"Come on, brat. What are we doing here? Just pick one of them already."

Just give them a few more seconds. I already know what you said, I just need to see what they are for the test. Now, who's being impatient?

"Bah," Maelis said. "You already asked me about the different paths. It's pretty much always worth it to just sacrifice the item and take the item's established growth path. Your eye is from a B Rank entity, right? That means it'll have guided evolutions up to B Rank, and then you can guide it on your own."

Yes, I get that. But for the sake of this experiment and the new equipment, I want to scan all the items. Then I can at least pick which one is the least interesting to sacrifice.

Alex knelt on the floor, and if he was being honest with himself, he felt just as anxious to get this done as Maelis. Three items were laid out in front of him, all valuable and all offering an increase to his power.

He'd spent the last several months pushing himself almost nonstop to bring several points of his power to the brink of advancements.

He felt the soft sensation of a cotton t-shirt as he rolled his shoulders. The buttons had frustrated him as they bumped into his chest, so he'd cut them off. Instead of his normal Celestial Robes, Alex wore normal tactical clothes, which were provided to all males in the Rift from the quartermaster. He sadly had to admit the robes were nearing the end of their life expectancy, even with the repair function on them.

"All right, Alex. Everything is up and running and at normal levels. Go ahead and make your choice. If you can, let us know what the names of each are and what it was from." The voice came through a rudimentary intercom system.

The small, all white room was chilly and so sterile it was a bit unsettling.

Alex adjusted the hat on his head and picked up the first item. His heart raced as he scanned it, even though he knew what it would say.

System has detected compatible organic material upgrade item: Veiled Oculus

"This is the Veiled Oculus. It was the eye of one of the aspects from the Rift—"

A cough came through the intercom and he heard Dr. Borman berate the other researcher before it cut off abruptly, leaving him in silence.

"It was from the Aspect of Concealment. When I push the System to view the upgrade…"

Growth Item Upgrade Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage (E-Rank)

Veiled Oculus: Illusory Projections

Sets the Awakened on the Path of influencing others with illusions or mental projections.

Would you like to use (Veiled Oculus) on:

Growth Item: Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage

Yes/No?

WARNING:

Growth Path of the item will be altered if this item is accepted.

The two windows appeared back to back, and he relayed the information to the research team monitoring the process.

He went through the remaining two options in a similar manner.

"This is the Hidden Grove Cherrybark. I found it really deep within the Night territory in a small grove of trees. One tree was completely unaffected by the Night's infection around it."

System has detected compatible organic material upgrade item: Hidden Grove Cherrybark

Growth Item Upgrade Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage (E-Rank)

Hidden Grove Cherrybark: Life Detection

Allows the ocular enhancement to perceive the strength and health of living beings through their mana patterns.

Would you like to use (Hidden Grove Cherrybark) on:

Growth Item: Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage

Yes/No?

WARNING:

Growth Path of the item will be altered if this item is accepted.

"Eh, that's not bad, but the first one sounds like a better fit for you, if you were choosing to go your own path instead of the predetermined path."

I agree. But the eye reacted to it, so I thought I'd bring it just in case.

The last item was on a small scrap of leather that he'd taken from one of his old, pre-prepared ritual material pouches. The greenish-grey substance was unlike anything he'd seen—a bizarre hybrid of dust and goo that seemed to defy physical properties.

He gently lifted it into his palm.

"This one was hard to find and is honestly pretty weird. It was from a ghost-like creature in the very deepest part of the caverns that I could get to. Once, when I was here before, I leapt a chasm that seemed endless. I went back there and traveled to the bottom and then deeper still. The Yinshen Wraith that I fought was at the peak of D Rank."

System has detected compatible organic material upgrade item: Specter's Ectoplasm

Growth Item Upgrade Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage (E-Rank)

Specter's Ectoplasm: Spectrum Soul Sight

Enables soul perception and resonance dilation.

Would you like to use (Specter's Ectoplasm) on:

Growth Item: Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage

Yes/No?

WARNING:

Growth Path of the item will be altered if this item is accepted.

"Eldarial's life-giving bosom, boy. Accept it. That one. Don't worry about the predetermined path. Accept it right now. Don't tell them what it does. Just use it. "

Alex froze as he looked at the item in his hand.

Wait, what? Seriously. But the path of a B Rank—

"NOW!" Maelis's voice thundered in his head, showing an urgency he hadn't seen from the spirit before.

He mentally hit the 'Yes' option in the System window.

