Twenty minutes. Stella wolfed down her lunch in twenty minutes—less than half the time it would usually take. Was the food that appetizing, was her appetite that ravenous, or was she simply too excited for her next lessons? It was a combination of the three. Stella helped her aunt in doing the remaining chores. She then began climbing the stairs to the upper floor.

"Where are you going?" Celestine asked.

"My room. I'd like to take a nap," Stella replied.

"Oh, okay. I was thinking if you'd like to go exploring."

Stella stopped halfway up the stairwell. "Exploring?"

"You know, a little trip. But I guess you must be tired..."

"No" —Stella raced down the stairs— "I'm not that tired. Are we going now?"

"If you're ready now, then yes."

They left the house a couple of minutes later. They took a left turn as soon as they crossed over to Otrâlmondé. As they strolled down the stone street, Stella felt that the area they were passing through was familiar. And then it hit her: this was the path that she, Jon, and Edmond took when they first passed through the portal. She looked ahead. She could make out the wide, tree-lined thoroughfare from a distance. If her memory served her right, the library she and the two boys visited was a five-minute walk from where the circular bridge was.

She remembered correctly. Stella and Celestine did come across the library, but they did not enter it. Instead, Celestine led her further down the thoroughfare. The building they were approaching was even more massive than the library, its pillars standing as tall as thirty men. Unlike the other buildings surrounding it, the cement sculptures that were carved into its walls were left unpainted. Stella glanced upwards. Engraved into the building's entablature was its name, written in large, capital letters.

THE CITY MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATIONS

The two ascended a flight of stairs and passed through a large set of wooden doors. Stella inhaled deeply—the indoor air was surprisingly fresh. Her pools of hazel then caught sight of a tiered fountain, which sat squarely in the middle of the lobby. No wonder, she thought. She glimpsed to her right side. To the right of the lobby were two long counters, each manned by a staff of four, with a sign that read "Tickets and Passes" hanging directly above one of them.

"Just wait here, I'll get the tickets," Celestine said.

Stella obliged and moved not an inch from her current spot. As she waited, she turned her head around and took in her surroundings. The floor was made out of smooth, shiny marble, complementing the creme ceiling. Brass chandeliers with dangling cut-glass illuminated the interior with pale amber light. Vibrant paintings depicting people decorated the walls, their figures so realistic that Stella had to blink twice to make sure that they were indeed illustrations. She squinted. The people in the paintings did not look like Mondénes, for their skin tones were not a gradient of hues and they were not bedecked in jewelry from head-to-toe. Yet they were not human either, for they were shown using supernatural abilities. The museum's name then popped up in her head—were they from other realms?

Celestine walked back to Stella, holding a map and two slips of glossy paper in her hand. She beckoned. "Okay, let's go."

They walked together towards the left side. Celestine handed their tickets to an officer, who tore off half of the tickets before giving them back to Celestine. The two then passed through the turnstiles. As they walked down the corridor, Celestine unfolded her map.

"So to start our tour," she said, "we'll have to go to the Gatekeeper Exhibit. Can you help me find it, please?"

Stella received the map from her aunt and scanned it. They would have to walk straight, take the third right turn, and then pass through the second entryway on the left. She looked up from her map. The exhibit must be a long walk—even the first right turn was seemed to be miles away. The two of them began walking down the hallway and made their way to the exhibit.

The first thing Stella noticed when they entered the exhibit was the hyperrealistic illustration that spanned much of the first room. A piece of the past was painted on the walls, depicting an era that presumably passed several centuries ago. All of them looked human—they wore regular clothes and had ordinary appearances. Yet, something was off about them that Stella could not put her finger on.

"Those humans seem a little strange, don't you think?" Celestine asked in Italian. Stella was surprised by her question—can she read my mind?

"Who are those people?"

"They were some of the first people from the other realms that crossed to Earth, back when the portals first open. Nowadays, nobody crosses to Earth anymore. Let's start our history lesson, shall we?"

