Wiremu felt full to bursting, unable to wipe the cheesy grin off his face. He felt joy like nothing he'd ever felt before, he'd found his purpose in life and knew there was nothing that would stop him from embarking on this adventure with his new family.

  He turned his car off and spent a moment just looking at his finance, dozing in the passenger seat.

  “What?” Ashley said cracking a lid.

  “Just- I love you.” He said, beaming.

  Ashley smiled contentedly, brushing a hand across his thigh and squeezing his knee. Behind them Friedrich stirred, cooing as he too slowly pulled himself out of his nap.

  “Better get inside eh? Nat should have tea ready.” Wiremu said, pulling his door open.

  He jogged around the car, opening the door and helping Ashley out before he unclipped the car seat from its base and hefted it out of the car. With the carrier in one hand and his fiances hand in the other they stepped up into their home.

  “We're back.” Wiremu called.

  “In the lounge, we have guests.” Natalie said peevishly.

  “Who? There's no car out there?” Wiremu said, checking out the front door as he closed it.

  “Who'd ya think?”

  “Come on Nat, I'm not in the mood to play- Gavin?” Wiremu said, spotting his estranged friend as he rounded the corner.

  “Hey Will, how's it going?” Gavin said, his voice going up an octave as he failed to keep his tone casual.

  “Bro, what the fuck.”

  “You boys can take this outside.” Nat said.

  “And no swearing around the baby.” Ashley said.

  Wiremu handed off Friedrich to Natalie who fussed and doted over him, finally getting to see her nephew. Ashley slumped into her spot on the couch, reaching out to take her son from her soon to be sister.

  “Come on, we've got some catching up to do.” Gavin said glancing over at his friends kid.

  They walked out onto the back deck, Wiremu stopping to forage two beers out of his fridge. He cracked them with the magnetic bottle opener and stepped out to sit opposite Gavin at his barbecue table.

  He offered the amber bottle to his old friend who took it and fiddled with the label while he stared at his navel.

  “So, you've got some pretty good timing Houdini.”

  “What's his name?” Gavin asked, diverting the inevitable discussion.

  “Friedrich.”

  “You named him-”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, this is awkward then.”

  “Yeah. About that explanation?” Wiremu said, sitting his beer down as he stared at his friend.

  “So, funny story. I got sucked into a parallel dimension, got some magic powers, now I'm on a mission to throw Excalibur into Mount Doom. Also the army or whatever is sticking their nose into it.”

  “Gavin, what the absolute shit.” Wiremu said, watching agape as his beer levitated off the table.

  He ran his hand under and around the bottle even grabbed it, trying to yank it towards him but it was firmly locked in place. Gavin took the bottle between two fingers and plucked it from the air, taking a small swig with the first sign of that cheeky smile.

  “So, telepathy huh.” Wiremu said leaning back on the bench.

  “Telekinesis, dumbass. Well, telepathy too, technically, but only with my team.”

  “You have a team?”

  “Yeah, my friends from the other world, we're like monster hunting mercenaries.”

  “You. Made friends.”

  “Yeah, I can make friends.”

  “Yeah, that's bullshit.”

  “We can go see them if you want, it'll only take a minute.”

  “They're here?”

  “Yeah, well, not here here. They're back in the fortress.”

  “Of solitude?”

  “Yeah, well, it's more of a gothic castle that I've got buried under a mountain up north.”

  “You are so full of shit Gav.”

  “Got teleport powers too.” Gavin said, popping across the table.

  “Jesus, fuck.” Wiremu said, flinching away.

  “Yeah, it's pretty sweet.” Gavin said, finally looking at ease for the first time.

  “So, when are you leaving on your quest?”

  “Pretty much as soon as I'm done here.”

  “You coming back?”

  “For a bit, maybe. When I'm done I'm going back to the other world.”

  “You could stay.”

  “No, I can't. I was gonna ask if you wanted to come too, magic you up and join the team.”

  “No. I know you always wanted to find something bigger, but I like it here. This is my home. I'm a dad now.”

  “Yeah, wouldn't work anyway. Your soul is locked.”

  “Oh, my soul is locked. What absolute nonsense.”

  “Believe it or not, but when you have magic powers you can tell who does and doesn't have the potential to use them. You, Nat and Ash all have locked souls.”

  “But not-”

  “That's right. Friedrich could learn them, but only in the other world.”

  “Why?”

  “This place leeches the mana right out of you. I've been learning how to stop it, but if I didn't have a big magical battery keeping me and the team topped up we’d be dead by now.”

  “Then that's a big no Gav.”

  “Yeah, I figured. There is something I can do for him though.” Gavin said.

  He fabricated a small bar pendant of jade between his fingers, full of dark swirling mist. will watched with stunned amazement as he wove an enchantment through it. When he was done he floated it to Will's open hand.

  “What's this?”

  “Bracelet, for the kid.”

  “What's it made of?”

  “Etherium and greenstone alloy, the etheriums from the other world.”

  “It's magical?”

  “Yeah, I figure if I'm not gonna be around I can at least make sure he's safe.”

  “What's it do?”