Would you like to sacrifice this material to follow the Growth Item's Predetermined path?

Predetermined

OR

Would you like to absorb this material and choose your own Independent path of growth?

Independent

Mentally, Alex selected the Independent growth option, as Maelis continued to spew expletives and encouragement in equal measure.

Specter's Ectoplasm Accepted for Growth Item: Heavenly Eye of the Celestial Sage

Processing…

Upgrading Item…

The item in his hand disappeared in a way that reminded him of when the System gave an item as a quest reward or from a token, except in reverse. Rather than motes of light appearing in the air and slowly drifting to a single point, with the item turning from a bright, lit outline into a new item, it flashed white first. Then it slowly began to disperse into motes of energy, forming a perfect orb around his hand.

When he expected them to taper away into nothing, they instead formed a perfect ball that followed his hand. It made him think of those odd children's toys made of many flexing, plastic joints that would expand perfectly into an open orb when pulled from either side.

Instead of vanishing, they expanded and followed the minor movements of his shaking hand. Then rushed at his left eye so suddenly that he flinched.

The feeling in his skull was different from what he expected. He'd felt fire and burning mana coursing through his veins more than once at this point. Instead, it felt like someone had put a block of ice just behind his eye. It started to cool, then got cold, before becoming so uncomfortable he looked around in a panic.

Alex forced himself to take a deep breath while closing his eyes.

The System really loves this shit, doesn't it?

"Shh. Growth will always cost something. The pain will be worth it."

You owe me an explanation, Old Goat.

Maelis grunted in response, knowing that Alex still had a lot to go through.

Alex gritted his teeth. Over the next several minutes, his eye pulsed with a deep, unnatural cold. After a time, it was so cold that it felt like it was burning. Only for several minutes to pass, and violent shivers rocked his entire body as it struggled to adjust. When the process finally ended, he was left with the most intense headache he'd ever experienced.

"Alex? You okay?" came the concerned doctor's voice.

"I- I'm okay," he said, bringing his left hand up to his eye. Unlike when he'd received the Growth Item from Eura, there was no blood. Instead, he felt a bone-weary sense of exhaustion settle over him. "Did you get it all?"

"We did. That was amazing. You have to come look at this."

The door to the sterile room opened to allow him an easy exit, and as he stood, he stumbled. He remained hunched with hands on knees, taking several deep breaths. To distract himself, he pulled up the section of his status window to view the upgraded item.

D Rank Growth Item - Spectral Eye of the Celestial Sage

Rarity: Unique Type: Ocular Enhancement Growth Path: Independent

This ocular enhancement replaces the left eye of the wielder, granting the passive ability to perceive mana and its movement within the environment. As the wielder's control over magic increases, the clarity and strength of this vision will enhance accordingly.

The Eye lets the user focus their Willpower to reveal detailed information about items, materials, or entities through the System. The accuracy and detail of the information obtained are contingent on the wielder's Willpower being greater than the target's, with more details accessible as the gap in Willpower widens.

Additional functions unlocked through upgrades: Spectrum Soul Sight: Enables soul perception and resonance dilation.

The changes to the readout were minor overall, but he had to assume, based on Maelis's reaction, that the upgrade was a big deal.

Alex stumbled through the door into the side room, where there was a monitoring station set up with several screens showing data points and graphs. The three researchers in the room looked up as he entered and Dr. Borman walked to him quickly and got closer to his face to look at his eye.

"Wow, the change is stunning."

"The change?"

"The eye, its appearance changed. Not completely, but… look," he said, stepping away and rummaging through a desk drawer. He returned with a mirror and held it up for Alex.

He widened his eyes intentionally to get a better look at his pupil and iris. Where previously the iris was a cosmic mix of gold and light orange, with small specs of black, a single, solid ring circled the black pupil.

It cut clearly through the cosmic picture that had previously been created in his eye.

"Ugh. As if it wasn't weird looking enough before. The white stands out a lot."

"It does make the lighter colors seem to glow a bit. Anyway, look at these charts. You were right, the magitech with those additions were able to record the mana pattern in the more contained space."

Alex walked over to where the researchers were practically vibrating.

They talked for a bit, and even though he'd helped with the creation of the tech, he had no idea how to decipher the output. His contribution was minimal, assisting in the tweaking of a base design to more accurately track mana patterns. Alex resisted the urge to touch his eye. "You'll send me the results? I think this could be really interesting to look more into."

"Of course! We'll send it with the equipment," the doctor said.

