''bout ''er, she''s gonna be leaving us soon."

    He was shocked. "Is... is she dying?"

    A short silence, before abrupt laughter rang out from everybody else except the sleeping woman and Sen.

    "Ooooh buddy, haven''t had anybody so serious since Zero-Two when he first arrived," said Aron while wiping a non-existent tear from his eye.

    "I know right?!" exclaimed Jin. "Jeez, I miss those days when he''d freeze up whenever I so much as laid a finger on him. You''d think I committed a capital crime for dirtying his clothes or something!"

    Aron turned his attention back to Rowan. "Well, hey buddy listen. What we mean by ''she''s leaving us'' is that she''s gonna be visiting another world soon."

    That piqued his curiosity. "You visit other worlds?"

    "Yeah, we do that sometimes. Don''t concern yourself about that right now, you''ll get there in the future," dismissed Aron with a wave of his hand.

    "Hey can we get back to eating now? I''m starving!" interrupted Jin.

    Rowan didn''t feel very good about leaving the subject behind, but if it was a topic they would cover eventually, he decided it would be prudent to wait and be patient. As for the matter at hand, however...

    "Mmph! Mm, *glurk*, Jannikete never disappoints," Jin managed to say while wolfing down his meal.

    He watched as they all ate with their own various methods. Jin deftly utilized two wooden sticks with one hand to pick up pieces of the ''sushi'', while Aron resorted to a beam emitting from the center of his palm as his large hands and comparatively small fingers were too unwieldy otherwise. Seryuah merely used telekinetic magic to eat while sprawling back on her seat, Sen appeared to disintegrate a piece every now and then, and Avy pecked like a... well, like a bird.

    Unfortunately, it would seem as though he could no longer avoid sampling these repulsive dishes as Aron took notice of his inaction. "So, Rowan. Noticed you didn''t touch anything yet. You don''t gotta be so modest!"

    "Ah, forgive me, but back home we would consider it beneath us to eat... pests," he said, eyeing the food all the while.

    "PFFFHT- wait, hold on," Jin spit some of his food out to talk, much to Avy''s dismay. "This whole time, you thought we were eating worms or something? Was that why you gave me that look when we first met?"

    "...I can only assume I was in the wrong and that these are not the spawn of insects. Could I trouble you to enlighten me, then?"

    "This is rice. It''s a grain, kinda like wheat, in a way. Go ahead, try some! Oh, and don''t worry about using chopsticks, just use your hands!"

    Grateful that Jin was not forcing him into another potentially embarrassing situation, Rowan decided to take one of the simpler looking ones, a deep-red slab of meat laid over a ball of rice.

    He was taken aback. The flavor of the meat was delightfully pungent, and the texture, very tender and just a tiny bit coarse. Such a combination was complemented by the rice, which had a tangy zest to it that helped whet his appetite, and the nature of it being granular helped meld it together with the meat as he chewed, granting it a new texture altogether! It all reminded him of a certain dish that also embraced such simplicity back home.

    "So? Whadja think?"

    "It was... surprisingly delicious. It reminds me of something we ate back home called a sandwich."

    "HAH!" Aron interjected with his signature guffaw. "Does this look anything like a sandwich to you?!"

    "No, but... agh, never mind," said a flustered Rowan as chuckles rolled through the table''s occupants. "I still would not have thought that fish could get so colorful. Every time we cooked them, they would end up losing their color."

    "You think these are cooked fish? They''re raw!"

    "Always nice to watch a newbie experience everything for the first time," mused Avy.

    Rowan could not help but gaze at the dishes splayed out in front of him in a new light. Was this truly raw fish? The veritable rainbow of colors were so vibrant that they were utterly enticing!

    He spent the rest of his time at the restaurant trying as many types of sushi as possible, marveling at the variety of flavors that met his tongue all the while. After sampling at least fifty different kinds, he was introduced to condiments that he could add. His particular favorite was the salty black soy sauce, which he found helped greatly in wringing out the meaty flavors of the fish. On the other hand, his experience with the pasty green wasabi granted him an unexpected shock to his tongue and nostrils. It prompted him to recoil backwards and even shed some tears, much to the amusement of his new acquaintances.

    Of course, while they enjoyed witnessing this at his expense, they did not spend their entire time doting on the newcomer. They were holding their own conversations with one another that involved many words, phrases, and subjects that Rowan had never even heard of before. Though he had difficulty understanding this foreign dialect, he managed to piece together the general meaning for parts of it. A majority of their discussion involved gossip about friends and family, though at times they would speak of "projects", "experiments", "discoveries", etc. Occasionally, they would mention the elements, but he had no idea what carbon, ammonia, and sodium chloride were.

    Much too soon for Rowan''s liking, though in reality about ninety minutes had already come and gone, the time came for them to leave. Everybody went their separate ways, with the still sleeping Eto being carried off by Aron and co, and Jin leading Rowan away to where he would spend the night. He was in a much better mood after having a small feast, enough that he could engage in small talk with Jin as they traveled on the moving roads of the city.

    "The meal was most enjoyable, Jin. I thank you for that, but I do have to wonder why you did not take me to a more popular eatery."

    "Huzzabwuh huh now?"Caught off guard by that statement, Jin couldn''t help but sputter in surprise.

    "There were plenty of customers, certainly, but never enough that the restaurant would run out of vacancy. Back home, there would be exotic locales that would have lines of up to a thousand people..."

    "You ever heard o''reservations?"

    Rowan''s eyebrows furrowed. "Reservations?"

    "It''s a sort of process created to prevent lines from having to build up in the first place. People can ''reserve'' an appointment for restaurants so that they can guarantee a spot for themselves, at the same time taking away the pressure of having to serve a ton of patrons standing outside before the day is over."

    That system made sense to Rowan. At least, for mortals it was something that seemed necessary. Back home, as one climbed the echelons of power, the need for sleep and other bodily needs would gradually be lessened all the way into non-existence at the Lesser Exalt level. Everyone could wait in such long lines patiently and without issue, as it would all be worth it to be able to dine in one of these famous sites.

    "That seems about right. The experience was tantalizing enough that it felt off without seeing a long line out front, so that clears up my confusion. However, if there was one thing I would recommend adding, it would be music. Back home, there would be locally renowned musicians playing in the background..."

    Stolen novel; please report.

    "Some of us like to hear ourselves think, y''know! If you really want to listen to some music, just go request a Pad. Here, like this."

    He watched as Jin gestured at one of the idly floating glass panels to come to him. Earlier on it went unnoticed, but these objects had metal coverings on their corners with grooves and bumps. The Pad hovered about half a meter away from his face, and lights dancing around within the glass began to form messages.

    VERIFYING...

    USER RECOGNIZED: JIN SOOK

    PERMISSIONS GRANTED: MEMBER [R]

    ADJUSTING PERSONAL SETTINGS...

    DISMISS UNIT? (Y)/N

    "Just like that. Go on, give it a try!"

    Repeating Jin''s motions from earlier, Rowan was approached by an idle Pad, which greeted him with similar messages.

    VERIFYING...

    USER NOT RECOGNIZED

    PERMISSIONS GRANTED: GUEST

    At this point, a list of rectangular panels of light displaying various environments popped out onto the panel, with "SELECT THEME" displayed on top. He continued to appreciate this culture''s ability to suit as many tastes as possible, and decided to choose the one depicting a prairie setting.

    Once again, the light shifted itself to cover the glass panel and proceeded to generate a scenery so realistic it felt as though Rowan could reach a hand in to touch the swaying, overgrown blades of grass. Some wooden signs sprung out from the ground within the prairie, containing words such as "HELP CENTER", "MAP", "GAMES", "MUSIC", "CONNECT", and "LOG OUT".

    After asking Jin what he was supposed to do next, Rowan tapped the sign labeled "MUSIC". Two small baubles no larger than two centimeters each came out of one of the Pad''s metallic corners, and after a quick reassurance from Jin, they were allowed to nestle themselves into his ears.

    He heard... the pleasant strumming of a lute. Or whatever the lute equivalent of this world was. The experience was completely unexpected, as he felt a certain intimacy with the instrument''s sounds the likes of which could never be achieved if he were to have listened from a distance. Though the things that existed back in his home were extravagant in their own right, and that it would take a lot to convince him that there was any better, Rowan had to admit that there was a certain charm to everything here. There was much to look forward to, and he felt his anticipation build up for whatever awaited him next.

    "Hey man, we''re here!" announced Jin.

    Abruptly, though he could have sworn they had some time left, Rowan''s attention was brought up by Jin shaking him by the shoulder. He was welcomed by the sight of a lavish red carpet that led into the building he would rest in for the night. Scattered groups of individuals were seen passing in and out of the entrance while being received or sent off by helpers.

    "Alright, see ya later!"

    "Eh?!"

    "Hm? You didn''t think I actually live here, did you? Welp! See you tomorrow!"

    Rowan stood there, flabbergasted as Jin actually left him by his lonesome. While he could just find a remote area somewhere and meditate until morning, he was truly hoping to experience more of what the city had to offer him. Well, he would still be able to, though he felt it might become frustrating.

    He made up his mind to go in the building and negotiate a room to stay in. "Surely, Jin would not mind if I put it on his tab?" Rowan thought as he passed by a helper grinning and gesturing him in.

    After motioning the Pad to leave, he was once again assaulted by a blast of wind billowing out from a long, metal bar. He wished to ask Jin later what the purpose of these wind contraptions were, but in the meanwhile, he could at least enjoy these pleasantly cool and dry environments that seemed like an inherent trait within the city''s buildings.

    He approached what appeared to be the receptionist counter. Behind it were five attendants. Starting from the right, they were: A cloaked reptilian with reading glasses diligently scribbling notes in a book, a female human with cropped, auburn hair conversing with someone through a Pad, a two meter tall conical amalgamation of metal and lights, a yellow-flowering treant standing at a height of four meters with a soft looking canopy of leaves, and a muscular, dull-green humanoid. Rowan decided to pick the woman of course, who looked up at the advancing person and flashed him a beaming smile.

    "Hello! How may I help?"

    "Greetings, miss. Might I kindly request lodging for one?"

    "Uhuhu~, sure thing! Let me just verify your profile, one second please."

    A nearly inaudible click was heard from a small contraption facing Rowan. After a little more than one second, she finished gazing at the rearranging lights on her Pad.

    "Alright, you''re all set. Enjoy your stay at the Moonlit Hotel!"

    Needless to say, their polite exchange startled Rowan. Not because he expected a rude, fleeting personality like that one civilian, but because she did not ask him for any sort of payment.

    "Ah, pardon me miss, but you forgot-"

    "Oh. Oh! My bad, it completely slipped my mind." There. Although he was reluctant to let go of the opportunity to stay for free,he would rather not incur the wrath of the local authorities.

    "You''re free to stay in any vacant room in the hotel!" What.

    Rowan was almost at a loss for words. "Erm, very well. Have... a good night, miss." He walked away from the lady, who returned a ''good night'' of her own, to clear his head. After everything that happened within the past couple of hours, he decided some sleep was in order. Exploring more of the city would have to wait.

    Or so he thought, as he was hit by the abrupt realization that he had no idea where the stairs were. He stopped to have a look around the lobby of this ''hotel''.

    The area was bathed in a soft, off-white glow emanating from the ceiling. Combined with the polished marble floor, it cast the whole place in a serene light. Such a tranquil atmosphere was only interrupted by youngsters playing amongst one another by the giant fountain in the center of the lobby. Of course, such an object was a bit small compared to the size of the lobby itself. Off in the distance, he could see an opening in the wall leading off into two areas. Judging by the symbol on the wall portraying a humanoid relieving himself, that place was definitely not what Rowan was looking for. Tracing the red carpet from the entrance to the hotel, however, he managed to locate something rather peculiar on the opposite end.

    Five circular platforms were seen transporting passengers up and down glass tubes attached from floor to ceiling. The one in the middle was largest, clearly meant to support the more colossal citizens. Since these civilians were scarce in comparison, that particular elevator did not have much traffic. Assuming these tubes were stairwell equivalents, Rowan made his way over to one of the side platforms currently descending.

    Glass doors slid away as it landed, allowing a throng of individuals to spill out. Once the last lifeform stepped out, the small group of people lingering outside began to file in, Rowan following suit. He stood next to a giantsnail 160cm tall whose shell was like a painted mosaic, listening to the catchy jingle coming from somewhere as the platform rose. Its progress halted every now and then to let off passengers on different floors. He was not sure when he himself would exit the vessel, seeing as the past four floors were seemingly open expanses of jungle, desert, tundra, and cave. Finally, he managed to reach a promising looking one.

    He stepped out into a quiet hallway with carpeted floor. Dim yellow light pervaded this place, and wooden doors lined both sides. This sort of quaint, peaceful atmosphere was precisely what Rowan needed right now.

    Without delay, he picked one of the doors that shone with arrow shaped lights towards the doorknob, and opened it. Relieved that he did not make a mistake, he entered the vacant room, ready to lie down immediately on the immaculate bed in front of him. As one with precise control over his divine energy, all Rowan needed to do was sieve himself of any filth and render the need to bathe null.

    He was curious about the floating ethereal sign made of light on the other side of the room, however. Walking over, he reach a hand out to touch it.

    The wall directly behind it suddenly disappeared, revealing a view of the city. Seeing it from his new vantage point and without having to deal with the hustle and bustle on the ground, Rowan once again admired how enthralling this foreign realm was. Its strange blue glow crawled up the buildings from below, fading away just after reaching their midway points. Above the skyline hung this world''s moon in all its glory, though the lack of stars was somewhat jarring.

    He discovered the wall was actually still there after testing it out of curiosity. This might explain the lack of windows in the city''s architecture; they must be using some type of illusory magic to accomplish the same purpose, but without having to worry about others peering in from the outdoors!

    Deciding he had finally had enough for one night, Rowan let himself fall backwards onto the bed. There was still tomorrow to look forward to, in all its vague glory. And Jin... ugh.

    He closed his eyes, though as he drifted off into unconsciousness, he took comfort in knowing that there was more this fascinating realm had yet to show to him.

 Chapter 2: Mount Fahren

    "Morning sunshine!"

    Rowan groaned in response to the much-too-cheery sage in front of him. He was in no mood for this, considering what he had to deal with the night before.

    "Is this how you treat visitors in this realm?" he spoke in an accusing tone, referring to how Jin had dropped him off in front of an inn without bothering to assist him with getting a room after they had finished eating at the Fish Market.

    "Hm? What''s up? Got up on the wrong side of bed?"

    "You left me alone yesterday."

    "Hey, you managed just fine didn''t you? Knew you would!"

    Of course, how was he to know about the city''s apparent lack of currency? The fact that the "Moonlit Hotel" let him stay for free was so convenient it actually bothered him. Then, there was the issue of this realm''s celestial bodies. Rowan had completely forgotten that the sun and moon were completely stationary here, which lent credence to the inn''s name now that he thought about it. Since that part of the city was perpetually night, he had overslept, as he was expecting to be awoken by the first rays of sun peeking out over the horizon. Instead, he was startled awake by the sound of Jin speaking into his mind in seemingly the middle of the night. Rowan had a sneaking suspicion that this meant that he and his companions really were communicating discreetly between each other yesterday, though the presence of such telepathic magic was unsurprising.

    This and that happened, and now he was meeting up with Jin on the outskirts of the city near the center of this realm, where both the sun and moon were there to greet him. He would really need to get used to that.

    "...Never mind. If I may, what might you be teaching me today?"

    "Well hey, you''re probably gonna ask me about it eventually, so I''ll get to giving you the general overview." He pointed in the direction of the four extremes. "See each of these places? You''re gonna be learning one of the Fundamentals at each one.

    "Now, typically," Jin started making strange gestures with his hands, which Rowan assumed was meant to aid in emphasizing his points. "We send new members off to the Fundamental they''re most familiar with. Helps''em get motivated, y''know?

    "As for you," he pointed with his thumb behind his shoulder. "You''re gonna be headin'' there first!"

    Rowan looked at where he was directing his attention to. It was the biome within the sun''s territory. Judging about how it was replete with them, it was clear that this was a land of warriors.

    After the setting shifted from slightly chilly dawn to blistering noontime, he knew that Jin had just teleported them in front of the primary landmark within this sun-baked area.

    "Mt. Fahren!" This mountain, which Jin just introduced in a dramatic fashion while flinging his arm back, was an active volcano about 4 km tall and 14 km wide.

    There was a rustic town built beneath it, which was divided simply into residential, dining, and training areas. Some of the houses were made of clay or stone as opposed to the predominantly wooden constructions here. Paved roads consisting of limestone made up its streets. Civilians were seen carting around various materials, water barrels, and foodstuffs every which way. Such busy roads kept them clear of the sand which occasionally blew in from the nearby desert. While a bit hectic, Rowan could tell from the frequent acts of camaraderie between passersby that this was a tightly knit community.

    "Lemme break it down for yah," he began. "This is the place where our more physically tough, and those who want to be, reside. Town you''re in right now''s where retired fighters take on the role of coaching and mentoring new ones. After these trainees are deemed ready, they move on to the next phase: climbing the mountain! Here''s where things get spicy, heh.

    "They get to pick between three methods of ascending. First one''s the long, winding path, second one''s the skinny stalagmites running up the middle here, and last one''s the weighted gates on the side there. These''re meant to test one of three important physical traits: endurance, agility, and strength.

    "But that''s not all! Running alongside this twisting road is a river of magma! The temperatures here make it so it''s dangerous to stay for too long for initiates, so everybody''s encouraged to make it to the end as quickly as possible. Fliers gotta dodge lava spouts and volcanic debris being spewed at them from this river, too. External help like equipment is banned, but other than that, it''s a pretty straightforward trial!"

    "Seems reasonable," said Rowan.

    "Wait, what? Really? You have zero concern over their health and well-being?!"

    "Well, the whole training regime makes sense to me."

    A gloved hand went up to massage the perplexed sage''s temple. "Man, they really are just..."

    Rowan was having difficulty discerning the issue Jin was having with his answer. Long, grueling training was a necessary process to drawing out the latent potential in a body, was it not? Exposure to life-and-death scenarios and other hard-to-overcome tests help separate the wheat from the chaff, as well.

    "So you''re telling me," started Jin. "That everyone being brought up and put through situations like this in your universe was expected to come out alive and well."

