The two of us gazed at him with confusion.

I even felt Kon being stunned. He was apparently still listening to our conversation via one of us.

-Excuse me? - asked For. - Your parents… wanted to teleport to other worlds…?

-Yeah, they… Well, they didn’t want to, they were tasked with it…

-By who?

-By him.

-Okay, pause - I said. - You keep saying that. “Him this”, “him that”. You mean Axelrod, right?

-Er… I am not sure, it’s… I didn’t hear that name, I only learned that recently.

-So what’s his name?

-Michael.

I nodded.

-It’s been a while since I’ve heard that one. Yeah, that’s Axelrod alright.

-Yeah, if we didn’t know before, we’d have confirmation now…

-But, wait, Axelrod… Mike told you to find a way to travel to different worlds…?

-My parents. But yes. I think so.

-Well, we did know that he was trying to find a way to get out of this world… - pointed out For. - So that’s at least confirmed.

-But he did end the contact with them… he murdered them…. Does that mean that they found a way…?

-I… I don’t think that’s possible… - he said after a pause. - That’s why they are dead… Because they told him that.

-I mean, he did “punish” them for their failure… - said For.

-Did he…? It looks to me like he rewarded them…. - I pointed towards his leg. - He did fix him… Sort of.

-I don’t understand… - the guy was completely lost.

-You don’t have to. So, what else…?

-What do you mean…?

-What else did they find out? Axelrod wouldn’t just dump such assets because of one singular failure like this. Hell, it was not really a failure to be honest…

-I don’t… It’s not like I remember much from that…

-Hmm. Right… Even if you weren’t a kid back then, I don’t think it would've helped… it’s been a long ass time since then…

-Yeah, how old are you even…?

-I stopped counting after the first century.

-Century…? Damn. You might be older than Mor.

-Unlikely. I am as old as Axelrod. I think. And he is the source of this bullshit, so…

-Right.

-Hm. So you assume that since he killed them both, they have failed to find a way to travel through worlds… yet, you’ve seen and even been to a place that supposedly is from the old world…?

-Correct.

-We’ve seen that he’s been experimenting… supposedly with the attempts to do exactly that… to get home.

-Yeah… but that makes no sense… If they were able to get there so easily then why wouldn’t he do just that…?

-There are two possibilities. First one - I started. - You are plainly wrong. You never were born in the old world, you just came from a different weird place in this world. Plain and simple.

-That’s… no! I believe them…

-I can tell - I said, nodding. - But if that is true, then there’s only one other option that comes to my mind right now…

-The second option. The one explaining the ease of that supposed transport. That Axelrod is wrong. That our old world and this place are one and the same.

-That means… his efforts are completely mistargeted… he doesn’t need to escape… But wait, wait wait - For finally realized the problem. - We already established that. That our world looks completely different than yours. That there are only pieces of your old world here…

-Does it…? - I asked. - I was never so sure… Especially… the barrier… No. Yes. I think. I think I finally understand…

-This world… You said it’s flat… and circular, that whatever gets to one edge is teleported to the other side, to protect everything, right…?

-That’s what we figured out together, isn’t it…?

-Yes. But what if… it’s not to protect…. but to contain us…?

-Contain…? What for…?

-And maybe not us as of you… I mean “us” as the old MIRE. As… that this is our prison. Our punishment.

-You think… that we are in your own world… and we are just in some strange… prison…?

-Precisely. After all, all who were responsible landed here, right? Me. Il. Axelrod. ILMA. Even our building…. It was not on purpose, but it definitely worked in their favor…

-And who are “they”?

-Fuck if I know. But, if everything so far is correct, they are absolutely dead.

-And what if they are not?

-That means they are also under the influence of Origin Crystal.

-And what does that mean?! - he asked suddenly, almost interrupting For.

-That they are not a threat. If they lived that long, it means that they turned completely into what you call “crystal remnant”. Or whatever I am.

-That… that’s a remnant…? I thought… they are more aggressive…? - he seemed unsure.

-That is actually a good question. For, Kon, and you, er…

-Robert.

