“Lord Null, the Guests are here.”

  “Bring them in.”

  The Meeting Room, rarely used, was for a long time made ready for the Visitors. Those Visitors were half expected and the other half unexpected. The expected ones were the Amber Wood Delegation, which was exchanged from the original Spies into a seemingly truthful delegation, but Null was not sure of it and kept his guard up.

  The People on the Left side also entering were completely unexpected, a Delegation of Ulk, who had not even sent a single Message before visiting right away.

  Having two Delegations at the same time made it a bit complicated to which Null should put his attention first so he thought of the most chaotic way to let both visit at once, which made the talks for both parties harder while seeing how both parties would react to each other and what alignment they share.

  “The Caste of Ember Wood wishes to apologize for the last slight we had made. It was not our thought to sow aggressions against us. While we both did go a bit too far, we would hope to let the past be in the past and start a new beginning without being hostile to former happenings.”

  Hearing the words the people of Ulk were curious what was talked about, but could only be quiet for now. They knew Telk and the Crater had longer standing so they needed to feign etiquette.

  “While we both were a bit presumptuous, nothing was lost. I might be a bit too rude to have thrown out the last delegation for what was done. I would like to start anew to make the mercantile connection between us not that strained.”

  “I am glad you understood our plight, Lord Null. Could we later talk in private about a better way to implement the Transactions? Also Telk would like to ask for an increase in Produce for the Telk Aristocracy. Of course through the Peddler King, as it seems you already have a good connection with them.”

  “Sounds good! I would like to ask for an open Border Pass from Ilstin to Telk, if it would be possible.”

  “...for what purpose?”

  “A precious customer of mine had a harder time getting the Products and I would like to send a Convoy to the Glowing Ladle in Magus.”

  “Oh! I heard about this Restaurant. It is understandable if they are your Customers. So the Delivery is only for them? Could a further addition to the Caravan be made for Telk?”

  “This… Well it could be made, but only in a smaller Amount, as we would send it through two Domains and it would get taxed rather high.”

  “Oh, I understand. Ilstin loves their Tax system. We will talk with the Higher ups about the Border taxes. If there are Products for the ruling Caste in Magus, there should be less problems with Border Checks greased by coins.”

  “Thank you, this would be great. Now to you, dear Visitors. I heard you came from Ulk?”

  “Yes, Sir Null. Through Information we got the News of you being the Source of magical Fruits and Vegetables while also selling Magical Water and even Monster Meat of high quality. We are glad to see a Human being the Owner of this magnificent place. Albeit there are a few Ferrals, I would love to ask for your exports in exchange for Commerce, Coins and especially some slaves, as humans are superior to those half beasts.”

  “While I welcome a mercantile relationship, I do not need Slaves. While not able to leave, the people here are all free men and work for their own profit and benefit. Talk about Prices can we do in a separate discussion. Would there be anything else?”

  “We would love to buy the way of moving through the Woods without worries. The Merchant Bickle said the magic lamp was given by you? Do you have any more artifacts which can keep the beasts and longears at bay?”

  “That is debatable. While I can create another Lamp, the Elves of the Woods-”

  “Wait a moment, you say you made them? You have an artisan who can create an Artifact with powers to have control over the Woods?”

  “There is no control over the Woods, it uses the Forest’s Magic to make a pathway through. Beasts are just not able to enter the small area, but more out of it being way too annoying than a surefire way.”

  “But still you have someone who can create such a Masterpiece? Might we invite him to our Kingdom to ask for some discussions about crafting different magical instruments? I bet they would love our own look into crafting while we might get insight into their genius.”

  “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, this will be a bit more into the future. Right now we are still in a position of complete Strangers. Who would enter a house of an overenthusiastic stranger inviting him in with such fervor.”

  “How d-! No, I am sorry. We are just enthusiastic about how there is another Party in the surroundings. There are many rumors about this place and many seem exaggerated, but some seem to be true, especially of the Produce you have in abundance.”

  The representative of Ulk had a hard time keeping his demeanor in check, as he is from a Country which sees them superior to everyone else. Also he wanted to speak down to Null at first but saw how Telk was handling this Discussion and thought there must be something he might not know.

