Months later…

"Aren't you coming?"

Manji tarried beside the doorway. The bishop shook his head.

"I am not ready."

"This portal leads to the lands beyond the great sea, further than our airships have ever flown. There are civilizations we've never even met before and lands completely untouched by our feet. Of course, there are creatures that defy the imagination, with fearful strength surpassing Zakum himself. The people who live in these foreign lands know more about the old days than we do. They will help us achieve the next advancement."

The bishop looked away. Manji gestured towards the door.

"You can look and plainly see a path you have never walked before. Countless thousands have gone before us. Why do you stay here? Aren't you curious?"

The bishop smiled at the samurai.

"Call me nostalgic, but I feel rather attached to this world. I know that a new world awaits, a world I keep hearing about, but I don't feel the need to explore. At least, not yet. I'm not ready."

"What are you talking about, you young buffoon?"

The bishop received a solid conk on the head from Alcaster's staff, knocking his miter clear off.

"Ow! What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that, old man?"

"Don't be an idiot, my very young friend. Athena Pierce, the Dark Lord and even Dances with Balrog have gone exploring this new world and making new friends, going on fantastic adventures into realms never before seen. What are you doing here, gathering dust? Go! I may be old, but I'm not dead yet!"

With that outburst, Alcaster strode directly through the portal and they saw him walking along the pathway on the other side. Manji picked his jaw off the ground.

"Well, so long," the samurai said and followed. The bishop rubbed his head, sighed, and turned away from the doorway.

"Wait for me!" he called out to them, picked up his miter and ran through the door.

888THE BEGINNING888