LA had been nicer than Caleb had expected. Not a city of dreams like his father had professed, but a strangely calming place. A different kind of paradise, one where the sun shone and a carefree air permeated the streets.

  The people had been strange, though in their own unique way and probably not to greater a degree than people elsewhere. Especially not the weirdest people he remembered back home.

  His school had been nice too. A proper one. His father had made sure of that. There was even an actor’s kid at his school. Not from any film he recognised, and not a very famous actor, but a recognisable one still.

  It’d been nice. Really nice. And then Casey had given birth.

  He’d never known a baby could be so evil.

  ‘Caleb stop poking her’

  ‘But it’s not fair, she shouldn’t get to sleep during the day when she keeps us awake at night. Now I have to do my homework half asleep.’

  ‘She’s a baby Caleb. She can’t know any better. And do you want her to wake up and start screaming now?’

  ‘She cries less during the day’

  His father had looked to him, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘I’ll help with your homework, alright? Just no more poking. She’s your sister.’

  ‘I don’t care if she’s my sister. I hate her’

  ‘Don’t’ say that’ his father muttered, serious. ‘Don’t ever say that.’

  ‘I didn’t mean it. She’s just annoying. And loud’

  ‘She’s a baby’ his dad chuckled.

  ‘I still don’t like her’

  ‘Well, you love her at least?’

  ‘…maybe’

  ‘Don’t say maybe. How do you think that makes her feel’

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t care.’

  ‘Well, you should. You know she might remember this’

  ‘No, she won’t. She’s a baby’

  ‘She still might remember’

  ‘You’re just saying that to mess with me. It’s not funny’

  ‘I’m serious. Nobody knows what babies remember’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Mhm’ his father nodded. "You want to hold her? Make up for it"

  "...no"

  ‘You don’t want to hold her?’

  ‘No. She might throw up on me again’

  His father had laughed, before quickly stifling himself as Kayla moved, before quickly returning to her slumber. Caleb had smiled briefly. His dad’s laugh was a hearty sound, one he’d done more often as of late.

  ‘Just hold her for a bit’ his father had muttered. ‘For me’

  ‘…alright’

  He took his sister in his arms, frowning as he held her. She seemed so delicate. So small. A smile touched his lips as he rocked her back and forth gently, her chest rising and falling slowly as she snored.

  ‘See, you do love her.’

  ‘No’ he muttered quickly. ‘I’m just glad she’s asleep.’

  ‘Well, you’re smiling pretty hard.’

  ‘No, I’m not.’

  ‘Sure’ his dad had chuckled. ‘Sure.’

  Caleb opened his eyes slowly. He found himself staring up at a stone ceiling, adorned with runic markings around the painted image of two crossed swords behind a fist. His fist. He blinked slowly, a sudden de ja vu washing over him before he sat up, grabbing at his arm. It twinged with pain, and he looked to it a strange but stiff sleeve wrapping it tightly.

  He moved it slowly, wincing as the memories rushed back to him. He let out a sigh before looking around again. He was back in his palace. He slumped back to the bed letting out a sigh.

  I hope I haven’t lost another six weeks

  Quickly he stepped off from the bed, wincing again as his arm hung half limp at his side. He looked to himself, wearing strange clothes similar to the attire he’d worn after waking the first time.

  He frowned, flinching as more pain shot through his arm, a strange echo carried by the sensation, a mixture of the physical and magical.

  His skill felt fine, better than fine even, his core burning brighter than it had before as the heat of his magic filled his body. But his right arm was dead, practically devoid of all magic. He gulped nervously looking to it as he raised the cast again trying to spot some kind of rune that might be causing the effect.

  Nothing appeared.

  “I hope that’s not permanent” he muttered.

  [It shouldn’t be] a voice said behind him. He looked back watching as Esaeni stepped into his room carrying a bowl filled with herbs. [I see your doing well.]

  “Uh- yeah” he mumbled.

  [Good. Though I would recommend not overloading again. I’d have expected Daen to inform you if things hadn’t happened so suddenly] she said setting down the bowl on his bedside.

  “Oh” he mumbled looking to the arm. “It’s not bad is it? It won’t be like this forever, will it? I mean I healed fine before.”

  [Don’t’ fret] she said, taking mixing the herbs together with her fingers. [Your soul’s resilient so it won’t be that way for long. But repeatedly overloading can cause permanent damage. This overload was nowhere near as bad as the other, but you’re still lucky. Or should I say your natural talent for singularity has afforded you luck thus far. While overloading can be useful in certain situations, it should always be a last resort.]

  “Right” he muttered, clutching at his arm “It was more of an instinctual thing, but I understand. I won’t do it again.”

  [Good] she said, taking the strange cast gently, before applying the herb and oil mixture on his skin around it’s edges. [And congratulations.]

  “Congratulations?”

  [Yes. We congratulate all soldiers for their success in service. And the Yildaric Order’s success has been monumental.]

