Atzi awoke to the morning sun streaming in. She lifted herself up, yawning. Through the back of the cart she could see the roughly cobbled stone of the northern road, flanked by swamp and trees.

  Hemm was sleeping upright, her back against one of the wooden supports that held up the arched covering of the cart. Terra and Marco were still awake. Terra was reading some kind of notebook, while Marco was staring down at his clasped hands.

  "Wow. Sleeping sitting up, huh?" Atzi remarked. "Maybe from adventuring?" The conversation from last night came back to her.

  Marco looked up, but didn't say anything.

  "Ah, adventuring." Terra closed her notebook. "You wouldn't believe how many initiates at the academy think that's what they want to do. Find gems and become rich."

  "Don't last long, huh? I thought some make it." Atzi scratched the scales on the back of her neck. "Find all sorts of old treasures."

  "Oh, I don't know if they make good adventurers or not. I just know the type who wants to learn magic for it don't tend to be talented. And the ones who are talented end up not wanting to be adventurers anymore."

  "Huh... that makes it sound like anyone actually good at magic doesn't wanna use it, just learn more. The more time you spend learning, the less time casting?" Atzi asked.

  Terra gave a vague smile. "In a way. Studying and meditating are the best ways to improve your circle and rank."

  "That's what I mean." Atzi pointed at Terra. "You go 'I need to get better at magic', so you focus on that. And you focus and focus and you're not out there actually using it all the time."

  "I understand what you mean. I suppose so. I always wanted to do research, though. Using the magic is proof that I know it, but it's knowing it I care about."

  "Research." Atzi frowned. "That's all my mom went on about last time I saw her. Research this and research that..."

  "Oh? She was probably inventing a new spell. There's lots of types of research, but a new spell canonized is a ticket towards being considered 'important' among mages."

  "Maybe. I dunno, she never trained me, so her fault I couldn't understand it." Atzi curled her tail. "Was your mom a mage?"

  "She is not," Terra stated simply.

  Atzi stared at her a little. "You're kinda my opposite then. You had the talent and started on that. I didn't, so I got shoved off to a shitty apprenticeship so I could make locks for the doors of the kids who got the training."

  "I wasn't always the great sage."

  "Yeah, but you weren't a total amateur getting yelled at 'cause you didn't want to read a book back to front every day." Atzi recalled her magic 'teachers'. All the kids in Pomaria got collected in classes and were taught the same rote, boring stuff. Not once did her mom ever stop her own research to tutor her. She scowled.

  "True. But I wasn't perfect. I knew only a singular path of magic for most of my life."

  "Most of your life still isn't that long, though. I mean you can't be older than I am."

  "You're how old?" Terra asked

  Atzi had to remember for a second. "Twenty-six."

  "I'm thirty-six," Terra replied.

  "Wow. And looking good on it."

  Marco choked on his own spit.

  "Blood magic is great for the complexion," Terra said plainly.

  "No kidding." Atzi imagined getting her claws on that 'complexion'.

  "Learning nature magic also extends one's natural life span, though both death and fire magic shorten it, so overall I'll live a little less long than someone who knows no magic."

  "Oh. So fire mages all die young?" Atzi asked. That sucks.

  "Compared to their usual age, yes. The Braneki's natural affinity for fire leaves them the worst off. Their natural lifespan is forty to fifty years old."

  Atzi put her clawed feet up on a box."Are there no ways to cheat and live longer? Must be spells for that, right?"

  "There are, but they are-" Terra seemed to be searching for a phrasing. "Well, it's magic I know exists because people have used it. But it's not magic I have access to."

  "Really? That secret?" Atzi asked. "I guess if you knew how to live forever, you wouldn't want any rivals."

  "Less secretive, more requiring a high rank and other restrictions. For example, there is theorized to be a method of restoring one's youth via transmutation of blood gems, but each gem would only restore a period of a few days. It would take longer to gather them than the time it would give you, unless you already had hundreds on hand for some reason. Even then, it would only give you a few extra years."

