Published at 29th of November 2025 6:46 pm

Chapter ONE HUNDRED SIXTY EIGHT: Vantage Points

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

168

******

Haoyu sat backwards in the desk chair, his arms propped on the backrest while he watched Alden take a turtleneck from his closet and fold it. How do you avoid getting lost?

Lexi, leaning against the door frame, groaned. He tells us hes going to sleep over at Matadero, and your first question is how he finds the place?

I need my uniform, too.

Alden reached for the hanger. The wizard whos been healing me is at Matadero. Its more convenient for him if Im there.

Esh-erdi had said it was fine to blame his housing arrangements on Porti-loth.

I dont think Ill be staying there much longer. Theyd said a few days, and it had already been a few. And Im not going to get lost because the System is willing to give me directions if I ask for them.

Nice, said Haoyu. Next time one of my parents goes there, Im going to tell them theyre no big deal. Even sixteen-year-olds can hang out at the cube if they want. Whats it like?

Alden stuffed a pair of sweatpants into his bag. Its pretty normal inside. The parts Ive seen, anyway. Im just staying in a room. Theres a cafeteria.

Haoyu smiled. I shouldnt have asked. Mom and Dad cant tell me much more than that either.

Youre getting away with so much peculiarity right now just because everything else is insane, too, Lexi said. Everyones either got their own drama to deal with, or theyre distracted by the fact that a girl in our class warned SkySea about the Submerger boat.

Yeah. I need to watch all the news, said Alden. I missed hearing about Maricel.

How? Haoyu asked. Its been everywhere.

I was visitingthat person Lexi wants me to call my elderly aunt.

After a long pause, the two of them spoke at the same time.

At Matadero? asked Haoyu.

Of course you were.

On Artona I, said Alden. My elderly aunt was worried about me after what happened and invited me over. It was actually a really good reset.

Haoyu laughed at the look on Lexis face.

Anyway, thats where Ive been and where Im going. Enough about me. Hows your family, Lexi? Did you get a chance to salvage stuff from your apartment? Is your boat still on the roof?

******

Halfway between Anesidora and Matadero, ten meters above the crests of the waves, Alden sat in the center of a green flying platform, watching the horizon. The sun was setting. He didnt want to fly in the dark, so he would have to move on soon. But for now, for these few minutes, there was something about this spot that had made him pause his flight toward the cube.

He thought about how he could point the finger with the driving ring on it in one direction and be back on campus with Haoyu and with Lexi.

Or I can point it west, and be surrounded by wizards.

A foregone conclusion this evening, since hed already promised Porti-loth hed come back and submit to a final mud potion treatment. But there was still something about this moment and this place.

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving. It was one of the more lightly celebrated holidays on the island, even when everyone wasnt recovering from a disaster. But Alden had gotten an invitation for a feast at the girls apartment, so he was looking forward to it.

He was wondering if it would be appropriate for him to bring food. Connie was cooking something for Brodies family. Brodies family didnt have an S-rank cooking Rabbit, though. Hed figure it out tomorrow morning.

Then Friday was duels again. Then he had a weekend with no firm plans.

December. Christmas. New Year.

He thought he would see Stuart a few times between now and the end of the year. He would be scheduling Aldens first meeting with the mind healer. As soon as possible, hed said, and that probably meant very soon, considering who he was.

The talks with Stuart and with her were good.

He felt like hed regained some of the stability hed lost on Friday night. Like hed been given a little patch of solid ground to stand on. And if I can have more of that, if a mind healer can help, that will make the next step possible, wont it?

A way out of the quicksand.

It can be a start.

Hey, System, he said. Call Boe.

Boe answered in just a few seconds. He was standing with his back to the bathroom mirror, and in the reflection, Alden could see a layer of white foam oozing down the shower wall.

Whats up? Boe asked.

Me. Currently flying over open ocean on the magic nonagon I sent you pictures of. Happy Almost Turkey Day.

You too. What was with your last few text messages, though? Did you forget how to write short ones?

