The man that had suddenly stepped through started to speak the moment he appeared on our side of the portal.

“I was expecting you to look happier to see me Elise.”

“I might have, if you hadn’t just worried the hell out of me!” Elise calmly answered.

“Ah come on, how many people do you know that can use this technique?”

“Not many and all of them dangerous, but I suppose I should have expected this from you.”

“I’m almost hurt you would describe me in that way.”

“It’s true.”

“I suppose.”

“Anyway, what’re you doing here?”

“I got your little message that you might be dropping by sometime. I was going to wait for you to arrive with this interesting thing that you wanted to talk to me about, but then I noticed the disturbance.”

“Oh, what disturbance?” Elise asked innocently.

“Really? You’ve basically been leaving a trail of destruction all the way from your place to mine! I thought I’d better come check why you’d decided to walk to me and to stop you from leading a whole lot of trouble right to my door.”

“I see… So, what do you want to do?”

The man sighed.

“What I’d like to do is send you back home, but that clearly isn’t an option. I guess you’ll have to come with me, I’ll portal you all back to mine.”

“Thanks.”

“Hold on. You know this guy?” The question had come from List.

“Yes, I do. Sorry, I haven’t introduced any of you yet.” Answered Elise. “This man is Alfred and he’s an old friend, we’re on route to his place as our first stop.”

“Nice to meet you, um…” Alfred floundered.

“These are my students, the girl there is List and the boy is Theo.”

“Hold on, they’re your students! When did this happen?” Spluttered Alfred clearly taken by surprise.

“Yes, yes, there is a lot for you to catch up on, but do you mind if we do it back at yours? I’d like to get out of here before we draw any more unwanted attention and that portal of yours is like lighting up a beacon.”

“Of course not, you’re right we should head there first.”

Alfred turned to the portal that he’d stepped through only minutes before. Holding out his hand in front of it he muttered a quick chant, the disk turned briefly back to completely black before becoming clear once again.

“There you go, all set. That’ll take you just outside my front door. Step through whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Alfred. Go on you two, step through first, we’ll be right behind you.” Elise said looking at List and Theo.

“Are we really sure this is safe?” List asked questioningly.

“Yes, perfectly.” Elise answered using her most reassuring tone.

“Hmm, okay. Well you go first Theo, I’m sure you just itching to try it out.”

“Me?” Theo asked sounding a little nervous.

“Yes.”

“S-sure.”

Theo looked at the clear disk floating in the air a few feet away from him. He had seen Alfred safely come through only a few minutes before, but he was still a little unsure about the whole thing. He had no way of telling how safe this mode of transport was. For all he knew, one in every hundred journeys someone was sent off to a random location or split apart down to their atoms. Theo decided he was just going to have to trust that Elise wouldn’t let him do something that was potentially fatal. He took in a deep breath and then stepped into the portal.

As he stepped in there was a bright flash and everything around him became a blur. Theo felt as if he was being spun in every direction possible, but this sensation only lasted for a couple of seconds before his foot touched the ground on the other side of the portal. The thing was, it was such a surprise for there to suddenly be solid ground there, that by the time he registered what was going on, he was already well on his way to falling over. Not being able to stop, he crashed into the floor with a thump. Theo had enough sense about him to realise that it would only be a moment before someone else walked through, so he rolled himself out of the way as soon as he landed.

Thirty seconds at most had passed before List came through after Theo. Just as had happened with Theo, List also lost her balance the moment she stepped through and ended up in a heap on the floor in front of the portal. It was only a few seconds before Elise came through after her and List was still trying to move out of the way. This didn’t pose a problem for Elise, who gracefully hoped over her as she exited, as if it was nothing. After that List managed to roll to the side just in time before Alfred walked through. Once she came to a halt, she sat up to the side looking very much out of it. Looking over Theo sympathised, his own head still spinning from the portal. Finally, Alfred came through the portal, then with a click of his fingers once he stepped clear and it popped out of existence.

“I can see that it was the first time coming through a portal for you two.” Alfred commented as he looked over at Theo and List, who was still sat on the ground looking ill.

“It was. Does it always feel that awful?” Theo asked.

