“What?” Samuel asked, his smile fading. He looked completely thrown. “You want to go back?”

“Well, yeah,” Eric said, looking just as confused as Samuel. “Of course I do. I want to keep helping as much as I can.”

“No,” Samuel said at once, shaking his head firmly. “You’ve helped enough. You don’t have to do anymore.”

Eric opened his mouth at once to reply, then hesitated. From his point of view, his time in Ahya had been highly enjoyable, at least after the shock had worn off. Once he’d grown accustomed to the chaotic bustle of Milagre, he’d actually found a kind of peace he hadn’t known in a while. He was sure that, now that his memories had returned, Samuel would gladly welcome his help again. But instead, the mage was refusing. It didn’t make sense.

“Why not?” He asked. “Was I not good enough to do it?”

“No, no,” Samuel said again, looking a little alarmed. “You were plenty good, I promise. But Megan is taking it on now. You should just stay here and enjoy your life. You don’t have to help.”

“I know I don’t have to,” Eric replied at once. Megan rather thought that there was a hint of annoyance to his tone now. “I want to. Why are you stopping me?”

Megan interrupted then, answering the question for Samuel. The information she knew about both men gave her an unique point of view that was both friendly and that of an outsider. “He doesn’t want you to get hurt again.”

Samuel glanced sideways at her quickly, not saying anything, but confirming her statement with the look in his eyes. There was a shadow of grief cast over his face, a cloud of emotions that he was trying, and failing, to hide away. She thought she could guess his thoughts on the matter. She opened her mouth to try and argue Eric’s case, but Eric himself beat her to the punch.

“Look,” he said, his voice softer and more reasonable after Megan’s comment. He held his silence until Samuel looked up at him, and offered his best reassuring smile. “If you were dragging me back against my will, I’d agree that it was up to you. But in this case, you’re really just the method of transportation.”

Samuel arched an eyebrow as if offended, but Eric rushed on, not giving him a chance to even consider a reply. “The point is, I made quite a few meaningful connections in Ahya. Emma, Master Ehran, even with you, Shigeru, and Bora Bora.”

So he’d met Bora Bora face-to-face? Not just Bora Bora, but the God of War as well. Megan was impressed that he still wanted to go back after such an experience. She’d heard tales of how daunting it was just to stand next to a Divine. Their presence was so strong that it affected mortals around them. Bora Bora in particular was rumored to be especially terrifying.

“I know that my job in Ahya isn’t finished,” Eric continued. “And I’m not even talking about this mysterious calamity that’s supposed to be coming. I started a life there, where I have the beginning of a family. “You’re really telling me that I can’t see Emma ever again?”

Samuel seemed to take an age to reply. For once, the honest man was even having trouble meeting their gazes directly. He didn’t want to accept the truth of what Eric was saying, and he was surprised by the firm, rational nature of his argument. Eric had been very reserved and hesitant when they’d last known each other. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, the young man could handle the burden even better now.

“But Megan is already on it,” he said feebly, trying one last tactic. “What if she doesn’t want the help?”

Megan was quick to correct this. “I’d love the help. I’ve gotten to know Eric pretty well by now. I’d appreciate his help in the next stage, whatever or whenever that might be.”

Eric looked over and smiled gratefully at her. She returned the smile, happy for her new friend. “It’s his choice, surely, Samuel. If he wants to do it, I say you should let him. So what if he gets hurt? He can just as easily get hurt here on Earth.”

“Earth doesn’t have magic or powerful evil gods,” Samuel said at once. “The danger is far greater in Ahya.”

This was a very weak argument, and they all knew it. Eric actually laughed as he replied. “Sure, we may not have gods and magic here, but we have guns, natural disasters, and cars. Life is dangerous, no matter what world you live in.”

They could tell that Samuel was wavering. Megan, curious to see Samuel’s reaction, decided to give the final push instead of letting Eric do it. “I’m sure that if Ehran was here, he’d practically order you to do it.”

Samuel smiled in spite of himself. “Yes, I’m sure he would. You two are far too clever for your own good, you know that?

Megan and Eric shared another wide smile, and he replied for them. “It’s more stubbornness than cleverness. I just hate being told no.”

Another long pause, followed by a sigh. Finally Samuel drew himself up to his full and considerable height. “Very well. I cannot summon you back instantly, however. Building a body is neither simple nor fast. It will take me at least three days.”

Eric nodded his acceptance of the statement immediately. “That’s fine with me. By the way, do you know if Raven’s Hall is still under my name?”

“Sadly, it is not. A new family holds the state, though I can repay you the profits that the estate has made over the past year.”

“That’s fine,” Eric said. “I think I’d prefer not being a Chevalier again in any event. Maybe I can start a company with Sergeant Moran with that gold.”

“In the meantime,” Samuel said, his voice now brisk and purposeful. “You should return back to your own dreams, Megan. You need all the rest you can get before your match tomorrow.”

“Your match?” Eric asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. “Are you fighting tomorrow?”

