(Jason, 16)

"My apologies," the baron says after recovering from his moment of shock at seeing me. "I did not believe it when they told me that you were here, Lord Jeshema. I know you are attending university in Varil City at the moment."

I can see the resemblance between him and Alex.

"I have a spell which allows me to travel anywhere I have been before," I inform him. "I opened the gate to Varilar, then rode my horse here from there."

"You must be ready to sit on something comfortable, if you rode from Varilar to here by horseback rather than carriage," he smiles. "Why don't we move somewhere with cushioned seats? If you wish, I can have the staff prepare and extra plate for you, we should be eating soon."

"Thank you," I smile.

We move into a sitting room, and he instructs one of his maids to bring us tea as we walk.

"So," he says as she serves the tea, the two of us seated. "What brings you here, Lord Jeshema?"

"You can call me Jason," I inform him.

"And you may call me Richard," he responds.

"Thank you, Richard," I smile. "Amarxik Toys produces high-quality, hand-carved toys. I have admired them on more than a few occasions. From what I know, your father became an earl while you were young, and you were recently ascended to baron."

"Yes," he nods. "I am most grateful to His Majesty for that. My father did not begin Amarxik Toys with nobility in mind, so it is an even greater honor for our company to be recognized by the royal family."

"I am sure," I sip the tea. "A southern cocoa tea with a hint of red tea leaf, but the primary focus is a light citrus taste. An interesting, but delicious, blend."

"Thank you," he says. "It is not a tea I have them use often, but you are, indeed, Jason Jeshema. I saw you recently, so I recognized you when I saw you. Even had I not, the staff already checked your identification to verify it was real."

"It is a good tea," I tell him. "I am partial to the fruitier teas, and I do enjoy chocolate. When I was younger, my Papa Harold brought me a wooden zoo from Amarxik Toys. I still have it today, at my house in Jeshema."

"The zoos were a specialty of my father's, may the gods let him rest in peace," Richard tells me. "He passed when my son was young."

"Your son?" I ask, knowing he is referring to his legitimate child.

"Yes," he responds. "My son, Connor, is around your age. He turns seventeen this spring."

"I turn seventeen next summer," I respond, focusing on him and his response. "Does he attend university?"

"He wished to," Richard tells me. "But we were caught-up with something and forgot to send him in time. It takes more than week to reach Varil, and even had he made haste, he would have missed the exams."

Liar. Liar. Pants. On. Fire. The Ring of Truth has revealed that you, sir, are lying.

"What a shame," I respond. "Will he be attending next term?"

"We will do our best to ensure he reaches Varil City before the exam, so that he may," another lie, but only conditionally. There is a scenario in which he would allow Connor to attend. "He wishes to attend the Royal Knight University."

"Has he talent?" I ask.

"Some," he nods. "He began training with the staff when he was younger, and I have seen him training on his own. I only wish he would be more devout."

"He does not believe in the gods?" I ask.

"No," he responds. "Connor refuses to attend temple lately, and for the last few years, has been resistant to participating in any religious ceremony. It is not becoming of a young man to refuse the gods so."

"Is his issue," I say. "That he does not believe in them, or he does not worship them?"

"What is the difference?" Richard asks, as if they are the same thing.

"I acknowledge the gods exist," I tell him. "I know that they exist. However, I do not follow any religion worshiping them, as I do not grant them my faith. But as I said, I am aware they exist."

"Do you mind if I inquire as to why you do not worship the gods?" He asks.

"During my childhood," I say. "My mamas and papas forgot to introduce me to religion. They taught me about the gods, but I was never taught to worship them. An oversight in how they taught me about the gods. I was not introduced to the churches themselves until after I arrived in Varil City for the exam."

Two can lie here, Richard. I doubt you would believe me if I told you the truth. Then again, that is mostly the truth anyway, so it isn't much of a lie. My papas and mamas really did only teach me about the gods. They themselves do not worship them, believing in the history of the war.

How would he react if a god suddenly showed up here? That would be interesting.

A question for another day.

"If we have time before dinner," I say. "Do you mind if I spar with your son a little? While I prefer magic, I do train with the blade as well."

