I was still pissed at my in-ws. Not the all-ing, white-he like before, but a steady, simmeriment that refused to die down. The o make them pay still burned inside me, something I couldn’t shake even if I wao. I didn’t. I’d made a promise, a vow, and I had no iion of breaking it. Maybe it made me the bad guy, but I didn’t care. The thought of them walking away scot-free—especially after everything they put Sophie through—made me grind my teeth.

  I bed the Spell list for something to help me take revenge. After some time, I finally came across the Mind Discipliion, which had a sele of rather dark abilities. Among them were Mesmerizing, Spellbindihrallirang, Hypnotizing, ag. Taking my time, I carefully read through each description, weighing my options. Ultimately, I settled on Spellbinding—it aligned perfectly with my iions.

  SPELLBINDING

  A sinister entment that pels obediehrough magic. Favored by bards, enters, and illusionists, it ensures unwavering loyalty through coer. The spell sts three days initially but extends with the caster’s level. As skill increases, it allows for more potent and plex ands, even overriding natural resistance. Cost: 1 Ability Point

  I also found the Invisibility spell mentioned in the Archives. Many Travelers reend always crossing the Gates while invisible.

  INVISIBILITY

  A coveted illusion spell used by rogues, mages, and spies for covert operations and strategic adva rehe caster imperceptible to normal senses, allowing them to move uhrough different enviros. The spell starts with a 5-minute duratioending with higher levels. Cost: 1 Ability Point

  With the two spells, I headed to “visit” my in-ws. They made Sophie miserable over money and jewelry; I'll make them feel the same. They spent their whole lives h wealth, clutg it like a lifeline. Let’s see how they enjoyed watg it slip through their fingers.

  To avoid dete, I cast Invisibility multiple times, starting five blocks away from their house. Once I arrived, I waited patiently for my father-in-w.

  As soon as he parked, I cast Spellbinding: "Don't notice my voice, but do as I say."

  Mal jerked and then froze. His eyes lost focus, pupils wide, and his face became empty and expressionless.

  "Go inside and leave the door open for two minutes."

  He bolted, nearly tripping over himself as he sprio the house, threw the door open, and disappeared inside.

  I slipped in behind him, re-casting Invisibility. The house was wired with security cameras—inside and out.

  Rachel was in the living room. I stepped closer and cast Spellbinding: "Don't notice my voice, but do as I say."

  She stiffened, and her breath hitched. A shudder rolled through her and her fingers curled inward like she was trying to hold onto something. Her lips pressed tight, jaw ched. For a sed, she twitched—just enough to make me wonder if she’d break free. Then, all at ohe fight drained out of her. Her shoulders sagged, her expressio sck, and the spell took hold.

  "Go, collect all your and Mal's jewelry, put it all in a bag, a on the dining table."

  The spell bucked uhe weight of the and. I felt it—like gripping a slick, thrashiwisting and writhing in my grasp, desperate to escape. Rachel jerked, her fingers flexing, breath hitg like she might break free. But the spell held. Her resistance wavered, then cracked, and she turned, moving in slow, jerky steps.

  She returned mier, the bag hitting the table with a thud.

  I cast again. "Go to sleep. Fet everything that happeomorrow, you'll remember feeling tired and going to bed early."

  This time, no fight. She blinked, nodded absently, and shuffled off.

  O yer. "Don't look for the jewelry for the hree days."

  Her expression stayed bnk as she walked away. Good enough.

  Now for Mal.

  Spellbinding. "Go to your safe, open it, and add all the valuables to the bag."

  Same rea as before—zero hesitation. He just snatched up the bag, sprio his office, aurned mier, shoving it into my hands.

  "Access your bank at and donate all your liquid funds to the cer Research Foundation. Attach a letter saying it's in memory of your beloved daughter."

  He spun on his heel and bolted back to his office. I followed at a slower pao rush. By the time I reached the doorway, he was already clig through the bank transfer, moving with robotic efficy.

  Satisfied, I cast again. "Remember feeling bad about your treatment of Sophie and deg to donate in her memory."

  The suggestion took root immediately. His shoulders dipped, his gaze flicked to the floor, and his fingers curled, then flexed open. His mouth pressed into a thin line, breath slow and uneven.

  . "You will feel good about donating."

  His shoulders loosened as he let out a slow breath, a faint, almost tented smile appeared on his lips. Good.

  "Go put the bag with the valuables behind the enormous statue in the front yard."

  The momeurned, I cast again.

  "Go to sleep. Fet everything that happened except the donation."

  O and. I hesitated—too much for level one. I split it in two.

  "Tomorrow, you'll remember feeling tired and going to bed early."

