“And that’s the whole story,” Caleb said. He sat back, letting out a breath. Trying to explain his experience beyond the door in the Sea of Tranquility hadn’t been easy.
“Time Magic stuff is weird,” Addie said.
“But the point is, you can’t make much sense of it,” Chelsea said.
“Basically,” Caleb admitted with a chuckle. “It’s just a piece of a larger picture, and I don’t have all of the pieces, yet.”
“Then it’s time to go to the Final Frontier,” Gwen said.
“Right!” Caleb stood. “Everyone ready?”
They were, and followed Gwen’s lead as she found the door to the Final Frontier — specifically to the lone established community on the nearest edge of the Final Frontier, Tier Town. From there, the goal was to find a guide Gwen knew who could take them to Caleb’s destination, a mysterious ruin beyond the Rampant Valley.
“What’s with the name, anyway?” Caleb asked. “Is the whole valley running rampant or something?”
“How would a valley run rampant?” Chelsea asked.
“Magic, obviously,” Caleb said.
“Not sure I’d want to see a rampant valley,” Chelsea said.
“The Rampant Valley is called so for the beings that roam within it,” Gwen said. “It lies tangential to the Westward Plains, and is a place most would try to avoid. Within it are Rampant Summons — Summons that have lost their connection to their Summoner, lost their minds, and were then confined to the Valley.”
“Confined?” Lorelei asked. “So the Valley is a prison?”
“If so, it is a prison without a jailer,” Gwen said. “Summons which go Rampant end up there naturally — greater forces than we understand are at work.”
“Summons that go Rampant…” Chelsea murmured. “Gwen, was that what I saw when…”
Gwen paused, then bowed her head. “Yes. Though that wasn’t the truth, only a vision meant to make you lose hope. But… that is what is in store for us.”
“A vision?” Caleb asked. “When?”
“When… we were in the Darkness,” Chelsea said. “In the Library of Solitude. There were windows, and other things, that showed us visions of our past. Most of it was true, but there was one at the end of mine that… showed me him.” She reached up to stroke her owl Summon, perched on her shoulders. “Only it showed me him transformed into a terrifying monster.”
“The Summons out there are transformed?” Caleb asked.
“Yes,” Gwen said. “It is… a sad fate. And Summons cannot die until their Summoner dies. But with that connection to their Summoner severed… they are cursed. The Rampant Summons cannot die, no matter what injury or pain they suffer. And they are transformed into beasts that have only violent instincts, attacking any who come near with vicious fervor.”
“There isn’t a way to save them?” Chelsea asked.
“If there is, no one has discovered it,” Gwen said.
Will tapped out a message on his phone, then held it up: “Will we have to fight?”
“If our guide is available, then we shouldn’t have to,” Gwen said. “But I’m not sure about traveling with such a large group. We’ll have to be careful, no matter what the circumstances.”
“Stay close, you,” Chelsea said, tugging on her owl’s wing. Will spoke softly to Trevain, who then curled up inside his hood.
“Here we are,” Gwen said. They’d taken a winding path, following the signs to the Third Transport Terminal. There, Gwen brought them to a door that saw zero traffic. Above it was an emblem that looked like a lonely city beneath a shattering sky.
“Looks cheerful,” Caleb said.
“Tier Town is a perfectly pleasant place,” Gwen said with a smile. “It’s everything beyond that is troubling.”
Through the door they went, and emerged through a veil of light into a city that immediately struck Caleb as bleak. The grass was a greyish-green and greyish-brown, not quite dead, but hard to call alive. The sky was bleak and grey, and there were fine, hairline cracks through the sky above, like it was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. From a distance, Caleb could hear a faint rumbling like the crumbling and creaking of great bodies of ice.
