Three days. Not a word was spoken.

Eventually Reylor was able to get Elany to run/walk with him. Each time Reylor could sense their pursuers, though, he used a little more of his precious spacial energy to create a bit more distance; but the gap was closing, albeit slowly.

They trudged on. By day, the two walked beside each other; and by night, the girl slept while carried on the other’s shoulders. At all times their fate seemed to hang in the balance.

How could such a thing happen? How could they?

Reylor pondered the situation with each spare thought. He had reviewed the lives of many wicked people, and judged them accordingly, but this was different. This time he was experiencing first-hand the results of evil.

Karma will be repaid in the end, but if nothing is done until then, suffering will only increase.

He was no longer a lord over the spacial hall. His life should have been over, and his goal had been to make things to be as they were intended to. But now—now things were different. As he saw this young lady lifelessly plodding on beside him, his cold heart began to ache.

Her first chapter of life in this world is over. And who knows what it will take to carry on with the next. I cannot let this happen again—to her or to any other.

There will be change. I may no longer be a part of the spacial hall, but I can still do my duty here. I will change this country—this planet. Aretor. I will serve this world. I will take on a new purpose. For the sake of Aretor, I will bring change.

They kept going, reaching a forest. They plunged in, the forest seeming to welcome them as if it were alive. It was at this time that things finally began to look up, as Reylor gradually lost sense of his pursuers.

Are they afraid of the forest? Reylor thought. Nevertheless, he was relieved.

They traveled one more day, at last finding a village an hour after the sun had set.

Finally, we can take a break. He thought…

Still following the traces of karma, the two melted through a visual barrier, revealing a small town, crafted from live plants.

“Stop! What is your business here?” rang out from a guard tower.

“We are two travelers, looking for refuge for a time”

“This is a time of war outside, your kind is not welcome here!” the answer rang.

Reylor clenched his fist, but he was far too disciplined to let his emotions get the better of him. They turned around and left.

Several minutes later, he abruptly stopped. Someone is there.

Knowing her cover had already been blown, an aged voice softly called out “Please, follow me, favored guests.”

Her karma was good, so they followed the old lady to a well camouflaged hut, a fair distance from the village.

Following directions, Reylor laid Elany down on some cloth bedding.

“You should get some sleep as well; it appears you have had a long journey.”

“No thank you, I will be just…”

A dim flash came from the old woman’s hand. Everything faded to blackness, and Reylor’s figure slumped down beside Elany.

*** *** ***

“Whoosh.”

“Kabam!”

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

“LUCILLE!!!”

“Yes? What, what’s going on?”

“You must leave. Quickly!”

Lucille sleepily sat up from her bed, peering into the eyes of the guard who had called out to her.

“But if I leave you… Brother will…”

“It doesn’t matter. The kingdom is finished. The territories are revolting, and they have even requested help from Vilnor. If they catch you, it’s over for not only the kingdom, but you. LEAVE! GET OUT OF HERE!”

Quickly changing her clothes, she met the guard who had by now released the rest of the royal prisoners. The guard paused, captivated by her sharp red eyes—a trait of the Shildwell family.

“Well, then?”

“Oh, I am sorry, please come this way”

She was led through a network of passageways out of the castle emerging in a forest just outside of the courtyard.

(Whispered from a short distance away)

“Hey, dude, I found our first catch. It’s even a princess!”

“Are you stupid?! She’ll destroy you!”

“You forgot. Remember what his highness did to his prisoners?”

“Oh, right. Hahaha! I take it back, you’re a genius!”

*** *** ***

In the morning, Reylor awoke, and froze.

Woah, what just happened? Did I get knocked out or something? Everything was black after… Her, where is—

“Good morning,” the old voice softly declared. “Did you have a good sleep?”

Sleep? What even?! Don’t tell me. She put me to sleep?

“By your puzzled expression, I can assume you are wondering what just happened. I simply used a spell to help you fall asleep a bit faster than you would normally.” The lady said.

“Sleep? You made me sleep?” Sleep is such a childish thing. I don’t need that… Wait, my energy is… restored a bit?

A grown Seldin sleeping? Whoever heard of that? Nevertheless, it was unmistakable that he did feel more refreshed, plus he had recovered a significant amount of spacial energy.

