(Jason, 16)

"Hey, Alex," I say as he enters my workroom.

"Hey, Jason," he approaches me, looking at my tunic. "No vest?"

"The Marran are homesick," I shake my head. "I'm taking them back to Mar. Niko could do it himself, since he can reach Varilar with his gate spell, but he wants a friend around, and the other Marran, while they've lived with him for a couple of months, are still a bit distanced."

Which frustrates their prince, because he would like to have some friends from his homeland. I've told him to give it time – they are commoners, after all, and are probably in awe of just living with their prince and the reason they can pursue their dream of learning magic.

They'll eventually give in to his desires and act as friends, once they realize that beneath that royal side of him, he's just a regular teen like them.

Well, a mostly regular teen, since most aren't reincarnated warriors who can create an army of golems and lay waste to legions by themselves. That is something else entirely, though.

"I'll be gone through most of Sunday," I inform Alex. "I was actually getting ready to head to the warehouse, since I thought you'd be there, when you got home."

"Yeah," he says. "Barry and Sarah were going on a longer hunt, and I was going to tell you I was going to travel with them, as a little extra power."

He's been a little paranoid ever since the incident with the ogre lord a couple of weeks ago, and isn't comfortable with his crew leaving the area for too long. Us stronger mages and warriors already investigated, and we didn't see or sense anything else that strong around for the next hundred miles from Varil City.

"Alright," I give him a kiss. "Want me to open a gate for you guys?"

"No!" He laughs. "I'll see you when you return, Jason."

"See you," I say, and he gives me a kiss, then leaves to join his crew, who are waiting outside the gate to my house.

I track Alex for a minute, then open a gate and step through, entering the Marran estate here. Niko and his magicians are waiting for me, so I close my gate and greet them in Marran.

"Hello," I say.

"Hello, Professor Jeshema," my students say.

"Hello, Jason," my strongest student greets me the way I'd rather be.

"Are you guys ready?"

"Yes, sir," they say as Niko confirms without the 'sir'.

"Alright," I say. "Let's go."

I open up a gate, and the Marran teens step through. I follow after giving Niko a reassuring nod, and we find ourselves in the royal library in the castle of the Marran capital.

"Whoops," I grin at Niko. "I opened it here instead of the front out of habit."

Niko sometimes has me sneak him back home for an hour or two, and since no one really looks in this section of the library and the rare times someone is within the library at all, he is often able to come and go with ease.

"That is fine," he tells me. "Let us go meet with Sage Samuel."

I nod, then he leads the rest of us to where I had meant to open the gate, which causes Papa Samuel to chuckle when he hears I opened it into the library.

"We had bet on that," he informs me. "Henry and I. Niko, your mother and father wish to speak with you in private."

Niko gives me a nervous look

"Go on," I tell him. "Father Samuel has been keeping me informed, and he says that they have been wishing to speak with you to see how your studies are going and if you have made any friends."

Niko nods, then receives directions and leaves. Papa Samuel and I leave after I tell the Marran teens to meet us here again on Sunday at seven in the evening, then they are led out of the castle by one of the servants.

"So," I look at Papa Samuel. "Where are we going?"

"To a fort at the northern edge of Mar," he answers, opening a gate.

The two of us step through it and he dismisses the spell, and I look out across the mountains from atop the wall we're now on. The wall borders the fort, which has a keep in its center and several stone buildings. Overall, it houses only a thousand people, half of whom are soldiers.

Buffing my warmth spell, I adjust the way light hits my eyes so that I'm not completely blinded by the sunlight reflecting off of snow. In the distance, I can see them. On one of the mountain peaks in the nation of Kelrar, an ogre camp.

I enhance my sight so that I can observe the location. From here, I can make out around one hundred ogres, plus around three times as many corrupted, in the camp. There are more, though, according to Papa Samuel.