And all around them was Tier Town. It was a sprawling town, making up for a low population with square mileage. Homes were spaced far apart, coming in all shapes and sizes, seemingly restored from ancient ruins that had been here long before this town was established. And they came in all shapes and sizes, rejecting and defying architectural norms. Lopsided spheres, towering spirals, swirling bowls, and so many more — there was nary a dull or ordinary structure in sight. Everyone had tons of space, and many used their vast “yards” as small farms, growing a surprising variety of crops in what seemed to be dry, infertile soil. Those crops, and occasional patches of flowers and flowering bushes, helped add color to this bleak, unforgiving landscape.
And the people seemed tremendously friendly. They often chatted with each other, laughed together, their cheer chasing away any thoughts of despair.
“I thought the people here were adventurers,” Lorelei said, “and Tier Town just a staging area for their explorations of the Final Frontier.”
“You’re not far off,” Gwen said. “But most of the adventurers and explorers have families, and there’s a great value to having a stable, flourishing home to return to after the harsh, challenging trials of the land beyond this town.”
“Everyone needs a home,” Will said softly.
Gwen led the way down a wide, easy thoroughfare. People waved, and Caleb and his team waved back. Addie’s eyes were wide with wonder, and she kept looking around everywhere, trying to take it all in as best she could. Chelsea smiled and held her hand, making sure the girl stayed with the group.
Their destination was a plaza within a weathered ruin that had plenty of walls and windows, but no longer had a roof. There didn’t seem much concern about exposure to the elements, as there were many permanent counters, tables, and seating arrangements with not even a tent or canvas canopy over them. When asked, Gwen replied, “Oh, it doesn’t rain here, or snow. The temperature doesn’t fluctuate much, either. The only weather conditions to be wary of in the Final Frontier are the high winds, but those are much milder here than anywhere else.”
The plaza was lively, by Tier Town’s standards — there were about a dozen people here chatting, haggling over goods, or kicking back with a cool drink and a nice meal. On the far side of the plaza, in a darkened alcove, was their destination: a small round table piled high with papers, most of them maps, all carefully weighted down. And next to it, seated in a chair, tilted back so the chair leaned against the wall, his feet propped up on the table, was a lone man. He had a triangular hat tilted low to hide his eyes. A long duster jacket hung down to brush the ground, and his arms were folded across his chest. By all appearances… he was fast asleep.
“That’s our guide?” Chelsea asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What’s that face for?” Addie asked. “He looks cool.”
“How about we don’t talk about him behind his back?” Lorelei asked. “Come on.”
“Long time no see, Logan,” Gwen said with a smile.
The man tilted his hat up with his index finger, eyeing the group with scarlet eyes. The center of each eye, rather than a dark pupil, was a shimmering azure X. “Gwen,” he said, his voice gravelly and serious, yet carrying surprising warmth. “Long time.” He nodded to the others with Gwen. “You’ve made some new friends.”
“Indeed,” Gwen said. “I wish I could say I was here for a social visit, but —”
“Giving me work is better than a social call,” Logan said. He removed his feet from the table and stood. He was slender, and a few inches shorter than Caleb, yet he had a surprisingly powerful presence far beyond his physical stature. “Well? Where do you want to go?”
“We’re not sure of the name,” Gwen said, “but there’s a ruin beyond the Rampant Valley. You’re the only one who can take us there.”
“You’re the Time Mage?” Logan asked, eyeing Caleb.
“Yeah,” Caleb said, surprised.
“Hmm,” Logan said. “Never seen one with the River of Time in his eyes before. But that’s no business of mine. Well? You ready to go?”
“You don’t have any other questions?” Gwen asked.
“None needed,” Logan said. “You know where you want to go, and you have a Time Mage to prove it’s necessary. I don’t need any more than that.”
“It’s because we’re old friends, isn’t it?” Gwen asked, smiling sweetly.
“If thinking of it that way makes you smile, then sure,” Logan said. He scooped up a single map from his table without even looking, rolled it with a practiced motion, and tucked it into an inside pocket of his jacket. “Well?”
“We’re ready, right?” Caleb asked, looking at the others. Nods and agreement went around.
“Come on, then,” Logan said. “You’ve got good timing. There shouldn’t be many Rampant Summons between you and the Keep. And the winds are hitting the Westward Plains hardest right now, so it’ll be swifter going.”
