Wolf released Biba’s head. The lieutenant leading Gara’s reinforcements stood paralyzed, her hair white, her frozen eyes gazing at hundreds of her friends and comrades scattered on the ground.

So, they live in tribes and tribal alliances, fighting over territory, resources and slaves. They know other races exist, but they’ve never seen them because a great wall keeps them away from the riches of civilization beyond.

From Biba’s memories, Wolf gained a rudimentary understanding of Demons. As Gara’s lieutenant, she knew about cultivation or Energy Refinement, as humans of Wolf’s world called it. She had never heard of Soul Refinement. Body refiners existed in myths, but true inheritances and required resources were scarce in the Forsaken Wastes where Biba lived.

Demon World’s residents focused on gathering Qi, because their world was rich in World Energy. Contrary to Wolf’s world, powerful people died to soul decay, rather than bodily health.

He had gained abundant information; too much to internalize. However, Wolf noted the important bits. For instance, he knew Demons wouldn’t enter the rift in the foreseeable future.

Treasure Rifts are bizarre. Wolf pierced Biba’s glabella with Book, giving her an instant death. You lose your sense of time while falling through them and they shoot you out, but aid you to land softly on the other side. It reminds me of advanced magic rather than a natural phenomenon. Then again, Father speculated natural phenomena are magic.

Ten minutes later, clean and well-dressed, Wolf returned to Wayde’s side.

“Let’s go. The rift is some two hours that way.” Wolf pointed south-south-east. “Demons won’t appear for at least a week. The party we exterminated must report in a month, so we have plenty of time to set up killing Spell Formations before they send someone to look for them.”

“It would be great if you can ward off the rift with Spell Formations.” Wayde said, but he doubted Wolf had that kind of time. “How big is the rift?”

“Around two hundred meters in diameter. Come on. You’ll see it yourself in two hours.” Wolf headed in the direction he pointed. “It’s just a big, perfectly circular hole in the ground.”

***

Wolf and Wayde carefully approached that circular hole. It emanated an aura which disturbed and dissolved magic, meaning it would suppress Wolf’s enhanced body and reveal his true form. While he was alone, that wasn’t an issue, but with Wayde around, Wolf’s elvish appearance meant trouble.

Wolf shot yet another Magic Dart, which flew for five meters before dissipating into purple specks.

“We’ve reached the border region.” Wolf stated the obvious, and Wayde nodded.

Along the way, they agreed Wayde would back away fifty meters and give Wolf two hours to investigate the area. The young True-Namer already planned for this eventuality.

While chatting with Wayde, he cast a Subtle Mirage right in front of the antimagic zone. He programmed the spell to create his illusion walking in and leaving in two hours. Because of the trees, Wayde shouldn’t see it, but Archibald indoctrinated Wolf with a paranoia about his true appearance.

Cloaked by Mirage, Wolf passed an invisible film, which stripped him of his magic and clothes.

Damn, it’s cold! Wolf rushed to put on the emergency garbs he prepared for his true body. After getting dressed, he awakened his senses, searching for traces of life.

In several brief minutes, Wolf gathered half a dozen hibernating dormice to use as test subjects and headed towards the rift.

Space here is strange. Wolf noticed that his environment didn’t reflect the steps he made. The difference was subtle, but with sharp senses, he caught it. He also realized one more thing. World Energy is three times thicker here than outside.

Wolf noted these as something worth further investigation as he stopped at the edge of the abyss. He threw a stone. He watched it drop a hundred and twenty meters before disappearing without a trace.

Wolf nodded. It’s identical to when Biba tossed a rock into the rift.

He took out a two-hundred-meter-long coil of mooring lines, tying a sack containing a slumbering dormouse to one end, and lowered his first test subject. He lowered it twenty meters, then pulled it out. When Wolf opened the sack, inside he found a tiny rodent sleeping undisturbed.

So, you can safely descend and ascend. Wolf lowered his arm into the pit and brought it back. There’s a slight draft as the hole sucks in outside air, but I sense no danger.

