’Portals are important tools for wizards of our age, and was the catalyst for the second major expansion of wizards. That’s over three thousand years ago now.’ Barna told Pi’ve. Pi’ve was listening attentively. The old feeling of being curious and eager to learn about wizards was still in him, even after becoming one. This was a dream come true. ’The major cities, like Thergiam, Vesen, Fram and Or, grew even bigger, but the biggest change became the amount of towns and villages spread around and outside the major cities. By use of portals, wizards no longer had to have permanent residences in towns or villages— to protect the people from werewolves, vampires and land-bound dragons and the like— but could come and inspect the area from time to time.’

  ’Having a wizard permanently in a town or village is definitely the safest option,’ Barna continued, ’owing to the fact that once a werewolf attacks the village, let’s say, it would be too late, even with the portals. Although scouting the outside area of a town or village has helped tremendously in discouraging attacks, as werewolves, especially, lingers outside the borders for a while before deciding to attack, the dangers are not nullified. Vampires are usually not found before they have already entered the village or town, disguised as citizens. It was the second best option for humans, and the best option for wizards.’

  Horner, and his colleague Portal— Barna’s old friend— found a way not only to understand the lost language of the Jin elves, but they had harnessed it and made use of it. Pi’ve found this interesting, as the Jin language had been lost for ages uncounted. What they used to understand the language, no one could guess. They had made several breakthroughs throughout their time, which had helped not only the wizards, but the dwarves too; the elves had always refused help when it had to do with the Jin.

  ’There are some objects that are somewhat understood, like the . It refines and strengthens that which are placed within—’ Barna told. Pi’ve had yet to encounter any of these artefacts yet, but were intrigued, and wanted to see them. ’—but most of them are not understood, and therefore not used. Yet, the portals were showcased to us at the Wizarding Fair over three thousand years ago, which made wizards all around Soilar able to use them, for the instructions on how to use them has been passed down perpetually. This has made it possible for wizards to live in larger cities and traverse the world at great speed, connecting us in a way never before possible.’

  ’You said something about a Wizarding Fair? What is that?’ Pi’ve asked. He had heard of it before, but he had not understood exactly what it entailed.

  ’The Wizarding Fair is a fair held outside Thergiam, a little North, in the forest close to the Three Pike Mountains, were wizards gather every twenty-five years. It is a place were we like to showcase our ideas, finds, and inventions. It is also the largest wizard-only marketplace. Tea, food, excellent fabric, ale, potions, gems, and a great place to upgrade you staff if you ever find that your staff cannot keep up with you.’ Barna explained. It sounded like that was the place to be. ’Oh, and games. There are different games to play to test your magical strength. There are leader boards and prizes.’

  ’When is the next one?’

  ’In two years. A letter is sent to every wizard, naming the place, date and new additions to the fair. You get the letter a year in advance, so that you may get your stuff in order before going on the excursion. Would be bad if every wizard in Soilar left their post, just for the common folk to suffer because of it.’

  ’Indeed.’ Pi’ve said. He was wondering if he would have the chance to attend.

  Barna suddenly clapped, ready to continue the lesson on how to use the portal. They were standing just off the side of the large portalstone. ’— and now it is time for you to try entering the portal. But first we need to establish which portals are available to you. This one is called . Remember that. Then there are—’

  ’,’ and then Pi’ve listed all the portals which were written on the back side of the portalstone, while Barna stood dumbstruck beside him. Pi’ve was doing this quite absentmindedly while thinking about Murgun and how he possibly could have vanished before entering the portal, if that was what he did.

  ’How do you know those portalstones? Who told you? Does Gaudol know how to use them? If so then I don’t know why I am here.’ Barna said. Pi’ve felt he had possibly told too much, and had no plausible alibi to know all these portals.

  ’Well… He may have some books on the Jin language in his library which I have read— or try to read.’ Pi’ve lied, trying to dispel the situation.

  ’I do not believe what I am hearing!’ Barna exclaimed. ’Gaudol having books on the Jin language? I highly doubt that.’

  Pi’ve stammered, but could not produce a syllable to save his life. ’How do you know how to read the Jin language?’ Barna said again, now with more force. He was not angry, he was shocked. ’It is strange enough that you are the youngest wizard ever, but to read the Jin language… that is something not done without uncountable years of research by the two most notable wizards in the last ten millennia. How do you explain that?’ Barna said tensely, and Pi’ve felt a heat emerge within him, and that he was soon going too far on the word to Gaudol.