“No don’t worry, it gets easier the more you use them, but the first few times can be pretty rough.”

“I’m not sure I’d want to go through that again!”

Alfred chuckled at Theo.

“But sometimes the only way to get somewhere is through a portal. You’re better off getting used to them sooner rather than later. You don’t want to feel like that in an emergency.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Theo answered as he got back to his feet.

“Well, if the two of you are feeling up to it, we should head to my place.”

The other side of the portal had turned out to also be inside a forest somewhere. The group had reappeared on a wide pathway between the trees. The path wound up a slight hill that led to a large and very old looking house.

“I think we’ll be alright.” List responded, finally getting back to her feet, if still looking a little wobbly.

“Good then follow me, it is only a short walk up.”

Alfred strode forward up the path and headed towards the house at the end. He had hardly made it a few paces before.

“Hold on a moment.” Theo called out.

“What is it?”

“Aren’t you a little worried that the portal will have led the ones that are following us right to you?”

“Oh no my dear boy, they won’t have been able to pick up the portal’s exit, not here.”

“How come?”

“Well, you see those trees all around us?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well a strange quirk of the trees native to this area, is that they’ve a certain chemical composition. I won’t go into the details, but it plays havoc with people’s ability to detect energy signatures. The trees grow for miles around this place in every direction and the effect infuses the very air around here. Worry not, no one will ever know that you’re here.”

“Is that why Elise had no clue that it was you that was going to step through the portal?”

“Exactly! Despite it being well within her range. You catch on quickly. I can see why Elise has taken a liking to you.”

“Err thanks… It was just a guess.”

“Well it was a good one. Come on, let’s head inside. I really want Elise to fill me in on what’s been going on.”

Alfred continued to walk on in the direction of his house and the rest of the group followed him. It was only a couple of minutes’ walk before they stood outside his front door. At least that was what they were expecting, but once they arrived it soon became clear that there was no easily apparent way in. The whole ground floor of the place was a solid wall. There were windows on the higher floors, but not even a single one at ground level. Theo stood there scratching his head as he waited for Alfred to show them the way in. Elise groaned before asking.

“Just show them the trick Alfred.”

“Okay, okay.”

He clicked his fingers and the bricks on the lower floor began move, steadily rearranging themselves. Gradually a doorway and ground level windows began to appear. Once the transformation had completed a grinning Alfred stepped forward and opened the freshly revealed front door.

“Please come inside all of you and welcome to my home.”

They all did as Alfred asked and filed into the house behind him. They found themselves in a large reception room, or entrance hall. There were doors leading off from the room in several directions and a large staircase at the back, it looked every bit the country manor house. Alfred suggested that they take off their bags and leave their belongings there, before joining him in the lounge. Theo was more than happy to take the bag off his shoulders, as was List. Elise with her seemingly magical pouch, didn’t bother leaving anything behind. Once they had finished unloading themselves, Alfred led them through to the lounge. This turned out to be an adjacent room to the entrance reception. It was a large room laid out with sofas and various comfortable looking chairs.

“Please feel free to sit wherever you like. I’m sure that you’re all tired and hungry from your journey, but before I leave you to rest up and refuel, I’d like to find out a few things. I hope you don’t mind Elise?” Alfred asked as he took his seat.

“Not at all. We were prepared to travel for a few more days before we reached here. I’m sure we’ll be able to satisfy your curiosity before we rest. What did you want to know?”

“Ah, there really is a lot I’d like to ask you. It’s almost too difficult to know where to begin, but if I have to choose it would be the biggest mystery for me. What made you decide to take on new students and now of all times? I didn’t think I would ever see the day when you accepted new students!”

“Well Alfred, you know just as well as I do, why I decided never to take on another student and to be honest, I thought that I never would. I’d already taken in List and she was a prime candidate for a pupil, she was the most capable lifer that I’ve come across. Even then, I choose not to teach her, or consider her entering the trials. I thought that my mind would never be changed on the matter, but then one day I felt a strange energy way out in the middle of nowhere and when I investigated, I came across Theo here.”

“And that was enough to change your mind?” Alfred asked.

