Jack stepped back into the workshop, the door clicking shut behind him.

  “That wasn’t how I expected it to go,” he said after a moment.

  His team had immediately said yes to his father tagging along and staying in the village. Rob, he understood. Marie too—she was firmly Team Rob. But Horace and Amari had agreed without hesitation.

  What did that say about him? He’d hesitated for so long. What was wrong with him?

  He shook his head, trying to steer his thoughts elsewhere. He chose his favorite thing: Holly.

  All around the workshop were signs of her presence. On the table sat pinned barrels of different lengths and widths, each riddled with tin pegs. Off to the side lay half-finished caterpillar tracks for the pot bots, and beside them, a rough prototype of the Pot Bot II.

  It had been such a lovely evening. The hours had just flown by.

  And as he thought of that, the little voice in his head returned, stronger this time, telling him he was an unfilial son.

  He’d told his parents he couldn’t come out of the capsule for dinner—that he was too busy. And then he’d spent an hour just walking and talking with Holly.

  To be fair, the other two hours had been productive. Well, four. They’d spent all of it in the Time Field, stretching their time together. They’d worked on the bot, made progress in getting them steam-powered, tested programs, and bounced ideas around.

  Still, the guilt lingered.

  Not just for skipping dinner. Not just for taking so long to decide it was okay for his father to tag along.

  He was supposed to be focused. His dad was counting on him to come up with the money. And instead, he was falling hard for this girl.

  He hadn’t wanted this. Had decided against it. There just wasn’t space for feelings like this. Not now.

  And yet, here they were. Growing anyway.

  He put his head in his hands, trying to hide from the weight of it all. On one side, his father. On the other, Holly.

  Or maybe he was seeing it wrong. Maybe the time he spent with Holly wasn’t a distraction.

  She gave good advice, helped him see things more clearly—like with his dad. She’d been steady and supportive when he needed to talk to his team and his cousin. That mattered.

  And she’d already taught him a lot about robotics and programming. Her suggestions could be the key to making his bots truly useful. Maybe the time they spent talking wasn’t a mistake. At least, that’s what he told himself.

  Flashes of their time together ran through his mind. Like the way she’d looked at him when he sang.

  I think I just fell a little bit in love with your voice.

  The memory sent butterflies through his stomach.

  Had he felt like this when he first met Lydia?

  No. That had been different. Back then, he used to daydream about her smile, her perfume, the way she curled her hair around her finger when she laughed. Lydia had been kind, sweet, and smart.

  But with Holly, the feelings were sharper. He didn’t just think about how pretty she was or how she made him feel. Her words stayed with him. She said things that left him thinking for days.

  “What does that mean?” he asked aloud. But the empty room had no answers.

  Jack let out a slow breath. The break had done what it needed to. He felt lighter. Clearer-headed. Ready to get back to work.

  There was only one last thing he needed to do first.

  He opened the app and tapped the video call icon.

  Instead of a screen, only audio came through. His father never did video calls, for some reason.

  “Hello, son.”

  “Hey, Dad. Everything okay?”

  “It’s good. Good. Cough. We missed you at dinner.”

  “Is that Jack?” his mom called in the background. “Hi, Jack!”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  There was a pause, then his dad asked, “So?”

  “Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you. I had to check with my team… see if they were okay with you joining.”

  “Of course. And?”

  "They are!"

  "That's great news!" his father said, a smile in his voice.

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  “I could use your help, Dad. And… this way, we’ll get to spend more time together.”

  “You are sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “You won’t,” Jack said. “I want you to join. Really.”

  “Very good,” his dad said. “Then tell me what I have to do.”

  “We’re leaving the Twin Walls area and heading to the desert. We’ll be staying there for a while.”

  “A desert? To do what?”

  Jack stood a little straighter. “We’re getting ready to start our own village.”

  Instead of the hopeful response he expected, his dad’s reaction landed like a splash of cold water. “A village? In the desert? Why not somewhere nice?”

  “It doesn’t work like that in the game, Dad.”

  “I just say—you never bought a house before. When I bought ours, I spent six months just picking the right neighborhood. But this isn't just a house. It's a village!"

  Jack forced a smile. “We’ve thought this through. I promise.”

  “What is the reasoning behind your decision, then?”

  Jack bit his lip and took a deep breath. Why couldn’t his dad just trust him?

  “If it’s hard to explain, I understand. I don’t want to push.”

  “It’s not that. I’ll explain later. It’s just… complicated.”

  “OK. And what you want me to do?”

  “You can join us. Help out.”

  “How?”

  “Is there anything you’ve enjoyed doing in the game?”

  “I have become a farmer.”

  Jack nodded. “Then we’ll have you farm.”

  “In a desert,” his dad said, flat.

  “I know it sounds nuts, but we’ll figure something out.”

  “You are sure I can really help? The desert is not made for farming. You just tell me what you need—I can learn another profession.”

  “It’s fine, Dad. Really. Though you should probably grab a secondary profession before coming.”

  “Right. The old man under the tree said something about that. I will look into it. When we leave?”

  “We’re still getting everything ready. Probably about a day. Where are you now?”

  “What do you mean, where I am?” his dad asked, confused. “Didn’t you hear your mother? We’re in the living room.”

  “In the game, Dad.”

  “Oh. Uh… It’s a farmhouse. Middle of the countryside.”