  ’I cannot explain it.’ Pi’ve said, trying to avoid the line of questioning.

  ’Of course you can. Someone must have taught you—’

  ’I do not have to explain myself to you!’ Pi’ve said forcefully. Right as he said it, a knot had tied itself in his throat. He regretted his tone, but he had to be firm.

  ’Oh—’ Barna said, blinking rapidly and backing off slightly ’No, of course not. It is not my place… though I would like to think that we can trust each other.’

  ’I trust you, Barna. But I have promised my mentor that I will keep my abilities and its source secret, at least to some extent. I know to read the Jin language will be secret, and I would like to ask you to promise not to tell anybody about it. It would probably cause quite the commotion, and I am not ready for another round.’

  ’I promise.’ Barna said. ’Of course. Should we…’ Barna said pointing to the portal, forcing the conversation to another topic.

  ’Yes. Let’s do it.’ Pi’ve said. His job was to understand Murgun, so that he could know how he potentially was listening in on meetings, but he still lacked information on him. Terler should have given him a better job description, including his own theories. Why didn’t I ask… He had no prior information about him to go on either. He could ask Barna, of course, but Pi’ve still had the privilege of knowing next to nothing about anything and anyone. Knowing what Murgun was capable of, could make Pi’ve reluctant to follow through.

  ’Yes, well then… As you already know the names of the portalstones, and where they lead, there isn’t much more to know before you should be able to use them. There is a mental command you must invoke, and the portal will link with another, the one you choose, and open.’ Barna said and he moved towards the portal. It seemed now, to Pi’ve, that something had changed in Barna. He was more tense. Maybe he was too harsh with Barna. Maybe Barna deserved to know the truth about him. Perhaps his secret was safer with Barna than with himself.

  Pi’ve looked at Barna and nodded, and he added a quick smile, to hopefully show that he was still trusting Barna. ’What is the mental command?’

  ’It’s not as much something you say, but rather you visualise it, or conceptualise, maybe. Right, let’s see…’ Barna said, and he readied himself in front of the portal. ’I am going to walk you through what I am doing, and then you can have a few tries. Hopefully, we manage it before it gets too dark. I would like some more ale before I go to bed.’ The last joke almost fell flat as the tension felt like a layer between them. Pi’ve let out a short laugh.

  ’I see the grey stone in front of me, and I know it’s a portal— Don’t frown. It’s important. If the portal doesn’t know you know it’s a portal, it will not work. Then, I need to pick one of the target destinations I want to travel to. You know those, so it is like visualising the several options you have, like picking from a menu. Once you have chosen the destination, you— you, select it. Does that make sense? You, in a way, force that to be the one you choose, and the portal needs to know that.’ Barna said. Pi’ve did not quite understand what he meant, but he would try, and it would be made clear eventually.

  ’Unlike regular magic, where you need to link with an object to manipulate it, it is already done when you are in the portals reach.’ Barna said, looking lost in thought, as if visualising himself what he is doing before saying it. ’I don’t quite remember how Dandrian put it, but in a way, the portal’s job is to send people through, so when people get close, it removes the need for you to link with , because the portal also senses you. He said something along those lines.’

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  ’That was a lot. But, I think I have some idea of what to do.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’Great. Get in front of the portal then.’ Barna said, and Pi’ve switched place with Barna. He remembered something about visualising some menu, in some way… oh, and know that the stone is a portal.

  In an instant, a wall of text became visible in front of him. It looked like the list on the back of the portal, but on the right side, there was an arrow, and Pi’ve knew he could use that to select which destination he wished to go to. He made the arrow move downwards, and as the arrow approached , he suddenly felt rather curious.

  Pi’ve selected, and grey smoke begun seeping out of the front face of the portalstone.

  ’Great, Pi’ve! Really well done.’ Barna said in jubilation.

  Pi’ve was preoccupied with watching the smoke billow out from the portal, which turned blue as the face of the stone suddenly looked like it swallowed the blue smoke. The mist was pulled in by the outer edges of the stone, which made it look like a peculiar door.

  ’It is ready now. You can go through. Remember to come back. If you cannot, I will come after five minutes or so to help.’ Barna said, and Pi’ve went through.

