I teleported to the field behind the Academy, right next to the old, sprawling oak tree. I hid behind its massive trunk, dropped into the grass, and pulled my knees to my chest. Fetal position. A purely defensive posture.

  Inside my head, the storm was finally starting to subside. I was no longer confusing my whereabouts. I understood: here is the grass, here is the oak bark, here are my hands. This is reality. And what happened a second ago—the cold of the cave, the heat of the battle, the laughter of the aristocrats—that was memory.

  Everything was slowly falling back into place. Like books that had tumbled from their shelves, and now some invisible hand was slotting them back in order. Granted, some of the pages were still jumbled. I remembered the taste of an apple from one life, but associated it with the face of a woman from another. Memories blended and overlapped like thick layers of paint.

  But tears still streamed from my eyes. I felt an unimaginable, crushing sadness. I was mourning all of them. I grieved for the life where everything was peaceful and I was just a simple farmer. I grieved for the one where I was a great warrior but lost every single friend I had. I even grieved for the life where I was genuinely happy, because that happiness was dead. It remained trapped back there, in the past.

  The memories became just memories again. I realized that without a specific trigger (a smell, a sound, a touch), they couldn't be summoned consciously in their full, vivid form. Most of them had now settled to the bottom of my consciousness, like silt. But a few... a few were still floating on the surface, tangled and blindingly bright.

  I sat there, wiping my wet face with my sleeve.

  "I am me," I whispered, trying to convince myself. "I'm Greg. Am I still Greg?"

  I stood up and brushed the grass off my pants. My eyes were still a little red, but my mind was finally clear. I turned toward the Academy. The majestic towers, the spires, the hum of magic...

  "This isn't my first time here," I whispered to myself. "And, unfortunately, it probably won't be my last. This building stood here in another cycle. And in another. It just had a different name."

  Pop. I teleported straight into my room.

  I walked over to the window. Absolute chaos reigned down below: students and teachers were rushing into the courtyard, swarming toward the oak tree where my magical storm had just raged. They were searching for a monster. Meanwhile, the monster was standing in his bedroom, smirking.

  "Keep looking, keep looking," I chuckled softly.

  "Greg?" a voice called out from the windowsill.

  I turned around. Anna. She had come back (or she hadn't gone far).

  "Yeah, I'm here."

  "What are you doing, Greg?" she asked cautiously.

  "Oh, Anna, just the person I need," I immediately switched to a crisp, businesslike tone, like a general barking orders. "Where is Planus right now?"

  "He said he rented a room at the 'Walnus' tavern."

  "'Walnus'..." I rubbed my chin. "Hmm, familiar name. I think they served absolutely repulsive beer there about two hundred years ago."

  Anna frowned. "Greg, wait. Are you okay? You're talking... weird."

  "I'm fine," I waved her off. "Just aired out the memory banks."

  I looked at Anna. Now that I remembered Planus (my grandson), I could see her family traits in her face.

  "You know," I said, studying her features. "You look a lot like your grandmother. Same shape of the nose, same killer's gaze."

  Anna was taken aback. "My grandmother? You knew her?"

  "Saw her a couple of times," I nodded. "I still can't fathom how a bumbling oaf like Planus managed to win her heart. She was a real beauty, and he... well, you've seen him. A wardrobe with ears."

  Anna couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "Greg, it is so weird hearing you say things like that right now. You talk like an ancient old man, but you look like a fifteen-year-old kid who hasn't even started growing a beard yet."

  I smirked, spread my hands, and fired back: "Well, excuse me, Anna. I'm like an expensive, aged cognac that accidentally got poured into a juice box. The taste is noble, but the packaging is hilarious."

  Anna snorted, but a genuine spark of interest lit up her eyes. "Wait," she said as I stepped toward the window. "Can I come with you?"

  "Sure, if you want," I shrugged. "Just try to keep up."

  I held out my hand. She touched my palm.

  POP.

  We instantly materialized near the city that bordered the Academy grounds. I stepped forward confidently, leading us toward the old market square.

  "There it is, the 'Walnus'," I said, pointing at a street corner. "It should be right..."

  I froze. Right where the tavern stood in my memory, there was now a residential building with a flower shop on the first floor.