  In fact the Information on Starfall Crater was at best spotty and at worst almost nonexistent, for what they knew was only the source of the Produce they sometimes got through the Market being here. When the wards in Kilt broke, there was a slight breach in anonymity and some rumors spread. A delegation of Ulk came to Kilt which paid a huge sum to travel to the source of the vegetables. At first the Rumor of it being in the Mountains was thought a lie, but now they are here and could see the whole truth with their own eyes.

  The whole endeavor was not only frightening but also extremely overcomplicating things. If the Source is not a place in Telk, it could be up for annexation, but it is behind the Misty Forest, which made it impossible, and now there might be an Artisan who can create a device to just walk through it without any harm. If they get their hand on the Device or better the Creator, the whole Misty Forest would be a strategic point for attack on every angle while they had the only way into the hidden fields behind the mountain wall.

  Nothing could be better than this, so with hard restraint the now Diplomat of Ulk had to bite his tongue and try his best to make a possible connection. Later this connection could be used to make this place theirs, but they had to be careful, as they expected Telk also eyeing this great place and with the talk about Ilstin being serviced with Mercantile also, made it a race of all three competing giants to grab it for themselves.

  Little did he know, Telk had really stopped trying to antagonize the Crater as they had shown multiple people not only stronger than a Mage but a Magus, which is deemed to be an Adult in front of a Toddler, but now the Magus is seen as a Toddler in Front of the unfathomable retelling of the happenings before the sudden closure of the Crater and the Black beacon incident.

  —

  In a private Discussion the Ambassador of Telk introduced himself again.

  “I am Marcus Cinder. My company is Rose and Elliot, do not worry we are not here for the intent of spying on you.”

  “Do not worry, after the last time I do not think Telk would want another kind of misunderstanding. How can I help you?”

  Being taken slightly aback by the brazen attitude as People of Starfall Crater officially attacked a foreign land and still could ignore the possible disturbances this could hold, Marcus tried to smile and explain the reasonings he was here.

  “...Yes, it was unfortunate. We had been first to ascertain our neighbours we never had seen before. Maybe you can understand how frightening it can be for a power of this magnitude to appear suddenly right at the border of our Country. While we might be a bit too paranoid, your reaction shows we might be not that far off with our paranoia.”

  “Ha! Good speech, open and to the point. I like it. Yes, our retaliation was a bit harsh if seen for what only Ember Woods did, but I think you should know what happened before you were the new Administrators of Kilt. Your Caste was just the last drop and unfortunate to be hit by the wrong time and the place.”

  “So it was a timing problem, then? Can it have to do with the Black Spire we saw?”

  “Yes, as you might know, this place is rather dangerous and to be fully true with you, there are still some dangers we hold back. I am here to suppress those Dangers.”

  “And might I ask where you came from?”

  “Far away. Let us keep it to that. The problem of this Crater is not only the problem of this broken Continent you might understand. There was something that would have had repercussions for the whole World.”

  “Might you explain further?”

  Thinking about it, Null was a bit worried. While he said many things to blindsight Telk in thinking he might be a Foreign Mage, it might be better to show a bit of truth to make them back up a bit more.

  ‘Ah, why not? Prime, Esther? I will show someone our Geode friend. Could you Prime make sure no other creature might be seen while Esther works on keeping its tantrums in limits?’

  ‘As you wish, Father.’

  ‘More work? Well it sounds fun poking that Rock to wriggle a bit. I am on it.’

  Traveling through the Castle Marcus and his Companions were looking in wonder of how strange the different Rooms were. Spiraling towers to go to other floors, Strange Staircases going everywhere but straight, A chamber with many sealed Doors and suddenly a dark sphere which was more ominous than as if the devil himself was manifesting in front of them.

  “We have to go through that?”

  “Yes, it is an ancient Portal Magic sealing a piece of space in another Place. The Danger can not be underestimated. We are not talking about a natural occurrence, we talk about an invader from another World.”

  “An Invader?!”