  Then, "Don't look for your jewelry, don't access your bank at, and don’t open your safe for the hree days."

  He urned, and took off up the stairs.

  I paused at the diving the house o look. If the spell wore off early, would they think they got robbed? Probably. But Spellbinding held, I felt it. Still… best to be out of the city before they started putting things together. I retrieved the bag, dropped it into my Ste, and slipped away.

  By the time I reached my hotel, the tension had drained out of me. It was done.

  Ba my room, I dumped the bag onto the bed and just stared. Jewelry spilled out in a glittering mess, king and shifting as pieces tumbled over each other. There were over 150 pieces, maybe even 2s, earrings, pendants—loose pieces mixed with boxed sets that looked expensive as hell. The hotel light caught on gold and ptinum, throwing scattered refles across the sheets.

  I ran my fihrough the pile, the etal clig against itself. Cufflinks, tie clips, brooches—some pin, some dripping with gems. One of the diamond tennis bracelets threw tiny rainbows onto the wall. How many times had she worn this while looking down on Sophie?

  And that wasn’t even all of it. Wedged between the jewelry was a fat stack of cash—25,000—along with a small bag of loose gems, rough edges catg against my palm. Silver and gold s in pstic sleeves and five bearer bonds marked at 8,000 each.

  Looking at all this loot, I remembered searg for a looting spell and couldn’t help but ugh. Turns out there is a looting fun—it just works a little differently.

  They were certainly going to feel that. I was gd—they deserved it.

  * * * * * * * *

  I’d burhrough three ability points in two days and had no idea if I could “farm” more where I was headed. Better to stock up now.

  Before leaving, I visited Sophie o time. Standing before her grave, I traced the letters of her he cool stone smooth beh my fiips. An icy wind tugged at my jacket and hair as rain started to fall, matg my mood. My tears mixed with the raindrops, and I tilted my face to the sky, letting the downpour wash them away.

  When I finally got myself under trol, I looked down at the headstone. "I'm keeping my promise," I whispered. "I didn’t give up—I’m still here. I donated everything you wanted me to a all go. The only thing I’m still struggling with is living in the present. I knoart mattered the most to you, and I swear I’ll do my best. I’m not giving up."

  I sank to the ground, resting my back against the headstone, legs stretched out in front of me. The grass was wet, the rain soaking through my jeans, but I barely noticed. The sun traced its slow path across the sky as I sat in silence, keeping her pany. I had nothio say, only the quiet panionship we once shared—except now, I was the only oo breathe.

  As dusk settled, I leaned in and pressed my lips against the cold stone. “If I don’t e back…” I trailed off, swallowing hard. My firaced the grooves of her name. “It’s not because I stopped loving you—I never will.”

  The wind stirred my hair and carried a faint st of jasmine—was it real or my imagination?

  I pressed my forehead against the stoh a sigh. “You’ll be with me, Soph. Every step, every sight, every story—I’ll carry you with me.”

  The wind picked up, cool against my face, like a cold caress. I closed my eyes, letting the sensation wash over me. A faint smile tugged at my lips. "I love you too, babe.”

  With o look, I stood and walked away, carrying her memory into the os.

  * * * * * * * *

  I flew to New York, assuming there would be more workshops, pawn shops, and delis. Also, I wao fill up my ste with hot takeaway food, especially Italian and ese.

  My red light had been blinking since my house and cars sold, and I used the moo fill my Ste. My mental aional state was so wrecked at the time that I didn’t have the energy—or the desire—to deal with it. Truth be told, I suspected it was good news, and I wasn’t ready for that. It felt like a betrayal, in a way.

  But now, after my final goodbye, I was ready.

  You have bought and sold goods for enormous sums of money over the past few months.New Profession Unlocked: [Mert]Would you like to take Mert as your Profession?

  Note: Choosing this Profession will allow you to use the banked adva.

  Y/N

  That was ued—definitely not something I’d ever sidered doing. I stared at the message for a long time, lost in thought.

  On one hand, Mert didn’t sound all that exg. But oher… I had no pns to stay in one pce. I po travel—not just through boooriiing Shimoor, but across worlds. And traveling took money.

  Back when Sophie and I started earning well, I’d gotteo the fihings in life—an expensive car, a nice house, great food, excellent wine. I wasn’t ready to give that up. If this profession helped me make enough moo fund my travels and maintain a fortable lifestyle, then maybe it wasn’t such a terrible choice after all.

  I clicked Yes.

  The red light was still blinking.

  rait unlocked

  Luck

  On my profile page, I clicked on Luck, and—no surprise—the description caught me off guard. Clearly, this system hadn’t read the same books I had. It pyed by its own rules.

