The place Alvis took them to appeared to be a cliffside at the beach, but once they passed through the illusion they found a set of stairs leading them halfway up the cliff to a seaside manor. Lounging in front of the house at the top of the stairs was a dragon with shimmering blue scales.

“A dragon?” Keane asked in alarm.

“Dragons are fairly rare in Tethia,” Alvis realized, “I do believe the old headmaster had a baby one, but that dragon is Mickey.”

“The Mickey I met on the beach was human,” I pointed out.

Alvis smiled. “Well, yes. If she went out like that she would have caused a huge commotion. That is why I taught her how to take a human form.”

“How did Mickey become a dragon?” I asked.

“The same you became Cassandra,” Alvis replied, “She died. Normally she would never have become a dragon, but strange things happen to the souls of summons who die in a world that is not their own.”

“What is that supposed to-”

“Mickey will explain the rest,” Alvis said, cutting me off.

We climbed the stairs, and as we reached the top the dragon made room for us to pass and stand on the solid ledge. Upon closer inspection, someone had clearly carved this out of the cliff. The floor was perfectly smooth and stable.

“It’s been a while, everyone,” the dragon said with what seemed to be a smile.

“Are you really Mickey?” Alois demanded.

“I am,” she replied, “Before I prove it, I have to know when you are. Caleb kept me informed until the very end.”

I glanced back at Caleb and he nodded back. Right, there was still more to the game so to ensure things remained accurate it made sense to keep Mickey informed. Still, Mickey seemed confident that she knew about our future. She would be a more reliable resource than the game at this point.

“We are on our way back from dealing with the parasite and other schemes at Lion Seaport,” I answered.

“Ah, so it is just about time for that, then,” Mickey replied.

“What?” I asked.

Mickey hesitated, but only continued when Alvis gave her a nod of approval. “Once you meet Silas at the capital you arrange a deal to expand Beraud’s tracks to Tethia.”

Tracks… Did she mean train tracks? Why hadn’t I thought of it before? No, perhaps I would have anyway and that is why Alvis approved of her telling me? I decided not to think about it too much before everything became an incomprehensible time loop.

“Can you explain why you are a dragon?” Keane asked, “You were definitely human before.”

“That … I don’t really know the answer,” she replied honestly, “I have lived this entire life as a dragon. My mother here could see prophecies of the future, somewhat like the Tears of Tethia, but a lot more vague.”

“What did she see?” Caleb asked, interested.

“She saw the annihilation of the dragons and other magic creatures and a world on the brink of destruction,” Mickey replied, “That is when I remembered you, the Heroes of Tethia. I remembered that you all came from another world, or another timeline, so I began researching how you got here and I discovered something. I have the power to call souls to this world.”

“Call souls?” I asked, a bit confused.

“Yes. It is a bit more like an invitation than summoning and it is easier to set conditions, however in response there will be no limit to the souls who answer the call,” Mickey explained, “I called those souls who wanted a second chance who would benefit this world. It turned out calling is like summoning in a different sense. Alvis was the first one to answer my call, hundreds of years before I even used the magic.”

“Hundreds?” I asked, “How long ago was the Call? It must have been recent if Alvis arrived so long before.”

“No. I Called around a hundred years ago, I believe. Life is a bit different as a dragon,” Mickey corrected.

Tethia was founded about three to four hundred years prior, so Alvis must have done it fairly soon after he was called, or so I thought. Now I was getting the feeling that he waited a while.

“What about Yuki?” I asked.

“Yuki came with me, but it was more like I dragged him along,” Alvis answered, “That is why I am the one who was called. We are far from the only ones who were invited to this world, but every one of them that I have met recall dying in their previous worlds.”

“Silas Toll?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Alvis agreed, “He has also been collecting others. He truly has an eye for valuable talent.”

“Do we know why the dragons were destroyed or why the world was in so much danger?” Keane asked.

Mickey hesitated. “All I can tell you is that if you ever meet the old headmaster again, you must listen to what he says.”

“He knows?” I demanded, unable to hold myself back.

“I don’t know if he knew before, but I am certain he does now,” Mickey replied.

A part of me was relieved, but the doubt that we had sentenced someone who was trying to save everything would not leave. He never seemed to regret what he had done, and he seemed confident in his plan.

“But why would taking all of the magic save everything?” I muttered under my breath.

“Not all the magic,” Alvis corrected, “While it is rare, this world has natural magic everywhere. Those with talent do appear in other countries. He would not have been able to steal that, only the magic that the head magician creates and spreads through Tethia.”

“What would happen if that magic was taken?” I asked.

“Those with weak aptitude would no longer be able to access it, but due to becoming use to magic, it is likely that those with higher magic aptitudes would slowly harness magic of their own.”

“Slowly,” I repeated, “I see. Maybe he was trying to take it before an enemy did so we would have time?”

“You’re just reaching there,” Alois sighed, “The only way to find out is to ask him directly.”

“I doubt we will be able to that anytime soon,” Keane pointed out, “First, let’s focus on what we can do. Very little is known about dragons and their culture. I think it is time we changed that.”

“Silas seemed to know,” I mused, “Perhaps we could start with him.”

“One more piece of advice,” Mickey interjected, “Don’t focus too much on Gaia and make assumptions.”

“I don’t like the sounds of that,” Wayne muttered, “but now that I think about it, Gaia had nothing to do with the country that successfully invaded Tethia. Gaia just opened the path for them before they were defeated. I didn’t live long enough to find out who they were.”

I let a deep sigh. As soon as we found more answers it felt like more and more problems arose. I turned to Autumn. “Did any other villains stand out to you?”

“Well, there is one who is famous for their unexpected battle with Keane,” Autumn recalled, “It was one of my favorite scenes, but Keane was pretty scary.”

This time I glanced at Keane, but he did nothing to confirm or deny his fighting prowess. “Do you remember who that person was?”

“The first prince of the militant kingdom,” Autumn replied, “He wasn’t named inside the game, nor was his kingdom.”

I looked over at Alvis and Mickey but it was clear they were done sharing information. On this continent alone there were many kingdoms that leaned toward a military rule, Gaia included, so it would be hard to work from just that.

“Thanks,” I replied, “For now I will focus on those tracks. It is the perfect opportunity to investigate various things anyway.”

“True,” Alvis chuckled, “I look forward to our time working together.”