Destin led Ryan into the manor house. From the outside it looked like an extravagant stone structure made from blocks of marble, but the inside affirmed Ryan’s impression that it was as extravagant as it looked. Wood paneling with carved insets and molding lined the stone walls. The ceilings were high and the hallways wide and everywhere he looked he saw expensive understated decoration.

Destin found a side room filled with comfortable couches and indicated to Ryan to take his pick and then stepped back out into the hallway. Ryan made himself comfortable and waited for Destin to return, alone with his thoughts.

Carrying a tray with a nice-looking tea set, Destin returned. Since he was sitting in a Guild house, Ryan wasn’t worried about rushing things and welcomed the sight of the tea, which he hadn’t had since his unfortunate trip through the Breach into this world. They soon settled in, tea in hand.

“Tell me what happened,” Destin said.

“Where do you want me to start?”

“Start where you think it makes sense to start.”

Irked, Ryan began with finding the first Key, and the subsequent events. He tried not to leave anything out, going over the attack, meeting Flicker, looking for Mags, and their brief journey to the city.

“None of that warrants the personal attention of someone like Flicker. I have no doubt he was there causing trouble of some type, but he’s not the sort to get mixed up personally,” Destin said.

Ryan hesitated, unsure if he wanted to share his extra-planar origins with someone he had just met, and a Guilder at that. Flicker had some way to tell that he was an Offwolder, so it wasn’t like he could keep it a secret, if that was even something he needed to do. He decided to share his origins. It was a gamble, but at this point doing nothing and saying nothing was going to get him just that; nothing.

“He seemed interested in the fact that I’m an Offworlder, and in my Affinity.”

Destin’s blanched, and his expression morphed from casual calm to complete shock in a split second.

“You’re an Offworlder? You? Do you understand what that even means?” Destin said.

“Yeah, sure I know. It means I’m from a different world. When I asked Flicker if Offworlders are rare, he said ‘yes and no, depending on your perspective’,” Ryan replied. He briefly described his world and the Breach that he came through to arrive on this plane.

His shock fading, Destin facepalmed and looked at Ryan through his fingers. He was quiet for a few more seconds before putting his hand back onto his tea cup.

“That’s both the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard and also very accurate. I think I understand a little more why you’re so casual about Flicker. It is true that Offworlders are both common and rare. It’s because every one of us, Humans, Hulder, Gnomes, the Old Ones and Tyrants, all the others… none of us originated on this world. Thousands of years ago we all arrived through Breaches. In that sense, we are all Offworlders, but I haven’t heard about a normal human coming through a Breach in at least a thousand years. None that weren’t Ascenders, anyway. The only true natives were The Curators, but that’s a topic for another time.”

“Wait what? Dwarves and Gnomes? They’re real here? As in they’re walking talking people and not just characters in stories? Why haven’t I heard about this before? In my world, they don’t exist. Well, that anyone knows about anyway,” Ryan said.

“Yes, yes. There are a few in Darna that you could go meet if you’re inclined, although it would probably be annoying to have someone go about gawking at people. You said that Flicker was interested in your Affinity too. What is your Affinity? It’s not polite to ask, so I don’t expect you to answer if you don’t want to, but I think it will provide some context.”

Struggling to put aside the revelation that mythological people were just walking around the city, Ryan refocused his attention. Did he want to tell Destin about his Affinity? If it was something that Flicker was interested in, didn’t that mean it would interest others? Again, it came down to just not knowing enough about what was to make an informed decision, but staying quiet was going to gain him nothing.

“It’s no problem. There are a ton of cultural things that I don’t know about, so it doesn’t bother me. My Affinity, that I’ve only had for a couple of days, is for Space,” Ryan said.

Destin’s expression turned thoughtful. He didn’t immediately reply, and Ryan took a few sips of his tea. He wasn’t a tea aficionado by any means, but to his taste at least, the tea was excellent. Not surprising, considering the way they decorated the place. But hold on… Gnomes? He struggled to remain calm as Destin’s silence continued.

“I think I understand now. I get it,” Destin said. “I’m assuming you’ve only been on this plane for a short time, so I have to ask… do you know what an Ascender is?” Destin asked.

“Flicker mentioned something about it, but he didn’t want to talk about it, so I just let it go. I just assumed that they were a special Key holder or something.”

Destin nodded and said, “Ascenders are Platinum ranked Key users who have grown so powerful that the Keys no longer have meaning to them. They’re beyond Platinum, beyond the Keys. They’re not constrained by them, and they don’t need them. The point is, for as long as someone at Platinum has lived they either get bored or desire more power than they have, and that requires that they go somewhere else, like another world filled with powerful beings to learn from, or worlds filled with conflict and war, or anywhere with new things to experience.”

Something clicked in Ryan’s head. His suspicion solidified into something more certain. It wasn’t a coincidence that Flicker had been hanging around at just the right time.

“How do they get to those places? Do they just find a Breach and walk through?” Ryan asked.

“None of the known Breaches lead anywhere that an Ascender would want to go, or so I’ve been told. That means that they either need to hitch a ride with another Ascender who can go to these places, or figure out how to do it themselves. Flicker is an Ascender, and he has been experimenting with his power for hundreds of years to do exactly that, wreaking havoc along the way.”

“You think he caused the attack, don’t you,” said Ryan.

Destin nodded. “From the way you described those shadow men, I would say yes. There are no known Breaches that lead to a world where they live, at least not one in this region. They would not have gone unnoticed. That means a Breach was created, and an unscrupulous Ascender playing with his power is just the ticket. I also find it interesting that you came through a Breach in the same area.”