  “You will understand if you see what is behind this Portal.”

  After Null entered the Portal Marcus hesitated.

  “Rose, stay here. If we are not back in half an hour there might be something wrong. Elliot, let’s go.”

  The Face of Elliot showed how envied he was for the job Rose had. With reluctance both of them walked through the Portal while Rose stayed back. Unconsciously Marcus and Elliot held their breath going through. Feeling the wrongness of suddenly being in a different kind of World, the hallway on the other side was similar to the one on the other side but somewhat off.

  “This way. Only two of you? Well I guess you still do not trust me fully, so it is understandable.”

  Entering a door which was now open a Room was being seen with runic patterns on every surface. In the middle was a black something, shimmering in the light of the runes.

  “What is this? Another Portal?”

  While Elliot was still wondering Marcus asked a question.

  “No, this is the Inva-”

  EEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAUUUUGH!

  The Shockwave of the Scream was hitting all of them with horrible force.

  “Still lively, hut?!”

  Showing off, Null put Massive amounts of Mana into the Runes to make them reinforce again. The Shout was getting lower while from the other side Esther was hurrying over.

  “What are those guys doing here? Whatever, Null it got a bit unruly, but the Runes are holding. All Seals are stable.”

  “Sounds good at least. Let it Struggle, the faster it tires it out the quicker that thing cracks.”

  “What in the Abyss is that thing?!”

  Getting his wits back, Marcus finally could ask that question. The Shout and the Shockwave nearly made him lose consciousness. Elliot was on the floor kneeling and shivering like a newborn lamb.

  “THIS, is the creator of the Starfall Crater. The destroyer of the Forgotten Kingdom and reason for me being here.”

  “I- I don’t understand!”

  “Let me explain it in detail. It is an invader. It wants to destroy this World and feast on it, as it fell from the stars and woke up a few years back. My work I am trying to do is to either destroy that thing before it consumes the world or chuck it back to where it came from. The black Spire as you called it was one of the methods I am working on to do that.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Half truths mixed with reasonings made the explanation sound plausible, especially as Marcus’s mind was right now shaken to the core.

  “You might know about the large noise heard a few years back? That was this bugger. The reasons I did not tell Telk when they came to ask was because Magi think of themselves as Superior and would have thought of trying to invade to capture it to harness whatever Power they might think it possesses.”

  While trying not to vomit out of fear Marcus heard the story and tried to reason with it. He knew Mages are thinking of finding power and a Magus might really want to experiment on something like that just to see if he can breach the limits of his or her power. While Mages like Marcus would think of it as insane, Magi were in his mind really insane enough to try.

  “But- But why do you reveal it now?”

  Marcus could only stutter his question.

  “To make sure you know what is at stake. This thing is not a threat to the Continent, it is a threat to all that exists. Before I had not been able to hold it stable, now it is in this Pocket dimension. I have finally enough safeguards to stop most Idiots before they even reach this Pocket Dimension. If that is not enough, I just snap this Pocket of Reality away from our World. The World will suffer harshly, but it will survive, what can not be said, if this thing really wreaks havoc.”

  On the way out Null was carrying the still shivering Elliot to the Portal. Marcus was a bit better on his legs, but still shaking. On the outside Rose was looking at the horrified expression of Marcus and the only half responsive Elliot with Horror.

  “This thing is alive and well, but as I know how insane you Telk people are I have a small present for you. Wait here.”

  Going to a door and opening it with many seals and bolts, which move on their own somehow Null was going into one of the rooms further away. Seeing him vanishing, Rose could not hold back.

  “Master, what happened? Why is Elliot like this, why are YOU like this?!”

  “Little Rose, you really do not want to know. The thing this Null person is trying to banish… It is unfathomable strong and somehow he had it bound. It was bound by a mere human but felt like a chained evil God. This Null might be more dangerous than even the highest estimations, we need to talk to the Royalty to never antagonize him again.”

  Right on time Null came back out leisurely with a huge black box.

  “Are you fine right now? This is what I want to give you. In this box here is a piece of the thing- Do not worry it is dead, but still dangerous. The Box is heavily guarded and the piece is forced dormant. Let me explain better.”

