Mina was waiting on Shada, Luca, and Shinobin at the Clinic entrance. She had an unusually serious look on her face. Shada wondered what was bothering the normally cheerful woman.

  “Is everything ok, Mina? You look troubled this morning.” Shinobin asked as they reached the Clinic.

  “All is well, but I very much wish to discuss several topics before you begin your rounds today, mistress Aseralis.” Mina responded in a polite, but serious tone.

  “Ok, let’s talk in the nursery shall we? Are you sure everything is ok?” Shinobin tried asking again.

  Mina merely nodded in response. It appeared that they had arrived before patients today. So they had plenty of time to talk about whatever was bothering Mina.

  The nursery was clean and tidy as normal. It was a cozy space. There were two rocking chairs of shaped wood in the Wylderfolk style. The Imperial style double cradle for naps remained in one corner. Various toys from carved blocks to stuffed animals decorated various surfaces. The floor had a soft woven carpet and several soft furs for the toddlers to play on. It even had illustrated books for Mina to read to the kids. Shada often wondered if this was a typical or fancy nursery by local standards. He lacked a frame of reference for normal in local society, but it was practically modern in terms of material goods. Even with the rustic nature themed aesthetic the Wylderfolk loved.

  Mina and Shinobin set the boys, Luca and Westlin,on the floor to play. After removing their carriers they sat next to each other in the padded rocking chairs. Both were silent, but for different reasons. Mina was anxious while Shinobin waited patiently for her to speak.

  “Shinobin, I knew there were secrets associated with this job from the beginning. It is literally in my contract after all, but what I saw during Frolic has me concerned. What is Luca? I knew he had unusual genitalia for example, but what I saw in the consultation room at the Shrine was so much more. Luca was glowing, pale like iridescent snow, had blue eyes, and elven ears! That is not what he normally looks like.” Mina took a breath. “It also wasn't lost on me that Shada and Luca were both on the Assessment Chair. Though I can't fathom why. Then there is the stuff with the Dungeon and Shada's Path. I need to know what I am protecting Luca from in order to do my job. I saw some wild things as a Delver, but this is beyond me.” Mina finished her long speech with a sigh.

  There was silence as Shinobin considered her response carefully. Shada was playing with the kids as Root, but listening intently to the conversation.

  “Mina, thank you for being patient. I know all this must be a bit overwhelming. I have been so busy since Frolic that I hadn't considered what you had seen. Shada, how much should we tell her?” Shinobin asked the small cute golem that contained Shada's disembodied Spirit.

  “I always intended to tell her, eventually. Luca will need her care for some time yet. I trust her, but I do not want to damage the relationship she has with Luca.” Shada replied silently via Spirit Speech.

  “I think we should just tell her. Besides there is something up with Westlin. You may not realize it, but he shouldn't be keeping up with Luca’s growth. In fact he is already slightly bigger than Luca who has a Body Stat of 5. So I recommend a bit of give and take.” Shinobin replied via the channel Shada had left open.

  Shada spoke aloud via the golem after moving towards the two women. “Luca is special. As you might have guessed he isn't fully Wylderfolk. He is half Wyld Elf, hence the elven ears.” Shada began to explain.

  “An actual Half-elf? I thought they were myths!” Mina exclaimed.

  “Yes, his father is a Wyld Elf named Theo Drykus. He visits periodically as he wanders the Wyldwood. Shinobin is obviously his mother.” Shada continued his explanation.

  “Ok, but why does he look like a Wylderfolk child or rather how?” Mina asked.

  “That is complicated. You see, well Luca is gifted. As you know, I follow him around. The reason is because we are essentially the same person. One soul, two forms, and two distinct minds, but one person.” Shada struggled to explain. He hadn't talked about the details of his existence in more than a year now. It always sounded insane when said aloud.

  “That doesn't make any sense. Luca is a child, you're a Spirit…How can you be the same person?” Mina asked in clear confusion.

  “In simple terms a Goddess, a Contract, and some really powerful Traits.” Shada said before providing Mina with the details. She seemed fascinated.

  “I guess that makes sense. Of course it sounds like a tale. Not something to be found in the real world. So you change Luca’s appearance so he can blend in right? He was in the Chair with you, because he is you? I don't understand. Luca isn't Awakened…”Mina trailed off questionably.

  “Luca would draw a lot of attention if I didn't change his appearance. He is rather distinct in all his white glowing glory after all.” Shada paused at his dry humor, but then continued answering Mina. “He had to take part in my Path Journey, but no he isn't Awakened, technically. His Core access and access to the Guide are locked until his mind matures. It is apparently a System safety feature.” Shada finished.

  “I understand what you and Luca are, Shada. At least as much as I can at this time, but what about the Dungeon break happening during your Path Journey?” Mina continued trying to understand the situation she found herself involved in.

  Shada glanced between the two women. One his mother the other his younger selves' caretaker. He hadn't told anyone about the cause of the Dungeon break. His family knew it involved his Contract and fixing the System, but not the details.

