When Jeremiah could see again, he and Ulrick were no longer standing outside the inn.
The endless prairie was gone, along with the impossible roads stretching from one end of infinity to the other.
So was the old tavern at the crossroads of Here and There, and the colorful characters who had drifted through its doors.
Instead, they stood at the edge of a busy street, warm sunlight spilling over polished paving stones while crowds moved past in steady currents.
Jeremiah blinked.
It took him a moment to recognize where they were. Not the exact spot, maybe, but close enough. The same strange buildings rose on either side of the street, some sleek and glass-fronted, others crooked, ancient, or built from materials he couldn’t name. A few storefronts looked familiar from their earlier walk through the Inn Between.
He frowned and turned around to find not a tavern door behind them, only the mouth of a narrow alley.
Grimy brick walls pressed in on either side, damp along the bottom and streaked with something dark that Jeremiah decided not to examine too closely. A dented metal door sat at the far end, half-hidden behind a stack of crates.
Before he could put any of the questions crowding his mind to words, Ulrick stepped out of the alley and into the flow of the street beyond.
Jeremiah stared after him for half a second, then followed.
They walked in silence for a while. The crowd was busy, but not thick enough to slow their pace. A group of robed mages — one in white, the second in red, and the third in black — passed in the opposite direction, speaking in a language Jeremiah didn’t recognize. Something with too many eyes browsed a window display full of clocks. Overhead, a pair of winged patrons drifted between upper-floor entrances, paying little attention to anyone below.
The crowd shifted around Ulrick almost instinctively, opening just enough space for the giant baker to pass. Jeremiah stayed close, still holding Billy close against his chest.
The young kraken floated limp inside his bubble armor, tentacles curled beneath him, lost in soft dreams of rainbow-colored shrimp and chocolate éclairs.
Jeremiah’s thoughts, meanwhile, refused to settle.
Ray. Sarah. The Hunters.
Everything he’d learned about Shard Users.
All of it pressed against Jeremiah’s mind, stirring thoughts, worries, and memories he wasn’t sure he had the bandwidth to process right now.
Maybe Ulrick saw it on his face, because after several minutes, the baker finally broke the silence.
“Don’t take it too personally, lad,” Ulrick said, his voice gentler than usual. “I don’t think Ray meant anything by it.”
Jeremiah flinched.
“What?” he asked, caught off guard by how far he’d sunk into his own thoughts.
A heartbeat later, Ulrick’s words caught up with him, and Jeremiah’s stomach dropped.
Had Ulrick seen something? Heard something?
His trip to the back room had taken long enough that Jeremiah had assumed Ray had arranged it intentionally, but the baker’s return had been just as convenient.
His grip tightened around Billy’s bubble.
Ulrick glanced down at him, gave him a kind, knowing look, then grinned.
“About your sister, I mean,” he said. “Ray was never very graceful when it came to Sarah.”
Ulrick winked. “Don’t tell Ray I said this, but the regulars all knew he had a bit of a crush on her.”
Jeremiah stumbled to a halt and gawked up at him.
“What?!” The word came out strangled.
Ulrick paused a few steps ahead, then turned back and laughed, loud and warm enough that a few passing people glanced their way.
“Aye,” Ulrick said. “Ray’s a damn talented mage, but he’s not quite as suave as he seems to think.”
Jeremiah worked his mouth, but every response he reached for came out half-formed.
Eventually, he let out a slow breath, shook his head, and started walking again.
“I don’t even know what to do with that,” he muttered.
Ulrick chuckled but didn’t press.
Jeremiah was grateful for that. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the information, especially while his opinion of Ray was still soured by everything that had just happened, no matter how much he could understand the man’s reasoning.
So Jeremiah did what he’d done with far too much over the past few months.
He shoved it into some dark corner of his mind and left it for Future Jeremiah to deal with.
They continued down the street, the noise of the Inn Between filling the space where conversation had faded.
A few moments later, Billy stirred in his arms.
Jeremiah slowed.
The young kraken shifted inside his bubble, several tentacles uncurling in a loose stretch. A soft mental yawn brushed against Jeremiah’s thoughts, fuzzy and warm around the edges.
