Clair’s house wasn’t really a house. It was more of a small, stilted mansion by the waterline. It was three stories, something quite rare for Lesterwood and had a small outlying patio equip with a small seating area. A waterwheel slowly moved with the current, rotating pipes and gears connected to a grain grinder. A stone brick chimney washed the clear sky with white-grey smoke which faded away blissfully into the blue air. Dark wood mixed with stone support beams layered a murky gradient.

As Max and Emi approached, he couldn’t help but think the home looked happy. It was the chimney, he decided. The chimney pulled the image of childhood mixed with warm family together reminding him of his previous life. What were his family members doing right now? He wondered that often, but not as often as he used to. Gravel crunched as he walked through the path which led from the border of the home’s property to the patio. He was guilty about not thinking of his family as often, but with all of the things that has happened to him after being taken, could one blame him?

Wolves to murderers, bandits, and terrorists. Life on Nava wasn’t always fun, there were some good times which often outweighed the bad, but that didn’t make Nava any less chaotic and busy. Today was a great example of that. It was Monday, class day, but instead of joining Celenia in a slow and tedious lecture about the Age of Magic, he was going to having tea with a child and her imaginary friend. He chuckled thinking about Unlotous like that, the spirit was really a medium for answers, hopefully.

Before Max could knock, the door swung open. A surly woman wearing a deep red bandana over the bridge of her hair eyed the Lost Lord and bonded partner. “You Max?”

“Yes, this Emi.”

“Hello!”

The woman’s eyes widened at Emi, but she kept her composure. “Follow me.”

The woman turned and walked off, not waiting to make sure the guests followed. She led them through the house to a set of stairs. She motioned for Max and Emi to go down, before turning and walking away. The stairs were steep and creaked with every step, a testament to the age of the building. A door with a handwritten sign blocked their path. ‘STOP: Clair’s room do NOT enter’ was scrawled in red ink, which oddly enough, worked better than some wards. Max knocked, causing a high pitch ‘Enter’ to sound off.

Max had two brothers back on Earth, he had been inside both of their rooms and even helped paint his youngest brother’s. Clair’s room was nothing like theirs. While his brothers were messy but oddly organized, Clair’s was pandemonium. Stuffed animals, monsters, plants, and even a few dolls filled every surface, creating hazardous walking lanes and sitting spots. An incredibly soft looking bed was pushed to the side, to the dismay of many stuffed friends. A small table was brought into the middle, causing a pile up around the walls. Clair sat at the table, moving cups and kettles around, while trying not to spill anything.

“Coming through, coming through!” Max heard from the top of the stairs. A thinly woman holding two plates was barreling down the steep steps, with no indication of slowing down. Max and Emi moved deeper into the fuzzy jungle. The two plates were slammed down on the much too small table, and the woman turned to her guests. “Welcome! Max, Emi, right? Clair told me about you both. I’m Kaia, Clair’s mother. Come, sit, sit!”

Max and Emi shared a look before sitting. Clair rolled her eyes at this, “Mother!! The table is not set yet! They can’t sit!”

“Don’t be silly, the guests are here, and the table looks immaculate!”

“But the tea isn’t even warm.”

“Oh, I can help with that.” Max said, placing his hand to the kettle. Moments later steam was escaping through the spout. He didn’t have to make physical touch to warm the water, but in this scenario, it felt almost impolite to not.

“I was told you were a [Space Mage]. Some sort of space warming spell?” Kaia asked.

“Nope, I’m a [Water Mage] as well. Weird combo, I know. But it works for me.”

“And me!” Emi added.

“Does it? I’ve always been interested in the dynamics of dual affinity mages. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you decide on water and space?”

“Born into it.” Emi said.

Max nodded in agreement. “Born into it is a good way to phrase it. The second ever spell I learned was technically a water spell. From there I was given apprenticeship under a prominent [Water Mage] as long as I chose a water-based class.”

“And for space?”

“I’m… Not from here. Not from Lesterwood, I mean. My home is far away, and the journey back is as dangerous as it is impossible. So, I figured I could just teleport back when I got strong enough.”

“Well, I hope you reach your goals. But, as I understand it, you are a busy man. So, the tea is warm, the cookies are fresh, let’s get started.”

“Oh, that reminds me, I brought pastries…” A small bag of bready sweet confectionaries appeared on the table. “Fresh as well.”

“Oh? An inventory ring? You didn’t happen to make it? I was thinking of buying one for Clair soon.”

“Not yet, no. But I know the prerequisites. I was planning to make one for all of the Stalker hunters.”

“Beolen would never wear one.” Clair said. “He’s afraid of magic. I think that is why he doesn’t like me.”

“Clair, we’ve talked about this. Beolen doesn’t dislike you, you just… You just scare him. Stop petting his wolf’s pelt, and maybe he would come around.”

“But mom! It’s so soft!”

“Yes, yes, but you have so many other soft things here.” Kaia motioned around the room. “Can’t you just leave the poor man alone? Why do you think he lives in the forest? Because he doesn’t like being touched.”