  “I am here, with all the gifts the Goddess has granted me and Luca, to fix the System. There is something attached to our soul. It allows the Goddess to access and repair the System when I interact with it through the Shrines, Temples, etc.” Shada paused. He truly didn't know if he should tell them, but he continued anyhow. “The System isn't just broken. Parts of it are corrupted by an Abyssal entity. It is feeding off the System’s Essence. That’s why so many functions are offline. The System doesn't have the energy. The Dungeon is reacting to the entity or rather the entity is causing the Dungeon to react to me and Luca. It is the source of the Creeping Abyssal Corruption that infected so many on Frolic.” Shada said. He waited as the silence stretched as both Shinobin and Mina came to grips with this shift in their reality.

  “Shada, how long have you known about this entity?” Shinobin asked in concern.

  “I learned about the possibility when I spoke with the Goddess. I met Her and one of Her servants when I disappeared during Luca’s birth. I didn't know for certain until I encountered it during my Path Journey. It was why the Goddess gave me access to Holy Essence. I had to fight a fragment of the entity.” Shada said as his mother's face grew paler.

  “Where was Luca? Did he have to somehow fight?” Shinobin asked in agitation.

  “No, Asonia, that’s the Divine servant that I mentioned, protected him.” Shada said reassuringly.

  “Asonia? The Forest Lord? Demi-god of the Wyldwood? That Asonia?” Mina asked in surprise.

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  “I would assume so, yes. His voice often evoked the sense of a forest.” Shada replied.

  “I don't know what to say. What is preventing the Abyssal entity from taking over? Why didn't the infection spread further?” Shinobin asked.

  “The Goddess has it quarantined, as far as I know.” Shada answered. He went on to explain how his interactions with the System structures created a bridge to the Quarantine zone where the Abyssal entity resided.

  “So you will encounter it again?” Mina asked next.

  “It seems likely. Eventually Luca and I will have to become Delvers and start dealing with the corruption at its source, but that is far in the future. As far as I know the threat is contained, for now.” Shada tried to reassure both anxious mothers. “The only thing you should have to worry about is keeping our secrets. We have other hidden guards. You can focus on caring for the babies.” Shada finished while looking at Mina.

  “I see, you are safe as long as no one knows how special you two are. You aren't the only one’s with secrets.” Mina said quietly.

  “Are you going to trust us with your secrets as well? Like how Westlin is growing so fast?” Shinobin asked.

  —

  “I guess it was inevitable for a Healer to notice. I had hoped not to be asked, if I am to be honest.” Mina said while staring off into space. “My people come from the far north on the western side of the Ice Fang range. The mountains are home to both Dwarves and Giants. There is a small hidden community there along the edge of the range.” Mina trailed off as she thought. “My people served the Jotun, those Imperials called Ice Giants, long ago. To serve one had to have the blood of giants. My people are descendants of Jotun who bred with Imperials. The blood has become greatly diluted in modern times. So much so that we are greatly discouraged from mixing with regular humans lest we dilute it more.” Mina sighed. “I was never much for tradition or obeying the elders. I was to be married off to ‘maintain the purity of the blood’, but I ran away instead. As far as I could get. Westlin is as far west as one can go while in human lands afterall.” Mina said in an amused tone when referring to the isolated city.

  “So you and Westlin have giant’s blood?” Shada asked curiously.

  “Yes, it is why Westlin is so big. He will be a large man. My people are bigger, stronger, and grow faster than regular humans.” Mina explained.

  The three of them continued to discuss the irony of Luca and Westlin both having special bloodlines. On one hand it gave them something in common, but it would always mean that they were both unique. Neither would blend into a crowd well when they grew up.

  —

  Shada was growing frustrated. He enjoyed his new existence. The magic, the new world, all the new people in his life, the simple pleasure of experiencing Luca’s childhood from both perspectives, but he was growing restless. There was an entire world to explore and he was bound to a relatively tiny space centered around Luca. He missed his freedom to move about and roam. This led him to his current discussion with Vanestra.

  “The two Skills that keep me and Luca separated have reached a bottleneck and stopped advancing. Why?” Shada asked Vanestra.

  “Isn't that obvious? You aren't actively using those Skills. They have just been advancing from constant passive use. To reach Tier 2 in a Skill or Stat you have to actively push the boundaries of them.” Vanestra explained as if the answer should have been obvious.

  “How do I do that?” Shada asked next.

  “I don't know. I am not familiar with either Skill so don't know the common progressions. I know of similar Skills. For example there is a Multitasking Skill that many people develop to do two or more tasks at once and the Astral Projection Skill that allows people to project their consciousness away from their bodies. I have both actually.” Vanestra paused in thought. “My best advice is to try actively using and augmenting both Skills. If that doesn't work I will help more, but it is important to figure out things on your own for key Skills like yours.” Vanestra explained.

