The gates opened to reveal a vast compound of freshly trimmed grass and maze-like hedges leading away from the central building into one of the smaller outer domes that lined the four corners of the research institute. The central building itself was also a dome of shimmering black glass that seemed to morph slightly as Lexie stared at it, as though it were slime trying to escape its geometric confines. Behind it was a similar, albeit smaller dome that seemed perfectly oriented towards the sun for whatever reason.

Lexie felt a warning skittering down her spine, even though there was nothing explicitly threatening about the space. Maybe in the back of her head, she was still remembering the ISTS warnings and had a feeling she wasn't supposed to be here. But curiosity had her taking Aiden's hand as he led through the gate anyway, only to stop when a holographic screen popped into view, blocking their advance.

IDENTIFICATION NOT RECOGNIZED > TRESPASSING DETECTED > ALERTING SECURITY IMMEDIATELY ...

The gate already swung closed behind them, blocking their retreat.

Lexie's heart skipped a beat and she realized that by taking a step inside, they'd been scanned by whatever invisible system governed this unassuming compound. And they were trapped here.

Just as Lexie was about to panic another screen popped up and informed them:

SECURITY OVERRIDE INITIATED> PLEASE WAIT FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL BEFORE YOU PROCEED

Lexie breathed a sigh of relief and Aiden gave her a crooked smile. "Were you scared, honey bee?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. For a second, I thought we were gonna get arrested." Or worse. They were going to rip my soul out of my body and completely eviscerate it.

Lexie shuddered. She should try not to have thoughts like those while she was here. She also wasn't sure she'd made the right choice being here, but the alternative was continuing to live in ignorance about her circumstances and how she got to Earth 9 in the first place, and she found that she couldn't do that anymore. She needed to know what was going on and there was no other way for her to get the information.

Even if she managed to get her hands on Elvira's Scholar ID, she probably wouldn't be able to access information about the ISTS since it wasn't pertinent to Elvira's research. And there was no one she could ask without potentially breaking ISTS rules. It was a lucky break that Aiden even knew someone who could get them in. This way, she might be able to talk to someone without revealing how much she knew.

Or they would instantly recognize her as an ISTS candidate and capture her for their nefarious plans.

But that was ridiculous. If they were going to do that, wouldn't they have done it already? Why did they leave her with Aiden in the first place, barely giving her instructions on what was going on and why she was there?

Lexie swallowed as one of the bottom hexagonal obsidian-black planes morphed into an open doorway with a woman hurrying out. She was small with pretty, pixie-like features and blonde hair cropped close to her skull. She was also wearing a suit with a labcoat over it, and sensible loafers that didn't make a sound as she trailed a walkway that abruptly appeared on the grass.

Lexie was surprised by its sudden appearance. The second the woman's foot was about to touch the grass, the walkway shimmered into view. Lexie glanced around and realized that nothing in this place was as it appeared. Things could change and morph at will, or disappear and reappear. She might be surrounded by dozens of guns or even maybe soul zappers and she would be none the wiser.

Her apprehension grew.

She had to be very careful while she was here. She was metaphorically in the belly of the beast and didn't know enough about what she didn't know. She didn't know if she could trust this woman. She didn't even know why the woman had agreed to talk to them.

Lexie was scared of giving too much away.

Before the woman could get close Lexie put her hand behind her back and quickly materialized and activated the combined <All Eyes On Me> and <Charades Champion> cards. She shielded the activation and tried not to show her concentration as she went through the pathway.

<All Eyes on Me> was supposed to help you know who was looking at you, while <Charades Champion> was used to read body language and guess the intent behind subtle body movements. So the both of them combined should be able to tell her how much danger she was in.

Lexie had tried the combination once, targeting Aiden at dinner, but all she'd gotten was that he was hungry and tired and also that he cared about her. Stuff she could have figured out without the card.

This would be the true test of how much the cards could actually sense.

Once they activated, Lexie's skin prickled. She felt like she was indeed being watched but she couldn't tell by who or from what angle. She couldn't read their intentions either.

But she could read the person in front of her.

"Sorry," the woman said, flashing them a quick, slightly nervous smile as she approached. "I should have told you to wait at the gate. The security here's a bit intense."

"No problem," Aiden said pleasantly. "My name is Aiden and this is my daughter, Lexie."

"I know who you are," the woman said quickly and Lexie wondered if it was her imagination or if there was a light blush at the tips of the woman's ears and the apples of her cheeks. "I mean…everyone in this town pretty much…" She didn't finish her sentence, coughing with a flustered look. "Anyway um, you said you knew Jamie Leith."

"Well, 'knew' is kind of overstating it. We met twice I believe, but he was always too busy to talk much."

