The trio managed to get out of the Mage Of Life’s dark tower without the Chosen One trying to mount anything else. Keeping a firm hand on the Chosen One’s arm in order to stop him from attempting any more snow-based antics, Qube eyed the next tower in the semi-circle.

The Sorcerer of Summoning. Someone who specialised in travelling to and from other realms. Qube looked at the Chosen One, nervousness twisting within her.

Would the Sorcerer be able to tell that the Hero was from another realm? Could they talk to spirits? Did they know about the Devs’ realm? Could they talk to the Devs?

She was less tired now that they’d left the tower of cushions, but she still felt slightly sluggish. Maybe they should have a sleep when they got back to Cobbletown — Qube had been scarred by her last attempt to sleep outside of a bed and wasn’t eager to repeat it any time soon.

The next Wizard’s Tower was enchanting, in both the visual and the magical sense. Visible vines of different coloured mana wrapped around the tower, holding it in place and stopping the precariously-built pile of stones from falling down. Trying to calculate the amount of magic needed to keep such an ostentatious display going was mind-boggling.

The Chosen One, unimpressed by this show of power, shoved open the tower’s door.

“Hey,” he announced as he entered, stepping away from Qube’s restraining hand. “How weird are you gonna be, Sorcerer-erer?”

He paused, giving Qube and Definitely Bad Guy a chance to enter the room too.

The Chosen One abruptly turned around and left the tower.

Qube, who had only just managed to gather an impression of a young adult woman patting an ethereal wolf in a darkened room, hurried after her friend just in time to see him flop face-first into a snow drift.

“Chosen One?’ she asked, worried. Had the Sorcerer done something to him? Was this some kind of spell? She shook her head, trying to clear out the lingering slowness that was making it hard for her to think.

“[Heal], [Lesser Shield],” she said, kneeling next to him and putting her hand on his exposed back. “[Minor Cleanse].” Her mana pool dipped as she poured protective spells onto the Hero. “Chosen One, what happened?” She frantically looked back at the tower, where Definitely Bad Guy was standing in the doorway, watching the scene play out.

The Mage stepped outside and closed the door behind him. He was frowning as he looked down at the Hero, who was groaning into the snow.

“I’m fine,” the Chosen One said into the pile of snow. “Nothing happened. I’m fine. This is fine. My friends are [apples], is all.”

“You’re friends with apples?” Qube asked, now extremely alarmed. How did that work? Was he delirious?

“No, not apples. They’re [apples],” the Chosen One insisted, lifting his head out of the snow and groaning even louder. He rolled over and sat up, sinking deeper into the drift.

“Chosen One, you’re frightening me,” Qube quietly admitted.

“Sorry, it’s nothing,” the Chosen One said, rubbing his face. “That Sorcerer just looks like someone I know. And it threw me for a bit.”

“Oh,” Qube said, lapsing into silence. That Sorcerer looked like someone from the Devs’ realm. From the Chosen One’s life from before she knew him.

She didn’t like thinking about the Chosen One’s other life. It made her feel… well, she didn’t know what the word for how she was feeling was, it was a combination of sad, sick, and something else. Something that made her hands curl into fists.

Anger. It made her angry.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, she dismissed it. Why would she be angry that the Chosen One had a separate life? That he was an interloper, come into her world to change it? He was there to help!

She pulled some empathy from within her.

“Did you want to stay out here while Definitely Bad Guy goes in?” she asked.

“No, it’s fine,” the Chosen One said, standing up and letting the snow instantly melt off him. “I can do this. I’m an adult.”

Qube and Definitely Bad Guy watched the Hero as he marched back into the tower. Qube bit her bottom lip and looked at the Mage, before hurrying after the Chosen One. She thought she heard the Mage start to say something, but she didn’t stop to listen.

The Chosen One needed her support, now more than ever before.

“Hi,” the Chosen One said awkwardly, standing in the doorway. Qube tried to squeeze past him, but just ended up shoving him forward. The Chosen One stumbled slightly into the room.

“Sorry,” Qube whispered. She looked at the person who had inadvertently caused so much turmoil in her companion.

The woman in front of her looked like a perfectly ordinary person. She was pretty, as all women were, but there was nothing about her that seemed to look like a particular person. She was still patting her ethereal wolf, no doubt some kind of summon, and was standing next to a table with two drinks on it.

“Hi!” the Sorcerer replied perkily. “How are you?”

“‘m good,” the Chosen One mumbled. “Can I have the amulet please?”

“I’m the Sorcerer of Summoning!” the Sorcerer continued, ignoring the Hero’s request. The Chosen One looked around and spotted Definitely Bad Guy, and grabbed his arm.

“You talk to her,” he hissed at the Mage. Definitely Bad Guy stared at the Hero in shock, before nodding.

“Sorcerer Sara,” he started, then stopped as the Chosen One slapped himself on the forehead.

“Seriously?” he muttered to himself. “Seriously, guys? Sara?”

“Excuse me,” the Mage said to the Sorcerer.

“Sure!” the powerful woman replied, swaying in place a little as she waited.

“Chosen One,” Definitely Bad Guy said earnestly in an undertone to the Hero. “I understand that you are struggling with Sorcerer Sara’s resemblance to someone you know. But, I assure you, she is someone I have dealt with in the past, when I was a student, and she is a gentle person. That is why the Evil Emperor did not recruit her. She would have been unable to follow his orders. So whatever ill was done to you by this other person, she will not do the same.”

