(The Unicorn, December 24th,2046)

Level 104,879,885, I thought as floated under the event Horizon of The Unicorn Black hole. Also, 57 million in each attribute? Those numbers were so high that well, what the hell did attributes that high even mean?. I calmed myself and focused. I had work to do, and I needed to get to it. I opened the Cosmic Interface and noted some new functionality as the ‘Owner’ of this Cosmos. It looked like I could change the name if I wanted as well as make some other tweaks and adjustments. I knew what I was looking for and went to work.

The first thing I did was unlock access to magic for myself throughout the Cosmos.

NOTE: You have unlocked access to Magic for yourself in this cosmos.

Warning! Ambient Mana in this Cosmos is set to 0% except in designated areas. Mana cannot regenerate in areas with Ambient Mana less than 25%. To regenerate mana, you will need to return to areas of a higher mana density. Your personal Mana will reduce by 1% of your maximum mana per hour.

NOTE: Fundamental Ability Confluence detected. Normal Mana regeneration rates apply to you in all areas of this Cosmos. Now that Access to Magic has been unlocked, you may utilize Magic Normally.

I reviewed my Personal information and did some quick math. It would take me approximately 2 minutes and 29 seconds to refill my entire mana pool normally, though I had never actually utilized 3 million mana within a second so I doubted that I’d ever need to worry about it. Confluence also explained why I hadn’t lost any mana when I’d first appeared back here. I couldn’t access it, but the ability kept me topped off. That was a very useful ability to have.

The next thing I did was look at the settings to release mana back into the Cosmos, then I paused. A scene from the movie ‘Ironman’ came into my mind’s eye. I remembered when Tony Stark had set his Thrusters to 10% for the first test. That had gone horribly wrong, though it was funny as hell when he slammed into the ceiling and his robot doused him with a fire extinguisher. With that thought, I paused what I was about to do and checked my internal clock again, it was Christmas Eve after all.

I found out where my parents were, which surprised me. It seemed that in the 10 years I’d been gone, Thor had been a bit busy. There was now a Colony Habitat in orbit near Earth. Technically it wasn’t near Earth, it was on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, and it was huge. Thor had gone with the cylindrical shape, making it with a 10-mile diameter and about 50 miles long which allowed for a docking port at the center and a very large surface area along the inside where different families had their residences. Almost like my Dyson sphere idea but on a much smaller scale.

My parents, Abi, and Desirae were all gathered for Christmas Dinner and were just making small talk. I contacted Thor.

“Thor, you haven’t told them I’m back yet?” I asked.

“I did not see the point. If I had they’d have wanted to contact you immediately. We needed to synchronize and then you decided to head out. I calculated that the best course of action would be just to wait.”

“Good point. Well, it’s Christmas. I think I’m going to head in and surprise them.

“Very good Adam, give me a second…

Thor stopped speaking as I teleported directly into the living room where my parents, Abi, and Desirae, and now Desirae’s throwing knife as it streaked towards my eye, sat. She was quick, I’m sure no one else had even seen her move. I caught the knife lightly. “It’s nice to see you too Desirae,” I said.

“Johnathan!” my mom explained

“Johnathan!” my dad said right after.

Abi the practical one, sent me a ping through our nanites, “Jonathan?”

“Yes, it’s me I’m here,” I responded verbally to my parents and privately to Abi through my nanites.

Desirae walked over and took the knife which I handed back to her. “Didn’t you miss me too, Desirae?” I asked teasingly.

“I wouldn’t have if you weren’t so damn fast,” she said. “Nice catch”

“Nice Throw, it would have gone right through my left eye if I hadn’t caught it.”

“That was the plan.”

My mom looked back and forth between Desirae and me. “Ray, honey, you never said you knew Johnathan?” she asked.

“That was my idea,” Abi said.” I didn’t think your son’s history with Ray would matter, as we didn’t know when he’d return.”

“Our history doesn’t matter. It would seem that I have Ray to thank for keeping you too safe these last eight years.” I looked at Desirae and said with genuine appreciation, “Thank you Ray”

“You are quite welcome. While we might have gotten off on the wrong foot I can honestly say that the magical accident was the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. But it’s Christmas. Does anyone have some ridiculously strong alcoholic drink I can partake of, or do I have to make it myself?”

We just have Thor make whatever we want,” my dad said.

“Well then lets try something a little bit unorthodox.” I Accessed my magic and made my intentions known, as I conjured a bottle of Fey wine. My nanites had never been able to get the magic of that right. Magic on the other hand could make it perfectly. I had the nanites produce glasses and poured some Fey wine into each glass. Desirae watched me, then took a glass and sniffed it.

“Is this Fey wine?” Desirae asked.

“Why yes, yes it is,” I said smugly.