“You had quite the time of travel. I can tell by your features that it was definitely beneficial for you, regardless of your race. You see, that is how it is on this planet… Mr. Seldin…”

His body twitched.

“It seems as though I have guessed correctly. My name is Verida, and I am the record keeper for the Elves, although I am actually more of a spokesperson for the spirits of the forest. I have met one of your kind before. Not a much of a talkative fellow, but an interesting sort, nonetheless”

“Why are you accommodating us here?” He asked

“The spirits told me to.”

“…”

“Hahaha, not exactly like that. Do you remember how the forest reacted to you, as you entered?”

“It seemed almost like it was opening itself up to make paths for us.”

“Yes. And in fact, that is exactly what was happening, though guided by the spirits. Do you know what that usually means? It means that the person entering either has massive spiritual power, has extremely high magical power, or is an Elf. Which category do you think you fall under?”

More silence.

“None of those,” she continued. You don’t have the physical traits of an elf, my spirits know you don’t have spiritual power, and you don’t have a magical aura strong enough to make the forest react in such a way. “So now that we have come to the end of known and confirmed cases, we must move to less reliable records, and only one would be able to fit the facts. The case where this region is visited by—a god. This is also corroborated by the fact you were talking with me in the tongue of the ancients last night” She had a very pleased look on her face.

Dangit, Reylor! How did you not realize what was happening there?

Reylor’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Seldins weren’t technically gods, but only because of their inability to create original life. This lady’s guess was fairly accurate.

“Will this answer suffice?”

“Yes, it will” Reylor answered.

“Good. Now I have some advice. While you must have been quite powerful where you came from, this planet is different—the fact that you were running from those Vilnor soldiers tells me so. Learn some magic. Mana is plentiful in this planet, and I believe it will help you greatly.

“I recommend Votran high for you. It is in the Vilnor Empire, but I do not believe you will be detected, as your aura is not identifiable, and your friend’s magic has not awakened yet. Who knows, but there may even be some poor soul you can help out of that corrupt empire.

Reylor let out a deep breath.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I think your friend has something on her mind. I’ll let you talk in peace.”

Reylor turned to find Elany sitting on the bedding, with yet another shocked expression.

“Yes Elany?”

Ugh. I guess she must have overheard out conversation.

He braced himself for the impending question about him being a God. What he was not expecting, however, was what actually came out of her mouth. “Mr. S-Seldin,” She said, almost reverently, as she stood up.

“Yes?”

She carefully looked at him as he sat down in front of him.

“A-are you… a gatekeeper?”

…

“Yes, Elany. I am.” Reylor’s sharp azure eyes focused in on her.

“The-then, village, the villagers! Can you… bring them…”

“No, I have left the hall, and at this point do not have the ability to do anything about them. Even if I could get back, the most I could do would be to reincarnate them here again. Despite what Verida said, I’m not exactly a God, but more of an empowered servant to the Karma cycle. However, I can tell you this. Splendor was a great village, not one resident was an evil person. The one who sits where I had been will see to it that they are reincarnated in a place suitable for them. Their next lives should be pleasant.”

“Oh. Ok. Thank you,” she replied.

A tear fell to the floor.

Elany’s two blue eyes softened, as a small pair of hands grasped the shirt of her companion.

“Reylor,” she choked out, putting her head against his chest

They, they’re gone. I can’t… I… I…

With a deep breath, Reylor—the gatekeeper—lifted his hands from his sides, to embrace the delicate figure before him.

Hours passed by as Elany sobbed and cried to mourn for the loss of Splendor, and those who had been the essence of her glad life, but had now certainly passed on.

*** *** ***

The two stayed for a few more days, accepting Verida’s hospitality. This was to buy time until Elany could manage to overcome the initial shock of what had just happened.

Travel was a lot more pleasant—if you could call it that—now. They were not being actively pursued, which meant that they could take a more leisurely pace. Also, Reylor was able to use his spacial abilities to acquire a few essentials, such as a tent, a backpack, and some containers for water.

They journeyed west, making occasional stops along the way for Elany to rest; and to hunt, collect, and prepare food.

After four days of travel they emerged from the forest, into the outskirts of the Vilnor Empire.

Both companions each took a deep breath of the crisp air. It was not as if the forest was an unpleasant place. In fact, one would find it to be quite enchanting. However, it was not like what they were used to, and so they quite welcomed the experience.