The wall closest to us is made of logs that have been sharpened and pointed outwards, and I can see a few leather tents as well. Releasing my sight enhancement, I accept the grey crystal tablet from Papa Samuel, who was moving the magical drones into place.

Tapping on one of its runes, I turn on the visuals and begin looking as I navigate one of the drones. The camp is rather large, and overall, I can see around five hundred tents and more than one hundred pens for the corrupted. The beasts walking around total around one thousand ogres and ten thousand corrupted.

"And it formed overnight?" I ask as I look at some of their fires, one of which has a living human being roasted over it, the poor man screaming as ogres laugh while he's rotated.

The ogres had stripped him completely, and his build suggests a warrior of some sort, not just some random villager they found. Even if I acted now, he'd likely be dead by the time I get there, based on the burns on his body.

"We think there was an illusion hiding them at first," Papa Samuel says. "The camp looks too settled in to have been there for a short while. We do know at least one tribe of ogres merged into it a few days ago."

"So they're preparing for war," I say.

"Yes," he nods. "The trip is another two days from here by foot, and only a day by foot from the Kelrar capital. They could be going in either direction."

Adjusting the drone's location, I locate the man's clothes nearby and study them. The black and blue outfit with a silver bear emblem tells me everything I need to know, especially when I see the patch that would have been on his left shoulder.

"Papa Samuel," I hand him the tablet. "They're roasting a Kelrar royal guard. If the lessons you gave me about the political structure and wars of this region are correct, wouldn't that mean he was in Kelrar's capital when they caught him?"

Papa Samuel looks at the tablet, frowning.

"But why would they-"

"Someone's coming towards us," I enhance my sight again as he looks up. "A Kelrar royal guard. And he's injured!"

I teleport to him, snow kicking up around me as I startle the horse. Reaching out, I place a hand on the horse's snout and send in a calming spell. The soldier falls off immediately, and I move to catch him, helping him land gently. There's a lot of snow, but it's not very thick and he's injured enough as it is.

He's covered in injuries, so I get to work mending him right here as Papa Samuel appears beside me. He begins healing as well, and within a minute, we've restored the soldier to health. His gaze isn't giving us hate, which is a good thing, but he may just be grateful to be alive.

"You're the Varilan mages," he sits up, holding himself as he shivers. "The ones who saved Mar from the ogres. The capital… ogres much larger than any we've seen showed up. They began casting spells. His Majesty sent me to ask for your aid. Please! Save us!"

"How many?" I ask.

"Five," he answers. "Plus a small legion of ogres and corrupted. More than we've ever seen at once. I've never seen anything like this before."

"Their capital's walls," Papa Samuel says as I look at him. "Are thick, just like Mar's. Meant to protect from the stronger foes which their blades cannot. If the ogre lords are looking for a stronghold before going to war with Mar over what happened, Kelrar's capital is an enticing treat."

"The ogre lords," I say. "Can tell that I'm a reincarnated Magi. I haven't been around before, and they might not know we're back."

The soldier gives me a confused look.

"They also likely know that one mage is around at a time," Papa Samuel says. "I'll gate us there and we can assess the situation before we act."

"As soon as they notice me," I say. "They're going to gather together, Papa Samuel."

"The one who saw Alex," he shakes his head. "Knew he was a reincarnated Magus, but didn't know how powerful he was, only that reincarnation stripped everything but the memories. They won't realize you can hurt them."

"Alright," I stand. "You take him back to the fort and get him some rest, Papa Samuel."

"Jason-"

"I need to blow off some steam, anyway," I tell him. "And there's a camp of eleven thousand monsters just waiting to be obliterated. You can join me once you have him settled in, it might take me a bit. Or not, depending on if I remember a certain set of spells correctly."

Though the one I really want to use, I remember crystal-clear. At least, if it's exactly as my dream last night made it out to be. One of the most powerful area-of-effect spells ever designed, it's one spell that is perfect for this.

"Please do not level the mountain," he says.

