“Samuel. Welcome to my home. Please, join me.”

The old man was smiling in warm welcome, the very picture of peace and serenity. Samuel was immediately taken aback by the man, though he couldn’t muster any sort of aggression or defense. He couldn’t sense any mana, ki, or even aura enveloping him, but the lack of energy did not indicate weakness. There was a very calm yet frightening aura of mystery and power around the man, hinting at thousands of years of gathered strength.

He was also vaguely familiar, Samuel thought. This was their first time meeting, but he was certain that he’d seen the man somewhere. His pale skin, long silver hair, and his heavy robe, with three loops of thick, heavy beads stretching from shoulder to hip on either side and around his waist, it was all very familiar. Where had he seen this man before? He was certain that he would have remembered such a unique individual. Then the memory clicked into place, and his jaw dropped.

“I’ve seen you before,” he said, his voice faint. “You were with Grimr at-.”

“At the funeral of my youngest son,” Reito supplied. When Samuel made no further comment, he smiled. “Yes. I remember you as well. I particularly remember the potential I sensed in you then. I’m glad to see you have begun living up to it.”

Samuel could remember wondering, at the time, who the old man beside Grimr had been. The Ancient had been grinning in his usual sarcastic way, a mood he only expressed among friends. He should have known Raveonic then, after all that he’d heard from Shigeru and Grimr. He realized that Raveonic’s hand was still extended, gesturing to one of the circles that lay along the edge of the disk. Hesitantly, he took a step forward. The symbol in the center of the smaller ring was familiar. Mind. It was written in the Ancient tongue. How fitting, he thought, suppressing the urge to snort.

“Fine,” Samuel said, a little of his informal mood returning to him. “I’ve answered your summons, and passed your trials. What is it you wish to teach me?”

He expected Raveonic, or at least Reito, to be offended by his brisk tone. But they both smiled wryly at the quip, and Reito settled himself in the circle with the symbol for Soul. By craning his neck slightly, Samuel could read the symbol in the circle behind Raveonic. Body. How fitting, he thought again. Suddenly, with a pang of irritation, he realized that he was far from the first person in the world to split magic into the three categories.

“You are not here to learn from me,” Raveonic said, once the two had been settled. Samuel raised an eyebrow in expectant disbelief. “Well, I will teach you one thing. But it is just a tool for you to learn more. Unfortunately, I cannot teach you what you need to know for the next step of your life.”

“I’ll wager this has something to do with the Enari,” Samuel ventured. Raveonic’s face gave nothing away, but he was certain in his guess. Lately, all the important parts of his life seemed to point to the Ethereal Plane. He even had an inkling of an idea as to what Raveonic expected him to learn. “Unfortunately, I cannot afford to enter the Ethereal Plane, if that is what you intend for me. I lost a hundred years before, and I’m not keen to do it again. As you know, there is a war in my country. I have to be ready to return at a moment’s notice.”

“You will be gone but a moment,” Reito countered at once. “I received a gift from the Mind many years ago, before he was forced into hiding.”

Samuel perked up at that, sitting forward slightly, his hands gripping his knees. “A gift? A spell?”

“Yes,” Reito said. “But alas, I cannot perform it. I do not have, err, your special connection to Ahya. I am but a mere mortal, and no amount of training will allow me to be the one that breaches the barrier between our two planes.”

“But I can,” Samuel guessed. “But mortals have entered the Ethereal Plane before, and some have even returned.”

“This is true,” Raveonic agreed, a small smile reforming on his face. “But they entered by accident, as you did, and their minds were quite damaged from the journey. I know that only two souls have crossed over and returned without severe mental damage.”

“Knarlick,” Samuel said quietly. “And me.”

“Correct. But with this spell, your entry will not be an accident. I am confident that you alone will be able to enter and exit by will. Once you manage it, the process will be easier for others.”

“So I’m to blaze a trail,” Samuel said. “I will be your foot soldier, to take on the risk, so that others may be spared the danger of crossing later.”

Samuel didn’t know when he’d risen to his feet, but he was suddenly towering over the older man, cold anger flaring in his chest. He’d been fooled, expecting to learn some secret art like that of Shigeru and Grimr, some powerful magic or technique that would allow him to triumph over future foes. He’d expected knowledge, not a suicide mission. He restrained his mana from flaring up with immense difficulty, and turned on his heel. He had more important and effective things to occupy his time. He couldn’t waste it here, humoring the request of an old sage who refused to teach him anything.

Before he’d even taken a single step, the entrance to the building slammed shut, and a veil of thick energy washed over it. He was quite clearly locked in. Even Grimr could not defeat him. He summoned his sword with a casual gesture, and the blue hilt appeared in his left hand. He drew the crystalline blade, but did not point it at Raveonic. Such an action was overtly provocative, and would make a fight unavoidable. Reito half-rose, but froze at a simple gesture from Raveonic. The old master was gazing curiously at Samuel, as if mildly curious what his next action would be.

