"Once again...I'm riding piggyback. I didn't even...do this when I was a kid, so why am I doing it...so often now?"

Yawning between every few words, Ren questioned this situation that he seldom wanted to occur, propped up against Sirius' back with his arms slumped over the man's shoulders.

"Just sleep already, you need to recover all of that mana you spent."

"--I would've slept if you didn't make me so sick...sliding down the mountain like that with me as your passenger...I thought I was going to die...for sure."

Another drawn out yawn left the exhausted young man's mouth, pelting against the back of his companion's head.

"I don't mind giving you a lift like this, buddy...but can you try not to yawn against my head? Not to be rude...but clearly you haven't been keeping up with your dental hygiene."

"--Excuse me? We've been out in the wilderness the past two days! Sorry I'm not a sparkly, clean human!"

The comment from Sirius ignited a fire under Ren as he quickly retorted out of wounded pride, his sudden movement nearly making the blue-eyed man trip over a branch sticking out from the dirt below.

"Alright, alright! I was just joking--give it a rest already!"

It seemed that the last outburst spent whatever fumes the young man was running on, as Sirius felt his backpack-companion slump over against his back, listening to the faint breathing that confirmed his unconscious state.

"--Rest well, you deserve it after today, Brother."

Taking his time strolling through the forest, partly to not disturb his sleeping companion and the fact that he enjoyed hearing the subtle snores from him, Sirius paused for a moment as a nose-invading stench made itself known.

His nostrils flared a bit as he took in a deep whiff of the aroma to confirm its source before a smile formed.

"It's our lucky day. It seems points are just walking up to our doorstep."

As its presence was discovered by the lightning Outlander, the unknown, stench-bearing creature stepped out from the camouflaging evergreen.

If this was a dark alleyway without the concept of magic to empower him, the sight of the creature would've been something straight out of a horror movie and fever dream combination. It possessed a humanoid body, walking on four, twisted and crooked limbs that were as long as the rest of its body. A snow-white mane draped over its body and head, starting from its back, which presented a protruding spine that looked as if it would burst right through its gray skin at any moment.

The horrific creature's face was obscured by its hanging hair, except for the contorted smile wrapped across its elongated snout.

"Good evening, one-hundred points~."

A glimmer of avarice showed itself through Sirius' eyes as he lifted one hand in preparation of striking down the creature with a quick and effective spell.

"Blitz: Bolt."

Although he muttered the spell's release in an attempt to not wake his slumbering companion, the lightning bolt that unleashed from his fingertips roared through the air.

Igniting the particles that sat still in the wind, the violet stride of lightning crashed towards the creature—managing to miss the monstrous horror as it leapt to the side.

"Crap. The loudness of the spell caught me off guard—now this thing is on its toes."

Sirius watches the trees, listening as the entity circled through the foliage around him, sinking into the shadows.

He could only feel glad that Ren chose to be asleep for this encounter, due to the nature of the monster itself.

—A "Heliano Genin", the aroma they exude amplifies the fear in the brain of whoever inhales it. A beginner reinforcement wouldn't be able to resist it—he would've lost it, screaming until his throat bled. I've even heard instances of people ripping their own eyes out to prevent themselves from seeing it. For anyone below a respectable mage, this thing is a demon in its own right. It's not much of a threat without its fumes...but still, I'd rather not wake him up--that just leaves me with one option.

Sirius took in a deep breath before exhaling through his nose, keeping one hand behind him to keep Ren steady on his back. Like a wild chimpanzee, the creature leapt from tree to tree, rustling through the flourishing green before finally making itself known--leaping down towards the man as its tongue stretched out from its mouth like a whip.

"--Ba'al: Night Parade."

A single, silent step forward was all that was visible, before the heliano genin spasmed--crashing on the ground as it twitched and convulsed before attempting to strike once more. Before its claws could reach its target, a line ran down from its forehead down to its sharp chin--its head splitting open before the rest of its body followed.

It was a stench that could rival the most heinous of sewers, the grimy, rotten innards of the monster spilling out as its body seemed to burn from whatever had hit it.

Witnessing his quiet victory, the blue-eyed man pulled his collar over his nose before continuing onward towards the familiar cavern. The spell he used wasn't one he liked to use often--as it was incredibly taxing even for him. "Ba'al: Night Parade", a high-end lightning spell that temporarily shifts the air in one area into a territory of static--whatever steps into the territory is attacked by an indescribable amount of micro-lightning bolts. So miniscule that the bolts travel through the pores of their target, melting and tearing away at the infrastructure of the target.