"I wasn't planning on it," I grin at him. "But when the Magi truly go all-out, we can completely alter the terrain. After all, I was the one who created the mountains on the western edge and these mountains while battling against a god."

"You did what?" Papa Samuel asks, and I grin at him, then assess the location of the ogre camp. "Jason!"

"Yeah, yeah," I say. "Don't be too impulsive. I won't go changing the terrain too heavily, Papa Samuel. I'm only planning on wiping out pests who shouldn't exist."

"Don't do anything that will cause too much of a hassle," he says. "Wiping out the ogres and their corrupted is okay, and I will be joining you once I have him recovering in the fort."

I nod, then teleport to the ogre camp, floating above it and looking down. There's a dragon nearby, this camp being only a few hundred yards from the edge of its territory. I can feel its gaze on me the moment I appear.

Time for a show that will make the dragon have second thoughts on coming after a tasty human treat.

Drawing upon the full power within me, I begin weaving together the spell I desire to try again in this life, something to use only against enemies.

Tendrils of violet magical power form around me, spreading and pulsing, undulating as it expands and shimmers. A giant magical circle forms on the ground, covering the entire ogre camp. The ogres and corrupted only then realize there's a threat present.

I extend out my hands, and the tendrils of magic around me shift, transforming into a form of shield, yet I can still see through it. A defensive part of this spell, to prevent anyone from attacking me while I'm rendered immobile. The tendrils will lash out and strike at any attackers who draw too close, disable any spells that try to touch me.

The next phase of the spell begins, and I become the magic I am casting. This is one of the spells that earned me the title of King of Magic.

Within the range of the magical circle, all types of magic bend and shift. All magics increase and turn wild. Fire appears and disappears, barriers prevent escape while simultaneously trapping the monsters, water drowns and freezes before vanishing just as quickly. The earth crumbles and drops in some places, hardening and rising in others. The wind becomes even more bitter than the air of these northern mountains in some spots, yet hotter and drier than any southern desert in others. Light and shadows bend and warp, cloaking some areas while taking on physical form in others.

Wounds heal while simultaneously decaying, corruption purifies, sending those full of it into an eternal agony. Lightning forms, dancing from thing to thing. Minds turn crazy, seeing foe where friend is and friend where foe is. Space itself distorts, compressing, expanding, and rending.

All of that and more as Arvanokka works. Some ogres and corrupted escape, but flashes of force magic and lightning striking them down tell me that Papa Samuel is dealing with the escapees, now that he's joined me up here.

By the time the spell ends half an hour later, the terrain here has been permanently altered, the land forming new peaks and crags and spikes, a small lake having formed at the edges of the spell while other parts have been completely burned away.

"What in the name of Midlaris was that?" Papa Samuel asks.

"That," I say. "Was a spell which humans, angels, demons, and gods alike feared. Its name was one of the few things which they all agreed upon as well. That was Arvanokka, or the end of all things."

"The end of all things indeed," he says as I feel myself getting light-headed.

"I'm about to pass out," I tell him. "I'm not sure why, though. That didn't even use three-quarters of my mana."

"Alright," Papa Samuel moves to catch me as I start to fall, my spells disabling as I lose control over myself. "I'd hate to see that spell's effects when you have grey magical power."

I snort, the last thing I do before I pass out.

(Niko, 16)

"And you are sure you are doing okay?" Father asks. "I know you sneak into the castle once a week."

Jason and I both knew they might know that, since a Sage is here at most times to keep an eye on the situation and help teach some of the older residents who wish to learn magic to help protect the kingdom better. To help teach those who have realized the lies of the church and believed Mildaris, when the world took physical form.

Anyone who wishes to argue with the world about how things affect him are morons and idiots and deserve to be slapped into the next century. But I would never say that aloud, as that would be inappropriate.

"Yes, Father," I answer his question. "I am doing well. Even if I hate the way all of you treated me before now, I do miss the castle and the library. I return to settle my homesickness."

