It was one of those rare moments where Michael was reminded just where he was.

Gnosis Academy. Far, far away from his own world. Perhaps the gnome’s comments about his home reminded him of this or maybe it was just the strange situation he had found himself in. For three months now he had played around in politics, intrigue and magic. He had seen great plans in motion, uncovered a plot and moved ahead to stop it, even though he had no realistic chance of managing it. Just because the future where it succeeded was horrible.

He then uncovered an even more disastrous event in the making and he understood why things happened the way they did. He still couldn’t approve of them, so he tried to make an ally of an enemy, to find a workable solution, one that required a leap of faith. Kelunad didn’t have any faith left in him, so they came to conflict.

And that’s when the gnome appeared. With all the weariness of an adult trying to stop kids running with scissors. Of course he tried to take what he saw as they ‘toy’ away.

Too bad Kelunad never saw a problem he couldn’t cut his way out off.

“Cute.”

Kelunad was speechless. Michael too.

The orc’s Skill impacted the gnome… and did absolutely nothing. It looked like a short and cheap light-show from where they were standing.

“I suppose you thought that might do something?” the gnome asked.

“That… how?” Kelunad asked.

“Just a ||Barrier||. Interesting Skill, though. Undocumented. But too low-Level. Let’s see here… |Martial Archmage|. And you’re a |Mage|.” He said, nodding at Michael. “Levels… hah. And you thought that would work? Talk to me again when you reach the first summit.”

“What’s that?” Michael asked.

“Level 100.”

…

There’s more?!

“How-“ Kelunad started, sounded like he lost the ability to speak in full sentences. “How many… summits are there?”

“Who knows. My people passed the first one and know of another. No need to worry about that, though. No race in the history of this world ever collectively reached the second Tier. And very few individuals, eons past.”

Ok. So, note to self, never piss of the gnomes, since they seem to have reached the closest equivalent to godhood there is the universe.

The gnome didn’t seem annoyed by Kelunad’s attempt. Probably because a true adult wouldn’t feel fury at seeing a misbehaving child’s attempt at a punch. But he did notice the expressions on their faces.

“Look. This machine wasn’t put here to be the answer to all of your problems. It was a gift made with the intent of smoothing out errors in this ‘academy’ of yours. Poor planning and all that. Actually…”

He craned his head and looked around, his eyes no doubt not being blocked by the physical.

“How did you even get to this place? I forgot we used to do this, but this room has an old type of ward around it. Tier 1, but it shouldn’t have left you enter without being of a Level approaching the first summit. At least, not without letting you keep your Class.”

“Well-“

“Oh. Ooooh! That’s why you are so low-Level!” the gnome exclaimed, happy that he solved the riddle. “You had several Classes, and sacrificed the highest-level one. Yes, yes. We took that event into consideration, but we judged it a worthy sacrifice. It ensured only those with a proper request could enter the room by this method. The other ensured only the matured ones could. But… you’ve sacrificed your highest-leveled Classes without knowing how to work the wonder?”

The gnome looked disappointedly at them.

And since Kelunad refused to open his mouth, it was Michael’s turn to further lower the gnome’s expectation of them.

“Uhm… that’s not what we did. The Classes and Levels you see… are what we have. Kelunad here found another way in.”

“Other way in? There are no other ways in?”

“I first thought so too.” The orc finally spoke. “But one existed. There is a mage outside this room who has recently acquired a… peculiar Class. One that allowed her to open the doors.”

The gnome peeked again and looked at them strangely.

“No there isn’t. I’ve already checked, but I did it again now. There’s nothing odd there.”

Odd.

“She’s a Gorgon.” Michael tried.

The gnome sighed and turned his eyes once more.

“Human male, human woman and, yes, Gorgon. The two humans have Classes. The Gorgon does not. I could understand you using the Gorgon and, in the process, she losing her Class, but a Classless individual could not open the doors. We thought of that.”

Was Kelunad lying?

“We aren’t lying.” Kelunad said, himself hesitant. “That is how we did it.”

“Look. I’ve used ||Appraisal||. There is no magic or Skill of your Tier that could hide that from me. It… actually, hold on. ||Divine Truth||.”

The gnome waited for their heads to stop ringing before he spoke again.

“Well, you certainly believe you are speaking the truth. Hmm. ||Appraisal||. ||Observe Class||. No? ||Observe Details||. That works, but… ||Inspect||. Truly? ||Analyze Class||. Fine. ||Read Book of Life||!”

The gnome seemed more and more peeved, until he suddenly grew concerned.

“There was something there, at the end.” He muttered. “But there is no Tier 1 act that could hide things from me. …Tier 3? But if you were capable of that… no. …or… that- no. No, not even… but maybe. Well, here goes. |Appraisal|. Oh! |Read Book of Life|. Oh, by the gears!”

He turned to Mihael bearing a miniature version of pure shock.

“He did this?” he asked, pointing at Kelunad.

The young man could only nod.

“Have you any idea what you’ve done? Even this wonder would have a hard time undoing the damage you did. Have you any idea what you placed on her?”

“I-“

“No! You don’t! What you did was that you managed to bypass an instinctive rule felt by all Leveling beings. Even we don’t experiment with that.”

“Please, I offer my apologies. But we needed to reach the machine. And we did not see the harm, even if it is a useless Class?”

“Useless?! That… that thing should not ought to exist. It only came to be as a failsafe of the System. It’s a sign meaning things have been pushed to hard. Not even we know what happens if someone experiments with an error.”

“Error?” Michael asked.

“In the System. Her Class is an error. We’ve outlawed any experimentation, because it could lead to the whole thing crashing. Just…” he said, taking a mini-huge breath to calm himself. “Fine. I am calm. I… Make sure she does not Level. Ever! I’ll offer what help we know off to treat her condition. But do not harm her further. You’ve done enough.”