Richard looks to the maid, who informs him that we have around twenty minutes before dinner will be prepared.

"That would not be an issue," he tells me, then looks at her once more. "Would you fetch Connor and have him meet us in the training room?"

She bows and leaves, then Richard leads me to the training room, which has a few racks of training weapons, a mat-covered floor, and a few wooden training dummies. While Richard is not looking, I slip the ring off my finger and send it back into its spatial storage.

A few minutes later, a boy a year my senior enters, followed by someone who is undoubtedly his valet, who has a bowl and a few towels.

"Papa," he ignores me. "Why are you summoning me down here? Am I not-"

"We have a guest," Richard gestures to me, and Connor looks at me, frowning. "This is Jason Jeshema, son of the Sages. He is a fan of our company's toys and wanted to meet me. While we were talking, I mentioned you wished to attend the Royal Knight University, and he became interested in sparring with you."

Actually, I just wanted to set eyes upon you, Connor. Something that came to the surface of my memories recently was the fact that Magus Quinn had a younger brother, Magus Levi. It was never something Nolan had told Quinn, though, so Quinn never knew that one of the other Magi was his brother.

Connor definitely has a blood relation to Alex, I can see it in the eyes, the stern set of their jaw, their hair. The glare in his eyes before he saw me was even similar to Alex's glare, too. They are definitely brothers, which would make Connor Magus Levi.

Which would explain why he does not worship the gods. He, too, knows the truth in an absolute way. He has memories of fighting them and rescuing humanity and Midlaris from the heavens and the underworld.

"Let us spar," I tell him. "I am sure you miss being able to spar at the University, and while I attend the Royal Magic University, I do spar with some of its students on a regular basis, one of whom happens to have a blood relation to you."

His eyes light up at that, but subtly. He knows he has a brother, but is that from his memories as Levi, or from knowing of his father's affairs with sex slaves?

"We have no family," Richard says as I open my spatial storage and pull out two wooden training swords.

"I am referring to your illegitimate son, Alex xan Richard xal Varilar," I tell him, and he tenses just a little. I toss one of the swords to Connor and we remove our tunics, handing them to his valet. "Don't worry, Richard, no one too important is aware of your affair with something as illegal as a sex slave."

Only the Crown Prince of Varil, the princess of Varil, the third prince of Mar, and someone who is effectively a prince know in terms of important people. It's not as if Uncle Zach himself is aware. He would be too important. The rest are just important.

"Many in nobility use such services," he comments.

"So I have heard," I take a fighting stance. "Ready, Connor?"

He takes a stance, then I strike, using the same level of skill as I use when I spar against Alex. Alex's abilities would put him in S-Class, so Connor definitely has skill. For fifteen minutes, we work up a sweat sparring against each other, and I accidentally call out corrections a few times.

"Sorry," I apologize to Connor as we finish our sparring session, the maid having just informed Richard that dinner is about to be served. "I did not mean to call out corrections or advice, but it happened out of habit. I lead a training group at the universities, in addition to acting as a personal trainer for your brother. When I got into it, it came out by habit."

"It is fine," he responds as we accept towels from the valet and start wiping the sweat off. "You were clearly better than me, and your advice seemed as if being spoken from a friend, not someone who felt himself superior."

"Though I am sure your mind might change on if I am or not," I tell him in the ancient tongue, and he frowns a little. "Leave out our old names, there are others around."

"You are one of the others?" He asks in the ancient tongue.

"Yes," I respond. "And your brother then is your brother now."

"So the others are reincarnated?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer as his father gives us a confused look. "Your papa lied to me about why you did not attend university. Mind if I ask the true reason?"

"Because I do not like the gods," he answers as we hand our towels to his valet, who exchanges them for our tunics. "You are well aware of why, I am sure."

"Naturally," I tell him. "I am, after all, the one who burned down a building with a dozen angels inside of it just to rescue one of their victims."

That was how Levi and Nolan met.

"So you are the leader," he says. "That explains your tendency to teach."

"It seems even without our old personalities," I say. "Some things are simply a part of the soul. Do you have a betrothed?"