  “Can you give me your coordinates?”

  “I must be inside the game for that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Let me call you back.”

  “Wait! Can’t you just text—”

  But he’d already hung up. Jack sighed and leaned back. His dad was so earnest, but somehow, every step felt like a negotiation.

  Holly’s voice echoed in his mind.

  He’s been patient with you for years. The least you can do is return the favor.

  Five minutes later, his dad called back—voice-only, of course.

  “Hello. It’s me, son. What I have to do?”

  “Look at your coordinates and send them to me.”

  “How I am supposed to do that? I don’t have GPS.”

  Jack took a slow breath, trying to be patient. “You don’t need GPS. Just… tell me the two numbers in the corner of your vision.”

  “Okay… 100, 100.”

  Jack blinked. “Are those the numbers next to two colorful bars?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  Jack sighed. “That’s your HP and Energy.”

  “HP?”

  “Health points. It’s not what I need. Look in the bottom right corner instead.”

  “Ah, right. Okay. Got it. Do you have a pen? I will tell you the numbers.”

  A pen? Who even writes with a pen anymore?

  Jack almost told him to just send a message, but decided not to push it. “Go ahead.”

  His dad read off the coordinates. “Now read them back to me,” he said. “Just to be sure.”

  Jack did. “Alright, Dad. That’s it. I’ll pick you up in about a day. I’ll call first, okay?”

  “OK, son.”

  “See you soon.”

  “Bye-bye.”

  Jack ended the call and took a few deep breaths. He thought he’d become more patient, but his flaring nostrils said otherwise.

  At least it was done. He’d done the right thing—he could feel that. And now he could return to crafting.

  He checked the time. Horace had said they’d leave at 10 a.m. sharp. That left him with eleven hours to craft.

  The only question now was: what should he make to maximize their earnings in the auction? What would catch the attention of rich guilds?

  He flipped through his recipes and, after a moment, made his choice. He grabbed a horn and started carving.

  *

  Jack stirred awake to the gentle rhythm of the carriage wheels.

  He chuckled as Marie, realizing she had fallen asleep on Rob’s shoulder, quickly sat up, flustered. Rob, for his part, smiled, dazed and a little too pleased with himself.

  Jack knew the feeling. The same thing had happened when he and Holly had shared a carriage ride.

  But seeing his cousin grinning like that made his stomach sink. Wait... is that what I look like when I’m with Holly?

  Horace didn’t bother stifling a yawn. “We’re almost there,” he said, as if he were the one actually driving the carriage.

  Everyone—even those who’d already visited the city—leaned toward the windows, heads poking out like excited dogs on a road trip.

  The view was worth it.

  The walls ahead towered over them, even higher than the Outer Wall. Built of pale stone, they caught the sunlight at sharp angles. More towers stood along their length, evenly spaced. Every so often, light flashed off the armor of patrolling soldiers, like camera bulbs going off.

  Despite their height, the walls couldn’t hide the city beyond. Spires and tiered buildings rose above them, all made of the same pale stone, giving the place a sense of grandeur that felt almost sacred.

  “What do you think, Jackie?” Horace asked.

  “It’s incredible,” Jack said, still staring.

  Dozens of other carriages, just as polished and ornate as theirs, traveled to and from the city.

  Premium carriages were the only way to get here, unless someone was willing to ride for hours the hard way.

  Their own slowed as they reached the gates, falling into line. Soldiers moved with clean precision, stopping at each carriage to speak with the driver. Sometimes a passenger handed over a pouch of coins through the window.

  Jack leaned out to get a better look.

  The soldier who approached them looked nothing like the ones at the Outer Wall. His armor was spotless, face clean-shaven, posture flawless.

  “Who goes there?” he asked the chariot driver.

  “A few travelers from Ashengate, sir.”

  The soldier stepped forward and peered through the window. His eyes paused on Jack, measuring.

  Jack gulped. He didn’t feel like juggling or dancing right now. But instead of asking him to perform, the soldier simply stepped back.

  “Proceed.”

  The carriage rolled forward.

  Jack turned to his teammates. “What just happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Horace said. “I was ready to fork over the fifty gold.”

  “Must be your fame,” Rob offered. “Once you hit twenty, you get free entry.”

  “But I’m not at twenty yet,” Jack said. “Close, but not quite.”

  Marie gasped. “The Breach title! It gives us more favor with the military. That must be it.”

  “Of course.”

  Factoring in his fame, the soldier had probably rounded up his total thanks to the [Defending Heroes] title. It wasn’t a legendary title for nothing.

  Soon, they pulled into a large coach station, and just like that, they were inside Eternia.

  Jack stepped out, half-expecting to feel the same awe he’d felt the first time he’d seen Embersgate.

  But it didn’t hit the same.

  It took a moment to figure out why.

  Gate towns had buildings from different time periods, some even made of dinosaur bones. They had looked wild and otherworldly.

  Eternia was more orderly. Human. The buildings were tall and imposing, but too uniform to surprise him.

  Maybe it was just that this wasn’t his first city anymore.

  “OK, everyone,” Horace said. “Let’s head to the Auction House. Amari’s already waiting.”

  Jack followed, nerves tightening in his chest. The Eternian Auction was no joke. How much money would they make here? Had he crafted the right items for it?