"Great," Alex yawned while stretching. "Man, that really was exhausting. You should add that to your notes. It's not something I'd want to do in the field."

"Absolutely," one of the junior researchers said, scribbling notes on a pad of paper.

"Are you going to get some rest?" Doctor Borman asked, with what looked to be a genuine look of concern.

"No, not yet. I need to go say goodbye to a group of friends."

"Goodbye? Everyone on the rotation is meant to be leaving today. Aren't they going with you?"

A wistful smile formed on his face. "I wish they could." He turned and walked from the room, waving to them as he did. "I'll see you guys later. When you get out, make sure to send me the notes."

There was still a lot to be done in such a small amount of time.

Alex yawned again.

Congratulations, [Sleep Resistance] (Tier II) has advanced to (Tier III)!

He stopped walking.

Well shit. That's my first Tier III passive.

"Why does it not surprise me that it would be Sleep Resistance. You know, sleep is good for your mind."

Bah. It's a waste of time.

Alex did his best to imitate Maelis in the way he said it, and he could feel the irritation rising up in his spirit.

It made him smile.

Instead of responding to Maelis, he reached out mentally to Valtherion.

Hey, buddy. I'm going to say goodbye to the spinners before we leave. Do you want to come?

Yes. I want to say goodbye.

He couldn't help it as his smile grew. Valtherion had matured a lot in the last few months, and it didn't seem all that different from what he knew of a child moving into their teenage years. His voice had grown somewhat deeper, though that was most likely from the amphiptere changing it voluntarily to sound more like Alex.

Val had also started to speak more clearly and seemed to genuinely enjoy learning languages, and had even begun to ask Alex to teach him to read. Most interesting, the bond appeared to care a bit more about what the others thought of him.

To Alex's dismay, that care for others' opinion resulted in the deeper tone that he spoke in. Before, much of his speech was overly excited and energetic, but he'd swung far to the other direction. Now holding his emotions in, in an attempt to sound more grown up.

A short time later, Val and Alex waved to Lin and Mark, who were chatting with the guards on duty at the gate, and walked from the Hunter fort.

There wasn't a big rush to cross the initial distance to the Night, so Alex made a point of walking and observing the surroundings.

"Did you want to talk? It feels like you're hesitant," Val asked.

"I do want to talk, but do you mind if I talk with Maelis for a few minutes?"

Valtherion just bobbed his head, moving along the ground next to Alex with his wings tucked close to his side.

He tossed the large amphiptere a mana stone and was happy to see his eyes light up while greedily snapping it out of the air. His companion chewed on the item as they went, reminding him of a dog with a ball.

All right. Spill it. What the hell was all that about? I thought you said that the predetermined path was the best route to go for Growth Items from strong previous owners?

"I did… and almost always, that's the case."

So what about the Specter Ectoplasm made you jump on it? Something to do with the soul?

"Exactly," Maelis said. "The soul is something most awakened don't gain access to until C Rank or potentially B Rank. If you have an increase that allows you to access and hone it this early, that is a great boon."

I'm not all that far from C rank anyway, though. After all the grinding we did in the last three months, Val and I are at 57. Are you sure it was worth it?

Stolen novel; please report.

"Trust me, brat. It's worth it. Even more so because of the title effect you showed me."

Huh?

"Don't make me spell it out for you. Use that brain of yours."

It wasn't until he remembered the most recent title he'd gotten that he realized what Maelis meant.

Oh. Oh! You mean that it lets me begin to push my will into my aura? I mean, I assumed that was good. Anything with my willpower should work great for me… but what does the eye have to do with that?

His thoughts raced through what little he knew of aura.

Actually, I remember Sarah saying that they've been learning more about aura because of her trait. Something about it being made of mana, soul, and something that they didn't know about. Is that what you mean?

"Yes! Exactly. Aura manipulation is often something set aside for much higher ranks. The fact that your friend can do it now is abnormally rare, but not unheard of. Aura is made up of mana, soul, and life force. Think about how these two things connect."

Alex milled over the problem for a while, walking in a comfortable silence with Valtherion through the dead area. He appreciated that the spirit was willing to lead him to nuggets of information, but didn't want to hold his hand. It could be frustrating at times, but it always made things feel more earned.

Well, if the aura is normally not used until higher ranks, I can see how the title would be a big benefit. The ability to use it earlier or at least prepare myself to use it could be an advantage over others. You said that mana, soul, and life force make up aura… so I'm guessing that access to some sort of soul skill or item lets me access one of the three that I couldn't before. So now I can control work on powering up my mana and soul, rather than just my mana.

