A pair of red eyes appeared in the mirror, looking back at me. It was followed by a low ominous voice. “So, the offspring comes to seek me out. I see by your eyes that you have become corrupted.”

“I have not!” I replied in an unintentionally loud voice.

Kalli was also curious about the mirror’s proclamation. Why would it say that?

The mirror continued. “I see it in your eyes. The eyes of your kind never lie. Crimson means you allowed your inner hate to overwhelm you.”

Kalli noticed my eye color for the first time. What happened to your blue eye? It turned red.

I frowned.

That happened right after I thought you died.

It was true. When I thought I’d lost her, I wanted to kill Rasputin all over again. However, it was just a fleeting thought. It wasn’t like all the love in my heart died. Had it? Then again, I did proclaim that if I got Kalli back I’d kill anyone who put her in danger. Kalli sensed my thought and said, Please don’t kill. Not even for me. Not if you can help it.

My heart sank and I realized I’d made up my mind.

I can’t lose you. Not again.

Kalli sighed. There are other ways.

Focusing my attention back on the mirror, I asked, “What exactly do you do?”

The eyes glowed brightly. “I am the reflection that shows everything for what it truly is. Ask me a question and I shan’t lie.”

“Why was I supposed to find you?” I asked, eager to get to the bottom of the mystery.

“Ask yourself that,” the mirror reflected the question. “You sought me.”

“I was told to,” I replied. I couldn’t say by who because Dad might be listening.

“You are mistaken,” the mirror droned. “I am not the artifact you’re looking for.”

“What am I looking for then?” I asked, flustered that I’d broken into Dad’s room for nothing. “Can you at least tell me where to find the artifact I am looking for?”

The red eyes vanished. Kalli asked, Did you break it?

I shrugged.

Maybe it’s thinking.

They returned a moment later, looking slightly dimmer. “The location is hidden. Even from me. You seek that which controls all. It is the base of your father's power and that which is both the beginning and the end. He without a doubt keeps it close. I used most of my stored mana seeking this for you. Please allow me to recharge.”

“Can I help you?” I asked. “I have mana.”

The mirror shuddered. “For me, mana is knowledge. If I absorb your mana, all I will be able to reflect is you.”

“Okay, take all the time you need,” I replied, stuffing the mirror in my fanny pack. It wasn’t like I needed it anymore. The main reason I wanted it was to find Kalli. Then when Aya told me to find an artifact, I’d assumed it was the mirror I was after. Now I had no clue what I was looking for.

Kalli had arrived home during my adventure in Merlin’s room. She was alone in the house, sitting on the couch with her eyes closed while she followed me through our connection. I grinned as an idea came to me.

Do you want to switch places and try dinner? It’s delicious.

Kalli smiled. That sounds like fun, and I’d like to meet Alfred.

So we swapped places again. I found myself alone in the small house. It was still early in the day on Scrap. I knew because Kalli knew that the kids wouldn’t be home from school for a while. Nobody expected her to be home either because she usually worked at the power plant all day.

Do you mind if explore?

Kalli stuck out her tongue, or was it my tongue? Just don’t do anything outrageous. I still have to explain how I pulled that stunt at the power plant.

I laughed.

I’d never do anything outrageous.

Then I wrapped my mana around Kalli’s body and jumped into the void. While Kalli didn’t know how to teleport yet, I did. Being in her body allowed me to explore the orb that was Scrap. As usual, Kalli was in the void with me. Hey! I said don’t do anything outrageous and the first thing you do is something you know I don’t know how to do.

I laughed.

I’m just exploring like I said I was going to.

I didn’t have to worry about Kalli doing anything on Origin. While we were in the void, time flowed differently. I knew my physical body was frozen in my bedroom and Kalli along with it. The Kalli that was with me was the same yet different. She was the Kalli that existed within me, though the experience would flow back into her once we emerged in reality.

Looking at Scrap, it was a fraction of the size of Origin. There were no oceans or large bodies of water. I couldn’t tell where the planet got its water from. Or if it was even big enough to be called a planet. Maybe it was a small moon or a battle station. I zoomed in to see if there was anything inside the planet. Unfortunately, while there were some caves underground, there was no hidden Imperial base. Kalli snickered at me as I explored. Hurry up! I’m hungry.

No, you’re not. Time is literally standing still.

She added a sense of urgency in my mind. Still, I want to try that food. Pick a place already.

I refocused my attention on the various structures on Scrap. For the most part, all I saw were rows of houses separated by a highway that circled the tiny planetoid. There were only a handful of places that were of any interest. I chose one of those. It was a cluster of buildings surrounding one of the planet's only larger buildings. It appeared to be roughly twenty stories in height and entirely covered in glass. I appeared on the roof next to an access door.

