His head was hurting terribly. This was not a new thing to him—he'd been having regular headaches since the implantation of his booster, and especially since the previous year. That was the price to pay for power, although in the end that power was only temporary. He could not stay in his booster-enhanced state for long now, and it often left him weaker than if he had simply fought normally. Just like during his last fight against…

Remembering recent events, Wingul suddenly sat up… and regretted it immediately. Letting a groan escape his lips, he closed his eyes and massaged his temples to try and dull the pain. His booster had really outlived its usefulness. At this rate, he would just end up becoming a burden to the others.

Where were they, anyway? He opened one eye, then the next, slowly so as not to let the light blind him. Looking around the room only increased his confusion. None of the objects around him looked familiar, and the scenery he could see from the window looked very strange. Where was he?

"Wingul?"

He turned his head toward the voice and saw that Presa was watching him with a worried expression. He had not even heard her open the door. She turned back to the outside of the room for a moment, then came in and sat on the edge of the bed. He could hear Agria approach the room.

"Hah! I told you I heard something!" She and Jiao joined Presa inside.

"How are you feeling?" Presa asked him softly.

He ran his hand over his face, thinking about what to say. He did not like talking about his problems, but lying would probably only worry her further. "I've been better," he finally said. "How about you? Your leg?"

She stretched her leg and wiggled her toes to show him. "All good. They overdid it a bit with healing artes."

"They?"

He was not sure he liked the look she shared with the others. He sighed. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, not that long," she tried to reassure him. "Less than 24 hours."

The way they were looking at him, he had expected longer. What had happened in the meanwhile?

"Are you going to tell me where we are?" he asked bluntly. Their reluctance to explain the current situation was starting to grate on his nerves.

"What do you remember?"

"Everything. At least, I think so. Were there really two Musees?"

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. And yet, he recognized the side-effects of his booster. He had definitely used it the previous day.

"Well, at least he's still got his head," Agria remarked. He did not have the strength to react to the jab.

"There were," Jiao confirmed. "It was real. Like everything that happened afterwards, even if it's hard to believe. But you'd already passed out, hadn't you? You were unconscious when we landed here."

"And where is 'here'?"

"Elympios," Presa answered, "but…"

Elympios? How could that be? And why? He ran through various possible scenarios in his mind, but none of them sounded good.

"Are we prisoners?"

"What? No!"

"Don't worry, we are safe here."

Presa was trying to sound reassuring, but it was hard for him to imagine how safe they could be in their enemies' hands. The last time they had dealt with Elympions, they had invaded their city and siphoned their mana.

"What exactly happened while I was sleeping?" He was increasingly irritated by the way they were beating around the bush. Firstly, because it was unlike them. Secondly because it only served to make him more anxious.

"I can explain," Agria declared, "but you're gonna complain I lack tact again."

"I think Presa should do it. She's the best when it comes to explanations," Jiao proposed.

"If you say so… I'll try to sum up the situation as best as I can, but I'm still struggling to understand everything. If you want more detail, ask Rowen when he comes back."

What Presa told him next made no sense whatsoever. Alternate realities? Their own world destroyed? His headache was getting worse by the minute.

"That's because you were out," Agria explained when he voiced his doubts. "If you'd felt it, you would have understood."

According to their story, they had felt the world break around them, followed by the sensation of being pulled in every direction through the void. Not like a teleportation—something much stronger, as though they were literally being ripped away from the world around them, before being thrown into a new dimension.

He had actually felt the world breaking around him when he fainted, but he had thought it was a side-effect of his booster. He reluctantly recognized that they must be telling the truth. They had no reason to lie to him, anyway.

"So, we are in another dimension. That doesn't explain the Elympios part."

"Well, there are some differences between our worlds. Here, the schism doesn't exist anymore, and Rieze Maxia and Elympios are at peace. As for the reason we landed here, it's because Rowen and the others live here." She anticipated his next question: "I don't know how the schism disappeared or why the two countries are allies. We haven't been told everything yet. All I know is that our dimensions' histories are pretty similar up to that point."

He could always ask Ilbert later, he supposed... "All right. I'm starting to see things more clearly now. Is there anything else I should know?"

They shared that look again, reawakening his worries.

