Ranvir closed the door behind him, Hildrid stepping out of the shadow and into the midday sun. She closed her eyes and basked in its head. Despite having spent a lot of time back on Vednar recently, the heat still felt a little anemic most of the time.

Sending his tether-sense out, he found Dovar. Surprisingly, he was not on his estate. Instead, Ranvir found him outside the city, moving steadily along the wall. Ranvir smiled, then looked around.

“Which way to the nearest gate?”

Hildrid stiffened for a moment, before turning to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“Even when I went to the academy, I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in the city, so I’m not too familiar. Which way to the nearest gate?”

“You’re leaving?” she seemed taken aback.

Ranvir shrugged, gesturing left and right. “Which way?”

Hildrid shook her head and gestured to the right. “Not far in that direction. It’s not usually open to the public, but they won’t stop a tethered.”

Ranvir nodded. “Thanks.” He sensed her head shake as he departed.

The city was lively with midday activity, in a sort of rustic way. Looking around, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the people having seen what Korfyi was like. The technological level left him feeling bad for his people, yet unsure how to proceed. These were his people, but not his home. Was it his duty, his job, to help them?

Would bringing advanced technology really be helping? If so, he’d have to do it carefully. Yet again, he was starting a school to teach what he’d learned. What was he doing if not spreading advanced knowledge? Even if it was about mana rather than technology.

The gate was little more than a door that led through the wall. The guards took one look at his strange form, wings, and glowing eyes and let him pass. He leapt into a full-on run to catch up to Dovar once he was outside the wall. It didn’t take him long.

The young man was regaining his lost fitness, but he still had a long road ahead of him. Ranvir called out to him as he closed on the tall man. His thin frame didn’t stop him from being a similar height to Sansir.

Sweat matted his cut short hair. He wore a loose shirt stained dark under the arm and at the neck. His breath came heavily as they stopped to talk. Ranvir exchanged a few pleasantries, mostly about his training, before getting to the point.

“I’ve gotten funding to start a school and wanted you to join as a teacher.”

Dovar gave him a complicated look, which took Ranvir some time to parse through. Fear seemed most prevalent, he decided.

“I don’t know, Ranvir. I’m not really teacher material.” He gestured to himself. “I’m not even a second-stage.”

“That’s not really what makes you worthy of being a teacher or not,” Ranvir said. Dovar gave him another look, this one much easier to understand. Skepticism. “One of the best, most skilled teachers I’ve had would barely register as second-stage. He’d be a weak one at that. Yet, he saved my life and taught was is now the foundation of my power and understanding.”

“How strong were you when he gave you these lessons?”

Ranvir thought back to those dark days in the orphanage, fighting each day to hone his spirit. Every moment felt like clutching a wound tight so you didn’t bleed to death. Technically, he’d been a first-stage tethered, not that he could’ve accessed even an inch of those powers.

“That’s what I thought,” Dovar said. “It’s difficult to take someone weaker than you serious. It’s even harder to let them teach you.”

Ranvir nodded. “I guess that is true. But that isn’t what makes an excellent teacher, however. Failures are more important than successes. When it comes to teaching, you need someone who has made a few mistakes. Who has learned from them and grown their understanding through processing those failures? In that sense, you and I have the greatest foundation among all our friends.”

Dovar went quiet for a while, seeming to genuinely consider his words. “How did you fail?”

Ranvir sniffed and shrugged. “When I recovered after transporting to Korfyi, I spent three years hiding on the fringe of a small village. Frija and I lived in poverty, because I was afraid that I’d somehow catch the attention of someone powerful, that I’d get us thrown into danger. I had the abilities required to give Frija a much better life, and I was too afraid to use it.”

Dovar looked down, brows drawn into a tight frown. “I’ll think about it, okay? I won’t make any promises.”

“Of course,” Ranvir said. “Though I will expect you to continue your training, even if you don’t accept.”

Dovar nodded and trod towards the nearest gate. Ranvir wrapped himself in space.

Knocking on the door to the orphanage, he stepped inside. There were a few children playing on the stairs and he reminded them to get down and to be careful. “Is Kasos still around?” he asked, despite clearly sensing him in the backyard.

