Samuel landed lightly on the island a mere five minutes later, though he couldn’t be sure of exactly how much time had passed. He was noticed by the inhabitants a minute or two before his arrival, of course, and a small crowd had gathered to witness his return. Edri and Inka were foremost among them, their welcoming smiles more evident than any other. Samuel returned their greetings with a very distracted air, though they didn’t seem to notice.

“Welcome back!” Inka said, drawing him into a hug. He put his arms around her in return, relishing the warm moment as he breathed her in. But the situation ended quickly as Edri appeared, and they broke apart. Samuel quickly embraced the tall and thin Enari, grinning in reply to his friend’s quiet laugh of relief.

“You all seem surprised that I returned,” he commented. Even the Enari whose names he couldn’t recall seemed overjoyed to see him again. Maybe their perception of his absence was longer than his. For him, it had been a mere hour. Who was to say it hadn’t been weeks for them, or even longer? “How long was I away?”

“Most Enari don’t have the ability to understand the passage of time,” Edri explained. “To them and Inka, it was like you were gone years.”

Samuel’s eyes widened slightly at the thought. It was a marked difference in their perceptions, and also an iron-clad explanation of why he’d been gone so long from Ahya on his first visit. Without a spell to anchor his position in Ahya, he would have existed only in this plane, subject to entirely different laws. He filed this information away for future investigation, curious to know exactly what differences would have an impact on future visits. In the meantime, there were more pressing questions he needed answered.

“Edri,” he said quietly, tapping his friend on the shoulder. Something about his tone seemed to register with the Enari, who arched an eyebrow, curious. “How many other visitors from Ahya have you met? I mean, am I the only person you’ve known to cross over into this plane?”

Edri’s face immediately took on a mask-like quality, as if he was keen to hide something. “There have been others. None as noteworthy as you, of course, and none who have taken to the plane as well.”

“What happened to the others?” Samuel pressed, staring the taller figure directly in the eyes. “Did they interact with this island?”

“Sometimes,” Edri said slowly. “Most of the time, we encounter what’s left of them floating out there.”

He pointed out into the Sea of Chaos, vaguely indicating the no-man’s land that lay outside the safety of the island. “They were either drained completely by the chaos or else fell prey to one of the many creatures that roam freely in it.”

“What of those who made it to the island?”

“Very few of them lived long for us to learn anything about them,” Edri said. He stated it plainly, with no attempt to cushion the blow of the words. “They either collapsed shortly after arrival due to the drain of the chaos around them, or they attacked us, forcing us to kill them in defense.”

There was an almost petulant, stubborn tone to the reply as if he thought Samuel might judge him for the fact or else seek some kind of revenge for the other visitors. Samuel shook his head slightly. It was the natural way of things. If you were attacked by a stranger, you had every right to defend yourself. If it became violent, you couldn’t be blamed for the consequences. He waved his hand dismissively, pursuing the original topic.

“Have there been any who managed to interact peacefully, at least at first? I’m mainly curious about one person in particular. He would have been recent, perhaps within the last twenty or thirty years.”

He could tell at once that Edri knew who he was talking about, and, judging by the expression that came over his face, it was not a pleasant memory. “His name was Narwick, right? Or something like that.”

“Knarlick,” Samuel corrected, feeling his pulse quicken at the confirmation. “Yes, that’s him. What did he do? I can tell you’re not a fan.”

“Well, he was fine when he first arrived,” Edri said, his voice cold as he recalled the memory. “He found us on his own, just as you did, and he’d already somewhat mastered the act of moving through Chaos. We accepted him because he reminded us of you in a way. He had the same thirst for knowledge, so we trusted him.”

“What did he do?” Samuel asked again, registering the fact that Inka had drifted closer, listening to their conversation intently.

“He took what he learned from us, and tried to kill one of our number,” Edri snarled. “He took what was a sacred, gentle art, and perverted it, using it for force.”

“His mental attack,” Samuel muttered quietly. “The ability to reach out and touch another’s mind.”

“We had no idea of what he was,” Inka put in. “But when he attacked the Elders and tried to kill them, we caught on quickly.”

“I nearly had him,” Edri spat out. “But he managed to escape somehow.”

“Can you share the memory of how he did that?” Samuel asked. “He’s leading an army against my nation right now, in our plane. I need to know all that I can about his time here.”

“Of course,” Edri said at once. He seemed keen on the idea of helping Samuel prepare for an inevitable second confrontation against Knarlick. Samuel was grateful for his quick acceptance, though privately he thought that avoiding Knarlick was probably the best course of action for him to take. He reached out with his mind to touch Samuel, and the brief memory of Knarlick’s retreat played out in Samuel’s head as if he were watching a long-lost memory that had been lurking in the back of his mind.

