With all the patience, I waited for ten days. I took the opportunity to take a break and went to Porto Alegre to visit my parents, who were very happy to see me. On the way back, I went down to the first plane to think about my analyzes and theories.

It is rare for us wizards to move below the third plane because the nature of those worlds is not pleasant to our eyes, being most of them hostile environments, but I knew some very pleasant planets and went there to feel the disturbances closer. It was a cold world because it orbited somewhat far from its sun and in the summer the temperature did not exceed twenty degrees, as in that case. The vegetation was different to resist the weather, resembling the large Canadian conifers. I spent about three or four hours in that place, but I needed to be very careful because it was a densely populated world, with a civilization equivalent to the end of the 19th century and quite warlike.

I was in an inhospitable region of that planet, considered too hot by its owners, although for me it was a moderate climate. Therefore, it was almost always very empty there.

That time I could not detect anything with my powers and concluded that I needed more sensitive instruments, so I decided to return to the Citadel.

Two days later, the supreme guardian called me. I was nervous because I didn't want to miss the opportunity to do that research, which I considered very important. One detail that I did not mention is that, as the wizards are from all over the world, in the Citadel we speak in Celtic, the ancestral language, the language of the first wizards.

I didn't have to wait long and, when I entered the highest room of the highest crystal building, there was our leader, waiting. I saw from his look and smile, but he noticed that I was quite nervous. Always kind, he invited me to sit down, while doing the same. He just started talking to me to realize that things wouldn't be a bed of roses:

"So, Igor, I heard you went to Earth," he began. "And how are things there? Are your parents okay? I miss them."

"They are very well, sir. As I went there with the intention of seeing my parents, I confess that I did not pay much attention to the prevailing situation."

"Remember, son," his voice was somewhat reproachful, "that it is always too important to be aware of everything that surrounds us and the Earth is our home of origin, except for a few who were born here."

"You are right," I replied, "and I saw some news. In general, I can say that the world is doing well, although it is going through a small economic crisis. I see that my country is moving fast towards complete chaos and sometimes I wonder if non-interference is not a mistake."

"It is not," he replied, categorical. "The wizards were almost decimated in the remote past by getting involved in the politics of mundane peoples, but that is not why we are here."

Ready, now he would touch on the subject and I would have my answer.

"I thought a lot about your request and talked to several guardians, especially the chief of the portal guardians," he continued, calmly. "He thinks your assumptions are false, but admitted that you have already surpassed him and have much more sensitivity to the planar energy flows. He recommended me a lot of caution, although no plane has been harmful or dangerous to us until today. Other guardians recommended that we not research this because they think it is a potential danger—"

"But—" I started, being interrupted in the act.

"Let me finish, son," he made an impatient gesture. "I think and argued that it is inactivity that becomes dangerous, that the unknown should not be ignored. However, we do not know what a new plane can hide secrets and yes, there may be risks. Therefore, I made the following decision: you will start your research in the theoretical field and present your results in a global seminar. Afterwards, you will be authorized to carry out practical experiments with measurements and everything that is necessary to confirm how many more planes there are, if any. The attempt to open one of these planes is banned until security is proven. I know that was not what you wanted, son, but you will have to agree that we aim for security without taking away your right to discover more facts."

"Thank you, sir." I was somewhat disappointed to have to do one thing at a time, but I had to agree that the wizard acted with righteousness. "I believe that you have reason and I thank you very much for allowing me to do the research."

"Great. I'm glad you understood, a sign that you are ready to join as a Guardian, which will be sooner than you think. Now I apologize, but I have a commitment that I cannot postpone."

I said goodbye to the wizard and left, going to my apartment to prepare the research. On the way, I met Caroline, a sorceress from England and my inseparable friend since childhood. So, I invited her to work with me on the research because, once, she told me that she wanted to present a different graduation work.

Caroline was delighted with the idea of developing this project and threw herself into it in heart and soul. After eight long months of many calculations and research, we proved that an interference of planar fields could be the proof of the existence of more planes. This phenomenon would be compared to the interference that a planet causes on the orbit of the others in a solar system and that was how they discovered Pluto. Of course, in Quantum Mechanics, it is always a little more complicated than that, in fact, much more.

