We traveled as a group to the doors around the Black Gold door, Jessica becoming the first person I cast soul magic on other than myself. Ajay would watch with excitement, whereas Adriana would glare at me every time. The others didn’t comment. 

The next door we visited looked like a normal front door to any suburban home, till you looked closer. There were rocks with runes chiseled into them in the small walkway garden. The door had gold inlaid ivy like decoration embedded into the frame. Each of the windows had faint lines etched into the glass and what looked like salt in between the panes of glass. The closer you looked the more occult symbols you found, carved, chiseled, inlaid, or etched permanently into the house. It all reminded me of pagan witchcraft. 

The second door was to a stately manor. Done in dark grey rock and deep natural wood, it gave off a distinctly creepy vibe. We didn’t stay too long when Lana spotted a skull half buried in the front shrub, Jay pointed out the odd thorned vines growing up the wall, and Dan spotted what looked like thick crimson blood flowing out from under the door. We all agreed that we would be avoiding this door. 

The third door was a concrete bunker door surrounded by blackened dirt, the concrete old, worn and was chipped in many places. We didn't stay for very long. 

The fourth door was an iridescent blue metal set in a round metal frame, the plain metallic wall surrounded the door bore alien letters. The floor was more metal panels with black grip strips. There were small dark grey squares surrounding the door frame and along the base of the wall that would occasionally flash with multi coloured lights. We were split on whether it was a space ship or a high tech bunker, but we all agreed it was defiantly science fiction in origin. 

The final neighbor to the Black Gold door was colonial log cabin door complete with traps, hides, and leather harnesses hanging from the walls. A pair of dirty leather boots stood beside a musket next to the plain oiled wood door. Dan and Jay seemed very excited and spent a long time talking about the details surrounding the door, speculating on the time period and probable location of the cabin. Their talk about the musket lasted long after we walked away. 

After we returned to the Black Gold door, I told the others that I would be staying here till I could master the Inheritance magic, and that they were free to pursue whatever they wanted. 

“The only thing I would suggest, if you find a door you want to travel through, return here first. Even if you pass on my Soul Magic, I can let the others know where you went.”-Me 

Jay stood up and looked out with the breeze at his back. 

“I want to see what is out further. Maybe I’ll find alien souls.”-Jay 

“I want to find more magic doors, or maybe go through this one.”-Ajay 

Ajay looked excitedly at the Black Gold door. 

“I think I’ll go with Ajay, see if we can find a Faery door.”-Lana 

Adriana sighed then stood up and dusted off her clothes. 

“I’ll go with you two. Keep you from jumping through the first glowing door you find.”-Adriana  

“Technically it would be the second glowing door. We found this one first.”-Ajay 

Ajay grinned broadly as he ducked the swat Adriana swung at the back of his head. 

“It will technically be a slight concussion if you keep being cheeky.”-Adriana 

Everyone chuckled as Ajay cowered in mock horror, then ‘epped’ and ran in real horror when he saw Adriana’s hand come up again. The rest of us watched in amusement as he eventually dodged behind Dan to hide. 

“I just want to wander around, see what other people are around. Want to go too Andor?”-Everet 

“Sure, find out if anyone else knows anything. Maybe well get lucky and run into a beautiful Angel.”-Andor 

I rolled my eyes as Andor and Everet chuckled. 

“What about you Dan, want to go Angel hunting?”-Everet 

“No. I’m going back to scout out the Uglies, and their complex. I want to see it for myself. No offence to you Magician, but you don’t strike me as having any military experience.”-Dan 

“No offence taken, I’m do not. Maybe you will find something I missed, or even where the Uglies come from.”-Me 

“I’m going to stay here. I going to learn that Mentat stuff the Magician has talked about.”-Jessica 

-I didn’t even say I would teach anyone that. Woman knows I'm not going to say no to her. Damn second life. 

Adriana gave me an appraising look, then took Lana and Jessica off for another “Women Only” council. 

I talked to Everet and Andor before they left, mostly more jokes about finding a world of green women. They yelled goodbye to the women when they walked off together, Lana waved enthusiastically. Jay said he was going too. 

“Come back. I want to hear about what you find out there.”-Me 

I shook his hand and looked him in the eye to let him know that I really meant what I said. Dan and Ajay both took his hand as well. He looked over at the woman nervously for a bit then just waved. 

“I’ll come back!”-Jay 

He turned and walked out towards the horizon. 

“Remember the Doors and Don’t get lost!”-Adriana 

Jay skipped a step when Adriana yelled out to him. We all watched silently as he walked off into the distance. 

“He’s not bad when he is not talking about aliens.”-Me 

Dan chuckled and turned back towards me. 

“Just follow the breeze, right?”-Dan 

I nodded. 

