Chapter 425: The Phantom Ship

Luke closed the door behind him. The moment it clicked shut, the world outside felt distant, muted. The only sound left was the gentle whisper of fabric sliding through her hair.

“I’ve been through this city before,” Allison said, settling a towel across her lap. “Back when I used to travel with my adoptive mother.”

She meant Camlann, the city just a few miles away. For most people, it was the gateway to the New World. For her, it seemed to hold pieces of a life long gone.

“Maybe you can show me around,” Luke suggested. “We could grab lunch there with everyone.”

“The reunion we planned happened earlier than expected,” she teased.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Yeah. We could celebrate in a restaurant somewhere.”

As they talked, Allison began brushing her hair. Long, golden strands fell over her shoulders like a shimmering waterfall. Unlike Luke and the others, she hadn’t cut hers, whether out of attachment, habit, or because it was one of the last remnants of the identity she was trying to abandon, he didn’t know.

“In the interview, I didn’t identify myself as Allison Rhiannon,” she said, eyes drifting to the small mirror propped against the wall.

“Good,” Luke replied, dry but sincere.

It made sense. Announcing her real name or alerting her family would trigger complications none of them were ready for. Allison wanted to vanish. Start from zero. He understood that completely.

“I told them my name is Henry,” she added. “I took it from one of the people who died in that cave where we fought the Ant Queen. Now I’m just a nineteen-year-old boy from Maine. Henry.”

And from now on, she would live with him and the Baumanns. That would be strange. They had grown used to the medieval world, and now they would return to a place where you could take a bus, ride the subway, and use a cellphone.

“And the Guide?” Luke asked. “Did you get offers for Divine Orders?”

“A few. I turned them all down.” She glanced at the slim bracelet on her wrist. “My Guide was an ice elemental. He, or she, was helpful. I managed to buy a few things. Like this ring that boosts my ice spells.”

She raised her hand, showing the silver ring resting on her thumb. It caught the dim light, gleaming softly. Her nails were neatly trimmed now, different from before, a small sign she was trying to adapt to the new world, at least on the outside.

“I bought something for my new class too,” Luke said, pulling his own ring from the inventory to show her.

Allison already knew he had chosen a second class, but everything had been so hectic she hadn’t asked what exactly he had picked up.

“Your nails are still long and sharp like claws,” she noted. “Want me to cut them with my katana?”

“No, thanks.” He took a step back. “I’ll trim them later.”

Allison extended her arm then, revealing a thin silver bracelet, even slimmer than the last, almost like a ring stretched to fit her wrist.

“And this bracelet too.”

Luke leaned in to get a closer look.

“And what does that one do?”

“Secret,” she replied with a short laugh. “And I hope you never find out.”

Luke lifted both hands, blue circles glowing to life across his palms. It was his teleportation skill.

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“Oh, really? Miss Secrets over here… you see this in my hand? It’s an amazing skill I bought, but… you’re not gonna find out what it is.”

Allison raised her eyebrows but kept the playful tone. “Mine has a reason. I’ll tell you when we get to Maine.”

She resumed combing her hair with an almost meditative calm, as if the motion helped her line up her thoughts.

“And don’t stall on the interview,” she added. “The sooner you finish, the sooner we get to your house.”

“I know, I’m going,” Luke said. “I was just waiting for Jack to come back.”

He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.

“Luke…”