“Thanks for that,” Ulli whispered, kissing me on the cheek. “I had a good time today. It was almost like…”

She didn’t finish the sentence and ran off to her room. Marcelle smiled and said, “You did well today.”

“Have you ever been on a date?” I asked, turning my attention to Marcelle.

Marcelle paused for a moment to consider the question. When she answered, she was vague. “Perhaps. I don’t believe I knew what love was before entering the tower program. I still don’t.”

“Don’t you want to find out what it is?” I asked.

She flashed a mischievous smile. “Why? Do you intend to claim me?”

“No!” I spluttered. “I was just wondering if you wanted to find someone someday.”

“Sorry kid,” she laughed. “It’s either you or your father. That’s the life of a tower maiden.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I asked, surprised she didn’t seem to care.“

“Life isn’t all about love,” Marcelle replied. “I wanted a good life for my family and I achieved it. I was fine before regardless of whether your father chose me. It’ll be the same with you.”

“So you don’t like me?” I asked, wondering if it was a betrayal of Kalli to be a little upset that she didn’t.

Marcelle gave me a look that one might give to a child who asked an awkward question. “Of course, I like you. Besides, it’s not me you need to worry about. Ulli has a crush on you. Try to let her down gently.”

“I will,” I replied, unsure how else to tell her that my heart belonged to Kalli. The only thing I could think to do was make life as good as possible for both of them.

The candle planted me exactly where I expected it to. The rain had let up some. That told me time had passed since I saved Celestea from Mardella. Climbing trees was child’s play when I could infuse my muscles with mana. I quickly made my way up to the nook Kalli’s father tucked her in. She was fast asleep. I smiled, realizing she couldn’t be more than three or four years old. I apologized quietly. “I’m sorry if this makes you sick.”

I wrapped mana around both of us and stepped into the void. Being the black smoke felt like being a different person altogether. It allowed me to escape not just Origin but time itself. I walked over to the small green orb orbiting the larger planet and zoomed in on Gaia until I found Hellquist Village. The run-down building that served as both a monastery and an orphanage was easy to find. Most of the grey dots in the building occupied a pair of rooms. A single dot stood by itself in the kitchen. I chose that one and stepped back into the world.

A nun stood in place of the dot I’d seen on the map. She dropped a ladle into a pot she’d been stirring and screamed at me. Young Kalli began gasping for air as she struggled to wriggle out of my arms. I set her on the floor as she got sick. The nun chose that moment to find her voice. “Who are you and what do you want?”

I offered my best smile as I tried to explain. “This is Kalliphae. I can’t tell you who she is but she’s very special to me. Please don’t tell her about me, and try to give her the best life you can. I promise I will make it up to you one day.”

“I give all my children everything I have,” she said indignantly. “This one will be no different.”

“Excellent,” I replied, teleporting out before I caused lasting damage to Kalli or the nun. While I wanted to teleport to the forest outside of the monastery, the smoke had other plans. I appeared in a familiar-looking room in Celestea Castle.

Wasn’t this just destroyed? Did I time-hop again?

I looked around the room for clues. It was the hidden room I’d discovered before. Or was it in the future? I couldn’t be sure. I looked around and decided it must be the past as there was noticeably less dust on everything. I retraced my steps from my previous expedition and ended up at one of the many boxes lining the wall. I fished through my fanny pack and withdrew the coin bearing Kalli’s face. I flipped it over to make sure the inscription was still there.

IF YOU LOVE HER, YOU WILL LET HER GO

I placed it in the box.

I wonder who made you?

Was it me?

I guess I’ll never know.

I’d long since given up on ever hearing Kalli’s reply through mate chat. Suddenly, a shrill female voice made me jump. “You did it again!”

My eyes shot open and the black candle fell in my lap. I sighed and looked up at Ulli. “Good morning to you too.”

“Do you want to explain that thing?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “This can’t be a coincidence. You’re doing something on purpose.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “I can’t tell you what I’m doing. Can you please keep it a secret?”

She frowned. “Is it dangerous?”

Was it? I shook my head. “I don’t think so. The smoke gives me dreams of the past.”

That much was true. I was pretty sure everything I’d seen so far had been from the past. The part about saving Kalli and meeting Lavender definitely had been. As for the coin, I could only hope. Ulli picked up the candle. “Can I try it?”

I snatched it defensively, causing her to flinch. “No! Uh, sorry. I mean there’s not a lot left. If I ever get another one I’ll let you try it. How does that sound?”

She withdrew her hand while she thought about it. “Well, I guess that works. Yesterday was fun, by the way. What do you want to do today?”

“More training,” I announced, earning a groan from Ulli. “You can take the day off if you like.”

I could tell she was conflicted. While she didn’t want to be left out, she also didn’t want to do any training. Finally, she reached a compromise with herself. “When will you be back?”

“This afternoon,” I replied. It was mostly true. I had plans for the day.

