Three days later Aidan was sitting in his favorite spot on the ferry. He had always enjoyed the rides to and from Seattle. Sitting by the window watching the water flow by. Standing out front waiting for the view of Seattle to pop up as the boat rounded the end of Bainbridge Island. The salty wind and chill in the air.

  “We need to find out how they level,” Aidan said mentally to Aurora. “And what they know of the Veil, if anything. We also need to find out more about their abilities and classes. The Guide is having a hard time finding similar classes.”

  “Aidan,” A soft voice pulled him back to reality. It was Grace standing next to the table.

  He stood up and smiled, held out his hand for her. She took it and smiled back. Aidan could tell that her smile hid fear. He knew that look well. The smile that was just a bit too forced. The eyes that looked him up and down quickly trying to gage his mood without his notice. The voice that shook slightly as she greeted him. He couldn’t blame Grace for her apprehension. But Aidan knew that if he hadn’t done what he did he would probably be sitting in a cold room with a two way mirror right now.

  “Good morning Grace,” He said sitting back down. He had noticed a man standing at her side but made no mention of him. He quickly ran identify on him and Grace started to sit in the booth.

  Name: Unknown. Race: Human. Class: Winter Sage - Equivalent. Level: 53. Wisdom: 146. Wisdom enhanced by magical objects in user’s possession. Wisdom enhanced by consumption of beast essence. Strength - 118. All major abilities enhanced by consumption of beast essence.

  This man was strong. And higher level than Aidan. It gave Aidan pause for just a moment before quietly recovering. Back in Estea, Winter Sages were some of the strongest magic users. They could pull drops of water out of the air, create spears of ice and hurl them through you before you had time to move. Some were said to have strong enough Wisdom that they could freeze a person in place by controlling their blood. Aidan had never met anyone that strong, but there was a rumor that the Emperor of Havil in the southern archipelago employed such a Sage. If this man could wield that much power and only be level 53, Aidan was worried. Even with an exit plan this could be a fight he wasn’t truly prepared for.

  The man held out his hand, “James Glovell,” he said, smiling and friendly. His voice was authoritative, but kind. “Director of Section 16, Western Division.”

  Aidan looked the man up and down. The man was older, maybe in his fifties. Greying hair, combed and kempt. He was shorter than Aidan but had a commanding air about him. He looked every bit the Director of some firm that Aidan had seen in movies, down to the perfectly tailored suit. He almost looked out of place on the ferry. But Aidan smiled and shook his hand. He gestured for the Director to sit down opposite him. He noticed Max standing not too far off. Aidan raised his hand and gave a small wave to him. The man nodded slightly in acknowledgement and turned to look out the window.

  “Director, huh?” Aidan said settling in as the vibration of the ferry increased. He looked out the window next to him and saw the boat starting to pull away from the dock before turning back to face Grace and James.

  “Of the Western Division” the Director said chuckling. “I promise it’s not as prestigious as it may sound. More paperwork and meetings than anything else.”

  Aidan turned his attention squarely on Grace, “I want to apologize for my actions three days ago. I had no intentions on hurting you or your bodyguard. And certainly not on killing you. Where I live,” Aidan hesitated. “Where I call home, there is always somebody stronger than you. And you can’t back down. Because if you do, it could mean death. But,” he turned his attention back to Director Glovell, “I also wanted you to know that I am not one to be pushed around. I don’t like being told what I’m going to do. Especially by people that show up at my family’s home and tell me I have no choice but to do so.”

  “I understand,” The Director said sympathetically. “And I apologize for the situation escalating to a show of force. We’ve not had someone appear on Earth in a very long time. And never had someone from Earth go to another world and come back. You are unique.”

  Aidan laughed at that. The amount of times he had heard that in the past five years had truly astonished him. And here he was back in the place he had called home for the first 25 years of his life as an average everyday member of society, being told he was unique. He couldn’t help but laugh. The Director and Grace looked at each other for a moment, confusion on their faces.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Aidan said, smiling and sighing.

  The speaker pinged and the familiar automated voice came on telling the passengers of the safety features of the craft. It was all AI now Aidan had noticed. The technology boom had increased significantly since he had left. But it had also been hampered by the unofficial World War Three. He tuned out the voice and turned his attention to the two sitting across from him.

  “So tell me about Section 16 Director,” Aidan growing serious once again. “I don’t trust as easily as I once did. If I’m going to trust you with my story, I’m going to need to know yours.”

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  Director Glovell nodded, “Of course. But before I begin, I’d like to know why you’ve come back? And if you plan on staying. We know you’re strong. It’s not easy to take down someone like Max,” the Director looked in Max’s direction. “And while I understand why you did what you did, others in my agency have decried it as an act of aggression. And have said you need to be handled.” The Director said the last word more as a warning than as a threat. Aidan picked up on that and was slightly relieved. This Director Glovell seemed to be reasonable.

