The lab on a certain basement floor of the Marlino Corporation was closed and the lights were off. Each area had a single light source still active for safety reasons but it was mostly dark. No one had even stepped foot in the area for days. Desks and workspaces were already showing a thin layer of dust on every surface. In the entry hallway past the security door, a single figure suddenly appeared wearing flowing robes. If someone had happened to see this figure walking down the hallway, they may have thought an employee was doing cosplay.

The robed figure walked down the hall with purpose. Stepping into the main office space, they continued walking ahead knowing exactly where they were going. The next set of doors led to the main room in the lab where the project research was being conducted. As the figure stepped into the room, they lifted their hand up and a small device appeared in their palm. The room was mostly empty and even darker than most. The high ceilings seemed even higher since the single light source in the room didn't seem to reach high enough.

The figure continued forward as a mass of cables and pipes came into view. The shape of the structure ahead was barely discernible in the vast room. The stranger stopped, pulled out a staff and chanted some words for just a second until a jewel at the top of the staff began to glow. As the brightness slowly increased, the space ahead was illuminated until the entire structure could be seen clearly.

Cables and pipes dangled over an empty space where they were once connected leaving a strangely shaped void in the center of the structure. The figure took a few steps forward confirming what he already knew but couldn't believe. He put away the device in his hand, making it disappear in an instant. The light from the jewel began to fade away. Just before the light was extinguished, a single word was whispered into the approaching darkness: "Shit."

***

Reggie was in his bedroom staring into his closet. He needed to pack for his trip to Azoria, Hyacinth's home planet, and was contemplating what he might need. "Hmm, I suppose it depends on how long I stay there. What's the weather like?"

Hyacinth was sitting on Reggie's bed as he prepared to leave. "It's pretty mild this time of year. At least it was when I left."

"Ok, that helps some." Reggie pulled his suitcase out and started filling it with a variety of clothing. "Probably should bring a jacket or two, in case the weather turns chilly." Reggie was writing down some things on a piece of paper. "Jackets are in the downstairs closet. I am making a list of items to grab so I don't forget." Hyacinth watched him from the bed as he went around the room grabbing things to throw into the suitcase. It wasn't long before the suitcase was full. "I guess I need another suitcase. I still have a lot I want to bring. Ugh, but I don't want to carry it all over the place." Reggie was starting to think of a new plan when Hyacinth interjected.

"What are you talking about? I was gonna toss anything you wanted to bring into my magic space." Hyacinth giggled as it dawned on Reggie that he had once again forgotten about magic.

"I forgot about that. It's not like I can't use magic so my brain won't accept it or something. Whatever, back to packing." Reggie wrote a couple more things on his list then pulled another suitcase out of the closet. This one was even bigger than the first so he was more than doubling what he could bring. "I should also bring my backpack. That's easy for me to carry essentials in and would be good to have in general."

"You can literally bring anything you want." Hyacinth giggled a little more as she continued watching Reggie move around the room. She saw him grabbing a power cable and shook her head. "We don't use electricity so there won't be a place to plug that in."

"Oh, that makes sense. I suppose my cell phone won't work there anyway. Guess I don't need the charger." Reggie put the cord back and went back to his list. He scratched out a couple items before adding something new. "I do need some toiletries, though." Reggie walked into the bathroom. His bedroom was the master and had its own bathroom. It was one of the requirements when he was house hunting. The house has three bathrooms total. There was another full bath on the second floor and a half bath on the first floor.

Reggie walked back into the bedroom holding a small rectangular bag and added it to the second suitcase. He paused again with his hand on his chin as he tried to think of other things he would need. "Hmm..." His mind was coming up blank, though.

"Even if you forget something, it's not like we are going to be in the middle of nowhere. You should be able to find anything you need in Azoria." Reggie looked at Hyacinth as though he was pondering her comment. It was a whole different world but people lived there so there would be everyday items available. Reggie was just overly cautious and wanted to not have to worry about it while he was there.

Reggie left the room again and walked downstairs to grab the things on his list that weren't in his room. Hyacinth continued to sit on the bed. He was soon back with a couple jackets. One was heavier for very cold weather, and the other was lighter for when it wasn't quite warm enough to go without an outer layer. "I suppose I don't need anything for cooking since you probably have that sort of stuff." Reggie still felt like he was forgetting something but couldn't come up with anything. "Oh, where will I be staying?"

