Commander Marshall was a Pugilist, a class almost no one knew about. Every class had its evolutions, though this was only well documented in Craftsmen and Arcanists. It had been as much a surprise to him as those he was close to that upon reaching level 5, his Martialist class changed into what it was now. In hindsight he could see how he’d trended towards this, having already forgone most weapons by level 3 once his powers made his fists supreme. He’d awakened one that allowed him to use them as an intrinsic Focus, which put everything but the work of the best enchanters to shame.


    This strange region made all of that meaningless. His mana was actively suppressed, restricting even his innate features. To do this in such a wide area, to a degree that a level 5 mortal would be affected, had to be the work of the gods. Them, or the Crest. Even if they were still within the Octyrrum, Marshall feared they’d been sent to some form of quarantined zone. Perhaps this was the cost of failure.


    The ship that had crash-landed had briefly given them hope, only for its crew to turn out to be as foreign to them as they were to this place. The three mortals and that… thing appearing had also been a pointless development, regardless if they had working magic. Though if that stubborn Arcanist would just relinquish those items-


    “Commander! We, uh, you’ll want to see this.” Masika, the undivided Cleric, said through the door of his office in the Hunter’s Guild. That Hero had to be close by as well. He was, without a doubt, the most dangerous individual on the island. The sword and shield he could summon, if only for a few moments before the items forced him to dispel the effect, could kill anyone or defend against anything here. They were a higher level than the Commander himself, and their magic still worked. Thankfully the stories that’d passed around Eido about the dishonorable, nameless Gadriel were untrue. Otherwise, there might have already been an attempt on Marshall’s life.


    He stood and walked carefully to the door. The attributes he normally kept suppressed outside of battle were forced back up to their maximum as he couldn’t manipulate the mana in his body like normal. Step the wrong way and he could shatter the floor. The doorknob was slightly dented from where someone had surprised him just as he’d opened it.


    Masika explained as they started moving. Gadriel was here as he’d expected, but so was Assani, a Ranger. “There’s new people on the island, just came in. Assani ran ahead of the group that found them, but they’re on their way. Like the others, they can’t speak our language.”


    “How many?”


    “Five,” Assani replied sharply, taking over. “Two of them came here on a much smaller craft that wrecked on the shore, nothing bigger than a cart. Good thing because if it’s how we suspect, their main vessel would have run aground like that other one if they hadn’t been warned. They used some kind of device to signal out, didn’t feel like magic but I’m pretty sure at least one is Blessed. Harvy gave her his violin on a whim and she made him cry with it. He puts her around level 3 or 4 based on skill alone, though if she’s only a performer it would be 2. Doesn’t seem like someone with high attributes.”


    “That’s the first sign of a Blessed we’ve seen here. Good. Is that vessel still sailable?”


    “It seems like it, though we didn’t go on in case it’s corrupted like the other one. There is something strange, though. There’s someone with them that looks exactly like the Bard. It’s like she used a Mirror Image spell, except that’d still be off because there are minor differences between them. Most of them are related, no chance they aren’t, but those two are odd.”


    Marshall frowned at that, not quite getting the point. “I’ll have to see for myself. Are they not coming here?”


    “They are, I just thought you’d want to handle this before it got to the village.” Assani pointed towards the southern road that led from the city to where the land fell off into the ocean. “Coming up that way.”


    “Well, let’s see if we can get an idea of where in the Octyrrum we are,” Marshall replied firmly, wondering if his penance was finally coming to an end.


    …


    “These were the roads he walked after coming down. Well, not these specifically, but the parts that didn’t get taken here,” Daniel said as they were led by the Bard and the other human, while the archer had gone off ahead of them. Ami and his mother had been very wary after docking, though part of that was no doubt due to how the island had suddenly appeared. His sister was recording everything on her phone now, beginning to believe, while Kara and Chris remained tense.


    “And all of this is really from some mountain valley?” Ami asked, getting a full 180 while she walked. The two guiding them noticed, one shrugging to the other. “How did you send this place to the middle of an ocean? You’d think it’d end up near Everest or something.”


