After getting their fill at a restaurant, Kai and Akane walked back to the academy. He felt a little scummy about using the coins from Hector’s pouch to pay for food, but it wasn’t quite dinner time yet, nor did he think Akane could wait. She was after all… spoiled. His remaining coins had been left inside a lockbox provided for all the students in his dorm building.

Walking through the streets, Kai noticed damage to many of the buildings. The earthquake had been powerful enough to cause cracks in the sides of some of the stores and houses. It was a lucky thing that none of them had collapsed completely. It was a foreboding sign of things to come if the shaking kept ramping up in intensity and frequency. Kai hadn’t heard of what was causing the earthquake. There was no way to tell when the quakes would stop or how much worse they would get.

There was no fanfare when he walked through the academy’s gate. The guards barely acknowledged his presence as he entered except for one who went wide-eyed. It was strangely quiet on campus. The last class of the day should have been over by now, so Kai expected to see the usual lively and noisy campus to which he was accustomed. Instead, it was quiet and gloomy. He did receive some odd looks from a couple of the students who were around. He decided to ignore them as he proceeded to his dorm.

Upon entering his room, the first thing he heard was, “Kai!” Andre ambushed him at the door, wrapping him tightly in a hug. “You’re alive,” he stated obviously.

“I know I am,” Kai answered sarcastically. He stood there awkwardly, his hands at his side as he was still embraced in the hug. Padding into the room, Akane gave him a roll of her eyes before she teleported onto the bed and began her “much needed” nap, especially after a big meal.

He felt his body become free. Looking into Andre’s eyes he saw tiny tears falling. “You were reported missing. And Hector… Hector is gone,” he added solemnly.

Kai sighed frustratedly. “Yes, I know… I found his body.”

Andre looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. Kai noticed that Hector’s stuff had already been cleared from the room. All that remained was an empty mattress devoid of all sheets and a clear dresser.

“Some people came in and cleared away his clothing and other items only 30 minutes ago,” Andre said noticing what Kai was staring at.

It was a sad reminder that such a promising young man had lost his life in the chaos that existed in the Myriad of Worlds and then could be treated as if he hadn’t existed the next minute. Such was the way in the Myriad of Worlds where death was a common thing. At least it used to be. Kai wasn’t so sure about the present time. He was still getting his bearings on life outside his secret little village.

“What happened to you?” Andre asked impatiently.

“It’s a long sto—”

Frantic knocking at the door interrupted the two. Opening the door, Kai was once again ambushed. “Your alive!” Nicolas yelled as he hugged him.

“Why is everyone surprised?” he muttered. I didn’t know I was on a hugging basis with both Andre and Nicolas. Compared to the past, Kai felt he was more reserved around others. He wasn’t opposed to making friends or getting along with others, but he tended to keep them at arm’s length. He didn’t know if he would ever become completely relaxed around others again. Being hugged by his only two friends at the academy had surprised him.

“Pr-prince Nicolas,” Andre stuttered.

“Nicky, please let go,” he tried to project a pleading tone. He’d rather have the beautiful librarian hugging him, not two guys if he was being honest.

Releasing him, Nicolas looked him up and down. “What the in the gods happened? Level 90?” Nicolas gapped. He rubbed his eyes and then pointedly stared at him again, likely using identify once more to make sure it was correct.

“What are you doing here Nicolas? How did you know I was back?”

“Oh…” Pink colored the white-haired man’s cheeks. “A guard notified me when you walked through the gate. You had us worried.” An awkward moment of silence passed until Nicolas nudged Andre in the side.

“Ah. Yea. Worried,” Andre finished.

“Right…” Kai drawled. “Did Sean make it back too?”

“Yea, he’s fine. Not that we’d notice if he was missing or dead anyways. He literally only comes here to sleep. I don’t quite know where he is now,” Andre supplied. True to his usual form, their fourth, or rather their third roommate now, was missing in action.

Knowing what was coming, Kai proposed, “I’m guessing you both want to hear what happened?”

When he received two eager nods in response, he began telling the tale. He started from the beginning of the expedition to the end where he collapsed on the road.

