Morgan stared at the letter Veronica gave him. Staring was all he could do with the magical energy the witch had enchanted it with keeping it sealed shut.

"Why don't you just stop staring and open it?” George asked.

The fisherman sat in his recliner on the other end of the living room, remote in his hand. For the first time that afternoon, he pried his eyes away from the TV to glance Morgan’s way. The hero smiled as he tucked the letter into his pocket.

"I’ll have to do it later. I promised somebody I'd wait until tomorrow morning before opening it,” he said. “It's supposed to be a 'surprise.'"

"Is this ‘surprise’ why you're leaving first thing in the morning?" Linda said, arriving in the room with the lunch in hand.

"Well, I planned on leaving today but George told me no, so…"

"Eh, it's already the afternoon,” George said as his wife handed him his sandwich. “No point in rushing to go. I mean, you already ate breakfast and slept almost through the whole day, so you might as well stick around until tomorrow morning.”

Morgan became a bit flustered. He hadn't intended on falling into slumber as he did after breakfast, but the moment he got back to his guest room, it was as if all the fatigue he had been going through since arriving back on Earth ambushed him. By the time he woke up after just eating breakfast, the sun had died its hue orange and was already beginning to sink.

His letter had yet to disenchant itself, leaving him to wait a few more hours. He had several pieces of clothing that George had given him which he had stuffed bulkily into a duffle bag that George had given him as well. All of it sat in the hallway near the door; out of the way of anyone trying to get in or out, but still allowing for a quick exit in the morning. Morgan would have honestly left shortly after waking but George insisted, and Linda was content to just let the whole thing roll over after realizing that Morgan was in fact not a drug-addicted, suspicious 20-something. He was just a homeless one.

The homeless one watched the Atchisons’ enjoy their lunch and beer, none of which he had his own share. The Madame of the house had not left the hero out not out of callousness on the wife’s part; at least, not fully. She had, reluctantly but still politely, asked Morgan if he wanted something to eat, and he had told her no. The idea of imposing on the couple any more than he already had simply didn’t sit right with him. Morgan hadn’t regretted rejecting the offer. His appetite was not like a normal person’s. Even before arriving in Validar, he could go for long lengths of time on low portions of food. His father became alarmed at how little he ate and worried about his nutrition, not realizing that his half-Fae son could easily go a day or two on nothing but an apple, a bag of chips, and a single bottle of water with ease. After mastering Quintessence, he, like other Quintessence masters, could go days after a single fulfilling meal. And that was ‘earthly’ races like humans, dwarves, and mermen. Pure-blooded ‘celestial’ races like elves and fae could go for whole months and, in the most remarkable individuals, entire years of a single day’s consumption. Morgan was not at that level, but he rarely got hungry for a long time after eating.

‘…I could still go for a snack though,” he thought.

It had been years since he had something so sweet, crunchy, or salty as could be found at a regular convenience store on Earth. What would it hurt to go and taste some old treats he enjoyed when he was a kid?

"Going for another walk?" George asked as he watched Morgan get up.

"Just headed to the store.”

Linda furrowed her brow. "With what money?

From his pocket, Morgan withdrew a single $10 bill.

“I found this while out jogging earlier,” he said.

It was terribly worn out from weather and vehicles on the highway going over it, but Lincoln was still visible enough for him to (probably) be usable at a convenience store.

"Uh... You want me to trade you me for a better lookin' Abe?" George asked while reaching for his wallet.

"Nah, it'll be fine. I'll be back."

Morgan headed outside, his brain abuzz with nostalgic thoughts as he started in direction of the nearest store.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

"Man, I haven't tried any of these in forever…”

Morgan was crouching in the candy aisle of the gas station, glazing his beaming eyes over all the old brands he hadn’t seen since he was fourteen. He thought nothing of them when he was a boy, but spending a decade apart from them made his sweet tooth remember just how much he missed them. He hated that he could only afford so few though. Ten dollars in 2022 just didn’t have the same mileage as it did in 2012. He could have snatched them and tucked them away in his pockets, but that was out of the question. If his ethics refused him to take a free sandwich from the Atchisons, there was no way it was going to allow him to steal something at the store like a mischievous teen, even if was only worth $1.50. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Unfortunately, Morgan’s moral compass was not a universally shared one.

“Open up the register! Do it!”