"Good job, kid. You're missing one thing, though. There's a second layer to that title now that you have this upgrade."

Oh, I see. Normally, the aura is powered through those three, but with Willpower presumably only being my magical control, I could only control a third of my aura? Wait? Would that lead to sloppy control or something? But now that my will is applied to aura, can I control the entire thing?

"Spot on."

"Huh," he said aloud. "There's a lot to process there."

"Just sit on it for a bit, kid. You've got a lot of things on your plate. We'll revisit the topic in a few days. Now, pay attention to the magnificent one next to you."

Alex rolled his eyes. Maelis had renewed its efforts of sucking up to Val as they got closer and closer to hitting the next evolution.

"Okay, bud. We're done chatting."

"Was it about getting stronger?"

Alex laughed. "Of course. I'm always getting stronger. What about you?"

The serpentine head bobbed once, and his golden eyes watched Alex. "I am also going to get stronger. Is that what you want to talk to me about, too?"

He kept smiling and shook his head, constantly impressed by his bond's progress with the English language. "It is. We've been putting a lot of focus on gaining experience over the last few months and getting our skills close to the advancement threshold. But, I've been avoiding putting too much thought into where we'll go from here."

"Why?"

"Mainly because it's so hard for me to judge. A lot's changed since we entered the Rift the second time. We've learned a lot and gotten really strong. I do think it's time now to think about where we go from here. For example, we both know that you want to grow stronger. Do you know how you want to grow stronger? What sort of abilities do you want to focus on? Do you want to learn spells like me? Do you want to do more with illusions like me and Lin?"

"Can I heal like Sam?"

This surprised Alex. "I think so. Healing seems rare… do you want to?"

"No, I was just curious. I like the boom too much to fix people."

Alex laughed hard and scratched the top of Val's head, which now, even when he was moving along the ground, hovered near his own head.

"Well, I can understand that. 'The boom' is definitely fun."

"You like to learn."

"I do. You like to learn, too, though. Right?"

"Sometimes. I like food more."

"Oh, trust me. I know you do. But that's what I mean. I like to learn, so I think I'm going to start focusing all of my effort and skills on making myself better at that. There are almost too many things for me to learn and test, so the best way to move forward is to lean into my Mirage skill and try to get a good evolution for it."

"Is that why you keep practicing with the many Alex?"

"Yes, exactly. That will let me learn two things at once! Or one day, maybe more."

"More Alex? No," Val said plainly.

He cracked a smile while looking at his azure friend. "Yes, I think more Alex is needed. I've been practicing creating a shell around the mirage a lot now. I'm hoping I can get an advancement or evolution that allows it to have some physicality. I feel like I need something a bit more personal just to push it that last bit…

"I'm getting off track. I want to talk about you. You're close to your evolution, bud. Do you remember doing that before? That's why you've been more sleepy lately. When we get back home, I think it's time for you to evolve again."

"Yes, that felt nice. I want to do it."

"Okay, good. Well, I have a suggestion on what you should eat for your evolution."

Val didn't say anything, but became immediately more interested in the conversation.

"I have an item from Concealment that I think would be good for you to eat. It's a high rarity item and it's from a monster at the top of D Rank, so it should be pretty great for you to evolve from."

"Can I have it?" Val nudged Alex's chest as they moved, attempting to sniff inside his shirt and pants. When he found nothing, he settled for nuzzling against his bracer.

"Haha, yes. You can have it, but not until we get to the house. I want to make sure this is what you want, though. The item will almost certainly have some sort of illusion aspect to it, since that's what Concealment focused on. It had purple mana, and I think that if you consume this for your evolution, it will begin to have you lean that way as well."

"Illusions?"

"Yes, like your [Create Illusion] skill. You don't use it a lot now, but I think that's because we've needed to hide you in here less."

"I don't want to hide."

"I know you don't. And honestly, with how things are probably changing outside, you might never need to hide again. But I do worry that someone will mistake you for a Rift monster or that your size will cause you trouble. Illusions are pretty great, you know? I use them a lot, Lin is amazing with them, even Maelis uses them." There was a long silence, and Alex added, "You don't need to make a decision now. I just wanted to tell you that I think it'll be a good fit for you, and I think you should use it. But, if you want to look for something else, we can hold onto it and maybe use some of our money when we get back to buy something juicy for you."