“It will be dangerous,” Reito said. “I cannot pretend to you that it will be easy. But you seek knowledge, do you not?”

“I do,” Samuel said, his words muffled through clenched teeth. “But I do not seek an early death. I have many years left to live.”

“I could command you to enter,” Raveonic said. “It is your calling in this world. The Ethereal Plane is an untapped resource, full of knowledge to receive. You can learn even that which the Mind does not know. Does this not interest you?”

The latter part of his response was lost on Samuel, who felt another rush of anger run through his body. Command him? He only answered to one higher power, and nothing Raveonic said would change that simple fact. He thinks he has me trapped, Samuel thought. But he had tools that defied any amount of anti-magic effects. At once, he felt the energy inside him begin to creep up his body, coating him entirely in preparation for the spell. But before he could use World Shift, Raveonic said a single word.

“Stop.”

Samuel was fully prepared to ignore him. But, to his astonishment, the energy he’d pulled from his Ancient side dropped at once, and he didn’t move an inch. His entire body had locked up, refusing to move in accordance with his instructions. He was truly frozen, he thought wildly.

“Drop your weapon.”

At once, the sword dropped from suddenly limp fingers, clattering onto the stone floor. Samuel looked down at it incredulously with his eyes, as his head couldn’t move. Only his jaw was free. “How did you do that?”

Raveonic rose gracefully to his feet, as did Reito to his side. Now the aura of strength and wisdom was denser, more palpable. It was almost suffocating as he stepped closer to Samuel, the sheer pressure of it terrifying. He would have tried to run for his life if he hadn’t been paralyzed.

“I’m sorry to tell you that I know more of the Mother’s secrets than you,” he said. His friendly tone slipped just a fraction, and Samuel could glimpse an endless ocean of rage and bloodthirst beneath. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but it had been vast, like the fire of a volcano, barely suppressed beneath a thin crust of willpower and calm. “I may be mortal, but I can command Ancients, rendering them incapable of fighting.”

Samuel couldn’t comprehend such a power. Only Ancients could affect other Ancient’s abilities. That rule had been explained quite thoroughly to him by Grimr, after he’d been reborn. Mortals couldn’t touch them, or even truly kill them. He stared deeply into Raveonic’s eyes. “How?”

“The most ancient of us have our roles,” Raveonic said firmly. “Mine is to protect Ahya. In order to do so, I cannot be overpowered by any of her children. When I speak, they must obey.”

Almost as if to test the theory, Samuel tried to muster mana to his hands. He didn’t have the intent to attack, merely to pull it to the ready. But apart from a faint quiver, it refused to move. Reito noticed the attempt, and did not smile. “I will not force you to enter the Plane. Nor will I harm you in any way for your rudeness today. Please, pick up your weapon, and listen to me.”

It wasn’t a command, yet he complied, bending over to snatch up the blade and sheath it before he quite understood what he was doing. His body was his own again. He heaved an unseen sigh of relief. It was the first time he’d truly lost control of himself since the time that he’d been reborn. He hadn’t enjoyed it much then, either. Banishing the weapon with a casual gesture, he finally lifted his eyes to meet Raveonic’s.

“What spell do you have that prevents me from being harmed, either in body or mind?” He asked. His tone was abrupt, but it was the best he could manage, given his current mood. “I’ve experienced chaotic mana several times now. It feeds upon stable mana until it is gone, eating up even the source.”

“That is true,” Reito said. “But with your body’s energy, you can protect against it, yes?”

Samuel had never given that much thought. He knew that chaotic beasts, or Enari, he corrected himself, couldn’t feed upon ki. That was what made it such a potent weapon whenever he’d had to face one. When he’d coated his body with ki not even two hours ago, he’d provided a layer of protection against the Enari’s body, which had forced the beast to split apart as he crashed down. His mind grasped the idea quickly, and his ki moved automatically flared up to coat him, proving the idea a reality.

“Excellent,” Reito said. “You are a natural at this. I am confident you will easily handle your first foray.”

“There is still the isse of time,” Samuel said. “In my last trip to the Ethereal Plane, if I even went there, I was gone for nearly a century. I obviously cannot afford to do so again.”

“Ah,” Raveonic said, holding up one finger. “But that will not be an issue with my spell.”

“Your spell?” Samuel raised an eyebrow. “How could you create a spell to use in the Ethereal Plane if you’ve never set foot in it?”

“I did not create it for the Ethereal Plane,” Raveonic said at once. “I created it for traveling to another plane, where there is no time.”

Samuel’s eyes narrowed at the tidbit of information. This was obviously the first time he’d heard of such a place existing. But at once, he knew the truth. “That is why you do not age, even as a mortal.”

“Yes,” Raveonic said, a smile coming back to his face. “After ninety-six years, I managed to reach that plain. I met a most interesting person there, and he taught me how to become timeless.”

“You cannot die,” Samuel said. It was not a question. “You are immortal, even more than the Ancients and Gods.”

