‘What are you doing?’ Adam thought to himself. ‘You ’t just let that kind of thing slip by just because you got a little tipsy, you idiot.’

  Adam had returned back to the family estate, though he didn’t spend much time. Once he had grabbed the gems he needed, and the mace from Vonda, he quickly retreated to the shrine.

  Once again, he was apanied by an Iyrman, but he kept to himself. He was too busy berating himself about how much he had let slip to Vonda. ‘Politics, Adam? On your birthday? Seriously…’

  “I have heard that it is your birthday today,” the Iyrman said. It was not one Adam was familiar with.

  “Yeah?” Adam replied, throwing a suspicious look at the Iyrman, w how they knew.

  “I hope that your brother returns with great news,” the Iyrman said.

  ‘He even knows my retionship with Jurot?’ Adam thought. “Yeah, me too.” He wasn’t sure how he felt that some strange Iyrman knew so much about him. ‘I guess he isn’t a stranger.’ He recalled the versation he had with another Iyrman some time ago. ‘The Iyrme strao me.’

  The enting shrine was made up of six standing stones, each pced to form a circle. Adam did not know if they had to be set up as a circle, he didn’t think too much of the particurs about enting, he just did it.

  He pced down six gems worth fifty gold oanding stone, and he pced a seventh gem, a diamond worth one hundred gold, in the tre of the shrine. Sihis was a on he was going to ent for Vonda, he was going to ent it using gems which were worth more than usual.

  25.

  That was the minimum total he wanted for enting Vonda’s mace. His Intelligence granted him a +3 modifier, his Trained Bonus was an additional +2. Then there was the enting shrine, which held its own bonus of an additional +2.

  Mana: 18 -> 16Enting CheckD20 + 7 = 14 (7)Omen: 2, 18 -> 218 + 7 = 25

  Adam plucked a Thread of Fate.

  The boy bit into the bread he had been giveing it ravenously. He had somehow mao survive past nightval’s cold, though sih nightval and the Twilight Month passed, he was no longer wele in the garden of the remaining surviving old maepped out into the street, only to trip as misfortune befell him. He tumbled onto another ur, and by the time he had righted himself, the ur was goaking with them the hot bread which the boy had beeing.

  Thus Fate was forever ged.

  Adam’s heart tingled, as it always did when he expended any Mana, feeling the magic flow through him towards the gems. They cracked as the Mana filled them, before exploding into dust, which floating towards the mace. As the dust g to the mace, runes began tlowing for a moment before they turned faint. The runes were almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but the entment began to take hold.

  Ohe hours passed, and dusk threateo spread across the Iyr, Adam was doh the first phase of enting. ‘Just two more days,’ he thought, feeling the familiar sensation of the drairetched his entire body, throwing a look back to see another Iyrman he did nnise, before they escorted him back to the shared family estate.

  “Sorry for taking so long,” Adam said, smelling the pizza which had been cooked that evening. The Iyrmen were already gathered around to eat and drink for dinner. Adam lifted up his sister onto his p, befrabbing a slice of pizza. He bit into the slice, and allowed Lanarot to bite into the crust.

  “Hey,” called a familiar voibsp;

  “Yes?” Adam replied, w if she was going to start a fight with him.

  “ we talk?” Lucy asked, with uncharacteristic seriousness.

  Adam was about to make a joke, but he thought back to how many times he had seen Lucy act so seriously, and decided against it. Instead, he pced down his sister and followed the Demon Lord from another world.

  “What’s up?” Adam eventually asked, ohey were in their own er.

  “Did you e to this world a year ago to this day?” Lucy asked, her voice quiet.

  “Yep,” Adam said. “I made it my birthday sihat makes sense.”

  Lucy fell silent again, pting her words. It was not like Lucy to think before she spoke, so Adam gave her the peace she required.

  ‘She’s w hard,’ Adam noted, looking at hh she looked. Her clothes were partly dishevelled, and she had lost some weight, just like him. He couldn’t bme her o, since her friend was in trouble, slowly having the life sucked out of her. ‘I doubt we mao save her this year.’

  “I think I came to this world at this time too,” Lucy said, finally.