"Yes," he answers. "She, too, was prevented from attending the university due to her dislike of the gods. The two of us are rarely allowed to leave our rooms for things other than meals or events, and that rule will remain until we repent our heretical ways and worship the beings who probably wish us dead."

"I can handle this," I smile at him, aware of his father's suspicious look. I change back to Varilan Common as I continue. "It is so rare to find someone who can speak Ikamiak, Connor. I was not expecting to actually receive a response, I just speak in it with random people sometimes to see if they know it."

"Forgive me if my accent was off," he hands me my sword, and I send it and mine back into my spatial storage. "I learned it from some books I read when I was younger. My betrothed, Hailey, and I both speak it, but we have never found anyone else who knew it."

"Your brother speaks it as well," I tell him, though he already knows this.

"I look forward to improving my skill with it when the next term begins," he says as we pull on our tunics. "And to meeting my brother in-person. I have wanted to finally do that, but it would be unseemly for me to approach a ruffian."

"He has taken several steps to distance himself from that life," I tell him. "Which became quite easy after that incident in Varilar."

"I heard of that," he says, and we walk with his father to the dining room. "I look forward to joining you at university, and him as well."

"I look forward to seeing you there," I tell him. "If it would not trouble you, then if you are not in Varil City in time for the exam, I can open a gate here, a spell that allows instant travel between two locations. That way, if something happens and you are delayed again, you can still make it in time."

"I would appreciate that," he says. "Hailey would like it as well. She and I were delayed because of the same situation."

"That is sad to hear," I tell him as we enter the dining room, and I look at the roast set out, then to Richard. "My apologies, Richard, but I just remembered that I left the king with my Mama Alyssa, and they are probably wondering where I went. Considering what happened last time I left while the king was at the house without informing them of my trip, and that one lasted only ten minutes, it would be best if I returned now. I hope you enjoy your dinner, though, as it looks delicious."

"Thank you," he seems nervous, does that have to do with the fact that I casually mention the king?

Does he believe me?

"Anyway," I say. "I can also show up two weeks before the exam, to bring Connor to Varil City as well, if that would be easiest to ensure he is there and settled in time for the exam. It would also give him time to meet his brother and discover if he likes him or not."

"I would like that," Connor tells me.

"We will need to see our schedule," Richard tells me.

"You do that," I tell him. "Just remember that Connor is an adult now, so you cannot fully control what he does or does not do. Anyway, I do want to return before Uncle Zach leaves, or my scolding will be even worse. That, and I wish to tell him to have a good night, my cousins are there as well. I'll show up two weeks before the end of term if Connor and Hailey aren't there by then, then. Enjoy your night and your meal."

That should be enough to make sure he doesn't attempt to stop Connor from attending university next term, and should hopefully guarantee that Hailey is able to attend as well.

I see myself out as Richard tries to respond, and I approach Aurum, stroking his mane, then I take him through a gate back home, rub him down, then open a gate back to the house in Varil City. Mama Alyssa has her arms folded across her chest. Uncle Zach, Jacob, Lina, Niko, Tasha, and the guards are gone.

"Where, exactly, did you take Aurum for a ride at?" Mama Alyssa asks. "Because it wasn't where you normally do."

"I wanted to meet the man in charge of Amarxik Toys," I tell her. "So I took Aurum on a ride from Varilar to his mansion. I still have the toy zoo Papa Harold bought me."

Alex and Eden are in the kitchen, and both give me a look when I mention that. Alex's look says he knows I was up to something.

"And what else did you do?" Mama Alyssa asks.

"I sparred with his son, Connor," I answer. "He's talented. I would put him around Alex's equal in terms of sword skill."

She accepts that, but I can tell she's still suspicious of me. I can't really blame her, with how much stuff I get up to when I'm left unsupervised. I am an adult, though, so she should give me a little more leeway.

Plus, everything has worked out in the end for all of those. Niko's people will accept magic and discard their false religion, Lady Holdir and her son were punished by Lord Holdir for their inappropriate actions, the adamant mines can be worked again, and the queen of Anotis has been cured.