“The Keep?” Caleb asked.
Logan raised an eyebrow. “You’re determined to go there, but you don’t know its name?”
“I wasn’t aware it had a name,” Caleb said, chuckling sheepishly. “Mister Midnight helped me figure out where it was, but even he never mentioned a name to the place.”
“Midnight, huh?” Logan asked, turning away and starting off. “He tell you to go there?”
“No, I saw the place in a vision during my Time Trial,” Caleb said. “It was through that that Mister Midnight determined where the place was, though he only got as far as the Final Frontier. Gwen helped us figure out that what I saw was the Rampant Valley, and recommended you.”
“You chose Midnight as a teacher?” Logan asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, if you took a Time Trial, too, then he must trust your abilities. None of my business, though.”
“Are you a Time Mage?” Caleb asked. “You seem to know so much.”
“Not a Time Mage,” Logan said. He led them out of the plaza and on an overgrown road leading out of Tier Town towards a vast, endless field of hills dotted with battered, weathered ruins. “But you’re not the first to assume so. Aren’t any non-Time Mages that know as much as I do about Time Magic and everything related to it. Not that I’m bragging.”
“How’d you learn so much?” Caleb asked.
“You’ve got a lot of energy,” Logan said, casting a sidelong glance at Caleb, who was watching him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Gwen chuckled. “Logan isn’t really all that talkative,” she said. “Don’t expect to get his life’s story so easily, Caleb.”
“Well, we did just meet,” Caleb said. “Fair enough. Thanks for guiding us at least, Logan. We wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
“Sure,” Logan said. “It’s a bit of a ways to the Valley. Keep in mind two warnings, two rules, that you must follow absolutely. If you fail to follow them, I won’t fail to abandon you to the gruesome fate sure to follow. Firstly, do exactly as I say, no matter what, without fail. I won’t ask anything unreasonable or uncomfortable of you, ever. But I expect you to do exactly as I say. I know these places. You don’t. Secondly, do not, under any circumstances, use any magic. Magic attracts Rampant Summons — they have a nose for it and will lock onto you at the subtlest second of magic use, and bear down on you with all their mindless fury. We can get across the Rampant Valley to Nostal Keep without any magic, despite how it will look at times. Most of you are Humans, right? Don’t go pulling from Enhancement Magic to make things easier. You get to the Keep with your own two legs, or not at all.”
“Do Summons count as using magic?” Chelsea asked, looking up at her owl.
“They’re… a grey area,” Logan said. “Better to dismiss them than not, though. Their presence would attract Rampant Summons to them rather than you, but that’s not something you want, either.”
Will dismissed Trevain, but when Chelsea tried, her owl puffed out his chest and glared at her. “Listen, you,” she said, “I know you’ve never been dismissed before, but every other Summon does it and they’re fine with it. So just this once, okay? I’ll bring you right back as soon as we’re in the clear.” But though she formed the portal that would send her owl to magical space, he evaded it, refusing to be sucked in. “Hey! This isn’t a joke, okay? You’ll be a danger to yourself and to us. So just go with it!” Yet still, her owl persisted.
“What’s his range?” Logan asked.
“Range?” Chelsea asked.
“Every Summon has a range, a distance from their Summoner within which they can still function,” Logan said. “What’s yours?”
“We’ve… never checked,” Chelsea said. “He can go really far, though.”
“Yeah, he was able to fly above the clouds back in Grimoire,” Caleb said. “And spent most of his time outside the city — that’s at least a mile, maybe more.”
“Over a mile?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. “None of the Rampant Summons can fly. If he can stay as high as possible, he shouldn’t attract their attention.”
Chelsea frowned at her owl, who hovered around her, hooting proudly. “Don’t get all high and mighty because they’re letting you stay out here,” Chelsea said. “You really ought to listen to your Summoner first and foremost.” She sighed. “Fine. When we get close, get as high as possible, and no closer, and stay that high until we’re in the clear. Got it?” Her owl let out a pleased musical trill, and then flew a high circle over the group.
