After having won the battle, and this time having confirmed the death of the target, we were picked up by team one’s transport and went home. Despite not being able to die, I had never felt the noose around my neck so tight.

  Upon arriving at the base, Agnar only spewed compliments one after another, and some were for Ash. Everyone congratulated and praised me, which led to us celebrating that night. In a small bar in the area were Ash, me and all the members of team one.

  Berke, the big guy of the group, of robust appearance and tan skin, entered the place first, followed by the beautiful Jaina, who drew the attention of the other customers with her blonde mane, which was caressed by a small breeze of wind that accompanied her as she entered.

  The pair of best friends, Xiu and Hong, two Mongol-Zhongguo boys, shared the traits of having straight black hair, in addition to being pale and of short stature.

  Next came Feng, the serious and orderly type who, in my view, was nothing more than an ordinary man one could find anywhere in the country. After him I passed along with Aghat; following us were Ash and, behind him, the lovely Aura, the shy black-haired girl, but who enjoyed great attributes that made any man turn his gaze toward her.

  Being the last group to enter were Erdem, the boy whose parents are from Britannia and he, born here in Mongol, thus stood out greatly for his Caucasian appearance and brown hair; Murat, who had a weakness for his vices, but still remained fit for his job because it was what he loved most in his life, he did not stand out at first sight, since he possessed the typical traits of my country: black hair, a moderately long and wide face, and a beige skin tone; Zahit, a calm and superstitious type with blood from the Mediterranean countries—of average height, eyes larger than those of common people, although hidden by his long dark hair, since he was off duty and did not have it tied back—; and lastly Zhenshin, the most pleasant guy one could meet in his short life, he got along with everyone and always let out one joke or another. He was a bit ugly and with oriental features beyond the sea.

  e sat at a large table and placed our order. Once everyone had their food and drink, we began to talk.

  —I didn’t expect you to survive that, Dante —Aghat told me.

  —Yes, me neither —I replied— But well, here I am… or rather, “we are.”

  We all directed our gazes toward Ash, who was at one end of the table with Aura and Jaina “getting to know each other better.”

  —And you, Ash, tell me, how did you manage to adapt so quickly to the enemy? —Berke asked.

  —You know? If you want, I can give you some lessons on magic —Ash was telling Aura at the very moment Berke spoke to him.

  Then Ash turned his attention to him and answered:

  —Practice, experience and a great deal of knowledge. With all that you can manage yourself well enough in battles.

  Xiu commented:

  —Even if you have all that, it is still surprising how you managed to understand the Second’s abilities.

  Ash said:

  —This must be because of the era. I mean that before, that whole thing of using new types of magic for war was developed much more. So with everything I had seen, there was not much left that I did not know or could not imagine.

  That is when I realize how natural it had been for him to read my nature.

  —Even so, I did not understand the Second’s magic very well —Jaina commented.

  —As far as I know, it is a type of magic that affects space itself —Ash said.

  —Yes, I know that. What I do not understand is how he could only cut everything, or how he could disappear out of nowhere. And if he could manipulate space, why could he not alter the size of things or people?

  Ash stands up, goes to the bar of the place and asks the employee at the counter for a sheet of paper. Then he returns and sits at the table.

  —I will explain it to you, at least what I have managed to theorize —he says.

  Next, Ash takes out a pencil and a pen from one of his pockets, and from another he takes out an eraser.

  He makes a line on the paper with the pencil and exclaims:

  —Let us say that the paper is space, the place where we move, walk, exist, etc. Well, and the line is a material, like wood.

  Then he grabs the eraser.

  —Now let us imagine that the eraser is a sword, and look.

  He passes the eraser over the drawn line.

  —There it is, I cut the wood. Good, now what follows…

  With the pen he draws another line next to the first one.

  —Well, now let us imagine that this line is a harder material, like metal, right?

  He repeats the same procedure as before, but this time he does not manage to erase the line.

  —As you can see, I have not been able to cut the metal with the sword. Well, this represents how anything common in our reality works.

  —Yes, but that does not tell us anything —Feng interrupts.

  —In fact, I will explain it to you now. You see, all we can do on the sheet is draw and erase. However, the Butcher…

  Ash grabs a knife and pierces the sheet.

  —Can cut space. And by cutting space, he cuts everything that is drawn on it.

  He cuts the paper right where the lines are drawn.

  —That is how he used his power. If we think about it a little, it is very similar to the power of the Akyane, since they act in the same way, but over time.

  —I can understand it —Dante said— But what my mind never understood is how he managed to disappear. I mean, even though I saw it with my own eyes, it was incredible.

  Ash responds:

  —I am surprised that, of everyone here, you are the most surprised. Well, to explain how the Second entered and exited the dimension, I will take a little water and my plate.

  Doing as he declared, he poured a little water onto the plate. Everyone watched attentively.