Meanwhile, at Lavender’s house…

Lavender stood at the head of a long table where an odd gathering of people was seated. She looked around the table before beginning. “I am sure you are all wondering why I’ve gathered you here. As you are well aware by now, Melvin and Kalliphae have been abducted by Melvin’s father. By itself, that wouldn’t be a big deal. However, there is something about Melvin that none of you know. More specifically, about his mother.”

Everyone turned to look at Mrs. Murphy who sat next to Lavender with a bored look on her face. After a brief pause, Lavender continued. “This is Samantha Murphy. While she is Melvin’s mother in this incarnation, her soul has been reincarnated numerous times. Merlin, Melvin’s father, has become increasingly obsessed with her. Several thousand years ago he began a project. He plans to force Samantha into a unique incarnation.”

“What kind of incarnation?” Wendy asked, looking alarmed.

“He wants her to be awakened,” Lavender explained. “He felt that if she was born to an awakened family, she would follow the path of magic and he could teach her to be immortal like he is.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Joe said.

Lavender nodded. “By itself, it isn’t. The problem is, he isn’t going to stop there. Merlin doesn’t trust his beloved to do the work to become immortal, so he created the system with the ultimate purpose to gather enough mana to create a body that is immortal from conception.”

Zofia perked up. “What’s wrong with that? Do you think we could clone the immortal body?”

“No,” Lavender replied curtly. “The problem is, this plan is doomed to fail. The immortal incarnation will become an abomination that is destined to destroy the universe as we know it.”

“How do you know that?” Wendy asked, looking appalled.

Lavender smiled. “I see everything, child. I suppose it’s time I revealed my true identity to you all. I am Gwenddydd, Merlin’s sister.”

“Why did you say your name was Lavender?” Shara asked, raising an eyebrow. “And that still doesn’t explain how you know the future.”

Gwen sighed. “I was once known as The Lavender Witch. The name resonated with me, so I chose to use it. There was a time when that name alone kept me hidden from my brother. I chose to use it with the system when he created it. He has since learned of this name, but I can still hide from him using magic. As for the future, I am a keeper of this fate.”

“This fate?” Wendy asked. “Do you mean this world? Does Gaia have its own?”

Lavender shook her head. “If you look deep enough into the void, you can find other realities that look a lot like ours but are completely different. Nothing is known to me about them other than the fact that they exist. This reality is another matter. I can see threads of fate for every living being. That’s why it is so important that we not allow my brother to achieve his goal. If he does, every thread in this reality will be cut.”

“Why do you need us?” Joe asked. “A bunch of kids.”

“I’m an adult,” Zofia sighed. “But the question stands. Why us?”

Lavender sat and touched the table. A hologram came to life. It wasn’t apparent if it was a product of magic or technology. Everyone present gasped, more interested in the hologram than its contents. Joe looked under the table. “Where is that coming from?”

“That’s not important,” Lavender replied with a sigh. “The reason I need you is we are going to break into two of the most secure planets in this reality. Merlin is usually quite guarded in his seat of power but he has given us an opportunity when he summoned his son.”

“How is it secure?” Joe asked.

Lavender smiled, pleased Wendy asked the question. “Merlin resides on the source of Human life in this reality. It is aptly called Origin. It is shielded by a sphere of influence generated by Merlin himself. While it’s in place, nobody can teleport on or off the planet without his consent. I use a similar enchantment on my home. This is why nobody can visit this place without my blessing.

Joe rubbed his chin. “I thought Humans came from Earth?”

Lavender shook her head. “Humans were spread out from their home planet long ago. I believe your earliest literature documents the transition. There are also many legends on your planet where modern archeologists cannot find the cities mentioned. That’s because they aren’t on Earth. They are on Origin.”

“What about Kalli?” Wendy asked with a look of concern on her face.

“Kalli’s situation is different,” Gwen explained. “I can confirm she’s been placed on a planet called Scrap. When someone doesn’t fit in with Merlin’s plan, they end up in one of two places. Melvin relieved him of his first solution, so his only option is to imprison her on Scrap.”

“What is Scrap?” Wendy asked, looking exasperated. “Is she in danger?”

Lavender tapped the table and a hologram of a smaller planet replaced the bigger one. “She’s in no danger. While I don’t know much about Scrap, I sense no risk breaking in to get her. The planet seems rather tranquil.”

“What about Origin?” Joe asked. “Will it be dangerous when we go there?”

“If Merlin believes we are a threat to his system, he will do everything in his power to eliminate us,” Lavender explained. “So yes, it will be dangerous to go there.”

Joe stood abruptly, standing in front of Wendy. “Then there is no way I’m taking Wendy there. Melvin’s a good friend but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

Gwen smiled. “Fortunately, of all the people gathered here today, Wendy is the one person who is not required to break this lock.”

Wendy stood, giving Joe a sad smile. “I’m sorry. That isn’t your decision to make, honey. Mel and Kalli are my friends too. Besides, you didn’t think I was going to let you go by yourself, did you?”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Joe sighed.

“Excellent,” Lavender said, tapping the table and changing the hologram yet again. “Now, let me tell each of you your roles in this.”