  "Pretty useless then." Atzi nodded.

  "Of course there are other options. Such as those that try turning themselves into the undead. It doesn't turn out well for them. And other options besides, with their own flaws," Terra said. "Then there's also the Apocalyptic Many."

  That didn't sound good to Atzi. "Who're they?"

  "They are a mage who replaced their entire body with insects. They are the longest lived non-divine entity we know about."

  "Oh." Atzi squinted. "How do they fuck?"

  "I think the insects fuck each other to make more body for them."

  Marco squeaked.

  "Gross." Atzi stuck out her tongue. "Where are they? I've never heard of them."

  "They 'live' in Tarsus. They've just sat there for thousands of years. They earned their title because, according to story and record, they tried to eat everything at some point. I mean everything. In the world. But one day, they simply stopped."

  "And they might just start again sometime? And they're just sitting there?" Atzi's eyes widened. Her mood soured as she wondered if she'd die over and over to a bunch of dumb bugs, too.

  The cart bumped over something. Hemm snorted, but continued to sleep.

  Atzi hissed. "Great. Great! World's not ending enough ways, I guess."

  "Nobody knows when they might awaken," Terra said. "But no-one wants to be the one to poke them."

  "So extending your life's a dumb, bad idea and either doesn't work or it involves doing horrific shit. That's what you're saying?"

  "Yes."

  "Well... explains a lot I guess."

  "The only method that works without issue is becoming a god, as they can theoretically live forever."

  "How do you become one, anyway? It must still happen, sometimes."

  "We don't know exactly. It's a serious matter of debate between mages and priests. And no gods are willing to say exactly how. There are stories, but they're vague. I imagine intentionally so."

  "Figures. Can't share it or we'll all be doing it." Atzi clacked her claws.

  "The Ancestor said he was born divine," Marco supplied.

  Atzi wondered who he was born to if he was the first human. God stories didn't make any sense to her.

  The cart was silent. Terra returned to reading.

  -

  Atzi shivered as she felt a cold breeze. Her teeth began clattering.

  She looked out the back of the cart. There was snow on the ground. "I-it's freezing…" She began pulling out her cold-wear, starting by wrapping her scarves around her tail.

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  "Hmm? Oh, right, you're a lizard." Terra shook her head. "Unfortunate."

  "Y-yes, th-thank you for noticing I'm a l-lizard." Atzi slowly slipped on her clothes. "S-stupid... w-warmblooded... c-can't understand how..." Even her brain and words felt frozen.

  "It will only get colder as we ascend the mountain."

  Atzi curled up into a ball to conserve as much heat as possible.

  "How coordinated are you?" Terra suddenly asked.

  "I... g-good... normally. Here… hard to… do anything."

  "Okay. I have something that should help."

  Terra opened a chest in front her. She dug around in it, and then pulled out a torch. She extended her hand and said a single word that Atzi didn't understand. A small puff of fire shot out of her palm, igniting the torch. She extended it towards Atzi.

  Atzi snatched the precious heat, bringing it close to herself. She still had to keep it further than she wanted so she wouldn't be burnt, however. She laid there, bundled and soothing in the heat, trying not to pass out. Eventually, she felt thawed enough to sit back up, though she kept crouched low, greedily guarding her sole source of warmth.

  As she warmed up, her thoughts came quicker. A good one came to her. She looked at Terra. "You know what helps with the cold? Huddling together."

  Terra looked up from her notebook. "I guess if you don't know magic. I was going to suggest I build you a temporary magic torch, which would let you warm yourself to a greater degree without burning yourself."

  "Let's do both," Atzi suggested boldly.

  Marco had turned red again. Atzi chuckled to herself.

  Terra paused, looked at Marco, and then gave Atzi a quizzical look. "Are you trying to suggest an erotic encounter?"

  Atzi looked her in the eyes. "Do you want one?"

  Marco made a noise somewhere between a horn and a death wail.