  “Increases his physical resistance a bit, increases health a bit, and a passive heal over time that ramps up the more seriously he's hurt.”

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  “Dude, he's gonna lose it in like, a minute.”

  “Nah, he should be able to soul bond it, just give it to him and he'll figure it out. It's pretty straight forward.”

  “How's it work? You said magic leaks out here?”

  “Yeah, it does, but I've been working on enchantments that don't leak. If he binds it to his soul it'll use that to power itself, it's sort of like hydroelectric power.”

  “Right.” Wiremu said, unconvinced.

  “What about you and Ash by the way?”

  “Getting married next year.”

  “Ohh yeah? Nice.” Gavin said, glancing down at Wiremus' hands. “No engagement ring? Ash doesn't either?”

  “You noticed she doesn't have a ring? Somehow that's the least believable thing I've heard come out of your mouth so far.”

  “Magic powers. Memory gets better as I get stronger. Here.” Gavin said, creating an illusion of them walking into the lounge between them.

  Wiremu looked at the image of himself carrying Freddy, Ashley beside him looking as beautiful as ever, her ring free hand in full focus. The colours were more saturated than was natural, and the whole thing had an unnatural filter over it like it'd been ripped from an atmospheric cyberpunk movie.

  “Okay, well this is fucked. Why is it now you decide to bring receipts for your yarns?”

  “Because this time I have receipts? Here, I'll make you guys something too, as an early wedding present.”

  Gavin held out his hand, a lump of hard grey metal in the palm. As they watched the metal formed itself into two identical rings, one thicker than the other. Carefully he placed the larger of the two on the table before taking the smaller between his fingers. With practiced ease he plucked one diamond after another out of thin air, setting each into the ring with a gentle push.

  Taking one ring in each hand he focused on enchanting them both with a basic size altering enchantment.

  “Here, get her to put this on in the next hour or two, it'll size to her finger then stay that way forever. They don't do anything, but they'll never tarnish and I'm pretty sure nothing short of a tactical nuke will damage them.”

  “What is this? More magical metal?”

  “Yeah, adamantium, level three. It's the good stuff.”

  “Thanks Gav.”

  “No worries, sorry for dipping out on you. Didn't get much of a choice, but that doesn't really matter.”

  “Well, I'm glad you're happy. You are happy, right?”

  “Yeah, very. And congrats to you man, you're gonna be a good dad.” Gavin said wanly, his mood turning melancholy for a moment.

  “Yeah, thanks. You staying for tea?”

  “Nah, I've gotta get going, I've got about half an hour before I need to be home, cutting it pretty close really.”

  “Well, see ya round Gav.” Wiremu said, extending a hand to shake.

  Gavin took his friends hand firmly, looking him in the eyes. They didn't need to fill the space between with words. They both knew their paths had diverged. It wasn't goodbye, but it was a definitive breaking of the fellowship. Gavin had his path to walk and Will had another.

  Gavin stood, dusting himself off as he nodded to his oldest friend and stepped through his portal arch.

  Wiremu was left alone on his back deck with the two half finished beer bottles. Sighing he stood, the three magical items In hand.

  He passed back through the kitchen and set the bottles beside the fridge to deal with later, nodding to Natalie who bustled past to start on dinner. He found Ashley holding Freddy to her breast, fully engrossed in his own meal time.

  “You boys sort out you boy stuff?”

  “Yeah, I think he found something he's been missing. He’s like he was before-” Wiremu said, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid.

  “Good for him.” Ashley said.

  “He got us a wedding present. And something for Freddy too.”

  “Oh? Nat said he didn't know I was pregnant?”

  “Yeah, well, you know Gavin. Completely oblivious to everything going on more than three feet in front of his nose but somehow always finds a way to make it work.”

  “Well, you'd better show us then.” Ashley said.

  Wiremu handed over her ring, taking his own he slipped it over his ring finger. He felt it shrink slightly as he put it on, sizing itself perfectly to his finger. He watched Ashley turn hers over in her fingers her eyebrows slowly migrating up her forehead.

  “Are these real diamonds? We cant- how'd he afford these? They aren't stolen are they?”

  “No, they're not stolen, well, probably not stolen, actually, probably best not to ask questions you don't want the answer to. Try it on.”

  Freddy, apparently full, unlatched and stared up at what was going on around him. His eyes fixated on his mother's ring as she slipped it over her finger, his pudgy olive hands reaching up to paw at it.

  “Here you go little man, Uncle Gav got you something too.”

  Freddy forgot about everything the moment the greenstone necklace came into view. His dad placed it in his hand as he grasped for it, the loop of leather finding his gummy mouth a moment later.

  Freddy paused, he felt his new toy calling to him, asking to be his toy forever. Obviously the shiny rock was going to be his forever he-

  The necklace vanished. With a look of confusion Freddy's face scrunched. His toy was gone. He wanted his toy back. He wanted it back now.

  With his will, it appeared around his neck and he felt a wave of power flow through him. He had no way of comprehending what any of it meant, all he knew is the toy was his forever.

  “Wiri. What the actual fuck was that?” Ashley all but screeched.

  “Uhh, language dear.”