The first night had been ingrained in my memory since the day I’d experienced it. It was terrifying. Far too much for me to take in, let alone a baby. That was why the gift bestowed for surviving it was so important.

Skills didn’t grow on trees. They took time, and dedication. Indra had told me that the nature spire’s library in Zodiac contained the necessary actions needed for unlocking certain skills. Once you learned them it would take time, and concentration, to unlock the skill itself.

For an ordinary adult, skills could take weeks or months to unlock. Some people never succeeded, which was why magicians were so highly valued. I had managed to create stone spears, but I hadn’t unlocked the [earth spear] skill I’d seen when choosing my first skill, and I could wrap enemies in stone, but I hadn’t unlocked [stone grasp] either.

A baby simply had to visualise the skill and say the word. That was the gift granted to them after the first night.

The right to a single skill of their choice.

It had limitations, but it was a blessing no matter which angle you viewed it from. When I was younger my dad had tried to get me to capitalize on it by drawing pictures of fireballs and teaching me the word ‘fireball’. I knew now that he was trying to help me unlock the skill.

How did that work for [wisdom]?

I’d been a full-grown adult in a baby’s body. Imagining the earth moving at my command, and being created from nothing, was strange, but not difficult. Saying the words was more about knowing them and what they meant than it was about sounding them out.

A baby didn’t have those advantages.

Babies didn’t know the meaning behind words, and their imagination lacked the precision needed to unlock the skill behind the word. You were fated to fail if you expected a baby to speak and visualise the skill you wanted it to.

William had pictured something that gifted him the skill [wisdom], but nobody knew what that visualisation was.

Because of that, the Wilhelm household was destined for greatness, and nobody was convinced it was an accident. They all wanted to know the secret behind unlocking the skill.

I’d asked Marv one day. He had shaken his head and shrugged. [Wisdom] was a skill whose pre-requisites were a closely guarded secret. I could only confirm one thing.

[Wisdom] had only ever been obtained during the first night.

Had baby William imagined scholars studying in a school? Or a crossroad of choices? Did he picture ancient sayings and universal truths?

Nobody knew.

A single baby that unlocked the skill could lead their household for a generation.

Families would kill to obtain the secret behind it, countries wanted it to raise leaders and generals, and they were all looking at William as a golden goose.

Many of the guests at the party had only attended because they wanted to establish a relationship with William and his household. William himself didn’t matter, it was the knowledge and potential that people saw.

To them, he was an object, not a human, and he was wise enough to know that.

“I finished my breakfast.” William pushed the eggs back and dabbed at his lips with his napkin.

Eli watched him move, and I shivered. The man's expression was calm, and his words had shaken me. He didn't try to stop William. He knew he had time.

He would use it to break us.

William's chains rattled, and he slipped as he moved off the chair. He wasn’t as calm as he pretended to be. I caught him before the weight of the chains threw him against the ground.

Eli watched with a smile. “I’ll let you know when lunch is ready.”

William didn’t respond. I helped him up, and he walked towards one of the doors, his chains rattling with each movement.

He turned to me. “You haven’t touched your eggs.”

I studied the man. He didn’t strike me as a kidnapper. Then again, I’d never met a kidnapper before today.

“Actually, my family has a tradition of talking before we eat.” I lied. “They say it helps develop my intelligence.”

“An interesting theory.” Eli stood up and walked towards the kitchen area. “Water?”

My throat was parched.

“No thanks. I’m not thirsty.” My eyes never left him. “I’m curious, why didn’t you want to kidnap me?”

Eli looked at me and chuckled. He walked back to the table with a jug of water and placed it in front of me. I watched a bead of liquid drip down its side and sucked in a dry breath.

“Contrary to what you must be thinking, I do not make it a habit to kidnap children.” He pulled back his chair and sat. “Our issue at the arena was a miscalculation. You were not supposed to figure my intentions out so quickly. I would have teleported out and nobody would be the wiser. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you. It always warms my heart when my kidnapper compliments me.” My sarcasm was not lost on him.

He chuckled. “I knew about your family, so you assume I know about you. You are correct. I know everything." His gaze lingered on me. "As a former director of Zodiac, I was informed of your existence. You met with Wilhelm. You were not going to go unnoticed. He thought you had [wisdom]. I did not.”

He was right. A few of the people around me assumed I had wisdom. Master Wilhelm did, and so did William.

Eli genuinely looked disinterested in my abilities.

What was his end goal?

Obtaining [wisdom] couldn’t be all there was to his plan. I’d thought that maybe he would be interested in the skill I had.

Eli chuckled. “Allow me to hazard a guess. You presume I wish to collect rare skills, perhaps even use them for less than savoury purposes.”

The thought had crossed my mind.

"Not so. I have a greater purpose in mind. Wisdom is only the first thing I require from young master William." His voice lowered. "The others... they never did understand. What I do, I do with good reason. I am still what I've always been, a guide. I have simply discovered my priorities."

I took a deep breath. There was a vacancy in his expression as he spoke. He was here, words exiting his mouth, but he wasn't speaking with me. A cloud of thoughts and emotions tried to separate me from logic. I needed to be calm and stay in control. His mind was wandering, and I could use that.

“The road to destruction is paved with good intentions.” I spoke. “But if your cause really is justifiable, then I am willing to hear it out and make my own decision about it.” I looked around at the empty room. “I have time. There is nothing stopping you from explaining it to me.”

I could use any piece of information I could gather. Even the slightest slip up could help me formulate a plan.

Eli's head snapped back up, and his momentary stupor disappeared.

“I think not.” Eli smiled. “Not until I have spoken further with William. Perhaps we shall have more to speak of, later on.”

It had been worth a try.