  “I convinced the other Directors and Board Members that this meeting could be beneficial. That we could learn from one another and maybe help each other out. I don’t think I am going to be able to persuade you to become a member of Section 16 like the others want me to; but maybe if I can go back and tell them you’re not an enemy, they might back off,” the Director finished.

  Aidan sat with that a moment. Then he began, “I won’t tell you everything, I can’t. There are secrets that I have to keep. To protect myself. I hope you understand that. But I will tell you as much as I need to.”

  Director Glovell nodded and Grace, who had remained silent, finally spoke, “Where have you been the last five years?”

  “On a world called Estea,” Aidan said. “It’s larger than Earth. Much larger. I couldn’t tell you where in the universe it is. But I do know that Estea and Earth are connected. The bubbles, like the one I walked into, appear every now and again. Usually they’re smaller. And most people don’t notice them. But every once in awhile they’re large enough for someone to walk through. Estea has had its fair share of Outsiders. But until I got there, there hadn’t been one for at least a hundred years.”

  Grace was quickly typing into a pad as Aidan was speaking. Excitiedly, she looked up at him, “What’s the world like? Who lives there? How many people are there? Climates? Landscape?”

  The Director put his hand on her arm gently and she seemed to calm down. He chuckled, “Grace is our resident expert on Offworlders. Like I said, we don’t have many of them, but they have come. Though from what I recall, none from a world called Estea.” He looked at Heace questioningly and she shook her head.

  “No,” she said, “Never heard of Estea. None of our records mention it.”

  Aidan nodded, “We can talk about Estea later and I will happily go into as much detail as I can.” He looked in Grace’s direction smiling. She smiled back at him and nodded her approval. “You asked why I’ve come here, what do you know of the Veil?”

  The Director and Grace looked at each other and then back to Aidan and shook their heads. “The Veil?” Glovell asked. “I’ve never heard of it or anything like it. Perhaps some of the higher ups have knowledge of it.”

  This will make things much more difficult, Aurora’s voice came to mind.

  “I thought that might have been the case,” Aidan replied. “When Earth was created, much like the other worlds, it was built by a group of ‘gods,” Aidan air-quoted the last word. “These gods were sent by something the Esteans call the Electorate.” Aidan paused for a moment while Grace furiously wrote everything he was saying. Director Glovell was shifting between confusion and disbelief.

  I realize that this changes almost everything that you and most every other person on this planet think they know, but I assure you this is true.” Aidan looked up and then focused back on the two seated across from him. “I can’t go into much detail on the Electorate. Truthfully, I don’t know as much as I wish I did. What I can tell you is that they are a group of ascended beings. People who gained so much power on their various homeworlds that it put their people in serious danger. Estea had one of these people thousands of years ago, Everlynn. She was so powerful that at one point the oceans disappeared entirely. Just emptied out completely. Mountain ranges shifted daily. But the worst were the beasts that were found in the dungeons. These places that were once safe for low-level adventurers and hunters, now housed monsters dozens of levels higher than they should have been. Everlynn influenced the magic of the world.”

  “I have a skill called Identify, it’s boosted by my perception stat. It allows me to see the current level, highest stats, class, and a number of other things of those around me. It also allows me to see the magic level of the world I’m currently on. For instance, Earth’s magic level is low. Estea’s is very high. When Everlynn was living there, the magic level was said to be untenable. She had no choice but to leave. So, she pooled all of her magic and Will and energy inside of her and let it implode. Normally this would kill any living creature; however, when someone is high enough leveled and has strong Will, they can work through the extreme pain and direct the energy inside of them to do whatever they want. Including ascend. That’s as much as I know about ascension,” Aidan finished.

  The Director and Grace looked at each other for a very long moment.

  Perhaps this was too much for them, Aurora said with a small growl-chuckle. They may not have been ready for all of the information.

  I didn’t have a choice, Aidan replied mentally. They needed to know so they could understand the Veil. We don’t have time to ease them into it.

  Glovell drummed the table with his hands, clearly thinking of what to say.

  “So, I assume that has something to do with this Veil?” Grace asked breaking the silence.

  Aidan thought for a moment before looking at Grace and saying, “When I used Identify on you, your class was unknown. What is your class?”

  Grace’s eyes went wide.

  Aidan continued, “When I used it on Max, it said he is a Warrior Mage Equivalent. And the Director is a Winter Sage Equivalent. But when I got you, there was nothing.”

  The Director started speaking at this, “We don’t have classes here.” He said this slowly as if trying to digest and understand what Aidan was asking. “After we become a part of Section 16, we go through training. Towards the end of the training process, as a graduation of sorts, we are sent into a Rift, what you would call a Dungeon I suppose. We go in as individuals with a small group of previously graduated. They’re there to make sure we don’t die and to take care of the smaller Demons. Our only job is to kill the Demon Leader, or Boss, and to gain its essence. After we defeat the Demon Leader and have the essence, there’s a ceremony with the others. During that time we -” the Director looked slightly disgusted before continuing. “We eat the essence."