"How are your friends?" Mother asks. "Jason seems respectable, but we have not met any of your others."

"They are nice," I answer. "I do see a lot of Jacob and Lina, both because of my duties as a Marran prince and because of our lessons and training groups. Jason has a roommate, Alex, who I see quite often. Jason and Alex are in love, but neither have confessed their feelings to each other yet. Though it may not be appropriate, Jacob, Lina, Tasha, and I have made a bet on how long it will take for them to do so."

"And what did you bet?" Father asks.

"If Jason has yet to admit his feelings to Alex," I say. "Then it will most likely be Alex who confesses first, but only after next summer, when he has grown even more comfortable with no longer being a street rat and with living and interacting among nobility and royalty. We did not place any items on the bets, however."

We did wish to, but decided to bet an action instead.

"That is good," Father says. "Speaking of love and Lina, how are things with your betrothed?"

I feel myself brighten up at the mention of Lina. Our relationship has grown even better ever since I managed to kiss her for the first time. Jason says that I was subconsciously holding myself back because of that fear I had, and I believe him.

"They are well," I answer, finding myself smiling. "Lina and I were talking earlier, and-"

I stop as a powerful wave of magical power washes over me, and Mother and Father gasp as I instinctively know something happened with Jason. I cannot sense if it is good or bad, but something happened.

"Niko!" Mother says. "Your eyes!"

"My eyes?" I frown.

"They turned grey," Father explains. "You froze up and your eyes turned grey. Are you okay? Is it because of magic that you-"

Some things may take longer for them to stop doing.

"Yes and no," I hold up a hand to silence them. "Father, magic is not causing an adverse effect. Let me test something."

Holding my palm face-up, I manifest my magical power for a few moments. Rather than being its actual blue, my magical power is the same grey as those who have reached the upper levels of power. Jason revealed to me recently that any time his eyes turned grey, his magical power had temporarily done so as well.

I can feel the magic running through me now, and not in the way it did before. The feeling fades after a few moments, however, and I look at my parents.

"Did my eyes return to normal?" I ask.

"They did," Father asks. "What happened?"

"I am not sure," I answer. "I will have to ask Jason, as something he did caused that. It is not harmful, however."

(Alex, 16)

The merchant gives me another uneasy look, but I ignore it as I walk alongside his wagon. He doesn't want to pay for me to help protect him as he travels, and his petition was only for two. Despite Barry, Sarah, and me promising that I am not there for money, the merchant is still distrustful.

I am just worried about things ever since meeting the ogre lord a couple of weeks ago. One managed to exist so deep within Varil without being detected. What if there are more? I know Jason says there aren't, but he also has a tendency to lie when he doesn't want me to worry about things.

The journey itself is boring. The high number of Royal Guards sweeping the area in search of more ogre lords reduced monster populations heavily, and bandits were taken out as well. The area around Varil City is probably the safest it has been in a very long time.

As we walk, I feel a sudden influx of power, a wave of magic that washes over me. Barry and Sarah don't seem to notice, but my magic feels different after it. Strange and potent. I can tell the effect is temporary, but it also feels as if something happened with Jason.

That worries me. I don't know if it's good or bad, but something happened with him.

The merchant yelps when he looks at me again.

"Your eyes!" He exclaims. "What are you?"

You want to ask that again, bastard?

Sarah looks at me.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" I ask her.

"They turned grey," she answers. "Just like Jason's do on occasion."

So something happened with Jason, and my magical power went up to grey temporarily?

"And they're back to blue," she says as the feeling of power within me fades. "What was that, Alex?"

"I don't know," I answer. "It only lasted a few seconds, whatever it was."

I pray to Midlaris and the King and Queen of the Gods that whatever happened to him, Jason is okay.

(Jacob, 16)

Dinner is pleasant tonight. Papa is eating with us, as is Tasha and one of my cousins, whom I rarely see. He lives pretty far from here, and he is two years younger than us. This is the first time I have actually seen him since term began.

