The next morning, Tesilim and Lili, after having a quick breakfast, headed to her shop. Lili wanted to practice alchemy, while Tesilim planned to continue training in magic and techniques. As they got within sight of the store, they were not surprised to find the Rose standing outside of it, even at such an early hour. After all, Lili's shop had become the gathering spot for their party, so it made sense for Rose to be there, especially after all the training they had previously done.

  What surprised the couple was seeing Arelion in the distance; the twin was also slowly making his way towards them, with Rose none the wiser. The sight allowed the duo to notice how different the two were; Arelion was always dressed in dark clothes, which greatly contrasted with Rose’s red hair and much simpler clothing. And that wasn’t even adding the difference in their skin tones. The half-elf was like a deadly pale, while Roses was one filled with life.

  Not that the couple could say anything, as Lili always wore her risqué clothing, which, along with its contrast against her dark skin, always drew attention. Even then, Tesilim wasn’t too jealous, and if anything, he felt like a god among men by feeling the envy of others on him. Then, as far as the elf’s own clothing went, he was a simple elf wearing simple pants and shirts, his skin having a slight tan to it.

  Reaching the store before the twins, Rose finally noticed and greeted them, the redhead having too much energy so early in the morning.

  “Hey, you two! How are you this fine morning!?”

  “Good, how about yourself?” Lili answered with a warm smile.

  “Seriously, Rose, how are you so excited so early in the day? The sun has barely just come up,” Tesilim told the redhead in a playful but slightly judgmental tone.

  “Tesilim, I follow the sun god. Doesn’t it make sense that I rise with the sun?” Rose answered, deciding to mess with the elf, as she knew that though gods could have those effects on people, nothing was ever the same for everyone.

  “Hmm, I guess, I can see it working that way,” Tesilim added as he stroked his chin in thought.

  “Exactly, now, I do apologize if I am barging in on something,” Rose told them, though the words were mainly directed at Lili as their eyes met.

  “You’re fine, you are always welcome here, all of you are,” Lili answered as she nodded at Arelion, who was now only a short distance away. Rose, seeing her nod, turned to look, and her surprise was evident as she had also not expected him to be there.

  “Hey, Arelion, good to see you! Actually, more like surprised to see you,” Tesilim greeted, Rose having been too stunned to say anything.

  “Yeah, you can thank Jasmine, she was telling me I need to spend more time with you all, so here I am. She says hi, by the way.”

  “Well, good to have you, and tell her we said hi as well,” Tesilim told the elf, whose brows furrowed for a second.

  “No, like, she legitimately just said hi, you can say hi back, I don’t mind,” the twin told them as he stood there, as if that made all the sense in the world. Of course, the other three took a second to realize what was happening before they spoke in unison.

  “Hi Jasmine!”

  Hearing them, Arelion smirked with amusement, but thankfully, the slightly awkward silence that followed was quickly broken as Lili finally opened the door to her shop and they all walked in. Inside the shop, they all made their way to the back area and began setting up for a day of study and training, while Lili set up her own alchemy tools. Of course, training for all of them would differ as they didn't need the exact same things. Even so, having others around was beneficial, as it allowed them to bounce ideas off each other.

  It wasn't long before Rose and Arelion began reading about the various techniques and applications of magic, as well as the workings of the world. However, instead of joining them right away, Tesilim couldn't help but watch Lili set up and begin her alchemical work.

  As he watched his girlfriend begin to mix and create a variety of whatever she was making, he couldn't help but question a rather specific and odd thing he had realized. Tesilim wasn't sure why he had never questioned it, but alchemy definitely produced vapors or other byproducts during or after the process. This was important because there were three people in the room, including their resident alchemist, yet no one was choking or dying from the toxic fumes.

  Additionally, as Tesilim looked around, he couldn't really identify any cleansing runes that might be removing the byproducts. So, he began to wonder exactly where these extra products were, at least until he realized that his girlfriend was probably using some sort of technique or ability to remove the gases. After all, with magic being a thing that was definitely something that could be possible, since even Lili herself didn’t often wear protective gear.

  Anyways, with that mystery solved, Tesilim got back to learning the ways of magic. His primary focus was currently on techniques and the general application of concepts, as well as understanding the concepts used to create them. And honestly, the more he read about magic, the more loosey goosey the whole thing seemed. The entire thing seemed to be based mainly on the user's perspective, as well as on the concepts the user understood and their level of knowledge about them.

  Granted, it was essential to note that Tesilim did not need to understand precisely why fire burned to develop a fire technique. Simply by understanding that it burned and was hot, or using will-infused words, it was possible to make magic happen. This was further complicated by the fact that magic interacted with everyone, and there was also the Language of Creation, which removed the need to delve as deeply into concepts, even if they remained present.

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  However, with all of this in mind, the fact remained that concepts themselves could be quite complicated, especially when applying multiple of them to a single technique. For example, when Tesilim created his “I am speed” technique, it had been relatively easy. Not because he was some sort of genius, but because speed was something that almost everyone understood. It was simple to imagine moving faster, which helped anyone make a speed-boosting technique. Naturally, that also applied to concepts of strength or even dexterity.

  On the opposite end from his first technique, there were ones that were more difficult to create. For example, Tesilim was attempting to develop a defensive technique. As a result, he had to consider which type of defense would best suit him. Would he stand still and use it as a last stand, or would it be simpler and used during key moments, or would it be a general defensive technique he could maintain for more extended periods of time? More than that, what counted as defense, and defense against what? How would he manifest the technique? Would he summon a barrier, a shield, or armor, or just toughen his skin? All of these were questions that the user had to answer as they interconnected the concepts they wanted to use with the technique, but just as important was the image of the technique, which carried its own concepts.