“Aaah!” a voice screamed out, cutting Reylor and Elany’s revitalizing spectacle short.

“Y-you! You-y-you c-came from t-the forest? D-don’t k-k-kill me! P-please!”

A man in a tan shirt and overalls sat, cowering next to the pickaxe he had just dropped

Hearing the screams of the poor man, another worker rushed over.

“Roger, what’s wrong?!”

Seeing Reylor and Elany he paused for a moment.

“Um, would you guys care to explain what just happened here?” He asked, with a doubtful expression.

Reylor spoke up. “Well, we just got out of the forest and found—“

“FOREST?! Did you just say you came from the forest?!”

“Yes, I did. Is there something troubling you about that?”

“Bloody hell! No wonder Roger’s up in such a spin!”

“Since the war happenen’ and Vilnor violently annexen’ all the countries on this side o’ the planet, the Elves have barred entry from anyone other than their own kin from entering the forest. Sure, people have still tried to go in, but those that even manage to set foot inside, never make it back out. Poor Roger o’ there—superstitious fellow he is—must think he’s seen the God of death himself, since you’ve made it back out alive.”

“Sigh” “I hate to be pushy, but would you folk mind leaving me to tend to the poor bugger? If you have any questions, the village up there should be able to help you out if you need anything. Just don’t mention you came out of the forest. You know, for obvious reasons,” he said.

Reylor nodded, and he and Elany headed off in the direction the worker had mentioned.

After asking a few residents, they managed to get directions to the closest city with a teleport gate.

Though they had now entered the Vilnor Empire, this part of it still felt like the rural Otium territories, just with larger cities and wider roads. Time went by quickly as they traversed the dirt road straddled by untamed grasslands. They made camp at a convenient spot along the way when it became dark.

They sat down in front of the fire pit Reylor had made to cook their evening meal.

“Elany, I have a question for you.” Reylor said

“What is that?” she asked.

How did you know I was a gatekeeper?

“Oh, that. I didn’t really know… I mean, I didn’t think…”

“Relax, and take your time, there is no need to rush.” Reylor soothingly place his hand on her back and she leaned over onto his shoulder.

“I mean, there are not any records of anything like that. Of course everyone knows about reincarnation, but not of how it happens. As for me, I have flashbacks. Kind of memories of the past, but it’s like I was a different person. Like—really different. Then I have this dream.

“In this dream I see a man that looks just like you, like the hair, the coat, and everything. And in the dreams I would appear before him, n-naked… Uh, I-I mean not like without clothes and stuff, but like without even a body.” Her face grew pink as she continued. “Th-then…”

“Breathe Elany, breathe” He said, stroking her back.

Elany took a deep breath.

“Then he looked at me, but not like he could actually see me, but like he was in some sort of a vision, pertaining to me.”

Looking through her past. Yes, yes, that sounds about right. Reylor thought.

“Then he refocused and looked like he actually was looking at me, and he said ‘I the gatekeeper…”

Oh, hells no! Clade you embassyle! You are an embarrassment to us!

This time it was Reylor’s face that changed colors.

“’I the gatekeeper now decree that you shall be gifted with...’ Reylor, are you ok?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine, please do continue” Clayde, If I ever get back to the hall and you are still there I will personally beat you!!!

“Ok, so like I was saying, he said ‘you will be gifted with a new life, and that will be on the planet Aretor.’ And then I felt like I was being pulled toward a teleport gate, but not a regular one, but a really, really big and fancy one!”

Yes, yes, we Seldins are the creators of the teleportation gates in the first place. Of course ours would be “Big and fancy.”

“And then the dream (yawn) ended.”

“So I ended before you even got to the gate?” Reylor asked

“Mhmm” Elany sleepily consented.

“Alright. Thank you. That’s enough for today. Lets get you…” She’s already asleep. Well, it has been another day of travel. I suppose humans and the like simply can’t help it.

Using simple spacial arts, so as not to disturb her peace, he spread out a blanket on the ground. He then picked up Elany, who had finally slumped onto his lap, and placed her on it. Lying down next to her he closed his eyes, thinking about the day; and listening to his companion’s sleeping breaths, he was unwittingly lulled into a deep sleep as well.