    "Well, no not quite. The foolish would overstep their bounds and get themselves killed, while others would encounter strokes of misfortune like a monster gone berserk. Aside from these... our training methods for strengthening the weak are more or less just as demanding as yours." As Rowan finished his recount, he saw one of the trainees attempting the agility route make a bold decision to try and make a far off landing. Like a rehearsed scene in a theatrical performance, the trainee did not make the final stretch and began plummeting down towards the river. At the sight of this, he chose to stay his hand, not for lack of any form of compassion, but out of curiosity as to how they plan on handling this classic turn of events.

    Right when the trainee was about to become a burn victim (or worse), the magma at the point of impact rapidly cooled, solidifying into volcanic rock near instantly. Shaken, but none the worse for wear, the rescued trekked back down to the base of the mountain, due to failing the trial.

    "We make sure our new blood get the thrill of putting their lives on the line without actually endangering them. While it isn''t exactly a secret, it doesn''t affect the experience at all. I mean, how would you feel if you were in their place, standing on thin spikes surrounded by hot slag? Despite knowing you''ll be rescued if you fell, your instincts screaming danger the whole time really wreaks havoc on your nerves.

    "But hey, enough of that. We''re here to train you, so let''s get a move on!" And with that, Jin leapt over this beginner''s testing area, bypassing it altogether. Rowan followed suit, a bit thankful that he could transport himself to a destination on his own power rather than anticipate when he would be teleported next. While the wind ruffled through his clothes, he had to contemplate their system for a moment. Though it would be ideal to have a superior lend their ever watchful eyes over aspiring characters to ensure their potential would not be snuffed out, the most notable figures in his realm were all reputed to have achieved great heights on their own merits. As they landed, he decided it must be simply a matter of choosing between quality or quantity and put the thought to rest.

    They had arrived at the midpoint of the mountain, which had what looked like a small city built onto it. Most of the material seemed to have been procured from the volcano itself, as the primary composition consisted of grey basalt. With the sun beating down from overhead, he would not be surprised if an egg could be fried just by leaving it on the pavement.

    Which was why he was surprised that the door-less stone building he was led to was so cool. Comparatively at least; he was sure that those of regular constitutions would still perspire excessively.

    There was another being here, sitting cross-legged on a praying mat. This one was truly an enigma. In the blistering heat, occupants of the volcano tended to have breathable or sparingly few clothes in order to cope with it. In contrast, the individual meditating in front of him had not a single bit of skin exposed to the open air, having been completely covered head-to-toe in black and gold garments.

    "Oh hey, you''re here! Rowan, this guy''s gonna be in charge of teaching you for now."

    "Welcome, friend. My name is Ming Bu," the humanoid''s golden three-by-three dotted embellishment gleamed on his tall hat as he bowed.

    "Greetings, master. This one is named Rowan," he returned a bow of his own, though he noted that Ming Bu''s gesture also involved covering a fist with his other hand and holding it out in front.

    "No need for formalities, Rowan. Merely call me Ming."

    "As you wish. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ming."

    While an outsider could look on and view Rowan as gilding his words, there was at least some truth to them. Finally, a respectable being in this realm! was what went through his mind during the exchange.

    "Please, have a seat. I will prepare some tea," Ming motioned them towards the sole table in this humble abode. ''Humble'' was almost putting it lightly; there was nary a lavish piece of furniture nor decoration to be seen here. There were only two rooms, the first of which served as both the welcoming area and the living room, while the other that Ming disappeared into appeared to be the kitchen. No bed was present, but it was likely that Ming preferred to meditate on the mat he was sitting on earlier rather than sleep. It was also rather cramped, possibly only allowing ten adult humans to fit inside with enough wiggle room to get by.

    Soon after, a tray with three clay cups and a stout pitcher was brought out. The cups were assembled in front of the table''s occupants and were poured a translucent light-brown liquid into. Rowan waited until he was given a sign by Ming to let him drink, lest he risk showing bad mannerisms. As expected, this foreign drink was a pleasantly new experience, being fragrant yet subtle in flavor.

    Once he poured a second round, Ming elected to begin. "Before we proceed, I would like to inquire about your realm."

    "What would you like to know?"

    "To determine how quickly we should be training you, tell us of your world''s inhabitants'' expected lifespans. We would rather not keep your friends and family waiting until they are old."

    Rowan nodded inwardly at his consideration. "Those who have not embarked on the path of warrior or magus are expected to live around a hundred years. Those who have and achieved great heights can live a little longer than a hundred-thousand, while the ones destined for obscurity have around ten-thousand years. All those close to me have reached the point where they will live at least ten-thousand years."

    "Very good. To put your mind at ease, we expect to keep you here for only around... ten years."

    His throat clenched upon hearing this. If he happened to be drinking tea at the time, it most certainly would have resulted in a humorous moment. "Er, I apologize for my presumptuous accusation, but surely you did not mean to say ten years?" Then again, he remembered that this realm likely did not have the same rotating day-night cycle as his did. Perhaps he had made an error in attempting to make a correction, and instead, should have asked how they kept track of time here.

    "Yeah, he means it!" Jin suddenly butted in, which caught Rowan off guard. He had not expected someone of his caliber to be able to blend into the background so well. "Twenty-four hours, three sixty-five days a year. Or is it any different where you come from?"

    "No, but... how?"

    "Then it''s settled! Time to make bets... hey Ming! I''m thinking eight years, how ''bout you?"

    "Mm, I would rather not partake in such an activity."

    Rowan was flabbergasted. These two were acting like such a short time frame for training was the most natural thing in the world!

    Ming noticed his look of disbelief, prompting him to explain. "A large bulk of monotonous training falls squarely on your shoulders, certainly. It may take centuries to truly hone our teachings to the point at which you would consider an acceptable level. However, before then, you must learn how to proceed."

    That made much more sense. They would teach him the ''how'', and he would continue on his own.

    "For discerning how long you will need to stay on Mount Fahren, tell us about your world''s system for attaining power."

    "There are two main disciplines in my world. Warriors make use of divine energy, while magi utilize mana. For both, there are multiple paths or ways they may embark on in order to ascend, such as the way of the spear, or the way of fire. Whichever path one chooses, their strength is measured by the level of power they have ascended to: Peon, Squire, Armati, Knight or Bishop, Exarch, Lesser Exalt, Greater Exalt, and finally, Arbiter. These tiers dictate the purity and amount of divine energy or mana one wields, though one must also take into account mastery over their chosen path as well as techniques and equipment when it comes to determining one''s capabilities."

    "How does one progress through these tiers?" questioned Ming.

    "Unraveling the mysteries within one''s chosen path allows this. Would you like a demonstration of what the path of the sword entails?"

    "Please do."

    Rowan began to casually expound on the way of the sword, though only up to a Knight''s level of profundity. For any outsider to a path, if the material were too complex, they would only perceive that it was something far above their ability to comprehend. As such, it had become customary for experts in his realm to display the art of their craft at most two tiers above those who wished to dabble in other paths. After a short session of thirty minutes, he waited in anticipation for their assessment.

    "That made... NO sense."

    Jin''s rude remark left him a little bit irritated, but mostly confused. Did he miscalculate how much they could handle?

    "Ah, I see. As expected, what comes naturally to the natives of your realm simply has no place in ours," said Ming. "You may have noticed by now, but when you travel to foreign worlds, there are differences in how they affect their inhabitants compared to your own. One of the most common would be gravity, the name we have given to the force that pushes you downwards."

    "I have noticed. Although... such a difference was never so drastic as to exclude the presence of divine energy."

    "Indeed. However, that should be enough information. You will likely only require a day here at Mount Fahren. Two, if something goes awry."

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Once again, Rowan choked up upon listening to their estimates on his training.

    "Now then," Ming continued. "This ''divine energy'' of yours. Could you bring out a sample for us to see?"

    He willed forth a tiny portion from his divine core, which contained a nearly boundless quantity of divine energy within. Such an impressively developed core was the result of millennia in training and fortuitous encounters, and he had developed a sense of pride from this aspect.

    Jin and Ming leaned forward to have a closer look at the colorful energy floating in front of Rowan.

    "Shiny."

    "Ah, yes. A classic example of systemized martial energy. One which follows a set of rules that, while limiting its possibilities, grants it a focused form that allows users to achieve swift progress. In other words, this is the type of energy your realm produces from qi."

    It was Rowan''s turn to inspect a foreign energy. The ''qi'' that was floating above Ming''s outstretched hand was yellow in color. He felt it somewhat troubling that he could not sense the ball of energy in front of him, even though he could clearly see it with his own eyes.

    "Do not misunderstand. Qi is not the pinnacle of martial energy. On the contrary, it is the most basic form of martial energy one can find.

    "You may already have an idea as to what martial energy is. As opposed to mana, the energy which focuses on the mind, martial energy allows one to push past their physical limits. However, it has limits of its own. Mainly, it must be systemized with rules such as breakthrough levels in order for one to become more powerful rapidly. Typically, the more complex it is, the stronger one can become. And yet, to confine martial energy in such a way removes the defining strength to qi: limitless growth."

    His ears perked up at this. It was true, he was so powerful that casual swings from his sword could rend the land for tens of thousands of kilometers, and all this had been achieved in the span of a couple thousand years! Yet, he could feel that the Arbiter level was the absolute highest ceiling. There was no further he could possibly go, even if he spent the remainder of his life training.

    "Yes, limitless growth. You can probably imagine, then, what the training speed is like. Unlocking it is fast, but unless one''s constitution has an affinity for qi, they would need to spend at minimum a hundred millennia to get to where you are right now, and an indefinite amount more for immortality."

    Rowan blinked. And then he started to laugh. A type of energy cultivation that could never stagnate was already pushing it, but immortality? That had to be a joke! Back home, there were grand alchemists that were known to craft some of the most impossible of concoctions. Potions containing dragon fire that could swallow the land for thousands of kilometers in an instant, healing salves that could regenerate a person from just their severed heads, you name it. Immortality was one of the most sought after prizes, but after a long history of repeated attempts and failures, such an idea was no longer considered attainable.

    Seeing the other two remain solemn, however, made him stuff his laughter back down the gullet. "Is... is such a thing possible? Do you truly have immortals here?"

    "None of us have obtained it through qi cultivation, but we certainly have from the other Fundamentals."

    Refuting Ming''s claims would be quite silly, as Rowan remembered yesterday how his divine core had been sealed off so easily that it was unsettling.

    But now... who would have thought, his luck with ending up in this realm had resulted in the chance of grasping immortality? To never die of old age... such a concept had never crossed his mind as a life goal.

    "Yeah, immortality. It''s nice and all, but... hey, do yourself one favor? Don''t get bored." Jin surprised him with this melancholy statement as he got up from the table and vanished.

    "You need not concern yourself with that, Jin is not one to brood over something for more than a moment. This particular incident just happened to coincide with an event he was planning on attending."

    "Is that so?" Rowan did not actually care all that much for Jin, but he felt it prudent to at least extend courtesy by expressing interest in the matter. According to Ming, a friend of Jin''s had grown tired of eternal life and chose to end it. He found it difficult for such a thing to occur when surrounded by immortal friends, but he kept a note on that in the back of his mind just in case. After all, he would not want his own companions to end up following the same fate, especially now that he learned after inquiring about it that he would be allowed to bring them here to obtain immortality as well.

    They spent the next hour or so discussing various details pertaining to this realm. In contrast to his own world''s power rankings, which had many layers but helped greatly in gauging how strong an opponent was, this world''s was much more broadly sweeping: Baseline, basic, advanced, and ascendant.

    As one might expect, baseline mortals are the absolute weakest of them all, consisting of creatures like horses, rats, or insects. What it specifically entails, however, are beings that are not initiated in any of the Fundamentals, are completely at the mercy of nature''s cycle, and have little hope of clawing themselves out except through happenstance.

    Basic mortals begin to have an inkling of the Fundamentals, and only just start to defy the natural world. Perhaps a creature might be tougher than it looks. Or, it could have access to the elements, craft tools and weapons, etc. Civilizations are common at this stage.

    Advanced mortals delve deeply into the Fundamentals, enough that the natural world is failing to hold them. Those that were not meant to fly, do. Ailments that spring up to wipe out entire continents, cured. Phenomena that would have been seen as miracles through the eyes of basic mortals are but a given. Many have failed to progress further, as this is the stage where destructive power has a tendency to substantially outweigh protective ability.

    Ascendant mortals have all but wrested their freedom from nature''s grasp. To cause their collective downfall at this point is extremely unlikely. Rowan''s own realm is at this level, where the likes of Exarch warriors had the strength to move mountains. He could only imagine what feats the rest of the Fundamentals could perform.

    Immortals should have been next, but for various reasons, Ming says that the proper term is ascendant immortal. As immortality is a trait that can be granted to even someone at the baseline level of power, if one wished to refer precisely to those that have attained it on their own merit without room for confusion, they would need to use ''ascendant immortal''. However, in an informal context, immortal is still able to be freely thrown around. Any further ratings on power level were deemed pointless, to Rowan''s puzzlement.

    They spoke at length on other inconsequential matters until they landed on the one Rowan was looking forward to the most.

    "While I have no qualms conversing with you, I have other disciples that need teaching soon," said Ming as a fresh batch of successful trainees passed by on the street. "Let us move on to unlocking your control over qi, and any further questions you have for us may be answered once you leave the mountain. With that said, please relinquish all the divine energy you currently have."

    Under normal circumstances, Rowan would have refused; what fool willingly drains his own energy to leave himself defenseless? These were anything but normal circumstances though, as he was dealing with individuals who, if they had wanted to torture or kill him, would have done so long ago.He carried out the task, dissipating whatever energy he had stored in his divine core. The stone hovel was momentarily filled with a harmless, rainbow-colored mist before returning to normal.

    "There are still traces that you are subconsciously holding back. Allow me to take care of it."

    Still? Nothing was left, he had made sure of that. Yet, Ming betrayed no hint of doubt as he covered his hand with a layer of qi, though it looked a bit harsher than the earlier demonstration. He got up from his seat and moved toward Rowan, telling him to turn around.

    The palm struck his back, but failed to create even a ripple on his toughened skin. Of course, that was not its intended purpose, evidenced by the qi invading his body from the inside. It took a moment for Rowan to realize his constitution was rapidly diminishing, that Ming''s qi was undoing thousands of years of divine energy imbuement. Throughout the procedure, he merely gritted his teeth, choosing to put faith in his decision as the process came to an end.

    Alongside the feeling of weakness he had from being reduced to a baseline mortal, Rowan was experiencing a distinct prickling sensation all over.

    "Martial energy imbued within our bodies also serves the purpose of nourishing them, increasing longevity as a result. You are thousands of years old and, by all accounts, should be dead by now. As a result, there is not much life left within you to keep your body from deteriorating.

    "Left in such a dire state, your body will search for anything to help sustain itself. In a situation like this, it is much easier to absorb qi." Ming unleashed a wave of idle qi, enshrouding him in a radiant yellow cloak.

    Eventually, he began to sense a warm energy flowing inside him. Similarly to how his own divine energy worked, it fed and imbued itself into his body. Excess qi gathered in his center, coagulating right beside his divine core. Gradually, he gained control over the qi, and felt it become his.

    "How do you feel?"

    "Astonished! It is very similar to divine energy, but then again, you have taught me that they are both forms of martial energy." Just like with his divine energy, his qi could be commanded almost like a muscle would. A detached, prehensile muscle.

    "Good," said Ming. "Do note, that having one systemized form of martial energy causes it to reject all others. On the other hand, something as simple as qi will still be able to coexist with your divine energy. Speaking of which, let us restore you to peak capacity. Try sending some qi into your divine core."

    When his qi touched his divine core, it immediately went to work greedily sucking in all the surrounding qi and converted them into divine energy. There was hardly enough, though.

    "Here, try using this." A cylindrical metal storage bin about a meter tall appeared adjacent to Ming. Four thick glass windows allowed him to peer at the contents inside, which was a bright, amber, viscous substance that slowly shifted inside the container.

    The seal at the top opened, giving him access. Using his knowledge of how divine energy worked, he deduced he could use qi to pinpoint other qi in the area, as well as extract them from objects for personal application. Rowan discovered faint signs of qi in the air, far too few to rejuvenate anyone but basic mortals. Compared to that, the bin full of golden-orange semi-liquid material was like a shining beacon.

    He promptly began extracting the qi laden within, but did not expect such a low quantity to match up to the veritable ocean of divine energy that was his divine core at its maximum. Nevertheless, his expectations were shattered again, causing him to wonder if he should just give up on having any in the first place.

    "Now that you have filled up both your reserves, you may attempt using qi in conjunction with your divine energy," Ming said as he whisked away the half-full vessel of concentrated energy.

    First thing''s first, he re-imbued his body with divine energy. Freed from the smothering heat, he started the process of imbuing his body with qi as well. Slow as it was, it would be wise to initiate the self-strengthening task earlier on.

    However, it was... monumentally slow. Almost as if one were reinforcing an age old mountain with layers of dust. No matter what he tried, the rate of imbuement, as well as qi reserve expansion, refused to budge. Both these processes could be done without much thought however, so Rowan did not mind being able to passively work on it.

    Control over qi was next. Willing it forth was simple enough, but he found it more efficient to ''throw'' it out instead; flinging it through the arms and legs added extra force to exiting qi. Outside his body, he was able to manipulate his qi into different directions and shapes, with increasing difficulty based on proximity to himself. Formations appeared to be off limits, an unfortunate but not too unexpected outcome.

    "It appears you are getting the hang of it. When you are ready, delve into the heart of the volcano and confront the last trial of Mount Fahren. You should have no issues completing it, but this is just for formality''s sake. I must be on my way, good luck on a timely completion, Rowan."

    "Thank you for having me, Ming." They both rose from their seats and bowed to one another. Ming took his leave, and Rowan took the time to further solidify his foundation with qi for the better part of an hour before he followed suit.

    Logic told him that the sun should have repositioned during his learning session with Ming, so he felt off seeing the lighting and shadows in the city remain the same as it was a few hours ago. Once again reaffirming the need to adjust his perception of the local phenomena, he began flying to the peak of the mountain.

    Strangely enough, the atmosphere changed dramatically upon exiting the the city. Clear blue skies transformed into foreboding red-orange ones covered with thick black smog. Rivers of flowing lava replaced magma. The surrounding temperature went from sweltering to searing hot, and the earlier stifling air became downright harmful from volcanic gases spewing out from fumaroles on the ground.