  "Hmm," I scratched the back of my head. "Weird. In my memory, the tavern is supposed to be exactly here. I distinctly remember being thrown out of that window in one of the cycles."

  I stood there thinking, staring at the flower shop, until a sound to my side yanked me back to reality. Anna was bent double, actively—let's just say—returning her breakfast to nature.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Blargh..."

  Yeah, I thought, crossing my arms over my chest. Weakling.

  I suddenly remembered that Planus was actually supposed to know how to teleport himself. He had an artifact—the Ring of Translocation. I clearly remembered the "movie" playing in my head: I crafted that little bauble for him myself out of a chunk of gold and a stone I found in a cave. Turned out a bit crooked, but it worked.

  "Hey," I said to Anna, who was wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "Doesn't Planus know how to teleport? He has the ring. I crafted it for him myself... well, I gifted it to him, I mean."

  Anna straightened up. She looked completely green. "I... I've never seen Grandpa teleport," she wheezed. "And besides, nobody just teleports like that! Without a circle, without formulas, without prep time! You just forced us through space with sheer willpower! You're a psycho, Greg! I'm about to throw up my own insides again."

  "Stop whining," I brushed her off. "I wanted to move, so I moved. What's the point of drawing all that chalk? Waste of good paperwork."

  I looked around. "Alright, fine. The tavern isn't here. But I can smell..." I took a deep sniff. "Cheap ale, fried onions, and utter despair." I turned ninety degrees. "It's that way. Two blocks down. Guess they moved it so drunk patrons would stop falling out of windows and into the flower beds."

  We started walking. Anna trudged behind me, still swaying slightly.

  "Are you coming, or do I need to carry you like a princess?" I tossed over my shoulder. "Actually, never mind, you're heavy, plus you'd probably puke on me. Walk it off."

  "Shut up, Greg," she grumbled.

  We found it. The sign "Walnus" hung over a crooked door leading down into a semi-basement.

  "What a dump," I assessed. "In my... ahem, past experience, this establishment was far more elite."

  SCENE: Family Drama in the Tavern, a Sold Ring, and the "Water Slap"

  We headed down the stairs. Inside, it was dark and incredibly noisy. In the farthest corner, sitting at the stickiest and filthiest table, was a massive man. Planus. An entire battalion of empty mugs stood before him. He looked like a man who had buried his favorite cat, his dog, and his hopes for a bright future all on the exact same day.

  I walked closer and wrinkled my nose. "Ugh, what did you turn into, Planus?" I drawled. "A filthy animal? Did you lose a fight with a mud golem, or did you just decide that bathing is for the weak? What happened, what's the great tragedy here, Planus? Did the house brownies kick you out?"

  Suddenly, a solid smack landed on the back of my head.

  WHACK! "Ow!" I rubbed my neck. "What was that for?!"

  Anna stood there, hands on her hips, her eyes flashing. "How dare you speak to my grandfather like that?! Have some respect!"

  "He's practically my grandson!" I argued back indignantly. "Technically, you should be bowing to me, or at least buying me a juice."

  Anna buried her face in her hands. "I cannot process this information! You look like you're barely fifteen, and you're scolding my grandfather like a schoolboy! I respect him! He's a Magister!"

  "Hahaha!" I laughed, pointing at the mountain of empty mugs. "You respect him? Still? Look at this monument to alcoholism."

  Suddenly, Planus raised his cloudy, bloodshot eyes. He focused on me. His lip quivered.

  "Halibut?" he rasped. "Is it you?"

  Tears began to spill from his eyes, carving tracks down his dirty cheeks. "Please, forgive me... I was late. I'm so sorry... I failed you..."

  He looked downright pathetic. My heart (or the memory of my heart) twinged. I sat down next to him.

  "It's no big deal," I sighed. "You gifted me some new memories. And a massive headache."

  I reached out and started scratching his gray, shaggy head, exactly like you would comfort a small child. "Hush now, hush, you big baby. Everything is fine. Grandpa Greg is here."

  He sniffled loudly. "You came back... Just like when I was a kid..."

  "Yep," I nodded. "But let's make a deal right now: don't call me Halibut. My name is Greg now. Halibut sounds like a fish that has already accepted its fate on a frying pan."

