*Ding* You have unlocked the Spacial Weave general skill.


    “Oh!” Zoe exclaimed. “I got it! Finally!”


    “Good for you, Zoe.” Brick said, looking up from Zoe’s hand that was gripping theirs. “I’m glad.”


    “Thank you so much. This is going to be amazing.” Zoe grinned, thinking of everything it would mean for her.


    Which, now that she thought about it, wasn’t really as much as she had one day hoped. The appeal of travelling through space was there, and she doubted it would ever go anywhere. But it had dulled, since those first days years ago of reaching space and imagining the possibility.


    For now, at least. She just found it so silly how much she had obsessed over getting to space, to seeing the stars. There was still so much on Abyllan that she had to discover, why would she travel to other planets when she hadn’t even explored the one she was already on to its fullest extent?


    Zoe focused on the feeling of mana in her shoulder, a subtle pull that tried to drag her towards Brick’s hand. She got up and walked around the room they were staying in — an inn they found in a village they stumbled into a few days prior. As she walked around Brick, the pull towards their hand didn’t change in its intensity, an ever present nudge towards home. Or at least Brick.


    She vanished, appearing kilometers away in the sky, and continued Cosmic Stepping further away. But the pull never faded even as she was countless kilometers away, floating over a large lake that reflected the plethora of stars above, surrounded by rocky cliffs.


    Zoe grinned and brought up the skill’s description.


    [Spacial Weave]


    As a master of space, create a web in the fabric of space that ties you together.


    She screamed as space twisted around, folding over itself and tearing into her body as her surroundings shifted. One moment she was floating above the large lake, enjoying what she’d just been given. And the next she was keeled over in her room back at the inn with Brick standing over her grinning. Their expression soon turned to worry as Zoe’s torn body collapsed on the floor.


    “Are you okay? Oh my light, what happened? How far did you go?” Brick pestered her.


    Zoe pushed healing through herself with Restoration as she checked her health.


    Health: 43423/88200


    “What… happened?” Zoe spat out between coarse, desperate breaths.


    “I thought it would be funny to surprise you with the other aspect of the skill. How far did you go? I’m so sorry.” Brick said.


    Zoe took a moment to let her health recover and catch her breath before she responded. “I’m not sure. Very, very far. What happened?"


    “I’m so sorry, I didn’t expect you to go that far. The skill lets you feel where it’s attached to, but it also drags you along if I teleport. At the expense of your mana, and if you run out of mana, your health. I’m so sorry, I had no idea you would have gone so far. Are you okay?” Brick asked.


    “I’m fine,” Zoe said as she sat up, leaning against the shoddy wooden bed. “That’s really bad, then.”


    “Well, that’s the main part of the skill, really. The tracking part is just a side effect.” Brick said.


    “The side effect is all I want. I’ll have to find some way to disable that part then. Maybe I can try to piece it apart and re-do it without that. Too many things to work on already though.” Zoe shook her head.


    Brick nodded. “Good luck, but this is as much as I can do. I don’t have anything just for tracking, all I have is this.”


    “It’s fine, it’s kinda fun trying to work through the mess of mana anyway. I just need to be patient.” Zoe said.


    “So, what happens now?" Brick asked.


    Zoe shrugged. “I’m not sure. I was going to go visit the moon. Maybe I’ll still do that, I have some friends that probably won’t be teleporting around.”


    Brick chuckled. “Visit the moon, huh?"


    “Maybe.” Zoe said.


    “Well, thank you for everything you’ve done for us. We can never truly repay you.” Brick said and bowed their head.


    “You already have. This is a great starting point, if nothing else.” Zoe said.


    Brick nodded and held out their hand. Zoe grabbed it and pushed mana into it, ripping apart the threads of mana that bound them together. She walked over to the neighbouring room where Blue, Spark and Brick slept and knocked on the door.


    Spark opened it and grinned. “Good progress tonight?"


    “Yup. I got it.” Zoe said.


    “Oh! Good job, so you won’t have to steal Brick away from us every night now, huh?" Blue smiled.


    “Well, I think I’m going to leave now actually.” Zoe said.


    Spark nodded. “Ah.”


    “I see. Well it was nice knowing you. And fun travelling with you. Thank you for everything, Zoe.” Blue said.


