The private courtyard was exactly what I needed after getting my ass handed to me all morning. Rain kissed the wide stone surface, broken by intricate animal statues that looked like they'd leap to life any second. A small river channeled the rainfall under decorative bridges, turning the space into something from a fairy tale.

  Perfect for decompressing after discovering I had superhero magic.

  Red sprawled at the edge of the covered area, shooting the drizzle dirty looks. Typical dog: water-resistant layers of fur yet refuses to get wet.

  I leaned back, letting the rain cool my face. . The word still sent electricity through my veins. When that Seal had activated, I'd felt... . Senses sharper than a blade, reflexes that could dodge lightning, awareness that stretched so far beyond Bravery. Thirty meters? A hundred? And it was rock solid awareness too, nothing like the weirdly aggressive Bravery aura.

  But the crash? It sucked. Two minutes max before I was running on empty, spasming on the ground. And those weird flashes—memories of Ted training me in my dreams—flooded in with it. Before, it had been like remembering a dream, but now the memories seemed clear as day. I could fight. I’d been training hard… In my soul?

  "Did you really walk up to my mom naked?"

  Cass's voice made me jump; I hadn’t even been paying attention. She crouched next to Red, considering whether to pet him. A red satin robe I'd never seen clung to her frame—must be some Winter family thing.

  "Didn't have enough mana for clothes," I said with a shrug. "Couldn't even find a curtain."

  "Too bad." Her smirk was pure mischief as Red practically threw himself at her hand. "We have some really nice ones. But we needed you out of that armor so your mana could regenerate. Just goes slowly without monster cores."

  The rain filled the comfortable silence. Finally, she broke it.

  "Ben, that was..." She hesitated, like she was choosing her words carefully.

  "Reckless?" I braced for the lecture.

  Her grin blindsided me. "Fucking awesome. No wonder you took down a Brine Tyrant. You handled those Arbortrux like they were made of paper. Where did you learn to fight, and why didn't you tell me you figured out a Seal?"

  "Same one from yesterday morning," I said, studying her face. "When I healed your ankle—that was Valor. I just didn't know it. Wait, that was yesterday, right?"

  She frowned. "Yeah, just a good night's sleep... What do you mean you didn't recognize Valor? How the hell did you use it?"

  "It just... happened." I struggled to find words that wouldn't sound insane. "I saw it form in my mind, and then—zap—everyone was healed, excess mana gone."

  Cass stared ahead, her voice dropping to a whisper. "That's impossible, Ben. I mean, maybe for you it's not, but magic doesn't work that way. You can't use spells you don't know. That'd be like imagining something and having it just... exist."

  I turned to face her, dead serious. "Isn't that what magic is? Where I come from, magic doesn't exist. So we imagine it does. To a kid, magic is anything they want. Accidentally casting spells? That's the plot of half our stories."

  She laughed, but it sounded hollow. "And you don't think you'll pass me? I've been training almost a year, and I'm nowhere close to a Seal—you did it in less than a week. I can fight—that's why I focus on Striker work—but after being paired with Felix, and now you..."

  "Cass." I leaned forward. "We've had this conversation. I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. I'm just great at faking it." Taking a deep breath, I slowed down. "My magic is literally powered by Bravery. Want to know a secret? I'm still terrified. I can't go home, so now I live in a place where six giant, murderous beavers try to kill me on random Tuesdays."

  "Uh, Thursday," she corrected, completely straight-faced.

  I blinked. "What?"

  She tilted her head. "It's Friday today."

  My brain short-circuited. "Hold up. You're telling me the days of the week here are identical to Earth? How has no one mentioned this before?"

  Now she looked intrigued. "What are they called on Earth?"

  I rattled them off. She burst out laughing—the kind that makes your stomach hurt.

  "That's ridiculous! How is that even possible? I thought someone explained our calendar to you."

  "Like I said, Cass—anything's possible." I spread my hands theatrically. "We speak the same language, mostly. Apparently, something influenced both our worlds. Maybe it's magic."

  She shook her head, still chuckling. "Magic... Alright, Mr. Education, you're helping me figure out my Seal when we get to Sylvarus. I might be behind you, but I'm choosing to imagine I'm not that far off."

  Standing up, I stretched. Why did I always feel better around Cass? No mystery there—in this insane world, she was my anchor. Across an unknowable distance from Earth, living a completely different life, I'd found an actual friend.

  "Oh! Want this?" I pulled the Mana Orb from my earring, holding it out. "We're going hunting, right? Not sure about etiquette, but if it helps..."