"I will think about it," the amphiptere said.

"Great. Now… I'm tired of walking. Let's stretch our muscles, huh? Want to race to the spinner colony?"

There wasn't a vocalized answer to the question. Instead, Valtherion's tail whipped out and caught Alex's ankle at the same time that he beat his wings.

Alex's back hit the rocky ground, and dirt flew in his face from the downward propulsion. Rolling to his feet, he activated [Feather Step] and took off as fast as he could, occasionally boosting himself forward along the ground with a breeze spell circle pointed behind him.

He had to lean his head forward and use a free hand to hold his hat down, but he laughed as he passed Valtherion and travelled toward the approaching Night forest.

The rest of the journey passed quickly, and the few small packs of creatures that they encountered were easily dealt with. Alex often had the faster draw on damage and could kill the first couple before Valtherion descended into the mix. It had turned into something of a game after the fights, for them to see who could gather the most mana stones fastest.

Alex often won, since Valtherion's stones managed to regularly disappear during harvest.

When they finished the descent into the tunnels and arrived at the colony, there were several spinners waiting for them. They guided the duo down the tunnels, and within moments, Alex realized that they were being taken to the queen.

It worked well for him, as he'd been hoping to thank her for their hospitality and ensure that their deal had been met.

In his opinion, he'd far exceeded the original amount he'd planned to teach the spinners, but he enjoyed working with them, and they seemed to enjoy the learning.

It wasn't until they were taken into the queen's chamber that he noticed something was wrong. Or at least… different.

Almost every surface in the cave was covered in spiders. There was a walk way leading from the door, directly through the surrounding ruins, and to the queen herself. All around the walkway and domed walls, were spinners in waiting.

Many of them were leaking mana, which told him it was more of the mundane arachnids waiting for their arrival.

"Wow. Lots of legs."

"He's not wrong," Maelis added.

"Yeah," Alex agreed.

Their guides moved to the side and cleared the way for them to approach. Alex led the way, with Val over his right shoulder.

When he stopped before the queen, he had the odd sense that he should kneel. He even went so far as to start to lean forward, if it weren't for Maelis stopping him.

"Don't do that, brat. There's no one in this integration, on your planet or in a Rift, that you should be kneeling to. Understand?"

Um, okay?

As she had before, the queen extended a tendril, though he knew from experience that it wasn't required for her to send thoughts to his mind.

When he connected his own thread of mana to her tendril, she began to communicate her thoughts to him through pulses or flashes of emotions, memories, and current thoughts. He marveled at how clearly he could now understand what she was saying compared to when he saw her several months before.

"The colony is grateful to you, Mage. You are one of the rare Realm Walkers our kin has kept tabs on in generations past. You have favored us greatly with your effort, patience, and attention— going beyond our original agreement in good faith."

While he could piece her words together, he felt like his mind was hearing many voices or versions of certain terms that he was only just barely able to piece together.

"We have gifts for you. They are special. One from the colony past, and one from colony future. Please, would you accept them?"

Alex looked left and right in confusion.

You don't owe me any gifts. I helped the spinners because I owe you a debt that I couldn't ever repay. You saved me when I would have surely died. I will always remember that and respect your people.

The queen's enormous body slowly rocked back to her rear legs, and her bulbous rear rested on the webbing that held her above the ground.

"You will not accept?"

You don't owe—

"Accept it, brat. Stop being thick-headed."

Alex's brows came together, and felt a sudden childish desire to be stubborn. Taking a quick breath, he centered himself and didn't let the spirit ruin the moment. It was clear that the queen had prepared something for him, and refusing it would be rude.

I will gladly accept, thank you.

She dipped forward slightly.

"For my four best, and the cardinal directions, I present you with my own thread."

Four large spinners moved forward from the dark, carrying a long spool of tightly wound, single-strand thread. Naturally, he used his eye to scan it and felt it widen while reading the window.

C Rank Item - Queen's Mana Thread

Rarity: Rare Type: Material

Enchantment: Enhanced Enchantment II, Brittle II

For the queen to have produced a C Rank item on her own, when still having a decent gap from hitting C Rank on her own, must mean that her general proficiency was extremely high.

Alex graciously accepted the gift from the four spinners and as he gripped it in his right hand, he tapped his forearm against it to place it into his bracer, where there was plenty of space to hold the large spool.

"For my future, I will leave the presentation to her."

