The first Alex saw of New Chicago was, unsurprisingly, the walls. They were as impressive as ever, completely unchanged in the month that Alex had spent away from the city.

  The walls were reassuring, in a way. Alex’s life had changed irreversibly, setting his course towards greatness. He’d fought in harder trials than most would ever even consider. He’d struggled against a parasitic mana type that had changed so many things he thought he’d known. He’d grown from the experiences, and not just because of the rewards the Trialbringer seemed content to lavish upon him.

  And New Chicago had stayed the same. Unaffected by his absence. He was still just Tier 1 after all, what was one recent graduate compared to millions of people?

  Part of him wished it were different, wanting to be more important. It was this ambition that drove him forward most days.

  Today, he was just happy to be almost home. He was far too tired to worry about anything else. All he wanted to do was find Becca and go back to his dorm.

  Except he wasn’t a student anymore. The next year’s seniors had likely moved into the dorms while he was gone.

  The thought was a bit alarming. He was an adult now, which meant he’d have to figure things out for himself. His plan had been to apply for adventurer housing before graduation, high-performing Academy students were generally accepted without additional training, but he hadn’t gotten around to doing so before things began to spiral.

  It wasn’t like he’d be out on the streets, New Chicago’s government made sure that no one was homeless. Of course, the low-tier housing for those who hadn’t found anything better left a lot to be desired. Kicking off his adult life with a few hundred square feet of space and a bathroom he shared with several others sounded awful.

  At least it would only be for a day or two, he doubted the guild would take much time reviewing his application. Aspirant adventurer housing wasn’t much more space, but he’d get his own shower.

  After years in Academy dorms, Alex was really looking forward to having his own shower.

  Except he wouldn’t be with the Aspirants. He was a Neophyte now.

  For a second, he worried that might complicate the application process, but that thought was quickly pushed to the side. Being responsible for the planet’s tier up should help cut through any concerns about his competency.

  *****

  New Chicago’s Northern wall had several gates. Alex had never actually been to the Southern or Western walls, but he’d heard both were designed in the same way. Points of egress may be considered a tactical flaw if the city ever came under siege, but magical reinforcement limited the risk significantly. Anything that could make it through the gates would be confronted by one of the city’s elites before it could reach that point.

  Their driver clearly had a gate in mind, taking them straight to the center of the Northern gate. It hadn’t been the closest gate on their approach, but Alex quickly discovered why the wall had been selected when Jess’s mother jumped the wall and ran to meet them on foot while they were still about a hundred yards away.

  Alex actually didn’t recognize her at first, especially with how quickly she was moving. She may work in construction, but the woman had reached level 49 a long time ago. Standing at the peak of Tier 2, her attributes let her move at speeds Alex could hardly track.

  Shanae Thomas covered the ground separating her from the car in barely a second, which surprised Alex as he’d been under the impression that her mana type had nothing to do with speed. She opened the door and engulfed her daughter in a hug.

  “Mom!” Jess hadn’t been watching the walls as intently as Alex, so she missed the approach. While the hug hadn’t been expected, she clearly wasn’t upset with the sudden presence of her mother. Alex could hear the joy in Jess’s voice as she quickly returned the hug.

  Anthony, who’d taken the middle seat, leaned quite a bit into Alex’s space to give the reunited familial duo what space they could manage. Their driver, and Alex just now realized that he’d never bothered to ask her name, slowed down at first but a motion from Plato quickly got them moving again.

  Alex could see the Stirlings floating above the wall, signifying to Anthony that they were here to meet him. It hadn’t been as long since they’d seen Anthony, so Alex figured their more reserved greeting made sense.

  Soon the gates were opening, and the ATV suddenly accelerated into the city. Alex’s Sensitivity let him discern that it was Mrs. Stirling whose patience had run dry. With a Tier Up under his belt, her Domain was distinctive, even with Earth’s mana density.

  Anthony and Jess quickly vacated the vehicle to start talking with their parents, leaving Alex alone to consider how obvious Mrs. Stirling’s Domain was as he exited behind them. He’d hardly noticed Plato’s Domain at all, and it was possible he’d been wrong about sensing it.