They continued strolling through the exhibit. Paintings and antiquities lined their left and right, guarded by glass cases and see-through screens. Stella skimmed some of the museum labels as they walked past them. Some of the artifacts were magical objects, like unpolished rings beset with healing crystals, or ancient wands that resembled twigs. The remaining artifacts were more mundane objects, like iron tools that had mostly rusted. Stella returned her gaze to the paintings. Some were merely illustrations of portals, others depicted people emerging from the portals, and a few depicted those people interacting with humans. The pictures grew grimmer as Stella and Celestine continued their stroll—scenes of torture, lynching, and bodies being burned at the stake were drawn in great detail. Stella shuddered as her eyes glimpsed over them. To her relief, more tranquil images followed. Most of them were portraits of couples or families.

"Almost a thousand years ago, the first portals connecting Earth and the other realms started popping up," Celestine began. "People were curious to see what was on the other side, so they started crossing over to Earth. Those who came first were not aware that humans were magicless, so they weren't afraid to show their magic or powers. Unfortunately, it did not end well—many of them were accused of 'witchcraft' and were killed. Almost all of them fled Earth due to fear and persecution. Those who were planning to visit Earth decided not to go because they were afraid that they'd experience the same thing.

"However, there was a small group of people who managed to visit Earth and integrate seamlessly. The trick was that they did not show their magic in front of other people, so they did not face the same problems. As time passed, some of them fell in love with humans, and started their own families on Earth."

Stella and Celestine ambled further down the exhibit. The peaceful portraits were soon replaced by gory illustrations. Grotesque creatures emerged from portals and ravaged the lands they came across. Magical barriers were erected around human homes to protect them from the incoming beasts. Men and women parted tearfully from their human spouses and hybrid children, ready to sacrifice themselves for a world that stood no chance against otherworldly creatures. Magical peoples and powerful monsters clashed in bloody battles. Humans mourned the losses of their loved ones, weeping over their disfigured bodies. Stella briefly looked away—she could not stand to see death in such detail. Instead, she turned her focus to the artifacts. Weapons such as wands, swords, and spears were laid in glass cases, many of them stained with blood.

"A couple of centuries later," Celestine continued, "a great threat swept over the other realms. Monsters from Tenebrare, a realm known for the evil it harbors, somehow managed to escape the portals and enter other worlds. We humans were especially vulnerable because we were naturally magicless and had open portals. The magical peoples who settled on Earth did their best to not only save us, but do so in secret. They made sure to erase every trace of the battles from our planet, including the memories of the human witnesses. They decided that leaving the portals open was not good for us, so they all left, bringing their hybrid children with them."

The two sauntered to the next section. The scenes around them were much less dismal than what they had seen moments earlier, but still had a serious atmosphere surrounding them. Men and women gave their spouses and children one last embrace before parting with them permanently. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people marched through the gates as they returned to their home realms. Mages were seen casting spells to seal the portals shut. Obstacles, both natural and man-made, discouraged people from crossing to Earth. A group of sneaky mages was shown trespassing to Earth, though they were eventually apprehended. The next paintings showed groups of people gathering at round tables, seemingly discussing something important. The paintings towards the end of the section depicted groups of people, clothed in dark cloaks, standing near the portals. Stella's hazel eyes wandered to the antiquities. The largest artifact was a large, round table, which looked like it could seat at least thirty people. Most of the other artifacts were articles of clothing, like worn-out leather boots and cloaks with stitch marks all over them.

"The authorities of the other realms chose to close the portals and seal the areas around them, hoping that nobody would be daring enough to go to Earth. They were wrong. Occasionally, there were some naughty people that tried opening the portals, and some even succeeded. Luckily, they were always caught, and nothing bad happened to us. The non-humans who used to live on Earth asked their authorities to hire people to guard the portals. The authorities, however, refused. They mostly said that it wasn't their fault that the portals appeared in the first place, and because of that they didn't want to spend money on it. The non-humans and their hybrid children decided to take it upon themselves, and thus, the Gatekeepers' Guild was established. They not only made sure that no unauthorized person crosses the portals, but also made sure that no traces of magic were left on Earth.

"Most, if not all, of them used it as an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones. Some were happily reunited, whereas others ended up... heartbroken. Nevertheless, the human spouses were recruited into the Guild. Their main job was to make sure that no humans ventured near the portals. After a while, the first Gatekeepers decided to have a headquarters in Parafiso, not because it had the most part-human hybrids, but because it was the realm with the largest number of portals linked to Earth.