For the current thing, Baron Amarxik will no doubt ensure that Connor, and possibly Hailey, attend the university exam at the end of term. He has a fair bit to lose if his illegitimate son's friend informs his uncle of his friend's heritage, after all. Or about how suspicious it is that his son somehow missed being able to attend the exam for university twice in a row.

Since Mama Alyssa accepted my response, we move to the dining room for dinner, a delicious meal of roasted duck smothered with an orange sauce, salad, rolls, and berries, with wine to wash it down with.

After dinner, I head into my workshop to get some work done, and Alex follows me in.

"Since Eden is here," he says as he closes the door. "And your Mama Alyssa, we have to be more careful."

"Yes, we do," I say, and he pulls me in for a kiss. "Your brother seems nice."

He snorts, and I sit at my desk and resume my work on a golem core.

"Ya went there to meet him, didn't ya?"

"Yeah," I respond. "I wanted to meet my lover's brother, though I did have another motive behind it."

"What was that?" He asks.

"To find out why the last two Magi were not at university," I answer. "Adam and Elise had that curse on them to prevent them from reaching Varil City, but the other eight of us were all at university. So it seemed strange to me that Levi and Miranda were not."

"What does Connor have to do with-" he cuts off as he realizes. "Levi and Quinn were brothers?"

"Yes," I confirm. "Much like you two, they were half-brothers. I don't have any memories of informing Quinn, and based on your response, you don't have any memories of finding out. Levi knew, though. According to what he told Nolan, he didn't want to tell Quinn because he had a better life than his brother, and was nervous it would cause a problem once Quinn found out his brother had a better life than he."

"I see," he says. "And that lines up with this life as well."

"Correct," I nod. "Connor is aware of you, too, and he seemed genuinely interested in meeting you."

"Why are he and Hailey different from the rest?" Alex asks. "How come they're not attending university?"

I explain the situation to him, and can see the fire lighting in his eyes.

"I dealt with it," I assure him. "They should be able to take the exam at the end of term."

"And if they can't?" He asks.

"They will," I promise. "I won't let them not if that is what they wish to do, and right now, it is."

"Alright," he calms down a little, then looks at the grey crystal in the corner, which is now covered with a silky grey cloth. "Can you please tell me what those crystals are for?"

"It's fun watching people squirm over that!" I tease. "You'll have to wait and find out like everyone else."

"Please?" He begs. "Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"

I look at him, at his pleading eyes, and sigh.

"They're warp crystals," I give in. "Once I activate the network, people will be able to warp to any other warp crystal within its range. The ranges for the red ones are around one mile, so if it's within a twenty or thirty minute walk within the city, it's probable you can warp to it. Orange ones have a range of around two miles, while yellow has a range of around four. It seems that the range doubles when I move them up a color tier. However, they also require you to have at least that color tier in order to use, so red can only use red crystals, while orange can use red and orange.

"And the grey one?" He asks.

"It's the master crystal," I answer. "It's also connected to a grey crystal tablet, so I don't actually need to touch it to use it. Using it, I can turn on or off any of the warp crystals. To use the crystals, you have to touch the panel, which will pull up a holographic list of others you can warp to. Once you select the destination, touch the crystal, and you will warp there. There is a five-varru fee per color warped to, so warping to a red crystal costs five varru, to an orange costs ten, and so on. This is for warping to a crystal, not from."

"Ah," he says. "So some places will have multiple crystals?"

"Correct," I use force magic to pull a map off a shelf and set it on the workbench, then I spread it out. "All of the red dots are where crystals are placed already – they're all red. Some of those locations will also have orange, yellow, and green crystals, with probably a few blue as well. The city itself spans roughly fifteen miles across, so the blue ones would be to go from gate to gate, if we include them."

"But there are only red ones so far?" He asks in confusion.

"Correct," I nod. "Each crystal is forged purely from magic, and takes roughly a quarter of a full generator's worth of mana for a single red one. That's why this room was so full of magics when you came in on me creating one – I was actually still in the process of it, but at the stage where I no longer needed the generator out, so I had already put it back into a spatial storage since it made the room feel cramped."

"Ah," he says.