    “Don’t mention that!” Daniel whispered fiercely. “I don’t know how they’d react if they knew I was the reason they’re here.”


    “We’ll have to go back for the supplies,” he heard his mother say to Chris. “I’m not seeing any signs of treated water or other modern utilities. Even if these people have supernatural abilities, they still look biological like us. We’re also potentially introducing novel pathogens to each other. Ideally, we should all be wearing masks.”


    “Wait, we could get them sick?” Alex looked to the Bard, concerned.


    “They could get us sick too. If all of this…” She paused and shook her head. “If all of this is what it seems, we could be dealing with bacteria and viruses that evolved under different evolutionary pressures. Our antimicrobials may be more effective because they haven’t needed to develop resistance, or what we’re targeting might not be present and they’ll be useless.”


    “When I sent myself over, I didn’t get sick. I, or, the other me, even had a power that could make diseases worse because of how it worked.” His mother’s face got the same look of discomfort it had whenever he talked about what he’d done, but no one had brought it up besides him. This might have finally broken the seal, but something else happened first.


    Ami clutched his arm, pointing with her other hand. “That. Is that?”


    Daniel had to take a moment himself to gawk. He’d seen one of these before, many in fact. Seeing one in person was entirely different from a screen. A new group has just become visible as they rounded a hill less than a hundred meters away. “Avianoid, a Cleric. I can’t tell if they’re male or female but you’ll know if they talk.” He was about to wave at the first true alien he’d ever seen before he registered who was standing next to them. “Oh my god, I know him. That’s Gadriel!” How is he here?


    “The hot one with the cape?” Daniel felt the grip on his arm tighten as the Hero spotted him in the crowd. Gadriel then turned to the one walking in the back wearing what looked to be monk robes, bulging muscle visible where the sleeveless shirt didn’t cover the arms. That one nodded and Gadriel began to run forward. Chris moved to put himself in front of everyone else, handgun on his hip. The man looked intensely focused, calculating, but Daniel stopped him from doing anything drastic.


    “It’s ok, he recognizes me. He’s one of the ones I met over there, I just, how is he here?” Oh fuck. Is Octyrrum-Daniel here too? “Gadriel?” he greeted tentatively as the Hero stopped a short distance away. The Hero blinked at him again, and then said something. Unintelligbly. God damn it, but I guess that makes-


    Daniel!? The voice was in his head. In his head. Telepathy had been the only thing the Bunker hadn’t picked up, so Daniel hadn’t known exactly how it worked or what had been said with it for that matter. But now, there was a voice in his head. Not Gadriel’s either.


    Is this Lograve? He hadn’t ever communicated with his thoughts before, but there was a strange sense he’d only felt once before when holding onto the shard that had sent a copy of him across worlds. Magic. It was magic!


    …you’re not him.


    I’m the original, if that’s what you mean.


    “What’s wrong?” Kara asked, no doubt seeing Daniel’s shocked expression.


    “Hold on, just-“ How can I understand you?


    I’m not sure, Lograve answered in a guarded tone. He was far from the familiar, sarcastic mage that his other self had interacted with. It doesn’t work like this for the others.


    Others, what do you mean?


    One thing at a time. I’m bringing two people into this little chat as a test. Try saying something.


    How are you here?


    The two groups had come to a standstill while the telepathic communication proceeded. When Daniel had first seen Gadriel he’d been elated, but both the persistent language barrier and Lograve’s standoffishness were concerning. This is Daniel? He appears too similar to be another, and yet different, like those two standing by him. The mental voice of Gadriel was largely similar to how he spoke, though now he could understand him.


    Daniel saw exactly what Lograve was doing and grimaced as a fourth mental voice said something incoherently. Damn, but it’s to be expected. I want to link someone in your group to confirm a theory. Do you have a preference?


    “Daniel, what’s going on?” his mother asked.


    “One of them can talk to me telepathically,” he said, feeling a little insane doing so. “It’s not working for everyone though. He wants to test it with someone else.”


    “Is it dangerous?” Chris asked, but Ami held up a hand.


    “Hell, this is all crazy. You can tell ‘em I’ll do it.”


