Beyond the horizon, far from Solace and her psychic Islands, a rift opens. The wound actually pulsates, manifesting in physical matter the fears and desires of humanity's collective unconscious. Its circumference covers the great planet of Aeru, and its influence spreads like a disease at hypersonic speed. They say she was created by one like me; a chaos Sorcerer. Using chaos, he distorted the veil that separates the planes, and with the power to make his mind reality inside the islands, he applied a spell outside them. Smart. Operating their influence from the inside out is the only way to make any real impact, since the islands are on the defense of an immutable law and cannot be changed directly.

  I breathe In the fresh air of Solace and lean against the parapet in the hallway. Snow falls from the sky and brings with it its winter mists, overshadowing the sun and the sky with heavy, dense clouds. I tap my index finger on the wood as I think. In order for such a spell to be applied, such a sorcerer needs to have a technique beyond anything I have seen so far. I wonder if this power is really his, or if he listened to a certain lion who taught him how to do it. Anyway, I can't stop the advance of the Rift even if I wanted to, so it's my mission to stop the one who produces it.

  If my function is to use the power of the evil one against himself, then neutralizing my equal is no different from what I have already done. Fortunately, the role of saving humanity lies with the hero, so I don't have to worry about anything other than entering the islands, commanding my team and killing The Illusionist. Hoffstein will take care of the Rift, unite the men and pacify the fairy world without a single adventure. He didn't like that. Not at all. But the resources are packed for departure, and he says goodbye to the teachers anyway, as this is his duty.

  What will be Wander's duty? I told him to be a soldier. I believe you did the right thing. But what happened between him and Andreas? And what will Cloud answer when I ask him for help to the islands? I need to think of something.

  “How are you?”

  “…?” I look to the side. Hoffstein leans on the parapet then smokes a pipe, wearing a yellow shirt and a brown jacket, with white pants and black boots. He breathes in and watches the mountains of Solace.

  “Good. Anxious, maybe.”

  “… Boy, I-”

  “I know. It's my destiny. I would have to enter the islands one way or another to strengthen the chaos. I'll be fine. The teachers… Well, I don't trust them, but they must be competent.”

  Hoffstein laughs. “They are.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “How will you overcome the Rift?”

  “I better not tell you. The Illusionist can invade your mind and steal some precious information.”

  “Ah. True.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “Do you like Nia?”

  I widen my eye. “What? Where'd you get that from?”

  “Just a guess. We never had that conversation, did we?”

  “No, and we never will.”

  “Well, I just thought you might like to know how to deal with women and… Adolescence and hormones and-”

  “And-I don't need to…” I spit a laugh. “Stop talking. Just stop talking, please.”

  Hoffstein laughs, but his smile falters. “What about Morgana?”

  “… Listen here, anybody would be crazy in the same situation as me. I just-I didn't stay. That's enough, don't you think?”

  He stares at me. “No.”

  “… Huh?”

  “Morgana wants your good, but she also wants her good. It is natural for beings like you two to come closer, since humanity will not fill you. But don't let that fill your mind. Don't let passion hide your reason.”

  “You overestimate what I can feel.”

  “And you underestimate what you might feel. Don't feel attacked, it's just a warning. Take care. Keep your mind clean, your body strong. Stay in the Light, follow The Flame, and for all that is sacred in this world, do not dare to succumb.”

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  “… Right. I'll be careful.”

  Hoffstein inhales, then squeezes my shoulders and hugs me until I feel my ribs snap. The hero puts me on the floor and smiles. “Just look at you. It's so big. I'm so proud of you.”

  “O-thank you. Ouch.”

  “It's my time.” He says. I accompany him to the exit, and we talk about random subjects until he gets to the gates. The Acolytes and students unite to witness him as a celebrity, others keep their gaze on me.

  “The time we spent together was fun, Sieg. I hope we meet again soon!”

  “Me too.”

  He turns to leave.

  “Don't die.” I say.

  Hoffstein stops, then nods back. “Sure.”

  It readies, intensifies, and sets sail in the opposite direction as the sound wave explodes around it. I hope the runners calm down and the dust settles as I watch him leave. Ships are already being prepared, along with mobile bases, strategies and team separations. Everything has been paralyzed to see Hoffstein one last time, but I wait only thirty minutes before everything is normalized. When time runs out, I turn inside the gym and head to one of the empty rooms on the upper floors.

  The smell of coffee fills the room, Wander drinks a cup while reading a book. He sits on a padded bench and leans against the ivory of the table. Hectic footsteps echo above the smooth wooden floor, Cloud walks to and fro while talking to himself. This habit is mine, but I think we contaminate each other. Nia, on the other hand, feeds a little bird in the window and turns to me when I walk in.