  —Well, now let us imagine that this puddle of water is space. As you can see, it is volatile, all the mass is in constant change, but it continues in uniformity. Well, that is more or less how space behaves. Now think of my finger as one of the Second’s claws. This is how he cuts space.

  He makes a line in the puddle with his finger.

  —And now see how that rift closes. That is how space acts when it is cut. And to explain how he disappeared without us being able to see where he went, instead of entering through the rift, I believe he was absorbed… or rather, he let himself be absorbed. Think that the barrier between space and whatever was on the other side acts like a glass of water: if it has a crack, the water will begin to leak through that crack.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Feng asked:

  —Do you mean that the shape of the rift does not matter? The traveler’s dimensions will simply deform?

  —In fact, it is the opposite —Ash replied— If the other side is a place where space has no effect, that means the rift takes the shape of the emigrant. You know… like having sex.

  There were uncomfortable laughs, but Ash continued, serious:

  —Which leads to the next question: what is that place?

  Berke theorized:

  —I suppose it must be a different dimension. Maybe… the fourth?

  Ash answered:

  —I do not think so. In fact, I think the answer is very frightening.

  Dante said:

  —What do you mean?

  We all fell silent and paid attention.

  —Well, you saw part of the Second’s face, right?

  —Yes.

  —And the bandages too, correct?

  —Yes, I noticed them.

  —Well, this is a theory… but I believe that being exposed to that unknown dimension affected him horribly. If I had to put it into words, spending time in a place where your body loses its shape must cause havoc. We already know that every mage has great resistance to his own magic; however, how the environment affects the body is different. If I had to bet, I would say that the Second generated some kind of natural protection when entering that dimension, but even so he suffered damage. Who knows why? Maybe he spent too much time there, or at some point he ran out of mana and his protection lost effect. Whatever the cause was, the consequences were terrible.

  Jaina asked:

  —What kind of consequences, besides the skin?

  Ash answered her:

  —Well, I believe his mind was the most affected. And I think his organism was also compromised. Maybe it was not that he did not speak or did not understand our language… but that he could not.

  —But he… screamed —Dante said.

  Ash commented:

  —He may have used all his strength for that. In any case, this is only a theory, and now that he is dead, it always will be.

  Everyone seemed satisfied with Ash’s explanation. However, I noticed that Murat had not stopped looking at him with a feeling of discomfort. Taking advantage of the fact that he was next to me, and that the others were already speaking in small groups about other matters, I asked him:

  —Hey, are you all right?

  Murat looked at me calmly, then turned his gaze back toward Ash and answered:

  —Yes. There is no problem.

  —It is just that you seem a bit shocked. I mean, I know you are not one to talk much, but you seem distracted by something —I said discreetly.

  Murat whispered:

  —Well… if I am honest, Ash is a very strange guy. I mean, not only because of his attitude. The thing is that I cannot read his mind. And I do not feel that he is protecting himself or that he is on alert. At first it seemed normal to me on the day of the training, but until now I have not been able to sense even a small emotion.

  —Really? That is strange —I replied, surprised.

  —Yes. I mean, you are on guard all the time, but I can tell that. However, with him… I have not been able to empathize either. There is no anger, nor joy, not even when he laughs. I feel nothing… and without resorting to my ability.

  —Do you think that is dangerous? —I whispered to him.

  —Rather, I think it is quite the opposite… But it would be better if I inform Agnar.

  —Well, if you think something might happen, do not hesitate to warn whoever you need to.

  —Yes, that is what I will do.

  After that small conversation, Zhenshin approached. He was already beginning to get drunk, and holding me with his arm, he said:

  —You know… all this time I thought you were a coward, useless, pathetic…

  I tried to interrupt him, but he continued:

  —Emo, impotent, stupid and suicidal. However, today you showed me that I was just wrong… and now the only thing I think of you is that you are just a fool. Where was that powerful warrior Agnar always rambled about? Now I am going to have to do the same!

  Everyone burst out laughing, except Ash and the girls, who were in their own world.

  —Well, if I am honest… I just got lucky —I told him.

  Zhenshin replied:

  —Then play the lottery, because you have a lot of it. If I had been in your place, they would have killed me like a hundred times. And you barely with a scratch!

  —Well, I must admit that I would have suffered the same fate —Erdem mentioned.

  Berke, with arrogance, jumped in:

  —I would have done better!

  We all burst into laughter. Hong told him:

  —You would have died right away! Being as big as you are, the Butcher would have thought he was cutting meat in a butcher shop.

  Berke remained grumbling while we laughed.

  Then Aghat said to me:

  —Nair must be super happy now.

  —Yes, surely she will now find more ways to make fun of me —I answered.

  —She will surely say something like: “Good! You have leveled up, now you are the emo assistant of the madman!” —Zhenshin exclaimed.

  I laughed:

  —Hahaha… and surely now Agnar will want me to replace Nair.

  Everyone laughed in unison.

  —Imagine that! Dante doing her job! —Xiu said.

