“You would do that to me? Your own daughter?” She gasped out, horrified.

“You have the wrong idea again.” Her father ran a hand through his hair and slumped back on to the chair. “Honey, please just listen. I promise, my research, my methods are nothing like what happened at that institute. Please, just, please quit comparing my work to theirs.”

Tessa stilled at the defeat in his voice. “Sorry, you’re right. I have no idea how normal researchers conduct their experiments. You’ve always refused to discuss your work with me, and while I know that has to do with secrets and sensitive information, it has still always made everything you do somewhat mysterious.”

He nodded. “I can’t change that, sorry, but maybe we can talk to your mother, and she can ask the crown for permission. This, however, is my own personal project and I can talk about it with whoever I want.”

Matt straightened a tad, knowing that she was at least willing to listen. “The experiment itself is relatively harmless and involves concentrated and then liquefied mana crystals. I won’t go into the specifics, but know that there is no cutting or dissecting of anyone involved. There are some injections into the person.” He wavered. “Or subject, however you want to refer to them, but that is all.”

“And that works? I mean, everyone is close to mana crystals in some form all the time now.” Tessa interjected doubtfully.

“Like I said, no specifics, and there is far more that we do with the mixture that gets injected. There are other items related to this all as well. Point being, very little of it is invasive or painful in any way.” He scratched the tip of his nose and smiled. “The little discoveries along the way are what make researching these subjects so interesting and fun. Take the one you mentioned before, about awakening a traveler’s potential early.”

“That happened somewhat by accident. We were looking for a way to accurately measure a person’s compatibility before they awaken. As you know, the test can be done at any time, but the result is more a gauge of potential than an accurate reading.”

Tessa nodded, not daring to interrupt him, not now that he was finally talking about his work.

“I do need to correct your information here, though. What we have accomplished, is not any sort of early awakening. These people can’t go through the portals. That was one of the first things we investigated. All it does is make the status page appear for them. That alone creates a more solid link to the portals that allows us to more accurately test their compatibility rating.”

Zara loosened her grip on Zack, relieved to hear that they weren’t abusing people. “How do you select them in the first place if they haven’t awakened yet?” She asked, stepping into the room and announcing their presence.

“The initial compatibility rating,” Mathew explained without missing a beat. “It isn’t a guarantee, mind you, but those with higher ratings are more likely to awaken than those with a lower score. From there we just play the odds. Most of the subjects have indeed awakened to at least their status information. The few, I think we only have two at this point, though keep in mind our pool of, uh, people, is rather small, to begin with, get moved to other experiments. In this case, one related to why they didn’t awaken to even that point. It’s all about gathering more information and then piecing it together in a cohesive and legible manner.”

Zara walked closer to the man, her grip on Zelda tightening with every step. She stopped in front of him and peered into his eyes, as though she could see the depths of his soul. “Fine, we’ll believe you. It seems you really are just a slightly crazy, research-obsessed person, and not like those who held us captive. They always had a look in their eyes as though part of themselves was missing. You still have what they didn’t.”

“Come, we should be getting the two of you back to the dorm. The healer won’t wait all day.” Jean clapped her hands and shuffled them both out.

“Wait!” Tessa shouted, momentarily stopping them at the door of the room. “What were they missing?”

Zara smiled sadly and reached for Zack’s hand. She kept her mouth closed and didn’t answer as they walked out and continued towards the front door of the mansion.

Waiting for them outside was Ben, who had already gathered their bags and belongings. The large bear Zara had named Aisha was also waiting for them to the side, propped upright on the stone railing. Wordlessly, he carried everything to Jean’s waiting vehicle and loaded it all up for them. It was only as he finished that he said anything to them.

“Lady Ricerca directed me to apologize to you both on her behalf. You were pulled into a situation beyond your control during a visit wherein your safety should have been guaranteed. She also said that you needn’t worry about it happening a second time. Once she reveals herself, no one will dare even look at her family with ill-intentions.”

“When is she planning on revealing herself?” Zack asked, pausing with one hand on the door handle.

“Tomorrow, I believe,” Ben answered readily. “The crown hosts an open forum every Sonntag for the people to air any complaints they may have. It is a dangerous prospect to do so, despite the king and queen’s best efforts to keep the people safe. Despite that, it is always well attended by those looking for entertainment, if nothing else. She is intent on using the occasion for maximum effect and word of mouth.”

“I’ll be looking forward to class on Montag then,” Zack replied with a grin, and closed the door.

Jean nodded to the man, and then they drove away. “Zara, do you mind coming with us to the portal and just waiting there while we go inside? The healer has already been waiting for a while, I’m sure, and I’d rather not keep them away from their other duties.” She glanced up at the rear-view mirror to the side and saw Zack trying to get comfortable. “How injured are you, really?”

He hesitated, thinking of the best way to answer.

“It’s probably just the meds that old man gave him. Grieves also mentioned that he probably has a concussion from Dorn’s repeated attacks to his head.” Zara supplied, playing with a loose thread around Zelda’s ear. She had been quick to notice his struggle.

The Specialist turned back to the road. “Do you know what he gave him?”

“It was just a few pills. His secretary Beth brought them at his request,” Zack told her while looking out the tinted window.

“It was probably medicine geared more towards numbing your body then, than fixing you. He would have been interested in making sure you could walk out under your own power, especially with the Sergeant there.” Jean made a guess and pushed the matter from her mind. It wasn’t something that concerned her in any case. “What about you Zara? You didn’t answer the question from before. Are you willing to wait outside the portal? I remember how you reacted to it before.”

“I’ll be fine this time.” She tugged harder on the thread in Zelda’s ear and showed it to Zack.

He ruffled her hair and gently took the cherished bear from her. “Don’t worry, I’ll check her over when we get back to the dorm and sew everything back together. It’s been a while since I checked all her seams, anyway.” He played with the ear for a moment and then passed it back to her.

“Do we need to duck down out of sight?” Zack questioned as they neared the complex around the portal. He remembered how Jean had him laying down as they left the last time.

“It’s fine. The windows are tinted now. No one will be able to see inside unless they are standing right beside the carriage.” She drove them in without slowing at the guard station.

Inside the crumbling remains of the warehouse that contained the portal was a sole person leaning against a vehicle impatiently.

“Where is everyone? Do they take Erdetag off or something?” Zack found that option hard to believe with how desperate corporations always were for money. There was no way they would let something like a weekend keep them away from the bounty inside the portals.

Jean laughed and stopped beside the waiting woman. “Yeah, right, that will never happen. No, the Major just told them to get out for a while again. It’s another reason we need to hurry this up. We have a lot more freedom to do things like that because this one belongs to the school and not a corporation.”

“What about the portals owned by the government or military?”

Zara’s eyes were glued to the portal as they exited the vehicle.

“Those are too far away to use, and this one is within an hour’s distance of the castle. It just makes more sense to inconvenience others sometimes.” Jean explained, closing her door.

The rapid tapping of an impatient foot reached their ears. “Finally! Let’s hurry this up. I have to be at a different portal soon, and it’s a long drive.”