  When he stepped forward, the skin on his hand touched the smoke first, and he felt a chill go through all the way up to his shoulder. It was cold. He continued forward, and as he passed where the stone should have been solid, he felt like he went through an infinitesimally thin layer of water, and suddenly, he was no longer out in the forest. The noises had changed. It was eerily silent. The sudden feeling of having traversed a vast distance in mere second rushed over Pi’ve. It was uncomfortable to think about. He was now in a completely different place than he was just a second ago. It was quite dizzying.

  He stepped out of the portal, blue smoke rolling down the front of his robes, and suddenly, he found himself in a small room. A stone room. The ceiling was quite low, and the room itself seemed to have been carved out with pickaxes. It looked a lot like a mine would. It had one exit from where he stood, and out of that exit in the other room, there was a large table with many chairs. It was empty. Not a sound.

  Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from outside the room. Pi’ve turned around, visualised the menu, and the menu to select other portals came up again.

  ’Hey. Who are— Pi’ve, what are you doing here? Where did you come from?’ It was Dandrian. He had never seen anyone as shocked as he saw Dandrian was right then. If it was anger, or curiosity though, he did not know.

  ’Uh… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here.’ Pi’ve said, and he felt his bones vibrate. He had messed up again. Massively. He had broken the trust of Barna, again. Without much thought to it, he went through the portal again, and on the other side, in the forest, stood Barna.

  ’Great job, Pi’ve! Really great job!’ Barna exclaimed. A knot had tied itself as hard as diamond in his stomach. He felt stiff of anxiety.

  ’N-no… I am sorry, Barna. I did something I should not have.’

  ’What do you—’

  Out of the portal came a long, hunched over man with long white hair and beard. Barna looked at the incoming wizard, and frowned. Then he looked at Pi’ve, and his shoulders slumped. His eyes went distant.

  ’Pi’ve— Barna? What is going on?’ Dandrian said, leaning on his staff. There was a deafening silence, only broken by the occasional gust of wind which rustled the leaves on the trees around them.

  ’I—’ Barna began, but was cut short by Dandrian.

  ’Out of every wizard out there, I had utter faith in that you would not reveal the location of the portal to the Table of Wizards to an unauthorised person. Only the head of the faction has the authority to do that.’ Dandrian said, but he did not seem angry, but disappointed. He was not looking at Pi’ve, but at Barna, which seemed utterly broken.

  ’I know, Dan. Listen… It is not like that at all.’ Barna said, trying to get through to his friend. Dandrian did not say anything for a few seconds, to let Barna speak, but Barna also kept quiet. Pi’ve was unsure if he was allowed to speak.

  ’Do you know how many wizards has been in the Table of Wizards throughout its history?’

  ’Yes, Dan. I do.’

  ’And other than those twenty-one wizards, how many has been inside the headquarters of the faction?’ Dandrian said, and Barna’s eyes were visibly glossy. His lips were vibrating, and he could barely hold still.

  ’None, Dan.’

  ’Right. And when did—’

  ’Dan! I did not send Pi’ve to the Table of Wizards.’ Barna said, cutting Dandrian off.

  ’Barna… please.’

  ’I am telling you the truth, Dan. Listen to me. I did not do it.’ There was a dejectedness in his voice which could not have been there had he lied.

  There was a moment were Pi’ve thought that Dandrian would shout out in rage. There was visible anger rising from the deepest depth of Dandrian, but as Barna and Dandrian kept eye contact, longer and longer, the anger suddenly vanished from his face. There was understanding. Dandrian knew then that Barna was telling the truth.

  Dandrian turned very slowly, but decisively, towards Pi’ve. Barna would not look up from the ground, even now when he had been cleared. Pi’ve stomach sank, and he felt then, more than ever, that he had done Barna a grave misdeed. He regretted having gone through that portal, and he regretted staying quiet after the fact. To his surprise, Dandrian did not exude any anger towards Pi’ve. Rather, it seemed to him, that Dandrian was looking at him with high interest.

  ’Well now…’ Dandrian said looking at Pi’ve fixedly.

  ’No, Dandrian. Do not encourage him.’

  ’Oh, I think he is well aware that he has made a blunder, Barna. Look at him.’

  Pi’ve did not look up, but knew that Barna had seen his tears. He had tried to hold them back, but seeing how hurt Barna became after Pi’ve had once again failed him— after Barna had been so supportive of him. He did not know why he had done it. It happened so fast.

  ’Barna… I am sorry. I don’t know why I did it—,’

  ’You did it because you are young, arrogant and stupid, and you lack the ability for critical thinking, as it is. I think I will step back—,’

  ’Yes. Barna… I promise I will not do anything like this again.’ Pi’ve said pleadingly.