Edri charged Knarlick, who sent several attack spells against his opponent. Edri drifted sharply around them, then dove forward, reaching out with one hand to seize the attacker. In the split second before he could make contact, however, an invisible force seemed to slam into Edri’s mind, stunning him. Then a burst of fire sent him flying back. By the time Edri had righted himself and looked back towards Knarlick’s position, the man was making a flat cutting motion in the air. A thin line of white energy appeared, and a portal opened, sucking him in at once. He disappeared from view.

“That’s very similar in appearance to the spell I used to travel here,” Samuel said, once the memory had faded away and Edri withdrew his mind. “And that mental attack he used against you is all too familiar. He did something similar to me when we first met.”

“He attacked you as well?” Inka said, her voice full of concern. Edri let out another angry growl. “How were you able to defend yourself if you had forgotten the art?”

“I didn’t,” Samuel admitted begrudgingly. Then, when Inka appeared confused still, he elaborated. “Defend myself, I mean. I teleported away once I realized I couldn’t throw his influence off.”

“I bet he wasn’t pleased by that,” Edri said. “He has a real hunter’s mind, Samuel. He likely won’t stop pursuing you until you have a real fight. He spoke often of his fascination with challenging someone in Ahya, and he was determined to beat them.”

“Who was he determined to fight?” Samuel asked. “Did you catch a name?”

“No. He only referred to his prey as ‘Champion of the Mind’. No idea what that means.”

Samuel felt as if an ice chip had slipped into his stomach. There was only one person to whom Knarlick could have been referring. Was that why he’d been so quick to identify Samuel when he’d gone to investigate the enemy capital? If he’d done his research, he could have identified Samuel at once and tried to kill him then. Samuel had enjoyed having a few rivals during his time training in magic, of course, but apart from Rainhall, nobody had ever had such a vested interest in harming him. This was beyond even his rift with Rainhall, Samuel thought. Knarlick wanted to kill him so that he could take everything he had. His connection to Arcana, his mastery over magic, all of it.

“Can you teach me to defend against his mental attack?” Samuel asked. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he didn’t feel like sharing that he was the person Knarlick was after. Not just yet, anyway. “I can understand if you don’t want to teach it to another outsider after what he did, but it’s the only way I can stand against him if we meet again.”

“You are not an outsider,” Edri said firmly. “You are one of us, Samuel. Your connection to Chaos is just as strong as any of ours.”

“I can barely move it when I want, but thanks,” Samuel replied, chuckling quietly. “That does remind me, though. When I left to recover and find food, someone attempted to recover my mana. She says that she couldn’t touch it because something about it had changed. Do you have any idea what that might be?”

“You haven’t noticed?” Inka asked. When Samuel frowned at her, not understanding, she pointed at his chest. “Look closer at your mana, Samuel. Then you’ll see.”

Though he’d already done it when in Ahya, Samuel complied with her instruction, lifting one hand and shifting the mana there to it. His hand began to glow with a bright white light, but just at the edges of his mana, there was a strange blue flash of energy. Then another. Some kind of blue electricity was flitting across and throughout his mana, a new component of it he’d never seen before. But he knew at once what it was, as there was only one new element that he’d encountered recently.

“That’s Chaos,” Samuel muttered in surprise. “How is it mixed in with my mana, but not devouring it?”

“The same way that Chaos does not attempt to devour us,” Inka said with a smile. “We live in harmony with it. We use it to move, hunt, and even live. In return, it fills us, and gives us its strength.”

By way of demonstration, she lifted her hand and expanded her mana a bit. Unlike Samuel’s, it was comprised entirely of chaotic mana, a sparking field of faintly red energy. Quite apart from being curious about how he could have bonded with Chaos without realizing it, Samuel reached out to touch her hand. They linked fingers, and their respective manas immediately moved to meld. The energy around Samuel’s hand grew a little darker with Chaos, while Inka’s mana brightened considerably as the white took effect there.

“Is this a magic of Chaos?” He asked, studying the effect with a slightly tilted head. “Or is it something new?”

“It’s proof that you remember how to link yourself to another,” Edri cut in. “Somewhere inside your mind, the memory persists, even if you cannot recall it. You simply have to reach it.”

Well, Samuel thought, that was the first time that an easy challenge had been presented to him. He spent a great deal of time in his mind, after all, and so was keenly aware of the memories there. There was a wealth of information inside him pertaining to Ancient magic, an entire language of power and its various uses. He found what he was looking for in seconds. Something about linking. Joining his body, mind, and soul to that of another, to share thoughts and energy instantly. He’d done it once before, with Inka. The memory, surging back to him now, made him flush slightly in embarrassment.

Might as well try it out now, he thought. With a supreme effort, he expanded his mind. It was a clumsy attempt, reaching out in a specific direction. His mind felt as if it were being stretched, but he put up with the discomfort, forcing his mind to stretch out and touch Edri’s. He knew it worked when he could feel a faint sense of pride and amusement coming from his friend. He pulled away at once, marveling silently at how easy that had felt, compared to the difficulty of mastering simple movement.