Franklin is probably my most tolerable cousin, to be honest. He is the only one who does not seem to have turned arrogant growing up with status of nobility, and finding him at the palace when we returned from lessons today was a pleasant surprise.

"So you will be studying here in Varilsy?" I ask Franklin after he tells us about his journey.

"Yes," he nods. "Mama stayed behind to run the duchy, but decided that I should come here to Varil City. Uncle Zachary agreed to keep it a surprise. I did perform some studies while on the way here, as the trip did take a fair amount of time, but I know I will need to catch up if I wish to place with a decent class for next term."

"We can help you," I tell him. "Though we do have plenty of our own studies to perform, and other duties."

"I know," he smiles. "I heard on the way that you are part of a training group with the son of the Sages. Is that true, or only rumor?"

"That is truth," I tell him. "Jason is a good friend of ours."

And I see an opportunity to bring something up, something Lina and I have been attempting to figure out when to bring up.

"And apparently," I look at Papa. "Your third-cousin, by his adoption."

"Ah, yes," Papa smiles. "It does appear I forgot to mention that to you, does it not?"

"You are related to one of the Sages?" Franklin asks.

"Yes," Papa nods. "My great-great grandmama is the great grandmama of Sage Samuel. You, Jacob, and Lina are third-cousins, once removed, with Jason."

"Jason informed us of this during the training camp during the Festival of Spirits," Lina informs Papa while Tasha looks intrigued.

"Though we seem to have forgotten to inform Tasha," I smile at her. "My apologies, Tasha."

"It does seem like something that might slip your mind," she smiles back. "Seeing as Jason already called the two of you his cousins. That said-"

She cuts off, no doubt feeling the same thing I am. A powerful influx of magical power filling me – and probably them – with a sense that something just happened with Jason. I cannot make out if it was something good or bad, only that something did.

At the same time, her eyes turn grey, and when I look at Lina, her eyes are grey as well. That tells me that my own eyes are no doubt grey.

"What just happened?" Franklin frowns. "Your eyes turned grey, and the three of you froze up and gave each other strange looks."

"Does this have to do with the Magi?" Papa asks.

"Yes," Tasha, Lina, and I answer in unison.

"Something happened to Jason," I tell Papa. "Do you mind if I contact Sage Samuel?"

"I do not," he answers, concern immediately on his face. "See how he is doing."

"Did you not say Jason is traveling?" Franklin asks. "How long will it take to contact them?"

"Moments," I pull out my comm plate and activate it, sending a call request to Sage Samuel's comm plate.

He takes several minutes before he responds.

"Yes, Jason is fine, no, he cannot talk with you, he is currently passed out, and yes, I am aware that it had an effect on you."

"I take it you were speaking with others?" I try not to laugh.

"Alex and Niko both contacted me," he answers as Franklin looks at the comm plate in curiosity and amazement. "One of these days, Alex is going to just tell Jason how he feels, too. The way that boy kept going on, trying to make sure Jason was okay… he needs to hurry up and do it."

"I agree," I smile. "What happened?"

"That is somewhat classified," Sage Samuel answers. "Are you alone?"

"It is only Papa, Tasha, Lina, and one of my cousins present," I answer. "He has already heard about the Magi, so I am sure Papa intends on telling him more."

"I do," Papa answers. "I trust Franklin, and he has figured some things out on his own. He is a worshiper of the Church of Enaveka."

"Do not tell Alex this," Sage Samuel says. "But Jason came to the northern nations not just to act as moral support for Niko. He is here to assist in dealing with an issue that arose. The ogre lords have begun moving, and a camp of one thousand ogres and ten thousand corrupted was located not far from Mar's northern border, a little inside of Kelrar. Jason used a spell he called 'Arvanokka' and after it finished, he passed out."

"He used the end of all things?" Lina, Tasha, and I exclaim in unison.