Morgan cocked a brow as he rose his head up from the candy aisle. The person yelling had been a masked man brandishing a pistol at the cashier.

“Okay, okay! J-just don’t shoot!” the employee pleaded.

“If you don’t wanna get shot, open the damn register!”

The hapless worker, with one hand up, tried opening the register, but they shook too frantically to do it with the speed the robber wanted. He came closer and pushed the gun even further into the worker’s face.

"Hurry up!" he snapped, pushing the gun even further into their face.

Morgan blinked. 'Has crime gotten worse in Washington? I did hear about that serial killer the other day, but we’ve got armed robberies when the sun hasn't even finished going down too?’

Morgan shook his head at the criminal’s gall as stood.

While calmly approaching the scene he said "Hey, man. Is what you’re doing really a good idea?”

The masked man whipped his head to the side, shocked that somebody besides the cashier and himself was still in the store. He took his gun off the cashier and aimed it at Morgan, just as the hero wanted.

"Stay your ass still if you don't wanna get blasted!" the masked criminal barked.

"C'mon, there's no need for all this. I bet the register doesn't even have that much money. Seriously, man, this isn't a bank."

"I'm not fucking around! Take another step and I’ll---"

It was in mid-sentence that the robber realized his gun was no longer in his hand. The one he had been pointing it at, Morgan, was now holding it in a reverse grip. The robber looked again at his empty hand in shock. His mystified mind tried in vain to piece together how Morgan had even gotten close enough to tear the pistol from his grasp in the first place, let alone take it without him noticing. He hadn't even seen his action occur. One moment the gun was his and then it simply wasn't.

"Feel like calming down now?" Morgan asked.

It was now the robber who put his hands up, his robbery attempt having blown up in his face completely. Morgan had no intention of shooting him, but the masked man didn’t know that and the hero felt no need to reassure him. The situation seemed resolved when Morgan heard somebody entering the store.

"Hey, what the hell's taking you so long, man?" a second masked man asked while storming in.

He looked upon the seen laid out before him, befuddled.

“Damn. He had a partner,” Morgan muttered.

The second burglar whipped out his own firearm and pointed it at Morgan.

"Are you shittin' me? How'd you let that dude steal your gun?!”

"I dunno! He just... took it!"

Morgan put up his empty hand. "Look, just settle down. Nobody has to get hurt."

"Only one who's gonna be hurt is you if you don't give him his gun back!" the burglar at the entrance snapped.

Morgan sighed. All he wanted was a few snacks. Maybe a bag of chips too. Why did stuff like this always happen when he tried to do innocuous things? It was just as bad back on Earth as it was when he was still in Validar.

'I could clear the distance and snap his wrist before he pulls the trigger, but if he fires before I make it, he might hit the cashier. I've got a gun too, but I've never fired one so I'd probably miss. Maybe I could just throw it at him?'

Seeing the second burglar's finger begin to squeeze, Morgan made up his mind to act. But before he could take a step or the burglar could act, the gun detonated into a miniature explosion in the burglar's grasp. It was small enough that the criminal still had all his fingers, but all of them suffered burns and were caused to bleed not just from the explosion but from the gun's shrapnel.

"S-shit!" he swore. "W-why did my gun just-"

Before he could finish, Morgan took the other robber by the neck like he was poultry he was trying to strangle, and flung him into his partner. The pair collided head-first and hit the ground together unconscious. Morgan let out a sigh of relief while laying the first burglar’s gun on the store counter.

“What happened to that other guy’s gun though?”

The answer came when a third person entered the store, walking over the duo on the floor. In his hand was a wand, something that was just a piece of cosplay or decoration on earth, but in Validar was an essential tool for many spellcasters. Morgan could even sense the subtle magical energy that came from it. Unlike the criminals on the floor, the face of the wand’s owner wasn’t covered, but his face was still very familiar. And from the look he gave the Chosen One, it was obvious he recognized Morgan just as well.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I was going for,” he said. “The gun was just supposed to fall to pieces, not explode. That’s a lack of practice for you…”

Morgan found himself breathless. The Danniths were a shock. Veronica nearly gave him a heart attack, but the tall bespectacled man before him briefly caused the world around the hero to turn into a blur.

“Morgan, it’s been a while,” he said, bringing the Chosen One back to Earth.

