Imagine if you could transfer to another world at will. If the laws of physics were off in the wrong ways, your body would cease to function. You'd also hope that the atmosphere's composition and even the gravity work the same. It takes a lot of prerequisites to move to a habitable universe.

Yet these rats... every time I pulled them out of the portal, they arrived in perfect condition. Except for one...

I hushed the rodents before they scattered away from my desk. They stayed in place, waiting to be picked up. An unfamiliar cold stench lingered on one of the test subjects. Magic? If it is, I don't know what kind.

I picked up the obedient little furball.

"How curious... I don't remember releasing a white one."

No deformities, no lung issues, no signs of exhaustion. There is, however, a sense of distress. I've considered it before, worlds with different laws of magic.

It was only a fun summer project, but I suppose this one is worth funding.

A hurried sound of footsteps became audible behind me. Judging from the pace, it's probably trouble... trouble that I don't wanna be part of.

I jumped from my comfy azure leather seat and rushed to the nearest closet. With a wave of my hand, the fancy fur coats and tunics part to make space.

I hopped into the warm darkness, rushing to veil myself under the gaudy garments I never once wore. The footsteps grew louder, the rodents scattered, the sounds of walking turned to knocking. I slammed the closet door just as the set of keys twisted the locked golden knob and viola... I am hidden. Perfectly concealed in a coffin made of money.

"Sir Valen! Please! The ball started 52 minutes ago!" yelled the pathetic little weakling outside my immovable box of imperception.

"The princess demands the presence of the court wizard!" he yelled once more, obviously not smart enough to notice my impenetrable iron maiden of unseeability.

"I know you're in this closet!" His voice exploded into my face as the door flung open.

"Tsk..." I turned away from his gaze.

The young man was breathing heavily, probably from the exertion of finding me. His outfit reeked of desperation and cheap cologne. I maintained my silence and closed my eyes, not bothering to acknowledge his presence. If I can't see him, he can't see me, right?

"Sir Valen, you can't hide forever. Your sister is furious!" my crestfallen squire whimpered, his tone now softer, almost pleading.

I chuckled, earning a puzzled look from the intruder. People rarely laughed in the face of courtly demands. Or, in my case, behind a wall of fur coats.

"You think this is funny?" he asked.

"Quite."

"Look, I know you're busy, sir. But you must absolutely attend to the princess downstairs!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. You don't understand, I am on the brink of groundbreaking discovery, Squire Meerkat. Why would I bother with royal bullshit?"

"Because the princess said so!"

I stared and sighed inwardly. It seemed like he was serious and not just an excuse to make me go outside. Besides, what kind of brother would let his cute little sister alone with strange otherworlders?

I pushed aside the fur coats, putting on a nonchalant yet compliant expression.

His eyes lit up as I stepped out of the closet— oops, phrasing.

I looked back at the mystical room I worked so much on for the past 300 years. Each piece of wood is coated with only the most expensive of lacquers, reflecting the mystical glow of the vials and orbs that populate the shelves. Each piece of furniture has some sort of gold coating and intricate carvings I don't understand. It's crazy to think that this room was supposed to be even more extravagant before I modified it.

The room itself is quite small (by royal standards) but these bookshelves contain a near-infinite amount of books from different worlds. Same with the cage under the small bed, who knows what kind of ancient dragon or poisonous frog I forgot in there... if only I remember.

Floating candles, alchemical ingredients, a telephone from another world, herbs, snacks, a toilet that washes your arse after you do your business... what more could a wizard want?

"Hey, it's not like it's the last time you'll see the wizard tower again. Go!" beckoned the Meerkat face.

"Fine, fine!" I waved my hands in resignation as I walked towards the bridge that leads to the main building.

Meerkat-face exhaled in relief. I looked back at him and said "Oh, and catch the rats."

A horrifying dread fell on his face as he slowly turned his head to look at the cage under the bed.

Couldn't let him think he won one against me. After all, it's best to keep your dogs, or rather your wild mongoose, on a leash. I'll just say it's part of his training if he ever files another complaint. It's not like anyone would dare punish me for my mischief... well, except for my sister who I haven't seen for a long time.

Every time I cross this bridge to meet her, I like to imagine the walls closing into me to crush my sides. It's a claustrophobic's nightmare, but for me, it's comfy. The sensation of a warm hug is the only thing that relaxes my anxiety. Even as I'm anticipating the wide open area that awaits at the end of this hall, the rumbles from the music and dance steps clenched my heart. No amount of practice in the mirror could allow me to prepare for social interactions... not with visitors from another realm.

Even then, I can't hide forever. My sister awaits.

My mind went blank on the way to the ball, and before I knew it, I was already walking down a set of stairs, concealing my face with my favorite blue cloak, hoping not to be noticed.