  “Who will come with me?”

  Activities cease. Cloud takes a deep breath, Wander stares at me, and Nia glances at the rest.

  “Except you, Nia.” I say.

  The girl frowns. “I am strong! I can help!”

  “You can, but you shouldn't. There is nothing for you on the islands. Priests can help you with your vocation, destiny, or whatever else you do. But the truth is that you are not problematic enough nor do you have any complexes that justify participating in a bloody battle between a dozen of traumatized sorcerers.”

  “… Well, I wouldn't have to fight, would I?..? I don't want to leave you alone…”

  I lock the door, pull out a chair, and sit across from Wander. “I won't be alone.”

  “No. It won't. Morgana's going with you, isn't she?”

  “She's strong and mad, so she's the perfect candidate.”

  “… Yes. Sure.”

  Cloud covers his eyes and says 'no' with his head, but I don't understand what he means.

  “Speaking of, someone need to take care of our mother. It's too dangerous.” Wander complete. “How are you going to sleep at night knowing that we came out of one war only to go into another? No. I worked hard to keep you safe. I'm not going to let you kill yourself for nothing.”

  Nia crosses her arms. “And who's going to boost the morale of the group, huh? I'm a bard! I'm fun!”

  “It won't be if I'm dead.” Wander says. “We need you here.”

  The girl snorted, but gave in. “… Okay. But you said I need to stay to take care of our mother, and you? Are you going to the islands? Why?”

  Wander inspires. “Naturally. I'm a soldier.”

  “You are not a doctor…?”

  “They need one, and I need metamagic. I need to know more about death to stop it. My help is important, and I want to be there. I have already offered to help them, and I have also already talked to our mother about this.”

  “She wouldn't accept that!”

  “You don't have to.” He snaps his fingers. “What about you, Cloud?”

  I face the lancer. He grumbles to himself and whispers. “I don't know. I'm just here not to be targeted by The Lion. I intended to come back as soon as I could, and I just trained not to be left behind. I have no reason to go…”

  “But?” I say. “Come on, talk”

  “… If only you weirdos and that blonde bastard would at least leave my head alone…”Cloud expires. “I will. I'm already here. I won't stand by while people die and his voice keeps disturbing me in my head. I don't want to go overboard and have to look at someone disappointed in me. And I can make money! Yeah, yeah. If my 'destiny'—or whatever it is you talk about—is something greater than being a bum, then I can at least enjoy it.”

  “Was it so hard?”

  “… It was. Yes, it was. You owe me a house.”

  ***

  “For a long time, you have worried about the useless force that belongs to mortals, but destroying Mountains is worth nothing without controlling the laws of this world!” Magnus's voice pierces the noise of cold rain. “Dimensionality! Causality! Conceptual application! These are the true capabilities of a sorcerer!”

  The storm shakes the vessel and the timber creaks as the waves crash against the fortified Hull. Hurricanes that I could not see before appear on the horizon as if they were always here, I feel the aura of monsters watching us from the depths. We protect, from those who dare to approach, the mobile base that will serve as a shelter and meeting point on the islands.

  “Metamagic will be enough to defend themselves, but don't think it will make you Gods! They are still limited by quantity, emission, range, control, and efficiency. A sorcerer's intention is to remove such worldly limitations! This can be done through training and study, but it is necessity that propels true progress!”

  A tidal wave spreads below the vessel. The water spins in a vortex and the clouds in the sky collapse to form a tornado. He roars like a beast, and takes the form of one as the vessel's fears spiral out of control. Hundreds of arms, eyes red and hungry to devour the vessel. Magnus inhales and concentrates the blue aura over his fist, then prepares for impact.

  “When the weight of death is on your shoulders, when you survive and transform into a better version of yourself — it is at this moment that you become stronger!”

  The tornado moves forward with the speed of the wind and roars like thunder, becoming black and charged by electricity,

  “Denial.”

  But it does not proceed. The action of investing no longer has the effect of accelerating close to the target. Magnus affinity, allied to his metamagic, coordinated that the cause of the approach would be negated, and therefore, its effect never applied to reality. Then the priest raised his hands. “Alteration” he says, closing them and changing the effect of this act to another—death.

  And in this way, the tornado dissipated.

  We, of the Alpha team, will be responsible for locating the Illusionist, while the Omega team will neutralize the Clown. I must refrain from using chaos so that the Rift does not widen, and protect the mobile base so that all companions can do their due work. Limiting. There are certain rules for how the priest's power works, but as long as he is with us, I'm sure we'll complete the mission. Upon spotting what's on the horizon, one of the crew shouts:

  “Land in sight!”