“No, of course not! There’s much more to it than that. The strangeness around his sudden appearance and his complete loss of memory, these were more than enough reason for me to take him in and to investigate maters further, but that was all. Then after a strange run in with a pack of Rasenclaw on our way home gave me a glimpse into his underlying abilities, my curiosity was peaked. It was a natural power, one that I’ve only seen once before in my entire lifetime. It was this that made me fully investigate his possible origins. After a brief visit to Baltier to borrow some equipment, I was able to see into Theo’s memories of his past life. It was only then that I confirmed what I’d already suspected that Theo was not originally from this world.”

“You mean?”

“Yes… It was then that I decided, because of the potential he held, that I would take him on as my pupil. It was also the only way that I could fulfil my promise to help in his search for answers and I’d always wished that I could take on List as a pupil. This would provide the perfect opportunity for that as well. If all went according to plan during their training, they would stand more of a chance than I’d seen for a long time in any group of Leve making it through the trials.”

“I see… That must’ve been a hard decision for you to make.”

“It was...” Elise trailed off, looking into the distance looking as if she was remembering something painful.

“He really isn’t from our world originally?” Alfred quickly asked trying to keep the conversation moving.

“He really isn’t. When I looked back over his memories, I witnessed the destruction of the world he was born into and his death. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Then he’s like her?”

“Yes, at least in as much as this is not the first world that he was born into. Just like her, he already possesses an element of the divine in his blood, without passing the trials or possessing a shard.”

Alfred began to look at Theo with an uncomfortable expression, as Elise spoke.

“And you’re sure that this is a sensible decision?” He asked.

“Yes, I’m certain. I’ve seen into his past, I’ve felt his feelings and come to know him over the passing days. I don’t feel any shadow there, or inclination to Drex from him at all.”

“But people have been mistaken in the past…” Alfred shot Elise a knowing glance as he responded.

“I know that, of course, I do. You should understand more than most, that I wouldn’t make this decision if I wasn’t certain?”

“I do and I also trust your judgement. I just need to be sure.”

“Of course, you are welcome to make your own mind up over matters, just know that I will not be willing to give up one of my pupils, not without absolute proof that my judgment was flawed.” Elise shot Alfred a strong glance back as she spoke.

Alfred broke into laughter out of nowhere.

“Scary as always! Ah, it’s glad to see that somethings never change. To be honest, I’m happy that you haven’t changed one bit, even if you do turn out to be wrong about this boy.”

“Um…” Theo interrupted.

“What is it?” Asked Elise.

“Well, I could be wrong here, but the way that you’re both speaking about this woman, the one that came here from another world in the past. It’s as if you both knew her, but that can’t possibly be right can it?” Theo asked sounding a little confused.

Elise and Alfred both fell silent as the pair looked at each other. Finally, Alfred decided to speak up.

“I suppose I should be the one to answer your question. I expect that Elise told you that I might be able to provide some insight into the one that came before?”

“She did mention it…”

As Alfred begun to speak, Elise rose to her feet.

“I think it’s time for me to find some rest before dinner. Are you satisfied you’ve heard enough from me Alfred?” She asked.

“Yes, you’ve answered most of what I wanted to know, and I expect I can find out the rest from these two.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it… The second room on the left after the stairs, is it still a guest room?”

“It is, feel free to make yourself at home there. I’ll find the others somewhere to stay once we’ve finished talking.”

“Thanks.”

Elise turned and walked to leave the room, but as she did List called out to her.

“Are you okay, Elise?”

“I’m fine.” She answered without turning back.

“Are you sure? You just seem, a little out of sorts.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“But…”

Alfred interrupted List before she could say any more.

“I think you should just let her catch up with a little sleep. I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you about things later. From what I’ve picked up, she’s been fighting since before you left, she must be exhausted.”

“Right, of course, sorry.” List apologised.

Elise left the room without saying another word.

“Well, where were we?” Asked Alfred.

“I was asking if you and Elsie knew the woman from the other world.” Theo answered.

“So, we were… Yes, we both knew her. In fact, we more than knew her, we would both have considered her our good friend at one point.”

“What?” List asked loudly, suddenly speaking up.

“We were both her friend at one point.”

