A warp brings me inside a previously ascetic home. The stone floors are covered with a plush carpet. Pink.

I pull out my sword, presenting it to a... Hmm? A happy-looking Miad? Maybe not exactly happy, but certainly not at peace with death. ...Content.

The dragon approaches and places a hand on the sheathed blade. "It has served you well." His hand pulls back. "You can keep it, Warrior."

"Huh!" I exclaim, utterly affronted. "I am utterly affronted at that notion." I thrust the weapon toward him, the action nearly threatening. "How can I ever dare separate a sword from its owner?"

"I must insist. It is but one piece from a vast armory," Miad deftly counters.

"By my honor as conqueror of the Maw, I doubly insist."

The ancient dragon stands taller, his eyes shining and power thrumming through his form. "By my honor as a Warrior of the Storm, consider it a gift."

Narilis' groan interrupts my next edgy proclamation. The fae addresses the embarrassed dragon, having been sucked into the exaggerated exchange without noticing, "Miad, take the sword back, please."

He makes a sharp nod and accepts it. Goodbye, my loyal companion. I'll never forget you.

As a single tear leaves my eye, Miad turns to Narilis for help. The fae just shakes her head.

She turns to me, the look in her eyes changed, offering her hand. I grasp it.

A soft sigh pushes past her lips. "You are no longer a prisoner of the future."

"And you've found someone to ground you to the present," I say. Miad, older than the oldest civilization of Earth, blushes a pleasing shade of pink, matching the carpet.

Narilis laughs. "One more thing to thank you for. Also, that wasn't a fake tear. Lucius is actually devastated."

Miad frowns, looking at the sword in his hand with uncertainty. "Would you like to take it back?"

I turn away, playing up my reaction. "Don't toy with my heart."

Narilis laughs again and pulls me to the newly acquired dining table.

We sit down and I create a projection, a projection that Vrih recently played at a Gathering I was a part of.

The fae and dragon conceal their emotions quite well, as well as all the other fae and dragons did. But subtle cues always slip out for me to catch, especially after gaining my inadvertent mastery of mental magic. Anger at what I've went through. Loss for those that recognize the obscene collection, nearly all of them. Hope for the future that is to come. But never fear. Not a single one. Or maybe I'm not as good as I think I am at discerning emotions. So, no outward fear, at least.

As the projection disperses, Narilis asks, "When do you plan to show this to the world?"

"When the time is right."

Miad adds a question of his own, "And when do you plan to announce your return?"

"Soon. There's a few more people I'd like to meet personally first."

The dragon nods in reply.

Narilis turns to him. "Would you bring us something to drink, please?" The unsaid part of her statement is to take his time coming back. When we are alone, she continues, "Not many can glimpse into another's mind. It might not be malicious, to want to know more, but it is certainly intoxicating. I know you would never willingly abuse your powers, but we can't always control ourselves perfectly. A brief moment of temptation realized is all it takes to go down a path you can never return from."

"If I ever use that spell on a person, you have my permission to hunt me down like the rabid animal I've become."

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"It's good that you see its nature, but..." Narilis trails off as dread flashes on her face. She shakes her head and continues, "I'd rather not have to contend with... her, so do try not to. ...If you want to talk to someone, I have a recommendation for you."

"I know."

"Would you like to?"

"Yes. After I'm done."

Narilis nods. "Good." When the natural silence that follows an exchange of that magnitude stretches for a bit too long, she throws a glance to where Miad went. "How long do you think he's going to be?"

I shrug. "Who can say. Could be twenty minutes. Could be twenty years."

"...I better go get him."

***

A warp brings me in front of a house. Illusions and concealing projections are working in tandem to erase my existence to any prying eyes. A step brings me through a barrier and makes my measures useless. I approach the door.

On my way there, someone teleports next to me. The tip of a finger is pressed against my temple. As that someone releases a pulse of mana, she also says, "Consider telling me where your friends are, and I'll consider letting you live."

"I believe there's been a misunderstanding, madam. I'm but a humble traveling salesman. Are you the lady of the house?"

Mara takes a closer look at my now fully revealed face and flicks me with the finger she was threatening me with. "Your tendency toward the dramatic almost lost you your head."