Rage filled Ryan. Flicker was the culprit, the reason villagers died and Mags was missing. He got himself under control, reminding himself that although the evidence was convenient, he didn’t have any actual proof, and even if he did, Flicker was so far beyond his ability to confront that he may as well be an ant to the man.

“The last piece of this puzzle is your Affinity, the reason Flicker showed you personal interest. It is a foregone conclusion, practically guaranteed, that someone with your type of Affinity will develop abilities to traverse the planes, even before they’re Platinum. Flicker has all the time in the world. Platinum rankers live for a long, long time. If Flicker isn’t able to use his own power to find a suitable world to go to, you’re a guaranteed ride… assuming you don’t die in the meantime.”

Ryan reeled, his mind racing to make the connections. Was that what this was all about, that Flicker wanted him to be a taxi service? Flicker allowed the villagers to die just for that? And how many other times has he left destruction in his wake? He just didn’t care. That made it even more real, that he didn’t care. It explained Flicker’s unconcerned attitude about everything.

Immediately after this realization, Ryan’s blood ran cold. Wouldn’t that make him a target to anyone that wanted to leave this world? He had just given this information away for free to Destin and there was no taking it back. Regretting his decision, Ryan resolved himself to hold his secrets closer going forward; no more blunders.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, approaching the door to their lounge. The feline construct from earlier bounded in and settled down next to Destin. Soon after, a bald man stepped through the door. He had bright blue eyes and gaunt features and dressed in flowing robes, like that of a monk. Covering him from ears to ankles were various trinkets and bracelets. He wore earrings and a neck ring made from a silvery metal. Hanging from his neck was another of those plates with the symbols of which Ryan couldn’t figure out the purpose.

He looked at Ryan, then looked at Destin and motioned to follow him. Destin looked at Ryan apologetically and followed the man out into the hallway where they disappeared out of sight and out of earshot. The construct hopped up and followed them out.

To keep his mind from sliding back into a mire of anger and blame, Ryan kept his attention focused on the surrounding room. He hadn’t noticed when he entered, but the wood paneling was covered in tiny empowered runes. Not just the paneling, but the stone work that was visible was also heavily inscribed. He looked all around and couldn’t see a surface of the structure that wasn’t plastered with Rune Script. It was a display of wealth and expense that staggered his mind.

Inevitably, his mind went back to Flicker. His initial rage had cooled to a low simmer, but his mind still raced with uncertainty about his own future and if Flicker had plans to use him. He felt guilty, too, for his involvement in the village's destruction. Ryan wasn’t one to blame himself, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel some responsibility to help fix the situation. He couldn’t offer much, but he would think of a way to help the remaining villagers, if he could find them.

Ryan heard a slight scuff and looked toward the entrance. A plain white mask peeking out of a dark hooded cloak stared back at him. Surprised, Ryan froze. unsure of what he saw. He took a better look and realized that it was a short man leaning against the frame of the entrance, not some disembodied head with a hood on it.

“Hello, I’m Ryan,” he said to the unmoving figure wearing the mask.

The masked stranger tilted his head to the side, almost like the curious head tilt of a dog, not answering. Ryan was a little unsettled by the mask and the man’s strange demeanor, but didn’t want to be rude, so he just smiled and nodded a final greeting and went back to his tea.

Destin followed the sound of his own footsteps back through the door, his construct trailing at his heels.

“Joy, don’t loiter around, lurking like one of those jungle panthers you’re so fond of. Take a seat or go poke at the newbie,” Destin said.

Ryan wasn’t sure if joy was a sarcastic exclamation or the man’s name, but either way he left the entryway and took a seat. ‘Man’ was generous. Getting a better look, Ryan supposed that the figure was in his late teens. The cloak he wore wasn’t as dark as Ryan thought, more of a mottled pattern like camouflage, and the clothes underneath were a neutral greenish brown, very much earth toned.

“This is Joy. He’s an Iron ranker, and he just returned with his ninth Key, so he’s using the practice grounds to acclimate,” Destin said.

Joy gave a slight nod, still not speaking. Up close, Ryan could see Joy’s eyes through the mask. They were striking, appearing to be various shades of green undulating like the shadows of a shifting forest canopy.

“So, the Guild Master has decided to bring you in,” Destin said, interrupting Ryan’s examination of Joy.

“As a Guild member? Isn’t that, like, a complete reversal of what you said out in the courtyard?” Ryan replied.

“Yes. It is. It’s not ideal for either you or the Guild. You’re well below where we would typically look at you, in terms of capability, and other than what you’ve told us, we know nothing about you. We don’t know whether you’d be a good fit, your character, nothing. But your connection to Flicker and the circumstances means we can’t afford to ignore you. Same goes for you about us. There is also the matter of your Affinity. It won’t be an issue in the short term, but long term I foresee you facing problems. So, if you’re willing, we extend to you a formal invitation to join Hallow Song.”

Joy started clapping. Not a loud boisterous clap, but more of a sarcastic golf clap. Ryan couldn’t help but snort a little in amusement. He looked at Joy and could see smile lines radiating out from his eyes behind the mask.

Ryan considered the offer. He couldn’t afford to say no, not that he was inclined to. This was, after all, what he had hoped to achieve by coming to the city. It didn’t matter if the circumstances weren’t what he expected, and that this person in front of him being up front with their reasoning just made it easier to say yes.

“I accept,” Ryan said.

“Good, let’s get this done. We’ll get you a Guild plate, give you the tour of the facilities, and then get you out on the obstacles to figure out what you can do so we know what to do with you.”

At the mention of obstacles, Joy gave a real, sharp clap and nodded his head vigorously. Ryan smiled, already taking a liking to the young masked man.