  At the notion of a piece of the thing inside this Chest Marcus was horrified, but his horror was enhanced as Null just opened it. All present except Null thought they would die from a heart attack. Inside was a small magic bubble holding what could only be called a grain of sand shifting in different colors.

  “As you can see, this is one of the few samples I could remove from this thing”, Null lied.

  Rose, not really understanding, was wondering if all of the things she heard were true, but seeing the white face of her Master made her swallow her questions.

  “We could not ask you to give us such a precious thing-”

  “Precious is a fun word you used here. Maybe you wanted to say Dangerous? Yes, it is dangerous, but should be a good example as a warning. It can maybe react once or twice before disintegrating, without the main body. Somewhat like making a recently cut off body part twitch. It has only insignificant power, which should make those people in power understand what I am doing by removing this thing from our World.”

  “And what will happen if it… twitched?”

  “To be honest, I am not sure you want to know about that. If the Kingdom finds a way to stop or even harness that thing, I am more than welcome for them to help, but if they think they can come here to study something that should not exist, I will make sure they will not exist also.”

  “U-Understood! I will explain the Royalty about what I have seen and you will not be disturbed anymore. Please be sure to keep this thing contained, for the safety of all of us!”

  Closing the Chest and sealing it again Marcus was elated and started to relax. He saw something he could not comprehend and now he did not even know if he could call himself a Mage anymore if that is the Power people have somewhere else.

  “Still, I would like to ask one question, if I may Sir Null.”

  “Oh? Which is it?”

  “The abundance of Mana, which floods through the Woods. Does it belong to you?”

  Null was a bit taken aback by the question. He had spun such an elaborate lie and now he had forgotten about the Mana, which floods the Misty Forest.

  “...That thing was holding all of it in a volatile state to hide from the World itself. Draining any possibility for the inhabitants to fight against it. Now it flows back. The Mana in the Crater and the Mana in the Forest are two different sources. I just happen to use my Mana to hold the reason back which holds the other Mana captive.”

  “So it is a natural occurrence? The Continent is healing, just like that?”

  Null nodded, but to be honest he did not even understand what he just said himself and hoped the reason was enough to make them stop asking.

  —

  “My apologies for making you wait. My name is Null, how can I help you?”

  Hearing the kind of greeting he is expecting, with an undertone of submissiveness, the Visitor from Ulk is more at ease.

  “No need to apologize. My name is Baron Felderick, I was called to bring an opportunity to your Lands by giving you the chance to work with the great Kingdom of Ulk. You might not be aware but we hold the line to the Grasslands while also having south of our Lands one of the rare connections to the Sea, which brings us rare trinkets from other Continents. You would not only sell to us but the whole World outside this barren Rock we call our home.”

  “Ah, I understand, but right now I have not enough to expand outside the scope of our own Continent. I would love to bring some Products to Ulk though. We are somewhat neighbours if we ignore the large Forest between us.”

  “You are just a bit naive, with more Slaves on your side you could make this place flourish into a great place for Farming. As I saw the small Village had more than enough space for many workers, it is just you giving your people too much space for themselves. Also the empty Houses are just waiting for new hands to arrive. We have some Overseers who have a great farming yield with minimal requirement of repurchasing expired Slaves.”

  “This sounds interesting, but would not be applicable for my Fief. I have Freemen under my Wing and albeit they are contractually obliged to live here, I do not in any way have a right to force them into labor. They work in the fields and pay me a tithe for the right to use the fields, but that’s it.”

  “...This is a rather utopic standard. While they are free, they are more or less lazy as what lets them feel the need to work harder? Just a few morsels and they are finished for the week, while there is so much to do.”

  “I have a rather high yield. They insist on me to take a higher tithe as I demand, which makes it somewhat silly. For what they do I am already thankful and see them as my beloved subjects. To exchange them into a workforce that needs regular whipping to know not to slack off is not really what I need right now.”

  “Well, if you are deciding later for our approach, you should just ask. We will be open to bring you an efficient and quick workforce.”

