Their journey lasted for about two days until Dema decided it was time for a detour.

They’d been on their way to Hallmark, which was supposed to be a large city west of Callarand, though Theora hadn’t been there or heard about it in a long time, so there was always the chance it was gone by now. She’d considered finding a smaller settlement first and asking there, but instead, Dema had found a small mountain range on their map, and made absolutely sure to communicate that she needed to go there.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” she cheered, traipsing on a hip-high stone fence that had been built next to the path cutting through the grasslands close to an abandoned small village. She made little hops, jumping from one stone to the other, making a game out of not landing on a crevice.

“I already said yes,” Theora murmured.

“You did! But you gotta be more excited about it!”

“Excited about going to visit a few mountains?”

Dema nodded and hummed in approval. “You never know what kinda secrets are hidden in them,” she teased, and gave a knowing look Theora did not understand. Then, she jumped down from the fence, but almost fell over, just barely regaining her balance through outstretched arms. Her movements had become even more bubbly than they used to be, with an added hint of clumsiness.

The bubbliness hinted at her being really, really happy about something. Of course, maybe, or partially, it could be the simple fact that she was finally able to move again. That certainly seemed plausible, but at the same time, Theora had the vague feeling that there might be more to it.

Was this related to the upgrade of her [Immortality]?

Dema still refused to say anything about that. Wait… hadn’t Theora done something similar, once? Back then, when Dema still hadn’t known about how ageing wasn’t really a thing for Theora.

I can’t believe you haven’t noticed.

“Is this retribution?” Theora calmly asked, but the question came so sudden and out of nowhere it may as well have been blurted.

“What? What you talking about, little rabbit?”

“I mean.” Theora hesitated, trying to find a way to explain herself. Her shoulders slowly slumped down. “I’m curious about whether I have done something wrong.” Well, of course she had, but she tried to swallow the thought. “Something that makes you not want to tell me about that upgrade of yours.”

“Huh…” Dema stared into the sky, lost in thought. “I suppose… Nope! Told ya, it’s gonna be a big surprise! Oh, do you not like surprises?”

“So I haven’t done anything wrong?”

Dema’s innocent confusion gave way to a soft curl of her mouth’s corners. “You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I see,” Theora said, with a short sigh of relief. “In that case, I can’t wait for the surprise.”

“On, like, a totally different note,” Dema began, “You’ve never answered my question!”

“Question?”

“Yeah! About whether we wanna keep travelling alone or not! You mind if we had company?”

Theora looked up from the path and into Dema’s glowing amber eyes. “I… Well, wouldn’t that be difficult? Isn’t this the same as with a home? They would not withstand us.”

“Yeah, yeah! But if that’s, like, outta the way, would you do it? Or not?”

“If you find someone you trust, someone you’d want to travel with us, then I don’t mind,” she answered.

Dema beamed, so hard it showed her sharp teeth. Her eyes carried the smile with them; it was likely one of the happiest Theora had ever seen her. What was going on?

After a moment, Dema’s expression softened into a warm smile. “That’s great,” she said. “Yeah, really great! I can’t wait!”

“Wait for what?”

“Not telling. Big surprise!”

“Not gonna lie,” Dema whined, a month later. “I thought this was gonna be easier…”

She held her hand to the grey cliff, standing on a myriad of shale fragments, a ton of which she’d spent a painstaking amount of time turning over and over.

Again, for what was likely the hundredth time, she closed her eyes, focusing on her hand on the stone. As if listening to little whispers inside the sediment. Her slender fingers touched over the surface, but as always, she didn’t find what she was looking for.

“Big bummer,” she whispered.

“Sorry to hear,” Theora said. “Put up camp and try again tomorrow?”

Dema shook her head gently, taking her hand off the mountain. “Ain’t gonna change a thing,” she mumbled. “I think I searched it all by now. I mean, was kinda much to think I was gonna succeed first try anyway.”

“You were excited and couldn’t help it.” Theora almost wanted to lay a hand on Dema’s back to comfort her, but of course, she couldn’t get herself to do it. Two realities aside, touching a potential murder victim of hers casually like that was out of the question. “Let’s put up camp anyway, make a small fire, and then we can leave tomorrow and find another mountain range to look at next. Is that alright? I will make you tea, too.”

Dema gave a weak nod, and a soft smile. “Yeah. That sounds good!” In talking that way, and thinking about the prospect, she managed to cheer herself right back up. “Let’s go to that big town first, though,” she added. “Can always look at stones later. Or, maybe on the way? We gotta find those Time Fragments, after all.”

Theora nodded, and made off to gather some dried wood to brew the tea. They were currently in a ravine of shale sediment, with lots of trees and greenery to its sides.

As Theora walked along, finding one branch after the next, she wondered. One of her new skills, [im//possibility], seemed rather easy and straightforward to use, and it had been itching in her fingertips to try it out. Making a random impossible event almost possible? What if it could help Dema find whatever she was looking for? It would be a very big coincidence if such an event was actually chosen, but it was the only way Theora could think of to help.

But… that Skill would receive an unlock at Level -4. She didn’t know how a Skill could gather negative experience, but wouldn’t it hurt her chances if she levelled it up? There was another unlock at Level 13, which seemed reasonably easy to reach. It was either a trap, or maybe that unlock would enable the Skill to garner negative experience. But even then, if it did that, wouldn’t that just undo the unlock and have her stuck between Level 12 and 13?

Also, from what her Skills currently looked like, Theora had no hope that the unlocks would actually turn them into something useful.

That said, it was a Skill, and Skills were supposed to be used, right? And if it had the slightest chance of helping Dema, she’d do it.

But first, the tea.

After gathering the wood and kindling a fire, she took out a small kettle from her layered magical cloak, filled it with water from her endless magical water vial, and started boiling it. In the meantime, she went around the ravine to gather small shards of shale in a mug.

She’d made so much tea for Dema by now. Over those last seventeen years, she’d gathered thousands of different herbs and fruits and flowers to try them out, to find which would make Dema feel the most cosy. Now, she was rather adept at making tea.

[Tea Brewing], Level 143.

Your tea’s taste is magically enhanced by the affection you feel for its recipient.

Level 40 Unlock: Tea you brew stays warm and fresh for longer. (Currently 213 days)

Level 100 Unlock: You can brew tea from anything.

Theora took the boiling water and poured it into her cup filled with a few shale rocks. For those, the water temperature needed to be as high as possible.

Dema loved rocks, and soil, and minerals. So, it was only right that Theora should make her a rock-infused cup of tea every now and then.