“It means you shouldn't have to worry about them,” said Noughtfire. “Seek out the anomalies in those worlds—the places where Law is strong where it has no right to be. And there, you will find what you need.

  Zane nodded. Seemed clear enough.

  “In Astra you’ll have all you need to clear the last three Concepts. I imagine if if you make good time… it should take a little more than a decade, in there.”

  “That should translate to something like five years out here. By then you’ll be on the doorstep of war—putting you in good position to break through when the hells break open.”

  “Got it.”

  So it was decided. He’d spend the rest of his time grinding out his Laws.

  He would miss training with the Barbarian Sage in that time. But just as he took breaks to visit Reina, he figured he could drop by to visit the Sage for stints, and feed Fluffy.

  It did sound like he’d have to take this seriously if he wanted to get it done in time.

  “To comprehend a Concept laced with Destruction is akin to learning a Concept one tier higher,” said the Sage. “Do not underestimate it, Zane. Even for you, it will not be trivial.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good.” Noughtfire folded his hands behind his back. “One run, then. Three Concepts straight to the Great Circle, the peak of Ascension… Before you break through to Minor God, do challenge Ragnos. If you make it past the penultimate planet, you’ll be rewarded with the Last Wish—a singularly useful flower…”

  Noughtfire gestured outside the window. There, by the sill, bloomed a gray-black rose—like no flower he’d seen, a rose made of ash-flakes, monochrome.

  “It should some bite out of the True God breakthrough. That is all, then. Your next challenge begins here, disciple. Make the most of it!”

  Zane knew he was being dismissed. But before he left—

  “You were the one who sent that assassin’s blood to the Barbarian Sage, right?”

  “What of it?”

  He shrugged. “Just wanted to say thanks.”

  “You would’ve survived it without my intervention. Especially built as you are now.” Noughtfire’s mouth quirked a little. “You are my disciple. To strike at you is to strike at me—of course I could not tolerate that.”

  He stroked his beard.

  “There is also… for a very long time, I thought I would never see the Path of Stormfire walked to its end… But now I have hope. That hope is you, Zane. I will not walk that path for you—but I will not stand idle and see you shoved from behind, either.”

  He paused.

  “You do understand you are my greatest student, yes?”

  “I had a feeling.”

  “It has been a singular pleasure watching you grow.” Noughtfire said it quite matter-of-factly. But he swore the old fellow smiled a little as he said it. “Do keep it up.”

  Zane blinked. “…I appreciate that.”

  Noughtfire snorted. “Alright. Enough of this. Off with you!”

  ***

  Before Zane left, he dropped by Stormhaven to prep and rest up—and there he was greeted by Jawl and the Storm Drake Tribe crew. It always warmed him, seing those big fur hats of theirs.

  They made a banquet for him. By then it was widely known that the lord of Stormhaven liked his Storm Yak.

  He spent a pleasant afternoon chowing away, and talking with a few of the little princes. The littlest of them, Prince Rei, was on the verge of Elemental Stormfire—he just needed to shore up his Steel Laws.

  It took Zane back, seeing Rei making little magnetic fields, trying to pick up steel pebbles. Not quite there. But close.

  Rei promised he’d get it done next time Zane visited; it almost felt like Zane was checking his homework, every time back.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  He spent the rest of the day floating in the Stormfires of the Great Lake under his estate.

  A good time, all in all.

  ***

  That night Burnwater came over for tea.

  “The Dreamscapes? Oh—they were a wonderful time,” said Burnwater. “Heaps of fun—though I only went there briefly, just a few years. It was the most time I’d spent among mortals in ages! I played at being a merchant, if you can believe it—it made for a good excuse to be traveling all over, searching all over for hotspots.”

  The old fellow spoke of it like it was a fun little summer holiday to some remote Carribean island.

  Burnwater seemed to speak of a lot of things that way. Zane supposed he was pretty much retired.

  A wistful look came over him. “Sometimes it’s easy to forget, living as we do, among gods. There’s something pleasing about the simple mortal life, I must say—a certain charm.”

  Burnwater chuckled. “Well, I’d like to think so, anyway. Don’t you?”

  Zane thought about it.

  “It’s not for me,” he said. “Life only seems to get better the stronger I get.”

  He couldn’t remember enjoying himself on a daily basis. The simple joy, as far as he was concerned, was holding the power to blow up planets in his fists.

  He’d tried meditating before, clearing his mind. Even journaling—the simple joys other folk said, and they hadn’t done half as much as blowing something up with a well-placed punch.