Once more they settled into the damp cavern that began to feel somewhat like a suitable home. Managing to scrounge up thick, somewhat comfortable leaves to use as bedding and accruing edible fruit--there troubles with survival were solved.

"Ah...how long was I out?"

"Not long--are you feeling well? You used a lot of mana."

Putting his own hand on his forehead as if to check the state of his body, he gave Sirius a thumbs-up and a smile. The tangerine-like berries he ate did their job, as Sirius assured him they restored mana.

"Really, though...how did you get so strong? That lightning magic sure is amazing..."

The question caught Sirius off guard, who swallowed the piece of spiky fruit down his throat before giving him a smile.

"It takes time and dedication...I've honed my magic in this world since the day I was brought here. Everyday, I blasted mana until I passed out, rested, then repeated it all over again."

Ren assumed it was just pure talent that drove Sirius to the threshold of power he was at, but hearing the regime he put himself through made him feel as if he wasn't working hard enough.

"By gaining strength, I can one day return to them.."

It seemed the topic of magic and strength had brought about something in Sirius, as he blurted out those words to him.

"Return to who?"

"My family."

"--I thought returning to Earth was impossible?"

The topic dulled the mood that inhabited the cave as Sirius' playful attitude had shifted into somber as his vibrant blue irises moved up to Ren.

"Beatrice didn't tell you much, did she? She's always like that, isn't she? You do know why she summoned us at least, right?"

Nodding in response, Ren recalled what Beatrice told him on his first day meeting the Outlanders, "Yeah, something about "averting the end of the world", or something, right?"

"Then you know that our mission is to get rid of the current king of Mastorn, and abolish their imperialism ways. Once that is done...the crisis Beatrice foretold will be averted."

"--What's that have to do with going home?"

He was beginning to get anxious as Sirius beat around the bush, taking his time answering the single question he was hung on.

"Why do you think we all follow Beatrice? She made us a deal--this is an equivalent exchange, we aren't just fighting for her cause because we want to save this world. Frankly, I don't care what happens to Gaia...it's done nothing for us."

"I thought…"

As he searched for his response, nothing came to him. This whole time, he fell under Beatrice's command because there was no other choice--he didn't consider why the others followed her.

"There isn't anywhere else to go, right? That's why you followed her, well, when each of us first arrived...we stayed for the same reason. Now with what we've learned, how we've grown--nothing is stopping us from choosing to live our lives out in one of the different kingdoms, ones that don't witchunt us."

"--"

"Ren, once the Outlanders see Beatrice's plans through, she'll take us back home."

"Home…?"

"That's what we've been fighting for all this time. Well, most of us."

Home wasn't something he thought of much anymore. The life he led on Earth wasn't one he exactly missed much of--in Gaia, he had finally made friends of his own, even considering them family now.

--I see. It was childish to think everybody else had the same mindset as me...they all had successful lives back on Earth, families they missed dearly, friends to return to.

"How about you? Don't you want to return home?"

"...I don't know."

It wasn't an answer he could give unless he felt like lying.

"Ah, I guess I shouldn't have asked...it's just, when I imagine how worried my family might be, how big my little siblings have gotten…"

As he smiled, his expression was anything but happiness.

"If you don't mind me asking...how long have you been here?"

"Seven years. I can remember it so vividly still--trudging through the sheer cold of the winter, carrying a dozen sticks of wood on my back before the next thing I knew--I was surrounded by the evergreen."

"That long...it seems a lot of you have been here for years. I just don't get it...the Outlanders are all so powerful--how has the plan not been seen through yet?"

Lost for a moment reminiscing about his family, Sirius brushed his hair up before replacing his solemn expression with a vibrant smile once more.

"A few reasons. Beatrice is a very meticulous, conniving person...as you may imagine. Summoning a single person into this world requires an exuberant amount of mana and power, so losing an Outlander is like losing a chess piece for her."

"That comparison...kind of freaks me out, but she probably does see it that way."

"She isn't cautious without reason though. You've only seen a handful of proper mages in this world--so what you consider "powerful" is different from reality, Ren. Those who stay near the king...the power they hold is frightening."

Clapping his hands together suddenly, Sirius wore a bright smile--earning a confused eyebrow raise from Ren.

"It's getting late, the final day of the event is tomorrow, rest is of the utmost importance!"

Even though he had taken an unplanned nap earlier, his body still felt as if it had run through a marathon. Besides that, Sirius' impulsive attitude did its fair share to diminish his energy.

"Alright, alright, I hear you. No need to yell."