Confused, Alex looked to the four spinners who still stood close to him and watched. It wasn't until he caught the mana signature from the corner of his eye that he noticed a very small hatchling at his feet.

Focusing his attention on it, he realized that it was a small, level 5 female spinner. She extended her forearms, which were about the size of his thumbs, and presented him with a small strip of woven silk.

He scanned it as well.

E Rank Item - Silk Ribbon

Rarity: Epic Type: Glove

His brows drew together in confusion. The Rank of the item was as low as possible, but the Rarity itself was Epic. The only other Epic item he'd seen to date was the bracer that Eura specially crafted for him with an immense amount of resource investment.

What is this?

"This is the future first, presented as a gift for the Mage."

"Kid… don't be so dense. They are presenting you with an offering."

An offering? Like… like Lin? As in making the initial offering for the Magician?

"Of course."

Wait! Can they swear? I thought it was just humans?

"Why would you think that, brat? They're intelligent— clearly more intelligent than you."

His mind spun. Why hadn't he thought of that? When he'd been thinking of titles, positions, and a court, his mind had stayed on all of the people he knew or could meet.

All of the people.

He looked up at the queen and realized that several more bits of their initial interactions clicked into place.

You knew all along?

Feelings of amusement flitted through their connection.

"I did. When you showed me the card, you confirmed it. It was then just a measure of the man, rather than the power. Will you still accept our offerings?"

Alex looked down at the five spinners that stood near him, frozen in place.

Yes. Of course. I'd be honored to.

Maelis, can you help me with the oath?

"Break the connection with the queen. You'll need to give the oath to the five in front of you anyway."

Alex dismissed the clone he had training on the surface, allowing both halves of his mind to process the situation.

As he thought through the queen's words, he realized that she was offering four guards and a fifth spinner that was referred to as 'her future'. Suspicious, Alex looked down at the hatchling again and scanned her while Maelis continued to go over potential oaths.

Sure enough, the hatchling was a female, and Alex had no doubt that it was a future spinner queen in the making. He could see her slightly lighter coloration, and the mana signature from her was larger than most of the spinners twice her level.

In the end, the oath that Maelis helped him put together was very similar to the first, with a few adjustments that were less restrictive for the spinners, as they weren't his enemies. He extended five threads of mana at once and was able to connect to all of those before him.

Lastly, he removed the Planetary Title Card from his chest and channeled mana into it.

"I, Alex Moore, holder of the Magician Title, give to you my word. I will treat you with the rights afforded to all who swear their allegiance to me.

"I swear not to harm you unless you break this oath or act in betrayal of its intent.

"I will not bind you beyond this oath, nor command you without purpose.

"I will protect you from those who would seek to bind, enslave, or destroy you for standing by my side."

When it came time for the spinners' oaths, Alex thought the second half to them, but they came back in a myriad of emotions, thoughts, and images. Each of them thought in a slightly different way and wasn't nearly as elegant with their thoughts as the queen.

"I swear to serve Alex Moore, bearer of the Magician's Title.

"I swear not to bring harm, sabotage, or betray him or those under his protection.

"I will not act against his goals while in his service.

"I will not disobey a direct order that weighs the balance of a life."

When they had all roughly repeated the lines, the small hatchling took a few skittering steps forward before speaking. She alone sent an additional line, unprompted.

"I will carry this bond forward into the next colony, binding my future to his legacy."

With that, the oaths locked into place, and he was asked if any should join his inner court. He declined for now, with Maelis's reassurance that he could change it later if he decided that he wanted to.

Alex looked up at the queen, wondering if she had instructed the small spinner to add the final line, or if it had been added of her own accord.

The queen sent along a wave of emotions. Feelings ranging from relief, happiness, sorrow, the ache of loss, and sadness of a farewell. "It is time for the future to leave. Take care of her, Mage. She is my only future."

Alex nodded deeply and looked at the spinners gathered around him.

Something about this meeting felt final.

Thank you.

The message was simple, but he did his best to push along the most sincere and heartfelt feelings he'd ever carried before, second only to the gratitude he felt for Eura's guidance.

Her form dipped again in response, and through his mana sight, Alex could see a wave of mana roll through the web that covered the majority of the room. It pulsed several times, and he realized that she was communicating with the massive group gathered.

Just as they had done when they first saw the Planetary Title card, they lowered themselves to the ground and remained motionless.

It created an eerie sense of leaving a garden of statues as they were guided once again to the surface. Once they emerged from the tunnels, their guide bowed low and returned to the dark tunnel behind them.

