Morning came quickly as we continued our journey in search of civilization.
"I can't do this anymore!" Iris yelled as loud as she could.
Quite frankly, I couldn't blame her.
We were hungry, dirty, lost, and definitely homeless...
Perfect combination for people meant to save this dimension, don't you think?
"What do you have in mind?" Cody called from far ahead of us. "Cause rain to fall so we can wash up?"
"And then we run around naked" Zayn completed the idea.
The idea immediately lost favor.
I spotted Amanda ahead and practically skipped to her side.
"Hunter..." She seemed a bit startled by my sudden appearance.
She glanced at me before asking, "How are your powers?"
Her long, wavy hair moved with the wind, framing her features.
"Fully restored. And I learned a little lesson."
"What lesson?"
"The Aetherytes back in Elton were a lot weaker than these ones, regardless of the fact that we consumed them."
"Really?"
"Yes. The magical drain was real..."
We laughed a little.
"Still, I don't get why the dogs weren't affected."
"Maybe they aren't magical?" Annabeth chimed in.
"What do you mean?" Katara blinked worriedly. "I mean, those dogs seemed really demon-like. Aren't demons part of the magical system?"
"I understand what Annabeth is saying, Katara," Cody said, still walking ahead of us. "If perhaps the Human Realm and the Demon Realm have different magical systems, then they can't affect each other. Sure, we can counter each other's abilities, but when it comes to other sources of life, like beasts and forests, they can't affect each other either."
"So, in layman's terms?..." Zayn asked, clearly frustrated.
"The reason there were no beasts or creatures in the forest was because of the Aetheryte cave you encountered," Jace explained. "The emissions from the cave must have slowly but surely destroyed the aura that made up those creatures. Eventually, the demon dogs must have taken over the forest. But since they come from a different magical system, they weren't affected by it."
Jace explained it to Zayn before he could ask another question.
That conclusion was as accurate as it could get.
But one question still bugged me.
"The four realms are independent of each other..." I stroked my chin. "If their locations are unknown to each other, how did the dogs get here?"
Surely they couldn't have suddenly appeared. They didn't have a source in this realm, so they must have gotten here through a portal or something.
"But suppose the locations of the realms are known?" Iris suggested. "I mean, the Demon King did destroy the Human Realm, so he must have known its location."
Katara immediately countered.
"It doesn't add up. Because how then are they independent? Surely the realms would've attacked each other sooner or later."
"And obviously, this dimension must have existed for a very long time," Tyra quietly added. "But the war happened twenty years ago."
She looked ahead, thinking.
"The only explanation is that there are ways to get to the other realms, but for the sake of peace, their locations remain unknown to the majority. Somehow, though, it's clear that there was a definite interaction between the two realms."
That would mean the Demon Realm didn't necessarily invade out of greed.
But...
That would mean the Human Realm could have been the cause of the war.
The thought unsettled me.
"Come on, guys..." Zayn yawned. "Are we really putting the blame on the realm we're supposed to be fighting for? What if the Demon Realm sought us out first?"
That was a pretty fair counter.
We couldn't rule out the possibility that the other realms already had an idea of where the Human Realm was.
"Fair argument..." I sighed. "I wonder why Master Xavier didn't tell us about all of this."
"I wonder that too," Jace agreed. "He can't argue he didn't foresee this. I have a lot of questions for him."
Questions we couldn't ask before.
Not because we were scared...
But because we probably didn't understand the weight of our destiny.
"Wow..." Amanda laughed softly. "Y'all really are the Guardians for a reason. I wouldn't have been able to deduce all of that."
I smiled.
"Who wouldn't?" Annabeth replied. "The moment we got here, it's been one strange thing after another."
"I can't really tell," Amanda said sheepishly. "Everything seemed the same to me. I did have suspicions about the forest, but nothing else."
Right.
Amanda didn't have powers.
But something about that still seemed strange.
"Amanda?"
"Yes, Hunter?"
"Your dad is obviously from this dimension. He's definitely a magic user. I do occasionally sense magic from you, but it's probably from your association with him."