  Terra thought for a moment. "I don't often consider such things, focused as I am on my research. I actually got my boost of magical power - quickly mastering several types of magic one after another - only six years ago. Though I don't know why. The virgin theory of magical power was disproven over ninety years ago."

  "You were a...?"

  "I am."

  "Oh. That's a real shame. You really just studied and studied and did nothing else?"

  "And research. Research and study are different."

  "Right. But just that and nothing else? Never even went to a brothel or anything?" Atzi turned her torch sideways.

  Marco died. At least, if his facial expression was anything to go by.

  "Brothel? No, why would I?" Terra looked utterly confused at the suggestion. "If I did decide to engage in sex, I'd at least want it to hold some meaning."

  "Saving yourself for the 'special someone'." Atzi winked. "I get it, I get it."

  Terra hummed. "I suppose so. They would need to be at least as good at magic as me. An appropriate rival."

  "So only other thirty-year-old virgins then." Atzi snickered.

  "No, no, it would be acceptable if they were younger or not a virgin. They would merely need to rival me in ability."

  "... That was a joke. Anyway I wasn't saying we should scissor or anything, even if cuddling up like that's pretty intimate. Don't worry about it, I'll ask Hemm when she wakes up."

  "My mistake, then."

  "So" - Atzi scooched closer to Terra - "if I ate enough gems, you'd really...?"

  Terra seemed to deeply consider the question.

  "How thick are your scales...?" Marco asked Atzi in awe.

  "E-eh? They're pretty- oh, you mean saying that stuff. I..." How do I not make him depressed about his impending doom. Think, Atzi, think. What's a good excuse? Suddenly, the answer was obvious. "I only have like a week to live," she blurted.

  "What?!" Marco looked very concerned. He glanced at Terra, but she was still deep in thought.

  "I-it's fine, really! I just don't worry about the consequences of stuff so much now." She laughed awkwardly. "You get it, right?"

  "...That's terrible. Do you mind if I ask what it is...?"

  "Uh. It varies."

  "It… varies?"

  Atzi was silent. How the hell do I even explain this? She landed on an appropriate lie. "It's not a disease, it's a vision of the future, alright?"

  "That's even worse." Marco looked sad.

  "A bunch of different possible ones. They just all end the same way. Yeah, it sucks."

  "At least you can hope to stop a disease." Marco pulled his legs up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them.

  Atzi clenched her claws around her torch. "I'll figure out a way around it. Aha. Eventually. I mean, there's gotta be a way that works, right? Cthy will be safer... gonna live longer there..."

  "... Maybe." Marco said. Atzi didn't get the sense he bought it.

  The cart was quiet for a bit, other than the sound of horses over snow. Atzi looked over, but she still couldn't see a driver. Then she remembered she'd forgotten to tell Regent about the city blowing up. Oops.

  Atzi decided there was no use worrying about it - They'll be fine next time. She felt a little colder. She huddled closer to her torch. She wished she had a second one. Then she realized she could just ask Terra. She opened her mouth-

  Terra suddenly said, "You'd need to know magic, not just be able to use it. Circle, rank, and theory as well."

  The surroundings seemed warmer again. "I've been learning theory. How do you go up a circle anyway? A rank is... meditation or gems, how about a circle?"

  "A circle is knowledge of the magical principles that goes behind spell construction. The exact definition of a circle is debated, but I understand it to be how much magic you can effectively organize at the same time."

  "So just sitting, reading, and learning…" Atzi groaned. How many gems would I need to eat for her to sleep with me? Atzi tried adding them up in her head, but gave up after a hundred.

  Just then, Hemm yawned. Her eye blinked open, and she shivered. "We must be getting close to the border," she said sleepily.

  "Mornin'." Atzi said. "We're getting close to ascending the mountain, apparently."

  Hemm looked confused. "Why would we ascend the mountain?"

  Atzi looked to Terra "Yeah, why would we?"

  "We are going up to the highest peak," Terra replied.

  "What?!" Hemm looked surprised.

  "Is that... not the way there?" Atzi asked.

  "No!" She looked between Atzi and Terra. "That's the opposite of the way there!"

