Kaius heard his food arriving: a ribeye steak, medium rare—almost raw—with fries, potato salad, and a sugar-free soda. He moved to the marble table in the small kitchen. It was already 5 p.m. when the ring began to glow and chime again. It activated on its own.

[HELLO LITTLE ONE DID YOU MISS ME DID YOU UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF MY WORLD IF THERE’S ANYTHING YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND YOU CAN ASK ME]

Kaius considered asking what the sorcerers had done, but honestly, he didn’t think it was appropriate. If that part was crossed out in the book, maybe he wasn’t meant to know.

—No, actually… I just wanted to see if the world’s history matched what I told you.

[WELL ACTUALLY MY SON TOLD ME IT’S VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU DESCRIBED A CERTAIN HERETIC IS MEDDLING WITH MY WORLD SO I’LL ASK YOU FOR SOMETHING OF COURSE I’LL REWARD YOU BUT I NEED YOU TO FOLLOW THE FIRST PART OF THE STORY YOU REMEMBER]

Kaius knew that when he said “heretic,” he meant a sorcerer. But hearing that he had to follow the story again made him feel down. He remembered that in the early seasons, Kaius was a womanizer who slept with half the world. That was all he cared about—well, that and the people he had killed. He’d have to follow that too.

[RELAX KID NOT EVERYTHING IS THAT BAD AFTER THAT YOU CAN CHANGE THE STORY IF YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU DON’T DO DESPICABLE THINGS LIKE MESSING WITH OTHER CREATURES THAT AREN’T HUMANS VAMPIRES OR SORCERERS WITHOUT A GOOD REASON YOU’LL BE FINE ALSO I’LL GIVE YOU A POWER OF YOUR CHOICE PICK ONE]

Kaius started thinking about what power to choose. He considered flying or object creation. Then he remembered the high prices of rare minerals and spices. Some were worth 10 Clint—magical coins valued at $100 each. Others were worth 1 Dazel ($50), and the Fritz was $15. There was also a barter system in the store, where rare minerals could be exchanged for blessings or contracts.

—I know what I want. I’d like the ability to create minerals and materials of any level so I can sell them in the store.

[AGREED BUT IT’S A RARE AND UNIQUE ABILITY SO YOUR BODY WILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THEM HOWEVER DON’T ABUSE IT IF YOU DO YOUR BODY COULD COLLAPSE A VAMPIRE’S BODY SHOULDN’T HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS YOU COULD COLLAPSE IF YOU PUSH TOO HARD]

The god explained the basics of the magic he had given Kaius and the species that inhabited his world—deliberately omitting the taboos. After a while, the god left, saying he was needed elsewhere. Kaius checked the clock—it was already 9 p.m. He had spent four hours talking to the god. He had even received a skill to know what parts of the story he could change and which he couldn’t.

Now he wanted to verify something: that magical curtain from before. It was a liminal space created without authorization, which likely meant it was the work of sorcerers or witches.

He left without being seen and went straight to the entrance where the curtain had appeared. He reached the spot, extended his hand, and touched the curtain. The god had said that to enter, he only needed to know it was there—and it would let him pass into the liminal world.

Liminal World

Upon entering, the first thing he saw was a replica of the hotel—but back when it was a house. The land and animals were there. He headed toward the main house when he heard a furious man’s scream. He ran as fast as he could and saw a child being thrown out of the house, beaten. Kaius froze for a few seconds. He wanted the man to leave the child alone.

His body moved on its own. He grabbed the man’s hand and punched him, breaking the door of the house. Then he saw it—the house was shifting like a hologram. He didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t want to understand it yet. First, he had to heal the child.

He approached him. As he helped him up, he got a closer look. The boy was no older than twelve, with reddish hair and green eyes. His wounds seemed to vanish on their own. Then Kaius saw a burned mark on his arm—like the ones used on slaves. He recognized it. It was the mark placed on warlocks in the story—those who committed unforgivable acts and were locked away in a separate world, like a prison. Sometimes with loops, sometimes in solitude.

He remembered the story. There was a boy who had killed his family because they abused him—except for his mother and sister. He was imprisoned and escaped years later, only to seek revenge. His name was—

—Dilan?

The boy looked at him, confused.

—Who are you? Why are you here?

That’s when the world began to dissolve, and the boy shouted:

—Careful! He’s going to defend himself!

Kaius didn’t understand, but he picked up the boy and ran toward the curtain. He couldn’t reach it. Suddenly, he felt a horrible pain in his body. He knew what it was. He looked back and saw the man with his hand extended—he was rupturing Kaius’s blood vessels.

Kaius dropped the boy but didn’t move away. He pushed him behind himself while the man continued to crush his veins. That’s when Kaius remembered the simple spell the god had taught him. He extended his hand. He didn’t even need to recite anything.

But he wasn’t going to tolerate this stupid man.

—YOU’RE GOING TOO FAR!!

He shouted, and an explosion of air sent the man flying—so violently that even the liminal space cracked.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Kaius grabbed the boy.

—Hold on tight, kid.

He held him firmly and, using his super speed, raced toward the curtain and pulled the boy out of that place. He didn’t know how far a liminal space could stretch, so he used the blocking magic the god had taught him—and sealed it until he could decide what to do with it.