“Yes, sir.” Kelunad spoke briskly.

“And don’t call me ‘sir’. Now. Just what was is this emergency that pushed you to reach this room by using that?”

Kelunad told him. Michael helped, mainly to make sure all possibilities were outlined equally. For once, the orc didn’t contradict him. It was out of their hands.

“And because this place of learning will come under siege, you decide to play with the fate of the world. This world, at least. Typical.”

“It’s just not Gnosis’ future at stake. If they win, our entire world may change. The Wild and the Green may come back.”

“So? I told you ate the beginning, all forced have an equal chance of evolving. And all can be used for harm, even magic.”

“We know.” Michael said. “But, judging by the history of this world, peace reigned more when magic ruled and less when the other two did. And that’s even without the bloodshed of a coming battle.”

“I know, son.” The gnome sighed. “But you have to understand, for us, me and my kin, this all feels petty. We try to lookout for the entirety of the world. Just who gets to rule a particular one is not our concern, less they threaten the others.”

“But we don’t as for your help. Just, let us use the machine. Forge our own path.”

“You can take it afterwards.” Kelunad told him. “Never to be used by us again.”

The gnome was wavering, so Michael pushed.

“You look after all the worlds. Allow us to look after our own. Let us grow. Please.”

“…fine. Guess it’s not really interfering. But I’m taking it after this!”

“Yes.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Now, let’s see.”

He flicked his wrist and the machine appeared again.

“Recalling solutions, two individual-guided, one wonder-guided. Removing the default one. There. Which one will it be?”

And here it came again. The choice.

Kelunad, looking like he hadn’t slept for weeks, looked at Michael.

“We cannot take chances.”

“You can’t compromise?”

“No.”

“Why do I feel that a long time ago, at the birth of magic, the Wild and the Green thought very much the same?”

The orc visibly flinched.

“It’s not just about being better than them. But we can’t make the same mistakes they did. Otherwise, magic will decline and we will lose ourselves. If we want to grow” he said, gesturing at the gnome “we have to push ourselves. Not just pay the cost in blood.”

Kelunad was silent for a moment, before he spoke.

“And they would work together? And after all we did? After what I did? After… Sinestra?”

“They’ll have to. You won’t get to keep your rule, probably, but neither will they come after you. I’ll help with that, if you agree to compromise. You’re not the biggest threat around, Kelunad.”

He almost laughed, but little by little, it looked like a weight was taken off his shoulders.

“I planed so long for this. Sacrificed so much. I honestly believed the cost of this wish might have been my life. And now I am to start the climb again? Uncertainty… For a chance?”

“A chance.” Michael nodded. “But one to win it all, not just sacrifice an arm for an escape.”

“Will we be mentor and pupil again, I wonder? In this new age.”

“No. But we can be allies.”

Kelunad nodded and turned to the gnome.

“I accept Michael’s vision.”

“Good call, if I may say so myself.” He flicked his fingers and the machine disappeared again. “I’ve contained the after-effects. Our wonders really were primitive back in the day. The changes requested are already taking effect and will be completed by the time you leave the room.”

It was true. Michael could suddenly remember knowledge of corridors and passages he had no recollection of a few seconds ago. Even though the memories felt old. Natural. Just something he had never thought of.

“I’ll be leaving. And taking the wonder with me, as I said. Can’t say it’s been a pleasure, but it’s been interesting alright. At least I have something new to report. Using that thing to bypass our protections isn’t something we’ve accounted for, given that we never thought anyone would be mad enough to try it, but it’s good to know how it works. Oh, about that…”

He summoned the pane of light before him and gestured above it.

“Here.”

A book appeared before Michael and he caught it.

The title of it was kind of odd, but he placed it in his vambrace just the same.

“This should help with your friend’s problem. It contains most of what we know of her issue. I can’t knowingly give you everything, but it should help mitigate its effects. Don’t hold your breath on solving it, though. It almost never happens.”

“Uhm, alright. Thank you.” He said, not knowing what more to add.

The gnome nodded and looked at them one last time.

“This world had potential once. It’s gone. Maybe try and bring it back?”

“We will do our best.” Kelunad spoke.

And Michael… well. All this time, even while solving the issue, he had a though, gnawing at the back of his mind. And now that the main issue had been offered a possible solution… It was selfish perhaps, but he had to voice it.

“Can I ask… would it be possible for me to return home? My world, that is.”

Kelunad shifted, but refrained from speaking.

“You mean now?”

“…no. I… I feel like I have to help. But, maybe in the future?”

“Not with out help. I have no idea how you got here, but this would be an inter-world problem. We don’t get ourselves involved with that.”

“I know, I know, it’s just that… well, I’m asking if you believe I could.”

“One gateway left in this world, so maybe.” The gnome first said, but then his grandfatherly look returned again. “Son… fine. Guess it can’t hurt. Much. ||Observe Destiny||. …hah. Hah! I had no idea you were of those. Good thing I didn’t look into it further.”

The gnome’s terribly amused expression only boded ill for Michael.

One of ‘those’?

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, no, no, no. By the gears, I’m not getting myself involved in that. No, thank you.” He said, flicking his fingers, making a light appear and envelop him. “This is my queue. Best of luck, to the both of you.”

“Our thanks.” Kelunad spoke. “We will never forget this.”

“Will I ever see you again?” Michael asked and felt like a child the very next second.

The gnome tilted his head, hesitating, but finally burst out in laughter.

“Ah, why now? The answer is ‘maybe’. But not in your first hundred Levels. Bye!”

And he was gone.

The plot ended. A new one began.

And Michael could finally breathe.