It was a few hours before James returned, and when he did he was noticeably taller than when he left, and his unshakeable confidence had returned. Whatever the Sage did must have worked.

“You got tall!” Miranda exclaimed. She was the shortest of the group, to begin with, but now, James’ unnatural height made her seem even smaller.

“What did you find out?” Howard asked.

“More than I expected,” James replied, “That ceremony is something necessary to live in this world, even for the natives. It unlocked my ability to communicate with telepathy, made me taller, and likely lengthened my lifespan beyond just curing me of a terminal disease.”

“So we may have to participate in one as well,” Natalie muttered.

“Most likely, but it is not the most comfortable experience,” James warned, “In exchange for giving all of that to us, the Sage can look through your mind unhindered. Once you participate there will be no secrets you can keep from the Sage.”

“What about future secrets we don’t know yet?” Jonathan asked.

James paused. “I have no idea.”

“Interesting. I might go next,” Jonathan mused.

“I am not so sure that is a good idea,” Leon broke in, “If she sees into Jonathan’s head all of us might be kicked out or worse.”

“What about Howard and I?” Selina asked, “Neither of us are criminals, and seeing how more than one person reacts to the ceremony would be useful.”

Though she tried to make herself sound as if she were making a sacrifice for the group she was clearly excited to try the ceremony out.

“I will go too,” Miranda volunteered, “She already accepted James and there is no way my past is worse than his.”

Judging by the way she kept looking James up and down, Miranda was also looking to grow some in height.

“Hold on for a moment,” James called, “I haven’t finished yet. The Sage also gave me a position here. After sifting through my memories she believes I would make a good hunter, so I will be moving out to the outskirts with them to learn how that works here.”

“So the ceremony can decide our futures,” Miranda muttered.

“It is called the Providence Ceremony,” Selina pointed out, still shaking with excitement.

It was good that Selina was no longer depressed but Howard wished she would leave him out of her new adventures. As he looked around, he saw Jonathan was the only one interested in the ceremony at all. Natalie had a grave expression and Leon didn’t want anyone rummaging through his memories.

“Why don’t you two go first,” Howard suggested, in an attempt to weasel out of it.

“Then you will come with us?” Selina asked with a bright smile.

Unfortunately, it was taken the opposite way he intended. Howard inwardly came to the conclusion that Selina was why he could not handle dealing with other people. She was the type to twist everything someone said to suit her wishes.

Jonathan watched the situation with a strange smile before darting to the exit. “Me first!” he declared, “You guys are taking too long.”

He was gone before anyone could stop him. Howard found himself staring at the door flaps in surprise, also wondering why he was surprised so much by something that madman did.

“Should we follow?” Miranda asked hesitantly.

“Probably,” James told her, “At the very least you can instantly confirm that you are not like him.”

Selina grabbed Howard’s arm tighter. “Let’s go.”

Howard was dragged along the path to Veda’s rose. The path seemed much longer without the use of a gondola but it wasn’t like they could constantly demand the natives cart them around when they still didn’t have a method to pay them with. James would soon, but the rest of them could not just rely on him for everything either.

Since they were walking at a normal pace, by the time they arrived Jonathan was already inside, and well into the ceremony. They were not allowed to enter the room so see for themselves. It seemed it really was a very private thing.

When Jonathan returned he had more visible changes than James. His hair was now a lighter shade of reddish-brown, and he had also grown taller. However, the most unnerving change was his eyes. They were deep crimson.

“I’ve been banished,” he reported with a beaming smile, “I have been given a few days to prepare some things, but I have to leave.”

Miranda started for a few moments. “Why do you seem so happy then?”

“I can just move back to the shuttle,” he replied, “and outside of the colony, I can research without any worries about breaking any stiff rules. It seems that the majority of the land in this world is unclaimed, and the only issue that might appear is if a colony shows up too close to another.”

Howard did not want to know what sort of research Jonathan would be conducting at the crash site. Miranda took the opportunity to separate herself from the situation by going next, and while she was in there, Jonathan left.

When Miranda came out, her hair was darker, along with Selina’s mood.

“I can’t do this,” Selina decided, “Height is one thing, but if it is going to mess with my hair and I can’t even get a warning before the irreversible is done…” She shuddered.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Miranda said, “She introduced me to the arts district. It is huge, and I would fit right in!”

So a second person was likely to be moving out. Good. But that still left Selina, Leon, and Natalie. He wasn’t sure whether Sanders was coming back or not.

“Good luck Howard,” Selina told him, “I am going to help Miranda pack.”

Howard was about to protest before he stopped himself. What if he went through the ceremony and he was given the opportunity to move out too. The jobs seemed to suit them so he might be able to live his desired life of solitude.

With that in mind, Howard entered the heart of the rose to see what fate lay ahead for him.

Inside, the Sage watched him with wary eyes. Howard wasn’t entirely surprised. She had just gone through the minds of three criminals, one of whom was insane. Howard doubted his memories would be interesting at all after that since the majority of them revolved around the forest, even in his childhood.

{Step up to the edge of the fountain,} the Sage directed.

Howard noted how much clearer her voice was in his mind than the doctor or any of the other natives as he complied.

Silvery water rose from the fountain, glowing pleasantly. The mist had the fresh smell of a forest stream, and the cool water felt pleasant on his skin when it touched him. Perhaps because he had no intention to resist when the Sage’s presence entered his mind it did not feel unpleasant at all.

Howard opened his eyes after the surprisingly relaxing ceremony to find the Sage staring at him.

{Incredible.}

Incredible? Howard glanced into the fountain and saw among the ripples that his hair had become green so light it was practically white. It was a soft, pleasant color, but wasn’t light hair like this…

{I have never met someone with such immediate potential,} the Sage continued, her metal tone still in awe, {Please, become my apprentice.}