I awoke to the feeling of something poking my left cheek. I opened my eyes and saw the grinning face of Dovarata. I blinked at the brightening sky with the sun still low on the horizon. "It is time for my watch?" I asked while yawning.

"Yup!" the dracon said cheerfully.

The campfire had extinguished and it was a bit chilly this morning.

I sat up on my bedroll.

Dovarata sat down next to me, pulled my blanket over her body, and huddled against me for warmth.

I wondered when she had returned to camp and how long she had performed her watch duty. At any rate, it was apparent that I had the final rotation before we broke camp. And it was usually the safest hour of the watch. I activated my Spirit Sense periodically to check the vicinity for approaching animals but nothing bothered us.

Every now and then, I glanced at the dracon's sleeping face. She was definitely interesting to look at. Her cheeks had red scales, which made her look reptilian. She had a small nose but a wide mouth. Yet, she was strangely attractive in a quirky way. At the same time, she was open and honest with herself and did not hesitate to express her feelings whether good or bad. I supposed one could say that she had an honest way of living.

About halfway into my watch, I noticed that the elven siblings had awakened. Rijana was sandwiched between the two and the trio shared their blankets during the night. I was surprised to see that Rijana was treated as a third sibling by Bjoukia and Bjoukin. I wondered how long my magic instructor had known and traveled with the elves. I was certainly friendly with the two elves but I was nowhere near as close to them as Rijana was.

But then again, I remembered that her mage tower was located within The Elven Nation. This implied that Rijana had a special relationship with the elves in general rather than the two siblings specifically. Ah, well. That was a mystery for another day. Now was the time to break camp.

Rijana used her magic to start a fire and began the task of making breakfast.

Dovarata awoke when I left my bedroll. She yawned and then pulled a dead rabbit out of her Bag of Holding. "Here! You can add this to breakfast," she offered.

I took the offering and passed it to Bjoukin. As a ranger, he was proficient in skinning the rabbit and not ruining the fur. Soon, the skinned rabbit entered the pot.

After a while, Rijana finished making rabbit stew and each of us got a portion, including Fondus.

The mage was truly impressed by the taste and the fact that a fellow guild member had made it. "This is fantastic!" he praised her.

Once we broke our fast, we cleaned up and prepared to enter the Ph'laen Ruins.

Buoyed by the hearty breakfast, Fondus was all fired up. "I'll take the lead," he offered.

I accepted because he had already visited the place.

The mage created a minor Earth Elemental and ordered it to enter the passageway.

I created a Light sphere and positioned it in front of the minion.

Thus, the party order in entering was: Fondus, Bjoukin, Bila, me, Dovarata, Rijana, Bjoukia, and finally Van. In this formation, the mages (aside from Fondus), was placed in the middle. Bila and Bjoukin were in front because they had the best eyes in our party. The two fighters protected the rear of our formation.

Despite his enthusiasm, Fondus entered the passageway cautiously. He stopped periodically to cast Detect Trap and then sent his elemental ahead to trigger any hidden or undiscovered trap. But there were none and we made it to the staircase without any incident.

I tried to use my Spirit Sense but I soon discovered that the strange metal walls had served as a barrier to block my detection. In addition, I felt a moving stream somewhere nearby but I couldn't quite pinpoint its location. Probably due to the walls blocking my senses again.

When we exited the passageway, there was a spiraling staircase before us. I looked up but saw nothing above us.

Fondus started descending the stairs while putting a hand on the wall.

When it was my turn to enter the staircase, I did the same because I remembered that I had nearly fallen to my death when I missed a step at the first Ph'laen Ruins that I had visited.

It took some took, but our party reached the bottom of the steps safely. Before us was a hallway and at the end of it was the door that Fondus had previously mentioned.

Once, Fondus confirmed the hallway was free of traps, I guided my Light sphere to the door and approached it. I saw the words inscribed on it. I looked at the doorframe. I discovered a groove etched on the right side with a black orb inside.

"Yeah, I noticed it immediately. I touched it and I had my hired help try to dig it out with a crowbar. But it wouldn't budge and nothing happened," the mage said.

I ignored Fondus and pressed my right palm against the orb. I felt the heat under my palm as a blue flash of light examined my hand and analyzed its DNA. Since I was born on a different version of Earth, the examination will confirm that I met the condition as inscribed on the door and it will open.