Presa took his hand. "This dimension does have some differences with ours. In this dimension…" Her voice broke, and her nails dug into his skin. She was blinking rapidly to repress tears. "In this world, His Highness is alive. He's alive, Wingul."

Time froze. It was like he was in a trance. He could not feel anything anymore—neither his headache nor Presa's grip on his hand. Agria was talking, he could see her lips move, but he did not hear her. Only Presa's words were echoing in his mind. Alive… Alive… Gaius is alive… He's alive! He let his head fall back on his pillow—barely even registering the others' alarmed looks—and looked up to the ceiling, not really seeing it. He repeated the words in his mind, again and again and again, as though he needed to burn each of them into his memory to truly believe them. Gaius… Alive… Gaius… Oh, Arst…

He realized he had started to cry when Presa offered him a tissue, which he did not even feel like taking. All he could do was lie on the bed, eyes fixed on the black ceiling, tears dripping down his cheeks onto the pillow. Could this even be possible? After the nightmarish year they had spent without him, could they find him alive and well, albeit in another world?

Slowly but surely, he came back to his senses. He could now feel the wetness on his cheeks, see the tears in the others' eyes, hear Agria laugh and scold them. "Come on, you're not kids anymore. Don't be so pathetic!" She was putting on airs, but he caught her discreetly wiping the corners of her own eyes. He finally took Presa's tissue and tried to calm himself down before asking further questions.

"Are you sure?" It was too good to be true.

"Absolutely. We met him yesterday night."

"He was worried about you," Jiao added.

"He said he'd come back today."

"He… He's coming today?"

The warmth that had filled his heart at the realization that his king was alive here left him as quickly as it had come and gave way to a growing sense of dread. Part of him desperately wanted to see him and embrace him, but… Not like this. Not while he was still so unprepared. Gaius was alive, but hadn't Presa said they were in another dimension? He would probably be different from the Gaius they'd known. And even if he wasn't… What would he say when he learned what happened to the Gaius of their world? What would he think when he learned that they had failed their duty and let him die alone—and even failed to avenge him? That they had let his precious country plunge into chaos? Let their dimension be destroyed? And that they were always, always, the only ones making it out alive selfishly. He would be so disappointed. He might even get angry. Or perhaps he would feel sorry for them… no, that would be even worse.

"Wingul?"

Of course, the others had immediately noticed his change of mood. They had spent the past year observing him closely and, in that time, had become quite good at reading him.

"How could I ever look him in the eye…?" he whispered.

They had no answer, for they all understood the dilemma he was facing.

"We… We don't really have a choice, do we?" Agria said after a while. "He wants to be responsible for us."

"He what?"

He didn't know anything about this dimension's Gaius, but he was already starting to sound like the Gaius he'd known. Though whether that was a comfort, Wingul was not sure.

Presa sighed. "That's why I wanted to refuse."

"Personally, I agree with what Jiao said yesterday." Agria said. "If he wants to take care of us, we should let him."

"After all, who are we to disobey him?"

"I know…"

Wingul did not know what they had talked about the day before, but knowing the people involved, he had a good idea as to how the conversation went. Their conclusion made sense, and he understood why they would choose that path, but he could not follow them. He was not going to become a burden for the Gaius of this world.

"I won't stop you from accepting his offer, but it'll be without me."

"Yeah, right! And where are you gonna sleep, under a bridge? Been there, done that. If His Highness wants to find us a place to live, we should let him."

He was about to argue back, but Presa cut him off. "Agria's right. I know how you feel, but in your current state, you wouldn't last long on your own. In fact, Jude said—"

"Jude?" Now that was a name he hadn't heard in a while.

They immediately stopped debating to explain. Apparently, Gaius had not been the only one to survive in this dimension, and Jude Mathis had visited them earlier in the morning to look at Presa's leg and check up on him while he was sleeping.

"He wants you to go to his lab to have your booster examined." Presa told him. "And please don't be stubborn about that."

Stubborn or not, he was sure there were doctors more qualified than Jude Mathis to look at his head, but he kept the thought to himself. He was weary of arguing with them.

"Can you leave me alone for a while? I'd like to rest."

