Funnily enough, even though Ben slept at two in the morning, he felt rested when he woke up a mere six hours later, at eight o'clock. For the first time, in what, weeks? It certainly felt good. But looking to the side, he didn't find Hope to be on her bed, as she often was. Instead, the sheets were folded, and there was no sign of the witch.

No matter, though. She was probably in the bathroom or meditating outside. He had told her how he was now on good terms with his counterpart, which she congratulated him for, telling Ben that it was the best course of action.

"You gave me a chance, remember?" She had told him. "It's fair to let him prove himself."

But she wasn't here right now. So, Ben switched clothing, wearing a simple black shirt with comfortable pants. Jeans were not nice to wear all the time. Exiting the room, he found out quickly that there would be no need to go to the hotel's dining area to gather breakfast.

"Morning." Bad Ben greeted quite unlike what he had shown during his time here, which Ben was grateful for. On the table, laid a bag full of snacks, some more appropriate for breakfast than others.

"Good morning!" Ben examined the bag. "Eating Doritos now is gonna be terrible for my body, isn't it?"

Bad Ben shrugged, revealing a small pack of Lay's. "You're the wielder of the Omnitrix. It can probably keep you alive even from old age."

"I didn't think about that. But I don't want to be immortal, trust me." Ben sat down, opening his Doritos.

"I know. Neither do I."

Ben looked with curiosity towards his counterpart. "You don't mind... you know, dying?"

"No." Bad Ben munched on a potato chip. "But I would prefer to choose my moment of death."

"That's not how it works," Ben argued.

"For most, no." Bad Ben replied. "But for us... like I said, I doubt the Omnitrix would just let us die. Even of natural causes."

"The more I think about it, the more I find that thought horrifying." Ben looked around. "Have you seen Ho... Charmcaster?"

"No." Bad Ben said, seemingly not noticing Ben's slip up. "I was going to ask you that."

"Oh." Ben once more looked around, finding no trace of Hope. "Charmcaster?" Saying that name now felt weird. He got used to calling her Hope.

Right after he called her name, something came flying from the room, stopping right in front of Ben's face before it him. He noticed it to be a piece of paper, with a message written in it.

Ben.

This is not a goodbye.

But Earth is not my home. And my home has been taken over once more.

I would not call your help due to how the Realm of Magic works. And your cousin is unavailable.

Regardless, this is my cross to bear. The monster who killed my father will be gone, and I will return.

Do not follow me, Ben. This is neither your responsibility nor your concern.

I hope the best for you in the meantime.

And there was no signature.

"What's written?"

"She's gone to Legerdomain." Ben answered his counterpart. The monster who killed my father. "She's going after Addwaitya."

"Is he still around?" Bad Ben asked curiously.

"Yes?" Ben answered, before realizing what his counterpart said. "Oh. You mean..."

"Wasn't me. Probably Kevin."

While Ben was skeptical, he sensed no lies. "Okay. But... oh, no. She can't do that. It went bad enough the first time..."

"Addwaitya has a weak resolve." Bad Ben commented. "He is powerful with magic. But we know we're above magic."

"Maybe." Ben looked at the Omnitrix. Chromastone hadn't stopped him from dying to Hope's soul-eating machine. And he had struggled against the witch and Hex. And to be honest... while some of his transformations were powerful, it was difficult to go around being a hero when at the end of the day he was simply turning into different species who had their abilities. While against thugs even Stinkfly could be a heavy hitter, what happened when he was fighting too many foes?

While Ben sometimes missed the Ultimatrix, Ultimate Way Big was powerless against the Dagon. And against the Way Bads, he was simply outmatched, even when knocking Milleous's ship.

And of course, Alien X was not a card he could trust. But it would always be his last resort.

"I need to go after her."

"After she explicitly forbids you from doing just that?" Bad Ben's tone wasn't harsh, just sarcastic. He was him after all. He knew how disobeying they could be.

"Of course. I just need to... reach Legerdomain."

"That is a whole different problem." Bad Ben stated. "If it is the same in my universe, you need the proper spell to reach it..."

"No different from here..." Ben brought a hand to his chin. "Unless..."

...

Reaching Friedkin University had been the easy part. Fasttrack could cover miles in minutes after all.

The hard part was to get to Hex. The former villain now turned professor could very well not be available, and not having Gwen to help him was also terrible. The thought of following Hope to Legerdomain was by itself scary. He had witnessed a future version of himself manipulating mana... but present Ben was hopeless at that. He hadn't bothered ever to learn something, much less magic.