    “Ami, wait-“


    Testing, testing, Lograve’s voice came over the Telepathic Network. Daniel saw Ami blink, and at the same time, Alex gasped. Can you understand me?


    What’s happening? Alex asked. I didn’t say to-


    Ah, unfortunate. It’s limited to those with a mana tether. You must have one too.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Wait, why did you bring both of my sisters into the network? Daniel asked as Alex and Ami exchanged a glance.


    There was a pause on the other end. I… didn’t. Curious. I’ll take both out, don’t worry.


    What is he saying? Ami asked, less taken aback. Everyone can hear me ri- She was cut off as the connection broke between them.


    Ok, Commander, truce. This isn’t exactly what I was waiting for, but it gives us an opportunity. I’ve known where we were from the start, I was just afraid you wouldn’t believe me. This man is my proof.


    Daniel? I admit I’m still confused, Gadriel thought.


    No one told him about me? From what he’d seen Octyrrum-Daniel never had, but it was always possible another had leaked the secret. No one on the other side had been thrilled to learn about him, which probably explained why Lograve was acting how he was. He waited for a moment for a reply and then realized he’d been shut out.


    “They’re talking,” Daniel said as everyone, even the two from the original three that found them, looked at him. “I don’t get everything that’s going on, but I can understand the ones who know me. Well, the other me.”


    “I would’ve been more hesitant to help your Dad out if I knew this is what we were doing,” Despite saying this, Chris didn’t seem as shocked as the rest of them. The guy was mostly eyeing the avianoid in the distance, which was an appropriate reaction for someone from Earth seeing a different race for the first time. Still, Daniel was going to pay close attention to Chris for now in case he got a sense of why his Mom had reacted the way she’d done. Chris had been trustworthy and he’d had multiple opportunities to stab them in the back so far. He could’ve walked away with nine hundred and seventy two million dollars and disappeared before anyone found him. What could motivate someone to betray more than that?


    “Why’d you stick around anyway?” Ami asked, rubbing at her head. The telepathy hadn’t been painful, but for someone not expecting it it could be disconcerting. He’d at least had Octyrrum-Daniel’s verbal descriptions to know what it would feel like.


    Chris chuckled for a moment and gestured from the avianoid to the weird architecture of Eido in front of them. “Same reason you did, Ami. Worst case, I get a boat trip, and I’m being paid to be here. Best case? Where else can you find something like this?”


    …


    Let me make sure of something first. It is just the two of us, Lograve thought to Daniel as they stood collectively around the large hill. Is this Earth?


    Yeah. How are you here? Who else is here?


    We’ll get to that. See the person walking around with his fists clenched and his sleeves torn off? He’s the Commander from Eido and he’s in charge, unfortunately. We are currently in a disagreement over, well, it’s a long story. What I need to know is if there is any way you know of to return to the Octyrrum. I know you were hiding things from my Daniel. There was a way his mental voice twisted towards the end that distanced the two.


    Not that I know of.


    Then why did you come here? How did you come here?


    Because… Daniel slumped into a seated position, not minding the dirt. The alien earth of another world. I needed to. I was asleep when whatever killed Hunter happened. I had an emergency option and I didn’t use it fast enough. I blew the only chance I had to get my Dad back, and then I saw an avianoid’s leg on the news that some shark had bitten off.


    Are there others looking for this place? Lograve asked, suddenly alarmed.


    If there are, they probably can’t find it. There’s some kind of illusion around it. We would have sailed right past it if Alex hadn’t driven us straight onto the island.


    Oh, Crest, Lograve cursed abruptly, cutting him off. Look, I think I know what’s about to happen. I’d get in the way but it’d just happen to me instead.


    Is my family in danger? Daniel asked quickly.


    Your family is fine. The Commander is a… he’s not a bad man. It’s not him you need to worry about anyway. She is. The Arcanist was the only interested party he couldn’t see, and while there was no pointing finger to indicate who Lograve meant, it was obvious. He just didn’t see the reason for the warning.