With that settled, Caleb was able to puzzle more over what Logan had told them about where they were going. “Nostal Keep?” he asked. “So that’s what it’s called. What can you tell us about it?”
“Not much,” Logan said. “Only Time Mages, or those accompanied by a Time Mage, can enter. I’m just a guide.”
“So it’s a place specific to Time Mages,” Caleb said.
Will came up alongside him and showed him a message he’d typed on his phone: “Could it have been made for Time Mages?”
Caleb asked Logan. “That’s a common theory,” Logan said. “But like much of the Final Frontier, its full history is lost to the ravages of time. And it’s not as easy an archaeological study, given its unique entrance restrictions. Not many archaeologists who are also Time Mages.”
“Hey, where’d you get your hat?” Addie asked, gazing up at Logan.
Logan looked down at her, making eye contact with her and holding it a lot longer than he had with anyone else. After a few moments where neither looked away, he nodded back towards Gwen. “Ask her,” he said, and then fixed his gaze on the path ahead.
Gwen smiled. “I made it for him,” she said.
“Can you make me one?” Addie asked.
“I thought you liked having a hood,” Chelsea said.
“What’s that got to do with hats?” Addie asked.
“You can’t wear a hat under your hood,” Chelsea said.
Addie’s eyes widened in amazement, and then she started playing with her hood, taking it on and off, putting her hands inside and testing how much space she had when it was on. “I might be able to make it work,” she muttered, forehead creased with concentration.
“Sure, kiddo,” Chelsea said, rolling her eyes. “Sure.”
The Final Frontier was a quiet, eerie place. The farther they got from civilization, the more it struck Caleb as lonely. Vast expanses, all the way to the horizon, contained nothing but wind-blasted, empty ruins. Clearly, a great civilization had once existed out here.
Despite the harsh winds, which picked up more as they walked, the Frontier still felt quiet. Winds howled as they gusted at Caleb’s group, wildly ruffling hair and clothing. And yet… Caleb still felt a sense of quiet. Maybe it was that the Frontier’s loneliness invited quiet? He and his group talked less the farther they went. Addie held tight to Chelsea’s hand, walking with her. Gwen walked close to Logan, though not beside him — he always walked ahead of the others, never looking back at them. Caleb walked beside Chelsea, and Will and Lorelei beside him. They all stuck close together, following their stoic guide across the empty, lonely landscape.
High above, the cracks in the sky steadily widened. That was the most eerie sight, and as they widened, they seemed like windows into a dark, forbidding void — an endless nothingness that defied belief. Those fractures in the sky never widened so much that it seemed the sky was truly going to shatter, or that the void would open up and swallow this land and its inhabitants and travelers whole. Even so, Caleb found it difficult to look at the sky — and yet difficult to look away.
How Logan navigated through the Frontier, Caleb could only guess. So many of the ruins looked the same. The road they’d left Tier Town on had vanished before the city was out of sight. They didn’t go straight ahead, but wound their way here and there. Logan never stopped, never paused, never stooped to examine the ground or look for fine details that might guide his way. He always walked upright, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed forward.
It’s like he knows the route by heart.
Time was difficult to gauge here, and Caleb thought his watch might be acting up. What felt like hours of traveling — and should be, when Caleb counted out the seconds — tracked as only a few minutes on his pocket watch.
Maybe there’s something in the air that even messes with a magically Augmented watch.
The sky never lightened or darkened, maintaining its constant bleak grey-whiteness. Were there nights here, or was it always like this? But after some immeasurable amount of time, Logan finally stopped, holding up a hand. The others stopped, and Addie breathed a small sigh. She’d insisted on walking on her own, and she’d kept a bouncy, energetic gait, but clearly she was tired.
“The Valley lies ahead,” Logan whispered, pointing up the rocky rise before them. “Follow my steps exactly.” He started up without asking if they were ready, but Caleb and his group followed right away, Chelsea taking a moment to communicate with her owl, who hooted softly and then soared into the sky, higher and higher, until he was a white pinprick against the white, shattered sky, difficult to spot even if you knew to look for him.