Yeah. I thought he would wonder about that.

I was away from Earth a little while, Alden said in the most casual tone he could manage. I wanted to keep in touch, but I couldnt bring myself to pay the messaging fee for anything less than novel-length.

Boe actually took a step forward. Why were you off-planet? You cant be summoned yet, right? Was it something to do with?

Im fine. It was a social trip to Artona I, not a summoning or anything bad. I went to visit the friend who helps me keep in touch with Kibby.

Stuart.

You remember.

Boes brows pinched together. The name of your wizard phone buddy? Yes. Did you think I was going to let that one slip my mind? You justgo to his house now?

He invited me, said Alden. He was worried after everything that happened. It was honestly great to get away from Anesidora for a while and reset. Distance can give you perspective.

Boe took a second to answer. Well, you cant get much more distance than that.

Youre out of school until Monday, right? Alden asked. Hows your return to life going? And what are you going to do for Thanksgiving? Other than clean the shower.

There was enough mildew on the grout that I was worried about it evolving into an intelligent life form. Boe pushed up his glasses. The frames Dragon Rabbit had chosen looked good. Jeremy invited me over for lunch tomorrow, but its a family time. Ill probably just

You should go. His parents do postcard-perfect holidays. I bet the turkey has those little paper chef hats on its leg bones and everything.

I dont think

You do think. Youre overthinking. A wise man once said, Dont overthink. Overdo. There will be tons of people at Jeremys. One more wont be an imposition for his family.

What wise man said that?

Alden ignored the question. If I call you tomorrow and you arent enjoying a food coma, Ill feel sorry for you.

Ill consider it.

At least go tell Jeremy Happy Thanksgiving and take a to-go plate.

Maybe.

Alden nodded. I really just called to say hi. And show off my ride. And tell you Im in the process of making plans for the next few months, and those plans include zero sticking my neck outunless demons start falling from the sky on campus or somethingso you have plenty of time to catch up. Youre welcome.

Boe pointed a squirt bottle at him. You should be banned from mentioning hypothetical disaster scenarios.

Why?

Because Im positive you just doomed an entire campus by saying that.

Alden gasped in mock outrage.

What do your plans include, if sticking your neck out didnt make the list?

I amgoing to sort myself out up here. He tapped his own temple. And Im going to try to calm down and make the right choices.

About what?

Everything that comes at me really, said Alden. The future. Being an Avowed. My class schedule for next semester. Whether or not to offer up a dish for a friendly Thanksgiving supper.

All equally important. Boe tilted his head. Heywas the flood situation worse than you let on?

Alden considered putting off explaining again, but only for a moment. It was. I was with someone who got hurt badly, and I thought I could get us both somewhere safe. But it just became more and more impossible with every step I took.

Boe didnt say anything.

It wasnt like before, said Alden. Adrenaline was a much larger factor in my decision making. And I had time to get to know the person a little before the situation spiraled out of control. She helped me out, too. The parts that look too risky or insane nowI wasnt in a state of mind where I could calmly judge them, then.

He waited, holding his breath.

Just one? Boe finally asked.

What?

Just one more for the list? His tone was neutral.

Yes. Only one.

That makes ten, said Boe. Double digits are more satisfying anyway.

Alden felt himself relax. Youre not counting Gudrun the Great Dane or Tiny Snake?

Animals go on a separate list.

Good to keep it organized.

I do my best.

******

Wowthank you? Alden was staring at thick brown sludge inside a thermos while Porti-loth guided his bare foot into a tub of healing mud. This looks exactly like the potion were using for my body.

They were in his hospital room, and he was sitting by the table that had held Tiny Snakes container. According to his messages, Esh-erdi had decided to invite the reptile to live in his room until Alden returned. So that it wouldnt be lonely.

It is the same potion, said Porti-loth.

Ill be drinking dirt?

Do you need me to explain to you again why a patient should eat the natural foods of his world when his healer tells him to?

No, no. Ill swallow this. Somehow.

