Nova spent another hour speaking with the four generals, mostly talking to Adira and Darius. Alaric had always been present, and Nox didn't talk much to begin with.

Soon after, behind beaming smiles and a collection of thoughtful gifts, they left, leaving Nova alone in the room.

'That's done,' he thought, exhaling a quiet sigh. 'Now I don't have to worry about this place being unguarded if I leave.'

The idea of leaving the complex had first emerged a few days earlier, sparked by a troubling realization, the area around him lacked lightning Mana particles. He could still absorb water particles, and while they had been useful in helping him recover after the battle with Slade, he wanted to experience every element. He believed it would greatly help him understand how to transform base Mana into elemental Mana.

'But if I go,' he mused, 'where should I begin?'

With that thought in mind, he quickly resumed his training as his thoughts wandered freely.

Everything he needed to do flashed through his mind, along with the looming ten-year deadline. At one point, he even wondered, 'Should I even enter a Purple Portal? Beyond spear training, I have to study arrays and improve my control over Mana... Ten years might seem like a lot, but one stroke of bad luck, and I could emerge from the portal years later, with barely any time left...'

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made to stay away from a Purple portal. But then, his fighting spirit surged to the surface.

'No, I must enter. Erevan said I won't understand the true gap between us until I experience a Purple portal myself. I can't give that up. Even if it means falling behind in arrays… I have to know."'

The spear in his hands surged forward, as if carried by the wind itself.

'I've made up my mind.'

////////////

Alaric sat across from Nova, the two locked in a calm, silent stare that had stretched on for several seconds.

A full day had passed since Darius, Adira, and Nox had returned from their mission, and Alaric had just reported that they've been brought up to date. The only thing left was for the three to start training following his instructions.

Nova was the first to break the silence. "I think it's time for you to experience a Blue portal, alone. Though I doubt it'll pose much of a challenge for you."

Alaric gave a simple nod. "I understand."

Nova studied him for a moment. "You don't seem surprised."

Alaric shook his head. "I'm not. If you hadn't suggested it, I might've requested it myself."

Nova raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the leader of the generals, yet I've never entered a Blue portal," Alaric said, his tone tinged with quiet frustration. "Even if I'm stronger than the others right now, it still feels like I'm being left behind somehow."

Nova tilted his head, intrigued. "Why do you say that? You know there's nothing of real value for you inside. You'll just be trading a month of your time out here for a closed space with little gain apart from levelling up."

"I can't fully explain it," Alaric said, searching for the right words, "but it feels like I'm missing out on something important. From what you and the others described, the Blue portal seems to revolve around kingdoms, or civilizations of similar scale. Meanwhile, the Green portal was more like a constructed habitat… a small area on the map that felt artificial rather than natural."

He paused, then added with quiet conviction, "If that's true, then the Blue portal might be our first real chance to interact with a functioning civilization. I don't want to miss that."

Nova remained silent, reflecting on Alaric's insight.

'I never thought about it like this. Looking back, the White portal I first entered led to a village, a tiny one, barely housing a few hundred goblins. Then came the Green portal. It was more spacious, yes, but I never left the arena, so I have no idea how vast it truly was. And finally, the Blue portal… that was an entire kingdom.'

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'If this pattern holds… does that mean the Purple portal will be an empire? Or at least something of comparable scale? Then the Orange portal…'

Alaric's perspective stirred something in Nova. For the first time, the portals no longer seemed like random constructs, they were following a progression. One he had failed to notice until now.

Noticing Nova's silence stretching on, Alaric leaned forward slightly and asked, "Boss?"

Nova let out a soft chuckle, catching Alaric off guard.

"You know," he said with a grin, "if I hadn't already decided to enter a Purple portal later and focus on training here, your little speech might've changed my mind."

Alaric blinked in surprise. "Wait… what do you mean? Are you planning to enter a Purple portal soon?"

"Not yet," Nova replied, his tone steady. "But when I do, I'll let you and the others know. I get the feeling I won't be back for a while."

Before Alaric could ask more, Nova shifted the subject.

"Anyway, let's change topic, I'll be heading out to train elsewhere soon."

Alaric gave a small nod. "How soon?"

Nova's smile widened. "As soon as we're done talking. So listen closely, I've got a few tasks for you to handle before you enter your portal."