  —Now Nair will have to wash the dishes! —Feng exclaimed.

  But at that very moment, behind him, were Nair and Lorelai, her best friend. Feng had not noticed, but when we all fell silent and directed our gazes behind him, we could see how he froze in terror. We noticed the shiver that ran down his spine. He slowly turned around, and upon seeing who was there, he turned his head back toward us and made a religious gesture.

  Immediately after, he was grabbed by the scruff of the neck, his face turned blue, and while he struggled, he was lifted into the air. Then, as if it were a throwing competition, Lorelai hurled him out of the establishment. Dusting off her hands, she asked coldly:

  —Any other “comments”?

  If anyone had talent for intimidation, it was her. For a woman, she is only below Berke in strength, and her body rivals that of a statue sculpted by a great artist. She has black hair, with a simple cut that reaches just to her neck. But for me it is hard to look her in the eyes… she always has that look of disdain and seriousness. Basically, she is the complete opposite of Nair. Besides, there is something I do not like to remember.

  Nair looked at Aghat, and he moved over to where Ash, Aura and Jaina were (they had left a few moments ago, without anyone noticing). Nair and Lorelai sat down together.

  —So, in the end you finally did something useful, now all you have left is to find yourself a woman who can endure your enormous gloom —Nair told me playfully.

  Dante, calmly:

  —Oh, do not worry, my partner knows how to take advantage of me.

  Lorelai said:

  —Speaking of him, where is he? I want to meet the fossil.

  I looked everywhere for Ash, but it seemed that he had slipped away in the middle of the circle of jokes from the guys.

  —It seems he has left, I hope he does not cause any trouble —I told the girls.

  Then my cellphone rang and it turned out to be a call from Agnar. I answered and he told me:

  —Dante, it is nothing important, I am calling to let you know that Jaina informed me that she and Aura are going to keep an eye on Ash tonight, so you can be calm.

  —Oh, well, thanks for telling me.

  Agnar, saying goodbye:

  —You are welcome, have fun, goodbye.

  Dante replied:

  —Goodbye.

  —Who was it? —Nair asked me.

  Dante replied:

  —Just Agnar, he told me not to worry about Ash.

  —What? Did he already put a leash on him?

  As reassuring as that comment might sound, it was quite the opposite: out there there was probably a hungry beast roaming around looking for meat.

  Dante said:

  —I highly doubt we have a rope of such high caliber; it would be better to look for a chain.

  —I suppose you are right, and even more remembering how tough that guy is —Nair said pessimistically.

  Lorelai exclaimed:

  —After hearing how he kicked the asses of both of you, I have no doubt.

  —Both of you? —I repeated, confused. Looking at Nair I asked— Did he try to kill you too?

  Nair clarified:

  —What? No, I tried to kill him, he is an idiot. Besides, after what he did to you, I got furious.

  With the intention of teasing her I said:

  —Oh, so you do care about me, how sweet.

  Nair looked at me dryly and said to Lorelai:

  —Strangle him.

  She replied:

  —At your command!

  Lorelai came toward me quickly and positioning herself behind me grabbed me by the neck and began to squeeze.

  While I suffered and enjoyed her generous chest against the back of my head, Nair and Aghat began to speak to each other.

  —And? Are you preparing for the fourth? —Aghat asked.

  —The truth is we already have everything covered, but now that Dante entered the game, Agnar wants to send him with us —Nair said.

  Aghat, distrustfully, said:

  —That does not seem convenient to me.

  —Yes, I know, so I came to talk to Dante about that.

  Then Lorelai let me go, and I, having heard everything, asked:

  —I suppose Ash will have to come, right?

  —If I am honest, I would prefer it to be him instead of us, at least first. After seeing the kind of monsters we are facing, I feel somewhat uneasy.

  Lorelai added:

  —Even I got nervous when you went after the Second, but what unsettled me the most was that twisted attitude he had.

  And I commented:

  —Yes, I know, I nearly pissed myself when he screamed. I noticed that even Ash got nervous.

  Berke spread the rumor:

  —And they say that neither he, nor Ash, nor even the third are the worst.

  Xiu said:

  —What kind of traumas must all those guys have had as children?

  Dante said:

  —Have you seen Ash? I do not think that guy had any trauma; he is always calm and looking for fun. I think it is just the era. I mean, before one was devoured by dragons, and today there are people who keep them as pets.

  —It feels like cultural shock when you go to another country, but this one is from another era —Hong exclaimed.

  Zahit, staring into nothing, said:

  —I still remember how surprised I was when I visited Nihon, full of so many different races, and all native to that land. I suppose it is what arises from the gods of deception and appearance.

  Zhenshin said:

  —I suppose that, in this matter, it would be equivalent to everyone before being crazy and from the same country.

  —Hahaha —we all laughed.

  Then we continued for a couple more hours, joking and getting drunk, until it was time to go home, and Aghat, who was the most sober, carried Nair and me to her home.