I turn to her with a smile. "Got lots more."

She exhales a false breath with some force but then smiles back. "Thank you for freeing me."

"It was a group effort."

"And I've thanked everyone else involved. Now, are you going to try and sell me something, or would you like to come in?"

"The second one."

"Pity. Would have been interesting to see what odd offerings you came up with."

"Well, I have this star harvester I've been trying to get rid of. Only two stars on the meter. I'll give you a great deal on it."

"I wasn't born yesterday, even if I did wake up the day before." She makes a very real grin. "The maintenance on those things is exorbitant."

"Drats."

She chuckles softly as we start walking the short distance to the door.

Mara opens it and beckons me in. Her raised voice proclaims to any other inhabitants, "We have a guest."

A dwarf clutching a tablet ambles over from somewhere within. His eyes slowly drift over from the tablet to us. The device clatters to the floor.

"You look like you've seen a dead man, friend," I say to Harrn.

He makes a low hum. "And you kept your promise."

We approach each other. I offer a hand and he grips it tightly.

"How have you been?" I ask.

"Been better, but I've also been worse."

Just then, Nilla enters the entry. "Lucius?" She blinks next to us and socks me in the gut.

"Ouch."

"At least have the decency to flinch, old man."

Harrn sighs, automatically chastising his daughter, "Nilla, please don't hit people."

"He deserved it," she counters and throws me a half-playful, half-serious look.

The last dwarf joins the fray. Tiff does a double take when he sees me, and then his face falls. He mumbles under his breath, "So close..."

I shift my gaze between the two siblings. "Did you bet on when I'd return?" Both look away quite guiltily. "Harrn, ground 'em."

While Mara is stifling a laugh, their father shakes his head. "A little too old for that, friend."

"Yeah, sure," I say. "No electronics for two weeks." I snap my fingers, causing both dwarves to check around for the unseen effect.

"Hey!" Nilla exclaims. "You can't do that."

"Can't I?" I ask. Tiff nods, backing up his sister. "What'd you bet? There's no money anymore."

Nilla reluctantly answers, "A week of breakfast."

"Make me some too, and I'll give you your devices back."

She immediately replies, "Deal."

"No deal," Tiff says, trying to pull one over his sister even in defeat.

I start laughing at his boldness. "Come over here already and give Grandpa a hug, you little gremlin." He grins and approaches, doing so. When we let each other go, I discreetly indicate for everyone else to listen up, starting to whisper, "Before we get to the reunion part, I have something very important to tell you first. Try to keep calm." All present nod seriously, their gazes turning even more serious. "It's top-secret information, so do not share it with anyone." I take a deep breath and continue, "As you know, my technology can detect and unravel the nature of reality itself. Nothing can hide for long under my gaze." I slowly look at each one, letting the tension build. "I've made a discovery." They are all holding their breaths in anticipation, even Mara has stopped her faux respiration. "Ghosts are real."

Tiff rolls his eyes so hard I'm afraid he might lose them, Mara and Nilla start chuckling, and Harrn shakes his head with a small smile on his lips. But as my grave expression does not change, uncertainty shows through cracks in the amusement.

Nilla asks, "Are you serious? Like, really serious?"

I only manage a grave nod in reply.

Tiff, his voice a little shaky, adds, "And now you're going to say that you meant dungeon ghosts, right? ...Right?"

I whisper again, "Do not panic." Then I slowly point behind him, my hand trembling.

He stiffens. His eyes move to the side, trying to see through his own head. He begins to sluggishly turn his neck. During the movement, right at the edge of his vision, he catches a glimpse of something that wasn't there before.

An ethereal being is floating above the floor, its decomposed and translucent face twisted in a tormented cry begging for salvation.

Tiff produces a high-pitched shriek and blasts my projection with a fireball. The spell passes through the 'ghost' harmlessly. The apparition sticks out its tongue at him, wriggling ghost worm included. Then it blinks out of existence, leaving glowing letters that spell 'Gotcha'.

I start laughing, soon joined in by everyone else but Tiff.

Through lips thinly pressed together, the victim of my prank says, "I can do breakfast."

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