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Oh, thank you” he muttered, his face reddening slightly, before he frowned. “How long was I asleep for?”

  [Only a few hours.]

  He let out a sigh of relief. Esaeni’s eyes began to glow as her mana twisted around her body in a beautiful pattern, swirling forward before it washed over his arm, rippling like a wave as it. He winced slightly as his arm gradually grew hotter and hotter, a tingling passing through his magical form as it retained the heat.

  [That’s all for today] Esaeni said with a nod. [You should be better by next week.]

  “Thank you” he said with a nod.

  [Are you planning to walk around?]

  “Uh- I’m not sure”

  [Would you like a sling anyway?]

  He nodded and Esaeni pulled one of the silks from around her neck wrapping it over his shoulder and around his sling. She tied it securely

  [I’m to go now, I have a baby to care for. You should visit him sometime. It would be nice if you could partake in the sharing of stories]

  “A-alright” he muttered, with an awkward nod. Esaeni offered a small smile, then exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. He stared at it, then looked to his cast before glancing out the magic window.

  What did he do now? One second, he’d been in the middle of a festival, the next a terrifying fight, and now he was back here. He could go home. But he’d left Casey and Kayla only a few hours ago. Showing up with a cast and having to explain.

  He could go back to the others, the earth chosen. But that would be pretty wild too. Now that he really thought about it, he’d been whisked away by some random guy in strange clothes and hadn’t shown up again. What were they even doing anyway? Hopefully reuniting with their families.

  It was so strange, suddenly being disconnected from the happenings of Earth like this. He needed to find a way to stay informed. Not just about things happening on the planet, but other planets as well. If he was going to be in the thick of one of it’s seemingly most important and powerful organisation, he needed to get a better understanding of the Federation.

  There’s probably something here in the palace, he thought. Should’ve asked Esaeni.

  He started for the door then paused, looking down to his clothes. He still wasn’t entirely sure these weren’t this planet’s equivalent of pyjamas. He looked to the wardrobe across the room. Given the sling it was probably best to leave it.

  Though he did need to find a pair of shoes. Walking around barefoot didn’t exactly seem to be some sort of. important tradition considering no one else was doing it. Aliyah had probably misunderstood.

  -

  Caleb sat on the roof of the school, overlooking the palace, the fields and the market below. He was quiet, taking in the splendour of the scene as he nibbled at his sandwich.

  He’d searched for a while, briefly taking a look in the database before his arm had started to hurt, and a strange feeling had washed over him. It was weird. He hadn’t even been thinking all that much about the chaos of the fight.

  Now that it was over it felt like barely a blip on his radar. But he still felt strange. Internally. Not just magically but emotionally. There was a discomfort that hadn’t been there before. A twisting feeling in his gut, deeper than just an anxiety. He let out a sigh.

  He’d recalled his walk with Aliyah, his first day awake back here. So, he’d visited Kana and Ryan, then come up here. The sight was calming somehow, the endless rolling hills of green, perfect blue of the sky. Knowing he was close to his friends in some way, along with the view, it helped take his mind of the pain, gave him a reprieve from all his muddled thoughts and feelings.

  A few students from the training school below had come up with what appeared to be lunches, but had left quickly after spotting him, offering quick bows and some food before scurrying away. He’d only taken one of the sandwiches from a seemingly insistent boy who’d refused to leave until Caleb had accepted the gift.

  Caleb didn’t understand it, it was a nice sandwich, but the boy had spoken of gaining favour and Yuniea’s eye. He didn’t know how giving him a sandwich equated to any of those things.

  He was probably, as Caleb was starting to realise most were, desperate for a record. It made sense. In a multiversal space war with magic and gods, those that contributed the most were those with magic. Those that lived had magic. Those that people remembered had magic. He frowned, recalling what Daen had said about the frontier. Maybe that’s what was getting to him. The idea that despite what he’d fought through, what he’d seen that the war got so much worse.

  Because if that’d been the chaos of a surprise fight, he couldn’t imagine the destruction of an organised one. And normal people went into that? Just to fight? He shuddered. Maybe the reverence others seemed to regard him with wasn’t so difficult to understand. Still, he felt any normal person who could step into that or worse had earned respect far greater than his own.

  He leant back, resting on his good arm as he looked up to the sky.

  They said the Federation had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. He couldn’t quite fathom it. The number of lives lost. How many had existed in that time? How many had never known peace?

  He felt a sudden wave of mana flow outwards from behind him and flinched, spinning quickly. A portal of red swirled around behind him, before Daen stepped out of it, grinning.

  [I was told you were up here] Daen said with a smile. [It’s a nice view, though usually reserved for students. Come up here to sleep?]

  “N-no” Caleb muttered standing quickly. “I just didn’t want to mess with the cast.”

  [Ah. Well it’s a nice spot. A good view. I used to sit up here and play knights with my brother when we were younger.]

  “You brother?”