Both Nicolas and Andre told their side of the trip as well. Neither had suffered. But Nicolas’ group did encounter another Spiked Earth Bear. But, unlike his instructor, group 1’s instructor soundly defeated the beast without any causalities. The bears varied in levels dramatically from what Nicolas explained. They ranged anywhere from the Forging Realm to the Arbiter Realm.

“So, what happens now?” Andre asked.

“I guess we continue as normal…” Kai answered despondently. In the early days of the humans in the Myriad of Worlds, many people died daily. Sadly, Kai was a bit desensitized to it. Life and progress couldn’t stop for those who survived and moved on. Stagnation would have been the death of humanity if they stopped exploring, stopped expanding, and stopped fighting because they were scared.

Outside the dorms. a bell rang five times, signaling an hour till dinner would begin. “What are your plans for the night?” Andre asked him.

“There is someone I need to talk to.”

“And who is that?” Nicolas asked.

“Franklin Cross.”

Nicolas’ eyes lit up with understanding. “Would you like me to bring you to him?”

“If you don’t mind. I haven’t been to the other dorm.”

Just as Nicolas and Kai were about to leave, he turned to Andre. “Before I forget. Did you see Akane when you came back from your trip?”

“Yea? She was here sleeping on your bed…” Andre looked confused for a second before his eyes lit up. “Wait a minute. You said she was fighting with you that night. The same night I returned and saw her on your bed…”

Under scrutiny from the three humans, Akane stood up and walked to the head of the bed before crawling underneath the covers, completely hiding her body from sight. She barked something and stopped moving.

When she did nothing further, Kai just shook his head and proceeded outside of the dorm with Nicolas.

“Kai, your fox is…”

“Nicolas, it’s best not to think about it. Akane is an enigma wrapped in a cute and cuddly exterior.”

Kai followed Nicolas to an adjacent building that was much larger than the male shared dorm building. Walking inside, the difference was like night and day compared to his dorm. Where his lobby area had been small and spartan, the noble’s lobby was lavish and large. Splendid couches, chairs, and tables occupied most of the large room. Beyond the furniture, there was a desk with an attendant behind it with a guard to his right. Immediately inside were two guards who both bowed to the prince upon his entering.

“Have to sign you in. Even a prince can’t escape the rules.” They walked over to the counter, where Nicolas began writing on a sheet placed on the desk. “Is Lord Cross in?” he asked the attendant.

“He is. I’m not sure he is entertaining visitors at this time,” the attendant said. “Perhaps I can take a message and deliver it to him later if it’s not too urgent.”

While Nicolas was talking to the attendant, Kai was receiving odd looks from the guards and other students hanging out in the lobby. It had gone silent from the students; the moment Kai and Nicolas had entered together. They were watching the two with a vested interest. Kai recognized some of them from his class but hadn’t spoken to any of them.

“We can head over,” Nicolas whispered.

Even the hallway was decorated with paintings and the odd statue. After less than a minute of walking, Nicolas knocked on a door. A moment later, there was a hiss and a click, and the door swung open.

Kai saw Franklin Cross’ bloodshot eyes light up at the sight of the Nicolas. “Prince Nicolas,” Lord Cross said, bowing as the guard had done.

“No need for formalities. I am here on behalf of a friend.”

The future duke nodded. “It’s Kai, right? Please come inside, both of you.”

[Human – Forging Level 9]

They had been so far apart when Kai had first seen the noble, but now he had closed the gap significantly. Without actually fighting there was no telling who would win if they fought as is, right now. The biggest problem was the difference between realms, which was significant. With extra attributes, skills, and enhancements via general skills, it would be difficult just to match the higher realm human. There were other factors too such as class, element effectiveness, and personal skills as well. He would have to do some intelligence gathering as the end of the year came closer, so he could find out the classes and elements of his main opposition.

Inside the room, Kai was blown away. He instantly regretted not splurging for the perks of a solo room. Not that he minded staying with his current roommates, but there is a certain freedom one experiences alone compared to when they are constantly surrounded.