  —

  Shada was floating above the cottage as day faded to night. The herb gardens were lovely at this time of day. Bioluminescent bugs and glowing plants gave the world a fairytale-like quality in the twilight.

  Luca was spending time being spoiled by his grandparents and Shinobin was preparing an evening meal. Shada was looking at the night sky and the forest surrounding the cottage thinking.

  He craved freedom. He wanted to explore the surrounding forest, wander the city of Westlin, visit the Glade again, and maybe even sneak a glance inside the Dungeon. There were so many places to explore and he was stuck. Bound by the short tether to Luca. He wanted more.

  So that evening Shada was, very tentatively, playing with the two Skills that ensured his continued existence as a separate entity from his younger self. Messing up could cause serious problems.

  Split Mind was his first choice to experiment with. He understood it better than Spirit Walking. Vanestra said it was similar to a Skill called Multitasking. Did he just need to try and focus on two things at once? Was the answer to breaking through that simple?

  It turned out that focusing on two things was no easier as a Spirit than it was as a regular human. His mind just kept switching between tasks. Of course he didn't realize his mistake until after more than an hour of attempts. He was trying to split his focus, but he wasn't using his Skill. He was doing it the old-fashioned way.

  So he tried infusing the Split Mind Skill with Psychic or Mind Attuned Essence and then tried to focus both on the gardens and the sky. His vision wasn't limited by the focal point of his non-existent eyes, but where his mind focused. So looking in two places at once seemed feasible.This time it worked smoothly. Shada had the disorienting experience of looking up and down simultaneously. If he had a body, he suspected, this would make him feel rather nauseous. As a Spirit it was much more tolerable. He had a minor epiphany about why the Precursor's had these abilities. His Spirit form was mostly free of the physical limits of his body. He could do far more mentally and magically as a Spirit.

  It didn't take much practice before he noticed Split Mind finally advance to Tier 2 and Level 20. He had finally achieved his first purposeful breakthrough.

  How he could do the same, but with Spirit Walking seemed less obvious. He needed to actively use the Skill to do more than it already was. What did Spirit Walking actually do?

  First the Skill separated his Spirit self from his Physical self. This seemed nearly automatic. It created and maintained his tether obviously. He and Luca shared a Soul. He was pretty sure that tether kept them both alive. If it broke he didn't know what would happen. He did not think it a good idea to even try.

  Another question occurred to him. Where was he as a Spirit? He was invisible, intangible, and the only person to ever detect him was a powerful diviner and spirit witch i.e. grandmother Vanestra. He could pass through walls and even some magical wards with effort. He knew there were multiple planes of existence. His conjuring and banishing magic involved the Etheric Plane for example. He had even been pulled to sub-planes when encountering Asonia and the Goddess. His tether didn't seem to matter then.

  Planes we're at least similar to the scientific concept of dimensions right? He didn't know much about multi-dimensional physics. Most references he could think of involved science fiction and faster than light travel. A few superheroes from comics could also shift between dimensions. Could he do the same? Maybe thread his tether through a space where distance didn't apply. How would he even do that?

  It turned out that his Skill and Guide knew how even if he didn't. With a clearer idea of what he wanted and a lot of Spiritual Essence Shada did something he never would have figured on his own. He shifted his tether out of sync with the normal space and time of the material world, to somewhere Else.

  With his tether no longer tied to physical distance his Spirit Walking Skill finally advanced. He could move around freely. The tether no longer limited him. Now the only limit was how much Essence he had to spend. It seemed like it would be surprisingly cheap to maintain.

  Shada looked off into the woods and wondered if he dared, but he was not that impulsive and didn't know what dangers he faced. He needed to talk with Vanestra again before he had any adventures, but he knew he would be exploring soon.

  —

  “So you figured out how to advance? That was quick, but you are a prodigy at magic regardless of the gifts the Goddess gave you. It astounds me how fast you grasp concepts others struggle with.” Vanestra praised Shada’s efforts.

  “Thank you, but I suspect it is just my gifts rather than my own intelligence. I was nothing special back on Earth intellectually.” Shada deflected.

  “There was no Essence or Magic on Earth, but believe as you will. Since you can now travel more freely we must discuss the dangers of doing so.” Vanestra considered her next words carefully. “ You are currently existing at the very edge of where the Spiritual Plane and Material Plane meet. It is a fairly safe region. Mostly empty. Like a sandy beach between the land and sea. There are predators of course, but you always stay within the wards around Shinobin, the Clinic, and the cottage here. To travel freely you will need to learn how to cast and maintain a personal ward. We can work on it together. It would be good practice for your Spellcrafting Skill and your Holy Essence will naturally make it stronger.” Vanestra continued laying out more details. A personal ward sounded rather complex, but Shada felt a genuine excitement at finally being free.

  In another room in the cottage Luca giggled in his sleep. He was having dreams of flying through an endless sky.