“It has always leads to the Marble door, and the Uglies shearing complex. I’d say don’t fight any of them, but I’m sure you’ll figure that out without me harping.”-Me 

“I appreciate that. Besides, Adriana will do it for you.”-Dan 

“I heard that! I wouldn’t have to harp if I could trust any of you fools to actually use your brain!”-Adriana 

“Too bad I don’t have one any more. I know I’ve looked into my head like the red head here said we could.”-Dan 

Dan grinned as Adriana glared daggers at his broad back. The “Women Only” meeting must have concluded as they were walking back. 

“Well at least you know it.”-Adriana  

Ajay nearly choked in laughter when Dan rolled his eyes. 

“Men! I bet the whole forgetting each life is designed so women don’t remember what a chore you are. The human species would have died out if we actually remembered how stupid you all were.”-Adriana 

I laughed with the others. 

“What are you laughing for Mage. Your just as stupid as the rest of them.”-Adriana 

She glared at me with her hands on her hips. For this battle I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and kept my mouth shut. 

“All right you two, let's go find your Faery ring, Magic academy or Wizard whatever.”-Adriana  

She grabbed Ajay and turned him around and started him walking. Lana giggled again and followed the two. Adriana turned her head and looked back. 

“And don’t you think I won’t know if something happens when were gone!”- Adriana 

She gave me a hard look, then flicked her eyes to Jessica before she turned back and motioned Lana to catch up. Lana and Ajay waved at Dan, Jessica and I with big smiles before they continued on with determined strides. I had a hard time wiping the big grin off my face as I watched them go. 

“Guess that means I should be off too.”-Dan  

He nodded to the both of us then walked into the breeze. We watched as the walking figures faded into the distance.  

“So, I’m going to teach you to be a Mentat too?”-Me 

“Yes. You don’t think I’m just going to stand around watching you make glowing lines and sparks the whole time?”-Jessica 

I turned and looked at her with a superior knowing grin. 

“Got this all planned out, do you?”-Me 

Jessica looked at me with her usual stern face, then it softened, and she looked down. 

“I have something I need to do, back there. In life.”-Jessica 

My face also softened as I saw her vulnerable for the first time. I looked away so she wouldn’t think I was staring. 

-Damn she’s pretty.  

“I don’t know how well Mentat magic will work on your mind here in the after-life, but I will teach you. I need to practice it too.”-Me 

She looked up and smiled at my shyly at first then her serious face came back. 

“Then we should start. It's not like we don’t have all the time in the world.”-Jessica 

…. 

Jessica and I soon fell into a routine. First, I would talk about magical theory, something Jessica needed to understand before she would understand Mentat Magic. I would demonstrate when I could, drawing diagrams, symbols, and twists in glowing lines in the air. After that I would cast soul memory magic on the both of us, before we would talk about the parts of Mentat that didn’t require magic. Next, we would both practice what I had taught. Sometime later when I couldn’t focus on the Mentat exercises any more, I would practice magic. I didn’t just work on Soul Magic, but also tried new things with Air and Lightening magic. I figured any experience would help with maddingly complex twist that Inheritance magic demanded. When Jessica finally exhausted even her insane ability to focus, we would take a break. She would talk about her life as a CEO of an international company, and I would tell her about the stupid things I did in my lives. Eventually we would get back to talking about magical theory and the “day” would start again. 

We were on the thirtieth “day” when Everet and Andor returned. They had run into an old, white bearded Asian man walking around, and ended up get into a fight. Andor explained how he got in a few blows before he figured the guy was too tough and backed off. Evert countered with they got their asses handed to them and ran. Andor was grumping at Everet when I interrupted. 

“You two had a Fortuitous Encounter with a mysterious Martial Arts Master in Another Realm and you pissed him off and then ran away?”-Me 

Andor looked at me quizzically, while Evert stopped with his mouth open. 

“I say it was fortunate for him that I follow my adopted French countrymen’s love of peace.”-Andor 

-I can’t believe that I actually met someone so, ah. Caricature, that’s exactly what he is. Does he even know he is doing it? 

Evert looked at Andor 

“You're like an American acting as a Frenchman.”-Everet 

“What!? I am French! I was only born in the States.”-Andor 

I stood and watched them go back and forth a bit till I had to shake my head and walk away. 

-Andor is like Everet’s perfect straight man. Wow, I think they might actually be giving me a headache! 

The two stayed for a single “day” before they couldn’t take the boredom any longer and declared that they were off again. I heard Andor saying something about trying to negotiate with the old man if they ran into him again as the two walked away. 

“Maybe the old man will take them as apprentices, and we won’t have to hear from them again.”-Jessica 

“Would you really want to see Andor’s version of “Westerner enlightened by Eastern martial arts”?”-Me 

Jessica giggled and then looked mischievous. 

“What about Everet’s return as the “Drunken Frat Kung-fu" master?”-Jessica 

I put my hand to my forehead. 

“Now I’m picturing them both returning together like that. Evil woman.”-Me 

I mock glared at her. She grinned triumphantly back.  

“Now that the distractions are gone you need to get back to training.”-Me 

I fell back on my status as Master Magician to restore the proper balance in our relationship, completely ignoring Jessica’s exaggerated eye roll. We returned to our “day”.