"And by the way, do you want to know why some Gatekeepers wear cloaks?" Celestine asked.

"Sure," Stella said. "Why?"

"Because it protects them," Celestine revealed. "The problem with the human Gatekeepers was that they were prone to magical attacks, especially attacks by sorcerers. The most the non-human Gatekeepers could do was give them superpowers, but they couldn't give some of their magic to them. They had an idea to make them wear enchanted armor, but they thought it would be too heavy. Another idea was to give them anti-magic laundry detergent, but it consumed too many resources and was corrosive to the skin. They eventually decided to give them anti-magic cloaks. The cloak is made out of lightweight material and very baggy, so that the person wearing it can still move freely, and the large surface area meant much of the body was protected from spells. Not all Gatekeepers wear cloaks though—the human-mage Gatekeepers cannot wear them because it will prevent them from performing magic."

"Human-mages?"

"Mages are people who can perform magic. Without it, they're just like us."

The last section of the exhibit had a brighter and more modern atmosphere. Instead of paintings, photographs were displayed on the walls. Some pictures showed people wearing laboratory coats, goggles, and gloves. Stella thought that they were chemists, but the museum label told her otherwise—they were part-human potion makers. Other photographs captured classrooms with a couple of students, depicted shelves stocked with concoctions, and showcased an assortment of buildings. Small but dense-looking gadgets were also displayed in the exhibit.

"After a couple of decades, the Gatekeepers began to face two big problems," Celestine went on. "The first problem was that many of the hybrid Gatekeepers turned out to be infertile, so their numbers were dwindling. The second problem was that they were running out of money to fund their operations. Luckily for them, they managed to find solutions before they died out.

"To solve the first problem, they decided to recruit more humans into the Guild. Remember when I said that at one point, they had to erase the memories of humans who witnessed the battles? They decided to restore their memories and recruit them. People who lived near where the portals were located were also chosen. There were people from the other realms who were interested in joining the Guild, but the Gatekeepers refused, worried that they might use their magic as an advantage and control the portals for their own benefit.

"To solve the second problem, they turned to the hybrid Gatekeepers from Nitea. They discovered that the human-Niteans were actually gifted in magic, especially brewery magic, so they decided to open a potion shop. People were skeptical to buy from them at first, so the human-Niteans decided to sell their potions for free for the first month. Eventually, people realized that their potions were extremely high-quality, and now it has become one of the best potion shops in the realm. They took it a step further by opening a private school dedicated to educating future brewmasters, which brought in more funds. After seeing their success, the hybrid Gatekeepers from other realms also followed suit.

"And that's it," Celestine said. She glanced at her wristwatch. "It's one fifteen. I think we better go to the gymnasium and wait for the others there."

They exited the exhibition. Stella hoped to linger around the museum, but she hesitated to ask her aunt. After all, there were only forty-five minutes left before their afternoon lessons were to start, and the gymnasium was not a short walk from where they were. As they ambled down the corridor, Stella saw four familiar figures looming ahead of her. She squinted. One of them was wearing a dark blue cloak, her hood worn above her head. Helene. She glanced at the three people walking with her. She could barely make out the faces of Jon, Edmond, and José. Jon smiled upon noticing her and waved. She waved back.

They eventually crossed paths. Helene asked, "You two are here already?"

"Yes. We just finished, in fact," Celestine replied.

"Oh, okay. If you want, you can go practice with her in the gymnasium while waiting for the next lesson."

"We are on our way there, actually. I'll see you there."

"Okay then. Goodbye."

They waved to each other before parting. Stella and Celestine passed through the turnstiles. Before they exited the museum, Celestine tossed their used tickets into a nearby trash bin. Stella's heart sank as she witnessed them being discarded—she was hoping to keep one as a souvenir.

They then ambled to the gymnasium. Like what happened in the museum, Stella guided her aunt to the training room, using her passive power to read the signage and elevator button labels. Celestine retrieved her access card from her purse once they had found the door to their training room. She held it in front of the scanner, waited for the door to open itself, and then dropped her card back into her purse. They entered the room. Celestine reached for a tablet from one of the room's walls and summoned two plush chairs.