"Also, we do have orange and a yellow," I say. "But they haven't been implemented yet. I want to try to change how the upper crystals work so that an orange crystal doesn't require orange magical power to use, but orange or red. Yellow doesn't require yellow, but yellow, orange, or red. And so on for the rest. However, rather than going the full distance, it would be likely someone would only be able to warp to the distance of their mana color. So if they're red and using a yellow warp crystal, then they would only be able to warp the distance of a red crystal."

"That would be nice," Alex says.

"Indeed," I fold the map back up and use force magic to return it to its spot on the shelf. "Mama Alyssa and I also picked out locations for gates all over Varil, which is why she came by earlier and what we did after I returned from doing stuff with Jacob. The crystals will require mana to use and provide instant transportation. The gates will be expensive to use and maintain, and then there will be the trains."

"Transportation is about to become a lot simpler," Alex comments. "Will the trains be necessary?"

"Yes," I nod. "As I said, the gates will be expensive to use and maintain, but they also provide instant transportation. Mama Alyssa and I were talking, and we discussed that at least starting out, they will only open once per week at maximum, short of an emergency. It's also possible they will only be used to ensure their functional state, short of emergencies. At least, initially. So the trains will still be a primary method of travel over great distances."

Alex frowns a little as he thinks about something.

"I have some memory of railroads taking years to build," he tells me. "I think it was six years?"

I think for a few moments, then shake my head.

"It was probably a large one," I tell him. "I don't have a memory of that, though. May have been one of the earlier ones, too. We also have magic to use, and that will make things more simple. Hopefully, we can start laying the tracks by the end of the year."

"Speaking of the end of the year," Alex says. "This will be your first time for proper New Year celebrations, won't it? What did you do out in the Unwild Lands?"

"Watched the stars with my papas and mamas," I answer. "And reflect on the past year. I think that's an older-person thing, though."

"It is!" He laughs. "There are whole festivals for it! They even have their version of Christmas during it. You remember that, yes?"

"From Earth?" I nod. "A day to celebrate the birth of the savior of the primary religion on Earth, though it wasn't necessarily celebrated only by those who follow that religion. It was a day where people gave gifts to others."

"The celebration lasts for twelve days," he tells me. "Starting two days after the solstice and ending on the sixth day of the new year. It starts Honor of the Phoenix, which is their Christmas Day, and ends with the Honor of the Dragon. Each of the twelve days is the honor of a different sacred beast."

"My Mamas and Papas mentioned that to me," I say, then realize something. "Alex… I just realized, but if everyone's birthdays are as I know them to be, I am the youngest of the reincarnated Magi."

He thinks on that for a moment, then starts laughing.

"What made you think of that?" He asks.

"You saying that the Honor of the Dragon was the final day," I answer. "And the Honor of the Phoenix was the first. Adam is the eldest of us – he turned seventeen right after the term began, and everyone else turns or turned seventeen after that."

"That is… actually really interesting," he says. "And the Honor of the Griffin and the Honor of the Thunderbird are both between the Honor of the Dragon and the Honor of the Leviathan, and occur one after another."

Like Jacob and Lina.

"What is the order of the days?" I ask.

"Phoenix, Fire Elemental, Hippogriff, Air Elemental, Leviathan, Kraken, Water Elemental, Griffin, Thunderbird, Earth Elemental, Gargoyle, Dragon."

"May the Queen of the Gods forever know my annoyance."

"What is that for?" He laughs. "And what kind of curse is that, anyway?"

"Alex," I say. "Unless I am off about your brother's birthday and his betrothed's, that is the same order we were born in in this life."

"She definitely did that on purpose," he says. "Though I'm curious now – why are they in that order? Only the waters are actually grouped together."

"I don't know," I say. "I didn't realize there was a week and a half of celebrations until you mentioned it to me."

"Right!" He laughs. "It doesn't make much sense, though, especially since the king beast of the air elements, the thunderbird, is in the spring, with the king beast of the earth elements."

"Only the King and Queen of the Gods know," I shrug. "While we are on the topic of festivals, Alex, I was wondering what your plans were for the Festival of Spirits?"

If I remember things correctly, it corresponds with Halloween on Earth. It is a four-day festival that begins on the thirty-first day of the tenth month and ends on the second day of the eleventh. The belief, according to the books, is that it is the time when the boundary between the spirit world and the mortal realm are at its thinnest.