“I heard you, but I can’t believe it! How could Elise have ever been friends with someone like that? Do you have any idea of the things that she’s done?”

“More than you would know.”

“I doubt that!” List replied clearly agitated.

I have no idea what connection to her you have, so perhaps that was a little rude of me. The thing is List, we knew her before she was known to the world like she is now. We knew her back before she had done all those terrible things. Elise was the first person to come across her, back when we were all training to be put through the trials. You have to understand that was awfully long time ago…”

“Was there really was no sign of what she was like?” List questioned, still with agitation in her voice.

“No, not at all. We spent many years with her, we trained together, we all went through the trials together on the same team. It was only afterwards that things started to change. By the time we became aware that something was up, it was already too late. We were all betrayed by that woman, we had no idea of what was to come, all of us taken completely by surprise, but none more so than Elise. She’s lost more to her than most, I can promise you that.” Alfred turned and looked at Theo, his gaze piercing him. “This is why I worry about this one, she fooled us all before. How can we be sure that he isn’t doing the same?”

“We can’t, but that could be said of anyone, not only Theo. All we ever have in that respect between people is trust. Just because Theo was brought here from another world doesn’t mean he is any more likely to betray us than any other person and the same would have applied to her as well.”

“Perhaps you are right List, but if we are wrong the implications could be…”

“The implications could be worse if we don’t trust him. There is no way for us to know for sure either way and Theo has never done anything for me to not trust in him.”

Alfred chuckled a little to himself.

“And I can see why Elise is so fond of you too… You are right, it would be wrong of us not to give him a chance.”

“We should… Besides I’m sure there is more behind this, some reason behind her betrayal… What was it she did to Elise?”

“That’s something that she’ll have to talk to you about herself, when she feels ready. I don’t think it would be right for you to hear it coming from me.”

“I suppose that’s fair. Can you at least tell me if it has anything to do with her promise never to take on another student?”

“I suppose I can say that much… Yes, it does.”

“I see… This all, it all makes some kind of sense to me now. I’m sorry Alfred, but I’m going to need some time alone for a bit, please excuse me.”

“Where are you going to go?” He asked her.

“I need some air. Is it safe for me to walk outside?”

“Yes, just so long as you don’t get lost.”

“I won’t go far, and I’ll come back to the house.”

“Okay.”

List didn’t hang about after that, she immediately showed herself out, closing the door behind her, leaving just Theo and Alfred there. An awkward silence fell on the pair for a moment, eventually Alfred cleared his throat.

Do you have any idea why she reacted like that?” He asked Theo.

Theo, who had been silent since Elise had left, thought for a moment before answering him.

“I couldn’t say for sure. All I know is that at some point Elise took List in and she has been living with her ever since. If I had to guess, I’d say it had to be something that happened to her before Elise took her in and by the way she reacted, I would guess it has something to do with this woman.”

“I see… That woman has done a lot of terrible things to a lot of people over the years and it does seem reasonable to guess after what happened, that List is someone that has had to suffer some consequence from this.”

“It does make sense, the way she reacted, when you said that you both knew the woman. I can understand now why Elise wants me to keep quiet about where I came from, any association with that woman seems to cause a strong reaction. I wouldn’t want that be the first thing that anyone knew about me.”

“That would be wise, at least in these parts of the world and judging by how hard your pursers are trying to find you, it’s probably wise to keep a low profile in the other parts too.”

“It does seem that way… Do you have any idea why they would be after me? I can’t see what good I could do anyone.”

“Well, it will be one of two things. Either they think that they can make use of you or they think that you will eventually become a threat to them. The only other person that has come here from another world changed the balance of power here for hundreds of years, it makes sense that they would want to have you under their control.”

“But me? I only have a few days’ worth of memories and I’m definitely not strong or powerful.”

“Trust me, if Elise says that you have potential, then either of those things could be true. The truth probably is that they want to control you and if they can’t… Well you can probably guess what, just by the way these people operate. If there’s any chance of either coming to fruition, they won’t take any chances.”

“How is it that they have so much power, that they are willing to harass someone who’s as strong as Elise? Are there not rules, or people to police that kind of thing?”