He spent the rest of the morning in bed, though he was not able to fall asleep again. Now much calmer, he tried to sort out the many conflicting thoughts that were filling his mind so he could decide on how to proceed. Although it was painful to admit, the others were right: he was in no state to be stubborn. After all, they were all stranded in an unfamiliar world with only their clothes on their backs. They had quite literally lost everything. Getting their jobs back in the castle was out of the question since the Chimeriad already existed in this dimension—and he had no desire to cross their path. For now, it would be better to let the people from this dimension take care of them, at least until they found a way to live on their own. As for Gaius being the one to do it… It actually was a natural choice. Unless their relationship was different here, they were his subordinates. He was in the best place to decide what to do with them. It all made sense, and yet…

If he was honest with himself, he did not know how he would react seeing Gaius again. He did not want to have to face his own failures again, and more than anything, he was afraid of the king's reaction if he found out. On one hand, the simple knowledge that Gaius, even one from an alternate world, had survived was enough for him. There was no need to see him; they would be strangers anyway. On the other hand… Regardless of the dimension, this was Gaius. If he could, just for a moment, look at his face again, and hear his voice—see him alive and healthy and strong, just how he used to be until that day… Would it be selfish to want to stay by his side? But he knew it was impossible, and regretted even entertaining the thought. He was no longer Wingul, right hand of the king. He was just a powerless man, lost in a dimension he should never have come to. He could not work for him anymore; that was the job of another Wingul, a Wingul who had not failed his most basic duty like he had. Dreaming of staying by Gaius' side was hopeless. For the first time in his life, Wingul felt completely lost, without any goal or plan. His career as Ajur's royal strategist was effectively over for good.

Still unsure of what to do, he got up around noon and joined the others in the living room. The rest of the apartment looked as unfamiliar as the bedroom and was equipped with many strange devices he realized must be spyrixes. It was when they were inspecting the kitchen in search of something to eat that the front door opened and they were greeted by two visitors: Elise—the one from this dimension, and probably the one who had appeared in the Xailen Woods the day before—and none other than Leia Rolando, a living proof of the difference between their worlds. They had come to bring them sandwiches and teach them how to use a spyrix called "microwave" to heat up soup leftovers. They both looked happy to see him, which confused him a little. Were they close in this dimension?

"We absolutely need to tell Gaius!" Leia said, taking a small yellow device out of her pocket. Probably another spyrix.

"I'll do it!" Elise interrupted. Teepo added, "He won't get it if you're the one to text him."

Elise took out her own device (pink this time) and pushed on some buttons, before she closed it with a satisfied look. "He'll probably see it when he's done with his meeting."

So that was it. Gaius was coming, and there was no avoiding it. To distract himself from the feelings that arose at the realization, Wingul asked the girl to explain what that spyrix was used for. Getting used to Elympios and its technology was most likely going to take some time.

He was only able to eat the soup for lunch, but it was enough to make him feel better, both physically and mentally. His head was not hurting as much anymore, and the food gave him some energy. He also felt calmer now. Perhaps he would be able to face Gaius, after all. At least, that's what he told himself, but considering how fast his heart started beating when the doorbell rang, he might have been overestimating himself.

However, their new visitor was not the king, but Rowen J. Ilbert, who had come to report to Gaius and decided to wait for him with them. While they were waiting, the old man gave them a brief overview of the current political situation, which Wingul was grateful for, as it distracted him enough to calm him down, and also helped him understand this dimension's situation better.

"King Gaius is spending a lot time in Elympios at the moment," Ilbert explained. "There is a lot of diplomatic work to do, and it is easier to act from this side, although we would like to eventually welcome an Elympion delegation to Rieze Maxia." He also told them that their king was now reigning over the whole of Rieze Maxia. Another point on which this dimension was outshining theirs.

"Speaking of Gaius," Leia said looking at the clock, "don't you think he's a bit late?"

"Maybe he didn't see my message?" Elise guessed. "If his GHS ran out of battery like the other day…"

"I doubt he forgot to charge it in these circumstances. His meeting must simply be taking longer than expected," Rowen said.

"That's probably it. He got my text just fine yesterday."

"He got it all right, but he couldn't 'get' it." Teepo interjected in a childish mocking tone. "Leia's texts are always hard to understand."

