Caspian approaches her, stopping a few feet away. “Where to next, then?” he asks out loud. Of course, he knows this day of work can’t be over that easily.

Instead of speaking with her overturned mouth, Alain drops her eyes and uses the link between them. “We must receive a package in Ascentia to aid you in your data collection. This way.” Before she finishes her own words, the Elf is moving towards the HQ building. Instead of once again disrupting the peace with a blinding light from the Gods’ land, she opts to use a door on the inside of the central building that they could both enter Ascentia from.

This time, they enter the other world at night, where a bright, shining moon casts a dim glow over the entire scape. Many buildings still have lights on within them, most being magical orbs. All throughout Ascentia, magic is an inherent part of life. While Angels are unable to use magic, mortals travel to the Gods’ land to work as enchanters and enchantresses making life significantly more convenient for their immortal counterparts. It is amazing how much Angels and some deities are willing to pay just so that they don’t have to use “crude” technology from Bea. On the other hand, using the massive amount of magical items in Bea wouldn’t be plausible- Ascentia is a much more conducive land to magic than Bea ever has been or ever will be.

Taking a quick stroll down a marketplace, the two make way for a popular magical tech store where a device called the Lightbeam is dispersed. Their walk is almost silent, them walking nearly in step with Cas a few steps ahead of his Controller. A few minutes pass without any speaking, so he says in her mind, “I’m not angry with you.”

“I know. I’m angry with myself,” she responds. Alain has always had a way of doing this to herself. She sees her own missteps as major failures, ruining her mood. She could earn a medal for saving a world, then scowl all night after accidentally stepping on someone’s toe on the way back home.

“I’m aware, because I feel it, too... Do you remember the day after finals back in training?”

Alain gives an unseen nod, saying, “You were upset about not being recommended to be a Knight. I got upset after you blamed me, but we still had to go through the ending ceremony together.”

“We fought like children in the yard when it was all said and done, then got sent to the medical ward together. You had to be stitched up in three places.”

“You were forced to sit at my bedside while I recovered because Master Callahan said you needed to learn how to be there for your partner. I remember it only made our time together worse.” Alain’s steps are soft under her boots. Like a shadow hanging from a roof, her robes are picked up by the light winds. Quickly crossing her arms, she keeps her clothes moving to a minimum.

“I came to my senses when we realized our situation. I learned I wasn’t fit to be a Knight because I was too stubborn to leave your side when relieved from nonstop babysitting. I was called home, but stayed because you weren’t fully recovered yet.” Caspian’s head remains held high even though he avoids eye contact. His steps are strong and confident, him being the louder of the two walking. The breeze makes silver locks of hair brush out of his face as if helping him to see the way forward.

“Funny, I thought you had finally realized you had a crush on me.” A small smile creeps upon Alain’s face. She is simply teasing him, of course. Even when young, the little Hayalci rarely formed strong bonds with anyone. Nowadays, it is rare for him to be known as a good friend to others. He’s surrounded by acquaintances. No lovers, no best friends, no family. He was a perfect fit for the Reavers when he emerged from Council duty at twenty-six years of age. Four years later, Cas is Head Reaver, among the loneliest beings in all the worlds.

“Don’t you put thoughts into my mind now. I remember you wept when I left your side just to go to the restroom. Neither of us were ready for what life had in store.”

“And we’re ready now?” Her question is left unanswered as the two finally reach the storefront they were to go to. They are both greeted by an Angel whose entire job at the place is mostly to just provide customers with what they have or what has already been ordered. Alain retrieves the device reserved in her name and the Angel begins a short tutorial of things to do with it once the excessive packaging has been dealt with.

The Lightbeam snaps right onto any being’s wrist, but fits best on those similar in size to Angels, of course. Light surrounds it when activated, projecting a screen the user can see best. It has a built-in, permanent connection to some “Infoloop” the Angel insisted on mentioning multiple times. Chassa certainly has connection to this unseen bank of data, but the Council routes it to every person in the small world with information needed to know depending on each person’s occupation. That being said, few residents of Chassa have a need for devices linking them to the Infoloop.

The Angel shows Cas where he can access the most up to date news, view articles that use catchy buzzwords to reel readers in, and create accounts to make his identity known to others. He promptly opts out of all of those possibilities, thanking the woman for her time. Finally leaving the store, the Ascentian moon is high in the sky, casting light straight down on the two. The couple appear like twins, their matching, argent locks of hair gleaming under the dim luminescence. Giving a sigh of relief, Caspian’s day is finally finished.

Long after the second trip to Ascentia, which turned into the two getting a midnight snack, Alain and Caspian are resting in Chassa, back in their respective homes. However, the mental link remains active no matter what. “Agent?” the Aether Elf sends over, across such a long distance like it’s nothing.

“Alain,” Cas responds, also adding, “Why is it you don’t call me by my name? We’ve known each other for too long to be just work partners.”

There is silence before Alain eventually answers with an apology. “I guess I’m just a bit afraid of what is to come. Controllers are put in a meditative state when their agent’s mission begins so that they may be fully immersed.”

“So, then, you’ll experience everything with me.”

“I’m afraid so, yes.” The thought of these new lands, almost completely uninhabited by their kind, instills fear the same in both of them. Neither one of them want to accept it yet, but this isn’t like any other mission Reavers have gone on before. If a Reaver falls in Ascentia, Descentia, Bea, or in some cases, even the Void, their remains can be gathered and their mind can become a part of the Council. However, there’s no telling if Caspian will have that luxury. Portals to other worlds have a great amount of limits, and one of those is that the creator must have been to their destination in the past or must have been given the right to travel to that destination by someone who has been before. Also, there’s no way to know if this new world will even have viable frames for portals, like doors.

“I’ll be alright, Alain,” Cas reassures her, already feeling her own unhappiness wash over him. “This is a routine mission with just a few extra hurdles. We’ve both been through worse, right?”

Again, more silence. “Right... Goodnight, Hayalci.”

“Goodnight.” Last name is a start, he thinks to himself. In the past, the two always referred to each other by their family names, Hayalci and Freija, though she has certainly called him by his first name before. Since beginning work under the Council, Alain has changed into a much more mature woman. While selfish and quite emotional in the past, she’s hardened and learned to think more of what others may be feeling. Controller training must have been the main cause of this change, which was an obvious prerequisite to her having the position she has.