  There was a moment were Pi’ve saw Barna move his lips to talk, but then it had dawned on Barna that it would make no difference, so he stayed silent. He shrugged heavily, looked at Dandrian, and shook his head, and then he turned around and started walking back towards Two Reasons and Thergiam.

  Dandrian took one small step towards Pi’ve, but Pi’ve did not see anything but the back of Barna as he vanished behind the mound. Sudden, and tremendously, rage welled up inside Pi’ve. He knew that Barna leaving meant that he was finished with Pi’ve. Pi’ve knew that he had lost his job. It was all in Barna’s body language, his demeanour, his eyes. Pi’ve had lost a friend because he could not behave like a wizard should, and Barna had vowed for him.

  Without warning, Pi’ve cursed and shouted. He kicked a fallen branch that lay on the ground. Dandrian stopped before the second step hit gravel. Pi’ve did not know what he was doing now. There was anger, shame, loss and confusion; too much for him to handle. The next thing Pi’ve knew, was that he had linked to a massive boulder, but it was not of his own will.

  He strained himself to the absolute limit. Mana was being drained at an unprecedented rate, but soon the boulder was lifted. Dandrian watched, with awe, but as calm as ever. Pi’ve yelled again, and birds were unsettled and scattered, and that was probably for the better.

  The boulder shot forward, and hit a tree standing close by. It did not stand for long, for as the boulder hit the tree a few feet above its roots, the boulder went straight through the tree and the tree snapped in half, falling backwards towards Pi’ve and Dandrian, but before the tree could hit them, Pi’ve had slumped to the ground, mana points at zero.

  Pi’ve opened his eyes, and he correctly guessed that only a little time had passed since he fainted. Dandrian was standing in front of Pi’ve with his left hand stretched out, and a massive fir tree above him. The fir tree was moved to the side and placed lightly down on the ground.

  Pi’ve blinked a few times, while Dandrian kept trying to move the fir tree more out of the way, because it was taking up a lot of area besides the portal. Pi’ve saw in the corner of his eye that he had— a notification? There was a symbol in the form of a tied up scroll, and a small number under it. He wondered what that was, but before he could get to it, Dandrian was crouching besides Pi’ve.

  ’I must say— you have some impulses. I think maybe it’s a little misdirected… Well, I am not your mentor, nor your patron, but I believe that a few more years in wizard training would have done you very good before you joined us, Pi’ve. And I say that with the greatest respect.’ Dandrian said. It was hard following his words. Pi’ve still felt tremendously fatigued. Dandrian reached in his pocked, and took out a very small vial. He unstopped it, and gave it to Pi’ve. He quickly inspected it.

  Replenishes mana. Amount of mana replenished based on the rarity of potion.

  Pi’ve took the little vial to his lips and poured it down. In an instant he had 26 mana points, and it was regenerating much faster than it normally did. His fatigue had vanished away, and he managed to get up to his feet again with some help.

  ’I am sorry. I am just so disappointed in myself.’ Pi’ve said, and would not meet Dandrian’s eyes. ’I know Barna will strip me of the job.’

  ’I, too, believe so… unfortunately. But, not before you finish the job you have started.’ Dandrian said, and Pi’ve looked at Dandrian. ’Yes. He probably will dismiss you, but you have a job to do, and you will finish that job. Prove to him that you can. You are on your own now, but maybe that is for the best. Without anyone looking over your shoulder, there are no one to stop you from doing it in your— own, eccentric way.’ Dandrian said, raising his eyebrows.

  ’You think he will accept me still going through with the job?’

  ’Of course. You chose this job.’ Dandrian said. ’Oh, and do not throw big boulders around the portal, would you be so kind. That tree would have probably tipped the portal over, and they do not work then. Although, I must say you have tremendous force.’

  ’It was not on purpose.’ Pi’ve said, and looked at the tree he had felled, and it was indeed a large tree. It had been smashed right through by the boulder. He looked at where the boulder had hit the tree, and saw that it was larger than he remembered. It was round, and would reach his stomach had he stood beside it. It had rolled a couple of feet after hitting the ground, damaging the forest floor on the way.

  Suddenly, he felt really strong. Something had happened. He remembered that he had received notifications whilst he had been unconscious. He opened the scroll in the Jin interface and saw two things:

  You have levelled up. Open to view your new level.

  Rank up available. Open to start rank-up process.