“I’m fighting with my classmates,” Megan replied. “My closest friends. We’re taking part in a group battle. We’ve been training for weeks.”

“Wow, I wish I could see that.”

Megan flashed him a grin, even as she could feel herself starting to slip away, back to her cot on the Exchange grounds. “Well, you’ll get plenty of chances to see me fight in the future. I can’t wait to meet you in person.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Eric said with a mischievous grin. “Though I think Emma and Master Ehran might demand my time right away.”

Megan laughed at that, and was still laughing as her eyes opened to reveal the ceiling of their conjured shelter. She also noticed the puzzled face of Rachel peering across the small room at her, clearly surprised at the noise she was making. Megan stopped laughing at once, though a smile was still stuck to her face as she sat up. She gave Rachel a reassuring sort of wave, and swung her feet off the bed to touch the cold wooden planks of the floor.

“Good dream, I take it?” Rachel asked, still with that arched eyebrow. “You seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, whatever that was.”

“Yeah,” Megan replied with a contented sigh. “It was a good dream. What time is it?”

“They just gave the call for breakfast. I was going to wake you up in a few minutes. No need now, I guess.”

They dressed mostly in silence, splashing cold water onto their faces and quickly brushing their hair. Megan tied hers back into a manageable ponytail, but Rachel simply let hers hang down. It was always very easy to be jealous of her rich, thick head of hair, Megan thought. She never failed to catch the attention of people around her. Megan, in fact, had even briefly wondered what it would be like to be with someone as proud and confident as Rachel. Thankfully for her, that thought hadn’t lasted long, and she much preferred the firm friendship they’d created over a year of mutual experience.

They left the temporary shelter just as Michael and Jordan returned, having gone to check who would be fighting first. Megan let out a quiet, unseen sigh of relief as Jordan said that they would be second. That meant that they wouldn’t fight until after lunch, she thought. Plenty of time to wake up, enjoy a few more matches, then get ready for their turn. She only hoped that she could put up a good showing, and not disappoint the trust put in her by Samuel and her friends.

Don’t think like that, she told herself crossly. You’ve worked your ass off practicing for a month, haven’t you? This should be nothing.

And truth be told, it was difficult to be too worried about it with Michael and Rachel on either side of her. They were both practically bouncing with confidence, chatting easily and laughing loudly as they made their way to the arena. Michael didn’t even seem hung up about his loss to Kanora anymore, she noticed. He was displaying nothing but an eager excitement for their coming fight.

Speak of the devil, Megan thought. There was Kanora now, sitting cross-legged outside the massive mess tent, cradling a steaming bowl of porridge in her lap. She glanced up at the approach of the four friends and offered a polite bob of her head, which they returned. Megan followed the others into the line for food, hoping sincerely that there were tastier options than porridge in the line. She quickly found out that she was worried for nothing.

Easily the best thing about magic, Megan decided, was how easily it contributed to delicious food. Not everyone was as gifted a cook as Mandra or the individuals hired by noble families, but magic did help in many ways. Samuel had apparently gotten a sumptuous meal created, and used magic to increase the amount so that there was enough to feed an army, or at least fifty hungry apprentice mages. There was no shortage of praise for the unknown chef as the food was devoured.

Soon after, the crowd split apart to visit the arena once more. There were four matches scheduled before lunch, with the first group fight of the day taking part halfway through. A busy schedule, Megan thought with interest. Both duels were won by Attosian students. The second was pretty interesting to Megan. His magic consisted of golden energy manually shaped into whips, and slung around at frightening speed. It became rigid at will, so that the instant his opponent was bound, the Attosian made the rope taught. His opponent was unable to break free, and was forced to surrender.

The crowd couldn’t help but notice that, upon returning to their group after their fights, each Attosian student gave a proud salute to the man who had won the first match. He was obviously a senior officer. He replied to each greeting with a quickly muttered word, obviously advice by the way they reacted. Megan caught herself wondering if she could be a good leader like that.

Michael and Jordan broke off then, to go and spectate the group combat while Rachel and Megan continued to watch the duels. The next fight featured a proud man from Zaban who, unlike his countrymen, wore sleek robes padded with silver furs. There was a royal look about his elven face, and he was incredibly strong, defeating his Tyrman opponent in less than a minute. His rough friends cheered loudly, but he gave no sign of hearing it, merely helping the defeated student onto a stretcher when the healers came to fetch him. Then he vanished in a hurry, as his team was fighting then.

The tall smug upperclassmen, whose name Megan really thought she should know by now, was in the second duel. He unleashed yet another flurry of spells at his opponent, who showed exceptional defensive skills, but broke his barrier down quickly. The unnerved Nihon-Jan apprentice didn’t last long before he was knocked flat and quickly surrendered. The upperclassman flashed his wide smirk in Rachel’s direction as he left the arena. He’s sweet on her, Megan thought. The realization made her laugh.

“Megan Richards, Rachel Moran,” a voice said from behind them and slightly to the right. “Your fight will be taking place in ten minutes’ time. Please head to the arena to prepare.”