Suddenly, two panels trapped my wrist in place. But I did not panic. Instead, I grabbed hold of the orb and turned it clockwise. Slowly, the door was pulled up. Once the door was gone, my wrist was released. I pulled back my hand and entered the room.

A blue right was emitted from another black orb, located in the middle of the ceiling. The ray struck me and my body was slowly disassembled. I felt the particles that made up my body being captured and then transported to another location.

#

I gingerly opened my eyes. I found myself inside the "White Room." Just as I had expected. The room was circular and its walls were completely white. It was the most important part of the Ph'laen Ruins because it served as the Command Center.

Soon, my companions arrived in the White Room. Fondus, Dovarata, Bila, and Van started roaming around, looking at the blinking lights and numbers on various panels on the walls. It was the first time that these people had visited the ruins.

I walked toward the center of the room. There was a nub on the ground and on the ceiling. When I stood over it, a forcefield activated and I started floating in the air.

A blue ray of light struck my forehead and then a panel appeared before me: "Connecting . . . connecting . . . connected. Authorization granted: Captain of Alpha-2359D7." A model of my current location appeared to my left. It was a small, saucer-shaped ship in orbit around the planet Earth.

"Is that where we are?" Fondus asked while pointing at the model.

I nodded.

"Where are we exactly?" Van asked. He had felt a void in his heart and he could no longer feel the presence of Lady Musa.

"We're in outer space," I answered. "Here, the Gods and Goddess have no presence. That's why you feel strange right now, Van."

The paladin turned pale and his body swayed.

"Easy there," Bila said holding him steady.

"How are you holding up?" the dracon asked me. She remembered the six divine marks on my forearms and knew that losing their divine presence was a difficult experience for me.

"Oh, I'm fine," I said nonchalantly. However, I wasn't fine. The sound of a moving stream had become louder in my ears. It was discomforting but I could still endure. On a lark, I commanded the ship to open a window.

A large panel on the wall "dissolved," revealing Planet Earth and the Moon.

My companions immediately walked up to the window and stared at the sight.

While they were preoccupied with the window, I looked around the room without leaving the forcefield. I was surprised that the robotic attendant of the ship (a dead ringer for Robbie the Robot) had not revealed itself. I wondered if the robot had been destroyed.

After 10 minutes, I said, "We need to return home." I issued a command to close the window and then I mentally disconnected from the command module. The forcefield dissipated and I gently dropped to the ground. I walked over and stood under the black orb on the ceiling.

The orb struck me with a blue ray of light and my body slowly began the disassembly process. I felt the particles that made up my body transfer back to the transportation room.

However, once my body was reassembled, I was struck with a loud, roaring noise in my ears. The invisible energy overloaded my senses and I fell unconscious.

#

I opened my eyes and felt a pounding headache. I used Minor Heal and spent 40 mana to heal myself. But it was still not enough to make the pain go away entirely. I felt something warm but hard under my head and neck. I looked up and saw a pair of red eyes peering down at me. Ah! I was resting on Dovarata's laps!

"He's awake!" she announced.

Van approached me, saw that I was still in pain, and removed his right gauntlet. He pressed his palm on my forehead. "Heal!" he said.

I immediately felt a warm surge of energy entering my body. And my pain vanished.

"What happened?" the paladin asked as he helped me rise to my feet.

"Um, I'm not sure. Let me check my notifications," I replied. I had several in-game messages waiting to be read. Perhaps, one of them will explain why I was knocked unconscious upon returning to the ruins.

The first message read: "Major faction quest COMPLETED. Ph'laen ruins UNLOCKED. +10,000 XP, +5,000 Reputation, +10,000 XP." The next message read: "Title ACQUIRED: Matter User. +10,000 Reputation, +20,000 XP." The third message read: "Constitution check SUCCESSFUL. -80 Health."

My jaw dropped.

"What did you read?" Fondus asked.

I took a deep breath. "I seemed to have acquired access to something called 'Matter.' But my body couldn't handle it. I lost 80 Health DESPITE making a successful saving throw," I explained.

My companions stared at me with mixed reactions. Mainly confusion. But intrigue on the faces of Fondus, Rijana, and Dovarata.

Suddenly, Fondus became visibly excited. He hugged me and jumped up and down. "Element!" he screamed.

"Huh?" The non-mages were clueless.

The dracon cleared her throat. "It appears that our esteemed friend has discovered a new element aside from the six known elements. But touching it nearly killed him." Dovarata gave me a blank look. She wasn't sure if she should be amazed or horrified to learn that I had nearly died.