  Cass's eyes went wide, like I'd just offered her a winning lottery ticket. "Ben, that's a Class-E Mana Orb. A big one. That's worth multiple silver coins, maybe even gold. I can't take that—you used so much saving us, healing my leg. Thank you, by the way. Should've started with that."

  I walked to a nearby statue—a lion-beast perched on stone—and placed the orb on its head like a hat. "Well, I'm maxed out. Practically bursting. So, I'll just leave this here. Looks nice, doesn't it?"

  I started walking away, hearing her exasperated sigh. A second later, a sharp gasp as she absorbed it.

  "Gaia's tits... Wow." Her voice carried pure wonder. "That was... intense. I've never felt mana like that. No wonder Hunters advance so fast taking down high-class monsters." She swayed in the rain, catching herself. "I was supposed to get one from the Spirit Realm job where we found you, but... well, Chas."

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  "Deadbeat mentor," I nodded.

  She laughed—bright and genuine.

  "So how does this work?" I asked. "Suit up and head to Riverbend?"

  "Since we're both basically overflowing with mana? Damn right. And this time, I'll have swords that can actually cut monsters. Those old ones were just steel—felt like trying to chop down a tree with a butter knife."

  "Ah, that explains everything," I said as we walked into the estate proper, Red trotting behind us, nose working overtime. "You barely scratched those Arbortrux. One spear hit dropped them."

  She nodded. "Depends on the monster's mana. Same principle as with people. Spirit Steel bypasses a lot of mana hardening, but struggles against higher-class monsters. Absolutely obliterates spiritual creatures like Glids though."

  We turned a corner into a grand foyer with sweeping staircases and a massive circular door covered in intricate designs. "I have about a million questions about Spirit Realms," I said.

  Cass laughed as we climbed the stairs. "You think I have answers? I've been to two. One was scarier than the other—you were there for that one. Entrances show up in the Greatwood mostly. Adepts explore them. Felix probably knows more, and we can research it at Sylvarus."

  "Speaking of which—what is an Adept?" I asked. "I keep hearing ranks but no explanations."

  She pushed open a door, revealing a lavish sitting room. Two mannequins stood guard—one wearing my armor, the other clearly hers. "Think Class-D Runebinder. They have Seals, know how to use them, and typically know several spell types. Basically, they're the experts." She began removing her armor from the mannequin. "A Master—Class-C—would be someone like Chas, though he's probably Grand Master by now. They use magic in ways that break my brain."

  "So Masters can punch mountains and tear reality?"

  Her smirk was wicked. "Chas is… different. He nearly beat Grand Master Alexander in a duel while still a Master. The factions made him join the Hunters after he lost. Politics. Then Maris insisted he take apprentices so she could boss him around. Best damn thing that ever happened to me, even if Chas sucks at teaching."

  I processed that. When Felix said they were new, I hadn't realized just how new.

  "Diana's stronger than Chas?"

  "Probably. But you should see him fight. Not Glids—he was barely using mana there. In an actual fight, especially against monsters. There's a reason he has a mural in the citadel."

  Red hopped onto an ottoman with a dramatic huff, settling in like he owned the place. His casual comfort was oddly reassuring.

  As we suited up, I couldn't help but notice Cass's tattoos. They seemed alive—intricate runic patterns flowing across her shoulders and arms, shifting between sharp angles and flowing curves.

  "What's with the tattoos?" I asked, buckling my belt.

  She raised an eyebrow. "You don't have sagas on Earth? They're runic markings. We're born with them."

  I froze. "Wait. Babies come out with glowing tattoos? That's insane. On Earth, tattoos are done with ink and needles, and definitely not to babies."

  She grimaced. "That sounds horrific. These aren't just decoration—they're tied to who we are, our lineage, our magic. My whole family shares patterns, except for personal runes that appear later. You've seen Erik's markings, right? And Mom's? They’re all pretty similar."

  I nodded, storing my clothes in the earring. "I saw hers—like yours but dimmer. Though I've seen plenty of Gaians and kids without tattoos. Want me to store yours?"

  She handed me her clothes. "Yeah, most have only one or two. The Winters family has more. The patterns on our arms and shoulders come from Dad's side."

  Her voice dipped mentioning her father. "Your dad... is he—?"

  "That's a story," she cut in with a half-smile, adjusting her bracers. "If you still have that Sevenfold, maybe I'll tell it later."

  I grinned, slipping her clothes into the earring. "Oh, I still have it."

  She finished suiting up, her tattoos dimming as armor settled into place. I mirrored her, sliding on my inconveniently sized armor with a dramatic sigh.

  "Alright," she said, straightening. "Let's grab weapons from Kerrin and see if any Wandering Wheels are still here. Maybe we can hitch a ride to Riverbend. Running the trail's fun, but it's all uphill."