Billy blinked awake inside the bubble. His eyes focused slowly, first on Jeremiah, then on Ulrick, then on the bright street around them. Confusion drifted through the bond, thick and uncertain.
Ulrick stopped a few steps ahead and looked back with a smile.
The baker chuckled. “Have a good nap, little one?”
Billy turned toward him, then slowly spun back to face Jeremiah.
“When sleep?” Billy asked, the words coming through Jeremiah’s mind more clearly than they had only a few days ago.
His grammar still needed work, but the improvement was impossible to miss.
Jeremiah raised a brow. “You don’t remember what happened?”
Billy tilted his head, and confusion rolled through the bond in a soft wave.
Jeremiah’s mouth tightened.
So Ray had done more than put Billy to sleep. Whether he’d dulled the memory on purpose or the spell had simply carried the moment away with it, Jeremiah didn’t know. He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or angry.
He let out a slow breath and gave Billy a small smile.
“Nothing, buddy,” he said. “We’re just headed home.”
Billy perked up at once.
“Home?” he asked.
Jeremiah’s smile became real despite himself. “Yeah.”
Billy rose out of Jeremiah’s hands, his bubble lifting into the air with a smooth wobble.
“Lunchtime?!” he asked, hope blooming through the bond.
“Yes,” Jeremiah said with a chuckle. “We can get lunch.”
“Yaaaaaaaay!”
The mental cheer rang through the bond as Billy shot upward and began circling Jeremiah’s head in excited loops, his bubble flashing through the sunlight above the crowded street.
Jeremiah watched the young kraken with a small smile, feeling something tight in his chest loosen by a degree.
Billy circled above him in bright, excited loops, his bubble flashing in the sunlight as he spun through the air. The flower crown still sat proudly on his mantle, the little blossoms somehow holding together despite every sharp turn and wobbling dive.
Then Billy stopped, hovering in place as his attention turned farther down the street.
Before Jeremiah could ask what he’d seen, Billy shot away.
“Billy!” Jeremiah called. “Wait!”
The young kraken didn’t slow.
Jeremiah glanced at Ulrick. The big baker’s brows rose, but he gave a quick nod, and the two of them pushed into the flow of the crowd after him.
Jeremiah kept one hand lifted, muttering apologies as he wove through the shifting bodies as politely as he could while trying not to lose sight of the little bubble streaking ahead. A few people stepped aside with startled looks. Others turned to watch the tiny kraken zip past overhead.
When the crowd finally opened, Jeremiah found Billy circling the head of a familiar young girl.
Coffee-brown hair, a freckled nose, sun-kissed skin, and an amused grin.
The florist from earlier stood beside her living stall, one hand lifted as Billy spun around her in eager loops, chittering with obvious delight. The vines coiled around the stall’s supports seemed to lean after him, blossoms opening and closing in slow, curious pulses.
Jeremiah came to a halt a few feet away, breathing harder than he wanted to admit.
“Billy,” he said firmly.
The young kraken froze mid-circle, then slowly turned toward him.
Jeremiah fixed him with a stern look.
It must have worked, because Billy’s excitement collapsed into a small, embarrassed pulse through the bond. His bubble drifted back toward Jeremiah at half its usual speed, and he settled near Jeremiah’s shoulder without meeting his eyes.
Only when Billy was firmly beside him did Jeremiah turn to the florist.
“I’m sorry about him,” he said, giving her an apologetic look. “He knows better than to run off like that.”
The florist giggled and waved the apology away.
“No worries, mister. Really.” Her gaze flicked to Billy, and her smile widened. “It’s rare to see a familiar so young be that expressive.”
She tilted her head, tapping one finger lightly against her lip as she studied Billy.
“Not until they’re much older, at least.” She winked at him. “But by then, they’re usually not nearly so cute.”
Billy peeked out from behind Jeremiah’s shoulder.
Jeremiah sighed, though he couldn’t quite keep the fondness from his expression. “Thank you for understanding. And again, sorry.”
He gave Billy one last pointed glance, then turned back toward Ulrick, who had emerged from the crowd a few steps away and was watching the exchange with open amusement.
Jeremiah had taken only a step when the florist called after him.
