Having returned to Ingrid’s office, he was given his remaining nine questions, and so he started with the next simplest he could think of.

“What is the Abyss?”

“That’s a complicated question… Complicated enough that I can’t answer that in the time I have allocated to you. However, I will give you a general rundown. It is a secret society that exists adjacent to your own. Mostly through the use of barriers. Pocket spaces of a sort that can be placed on top of the normal world. One can enter them as long as they overlap where you are on Earth. Most Abyssal organizations use them to hide their activities from the mundane world, while others stick to the shadows and apply their influence secretly. They do this because of the one truth that exists in the Abyss, if you do something to reveal magic to the general populace, you will suffer a fate worse than death. You will die, and your existence will be systematically wiped from the memories of those outside the Abyss. That does not mean that any single person learning of the Abyss would result in a death, however. Even if they themselves do not have any powers. It does mean that if it becomes exposed in a way that the general populace cannot deny, it will result in the death of the people responsible and an altering of memories and events.

“Regardless, there are still many groups that operate in the mundane world. Some you’ve met already. The Order of the Lady, for one, guilds of people who take the responsibility of protecting innocent bystanders and the weaker members of the Abyss into their own hands. And many more you have not met yet who practice slavery, who create and supply magical drugs, and other such actions that both of us would consider despicable. Those same sort of people are responsible for the other truth so common in the Abyss, that might makes right. It is a belief that has been repeatedly fought against, usually to no avail. Though many nations of order have risen to rule over the course of history, most of them have done so by virtue of their strength. Or even more usually, the strength of their founders. I do not have the time to tell you of that long and storied history, but I’m sure you can get that information on your own. And if you wish the libraries of this mansion are open to you. If you choose to use them or not, I think that is all we have time for,” Ingrid stopped. Her tone throughout the entire speech was serious, but she sounded like she was enjoying herself. As if the opportunity to teach was fun for her in and of itself. 

John took a minute to process the information that she told him, it was a mix of new and predictable but it was still utterly surprising. Eventually, he did manage to get his head around it enough to move on. Asking the first question in a series of them he planned about the test. 

“I think I understand… So I’d like to ask about the test now. Why all the secrecy regarding it?”

“The only real reason is a ceremonial one. As our ancestors did when discovering the american gate to the second plane, every new group of explorers must discover a new gate. For now, given the harsher conditions of the second plane and that not even one gate has been discovered, we have been using other gates here, in the first plane. As far as we know, there’s one on each continent. Today, you discovered the European gate, the only other gate we have sent people to up until now.”

“So you’re telling me no one else but the first few families ever became an explorer?”

“Being an explorer is something of a ceremonial power as well. It dictates which members of the Council and the Federation are able to launch expeditions on their own. In other words, who the leaders of our movements will be. Who will pave the way to the future. But it is not necessary to be an explorer to venture out, as long as you find yourself among the crew of one.”

“Then why the hell was I doing any of this?”

“I believed in your potential, as a leader and as an explorer. That is why I set it up that you would take the test. And knowing how close Orianna was to completing it, I suspected it would go splendidly for both of you. Evidently, I was right,” John was shocked to hear it. He was obviously being manipulated, but he wasn’t quite sure he disagreed with why. It was unlikely that he would have chosen the same path had he known beforehand. He didn’t seek to lead, and if he was able to explore with others he would have welcomed it. Even so, he wasn’t upset. A sense of certainty had washed over him, of purpose. If he was to be a leader, he would make the most of it, and that meant having some purpose beyond himself, even beyond the sheer idea of exploration. Still, there was something he wondered about.

“Alright, let’s say I believe that. Why didn’t I get any training?”

“Two reasons. The first is much more complicated than the second. Once again, the ceremonial aspect of this whole thing creeps its decrepit head. The first families were explorers, and as such they required no additional training to undergo the task. I am sure that is the main reason no one has passed the test again. Great potential that can be found among the recruits for the Council either find themselves under the command of others or are sent to waste away there. Not that any of the other explorer families were complaining. It’s to their benefit that the position has said privilege and exclusivity and no new blood made it much easier to manage. The other is something of a more practical reason. I wasn’t sure that if I had trained you in secret for some time that Orianna wouldn’t have already found the gate. Or that the gate in the second plane would already have been found.”

“Huh? Why do you care if the gate in the second plane is found?”

“As you might have noticed from the scene last you were here, my control over the Council is far from absolute. In fact, my list of enemies is longer than my list of friends. Regardless, this is not the time to talk about politics, all you must know is that it is of grave importance that we discover a gate in the second plane before any other group,” John stayed silent for a minute, trying to process again. He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of any of that, starting with he including him in it. 

“We?”

“Yes, John. My goal was never to use you. I want you to help me of your own volition. Because I believe we both think the same way. Just as I grew up in this world believing that the greed and lust for power driving those around me was unjust and destructive. You have come from a world in which that greed and lust for power has not only been turned for good at times, but is also suppressed. I wish to do the same thing, even if in the beginning it will only be in the Gateway. That is why I have focused on gaining power in the Council, and that is why I need your help. I will teach you all I can, and in return together we will start that change here, with the Council. Now, I’m not going to force you to do that. As I said, I want it to be of your own accord. So are you willing to help me?” there was no way he could give an answer. He barely even knew anything about this world, but so far Ingrid had been helpful, so he gave as polite an answer as he could.