-Right. Yea, Robert. The three of you. Have you ever seen an actual crystal remnant in your life?

-Er…

-Of course not me, I mean I think I am a remnant, but I kind of am a weird edge case, right? Or something along those lines…

-Right… Well… - started For, visibly struggling to remember. - I… I don’t think I personally saw anyone… I mean, you know, I was sheltered, and when I was in the Red Edge I wasn’t really having much contact with the outside world besides some random contractors… and, of course, Axelrod. I guess that would be one…

-Yeah, he’s also a weird case… No one else then?

-No… I don’t think so… - she said and shook her head.

-And you, Kon? I don’t want to bring back some painful memories, but about your… earlier part of life…?

-No - he replied after a moment of pondering. - The people I’ve met weren’t exactly some refined types… just some scum and at best random nobles from the capital.

-Hmm.

-I… I am not sure… I mean, if what you say I only saw him… I mean Axelrod…

-So nothing. Damn, I don’t…

-No, but wait, there’s also the thing that… You said that the crystal revenant is a person that has the crystal… Origin Crystal somehow embedded in their body, right…?

-More or less…

-But… How much do you need…?

-What’s that question supposed to mean?

-See… our… rituals… I mean, damn, let’s call it how it really is, our attempts at crafting some weapons from the Origin Crystal… see, there’s also that one step that makes me worried…

-One step? You have to do something to prepare that… thing?

-Yes… sort of. It’s something he left us… or rather instructed us to do.

-Axelrod did? Interesting.

-Yes! Besides his… those new developments, people did trust him and since he was powerful, we thought he knew better…

-What did he do exactly…?

-He? Nothing. Only told us how to hurry the ritual up… he gave us a method…

-So what is it?

-Before… crafting. Day before to be precise, he told us we had to inhale some kind of strange powder… he told us that it stimulates the flow of mana…

-Powder? Oh fucking damnit, did he drug you?!

-No! Yes. Maybe…? I am unsure what was in that one, but the first time I used it… I couldn’t have enough. I think I might have begged for more even. As all of us…

-Oh fucking great. Now he’s even dealing with this stuff…

-But what’s the point though…? Did he want to just steal some quick cash or some shit like that…?

-It's not like he had clients even!

-What are you talking about? - she asked. - Is he giving them some drugs or whatever? If so, then who cares?

-Drugs? Well, it’s not that far… If I am correct, he told them to get high on… well, on him. However weird that sounds.

-What the fuck are you talking about?

-I mean the Origin Crystal! - I said, seeing her confusion. - Damn, do I have to spell everything out for you…?

-Ori… wait, that shit works like drugs?

-What, you interested?

-No! Well… Maybe.

-Hah. Well, you do make booze out of mana, right?

-Well, after they “outlawed” regular alcohol, it sort of was the only option… And more like we get drunk on mana instead of regular alcohol…

-Same thing. But yeah, you can. I mean, you were even once.

-I was…?

-Thanks to your royal alchemist or whatever.

-Royal… oh fuck off. And by the way, she’s a cook not an alchemist.

-Yeah, both are one in the same.

-Wha…?

-What, what do you think it is? Cooking is just mixing and matching substances to create a product that is edible and rejuvenating. And preferably tasting good. Alchemy is exactly the same. Well, at least one branch.

-That's… Huh.

-Right? Anyway if she managed to create some good stuff, who says Axelrod cannot weaponize it? I mean…

-I wouldn’t say it was weaponized… - said the guy - but it was definitely effective… It did let us manipulate a lot more mana… and since you say that it’s made out of Origin Crystal… and the revenants are made out of it…

-Yeah, there are some steps in between - I pointed out - but that is a fair… You are right. At least one of you is the remnant… besides, the kids…

As soon as I mentioned that, I felt pain both from the guy and from the pair of my friends.

Right… I sort of failed to notice the fact that they were missing… and the insinuated fact that the spell that has been used didn’t have much room to be interpreted…

-Yeah…

-Anyway. With all that… sort of figured out, there’s now one problem. What the fuck are we doing now? - asked For after a moment of silence.

That was a good question.

