As far as I can tell, mental enhancements follow the same rules. At least they do for mageknights. I believe the mages and knights get reduced effects in the attributes they are lacking, but they do get some. I can guarantee you that a middling fourth realm mage can take the pounding similar to a second realm mageknight.

  — Excerpt from Notes For Newstar

  Day 620, 11:20 AM

  I stood on the beach of Explorer’s Island, looking at the fine black sand.

  Basalt or magnetite? I wondered as I observed it, then took Batsy III off my back and touched the sand without stepping off the dock.

  Basalt. None of it had stuck to the metal staff. Fifteen minutes had passed since Newstar’s friends left me there. The fourth realm woman who checked the ship’s cargo and passengers told me I had to wait at the dock until someone came to pick me up.

  As for Newstar’s friends, they were an interesting bunch. Three of them somewhat older, but Roselilly was young and vital and naive. I messed with her the most while we were sailing. A full moon of travel on foot and on ship, and ten-odd days before that to get all my things in order, and to let people know I was leaving for about half a year.

  I must admit, I half-expected the princess would have me assassinated. But no calamity had befallen me. A surprising turn of events, all things considered.

  Still, it was nice, the sea, the air, the lack of mortal threats. Just a peaceful journey with youths I could joke and mess around with.

  “Dan! It’s great to see you!” Newstar shouted as he rushed over, and my skin crawled at the nickname.

  “Dan?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Really? All right; greetings, Star! Great to see you too.”

  “Does the nickname bother you?” For some reason, the boy seemed surprised. As if everyone should like the name Dan.

  “Not at all. How do you like yours, Living Star?” I emphasized the words to see whether I would get any reaction, and the jovial youth shuddered like someone had walked over his grave.

  “So, Dandelion,” he continued more seriously, “I bet you’re wondering why I called you.”

  I grinned, showing my teeth.

  “You called me because you thought I had something valuable enough for you to haul me fifteen thousand miles and because you have something valuable enough for me to travel fifteen thousand miles to pay me with. I will be mighty angry if I have traveled thirty thousand miles over nothing.”

  My grin grew wider after saying that, but I knew his summons weren’t a waste of my time.

  “It is nice to see you again, Newt,” I used the name his other friends used, despite thinking that Newstar sounded leagues better. “I can see life has been treating you well, or better to say, you are forging a fine life for yourself.”

  “Actually, I have a lot of things to discuss, but first I have to see where I can rent a soundproof room that offers total privacy.”

  I arched an eyebrow at the blatant show of disrespect for the organization that fed him. Then again, considering his secrets, it was prudent, even if a bit offensive.

  “That important, huh?” I drew my staff as I hopped onto the beach’s black sand. With a sweep, I drew a circle, then scribed my privacy seal within. Once done, I beckoned him to join me inside.

  “There, a primitive private chamber,” I said as the seal sprang to life. “What did you want to talk about?”

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  Newstar opened his mouth to say something, but the bubble burst. No surprise there. I was used to people bursting my bubbles.

  “Excuse me, Senior,” I said and politely bowed inland. “We are trying to have a private conversation. I will in no way harm or interrogate your student about your order’s sensitive information.”

  That was all I got to say before the bubble reformed.

  “I was about to ask whether this is safe.” Newstar glanced at the runes with no small measure of disappointment.

  “My invention. Much safer than spell seals for isolating sound. We whisper, and the noise the sphere makes cancels our speech, replacing it with the empowered sound of the surroundings. The illusion is obvious, but whoever is out there already knows we are here, talking, so all it has to do is block line of sight, and finally, the spell seal is so fragile any wisp of mana that touches it will make it collapse for a handful of seconds before it restarts itself.”

  I grinned and barely resisted a car salesman’s wink. “Pretty neat, right?”

  “But isn’t it useless?” The clueless boy ignored the brilliance of it. “It doesn’t stop people from listening in on us; they can just burst your bubble.”

  “And then we stop talking, so they have nothing to listen to. At most, they will hear one word. Now what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

  He hesitated, staring at the half-sphere of frozen scenery. A silence way too long for comfort passed before Newstar finally spoke.

  “I have made a new discovery you might find important, and in exchange I need you to make a new blueprint of my realm.” He hesitated again, but I motioned him to continue, the bubble wasn’t bursting yet. “Both of us have unique approaches to sculpting our realms, but they share common facets, and one of them is the general layout. What if we made another layer of it underground? I have already tested it, and it works. Also, earth-aligned runes can be scribed in different materials or metals.”

  What? He blew my mind with that. I spent moons working on my realm, and now have to redo all that work?

  I was near shouting, but controlled myself. It’s not that bad. It will certainly help with meeting the level up requirement, and he could’ve called me this time next year. Now that would’ve been a tragedy.

  Newstar stared at me expectantly.

  “Well, this certainly is worth traveling thirty thousand miles.” I rubbed my eye. “This revelation is worth more than me redoing your realm blueprint, and if I had to guess, this approach goes beyond our kind’s ability.”

  Blunt blurted out that part, but it didn’t sound odd in the context of the conversation.

  How come I didn’t think of this? I was digging around my realm. You can make pumps and holes, so why not underground runes?

  I laughed at my lack of imagination and spoke honestly. “I cannot believe I didn’t discover this on my own. I have dug wells, volcanic side vents, ore pits, and springs, but never considered adding runes underground. Do you have anything else you need? I can offer advanced lessons on weapons, spell seals, alchemy, blacksmithing, artificing, whatever. You name it, I got it.”

  While I spoke, my mind was running wild with this new door open, challenging the reality of just about everything related to realm sculpting..

  “Why stop with only one layer—oh, I see, the minimal rune size to assure a relevant flow of energy, combined with the maximal depth you can dig. You have put some thought into this. I have a question, if I may?”

  He mimicked my chin gesture, looking impossibly cute as he copied me. Faces of several sons mimicking my gestures as they sought my approval passed through my mind. I smiled even as my heart ached for them.

  “You are obviously growing powerful and competent. With your knowledge of runes and spell formations, you could have made this yourself and kept your secret. Why share this information with me?”

  “Because it would save me ten years of experimenting and optimizing, and I know you can draw it in a matter of moons or even weeks. And I know you will put all your effort into making it so you don’t owe me one.”

  Yeah, right…

  “And the real reason is?”

  He blushed with embarrassment and lowered his gaze. It was enough to tell me everything. He wanted to share his discovery with me, both to receive recognition and to do me a favor. Suddenly, I once more saw him as he will be one day, a slayer of gods with a warm smile and kind eyes.

  I patted him on the shoulder.

  “Thank you. You have done an excellent job, Newstar. It is a great honor that a man as talented, intelligent, and virtuous considers me a friend.” I opened my mouth, but nearly choked on the emotions. I gave myself a moment to get a handle of myself before I continued. “If you want, you can call me brother, and I would like to call you brother, if you would have me.”

  He gaped at me and swallowed a lump. I don’t know what it was that made us click so well. We made a virtuous circle, he and I. Each wanting to repay kindness in kind and pay back more than we received until the trust and the feelings grew beyond the limits sane humans imposed on themselves.

  It was the same with Manny. We each upheld our vows with all we had, and once the walls between us crumbled, we loved and respected each other, holding nothing back.

  A shackle binding a part of my soul snapped. I didn’t know it at the time, but the invisible chains binding me to my mortal coil weakened.

  What I knew was the rush of mana and life into me when Newstar responded.

  “Sure, Big Brother.”