    Running to the hill from the city was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even considering every other Bard the Bunker’s systems had shown him. Her gait was flawless, as she hit the incline every step was made in time with the last. It took him a few moments to realize she was using Investiture of Song, which was odd. He knew that ability had a high mana cost, so why-


    A few people spoke up when she joined the gathering. Most were in the language of the Octyrrum, though Alex had caught on to what was happening. “Someone else this copy of you knew?”


    “Probably a closer friend than the other two, yeah.”


    “Just a friend?” She didn’t miss how his voice had shifted either.


    “Yeah.” Evalyn brushed past those ahead and was standing in front of the two faster than he’d thought. She was burning a ton of mana just for a speed boost. She asked him a question judging by the tone, but like always he couldn’t understand. Uh, Lograve? he asked, the novelty of telepathy yet to wear off. Can you translate? The look on the Bard’s face was unreadable.


    Alright, the Arcanist thought with some hesitation.


    And he’ll understand me then? the voice of Evalyn asked in the group call, Daniel catching the tail end of her question.


    Yes. While I’ll do my best to ignore it, I will remind you I can hear everything as the nexus of the network.


    Fine. You. Her eyes locked with Daniel and he was taken aback by the hardness there. You sent him over?


    Y-yeah, but- She’d come forward and slapped him so fast he was on his back before the pain registered. Part of his cheek had torn and a small amount of blood was dripping down his jaw. When he looked back up Alex had taken a step toward the Bard, raising a fist, but she stopped as Evalyn’s expression changed to profound sadness.


    I don’t know if he’s alive anymore. Lograve thinks so, but who knows? The last I saw, his heart was broken. He saw Hunter die right in front of him.


    If I hadn’t done that, you’d never have met him. He’d never have existed! Daniel shouted back in his mind while pressing a hand to his cheek. Neither would Hunter. When I made that choice, we were the same person. He would have done the same thing in my shoes, because he did! You don’t know how hard this has been for me.


    From the look of it, that’s the first time you’ve bled in a while, she answered dispassionately. Lograve said you looked like a warped mirror’s reflection of our Daniel. I don’t even see that resemblance. There it was again, ‘our Daniel’. He hadn’t expected to find anyone the other Daniel had met on Eido. Dealing with strangers would have been risky, but in his desperation it’d been worth it. Finding familiar people here should have been a godsend, but that was the catch. They weren’t his friends.


    She shut me out, Lograve reported as Evalyn walked back to the Thormundz group. For what it’s worth, it’s just the three of us here. And… and Tak. I don’t know what happened to the others, other than Hunter. His mental voice grew sad as well. There’s plenty we need to discuss, but right now the Commander wants me to host a conversation. I’ll have to translate as well as link you. Right now, he thinks we’re in a cursed part of the Octyrrum. Also, that the one currently holding a bandage to your face is a Bard. Apparently, she almost charmed one with just music. Do they both play?


    Ami doesn’t, not really. Why?


    Something I noticed when I accidentally linked them with telepathy. Later. Keep Earth to yourself for now, I can’t predict what he’ll do if he learns the truth. I’ll give you a few moments and then we’ll start.


    “Let me look at that!” His mother took the bandage from Alex and dabbed at the wound, using water from a bottle to wash it off. “How hard did she hit you? Here, take this. I doubt I need to put you on anything, it’s just a precaution.” She handed him two capsules and Daniel remembered what she’d said about antibiotics here. “You’re sure we can trust these people?” she whispered while she looked closer at his injury. “Chris has the gun. I don’t like it, but we talked about it before leaving the boat. If we need to run-“


    “It won’t matter, they have magic.” Right up until the slap, he’d had confidence leading him forward. Blind confidence, driven by thin hope. The view from the outside had made him think he was familiar with these people, like how someone could get too attached to a character on their favorite TV show. He didn’t want to be here now. “I’m sorry I got us into this.”


    Still pressing a hand to his wound, his mother grabbed his back with her other arm and drew him in close. “It’s ok. This is right where we’re meant to be.”


    “How do you know?”


    She sighed and looked around, and Daniel could see she’d finally reached the point where she couldn’t keep the secret anymore. Still whispering, she said, “I can’t explain it any other way than that this man, Chris? We knew him, your father and I.”