    Down below, just beneath the rim of the volcano, was another small city. This one also had buildings comprised of volcanic material, though of a primarily black coloration using either rough basanite or slick obsidian. Unlike before, however, this place was somehow even more simplistic. The prior city at least had resting, dining, and importing areas, but this place had only residential and training areas. A quick scan of the mountain showed that the inhabitants all carved out their homes within it, and the buildings above served the express purpose of being sparring areas. Besides the large arena dominating the center of the city, it seemed as if sleeping and training were all the things that the citizens did here.

    These things were of little consequence to Rowan, though. He made his way over to the volcano''s lip, whose scorching surface was ductile enough to be sunk into by his feet. Staring into the liquid inferno, he could not help but begin to grow eager for whatever the final test had in store for him.

 Interlude - Todays the day!

    The sun was beating down on the medium-sized desert town of Ramel, per usual. Though, anybody born and raised around here had already gotten used to that. In a place where the light of day never waned, there were no uniform hours of sleep for the general populace; everybody followed their own schedule, and so the town was always bustling with activity.

    One particular native was just about ready to wake up. Some people would find it foolhardy to rest with a blanket on in the middle of such blistering hot weather, but for Brimbus, it just felt right having a soft sheet covering him as he dreamed.

    A faint scent of spiced meats came wafting in through the door of the longhouse, enough for him to awaken his senses and face the world. Without bothering to make his bed, he hopped off his bunk onto the stony beige floor and made his way quietly yet swiftly past the other slumbering denizens.

    Walking outside, he was greeted by the ever present sun overhead and the two rows of longhouses forming a neighborhood of its own. They weren''t as nice as the comfortable wooden lodgings that retired folk or tourists reside in, but a complacent life like that wasn''t the life for one such as Brimbus. Ask anyone who dwelt here, they''ll give the same response!

    He bade good morning to familiar faces on the way to the mess house, kicked a stray ball heading his way back to its owner, and performed the recently adopted tradition of hurdling over Frank as he passed by. Whether or not the sandworm cared for such playful disposition did not show on his non-existent face, though his hardened exterior could have made him insensitive to it.

    About half a kilometer later, Brimbus made it to the cafeteria. Of course, he still needed to endure the usual torture of waiting in line behind a myriad number of hungry guests like him, all while a collection of steamed vegetables, freshly baked bread, and slow-roasted meat made their aroma known for all within the vicinity.

    After what felt like ages but was really only around fifteen minutes, Brimbus finally had his tray filled to the brim with mouthwatering food. Many people had to sit outside due to the limited number of seating arrangements available, but it was an unspoken custom to do so when one could, so as to leave room for those who suffered from prolonged exposure in the sunlight. He didn''t mind it at all, so he took to finding a nice spot on the sandy grounds and dug into his breakfast.

    It was pretty much just meat stew, which the chefs knew he preferred. He slurped it all down shamelessly with gusto, and after returning the tray, moved toward his next destination.

    If anyone asked about which was the busier locale, the training grounds or the mess hall, they would get mixed answers. It was universally agreed upon, however, that the training grounds were far more chaotic. Boulders of varying sizes were scattered in one area, an obstacle course testing a multitude of acrobatics was located in another. There were other niche areas, but the most populated one was a classic, run-of-the-mill, wide open space. Brimbus scurried over there, weaving in between his fellow athletes looking for any sign of his coach and friends. Not too difficult, when taking into account the considerable bulk one of them had.

    "YEAAARGHHHH, BRIMMY! You ready to take on the mountain?!" Fe''Krun was a species of desert tortoise that had two tusks growing out from his jaw. The adults grew to be 3 m tall and weigh over ten tonnes! Krun was still fairly young, but certainly above average for his age at 1.8 m and just over two tonnes.

    "Hope you ate, at least," said a mildly impatient, though still caring Liebru. As an antelope species, she had their signature ridged horns jutting out from her skull, though they still had a ways to go before reaching full adult size.

    "Yes, and YEAAAAAHHHH!!" answering the two, Brimbus let loose the excitement that had been building up for this moment.

    "WOOOOOOOO!!" Krun was the same, and while outwardly Liebru was sighing, she shared a similar sentiment with them.

    "You boys are lookin'' pretty excited!" Arriving fashionably on time was the coach they''d known for most of their lives. She patted her "favorite Brimmy" on the head as she landed, like always.

    Although this time, something was a bit different about her, prompting a reaction from Krun. "Whoa, what''s with the new look, coach?"

    "You like? Just got it done in the city!" Coach Kamla was a subspecies of sphinx moths, with a wingspan measuring 3 m. Normally, she would have an overall light brown coloration with white lined patterns, while her fuzzy thorax remained a solid brown color. Now, the thorax was a neon pink and really made her stick out like a sore thumb on the training grounds.

    "Could you take us there some time, miss Kamla?" said Liebru, eliciting nods of agreement from her two friends. From the time since they were born, many of the children raised in Ramel would gaze at the wondrous sight of wildly expansive forests, blocky metal buildings, imposing snowy mountains, and many others in between. Combined with the imports received from these far off locations, like the colloquially named ''Voice Box'', or ''V-Box'' that most people who lacked complex vocal chords used, these helped to ignite the wanderlust within them.

    Though, as expected, they were met with a shake of the head, with Kamla telling them to pass the first trial of the mountain before she would bring them along. Indeed, it was something akin to a rite of passage that granted access to other parts of the world which they so desperately wanted to explore. They already had a taste from visiting the city of Oasis a couple of years back, but it was still within the desert. As such, it only served to motivate them to train even harder so that they could complete the test post-haste and experience an atmosphere that wasn''t hot, arid, and sandy for once.

    After warming up a bit with basic exercises, they walked alongside their coach to the base of the mountain to attempt the trial. The strength trial was built off to the side, so the first member of their group set off on his own.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "Time to show these gates who''s boss, YEAAARGHHHH!!" said Krun as he stomped away enthusiastically while Liebru, Brimbus, and Kamla sent him off.

    "Good luck."

    "Go get''em!"

    "Attaboy, Krun!"

    Once that was over, the other two participants stepped forth to take their own trials. Here was where their coach took her leave.

    "Now, I don''t wanna come back and see any of you failed the test, y''hear?"

    "Got it."

    "Don''t worry miss Kay, we''ll make it to Gebalt before you know it!"

    Gebalt. Entering this stone city marked one''s entry into the Advanced Mortal stage with the introduction of qi. Acquiring such a power meant more than just strength and the ability to journey across the world. It spelled versatility by using it like faux appendages or enabling flight, not to mention inconveniences like fatigue and hygiene would have to be dealt with far less often on a daily basis.

    Strolling up the high road were two of the original four that came here. Despite this being the shared entrance to the endurance and agility trials, they were the only ones here. Food and supplies were delivered to Gebalt on a side road paved elsewhere on the mountain, so this place was fairly desolate.

    The rising heat and upcoming bend in the road signified that it was time for them to split up. Once again, Brimbus watched as another one of his friends went off into the distance after wishing each other the best. He knew that he would see them again soon, but he was beginning to feel rather sentimental knowing he and his closest friends may have to separate like this often in the future.

    Shaking his head away from these distractions, he skittered over to the stalagmites sticking out from the magma ahead. This was the agility challenge: moats of magma filled with stone spikes intertwined with the main road. Done right, and participants could complete the course the fastest compared to the others. And yet, with failure located just beneath one''s feet at nearly every step of the way, it was no wonder that some of the longest records belonged to the agility trial. Rest was permitted on the road, though such an option was rarely taken advantage of when the constant heat made every second precious here.

    Digging his feet into the ground, he pushed himself off the ledge and onto the first foothold. Stray dust gathering on it was kicked up from the landing, and each subsequent one as he kept leaping onward. He blazed past the first half of the trial easily, since the spikes were largest and most plentiful in the beginning. More effort and thought was starting to be required, however; his progress steadily slowed to a crawl as he neared the end, each jump needing to be weighed for feasibility or for continuity, since wrong decisions would lead to dead ends.

    Almost 3 km had been traversed already, and with a final stretch of 100 m left to go, Brimbus should have been feeling pumped. However, he was anything but. Nearly an hour had been spent already navigating the third kilometer, where temperatures were so hot that heat waves were distorting the air. By the time he reached his current point, Brimbus'' head was starting to spin.

    "Hey Brimmy, looks like I''ll be going on ahead!" A voice coming from the road behind him signaled that he was unlikely to be the first of his friends to reach Gebalt. However, it did bring him to his senses enough to realize he really needed to get a move on.

    Tentatively, he made his way through the stalagmites one by one. At this point, they were slim enough to wrap an arm all the way around, and granted an annoyingly small amount of leverage. Taller ones were the obviously favorable choice at this stage, as they had more leeway when it came to jumping distance.

    He was left in an awkward position in the middle of the moat of magma, having to choose between the two nearest spikes. One was quite short, standing at a height of 1 m. This was a guaranteed jump compared to the other choice, however, which required him to cross a 6 m gap! The one Brimbus was hanging on to was 4 m tall, and without a sizable foothold, such a feat was unlikely.

    But his judgement was becoming clouded from remaining in the sweltering heat for so long. The distortions in the air caused the two choices to appear closer than they seemed, and so Brimbus took the long jump.

    He let loose his grip on the stalagmite, shifting his position to curl up his legs and offer them the optimal angle to launch himself off of it. And yet, one of his feet failed to find purchase in the process, giving him a bit of airtime before plummeting down into the fiery depths.

    There were a lot of thoughts passing through Brimbus'' mind as he fell. A couple tried to reassure himself that he would be rescued by his seniors. The rest, however, were an overwhelming majority of "I''M GONNA DIE", "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID", "WHAT WAS I THINKING", and various other assorted thoughts of despair and regret.

    As his face came close enough to start singeing, and his agitation at being unable to close his eyes to the oncoming death rose to a peak, his salvation made itself known. Instead of delving into slow, agonizing, burning pain, Brimbus instead suffered from minor blunt force trauma. He had face planted onto solid rock, and the surrounding temperature had dropped to Ramel''s level. A pathway through the magma was created for him leading back down into Ramel, but he needed to lie down for a bit after that experience.

    Brimbus'' eight legs sprawled out on the stony platform while he gazed up at the sky in a dreamlike stare. There were two humans soaring in the air, bolting straight past the agility trial that he struggled so hard to overcome, but failed to do so. One of them had short, spiky black hair, with black and white robes that fluttered in the wind. The other had short brown hair, brown vest, and simple off-white shirt and trousers.

    "Someday, I''ll be just like them," his V-Box sighed as he clicked his mandibles.

    "...Miss Kay''s so gonna chew me out for this."

 Chapter 3: Magmoor

    At the apex of Mount Fahren was a vat of bubbling lava, sulfurous gases furiously rising to its surface. Despite that, the angry glow from this liquid inferno still shone through, signifying to all those below the Advanced Mortal stage that this was the end of the line. As for the ones that were at the aforementioned prerequisite level, this was just the precursor to their final test of strength.

    Rowan took the plunge, blanketing his world in a red-orange spectrum. He was already at the Ascendant level, eliminating any would-be struggles when it came to maneuvering in the lava and making it feel more like a warm bath than anything remotely dangerous. Spreading out his divine sense, he located a network of tunnels that led to a main cavern at the base of the volcano.

    Navigating through these twisting tunnels filled with formations of stalagmites and stalactites resembling gaping jaws of beasts, he entered a vast, enclosed space 250 m at its highest and 2 km at its longest. Dark, ashen platforms allowed a stable foothold amidst the otherwise lava-filled area, with an especially large one in the back of the cavern holding what was obviously the last trial of Mount Fahren. Stepping onto this platform triggered a response from it.

    "Greetings, Rowan! I trust you have unlocked your qi without issue?" The golem spoke in a naturally booming voice that sent forceful vibrations through the air without having to shout. This was a 20 m tall, broadly built, vaguely humanoid construct with orange veins of magma running throughout. It had blocky limbs and sizable five-fingered hands, but no ''feet''; a rugged, truncated cone encompassed the rest of the leg after the knee. Miniature volcanoes rose from its shoulders, though they seemed to be meant for aesthetic purposes than any practical ones. A neckless head shaped like a jagged boulder cut in half, smooth side facing front, sat in between the shoulders, with a formation shaped like an ''H'' made of lava-filled cracks making up its sole facial features.

    "No issue at all."

    "Excellent! I have heard from Ming that you would be a force to be reckoned with. My name is Magmoor, one of the founders of Regis, and progenitor of this land of warriors."

    So this was not a construct made for the sole purpose of being a final barrier, but instead was the original creator of the training system! Not just that, but...

    "A founder? What chance would I have against such a powerful being?" chortled Rowan.

    "Hmph! Pay no heed to such titular matters. My brothers and I may be masters of our craft, but we are far from the top. Far from it!" The inscription on his face flared up at this last statement, leaving Rowan feeling taken aback.

    Magmoor noticed this, and quickly bowed his head. "Ah, my apologies! I am still working on my speech being less passionate, please forgive me!"

    "Ah! Er, no, no, I was in the wrong for being so presumptuous. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it''s m-"

    "Unacceptable!" he said as he slammed a cottage-sized fist on the ground, creating small tremors in the process. "Such guilt will remain with me until the ends of time! I must rid myself of this burden!"

    "W-well then. Consider yourself... forgiven?" Rowan was unsure what to think of the founder''s personality.

    The excitable golem breathed a sigh of relief, letting loose a plume of smoke from his face cracks. "Good! Very good. Now then... hm. Where was I again?"

    "I''m not too sure, really. From what I recall, you were denouncing my claims of your superiority over me?"

    "Of course! As practitioners solely of the Fundamental of Might, it is my firm belief that you greatly surpass my own ability. In fact, you might just be the strongest member of Regis!"

    "The strongest? I am completely at the mercy of anyone here!"

    "Strongest, not most powerful. That, my friend, is an important distinction." Rowan was able to make sense of it. During his time here, he failed to notice any displays of physical strength beyond the Advanced Mortal stage. Perhaps this world focused its efforts progressing through the other Fundamentals?

    "Now!" Magmoor clapped his hands together, generating a booming sound as a result. "Normally, I would hold back in front of challengers for their final test. Such a level of power is no obstacle for you, so there is no need to prove anything; you have already passed the trial of Might! And yet, the prospect of being able to trade blows with an equal or superior..."

    This was a familiar situation for Rowan. Warriors and magi back in his realm both benefited greatly from sparring with those at a higher level, allowing them to gain insights and advance on their chosen paths faster. It would seem that the golem had similar intentions, and Rowan could use this to garner a favorable reputation in this realm as well.

    "Very well, I will spar with you."

    "Sparring? Hm! You need not hold back against me! This match shall not end until I have been reduced to pebbles!"

    "Is that so? Then I shall demonstrate to you what it means to be an Arbiter!" In addition to gaining insights from battling with seniors, it was also not uncommon to have mystical training areas that created entities, like golems or apparitions, that did not fear death for practitioners to test their mettle on. Therefore, Rowan felt no hesitation as he called forth Gladius from within his divine core, his aura flaring in preparation to go all out.

    "Oho! Then," Magmoor proceeded to stamp a cottage-sized foot on the ground, causing a sword hilt made of a similar volcanic material to him to pop up in front of him. He grasped the handle with one hand and pulled out the rest of the blade, bringing the 15 m long, 3 m wide greatsword to a rest on the area between his head and shoulder. "Come forth, Arbiter Rowan!"

    In an instant, Rowan closed the gap between them! With his current strength, he could travel tens of thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye. A distance of several meters was nothing in comparison.

    Magmoor was not as weak as he had made himself out to be, as he raised his titanic blade up for an overhead swing right when Rowan made a move. However, it was not nearly enough to stop his advance as he sent his own Gladius to meet with the oncoming assault.

    The blade came crashing down with the weight of mountains, but was repelled easily with Rowan''s excessive power. As a result, Magmoor was thrown off balance and left wide open for a decisive attack-

    *CRASH* ...Or so he thought, as Rowan was smashed into the ceiling by Magmoor''s fist. Magmoor had prepared beforehand to use the backlash from the collision to swivel his torso around and propel his spare arm as an immediate counter; the golem''s one-handed stance was not meant to be showy, but to free up his other hand for techniques such as this!

    "Hahah! Wonderful!" Rowan heard as he wrenched himself free, leaving an imprint behind that quickly smoothed itself over. It would seem that this cavern had enchantments that granted it the resilience needed to withstand battles between fighters of this magnitude.

    "It is true that you are weaker, but I can tell that you also have great experience."

    "I was worried that this battle would end with one strike, but now? Hahah, I get to fight to my heart''s content!" His excitement was palpable, almost like a child at play.

    Their battle continued in much the same way. Rowan would charge at Magmoor, deflect the first couple of blows, and eventually find himself hurdling away due to his strength being used against him. Dodging was hardly an option due to the size of the attacks! Even when he invited the golem to attack him instead, it would end similarly with a clever use of the rest of the golem''s limbs as extra weapons to quickly overwhelm him.

    While it was clear that Rowan was outmatched in physical technique and could only land telltale blows, neither combatant could make any progress against one another. Any chips that the golem ended up with were summarily repaired, and Rowan''s body was far too strong to be harmed by Magmoor. A stalemate like this left Rowan feeling bored, and he decided it was time to unleash a secret art and move on.

    "Hm?" Magmoor noticed his opponent was preparing something. Before he could respond, his vision was bathed in sword light! He found it incredibly difficult to move, akin to that of a Baseline Mortal wading through mud!

    The secret art used just now was one of the most common among higher-tier warriors in Rowan''s realm. ''Sanctify'' created a domain that surrounded the user with an aura pertaining to their chosen path that bogged down enemies, increasing in range and intensity depending on the purity of divine energy used and progression in their chosen path.

    "Fall!" shouted Rowan, his sword beginning to gleam with a sharp, rainbow light. This particular technique was also a common one named ''Judgement'', and functioned in a similar fashion by surrounding one''s weapon with a mixture of divine energy and one''s knowledge over their chosen path. Combined with the earlier secret art, they made up the well-known ''offense-defense duo'' that should be expected when encountering any warrior Exarch and above. He had his doubts on whether or not Magmoor would actually succumb to such common secret arts. However, he was curious how he would respond to this incursion.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Right then, Magmoor''s aura flared! Literally. His earlier dark-red coloration got charred pitch black by the intense flames dancing on his whole being. Suddenly, the golem was moving just as swiftly as before, if not more so!