Clair frowned, giving her mother a dirty look. Suddenly a rhythmic sound gushed from her mouth. Humming mixed with odd throat singing resonated in the room. The air seemed to pull with every beat, thickening and drying into an uncomfortable treble.

“Oh good. Unlotous hates being brought into a stuffed animal. Glad she opted to bring his real body.” Kaia said.

“Real body?” Max asked echoing Emi’s thoughts.

“It’s a magical construct, one that requires more energy to pull. But not his real one, no. That would take a lot.”

The song ended, with a crescendo of low gargling hums. The air turned back to normal as if a light switch was flipped as an ethereal form flickered into existence. Unlotous’s body was unnaturally thin, lanky, and tall. His knees arched past the table, as he squatted into the vacant seat. He gave brief and direct nods to the attendants, before studying his caller.

“I thought we decided that we would use the tall table and chairs if my body was going to be summoned?” Unlotous asked Clair.

Clair, in her defense, made a compelling actor. She thumped a finger to her chin and looked away as if she was trying to remember. “Did we?” She asked, her voice reaching a higher pitch than normal.

“Indeed, we did.” Unlotous rolled his solid black eyes. “No matter, welcome Max. I hope Clair hasn’t been a bother.”

“No, no, Clair’s been great. Just look at this tea set up. Cookies, hot and ready water, she even has pastries.” Max said, giving Clair a wink when Unlotous looked away. The young girl smiled.

“Indeed, she did. Well, let’s not dillydally. I would serve the tea, but unfortunately my hands are… Awkward.”

“I’ll do it!” Clair volunteered. She reached for the kettle and began to cautiously pour. Each cup was filled to the brim with red tea, and each plate had three cookies and two pastries. More than anyone was going to eat, but no one stopped the enthusiastic kiddo.

“Now, Max… You’ve heard of the Astral and claim to have access…” Unlotous asked, causing Kaia to stop stirring her sugar water.

“Yes.” Max said simply.

“Care to explain how?”

“My class gives me access.”

“[Astral Dimensionist], then. Or perhaps something rarer?” Kaia said.

“How’d you know?” Max asked.

“Believe it or not, classes that unlock the Dimensions are not that rare. Dimensionist is, by far, the most common. My great, great, great, great, uhh great? Grandfather was a Dimensionist. Hence Unlotous.”

“Indeed. Good man him.” Unlotous said. “But the Astral is rare among Dimensionists. I’ve met only a handful during my long, long life.”

“What is the Astral?” Emi asked.

“The Astral is the common name for the Dimension of Space. One of the eight Grand Dimensions. Besides a few strings of information, the Astral is primarily a mystery.” Kaia answered. “If you two ever enter, please document everything. The Dimension community of the Mage Guild would be ecstatic for modern information. There is only so many ancient glyphs someone can read before they go mad.”

Max smiled. “I think Bishop said something similar once.”

“Bishop the Drake? Do you know him?” Kaia asked.

“Yes, he is a mentor of mine, along with Veline.”

“Oh? Two of the five members of Lester’s team? No wonder you have a Dimensionist class, being taught under those two must have left quite a mark.”

“Of course, pretty much everything except how space magic works and more specific knowledge about Dimensions, I learned from those two.”

“Well, let’s hope we can help you with the latter.” Unlotous said. “How much do you already know about Dimensions?”

“Bishop told us of a [Arch Fire Mage] who used the Flame Dimension to fuel her spells, but that’s about it.” Max said.

“Ah yes. I remember her. Quite powerful but she never took my advice to venture further into the study of her gift… Okay, let’s start with the basics. There are eight Grand Dimensions with nearly infinite Sub Dimensions.”

“I know this one!” Clair shouted. “Flame, Water, Shadow, Light, Astral, Earth, Air, Sound, and Life!”

“Very good, Clair!” Kaia commended. “But you said nine, not eight. Do you remember why?”

“Errm… Uhh.” Clair shifted in her seat, trying to remember, “AH! I got it! Because the Astral is the King of the Dimensions!”

“Very good! The Astral links the other eight, almost as if it were a King over eight cities.”

“That along with a few known residents are all we know of the Astral.” Unlotous added.

“And these residents are the eyes?” Max asked.

“Yes. Have you ever heard the phrase; the eyes are a reflection of the world?” Seeing Max shake his head, Unlotous continued. “There is a barrier between Dimensions. The eyes, for whatever reason, are able to pass through unimpeded. If you or I were to look through the Veil, then the other side would be able to see our eyes.”

“Max… Have you seen any eyes?” Kaia asked.

“Not… Directly… I read a Tome, where the author explained seeing eyes. More and more appeared, killing his friends and village, forcing him to escape into whatever Dimension he was studying.”

“Hmm… What happened to the man?”

“He died… And whatever killed him seemed to take his place writing entries.”

Kaia turned to her daughter, “Sweety, can you do me a big favor? Can you see if you can find mommy’s glasses from upstairs?”