The plan was to sneak up on her, fix whatever accessory she broke this time, and move out. But she immediately looked straight into my eyes the moment I took a step into the ballroom.

Bright sunset colors, vibrant scarlet fabric on every window and table, thousands of thumping, drumming, and violining. You'd think the environment would drive her into sensory overload but no... even with all the noise and blinding lights, she still never fails to detect my presence.

For someone with zero mana, she's quite talented in spotting her elusive older brother. Sisterly love, perhaps? Makes me blush— no, I'm not gonna enforce the stereotype that royals like incest.

She lifted her fluffy yellow dress and scuttled towards me. Her brown curly hair bounced on her small face, a strand stuck on her cute pink lips. The way her desperate blue eyes water as she seeks help can make any guy's heart flutter.

My sister, Valeria... She's way too cute. If I were an evil stepmother, I would never let this pure creature meet another man, but alas, royal marriage affairs are outside my jurisdiction. If only... I'd kill mother and catfish father if it came down to it.

She held my hand and pulled "Veevee! Can you come with me real quick?"

"Just so you know, I'm not a fan of the phrase 'keep it in the family'."

"What are you talking about? Father and I just need you to translate for us!"

Translate? Makes sense, I guess. I believe these guys speak Tiamese. It's not something you could just learn or decipher, it's far too intricate for another race to replicate. Thankfully, as the civilization that serves as a hub for all the realms, some of us are born with the ability to comprehend any language or magic in existence.

"Is it a guy?" I asked.

"Well... yes?"

Could it be... I felt the wrinkles form above my brows. No, I suppose I could help entertain the visitors. The event would be pointless if we couldn't communicate after all.

She pulled my arm, leading me to the other side of the ballroom, leaving the ambiance of pretentious music and insincere conversations.

"Where were you? Didn't you know how important this is for the kingdom?" she said as we left the loud open area.

Important? Surely a small interaction has no impact on the future of humanity, but she tends to exaggerate, so I'll comply. I nodded my head and chuckled.

Eventually, we arrive at the living room... One of the living rooms. There awaits my senile old man and his glorious white beard. Across him is a lean, thin-eyed, and long-haired individual, judging from the flow of his mana, he's about 200 years older than me... which says nothing since humans from different worlds have different lifespans.

I apologized for my absence and thanked them for their patience. As usual, I made my introduction short as the court wizard and honorary knight and headed straight into business. Father never minded my quirks which I liked, but he is unusually formal to Valeria... and a little too friendly with the stranger.

Our kingdom governs the fabric of space and apparently, the visitor is from our long-term alliance, the kingdom of time. Their representative, Prince Wilfred started with his pitch. The first part is fairly generic, flow of population, alliance in magical and technological research, trade negotiations, etc... Just some things the two powerhouses of the entirety of creation would talk about.

I still don't get why Valeria is needed here, she hasn't spoken a word since. The prince of time kept on eyeing her tho... wait a minute.

Suddenly, the formal conversation turned into teasing and laughing... And I'm in the middle of it. Normally, that would be the end of the worst part but then the mention of my sister became increasingly prevalent. Sure, we do want to continue the healthy relationship of space-time as universes wouldn't exist without us... Yeah, a prince mingling with a princess is perfectly normal.

But then he said it...

"Wedding."

It was when I realized (one) of my greatest fears was coming into reality. It was a marriage arrangement... and I couldn't stop it... I have no right to.

It was not set in stone, but it was considered and will likely be accepted. It took a while for the meeting to conclude until finally, they signed contracts and shook hands.

I hurried back to my tower as soon as we said our goodbyes.

I shouldn't pout, I shouldn't complain. It was bound to happen anyway, there's no other daughter in the family, and our older brother, Valor, is already engaged.

As I walked back to the narrow bridge, the crushing sensation on the walls turned from warmth to suffocating.

"Looks like I'll be even more alone," I chuckled to myself.

A comforting yet pathetic sight greeted me in front of my door. The cowardly little meerkat squire sat in front of the door panting.

"How's my unreasonably expensive and shall-not-be-harmed lab rats, squire?"

He jumped up, covering the door with the entire length of his arms. He doesn't have the usual scars and bruises that he gets whenever he travels to the cage under the bed.

"S-S-Sir! P-P-P-P-Please don't kill me when I say this!"

"Hm?"

"I'm putting my life on the line but I feel like this is urgent and you should know immediately!"

Among all the horrors I've sent to him, this is probably the most terrified he's ever been.

He cast a ward spell that wrapped around his body. Its translucent light-blue hue covered nicely around his vital areas. Pretty impressive, looks like he's learned something from me after all.

"The cage, sir..."

"What about the cage?" I crossed my arms.

"It's empty."