Carol was a brilliant mathematician and I confess that, without her, it would have taken twice as long to get results, at least.

She felt a great euphoria when we presented the initial results of our research to an auditorium full of wise men, who listened to us dismayed and incredulous, but none of them were able to present any argument against and rather the opposite: we were applauded standing up.

When the Supreme Guardian rose to speak, there was total silence, but he was simple and quick:

"You did a fantastic theoretical work and came to revolutionize some areas of physics. I am very impressed and congratulate you. As I promised, Igor, now you can go to the actions and turn the theory into practice. However, if your thesis is proven, the attempt to open a portal remains banned until we are sure that it is safe, understood?"

"I understood, sir," I replied. "We will stay within the scope of the corroborating analyzes."

"Great. You have a free hand and can request any resource you need. You can go and once again my congratulations to both of you."

The wizard left the auditorium and Caroline hugged me, laughing with happiness. We returned to my apartment and sat at the table to plan the future. Some of the devices needed to be invented from scratch and would use special types of energy fields created by us to be able to modulate with the planions, gravitons and other related particles.

To sum up, Caroline and I spent another year and a half doing tests and measurements of all kinds, until one beautiful day we came back to present the results where we proved that there was not only one, but two additional planes, one before the first plane and one above us. The evidence was irrefutable and indisputable.

Knowing that there was an additional plane was already expected by everyone, but two was something so inconceivable in their minds that they took time to digest the new news. When the colloquium ended, the supreme guardian rose amid an embarrassing silence.

"Today is a special day in our Citadel because we discovered two more planes in the Universe, creating a new milestone," he paused for effect and I was very curious about that little speech. "A new generation of wizards is responsible for this and I think that certain details need to be renewed periodically. These young people are proof that we cannot keep things as they are. In our history, there has never been a problem in interplanar travels and I believe that this time there will not be either, but the decision whether the plane will be opened by a wizard will be up to my successor, because today I wish to pass the white cape and retire from the government. I inform you that I reflected a lot before making my choice, which some may find arbitrary, but I intend to designate for new Supreme Guardian the great wizard Igor Montenegro. I hope the council takes into account that I believe with all certainty that his superior training will surpass the inexperience of age, which will only tend to increase these abilities."

I confess that I was wide-eyed and still trying to digest those words when he finished, saying:

"I summon here and now an extraordinary meeting for the final decision."

While some of our friends who watched the demonstration applauded, the Great Guardians rose and one of them told me to wait there. Caroline hugged me, laughing. I, on the other hand, was very lost, feeling small in the midst of everything.

The group of twenty-five main guardians, the Great Guardians, made a circle and they raised their hands. Around them, a huge and opaque energy barrier formed to begin deliberating while we waited without being able to see or hear anything. In the auditorium, there was not one who left there such was the curiosity to know if the youngest guardian would be elected the supreme. That was what they felt, because what I felt was extreme nervousness.

My sweet friend Caroline saw and took my hand, trying to convey some tranquility.

Half an hour later and at the height of my anxiety, the barrier broke and the wizards walked to the podium, forming a semicircle with me in the center while our leader approached behind me. The silence was sepulchral and I was even more worried about that. In fact, it never occurred to me such a thing, but I thought that the advisory body would not approve me, since I was only eighteen years old. Well, I was missing a month to turn nineteen, but it didn't seem to me that this made any significant difference.

The supreme guardian stopped by my side and spoke to the group, while his cape changed color without me seeing.

"Brothers, today you have a new Supreme Guardian," he touched my shoulder with his hand and my cape changed from a light gray of the shieldless guardians to the immaculate white of the Supreme Guardian, "Igor Montenegro, Magnificent Supreme Guardian of the Crystal World and Earth."

Astonished, I received many applause, several of them standing, while the wizard smiled at me. Now I saw the golden interior of his cape and then I had the understanding of what weighed on my shoulders: the well-being of almost fifty thousand lives depended only on me. The other guardians sat back in the first row while our former leader asked:

"Supreme Guardian Igor, what is your decision regarding the two planes?"

I froze. Now I had the great weight of responsibility that all leaders need to carry and often it was the reason they were misunderstood. Those miserable ten seconds of silence, for me, seemed like many hours of doubts and uncertainties, they seemed to have lasted an eternity while I thought. I think at that moment I felt the same shock that a man has when he sees his first child born: the certainty that from then on he could no longer make a mistake, never again!

