After leaving the Guild, Ethan led the team through the midday crowds to Durgan’s shop for supplies. He picked up a few essentials—bandages, a spare waterskin, a packet of emergency rations, and a few sturdy oilcloth bags for hauling anything messy they might bring back from the dungeon.

  As Ethan was checking out, Durgan waved a handful of mana light stones. “You’ll want a couple extras for the dungeon, right? Some of those lower floors get dark.”

  Ethan shook his head, grinning. “No need this time.” He summoned his sword from ring storage and let it appear in his hand. With a pulse of mana, a blue-white light started at the base of the blade and ran all the way up to the tip, glowing steadily until the whole sword shone with a pretty impressive brightness. “Built the light right in,” Ethan said, a little too pleased with himself. “I call it my lightsaber. Learned that trick a long time ago… in a galaxy far, far away.”

  Durgan blinked, confused, then gave a shrug and a lopsided grin. “As long as it works.”

  He leaned in, eyeing the odd, unfamiliar runes. “Those markings look stranger than usual. What’d you use for this one?”

  Ethan just shrugged, deflecting. “Personal method. Works better for me than the old stuff.”

  Durgan snorted, not pressing further. “Well, whatever you did, it seems to work.”

  Ethan turned the blade, showing it off. “Sharpness, self-repair, mana conduction, and the light. Here, watch—” He sent mana through the sword and the runes pulsed brighter. He tapped the blade against the edge of the counter, leaving a tiny notch, then held it up as the metal smoothed out and sealed itself, good as new.

  Durgan let out a low whistle. “Not bad at all. Any chance you can lay some of that on a few tools for me? I’ve got some knives, a crowbar, and the old folding shovel that could use a tune-up. I’ll pay the usual rate—plus a little extra for a rush job.”

  Ethan grinned. “Sure, I’ve got time.”

  By the time he finished enchanting half a dozen tools, Durgan handed him a tidy pouch of Bits and Pieces—enough to cover everything Ethan had just bought, with some left over. He left the shop feeling lighter than expected, the supplies divided up into everyone’s respective storage devices, and the Pack in good spirits.

  Outside, the sun had already started to dip, casting long shadows down the city streets. Ethan stretched his shoulders and glanced back at the others. “Let’s head back. If we don’t get to the inn before dinner, Mara might actually come looking for us.”

  Buster gave a soft woof of agreement. Pixie’s ears perked up at the mention of food, and Moose set an easy pace at Ethan’s side. Lyra and Amelia trailed a step behind, both looking content—if a little tired from the long day.

  As they walked, Ethan felt the last of his hurry drain away. He didn’t want to rush this—not with everything riding on their first real run. Maybe it would be smarter to take one more day, set up the anchor homestead, and double-check their gear and plans before heading in. The dungeon would still be there tomorrow.

  The truth was, he hadn’t stopped moving since Celdoras: training, enchanting, errands, checking out the Academy—always another thing to do, never a real pause. He realized now that he couldn’t even remember the last time he just… rested.

  The next morning, while he waited for the anchor’s cooldown timer to finish, Ethan finally let himself slow down. The Pack spent most of the day at the inn, and the Silverthorn children were ecstatic to have everyone around. Games broke out in the hallways, Pixie and Buster led a parade through the common room, and for once, nobody was worried about the next job or quest.

  By evening, Ethan felt something he hadn’t in a long time: actually relaxed. Just a little more ready—for whatever came next.

  The next morning, after waiting out the cooldown, Ethan gathered Jorrin, Mara, and the rest of the team in his room. The Silverthorn children tried to slip in, but Mara sent them downstairs with a gentle promise they could visit later.

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  Ethan set the dimensional anchor against the outside wall—the one facing the street, up on the second floor. If this had been a real door, it would have opened straight into empty air above the cobblestones. Instead, this would lead somewhere entirely new.

  Jorrin gave the spot a once-over and smirked. “Glad the door doesn’t actually open to open air. That’d be a hell of a surprise for anyone coming through.”