    Their blades met, but unlike before where Rowan would normally be the one to win the contest of strength, he actually found himself evenly matched! They exchanged multiple earth-shattering blows every second with neither gaining an advantage over each other. If it were not for the cave''s enchantments absorbing the resulting shockwaves, this entire world would have been annihilated long ago!

    "It seems you wish to put an end to our duel. A shame, I had hoped to battle more. Very well!" With a sudden burst of heat from Magmoor, Rowan was pushed back uncontrollably. As he stabilized himself in the air, he saw the golem raise a leg-foot imbued with fiery energy. Bracing himself for what he guessed was a wide-area attack, he contemplated on what his next move should be.

    Once more, Gladius became sheathed in light, this time colored pure white. Magmoor''s stomp created a powerful wave of fire comparable to that of Greater Mage Exalts, but in such a confined space, there was nowhere to run! However, the same principle went for Rowan''s own attack.

    Immediately, Magmoor stabbed his greatsword into the ground and used it as cover. The reason for such an action came from witnessing his flames be shredded apart with such ease: An energy strike clearly meant for covering tens of thousands of square kilometers stuffed the inside of the cavern, and threatened to destroy anything inside of it!

    This was the result of Rowan''s chance encounter with a powerful series of sword techniques called ''the Exalted Blade style''. The ''Exalted Blade'' itself was a technique that concentrated the naturally offensive power of the way of the sword and magnified it to incredible levels! The sword style techniques themselves were profound methods to apply the Exalted Blade in combat with. He had condensed its teachings into just two powerful attacks, simply named ''Exalted Blade: Slash'' and ''Exalted Blade: Pierce''. The former would let loose a furious arc of sword light, influenced by the power of the Exalted Blade. It contained a serrated edge to it that would allow it to rip apart most Lesser Exalts, and leave ordinary Greater Exalts gravely injured. The latter would shoot out a singular beam of sword light, covered with the Exalted Blade''s energy. This energy would rapidly spin and give it drill-like qualities, greatly improving its penetrative ability.

    Wide as the greatsword was, Magmoor was even larger; the golem would not be able to prevent his entire body from coming out unscathed. Rowan expected him to suffer superficial damage at best, however, and planned on following up the Slash with Pierce while his opponent remained stationary.

    Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a heavily wounded Magmoor, ''bleeding'' profusely! Rowan deduced that Magmoor''s empowered state came with the drawback of lowering his durability. It made sense, considering he had not landed any hits to test it until now.

    The golem promptly began repairing himself, but Rowan was not about to give it the chance to do so. Swirling white light surrounded a Gladius charged with divine energy as he aimed the finishing blow at the downed golem.

    Unexpectedly, instead of moving to dodge, Magmoor charged straight at him! "Is he getting desperate?" thought Rowan as he fired off Exalted Blade: Pierce. This technique was something that no one Rowan had encountered thus far would take lightly, and he refused to believe that an expert like Magmoor would face it head on without thinking things through.

    Pierce successfully punched a hole in Magmoor''s side before Rowan realized he had missed a crucial detail about his opponent''s actions! He prepared another instance of Slash while silently berating himself for forgetting that as a self-repairing golem, Magmoor would not care about any sort of damage afflicted unless it affected whatever core or inscription that gave the earthly being life. Luckily, there was just enough distance between the two that he was able to attack once more.

    The wounded golem had come prepared, now that he had experienced Slash already. Since the weapon he had spawned was not a part of him, it did not ignite and lose durability like he did. As such, it could withstand Rowan''s wide-area attack reasonably well. And so, the greatsword was spun like a windmill and launched ahead of Magmoor in order to plow a path through the inescapable energy.

    Rowan shoved aside the incoming projectile that had spent most of its force paving a way for Magmoor. Without a weapon, the golem had lost much of its offensive power, giving Rowan confidence in finishing him off. Instead, he was gripped and trapped within the golem''s hand while attempting to prepare another wave of Exalted Blade: Slash!

    Inside the hand, he was helplessly pinned by Magmoor molding molten material around him and solidifying it, granting him no space to move around with; he was unable to generate enough force to break free from the hold. There was a lack of air as well, but beyond the rank of Lesser Exalt, one would not need to worry about such a thing. That was the least of his concerns, however.

    "Guffuh! Hurk! Agh!" Rowan was being repeatedly buffeted by a sort of piston created within Magmoor''s hand, powered by a fist ramming into the protruding end from the outside! This piston was directed at the center of Rowan''s body, so his limbs were still suppressed and rendered helpless to retaliate against the assault.

    Tough as he was, Rowan could not sustain this particular caliber of repeated attacks for so long. His earlier techniques were fairly efficient, having only consumed about a tenth of his divine energy reserves thus far. Yet, his time spent in this hold had forced him to spend over twice that amount protecting and healing himself! Resorting to his pitifully small qi was out of the question, so Rowan was left with one option.

    A massive amount of divine energy poured out from the cracks in Magmoor''s hand! Slowly but surely, the divine energy was loosening his grip on Rowan, enough that he was eventually able to slip through, but not without expending a staggering amount of his reserves. The ''Consecration'' secret art Rowan just used was one specifically used to allow one to escape from a bind, albeit at a steep cost. By unleashing a torrent of divine energy, one would be able to overload entrapment formations or other such ordeals back in Rowan''s realm. He had never expected to have to resort to such a technique to break free from someone''s grasp!

    Though Rowan was in a dire state currently, he would not fall for such a trick again. As a result, despite Magmoor''s best efforts, he was reduced to pebbles and slag by Rowan''s incessant Slash spamming, ending the battle quite anticlimactically. Magmoor, however, did not seem disappointed at this outcome at all.

    "Hahah... this was truly a rare opportunity for me! A battle with a martial artist more skilled than I? Hohoh, many thanks to you, Rowan!" said Magmoor as he gradually reformed himself from the aftermath.

    Rowan himself was left at a tenth of his divine energy reserves, but that was of no concern to his health and well-being until he was down to his last dregs in divine energy and, just recently, qi. "I must admit, that was an informative battle for me as well. In my realm, there are hardly any giants as skilled or powerful as you. Most threats would usually come in human shape and size, or would come in the form of mythical beasts of legend."

    "Hm, intriguing! Then you must take me there someday, Rowan! Opponents of a similar level to myself are much too difficult to find these days."

    "You have my word, then."

    "Excellent!" Magmoor clapped his newly rebuilt hands together. "Now. I believe I have selfishly kept you here longer than needed. It is time you went off and learnt the rest of the Fundamentals."

    "Ah, yes of course," said Rowan as he turned towards the newly opened tunnel leading directly outside the mountain. "These Fundamentals have actually been quite easy, no wonder Jin and Ming were so sure that I would be able to learn them in just a decade''s time."

    "Hm hm hm, is that so?" mused the chuckling golem. He found it amusing that his new friend had become so self-assured after learning one Fundamental, and his most familiar one at that. "Well then. Best of luck to you!"

    Rowan waved farewell as he flew out from the mountain, away from the battle-scarred yet steadily reforming cavern and its sole occupant. His next destination would be the city of metal and lights, per Ming''s directions. The first Fundamental, the Fundamental of Might, was completed here at Mount Fahren!

    The second Fundamental, the Fundamental of Science, would be learnt in the place that bewildered Rowan in the beginning of it all: The city of Equinox!

 Chapter 4: Equinox

    Rowan left Mount Fahren behind him, flying straight toward the city of Equinox. He would have gone sightseeing for spectacles, like the tournament being held in that arena he saw earlier to determine who was worthy enough to face Magmoor, but he was far more eager to learn the Fundamentals. Surprisingly, there weren''t many other lifeforms in the sky despite the clear presence of numerous natural born fliers. Perhaps there were rules and restrictions to flying in this world, or some sort of proper etiquette he had yet to become acquainted with.

    As if on cue, the weather and atmosphere changed as he made it out of the volcano''s peak. Dark-red, smog covered skies became replaced with clear blue ones in an instant. Then, as he flew into the outskirts of the city, it became partly cloudy.

    "This world has such strange phenomena," he could not help thinking.

    Spreading out his divine sense, he quickly located his usual eccentric guide. Descending to the ground, Rowan noticed there was what appeared to be a small festival taking place at the moment.

    Striped tents dotted an open field of slightly dew covered grass, with colorful triangular flags strewn about. Families and lovers were perusing the various points of interest available such as trained animal shows, games, and concession stands. Rowan felt a rustic town vibe from this place, but what set it apart from the earlier desert town was a semblance of deliberate organization; trees and houses were neatly aligned in rows, while those that weren''t were assembled in a manner such that they would add to the scenery. As he walked past a couple of bewildered children who saw him drop down out of nowhere, the scent of various foods began enticing him.

    He held off on the temptation and approached Jin standing beneath the roof of a tent, at which point the sage turned around to face him. His ''masked'' mouth was stuffed with a pink, wool-like substance, evidently bitten off from the great mass of fluff sitting on top of the extremely skinny paper cone he was holding.

    "Hm? Wanfum bubby (Want some buddy)?" said Jin, grabbing another one of the foreign food items off the counter and handing it to him.

    Once again, he found it rather difficult to continue disliking the sage due to acknowledging that his whimsical behavior is kept in check by acts of kindness every now and then. "I appreciate your courtesy, Jin."

    "...wait, do I know you?" And with that, his view of Jin crossed back into the negative.

    "How did you forg-"

    "Don''t mind Jin, he''s just messing with you." A feminine voice spoke from behind the sage. Rowan was having difficulty locating the owner of the voice; she sounded close, but he even tried glancing over Jin''s shoulder and found only an old amphibian churning out more of the fluff.

    Then he looked down.

    "Do I know you?" Jin echoed toward his companion. The fuzzy yellow palm-sized spider responded by clicking her mandibles in wry discontent.

    Rowan watched on as the two friends began mock quarreling with one another, sampling his newly acquired snack in the meanwhile. He bit into the stringy pink material and ripped a chunk of it off. Surprisingly, instead of having to chew it like actual cloth, it rapidly condensed in his mouth! The crystalline form it assumed when it came in contact with his tongue was, quite simply, sweet. There were deserts back in his realm served in high class restaurants meant for Exarchs and above that had profound tastes, bewildering the tongue and boggling the mind at how luxurious they were. However, such a straightforward treat like this... admittedly had a charm of its own.

    Before he knew it, Rowan had finished with the confection, coinciding with his two acquaintances reaching the end of their "argument".

    "Now, never forget the name of Lord Magistrate Voltaire of the Sir Kingdom!"

    "Of course, King Queen of the Aces!"

    "Ufu... uhihihi!" The little yellow spider finally let loose the laughter she was holding back at this last exchange of nonsensical titles. "Oh! Sorry for making you wait, Rowie!" ''Rowie'' winced inwardly at this nickname.

    "It is fine, no need to worry."

    "Yeah, you must be starving!" said Jin as he teleported a myriad number of snacks into his free arm.

    "Er..."

    "Jin, you''re a bad influence," teased the spider.

    "Fine, fine. Here! Take these two." Jin shoved a striped box filled to the brim with small white delicacies and a grooved bread stick onto Rowan, who accepted them not-so-reluctantly. On the one hand, he did feel the urge to sample more of the local cuisine, but on the other, he was ready to begin learning the next Fundamental.

    "I do not wish to be so rude, but-"

    "You wanna head over to the city, right? Just eat on the way."

    "Leaving already, Jin? I thought you really wanted to have fun at the carnival!" said the spider.

    "Eh, comes twice a year. Hey let''s take the train!" Once again, Rowan was transported by Jin to a different location, this time just a couple tens of kilometers away.

    "Rude! Can''t a lady ''port around by herself?"

    "My apologies, mistress pineapple." Rowan followed the two into the collection of rounded metal containers he assumed was the ''train'' as they started up their antics once more. He was greeted by the ''wind door'' and cool interior that seemed to be characteristic of the city, as well as a corridor of seats and scattered numbers of passengers adorning both sides. After taking his place next to the two, he heard a disembodied voice overhead announce "Next stop - Solar District", with the same message scrolling across from above, before he suddenly lurched over to his right! He quickly pinpointed the origin of this to the movement of the train. It reminded him of his slight regarding the first time he tried getting on a moving road. No one else had these issues, causing him to wonder if such mishaps would be covered by the Fundamental of Science.

    He was enjoying the view of the land moving past outside the abundant glass windows as well as munching on the addictive salty white snacks when the spider spoke to him. "Rowie, hey! So, how do you like Regis so far?"

    "Hm? Well..." As he had learned from Ming, Regis was the name of the organization of powerful individuals like Jin and Magmoor who have the power to traverse realms, as well as the name of this particular realm they use as a ''hub world''. Rowan worried about getting them mixed up in the future, but Ming had written off his concerns, telling him that cases of confusion would be few and far between. He still worried, but then again, he could see how clarity could easily be maintained except for when one sought to deliberately accomplish otherwise for laughs. Which reminded him of a certain individual who would definitely do such a thing.

    "Fine, except for Jin," said Rowan with an accusatory stare.

    "Uhihihi! I almost feel bad that Jin was the first person you got to meet."

    "Yeah, that Jin guy is a real piece of work!" the man in question replied, completely unfazed. Rowan was almost disappointed at this reaction, but he supposed it would not do to get all worked up.

    "Well hey, tell me all about it!" the spider asked eagerly. For the next few minutes, Rowan recapped his experiences in Regis, from when he first encountered Jin, to his battle with Magmoor. He had a moment of embarrassment when he got up to leave after the train came to a halt and opened its doors for occupants to exit. How was he to know that there were multiple areas in the city to be dropped off in? To avoid confusion again, he was told that the next stop, ''Primary District'', was their intended destination. In the meanwhile, he decided to have some of his questions answered, starting with the one most prevalent during his time spent here.

    "Could either of you enlighten me on Regis'' weather patterns?"

    "Oh, sure thing! You know, I''ve gotten so used to it by now that..." The spider rambled on for a bit before getting to the point. "Well, for starters, only the middle parts of Regis have dynamic weather. The rest are static."

    "Static?"

    "Y''know that little shock you get when you-" started Jin.

    "No, no, don''t listen to him. Static weather means it doesn''t change. Then again, even the areas that do get different weather aren''t anything wild, we made sure of it. It''s always light rain or snow or something like that."

    "Ah, I see," said Rowan. It would make sense that the trial areas maintained harsh conditions all year round, as they were meant for training Advanced Mortals. Civilians would only receive mild weather and nothing particularly drastic. "Then... what of your world''s resources? Where do they come from?" Everything felt so convenient and tailored to give anyone brought up in Regis a good life, free from disaster. Yet, while enchantments to create favorable environments were not unheard of back in Rowan''s realm, resources like food and material were always finite. Here, the world was so small that there should not have been enough to build sprawling cities. With his divine sense, he also found only a combined area of approximately one square kilometer dedicated to farming, and from the looks of it, it produced only as much as a regular farm would.

    "Virtua!" the spider replied.

    "Virtue, wha?"

    "Exactly! Basically, it''s a pocket dimension, but pocket sounds pretty weird to call something that''s bigger than the dimension it''s attached to, right? Not only that, but it''s not even a dimension at all! It''s just a big program with something like, a googol layers of code, a bunch of networking gateways and... I just, how does that make any sense?! But hey, they call it cyberspace, so why not! Though, we like to call it cyber reality, not to be confused with virtual reality. Furthermore, the materialization nodes are-"

    "What she means to say is," Jin cut off the spider''s half-explanation, half-rant mid-sentence with an upraised arm. Rowan was thankful for that, because he had no idea what she was talking about. "...Science." Apparently, Jin was not planning on helping him understand any better either, if the hand signals he was making were any indication.

    Though, it did fortunately result in the spider realizing Rowan''s difficulty in interpreting her spiel. "Oh! Uh, heh, sorry about that! Well, to put it in your terms, I would describe it as a separate world directly linked to this one, albeit far larger in size. We import a whole lot of goods out from there, and even support our diverse population by housing most of them inside of it! However, most of our energy comes from stars."

    "Is that so?" Many in Rowan''s realm have theorized that divine energy and mana must have originated from the stars. As the stars resided high in the heavens, it was in this manner that the people of Gaea coined the term divine energy for the mystical energy which granted them enormous physical strength. It was unclear where mana had earned its name from, however.

    "You don''t believe me? You sounded pretty skeptical there."

    "I have yet to see any st-... Never mind. I shall take your word for it." While it was true that Rowan had not seen any sign of them, he was certain that he would be proven wrong some way or another about the lack of stars in the sky.

    "...Alrighty then!"

    Soon after, the voice from overhead announced "Arrived at - Primary District". He got up to leave when Jin decided to bolt out of the open doors ahead of him alongside the spider, much to the other departing passengers'' distress. Rowan himself filed out in an orderly fashion, listening to the hustle and bustle of the city, including the two eccentrics'' debate over who managed to leave the train first. There were notably more civilians boarding the train headed in the other direction, presumably for the festival they were in earlier. He was glad he did not have to deal with that, seeing the huge swathes of individuals attempting to move inside.

    Compared to the ''Lunar District'', which he assumed was the name for the area of Equinox he had been in before, the Primary District was absolutely bursting with colorful architecture.

    Oranges, yellows, greens, blues...

    Blocks, banners, baubles, benches...

    Whether he looked up or down, left or right, there was something to please the eyes. Unlike the pervasive blue lighting of the Lunar District, and the harsh sunlight of the Solar District, there was a soft, warm glow from both celestial bodies illuminating the Primary District aside from the buildings themselves. The wide-open streets were much more crowded compared to the Lunar District. Not to the point where there was no elbow room, but enough that giant lifeforms would have to tread carefully. Shops offering a wide assortment of goods were still a common sight here, as were the moving roads, though this time, there was only one speed option for the larger population.

    Rowan reached inside his striped box for another of the delightfully light snacks, but found it empty aside from the bread stick. He tossed the carton onto the sidewalk, and immediately, one of the levitating steel creatures hovering in the air swooped down and carried it off to parts unknown. They reminded him of Sen, except... mindless, in a way. From what he could observe, these particular creatures existed only to serve the populace, maintain city infrastructure, etc. That would explain how the streets remained so immaculate, free of wear and tear despite enduring the passage of thousands of passersby every day.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Some of the nearby civilians gave him dirty looks or slightly surprised reactions. None of them spoke out, but Rowan could tell that it likely had to do with the way he disposed of his trash.