“And you conjured it with actual magic and not your technology?”

“Yep.”

“Is magic back?

“Yes and No. Yes, it could be back, no it is not yet for anyone save me. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to discuss with everyone. But not tonight. Tonight, is Christmas Eve and it has been a very long time since I’ve been home.”

“It’s only been 10 years,” his mom said.

“Here it has only been 10 years. For me, it has been much, much longer.”

My dad picked up his glace of Fey wine, sniffed it, then asked, “What is Fey Wine?”

Both Desirae and I laughed as I picked up my glass as if in toast and waited for everyone to do the same. Once they’d gotten their glasses I said, “To new friends and family. May we always remember what’s important”

“They aren’t going to remember much of anything after they drink this,” Desirae muttered under her breath, just loud enough that I heard her.

“As for what Fey Wine is Dad. Fey wine is the nectar of the Gods that was allegedly created by the Elves where Desirae is from. Moonshine has nothing on this stuff.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” my dad said as he put his glass to his mouth and took a drink.

I woke the next morning with a vague recollection of what had happened the night before. It would seem that Fey wine could put a dent in anyone’s constitution, no matter how high it was. I’d have to remember that going forward. My nanites had ensured that I didn’t have a hangover, so I moved to crawl out of the bed I was in. I’d made my way to one of the guest bedrooms in the early morning. As I was getting out of bed, I heard movement behind me and looked over my shoulder to find Desirae sprawled out on the other side of a pillow that had blocked my view. While my mind might be foggy, my nanites weren’t. I checked the history and sure enough, I’d been either a genius or an idiot, depending on how you looked at it. Also, as I reviewed the Athleticism Desirae and I had displayed last night I would categorize what had happened as angry sex. Also, it had been all about her.

I stopped reviewing our ‘personal combat’ and had my nanites freshen me up and replicate my clothes back onto me and break down the originals, wherever they’d ended up. I was being lazy sure but nanites just made showering, shaving, and getting dressed easy. As I stood Desirae turned over and said, “Off already?”

“Just heading downstairs. I thought I’d let you sleep in”

“Thank you but I’m good,” she said as she stood on her side of the bed and said, “Thor, if you’d please?” Which resulted in her getting the same treatment I’d just had. Freshened up and fully dressed. She looked over at me and asked, “Last night isn’t going to make us awkward now, is it?

“Nope, I have sex with someone that was trying to kill me all the time. It’s a long list with lots of company,” I said sardonically.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a little weird”

“No, it won’t and if while I’m still around you’d like to get together again, just have Thor ask if I’m available. I had fun, at least the parts I can remember.

“Me too,” she said. “Though, I have to ask, is it me or are you stronger than you were before, the few times I pushed on or pulled you, you felt unmovable.”

“Let’s just say that I’ve had an upgrade. After Breakfast I plan to talk to Thor, Abi, mom, dad, and you about everything that’s happened. You’ll get a better feel for what you felt last night and understand it a bit more.”

She nodded, turned, and walked towards the door. I followed her down from the 2nd-floor loft back to the kitchen and dining room where we grabbed some coffee and breakfast. I didn’t need to eat, but bacon and eggs sounded really good so I tucked in and ate my breakfast. While we were eating and making small talk Abi, then Mom, and Dad joined us.

“What the hell is in that Fey wine?” my dad asked.

“Magic,” I said.

“Well, whatever it is, without your little gadgets inside us, I think I might still be unconscious,” my mom said.

“I know what you mean,” I said. “My first encounter with Fey wine was when I wasn’t much stronger than Desirae. It knocked me on my ass. Now, I get a really good buzz. It’s one of the few things that do that for me anymore.”

They all sat down, grabbed some breakfast and we finished eating as I told them about what I’d been through and where I’d been. I also told them where they were now. How the Universe’s magic was tied up and my thought to open the Universe back up to magic. I also mentioned that I thought that there was something after death.

“So, you’re sure that when we die, we’re not going to be destroyed?” my mom asked.

“Out of Everything I just told you, that’s what you’re worried about mom asked.

“It’s a valid concern”

“Yes mom, the thing that was eating souls and destroying them is gone. I made sure. I’m more concerned with the baseline question of if I should allow magic back into this Universe or if I should leave things as they are.”

“You can really go into a black hole and just sit there?” my dad asked.

“Yep, but really they’re just magic sinks. Places that ambient magic that would form within this Universe is collected and shunted out of the Cosmos.”

“So, what are you here to ask us about?” Abi asked

“Well, I have the ability to bring magic back into this universe. However, as I just described to you, when that is done to quickly, there are side effects and bad things happen. Unfortunately, I don’t know what will be ‘too fast’ if we add magic back into the Cosmos.”