"Aw, come on! Don't start criticizing me like Alvin."

"Al is alive?"

They all turned to Presa, who had suddenly interrupted their banter at the mention of her ex. Leia was the one who hesitantly answered. "Erm… Yeah? He wasn't in your dimension?"

First Jude, then Leia, and now Alvin… All that was left was Maxwell and their group would be whole again. What had happened in this dimension for it to be so merciful?

"I don't really know," Presa admitted. "He disappeared suddenly one year ago, and we haven't heard from him since."

"Oh…"

"You, however," Agria told Leia, "you're totally dead in our world."

"Agria!"

"Really?" Leia's eyes had widened at the news, but she did not look too distressed. "Aw, well, I suppose it can happen."

Her lack of reaction discouraged Agria from attempting to torment her further, and she fell silent, defeated.

"Does it not bother you to learn that you died in another dimension?" Wingul asked Leia. Would Gaius feel the same when he'd learn of his other self's fate?

"It's a bit weird, I guess," she replied honestly. "But we're used to things being different in fractured dimensions by now. For example, we recently went to one where Jude wasn't born. What matters is that we're all alive here. Well, I guess it's our dimension that seems weird, from your point of view…"

"Do you often go to other dimensions?"

"It's a bit hard to explain," Elise said. "It's all because of the great spirit of time, Chronos."

"We've seen a lot of different ones," Leia added. "Oh right, there was even one where you were the king of Ajur!"

Him, king of Ajur? What nonsense was this? Although… He did once hold that ambition, in the past. If he hadn't rallied Gaius' cause during his youth, but had still opposed the previous king… However, according to Leia, that dimension's reality had been vastly different from his imagination.

"That dimension's Gaius had abdicated because his sister was sick."

Gaius, abdicating? And because of Karla? Wingul had not seen the woman in a long while, but he could not imagine her letting her brother relinquish his duty, even if she was sick. "That's ridiculous!"

Leia shrugged. "I know. Actually, Gaius wasn't too happy about how things had turned out there. Erm, I mean our Gaius."

"Not every dimension is equal," Rowen explained. "Some are very close to the prime dimension or seem to be a natural evolution from a divergence at a certain point of history. Others, however, are vastly different from our reality."

Even then, Gaius abdicating… Wingul would have been less surprised if they'd told him that his other self from that dimension had assassinated him.

"Fortunately, our own dimension doesn't seem to be too different from this one, according to His Highness," Jiao remarked. "There are just a few people we're surprised to see alive here, but other than that our histories are rather similar."

"That's good to hear. It'll be easier for you to adapt. Not like… Well…"

Leia did not finish her sentence, but Rowen did not miss their questioning looks and explained that another Milla had made the trip to this dimension before them. She had however been very different from the Milla Maxwell they knew, and it hadn't ended well for her. Wingul was not sure they would find adaptation easier than her, considering the biggest difference between their dimensions, but he kept that thought to himself.

As Gaius had still not shown up, Rowen decided to use his communication spyrix—GHS was the name, Wingul recalled from Elise's prior explanation—to find out where he was. The device looked quite useful, and he hoped he could get one for himself. Rowen managed to reach their king, but as he was the only one to hear his responses, the others could only follow one half of their conversation.

"Hello? Gaius, I hope I'm not interrupting… Ah, good. … We're at Ludger's apartment. … Yes, he's fine, don't worry. … Yes. … I met the realtor; he gave me a few choices." Rowen used his free hand to look through the documents he had brought with him. "The first one is located on technology drive. … Pardon? Not in front of Spirius? … No, I understand perfectly. … In that case, I would recommend one in the Svarog district. It's one metro station away from the central station. … According to the agent, it's a quiet residential area. … Yes. … Yes. … Certainly. I will take care of it immediately. … See you later, then."

When he was done, he turned to the Chimeriad. "Gaius is on the way; he should be there in around ten minutes. I will leave you for now, as I need to meet with the realtor to sign the lease for your apartment." Wingul tried to ask him how they should pay for it, but Rowen simply told him to settle that with Gaius. He gathered his things and went out, leaving them and the girls to wait for the king.

Presa elbowed Wingul lightly and whispered, "If you look too nervous, he'll immediately know something is up."