He took a cautious sip. Tastes like Im drinking someones leftover spa treatment.

He wondered how the whole birth dirt potion experience worked, and why it was different from his previous healings. Esh-erdi complained about Porti-loth being too traditional, but Alden doubted the complaints were sincere. After all, if the knight had wanted a different healer around, surely he would have just requested one.

An Avowed healed me when I was with the Quaternary, he said. Porti-loth hadnt started chanting yet, so he figured it was all right to ask a question. And Rynez-yt in Chicago, Illinois healed me when I was younger. There seem to be a lot of ways to do it.

Yes. Porti-loth let go of Aldens foot and stood, tucking his lenses into the pocket of his coat with a muddy hand. He drew himself up to his full, and very short, height. My way is better.

Alden would have bet argold on him saying that. He watched the wizard rub some extra potion on his own forearms. That was the last step before he would start hooting like an owl.

Why is it better? If its all right to ask.

I make your body forget it was hurt. No reversion. Strong starting place for next time you need healing. If someone casts a spell of old wounds on you, none of the ones I treat reappear.

He cleared his throat and lifted his arms.

Theres a spell of old wounds? thought Alden. Lets not ever get hit with that one.

He patiently endured the chanting and the sludge. When Porti-loth had finished and departed, he sat digesting his potion and tried not to worry about the fact that his stomach was radiating heat.

I could learn a healing spell, couldnt I? Eventually.

There wasnt one in his book. Maybe after hed gotten through it.

He wanted to pull his auriad out and practice right now. Visiting Stuart and watching him cast spells had made him even hungrier for it than usual. But he had about a dozen tasks on his to-do list for tonight, and it was already getting late.

One thing at a time. Whats most important?

It had to be the upcoming meeting with the mind healer. Stuart had asked him what he wanted from such sessions, and Alden had explained a few goals he was certain ofpreventing the kind of panic attack hed had on the bus, nightmare reduction, getting distance from the bad shit.

He was glad hed started the conversation right after waking up from the meeting with her. The honesty that felt so natural when he was talking to her had transferred over, and by the time he started feeling embarrassed to be getting into his mental state in detail, Stuart had already mentioned enough personal mind healer experiences of his own that it was like they were discussing an unfortunate shared hobby.

The person he hoped to introduce Alden to was, predictably, such a renowned figure that even wizards had trouble getting in to see her.

Alden still couldnt quite believe hed asked for the help. He was glad that hed told Stuart he wanted it, because now, if he tried to change his mind, hed have to apologize for inconveniencing the arth family and the healer who was clearing her schedule for him.

Yay for committing to things that are good for you in ways that are difficult to escape from after the fact.

Since he knew it was coming up sooner rather than later, he needed to take care of the thing he kept failing at: when he went to one of the Triplanets again, he would be blending in with clean, appropriate clothing, and he would have more than one outfit to change into.

The Rabbit man is always prepared.

He wondered if Gustavo was on Earth right now. The intake night counselor usually did his butler work on Artonan weekends.

A text message wont bother him either way. And he did offer to give me advice.

He sent a quick one, then turned on the television wall, planning to catch up on the news. Before hed heard the broadcaster speak ten words, Gus was calling him.

<<Youre ready to buy a tuxedo,>> he said in Portuguese.

Hey, Gus! Alden was relieved to see the man safe and well. He was sitting in a huge massage chair, and over the top of it, Alden could see the living room of what looked like a very swanky apartment. Im glad youre okay. Actually, I wanted some advice about clothes for trips to the Triplanets. If you dont mind and you have time to talk.

He ended up getting not only a talk but also an appointment to go shopping with Gus on Saturday.

Arent you in F-City? Alden asked. How will we meet up?

He didnt expect to have The Nine-edged Son forever.

Money, said Gus.

I guess that works, too.

******

He went to sleep that night watching the news and thinking about how just a short while on another world had taken the edge off all the stories.

There were a few intelligent species out there that couldnt, or wouldnt think beyond their own local scale. Humans were supposed to be good at it. When they chose to be.

