After Lis let me off the harding training, we took a train from Bucharest to Brasov. We toured Brasov, visited the history museum in Pia?a Sfatului, rented a car, and drove to the Gate.

  Lis and Mahya touched the Gate, and Lis grimaced, saying, “Blech! I hate these things.”

  “You should read the local literature about them, especially the romantic stuff; it’s hirious,” Mahya suggested, with a wide grin.

  When I touched the Gate, my eyes widened, and I asked, “They’re real?!”

  Traveler’s Gate #468217257Destination: Království KrveStatus: IedMana level: 52Threat level: u–non. Other humans/beings–lethal.

  Lyura leaned in, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. “What are those?”

  “Humaors—blood drinkers,” Lis replied, his tone blunt and no-nonsense. “Never go to a world like that; they’ll either eat you or make you a blood sve.”

  “With her element, she should be fine,” Mahya chimed in. “They’re highly fmmable.”

  “Bad!” Rue’s telepathic shout echoed in my mind, his tone sharp and armed.

  “Yeah, buddy, they sound nasty,” I murmured, reag down to give his neck a f scratch. Rue had been growing fast; his head now nearly reached my chest.

  “You should buy him Telepathy so he talk to all of us,” Lis suggested, gng at Rue.

  “You all have the ability?” I asked, gng around the group.

  They nodded in unison.

  “Then why are we even talking out loud?” I asked.

  “It looks more natural,” Mahya replied with a shrug.

  Lyura looked towards the Gate, her expression serious. “So, do we go in ive up on this one?”

  “With Invisibility, there shouldn’t be a problem,” Lis said. “Just to be safe, I’ll cross first aurn st.”

  I bought Rue Telepathy, and it e 5 points! FIVE POINTS! A familiar was an expensive business. As soon as I got him the ability, all three of them winced and started scratg his ears and neck. Of course, the first thing he said/shouted to them was to ask for more scratches; my dog adored attention.

  We popped in and out of the Gate, returo Brasov, and took a train to Cluj-Napoca. We spent three days there, loved the architecture, and visited the baroque-era Bánffy Pace Museum. Then, we rented a car and drove to the Gate, which also led to Království Krve. By this point, I was expeg it.

  From Romania, we flew to Lisbon, Pal, and spent three days t the city. We visited Belém Tower, Castelo de S. Je, and Jerónimos Monastery, and thhly ehe food.

  I couldn’t resist stog up on supplies for the journey ahead. As I packed a stash of the local delicacies into a bag, I shot the others a warning look. “This is mine. If you want any, buy your own,” I said, half-joking but mostly serious.

  Three pairs of eyes fixed on me, pouting in unison, while Rue, lounging uhe table, telegraphed a wave of smug satisfa. He knew, as always, that I’d end up sharing with him.

  We rented a car and drove to the gate.

  Traveler’s Gate #369017227Destination: StinojopheleshawizhnzarnoshwitlyStatus: IedMana level: 46Threat level: Low

  What the hell?!

  “I love those!” Lis excimed, his eyes lighting up as he practically bounced on his toes.

  “What is it?” I asked, fused by his suddehusiasm.

  “Genomey world,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

  “How do you know?”

  “The name,” he expined, pointing at the Gate. “It’s always very long and ridiculous, and you o learn to pronou correctly before first tact, or they’ll get really offended.”

  “I read something about them in the Archive. Aren’t they really short?”

  “Yep,” Lis nodded, holding his hand at waist height. “The tallest only es up to about here. But they’re amazing engineers and iors, very smart, and they’ve got advanced magiowledge. They’re also a lot of fun,” he added, his smile widening at the thought.

  “How do I pass as a local? Aren’t I too tall?”

  “They’ll just assume it’s a geic mutation and feel sorry for you,” he said with a chuckle. “It’ll actually work in your favor—they’ll buy you plenty of drinks out of pity. This might be my world if we don’t find anythier; I love Genomey.”

  That thought hit me like a punch to the gut: at some point, each of us would move on to another world, and the realizatio me with a deep, lingering sadness. We were at different levels of ability and knowledge, and logically, it made little seo tiogether. But logic didn’t make it any easier to swallow. I knew I’d miss Lis terribly, even with his torturous training. After over three years together, he wasn’t just a friend anymore—he was my family, my brother. The family you choose, the kind that uands you in ways no one else .