Wolf moved his guinea pig up and down several times. It always returned alive and well. Then he moved onto the risky part. He lowered the sack, until its bottom disappeared, but when he moved it back, the bottom was still whole and the dormouse still slept inside.

On the third attempt, he lowered the entire bag, but when he pulled up, the bag was gone and only the rope remained. Wolf pulled it out and inspected the cord. The bag disappeared while the knot remained the same.

Wolf had several guesses and ran tests with mice, branches and stones, concluding that when the whole object is submerged into the void, it will disappear. I wonder whether this trash will alarm the other side?

Realizing he should hurry, Wolf secured the rope around a nearby tree and climbed down in person. He knotted the rope so that even if he fell, he would hang fifty meters above the point of no return.

I wonder whether this will help me figure out the True Name of Space. Wolf had several ideas on rifts’ nature, and he desired to test them out. While going down, he steered away from the rift’s wall.

Despite the wind whistling in his ears, Wolf made sure not to touch the bizarrely smooth surface, just in case. However, he was curious. To test his theory, he took out a knife and scratched at the soil, but nothing happened. The dagger sank towards the ground, failing to disturb the rift’s boundary.

Wolf frowned, then attempted to stab the surface with a spear. The entire shaft went in, but the weapon failed to reach the rift’s wall.

As I suspected, the space here is stretched. The reason rifts don’t permanently damage terrain is because they distort space and they probably develop from a single point. It’s a shame my mind can’t perceive it. Will staying down here and messing with this anomaly help me figure out how space works? It would be neat if I learned to teleport without Spell Formations or to craft Rings of Holding.

Wolf considered throwing something towards the earthen wall, but he had no clue how many kilometers away it was. If this giant hole is merely a stretched point, then—

“Who’s there?” Wolf raised his gaze and saw Wayde.

What are you doing here? Wolf’s mouth moved, then he realized how he looked.

“W—” Wolf started.

“You really were an elven spy.” Wayde kept a calm expression and a friendly smile as he severed Wolf’s rope.

Wolf immediately yanked the rope, but instead of shooting up, he remained in place.

Dropping a hundred meters takes four and a half seconds. Wolf blankly watched. Despite his supernatural faculties, despite the distorted time flow, he still needed a moment to process what happened. The images of everything he had experienced and done for his friend flashed through his mind.

Their chance meeting in Silver City’s streets when they took the Mage Academy entrance exam together. How Wayde acted politely when interacting with an urchin. The room and chat they shared that evening and their breakfast at the beggars’ table.

Wolf recalled how he helped him with school and how he bought him potions Wayde desperately needed to advance his Order. He thought of all the laughs and jokes and nonsense they shared for hours and hours. When Wayde taught him about women, about Anna, about night life and bordellos.

Then, during their missions, Wolf taught Wayde to hunt, to fight, to erect a tent and to survive in the wilds. Wolf saw with crystal clarity the assassin sneaking up on his friend, with a dagger at the ready. Wolf saved him from certain death that day. As they matured, Wolf showed him grace, allowing him to rule his lands and learn leadership. He even helped him become a Duke and funded his reign without minding the strain it put on his own pocket.

Wayde? Wolf thought with disbelief.

Wayde! Wolf thought as realization dawned on him.

WAYDE! Wolf thought with murderous rage. The son-of-a-whore just threw him into the demon rift.

Above, Wayde gazed as his former roommate struggled and plummeted.

“Bastard! I’ll jump into the rift on the other side and kill—” Wolf’s shout was cut short as the abyss swallowed him.

Standing at the edge of the abyss, Wayde’s faint smile turned into a roaring laughter. Finally, he was free of the elven menace. Finally, finally, he would become the hero. He would become the greatest Sword-Sage in humanity’s history and stand shoulder to shoulder with Darius, ushering in a great era of humans and reducing the Ten Races of Man to nine.