On the universal scale, all of this is nothing, he thought, watching a recreation of the events that were confirmed to have taken place on the boat that sped underwater toward Matadero on Friday night.

On the global scale its a worrying accident.

There had been a lone survivora high school girl, a Sway, who had stowed away on the ship. Alden had met her once. No doubt some of his classmates had gone to school with her for years. She had given no interviews and was said to be cooperating with both Artonan and Anesidoran authorities. The statement released by her family begged for privacy and understanding: Our daughter Mina has no affiliation with Superhumans at Large. She has been struggling with class regret. You all know how confusing the months after selection can be.

The girls uncle had given an interview, laying into Minas parents for pressuring her to choose Sway. They were both Sways, and according to him, they insisted on all of their children being part of the community.

On the national scale, its a disaster.

Mina was being regarded with suspicion despite officially being held responsible for nothing more than an escape attempt. In contrast Maricel Alcantara was being hailed as a model citizena globie who had overcome an understandable period of homesickness to begin building a bright, Anesidoran future for herself.

Instructor Fragment and Principal Saleh had both praised her for her immediate action. The video of Maricels eyes widening and her running away from the obstacle course to go report the runaways had been leaked. Supposedly.

Alden was sure that if it hadnt leaked, it would have been shared by the school anyway. The spin they were putting on Maricel wasnt just positive, it was heroic.

The former Ghosten admired how well shed adjusted to school and spoke of the difficulty of betraying a friends trust for the sake of doing the right thing. Fragment asked everyone to respect Maricels privacy and understand that she was devastated her warning hadnt done any good.

Shell be helping me with clean-up for a few weeks, said Fragment, giving off that easy strength and calm candidness that Alden liked about her. I hope some hard work will help her take her mind off the terrible way it all played out. Its us adults who failed, not her. If you see us around your neighborhood be sure to give us a smile and a wave. Its a tough lesson to learn that you cant save everyone, and shes getting it too soon in her career.

Alden thought it was great that they had Maricels back and were making sure she didnt get fed to the wolves for something that wasnt her fault. Probably, the hard spin was a necessary part of that. But watching it play out when he was a little too in-the-know was strange.

All the inconvenient truths about Maricel were being carefully reframed, and all the convenient ones had been polished and gilded.

The Maricel everyone was talking about was not the conflicted one who had confessed to Alden outside Rosa Grove Mall that she was worried she might have ruined her friends chances of an escape needlessly. And there was definitely no mention that she had been trying to come up with safer ways for him to escape for at least a couple of weeks before the accident.

One Brute, interviewed in the street while she hauled a roll of wet carpet to a disposal truck, said she hoped SkySea Guard would formally apologize to that sweet Ground Shaper girl.

She did everything right, treated Anesidora like her home even though shes only been here three months, and they dropped the ball.

SkySea was catching hell for having advance warning and failing to find the boat in time.

Public opinion about the doomed vessels passengers was more of a mixed bag. But the fact that there was a boat with a dangerous magical device on it in the first place had to be someones fault. So far, Orpheus Velra and SAL were taking the lions share of the blame.

The man who had reportedly turned the boat toward the cube was in his late fifties, though he didnt look it in pictures. Acquaintances described him as a little peculiar since hed come back from a long assignment on the Triplanets years ago, but overall, they thought of him as a harmless person.

A few people said that he was scared of the cube. One of his neighbors said he was a kind, shy man and blamed the captain of the boat for manipulating him. He saw a powerful Avowed who was easy to use, and he thought hed take him to those SAL lunatics like he was a living weapon. Will was as strong as any A-rank Object Shaper Ive ever met, and hed do just about anything for you if you asked him to lend a hand. Those people murdered him. Hes a victim more than anyone else on that ship.

That wasnt a popular take, but, maybe because Alden had a lot of empathy for people who came back from the Triplanets feeling jumpy about demons, hearing it drained what was left of his anger.