We had some more information about everything… Well, hopefully, the whole story of the guy was up for debate.

But that was it. We were stuck in some random desert far away from anything. Sure, Axelrod has apparently visited here more than once, but I feel like he was probably targeting our new… “friend” instead of this place. Or at least someone from his group, so if we were to have him with us we would still have a way to meet him…

That is if we wanted to do it. I was still on the fence with that.

We also had access to portal magic. The main question was, what about anchors…?

-Yeah, fair point. We probably should start moving…

And added in my mind:

-Do any of you still have some anchors?

-I was mostly “imprisoned”, so while I had something I am sure, that’s long been gone - said quiet up till now Kon.

I guess he was still paying attention.

-Damn. For?

-Sadly, no. Those I had to get rid of before… “joining” - replied For. - But I did hide some in case of an emergency…

-Where?

-Closer to the main camp… in case I was to flee it was the best I could do.

-Right… having those with you they would just get drained during one ritual or another.

-Yeah… and some of their… artifacts also seemed to interfere with that.

-Hm.

-What about our “friend”?

Fair point. We were not alone.

-Did you hear the question? - I said aloud. - Do you have any anchors on you?

-Anchors…? No… I mean, nothing that would be useful to you…

-And what wouldn't be useful to us? That magnifying glass or hammer?

-Magnif… ah, that. No, I left those in the camp. But I do have something else… or rather, we had.

-We?

-Yeah. The group… everyone that was working with the… Origin Crystal, had to have someone that would get them back in case of emergency… In our group it was him…

-Him?

-The third one… the one that left.

-Ah. So you know about that… Well, I should've figured. And I assume you didn’t just give him anchors for safekeeping…? - I asked, pretending to be unaware of that.

-Of course not. While most slaves were… er, I mean, servants were connected to people and thus were assured to be obedient, he was… different…

-Yeah, I bet…

Of course they had problems with him.

Besides the fact that he was resilient in his own self, he was already bound to someone else made him protected from bullshit such as those stupid slavery spells… blood binding and all that.

Having Origin Crystal is a great thing, all things considered.

-We tried binding him, but never were able to… I am unsure why, but he resisted, so Instead we just had an additional watch assigned to him.

-Hm. Well. So, what about those anchors…?

-They probably are with the remaining of the materials and tools from the “smithing”.

-The ritual? Wouldn’t they be drained then?

-They were in a void bag, a better one I mean. Enhanced one.

-Enhanced?

-It should be somewhere near there - he pointed to where the group first time arrived and unpacked. - It was the only one different from the usual.

-Different how?

-Color. And it was also the only one made out of the Crystal itself.

Crystal itself? They made a bag out of my flesh…?

-And you made it? How?

-Well, we, not me… It was the same way as you were witness to before…

-You made a bag using an anvil. What.

-I don’t know what to tell you… - he said awkwardly. - I wasn’t the one that created it, the guy is already dead… I mean, disappeared - he corrected himself immediately. - You have already seen to that…

-Ah. So the guy who was here…?

-Yeah.

-Hm.

I guess I was not learning how exactly they managed that… But, on the other hand, it would be easy to find…

Wait.

-Speaking of creation, smithing and all that. Do you have any information about the weapon you made here?

-The blade… I mean… not much…

-Not much? You are the leader of… well, you were the leader of this bunch, seemingly. And you don’t know what your people were doing? I smell bullshit.

-No! No! - he quickly said. - It’s not like I don’t know what they were doing, it’s… I mean, I don’t but…

-Don’t try and lie.

-I am not! It’s just…

He sighed.

-I know that we were making something, but don’t know what.

-You’re shit smiths then…?

For's confusion was understandable.

-It’s… well, sort of. It’s just that… have you heard that saying, that every piece of stone has a statue already inside it?

-And the sculptor’s task is just to reveal it, yes yes, it's a pretty known one. But first off, that’s not just a random piece of marble. Nor you’re making statues.

-And yet that’s what our smith believed in.

I gazed at him, irritated.

-I don’t know what to say…

-I can tell.

He was about to say something. Judging by his state of mind, probably was considering arguing more, but changed his mind.