“‘s not that,” the Chosen One said, his face slowly turning red. “‘s not anything bad.”

“Ah,” Definitely Bad Guy said, in a tone of sudden comprehension. He glanced at Qube, then looked at the Hero with a pitying expression. “You have my sympathies,” he continued, reaching out and very, very awkwardly patting the Chosen One on the shoulder.

Qube looked between the two men, trying to decipher what had just been communicated.

“So,” Sorcerer Sara interrupted, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, “what did you want to talk to me about?” She tilted her head and giggled.

The Chosen One gave Definitely Bad Guy a desperate look.

“We require your knowledge to complete the spell,” Definitely Bad Guy said, stepping forward and slightly obscuring the Chosen One’s view of the Sorcerer. Sara just giggled again, and moved to the side so she was back in the Hero’s line of sight.

“I’d love to tell you all about it!” she chirruped. “But first, you know what would be a great idea? Let’s have some tea!”

“I don’t want to have tea with her,” the Chosen One said, trying to wedge himself behind Definitely Bad Guy.

“Chosen One!” Qube said, shocked at his rudeness. “Why are you acting like this? I’ve never seen you behave so…” she struggled to think of the word, “so cowardly! You’ve faced terrifying monsters, and battled beasts no others have ever survived! You’ve spoken with real, live Royalty! You are the one chosen to save our kingdom! And you’re cringing away from someone just because they happen to look like a different person?”

“It’s not that,” the Chosen One said, pulling a face. “It’s just, well, none of that other stuff actually — I mean, she’s — ah, you’re right. Yeah, you’re definitely right.” He heaved a massive sigh. “She’s no different to the rest of you. Even if it feels different.” He frowned, rubbing his eyes. “Why does it feel different?” he asked himself quietly. “It shouldn't, should it? I don’t know. Yay for being a pioneer!”

The Chosen One straightened himself up, and stepped out from behind Definitely Bad Guy.

“Say whatever you gotta say,” the Hero said to the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer giggled some more, before sitting down at the table and pulling a cup of tea towards herself.

“Well, I was thinking about this total cutie when the Head Mage asked me to help him with some spell,” she started.

The Chosen One contorted, his feet remaining firmly planted while the rest of his body seemed like it was trying to fold up on itself.

“I hate my friends,” he whispered to himself during the Sorcerer’s entire speech. “I hate them so, so much.”

Qube, meanwhile, spent the entire time trying to figure out what this mysterious twin could have done to make the Chosen One react so strongly to her mere image. Had she committed some terrible offence? Had she done something personally to the Hero? But from how red his face was, and his refusal to make eye contact with her, the discussion of his friends, it was almost like…

It was almost like she’d had a crush on him and he’d had to reject her advances! His friends must have tried to play matchmaker, and encouraged this other woman to confess to him! Maybe she’d even pledged her protection to him!

Or maybe he’d had a crush on her? Qube dismissed this idea nearly instantly. The way the Hero was acting right now was completely different from how he’d acted during his courtship with Sexy Screamy Spider Lady. Sure, there were some slight similarities, mostly how uncomfortable he seemed, but there was none of the fun back and forth about whether or not they were in a relationship, or the Chosen One occasionally making heroic or chivalrous statements about Sexy Screamy Spider Lady.

In fact, one of the core defining features of the Chosen One and Sexy Screamy Spider Lady’s romance had been how often the Hero had insisted that the Hunter not do or say anything overtly romantic, in total contrast to him not even hinting that Sorcerer Sara should stop leaning forward at the table and giggling while talking about how “single and ready to mingle” she was in the middle of her explanation about how to use her amulet.

The fact that Definitely Bad Guy had been able to pick up on this before Qube had was mildly humiliating, but then the Mage seemed much more love-obsessed than her.

Qube came back to reality when she realised that the Sorcerer was holding out an amulet with a rabbit on it. She nudged the Chosen One, who jolted and stopped trying to cringe away from the whole situation.

“Yup, got it, thanks,” he said curtly, reaching out and swiping the amulet.

“Anytime,” the Sorcerer replied, sipping her tea and peeping at the Hero through her eyelashes.

“Urgh,” the Chosen One said, staggering away. Qube started to follow him before she hesitated.

“Definitely Bad Guy, did you happen to take note of where this amulet was supposed to go?” she asked, suddenly aware that she’d neglected her duty.

“Of course,” Definitely Bad Guy said, inclining his head slightly at her.

“Excellent!” Qube said brightly, beaming at the Mage. Thank goodness they were a party! It made things so much easier than when it was just the Chosen One and her to have other people to help fill the gaps. It was even better now that they had all started getting along, as they all strove towards the same goal of saving the kingdom and ascending to the realm of the Devs.

Oh. She’d totally forgotten to get either of the men to ask the Sorcerer of Summoning about the other realms. Qube almost turned back but caught sight of the Hero determinedly marching towards the next tower, not allowing himself to be distracted even by the snowmage someone had made next to the trodden-down path.

There was no way she could ask him to go back to a place that caused him such distress. Qube would have to cope with her curiosity being denied.

For now.