We were no longer in Albion, and that meant Whisper had questions.

  "Where are we going?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "A place called the Void," I replied, keeping my tone even.

  "Why?" she asked, her brow furrowing. I shot her an exasperated look, trying to hide my growing frustration.

  Before I could respond, Theresa stepped forward, placing herself between us. "That's enough!" she said firmly. "Arn is busy right now." She gently pulled the demanding girl away.

  "I don’t get why he’s so important in all of this," Whisper complained, her voice full of youthful defiance.

  "Because," Maze interjected, his voice calm but with a hint of warning, "he’s the only one here possessing the spell necessary for this trip. Anything more on the matter is above you—and even your brothers' authority."

  Whisper didn’t seem to care about the warning. "It’s not fair," she muttered, looking away.

  Maze let out a quiet breath, clearly irritated but composed. "You want to speak of fair?" he began. "On Theresa’s birthday, Jack led an army of bandits to slaughter their entire family. If not for the Guild and one unaffiliated hero, they all would have likely died."

  "Why?" Whisper asked, her voice soft and puzzled, the innocence in her tone palpable.

  Scarlett stepped forward, her voice rising with quiet anger. "Because it serves his purposes. But from my children’s perspective? Some strangers came out of nowhere to kill them. They’re still young, but they’ve had their childhood stolen from them. That’s why they’re far more mature than you." She gave Whisper a pointed look, her eyes hardening slightly. "Now, you can go and be quiet by yourself."

  For once, Whisper didn’t argue. She looked down, her shoulders sagging slightly as she realized the gravity of what was being said.

  I focused on my task, placing my hand back onto a blue Will line and pushing time away. The process once again was faster than before, but would still take a little over two days. Thanks to the enchanted orb, it would be safe for me to train all of my desired spells once there.

  It’s not a typical tale when one chooses to build an army before fighting their enemy instead of charging in headfirst, but I’ve always felt that’s a foolish decision. I have resources and people capable of being assets. Why waste them? Even Whisper will be an asset, just one I’m uncertain of how to make use of currently. Her lack of relationship with the current version of me, and her desire to compete for renown, are problems. Coupled with her immaturity, it makes her unable to be trusted.

  As the days passed, with me taking almost no breaks except to eat, drink, or relieve myself, I pondered what to do with Whisper. To gain trust, one must first show a little faith and give some. I cannot tell her too much, but I can give her something.

  I felt the change as we arrived in the Void. Everyone started hunkering down to train their desired spells. All of us would be training the physical shield spell because it’s one of the best—and only it can block some of Jack's attacks. My father would be trying to create a new version of the "Berserk" spell, but this one would be based on a desire to protect others. Berserk relies upon rage, but what’s stronger than the hysterical strength a father or mother gets when a child is in danger? He would be inventing a new version of the spell based on Good rather than Evil. There is no spell that has to be evil in nature; it's just easier for some to think up the effects that way. Once a version existed, no one bothered creating a new one. Most of the others would focus on leveling up the spells they have, except Maze, who was creating an age-halting spell, and Briar Rose, who I’d be helping create a unique one.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I looked over at Whisper, who was crying in a corner. She was clearly feeling rejected by her scolding still. Everyone was getting stronger, but she wasn’t. In the game, she creates a version of Assassin’s Rush that uses light for propulsion. In theory, I could create this effect now with my malleable light spell, but its secrets should be kept to myself. I can't risk Jack learning the secrets of any of my personal spells. That being said, there’s no reason not to reveal her own creation to her now and improve it a little.

  I walked over and sat beside her, waiting for her to notice my presence.

  "What do you want?" she grumbled, trying to hide her tears.

  "A year before Jack attacked our village, Avo and Skorm showed me a vision of our destruction at his hands. They summoned me to a place where heroes of old from many worlds resided to plead for their aid. Out of more than I could count, only one answered the call—and you'd know him as Grey Robe," I told her.

  "Grey Robe..." she mumbled almost reverently. Her brother sees the figure as a potential rival.

  "There's a difference between the heroes of Albion and him. He's the real deal. He doesn't help people for money or rewards. He never has, nor will he give a shit about renown. In his last world, he sacrificed his body and soul to save millions. Without the work of Avo and Skorm, he wouldn’t be here now. He is beyond your brother and will never see him as a rival because he's here to kill Jack, destroying the corruption that created him and infects our world, no matter the cost," I added, sharing what the Arn part of myself thinks of Abel. It’s a weird sensation knowing that.

  Whisper still sheds a tear, but this time it’s not out of self-pity. "Sounds like a true hero. My brother was once, when he awakened his lightning, fighting off a Kraken to save me. I guess he just let the fame make him forget that."

  "Then don’t let yourself forget, no matter what. Always remember what it means to be a real hero, and you will be greater than Thunder," I declare.

  She nods. "I won’t, and thank you."

  "Now, since everyone else has their own spells, let me share something Grey Robe told me about for you," I smile.

  Whisper seems shocked that I’d share a spell with her, especially one from another world’s hero. "For me?"

  "Of course. We’re friends, right?" I smile.

  She blushes. "Of course."

  I spent the next hour explaining to her the concept of using light as propulsion. The fact that it can push things. If she applies it to her feet, she can cross greater distances faster but also push things away even at a great distance. She can use this to force her enemies off balance, and due to light being almost instant, no matter the distance, it would be very versatile. Its ability to match her acrobatic and agility-based fighting style would be epic. Whisper immediately began training.

  Whisper managed to create a spell by sheer will in the game, but she had no natural talent for it. Due to her lack of talent, while the rest of us trained many spells, I suspect she’ll only have two overall while here. Both she and my dad could finish one unique spell and physical shield.

  Now, for Briar Rose, I came up with something unorthodox. She’s the Hero of Skill but only uses swords. The nature of this world means she only gets might experience with melee weapons normally. The same is true with spells giving experience in magic, but there are exceptions, like the multi-arrow spell, that give skill experience. Speed and accuracy are related to skill. Briar Rose uses a katana, which is a more skill-oriented sword, but it still gives her little to no skill experience as is. But what if she creates a spell that vastly boosts her weapon's speed and damage when used accurately?

  The concept is that the spell gives an explosive speed boost, but only she can see a red highlight of a spot her blade should strike and at what angle for maximum damage. A spell of training mastery over the sword’s skill-related aspects. I again spent a few hours explaining the concept before she fully grasped it and the intent.

  With the others finished, I got to work on my own training. Cracking open the summoning spell book, I got to work studying and memorizing the key concepts. Low-level spell worlds already mapped out would be simple and easy to create, but I've got a lot of them to do.