"How did he get access?" Bjoukia asked.

I raised my hand. "I think I figured it out. I came to these Ph'laen ruins to 'unlock' them by going to the command post in outer space and connecting with the spaceship. By returning to this place, I completed the quest and received access to the use of Matter as my reward."

"But why haven't we come across this element before?" Bjoukia asked.

I wasn't quite sure how to explain. Physics wasn't a strong subject for me in high school. "Matter is a little different than the six known elements of fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark. Matter can refer to various states or phases such as solid, liquid, or gas. I believe being an Archmage is a prerequisite to becoming a Matter User," I said.

Bila rubbed her paws. "So what can you do with Matter? Can you create a hot meal from thin air?" Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

I laughed out loud. "I have no idea," I responded to her disappointment.

The cat girl swiped at my arm with her paw. "So you nearly died for nothing. Wonderful." Her whiskers and ears twitched.

"That's a harsh way to put it but yes," I conceded the point with a shrug.

Bila grabbed my arm and pulled. "If you can't create a decent lunch for us, then we'll have to get it back in London. Let's get out of here!"

I resisted her pull. "There should be an exit," I said. I walked to the opposite end of the hallway and pressed my palm against the black orb, which was in a grove on the doorframe. Again, my wrist was caught. I turned the orb clockwise to open the door. And then my wrist was freed.

Before us was another passageway, which eventually led back to the surface. When we got out, we discovered that we were standing on top of the hill.

I looked in the direction of the city of London but it was hidden by a dense fog. I felt the wind blow across my face and I made a request. "Can we rest for a bit?" I asked.

Fondus nodded.

I sat down, took the lotus position, and began to meditate. As I meditated, I reached out for the leyline of wind. I brought the air current into the center of my being where it remained. "Leyline ACQUIRED: Primrose Hill (wind). +500 XP." I opened my eyes. With a big smile on my face, I rose to my feet.

Fondus saw that I was ready to leave. "Let's go back," the guide said. He started descending the hill and we followed him.

I was tempted to use my Spirit Sense to check for danger but I decided not to exert myself mentally and risk developing another headache. Once had been enough for today.

Dovarata seemed to have noticed because she flew into the air periodically and circled above us to check our surroundings. And then she landed on the ground next to me with a small shake of her head.

As I walked down the hill, I started thinking about the final set of Ph'laen Ruins. It was obvious to me that if the ruins in London gave me access to Matter, then the last location will yield access to Antimatter. And no doubt, I will be experiencing a lot of pain when that happens. Will it kill me outright even if I make my saving throw? Given this danger, I really need to bring a cleric into my party so that he or she could cast Raise Dead on me if necessary.

For a moment, I marveled at the changes within me. Somehow, I had lost the fear of death and now, I was planning to revive myself. Heck, it seemed like I was more concerned about the pain associated with dying than death itself. If I ever return to my home, how will I be able to live a normal life again?

I set aside those thoughts and refocused on the need to add a cleric to my party. When I return to London, I will certainly need to report to Saint John the Kind. However, should I seek his help in adding a cleric to my party? Or should I approach another person, namely the nun, Sister Waverly? Would she even consider going on an adventure with me?

I was not concerned at the possibility that the nun was the human avatar of Lady Musa. The reason was that the alter ego of the demigoddess, Jasla, was the one who led me to the first Ph'laen Ruins in the hills near the Balmore Farms. Alsaj had sought me out because she needed me, as a native of another version of planet Earth, to open the door to the teleportation room.

From my experience in adventuring with Alsaj, I believed that it was not against the divine rules to interact with another human avatar. In other words, while I could not adventure with Lady Musa herself, I would be allowed to adventure with Waverly.

In the end, I decided to seek her assistance rather than ask the saint for help. The reason was that I didn't want another spy to come along on my travel and report back to the church leader. I was keenly aware that Fondus was spying for Guildmaster Mordekai and the mage will reveal my discovery of Matter to his superior.

While Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin were members of The Elven Nation, the country seemed to work closely with and for the Goddess Gaea, who I had a good relationship with. On the other hand, I didn't trust the Magic Guild or the Church as much because I had the impression that each organization was plagued by factional infighting. And I was merely a game piece, as Sister Waverly had put it so elegantly.

Proceeding at the quick pace as dictated by Fondus, we arrived in front of the gate to the city of London in the early afternoon.