“Ah! One moment, please.”
He paused and looked back, one brow raised.
The florist ducked behind her stall and began rummaging through something out of sight. Vines shifted around her as she moved, curling aside to give her room. A moment later, she straightened again, holding a small glass pot in both hands.
Inside rested a single white lotus.
It was small enough to fit comfortably in one hand, its pale petals open around a faint golden center. A soft, clean glow rose from the flower, subtle but steady, casting gentle light through the glass.
“For your friend,” she said. “As thanks for making my day.”
Jeremiah’s eyes widened as a System window appeared in his vision.
——————❇——————
Serenity Lotus
Rank: F
Quality: Uncommon
Keywords: Natural Treasure, Spiritual Soothing, Bond Habitat
Description: A low-rank aquatic natural treasure valued for its calming and restorative properties. The petals, seeds, and roots of a Serenity Lotus are commonly used in medicines, tonics, and alchemical preparations meant to ease stress, soothe agitation, and support emotional recovery with minimal side effects.
When planted in a suitable aquatic habitat, a Serenity Lotus will gradually mature into a stable Bond-supporting spirit plant. Once fully grown, it generates +1 Bond Point/day while placed within a Bond’s habitat and emits a gentle calming aura that helps reduce stress, fear, and emotional unrest.
Unlock System features to learn more about this Natural Treasure and its potential uses!
——————❇——————
Jeremiah stared at the window, then at the lotus, then quickly shook his head.
“I couldn’t possibly,” he said, caught off guard.
The florist pushed the pot closer.
“I insist.”
Jeremiah hesitated and glanced over his shoulder.
Billy’s wide eyes were locked on the glowing flower with absolute, breathless focus. Wonder poured through the bond in a warm flood, followed by a hopeful little pulse that made Jeremiah’s resolve buckle almost immediately.
He looked to Ulrick for help.
The baker only shrugged, his expression saying very plainly that Jeremiah was on his own.
Jeremiah turned back just as the florist waggled the pot at him expectantly.
He sighed.
“Alright,” he said, reaching out carefully. “Thank you.”
The glass was cool against Jeremiah’s palms, but the lotus itself gave off a faint warmth that settled through him.
The moment the pot was in his hands, Billy drifted closer, tentacles curling against the inside of his bubble as he stared down at the flower. Its glow reflected across his eyes and shimmered along the curve of his armor.
The florist’s grin widened.
“If you’re worried about caring for it, I’m sure your teacher here can help.” She nodded toward Ulrick. “They’re fairly common, all things considered, and easy to look after if you know the basics.”
Jeremiah’s shoulders sagged slightly as heat crept up the back of his neck.
“Thank you,” he said again, softer this time.
“No problem.”
The florist lifted her hand and waved at Billy, who gave a pleased little trill from Jeremiah’s shoulder. His flower crown bobbed as he leaned forward, attention already fixed on the lotus again.
Ulrick stepped up beside Jeremiah, glanced down at the pot, and chuckled under his breath.
Together, the two of them turned and continued down the road.
——————————————————
The crowd closed in behind Jeremiah, Ulrick, and Billy as they moved on.
Within a few breaths, the three of them were swallowed by the current of the street.
A soft gust slipped between the storefronts, tugging at banners, rustling leaves, and sending a brief swirl of blue and pink petals across the paving stones.
When the air settled, the stall was gone.
In its place stood a young boy in formal wear, his features hidden beneath the wide brim of an enormous wizard hat. The hat dipped low enough to shadow most of his face, though the faint curve of a smile remained visible beneath it.
He watched in the direction Jeremiah had vanished.
“Wyrd was right,” the boy said. “His growth might be… odd, but it’s nothing if not interesting. Don’t you think?”
A large wolfhound trotted up beside him, black coat broken by a silvered muzzle and solemn brows. Hector sat at the boy’s side with quiet dignity, his gaze fixed past the crowd, toward the path Jeremiah and Ulrick had taken.
After a moment, he gave a single, deep woof.
The boy chuckled softly and reached up to scratch the old wolfhound behind one ear.
“That’s true, I suppose,” Mana said. “Though only time will tell.”