"On the camp, yes," Sage Samuel responds. "To think that a spell which warped all twelve types of magic simultaneously existed… just what did the High Magus design that for?"

"To kill a god," the three of us answer in unison.

A very, very powerful god of the Second Order.

(???, since the start of the universe)

Drifting through the universe, I remain in a state between waking and sleeping. There is an awareness around me, but for the most part, I simply allow myself to drift. Mortals are interesting creatures, born of my seeds and powers. Anytime I linger somewhere too long, nearby worlds without life become habitable, life forming there and rapidly evolving and growing.

Where life is, it gains magic, growing greatly. The greatest of my children, Midlaris, is the most unique as well. A wrapped world where its space is far smaller than one would think when traveling, I created him myself.

I am near him, now. How long has it been since I drew near my favorite child? He is still a child among the worlds, even, and all life upon him contains magic, from the weakest of lifeforms to the strongest, in a range of colors.

A rainbow world, where magic isn't just a single level of power, but a scale. It has been a long time since I checked on him.

Deciding to rouse myself, I stretch out, feeling myself nearly slice a star in two. I would have, were it not for several important details about myself. One of them is that despite being infinite in size, I always fit within the space I am in. That means that no matter how far I stretch, I will never harm something unless I do so intentionally. The other is that I am only partially tangible. As the very force whose birth created this universe, I am able to simply slip through anything that exists, only interacting directly when I choose to. Only my seeds and powers can affect things otherwise.

So instead of slicing the star into, I simply miss it without any need to worry. Perhaps I could create another star nearby, though? It does seem like they are sparse here. Inhaling deeply, I let out a quick, short breath, and a star bursts out, forming before me.

There we go. I can create more later, but it already feels less empty with that here.

Shifting my direction, I begin moving in another direction, when I spot a black hole, sucking in everything around it. This one will pull in a world in a relatively short amount of time. A long time for the life on that world, but soon enough that it should be stopped. With a touch of my power, I seal up the dimensional hole, erasing its presence.

With a few minor adjustments, I fix the area here, then continue on my journey. How long did that take me? Sometimes, I like to wonder things like that. To mortals, it was no doubt unfathomably long. Their lives are so short, they only dream of being able to live long times, yet those times are shorter still than how long it might take me to fix a region damaged by a dimensional hole that draws everything into it. Yet to me, it feels as if little time passed at all.

Carrying on with my journey, I reach my favorite son, but as I draw close, I sense something that makes my rage increase. A fury builds within me quickly enough that even the mortals would call it fast.

There is something on Midlaris that should not be. Something that never should happen or exist upon him. Ever.

(Jason, 16)

I wake with a start, suddenly feeling very, very small. After taking in the vastness of the universe and seeing Midlaris like that, the room I woke up in is definitely tiny.

To be in the mind of a creature capable of altering the universe itself is even more frightening. That fury that built up in it when it sensed… whatever it was? That makes even my own peaked anger feel like nothing at all.

What did it sense? How did I enter into such a being's mind and memories?

Was it sensing me?

As I try to think about what happened, I notice my legs and arms, even with the former covered by the blanket. I'm usually looking at magic, and this time, I am seeing something I had not expected to see.

My magical power isn't just grey this time. My magical power is grey. I know this because it is no longer simply something within me, flowing through me. Veins of grey magical flow throughout me, my magic set into them. Much in the way they appear in dragons.

I am officially back to being a mage of grey magical power.

Back to being a timeless Magus.

Please tell me that humans of grey magical power are not what it sensed. That it did not sense me turning grey, and that it will not soon destroy me. Is that what caused our deaths as the Magi? Whatever that thing was, noticing us and killing us?

Closing my eyes, I start breathing deeply. Whatever happens, I will get through it. The Queen of the Gods would not have sent us here again just to have me ripped away from the others before her plans were completed. She will protect me from whatever that thing is.

I hope.