As for the others, it was too unclear what theyd thought in the hours leading up to their deaths. Minas wizard-confirmed testimony gave them a lot of details about what had happened on the boat, but that was the last domino in the line. And nobody could seem to figure out where and why the first had fallen. Orpheus Velra didnt remember, and Jacob Moore couldnt talk.

Here, on the national scale, its a disaster, Alden thought. And its political tinder in other countries.

All the American channels wanted to talk about was the fact that Jacob was formerly American, and his father was a Presixter. Basically, they were the flavor of alien-hater who thought deleting the System, severing Earth from the rest of the known universe, and rolling back the timeline to 1959 was the only way to make life truly human. Pretty fringe stuff.

Alden saw that clip of the Jacobs mother again. They kept playing itthe one where she failed to hold back tears while pleading with people to believe that her son wasnt a killer.

He turned the television off.

On the personal scale, he thought, its a tragedy.

The distance and angle from which you observed a moment changed the story. Like when hed been shown the different views of himself on that rooftop, about to be crushed by the wave.

He wondered what the Primary thought of it all, if anyone had even decided to bother him with the news yet.

He wondered what was going through Maricels mind. Hed sent her a simple, Hope youre all right, and shed answered with an equally simple. Im okay. Thank you.

He wondered about Joe and Principal Saleh and Esh-erdi.

He even wondered about the wizard who had decided, for some reason, to make a more powerful, longer lasting Fragile Atmosphere than their peoples Contract with Earth required. That was what the Artonans said had allowed Mina to survivemagical craftsmanship beyond the standard. One of the SAL members on the boat whod used her own signing bonus hadnt made it.

What scale was that wizard thinking on? What angle were they looking from?

It could have been anything.

I am saving someones life. I am showcasing my pride as a craftsman and an Artonan. I am following the path of higher onus.

Or, maybe, I am thinking about the universe and how fragile all of us are. One day, the Avowed who wears this might be needed.

******

Succotash? Alden stepped out of the elevator onto the floor of the hospital where Porti-loths makeshift healing grove could be found. He was going to return the potion thermos to the healer with his thanks and never speak to anyone of the giant fart that had scared him awake from a peaceful slumber at four AM.

I needed to get up early anyway.

Hed decided that having a special diet tilted him farther into the bring a side dish category than not. And he kind of wanted to make it feel like a real holiday.

It looks like its vegan if you leave out the bacon grease, Connie said. She was on the sofa with a bottled coffee in one hand and her mothers recipe book in the other. Alden had woken her up and asked her to look through it for him. Lima beans, corn

Yummy? Alden asked.

Looks like it to me.

Thanks, Aunt Connie. Send me a picture of it. Happy Thanksgiving, andgood luck with that mac and cheese youre making.

The picture came less than a minute later, and he stopped walking down the hall to study it. A handwritten recipe from my grandmother.

With a couple of stains on the paper and a note about how simmerblue would be good if you didnt like sage or thyme, it looked like an artifact from someone elses life.

And what the heck is simmerblue?

Alien import probably. They went in and out of fashion.

I wont be using that, thanks. Earth food only for the next couple of

A small gasp made him look around.

An Artonan had just opened the door of the last room hed passed. She was wearing a scratchy-looking, knitted, knee-length sack, with things that were either nuts or rocks stitched onto it. A Porti-loth creation, if Alden guessed correctly. Her long purple hair had been shaved off, but it had already rown out a couple of inches.

Zeridee! he said. Im so happy to see you. Finally. Are you all right?

For a second, he worried this reunion was going to be a repeat of the situation with Ro-den. Zeridee looked alarmed at the sight of him.

But then she threw open the door and bowed low. Alden Ryeh-bt, I am so sor

Dont do that! an angry healers voice sounded from the grove down the hall. Stop it! Stop shaking your brain!

Zeridee righted herself. Slowly. Then she glanced down the hall with a frown.

Assuming there was some kind of monitoring spell allowing Porti-loth to watch the hall, or maybe just mundane tech, Alden held up the thermos. I brought this back. Thank you for the potion.