I shoved him out of the way, breaking his ward in the process. I rushed into that corner of my room, lifting the bed, and looking for traces of magic. I took out the small metal box and opened the bars. The empty black void would be impossible for anyone to inspect without entering but with a single glance, I can tell whether someone tampered with my creations.

It's empty... completely empty. This pocket dimension should have enough energy to turn flesh to ashes as soon as it is hastily opened but there were no traces of magic at all... not my magic at least.

I channeled my energy to my right eye and it whirred in response.

There it is!

A trace of magic! Not mine, but similar enough to be detected without much effort. The image of the white rat flashed in my memory. There's only one that could possibly leave these traces. The horrid realization sent chilling goosebumps down my spine.

I sensed the squire hovering behind me as I inspected the cage.

"Meerkat, I'm unlocking the attic, check all the magic items. I have somewhere I have to go."

He picked up on my serious demeanor and as all good assistants do, he complied without asking any questions. It's times like this that give me a reason to be thankful for his existence.

I sprinted with one direction in mind, the gates.

It isn't right to jump to conclusions, nor is it right to find excuses to put down people you don't like, but this time, I have nothing to blame. The time kingdom betrayed us, and I have enough evidence to confirm that.

Arriving at the castle walls, I looked out for the dimension-hopping ships they used to traverse. The nobles were already starting to leave. I was running out of time... heh, time. Oddly enough, part of me was happy they stole my stuff. I always knew that guy was suspicious! Maybe I'll even win an award! The thought puts a smile on my face.

But happy thoughts are just gonna slow me down.

I waved my hands through the air, visualizing the location I wanted to go. Space itself folded around me, distorting every atom in my body, and in an instant, my feet landed in front of the glowing wooden ships, in front of the prince himself, shamelessly mingling with the rest of my family. Even my brother and mother are here! Looks like this charade will be cranked up to maximum effect.

I interrupted their cheerful chatters with a smug smile. "Not so fast!" I hollered, eyes closed and striking a pose of course.

.

.

.

No response?

I opened my eyes to see my family standing around the prince and a couple of his guards. It's strange... their eyes never looked this empty. Prince Wilfred stared at me with a wide shock before shifting to a gentle smile.

"Ah, the translator! You arrived just in time! We were just having trouble understanding each other! My Esparian is rusty, you see."

I stared at my family members. The same trace of magic lingered on their faces, staying still like a statue, not even recognizing the noises around them.

My blood started to boil. "What did you do!?" I asked. The space around me started to bend and shatter, crushing and deforming the cobble around my feet.

"Oh dear, oh dear. I knew you would be trouble," he giggled.

Such arrogance. Such pomposity... Such hate.

"Is your confidence bravado or is it stupidity?" I rolled up why sleeves, readying to cast a spell. "You have a lot of guts trying to challenge the most powerful wizard of the realms!"

He laughed again, gleefully dismissing my remarks. "I know!... Which is why I made precautions."

My body froze in place. My muscles and tendons tightened around my bones with extreme amounts of energy. Intense heat spread from my heart and lungs and into my nerves. I know this sensation, it's my own creation. I can feel my mana leaving my body... permanently.

He just stood there... smiling... Those snake eyes arched with malice.

"I can't kill you. But I can incapacitate you. It's nothing personal, really. Just business," his muffled voice echoed as my senses dulled under the immense pressure... waning and waning... weaker and weaker.

Walking behind him, I see my squire with a triumphant glare on his face and a glowing blue gem in his hand.

I should've seen it coming. He was the only one I gave access to my tower. The foreign magic caught me off guard, I couldn't even consider the possibility.

So much pain. I couldn't even process my emotions, I couldn't talk. Tears started to flow out. I fell over. My bones were so stiff that I thought I would crumble as soon as I touched the ground.

Wilfred turned his back and looked at my sister. "Oh yeah, I heard you're not enthusiastic about the idea of your sister getting married... So you can have her."

He patted her head and pushed her in front of me, pale.

Pale. Pale. Pale. Her cheerful vitality left her body as she fell to the ground. Blood leaked in place of her tears. Her skin wrinkled and decayed as the cold foreign stench consumed her eyes.

Her bright blue eyes. Those cheerful orbs of light. The light that made me who I am today... It's fading...

I felt the space below my feet distorting.

There is no time. I'm getting dragged away.

With all my remaining strength, I held out my hand.

Souls are the purest form of energy, the closest thing to mana. It's a desperate measure...

But if I could at least save part of her—

.

.

.

My right eye whirred in response. Gravity felt heavier. The air sent sharp needles to my lungs. I felt my body physically leave the space I was in... then thrown into a cold damp void.

But a single warmth stayed on my fingertips. She's safe...

She's safe...

That's all that matters...

A dark and grueling gravel scraped into the insides of my ear.

"I bestow upon you this curse; Each world you travel to will be doomed to fall. Should you return to your world or even ours, you will lose everything you love."