    "Hey Rowie, next time you want to throw away something, just hold it up towards one of those Helpers," said the spider while tilting her head at one of the steel creatures. Somewhere along the way, she had ended up on top of Jin''s head, giving him what looked like a tuft of yellow hair from far away.

    Another incident of improper etiquette committed out of ignorance. In Rowan''s realm, there were those who had an extremely low tolerance for any sort of impudence, and if they were warriors or magi of a higher level? Well, the offenders would only have their poor luck to blame for anything that happened afterwards. If there was one thing he had to appreciate in the realm of Regis, it was their patience and restraint dealing with others; when he had acted out in such an audacious manner in the Fish Market, he had expected his life to end right then and there, or be committed to a fate worse than death. Certainly, a punishment of that magnitude was not to be unexpected from even the more virtuous figures in Rowan''s realm. And yet, the members of Regis took him under their wing, and even offered to teach him their ways! If they had not earned his undying respect and gratitude after such a display of benevolence and mercy, he would be unsure what to think of himself.

    This interaction just now led him to reaffirm his need to show his appreciation for what the members of Regis have provided to him. "Of course. My sincerest apologies."

    In response, the spider merely cocked her head to one side. "Why so humble? You didn''t know about that until now. Don''t worry about it, just finish up your churro before we reach the Citadel!"

    "Or before we get to Dining Square. I could hook you up with some more good eats then."

    "Jin!"

    Which was when he remembered why he was able to act in such a callous manner this whole time without realizing it. These two members of Regis behaved with such freedom and lenience that he was swept up into a similar attitude without realizing it; despite his reverence for these beings, he found himself dropping all pretense of mannerisms befitting that of a junior in front of his seniors, and behaving more akin to trusted companions. Such a realization came as a shock to him, but since they seemed to prefer a more relaxed demeanor from him, he decided restricting himself to disciplined behavior would only achieve the opposite outcome of what he wanted, and kept that in mind in case he met anyone else similar to these two.

    Rounding a couple more bends brought him to Dining Square, where an especially wide plaza containing casually placed tables and chairs had more of the steel creatures delivering meals ordered by city-folk by way of Pad, so it would seem. As much as the smells and sights were attracting him, he felt them to be overshadowed by what lay beyond the Square.

    Two layers of plateaus stood in a comparatively desolate location off in the distance; desolate was just about all that could be described about the featureless steel floor that made up the entirety of the ground level of this place. The lower plateau contained a number of buildings and strange constructs, many of which were being tested on open areas within the ground level. The upper plateau on the other hand, held a gigantic walled fortress that Rowan could only assume was the aforementioned Citadel. Oddly enough, it was not barred from the general populace. Throngs of individuals traveled from the 1 km long upper plateau, 10 km lower plateau, and 100 km ground level to the city and back.

    And by traveling, he meant teleporting; the vast roads stretching from the city to the Citadel all appeared to be a mere formality, Rowan noticed as he went with his companions to be transported from one strangely marked platform to another located closer to the Citadel. There were floating contraptions meant for carrying civilians quickly across the 200 meters of space between the walls and the entrance. Instead of using those however, Rowan and Jin flew inside on their own as he finished eating the ''churro''; there was nothing to sightsee out here to warrant taking the slower option. In fact, it was almost disturbing to Rowan how this place was even more featureless than the buildings in the Lunar District.

    Inside the cylindrical building, it was not much better. Harsh whites dominated the walls and ceiling, while the floor was tiled grey. One enormous tube of glass surrounded a marking on the ground 400 m in diameter.

    Before he could see more, he was teleported to another area within the Citadel. Rowan was now standing on one end of a room that housed a multitude of contraptions that gleamed with either visions of various locations within Equinox or arrangements of letters, numbers, and symbols. Sen was actually present here as well, busily interacting with a number of these contraptions. In the middle of the 50 m tall room itself was another thick glass cylinder of equal height housing something quite peculiar. It gave him the impression that it was a massive caricature of an eyeball, replete with ''veins'' that suspended it in midair.

    The spider finally hopped off of Jin''s head to greet the imposing figure and skitter her way over to Sen. "Hey Mekky, long time no see!"

    "VOLTAIRE. ELAPSED TIME SINCE LAST PHYSICAL INTERACTION: THREE-HUNDRED FOURTEEN HOURS. CLAIM JUSTIFIED." At this point, Rowan could assume that this was another founder of Regis, and a brother of Magmoor''s. Apparently, the spider''s name was Voltaire, as well. This 10 m tall spherical golem was made of non-reflective black metal with a crystalline eye that mostly shone with yellow light; he was certain that it flickered reddish hues around the edges. It spoke with a naturally loud voice as well, but this one''s was a bit grating compared to Magmoor''s.

    "Hey, how ''bout me? Haven''t seen each other in ages!"

    "JIN. ELAPSED TIME SINCE LAST PHYSICAL INTERACTION: TWENTY-EIGHT HOURS. CLAIM UNFOUNDED."

    "Yeah, he missed me," Jin whispered loudly to Rowan.

    "CLAIM UNFOUNDED. ROWAN," the golem suddenly called out his name without skipping a beat, catching Rowan off-guard. "WELCOME TO REGIS. YOU MAY CALL ME MEKKOR." At least there was a noticeable shift in the way ''Mekkor'' structured his sentences to something Rowan was more comfortable dealing with.

    "I thank you for having me."

    "LET US BEGIN IMMEDIATELY. I WILL FIRST ASSESS YOUR MENTAL FACULTIES TO DETERMINE HOW CAPABLE YOU ARE." A panel of light appeared in front of Rowan, filled with words. In the next instant, it vanished. "REPEAT TO ME THE CONTENTS OF THE PAGE."

    It was all rather sudden, but as an Arbiter, an instant was long enough for him to perceive and examine changes in his environment. "''Study for Volatility of Martial Energy, by...''" However, it would seem that he had run into the issue of attempting to speak words from a foreign dialect.

    "PRONUNCIATION DOES NOT MATTER."

    "''By... fell-aip Santos?''"

    "Psst, it''s Felipe Santos," corrected Jin.

    "''Felipe Santos... Equinox University. 312 R.E. Abstract. The potential for the integration of martial energy into more scientific endeavors is one that has undergone significant testing for centuries. While its volatility has been one of the most thoroughly examined for the sake of establishing proper safety procedures during experimentation, I believe that one can never be too certain...''" Rowan took several minutes reciting to Mekkor the entirety of the information that had flashed before his eyes, while Jin made his way over to Sen and Voltaire to mingle. When he finished, the golem gave him his impression.

    "FROM LESS THAN A CENTISECOND OF EXPOSURE, AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, YOU WERE ABLE TO COMMIT TO MEMORY THE DETAILS OF A TYPICAL SCIENTIFIC STUDY PAPER. IMPRESSIVE EIDETIC MEMORY, AS EXPECTED OF AN ASCENDANT MARTIAL ARTIST. NOW WE MAY BEGIN EXPANDING YOUR VOCABULARY." Another panel appeared, except this one''s contents were rapidly scrolling upwards! The rate at which they moved was such that one would only have a centisecond to read a new word that appeared before it left the panel''s boundaries. Fortunately for Rowan, he was at a level where he would easily be able to do just that, and with relative ease. However, Mekkor was not yet satisfied.

    "YOU HAVE NOW OBTAINED OUR COMPLETE DICTIONARY. RELAY TO ME THE MEANING OF THIS PASSAGE."

    Rowan admitted he was eager to learn the Fundamental of Science as soon as possible, but he was beginning to feel that this was a bit much. He felt almost as if he were being taught quickly in order to be sent away in record time; there were no mannerisms like having a seat or a drink offered to him. It was the little things that really made one seem more cordial, after all.

    Regardless, he continued. After taking a couple of minutes to ponder over yet another panel providing information to him, he finally determined that the meaning was related to something called the ''internet'' and its effect on the advancement of civilization.

    "YOUR APTITUDE FOR PARSING INFORMATION IS LACKING, AS EXPECTED. FULLY INCORPORATE THIS KNOWLEDGE INTO YOUR VERNACULAR BEFORE RETURNING."

    Upon hearing this, Rowan could not help but feel insulted. "If you would pardon my insolence, I must say that your methods of transmitting information are inferior compared to my world''s." For a moment then, he felt a pang of regret. This was clearly not someone as laid-back as Jin, after all.

    "ENLIGHTEN ME." However, it would seem as if Mekkor was unfazed.

    "Ah, well. In my realm, we would enchant scrolls to contain vast amounts of information that may be transferred directly into one''s mind. Of course, one would require a level of power proportional to the complexity and amount of information being given in order to avoid being overwhelmed."

    "I ASSUME ONE WOULD REQUIRE ACCESS TO DIVINE ENERGY OR MANA AS WELL."

    "That is true." Regretfully, there did not appear to be similar mediums here. If there were, Rowan estimated he would be able to be finished with the Fundamental of Science in a few weeks at best; from what he had seen so far, he guessed that this Fundamental dealt mostly with memorizing information and knowledge.

    "ARE THEY MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE?"

    "...What?"

    "IF ONE ENCHANTED A SCROLL WITH MANA, WOULD A WARRIOR BE ABLE TO UTILIZE IT?"

    "Ah! Yes, of course." Immediately afterwards, a blocky contraption appeared before Rowan. Unlike the others he had seen before, this one clearly emanated the familiar feeling of magic.

    "THIS RUNIC SERIES INFO KIOSK HAS NOT BEEN SCREENED FOR REDUNDANCY. TREAT IT AS IF IT WERE ONE OF YOUR SCROLLS."

    Following Mekkor''s instructions, Rowan reached out towards the kiosk with his divine energy. It lit up in response to his actions, and began displaying glyphs and sigils all over itself. After they finished aligning themselves, a torrent of information poured into his mind!

    The entirety of the Regis dictionary was being forcibly comprehended by Rowan! For instance, while he had the definition of ''abuzz'' memorized, that was only the mental image; he had yet to read it over, ponder, and integrate it into his vocabulary. With this method, it would all be done for him, saving an incredible length of time! However...

    "Nghkkkk!" Rowan slumped to the ground, fainted from the strain exerted on his mind. The info kiosk, with its connection abruptly severed, halted the transfer and disappeared.

    "Whoah! No mercy, mister baller?" said Jin in a half-surprised tone.

    Sen decided to respond to his sarcastic remark. "The estimated projections for syncope were indeed in range of the upper ninetieth percentile. My hypothesis, and indeed it has been confirmed by him, that Mekkor intends to strengthen Rowan''s insular cortex by subjecting him to tribulations of inferiority. Such an outcome was, therefore, not exceeding the bounds of what would have been safe to assume was a logical conclusion to this ordeal."

    "So you wanna make him more humble by making him pass out a lot. Sounds great! By the way, what word did he make it to?"

    "ACCLIMATE. 99% REMAIN. ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME, 127 DAYS."

    "Poor guy, he has to deal with that for so long?" Voltaire offered her condolences.

    "Ahahahaha! I''ll bring him some cake or something when he finishes!" Jin offered his food.

    "Allow us to vacate him from the premises." With that, the four of them vanished, leaving only the spherical metal golem, alone with his humming machinery, behind.

 Chapter 5: Coming to terms

    Apparatus... Technical equipment used for a particular activity or purpose.

    Bomb... A contraption designed to explode either within a set time or through remote control.

    Concept... An abstract idea, a general notion.

    Device... Drone... Electron... Fiasco... Generic... Genome... Habitat... Industry... Jam... Kudos... Laboratory... Machine... Neuron...

    A brown-haired youth was sitting alone in a penthouse suite, rigorously utilizing a ''Runic Series'' info kiosk to expedite his integration of Regis'' vernacular into his own. In other words, he was trying to learn vocabulary, fast. The various symbols of arcane origin continued crawling across the machine, translating data outputs into magical streams of information.

    For the fifth time that day, the process was abruptly halted as the youth clutched at his head in pain. Learning a hundred words a day was taxing on the average Basic Mortal, let alone a thousand. The task was made easier with the invention of transference technology, but it still required the recipient to have a strong and/or flexible mind, traits the person currently suffering from a migraine was lacking in.

    A clicking sound broke up the silent atmosphere. "Haagh, Rowan. Are you done yet?"

    The new arrival who joined the youth in his oversized apartment was a member of Regis, an interdimensional organization of powerful individuals who have achieved immortality through unraveling the mysteries of the multiverse (Their hub world shared the same name). These immortal individuals tended to spend their days either entertaining themselves through various means or acting as emissaries when visiting new universes. Recruiting new members was a rare occasion, hence why the youth named Rowan was getting visitors almost every day.

    "Nearly there. If you would all stop barging in while, nghkk, while I am trying to meditate on Regis'' wordage, I might have finished by now."

    Rowan, on the other hand, was not very warm to his reception. Having hailed from a land of warriors and magi, and being a proud warrior himself, he was not used to being belittled or feeling inconsequential. Especially not after the fact that he had attained the position of Arbiter, the greatest height of power imaginable where he came from. That was not to say there were no kindhearted souls in Regis, but the fact that some have treated him like a mere burden has been nothing short of troublesome for his psyche.

    "Cheeky, aren''t we?"

    This was one of the culprits. A metallic avian lifeform standing 1.4 m tall named Avisec, colloquially named Avy. Her head was some strange combination of a beak and a helmet, with eyes located on the sides. She was a regular, for reasons unbeknownst to Rowan, though he hazarded a guess that it was due to the encouragement of friends or higher ups. After all, despite having pestered him for several days in the past four months, it appeared as if Avy did not enjoy being around Rowan either.

    "Please... just leave me be."

    "Wish I could," said the grey and red bird as she leapt onto the open kitchen counter. Despite her steel composition, she hardly left a mark on the marble surface, indicating the use of some weight-defying force. "But you''re about to finish, and I need to be here when it happens. Regretfully." She proceeded to peck at the grapes in a fruit bowl sitting on the counter.

    Rowan did not mind this sort of appropriation, as he could always request some more to be warped in at no charge. The citizens that resided within the city of Equinox were provided welfare in the form of ample housing, access to public infrastructure, and enough food to stuff their bellies. Their incentive to keep from completely sinking into a life of complacency came in the form of premium goods and services. Things like hair dyes, tourist trips, lavish furnishing, and tasty treats were unnecessary, but coveting when exposed for long enough. They could all be purchased with the city''s virtual currency, credits, and since there was hardly any pressure besides one''s own hedonistic desires, civilians could all be streamlined into generating primarily a single resource without any particular fear of uprising: innovation.

    Anything that might constitute as progress towards this goal would be rewarded with credits, including education, which was also provided for free. All this was made possible by the city''s mechanical autonomy, which produced no shortage of menial labor. Several other subtle factors like policies and propagating ''herd mentality'' helped, but the main driving force behind it was still the vast array of service drones'' constant maintenance and production of goods.

    The new recruit was unaware of all these intertwining processes, however. Simply put, he merely perceived Equinox as a city of wondrous convenience. With his status as a member of Regis, he was given a virtually unlimited number of credits. And yet, he had remained conscious of his reputation here, refusing to spend money on anything luxurious for fear of becoming a drain on resources. It was only because of the other members'' insistence that he caved and took up residence within Twilit Hotel''s most expensive living quarters.

    A holographic interface displaying Regis'' standard Operating System appeared above the desk Rowan was sitting at. Similarly to the floating mechanical Pads that pervaded the streets of Equinox, one could access their personal accounts simply by gesturing at designated nodes within buildings to summon a HoloPad.

    Wireless earbuds came out of a slot within the table as Rowan selected a soundtrack to play. Listening to music had quickly become one of his favorite pastimes here at Regis. "Then I hope you would not mind me taking a short nap in the meanwhile." And with that, he rested his aching head on his arms, not bothering to listen to any further comments from Avy. His thoughts wandered as he gently wafted into blissful sleep, aided by the soft reverberations of piano.

    ...

    "Pfeh, what an idiot. Has a bed right next to him and doesn''t even use it."

    <hr>

    In the frigid mountains of eastern Regis.

    For whatever reason, Jin was cooking a doner kebab in the middle of a blizzard at the base of one of these mountains.

    A curious being approached him, his first guest of the day (or rather, night). "Shouldn''t you be training Rowan right now? Weren''t you in charge of that?"

    "Hey there! What''s up, Rooney?" The being he just acknowledged was none other than Ruonis, a fellow member of Regis. They were a magical existence made entirely out of runes revolving around a nucleus to form an upright circular formation half a meter in length. Arcane energies flowed in and out from under the disc-like being, creating a connection with the ground beneath it and subsequently generating a field of ambient mana wherever it went.

    "Enough with the monikers. I heard that Avy is the one teaching the newcomer right now, and that worries me. Is that true?"

    "Ee-yup."

    "What! Jin, I understand that you have a rather chaotic disposition at times," said Ruonis while swiveling in the direction of the kebab. "But shirking your duties is unlike you."

    "You kidding? That''s exactly like me! I figure she could do a heckuva lot better job than I ever could, so that''s why I sent everybody''s beloved snappy bird on the job."

    "But what of her temperamental nature? Wouldn''t that impede her ability to efficiently teach Rowan? Wouldn''t almost anyone be better? In fact, I should head over there right now-!"

    "Hey wai-wai-wait, hold it, hoooooold it...!" Jin grabbed the magical entity before they could teleport away. The bewildered construct faced him, awaiting an explanation. "I figured this would be a great chance for the both of them. Avy''s mature enough to not do anything too rash. Both of them need the experience of clashing personalities now, because in the future, when they meet a similar situation, their first response wouldn''t be to do anything crazy like killing''em and be done with it."

    "Right... right! You''re absolutely right. A learning experience for the both of them. Brilliant! But what would Avy say if she found out that was your motive?"

    "Iunno?" The robed man shrugged. "Eh, I''ll deal with it if that happens. Hey, want some?" He deftly scraped off chunks of meat into a bun, offering it to the runic disc.

    "...Why do you insist on someone who lacks gastric functions to eat food?"

    <hr>

    The hours trickled past. Gradually, Rowan recovered enough to resume absorbing the last vestiges of knowledge in the info kiosk. Avy was roosting on one of the mahogany cupboards, granting him some reprieve as he finished up.

    That would not last long, however. As soon as the progress bar on the kiosk''s screen hit 100%, Avy''s yellow eyes opened up as if on cue.

    "About time," she yawned.