Keep it! shouted Porti-loth. Humans made it in Tennessee. Like you were made. Drink from it often.

At this rate, Im going to start wondering if everything that wasnt made in one specific U.S. state is slightly unhealthy for me.

You were going somewhere, Zeridee said to Alden. Her English was as good as he remembered, though hed spoken so much Artonan to Artonans over the past couple of days that it sounded odd. Im sorry to interrupt you on your way.

Alden waved his new thermos. I was just returning this and thanking Porti-loth and apologizing to Porti-loth for my bad food choices again

You should apologize! Porti-loth announced.

and hoping I might catch a glimpse of you, actually. They told me you would be all right, but I wanted to see for myself. Andsay hello.

Ask you if youre mad at me for being so stubborn. Apologize for what you went through. Thank you for saving me in the greenhouse.

She was blinking at him. Her brown eye rings were gone. He wondered if Porti-loth was against artificial implants while he was doing the whole traditional nature healing thing.

Im well, said Zeridee.

Ha! Porti-loth shouted.

Zeridee sighed. Would you like to come in? My room is not the most comfortable place for a meeting, but

Alden was already stepping toward the door.

She stood aside and let him enter. The hospital room was similar in layout to his own, but many of the furnishings were made of organic materials. The bed was wood. The table was, too, with a circle of cloudy crystal set into the top that reminded Alden of the class trading table in the consulate.

He stood beside it while Zeridee stood with her back to the door. They didnt speak for a few moments.

Alden caved to the awkwardness first. I didnt have much to say, he admitted, turning the thermos nervously in his hands. JustIm sorry if me being stubborn about staying with you made everything worse in the end. And thank you. For protecting me from those guys who tried to steal the flyer.

Looking at her now, he couldnt quite believe shed done it.

Im the one who should apologize, said Zeridee. If I had prioritized your safety over your emotions

No. I think we were right to let me choose those priorities for myself, Alden said quickly.

Knee-jerk reaction. She had seemed to be on the verge of drugging him and stuffing him into the flyer at one point. But Im very sorry if I got it wrong. I was trying hard to do the right thing, but it went so bad.

There was another long silence.

Those men. Zeridee said.

Are sleeping, thought Alden. How many times had he heard her voice repeat the phrase?

Those men should not have been there, she said.

Alden looked into her eyes. They were focused. Serious.

They shouldnt have been there, she repeated. That they were, that they attacked me, that Ithat they passed awaynone of it was your fault. If they had arrived after you left, I would have tried to reason with them. And they were clearly not reasonable. Or they might have tried to stun me from behind, exactly as they did, and panicked when I didnt fall, exactly as they did.

She straightened her shoulders. If you hadnt been there, they would have taken their time exploring the residence. They would have run as the floods approached, leaving me behind dead or soon to die. I wouldnt be here, and even if they made it outthere are those who would insist on identifying them and punishing them. They would have met the same fates by a different road.

The only person you caused hurt by staying, Alden, was yourself.

Alden hadnt thought he needed to hear that, but he must have been wrong. Something sore inside him eased at the words.

Thank you, Zeridee. You being this way makes me so glad I didnt let you go.

She frowned at him. But you must remember that your actions could have led to your death. In the future, I insist you think of how your loss might affect Stu-arth and Hntyon Alis-arth and

Alden burst out laughing.

Zeridee stuttered to a halt.

Im sorry! Alden said, wiping his eyes with the hand that wasnt holding the thermos. Im sorry. I know its serious. But you should have seen Stus face when I told him you kept trying to force me to stay safe by mentioning his name.

Zeridee made a yelping sound. You told!

He was so offended and so pleased at the same time. The weirdo. He did tell me to tell you to stop doing it, though.

Zeridee looked appalled.

You told him, she said faintly.

Of course, said Alden, still smiling. Were friends after all.

Zeridee leaned back against the door and looked toward the ceiling, letting her head hit it with a thump.

Dont shake your brain, Alden reminded her.

******

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