Morgan shook his head while a broad smile stretched across his face. “Niam… I can’t believe it.”

The pair exchanged elated looks until they noticed that the cashier was on the phone with the police.

“…We’ll just get out here.”

“Wait a minute,” the cashier said. “You wanted to buy something, right?”

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

“I can’t believe he let me take whatever I could fit in this bag!” Morgan exclaimed as he and Niam walked out into the parking lot together.

Chips, candy, and a few beers and sodas were all he took. The cashier insisted he could take a second bag, but Morgan was more than satisfied with the plunder he received.

"Thanks for getting these beers for me, by the way,” Niam said while cracking one open. “Don’t know why, but that store is the only one on this side of Tacoma that still keeps this brand in stock.”

"You deserve it. The cashier didn’t realize it because he couldn’t recognize magic, but you really helped me out back there. Somebody might have gotten seriously hurt if it wasn’t for you."

"Not you though?"

Morgan snorted. "C'mon, man.”

Niam chuckled while pushing up his glasses. It was just a jest. It was plainly obvious that a Validaran with a mastery of either magic or Quintessence, let alone someone with both like Morgan, possessed no real threat from anyone on Earth. A Quintessence user’s superhuman feats and a spellcaster’s reality-defying magic left them capable of overcoming or subverting the majority of conventional Earthling threats. Even Quintessence users or spellcasters weaker than Morgan like Quinn and Renee could run rough-shod over a conventional military force. Quinn could demolish a whole tank squadron single-handedly in minutes and Renee could shoot down or outright 'catch' a barrage of guided missiles. In fact, the Dannith sisters could easily conquer a small country if they felt like it.

“But yeah, I can’t believe you were attacked by the Dannith sisters as soon as you get back to Earth. And you even ran into the Dragon Witch of Oblivion,” Niam said. “That’s some terrible luck, man.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’m surprised you never ran into them though.”

“I don’t go out looking for Validarans and hope they do the same for me. I’m sure there are some of them who want blood since I was a friend of yours for so long. Plus, there’s all the Hero Slayer stuff. I just want to keep my neck clear of it and just live the rest of my new life.”

“You know about these Hero Slayer guys too?

“Yeah, and I want nothing to do with them. Regardless of what happened on Validar, you’re still my friend. I’m not going to join any coalition after your life just because of some goofy grudge.”

Morgan took a bite of some chocolate. Even though he and Niam were talking and catching up like this, the bespectacled spellcaster, just like the Dannith sisters, had been someone who met death by his hand. The circumstances were completely different, but the blow that ultimately took Niam’s life came from the Chosen One.

“Anyway, I’ve got to head,” Niam said, throwing the beer can away.

He pulled out his chip key and unlocked the door to his vehicle – a slick Audi. Its model was too new for Morgan to be familiar with, but he didn’t need to do more than look to know an expensive car when he saw one.

A bit awed, the hero asked “How’d you manage to get a ride like this?”

“Paid off fully with a surgeon’s salary.”

“You married a surgeon?”

Niam gave the hero a look. “I am a surgeon. I got my M.D. just a few years ago.”

Morgan’s eyes widened as he watched his friend enter his vehicle. Apparently, Niam had been spending his years on Earth very well. It made sense, Niam was a genius – one of the few young spellcasters besides himself and Phoebe that Cerdric saw prodigious talent in. He was brilliant in almost everything he attempt outside of magic as well. That he would be as effortlessly successful in America as he was in his home world wasn’t too much of a surprise, but it still felt strange to see Niam hop into an Audi.

The window rolled down and Niam gave Morgan an expectant look.

“Why aren’t you going to get in?” he asked.

“Didn’t know you wanted me to.”

“Yeah, get on in,” Niam said, cracking another beer. “We can head over to my place for a minute.”

Morgan made a face. “While you’re drinking and driving?”

“This is only my second one today, man. Relax. I’ll only swerve a little bit.”

Morgan snorted as he got into the front seat. He knew the Atchisons wouldn’t mind him staying out a few hours longer. They didn’t even know which store it was he was going to. The two pulled out from the store parking lot and rode off just as they heard police sirens coming from the opposite direction, later than either Morgan or Niam would have predicted they would have. How lucky the cashier had been that the pair had been there when they were.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

“Holy shit, dude… This is where you live?”