    "Indeed it is. Now can I move on to the actual meat of the Fundamental of Science?"

    "That''s what I''m here for, I suppose." Avy ruffled the feathers of her wings, which resulted in a harsh cacophony of clashing metal, before hopping onto the ground. Her pristine steel exterior gleamed as it passed under the lighting on her way to Rowan. She pulled up a HoloPad at the same time.

    Rowan had been waiting for this moment. Enduring headaches for the past four months, acquiring the Regis language, it all felt monotonous, but he knew it to be necessary. Over that period of time, he found himself able to comprehend the entirety of what the ordinary day-to-day civilian said without having to ask for clarification on what a specific word or phrase meant. If he had to do that constantly, he knew it would get annoying and rapidly drain the patience of everyone involved.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    But now that was all over. He would finally embark on an exciting journey reaching new heights of power, if his adventures involving the Fundamental of Might were any indicator. At last, he would learn about their transdimensional gateways, artificial life, and all manner of interesting topics which he overheard Jin and the others talking about in casual conversation.

    Many within the world of Regis lacked complex, free upper limbs to handle items of interest, but compensated for it through other means via technology, magic, qi, etc. Usually, these unorthodox methods were visible to the naked eye, but the avian in front of him operated the manifestation without any such faux appendages. Maybe higher level individuals preferred it this way, but somehow, Rowan felt as if it was currently being done in order to unnerve him.

    Whatever was on Avy''s screen was sent over to his, overriding the music playlist UI and replacing it with a colorful mishmash of an educational program. Though when he looked more closely, he had to question her intentions. "Are you mocking my intellect?" From what he could tell, the general design for the program had been assembled in a way he could only assume was meant for appealing to children, as was the material involved: basic addition.

    "No, I''m insulting your intelligence," She said, shooting him a sidelong look. One could argue that that was all she could do, however, considering the orientation of her eyes. "But... your intellect could use some work too."

    "So be it. Tell me then, how is this meant to be useful to me?"

    "Says here you experienced syncope with your first couple tries using an info kiosk. It''s a little pathetic passing out from having words spoonfed into your mind, isn''t it? So, we decided the best course of action was to develop your brain a little by having you take Equinox''s standard curriculum. Overseen and modified by me as deemed appropriate, of course."

    "And you would have me start at the very beginning...?"

    "Precisely. Have any issues with that?"

    Rowan gazed upon the amalgamation of puffy textures and spoofed numbers once more. "Well, if you could at least... tone this down a tad bit-"

    "Fine, fine." Avy rolled her eyes as she simplified the program to be a bit more bare-bones.

    Left to his own devices, Rowan began solving the now text-based, yet still demeaning, math problems. There was a timer in the corner where, if he managed to complete five questions without mistakes before it ran out, he would be given new problems of a greater difficulty. Otherwise, another set would appear for him to work on. It was short enough to ensure that he had become proficient in that area, and the five consecutive correct questions proved that it was not a mere fluke.

    Whenever he failed too many times, some windows would pop up and offer advice or helpful tips on how to figure out solutions faster (e.g. Assembling numbers of multiple digits on top of one another to make it easier to carry over). There were also short sessions in between new areas where information would be provided on how to solve functions he had never seen before.

    Speed was not a particular issue, at first. Impeccable memory was something inherent to his being as one who had reached the Ascendant level in the Fundamental of Might, so things like multiplication tables were a breeze. However, memorization could only bring him so far; as the numbers grew larger and the operations more complex, he could not keep up with the exponential increase in solutions; they were meant to temper his skill after all, not his knowledge. While the obvious choice would be to master the equations and properties themselves, Rowan felt... betrayed. This whole time, he believed that the Fundamental of Science merely involved a deluge of information he needed to take in. Now he felt himself to have been led on by the four months of accessing the info kiosk, only to end up doing something so mundane.

    It was enough, he felt. He would simply learn the other Fundamentals instead of this one.

    "Oh? Done for the day?" Avy had been watching astutely until the point where Rowan began to need minutes to complete a single question. She quickly grew bored, and began fidgeting with a HoloPad, stopping when she saw Rowan close the teaching application.

    "We need not suffer each other''s presence any longer. I have decided that the Fundamental of Science is not necessary, and request I be taught the others instead." Rowan expected one of two reactions out of Avy. She would either breathe a sigh of relief and let him go, or grumble in frustration and say that she was obligated to finish teaching him.

    Contrary to his expectations, she scoffed at the notion instead. "Ha! I knew it! I knew you were all the same!

    "''Cultivators''," she said with derision dripping from her beak. "Always so brash, so arrogant. All they ever care about is ''saving face'' or gaining power, and whenever they can''t get an extremely valuable something? ''Oh, I was never destined for it'', hahaha!"

    Needless to say, Rowan was taken aback. From what he could tell, ''cultivators'' referred to individuals who practiced techniques that allowed them to absorb and utilize the latent energy of their respective universes. More specifically, there were commonalities that these universes had which placed them in the cultivator archetype: tribulations, century-long meditations, information transferring items, scattered treasures, etc. It would seem that Avy was making a jab directly at the cultures and traditions, or rather, at the behavioral developments that resulted from being raised in such an environment. Such a personal attack on his very existence riled him up to no end. "And yet, it is thanks to us cultivators'' thirst for greatness that we have perfected the art of information transference. Quite unlike your faulty info kiosks."

    "HAHAHAHA! Oh, you poor soul. You don''t even know why you can''t go two hours without getting a migraine, but you still blame it on us?!

    "Let me ask you this. What exactly do you keep in your ''scrolls''? Sword arts, secret arts, maps? All of them are absurdly one-dimensional; there''s only so many ways you can swing a sword, why would you need centuries to meditate on something like that?! What did the info kiosk grant you? Not only the entirety of the Regis dictionary, but also idioms, phonemic awareness, and semantics! Compared to ours, your transference technology is like being shown a picture book!"

    Rowan would agree with her assessment, but who in their right mind would ever readily admit inferiority, especially when they took great pride in their achievements? "And yet, our ''picture books'' teach something practical for survival. What good are such mundane subjects like linguistics and mathematics in a fight?"

    "Yeah? What good are martial arts when there''s no more fighting? Ever think about what happens then?!"

    Ah! At last, some leverage in this uphill verbal battle. He spoke with confidence, "I would live out the rest of my days in peace and tranquility, of course."

    "Oh really? Someone like yourself who''s spent his entire life adventuring across worlds would be content lazing about on the porch of his newly built home with his wife and kids until death by old age? Get real, your wanderlust would slowly build up until you''d want to relive the old days of thrill and danger, only to find that there''s none to be had at your level of strength anymore! Who knows? You might just get bored of life and end it prematurely. A retirement like that would be agonizing for you!"

    The words clicked with him, having heard the same ones before with Jin. To grow bored of eternity... was a distinct possibility. He had brushed off that warning before, thinking it was ludicrous that someone could get tired of living. Considering the implications now after it was brought to his attention again, he decided he should try and defuse the situation and go back to learning what they had to offer. That, and he did not particularly want to make an enemy out of someone who could easily kill him in the blink of an eye. "I... apologize for my transgressions. Your words have merit to them."

    Avy cocked her head to one side. "So you want to keep going on these lessons or?"

    "Yes." Simple and straightforward. The flustered avian was actually rather shocked at how the delinquent in front of her managed to switched gears all of a sudden.

    "No more acting up then, okay?"

    "Of course. But might I ask you something? What is the purpose of teaching me math? Is it not an elementary subject?"

    She sighed. "Well, think of it in terms of cultivation systems. There are tiers to progress through, and you''d need a strong foundation to have a shot at reaching the top, right?"

    "Ah! So mathematics is the foundation of the Fundamental of Science?"

    "...In a manner of speaking, yes." Upon uttering this confirmation, Rowan immediately turned back towards his monitor and began fervently studying and completing the arithmetic program. Avy was stunned. She knew that certain individuals required proper motivation in order to do things, but this was shockingly efficient. Looking at the question completion rate going up, Avy felt more or less satisfied at the resolution of their argument.

    Rowan on the other hand, was feeling a nostalgic drive. Now that he had a clearer idea of where he was headed, he could tell the similarities this start had to when he first began his journey as a warrior. There may not be any threats to his well being, but he still delighted in learning more about the universe and, as much as he wanted to deny it, becoming more powerful. After he learned all of the Fundamentals, he planned on bringing his close friends and family here to Regis, and perhaps they would embark on an expedition to explore the endless multiverse.

    Indeed, everything appeared perfectly set for Rowan''s eternal future.

 Chapter 6: Lessons learned

    The next day.

    Rowan arose from his bed, sporting a mass of disheveled brown hair. He manipulated his divine energy to bring it back to its original well-kept, wavy, chin-length state. Normally, he would not have had to bother with something as trivial as hair maintenance, but the constant mental strain had forced him into doing what he thought he would never have to do again: sleep. Enduring attacks on the mind from mages apparently only strengthened its ability to resist external threats, but accomplished nothing in terms of improving it in its entirety. Regardless, the mental fatigue only served to slow his progress and annoy him.

    He was expecting to be greeted by the perpetually irritated tone of Avy''s voice, but received something else instead.

    "Good morning, Rowie! Sleep well?" Like a fuzzy little ball of sunshine dropping in to say hello, Voltaire made herself known. It would seem that she would be his tutor for today, which caused him to let out a sigh of relief. The palm-sized spider hanging by her spinnerets could not help but notice. "Uhihi! Things didn''t go so great between you two, huh?"

    "It could have been better, I suppose. Assigning someone like that dorbel to me, I could only speculate that someone like Jin would be behind it."

    "Funny you should mention that..."

    He raised an eyebrow. "What? Was it truly him?"

    "Er, forget about what I just said! Let''s get to teaching you something that''s not math today, kay?"

    Being the honest soul that she was, Voltaire felt obligated to inform her friend of this slip of the tongue. Barely perceptible mana pulses emanated from Regis members who were willing to establish telepathic connections. Her target was available, per usual. <em style="font-weight: 400">Sorry, Jin!

    <em style="font-weight: 400">Huh? You told the guy? Don''t sweat it, it''s just Avy I''m worried about.

    <em style="font-weight: 400">Oh. Okay!

    Rowan merely saw the yellow arachnid look off to the side for a moment before returning her attention to him. "So, biology!" She waved one of her arms, summoning a HoloPad bearing another educational program depicting a textbook titled ''Intro to Biology''. "This is something that you could pick up from an encyclopedic info kiosk, but I think you''ve had enough headaches for one year."

    "I thank you for your consideration. It is truly a breath of fresh air to me."

    "Oh you," she waved an arm, playing along. "Now, before we flip the page, I want to ask you some trivial questions, is that fine?"

    "That would be fine, yes."

    "Great! Tell me, what''s the smallest creature you''ve ever seen? What''s the smallest <em style="font-weight: 400">thing you''ve ever seen?"

    "That would be..." He clasped his chin in thought. "An ant, and a single grain of sand."

    "Ants, hmm? Fun little snacks," she rubbed her mandibles in anticipation. "Maybe I''ll have some later. But for now, let''s introduce you to an even smaller scale.

    "Microbes!" With a motion, the virtual textbook flipped to a page depicting strange, alien-looking blobs. It continued changing pages as she spoke, presenting him with a myriad of different images of organisms. "These little rascals have their own tiny little organs, and they can make you really sick, but they''re not all bad; some of them are really important for keeping us alive! There''s a whooole bunch of things to learn about in the microscopic scale, like how our bodies function as complex, multicellular organisms, or how extremophiles-"

    "A moment! Er, please." Rowan had been listening attentively as the pages flipped about, but it took a moment for the details to catch up to him. The whole process was definitely more efficient with transference technology, he had to admit, but he would rather deal with this inefficiency than constant migraines. Which was why he did not react immediately to the exotic-looking diagrams showing a human body and its various types of cells. Now that he had a moment to think it over, the revelation made him feel conflict and disbelief. "You mean to tell me that I am made out of millions of tiny animals?!"

    "Trillions! Did you know, most cells in the human body are replaced with entirely new ones every ten years? Pretty neat!" The lighthearted way in which she spoke about the topic led him to believe that they did not view such a process as disturbing. Yet to one such as he, who had lived his whole life viewing himself as a singular entity, to be told that he was actually a conglomerate of trillions of tiny entities bundled into one? While Rowan could simply choose to not take their word for it, he had little reason not to. Back when he was studying the way of the sword, there were many different styles to learn from and create. Some were better than others, but none were technically ''wrong'', which allowed practitioners of any path to glean additional insights from analyzing a multitude of techniques. It was precisely because of this history that Rowan''s thought process would not allow him to feel any skepticism towards any technical claims that the members of Regis made, regardless of how much they went against everything he stood for and believed in.

    Learning that he was actually trillions of tiny beings was one thing. Finding out that these same beings were no longer the same ones within a mere decade?

    "Oh! Right. Uh, try not to have an existential crisis. Umm," Voltaire panicked a bit after witnessing Rowan''s sudden mood shift from attentive to crestfallen. She had expected his reaction to be one of interest and enlightenment, not distress. "Well, the cells in your brain never get replaced so you''re still <em style="font-weight: 400">you, if uhm, you consider the brain to be... you.

    "Are you... alright?" she said, slowly lowering herself down to catch a glimpse of his facial expression.

    "But," Rowan spoke all of a sudden, prompting a hasty retreat by the little spider. "How does that make any sense? If my brain was an amalgamation of individual beings instead of a single, whole one, how could they possibly come together and agree to identify themselves as such? It sounds preposterous! Nonetheless, I am certain you will be able to clear up my confusion on this matter. Hopefully it happens soon."

    "Oh. Okay, great! I''ll go ahead and tweak my planned schedule for you so that we can cover cells sooner than usual. So without further ado, let''s move on to the first chapter: ''What is Biology?''..."

    <hr>

    The next day.

    A flash of divine energy, and Rowan was back to being immaculate. He had had some time to reflect after Voltaire left his suite, and felt that his overreaction was unwarranted.

    "It was indeed shocking to learn that bodies are made of trillions of cells, but I feel no different afterwards; I am still me. Dwelling on such a matter would be most foolish," he thought to himself.

    After Voltaire brought up the idea of a schedule, it had occurred to him that he was never provided with a curriculum to know what he was going to learn ahead of time, and for how long. Either it was a slip up, or Avy purposely withheld it out of spite. He leaned toward the latter.

    Glancing at the holographic digital clock on the wall, he found that it was 07:42, eighteen minutes before his next teacher was slated to appear. He took this time to try out some new foods and listen to some music while waiting. Tapping the ''Surprise me!'' option on the control panel next to the suite''s materialization node, he retrieved a green-skinned fruit with a fish scale pattern from the machine whose display called it a ''Cherimoya''. He sat on a stool next to the kitchen and enjoyed consuming the morsel while listening to music from the jazz genre, ignoring the cautionary message saying that the skin and seeds contained mild toxins and should be avoided. His body was that of an Arbiter''s, after all. He could drink entire lakes of Baseline Mortal poison with reckless abandon and still be completely unaffected.

    The time passed by quickly, and when the clock struck eight, a familiar floating figure phased into his living quarters. "Rowan. A good morning to you."

    "A good morning to you, as well." If there was one person whom Rowan knew to be unmatched in terms of indifference here, it was Sen. As of yet, he had not witnessed him exhibit signs of joy, anger, sorrow, etc. Therefore, if there were any sort of sensitive or controversial details he wanted to discuss, it would be done with this basketball-sized drone via HoloPad instant messaging.

    The crescent-shaped hunk of metal with the likeness of a helmet moved over to one side. "Come. Take a seat at your desk, and we will begin learning computer science." Just like before, while he could speed up the process by using an info kiosk, his disdain for the headaches it caused him was well known by the members of Regis. Knowledge-based disciplines were therefore being delivered to him the old-fashioned way.

    "Ah, Sen. Before we go further, I would like to humbly request my curriculum." He decided to take advantage of the opportunity to bring up the subject. It was something he would rather not ask Avy about in case her ire would be raised, nor to Voltaire, as he would prefer not to bother such a friendly personality.

    "Acknowledged. Transmitting file to your account now. Review the contents after today''s lesson." Login credentials were one of the most basic of internet account security. However, in Equinox, a variety of sensors constantly monitored its citizens for identification purposes, removing the need for passwords and keeping them perpetually ''logged in''.

    When Rowan arrived at his desk, the familiar glow from his HoloPad lit up as it came online. Instead of his personalized UI, however, it was stripped down to be a blocky, bare-bones, text-based one. A lone caret adorned the white box being displayed on the screen as he awaited further instruction from his tutor.

    "Based on your interactions with Avisec, I have concluded that the best approach to this topic would be a minimalist one." While he appreciated the gesture, Rowan felt perturbed at the drone''s motionless bearing. Neutrality could be a good thing, but taking it this far with a lack of movement and visible expressions just felt <em style="font-weight: 400">unnatural to him. "You are disturbed by my current format?" Immediately, Sen readjusted himself to idly undulate, while the red light on his visage dimmed and brightened in accordance to his speech patterns.

    Needless to say, Rowan was impressed at Sen''s ability to immediately adapt himself to become more palatable. "That is... thank you."

    "There have been many recorded cases of individuals'' reactions towards certain designs. Drawing from this large sample size of preferences, I may easily rectify most issues one may have with my general demeanor on the spot.

    "Moving on. Computer science is the discipline which deals with, as you may have already hypothesized, computers. You will be learning about the myriad steps required to generate your own programming languages and optimize them for maximum efficiency and accessibility. First, you will learn Codec, Regis'' standard programming language. We begin with introducing ''classes'' and ''variables''..."

    These lessons carried on late into the afternoon. Despite this, the twilight that entered from outside the suite''s vast windows remained the same as always. Eventually, Rowan grew curious about what exactly learning computer science, and by extension the rest of the Fundamental of Science, truly entailed for him. So far, he felt as if coding in computer science was more akin to learning another language than unlocking any sort of inner potential like one would with martial arts or magic. He decided to sate his curiosity.

    "Excuse my interruption," said Rowan in the middle of the drone''s lecture on insertion sorting. "But I feel as though I am left in the dark as to what I would gain from learning the Fundamental of Science. Could I trouble you to enlighten me on that?"

    "Dwelling on unanswered questions is not unlike what a memory leak does to computers. I will resolve this inquiry of yours, then.