  At that time the Door to the Meeting Room was opened. Snow came in with news.

  “Null, Bickle is starting to pack his things. He will go home in a few hours, so if the Visitors of the Castle do not want to be stuck again, it would be better for them to hurry up.”

  “How dare a mere Ferral interrupt an important Meeting! Do you not care if you live?”

  “Ah Sir Felderick, this is Snow. She is like a younger sister to me. In your eyes she can be called my right hand, even if she might be a bit silly sometimes.”

  “Hey!”

  “This Ferral? I see, but we in Ulk see such creatures not as even livestock. If you ever go to our Country, I would suggest you leave… her at home, otherwise it could be a bit problematic. If you bring her, better put a choker on her to show she is someone who is not without backing. Our Culture has a rather negative sight on Beings like her, as we live close to the Grasslands which attack incessantly.”

  “I will keep that in mind, but as you heard Bickle is getting ready. You should start to get back.”

  “A mere Merchant should wait before going-”

  “That might be true in Ulk but he is from Telk and while the Trade between Telk and Starfall is steady, it goes only once a month.”

  “Could you not ask your Artisan to create another of his great Artifacts?”

  “Creating one needs time. You would live with us for about three weeks before a basic one is finished and about another week until it is working without flaws.”

  “I see, would you ask this Artisan to create one for us then? We would like to explore the Forest while we are at it.”

  “That is the problem, the Lamp is showing a way but veer off that way and you are breaking out of the Magic and be in the middle of the Forest without protection.”

  “Oh, there is such a demerit?”

  “Yes, it is a connector of some sorts. If you move against the light you are doomed.”

  “But there should be a way to-”

  “Sir Felderick, the Merchant will be gone if we talk too much.”

  “Oh, I see. Maybe we can see each other again?”

  “I will see to it to come to Ulk for more talks. Where should I go, if I come from the Forest with a Lamp?”

  “... Then I would guess Beastguard would be the best City to visit. It is the bulwark against the Monsters of the Forest while also a place to buy harvests from Mercenaries.”

  “Beastguard it is then. I will try to be there in about a Month. Hopefully I will find a good Merchant.”

  “I will see to it for one to be available with high Standard. Until we meet again, Null.”

  “Of course Sir Felderick.”

  —

  On the way back Felderick was contemplating.

  “Baron Felderick, what is it you are worried about?”

  “Nothing really. It is just not understandable how such a lowlife can hold this piece of Land like that. Has Telk gone soft?”

  “Would that not be a good thing for us? We could grab this magical land and find out about this cursed forest at the same time.”

  “Something seems not right. Why are the people wearing so many bandages and how can he even call a Ferral his Sister? This Place might have some secrets, we need to call the King and explain further.”

  “So you are thinking of not invading, my Lord?”

  “Perish the thought. We will take over, but should do it in a smart way. This place might hide some more secrets. I heard Machines in the distance, which shows either use of Artifacts or connection to the Empire. We need to take the threat of this land seriously.”

  At the end of the street the Lost Village was already silent again. While it was a new day for the Merchant slept there and the Envoys inside the Castle, the time was not early anymore. To get out of the Forest before dark is one of the highest priorities for Bickle. He might be greedy, but never wants to risk too much for a profit.

  Seeing the Representatives of Ulk finally appear Bickle jumped on the middle Wagon and readied himself to quickly bring back the Produce.

  “Not only Telk, now Ulk is also messing in this muddy water. This is going to get so dangerous. Maybe I should ask for a replacement? Just put Rendlar back into this position, I already have a Stomach problem.”

  Muttering under his breath Bickle gave the sign for the convoy to move again. Lyra was still waiting for the answer and for once in her long life cursed the slow workings of the Elvenkind.

  The way back was not silent for Bickle. Baron Felderick thought it to be a great way to do smalltalk and Bickle could only put on his best customer smile to talk to him.

  There were talks about bringing the produce directly to Ulk, but explaining the Lamp only goes to Kilt made the Baron ask for how the Lamp works. Explaining the strange Runes inside and the encryption being impossible while the Oil is even more mysterious made the Baron a bit annoyed. Disassembly was out of the question for reassembling might damage it and just to find out how this kind of Artifact works might end the Transaction completely.

