“It was so nice!” Zara continued to gush about her time with the dorm matron. The common area inside the dorm building was quiet as the two walked through it to their apartment dorm. They ignored the shocked looks of the three people sitting around a small table littered with papers. The secret that Zara was living there as well, would get out eventually either way. It was better to deal with any problems it might cause sooner, rather than have it hanging over their heads, causing stress and other issues.

“Is she a good teacher?” Zack asked, unlocking their door.

Zara made a noise of ascension, “She was never a Traveler, so she had to know all of these things.”

Zack abruptly pulled her behind him as he smelled something in the air. No one should have been in their dorm after they left that morning, and yet he was smelling a scent that didn’t belong there.

“Finally, you’re back!” Sergeant Grieves stepped into view from the small kitchen, with a steaming mug of something dark in his hand. “We didn’t realize your classes would run so long today.”

“We?” Zack questioned, relaxing his grip on Zara.

The female soldier who had been driving the carriage came out of the bathroom and picked up her own steaming mug from the table in front of their couch. They had never gotten her name or any of the other squad members that had come with the sergeant to move them. They hadn’t been wearing the tops of their uniforms that day, which meant he hadn’t been able to just read their name patches.

“He means me.” She took a sip and cocked her head at the two. “I have been asked to liaise between you, and the sergeant and major. I’ll be taking up a position as one of the sub-trainers so I can live on the grounds and have easy access to you.”

Zack felt his heart clench at her announcement. “Why is the military going out of their way like this? The two of us are just a couple of orphans who were tortured by madmen and scientists. I doubt that normally warrants a soldier being stationed close-by.”

Sergeant Grieves frowned and placed his mug on the nearby counter. “I agree, however, the Major specifically asked that we do this. He doesn’t need to explain his reasoning to us. We just have to follow orders, though I will admit to being curious in this case…” He looked them over and then shook his head. “Regardless, Specialist Jean McCleary will be stationed nearby in case you need to reach out to us, or vice-versa.”

“I don’t understand.” Zack had learned to trust his gut, and it was telling him something was wrong. “I thought you said there were people already here at the school, working for your Major or the military in general?”

“I did,” He agreed, without saying more.

Specialist McCleary dared to roll her eyes behind his back, an action that caused Zara to giggle. “Well, why don’t we go on a short field trip to the portal and get to know each other at the same time?” She offered.

“Why do you want to go there?”

“One of the duties all the trainers have is to go through the portals with the students. I haven’t seen it in person just yet, and while we can’t go through it today, I would still like to at least take a look around the area.” She handed her nearly empty mug to the sergeant and waved the siblings back to the door. “Don’t worry about him, he’ll leave after we are gone.”

The common area was empty when they went through it a moment later and hurried out of the building.

“What’s with the rush?” Zara was struggling to hold on to George, along with the papers Edith had given her to study later.

“No rush, I just really want to see the portal right now.” She grabbed the items from Zara and pointed them towards a small older model carriage built by the Albion government's own manufacturing company. “Do you like it? I just picked it up this morning. It’s used, but that is the only way I could afford one of these. It is not as good as a Vortex, but Alberitas carriages tend to sell for cheap when they are used. The consumer base for this brand is always upgrading to the latest model and then selling their old ones.”

Zack climbed into the front seat, while Zara and George took the back. McCleary sat in the drivers’ seat and then twisted to look at them, passing the items back to Zara at the same time.

“Alright, you two listen up. Something is going on. I have no idea what it is, but the Major called Sergeant Grieves last night and today I am stationed here. As far as I know, everything was done last minute and under the table through unofficial lines. I can’t say what that means for sure, but something has the Major on edge. And that man does not get spooked easily.” She reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a key with a small dark stone in the center of the metal.

Zack swiped the key from her hand before she could insert it into the middle of the steering wheel. “Hold on, why tell us now instead of in there? What aren’t you saying?”

“The sergeant didn’t want certain information said inside your dorm-“

“Are people listening to what is said in there?” Zara asked, clutching George tight enough that stuffing bulged from his seams.

“I don’t know,” She growled in exasperation at their constant questions. “I have no idea what they are worried about, remember! I can’t say whether anybody even knows who you are. For all I know, it could be our own government or one of the nobles who are interested in you. All I can say for certain is that we are being careful. Okay?”

Zack and Zara shared a look and then nodded. “Alright. What’s the stone in the middle of the key for? It doesn’t look like a mana stone.” He wondered while handing it back to her.

McCleary let her head fall against the hard material of the steering wheel and closed her eyes. “It’s a control stone, they’re super cheap and are found naturally here in our world. For whatever reason, they work as a near-perfect conduit for mana. So, these stones are engraved with patterns that steer the mana to where it needs to go. Alberitas creates each key specifically for a singular vehicle so they can’t be easily copied and stolen. Does that answer your question?”

“Yeah, I’ve just never seen a stone like that before is all.” None of the construction equipment he had used in the past had anything that fancy.

“They’re only used on premium goods, like this carriage and certain high-end powerful mana-tech devices.” She pulled up her head and slid the key into place. With a thrum of quiet power, the motor, using mana crystals as a power source, started up. “Now let’s hurry up. I want to see the portal without any of the larger groups around.”

It was something that was only possible when a group had already crossed over and still had hours left before their return.

“Why are you so interested in seeing this portal? I thought they all looked the same? That it was only the insides that are different.” Zara was listening closely from the back seat without saying anything.

The specialist removed a hand from the steering wheel and let it waver from side to side. “That is what we tell the masses, but it isn’t actually the truth.” They surged forward, leaving the dorm behind. The expensive machine making the ride comfortable and smooth. “Most of the portal people see is indeed indistinguishable from any other. If you look at the edges, however, you begin to notice some thin lines. Those lines are what we have come to call power markers. The thicker and more numerous the lines, the more powerful the monsters inside the portal will be. Those also tend to have denser mana crystals as well.”

“And you are curious about the lines on the school’s portal?” Zara questioned from the back, holding George in her lap. The stuffing had receded from the seams, though Zack would undoubtedly need to sew him back together soon.

“Yup, there have been some whispers from the companies that rent it from the school that the monsters inside have been growing stronger. The sergeant asked me to look it over while I was here. I could wait until our first training session inside, but that could end badly if they truly are getting stronger.”

“Do portals grow stronger? I thought they never changed.” Zack was quick to ask as the complex surrounding the object in question came into view.

“That is something we let the masses believe, although it is an open secret among travelers that they do change occasionally. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.”