This supposedly allows spirits to pass into Midlaris from the spirit realm, good and evil. The first two days of it are devoted to chasing away the evil spirits, as done by decorations and outfits. The next two days, only the good spirits remain, often the souls of the deceased who wish to visit those they left behind. Those days are spent remembering the dead and celebrating life.

It takes place over a weekend, as the months start on a Sunday and end on Felday, and universities and academies alike grant the first and last day of the festival off. Preparations are underway already, and there are a few decorations that began to be set up starting yesterday and today.

It's one of those days I don't like. It doesn't affect me like the solstices and equinoxes, but I do have a sensitivity to the spirit realm, it seems, as during the whole festival, I have been able to sense the spirits around.

My mamas and papas learned to keep me inside during it as a result. It helped some, as the spirits seemed to stay out, but we aren't sure why. This holds true for both their house and mine.

Niko seems to be sensitive to spirits as well, which he suspects has to do with his past as Magus Benjamin – curse magics is where necromancy falls, and they were his specialty. Still is.

According to him, the Marran royal castle was a nightmare, always packed with spirits during the festival, and he could never escape. It seems to be a source of trauma for him.

"Getting drunk and staying that way," Alex responds, seriousness in his voice. "I'm not sure if it has to do with being reincarnated or not, or if it's because I was reincarnated twice, but I can feel the spirits around during the festival, and that's the only way I've found to ward against it."

That makes three of the Magi.

I pull out my comm plate.

"I thought those don't work in your workshop," Alex frowns.

"Mine does," I use it to contact Jacob, pressing a finger to my lips so that Alex knows not to speak during this.

"Hello, Jason," Jacob says. "Did you cause another political mess that needs to be cleaned up?"

"No," I answer. "I was curious, actually… do you have a sensitivity to spirits? Particularly during the Festival of the Dead?"

He's silent for a few moments.

"Yes," he finally responds. "Lina and I both suffer from feeling many spirits around us. We have suspected it has to do with being reincarnated."

I frown. That is five of us. That means all of the Magi likely sense spirits. I don't possess any memories of a Festival of Spirits, so that might be a new thing. Does it have to do with the destruction of the passages? The true spirit realm should be separate, though.

My frown deepens.

I don't have any memories of the spirit realms, so why did I know that with full confidence, as if it is actual knowledge I have?

There are so many things about our reincarnations that don't make sense, and I wish Midlaris would tell me what the true purpose for us being reborn was. It can't be just for the demons, my estimates put the completion of the restoration of the passages as years away. Far enough away that plenty of preparation can be made, and that we could possibly destroy them again before they finish.

No, there is something more going on. If only the Queen of the Gods didn't block or remove my memories, I could have probably solved this already!

"Jason?" Jacob says, reminding me that I am on a call.

"Sorry," I say. "What are you doing for the festival?"

"Lina and I do not show ourselves during it," he answers. "Papa has a mage teleport us to a place where the sense of spirits is much lower for us, so that we can deal with it better."

Uncle Zach must really trust that mage, then, with how paranoid he is over their safety.

"Excellent," I say. "I was thinking of inviting the advanced training group out for a four-day training camp. I have to deal with this sensitivity as well and know a place where it is quieter, and so was planning on heading to it anyway."

"Not taking Alex with you for some alone time?" He asks.

"Since Alex is a part of the training group," I say as Alex's face reddens. "He would be there as well."

Jacob audibly sighs through the comm plate, which means he moved it closer to his mouth just so I could hear that. He probably thinks I didn't understand his comment about me turning my trip there into a date.

"I may also take Eden with us," I say. "As I would feel bad inviting him to stay here and then leaving him with Mama Alyssa for four days so soon after. Actually, I could turn this into a trip for the basic training group, give them a small glimpse of what the advanced group does, which might incent them to work harder for it."

That sounds like a good idea.

"You do you, then," Jacob says.

"I will," I tell him. "Have a good evening, Jacob."

"You as well," he says, and I end the call.

"Now," I look at Alex. "Want to see what happens if I put this golem core in a griffin stuffie?"