  Hearing how Null does not care if this Transaction stops made the Baron think about what to do. If Null really does not need the outside, it could mean he would simply stop the Diplomacy and isolate himself.

  While the Baron tried to squeeze out as much Information as he could he was hardly a person who had the capabilities. People of Telk played mostly nice to people of Ulk, but deep down they were wary of them. Ulk was known for being warlike and if the Grasslands were not on their western side, they would have fought way more with Telk and Ilstin. Malek was one of the few sudden attacks, which ended, just because Ulk was not bothering with more for now, as they wanted to cut Ilstin from the Forest to make them dependent on imports. While it somewhat worked, the annexation of Malek by Telk was a strategic nightmare and for this a non aggression pact was loosely put down for Ulk can not fight both Countries at the same time while also attacking the Grasslands.

  Seeing how many provisions and Imports are flowing into Ulk right now everyone knows they again prepare for a war, but for now it seems to go into the Grasslands, while everyone guards their borders for a spontaneously triggered change in target.

  —

  Arcana, the greatest City of Telk only being rivaled by Magus as the former Capitol, the Castle was set on a rarely found Mana well. This Mana well not only could enhance the speed of how fast someone comprehends Magic but improves the surroundings with Mana to let rare plants grow easier. In this place Marcus Cinder brought a present from the Starfall Crater, which was also deemed as a warning.

  The black Chest was undecorated and had a rather ominous feel to it. Inside was just a speck of dust in an unfathomable complicated magic field. While explaining what he saw the Magi of the highest Castes in the Kingdom listened carefully. Many thought it to be a trick and others thought they would be better suited to guard such an entity. Nothing was really going further as this small speck was still being studied to be understood.

  Many were working on an explanation of what it seems to be and there were quite a few breakthroughs after finally seeing it as what it was. This crystalline structure was made out of solid Mana from somewhere they could not explain. Seeing how Mana could be purely concentrated into what seems to be an element without clinging to any kind of Matter gave the Magi an insight into errors of many thesis in regards to how Mana works.

  “Impressive! Most impressive of how we were wrong with Mana the whole time! If we harness the Power of this little piece we can create a new kind of Magic by turning Matter into pure Mana! Not letting it vanish by using Magic but destroying Matter into purest energy to create endless Mana!”

  “And this little Piece is the Catalyst, dear Brother! With the use of it we might become the strongest Magi ever!”

  “Colleagues, remember our King said we shall not use it in dangerous experiments, as we have no further source of it.”

  “Oh posh! Do you know how large the Crystal this Null person has? If we show how we can harness this power, the King will call a crusade to get the rest of it and we might be the next high Civilization after the forgotten Kingdom!”

  “Now we just need to funnel a bit of Mana into the shard to activate and use it to directly transform Matter into pure Mana-”

  EEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!

  A new decree was made by the Royal Caste to not antagonize the Starfall Crater. Reasons were not told but many who were there to see how the eastern wing of the Castle was crystalized and the Rules of the World suddenly hammered down to destroy what was thought to be just a simple piece of crystal so small you could only see it if you squint made clear whatever the Starfall Crater hid, it was not to be messed with.

  No one knew Null made sure it reacted this violently when prodded the wrong way. Flash Crystallization was originally the last command the Geode had after the Rift was opened and whatever it was had a foothold on the World.

  Luck has it they knew Ulk was eyeing Starfall Crater and made sure no Information except the miraculous Products they had were known. They decided Ulk was the best scapegoat to get the Aggression of the Crater targeted to a new place, while they made sure the Ember Wood Caste would create the best Diplomatic connections they could create.

  Meanwhile Ulk put together all Information they had and pulled old Documents of Ember Wood being the Caste which was known as the ‘Silk Conquerors’, who fought with words before invading without bloodshed. Remembering how they worked on Malek made Ulk certain, Telk wanted Starfall Crater and they had to hurry to get it before them.