Chapter Twenty-One.

(Colt)

"How?" Tyler repeats again.

"How what?" I ask him.

"You died!" He says. "You turned to ash!"

"Instinct Magic," I stick my tongue out again, then explain to him about the Mana in the chamber, and the new Instinct Magic I have. "It's so awesome! But seven days to wake back up is a long time! Man, was I needing a nap! By the way – death was a lot less painful than I thought it would be."

Grandpa smacks me in the back of the head.

"What?" I look up at him. "It was!"

"You keep saying that!"

"You should try it sometime."

"I don't think I have an Instinct Magic that lets me come back from the dead."

"Have you tried?"

He smacks me in the back of the head.

"You're going to give me a concussion, Gramps!"

He smacks me again, then I look back at Tyler.

"This is my grandpa!" I tell him. "It turns out, he can move between worlds, and is even the Gravity Mage! I think you figured out that last part, because of Bael. Once you've recovered all of your Mana, we should go revive the mountain. Grandpa offered to take us to where he is."

"He's not in the caves?" Tyler asks.

"No," Grandpa asks. "He's deeper within the mountain. With my Gravity Magic, I'll be able to take the two of you there quickly."

"After," I look at him. "Can you take me home? Not permanently – just long enough for me to say 'fuck you' to Mom and Dad?"

"I don't think that's appropriate," Grandpa says.

"I wouldn't say it like that, obviously," I grin at him. "That wouldn't be very fun."

Grandpa rolls his eyes, then Tyler and I chat while the adults talk, the two of us catching up on what happened since we separated. He apparently didn't take on any Classes.

We agree that we should train a little bit more before attempting the next Advancement, and see if we can unlock even more powerful Classes, instead of just taking on the ones we can now.

So maybe another month or two of training, then we try.

Two hours of chatting later, Tyler says he's ready to go, and his Mana looks full. Grandpa nods to us, then we leave, and he wraps us in his Gravity Magic, soaring us deep within the mountains, into a hidden tunnel.

We fly by quickly, reaching the giant, brown crystal in minutes.

When I say giant, I mean, like, Frost Giant kind of giant. It radiates power, even with no light flowing out of it, the cavern light by Light Orbs Grandpa cast.

Tyler and I hold hands, placing our free hand against the Deity Crystal as our magics and Auras link, our power amplifying far, far greater than either of us have on our own. We might actually be able to fight Grandpa with this much power.

Our magics perfectly synced, we begin to flood the crystal with our power, focusing on healing and restoring, of cleansing it of the taint from the demons' presence.

An hour passes, our Mana depleting slowly, until we're almost entirely out of it.

When we finish, however, the crystal is glowing from within with a golden light.

Thank you, Kielv says into our minds, his voice but a child's. Your healing powers is greatly appreciated. I feel so tired… I need to nap, to sleep. Magus Nathaniel, I fear I'll be vulnerable, until I wake. You are one of the few who can truly defend me, as I recover. I ask of you – will you guard me, until I can defend myself? Dead, I was of no use, and attracted no attention, but now that I'm back, I will.

"I will," Grandpa nods, then looks at me. "I'll send you two there, but I won't be able to bring you back. Deity Crystals, when dormant, as he will be when he naps, are highly valuable prizes. It may be a few months before he wakes."

"If it takes a few months for you to bring us back," I say. "That's a few months we can try to return on our own."

Grandpa nods, then asks if we are ready. We say we are, and he places his hands on our heads.

"Suppress," I tell Tyler. "Both Aura and Mana."

He nods, then does, and I do the same. A few moments later, we find ourselves in my room at home. I can't see access to the System anymore, though my power is still there.

Four walls, a bed, a dresser, and a desk to do my homework at. Not much in my room. I wasn't really allowed games and stuff.

I did have my own bathroom, though, and checking it, I find it exactly as I left it. I had to keep everything in my room and bathroom perfect and clean, and none of my things appear to have been moved.

One benefit to being hated was having my own bathroom, and not sharing with others. The less they saw me, the better.

Returning to my main room, I look at Tyler.

"I've placed a barrier of perception on you," I inform him. "I can sustain it up to around fifty feet away, I think. This way, my family won't notice you at first, I don't think."

"Got it," he says. "So what now?"

"Let's go scare my family?" I suggest, and he grins.