The handshake lasted for a moment.

Ethan let go of the old man’s hand and lowered his arm. The deal was done. Whatever it was worth, it was now sealed in the whiteness surrounding them.

He straightened up and looked into the old man’s eyes.

"I am ready to go," he said firmly.

No quaver in his voice now, as he made a final declaration of his decision.

The old man studied him for a brief moment.

"Hold your horses," he said.

Ethan frowned.

"I understand the determination," the old man remarked with his trademark lack of concern regarding any kind of urgent matter. "But I think you will have to make a few decisions before I send you into that world."

"What do you mean?" Ethan inquired.

"You are stepping into a world filled with magic, monsters," the old man answered calmly. "Wands, powers - abilities that your world does not even have names for yet." He gave him a moment to process that information. "Do you not wish to decide what you will be bringing with yourself into that world?"

Ethan fell silent.

"Are you saying that I get to choose my abilities?" he finally asked, somewhat hesitantly.

"Of course," the old man answered, the hint of amusement lingering in his voice as if the very idea of Ethan having the right to such a choice seemed obvious to him.

"Once you enter that world, my influence will become nonexistent. I do not have a particularly strong connection to Veltharion, and reaching it costs me a lot of energy - sending a reincarnated soul there will cost me even more." He spread one hand wide. "So choose well."

Ethan stared at him in shock.

"Why can’t you help me from there?" he finally asked.

"I just told you," the old man responded, as if repeating that same information would be redundant at that point. "As I mentioned before, reaching that world is already a feat, let alone sustaining any kind of influence there. Once you enter, you will be completely on your own."

The phrase ’on your own’ hung heavy in the air as the realization of the full magnitude of the impending task hit Ethan.

On his own in a world he knew nothing of and among people he had never met before, facing the threat he had yet to learn about and defeat in order to save the world.

Ethan mulled over his situation for some time.

He searched for the most realistic approach to dealing with the situation at hand.

And failed to find it.

’Well then, fine.’

"Alright," he said finally. "If it’s like that, then please give me something strong enough to help me accomplish my task."

The old man looked at him.

He didn’t say anything, simply sitting on the wooden stool with his hands gripping the staff lying across his knees, the white orbs of his eyes locked with Ethan’s gaze as he contemplated his next move.

Another moment passed in tense silence.

Ethan couldn’t stand it anymore.

"Hurry up, old man," he finally exclaimed impatiently.

"Why?" the old man asked casually. "I already told you, once you complete your mission and return to your home, not a single second will have passed there - your sister will still be there. You will not lose anything by doing this." He tilted his head slightly. "What are you in such a hurry for?"

Ethan was momentarily stunned. Unable to provide an answer, he closed his mouth.

However, the old man’s demeanor soon changed.

His mildly amused face gave way to a much more serious expression and his next words were said in a tone that implied something important about to follow.

"There is something you must know before you go," he announced solemnly.

Ethan’s attention was now captured.

"If you die in the world of magic, I will not be able to reincarnate you a second time," the old man explained calmly. "I cannot reach out to your soul in that world. And if you fail, and that world ends up destroyed," he paused and held Ethan’s gaze firmly. "You will not be able to come back."

The meaning of his words started sinking in as Ethan remembered everything that had happened to date and realized what he was getting himself into.

One shot at saving the world.

One single, simple chance.

"Understanding all this," the old man concluded gently. "Would you still proceed?"

Ethan needed no time to think.

"YES."

No hesitation.

No quaver in his voice.

The answer was clear-cut and resolute. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Whatever threats lay ahead, whoever his enemies would be - Ethan was ready to face them all in exchange for his sister’s recovery.

He imagined her in a hospital bed, surrounded by machines.

Something moved in the old man’s face. He looked at Ethan for a long, quiet moment.

Then he chuckled.

"Well said." The old man smiled. "Then I will give you something deserving of the challenge you are undertaking. A unique magical system, one that is unknown to that world. An ability that has no name in the history of that world." He lifted his staff slowly. "Your own personal gift."

The wooden staff lifted and pointed at Ethan’s chest.

Then the colours came.

Bright and intense as if erupting from under the floor he was standing on, they swirled around him in ribbons that spiraled upwards and enveloped his body completely until the entire world became a whirl of light around him.

"Oh, yes." The old man’s voice floated through the colored haze. Gentle and calm, with just a touch of humor as an afterthought. "And one last thing. My connection to that world is too weak for me to ensure where you will arrive once you cross over." A brief pause. "So be careful of monsters."

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"Wait - wh-"

However, before he could say another word, the colors had already closed over his head.

The white void was gone.

The old man was gone. The wooden stool and the staff and the blank, patient face with its impossible white eyes - all of it gone.

There was only the light.

And then there was nothing at all.