"Yeah, that sounds like him." She gave a wain smile.

"I'm really sorry to hear about his death."

Leixe saw it then, a slight furrow of an eyebrow, that told her that something was wrong. It took Lexie a second to translate the stimuli she received.

The woman had heard something she didn't necessarily agree with but she instantly caught herself and covered up her response.

"Yes, his death was truly a sad occurrence."

Lexie glanced at Aiden and saw that he hadn't noticed the lie at all, because he was nodding along commiseratingly and seemed to be buying her truthful affect. That meant that it was the card that was making Lexie more perceptive than usual and that split-second eyebrow ruffle wasn't as physically pronounced as she'd thought it was. <Charades Champion> had simply magnified its appearance and effect.

Hmmm.

Apart from that though, Lexie wasn't detecting any animosity from the woman. Not that Lexie was even sure the card could detect something like that, especially if the target was good at shielding. Maybe it only picked up on obvious expressions or when someone was caught off guard.

But at least on the surface, the woman didn't have any ill intentions or suspicions toward either Lexie or Aiden.

Unfortunately at that point, the timer ran out and both cards went into cooldown.

"Um anyway, are you here for a particular reason?" the woman asked. "Like I said, we're not open for excursions today so I won't be able to show you around."

"No, that's fine," Aiden said. "My daughter seems to have an interest in the ISTS. Apparently, someone came to her school and told her about it."

"Who?" The woman's eyebrow furrowed and Lexie tried to keep her face straight.

"I don't know her name," she said.

"Well, what did she look like?"

Lexie pretended to think about it and then shrugged. "Normal, I guess."

Aiden gave her an odd look and then sent an apologetic one to the woman. "Sorry. She's usually more observant and detailed than this."

"No, that's quite alright." When the woman glanced at Aiden, her eyes lost their suspicion and appeared shy once more. "I was just wondering who'd been assigned to any school talks lately and was drawing up a blank." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, we should be closed today but since it's you and you know…" She blushed more obviously this time. "You being a close friend of Jamie and all."

"Well, close friend is kind of–"

Lexie nudged her father so he would shut up and not ruin this with excessive honesty.

The woman didn't see it and continued to barrel on, "I guess I can answer some of your daughter's questions, off the record. We can talk in my office."

"Perfect."

With that, she spun around and started back toward the building. Aiden squeezed Lexie's hand slightly as they followed.

The hexagon once again morphed into an open doorway letting them in, Lexie was greeted with a vast empty floor. Seriously, there was seemingly no one and nothing there, except for a reception desk, with a call button floating above the center of the table. Lexie knew there were probably other things in the room she couldn't see. She felt the buzz in the atmosphere at certain spots that were probably using manaronics.

She kept note of them and also paid attention to the architecture and interior design as well.

It was all clean lines and minimalistic decor with black and gold walls that blended well with the fixtures floating near the ceilings giving off a moody atmospheric light.

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

It's difficult to tell whether it's night or day from inside, Leixe thought. It's probably by design so you can't tell when time passes. So you spend your entire day in here and not even notice.

Finally, they reached the opposite wall of the dome and a door materialized just as they reached it. The woman pushed it open.

It revealed what looked like a normal, high-tech office with holographic computer screens, and sleek pads on the table. There was also an ergonomic desk, art deco seats, and an exposed pipe that reminded Lexie of some fancy New York apartments.

Oh and simulated sunlight from the roof. There were no windows in the office.

Lexie found it all familiar until the woman walked to a flat wall and pressed a button that showed up out of nowhere.

The seats, which were initially hardback and leather immediately transformed into a plus fabric couch that spread across that portion of the room.

Lexie gaped at it.

It was easier for her to understand things popping out of thin air, and a door morphing where the door wasn't before. But for some reason the thought of a chair becoming a sofa stumped her, mostly because she couldn't for the life of her figure out how that worked.

"I thought that would be more comfortable for you two," the woman said

"Thank you…erm…"

"Jenna," she said. "Jenna Corawinkle."

Aiden's eyebrows went up. "Any relation to Mathew Corawinkle?"

"Yes, he's my father. He told me about you as well. How you saved his life."

Aiden nodded. "He's a good man. Is his leg doing better?"

"Yes, much better, thank you."

Lexie looked between the two of them and wondered if she was the only one who noticed Jenna's obvious crush on Aiden. Aiden didn't seem to realize or care. He simply smiled pleasantly and then gestured for Lexie to take a seat.

"Here, honeybee," he said, "Sit over there near the pillows"

As Lexie obliged, she asked, "How does that seat-morphing thing work?"