I hesitated.
"Still, that doesn't answer why you don't have any actual abilities of your own. He is your father, right?"
I wasn't sure if it was right to ask something so personal.
But I really wanted to understand.
"Oh..." Amanda looked down for a moment. "I used to think it was because he married my mom in Elton, so I probably didn't inherit it."
She paused.
"But Papa said I was adopted."
"Adopted?!"
We all yelled it simultaneously and stopped in our tracks.
Amanda stared at us, clearly confused by our reaction.
"Umm... yeah."
"Wow," Zayn said. "Your father is a brave man."
Honestly, he was speaking my mind.
"Adopting an Elton child knowing the risks surrounding the use of magic in Elton... He raised you and eventually revealed to you that he had magic. What did he plan to do if you sold him out?"
Amanda laughed.
"Papa has always been very kind to me. He showed me the beauty of magic. Why would I ever do that?"
She shrugged.
"Adopting me was probably far better than marrying someone in Elton. I doubt he would've found someone who could keep his secret without threatening him with it."
She had a point.
But I still thought it was a dangerous move.
"Papa experienced the war..." Her smile faded slightly. "He said he lost everyone he loved, especially the family he served."
Her voice softened.
"He speaks of them with tears in his eyes."
Her gaze dropped.
"When he came to Elton, he wanted to keep living by all means... and I was his reason to keep going, or so he says."
She smiled faintly.
"I haven't done anything for him. All I do is get him worried over and over again."
I stared at her sadly.
"I'm sorry."
Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"No, no. I don't mind."
She gave us a reassuring smile.
"After all, I have you all to thank for the fact that I'm still alive."
We continued our journey for about another hour before finally stopping to rest.
Cody decided to scan the area. Apparently, he had a gut feeling about something and wanted to check it out.
With our powers restored, there was nothing to fear.
At least, that's what we thought.
"I'm so hungry!" Zayn emphasized every word as he rolled around in the dry leaves.
"Anyone want water?" Iris asked, holding a ball of water in her hand.
"Pfft. Doesn't look safe to drink," Zayn scoffed.
"It's safer than what you made us eat, at least," she retorted.
"Y'all are never gonna let me live that down."
Zayn groaned.
It had barely been three days since we arrived here, yet we'd already learned so much compared to our ignorance at first.
I could only pray Master Xavier and Amanda's dad were settling in better.
I couldn't wait to see what the civilization here held for us.
-------
I left the others behind, making my way toward the strange structure I'd sensed ahead.
My abilities allowed me to understand the structure of my surroundings within a certain range.
I had to get closer.
I wasn't particularly worried about an attack.
The farther I went, the more signs of life I began to notice.
Ants.
Other insects.
Life.
The influence of the Aetherytes didn't extend this far.
I felt a small spark of hope.
Eventually, I knew I'd see people.
I often wondered why Master didn't give us a portal that could've taken us directly to the settlements.
I mean, it'd be pretty weird if we just appeared out of nowhere in their midst.
That portal seemed different.
It lit up with a beacon and everything, so maybe it had specific destinations it could lead to—unlike my portals, which could take me anywhere I was familiar with and back.
Gates?
Master did say something about that when he taught me about my abilities.
Then again, I still didn't fully understand the concept.
After what felt like forever, I finally reached the end of the forest.
Before me was...
Civilization.
At last.
A smile played on my lips as I stared at the enormous walls standing in the distance.
They stretched far across the horizon, enclosing whatever lay beyond them. Massive towers rose above the walls, and I could just barely make out the top of a huge gate.
I couldn't see much from here.
But I didn't need to.
People lived beyond those walls.
I turned around and opened a portal back to the others.
------
"Cody... You're back."
Amanda greeted me as I stepped out of the portal.
"Did you find anything?"
I closed the portal behind me.
"I did."
I explained what I'd seen.
The news immediately lit up everyone's faces.
"What are we waiting for?" Jace got to his feet. "Let's go."
"Wait..."
Hunter's voice made everyone turn.