So, he hoped Hex would be available. Hope's uncle... Ben didn't think highly of him, or at least hadn't before Gwen had vouched for the man multiple times, which was quite the surprise considering all their history.

So, Ben walked through the halls of the campus, trying hard to find the library where Hex resided. It took a while, but he finally found it, and thankfully, the professor as well, exiting the library.

"Professor Hex?" Ben called with uncertainty, not sure what to call him.

Hex turned to him, raising his eyebrows. "Ben Tennyson?"

"Sorry, I didn't know how to make an appointment. I need to talk to you."

"Well, then I ask of you to be quick. Lunch break will not last for much longer. Is it about Gwendolyn? She is traveling."

"No, no, I know." Ben clarified. "Actually... it's about Charmcaster."

Ben was surprised to see how much Hex's demeanor changed, his shoulders becoming tense. "What of my niece?"

"I... it's been a couple of weeks since she came to me... asking that she wanted a clean slate..."

Now the sorcerer fully widened his eyes. "And what was your answer?"

"I took her under my wing." Ben didn't know any other way of putting it. "And things have been... fine, I suppose. But just today she just vanished and said she was going to her home."

"She would not," Hex said unbelievingly.

"I promise. She even talked about going after the man who killed her father."

For a second, the professor only stared. "Going there once years ago was bad enough. But at least she had Gwendolyn. But alone? I did not think my niece was so far lost in her mental faculties."

Ben shifted uncomfortably. "I thought of going after her... I won't have Gwen to help me but... I want to see Charmcaster safe. She's been very good company for the past days..."

"I understand that," Hex said. "But it is a suicide mission. If Addwaitya has established control again... it's hopeless..."

"I am all for suicide missions." Ben stood defiantly. "You don't need to go; I understand you have a lot under your belt right now."

Hex stared at him for a few moments. "I can see nothing I say will change your mind."

"No." He agreed.

"Then," Extending his hand, Hex summoned a book with a crimson cover. "I will leave you prepared. This here is all I have personally written about the Realm of Magic. In it you will find how to overcome its dangers, and more importantly, how to get in and out."

Ben took the book, nodding to the professor. "I will try to help her. I promise."

"Do as much," Hex stated. "Many have given me chances to be better, but I value none more than Gwendolyn. Perhaps my niece can see you with the same eyes."

Ben was a bit speechless for a second. "I will try to."

"I wish you luck."

And with that, the professor strolled away, leaving Ben to himself.

...

Reaching a remote location on the outskirts of Bellwood to summon the Door to Anywhere was also easy compared to what he imagined would come later. He, as a Plumber, knew the surroundings of the city too well to know a faraway hill to summon the portal. The sun above the clouds was frying his skin, making him sweat. He had thought of turning into Waterhazard or Big Chill but in the end, nothing would make the heat go away. And he wouldn't even stay on Earth for much longer.

Ben opened the book Hex gave him, carrying nothing else in his pockets. It didn't make much sense to bring his phone to a magical dimension, and Bad Ben could fill his absence, something which his counterpart agreed to, although he stressed that he would not be dealing with Ben's personal issues. Something that the hero found fair. He hadn't asked for Bad Ben to deal with Julie in the first place.

Written on page twenty-three was the spell he had heard Gwen say several times. He knew that anyone could, in theory, cast a spell, like Rook did to defeat Hope in Anur Transyl. So... he had nothing to lose.

"Via est porro. Via est prolixus." Heavy wind made Ben's hair fly, covering his face. "Illic est haudcaput capitis vel solum." The ground began shaking as a structure started to emerge from below. "Planto oriens perspicuus. Lux lucis via. Ostendo occultus ianua!"

For some reason, Ben's breath was now labored, and he felt considerably more tired. But in front of him a closed gate, magical runes written over it. Ben scrambled through the book to find the incantation needed to open the door. And he found it quickly.

"Yawatacsip!" Ben read, and the door opened abruptly, revealing a landscape Ben was quite unfamiliar with. Previously, Legerdomain had narrow bridges and passages and a deep magenta sky. Now, multiple colors painted what Ben thought was the sky. The bridges were now considerably more dangerous, some even upside down. Ben hoped that Hex's map was accurate.

Looking at said map, Ben found it pointless to go to what was called 'Spellbinder's castle'. Spellbinder, he was Hope's father, he knew that much. And the castle... if it was the same one, then Hope had destroyed it after Darkstar's antics. So, no point.

Instead... Addwaitya's citadel. That seemed better. Ben decided to head there. He was not surprised to find that the map wasn't just a piece of paper, but instead linked to the land. When he took the first step, the map shifted, showing a dark red circle that surely represented him. Addwaitya's base was to his northeast. Problem was... there were no bridges in that direction. Ben sighed, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't expecting something like that. So, he turned into Ghostfreak.