Knowing that now any act of mine was responsible for a few thousand lives radically changed my point of view and I said something that Caroline did not like at all:

"I think," I started, worried, "that before we send someone to explore this plane, we should do more experiments. Maybe in six months we will make the first attempt."

Sergey, our former guardian, looked at me and started to applaud, very happy, and I understood now what was the weight of being a leader because Caroline, very upset, turned her back on me, went down from the podium and left the amphitheater, but I couldn't help noticing a tear on her face.

When everyone had left, I remained at the pulpit, standing, thinking, until I heard a breath behind me and turned slowly.

"So, oh Magnificent, how do you feel on this side?"

"For the love of the Goddess, sir, don't call me that," I asked Sergey.

"Why not, son?" He smiled, amused. "It is the title of treatment of a Supreme Guardian, copied from the rectors of the universities, did you know?"

"That it was copied I did not know." I looked at him, who stood by my side, leaning on his elbows on the podium and looking at the empty room. "But today, sir, you made me a big one. Did it ever occur to you that it doesn't seem to me that I'm ready to be a Supreme Guardian?"

"Of course you are, son. Your first decision is more than conclusive."

"At that moment, I felt what you should have felt in these last three hundred years. This decision hurt my closest friend very much."

"Do you love her?" he asked. "Does she loves you?"

"No. We had a little romance for a few weeks and it was our first mutual experience, but there was no love and only a very deep friendship. So we just stayed very close friends. In fact, I don't know if we still are. She left here very angry and sad. She turned her back on me and left."

"If is sincere friendship, she will understand, because that is also love," he reassured me, smiling. "Igor, you are a man destined for great deeds and I feel it since I saw you as a baby. I also know that you will have terrible trials as well as your preparation will help you. Remember that whole worlds may depend on what you choose to do and that I will always believe in you, whatever happens. Now, I'm going to spend a few days traveling. I wish to see my mother Russia again, who has changed so much in all this time. Goodbye, son, and if you need anything, just look for me. I should return for the annual meeting." He winked and added. "It's a pity that your parents weren't here to see this, because they would be very proud."

He opened a portal right there and left the Citadel. I spent a few moments looking at nothing. Then I decided to go visit her.

I announced myself at the door of her home and Carol opened. When she saw me, she turned her back and returned to the porch, looking out with her arms crossed. As she didn't send me away, I entered and closed the door. I approached from behind and put my hand on her shoulder, without her saying anything. I passed my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly, resting my head on her shoulder:

"Caroline, my love, don't be angry with me," I asked, almost begged, in fact. "You are my most precious friend and I couldn't bear to lose this friendship. I love you very much."

She turned to me and also hugged me and squeezed me, smiling. She gave me a little peck and said:

"Sorry. I was unfair to you. It's just that everything sounded like a big disappointment. I already felt like a pioneer to cross a new and unknown plane—"

"But who told you that you won't be, Carol?" I smiled and pressed her against me. "Do you think it would be fair for someone else to do this, someone other than us? You will be yes, even more so that only we know the correct coordinates. However, I have this great responsibility that is to watch over everyone. That's why I wanted to wait a little longer. Besides, you will be a Guardian of the Portals soon and that will help a lot in the final decision of the council."

"You really know how to please a woman, huh?" She laughed, speaking in English. I learned English with Caroline when I was six years old and we became inseparable, asking her to speak like that whenever possible."

"You are much more than a simple woman to me," I replied, cheerful. "You are my Caroline, my dear friend since we were little more than babies. So are we agreed?"

I said goodbye to her and went home, relieved. I requested a reading from the computer about the supreme guardians because I didn't know much what to do in terms of duties and rights.

One thing that needs to be said is that our computers are very different from the conventional, so much so that a mundane would not recognize a computer if he had it in his hands, since they were made through our gifts and are the result of the most advanced science. Its operation occurs at the subatomic level and I just have to invoke a computer or create it at the time, that it synchronizes with the gigantic central database at the same time. The requested material appeared in front of me on a three-dimensional screen. I sat in my favorite armchair and started reading.

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