"Since you were nice enough to put me up at your house while I was here, I thought I would return the favor and let you stay with me. My house isn't as grand or impressive as this one but I like it." Reggie blinked a couple times as he stared at Hyacinth. "That is, unless you don't want to."

"N-No, I definitely want to." Reggie waved his hands in front of him and smiled as he awkwardly accepted her invitation. "I actually don't know a lot about you, now that I think about it." Reggie didn't ask Hyacinth too many questions about her personal life. At first, it was because he was afraid that it was a dream and that if he started questioning things, the dream would end. As time went on, he had fully accepted his new reality but kept up with not asking questions out of habit. Maybe he was still afraid. Reggie wasn't sure anymore, but still had a mental hurdle stopping him from breaking through. His fear was unfounded, of course, and Hyacinth made it easier with her next statement.

"You can always ask. I thought you would ask more questions about me but you never did." Something in Reggie's brain shattered. He felt like the dumbest guy in the world at that moment. His mental hurdle was a self-imposed illusion that now just seemed stupid. "So? Have anything you want to ask?" Hyacinth was looking directly at Reggie, leaning slightly towards him as she cocked her head slightly to the side with her ear pushed towards him saying she was listening.

"Y-Yeah, I – I would like to know everything..." Reggie's face started turning red. He just blurted out what he was thinking and now regretted it. "Sorry, I..." Reggie couldn't finish his sentence and didn't know what to say, anyway. Hyacinth smiled warmly back at him as if to encourage him further. It was a genuine smile that seemed to be magically calming Reggie. When he thought about that, he realized it was possible it was actually magic but didn't care. Her expression was giving him the nerve to actually move forward. "I guess everything is too broad, huh. Haha, yeah. How about where you live?"

"I live in one of the many major cities in Azoria, though you probably would think them small by comparison to the cities here. I actually live in the elven capital, Thulevan." Hyacinth continued to smile as Reggie listened, trying to make him feel more comfortable. He slowly relaxed his posture and sat down at the end of the bed.

"Is that where you grew up? Are there a lot of people who aren't elves there?"

"No, I was born in the human kingdom. My parents still live there since that's where the business is based. As for if there are people besides elves in the capital, the answer is yes but the majority are elves. It's complicated. Less than a hundred years ago, the elves were entirely isolated from the rest of the world." Reggie thought about that for a minute. There was plenty of fiction where the elven country was separate from anyone else and even hostile to visitors. Not that his world was a shining example of acceptance. Humans fought each other constantly for land or religion or a variety of things.

"I would like to hear more about that history but we can go back to that." Reggie didn't want to get too off topic. The point was to get to know more about Hyacinth. He could learn about her world later. "How did you end up living in the elven capital?"

"That's a long story but basically because of how good I am at magic. Generally humans are less gifted when it comes to magic but I have an aptitude much higher than the average person." Reggie didn't think Hyacinth was bragging. She was just explaining the truth. It made Reggie curious about how she compared to the average human but figured it wasn't that important. "I was quick to learn magic and eventually surpassed what could be taught in the human kingdom. My parents wanted me to stay and join the family business, but I eventually wore them down. My dad knew a few elves from his business dealings and they helped him get in touch with someone who could teach me more magic."

"You make it sound like you are the protagonist in a fantasy light novel but based on what I already know about your magic, it makes sense." Reggie nodded to himself as he accepted Hyacinth's backstory. "I should probably get back to packing. I am out of questions, anyway."

Reggie looked at his packing list one more time before closing his suitcases and zipping them up. He put the notebook his list was on into his backpack and put it on his back then placed both suitcases on the floor. He looked back to Hyacinth who understood what he was indicating and stood up. She walked over to Reggie and put a hand on the first suitcase making it disappear. She did the same for the second suitcase and looked up at Reggie. He had a slight look of shock but it quickly disappeared since he knew she just added them to her magic space.

They both headed downstairs where Tegan was waiting for them on the couch sipping tea and eating cookies. "All packed, Sunshine?"

"Yeah, I think so." Reggie still felt like he was forgetting something. Something was off but he couldn't figure out what. "We leaving now or do we have to wait for a specific time for a portal or something?" Reggie had no clue how they traveled between worlds. Another thing he needed to ask about.

"If you are ready, then we can head out now." Reggie nodded to Hyacinth to indicate his readiness and the three of them walked to the front door. Reggie was about to reach out for the handle when it started moving. It opened to show Nel was back.

"Hey, Nel. Did you forget something?" Reggie couldn't think of any other reason for him to return so soon. Nel took a step inside and Reggie saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"The machine is gone."