"Is it that obvious?"

"You're stiff as a stick. Try to relax your shoulders, at least."

He tried to relax his muscles and breathed deeply. Even if he did not completely succeed to calm himself down, he could at least fake a neutral expression.

After what seemed to be the longest ten minutes of his life, the bell finally rang. Elise was the one to open, and Gaius took the time to properly greet her and Leia before he turned toward him.

Wingul's heart had lodged itself in his throat, and he could not help to stare at him, absorbing every little detail about his appearance, as if he could disappear at any moment. Despite the new fashion style, everything about him was the same as he'd always known—his posture, his voice, his piercing eyes… They were so familiar that Wingul felt as if he had simply traveled back in time, to one year ago, before everything changed. Intellectually, he knew the man before him was not exactly the same, but seeing him like this, standing in front of him, felt like meeting him again. If he followed his instinct, he would lose self-control and hug him tightly, telling him how glad he was to see him alive. But the Gaius who died before him was still very much dead, and this one did not know anything about it. No, he must not know about it.

So instead of letting out his joy, Wingul got up slowly and bowed formally. "Your Highness."

"Wingul. I am glad to see you well." The smile that illuminated his face was almost enough to make Wingul lose what little restraint he still had. How long had it been since he last saw him relaxed like that? His last vision of him was one of nightmares, his face distorted in pain and his body horribly mangled. But here he was, unaware of the fate that had befallen his self in another dimension, alive and healthy and even happy to see him.

Mumbling that he was fine, Wingul sat down rather shakily. Presa's nails dug into his back to remind him to relax his shoulders and breathe. Gaius took the seat Rowen had previously occupied in front of him, his gaze still fixed onto him. For a while, neither of them spoke, and the rest of the Chimeriad did not dare break the silence. What were they even supposed to say? "Nice to meet you" would be weird given the circumstances. "I'm happy you're alive" was definitely out of the question. And any kind of small talk would feel unnatural.

"Aaaaah this is so awkward!" Elise's doll eventually yelled. She quickly hushed it, her cheeks pink, but no one blamed her for its outburst. It had voiced exactly what everyone in the room was thinking.

"Not to sound like Teepo," Leia chuckled, "but you guys don't need to be so shy. You all know each other already!"

"That's what's making it hard," Agria grumbled in response.

At least the interruption had broken the tension a little.

"You are both right," Gaius remarked. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then turned to Wingul once more. "Is there anything you want to know about this place?"

"I was already given explanations," he replied stiffly.

Presa's foot connected with his own, but she spared him the need to come up with something to say. "We've told him everything we know, and Rowen talked about the current political situation earlier. I think we know enough to understand our situation for now."

"Good. Then all that remains is for you to learn how Elympios works."

"Your Highness, is there a reason we can't go back to Rieze Maxia?" Agria asked.

"I've been wondering as well," Jiao said. "Even if we have to avoid the capital, we could live in Hamil or some other remote place."

Gaius shook his head. "You need a passport to go through the border. I will work on making you one, but it will take some time. Besides, we run the risk of having some of the soldiers stationed in Marksburg recognize you, and your presence there would raise too many questions."

"We could sneak in on wyverns," Agria suggested, but Gaius shot her idea down as well.

"That would be a breach of the treaty prohibiting air transport. If the Elympion government caught you, it's Rieze Maxia that would pay. It is better to lay low here for now."

"Even so…" Wingul spoke, reluctantly bringing Gaius' attention back to himself, "Is there a reason why you must personally get involved?"

Gaius frowned at his wording. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"We were never supposed to be here. If you feel you have to help us because of your relationship with this dimension's Chimeriad…"

"I do, but it is not the only reason. Though indirectly, I am partially responsible for your presence here. I must assume that responsibility. Besides, it is not like I am being forced to help. I want to."

Wingul knew then that further arguing would be futile. Gaius had made his decision, and he would not back down. It was easier, in a way. He could now go along with it without feeling too guilty about burdening him.

"I will take care of you for now, at least until you are ready to navigate this dimension on your own." Gaius concluded. He looked like he wanted to add something, but he did not say more.

All they had to do now was to wait for Rowen to come back from the real estate agency, and they would be able to start their new life in Elympios.