  [Yes. I intended to introduce the two of you at the festival but the universe had other plans. I should organise an official meeting with you and the rest of my family. You’ve met my sister, well- my sister’s met you.]

  “While I was asleep?”

  [Yes. She picked you and your friends up from your trial planet. Brought you here.]

  “Oh, I think the others mentioned something like that? Rya was it?”

  [Rhylla] Daen said. Caleb nodded to himself, glancing back to the palace. [Oh please, sit, I didn’t intend to bother you.]

  “It’s alright” Caleb said chuckling, before furrowing his brow. “Daen, is there a way to stay in the know about everything? Like news and stuff.”

  [Hm? Oh well certainly. There are devices, similar to your phones and TVs made specifically for news sharing, and you saw the tablets in the database, though most are prohibited in our order.]

  “Really?”

  [Yes. One of the few archaic traditions that carried over from the Epotaric. But don’t worry, there’s extensions you can add to your record that don’t violate the code. Stuff that allows you to keep in touch with the news networks and other collections of media. It takes a little favour, but if you ask Yuniea and she grants it you’ll be up to date with all networks. I can pay if you’d like?]

  “No, it’s alright” he muttered. “I’ll- I can do it myself.”

  Daen nodded, before tilting his head as he studied Caleb.

  [Is everything alright?]

  “Hm? Yeah, I just… I don’t know. I feel a little funny” Caleb said, frowning as he looked to the markets below. “Everything just feels a little confused.”

  [It happens, especially when . You weren’t awake for it last time, but everything goes back to normal after a while.] Daen said. Caleb nodded, glancing to his arm. [I’m still amazed though. You’ve overloaded twice and been mostly ok both times. Singularity or something akin to it likely saved you both times.]

  “Singularity? You mentioned that back when we were on the planet. What is it?”

  [Uh… well, singularity is sort of the purpose of soul based skills. It’s the perfect overlap of your magical, physical and mind for a singular goal. A manifestation of your will for a set task. A… self embodiment of sorts.]

  “And it makes you stronger?”

  [In a way. Though more vulnerable in others.]

  “How?”

  [Well, depending on how much you want whatever it is your aiming for, it can make you unstoppable. Singularity protects your soul from external and internal harm to whatever degree your desire allows. But such singular focus of the soul can make it brittle against any other stresses. And if your soul shatters – like it can when overloading – well… there’s a reason it’s best to use only as a last-ditch effort, or certain victory. Overloading too, I guess. Though it’s a great tool to defeat an evenly matched opponent too.]

  “Or even surprise a much stronger one”

  [Now your getting it] Daen said smiling. Caleb chuckled to himself, looking down to his scarred hand as he recalled the feeling. It’d been a strange one. Too difficult to really take account of when he’d faced the woman. That’d been desperation. Pure fear. But before, against the tribesmen.

  Compared to now, he’d felt perfect. Even if only for a moment, he’d felt completely unstoppable.

  A goal, he thought, I can be unstoppable if I just believe enough in a goal.

  “That gives a whole new definition to you can achieve whatever you set your mind to” he muttered. Daen chuckled.

  [I’ll teach you properly, though only so you avoid dangers. In your case it’s probably best to limit how much you dedicate your being to these goals. Usually that’s built in, but that because it’s difficult for most to dedicate themselves so wholly to something like this. But it’ll also be good to practice fatiguing your soul. Helps build resistance in case of partial failure.]

  “Is that why I was so tired afterwards?”

  [Yes and no. You did experience a bit of bite back, but mostly you exhausted your reserves. Your soul was actually pretty unaffected. Well… I think you may have even repaired some of the damage your overload caused when you achieved it to block the attack. Either way the tiredness doesn’t really come from damage. Damage results in much worse.]

  “Oh.”

  [It’s alright. We’ll practice. And anyway, we can talk about this another time. I have something for you, for all your contributions.]

  “You have something for me? Is it the armour?”

  [No. Though that’ll be ready soon.]

  “What is it?”

  [A surprise.]

  “I’m not that big on surprises” Caleb said.

  [Don’t worry. This was a little short notice, but I think you’ll like it.]

  Caleb frowned as Daen grinned to himself, then opened another portal. Caleb frowned as Daen gestured inside. The mana wasn’t that strange, and given everything he didn’t have much reason to distrust the man. He shrugged then stepped forward, finding himself inside of a well decorated and warm room.

  Before he had a chance to realise what he was looking at, in a gust of air Sierra rushed him, practically tackling him with a hug.

  He laughed to himself a moment hugging her back as he looked past her to the others. Sillan, Ossila, Iricea, Harrison, Layla, Aliyah and Ria stood on the far side of the room, along with Casey who jogged forward after his sister as she sprinted across the. Sierra pulled away looking to him as Kayla leapt onto him, holding him tightly. He laughed looking down to her as he hugged her back, the pain of his arm forgotten.

  “Miss me already?”

  She didn’t respond, only clutching him tighter.