  Ethan pressed the side of the artifact, just like the shopkeeper had shown him. The anchor pulsed; the gem door handle shimmered, and with a smooth, mechanical shift, the door frame unfolded out of the handle itself—springing up from the wall with a movement that looked almost like a transformer snapping into place. In seconds, the same kind of dimensional door he’d seen at the shop stood solid before them, set right into the wall.

  He gripped the handle. The outline sharpened, the glow steadied, and with a quiet click, the entrance to the homestead opened.

  He glanced back at the others, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Welcome home. Or, you know—something like it.”

  Ethan stepped through first, breath catching as he took in the pocket world. The air felt fresher, almost sharper, and the “sky” overhead glowed with gentle, even light. All around them stretched five open acres—rich grass, a handful of wild trees, and a faint breeze that didn’t match the weather outside. The whole space felt private and limitless, but also…empty.

  He turned in a slow circle, taking it in. “Well, it’s definitely bigger than the apartment back home.”

  Mara laughed, and the Pack spread out, sniffing, exploring, and rolling in the grass. Moose trotted the perimeter, already plotting territory.

  Jorrin stepped up beside Ethan and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got a good start. Back when we built the inn, I knew a few folks who could help with the heavy work. Stone, timber, wards—whatever you need.”

  Ethan looked over, hope rising. “You think they’d be willing to work in…well, here?”

  Jorrin grinned. “If you can get them through the door, you can get them to build.”

  Ethan nodded, then hesitated. “So, uh, how tricky is it to set up plumbing in a place like this? I can handle magic, but I’d kill for a hot shower and a real toilet.”

  Mara snorted. “Figures. First thing you ask about is the bathroom.”

  Jorrin just laughed. “It can be done. I’ll put you in touch with the right people. It won’t be cheap, but you’ll have the only pocket homestead in Celdoras with a working bath.”

  Ethan looked out at the open land, already sketching out plans in his head—where to put the house, a kitchen, a proper bath. It wasn’t quite home yet, but he could see it taking shape.

  He was still thinking about layouts when the Silverthorn kids burst in through the new door, faces bright with wonder. Before anyone could stop them, they were tearing across the grass, laughing and chasing after Pixie, Buster, and Amelia. The dogs took off in a flurry of paws and wagging tails, delighted by the sudden game.

  Ethan couldn’t help laughing, the sound echoing brighter than he expected in all that open space.

  Lyra watched the chaos with a big, unguarded smile. For once, she didn’t seem reserved or cautious at all—just happy to see the Pack and the kids running wild.

  Since coming to this world, it really did feel nice to have a place of his own again—a safe place for him and his family.

  Ethan spent most of the morning and the rest of his wealth to start work on building a house in his dimensional space. He added the entire Silverthorn family to the list of people who could open the door. He felt a little bad about getting a drop of blood from Tessa, Kip, and Thomlin—since all three of them cried, though Kip pretended not to. Senna seemed fine with it, watching her siblings with quiet curiosity and barely flinching when it was her turn.

  With everyone set, Jorrin explained that he could let the workers in to help with construction as soon as they moved the door to the outside of the inn. “We’re not about to make the poor sods haul stone and timber up the stairs to your room,” Jorrin said, clapping Ethan on the back. “It’ll go smoother if you anchor the door at ground level—out by the garden gate, maybe.”

  That meant moving the door, and another two-day cooldown—but it couldn’t be helped. Ethan did exactly what he’d seen the shopkeeper do, unanchoring the artifact from the wall. The cooldown timer immediately started counting down in his mind—one more thing to wait on. For now, the land behind the door would remain wide and empty, the plans for a house only half-real.

  With construction on hold, Ethan turned his focus back to the team. Meanwhile, there was a dungeon to tackle. They had all been fully prepared for a while now, and the air carried a buzz of restless energy. Buster was pacing. Pixie kept darting to the door, tail high. Even Moose looked eager, waiting by the packs.

  Ethan checked over everyone’s gear one last time, feeling the anticipation settle into something sharper. There was no time like the present.

  “Alright,” he said, voice steady, “let’s go see what Celdoras’ dungeon has for us.”