Jenna winked at her. "It's a trade secret," she said.

"Is it magic?" Lexie asked but Aiden interrupted with a cough.

"It's alchemy," he responded. "But Lexie I'm sure the nice lady is very busy, so why don't we stick to the questions you wanted to ask about the ISTS and soul magic."

Lexie let the couch questions go with an internal sigh, resolving to learn all she could about alchemy when she went back home.

"So the ISTS," she said. "They said it's used to transfer souls to other dimensions for research?''

Jenna nodded. "More or less. Sometimes, it's a little more, sometimes it's a little less, but at this level, that's all you need to know."

"And there are rules, right? For whenever someone is transported using the ISTS?"

"Yes, typical non disclosures and such. You're also not supposed to do anything that can cause a dimensional rift or conflict."

"Like what?"

"Well, if you're in a dimension that hasn't learned how to cultivate and use mana yet, and you do use mana, you would be in direct violation of the ISTS rules."

"And then you would get a soul termination?"

Both Aiden and Jenna turned to Lexie alarmed.

"Absolutely not," Jenna said, sounding almost insulted. "We don't do soul terminations for that. It would be a hefty fine, a forced return, and a lifetime ban from ever using ISTS services again."

"Oh." Lexie felt a little embarrassed even though she probably shouldn't have.

"Did this woman at your school tell you that we do soul terminations for that?"

Lexie shrugged. "Not really. She just mentioned that sometimes soul terminations occur and I was wondering what one would have to do to get their soul terminated."

Jenna sighed. "I don't know. I've never actually seen one done before and I've been working here for nearly ten years already." Lexie wondered how long ago that was, because the woman only looked about twenty-five, although she could have been older. "It would have to be something world-endingly terrible I think to deserve a soul termination."

Lexie was even more confused. That didn't make sense.

Was someone messing with her? Why did her welcome manual suggest that she could get soul-terminated for disclosing her involvement with the ISTS?

How would her telling anyone that she was from Earth 2 and wasn't the real Lexie Sparrowfoot be world-endingly terrible? Sure it would be sad and confusing for a few people but causing some kind of world-wide disaster? She didn't think it would.

Could the ISTS even foresee something like that happening? Or was it just guesswork?

She thought about it for a second and then spared Aiden a glance. As he grinned down at her, a thought occurred to her.

Maybe it's because of him.

Maybe the ISTS thought that if Aiden Sparrowfoot knew his daughter was gone, he would raze the entire earth to the ground.

Of course, Lexie couldn't imagine the Aiden she knew doing something like that.

But he had self-admittedly gone off the deep end when his wife had died. He'd done something so terrible he'd been dubbed a [Villain] for life. While Lexie wanted to think that the [Heroes] were malicious or overreacting with the punishment, Aiden himself somehow agreed with it. So he himself thought he'd done something disastrous after his wife's death.

How much more would he do for his daughter, who was all he had left?

Lexie was starting to feel frustrated. Was that all this was about? Why was she here? Where was Aiden's real daughter?

"So, typically when a soul is transplanted into a different dimension," Lexie asked next. "Is it possible that the other soul of the host body gets sent into the previous one?"

Jenna shook her head. "No. That doesn't happen. The soul of the host body is usually gone to the afterlife by that set date."

"And how do you know when the date is?'

"Trade secret. Can't say. I've already said more than I should honestly but…" She gave Aiden another glance and then her gaze quickly skittered away. "Anyway, I'll allow you a few more questions but then I really need to get back to work."

"Sure, sorry. I don't want to take up too much of your time." Lexie took a breath organizing the last question in her head. "Has there been any situation with the ISTS that has worked the other way? Like maybe someone from another dimension got put into this one? And also what exactly is a Chosen?"

This time Lexie didn't need a card to detect the shock that slackened the woman's features.

It was more than just shock. It was suspicion.

Uh oh. I've said too much.

"Ok, now you really need to tell me who this woman at your school was." Jenna leaned in to peer at her.

Lexie leaned back a little. "I told you I don't know."

Aiden looked between the two and asked, "I'm guessing that's something she's not supposed to know about."

"I'm not even sure I know about it," Jenna said. "Only the higher-ups do. And it's strange that someone that high up would be going to schools and revealing information like that willy-nilly. They should probably be reported for it."

"She didn't mean to tell me. I overheard her talking to someone else."

"Who?"

"I don't know." Shit, Lexie wasn't good at making up lies on the fly and if this continued she would only dig herself deeper and deeper into a hole.

"I don't want to get anyone in trouble." Lexie adopted her scared, sweet, innocent 10-year-old voice and the woman's features softened.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'm not mad at you. It's just that we need to make sure no one gets their hand on information like that. So I want you to describe who exactly it is that you came to your school."