It was an actual climb — the rocky rise was a hill, but a hill covered in toppled ruins. There was no way to just walk up, or pick your way up like it was a staircase. It was a four-limbed affair, hands and feet working together to pull bodies up the ruin. Addie didn’t ask for help here, either, but she didn’t need it — she was adept at climbing, and her small size made it easier for her than for the adults.
When they topped the rise, all knelt behind Logan, taking in the landscape ahead of them.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
A wide valley stretched before and below them, and picking their way amongst the ruins were a few dozen creatures glowing like Summons. But their shine was dimmed compared to Chelsea’s owl or Trevain, and they were all… warped. Hulking, misshapen monstrosities, they shambled along, drool spilling from gaping, fanged maws, sickly green eyes staring ahead with empty, hollow anguish. They were hurting, but also… angry. Caleb saw one Rampant Summon suddenly whirl on a pillar, snarling as it swiped with huge, jagged claws. The pillar shattered into shrapnel, and the Rampant Summon stood, heaving, glaring, for several moments, before shambling along as before.
At the far side of the Valley, weathered, overgrown stairs wound their way up a sheer cliffside, and at the top, as if overlooking the Valley, stood a grey stone keep. It was the most intact ruin Caleb had seen in the Frontier so far, with a gatehouse, four towers, and all its walls still standing.
Their group paused like that for a moment, watching, taking in what it was that lay between them and their goal. And then, wordlessly, Logan descended into the Valley.
There was no path to follow save the one Logan picked out for them. Gwen followed directly behind Logan, and then Caleb, Addie, Chelsea, and Will, while Lorelei took up the rear. Gwen didn’t look around — her eyes were fixed on Logan’s steps, and so Caleb followed her lead.
This way of moving along made him so much more nervous, though. He couldn’t spare a glance around, but every instinct in him begged him to gain awareness of his surroundings. That was how he always functioned — by taking in the entire landscape, the entire battlefield, and being aware of all that was happening. But now…
I have to trust our guide.
Several times, Logan stopped. Sometimes it was out in the open, which made Caleb want to ask a million questions, to hurry his guide along, but he kept his mouth shut. Even when he heard the shambling, rough steps of a Rampant Summon so close, he kept his mouth shut.
If it comes to danger, we just have to run. He knows what he’s doing — trust him.
Their path wound from side to side, the most roundabout, winding route Caleb could have imagined. It even often backtracked towards the near side of the Valley. Every action tested Caleb’s trust and patience, and his ability to stay silent.
He couldn’t say anything. What use would explanations be? Trust was all that counted here.
When they did finally reach the far side, Caleb couldn’t believe it. Were they already climbing the stairs? Was the careful navigation through the Rampant Summons already over? But when he finally looked up, yes. Gwen wasn’t watching Logan’s feet anymore, but walking upright just behind him. The stairs were their path, now.
Thank goodness Gwen knew a guide.
Soon they stood before Nostal Keep. It seemed… smaller, up close. Its tallest tower — for they weren’t all the same height after unknown years of ruin — was maybe three stories tall. Even so, there was little pace between the top of the stairs and the door of the Keep. Caleb could barely see into the high windows, and when he did look, he thought, for a moment, that he saw something move. But the longer he looked, the more still and dark everything was.
Atop the highest tower perched Chelsea’s owl, and once everyone was gathered before the Keep, he came fluttering down, puffing up his chest proudly and casting a teasing look Chelsea’s way. “Yeah, yeah, you’re so cool,” Chelsea said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t get all high and mighty about getting here before us.”
“Does Caleb have to go in alone?” Will asked. Caleb stared. He hadn’t thought of that, but —
“No,” Logan said. “Anyone may enter, as long as they are accompanied by a Time Mage. I will not go with you. And I will not be here when you have accomplished your goal within.”
“You’re not going to wait for us and guide us back?” Chelsea asked, glaring.
