Mash stood outside the capital city, far enough away to not cause any issues. Although, he could still see the city’s walls in the distance. They used to seem so big and impenetrable in the past, but now they felt puny. His domain could completely encompass the walls, and even from here, he could see past a section of it.

“What’re you looking at?”

Lisa asked the question and stared toward the city like him. She couldn’t see what he could. Everyone knew what his domain did, and he had suffered many questions like this since the last upgrade. Lisa had replaced Red, as she had not wanted to get involved in a family situation. At the same time though, they didn’t feel comfortable leaving Mash by himself. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust him, it was just that they expected something to happen around them, and they wanted to be around for it this time.

“The city. I can’t stop thinking about how small it is.”

Raised one eyebrow at him.

“I believe that it’s the second biggest city on the continent.”

Her tone was flat, and he matched it with his response.

“And I could destroy that city in seconds.”

“I’m pretty sure you could do that to any city. Maybe every city.”

She rolled her eyes at him as if the very proposition was ludicrous. Mash shook his head. She clearly didn’t understand what he was thinking, but she was obviously trying to see what he did. Thinking about it for a second, he tried to explain what he meant.

“I mean, back when I was here the first time. Everything about the city just felt so big. There was just so much for us to do in it. Now, I don’t know if I even want to go back. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s…”

Mash trailed off trying to figure out the right word for it. Lisa surprised him by finding it first.

“Lacking. I think it’s the whole having a portal to another world as a skill thing. This is just a city.”

Lisa’s words resonated with him, and he found himself nodding. That was just it. A city regardless of its size would never be anything more. Especially, not when he could travel to another world on a whim. Mash glanced at Lisa, a little surprised to hear his thoughts spoken so clearly.

Ever since her last advancement, her skin had taken a bluish tint that gave her an otherworldly feeling. The way she seemed to understand his thoughts, and her noticeable desire to explore other worlds added to that. His eyes lingered on the tattoo on her arm; those rainbow flowers represented him as a world owner. The tattoo ran all the way up and onto her shoulder. She had taken to wearing clothes that left the full tattoo visible, often having shirts with one sleeve missing. Since giving her and the others some of his blood armor, they could all change their clothing as they wished. Despite that, he had never once seen her even try to hide the tattoo. He was about to ask her about it but felt the space nearby warp.

Mash’s head jerked in that direction. Lisa reacted instantly, shifting slightly behind Mash as if to use him as a shield. It was the plan, and not just for Lisa. Everyone, regardless of what defensive capabilities they had, would hide behind him in case of a surprise. He was the hardest to kill out of all of them, and even if he did die, it wouldn’t stick. That final thought bothered him more and more every time he considered it.

In this case, the defensive movement was unnecessary. The space opened into a portal, one similar to his but without needing to form an archway first. This looked far more like someone had torn the air as if it were made of paper. The tear revealed Luna and Arthur on the other side. They were in some kind of special room. Mash noticed several enchantments behind them. He didn’t get much time to analyze the room as Luna dashed through the portal and hugged him.

“Mash it’s you!”

His arms quickly wrapped around her, and he spun around smiling. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed his sister. Her presence meant so much to him because he knew that no matter what his sister would accept him. More than anyone else, Mash trusted his sister. It didn’t matter that she would never fight by his side, nor did it matter that she followed a god who probably despised him. He knew, at that moment, that she would always be there for him. Mash didn’t say anything and just hugged her back, letting everything that bothered him drain away for a moment.

His parents had lost his trust a long time ago. And for all that he trusted Arthur, Mash knew how much justice and this kingdom meant to him. The only people who came close were his friends, but they were still reserved. They still treated everything as if they were just a team. He was the only one that treated the others like family, in that he would help them just because they needed it. He never looked at any of them with fear or doubt, but Mash had seen that look on them more than once. As he thought about that, he realized there was someone other than Luna who didn’t hesitate when looking at him.

As he thought about that, he glanced toward Lisa who hung about behind. Her head was turned as if she didn’t know where to look. Seeing that, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. He pulled Luna away, smiling at her broadly.

“I missed you. You should really visit more often.”

“Me!” Luna’s voice couldn’t hold more incredulity. “I’m not the one doing insane things! And why didn’t you visit me last time you were here?”