    “No, thank you. I would have been lost down there without somebody to show me around, and now it doesn’t feel quite so daunting. And I got a new skill out of it, too. Are you all going to be good up here on your own?” Zoe asked.


    Brick laughed. “Of course we’ll be fine. It’s not so different up here really. A bit brighter, a little safer. We’ll be fine.”


    “If you know any dungeons nearby though, let us know so we can go have some fun.” Spark said.


    Zoe chuckled. “No, I don’t. I still don’t really know where we are. Should be somewhere south of where I live. Maybe quite a ways south west, even. But that’s about all I got.”


    “The best of luck to your future endeavours, Zoe. It was very nice meeting you.” Blue said.


    “To you too. If you ever end up in the Injellar kingdom try to find Foizo. It’s near Flester’s Might which is a dungeon. Used to be a city that I kinda lived in, but now it’s a dungeon and we moved outside it, more or less. Anyway, ask for Joe and tell him that I sent you. He’ll make sure you’re alright.” Zoe said.


    “Sure thing, Zoe.” Brick said. “Best of luck.”


    “Actually, I’m going to be finding my way over there now if you wanted to come along?" Zoe asked.


    “I vote no.” Spark said. “It’s fun being in a new place and exploring.”


    “I agree, I vote no.” Brick said.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Blue smiled. “We’ll be fine. But thank you.”


    Zoe nodded and vanished, appearing far above the village and floating in a suit of grassy earth. Her time with the group was enjoyable, but while the slow paced journey had its own benefits, she found herself stagnating the more she stayed with them. She didn’t get levels, she couldn’t find dungeons, and in particular now that they were on the peaks there wasn’t really much new she could discover with them.


    Now that she had the skill she wanted, there was little reason to remain with them. One day, maybe they’d make their way to Foizo and settle in to town. They’d be a good addition to town, Zoe thought. Lots of stories to share if they ever found themselves comfortable enough to give up the fake lives they created for themselves.


    How many others had Zoe met with fake stories? People with interesting lives from interesting places who just made up much less interesting lives so they wouldn’t draw interest? People like Zoe herself, who disguised themselves to keep away the prying eye? She’d never know, she supposed. But there was no way Brick’s group was the first, she’d begun to realize.


    Zoe Cosmic Stepped further into the sky until the curvature of the planet began to be visible and looked for the tell tale signs of her home. The specific patterns of forests and deserts, the hills and cliffs that she’d always looked for when she returned from the outskirts of the atmosphere. It took a few minutes before she was confident she found the right place, but only seconds from then before she was back down in her cave.


    “Hey.” Zoe said to Emma who was laying on the floor with her eyes closed, cuddling with Oliver and Fennel.


    Emma opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Zoe. “Hey you! You’re back sooner than I expected.”


    “I got what I wanted.” Zoe said.


    “Really! Already? That’s awesome. So when do we go to space? I’m so coming with you. Lets go right now!” Emma kissed the two cats on the forehead and leapt to her feet.


    “Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.” Zoe said, and explained the skill’s downside.


    “That’s not that bad, just give it to Joe. He doesn’t teleport around.” Emma said.


    “Yeah, but what if somebody else teleports him? Then I’m dead. And if I die, you’re stranded in space. And if you’re stranded in space, you’re dead.” Zoe said.


    “Oh pish posh,” Emma waved her hand. “When’s the last time somebody forcibly teleported Joe, not including yourself?"


    “I dunno. Maybe it happens every day. Or maybe it’s never happened and it’s gonna happen for the first time the moment we step on the moon.” Zoe said.


    Emma rolled her eyes. “You have what you wanted, and you’re gonna not take advantage of it cause you think tomorrow is going to be the first time that somebody comes and attacks Foizo, teleporting Joe somewhere and dragging you back with him? Really?”


    “I mean. Yeah?” Zoe squeaked out.


    “No, lets go. Lets go get Joe right now, and then you’re taking me to the damn moon. And I’m gonna bring back some rocks, and you’re gonna make toys out of them for Oliver and Fennel. They’ll have moon toys. Okay?" Emma said.


    “But what-” Zoe started to say.


    “No buts. Lets go. I wanna go to the moon.” Emma stepped forward, appearing just outside the wall and staring at the mountain with a smug expression, knowing Zoe could see her through the wall.


    Zoe rolled her eyes and teleported out with her. “Fine.”