“You will not exit through the same door you enter,” Logan said. “And I do not know where your exit is.”
“We’re all going, right?” Addie asked.
“It sounds like it might be dangerous,” Caleb said, but Addie grabbed his hand and gripped it tightly.
“I’m not getting left behind,” she said, staring intently at him.
“We’re all going,” Chelsea said, taking Addie’s other hand.
Caleb smiled. “Right,” he said. “Logan, is there anything we need to know about this place?”
“I know not what lies within,” Logan said. “Enter through the door. It will close behind you, and once your task, whatever it is, is completed, a new door will open.”
“Thank you,” Gwen said, smiling at Logan. “I’ll try to make my next visit to you a social one. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Gwen,” Logan said, gazing at her steadily. “You’re going in, too?”
“We all are,” Gwen said.
Logan nodded to Caleb. “You trust him?”
Gwen smiled. “Oh, yes.”
Logan hesitated a moment, then nodded. “All right, then. Good luck.”
Caleb pushed on the doors, and they swung open easily. It was incredibly dark inside. As Caleb stepped in, the floor cracked and crumbled at his feet. In the faint light, he could see that the floor within had been pulverized — by years of wear, or by one powerful blow? The stone of the floor appeared to have a faint bluish tint to it, almost like it had been crystal, not simple stone. But it was hard to tell in the light. Caleb headed in further, Addie and Chelsea close with him. Lorelei, Will, and Gwen followed right after.
The doors shut behind them. There was still some light, filtering through high windows and faint cracks in the ceiling and walls, but it took Caleb’s eyes a moment to adjust. Even then, he couldn’t make out everything. What struck him right away was a sense of emptiness. And…
What is this sense of dread?
“So… what do we do now?” Chelsea asked.
“Let me —” Caleb started, stepping into Time-state, but…
He couldn’t. He heard the bell, the bell that tolled when his time in Time-state was up, and he remained in normal time. “Wait… what?”
“What’s what?” Chelsea asked.
“I can’t use Time Magic,” Caleb said, frozen in a state of shock. What was happening here?
“But this is the place you’re supposed to be, right?” Chelsea asked. “We didn’t screw up, right? Our guide didn’t trick us, did he?”
“Logan wouldn’t do something like that,” Gwen said.
“This is the place,” Caleb said, looking around. “I saw this in my Trial, I know I’m supposed to be here, so what the heck? I don’t —”
“Maybe it’s a trap,” Lorelei said. All eyes went to her. “A trap specifically designed for Time Mages.”
“Then why would he basically be told he’s supposed to come here?” Chelsea asked. She pulled out one of her lighters and clicked it once, blasting emerald fire against the stone door. But she didn’t even scorch it.
“A trap can be a test,” Will said.
Lorelei nodded. “So let’s all be careful. If Caleb can’t use Time Magic… then that’s either part of the test, or we’re in serious trouble.”
“Trouble how?” Chelsea asked.
“Caleb, you haven’t been able to use Time Magic since the huge Phase Step that got us to Starlight Spires, right?” Lorelei asked.
“Right,” Caleb said, his voice hollow. He realized where Lorelei was going with this. “If I haven’t been given back access to Time Magic yet, then that means we moved too quickly. If we’re here too early, and it’s a test that requires Time Magic…”
“But that’s not fair!” Chelsea said. “Time Magic controls whether or not you can use it, and this is a place designed for Time Mages that you were pretty much explicitly told you’re supposed to go to. How can Time Magic be withheld from you unless it’s an intentional part of the test?”
“Because it might just be a trap,” Will said. “This place has been here longer than anyone knows. Things could have gone wrong in all that time. And in that case…” His eyes met Caleb’s.
Caleb nodded. He understood with a look.
If something’s gone wrong here, then I wasn’t called here to do the ordinary test.
I was called here to set things right. And…
I’m going to have to do that without Time Magic.
At that moment, there was another sound. A scraping, like metal against stone. Slow, steady, rasping.
They were not alone.