  Now, to add even more to the mix, the level at which different people understood concepts did matter. Someone who studied why fire burned would beat someone who just saw a fireball as hot, magical stuff that could explode. Well, they would beat them as long as the other two things that made everything complicated were the same: mana and imagery. Because, yes, naturally, the more mana used and the purer it was, the more powerful anything would be. On the other hand, someone with a strong image of their technique could beat someone who understood fire but failed to put real belief or will behind it when using it.

  As for which one would make the biggest difference out of the two things? Well, that's easy, mana would, mana was ultimately the fuel for magic, and it didn’t matter how well understood a concept was if their opponent used double or triple the mana on their technique. Granted, this also did not take skill into account. The skill of knowing where and when to strike could give even the most hopeless outpowered combatant a chance to win.

  Having lost themselves in their study while also asking their occasional questions to each other, the trio of friends eventually came to when all their tummies began to rumble. Lili, having heard their tummies rumble, was quick to make a suggestion.

  “Do you guys want to go out and grab a bite to eat, or would you like me to cook something?”

  Looking at the elf, who hadn’t even turned around, the trio exchanged glances before nodding in unison. The choice was rather obvious: would they choose to spend gold or eat for free?

  “I will take you up on your offer for food,” Arelion answered respectfully, trying to be a good guest.

  “Oh yeah! You know I love your cooking!” Tesilim told his girl.

  “Well, if Tesilim says it's good, then I will have to try it, if only to make sure he is right,” Rosed added teasingly, causing Tesilim to roll his eyes at her.

  “Alright, let me clean up real quick, and I will get started,” Lili told them, having already begun the process.

  It didn't take long for the trio to put up their learning materials, and then they sat there with not much to do. Not that they sat there like that for too long, as Tesilim realized that he had a great opportunity. See, ever since he got to his new world, he had been wondering if they had board games. And naturally, they did have board games, but he had been too busy learning and fighting to really look into them. However, recently, he had been checking out a few shops in the city. Sadly, he was unable to buy any of them because he didn't have the gold to spend. Luckily, his girlfriend, who had been alive for quite a while, had indeed managed to collect a few board games throughout her lifetime.

  Having previously perused her catalog of board games, Tesilim had seen a couple of games he liked. This time around, he wanted to try it out one that, from what he understood, was essentially magic chess. Now, he wasn't good at chess back on Earth, but he had liked the game. Due to this, he hoped that he would maybe be better at this magic version of the game.

  Tesilim was not good at magical chess; he simply tunneled vision a little bit too hard, a little bit too many times. Even so, he still managed to get a few wins—at least at the start, since they had all been learning the game. Actually, that had surprised him, as the other two had never played any board games. Of course, Tesilim had grown curious and tried to peer further into their lives, only to learn that they were orphans and that their orphanage didn’t have the funds to buy them board games. Then, after leaving the orphanage, they had been training or dealing with personal issues, so they never actually had time to play any board games. Naturally, Tesilim had wanted to learn more about them, but once he saw Arelion's clothing start to spark with darkness, he decided to get back into the game.

  As he played the ever hard-headed Rose, who refused to change tactics, something he was finally starting to notice, or Arelion, whose mind thought one step too many ahead. Tesilim steered the conversation into the upcoming Chaos Event and why the two should partake.

  “Come, guys, it will be fine.”

  “No,” The redhead and half-elf answered in unison.

  “Why not? Sure, the dragon was scary, but wasn’t it a good learning experience?” Tesilim said, trying to sound both nonchalant and wise.

  “Yes, it was, but I would rather not experience it again,” Rose answered, and Arelion nodded in agreement before adding his own thoughts.

  “Too dangerous, I know we can die at any minute, but I would rather avoid adding any extra chances.”

  “Alright, that’s fair, but still, it would also be good training. I mean, if we go on this whole expedition thing and you guys come along, it's not like you will be able to run off when my chaos goes off,” Tesilim said, trying to charm them even as Arelion’s wizard used its fireball on three of his soldiers, causing him to wince.

  “True,” Arelion answered, knowing that he would likely have to stick with Alyx, who would undoubtedly follow Tesilim.

  “Right, but that’s then, and this is now,” Rose said while also knowing she wouldn’t leave Jasmine behind.

  “Exactly! It's best if you start now!” Tesilim exclaimed as he sacrificed his warlock to summon some extract pieces, turning the fight in his favor.

  “Are you guys talking about the Chaos Event?” Lili cut in. The elf was walking down the stairs with several plates in hand, or floating around her.

  “Yeah, I am trying to convince them to join us tomorrow,” Tesilim told her as she walked by.

  “You guys should, you know, when we were testing the entire bringing things to life debacle, the Chaos Event that occurred killed me and Alyx. Trust me, it is quite a good training experience, and one you want to have, at least when it is reversible,” Lili told them, sounding too cheerful for what she had just said. Of course, that wasn’t the problem; the problem was that she hadn’t seen Tesilim waving his arms as he tried to get her to stop. Instead, when she turned around after placing a few plates on the counter, all she saw was Rose and Arelion glaring daggers at her boyfriend.

  “Oh…” Lili said, realizing what she had just done.