I rushed through dinner, much to Kalli’s dismay. She couldn’t argue that either of us were hungry. She’d just eaten and I was still stuffed from the breakfast. Still, I humored her by trying a few desserts before shuffling off to bed. Ulli caught my arm as I ducked under the curtain leading to my room. “No playing with that candle tonight!”

“I’m going straight to bed,” I promised with a yawn.

The problem with falling asleep is you can never do it when you want to. We tossed and turned restlessly for about an hour before finally nodding off. The first thing I noticed in the dream world wasn’t Kalli. It was the golden ball of light that seemed to be growing.

What was it that you named her? Sindra?

Kalli scoffed. Please tell me you didn’t forget the name of your future daughter.

How do you know it’s a girl? Isn’t that a biological thing?

She rolled her eyes. I can tell. It’s a Mother thing.

We followed the light while it zipped from one place to another, sometimes on my side of the bond, and sometimes on Kalli’s. If there was a wall that had been keeping us apart, Sindra didn’t seem to notice.

After a while, we wound up in the bed made of fluff. I snuggled up to her and asked, “Did you make this bed?”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “No. I thought you did.”

I picked up a ball of fluff, watching it dissipate in my hands. “That’s strange. I wonder where it came from.”

Kalli giggled. “We needed a bed and one appeared. Isn’t that how dreams work?”

“What if I need a toilet?” I asked with a smirk on my face.

“Don’t even think about it,” Kalli muttered, shoving me playfully.

Just as falling asleep had taken forever, spending the night in Kalli’s arms went by way too fast. I woke up earlier than usual. I tried to fall back asleep but it was no use. We were up for the day.

Kalli laughed at me as she stretched luxuriously in her bed. Don’t worry about sleep so much. You’re only anxious because we’ve been apart for so long. After a few nights, it will feel normal.

I grumbled as I got up and made my way to the bathroom. To my surprise, Marcelle was already up and standing watch by the door. The only sign of Ulli was snoring coming from her room. Kalli and I chatted while we went about our morning routines.

What are you going to do today?

She yawned. I’m going to see if Lavender needs any help and then maybe look for another job. I don’t want to sit around all day. Especially if I can’t come to Origin. How about you?

That was a good question. What was I going to do? I was at the mercy of Viola when it came to finding a safe room. While I could pop over and ask her if she was ready, it hadn’t been a full day yet. I knew I still needed to search for the artifact but I was running out of places to look.

I decided to start the day with some exercise. After making my way to the park, I went through elemental and emotional training while trying to think of various things Merlin might use as a system-encompassing artifact. Did he use a computer? That would be the most logical place to keep one. Or perhaps a smartphone?

Getting an idea, I took out the M-Phone. “PAA? Are you in there? Do you have access to the network on this planet?”

The tinny voice of the phone responded. “Unfamiliar network detected. Attempting to connect. Connection successful.”

“Excellent,” I said before turning my attention back to PAA. “Can you get me a list of all documented artifacts on Origin?”

“Generating,” PAA droned, and a list appeared on the screen.

It was a lot longer than I expected it would be with twenty-three pages of results. After going through a few pages, I noticed a problem. “Can you sort by ownership?”

“Yes,” PAA replied, altering the menu. “Do you have a specific owner in mind?”

“Yes!” I bellowed. “Give me Merlin.”

“Error,” PAA droned in its emotionless voice. “No records found.”

The image on the screen mirrored what I’d just heard in bold red print. I scratched my head, trying to think of a way to get the data I needed. Taking out the artifact mirror I’d borrowed from Merlin, I asked, “Can you scan this and tell me about it?”

A red laser emitted from the top of the M-Phone and scanned the mirror. The phone beeped and PAA announced its findings. “Unknown artifact detected. Unknown power. Owner is unknown. Would you like to go on record as the owner of this artifact?”

Another dead end. I sighed, holding my head in my hands as I tried desperately to think. Kalli offered a suggestion. Ask about the system.

“What can you tell me about the system?” I asked, wondering if PAA would know about the existence of an artifact.

“More information is needed to answer that question,” PAA replied diligently. “Please specify which system you are referring to.”

“The system,” I said. “The one that governs everybody’s classes and skills.”

A wall of text appeared on the screen with PAA giving a summary. “The existence of The System has been widely debated over the years. Compared to computers and modern-day video games, there have been reports of people seeing or hearing illusions of various forms containing information about their current state of being. Not much can be confirmed as the information is typically private and no two people seem to be alike.”

“Is there a central computer or artifact that governs the system?” I asked hopefully.

PAA emitted a grinding sound. “There is no information on a computer or artifact in relation to the system.”

“Where can I learn more about the system?” I asked.

Another list populated the screen. “There are a series of bibliographies of Scholars and Historians who have documented their experiences with the system. Some have even gone so far as to research the ways in which famous awakened appeared to interact with the system.”

