Chương 438: The Crimson Ascension

Luke would return to Maine and stay with his family for a while, but he was already planning his way back to the New World. There was too much left unfinished here. He needed to level his Witch class, and now that the level cap had lifted, he could finally continue progressing both his first class and his profession. And then there were Charlie and Angie. Their lives in modern society simply weren't possible. Not in any normal sense. Angie had gray, stone textured skin and wings sprouting from her back.

Charlie was a skeleton. There was no universe in which either of them could walk down a street on Earth and get a regular job. When the group reached the teleportation hub, the place looked strangely familiar. It reminded Luke of a massive subway station… or maybe a shopping mall. A sprawling building with tall ceilings, echoing halls, and crowds of people from every imaginable background moving in every direction.

"Those are crossers," Mason told them.

"Or diplomats. Or just tourists coming to sightsee in the New World."

"Crossers?" Jack asked.

"Diplomats?" Evangeline echoed. Luke had questions too, but he was already starting to feel like he was interrogating the poor guy.

"Crossers are what we call people who bring goods from the New World into modern society," Mason explained.

"For example, someone on Earth who runs a meat company. Where can they get meat? Among several possible sources, one option is the New World. Same for mining companies; some of them might buy ore that's extracted here."

"And diplomats are people in government positions who maintain relations with the kingdoms in the New World," Eleanor added. Her father probably fit into that category, though she didn't talk much about her family." Luke nodded slowly, absorbing everything. The world, both worlds, were even more tangled than he had imagined.

They stood in a long line. The teleportation site was buried deep underground.

"I can only go this far," Mason said.

"And from there you'll all be splitting up anyway." Ahead of them were several doors staffed by officials, each marked with the flag of a different country.

"I hate goodbyes, but at least we'll see each other again soon," Evangeline said.

"I'm not sure I'll show up to the reunion," Mason admitted.

"But I'll be here in the New World waiting for you if you ever want to visit." He shook each of their hands in turn.

"We'll meet again eventually," Eleanor said. With that, Mason walked off, leaving only Luke, Jack, Eleanor, and Evangeline in the snaking line.

"I guess it's our turn to say goodbye," Evangeline said.

"Even though we're heading to the same country, it looks like we're going to different 'train platforms'." She abruptly pulled all three of them into a tight hug, catching Luke and the others off guard.

"I could lie and say I'll miss our time in that tutorial hellhole, but I won't," she said.

"So make sure you visit me in my mansion."

"And come visit me in Washington," Eleanor added.

"No, we won't," Evangeline shot back.

"You live on the other side of the country. Too far."

"Hey… I was having a sentimental moment," Eleanor muttered. Jack's eyes were already watery.

"Thank you for everything, friends."

"Great, the little guy is crying. Now I feel awkward," Evangeline sighed. After a few more exchanges, Luke said his goodbyes. It wasn't final, with any luck they'd meet again soon, and even if they didn't, they all had phones now. A few messages would be enough to kill whatever nostalgia came their way. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Once they handed over their forms, different staff members came to collect them.

It turned out their paperwork marked them as VIPs, so they had priority. Even though teleportation was instantaneous, the line moved slowly; the entire world used that single facility. And there were inspections, document checks, scans to ensure no wanted criminal was being smuggled across borders via magic. Luke was escorted down a hallway.

"As a VIP, you're entitled to a waiting suite," the staff member explained.

"You also have access to complimentary snacks."

"I just want to get to Maine, preferably as fast as humanly possible," he joked. He was taken to a room where other VIPs waited. Some were reading books. One man had a newspaper open, a local one, full of news from the region.

'Dude, can you believe I'm nervous too?' Artemis chimed in inside his mind.

'I'm about to experience your primitive modern society. It's like going on a safari.' Luke tuned out her rambling, which had already descended into wanting to watch spicy HD videos without ads and insisting he take her to a movie theater. I'm absolutely not taking this lunatic to a movie theater. After living with her endless commentary for so long, he'd gotten better at closing off his thoughts.

'Are you nervous, my lord?' Angie asked gently. A little. He couldn't stop bouncing his leg. He was this close to going home.

It was taking too long. He should have been called an hour ago. This room was only for people heading to Maine, but he knew there were plenty of other rooms filled with travelers bound for the same state.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a staff member announced as she stepped inside.

"It seems some important nobles are using the teleportation system at the moment. No one else will be able to use it for a few hours."

"Oh, give me a break!" an old man grumbled, snapping his newspaper shut.

"I'm very sorry," she continued.

"But I remind you that the courtesy lounge is available. You can rest there, enjoy some snacks, even sleep. We'll call you the moment it's your turn." She left them with that, the door closing softly behind her. Luke exhaled slowly.

"It's teleportation. Isn't it supposed to be instant?" he muttered under his breath. The old man with the newspaper let out a wheezy laugh between coughs.

"You know how it is. Important people like exclusivity." He extended a hand.

"Name's Hanged Man." Luke shook his hand, trying not to show how confused he was by the name.

"Luke."

"Nice meeting you, Luke," the old man said.

"Something tells me… we'll be seeing each other again." He returned to his newspaper, and Luke settled back in his chair. Sitting still like this felt wrong. In the tutorial, staying still meant waiting to be stabbed by an assassin or crushed by a rogue statue. This wasn't normalcy, not really. The real normality was still miles away, back in quiet, familiar Maine.

After a while, Luke finally agreed to head to the private accommodation. The staff apologized again for the delay.

"At least the room's nice," he muttered. It wasn't extravagant, but it was cozy, the kind of quiet, polished comfort that made him feel like some ultra VIP tucked away in an airport's exclusive lounge. He dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Everyone… I'll be home soon." His family was going to be stunned when he walked through the door alive.

"And I won't be coming back alone…" He had two new people to introduce, Charlie and Angie. Three, if he counted Artemis. But the thought of introducing his family to that loud, perverted soul made him uneasy.

"Right. I still have to update Charlie on everything." With a thought, he summoned her from his soul. But something changed. The familiar black mist that usually drifted out and gathered to the side of the room didn't do that this time. Instead, it hovered directly above him, swirling as it began to take shape. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, something materialized, and fell straight onto the bed.

For a split second he braced himself, expecting the heavy crash of steel armor hitting his legs. But the sound was light, soft. The mist dissolved completely, revealing what had landed. Luke froze. A pale hand rested in his field of vision. As he pushed himself upright, his fingers brushed against strands of blond hair, gleaming like spun gold. A gentle, warm weight lay across his lap, and when he looked down… confusion hit him in a wave. A pair of bright eyes stared up at him, wide and innocent.

The face that met his gaze was sculpted, flawless, almost unreal, framed by smooth white skin. A woman sat in his lap. Not just any woman. A breathtakingly beautiful one. Ethereal. Otherworldly. The kind of beauty that felt impossible. She tried to speak, and he caught the glint of sharp canines. She immediately covered her mouth, embarrassed, startled by the sound that escaped her. And she was naked. Completely, unambiguously naked on his bed.

"Who are you…?" he asked, shocked. Who was this beautiful woman standing in front of him? She smiled up at him, sweet and shy.

"It's me, my beloved. I'm your Charlie." Beloved? Wait. What?