  He scratched his head.

  …Sometimes he did wonder if there was something wrong with him.

  “Oh! One thing to keep in mind—do be careful not to break things! It’s quite easy to forget how simple mortal realms are.” Burnwater stood. “Well, it was lovely seeing you again, Zane. Do visit if you’ve got time.”

  He bumbled off.

  Then—“Ack!”

  Burnwater forgot his tea set. He came back, collected it, and bumbled off again, a little more embarrassed this time.

  It was hard to imagine that fellow could hurt a fly.

  He wondered if Burnwater really did feel the mortal life had its charms. Maybe it was easier the farther you were from it.

  He remembered his days in the warehouse. Or before then, grinding away in school. Those memories all seemed dull somehow—tinged over with gray.

  He took a long, great rest that night.

  Early next morning, he set off—a few elixirs Reina had prepped for him in tow.

  Astra was waiting.

  ***

  Astra was a cluster of indistinct hazes. They sparkled, as though tufts of tiny diamond-dust were hidden within; there was nothing solid here. Nothing defined. Asteroids drifted by, trailing wisps, trailing auroras—the stuff of dreams.

  He faced no resistance this time around. No dream-creatures came to have a go at him.

  Maybe it was his Law. Or that new Bone of his, which seemed more likely, now that he thought of it.

  He had a new presence in the Astral Plane.

  He unfurled his scroll-map, and consulted it. The last time he was here he’d gotten a bit lost. But Noughtfire had gotten word of it, and made adjustments since—this new map was charmed to ward off Astra’s constantly shifting, obscuring nature. It drew a straight golden line, right where he needed to go.

  He kicked off, flares exploding from his feet.

  Dimly he registered a notification—

  Level up!

  Solar Flare Step VI -> VII

  Mostly these lower-level Skills leveled beneath his notice.

  But this was quite convenient—it gave him a solid 5% boost.

  Half an hour later, he came to a halt.

  It looked pretty much like any other—so shrouded in dream-mists he could hardly make out his own hands. But the map said this was it.

  He took out the Dreamflower, which looked in his hands almost comically tiny, a a glimmering dandelion. He blew.

  The seeds fluttered off, carried by a sudden gust. A wind that swept in out of nowhere. The fog lifted with it.

  Then he was standing on solid ground—on grass and orange-gold autumn leaves.

  He blinked, looked around.

  A forest, much like he would’ve seen on Earth. The colors here were a bit lighter, but it was a familiar sight. Sunlight filtered through the trees. Bushes rustled in the distance, and he heard the faint cawing of crows—but things were pretty calm, all in all.

  Even the air felt familiar, yet different. Almost like Earth was not long after Integration—some low-grade Planet. There was hardly any essence here; he’d have to take Reina’s elixirs to replenish his store.

  …Though by what Noughtfire and Burnwater had said, he doubted he’d need to use much of his store at all here.

  He crouched, and inspected a treasure at his feet.

  Cloud Ginseng [Mortal (B)]

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a Tier that Low. It amused him.

  Just then, a cawing came from overhead.

  Wraithcrow

  Essence Level 88

  It was a crow whose feathers blurred to gray-and-black shadow. It seemed to have its eyes set on the ginseng too.

  Seeing Level 88 almost made him nostalgic. There’d been a time he’d been no stronger than that crow. It hadn’t been all that long ago, either, he supposed. It felt like a lifetime ago.

  He wondered why.

  It hadn’t been just his powers that’d gotten stronger. Somewhere along the way he’d developed a certain sense of himself, of just what he could do.

  Back then he’d never really known what he was capable of.

  He’d never faced down threats that could take down planets, or threaten whole galaxies. But now he’d outwrestled horrors the old him couldn’t have dreamed of.

  He didn’t feel all that changed—but he supposed he was.

  It was a certain feeling in his chest; a feeling he took into every fight—that he knew exactly who he was now. And that if he and his foe went into deep waters,

  they would be the one to break first. In mind, if not in body.

  Now that he thought of it—maybe that was why Reina had such faith in him. He remembered her saying as much to him as they cuddled in front of the fire. Or something like it.

  …He remembered more clearly Avery overhearing her over her comic book, rolling her eyes, and saying, “Alright, lady, take a chill pill!”

  Anyway.

  This bird—it seemed quite keen on challenging him. It was spreading its wings. Trying to make itself seem big.

  He grinned at it.

  Then he let out just a sliver of his aura.