  Adam narrowed his eyes, slowly nodding his head. He had also thought of it long ago, that she had arrived to this world around the same time as himself. There was a shared look between the pair of them, allowing the message to simmer in the silenbsp;

  ‘Three people, appearing from different worlds at the same time?’ Adam wasn’t sure what had brought them here, or why. ‘If only Belle was still here, then I could ask him. Not that the bastard would tell me anything.’

  After the long moment of awkward silence, Adam eventually smiled. “Happy birthday, Luext time I’ll get you a prift.”

  “Adam,” Lucy said, her eyes cold. “There’s only ohing I want.”

  Adam’s smile faded. He pced a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. “I know.” ‘I’m not the only oing all depressed it seems.’

  Lucy looked up towards the darkening sky for a moment, before her eyes quickly fell to Adam, not wanting to lose herself to her thoughts. “Happy birthday, Adam.”

  Adam her, patting her shoulder. “We’ll figure everything out as the days pass. From the reason why we’re here, which bastard sent us here, and mostly importantly, saving my future wife.”

  Lucy wi him, feeling the ge hit her in the face. “She came with me. Back when I was…” Lucy fell silent again, deg against telling him what had happened when they were torn from their world.

  ‘So this is how Vonda felt,’ Adam thought, patting the Demon’s shoulder. "Once we rescue Mara, it won’t be long until you’re the Demon Lain.”

  “I’m still the Demon Lord,” Lucy grumbled. “Even without any followers.”

  “Right,” Adam scoffed. “A King without his people is no King at all.”

  “I’m no King,” Lucy replied, lightly pung Adam’s arm. She turned on her heel auro eat pizza.

  Adam looked out to his panions, looking to each of them. He wasn’t the only oh goals. ‘From Vonda wanting tain her Order’s artefact, to Dunes wanting to find his friend, to Brittany wanting to explore the world.’

  He returned back to the rest, finding that his little sister had dropped the pizza after eating the crust, before finding some fruit to eat. Adam ehe evening with his panions, p some tea for them all from his stash.

  “Is that a Persevian tea pot?” Elowen asked, noting the design of the tea pot Adam had brought out.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. “e quite a pretty penny too.”

  “I have no doubt,” Elowen said. “They say the cy of the Persevian nds are magical, and their skills are greater.”

  “It is quite a beautiful pot,” Adam said, looking down at the diamond pattern all along the edge of the pot.

  “I didn’t realise you were so ied in the crafts,” Elowen said.

  “I’m not so much, really,” Adam said. “I’m more ied in tea, and, you know, need a tea pot for that sort of thing.”

  Elowen sipped the tea slowly, tasting the strawberry hints. “You have an i in tea?”

  “A little,” Adam said. “I grew up drinking it. Two or three cups a day, usually. Not this tea, though. A little milk, a little sugar.” Adam wondered if he’d be able to taste it again. He could have used one of his spells, but there was nothing like having a proper cup of tea. Magic was ohing, but using magic made the tea taste less… magical.

  Onight had e, Adam brought out thikets to the courtyard, and sat atop them. He had brought Lanarot with him, ying her down beside him as he looked up towards the sky.

  “You’re sleeping outside tonight?” Lucy asked. She had set up outside, right he Rot family walls.

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “I thought I may as well.”

  The trio y down, staring at the stars above. Lanarot’s eyes were glued to all the colours, pointing and babbling up at the colours. Adam y beside her, letting her hold onto his finger. Eventually, she yawned.

  “Go ahead and sleep,” Adam whispered, brushing her hair.

  “Oofbooboo,” Lanarot said, quietly.

  “Of course,” Adam replied. “I’ll be right here, unless you decide to give me a present in your clothy.”

  Lanarot’s eyes slowly closed shut, her head falling beside him, pressing up against his arm.

  Silence filled the courtyard.

  Adam threw a look to Lucy, who was staring up at the sky. He hat she would always look at the sky. He wondered if she was trying to find the stars she had left behind, just like him.

  Adam looked back down to the sleeping form of his sister, who had a thumb in her mouth, her hand gripping his fiight.

  “Don’t worry,” Adam whispered, near silently. “I’m not going nowhere.”

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  Sorry for the te chapter. Damn, all these chapters have been so depressing.