I suddenly had another idea. “Do you have any books written by Merlin?”

Again, a list of books appeared on the screen.

Books written by Merlin

Wordless Spellcasting

Manashift

Creating a Legend

Vivien

My eyes gravitated to the last entry on the list. “Mom?”

What did Dad write about her? I had to know. “Where do I find these books?”

“The closest library to you is in the tower,” PAA responded. “Or you can download a digital copy.”

I grinned, looking at the options. “I’d like an audiobook, please.”

“Purchased,” PAA responded, sounding slightly more excited than usual. “Downloading now. Download complete.”

“Wow, that was fast,” I laughed, clicking the title to start the book. “How fast is your download speed?”

“You are logged onto the tower’s intranet,” PAA explained. “No faster connection exists on Origin. All data is stored internally for use by tower maidens and guests of The Creator.”

A flourish of music flooded the garden as the book started playing. Merlin’s voice began narrating his book. “The name of this book is Vivien, written by Merlin. It has been confirmed that the actual Merlin wrote this book. Chapter one, when I first met her. It was the year twenty-nine-thousand-six-hundred-seventy-two. By this point in my life, I had already grown to my full potential and taken many lovers. I’d given a handful of them the gift of immortality. I would come to regret this very much over the coming generations. Vivien was different than any girl I ever met.”

I skipped ahead a few tracks. “It was only after her fifth death that I realized I had a problem.”

Still not enough. I skipped further. “The only logical conclusion I could come up with is that women are not logical. Not this one in any case. No matter how many times I attempted to bestow the gift, she refused every time. It became a game to me, finding her in her latest incarnation and making her fall for me all over again.”

Skip. “My love for her is purer than any emotion I’ve had in my life. Perhaps I can convince her to pass the veil and ascend to the other side. I will give up this immortal frame to be with her in that case. Life is meaningless without her.”

I scrolled to the end of the book. Merlin didn’t say anything about the system or his plan to win my mother. It was a tribute to her that read like a diary. I downloaded the other books he’d written to peruse later.

Meanwhile on Scrap…

Kalli spent a good part of the morning with Wendy. They made breakfast together while Joe and Zofia worked on a new portal generator. Or at least that's what she thought they were doing. They didn’t take out tools to tinker with their creation. Instead, they ran their hands over the bulky machines with their eyes closed.

Wendy explained the process. “They are feeling the insides of those things with their magic. Joe’s gift allows him to create physical gadgets. Zofia’s specialty is programming them. Together, I think they can make anything.”

“And Shara?” Kalli asked, glancing at the gothic blonde woman with dark red eye shadow who was sitting in the corner watching.

“Oh, she’s done for now,” Wendy explained. “She’s our blood specialist. She’s how we got to you. Since there’s no more blood to deal with, she’s just waiting for when Lavender needs her again.”

“Will she?” Kalli asked, looking around for Lavender who seemed to be missing.

“Lavender wouldn’t have brought her if she wasn’t needed for something,” Wendy said, tasting the tea she was brewing. “The same goes for me. Right now, I’m just doing what I can to help, but I’m sure there will be something for me to do later.”

“For starters, you refused to let me go alone,” Joe pointed out, his eyes still closed.

“That’s right,” Wendy said. “I still think I’ll be useful before this is all said and done with though.”

“You will, honey,” Joe said. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else to have my back.”

Kalli was struggling to keep up with two conversations. Melvin had taken out his phone and was researching the system. She offered some thoughts while also trying to keep her conversation going with Wendy. When breakfast was ready, they had to force Joe and Zofia to take a break. Breakfast on Scrap was a far simpler affair than it was on Origin. They didn’t have much meat, so a lot of the things they ate were managrown substitutes. It tasted so similar to real meat that Kalli wondered why people still ate meat on other worlds.

“Some habits are harder to break than others,” Lavender explained. “Many people swear there is a distinct difference in the flavor, and the unawakened don’t have access to mana.”

After a quick breakfast, Kalli set off with Wendy to present herself at the job office. People greeted her on the street with a sort of reverence she wasn’t used to. Word had spread that she single-handedly powered the entire planet for a year in a single afternoon. It took her much longer to get to the capital building than Melvin did. When she finally got there, a receptionist met her at the door. “Greetings, Miss Kalliphae. You’re expected. Please proceed to the top floor.”

Kalli gaped at the receptionist. “The top floor? I just came here to get another job. Isn’t that the reserved for VIPs?”

The receptionist smiled. “Yes it is, and that's exactly what you are. Go on up. I’m sure they will give you a job.”

Nobody mentioned Wendy, who quietly accompanied Kalli into the elevator. She whispered to Kalli as the elevator ascended. “What’s on the top floor?”

Kalli whispered back. “The Governor’s office.”