Alex surveyed their newly bolstered group and breathed in a deep breath.

"Fuck…"

All five of the spinners skittered back a few feet from his vocalization.

How am I going to get these guys through the Rift exit?

"Well, let's head back, Val. I'll think of something on the way."

Their trip back was slower than their race to the colony, and Alex's mind ran through several different scenarios, but the puzzle wasn't too difficult to figure out. It left him an extended amount of time to think through his gains and future plans.

So, so much to do.

"Relax, kid. You'll have time soon. You're doing everything you can right now."

Well, everything that one of me can do.

Alex emerged from the forest and kept walking up the hill toward the fort with Valtherion beside him and the spinners behind him, the hatchling in the middle of the group. Twice, it had gotten tired and happily rested on Valtherion's back while they traveled. The fact that he was chosen seemed to please the amphiptere to no end.

He approached the gate and called out as they neared, hoping to show no signs of illusion or trickery. Over the last weeks, the guards had gotten increasingly better with detecting certain kinds of deception thanks to Lin's advice. Alex knew that she was just trying to get on his good side by sharing such information, but the effort was still appreciated.

With that knowledge, though, it was also harder for him to deceive the guards, at least visually.

"Halt! Stop there!"

Alex did and held an arm out for his group to stop as well. "I have my ID on me, can I bring it forward?"

"Why are there monsters with you?" The guard's voice was shaky.

"They're my bonded companions."

"They-they're what?"

"My companions."

"All of 'em?"

"Yes. It's part of my trait to bond with many companions."

"Wait, you're that guy with the hat. Alex Moore? I thought you shot lightnin' and stuff."

"I do that, too."

"Seems like a weird build, but okay. Come forward, please leave them back a bit while I check the ID." The guard watched suspiciously as Alex told them all to stay put and handed over his identification.

A few minutes passed, and Alex walked through the front gate with the entire group in tow. As they passed, the guards on shift looked at the spinners with wide eyes, and Alex wondered if any of them had seen the magical spiders in the wilds of the Rift.

"Sir," one of the guards said while stepping forward. "Do you want me to walk with you? I wouldn't want anyone to attack them, thinking that they're monsters."

"No, thank you. We'll be okay. They can defend themselves almost as well as I could."

The guard looked skeptical, so Alex gave a small demonstration. He activated his barrier spell and knocked against its surface before instructing one of the spinners to create the same spell circle. When it did, he knocked against it as well, and the guard's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh, you share a shield skill with them? That makes sense, with them being your bonds. Okay, well, you all be safe and umm, careful when you leave the Rift, too. We might be used to seeing creatures in here, but some of those others on shift outside are still pretty green."

Alex laughed. "Thanks for the heads up. Hope you guys have a good rotation." He waved to the new guards and walked down the road to the main section of the fort. When he was able to, he stepped out of sight and instructed the group to follow him into the small alley.

All of the spinners easily suppressed their mana, and Valtherion used his illusion skill to hide them from prying eyes.

He knelt on the ground and began pulling out mana stones. Lining them up one by one, he kept a close eye on his companion, who started to drool over the pile of mana on the ground.

"Don't even think about it," Alex warned. Removing a hammer from his spatial item, he started to crack against the stones, stopping once as a pair of people walked past, only showing mild interest in the noises they'd heard.

"You're really doing this again? I'm telling you, combined with your intent for an evolution, what you've done will already be enough. This just seems… wasteful."

Alex rolled his eyes and ignored his mentor.

It took another minute of work to crush the stones into a powder. Only when he was done did he activate [Mirage] and push his second consciousness into it.

"You know what to do," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," the second Alex said as he dropped into a push-up position and then began log rolling back and forth through the mana stone dust.

When his mirage was finished, Alex touched up a few sections of the solidified illusion and nodded in satisfaction when he tossed a pebble at himself, and it was easily caught. With some physicality to it, the clones had gained a bit more stability and durability while also being able to interact with small items.

"Perfect," he said. "You know what to do?"

"Of course. We have the same mind." The second Alex then turned and left through the back side of the alley, heading to round up his friends.

"Okay, guys. Let's move to the Rift exit. They should meet us there."

With things set in motion, Alex made a direct route for the Rift exit, wanting to keep the entire spectacle of his 'companion' group to a minimum. He hadn't been there for more than a few minutes before his whole team approached, bags packed.

Most seemed confused by the appearance of the spinners. The only one who didn't seem bothered or curious about their presence was Sam, who seemed excited to see them.