“There are rules and they’re policed, but the world has changed a lot since Elise and I were young. The rules now very much favour the Drexists. Ever since the war the church of Drex has been a part of the government in this country. I expect if we encountered the law, they’d say that we’d been obstructing them for not handing you over.”

“But I haven’t done anything!”

“I know, and so will they. It isn’t about what you’ve done, it’s about what you could represent. What you could become. They have been removing every obstacle to rule by Drex’s doctrine steadily for many years now. That’s why we all live so far out in the wilderness, where we used to be out of their reach.”

“If the Drexists are so bad, why does anyone support them at all?”

“It isn’t that simple… Not everyone supported them at all, before things became this way there was huge civil war that even spilled over to the neighbouring countries. Before then, more than a thousand years ago the world was a vastly different place from what is today. No one used to care if you followed the of Leve or Drex, there was balance and people worked and lived together regardless of their differences. It’d been that way for as long as people could remember. Every year equal numbers of followers from Leve and Drex would enter and pass the trials so the worlds balance was kept. That was until she came into our world, it was almost as if she arrived just to shift the balance. Even now not all people support the Drexists, but they have a commanding position. There is no group strong enough to act as a counterbalance to their power. Calling them bad is an oversimplification too, most of them are only doing what they think is right.”

“This will probably sound like a stupid question, but if everyone used to coexist what are the differences between the teachings of Leve and the Drex?”

“There’s no easy answer to that question I’m afraid. The answer is different depending on the school of thought that you prescribe to… In the simplest of terms Leve believed that humans should be left to their own devices and able to follow their own laws and customs to grow and progress. Drex on the other hand wanted to control everything, he wanted humanity to live as he instructed and unable to directly intervene in the world he left teachings for his followers to live by. The two ways were held in balance until she came to this world. Since she was given her shard, she has done everything she can to push the balance towards Drex and the worlds balance has been unravelling ever since…”

“I think, I think I kind of understand what you’re saying.”

“Well, just consider that a very basic introduction. You’ll soon get your chance to talk to followers of Drex and find out what their beliefs are for yourself. Just as you will find out about ours while you are with us.”

“I understand there was a war, but how has the balance shifted so far in their favour? I thought there used to be an equal following on each side.”

“There were… The world as you know is called Iltira, that name also belongs to this country because at its heart is the Arnianeil. It is a large island that contains the trials that one must pass to reach the central altar, where the shard is bestowed upon the successful. It fell under the control of the Drexist forces during the war. After the war, all sides were weakened but only the Drexists still had access to Arnianeil and were able to go through the trials creating more released. The Leveists have never been able to regain their strength, they have only become weaker over time.”

“So that’s how it can stay like this.”

“But not everyone has given up hope, followers of Leve still try to reach the Arnianeil to this day… Anyway, I’m sure there are plenty of other things that you’d like to ask me about?” Alfred could tell Theo was desperate to ask him something else.

“Well, Elise did say that when I was here, I might be able to find out more about the first to cross worlds. What can you tell me? Do you have any idea how travelling between the two worlds is even possible?” He asked excitedly.

“For a start, I definitely won’t be able to help you with anything as complicated as how someone was able to travel between worlds. All I know on that subject is that she was supposedly killed in her first world and awoke here reincarnated. Much like you she had little memory of her old world, at least at first. However, over time things started to come back to her and after a few years it seemed that she felt that she could remember much of her past life.”

“I see.”

“What I might be able to help you with is working out if you both came from the same world. When she was going through the process of regaining her memories, I was highly interested in learning what I could about this other place. Assuming what she told me was true…”

“That would be helpful and thank you for the suggestion… There’s only one problem with all of this, I have very little memory of my past life. I’m not sure how much good it will do me talking to you about all of this right now.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be today, we can talk about these things whenever you’re ready or remember something new. For now, though I just thought I’d try something, if you don’t mind?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“One of the last things I learnt from her was the name of the world that she came from. I wondered if telling you it might cause a reaction.”

“Please go ahead.”

“She told me that the world which she first lived was a place known as a planet by the race of humans that lived there. They believed that there were a series of planets in the vicinity that floated in something called space. These planets orbited a large ball of gas that was known as a sun, it gave light and heat to their world. The humans had a specific name for the planet on which they lived. They called that planet the Earth.”