    “What!? But-“


    Kara moved her hand to cover his mouth. “There was always something strange about him, but he was just a friend of a friend in college. Until he died.”


    I’m sorry to cut whatever you’re saying short, but the Commander is insisting we begin, Lograve told him at the worst possible time.


    Chris died?


    Sorry, what? He heard Lograve ask, and in the next moment Daniel cursed at himself for letting his internal thoughts leak into telepathy. He was completely unprepared for the fact that he had to divide his mind to block out what he didn’t want to send.


    N-nothing. Daniel’s head was spinning, trying to make sense of everything. Chris had lied to him. Either that or his mom had mistaken him for someone else. Was he a twin too, and never mentioned losing his brother because it was too painful? But that would be impossible, his mother wouldn’t have come this far without checking herself and eliminating the rational answers. Still, how had they been college friends given the age difference? Wait, Daniel thought, hoping he was sectioning off his thoughts appropriately this time. Levels make people age slower. Thomas had a power that brought himself back after he died. Is, is he?


    From the other side of the hill, the monk-looking Commander struck his hand with his other fist creating a sound as loud as a thunderclap. Uh, he’s getting impatient. I’m adding Gadriel and the Commander to this Network. It might be best to keep Evalyn out for now.


    Feeling at the bandage on his face, Daniel gulped. Why do you need me? You don’t want me telling him this is another world. Why link me into this?


    I need your voice in the background so he knows you’re talking, Lograve explained pragmatically. And given our disagreement, the Commander is predisposed to mistrust me. Gadriel acts as a witness as he can also understand you. I’m adding them now. Translating. ‘Outsider. Is this the Seventh Realm, the land of Hourglass?’


    No, Daniel answered simply, adding out loud, “I’m talking with them now. They can only translate mentally.” Ami was still filming, no one on the other side had figured that out yet. The other two nodded, staying close to Chris. The one who’d potentially crossed over from the Octyrrum before he’d ever been born.


    ‘Where are we?’ Again, translating. I doubt I need to say that every time. There was another short section of Octyrrum-speak after that from the Commander that Lograve didn’t translate.


    Daniel realized that while Lograve had told him to keep Earth a secret, he hadn’t given him anything else to go on for what to say. Far away from the Thormundz.


    Hold. I apologize but I must clarify. This is Daniel, is it not? Gadriel’s mental voice entered the picture. I don’t understand what’s going on. Lograve and the Commander began speaking, Daniel only hearing one side of the conversation.


    No, he’s not- The Daniel Gadriel knew appeared following the catastrophe that sent you here. I believe that a copy of him was sent over. How am I supposed to know, all I can explain are the facts as I see them! There were several- No, I am not joking! Shouldn’t it make sense that the person who swapped places with your city would come from where you were sent?


    There is a second Daniel? Gadriel’s eyes flicked from Alex to Ami. I see. Is this somehow related to your project?


    We’re getting off topic. Commander, I assure you I only had suspicions up until this point but this man’s presence confirms them. Uh, next question. ‘Is there a nearby settlement? What of the-‘ Oh. Lograve seemed reluctant as he finished the question. ‘What of the people already here? Did you know about them?’


    No? The nearest inhabited islands are a week away. Who is he talking about?


    Something I’ll need your help with later. Commander, suffice it to say I believe a magical link between ourselves and the Daniel that came to the Thormundz is responsible for our powers and those magical items you so dearly want to get your fists on still remaining active. This individual must be linked to the other in some way, and that has to be the reason we can understand him. Perhaps it is a bond that was unnaturally warped, or magic of the Spoke gone awry, but this is a part of what I was looking for to make the way home.


    Daniel had to unpack a lot from what Lograve just said. The Commander did too as he paced for a moment. He sighed eventually.


    Ok, we’ve reached an agreement, Lograve said after a period of silence, Daniel realizing he’d been cut out of another conversation. They want more answers but the Commander’s not going to do anything stupid, today at least. In the meantime, I need some things from you.


    What? Daniel asked, a little askance.


    First, your language. Then, your… what is it called? Ah, yes, your internet. All of it.