  "Wandering Wheels?" I asked. "The Trailbinders?"

  "Yep! The carts are Trailbinders, but the Sentarians call themselves Wandering Wheels. Like a magical delivery service. Revolutionary—even the Empire uses them now."

  A courier service powered by magic carts? Oddly modern. Cass caught my expression and smirked.

  "Let me guess—you have those on Earth too?"

  "Sort of." I smirked.

  As we left, Red got up with an audible sigh, like our departure was a personal insult. He followed at his usual pace, occasionally sniffing the ground. Just as we reached the front door, Red stopped dead, ears perked, gaze fixed on the hallway.

  A low rumble escaped his throat.

  My head snapped to follow his stare, but the hall looked empty. Too far for my aura sense to work through armor, but Red wasn't buying it.

  Cass stiffened. Without missing a beat, she grabbed a stool and hurled it into the hallway with surprising force.

  "Shit!" A male voice yelped as the hallway twisted unnaturally, bending in a way that made my stomach lurch. A brown-haired teenager tumbled out of thin air, hitting the ground with a graceless thud and creative cursing.

  "What'd I tell you about sneaking around, Henrik?" Cass stormed over, yanking him to his feet with practiced efficiency.

  Henrik—her brother.

  "Oh, fuck off, Cass," he grumbled, brushing himself off. "If it weren't for that red beast, you wouldn't have known I was here. Perfect invisibility, thank you very much."

  Red made a hacking noise that sounded suspiciously like sarcastic laughter, smacking his lips for emphasis.

  "You might want to mask your smell," I offered. "Dogs can sniff out pretty much anything."

  Cass folded her arms. "You hear that? You stink. Go wash that mess you call a body—and stop creeping around when Elizabeth's here. You know she'll absolutely stab you if she catches you, right?"

  Henrik glared, rubbing his arm where she'd just punched him. "Ow, dammit, Cass! And I told you, it's not me she's sensing—probably someone else! I hope you step in shit outside."

  He stomped away, sliding a shoji door closed with as much force as his scrawny frame could manage. Red made another snuffling noise that definitely sounded like laughter.

  I narrowed my eyes. "Dogs don't laugh."

  Red panted, tongue lolling out in smug satisfaction.

  "That's Henrik," Cass said as we returned to the door. "Most irritating person on La-Roc—and my little brother. He figured out invisibility just to avoid chores."

  "And to spy on your friends."

  "Exactly. Not sure if you have siblings, but little brothers are the worst."

  “Mine's not bad. Danny—the kid's a genius,” I said, warmth flooding through me.

  “We're best friends and archrivals. Were I guess...” My voice trailed off as Cass opened the door.

  The courtyard was dotted with moss-covered statues of cloaked figures in prayer. Kerrin stood in the drizzle, speaking with several Sentarians near two large carts. Gaian men loaded boxes with military precision.

  "Ah, young Miss," Kerrin greeted, approaching us.

  "Yes, Kerrin—I bring the Young Miss! Heiress to La-Roc," I teased, catching the faint blush on Cass's face as she scowled.

  "This poor butler overheard you were bound for Riverbend," Kerrin continued smoothly. "The drivers insist on taking you. They feel it's the least they can do for services rendered."

  "They feel that way," Cass replied sharply, "or you told them to? I prefer asking myself, without you leveraging Mom's reputation."

  "Of course, young Miss," Kerrin inclined his head. "This poor butler simply relayed overheard information."

  His calm demeanor was impossible to read, but Cass finally sighed. "Thank you, Kerrin."

  "Most welcome. Your weapons are on the Trailbinder bench. The driver is Lorrin."

  Soon we were seated on a moving cart, my spear strapped to my back, and Cass's swords at her hips. Red had stubbornly refused to board, instead trotting alongside with effortless grace, showing zero strain keeping pace.

  I was fascinated by our Sentarian driver. His hand gripped a rune-covered rod extending from the cart's base—like a joystick. Push forward to accelerate, tilt for turns. No gears, no visible engine, and definitely no suspension. The uneven road sent us bouncing like ping-pong balls, while the cushioned bench did absolutely nothing.

  Weirdly, the driver barely moved.

  "How are you not flying out of your seat, Lorrin?" I asked after a brutal bump launched me skyward.

  "Anticipate the unanticipated," Lorrin replied smoothly. "Feel space's flow around us and predict the infinite."

  I stared at his back, trying to decipher that cryptic bullshit as another thud sent me sprawling. That's when I saw it.

  "Oh, you have a fucking seatbelt."

  "Indeed," Lorrin said without missing a beat. "I have a seatbelt."