A few days had passed since David met Elliot—the overeager kid who somehow stumbled into his secret world.
David squinted at his phone, the screen's light barely illuminating his tiny apartment. The clock read 1:43 a.m., next to a half-eaten box of Chinese noodles. The kind you buy when the rent is due and hope the sauce counts as nutrition.
Elliot sat on the floor, scrolling through Reddit posts about "strange lights."
He paused, turning to David, curiosity written all over his face.
| "I mean, you're teaching me mana now. You're probably the strongest guy on Earth. Why are you still worrying about rent?"
David didn't look up, just kept scrolling.
| "Because being the strongest means nothing if you're locked in a lab or hunted by governments. You think they'd let me live if I just started 'doing whatever I want'? No thanks."
Elliot blinked, then slowly nodded.
| "Right. That makes sense. You'd be a walking science experiment."
David gave a tired smile.
| "Exactly. It's safer this way. Stay under the radar, deal with anomalies quietly."
Elliot grinned.
| "So we fix things, save the world, and still worry about rent. Got it. Speaking of rent, how exactly are we paying for this trip?"
David sighed, finally looking at him.
| "We're not. I need to go to work tomorrow to keep the lights on, remember?"
Elliot waved his phone with a gleam in his eye.
"Not anymore! I found this budget airline promo—$120 round trip for both of us. You can call in sick and we'll be back before they even miss you."
David stared at him, deadpan.
"I'm already regretting this."
Elliot laughed, tapping away at his phone.
"Future you will thank us! Or, you know, blame me, but it'll be worth it."
As the city slept, the Archmage and his rookie disciple set off on their first mission—one hoping to repair the world, the other ready to discover it.