Bell was the first one to arrive at the hotel suite that Master Kairos had rented for me.

  Though we’d returned to Aspirant City, home of the Hadier Branch of the Epikairos Sect, I no longer had a place to call my own after being gone for so long.

  We could have easily obtained accommodations within the sect, even as inactive members. However, since I anticipated having several non-sect visitors, it made more sense to obtain lodging outside the confines of the sect.

  I considered staying with Bell, but after my long absence, it felt weird to impose on her like that. And since Mom had moved back to Earth and Dad had moved to another city on Hadier, it made more sense to stay at a hotel until longer-term accommodations could be made.

  “I’m so glad you made it back in one piece,” Bell said as she squeezed me tightly.

  I was careful not to use much strength when I hugged her back, given our tier difference. She was already Low-Tier Five, which was impressive, I thought.

  “Me too,” I said. “I’m sorry about Justin. I wish there was something I could do—”

  Bell’s eyes lit up with excitement at my comment.

  “There is!” My sister-in-law glanced around as if checking to ensure we were alone. “I’ve been working on something – something to change things. Justin mentioned a suspicion he had about you. It was something to do with your affinities and it got me to thinking about possibilities with Time magic.”

  My stomach dropped at her comment. I hoped she wasn’t about to ask me to force a time branch to save Justin. I’d only just come to terms with the fact that doing so wasn’t likely to change anything.

  And if Anya was to be believed, it might even make things worse. I wasn’t sure how, especially since I’d managed to save him once, but I was willing to trust Master Kairos’s opinion on the matter.

  “I’ve been working with one of the sect Elders, exchanging custom-made enchantments for information about how Time magic works,” Bell continued. “I know that Time Mages have a very limited amount of time they can reverse without causing soul damage, but what if they used a formation instead?”

  I barely suppressed a sigh as my brother’s widow shifted excitedly on the couch next to me.

  “It would still cause a time branch, I get that,” Bell said. “But if the target for the formation wasn’t the Time Mage, maybe it would be better? Maybe they’d be able to go back and change things without dying in this timeline.”

  She looked at me eagerly. “I’ve already planned out the formation. I’ve even collected all the materials I’d need to make it. I’ve just been waiting for you to come back so you can help me with it since… you know… you have experience. Right?”

  I had no idea what to do. Master Kairos had made me promise not to tell anyone else, but I knew Bell well enough to know she was going to go forward with her plan, with or without my assistance.

  After a moment, I held up a hand. “Let me talk to Master Kairos first.” When I saw she was getting ready to argue, I quickly added, “I’m willing to help you, but I need to discuss a few things with him first. Maybe he can help.”

  Bell’s eyes filled with tears as her face split into a brilliant smile.

  “I knew you could help! I knew it! I never gave up, you know. Even when everyone said I should move on, I just couldn’t.” She shook her head as if rejecting the thought. “Your mom thinks I’m seeing Elder Vicis, but I’m not. He’s been teaching me. I just… If I can go back and save Justin, I have to. Even if it kills me here, if I can save him in another timeline, it’ll be worth it.”

  “I understand,” I said with a sad smile. “I’m not sure it will work, but I understand your determination. Just be aware that Justin may die anyway, even if you save him.”

  It pained me to tell her that, but it was important for her to understand.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Fate is a real thing,” I replied.

  “So?”

  “Just—” I cut myself off before answering. Trying to explain further would reveal information that I wasn’t sure I could share. I shook my head and said, “Let me talk to Master Kairos, then I’ll answer what I can.”

  “You know he’s not your Master anymore, right? He stepped down from his position as the Patriarch, too, so he doesn’t really have any power over you anymore,” Bell said with a hint of frustration. “You don’t have to answer to him if you don’t want to.”

  “It has nothing to do with that,” I assured her. “I promise I’ll still help you. And even if Master Kairos isn’t the Patriarch anymore, he is still my mentor.”

  “I get it,” Bell said, raising her hands in surrender. After a moment of awkward silence, Bell shifted and said, “Here, look at this and let me know what you think.”

  Bell removed a large parchment from her storage ring and handed it to me.

  As I looked over the draft blueprint, I noticed it was a lot more eloquent than the one I’d used. The runes were stronger and more advanced, for one. Really, the whole thing was a step above what I could have created before my trip through time.

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  “When are you targeting?” I asked, pointing at the rune she’d used to represent a point in time. Since it wasn’t empowered, I couldn’t get a sense of what the goal was.

  Bell leaned forward. “I struggled with that since Elder Vicis said it had to be something significant enough to make a ripple. I was thinking maybe the boys’ birth? Or maybe our move to Hadier? Either event should be significant enough to target. I’ll also be able to keep you from getting abducted if I go back that far.”

  I pursed my lips at the thought. Having Bell go that far back in time could provide a huge benefit, especially if she could warn me about a few pitfalls I’d overlooked.

  Just telling me about the situation with the Sovereignty Sect disciple would be enough to prevent a lot of issues. At least, it would if I could avoid a big confrontation with the guy.

  If the me of now was able to do it all over again, I would have entered the floor in stealth and assassinated the arrogant elf without anyone being the wiser. That is, provided the dungeon didn’t dime me out.

  I’d have to ask Bell to fill me in on that situation if she managed to successfully travel back.