    "Records inform me that you have been taught by Ming about what our power ranking system revolves around. The natural cycle, or the cycle of life and death, is a recurring phenomenon part of a larger set of overarching rules we have labeled ''natural law''. Natural law is defined as the way in which a universe would function when stripped of extraneous phenomena, such as magic or martial energy, down to its most quintessential, core components. To study and research science is to unravel the mysteries of natural law, and exploit them for your own use.

    "The pursuit of science grants critical analytical skills that may carry over into the other Fundamentals, but the primary advantage that the Fundamental of Science in particular holds over the rest is efficiency. You will learn more about it in the subject matter of metacosmology, the study of the multiverse."

    "Intriguing," Rowan had to admit. "And just how does computer science contribute to this efficiency?"

    "Programming languages allow you to command a machine what to do or how to ''think''. You acquire the capacity to create simulated lifeforms, or artificial intelligence, all within the limits of your digital medium. They may be improved just like an organic''s mind, but their efficiency lies in their ability to be copied as many times as needed."

    He felt a familiar onset of unpleasant revelations coming. "What you are telling me... are you implying that the extent of your power lets you craft high level beings <em style="font-weight: 400">en masse?"

    "Mass production of units on par with Ascendant Immortals is within the realm of possibility. Constant advancements in technology through innovation raise the quality bar daily. Material and energy shortages are the only stopper to this progression, but even those limitations are inevitably resolved over time."

    As expected, the knowledge provided to Rowan gave him epiphanies that made him feel distraught. His face paled at the idea of a mechanical automaton that could not only eclipse him in strength, but be created by the thousands? Millions, even? What hope of survival did he have against that? How could he even protect his friends and family?

    "The records did warn me of the statistical likelihood of this outcome. Oh well. Another instance to mark down for the defeatist attitude of ''cultivators'' when presented with insurmountable odds, and impending obsolescence."

    "You...!" Rowan was flabbergasted. The machine had taken a marked departure from his usual, monotonous tone of voice and replaced it with one that was undeniably mocking. While someone observant could note that it was out-of-place and suspect ulterior motives, the brown-haired youth merely took it at face value. In other words, he felt as though he had been issued a challenge, which ignited a spark of defiance. "No! I am not giving up so easily. Continue on!"

    "Resuming lesson." Sen had not been lying when he said that cultivators had a tendency to surrender when they lost hope. Many different archetypes in the same situation would choose to be as much of a nuisance to their enemy as possible or try whatever they could to ensure that the same fate would not befall others. What he did not mention was their commonly occurring propensity for truculence. In other words, the drone had banked on insulting Rowan on the chance that the human would immediately lose his apprehension, and save time on restoring him to a proper mental state of mind. Good thing it happened. One could attribute it to him being a robot, but getting off schedule has always been one of Sen''s major gripes.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    <hr>

    The next day.

    Rowan checked the time. 7:50. Still groggy from yesterday, he plopped his head back down onto his pillow. Four months ago, he was met with surprise after surprise, to the point where he believed he could not be surprised at anything anymore. Boy, was he proven wrong. Then again, he had only himself to blame for thinking that the other Fundamentals would be anything like the Fundamental of Might. Deciding it would not do to be caught off guard yet again, he used this brief respite to brace himself mentally for whomever would be arriving today.

    8:08. Rowan was just beginning to stir awake, when suddenly...

    "HEY-O! Goooood morning, student!" He was shocked out of bed by a familiar, guttural voice. "Gimme five, buddy! Haven''t seen each other in weeks!"

    If there was one figure he could trust like a lifelong friend, it was Aron. This stocky, bipedal reptilian had a way with words that had the welcome effect of injecting energy into a conversation''s atmosphere, making it more lively as a result. Consequently, he found that Aron had a tendency to shrink back in the midst of heated arguments until they have calmed down.

    He cleaned himself up as he made his way over. "It <em style="font-weight: 400">has been too long, my good friend," Rowan met Aron''s upraised metallic hand with his own, the foreign greeting having become familiar to him. "To see you as one of my teachers is a great comfort to me."

    "HAH! The others haven''t been giving you any pleasant experiences, have they?!"

    "Ah, Voltaire and Sen were fine," said Rowan while rubbing the back of his neck. "They made me very interested in the subjects they taught, and they have treated me well. I can not say the same for Avisec, however."

    Aron''s steel visage did not grant him much leeway in terms of making facial expressions, but Rowan could tell that he became very solemn just now. "Hey, buddy. Could you sit down for a moment? I have something a little important to discuss before we get to our lesson for the day."

    Taking the painfully obvious hint, Rowan rested himself on a nearby stool. Aron himself remained at his current spot, his stumpy-legged build making it more comfortable to use the floor than a piece of furniture. "So, Avy. I don''t blame you for having a rough relationship with the lady. She can get a bit condemning towards people she hates, and it''s just plain unrealistic at the moment to expect you to get along with everybody here at Regis. But what <em style="font-weight: 400">is disturbing to me is... well.

    "Be honest with me. If Avy were on the level of, say, a ''Peon''. Would you kill her?" So that was what this was about. It would appear as if his actions on day one when he had first arrived have not been forgotten. In his eyes, he viewed Aron as a perceptive, caring individual, so it was not out of the blue for the reptilian to be concerned about his recent behavior.

    However, Rowan could not find anything wrong with what he had done in the past. Therefore, he decided to tell the truth. "Without hesitation. We learned to respect our seniors at a young age. To disrespect them would be courting death, as is natural. The strong do what they wish, and the weak are left with no choice but to bend to their will. That is why we ''cultivate'' so fervently, so that we may take control of our lives. Our destinies."

    "You tell me that the strong in your universe take the lives of others just because they failed to act proper for one moment? Getting provoked like that isn''t strength. It''s <em style="font-weight: 400">weakness." Aron took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "Stringent law enforcement typically arises from a fear of rebellion. When the leader can be overthrown through collective effort, order becomes necessary. But a leader that doesn''t fear the ones under their rule? If they''re strong enough to be unaffected by their citizens'' measly attempts at dethroning them, then they don''t have much tangible reason to be affected by something minor like <em style="font-weight: 400">slander.

    "There''s a fairly common saying across the multiverse: ''Power corrupts''. And a fairly common response to <em style="font-weight: 400">that is that power doesn''t corrupt, it <em style="font-weight: 400">liberates. It grants you sovereignty and jurisdiction on the world around you. Gaze upon the influence you''ve made on your surroundings, and you''ll catch a glimpse of your true self''s reflection. Is it a world of reverence and respect? Or is it one of fear and worship?"

    "It... I..." Rowan was at a loss for words. He truly wanted to make a retort, but Aron was not a nuisance like Avy nor a virtually emotionless being like Sen. He was a good friend like Voltaire, and for him to be the one to lecture Rowan on ethics meant that something <em style="font-weight: 400">had to be wrong.

    The tension in the air was palpable. Aron''s primarily blue eyes stared at Rowan from beneath the flat cap-like protrusion coming from the top of his head. Almost a minute passed before the reptilian slowly opened his mouth, and let out a hearty guffaw.

    "HAH! Don''t sweat the details too much! I just felt like I had to get that out of the way before you ran into some problems in the future. Just... play nice, enjoy life, and everything''ll work itself out. Got it? Good! Let''s learn some physics!"

    <hr>

    Later that night.

    It was 22:10. The twilight poured in through the suite''s windows. There were shaders that could be activated to block it from coming in, but Rowan did not mind. He himself was currently lying on his back, pondering something that was keeping him from falling asleep. What could have possessed Aron to rebuke him like that? No. He already knew the answer to that. What he was attempting to figure out instead was the message that Aron was trying to get across. Clearly, he had expressed his sharp disapproval of not only his actions, but his attitude.

    He wondered what it was that the rest of the members of Regis appeared to see about him that he could not.

    ''...haven''t had anybody so serious since...''

    ''You have zero concern over their health and well-being?!''

    ''Pay no heed to such titular matters.''

    ''Cultivators. Always so brash, so arrogant.''

    Did they see his behavior as abnormal? No. He immediately shook his head at that conclusion. If they shunned people based on abnormal behavior, then someone like Jin would have been ousted long ago.

    So what was it? He tossed and turned in bed at these questions that nagged at him and kept him wide awake. Words and concepts, including those learned by the info kiosk, were being thrown about in his head with wanton abandon in order to settle this matter. Disrespect? Avy herself was guilty of this, so it could not be. Impatience? Same ordeal. Keeping an open mind? Not quite. Mercy? Tempting, but from what was said earlier, it would appear as though they were not against killing if it ever became necessary.

    Gradually, one word bubbled up above the rest: Empathy.

    ...Empathy? The abililty to understand others and put oneself in their shoes? He could very well say he understood where the seniors he had encountered during his journey back then were coming from. For these lofty individuals, if they were stuck at a bottleneck, then aside from the lives of themselves and their kin, they valued face above all else; only the truly evil or solitary figures would hold no one close to them. Unless a particularly coveting treasure made itself known, of course. Once a situation like this unfurled, then all bets were off, even for the most virtuously reputed.

    When it came to dealing with strangers, they only paid heed to equals or superiors, while treating common folk like novelty; only the strong were worthy of their attention. But such motivations were... shallow, now that he thought about it. Why were they so able to kill weak individuals without remorse? Heck, how did people even become purely evil beings in the first place? Greed for treasures? Boredom from peace? The more he thought about it, the less rational reasoning he saw for there to be any death and destruction in Gaea. There was plenty of food and living space, after all. Everyone could just train in peace, could they not? The only threats should have been from feral beasts and natural disasters, not infighting between cultivators.

    And to think that Avy, and likely the rest of them, viewed Rowan as ''just another cultivator''. It left a bitter taste in his mouth that he felt needed to be washed away.

    Although this only took a moment to describe, a few hours had come and gone. Already, it was 01:04, but he would rather be late making amends than never.

    [Rowan: Avisec, do you have a moment?]

    The text message was successfully sent through HoloPad. While video chatting and other social mediums were available, the avian had blocked all methods of communication with him besides pure text. Spiteful as she was, she was still required to educate him in mathematics, as mentioned in his curriculum. Someone had to wave the olive branch first, or they would be at each other''s necks constantly for the next few years.

    [av2: wdyw]

    It did not take long for him to receive a reply. While the time suggested that it was in the dead of night, the stationary celestial bodies made it so the denizens of Regis all varied in their own sleep schedules. The members of Regis in particular rarely ever slept, so he was not afraid of backlash from waking the bird up. However, judging by the use of an abbreviation instead of whole words, she was not in the mood to hear from him.

    Then again, when was she ever.

    [Rowan: I am sorry.]

    [av2: 4?]

    [Rowan: For yesterday. I hope that you will accept my apology.]

    [av2: n]

    No? He was dumbfounded at how quickly she brushed him off. Well, not all battles could be won. If she was unwilling to...

    ...No. If he was unable to get through to her, then the stigma surrounding his origins really would be justified. Tapping relentlessly on the holographic keyboard, he managed to put in more effort and thought into his post.

    [Rowan: I just wanted to say that I apologize. For everything. My inability to view your lessons as anything other than a means to an end. My inability to tolerate minor jabs thrown in my direction. I can not deny that the thought of wishing you were dead has crossed my mind multiple times. And I sincerely apologize for all of it. It was all my fault that you had to suffer. I am sorry.]

    A lot more heartfelt than he expected, but that was of little concern. What did matter was whether or not he succeeded in getting his intentions across.

    Each passing second wreaked havoc on his patience. Instant messaging had that kind of effect on people, he noticed. He began to wonder if even his texts were being blocked now, or if Avy even read his message at all.

    After what felt like an eternity, but in reality barely a minute had passed, he got a response.

    [av2: Go get some sleep already]

    [av2: You have geometry tomorrow]

    Still a little cold, but enough to merit a sigh of relief. He flopped backwards onto his bed, satisfied with the outcome. He had expected more, like a return apology, but not everything would play out like what his mind portrayed it to be. Regardless, he was finally able to settle down and drift off into sleep. He had a feeling that he would find himself able to enjoy the days to come, and welcomed that premonition with open arms.

 Interlude - Seryuah

    It was a beautiful day. Birds were chirping, the sun was beaming, and nary a cloud marred the sky''s perfection.

    What a shame it was, then, that such a classic rendition would be ruined by the procession of troops marching across the horizon.

    In the center of this mass of soldiers was their commander in chief, King Lundgren of Laus. He held a grand ambition for his nation. Growing up in Laus, he had adopted an undying love and pride for his country. Such a mentality was conditioned into nearly everyone within this militaristic state. Thus, like many others of his kin, he wished to expand its borders throughout all the land in order to share its greatness with the world. Under a single banner, the vast continent of Elibe would be united at last.

    His escorts made way for an approaching messenger. "My lord! Our forces have surrounded the Pheraen capital''s walls!"

    "Good. Send word to begin invading the capital and quelling any signs of rebellion. I will join the front lines myself shortly, and secure the last remaining kingdom on Elibe. For the glory of Laus!"

    "For the glory of Laus!" The intermediary saluted before heading back to the vanguard.

    Lundgren''s conquest of Elibe did not progress the way he thought it would. A large scale campaign should grow more difficult from resource exhaustion and dispersion of military units. And yet, the march into Pherae was met with virtually no resistance whatsoever!

    It would appear as though the rumors held true. The Pheraen people clung to their faith so tightly that they neglected their defenses entirely, save for a few guardsmen to deal with the occasional beast or bandit group. While such a system of governance allowed them to live in relative peace and prosperity, they were fools if they thought they could do such a thing with neighboring kingdoms ready to take advantage of their vulnerability.

    And thus, Lundgren added the final piece of Elibe to Laus'' empire. He had never imagined that it would be filled with helpless sheep that believed in an imaginary shepherd to watch over and protect them. Goddess of War, Seryuah? Preposterous.

    WHOOSH!

    A massive gust of wind swept the area, carrying with it all the units occupying the capital! What was truly inconceivable was how they all landed harmlessly, even amidst the horde of men that made up the second wave. This incredible display of power and control! Lundgren searched frantically for whomever the perpetrator might be.

    SWISH!

    Another, smaller burst of wind created a clearing out of his army in front of him. As he focused on the figure in the center, his worst fears were confirmed. Gleaming white armor... winged regalia... striking blue hair... a deep scar on her right eye...

    His knees gave out beneath him at the revelation. To think that he would be crowned a fool this day, for not believing in the legends! There was only one thing he could do in the face of divinity.

    Beg for mercy. "O'' gracious queen of Pherae! Goddess of swords and magic! This impudent soul pleads for mercy from your wrath!"

    <hr>

    "That''s... odd." The thought went through Seryuah''s head as she surveyed her homeland for the first time in ages from the roof of a watchtower. For the locals, at least; time displacement between universes was a common thing, and for universe FEB-07-S, their timescale moved at a rate nearly ten times as quickly compared to Regis''. As a result, her 30 year hiatus had translated to over 200 years passing by for her place of origin.

    However, that wasn''t what struck her as out of place. What did were the thousands of foreign soldiers currently taking over her capital. She promptly flung them out of her property using some wind magic, alongside the flags they just started to hang all over the place. Psionic levitation would''ve been a lot cleaner, but it''s been a while since she''s used wind, and she didn''t want to get too rusty. Immediately, she identified the leader of this band of rabble-rousers, made fairly obvious by the jeweled crown and fancy fur-lined robes he was wearing. She blew aside a couple of trebuchets obstructing her flight path before landing in front of him.

    "O'' gracious queen of Pherae! Goddess of swords and magic! This impudent soul pleads for mercy from your wrath!"

    Wait, what? Did she become a religion since the time she''s been away? Well, considering how she only came to visit every now and again, combined with the ''miracles'' she performed if disaster happened to coincidentally strike during these visits, that wasn''t too far-fetched of a conclusion. It has been two local millennia since Seryuah was known as the Unscathed Weaponsmaster, after all; any written records of her past self have probably already faded to dust, while carved records had their meanings misinterpreted.

    None of it was very concerning, but it was bothersome. She decided to try and rectify the situation a little.

    "You''re the leader of all these people?"

    "Y-yes! I am Lundgren, King of Laus. A thousand, thousand apologies for my impertinen-"

    "Stop. Enough of that." Gushing of praise and self-demeaning remarks from an individual were not something Seryuah wished to bear witness to. "I just want to make it absolutely clear that I am not a goddess. Never have, never will be. Do me a favor and spread the word."

    "Uh?" Lundgren could hardly believe his ears at this denouncement. At the same time, they were words that came out of Seryuah''s own mouth, so what was he supposed to do except believe? "Most assuredly, I shall! B-but... I fear that no one would be able to fathom such a claim, your majesty."

    That''s right. Convincing the populace that anything short of a deity could have driven out the forces of Laus was indeed a difficult task, emphasized by the murmurs rumbling throughout the surrounding army. Uprooting this religious influence would require careful attention and time. While she had plenty to spare for both, she would rather not. Which brought an idea to mind that she probably should have implemented a long time ago.

    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll handle it myself soon enough, but I''d appreciate you giving me a head start in your Laus empire." Of course, she spoke only a half-truth when she said she would do it ''herself''. What she really planned on doing was installing an android to serve as a permanent monarch for Pherae. It wouldn''t become a suzerain state, but an isolationist one. All of its future actions would be not dissimilar to what Seryuah herself might have done.

    "A... head start, your majesty?"

    She should probably tone down the use of foreign lingo in the android, too. "The details aren''t important. Just know that the next time your soldiers encroach upon my borders, you will be removed from your position."

    "I wouldn''t even t-think of it!"

    "Feel free to return home now."

    "At once!" The relieved King of Laus was eager to get as far away from Pheraen territory as soon as possible, lest he tarry and upset such powerful opposition any further. He rose and announced to his soldiers their immediate departure from these lands.

    Seryuah could not help but notice how their red garbs gave them the semblance of fire ants swarming on the hills. She toyed around with the idea of sweeping them up in another zephyr so that they wouldn''t trample all over the grass, but chose not to in the hopes that a walk would do them all some good.

    She flew back to the dimensional gateway instead of teleporting, allowing her to take in the scenery. The rolling hills of turf and unblemished skies made for a quaint environment in between marks of medieval civilization. Of course, one could find this sort of view in many other universes, but this moment held somewhat of an especial significance for her: It was quite likely that she would never return here.