Lexie's heart raced and seeing no way out she squeaked. "Sure."

And then she went on to describe the most generic sounding person she could think of, an average-height woman with hair that wasn't quite brown and wasn't quite blonde and wasn't quite red, eyes whose color she didn't remember, medium unremarkable features, medium weight, and nothing stand out about her.

Lexie hoped there was no one like that who worked here.

She thought there probably wasn't given how confused Jenna looked by the end of it.

Before she could say anything, Lexie tugged her father's shirt, saying, "I wanna go now."

"Sure." Aiden rose and took her hand without hesitation, sending Jenna a grateful look. "Thanks for everything, Jenna. And say hi to your father for me."

"Likewise," Jenna said distractedly, still staring down at the notes she'd taken of this mysterious woman.

As Jenna let them out of the office and they walked down the hall, Lexie's heart raced. She was expecting any moment now, for someone to call her back and interrogate her. Lock her in a room until she told everything she knew. And then they would terminate her to prevent this top-secret thing from getting out.

Or maybe they could help her understand why this needed to be a secret. She didn't understand why ISTS would pick her for some important thing and not tell her about it. And then restrict who she could talk to about it also. Why? Was she a test subject? A guinea pig? Was the ISTS not letting her reveal her identity to hide something?

She didn't breathe or stop gripping her father's hand until they were outside the compound gates.

Aiden noticed Lexie's tension and asked, "Are you okay, Lex?"

Lexie nodded. "Yeah. I think I just needed some air."

"It was pretty stuffy in there, wasn't it? No windows and all that recycled air. Bah. I don't know how they do it." He shook his head. "I can't believe William's daughter became a [Researcher] of all things. I thought she would go into show business like her mother. Certainly has the looks for it."

"I don't think you should tell her that if you're not interested in dating her," Lexie pointed out.

Aiden gave her an incensed look. "Lexie! That's ridiculous. I knew her father and she's young enough to be my….well not my daughter per se, but my much younger little sister."

"I don't think she minded," Lexie said and snorted when Aiden's face turned beet red.

"Well," he coughed. "It wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, I'm not ready to date yet. I think I might never be."

And with that, Lexie knew he was a little sad again because he was remembering his wife.

"Our next stop is close by," Aiden said, shaking it off as they stepped down to the cobbled walkways. "And it's a surprise I've been planning for a while, just for today."

"Mhmm." Lexie wondered how hard it would be to feign surprise because she was pretty sure she already knew what Aiden had gotten for her. Probably a deck of cards with a flower theme. He'd dropped fairly obvious hints throughout the week, hints like "Your birthday present is an ace up my sleeve", and "You'll be as happy as a burst of sunflowers when you see it". Lexie would have to be stupid not to put two and two together and stupid, Lexie was not.

But when they got to the card shop, with holographic decks floating in display cases and beckoning Lexie closer, Aiden didn't reach for any of them. Instead, he greeted and then gestured to the man behind the counter who immediately headed away to a backroom.

While they waited, they wandered around and Lexie looked at some of the decks with holograms of individuals using different decks skills. The holograms were usually cute girls which Lexie supposed made them more attractive to buyers. They performed each skill one by one, smiling and winking as they did.

Aiden then said, "This was the place I got my first-ever deck. The party planner's deck."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Your mother would later tell me that she was at the opposite shop the entire time. We would have met for the first time that day, but she left maybe a minute before I did, and we just missed each other. But then we would meet again, years later." He smiled. "Fate is funny that way. It always seems to take you back to where you're supposed to be and who you're supposed to meet."

Lexie glanced at him but before she could say anything, the man returned. He was holding a small wooden chest and he laid it on the counter eyeing them with glee.

"It wasn't easy hunting it down, Archmage," he said. "I had to pull a lot of strings."

Aiden smiled indulgently. "Don't worry, Elric. I'll leave a handsome tip before I go."

"That's why you're my favorite customer."

"You say that to all your customers."

"Yes, but I lie to them. I tell you the truth."

Aiden snorted. "You say that to them too."

Lexie was only half-listening to their banter. Instead, she was wondering what was in the box.

"Lexie," Aiden nudged her forward. "Open it."

She walked forward slowly and stood on her tippy toes to draw the box from the counter. Then she undid the lock and flipped it open.

Inside it, were three transparent card-shaped planes of glass that were set in a velvety pillow. Beside them was what looked like a fountain pen with a very sharp glinting edge.

Lexie frowned in confusion and then glanced at Aiden.

"What is it?" she asked.

"That," he said. "Is the material for crafting your very own card."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.