“Nah, I just like using the drive-in” Niam joked while locking his car behind him.

It was quite the abode for a bachelor in his 20s. The whole neighborhood looked nice, but from what he saw from the few neighbors of Niam’s, they were all older married couples. That someone so young could afford a place like this on a single income must have shocked the rest of the neighborhood as much as it did Morgan.

“Come on inside,” the bachelor said as he unlocked the door.

The hero did so and became even more awestruck than before. Niam’s kitchen was about the size of the Atchisons’ living room, and his living room was about the size of the rest of their house.

“Damn, Niam. You really got yourself a hell of a place.”

“If we had met up earlier, I would have let you crash over here.”

“Meh. Don’t worry about it. I doubt I’ll be staying in Tacoma much longer anyway.”

“Why’s that? You think it’s going to be something in that letter Veronica gave you?”

“Probably,” Morgan said while plopping down on his friend’s extremely comfortable couch. “Speaking of Veronica: How you talked to recently.”

Niam made a face. “Are you insane? I don’t want anything to do with that woman. I’ve run into her once since I’ve been on Earth, and that was all the exposure I needed.”

“Hmm. Did you meet her Washington?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“It’s just… You’re the fifth Validaran I’ve met on Earth so far, and I’ve only been back for two days. It’s weird how there are so many of you guys in my home state. Is Validarans living in Washington common?”

“Eh. I don’t think so. I’ve traveled a bit, and I’ve met some in other states too, but less than a dozen. I’ve never met any outside the United States, and the only ones I’ve met in Washington besides Veronica was a chance encounter with Marko Dannith. He didn’t do anything but glare though. I think your meetings so far have just been coincidence.”

Morgan hummed thoughtfully while Niam left for the room for something. He cracked open a beer and munched on his snacks while he looked around at the nice household. It was not a mansion, but it wasn’t a home that someone who made under six figures annually, or even biannually, could ever hope to live in. It was quite the good life Niam had been forging. Even accounting for magic, for the Validaran to have done so much in only a decade further proved how much of a genius he really was.

But still, he couldn’t forget why a wizard as bright as Niam had died to begin with. The fatal mistake that caused a well-intentioned ‘experiment’ of his to go completely out of his control, and that led to Morgan, his friend, having to take his life.

The Chosen One shook his head “Whatever. It’s old news.”

It was when he finally turned on the television that he heard a crunching sound and heat around the hand that held the snack. The hero looked at his hand and saw that his snack had been mostly eaten with a single bite. Morgan looked over his should and spotted standing over him the culprit. It was a beautiful young woman with skin so pale it looked like she had slept in a coffin for the past few days. Initially, she stared at the bewildered hero idly while she chewed on his food. But then, after swallowing and cocking her head to the side like a child, she said one word.

“…Food?”

Morgan blinked. “…What?”

“Food.”

Her pupil and iris were consumed by the whiteness of her sclera as entropic magical energy started to rise from her. Morgan suddenly realized why the girl looked like she was fresh from the grave: because she actually was.

“Zombie!” was all the hero could get out before having to nimbly roll away just before the undead girl tried to take a chomp out of him.

What she took a large chunk out of instead was the couch he had been sitting on. Despite none of her teeth looking especially sharp, they tore a large chunk from the furniture with ease. She then gazed at Morgan with her white eyes while she chewed. Not finding it to her taste, she let the debris fall clumsily from her mouth.

lumbering toward him.

“Food…” she moaned as she began lumbering toward Morgan.

Morgan was about to use his magic to set her aflame, the quickest and most efficient method of killing a lesser undead like her. Before he could, Niam got between the two and embraced the girl.

“Rose, I told you to stay in your room!” Niam exclaimed.

Rose looked at him blankly before taking a bite out of him like she had tried to do with Morgan. Unlike the giant bone-crushing chump she attempted to deliver to the hero, she gave Niam a playful nibble like a teething puppy would its parent. Her eyes also returned to normal. Niam sighed as she watched him chew and drool over his sleeve. He then looked back at his old friend who was wearing an extremely severe expression on his face.

“Morgan… I know what this looks like,” the surgeon said. “And I already know what you’re thinking.”

“That you haven’t learned a damn thing in ten years? Because that’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

Niam Summerbelle, the young genius who could do no wrong, committed a single irreparable mistake in his life – he became a necromancer.