The moment the words begun leaving Alfred’s mouth something began to stir inside Theo’s mind. A few strange images shot across his mind’s eye, disappearing almost as soon as they appeared. That was until he mentioned the name of the planet, for some reason the image connected to this word hung around inside his head. He could see an image of the world from a far, it was a spherical blue looking place from this point of view. Theo knew right away that the place that he was talking about was the world that he had originally come from.

“I know that, I know that name. I think I came from the same world as her!” Theo announced slightly panicked.

“We won’t know for sure, not until you’ve regained a lot more of your memories. Just the act of trying to recall this kind of thing could produce a false memory… But the name does seem to have caused a reaction within you. I definitely wouldn’t rule it out as a possibility.”

“It just seems so familiar now, I can picture the place. Nothing specific, but the world as it is seen from afar as a whole.”

“The world as a whole and from afar! How would it even be possible to gain such an image?”

“I-I don’t know… But I’m sure that I remember it.”

“Hmm, well she did speak of a system of planets floating in space, not that I ever fully understood, but perhaps if they were able to understand such things they also had some means of capturing an image from space.”

“I think so!

“Then perhaps that is the case.”

Now that Theo was almost certain he had originated from the same world, something at the back of his mind began to bug him.

“There’s something else I’d like to ask you while we’re talking like this.”

“What is it?”

“Everyone calls the woman that came here simply her, if they’re being polite, otherwise it’s the Witch, but that can’t be her name and seeing that you knew her…”

“You want to know her name?”

“Yes, I would.”

“But she would’ve come here many years before you were born. It isn’t like there’s any way that you could know her.”

 “I know that, but I would still like to know her name. For someone that comes up in conversation around me so frequently, it just seems weird to not know it.”

“I suppose you have a point, but most people normally don’t even name her, it’s almost as if saying her name is like invoking a curse, so they call her the witch instead.”

“I’ve noticed, but saying her name isn’t really a curse is it?”

“No, no, of course, not, but it won’t do any good to use her name.”

“I can understand that, I won’t speak it carelessly. Please, I feel that I need to know it.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you. Just be careful of who is around you when you bring it up.”

“I will.”

“This might not be what she was known as on her original world, but to us she was called Maya… I’m not expecting a response, but does that mean anything to you?”

There was nothing, no reaction, he could have picked any random word and it would have caused as little reaction from Theo. He was left more than a little relieved.

“Nothing.”

“I thought as much. At this point in your recovery, only words that carry a strong emotional tie to your past self, seem to be able to elicit a reaction.”

Theo didn’t know why, but he had been expecting more to come from it. Now it hadn’t, his mind settled again.

“Sometimes, but other times it’s just been chance objects I’ve remembered.”

“Strange. Well, I think for now we’ll leave it at that. I don’t want to get too carried away telling you things whilst Elise isn’t here. What would you like to do now? I can show you up to a spare room if you’d like to rest.”

Theo was just about to take Alfred up on the offer of a room to rest when he realised that List still hadn’t returned from her walk. He knew she had left to have some time alone, but it had been quite a while and he was beginning to worry about her.

“I really would like to take you up on that, but I think I’m going to take a walk outside and see where List has gotten to.”

“Are you sure? She looked as if she wanted to be alone.”

“Yeah, I could do with the fresh air myself and if she doesn’t want the company, I’ll leave her be.”

“Okay, just be careful not to get lost in the woods.”

“I won’t.”

It was already late afternoon when Theo stepped outside again. He wandered around on the grounds of the house at first hoping to catch a glimpse of List, but it seemed that wherever she was, she had left their immediate surroundings. After making sure she was nowhere to be found in the gardens that surrounded the old building he decided to head back down the path they had arrived from. Sure enough, just as soon as he had walked a little way out of sight of the house, he noticed a figure sat at the side of the path, their back leant up against one of the trees. Theo decided to walk up and take a seat next to them.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked her.

“Okay, I guess, a little conflicted.”

“Conflicted? Why?”

“Because the woman that took me in and has looked after me for all these years like I was her own child, was once friends with the woman that murdered my entire family.”