  I’d miss Mahya, too. Her impish spirit, the way she could turn every situation into something to ugh about. But not like I’d miss Lis. The thought of not having him around made me feel empty and lost. He had bey anchor, and the idea of tinuing without him felt like stepping into the unknown without a map.

  Orain ride from Lisbon to Madrid, I got mencholic. Lis noticed my mood shift, his brow furrowing with . Without a word, he slipped his arm around my shoulder, pullio a side hug. “Is everything all right?” he asked quietly, his voice gentle.

  I hesitated, then sighed. “Yeah, I just realized that we’ll part ways at some point, and I’ll miss your pany and friendship,” I admitted.

  Lis gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We keep in touch.”

  “How?”

  He smiled softly. “In the Archive, did you see posts that start with strange word binations and don’t make much sense?”

  “Yeah. I wondered about those.”

  “Those are messages between Traveler friends,” Lis expined, his voice softening as he leaned in closer. “We should pick a word bination of our own, something uo us. That way, we send each other messages no matter where we are. And listen, if you ever need me—really need me—just send an SOS with the Gate attached. I don’t care if I’m ten worlds away or oher side of the universe. I’ll find a way to get to you,” he said, his tourning serious, the pyful light in his eyes repced with unwaveriermination.

  He looked me in the eye, making sure I got how serious he was. It wasn’t just a promise; it was a bond, a itment that went beyond friendship. At that moment, I realized I wouldn’t be alone, no matter what. Lis would be there, even if it meant crossing tless worlds to reach me.

  “And you better do the same for me,” he added with a crooked smile, the seriousness of the momeing bato his usual good-natured warmth. “No excuses.”

  I nodded, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude wash over me. “I will,” I promised, my voice steadier now. Having this kind of eade the future seem less intimidating. It wasn’t just about the code words or the Gates—it was about knowing that someone had your bao matter where you were.

  That thought made me feel a lot better. As the train rocked gently on its tracks, the rhythmic ctter filling the small partment, Lis leaned ba his seat with a grin. “Alright, let’s e up with our Archive names,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  I thought for a moment, then offered, “How about ‘Healer’ or ‘Doctor’ for me?”

  Lis chuckled. “Or… how about ‘Clueless’?” he suggested with a pyful smirk.

  I bliaken aback. “What? No way!” I protested immediately, sitting up straighter. “I know stuff! I’m not clueless!” My voice took on a slight edge of panic as I realized the others were nodding, their amusement growing.

  Mahya covered her mouth to stifle a ugh. “It’s kind of perfect, though,” she teased. “You’ve got that ‘deer in headlights’ look half the time.”

  Even Rue chimed in, his voice filled with childish mischief. “Clueless! Funny!”

  “e on, guys, I’ve been learning a lot!” I protested again, gng around at their grinning faces. “I ’t be ‘Clueless’—it’s not fair!”

  Lis, still ughing, raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I was just joking, but… well, it kinda fits, doesn’t it?” he said, a hint of apology in his tohough his grin didn’t fade.

  I groarying o time to salvage my dignity. “What about ‘Strategist’? uide’? Something that sounds petent?”

  Lyura, who had been quietly watg the exge, finally spoke up, her voice ced with amusement. “Sorry, John, but ‘Clueless’ has a certain… charm to it.”

  I slumped ba my seat, defeated. “Fine,” I muttered. “But I’m not happy about it.”

  Lis hugged and squeezed my shoulder, still chug. “You’ll grow into it,” he said with a grin. “And hey, it’s all in good fun.”

  Rue nudged my leg, his tail wagging. “Pats?! Scratches?!”

  Mahya shook her head, smiling fondly at Rue. “No, Rue, you’re ‘Hungry.’ You’re always thinking with your stomach,” she said, reag over to give him the ear scratches he was angling for.

  “Lis should be Sensei,” I suggested, half-seriously.

  Lis shook his head, still chug. “Nah, too dignified. I think ‘Ior’ sounds less pompous.”

  “How exactly is it less pompous?” I shot back. “If anything, it’s even more pompous.”

  He and Mahya burst into ughter. “Ior is perfect,” Mahya decred, nodding in agreement. “And I should be Versailles. After all, that’s the pace I’m going to recreate one day, down to the st delier. The name will remio keep the dream alive. And I think Lyura should be Television.”

