-Callen-

  The moment I felt the calm, serene power coming from Callia, in the next instant her mana surged back and her eyes snapped open as she got up. For a brief moment she looked around, her eyes wide with awe and shock, but it passed quickly, settling on a mix of astonishment and confusion. I wait a bit to let her adjust before bringing her focus to the present.

  “Callia, what just happened? Are you ok?” I couldn’t identify any issues, but whatever had just happened, I didn’t understand. Somehow she had instantly recovered from what should’ve taken several days of rest.

  “Callen, I I. . . I’m not sure. We were landing, and then I blacked out. I think I pushed myself too far with the mana, but I’m not sure. I think I met or heard someone, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I can’t quite remember it; it’s like one of those dreams that you can’t recall the details of, but a feeling of purpose and wholeness unlike any I’ve ever known.” I can tell she’s having a hard time putting it into words, but I can feel the feeling she’s sharing with me even if it's already significantly faded. Even the moments that have defined my skill for reaching Inner Peace feel hollow compared to what she shared. However, I can tell even now I’m only experiencing a pale imitation made by memory instead of the real deal.

  The group goes silent as Sis finishes describing the experience. While I’m unsure if it really could be, witnessing the instant restoration like I did could only be described as a miracle. I want to write off the whole thing as some powerful and unknown being acting from a distance, but my heart is telling me otherwise. The thought is interrupted by Sis and the others finishing the conversation.

  “Right, so now that I’m back, what is the plan? I saw the glider crash while you were hanging on, so I don’t think we can try flying again.” Sis gets us back on track, focusing on solving the immediate problems.

  “Well, now that you’re up, that certainly makes me more confident to suggest we use the opening the wave created to rush out of the forest. We should be close, but I’m out of mana, so fighting will be left in the hands of you, Paul, and Philip.” Sis nodded along, and the others looked confident. I picked up Hew in a piggyback, and together as a group we formed up. The guards stuck close to me while Sis started sweeping the area ahead for trouble.

  Around us we passed the trees with ease as we focused entirely on covering ground. The animals around us weren’t in the mood to fight, which seemed to mean that whatever was attracting the attention of the birds from earlier didn’t affect them in the same manner. Then again, while we had some issues with regular monster attacks in the past, it seems that land-based monsters are far less sensitive. That might also explain why the giant eagle chose to attack what should’ve been, from its perspective, a giant stone. Still, despite the muddy ground, we easily crossed large swathes of land.

  Eventually we crossed back out from flood zone territory and into the more normal woods. The number of small monsters was a touch annoying but manageable and gradually becoming more manageable as we went further. Finally the trees parted way, opening up to give a clear view of the short open plains preceding a beautiful city. Unlike the massive walls that obscured an outside perspective like in most cities, this one was a more layered approach and significantly bigger. The outermost walls seemed more like they belonged on earth, reaching twenty to twenty-five feet. Then another layer at a similar height and a final layer that more accurately reflected the towering normal height of walls we knew.

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  Taking a short detour to our left, we managed to get back on the road again as we walked down the path to the city. A general estimate of the city’s size gives an approximation of roughly three times what Eldraine could’ve held. I suppose that's the kind of difference you might get going from a city at the outermost corner of the kingdom to a city built along the last “easy” transit path (the great river) to the frontier. Despite the trouble we regularly encountered on our boat ride, had our navigator not fallen overboard, it would’ve been faster and safer than any road.

  On the way downhill I noticed a small wave moving inland from the shore, but for some reason the entire wave just flattened out well before reaching the city. Callia pats my shoulder and directs my attention towards a series of towers built along the waterfront. I can just barely make out the sight of someone glowing before it fades. In retrospect I should’ve guessed that kind of solution. Not only does it mean water-type mages get regular practice, but in the event of a siege or monster swarm, they could manipulate the water to wash away weaker monsters. That also explained the low walls since it would keep the mages close enough to the water without overtly exposing them to monsters.

  By the time we finally got to the gate, the sun was beginning to set. Despite losing the boat, we managed to get here within a similar timeframe, only a few hours later than it would’ve been. Getting through the gate took much longer than normal because the northern road was closed. The town between here and River Port had fallen, so nobody had been coming through; the usual inspectors had been reassigned to the east, south, or western port. Groaning at the inconvenient yet understandable situation, we began setting off towards the east gate so we could get properly checked in.

  “Are you Callia of Port Town?” A voice called out to us from the gate we had just left. Turning back, we saw a familiar set of dark full plate armor built for a large youth flanked by a large man with an oversized mace and someone in robes that were vibrant with charged mana. I struggle for a moment to remember where I recognize it from, but Callia seems to figure it out first.

  “Hey, you were the finalist I fought in the youth competition! Damn, you're a lot smaller than I remember!” With Callia’s prompting I remember the fight she had dominated in seconds, even going as far as playing with him in the fight. At that moment the name came back to me. Reginald Nox, son of Viscount Nox and one of the nobles who had come the furthest to join the event because he had heard about Grandmaster Slate’s presence. Please don’t hold a grudge; I briefly forgot the entire reason we chose this route was to see his city since Reesia had a good impression of him. I just wanted to see the city, not meet the nobles! Callia’s arrogant attitude only got beaten down after that. I distinctly remember Callia riding the guy's shield when they originally fought. Beneath his mask I can’t get any impression of his face or his reaction to Sis. I look at the men behind him, both watching us warily as if waiting for us to make the first move, and then I check the field beside us, weighing our odds of escape. My mind races with plans that are interrupted as Reginald speaks.

  Gramit’s Fishman militia

  “NO NO NO!” Gramit roared in outrage as the fishmen he was directing to build his new workshop pushed too hard on an unstable pillar. In the following moments the entire building collapsed, crushing two of his very incompetent minions. Ever since he had been abandoned in this place, he had tirelessly asserted his authority over the leaderless fishpeople. Conveniently, they were inherently obedient to superior force, but that didn’t make his work any easier, as they now all looked toward him to provide. Some of the females had even started trailing behind him, trying to seduce him in a manner he found repulsive.

  Even worse was how useless the whole tribe was. It would take years to whip them into any kind of useful shape, but they were all he had. With the massive gaps in his memory, he didn’t know anyone else to contact, but even more concerning was the nearly blank slate his skills reflected, with only his most cherished Concept Link (Chimera) surviving. Before he hunted down the boy, he needed to learn how to fight again. Luckily there were plenty of weak fishmen whom he could augment with his skill and then beat into submission.

  It seemed the only real use for the fish people was scouting out his hunts to find him high-level monsters to grind his battle skills while leveraging his pseudo immortality. His level and strength were growing quickly, and the surge of strength was nearly addictive. His originally ordered mind was broken, savage instinct and hunger filling the void.

  I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

  This is the gate of the Lord

  through which the righteous may enter.

  I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

  you have become my salvation.