  Mr. Stirling was similar, but not quite as hidden. Even from about a dozen feet away all Alex could sense was that Mr. Stirling’s surroundings were somehow healthier.

  Comparatively, standing by Mrs. Stirling felt like he’d found the fabled end of the rainbow. Did she have to put up with pot of gold jokes? It was a riot of colors, and he could tell that the colors were all capable of different things.

  She was a Creation mage. Had she Created spells to store in her Domain? The implications proved sufficiently distracting as Alex carefully avoided thinking about Becca’s absence, and the reality that no one had come to meet him.

  He didn’t want to ask after his girlfriend, afraid that he’d ruin the mood. Ms. Thomas had finally calmed down enough to tell Jess just how worried she’d been, with the clear implication that she was even more excited to see her return.

  “You’ve grown so much!” The ecstatic woman still hadn’t let go of Jess, “I’ve heard almost everything from Alice, I’m so proud of you.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Mrs. Stirling’s Domain really was a fascinating sight. He’d initially compared it to a rainbow, but it wasn’t anywhere near so defined. The colors blended together, uncaring of any natural spectrum. They extended far into the air, and Alex realized that if his guess was correct she likely had dozens or even hundreds of spells stored and ready to unleash if she faced a monster capable of forcing her to start revealing her Abilities.

  He felt a bump to his arm, and turned to Plato. When he was a golden retriever, the scholar had come up to around Alex’s waist. Now, the wolf’s shoulder was level with his ribcage. Considering Alex’s height, that made the wolf incredibly large for his species.

  “I may not look the part anymore, but I still appreciate a good scratch behind my ears. If you would?”

  Alex obliged mechanically, quickly discovering that petting a wolf was nearly as fun as petting a dog, if only for the novelty. Plato was apparently too dignified to wag his tail now, but Alex could tell that he had found the right spot from how the wolf’s ears relaxed against his head.

  The driver quickly vacated the premises, leaving just their group near the gate. Any nearby soldiers seemed to be of a similar mind to the driver, stay out of the way of the Imprinted.

  Neither of them spoke, but Alex felt a bit better. The others calmed down quickly, as even the thrill of reuniting with family couldn’t erase the reality that they had returned to the city short a member of their team.

  Short a member of their team for now, Alex thought to himself. Muhammad was not dead, no matter how Jess’s face fell when he was gently mentioned by her mother.

  “How are the Ayads?” Jess asked. Alex had only met Muhammad’s family a few times. Besides his parents, he also had two younger sisters. In the stress of the past weeks, he’d hardly spared a thought for how they’d feel.

  “I haven’t spoken to them since we heard the news,” her mother sighed, “I’ve heard that Yusuf is working long hours, but not much else.” Yusuf was Muhammad’s father. While the number of Attuned in the city was well past a thousand, they generally all knew each other at least by name. When you would live for centuries and had effectively eidetic memory, it was only a matter of time until you’d met all of your peers in your community, even one as large as theirs.

  Alex was struck by the impulse to insist that Muhammad was not dead, but managed to keep quiet. At best, he’d just receive pity from the Imprinted for his troubles.

  “I should talk to them,” Jess sighed, “It’s my responsibility.” They hadn’t gotten to register with the Adventurer’s Guild yet, but when they did Jess would be their leader. Beyond the extra hours she’d spent learning group tactics, that came with responsibilities that Alex wanted nothing to do with.

  “I already have,” Mrs. Stirling replied, “You were all under our protection, even if we didn’t enter the trials with you. It is best to give them some space.”

  Jess was clearly not inclined to argue the point. She leaned a bit further into her mother, who still hadn’t let her go. No one spoke for a few seconds as the mood had turned somber.

  “So, where’s Becca?” Anthony asked, breaking the short-lived silence.

  “She’s back at the tower,” Mrs. Stirling replied, “She managed to form an aperture a few hours ago, but it didn’t solidify fast enough. With her mana type’s… volatility, the backlash was quite explosive.”