  Lyura looked up, surprised. “Television? Why?”

  “Because your nose is always stu it,” Mahya teased.

  Lyura pouted slightly. “Why do you get your dream, and I get television?”

  “You do love it,” I pointed out, trying to be helpful.

  “Fine,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “At least I’m not Clueless.”

  “You see,” I said, turning to the others auring at Lyura. “Evehinks the moniker Clueless is ridiculous. e on, guys, Healer would suit me so much better.”

  They exged amused gnces, smiling widely, before shaking their heads in unison. Lis hugged me again—like that was going to help—and Mahya blew me an air kiss, clearly enjoying my frustration.

  How did those two get what they wanted, and I got stuck with Clueless? It wasn’t fair.

  Resigo my fate, I joined in as we spent the hhing and trying out our new monikers, calling out “Clueless to Television” or “Ior to Versailles,” getting a feel for how they sounded. Despite my initial resistance, I had to admit it was fun, and the mood in the partment lifted as we pyed around with our new code names.

  By the time we finished, I felt more at ease. No matter where our paths might lead, we had our ow way of staying ected.

  After lunch, the girls looked around to check for witnesses and took out their ptops, while Lis and I took out books. I was still giving him the stink eye occasionally, but he would just ugh and hug my shoulders. I sighed—friends were annoying sometimes—and got bay book.

  A short time ter, Mahya said, “You all o see this.” And turned her ptop s towards us.

  There was a story that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) had started ag up. Sometimes, it would stop w for a few seds and then e back; other times, it would work faster or slower. Retly, the stists who work with the LHC have received strange readings.

  “In the Gate, we should check the mana reading on this side,” Lis said.

  We all agreed with him and lost some of the levity.

  When we reached Madrid, we didn’t even tour the city; we just took a train to Toledo, rented a car, a straight to the Gate.

  Traveler’s Gate #369017225Destination: StinojopheleshawizhnzarnoshwitlyStatus: IedMana level: 46Threat level: Low

  Oher side, we touched the gate to check the mana levels oh.

  Traveler’s Gate #369017225Destinatioh/Gaia/TerraStatus: UedMana level: 6Teology level: LowThreat level: Humans–moderate. Other species–very high.

  The mana level had increased by awo points over the past three and a half years.

  “We o start moving faster,” Lis said, his voice tinged with urgency. “Awo points, and it’ll be too dangerous to go on a pne.”

  I tried to stay optimistic. “It took four years to go up by two points; we’ve got time.”

  Lis shook his head, his expression serious. “The higher the levels get, the faster they rise. We don’t have as much time as it seems.”

  Goddamnit!

  From Toledo, we took a train to Bara; urgency or nency, I had no iion of skipping this city. Lis tried tue, but I wouldn’t budge. I wao see Gaudi’s creations. At the Sagrada Família, he admitted it was worth the dey. We spent five days t the city. I bought more food, and the girls bought a lot of clothes in Passeig de Gràcia.

  We rented a car and drove to gost de Mont-rebel Nature Preserve. I felt a little disappointed not to tour Spain more, but we o move it. The Gate was iure preserve and also led to Stinojopheleshawizhnzarnoshwitly. God, the name was ridiculous. Just knowing I’d o learn to pronou might be enough to stop me from visiting a Genomey world.

  After the Gate, we drove to Lleida and got hotel rooms.

  Over dinner, Lis addressed the group in a serious tone. “Because of the ime straint, Mahya and I o finish our project, which will take us four to six weeks,” he expined. “Lyura, I found an active volo in Italy—Mouna. I think it’s the perfect spot for you tress your element and boost your mana level.”

  He then turo me, his expression firm. “As part of upgrading your css, you o develop sed magic spells. Don’t buy them from the Guidance; finish studying Mana structs for Spell Creation and build them yourself. We’ll call you both when we’re done, and we’ll meet in Naples, Italy—it’s the closest major city to our Gate.”

  After some discussion, we decided Lyura should fly to Sicily as soon as possible to maximize her time at the volo. As for me, I’d spend a bit of time t Spain to shake off my disappoi, with a promise to finish studying the book and creating thed spells. Wheime came, I’d either take a train or catch a flight to Naples.