  Luck

  This Trait has no physiental aspects.Lufluences ce, fate, ainy.It acts as an unseen force, guiding you toward fortunate discoveries, valuable opportunities, and fortuitous enters that lead to a better future.It also serves as an internal warning, steering you away from danger and poor choices.Luck is the quiet hand that nudges you toward the right path, leading to prosperity, success, and ued rewards.

  My red light was still blinking.

  Level up+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free pointsMert Level 2Free points: 3Level up+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free pointsMert Level 3Free points: 6Level up+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free pointsMert Level 4Free points: 9Level up+3 wisdom, +3 perception, +2 luck, +3 free pointsMert Level 5Free points: 12

  Hitting level 5 in one go was insane! I stared at the message window, half tempted to ask if it was sure.

  Then I actually thought about it.

  I eight months, I’d spent over half a million dolrs on purchases and sold nearly a million’s worth. Add irust fund and jewelry I ied, and my little “looting” adventure, and—yeah. Suddenly, those levels didn’t seem so unbelievable.

  Except for my new Luck stat, my lowest were Agility and stitution, so I added six points to each. I still wasn’t sure what the best stat distribution would be, but for now, I didn’t feel like overthinking it. Raising the lowest ones seemed like the safest choice.

  I swayed on my feet, dizzy, and then came disfort—It wasn’t pain, but only just—in my head, eyes, ears, and nose. My skin crawled like a swarm of ants was runnih it.

  It didn’t st long, maybe a ten seds, before vanishing like it had never happened.

  Another jump in Perception. Just like before, the world sharpened—sights crisper, sts stronger, sounds clearer. But this time, there was something new.

  My skin.

  The sensation of my clothes pressed against me like never before, every seam noticeable, every fiber distinct. The tag on my shirt scratched like sandpaper. With a huff, I ripped it out.

  I thought back to the headache—probably the jump in Wisdom. I didn’t feel smarter or wiser, but maybe I hadn’t noticed the ge yet. Given time, I’d probably figure it out.

  With my profile still open, I checked the Mert description.

  Mert

  One of the oldest professions ie is on and generally respected.

  Merts buy and sell goods for profit.

  This profession offers 3 starting skills upoion and an additional skill every 5 levels.When a Mert levels a skill to 25, they choose another skill from the list to level.

  Each level grants: +3 Wisdom, +3 Perception, +2 Luck, +3 Free Points

  I opened my profile and noticed a few new lines had appeared.

  Profession: Mert Level 5Mert Skills:

  ? Bargain

  ? Sense Hoy

  ? Appraisal

  ? A Nose for Business

  The st one was unclear, so I poked it.

  A Nose for Business

  With a sharp eye for opportunities, you excel at assessing offers, identifying their true value, and unc hidden factors. Your ability to present deals and merdise in the best possible light makes you a skilled iator. Additionally, you have an intuitive sense of what ers want, allowing you to meet their needs with ease.

  I looked at my full profile, and it looked good.

  Name: Je: 37

  Css: Gate Traveler Level 3Gates to the level: 2/8Css Abilities:

  ? version

  ? Travelers’ Archive

  ? Identify

  ? Ste X3 (1,728m3)

  ? Local Adaptation

  ? Spoken Language

  ? One of the Crowd

  ? Traveler’s Map

  Css: Healer Level 3Healer Spells:

  ? Heal Muscles (12)

  ? Diagnose (1)

  ? Stop Bleeding (1)

  ? Heal Bone (1)

  ? trol Blood (1)

  ? Healing Touch (1)

  ?

  ? ralize Poison

  ? Purify

  Profession: Mert Level 5Mert Skills:

  ? Bargain

  ? Sense Hoy

  ? Appraisal

  ? A Nose for Business

  General Spells:

  ? Mana Dart

  ? Mana Shield

  ? Spellbinding (2)

  ? Invisibility (1)

  General Skills:

  ? Staff Fighting (10)

  ? Krav Maga (10)

  ? Archery (10)

  ? Minor Spell Adaptation (1)

  ? Mana Sense (1)

  ? Maation (1)

  ? Photography (1)

  ? Develop ive (1)

  ? Print Photograph (1)

  ? Guitar Pying

  Health: 2,500/2,500Mana: 3,000/3,000

  Strength: 24Agility: 24stitution: 23Vitality: 27Intelligence: 23Wisdom: 30Perception: 28Luck: 8

  Trait points: 0Ability points: 8

  New York. Europe. A few loose ends, and I’m out of here.

  Earth felt like a prison, and I was done doing time.