Mash winced. He remembered why he didn’t. That had been when he had faced the king, and that interaction had left him annoyed. Meeting Luna hadn’t been on his mind with everything else, but now he thought it would’ve been a good idea. Just being around Luna made him feel a lot more grounded.

“I was busy, but I’m here now. And I have a lot of stuff to show you.”

His smile was genuine as he spoke. She grabbed his arm speaking normally now.

“Mash you have to make time to visit. Or at least send Jill to come to get me. It would take her like a second.”

Mash nodded, unable to argue with his sister about this. Mainly because she was right. Jill could very easily grab Luna or take him to her, and the king or anyone else couldn’t really stop her without a lot of extra effort.

“It hasn’t been that long though.”

His protest was weak, and he knew it. It didn’t matter how much time had actually passed. He had changed so much that it might as well have been a decade. Luna said as much.

“It has when you live a year in a day. Mash, do you have any idea how much I hear about you? I swear, I sometimes think I should visit you every day or something.”

Again, that was something he couldn’t really argue against. Luna wasn’t done though.

“And before I forget, there’s one thing I want from you.”

“Name it.”

Mash agreed instantly. Luna never asked for much, so he was more than happy to hear that she wanted something from him.

“Give me one of your marks. The good one.”

His mind blanked at Luna’s words for a second. Then he took a step away.

“What? Why? Do you even know what you’re asking for?”

He responded with a series of questions as the shock got to him. Luna stepped close smiling widely.

“I know, Priscilla told me about it. It’s the tattoo Lisa has, right? Oh, and hi Lisa.”

Luna abruptly turned toward Lisa, whose body had stiffened at suddenly being addressed.

“Yes, hello Luna!”

Lisa's words were a bit too loud as she nervously responded to the unexpected greeting. Lisa was weirdly nervous around Luna despite having only met her once before. Mash was still stuck on Luna’s words. The look Luna had told Mash that he could only comply. Sighing, he held out his hand to her.

“Okay, I’ll do it. Do you want one too Arthur?”

Mash’s mark was objectively a good thing. He knew it and told the others as much. They still hadn’t taken it for two reasons. The tattoo was enormous, and in their minds, it still felt a little twisted. He could understand that since it might affect their advancement. He thought that Red would ask for one, but she seemed somewhat resigned to her class, and he wasn’t sure how to change her mind. Arthur shook his head, sighing that very reasoning.

“From my understanding, that would affect my advancement. I can’t risk that just yet. Maybe after my next advancement.”

Mash nodded. He couldn’t and didn’t want to pressure anyone into accepting his mark just because he knew it was a good thing. Luna wanted though, and he would be happy to give her the boost. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away quickly.

“Not there. Can you put it around my neck? That way it will match when I take Priscilla out.”

“When you take her out?”

“I wear her like a necklace most of the time.”

Mash glanced toward her neck and didn’t see one of Priscilla’s bodies there. She noticed, but Priscilla answered before her.

[I have reclaimed that body to give her another.]

He had known, had felt what Priscilla was doing. He just hadn’t thought about it when he hugged Luna.

Priscilla clearly said those words to everyone because Luna nodded as if she heard. Mash did as he was asked and reached up to Luna’s neck.

“I don’t know if it works this way. It might still wind up on your arm or something.”

Luna shrugged.

“Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me much if wound up on my face. I still want it.”

Her voice was as resolved as her expression, and Mash couldn’t deny that resolve. He touched her neck carefully and activated the skill.

It was the first time he had used this version of the skill consciously and if felt special. He wanted to give Luna what she wanted. More than that, he wanted Luna to level, to live a long and safe life. He wanted her to live as long as he did, but that was too selfish of a thought. Pushing that aside, he focused on trying to give her as much as he could with the mark.

This time, he felt as if something passed from him to her. It wasn’t just his magic, or even a piece of his soul or something abstract. He could sense what he was doing. What he was giving her was a connection to him, and through him to his aspects. That’s what a mark really was.

The mark spread from where he touched her neck. It wrapped around her neck, spreading to just beneath her chin and cascading down into her shirt. When he was done, he took a step unsure of what to do.