The little boat had become a kind of home. Most of the time was filled with lessons, yet the two elders always found something to chat about to pass the hours. GodDraw77’s thoughtfulness needed no mention—she always made sure their conversations didn’t leave her student on the outside. And perhaps because time here stretched endlessly, even Lightchaser showed more patience. She actually sat through questions that, to an adult, probably sounded foolish. It reminded Rita of that walk from the Worm Tavern to Junk Street—the way she had secretly wished the road would stretch longer. Now that wish seemed transplanted into the River of Time itself. She thought she would never forget this journey. The words she spoke with Lightchaser and GodDraw77 here probably added up to more than she had spoken to her parents, brother, and grandmother in years. But the closer they drew to Arisentna’s Winterveil, the more anxious Rita became. Almost every day she asked, "Will we make it in time?" Who could blame her? The river seemed endless. If not for the skies overhead constantly shifting, and the strange little docks they sometimes passed, she might have believed they were trapped in a loop. And she was still worrying about the team competition. Both teachers assured her she’d find teammates easily, but still—shouldn’t she be out there scouting them? At those words, GodDraw77, who had been staring at the far-off horizon with furrowed brows, suddenly smiled. "You really are like Lightchaser." Flat on her back, Lightchaser raised her head, giving her friend a confused look. ??? GodDraw77 explained, "Even though you activated GodDraw77 before you disappeared, it’s been three years. Are you sure it’s you choosing teammates, and not them choosing you?" Rita froze. She hadn’t thought of it that way. For half a year now she had been living a life students in Moonlight Marsh could only dream of—two top-tier powerhouses alternating one-on-one lessons, every day worth a week back at school, and no summer or winter breaks. Her only limitation was lack of materials. Without them she couldn’t craft Wrong Season every day. But her artifact, Preferred·Orpha, barely covered that gap. Lightchaser handed her something to dismantle every week. Each time, she gained 7 to 9 attribute points, plus a handful of advanced stats. Sometimes, when they crossed paths with unknown targets on the river, and it was clear her teachers were overpowering them, Rita would poke her head out of their pocket and fire off I Just Want to Improve So Badly at their retreating enemies. Sure, her stat growth was slower than if she were still in school, but it wasn’t nothing. And her past Divine Game championships still gave her a strong lead. Missing three years just meant others had finally caught up. She also hadn’t yet used her three magic-item skill modification rewards from the fun matches—all spent on No Sleep Tonight. No Sleep Tonight: Can’t sleep, not at all! Mark a target. For the next 16 minutes, that target shares all damage you receive. Costs 10% mana per use. Cooldown: 2 hours. Three modifications had boosted the shared-damage time by six minutes. It was her individual match reward that puzzled her most. That prize let her pick one skill from another competitor. She was certain she hadn’t made a choice. It was as if someone else had chosen for her. That Was Close, Almost a Wipe. A skill that looked useless for her, one she never would have picked. Another strange piece of the puzzle. She didn’t bring it up. Instead she filed it away with Lightchaser’s offhanded "I like the older one better," GodDraw77’s "you don’t even know how to talk to her," and all the other odd moments she had noticed. On Winterveil itself, Rita was too restless to study. She stood at the bow, staring ahead without moving. For once, Lightchaser didn’t mock her. She mirrored her posture at the stern, also gazing into the distance. Only GodDraw77 stayed seated, calm as ever. "I miss my student. She’s steady like me." Five days after Winterveil. A four-meter-tall Moonbear stood in the middle of the boat, blocking the view behind it. Lightchaser: "..." Definitely on purpose. She extended one flaming hand toward Moonbear’s tail, ready to teach her a lesson. But before she could touch it, an excited cry rang out from the bow. "Is that Arisentna? Is it? Is it?!" This dock was different from any before. Behind it shimmered a screen like a curtain of water, showing the midnight shores of Moonlight Marsh. Only three hours remained until the Divine Game began at seven in the morning. Read complete versıon only at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Before the boat could dock, the three of them leapt into the air, landing on the pier and rushing through the watery screen. The moment they landed, both GodDraw77 and Lightchaser started calling contacts, demanding to know where this year’s Divine Game was being held. At the same time, Rita’s private chat exploded with three years of backlogged messages. She too began pinging her connections for the location. They all spoke almost in unison. "Twilight Library!" Lightchaser summoned her motorcycle. "On. Now." Rita climbed on. GodDraw77 shifted back to her true form and hopped on behind. The second she was seated, the machine roared to life, rattling and clanking. Deliberate. It had to be deliberate. GodDraw77 eyed the bike. "It hasn’t been touched in two years. Are you sure it still runs?" Rita’s stomach dropped. She clutched Lightchaser’s cloak. "She’s right! It never made noises before!" Now it rattled with at least three different sounds at once. Lightchaser gunned it, tearing through the familiar streets of Moonlight Marsh. "Too much talking." The instant they broke free of the marsh, she angled upward, preparing to fly. But then a new light washed over them, brighter than moonlight, painting the night below. A starry dragon glided above, its body traced with constellations that shimmered like silver ink on black parchment. A head the size of a cottage lowered, and a familiar voice called out. "I’m headed to Twilight Library anyway. Need a ride?" Rita and GodDraw77 abandoned the motorcycle without hesitation, bolting toward the dragon. She quietly stowed her bike and followed them up. Once steady on the dragon’s back, she said flatly, "You have permanently lost your riding privileges." "I’m so sad," Rita said instantly. "Me too," added GodDraw77. Wail’s gaze lingered on the student a moment before he smiled. "It is sad. That model’s been discontinued for years." And just like that, the most irritating people in all of Arisentna were gathered in one place.