    “Eee!” Emma exclaimed with glee. “Lets go!”


    It didn’t take long to find Joe who was relaxing behind the bar drinking some booze from a mug. “Hey Joe!” Zoe called out as they walked in.


    “Oh! Hello Zoe, you’re back much earlier than I expected.” Joe said.


    “Did I seem like I was going to be gone forever or something? Why’d you both say that?” Zoe asked.


    Joe shrugged. “Just seemed final, to me. You seemed real frustrated, I thought you’d be gone a while.”


    “I can literally be anywhere in the world I want in the next like twenty seconds. I’m literally never far away. Why would I just avoid home for no reason?” Zoe rolled her eyes as she pulled up a chair and sat down.


    Joe shrugged again. “It’s you, you’re weird.”


    “It’s true.” Emma nodded. “You’re really weird.”


    “And so are you.” Joe said, looking at Emma.


    “Yeah but I don’t deny it.” Emma said.


    “That’s fair.” Joe said. “So, what brings you back so early, then?"


    “Well, I went down to the valleys and met some people down there. Stuff’s real weird down there, too…” Zoe started explaining her adventures down in the valley.


    “So wait the shadows come to life?” Emma asked. “That sounds terrifying.”


    “And what are these wanderers?" Joe asked.


    “Yes, and I don’t know. I’m gonna go back at some point and see if I can meet one of the wanderers. They used to be people, apparently. I think maybe they can still talk, and it would be really cool to see what they have to say. Maybe it’s just gibberish though.” Zoe said.


    “Or maybe they have their own cities, hidden from the light?” Emma suggested.


    “Right? That’s what I’m thinking. Cause maybe the wanderers who, well, wander the night are mindless. But are they all? What if there are people who have embraced the night but haven’t given up all of their mental faculty? I’d love to meet some of them, see how they live. If that’s possible. I dunno.” Zoe said.


    “And you saw a dragon?” Joe said.


    “Yeah! Absolutely incredible. I never wanna see one again. Not for a while, at least.” Zoe said.


    “How’s it compare to the elemental that attacked Flester?" Emma asked.


    “That one had a lot of fear cause there were so many people nearby. But I don’t think the elemental could even compare, really. I think Flester would have burnt to the ground just by the dragon being near it, let alone attacking it.” Zoe said.


    Joe whistled. “So, you want to go to the moon, do you?"


    “Yeah!” Emma shouted. “We do.”


    “She does, mostly.” Zoe said.


    “You don’t?" Joe asked.


    “Well, I mean I wouldn’t say I don’t. I just don’t think it’s worth the risk right now, probably. Maybe. Maybe it is. I dunno.” Zoe said.


    “Zoe, I have lived a long life. And I have never been teleported around without giving my approval first. Maybe it happens tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s a real risk. But maybe don’t stay away for too long at once.” Joe said.


    Zoe sighed. “Okay, I’ll do it. Give me your hand. Or wherever you want this tracker to be put.”


    “Well hold on, I don’t think me being teleported is a real risk, but I think there are other things to think about here first.” Joe said.


    “Joe!" Emma said. ”It’s just the moon, we’ll be able to see our way home anyway.“


    “How long does this tracker last?” Joe asked.


    “A week according to Brick.” Zoe answered.


    “And what level is theirs at? What level is yours at? How long does yours, specifically last?" Joe asked.


    “I haven’t tested it. I literally just got the skill and rushed over here.” Zoe said.


    Joe looked around at the empty inn and pointedly stared out one of the windows at the night sky. “I couldn’t tell.”


    “Okay, I’m sorry. But you were still awake anyway.” Zoe said. “And Emma made me do it now. It’s her fault.”


    Joe laughed. “I don’t care. But before you leave, as your friend, I want to ask you to at least do the bare minimum of understanding your skill. Don’t get excited and run off to your deaths.”


    Zoe nodded. “You’re right, Joe. Give me your hand, I’ll put a tracker on you and we’ll see how long it lasts.”


    Joe held out his hand and Zoe grabbed it. Mana rushed from Zoe’s form and wound around his hand then back up Zoe’s arm, settling in on her shoulder. There was a brief pinch as the mana tightened, and then all that was left was a tiny blemish in the fabric of space on the back of Joe’s hand, and a slight tug, pulling her in his direction.