Luke reached the plaza and spotted a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches. Eleanor.

  “Am I late?”

  “You’re late… again,” she replied without looking up.

  “I had a few things to take care of. Bought what I needed for traveling, even got my ship passage.”

  “We barely survived one insane adventure and you’re already throwing yourself into another.”

  “Well, you’re here in the New World too, aren’t you?” he teased.

  She pulled a thick bundle of documents from the pocket dimension in her bracelet.

  “I’m here on official business. I’m a diplomat now, remember?”

  Luke glanced at the papers. The name Sirius stood out immediately.

  He flipped through the pages, reading carefully.

  “Thanks for this, Eleanor. I promise I’ll repay you in some other way, since you refuse to take money.”

  “It’s for… a friend,” she said. “So I’m not charging you for it.” Then she studied him more closely. “Are you really set on this? Even after reuniting with your family?”

  “Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I’m going to kill the Dragon Queen. She came to me and took a friend away. I couldn’t do anything… not yet. This is my first step. Until the day I can do the same to her.”

  Luke stored the documents back into the pocket dimension of his necklace. “What are these rifts?”

  “From everything I could uncover about Sirius, nothing stood out more than that. It’s just a modest city on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Lagras, the very last town before the frontier. And yet, one of the dimensional rifts appeared there. Strangely enough… within the past year.”

  “Dimensional rifts… interesting.”

  “Our world didn’t just grow larger geographically,” Eleanor explained. “It expanded dimensionally. These rifts lead to other places, as if the planet exists in the same space, but layered across different versions of reality.”

  “So the only truly interesting thing in that city is the rift,” Luke said. “Which means whatever I’m supposed to find is probably there.”

  “And what exactly are you looking for?”

  “I don’t even know yet,” he admitted.

  When their conversation ended, Luke headed toward the harbor to wait for his ship. Over the past two days in Camlann, he’d searched for the fastest way to reach Sirius. The most practical route was by ship, crossing what people called the Continental Sea. In truth, it was a river so massive it might as well have been an ocean. He would have to stop in one of the port cities first, then continue on to Sirius.

  ***

  The wind was strong as Luke stepped off the ship at the harbor. He had arrived in Black Stone, one of the major cities of the Kingdom of Lagras. The journey had taken eight days by "sea". Charlie had remained within his soul the entire time, since even a few hours outside would have cost her one point of Blood Energy.

  Vampires can’t travel long distances on their own, much less on a ship at sea. That’s a pretty serious limitation.

  Isolation was deadly for them. Being trapped in a cave or far from civilization was simply not an option due to Vampiric Hunger. Creatures like her needed constant proximity to human society.

  “Why didn’t we just stay on the ship?” Artemis complained. “It was safe, they served food, nobody was trying to kill you. I wouldn’t have minded.”

  Luke kept walking. “Unlike you, I actually have things to do. Weren’t you technically retired before tagging along on this journey or something?”

  “Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t. Once you see the palace I used to live in, we’ll know,” she replied casually. “I don’t like spoiling future plotlines, man.”

  The city was nothing like Camlann. Even though Camlann was medieval, it was well built, almost elegant, a blend of medieval Italy and France. Black Stone, on the other hand, was simpler. Poorer. The streets were dirt, and grimy people walked around without the slightest concern for appearances.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “A mining town, after all.”

  

  Coal mines surrounded the area, or at least something close enough to coal. Stones that could spark fires, special iron ores. Carts and wagons rolled past constantly, piled high with the black rocks that had given the city its name.

  “And Mr. Shitpants?” Artemis asked. “He’d fit right in here. Aren’t they into fire or something like that?”

  “I’m getting that guy out of my soul once we reach Sirius.”

  Luke’s plan was simple. Help Franky reach Rank E. After that, they would go their separate ways. As he walked, the differences stood out clearly. Buildings here were mostly wood. People wore plain clothes. The city wasn’t large. Strangely enough, it reminded him of the tutorial. Because it had a port, Black Stone saw a steady flow of travelers. Towns like this often survived almost entirely on the money outsiders brought in.

  “Hey, handsome. How about spending a special night with one of us?”

  “Care to explore a dungeon with me? I promise the dungeon you’ll enter will be… unforgettable.”