The ectonurite was much better suited to glide and fly over this bizarre landscape. So, Ben marched forward. On the way, he found various magical beasts who tried to attack him. Some stone bats which he quickly destroyed, some of those rock monsters who were not able to reach him in the air. Overall, Ben didn't feel threatened by the environment like he did when he had the misfortune to be in the Null Void. Even the air there felt like it was trying to kill you. Legerdomain, though... it didn't feel exactly peaceful, but it had harmony. Something that made him more at ease as he glided.

"And I didn't think I'd have to put up with your ugly face today!"

Ben stopped in his tracks, hearing a feminine voice crying out below.

"I am most certainly not ugly. And you think too high of yourself."

Looking down, he spotted two figures. One was undoubtedly Hope, hands glowing with mana. And she was facing off... Darkstar. That was undoubtedly Darkstar. Ben flew down, thinking of a reason for Michael to be in Legerdomain.

"Shut up, Michael." Hope raised her hand. "Out of my way."

"Nuh-uh." The masked villain placed himself in the way. "Not until I know what you're doing here."

"It's my home!" Hope bellowed. "It is none of your business!"

Ben approached Darkstar, whispering in his ear. "Get lost, Mikey."

Michael then jumped, almost bumping into Hope. "What was that?!"

Hope raised an eyebrow. "Have you gone insane?"

"Rich coming from you! There was something, I heard it."

"What is wrong, Mikey? You look like you've seen a ghost..." Ben spoke louder, drawing the attention of Hope, but not in the way he was expecting.

"Zs'Skayr?" Hope called, hands once more glowing with mana. "Show yourself, apparition!"

"What? No?!" Ben made himself visible again, and again he startled Michael. Hope simply stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Ben?" The witch exclaimed. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Following you." Ben said, staring with his single eye at Darkstar. "What's with him?"

"He was here, for some reason I am still trying to figure out." Hope also looked at Darsktar, who managed to compose himself, and was staring with his arms crossed. The man wore his mask, which confused Ben, simply because if he understood it correctly, the mana of Legerdomain would completely reform Darkstar's appearance, away from the zombie he had become and back to his model look.

"I was going to explain it to you... after you explained your reason for being here."

"I live here!" Hope cried. "This is my realm. You are the invader!"

In response, Darkstar just chuckled, which seemed to only make Hope's anger rise. "You can thank lovely Gwen for putting me here. And of course, also putting me under a spell that doesn't let me absorb the mana from this dimension or perform magic. So, what's the point?"

"It figures," Ben commented, switching back from Ghostfreak to his human form. Out of nowhere, though, he was pulled by the arm by Hope.

"I told you not to come!"

"I'm not one for obeying orders."

The witch groaned. "Come on, help me out. You didn't need to make things more difficult."

"I'm trying to help you!" Ben attempted to justify his presence. "I don't want you getting into trouble, not now, not never."

For a few seconds, Hope's purple eyes simply stared at him, before she sighed as if conceding.

"I don't agree with this." She made it clear. "But since you're here, keep an eye on him. He is much like a tick. Won't ever leave us alone."

"I am offended, Charmcaster," Michael said. "I wouldn't expect you to be harboring her, Ben. Would have expected Gwen to do that, on the veins of 'oh, she is redeemable'"

"Again, Michael, it's none of your business." Ben quickly selected the Omnitrix, turning into Diamondhead. "Keep in line if you're sticking around."

Under the threat of a six-foot alien with rock for skin instead of a Ben barely out of his teens, Darkstar retracted, simply resuming the walk, right in the direction they were also supposed to follow.

Damn it.

"This conversation ain't over, Ben," Hope warned. "You don't need to be sacrificing away your time for me. And this land is dangerous for a non-magical being."

"You're my friend, Ho... Charmcaster." He knew that Michael once was told Hope's real name when the two of them were briefly dating, only to forget it soon after. The thought of Hope together with Darkstar didn't bother him too much at the time, it kinda made sense. Now... it made him a bit uncomfortable.

A bit. Just a bit.

"And I don't leave friends on their own. Never. Even if it is for suicide missions."

It was brief, but Ben could see a slight trembling in Hope's lower lip. "Okay. Just... stay close, okay? I don't have too much power here now. We'll have to be careful."

"Careful is my middle name."

The witch simply glanced at him with an amused look. "No, it's most certainly not."

Ben smiled. And then they were on their way again.