“I honestly can’t say anything, I wouldn’t even know what I’m getting myself into. I’ll consider it, of course. There’s no reason not to. But I don’t think I’m ready to give you an answer anytime soon. Plus, I’m not even sure what that really means... And, I still have two more questions, so I’m going to use them. First, what the hell is up with this whole Gateway thing anyways? Orianna told me that you guys discovered it, but I still don’t know what that means.”

“I don’t think we have the time to go into the long explanation of it. But in short, it’s a sort of other dimension that’s nestled near our own. It’s quite similar to barriers, but it is distinctly different in a few ways and nobody knows why. First, as I implied earlier, we believe there are multiple gates on every plane that lead to another plane, and unlike barriers, that is the only way to enter them. We know this because we have found multiple gates on earth that lead to this plane, and we have located a few of the gates on this plane approximately. However, up until now we only knew their locations. And there was no concrete proof of the existence of another gate on this plane.

“The only reason such a discovery was not entirely necessary is because of the energy a gate outputs. While a gate is inactive it generates a certain type of magical energy that acts as interference due to its immense strength. Because of that, we can detect that power to a relatively specific range. This is something we also tried in the second plane, although so far to no avail. Due to its inclusion of an entire galaxy and the limitation of our method for locating the gates. But, every new gate we discovered on Earth led to a location close to one of the other gates in this plane. The theory is that the gate you have just discovered will allow us to locate a gate in the second plane. As such, I have my own inquiry to you John. Where did you end up when you went through that gate?” the Gamer was somewhat confused. While he could understand what Ingrid meant generally with his limited knowledge of the Abyss, there seemed to be a lot of missing elements to that puzzle in his mind. Nonetheless, he answered her question.

“A planet, one designated XR2. Or at least, that’s what one of my abilities told me.”

“That you even have an ability capable of giving you such information is of some interest. But regardless, that is a very interesting discovery. As XR2, at least if my information is correct…” Ingrid paused for a second to think, as if trying to confirm it, “is on the other side of the galaxy. Which makes it an ideal location to begin searching for a gate anew.”

“Are you asking me to do that?”

“I am. It is part of your responsibility now, as an explorer. Whether you wish to do so or not. Of course, first you will undergo some training, and far more if you accept my teaching. But for now that is what you must know. Either way, the second difference is quite important. It is a matter of size and history. While some known parts of the Abyss have existed for long periods of time, and are quite large, none of them are as large or old as our own galaxy. Which the second plane clearly is. The history, as far as we are aware, was not created when we arrived but developed naturally. We understood this through extensive examination of the fabric of the second plane’s reality. There are a few more differences, but they would go far beyond your current understanding of the Abyss.”

“Well, I assume I don’t have a choice in exploring to find that gate then. Not that I don’t wish to do that, it was originally my intent to explore regardless. Though I do have another question, I know I've run out but I hope you'll answer it anyway. If I’m going to be leading an expedition, will I be allowed to pick my crew?”

“Fine, I will answer one more as I want you to feel comfort in this. Yes you will be able to pick your crew, although that matter is somewhat far off, your training should prepare you for that as well. Obviously, like any leader, your expedition will start small, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find volunteers for it among the new recruits you will be trained with,” she paused for a moment, “now that you've finished your questions I think it’s time for you to be off. I will be willing to answer further questions in the future, but for now it is time that we both get back to our duties.”

It annoyed John that his questions had run out so quickly, he still had more to ask, but for now he was satisfied with what information he did get. More than that, he wanted to go home to see Alice and his parents. Now that he knew he could ask those same questions later, he was satisfied to stop for now.

“But before you leave, I must insist that you complete your addition to the Council formally. My maid will take you to a room in which you will find many historical contracts that you must follow. They are mostly a formality, and quite a few of them are with now extinct organizations. Nonetheless, if you are to join us in leading the Council you must sign all of them,” Ingrid nodded when John went to leave, “farewell, John. Once you are done with that my butler will escort you, this time to the gate back to your town. You shall be sent for next week, when you will start your training. Further information will be given to you then, as I’m sure you can handle your parents on your own. And I hope you have an answer for me by then as well.”

Exiting the room, the Gamer was escorted to a giant library. Inside the library he found a stack of contracts that could only be described as enormous. It contained several hundred documents all written in English that John could barely parse. They all spoke of ancient agreements with various groups in the Abyss. Most of which promised that in exchange for any information and technology found in the planes, material support would be provided to the Council. By the time John had finished signing half of them, adding his last name to them as about a dozen others had done over the years, a clock in the room showed it was almost midnight. So he was escorted to a small guest room where he spent the night. He was able to finally finish signing the documents the next day, finding nothing else of note. Once he did, the butler escorted him back to the industrial area. 

There he found himself in front of yet another gate, which he entered shortly afterwards.