  And of course, there were some women who were very… welcoming.

  “Hey, Luke,” Artemis whispered, amused. “What do you say we check out that ‘dungeon’? Or are you finally accepting that you’re married now? You’ve gotta pick one.”

  Ignoring the talkative soul, Luke stepped into the tavern. It was packed. He made his way to the counter and sat down on one of the stools.

  The bartender approached.

  “Beer and information,” Luke said, placing a silver tenth on the counter.

  “We’ve got beer,” the man replied, setting a wooden mug down and filling it. “Information depends on who’s asking, and what they’re looking for.”

  Luke took a sip, activating Botanical Purification. The alcohol instantly became plain water.

  “I’m looking for the road to Sirius. No damn guide, no caravan. Just the right direction. A reliable one.”

  “The main roads have been seeing a lot of… soldier patrols lately,” the bartender said. “There are quieter routes that cut through the Gray Mist Forest.”

  “I’m not a fugitive. Patrols don’t bother me.”

  Come to think of it, I’ll be traveling with a vampire and a stone angel. The last thing I need is people getting anywhere near us.

  “Tell me more about the Gray Mist Forest route.”

  “You can’t really miss it. Follow the road of dead trees, then the forest starts. But it’s dangerous.”

  “How dangerous?”

  “Beasts and bandits.”

  That’s not a problem at all.

  ***

  Luke traveled along the forest road, surrounded by silence. Even though Black Stone was a port city, this particular route was avoided by villagers and ordinary travelers alike. Still, it was the fastest way to Sirius, and without question, the one with the least visibility.

  It didn’t take long for him to understand why the place was called the Gray Mist Forest. Between the ashen trees, a dense fog drifted low, almost alive in the way it curled and shifted. As long as he stayed on the road, though, it was impossible to get lost.

  Luke kept walking until he was certain he was far enough away.

  Then he stopped.

  “I know I’m being followed,” he said calmly.

  When he turned around, there was only brush and mist. Then a man stepped out, sword in hand.

  “You’ve got good ears,” the stranger said. “Too bad it took you so long to notice. You’re way too far to call for help now.”

  “Yeah,” Luke replied. “Both of us are.”

  The man frowned, confused, but pushed on. “Hand over all your money. And those two rings too. I can tell they’re equipment. Worth a lot.”

  Luke glanced at the ring on his hand and sighed. In one smooth motion, his hands moved behind his back. He drew the kukri from its hidden sheath beneath his cloak and threw it.

  The man screamed. It was too fast to react to. His hand was severed cleanly, the sword clattering to the ground. In the next instant, Luke was already on him, punching him down and stomping hard enough to shatter his legs. Another scream escaped before Luke drove the kukri into his throat.

  “Quiet,” Luke said coldly.

  A muffled gurgle followed as the man stared at his severed hand, tears streaming down his face. Luke raised his palm, conjuring a sphere of mana.

  “Wait, I have mone—”

  The sentence never finished. The sphere detonated against his face.

  [You have slain a Human...]

  [You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

  **Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 1! (+5 Intelligence, +3 Wisdom, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Willpower, +2 Free Points)**

  Luke glanced at the mangled remains, then resumed walking. A few steps later, he stopped again and hurled another kukri to the side of the road.

  A body collapsed near a tree.

  “Camouflage, huh? Not against me,” Luke muttered as he approached.

  The man groaned in pain, struggling to pull the blade from his abdomen.

  “No… no… no…” he begged weakly.

  “I was starting to miss this adrenaline,” Luke said.

  He raised his hand, forming the white sphere once more. The bandit’s scream was cut short by a burst of mana to the face.

  [You have slain a Human...]

  [You have gained +1 Soul Fragments]

  **Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 2!**

  [You have acquired a Witch Skill]

  Luke released Charlie from his soul.

  “Hello, Charlie.”

  “Master Luke, how long has it been since we left the ship?”

  “A few hours. We’re finally back on solid ground.”

  Angie emerged as well, her stone-angel form kneeling immediately. “What are our orders, my lord?”

  Luke looked ahead, toward the fog-filled road.

  “Let’s unlock some Valkyrie skills.”

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