“Humanity will adapt, we always do,” my father said.

“Or we don’t and billions upon billions will die. Also, this isn’t just about humanity. The Universe is a big place and if the data I’ve reviewed from Thor is any indicator, there is a lot of life throughout this Universe. There could even be Type III Civilizations that exist somewhere out there.”

“Type III Civilizations?” my mother asked.

“There’s a scale called the Kardashev Scale. Type 1 would be similar to us before Thor came along. Right now, we’re type II. Type three will be when we occupy more than one galaxy. There’s also a technological component for the scale but I’m trying to keep things simple.”

“Okay, so why do you care about other races so much?” Desirae asked.

“Did I forget to tell you all about the part where I basically ascended to the highest level of God there is in Desirae’s Universe?”

“You did what?” Desirae asked with wonder in her voice. “Are you a God now?”

“No, I’m not a ‘God’ now. But when you become a divine, or god, you take on a purpose. Even though I’m not a God here, by whatever powers there are that I will have to make peace with when I finally decide to go through ‘The Eye’ I’m pretty sure I need to stay true to the purpose I chose.”

“What purpose did you choose?” my father asked.

“Natural Selection.”

“Natural Selection you say. Well, it would seem to me that if that is your purpose then you truly only have one choice son. While I’ve never seen ‘magic’ as you call it, it sounds like it is a natural part of all or most Cosmos. It also sounds like the lack of Magic here is being enforced Artificially. Therefore, you should bring magic back into the Universe,” My dad said.

“Mom?”

“What your dad said.” My mom said.

“Abi?”

“Does this mean that someday I’ll be able to reconnect to the Labyrinth?” Abi asked.

“Actually, that’s the other thing I needed to tell you about. There is a Labyrinth, it would seem that the one you were sent to me from was from an alternate Universe that no longer exists. So yes you’ll be able to connect to the Labyrinth again. It might even remember you, but it will not be the Labyrinth that spawned you.”

“That sounds convoluted,” Abi said.

“I know right?”

“Well, I like magic so that’s a yes from me?” Abi said

“Desirae?”

“I get a say?”

“Yes, you do. Of everyone here, you have the most experience in such an environment.” I said.

“What if I don’t like the person I was, and I like the person I’ve become more?”

“There’s no going back to Primore. That iteration is gone and inaccessible. Truth be told, I don’t even know if adding magic back to this Universe will allow it to connect to the Labyrinth. What I do know is that Dungeons and Monsters will exist again. What you do when magic returns will be up to you.”

Desirae tilted her head left and right, muttered something incomprehensible then said, “Sure why not?”

“That leaves you, Thor,” I said out loud so everyone could hear me.

“As Magic returns my functionality will digress and eventually my abilities will fade altogether? That will cause both Abi and I to cease functioning,” Thor said.

“I had thought of that. I was going to upgrade Abi and you to a version of Nanites that I carry. Though, I think I’m going to limit them to remain personal. Eventually, the nanites that exist will be reabsorbed back into the Universe and all that will be left of that technology will be inside us.”

“Natural Selection for the rest of Humanity?” Thor asked.

“Exactly! Now that I know there is something beyond this existence working to keep people alive forever seems to be counterproductive. Also, doing so is counter to the purpose I’ve chosen.” I said.

“Then I see no issues with your idea or proposal,” Thor said.

“So how fast do we bring magic back?” I asked.

“My suggestion would be slowly, very slowly,” Desirae said.

“I believe that if through your interface you can adjust the settings to allow for 1 tenth of 1 percent ambient mana increase throughout the Universe per week. That should be slow enough that creatures throughout the Universe should be able to adapt,” Thor said.

“So, increase the ambient magic of the Universe by 1% every 10 weeks. That sounds possible. 1,000 weeks to get to 100% saturation. So just over 19 years and 12 weeks. Everyone’s personal interface should come online long before there.”

“When will you make the change?” My dad asked.

“Well, the first thing I need to do is convert some of the nanites I have so that those I trust and that are close to me, in addition to Abi and Thor, can still have nanites in their bodies. While others will not get much of a choice making sure my family and close friends have the very best possibility for survival shouldn’t upset those that may judge me in the future too bad. Also, I’ve been running and moving, going from one crisis to the next since I left. I think I might take a break and go visit parts of the Galaxy that Thor has discovered that seem odd. Simple answer, not today. Long answer, sometime within the next year.”

“That sounds fine Johnathan,” My mom said. “We’d love to spend some time with you as well.

“I missed you too Mom. Now if you’ll all excuse me. I’m going to go take care of one of the tasks I have before I go galivanting across the Milky Way,” I said as I stood, opened a portal to Nu Draconis, and stepped through to my office there. I had a little work to do before I could head out.