  “I thought about going back to my awakening and stopping Justin from getting abducted in the first place. Then, you wouldn’t have to enter the dungeon at all. Everything would be different.” She sighed and looked at me sadly. “I’m just worried that if I go that far back, the boys might never be born. Maybe I should shoot for the moment of their conception?”

  I winced when the mental image of my brother and Bell being intimate flashed through my mind.

  “It’s up to you,” I said quickly, trying to cover my reaction. “I won’t know the difference either way unless you tell me.”

  I’d have to tell her about my background if she really did go through with it, I decided. She needed to know not to tell anyone other than me once she returned, and the only way to explain that would be to tell her about my own experience with time travel.

  But before I could do that, I really needed to talk to Master Kairos.

  “How about I review the formation in more detail after things settle down, and we can go over everything later? That’ll give me time to discuss what I need to with Master Kairos, while also seeing if maybe there are some items I’ve collected along the way that might be better suited for the formation than what you’ve been able to acquire.”

  It wasn’t an empty promise since I had brought back quite a bit of material from the rift, and some of it would work quite well for a time travel formation.

  “That sounds great,” Bell said with a smile before her expression shifted to something closer to concern. “How was the rift, anyway? It had to have been hard to be isolated like that for so long. I know you struggled with limited contact in the dungeon. I can’t imagine what full isolation might have been like.”

  I nodded. “It really was, but I wasn’t totally alone.” Seeing her confused expression, I chuckled and removed the holographic cube from my new pocket dimension. “Meet Lisa.”

  At that, Lisa’s avatar materialized beside me, causing Bell’s eyes to grow wide.

  “Hello,” Lisa said with a playful smile.

  “Oh! You gave your Interface Assistant a hologram?” Bell poked the avatar lightly before tilting her head when her finger met resistance. “But it’s more than just light and sound, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, I am,” Lisa replied, surprising my long-time friend with her response.

  Bell looked from Lisa’s avatar to me and raised a questioning brow. I shrugged in response.

  “What can I say? I got really lonely.”

  “Yeah, but… this is way more advanced than the AI-controlled constructs I’ve seen before,” Bell said, barely resisting the urge to poke Lisa’s avatar again.

  “I… honestly didn’t even think of doing it like that. It does sound a lot easier than making a mana construct.”

  Bell blew out a breath and shook her head. “What is your Enchanting at now, anyway? Did you ever break through to Master?”

  I barked out a laugh. “No! I never made it to the Enchanters’ Guild to learn any new techniques! The stupid Assassin grabbed me before I got there.” I sighed and shook my head at the reminder. “I need to do that soon.”

  Our conversation meandered through several topics over the next few hours until Master Kairos knocked on the door. With a pointed reminder from Bell to discuss the time travel formation with my mentor, Bell excused herself and left for the evening.

  “Do you know what she has planned?” I asked once we got settled. I didn’t really feel like going out just yet.

  “Not specifically, but I can guess,” Master Kairos replied before looking at me knowingly. “Did she ask for your help to save Justin?”

  “Basically,” I said with a sigh. “Bell wants to do what I did before and create a formation to force a time branch so she can change things.” I hesitated for a moment. “I know you said it’s pointless, but since I know she won’t give up on the idea, I think I’m going to help her.”

  Master Kairos looked torn for a moment. “It may be selfish of me to say this, but as long as you aren’t the one shredding your soul, I don’t mind if you get involved. You should warn her that it is likely her endeavor will be for naught.”

  “I mentioned it, but I wasn’t sure how much to share. If she’s going to do it anyway, I’d rather tell her about my experiences so she knows what to expect. It’s probably a good idea to have her talk to me about it in the new timeline as well.”

  “Provided it works,” he commented. “I know I’ve pointed this out before, but what you did should not have been successful like it was. From your description, the formation you used was nowhere close to being sufficient for its purpose.”

  “Yet somehow it worked,” I said. “Bell’s formation is already far superior to the one I used. With a bit of tweaking, I really think it could work without killing her on this end, especially if we hire a Soul Healer to assist with the aftermath.”

  “If it was anyone else, I’d think they were being foolish. But given your experience, affinity, and tier, I think you might be right.”

  “So, you’re okay with me telling Bell, then?”

  Master Kairos hesitated but inclined his head. “Keeping it a secret was always meant to protect you. Even if you trust her, you should request an oath of secrecy, just in case.”

  At my look of confusion, Master Kairos explained, “What will she do if, after all of her efforts, your brother still dies? Will she threaten to expose your secret to force you to try again? Will she say something in her grief that is better kept secret? Even if you think it unlikely, it is better to protect yourself, if possible.”

  Though I hadn’t considered it before, I realized the older Time Mage had a point. Given how dedicated Bell obviously was to saving Justin, even after so many years, it made sense to protect myself from her likely disappointment.

  If Anya was right and Justin was fated to die sooner rather than later, it was inevitable that Bell would seek my assistance again. When that time came, the other me needed a way to protect against the potential weaponization of that secret.

  I hated to admit it, but in Bell’s place, I could easily see myself forcing the subject if Justin died again. Hell, I was tempted to force the subject now, and he was just my brother, not the love of my life.

  “Will such an oath transcend time?” I asked.

  “It’s hard to say for certain,” Master Kairos replied. “But with a piece of her soul involved, it’s possible to word the oath in a way that keeps it effective so long as a sliver of the soul is affected.”

  We discussed the details of such an oath over dinner, along with some of the specific phrases that should be incorporated to ensure the oath worked even after Bell traveled through time.

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