One child with prodigiously chubby cheeks shook her head.

“Oh? That’s too bad.” Ranvir winked at her and walked through the building.

He greeted Elpir, who was standing in the kitchen with a couple of preteen kids. They looked to be preparing dinner. Strangely, Elpir was wearing a long white traditional chiton, instead of her usual practical clothing. She eagerly waved him on and sent a kid to find Amalia as well.

Kasos was lying bare-chested, revealing the true-levels of his old-man physique. A slight paunch and slightly off-shaped torso. Curly gray hairs were generously peppered across his chest and stomach.

The air was dry and hot. Almost scaldingly so, after having spent so much time in Vednar. It was an odd experience. He felt almost like he wasn’t quite adjusted to either plane. The low-ambient rush of water from the rafting filled the air, alongside the occasional droplets.

“Old man,” Ranvir said.

Kasos scoffed and shook his head. “I must’ve heard you wrong. What did you say?”

Ranvir smiled. “Just an observation.”

“I should give you what for,” Kasos said, jumping to his feet. He was surprisingly spry for a man his age.

“I can’t have rumors going around that I’m beating up old and defenseless men.”

“Don’t rib into him too hard,” Amalia said, walking onto the porch to join them. “He might keel over and die from shock.” She, too, was wearing a long chiton. Though from this angle, he could see the mark of Nysea, the sun-disk made in night-time colors, embroidered on its breast.

“Youths,” Kasos said with such scorn, he almost staggered from sheer vitriol. Then the old man smiled and nodded at him. “What can I help you with?”

“I’ve come to poach you,” Ranvir said. “Amalia too, if she wants to help.”

“Poach me?” Kasos sounded initially disbelieving then, immediately burst into laughter. “Ha! You’re gonna steal me from old Bacenor. Serves him right, I suppose.”

“Is that a yes?” Ranvir asked.

“Will there be any strange different braced?”

“Sure.”

“Then it’s a resounding yes.” Kasos clapped Ranvir on the shoulder hard, rocking him back and forth. “This is going to be so interesting.”

“This is what your potential offer was about?” Amalia asked. Before he could answer, she continued. “I talked it over with Elpir and we’re not sure it’s a good idea.”

“We do recognize that the incident surrounding the Orykto fold wasn’t your fault, but it still could’ve ended horribly. It almost did.” Elpir said from the doorway. Ranvir could see that they appeared to be wearing exactly matching outfits.

“So, what are your concerns?” Ranvir asked. “I’d like to see if I can work on them for you. Right now, what I’m working on is creating a sort of bridge between here and the school.”

“A bridge?” Amalia asked.

“That way, you guys wouldn’t be reliant on me to get to the school or go home.”

“Could you even do such a thing?” Elpir asked, sounding astounded.

“I’d need to examine a bunch of incredibly stable pocket-spaces that wouldn’t crumble in on themselves the instant they were left alone. Probably for quite a while, too.” Ranvir pursed his lips.

“Ahh,” Amalia said, leaning back in her seat.

“What?” Elpir asked.

Kasos grinned as he spoke, running his hands through his hair. “Folds.”

“Hasn’t that been tried before?” Elpir asked. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

“Theoretically, it was actually proven possible,” Kasos said. “However, the sheer amount of Abilities you’d need was staggering. The common consensus was two or three space-braced specifically built for the purpose.” He turned to Ranvir, grinning widely even as he narrowed his eyes. “But you. You don’t use abilities. You use Absolute. Complete freedom, complete control.”

“I have manipulate rather than create, but yes.”

“Have you done it?” Kasos asked. “Built permanent spaces?”

“Not fully,” Ranvir said. “But I was getting there even before I came here.” He turned his glowing purple-gaze to the old man. “I have been maintaining multiple pocket-space for nearly five years. Reiterating and refining them after seeing folds.”

“This is getting a little off topic,” Amalia said. “While it’s all very interesting, could we focus on the important bit? You could build a connection from here to this school of yours?”

Ranvir nodded. “Within the month.”

“It would be nice if you got home every night,” Elpir said, taking Amalia’s hand. “But there are still security installments that need to be worked out.”

“Of course,” Ranvir said. “I’ll be happy to cooperate.”