“See?” Edri said brightly. “You already knew how. Your bond with Chaos is strong, Samuel. Just train your mind, and you’ll be able to withstand any attack that Knarlick will throw at you.”

“More training,” Samuel said dryly. “Great.”

Edri and Inka laughed at that, and Inka pulled lightly on the hand that was still entwined with hers. “No training today, I’m afraid.”

“Why’s that?” Samuel asked. There was a light of mischief in Inka’s eyes that, while he couldn’t remember seeing before, felt oddly familiar. It told him that she had a secret plan for him, and any attempt at refusal would be firmly ignored.

“Tonight, we celebrate,” She said, a note of triumph in his voice. “We didn’t get the chance when you left before, and I’m not missing the opportunity now.”

“You can’t be serious, Inka,” Edri said with a groan. “The Elders won’t allow it. Not after what happened last time.”

“What happened last time?” Samuel asked at once. Inka and Edri both ignored the question, continuing in their small argument.

“Katha already agreed,” Inka said smugly, jutting her chin out. “So you’re overruled.”

“Katha doesn’t count,” Edri shot back. “He wasn’t an Elder the last time, so he doesn’t understand.”

“He’s not the only one,” Inka replied, her voice a little sing-songy. She seemed quite pleased with herself. “Even Irdi agrees with Katha. It’s only right.”

Starting to feel more and more left out, and not enjoying it one bit, Samuel shook Inka’s hand to remind him that he was there. “What are you two on about?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” she replied, smiling cryptically at him. “Come on. You’ll love it.”

She rose higher off the ground, heading towards the center of the city. Samuel resisted at first but quickly complied with the movement. Inka outpaced him considerably in the first few meters until he grasped his control over Chaos, and soon they were moving side-by-side, a resigned and slightly indignant Edri drifting along in their wake. Samuel glanced over his shoulder at him, a silent question obvious in his expression. Edri grimaced and shook his head, silently refusing to give in to Samuel’s plea. Fine then, Samuel thought. He put on an extra burst of speed, pulling Inka with him. Let’s find out what it is, and get it over with.

It didn’t take him long to figure out exactly what it was. In the center of the city, spread across the large open area that surrounded the giant cathedral, there were several hundred Enari gathered. They were laughing and dancing with each other. Some kind of festival, Samuel thought, his embarrassment mounting when he realized that several of them had changed their appearance slightly, matching his robes exactly. Some had even gone so far as to copy his physical form. Samuel understood what the celebration was for.

“You didn’t get the chance,” he said quietly, repeating Inka’s words from before. “Because I was forced to leave. So now you want to make up for the lost time.”

Before she could reply, a loud chorus of cheers rippled through the air towards them. The citizens had noticed Samuel’s appearance en masse, and they were loudly welcoming him with a roar of celebration and admiration. Whistles rang out from random points in the crowd, and several drifted higher, laughing at the expression of shock on his face. Bewildered, Samuel looked back at Inka, then to Edri.

“Does it have to be so… noisy?” He asked, wincing at the continuous sound of approval. “I’m not too fond of loud noises.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” Edri said at once. He too seemed uncomfortable with the loud proceedings taking place below them. “A mage who specializes in countering magic and creating explosions is complaining about a little cheering. Get over yourself already.”

Despite himself, Samuel grinned at his friend. “Alright. It’s not the first time this has happened to me, so I suppose I can put up with it for a bit.”

“That’s right, you can,” Inka said firmly. She released her grip on his hands and moved behind him, putting her hands gently on his back, shoving him down to the other Enari, several of which were moving up to greet him in person. “Get a move on. You deserve this.”

Samuel begrudgingly let himself drop into the crowd of Enari. Hands reached out to touch him from all directions, to shake his hand, to clap him on the shoulders, or simply to embrace him. There were words of thanks, shouts of praise, and calls for him to dance with them. Despite his discomfort, Samuel grinned shyly, letting himself be pulled into the crowd. Soon, he was drifting in elaborate patterns with the rest, swirling and drifting through the chaos in a complicated pattern.

Samuel danced with the others for what felt like an entire day until he was tired and breathing heavily. It didn’t take any of his natural resources, but moving through Chaos still took fierce concentration for him. There would come a day, he was sure, that he would be able to manage it as easily as breathing, but that day was not today. He was rescued from his grueling duty of dancing by Inka, who plucked him from the crowd as easily as if she’d cast a line out for him.

“Time for your real celebration,” she said coyly, leading him to one of the buildings on the far edge of the central area. “We can make up for lost time now, and you can get some rest.

He obeyed the pressure of her hand without thinking, slipping through the door of the building to see a comfortable bed. Before he could ask any questions or register his shock and doubt about her intentions, he felt her mind touch his own. He allowed the contact, and the connection broadened and deepened until he could barely distinguish where her mind ended and his began. They spent the night in this fashion, joined in body, mind, and soul until the exhaustion finally claimed him completely, and he fell asleep.