  "Alright," Planus sniffed. "We'll meet tomorrow..."

  "Yeah, sure," I said, evaluating his current state. "Looks like you're going to be nursing this hangover into the next era anyway."

  I was just about to stand up when I suddenly remembered something vital. "Ah, wait. Planus, where is my ring? That exact one, the teleportation ring I gave you for your coming-of-age? I forged that thing myself, by the way."

  Planus froze. His eyes started darting around the room. "I... I... I..."

  "I what?" I narrowed my eyes.

  "I sold it," he exhaled into his mug. "There was a point in my life where I was short on coin... An economic crisis..."

  I went rigid.

  "YOU SOLD IT?!" I roared so loud the entire tavern went dead silent. "PLANUS, HOW COULD YOU DRINK AWAY EVERYTHING?! ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"

  I jumped out of my chair. "You owned entire estates! Villages! Your uncle is an advisor to the King! You slept on silk sheets! How did this happen?! Did you invest in desert sand?! Or did you lose it playing cards with a blind goblin?!"

  He shrank into his chair, physically cowering, looking absolutely ashamed. "Well... things happen..."

  Alright, I thought, feeling a violent twitch in my eye. It's fine. IT'S COMPLETELY FINE. I sharply raised my hand. "Cold Slap!"

  I conjured a dense sphere of freezing water and hurled it right into his face with all my might.

  SPLOOSH!

  Water exploded everywhere. Planus—soaking wet, utterly stunned, and instantly sobered up—stared at me.

  "Freshen up!" I barked. "Otherwise, you'll just sit here rotting away like last year's soup! Sold the ring... That was handmade! An exclusive piece! I carved it out of a dragon's tooth!"

  Anna stood there in absolute shock, her gaze bouncing frantically between her soaking-wet grandfather and the furious teenager.

  "What?" I asked, looking at her. "Now do you see? It's an educational process."

  I wiped my wet hand on my pants after the "Water Slap" and looked at Anna. She was still deathly pale.

  "Alright, Anna, time to go home and sleep," I commanded.

  "I don't want to—" she started.

  "Or else they'll come looking," I cut her off. "Not for me, obviously. Nobody cares what I do; I'm a ghost. But they will care about you. The star of the Academy has gone missing!"

  I smirked, watching her unsteady footing. "And how did someone as weak as you become number one in the Academy anyway? You got beaten by some weak fifteen-year-old kid, and now you're puking from basic spatial magic." I started laughing. "Are you 'processing' this information too? Or is it another thing you 'can't believe'?"

  I held out my hand. She looked at my palm with deep apprehension.

  "What, another teleport?" she groaned.

  "Get used to it," I said. "Doubt you'll ever get to fly like this again. This is elite transport."

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she took my hand.

  POP.

  We materialized back in my room. Alphus, who was sitting at the desk writing something by candlelight, literally jumped out of his chair.

  "AAAAAA!!!" he screamed, dropping his quill.

  Anna stood still for a minute, clutching her stomach, then dropped to her knees, fighting a desperate battle to not hurl right onto the rug.

  "Delicate flower," I noted dryly.

  "Greg!" Alphus gasped, catching his breath. "You terrified the entire class today! Elandr, by the way, was looking for you. The whole class was! You vanished like you fell through the earth. The princesses were worried sick about you, you know!"

  I sat on my bed and started laughing. "Worried? About me? Hahaha!"

  "What's so funny?" Alphus sounded offended. "People were genuinely anxious."

  "No, it's just..." I looked at him closely. "You've changed, Alphus."

  He froze.

  "During our first encounter, you wouldn't even dare speak to me. You looked at me like I was dirt. And now? You're speaking to me as an equal. To the Nameless One? To the 'savage'?" I chuckled. "Hahaha. You're growing up, 'White Cloud'."

  Alphus turned bright red, muttered something entirely incoherent, and immediately sat back down at his desk, burying his face in his homework and pretending to be incredibly busy. But the tension had left his shoulders.

  Anna had finally won the battle against her stomach. She slowly stood up.

  "I need to rest," she whispered, pale as a ghost. "You are impossible to deal with, Greg."

  She climbed out the window (apparently, doors were just too mainstream for her) and disappeared into the night.

  I was left alone with Alphus and the silence.