    After landing at her destination, she brought out a spare Replicator from her Portable Cyberspace Module. Some liked to call it by its abbreviated form, PCM. Most would refer to it by its umbrella term, Storage, as there were many other items or methods that accomplished the same feat, whether through martial arts, magic, or science. Once the preprogrammed functions were initialized, it went to work copying Seryuah''s outward appearance and integrating her uploaded files into its behavioral matrix. As it was a metamorphic tool and not a specialized one, the construct ended up at the Advanced level, which was already enough for its intended purpose.

    She gazed at her surroundings one more time. Admittedly, there were no sentimental ties to this place any longer, except through her little brother. She didn''t want to disappoint her last surviving blood relative by letting their homeland fall into disarray.

    Yes, he was all she had left. Their mother and father had both died after being drafted into a war between kingdoms, leaving behind a ten-year old Seryuah to take care of her little brother in their stead. Even though they had obtained the power to revive their parents after their experiences in Regis, to their utter dismay, they found out that it was impossible to prevent them from dying once more. Well, there was one way, but her brother would never allow such a thing. Manipulating the flows of time grew more and more difficult the ''further'' one strayed from the primary timeline; although almost, if not all, things were possible at any given point in time, the strain it placed on a universe depending on how ''illogical'' of a change was enacted could tear it apart. This universe was fairly ordinary from not being privy to temporal actions, and somewhat weak from having an average power level of Basic, so it was rather stiff in this regard. Pulling individuals out from their respective universe''s timelines would require the total collapse of that universe, and when it came to dealing with the lives of others, Seryuah couldn''t bear to let her sibling witness the death of even one.

    If this universe had an after-death system, the entire process would have been incredibly simple. Alas, the most that they could do was bring their parents back to life to live out the rest of their mortal days making up for lost family time. Anything beyond that would go too far against the parameters allowed from choosing that particular timeline. A false world in the shape of Pherae set several years after their parents'' death, and a convincing story that their parents had disappeared in the interim due to being hit by a strange enemy spell, allowed them to pass off the appearance of a heartfelt reunion with a bewildered, temporally-displaced couple.

    Sister and father joined the village''s hunting party, while brother and mother started up a bakery. Occasionally, they would head out on family trips to the capital, attending concerts, jousting competitions, magic duels, or even just shopping for souvenirs to bring back. It was a good, simple life. One that they had imagined they could have had, were it not for the circumstances that befell them. Not a moment passed throughout the experience when Seryuah wanted to speak out and let her parents know that they didn''t have to die, but she didn''t want to test the infallibility of the established temporal science. She imagined her brother may have felt the same, but if he did, it never showed. He was always the more warm and amiable of the two. Far too soon, their parents were on their deathbeds. Many tears were shed that day, mostly by the two siblings, but the moment was a cathartic one that they didn''t regret in the slightest.

    "Don''t weep, my children... your father and I will always watch over you..."

    "Stay strong. Both of you..."

    Seryuah reflexively grabbed the hand that was tapping her shoulder. She realized immediately afterward that it was her proxy attempting to deduce her current state of mind after she had begun daydreaming. A wry grin plastered itself onto her face. It would appear she still had yet to truly get over that particular affair. Not that it would affect her in any way except during moments alone when she had time to think to herself.

    After sending off the newly made android, Seryuah directed her gaze aimlessly upward before speaking. "Ma... Pa... I don''t really believe in any religion. The fact that all the self-proclaimed deities I''ve come across were really just pompous figureheads, and that their afterlives could so easily be torn down by some random jerk, I just can''t find myself putting faith in a catch-all paradise. But... on the off-chance you''re still out there... if your souls are still aware, and intact, I..." She couldn''t bring herself to finish that thought. Instead, she shook her head as if to free herself of grief, beamed up at the sky like in one of those movies she''d seen, and turned to finally leave this universe behind. She was somewhat ashamed of resorting to cultural media influence at the end, but nothing else would come to mind.

    <hr>

    Contrary to what one might infer from the name, dimensional gateways were not monumental constructs that created an opening to leave universes from at the push of a button. Actually, there usually weren''t even any visual cues to work with. Instead, they were faults, weaknesses in the integrity of a universe that were far easier and safer to rip open a hole at than just any other random location. Despite its relative safety, however, it was still important to treat the whole process with care in order to avoid issues like dimensional runoff; while an open rift would eventually close or at least clot up, a great deal of universal laws and energies could leak in the meantime, resulting in...

    Well. Let''s just say that the last universe to have that happen lost all of its color and sound, with the inhabitants none the wiser.

    Seryuah took out a standard issue transdimensional device. It was a bulky, circular, orange thing whose only real flaw was the aesthetic. Function over form, and all that. Then again, as someone who didn''t traverse the multiverse all that frequently, Seryuah never found the need to go through the hassle of making a custom model of her own. Setting it on the ground, she activated the contraption and it went to work. Multiple scanners within fed the machine information about its surroundings, allowing it to begin emitting the precise combination of energy waves needed to ground away at the stability of the universe. The end result was a singularity that led straight into the beyond.

    A black hole singularity''s entry process would involve having one''s matter stretch so thinly to the point where they would become like fine spaghetti due to the intense gravitational pull of an extremely dense core. If they were unlucky and missed their trajectory, they would end up orbiting the thing as well. A gateway singularity, on the other hand, was a breach in the universe''s dimensional membrane. It was more akin to opening the door of a ship in space, where the interior of the ship would be subject to a violent outrush of air. Once the air was fully evacuated though, anything remaining would be free-floating.

    The machine functioned similarly to an airlock. Prior to the perforation, it generated an artificial membrane to seal off the area from the rest of the universe, preventing it from mending its own ''wound''. Within minutes, the insides of the cylindrical enclosure were bleached white. More energy waves were shot out to enlarge the rupture. A *ding* sounded from the machine, waking Seryuah up from her nap and letting her know that it was finished.

    She delved straight in. Once it detected that its task was complete, the device folded itself into a more compact form and followed after her, unleashing one last burst of energy to shut the portal behind it. After everything was settled, the only evidence left behind was a round patch of flattened grass from where the machine once sat.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    In the white void, after collecting the device back into Storage, Seryuah was left with nothing to do but think. She could nap again, but she never really trusted the in-between.

    Right now she was wondering why the in-between of dimensions was an endless white. Space was black, so why wasn''t this place? Perhaps the exterior of a universe was colored white, and ambient light permeated the area from the energy of leftover dimensional runoff? Maybe universes were translucent, and it was the ends of the multiverse that were colored white? A contentious point of discussion, for sure. One she believed she could bring up the next time she felt pressured to start up a casual conversation.

    A silhouette in the distance caught her eye. Hooded cloak, withered pale hands, gnarled scythe? It was the eldritch abomination known as Amenti Gespenst!

    Pretty nice guy.

    His floating red ball of light for an eye shifted in her direction underneath his hood. Seryuah raised her hand in greeting, and Amenti responded with one of his own.

    After appreciating his choice of brown for a moment, she realized she was still wearing her armor. That went away into Storage, and in its place was a red zip-up hoodie, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. Fashion never intrigued her all that much, since she preferred casual clothing.

    With that out of the way, the two travelers continued on in silence. Not the awkward kind, where participants would shift around uncomfortably while anxiously trying to come up with something to say. This was a type of content quietude between individuals who didn''t speak much. For Seryuah at least, she didn''t mind talking if necessary, but she was afraid of disrupting the flow of banter. She attributed her social inexperience to her time spent as a soldier back in her adolescent years. Wait, no, that''s not right. She only had herself to blame for always lone-wolfing it instead of working together with others. But there were no regrets there. It was all for the sake of minimizing casualties, after all. Amenti on the other hand, was fairly reclusive in nature. That wasn''t to say he was apathetic, though. In fact, his choice of garb was specifically chosen to imitate an iconic symbol of death so as to make himself a bit less repelling to strangers, but not so approachable at the same time. Sometimes, he would shake it up with festive colors during a holiday event, though still acting standoffish.

    As they drew closer to the entrance, Seryuah started to ponder what she wanted to do next. Combat practice was all fine and well, but it was overdone for her. Maybe... forging new weapons? She mentally whacked herself on the head. Nobody would fault her for such recreational activities, but she wanted to have more of a social life. Perhaps then, she could stop being a person in the background during friendly gatherings.

    Oh, right! There was that cafe she had been meaning to try out in the Solar District! Now to find someone else to bring along. Who would work...

    She looked over at the first person that came to mind, mostly because he was her most recent interaction. As if he could feel her eyes boring into his head, Amenti looked back.

    "So..."

    The two continued their interlocked gazes. One was waiting patiently for an answer with an uncanny focus strangely befitting his appearance. The other was struggling internally, wondering how it was even possible that something so trivial like asking a question could get stuck on the tip of her tongue. It was a whole lot easier when it was all business.

    After a while of one-sided awkwardness that felt like forever, she finally got it out. "...Want to grab a bite to eat?"

    Amenti didn''t respond, so she assumed he wanted to know where exactly she was planning to go. "It''s in the Solar District."

    The ghostly apparition made a sound like wind nudging open an oaken door. Seryuah took that sigh as a sign that she probably wasn''t going to get an affirmation. Not like she really expected him to agree to go; Amenti was partial when it came to dimmer environments. Which was why she raised her eyebrows in mild surprise at his hand gesture signalling ''Fine, fine''.

    She turned back forwards, not even registering the feeling of a universe''s laws descending upon her, so focused was she on pondering what manner of small talk would suit someone like Amenti. That, and she had gone through the whole process hundreds of times already, so it wasn''t anything new. Immediately after they entered the landing lobby, they teleported straight into the city, close to the boundary between the Solar District and Primary District. Some might question the lack of security measures for arriving individuals, like wards to prevent such instantaneous transportation, but there were countermeasures in place without compromising ease of travel for Regis members. Sending out a sample of one''s energies for the scanners within the lobby to pick up and verify was the only one that required any conscious effort to do, but that took a mere fraction of a second.

    In the middle of a street appeared the blue-haired human and the brown-cloaked apparition. Many of the civilians who had spent an adequate amount of time living in Equinox were no strangers to random acts of teleportation, so no one spared anything more than a passing glance. As for the individuals who suddenly popped up, their reason for showing up here and not their intended destination was right in front of them. Above them, to be exact.

    Hanging upside-down from his legs was a black-haired human with a purple and yellow yin yang mask. He was lollygagging about on one of the decorations just below the skyline.

    Heya! said Jin. Never thought I''d see you two hanging out together. What''re you up to?

    Oftentimes, when they were both available, Seryuah would consider spending time with this oddball. Maybe she could pick up some of his easygoing behavior along the way, but it was mostly because there was rarely a dull moment with him around. Him and his unchanging oriental attire. Well, when you find a look that works...

    Just grabbing a bite to eat at this cafe I heard about.

    The Coffee Cafe or Winslow''s Diner?

    Some place called Crumpets''n''Cha.

    Crumpets''n''Cha! Where was that, it''s in... Sol?! Grim, my boy! Getting some sun, at last! Amenti sighed upon hearing his nickname.

    Jin dive-bombed towards his two companions on the ground before teleporting them straight to the aforementioned locale. It was a quaint restaurant with an outdoor terrace, with patrons occupying about half of it at any given time. The place had an angle without anything to obstruct the sun with, so the umbrella-covered tables were a nice touch.

    After being welcomed and seated by a serpentine waitress, Amenti''s first action was to reach out and open up their table''s umbrella, prompting a couple of chuckles from the other two. Ignoring the ghastly grumble that was clearly directed at him, Jin went straight to summoning the fourth person who would be joining them today.

    "-...so I think the next step would b-..." The thoroughly confused Avisec quickly transitioned into thoroughly peeved when she turned around and saw the culprit of her abduction raise his hand in deliberately slow greeting.

    "Hi."

    "JIN, YOU... ugh, I know I said you could bring me whenever. So I guess that''s on me, but at least give me a warning next time?"

    "Nah."

    "What do you mean, no?!"

    "That''s no fun."

    "Haagh..."

    The two silent onlookers enjoyed watching this scene unfold before them. Well, Seryuah assumed her fellow spectator did, at least. It was hard to tell under that dour guise of his.

    Things calmed down once the waitress returned to take their orders. A moment of dispute later over a certain someone''s desire to have one of everything, they settled on a standard fare of tea and crumpets.

    Picking up her teacup, Seryuah had a sudden impulse to act humorously within context. "I bid thee good morrow, my fine sirs and madam."

    Jin matched up with her imitated accent and equally exaggerated mannerisms. "Truth beeth toldeth, milady. ''Tis within the late hours of the even."

    Seryuah enjoyed having her attempts at amusing people reciprocated, even if the only one who did was a wild card when it came to this stuff. Avy just rolled her eyes and Amenti kept a constant vigil.

    "Say, Jin. Shouldn''t you be spending some time with your wife and kids?"

    "Why, my shiny silver cockatrice! I am wounded. Could you possibly be insinuating that I am a terrible father?"

    "Well, maybe! I mean-"

    "Ssshe wannnts... you to get themmm... off her back," said Amenti, his raspy, dragging speech revealing itself. The person he addressed responded with cackling and a thumbs up.

    "Don''t you laugh it off! Those kids of yours are becoming carbon copies of you, especially the shorter one!"

    "Ah yes, the miracle of genetics. Genotypes, was it?"

    "Phenotypes. And no, you dunce. That''s not the whole story. Could you at least tell them to keep their distance away from me?"

    "Can''t do, sorry." Avy was glaring daggers at him. "What? Variety''s the spice of life, my glossy little cockatoo. Letting them run into so many personalities and experiences broadens their horizons at a young age. That, and Xara and I are always keeping a third eye out for''em. Nice key lime pie they gave you, by the way. Wish I coulda had some myself."

    Before the victim of the classic prank could unleash a torrent of frenzied talons upon her indirect aggressor''s face, an annoyed expression replaced her current irate one. She pulled up a HoloPad from the dining table before browsing her inbox. It would appear as though her subdermal implant notified her of someone texting her a message, which was actually a rare occurrence, considering most people she already cared about would talk to her via telepathy.

    In the meanwhile, Seryuah took the chance to try out some small talk herself. "How is she doing by the way, Jin?"

    "Who, Xara? Same as always. Whenever she wants me, she drags me over herself. Think I still got some bruises from the last time..." He jokingly rubbed his back.

    "Heh, kinky."

    "Hey Avy! You doing alright over there?" She turned her head around to find the avian''s eyes slightly widened from whatever the contents were of her text.

    Jin slowly slid his way over to have a peek. "Heh-hey! I knew he''d come around eventually!"

    Snapping out of her shock, Avy went straight to swiping at his face with her talons, no waitress this time to impede her advance. Harmless play, of course; the razor sharp ends slid innocuously off of their target. "YOU! Weren''t you supposed to be the one handling that insufferable wretch?!"

    "Insufferable wretch no more, at least. Besides, haven''t we learned a lesson from all this? Archetypal behavior ain''t stagnant behavior. People can change!"

    Avy had already halted her assault in the middle of Jin talking. Roosting in her chair, she reflected a bit on the implications. Sure, the new guy was the spitting image of the ''cultivator'' archetype, but who knew if they were actually dead set in their ways? She''d never find out if she didn''t even give him a chance.

    She typed out a reply to the sender momentarily afterwards that made Jin give a thumbs up in approval.

    "Alright, haagh... I''ll give the newbie a clean slate."

    "That''s the spirit!" said Jin, bumping her beak with a balled-up fist. "I knew you''d get something out of this experience!"

    Some gears began turning in her head as Avy connected those words together. "Wait... were you the reason why Mekkor assigned me to teaching Rowan?"

    Silence.

    Then, the screeching of metal on concrete as Jin steadily scooched away. He broke out into a full run as soon as Avy charged at him in a flurry of gleaming metal. It ended up creating a scene featuring an angry bird screaming obscenities barreling down the road alongside a human hooting with playful laughter. Seryuah could hardly hold back her own.

    After that bout of excitement died down, it was just the two of them left. Aside from the waitress that came to collect the dishes from the vacant spots, there was only a one-sided uncomfortable silence. She nibbled on a crumpet to take her mind off the abrupt awkwardness. Oh, how she longed to retreat back to the solace and familiarity of training! Maybe she could spar with Rowan? She almost forgot he was here until the topic was brought up earlier, having not seen each other since he first came along.

    She got ready to verbalize her intent to Amenti, but found his red light of an eye focused on something. Following its gaze behind her, she saw Marc strolling about. The man was acting like his usual jaunty self, casually flirting with any humanoid females he happened to pass by. He had a toothy grin and gelled up hair that would give one the impression that this was someone who was feeling at the top of the world. It certainly left an impact on the locals, at least.

    When he got closer to their table, however, instead of giving friendly or awkward waves, they gave him a knowing nod. And for a split second there, the facade of elation was broken. But only for a second. He quickly recovered and returned their signals of encouragement with a nod of his own before returning on his merry way.

    Seryuah''s discomfort was blown away, only to let her be consumed in thought. They both knew the place where Marc had visited just now:

    The Under. Named simply in order to lighten the atmosphere surrounding the subject, but in actuality accomplishing very little when it came to alleviating the gravity of it. Seryuah still remembered her very first trip there. Everyone did. It was an event that changed someone, marking a turning point in their lives as they learned just how... fair the multiverse had to be.

    She looked down at her dim reflection in the teacup, lost in thought. "Maybe that''s the reason for my parents'' fate..." Her two-handed grip tightened to the point where it shattered the china. Hot, dark liquid and shattered porcelain spilled all over her hands, but they barely registered to her. A hand covered her own, shaking her out of her trance. It was cold and clammy to the touch, but it was the gesture itself that warmed her.

    Right. Moping around like this was rather unsightly. She couldn''t let herself be seen like this by her little brother.

    She glanced over at what Amenti was working on. Apparently, it was a compilation of data he''d gathered from his journey across thousands of universes. The use of yellowed parchment was an interesting decision, but from what she could see, it was impressively thorough. Expeditions like this could take millennia to accomplish, but thanks to the existence of temporal recalling, only a day could pass in Regis before such a journey finished. Seryuah herself had been on one of these trips herself, but lost interest midway through. However, based on her ghostly companion''s findings, there was... so much more to see!

    Seryuah stood up. "Thanks Amenti. You helped me a lot just now, and I really appreciate it."

    He gave a wheeze of acknowledgement. Parting in opposite directions after paying for their meals, Seryuah started contacting her old team to get them together. Sparring could wait. It was about time she got up and started really seeing what the multiverse had in store for her!