  "I thought you said this research stuff was just on the border!" Atzi complained.

  "It is. The border mountain peak."

  "I should have gotten even warmer clothes..." Marco said quietly.

  "I thought we'd be heading into the cave, at the base of the mountain." Hemm glanced at Atzi. "To my old home. But...we're going to the top of the mountain?"

  Why are you looking at me. It's not my fault! "We're going back down again right? After? Right?" Atzi asked Terra.

  "No. My research doesn't require us to head in the caves."

  "Wh-what?" Atzi frowned. "How long is it gonna take?"

  "A few days. At the very least long enough to see what you want to show me, even if I finish early with the research."

  "B-but that's days away! "Do we even have the food for that long? I'll die of the cold!"

  "Yes, I've packed enough food. As for warmth, as mentioned, I can build you the temporary magic torch. Alternatively, I can drop you at the border and you head inside the cave on your own. Any of you who go."

  "If... after it happens, you should probably come inside and find us. You gonna be fine on the mountain alone?"

  "I am a fifth circle mage." Terra adjusted her large hat. "I would be fine in the frost giant lands alone."

  Atzi looked to Hemm and Marco. "Hemm, can you get us to the cave...?"

  "Maybe… but if she drops us off, she won't be around to talk to Sostra's military. So they might stop us."

  "Oh right. Shit, and if they see you it might be" - Atzi groaned - "Terra, you can't come talk to them, then head back up the mountain?"

  "Potentially, depending on how far in they've gotten. I heard the war was going well for us, so the issue is not that I couldn't talk to them, but that you might need me to do so more than once."

  "Oh. Shit." Atzi looked down. "Stupid war... doesn't even have anything to do with- uh, nevermind."

  Terra looked towards Hemm. "I am surprised you were willing to return to your home while it is under attack. It cannot be very safe."

  "I know the caves. Not as well as the earth readers, but... all the caverns put together might be bigger than the empire."

  No way it's that's big. That'd be huge! It was starting to hit Atzi that this was where Hemm grew up, and it was getting torn apart by soldiers. She was silent for a moment. "... What is it you're hoping to find out up the mountain anyway?"

  Terra formed a circle with a finger and thumb. "To simplify the concept, a hole in the sky that is draining magic."

  "Wh-what? There's a hole in the sky?"

  "It's a metaphor. It's not a literal hole. It just helps you think about it since you don't know the complex theory needed for me to explain to you how it fully works."

  Atzi thought about the problem. We do need her to get past the army. We could take a chance on it but there's no way we don't run into a bunch of patrols. "I… think we go up the mountain with you until that stuff happens. And I wanna make a deal with you, about it."

  Terra nodded.

  Atzi pointed a clawed finger up. "Tell me whatever it is you find out, so I can tell you next time and we don't have to waste time going up a mountain. I can remember stuff then pass it along to you."

  "Ah, I was already planning on doing that."

  Atzi's clawed finger folded. "...oh. Well. Alright." Could I just tell her next time that we made a deal for her to teach me magic?

  "Although..." Terra looked at Atzi. "I'm not sure if you'll be able to properly memorize what I tell you."

  "I totally can," Atzi replied.

  Terra ignored her. "I will spend the time between my work to instruct you in the basics to understand it, in hopes you pass the message along properly."

  Atzi sighed. "Sure. Then after the... thing happens, we head into Cthy?"

  "Assuming it is safe to do so, yes."

  The cart continued along, until Atzi saw a wide valley filled with snow and dark rocks. Off to the side of it were a few ragged tents.

  Then they drew closer, and Atzi's gaze caught the true form of the stones. Blackened rubble of what had once been buildings, filling a huge crater. It was so large she had mistaken it for a natural formation, only now seeing it as a scar.

  The destruction was worse than what Atzi saw after Malus had ruined Sostra. The prophet had merely destroyed everything on the surface, and melted the streets. Here an entire city was disgorged along with the earth, several yards deep.

  She was looking at the ruins of Novae.