The chair screeched as I pushed it back with my feet, scratching the floor. I saw Eli wince and I felt a small rush of satisfaction. Then I frowned. I’d assumed this was some sort of safe house, but nobody would have that kind of reaction about a place they were going to abandon.

Why had he brought us somewhere he cared about?

My footsteps were light on the wooden floorboards, and I could feel Eli's gaze on my back as I turned away from the table.

My eyes darted around the room. There were three doors on my side of the building. One led to my room, and I had seen William walking towards the one next to me. That left one final room empty. Its floor was dusty, and the door looked like it hadn’t been touched in a long time. I caught a quick glimpse inside as I passed by.

Was that a cot?

Curious. A final peek confirmed that Eli hadn't shifted. His body was still, and his eyes had left me. They were glued onto William's room. I made my way towards ‘my’ room and closed the door behind me

The chains bothered me. It wasn’t the physical pain. They brought fear, and helplessness. Every move would be telegraphed. Every plan I made was more difficult to enact.

If only I could attune to metal.

I made my way to the bed and crawled on top of it.

It was time to plan.

Eli’s intentions were one thing, but escaping was another. I didn’t need to know his plan if I could get us out of here without it. This would be easier if I had my inventory. I patted my pocket where the box had been, and I paused.

There was something there. I brought it out and unfolded it with my fingers. It was a napkin. I’d seen one of these at the table, William had been using it.

When had he put that there?

I remembered when he’d fallen from the chair. I’d thought it was because he was nervous, and the chains were too heavy. That wasn’t the case. He’d slipped this napkin into my pocket.

I unravelled it and saw a single word written in egg yolk.

‘Liar.’

Liar?

I closed my eyes and pondered the word. William wouldn’t be calling me a liar, which meant the note was directed at Eli.

What had he lied about? There were only a few things he’d said to William.

I don’t think he was lying about wanting to learn [wisdom]. The other comment Eli had made was about the nexus.

Had Eli lied about destroying it?

The nexus was an unknown factor to me. A living building in another world that I’d only discovered today.

William was different. His staff member had guided me through the purple world and William had teleported to the Zodiac compound when he was a child. It stood to reason that William knew more about the subject than I did.

If I was reading the note correctly, then Eli was lying about destroying the nexus. I had seen him attack it, and I’d seen it injured.

That didn’t mean it was dead.

A small glimmer of hope reached my heart. One of the biggest issues I was having was thinking of a way to survive if we did escape. Two children unable to teleport and wandering in an unknown part of the world was a recipe for disaster.

There was one other theory that weighed heavily on my mind.

Could Eli use magic?

He was a powerful man, and when we’d first met, I could feel that from the pressure he emitted. There was none of that presence surrounding him now.

Was that because he wanted us to trust him?

Maybe there was more to it. He could be limited like me, saving his skills for later use. It presented a possible advantage for William and me.

Thoughts swarmed my mind as I thought of actions I could take. My head pounded as I pushed my emotions down. They fought against me. I powered through the pain. This wasn't the kind of situation I could hold back on.

Could we wrap chains around his neck and choke him to death?

It was a brief flash of a morbid thought, but it lingered in my mind. I had never considered taking a life before. I wasn't sure that I could. Mentally, and physically.

Eli was old, but we were children. William said he’d grown his body with concoctions. From context I assumed they were some sort of potion that increased his strength stat, but only to the level of a toddler. It was impractical, we wouldn't be strong enough to do it even if we could somehow surprise him. He was a gold mask.

A single spell would end any resistance.

The other important issue was supplies. I didn’t know where Eli got his food from, or whether we were near a town or not. There were no windows, and the yellow mana gave me pause. The other area I’d seen with it, the observatory, was in the middle of a rift and only accessible by teleporting. If a miracle happened and we overpowered Eli, it could doom us to a fate of starvation.

If I’d interpreted William’s note correctly then the best course of action was to wait.

The nexus seemed to be something that was required for humans to teleport. A beacon of some sort. It sounded like once the nexus was repaired there would be nothing to stop Master Wilhelm and his associates from apprehending Eli.

I sighed. This would be easier if I could talk to William. I needed more information. On everything. My stomach grumbled, and I tried to distract myself with other thoughts.

The chains were pressing into my skin.

I could try to attune to metal. There was mana here, I just couldn’t control it. It wasn’t a bad plan if we were going to be stuck here for weeks. Or months. Where was the bathroom in this place?

I sighed and laid back on the bed, regretting that I hadn’t accepted that breakfast. I ate the napkin William had given me. I didn’t want to leave any evidence that we were communicating. I allowed the thoughts and worries that I'd held back to swamp me. The one that overpowered them all was an image of a loved one. My dad.

How was he doing?

The metal dummies hadn’t been too strong, they’d just had the element of surprise. My dad was an ordinary person, but he was surrounded by powerful people. I doubt he was hurt.

I hoped that he wasn’t.

There was a shimmer at the edge of my vision. It distracted me from my spiralling thoughts. I stared at the source; it was the picture from before. It was slowly alternating between the picture of the baby and the picture of Eli’s family.

I stared at it. It was the only thing in this room with personality. I watched it switch between the two pictures, curious about what kind of magic could be powering it. Maybe it was an onze.

The hours passed and my mind had run out of plans. My emotions had stalled, and stray worries ate at me. I stared at the picture, trying to distract myself from my thoughts. Eli had spoken about his son fondly. I'd thought he was an honest and kind man. A doting father.

These two images could almost fool me into believing it.

Then something caught my eye. There was something off about the two pictures. It became more apparent with every switch. Both of them featured a baby, but on closer inspection there were some differences between them.

Their looks were similar, and their expressions the same, but there was something different about them. I sat up and picked up the frame. One had a slightly larger head, and the other had lighter hair. I was sure of my discovery.

These were two different babies.