"Surely y'all don't expect to just waltz in, right?"
Hunter was always cautious.
I was pretty sure his head never ran out of questions.
"Don't make me laugh, Hunter." I gestured toward myself. "It was a huge town, and I can definitely teleport us to a place where we can naturally blend in. That's my specialty, remember?"
I tried convincing him.
He stared at me for a moment, clearly weighing the risks.
Eventually, he got up.
"Fine."
-----
Stepping out through Cody's portal, we came into view of the town a few kilometers away.
For a moment, we simply stared.
The settlement was surrounded by enormous stone walls, reinforced with thick sections of brick and metal. Towers rose above the walls at intervals, and a massive gate stood directly ahead of us.
Embedded throughout the walls were glowing blue gems, each one pulsing faintly with energy.
It wasn't how I'd expected the place to look.
The Human Realm had been attacked twenty years ago.
Yet this place looked alive.
They must have rebuilt.
We walked toward the town, excitement growing with every step.
We had come so far for this.
We were finally going to see the world we had been trying to reach.
And we were going to savor every moment of it.
"STOP!"
Cody suddenly yelled.
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Annabeth looked confused.
So did the rest of us.
Cody raised his hand.
"There."
He pressed his palm against something invisible.
His Element immediately reacted.
A faint glow spread across its surface.
"There's a huge barrier here."
He looked up at the walls.
"Breaching it could raise an alarm."
"And do you 'see' a way we can get through?" Zayn asked sarcastically.
"Aren't there any weak points?" Tyra asked.
"This isn't like any other barrier I've dealt with."
Cody moved his hand slightly, tracing the invisible surface.
"Now that I look at it..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Those blue gems embedded in the walls are responsible for the strength of the barrier."
He paused.
"I do sense some weakened spots, but it isn't weak enough for a silent breach."
His words sent me into deep thought.
Surely we hadn't come this far just to be stopped by a wall.
Maybe there were other nearby settlements.
But we couldn't create a situation of panic for the inhabitants and then slip in amidst the confusion.
If something went wrong and we were suspected, we'd immediately be associated with the incident.
We moved around the area, thinking of possibilities.
"Is there nothing that can be done?" Iris asked, her expression growing increasingly stressed.
"How about suppressing our aura like Master taught us? The Erasure Method." Katara suggested. "We could slip through undetected."
"You have a point, but the barrier doesn't necessarily react to magic."
Cody paced slowly, stroking his chin.
"It reacts to physical breaches."
"That makes sense..." I said.
"They'd want to keep the demon dogs out. But since they don't function within the same magical system, a purely magical barrier wouldn't be enough."
"Then shouldn't the barrier only react to the dogs and not humans?" Zayn shrugged.
"Look around, Zayn."
Amanda pointed toward the walls.
"There are no guard towers positioned specifically around the gate. They have no way of knowing if it's a human or a demon dog trying to break through."
Everyone fell silent.
She had a point.
"Wait."
Cody suddenly looked excited.
"When I open a portal, it happens simultaneously in the dimensional and physical realms. When we travel through it, we're temporarily placed in a non-physical state before eventually exiting physically."
"So?" Jace asked.
"Likewise, everything in this world exists both dimensionally and physically."
Cody looked toward the barrier.
"And so does this barrier."
I immediately understood.
That's why he'd been able to sense the wall before us.
"So..."
Cody's expression sharpened.
"If I can temporarily shut down the dimensional side of the barrier before teleporting us into the town, we can exit physically inside without the town physically detecting the breach."
Now this...
This was an absurd amount of logic.
"Is there a catch?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Cody's shoulders dropped.
"It all depends on how fast I am. We can't completely rule out the possibility that the barrier doesn't react to magic. It'll only be a matter of seconds before it reacts to the breach."
"I see."
I looked at the wall.
"It all comes down to how fast you can shut down the barrier, open a portal, get us through, close it, and restart the barrier."
I turned toward him.
"How many seconds are we talking about?"
Cody stared at the walls for a while.
Then he finally answered.
"Six seconds."