Inside was another stairwell. I noticed Kalli started moving as well in my body, collecting Marcelle and Ulli on the way to dinner. Fortunately, she had access to my memories and had no issues finding the dining hall. On the way, she apologized to the girls. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with my father. I should have found another way without involving either of you.”

My immediate reaction was to be mad at Kalli. She didn’t need to apologize as me. I could do that on my own. Surprisingly, Marcelle spoke for the first time since storming off. “Apology accepted, but I’d appreciate it if you put at least a little thought about us into your actions. We don’t have any choice when you do things like that. While he might not get mad at you, things won’t be good for us if you ever leave.”

“I won’t abandon you,” Kalli promised. I found myself agreeing with that sentiment.

“Do you promise?” Ulli squeaked, her voice was barely audible.

Kalli smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You have my word. Wherever we go, you go.”

“We?” Marcelle asked, looking concerned.

Kalli gasped, a feminine sound I didn’t usually make. “Oops, I meant wherever I go. Sorry, I’m just really hungry.”

Marcelle raised an eyebrow but said nothing. I walked down flights of stairs as Kalli entered the dining hall. They made their way to my private table where Achemes the chef was already wading through the other tables to get there. Kalli’s mouth watered as she smelled the wonderful food we had every day in the tower. My stomach rumbled. Kalli’s body was hungry.

I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything to eat.

She giggled. It’s fine. You have to deal with the pain. I get to go on a free diet. Just make sure you take me home before you swap back.

I poked my head in on each floor as I descended. Most of the floors looked like offices. Some of the floors had an open floor plan and cubicles that were largely occupied. Others had private offices, most of which had their doors closed. I realized belatedly that I should have come in through the main entrance so I could see what the building actually was. Then I found the elevator.

Floor 1

Lobby

Floor 2

Reception

Floor 3

Day Care

Floor 4

Medical Wing

Floor 5

Spa and Fitness

Floor 6-10

News Offices

Floor 11-15

Research and Development

Floor 16-20

Governor’s Offices

Armed with new information, I decided I didn’t want to just barge in on the governor. I had no reason to disrupt anything. The fun option would be to check out the Spa, so I selected floor 5. The elevator descended smoothly. I supposed that had something to do with it being powered by magic.

DING

The door slid open and I stepped out. A woman in a white uniform smiled as I approached. “Good afternoon, Miss Kalliphae. Welcome to the Central building. Are you here to visit the Spa? Step through the door on the left." I mutely did as instructed and walked down a narrow corridor to a changing room. My eyes widened and then my vision went black. When it returned, I found myself holding a drumstick of some exotic bird. Kalli had swapped us back by force. Judging from the lack of sensory perception from her end, she was blocking me again. Even though I knew the answer, I had to ask.

What happened? You changed back.

She growled at me. Why did you walk into a room full of naked women? I wanted to eat that. You better keep the connection open so I can at least know what it tastes like.

You can keep the connection open on your side too, you know.

Once again, I already knew the answer. No, I can’t! You’ll be lucky if I ever let you use my body again.

She blushed when I thought about various ways of using her body. I didn’t mean it like that!

I sighed.

I know, but I can dream, right?

She laughed and replied. No, you can’t!

Kalli made me try one of everything. She wanted to know what all the food tasted like, even the stuff I didn’t like. While she kept her vision blocked, she did let me experience the soothing sensation of the Spa as she soaked in mineral water. Everybody seemed to know who she was, and they all loved her. She had that effect on everybody. It was a skill I’d never developed. Kalli had some advice when I dwelled on it. You could try being nicer to everyone.

I groaned.

I’m nice!

Kalli gave me a knowing smile. How about you treat everyone like they were me?

I thought about that and she continued. No! I don’t want you to kiss everyone. Just try smiling and acting like you’re happy when you see them. You have natural charm when you choose to use it.

I tried smiling at Ulli. She got a dreamy look in her eyes and smiled back. Kalli sighed. Okay, maybe don’t try smiling too much at that girl. She’s lovesick.

After dinner, I made plans for the next couple of days. With no clear direction for the artifact I was looking for and having already found Kalli, we needed to come up with some things to do. Kalli planned on looking for another job, so I decided to show her around Origin during my free time. There was just one other thing I needed to explain. I hadn’t thought about it since I was reunited with her. She knew everything the moment it entered my mind. Melvin, what is that candle? Did you travel in time?