The moment the words left Nova's mouth, Alaric straightened his posture even more, his focus sharpening in an instant.

/////////////

A villa in Altura buzzed with light chatter.

"Why hasn't Nova called to check on my hand?" Thomas muttered, lounging on the sofa and staring at the ceiling through his fingers.

Jack scoffed beside him. "I wouldn't hold my breath. If you miss him so much, why don't you go visit?"

Rachel chimed in from the sofa next to theirs. "You're one to talk. You've never been to his place, not exactly best friend material, Jack."

Samuel added, "Visiting Nova also means visiting Cassidy."

Victor, hearing his daughter's name, gave a nod. "We should visit them both. It's been a while since the whole group was together."

Amelia thoughtfully said "Shouldn't we ask if they're even free first?"

Jack waved her concern away with a grin. "Nah, where else would they go? I bet they're bored out of their minds."

Totally not like us… thought Samuel, though he wisely kept the comment to himself.

Since Cassidy's return, Victor had moved to Altura leaving his post as one of the academy teachers, and the group now lived together in one of his friend's villas. Leveraging his connections, Victor personally reached out to a few acquaintances and quickly gained enough manpower to run the shops Jack and the others had previously bought. As for what they sold, it included materials, weapons, and even food obtained from the various portals they had entered.

That meant, aside from clearing portals, strictly Green ones for the sake of time management, they spent most of their days lounging on the sofas, bored out of their minds.

"Well, since it's decided, let's head out now," said Victor, easily the most eager of the group. He'd barely had a few hours with his daughter since her return, and the anticipation of meeting her was clear in his voice.

Shortly after, the group set off toward Quarath. At Victor's not-so-subtle urging to "pick up the pace," they managed to reach Nova's base in under an hour.

As they approached the entrance of the sprawling complex, they exchanged curious glances, light conversation floating between them, until a familiar figure appeared ahead.

"Hm? What brings you all here?" Wesley asked, eyeing the group with mild surprise.

Victor, entirely unconcerned with introductions or formalities, stepped forward without hesitation, even though he had no idea who Wesley was.

"We're here to see Cassidy," he said. "Where can we find her?"

Noticing Victor's impatience, Jack and the others kept their thoughts to themselves, simply greeting Wesley with polite smiles.

Wesley gave the group a quick once-over before saying, "She's inside. Would you like me to take you to her?"

"Yes, please," Victor replied without hesitation before anyone else could.

With a nod, Wesley turned and motioned for them to follow.

As they walked through the wide corridors of the complex, the group fell into casual conversation, occasionally directing curious questions at Wesley about the place. Along the way, the captains they passed offered crisp salutes to Wesley, casting brief, curious glances at the unfamiliar visitors trailing behind him.

They arrived at the Gravity Room, and Wesley gestured toward the door. "She should be inside. Give me a second, I'll call her out."

Just as he was about to step inside, the door slid open and Jasmine walked out. She paused, eyeing the unfamiliar group gathered outside for a moment. Spotting Wesley, she raised an eyebrow.

"Who are they?"

"What, you don't even recognize me?" Thomas winced and said, stepping out from behind Victor.

"Thomas? Sorry, I didn't see you," Jasmine said with an awkward smile.

"They're friends of Cassidy and the Boss," Wesley said calmly from the side. "They came by to see her. I was just about to get her."

Jasmine gave the group another once-over, then nodded. "I see. But Cassidy isn't in there, she left a while ago. Said she was heading to her room to continue training."

Victor's shoulders slumped slightly, his hopeful expression dimming. "So… she's training."

Unfamiliar with Victor, Jasmine simply gave a polite nod.

"Then we can talk to Nova first, while we wait for Cassidy to be free," Thomas suggested.

Jack sighed, muttering, "I guess we don't have much choice." He turned to Thomas. "Call him. See where he is."

Thomas pulled out the Distance Token and contacted Nova, while Wesley and Jasmine stepped aside, exchanging a glance that spoke volumes, only they knew what thoughts flickered behind their eyes.

////////////

"Thomas? Is everything alright?" Nova asked, surprised.

"Yes, yes," came Thomas's voice from the Distance Token. "Everyone from our group is at your base, we wanted to meet you."

There was a brief pause before Nova replied quietly, "I'm not there anymore…"

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