“But mom! I want to listen!”

“And I want to see. The faster you find them, the faster you can rejoin the conversation.”

“Fine.” Clair huffed, running through the minefield of stuffed toys and up the steep stairs.

“Sorry about that. I don’t want to involve her with this next part.” Kaia said.

Unlotous nodded. “For the best. Max, how could you tell something killed him?”

“He talked about meeting something in the Dimension. His entries were becoming stranger and madder… Until they weren’t. The last entry said that he was wrong, the thing he met was a friend and he was going to return through the Veil.”

“Any idea where he was returning too? Obviously, something did, otherwise the Tome wouldn’t have made it back.”

“No, sorry.” Max lied. “These… Things in the Dimensions, what are they?”

“That question goes back to way back. To the start. The story goes, when the Gods created the races, they also created new worlds. Within said worlds, they created creatures to rule the barren lands. Some were monsters, like the Stalkers, others were more intelligent like Unlotous or the Faye.” Kaia answered.

“The Faye? I’ve heard of them.”

“From the bedtime stories? Those are somewhat accurate. At least from what we know, the Faye are… Elusive.”

Max ignored Kaia’s assumption, “Do you know what Dimension the Faye are from?”

“The Astral of course. One of the few things we know definitively. The Faye act as regulators. They have a court and a King who oversee the other Dimensions and act on issues. They are often called the Watchers of History.”

“I think I’ve heard that before. At least, something along those lines… I can’t remember who told me though…” Max said.

“Arthur.” Emi quietly said.

“That’s right, Arthur! Oh wait…”

“Arthur the old Adventuring Guild Master?”

“Yes, who was being impersonated by a known Vast Empire member named Nix.”

“Oh…” Unlotous said, “I guess this is a good time to mention that all information talked about today should be kept quiet. Vast Empire has been known to abduct [Scholars] who study dimensions. I can only guess what the Empire wants from them.”

“Great… So back to these eyes, I have a friend who is a Diviner. She saw eyes after a missing rock suddenly appeared.”

“…What?” Kaia asked.

“I was experimenting with space spells using rocks. One went missing after a failed cast, and it suddenly appeared in the middle of my house days later. My friend had a vision of the rock in a grassy field. She had to actively work to look around in the vision, but she saw a pair of eyes and heard childish giggles.”

Unlotous and Kaia shared a look, “Grass?”

“Tall, thick grass, she said.”

“That would suggest either the rock found its way to the Dimension of Life, or somewhere out in the Plains. I’m not sure how Divination works with seeing into Dimensions, but it is entirely possible that the eyes were actually connected to a body, rather than shining through the Veil.” Unlotous said.

“But what about it suddenly appearing as if it was teleported? Doesn’t that suggest a creature capable of teleportation, meaning the Astral?” Kaia argued.

“Maybe, but without actually visiting the Astral, we have no way of knowing what it looks like.”

“But how do I get there?” Max asked.

“If you really did teleport a rock there, then I would dare say; teleport there.”

“But it was a failed attempt. I have no idea how to replicate the situation.”

“We can’t help you there. Like we said, the Astral is elusive.”

Emi spoke up, “Is there a way to enter without having it unlocked?”

“Yes…” Unlotous said. “But I do not recommend searching for those answers.”

“Really?” Kaia asked, “I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t like to talk about it much. I knew a woman who went searching many, many years ago. She never returned.”

“Any idea why?” Max asked.

“A rumor floated around about the Gates of Hell the Leviathans are protecting are actually Gates of the Grand Dimensions.”

“The Leviathans?” Max and Emi shared a look. “How does-“

“Ma’am,” A gruff voice sounded from the stairs. “I found Clair rooting around your room.” The woman who opened the front door for Max and Emi stood holding Clair’s arm.

“That’s alright Shellby. I asked her to find my glasses, but I forgot I don’t wear any.”

“I see, ma’am.” Shellby released Clair’s arm, who promptly ran forward and crashed onto her bed.

“You lied to me!” The young girl shouted.

“I did, and I’m sorry. But the conversation was devolving to something a child should not hear about.” Kaia said after sitting next to her daughter.

“You ruined the tea party!”

“I know, I know. Perhaps you could invite Max and Emi over again, I’m sure they would love to come back.”

“Or you all could come over to my house. I’m sure Bishop would love to see all of you again.” Max said.

“Truly?” A muffled voice transmitted through the pillow Clair laid face down on.

“Sure, I can even introduce you to some of my friends. Do you like magi- Oh hold on.” A small stone materialized on Max’s palm. It shivered as if it was a person wearing nothing on a brisk evening. “We’ve got to go. Thanks for the tea, come over whenever you want. Emi, we’ve got to go”

Without waiting for a reply, Emi latched on to Max’s shoulder, and they disappeared into thin air. Clair, who watched the young man and bond teleport, exclaimed her amazement. “HE CAN TELEPORT! THAT’S SO COOL!”