“I will die,” Raveonic corrected him. “My lifeforce is tied to another’s. While he lives, my body remains frozen in this, my most powerful form. But when I kill him, I will perish as well.”

“You’re planning to murder someone?”

“I am planning to murder the greatest threat to Ahya that has ever existed. Then I will pay the ultimate price, and give my life to the Mother, before the end for us all comes.”

Samuel’s mind reeled at the revelation, but he willed it away, deciding not to pry just now. He had the sense that Raveonic would refuse to answer anyway, and it was clear that no living soul, even his closest students, knew when that day would come or what it would bring. Reito looked curiously at his master, clearly sad at the prospect of him dying. But he seemed resigned, or perhaps accepting of the inevitability of it. Samuel decided it was best to pursue the original topic.

“So,” he said, bringing the two monk’s attention back to him. “How does this spell work?”

Raveonic’s smile widened as he recognized the wisdom of Samuel’s silent decision, and obliged. “You make a sort of anchor here, on the material plane. It will stay in the same place and time, so no matter how far or how long you move, you will always return to the exact moment you left.”

“And you’re certain I can perform this spell?” Samuel asked, though he was already excited at the prospect. “Without practicing it beforehand?”

“I am certain. It is Ancient magic, after all.”

“You can perform Ancient magic?” Samuel asked, bewildered. Despite his power to command Samuel, the ancient tongue was something that could not be taught. You were either born with the knowledge of it, or reborn, as Samuel had done. “How is this possible?”

Raveonic lifted one hand in a graceful gesture, his palm directed at Samuel. “Laban.”

Before Samuel’s very eyes, the air around Raveonic’s hand pulsed with unmistakable Ahyan energy, reverberating violently. It was not only Samuel’s unique trait, but a fully developed, perfected version. For an instant, Samuel could see the flashes of energy that swirled through the air. Mana, ki, and aura all moving in harmony, directed and bolstered by the energy that only came from the Mother. It was, in Samuel’s opinion, an even more convincing display of his power than freezing him and forcing him to drop his sword.

“Teach me,” Samuel said at once, his mind made up. “Please.”

“You already know this,” Raveonic replied. “The knowledge is there. You just need to use the right words.”

Samuel frowned at him, his mind already casting inwards, as it did when he was faced with a new challenge. The right words. That meant that it was derived from the ancient tongue, which he knew entirely. The right words. He put his hands into the air before him, focusing not only his attention but his energy in the air before him. Hundreds, even thousands of words occurred to him. He selected them as they came, and uttered the finished sentence.

“Bukas, lagusan sa pagitan ng mga mundo.” Open, tunnel between worlds.

Nothing whatsoever happened. Samuel glanced at Raveonic as if for guidance, and the monk shook his head. “You need to be more specific.”

Samuel returned his attention to his hands, and thought of a new set of words.

“Bahagi, tabing sa pagitan ng mga salita.” Part, veil between worlds.

Again, nothing. Without looking at Raveonic, Samuel lowered his arms, chewing his lip reflectively. The answer, he was sure, was close. It was just a matter of finding the right words. Admittedly, he hadn’t put much thought into the ancient magic. He’d assumed that the right words would always come when he needed them, as had happened in the past. There was no way to sharpen the magic that already existed, or so he had thought. He thought back to Grimr’s explanation of how ancient magic worked, so many years ago, before he’d known his purpose in life.

We reach out to the magic of the world, and command it with words.

Then the realization hit him. He wasn’t trying to reach out to another world. It was all part of the same world, the world in which he lived! He was seeking that which already lay around him. It was there, forever present, but out of reach. Before he could put more thought into it, he’d raised his arms again. As if it could read his intent, a faint ripple formed in the air between his hands. He glanced at the two monks, who were looking delightedly expectant. He knew the words now.

“Lumapit sa akin, kaguluhan” Come to me, chaos.

For a moment, the air before him merely quivered, as if an invisible hand was stirring a calm pool of water. Then, with a faint tearing sound, a thin line of energy appeared and widened, pulling the very air apart to the side, revealing a shining blue light that nearly blinded him. He could feel the chaos surging incessantly beyond the new portal he’d created, and recoiled a half step. It was faintly familiar to him, though of course he had no memory of visiting before. But he could also feel a faint tugging sensation in the small of his back, as if no matter what, he could be pulled back at a moment’s notice.

“Well,” he said, his voice hoarse with nervous energy. “That worked better than expected.”

Raveonic was obviously uncomfortable with the lingering source of chaotic energy so close to him, but he nodded encouragingly. “I knew you would be able to. Well, take your first step, young Samuel. Be the first to master this plane.”

Strangely, Samuel felt a rush of certainty and confidence that hadn’t been present before. He knew that, in some way, he was uniquely qualified to blaze the trail in this matter. He could see it now, his victorious return with knowledge of new magicks. He stepped through the tear, which sealed behind him at once.