  A thrill of panic ran through Alex at that pronouncement, but Mr. Stirling quickly interjected, “She’ll be fine, of course, but this isn’t the first injury she’s suffered. I decided to leave her to rest.”

  Alex calmed down at that. His faith in the man’s healing was absolute, after witnessing some of the miracles he was capable of. If he said Becca would be fine, she’d be fine.

  “She’s been pushing herself far too hard. Trying to force things like this would’ve gotten her killed without our assistance. Hopefully you’ll be able to talk some sense into her,” Mrs. Stirling sighed. Her tone made it obvious that she doubted they’d succeed.

  Alex could see why, he definitely wouldn’t want to fall behind the others if he found himself in a similar scenario. The fact that she’d been left back at the tower told him that she had probably injured herself enough that even Mr. Stirling couldn’t completely mitigate the consequences.

  “Couldn’t you stop her if she’s hurting herself?” Anthony asked. Alex recoiled a bit at the thought, but had to admit that it was reasonable. Becca would hate being held back, but if she was endangering herself she clearly wasn’t thinking clearly.

  “Part of the problem is her mana type,” Mrs. Stirling replied, “Spark is… unruly. Her control has improved in leaps and bounds in mere weeks, but forming an aperture at Tier 0 requires perfection.”

  “Still,” Anthony protested. Alex appreciated his friend handling the conversation. He was frozen between a desire to lash out after hearing Becca was hurt and how much he respected both of the Stirlings.

  It just didn’t make sense. Becca was smart, she was reasonable. There was no way she’d somehow started to self-destruct in just a few weeks. Why weren’t the Stirlings helping her? Alex took a deep breath, determined to hear things out before he made up his mind. If he started talking, he wouldn’t be anywhere near as calm.

  Mr. Stirling had a deep frown on his face, “It’s out of our hands, Anthony. David’s been working with her for the past week. He’s very excited by the prospect of another Mythic or Unique Achievement.”

  During his time as an Aspirant, Alex had gotten to know the Stirlings better. If there was one thing he’d learned, it was how hesitant they both were to speak ill of David Alvarez. The man was New Chicago’s savior, and a close friend. They’d clearly not approved of how he’d derailed Alex’s entrance to Tier 0, but hadn’t openly rebuked the actions more than once or twice.

  This was clearly the same. Mr. Stirling was leaving out details because he didn’t have anything good to say about David’s actions.

  The realization sent a flash of fury through Alex’s veins. It hadn’t been enough for David to tear into his soul, he had to go after Becca as well? How many of them would the man hurt in his quest to gain new Achievements?

  His brain happily filled in the various missing details. Becca had been separated from the team, determined to succeed on her own merits, just like he was. She’d worked her way to a dead end, and there David had been. Inspire just waiting to help her push through the bottleneck in her progress.

  The thought made him feel sick. He needed to see her. Needed to help. His hand ceased its repetitive scratching movements behind Plato’s ears and was instead balled into a fist above the wolf’s back.

  “Alex, relax,” The wolf spoke. There was an intensity to his words that immediately snapped Alex out of the negative spiral, “Becca will be fine. David is not so driven as to ignore her safety.”

  With his focus broken, Alex looked up to see that the high tiers and Jess had noticed his distress. Anthony looked over as well after Plato addressed him.

  “Plato is right,” Mr. Stirling agreed, “I’m sorry if my statement misled you. Becca’s injury today was quite severe, but none of the previous incidents were anywhere near as dangerous. David has agreed that she’ll rest for a few days before trying again.”

  Alex calmed down a bit at that, but he was still wary. These were David’s closest allies. They’d naturally see the best in his actions after decades spent together.

  It was also undeniable that it would be completely trivial for Mr. Stirling to hide his dissatisfaction. The fact that he’d shown any in the first place was proof that things weren’t quite so simple.

  Becca was apparently recovering in the Stirling Tower, instead of a hospital room. Had she been removed from David’s presence when he insisted she continued working?

  He’d have to try and figure that out soon. For now, he had something more important to do.

  “Can I see her?”