The circles all lit up with blue light, and then only one. That light started to blink from each circle until it landed on Leo. When it stopped, the whole circle lit,, my vision was engulfed in light, and I felt my consciousness ripped from my body.

Light of all colors streamed around me as I was pulled along. The path I followed was like nothing I could remember, but my knowledge told me this was taking me to the Astral Isles.

These thirteen floating islands resided in a different dimension, but I didn't know more about them than. Seems I had been here before, but other than knowing about the place, I didn't know anything about who lived on each for some reason.

Suddenly, I was standing on a massive rock jutting out of the ground at an angle. I looked out over a savannah, but something about this place felt nostalgic.

"So, back again? What number is this?" A deep voice asked from behind me, and I turned to find a massive man with bulging muscles and the head of a lion, but the hair on his head was painted galactic like the starry background.

"Do I know you?" I asked, and the Lion's head nodded.

"We don't meet every lifetime, but I have known you through eighty of them; this will be your eighty-first. How much closer to your goal are you?" The lion man asked. "My name is Leo since you always forget."

"This is the golden five-hundred. It makes sense that I don't remember you. I don't remember anything, but wait! You are a man, right? You don't have an inverted cucumber under that loincloth, do you?!" I asked, and Leo laughed.

"I am a man! What else would the mighty constellation Leo be?!" The lion man boomed.

"Honestly, I thought you might be an undeveloped woman trying to overcompensate with muscles," I grinned.

? "Oh? And now your opinion has clearly changed?" Leo asked, and I nodded firmly.

"Yup, now I am just assuming you have a small wiener. You really changed me," I said, clenching my fist like I had just gained something valuable.

"You wanna go?!" Leo snarled and then flashed me, and I threw up my hands to shield my eyes. Yup, seen enough man for this lifetime. Not sure that I really miss having them around now.

"I thought you would never ask! Now put that little thing away before I take mine out and show you what a real man looks like!" I retorted and was summarily kicked off the rock before I could blink.

The strike hurt, but I was able to gather magic to heal myself.

This guy was fast and instantly beside me, kicking me thirty feet to the ground. I flexed my Spirit Pressure to slow myself, and my wings burst from my back.

I cast Gust to blast me out of the way, and Leo crashed into the ground where I had been. I knew I only had seconds, so I twin cast Accelerate with both my hands.

Time nearly stopped, but Leo was still turning his head at me. This speed was terrifying, but I had him.

I blasted into him, but he could get his hand up in time. Our hands were coated in pure magic, and an explosion sent me flying back. I caught myself and landed with my hands up.

"Good to see that you are still intact, somewhat. You don't seem to understand what you are clearly capable of yet, but you use what you have well. What is the purpose for borrowing my powers?" Leo asked as he walked unscathed from the dust. "I am curious."

I was still healing my broken hand. This creature was much, much stronger than I had expected. I was confused about how I would beat him and survive.

Yet, Leo was trying to talk to me, so I should at least entertain him to get some time to figure things out. Tonight had turned into one big pickle, all because I couldn't just be quiet. Lesson learned. Mostly. Sort of.

"I am trying to catch a girl...."

"You're what? You can't catch a woman? What did you do to make her this mad?" Leo asked curiously, and I sighed, putting my forehead in the crook of my hand.

Then I explained everything, including the basics of the world. All the time, I was trying to think of what I could ask him to teach me if he would. Being stuck in this world all the time must get boring unless many others come here.

"So, let me get this straight. You are from a world where you are the only man, woman shit eggs, you have to save the world from Nemoria, and now you have a ninja fae playing tag with you for others' entertainment?"

"Pretty close; we will just go with that to save time," I said with a grin as Leo scratched at his galactic mane. "So, I am curious. What else can I do?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Leo asked, grinning back, and I sighed. Yup, I was going to die.

"I would, but I also am not ready to die yet. Can we work something out?" I asked. "I get it, you are fast, but there are people relying on me right now."

"Calm down! I am not going to kill you! What made you think that? You are literally the only person that has the power to come and see me!" Leo laughed, and I facepalm with groans of embarrassment. "That was pretty interesting. Not like you to think about others like that. Did something happen?"

"I don't know. I just know that I have the power somewhere inside of me to protect this world. I want that power, and I will take a knee to get it. The world holds many things that are dear to me," I said, and Leo nodded.

"A welcomed change! If it is the speed you need, then it has to be the Prowler's Spatial Step indeed!"