"I'm a bit tired after all that walking," she said, taking a seat. "If you want to go practice, you can, but you can also take a rest if you want."

"Okay. Ehm, may I borrow the tablet?"

"Sure."

Celestine handed it to her. Stella held it with both hands and slightly shook it vertically. It was surprisingly lightweight. She sat on her chair before she used her right hand to scroll through the user interface. The controls were organized into different categories—one for summoning borders, another for conjuring furniture, and dozens more for different functions. She fiddled with the controls in an attempt to be familiar with them. She glanced at her aunt. Though things were randomly appearing and disappearing around the room, Celestine did not seem bothered in the slightest.

***

The four of them were almost halfway through the exhibit. Jon, Edmond, and José followed Helene as she led them around the museum. She gestured to the paintings and artifacts as she explained the history behind them, sometimes sprinkling her own anecdotes where relevant.

"And that"—she gestured towards one of the paintings—"is Parafiso, the realm where our headquarters are located. They built it there because—"

"Wait, so are we in Parafiso?" Jon asked.

"No, we're in Otrâlmondé. To be specific, we're in their capital city, Mondéum," she answered him. "Which reminds me, I should probably tell you what a 'realm' is. It's another word for 'planet.' "

Beep. Helene reached into her pocket and picked up her gadget. Someone had sent her a text message. She opened her device and read its contents: FYI, Gobhastan might have escaped.

"Um, sorry, I have to make a call," she announced. "José, take over for me, will you?"

"Sure."

"Thank you."

Helene strode towards the end of the exhibit and exited it. She scanned the area around her. There was a more private corner just a short stroll from where she was standing. She walked towards the corner and formed a soundproof force field around herself. She then pressed a few buttons on her device and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" a male voice sounded from the other side.

"Hello," Helene greeted, "I just read your text. You said Gobhastan might have escaped?"

"Ah, yes. There was a mass breakout at the prison where he was held."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She shook her head. "No, no, not again..."

"We still don't know if he was one of those who managed to escape, but there's a big chance. The authorities are still hunting them down."

"So we have to stop training then?" she asked.

"No, Helene," he answered her, "that won't be necessary."

"What do you mean by 'that won't be necessary'? We've just started today! The new trio won't stand a chance."

"We've already consulted with the Mondéne authorities. They told us that even if he escapes, he'll need at least three-to-four weeks to reach Mondéum. You don't have to stop training."

"Even then. What about the Guild? What's their call?"

"They think that you can continue."

"Are you serious?" she said, raising her voice.

"I'm serious," he replied, his voice remaining calm. "Anyway, if you do have to move training elsewhere, the Guild has a backup plan. I'll share more details once I know of them."

"Okay. I have to do something right now so call me again tonight. Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up. Helene removed the force field around herself and made her way back to the exhibit.

"...so you trained in Parafiso?" Jon asked.

"Yes, we did. We actually stayed at Gatekeeper HQ for the first phase of our training. I remember, when we were there, there was this lady who appeared in our dreams and it turned out she was an exiled countess. We helped her come back to her nation and overthrow her evil twin." José cocked his head and noticed Helene approaching them. "Oh, Helene's back!"

"Yes, I am," she said, smiling. "José, thank you for taking over. I'll continue from here."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

"Anyway, where did we leave off? Oh yes, Parafiso. So..."

Helene continued where she left off. Jon and Edmond asked her several questions throughout the tour—the former mostly inquired about her adventures, whereas the latter was more curious about her duties as a Gatekeeper. She enjoyed answering each query, sometimes letting José respond to some of them. Though her outward persona was cordial and untroubled, a deep dread dwelled in the depths of her mind.

FYI, Gobhastan might have escaped.

There's a big chance.

The phrases replayed in her head. She did her best to push them out, but her efforts were futile. She only hoped that nothing unfortunate would happen to them soon.

✧ ✧ ✧

Question Time! Out of all the places we've seen so far, which place in Otrâlmondé do you want to visit the most?

I hope you liked this chapter! If you did, please vote by pressing the star-shaped button on this chapter!

Thanks!