The room was decorated with beautiful wooden furniture and furnishings. A large bay window lit up the area. Through an open door, he saw a kitchen inside that looked half the size of his own room. Two closed doors, he could only assume were the bedroom and a private bathroom.

Now I see why it was an extra 20 gold. Private bathroom, security, and expensive-looking suite. The extra gold might have been worth it, to not have to hear Andre snore throughout the night. No magic could apparently solve that issue, or the communal toilets shared for the entire floor in his dorm.

Franklin walked over to two couches with a table between them and motioned for Kai and Nicolas to be seated. Taking a seat across from the future duke, Kai took a really good look at him. Dark circles hung under the tired blue-eyed noble. His usually styled blonde hair was messy and unkempt as if he hadn’t bothered brushing it today.

Kai felt for him. He had plenty of friends die over the years. There was no way to know how close Hector and Franklin were, but judging from his state of distress, they must have been very close.

“What’s this about?” Franklin croaked.

Kai and Nicolas shared a look, the latter giving him a nod to go on. “I would like to begin by expressing my condolences for Hector. He was a reliable friend and a good companion.”

Franklin merely nodded, motioning for him to continue.

“While trying to find my way out of the Delmash Forest, I found Hector’s body and later, the monster who killed him.”

Franklin’s eyes darkened. “What killed him?” His voice was full of promised vengeance. Something Kai was very familiar with.

“I believe it was a Spiked Earth Bear.”

“Believe?” Franklin frowned.

“I can only make an educated guess it was the bear. Hector had wounds consistent with being impaled and clawed, and part of the bear had burns across half its body when I encountered it, not far from Hector,” Kai surmised. “I didn’t find any other bodies around Hector.”

“Also, the body was… aged. If it wasn’t for those tattoos, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was Hector. His body was withered and old.”

Kai could see Franklin’s interlaced fingers turning white. The man was doing his best to remain composed. “That was definitely Hector then.” He looked up contemplatively. Without making eye contact he said, “The tattoos are a kind of specialized enchantments that trade your lifeforce for empowering your magic. Their biggest flaw is that once used, you can’t gain back the lifeforce lost. The user will age the more they use it, ultimately shorting their lifespan. The enchantments can only be used in absolute defense of one’s life or in defense of their master’s life.”

Kai opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. It made sense when he had first met Hector, the man had been reluctant to discuss his tattoos stating they were a “family tradition.” What must it have felt like to age so visibly in the span of one battle?

“What happened to the beast?” Franklin asked.

“I killed it,” Kai stated without adding further details.

“I see… Good. Good.” He still looked upset. Unshed tears threatened to spill from the man’s eyes.

Another awkward moment of silence passed. Kai looked around the room, examining the furniture as an excuse to break from the conversation. This was not the first time he had to report bad news to someone. It wasn’t something he liked doing or even wanted to, but he felt it should come from him since he had found the corpse.

“Is there something you would like as a reward?”

“No. But you just reminded me.” He pulled out the coin pouch he had taken from Hector’s body. While he had used some of the money, he had ended up replacing it when he got to his dorm. “This belonged to Hector.”

Taking the pouch. He bounced it up and down in his palm a few times before it vanished out of sight completely.

“I didn’t come to tell you for a reward. I just thought… If it was me. I’d like to know what happened. Sometimes we aren’t giving that benefit.” It wasn’t strange for people to sometimes disappear when venturing out of civilization. Many friends he had made before he died had gone missing.

“You speak as a man who has also experienced loss.”

Kai stood. “This is the Myriad of Worlds. We all experience loss.”

Just as Kai was about to leave, Franklin’s hand extended. Grasping the hand he heard, “Thank you, Kai. I understand you didn’t have to bring me this information. Despite being my servant, Hector was something of a brother to me. It’s good to have… closure,” he said that last part softly. “I am in your debt Kai.”

Walking outside, Kai was reminded he never had closure for his first life’s parents. He had immediately been thrust into battle after they died. He fought until he finally fell. Upon awakening in his new life and body, he had been an infant and while he thought about them often during that time, he never had a chance to mourn them and say goodbye properly. The next time Kai visited home, he would construct a small grave or some kind of markings there as an altar dedicated to his parents.