"Why did you bring them?" Mark asked.

Alex smiled. "They're coming with us."

"They're… wait. You mean?"

"Yup! You're looking at five new vassals of Kingdom Alex."

"Yeah, we'll need to work on that," Sarah said.

Olivia eyed the spiders with pale skin. "I know that they're nice… but are they really coming?"

"Ha!" Mark laughed. "It's wild to me that you're still scared of spiders after all this time, dude."

"I'm not scared!"

"Yeah, huh."

Sarah slapped his arm and pointed at the exit. "Come on, let's go."

"Want them to come out with me?" Sam asked.

"No, I'll follow you guys out in a second," he glanced at Olivia to read her mood. "I uh, need to talk with them for a sec."

"Okay! I'm excited to see Edwin." Sam's voice faded as he stepped through the portal.

Jon and Olivia stood off to the side, and Alex approached them. He gave Olivia a guilty smile and felt the heat rise up his neck.

"I've got a few more things I need to wrap up here, but I'll reach out when I'm out," Jon said. He extended a hand. "It was great to work with your group again. There's something special there that you don't see until the bonds have been put to the test. Keep this group close, Moore."

"Will do," he said with a smile. He clasped the warrior's hand and appreciated Jon's genuine attitude. "Yeah, let us know when you're out. If they don't have you doing too much work, maybe we can go hit a few Rifts again."

"Absolutely." Jonathan waved and moved off from the group.

Alex squinted his eyes and looked over his shoulder innocently. "Sooo, about that weather," he said.

"Nope. You're not getting out of this one. I can't believe you sent your mirage to say goodbye to me!" She slapped his arm a few times, clearly harder than necessary.

"Hey, hey!"

"Sorry, just need to make sure you're the real one this time. I don't want to be kissing magic shells, okay?"

"I'm sorry. It was just…"

"What? I swear to god if you say—"

"Efficient?"

"…" There was a long silence between them.

Alex started to laugh, unable to hold it in any longer. He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Play nice while you're here. I used that favor with Director Matthews to allow you to stay another rotation."

"You really didn't need to do that…"

"I did. You need to stay with Nox. Make sure he gets better. When you're both back to top shape, come out and join us. For now, do what they need. Help out and play nice." He stressed the last phrase again, earning him an eye roll and another smile.

"I will. Hate to admit it, but they're sort of growing on me. Those lab nerds. They're pretty nice. Most of the HA goons are decent, too. Being here has done a lot to show me how much they're trying to get us through this integration. I'll do my part. Don't worry. You focus on your stuff. Hey, you have a meeting with the Director again, right?"

"Good," he kissed her again. "Yeah, we're going to have another video call when we get settled back at the house. He just wants a back-brief on how the rotation went and if we were treated well as contractors."

"He seems to really like you."

"I like him too. Just not sure how I feel about the strong ties he has and the fact that he serves something bigger than himself. He was really understanding and interested in the Planetary Title stuff, but I don't want them to have any influence on what I'm doing with my people."

"Your people?" Olivia's eyebrow rose in a teasing way.

"You know what I mean," Alex groaned. "Maelis keeps talking about it, and I'm afraid to admit he's right."

"I'm right."

"About forming a group?"

"Mhm. I mean it's forming already, and I'm not even meaning for it to. I just want to hire people so we can be efficient and do what we need. Somehow, there are about to be twenty or more people on the property. And I'm guessing that number is going to keep growing."

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "I know you'll make the best choice. Just keep following what you think is the best path forward."

He smiled down at her, and they exchanged a few more bits of romantic farewell before she ushered him through the Rift exit. The spinners followed behind him, and as he looked at her, the scenery changed behind her.

Just before they stepped through the portal, Valtherion pushed closer to Olivia and bumped his head into her chest. "Bye, Oli. Be safe. You and the black cat come home soon."

Olivia's lips tightened, and Alex could see them begin to grow glossy.

"We'll be back there soon, Val. You take care of your dad, okay?" She rubbed the top of his head as he moved, turning his head to the side to have his favorite spot scratched.

"Let's go, bud. See you soon. Liv," he said to her with a smile as they both moved through the Rift exit.

He felt gravity leave his body.

So much had changed in the last eight months. He'd gained a ton of levels and had a plan to continue pushing forward in preparation for the Continental Event.

There were spell circles to refine, skills to evolve, and rituals to reconstruct.

"But first, I have a House to build."

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