It was high noon when Nia rode into Ravine Fort on horseback. The Medarc, Kegan, sat behind on the double-sided saddle. The streets were deste, carried by a mournful wind that left the air acrid.


    Skin prickling, the Medarc nced around, searching for something for someone, for anything. He found only dust through the streets.


    "Are sure the Young Master is here? This vige seemed abandoned."


    Nia was in silent agreement, slowing Cloud by the reins to a stop. She looked around at the stone houses stered in white. Her gaze searched through the stone, finding fires still burning, tables half set, and children''s clothes sprawled about in a dozen or so houses. Nothing indicated any sort of attack. It was as if everyone simply dropped what they were doing and left.


    Layers of magic weaved themselves tightly around her eyes, awakening the powers of her dual pupils to—


    "You''re here!" shouted Tasha, in a trot through the streets. She beckoned to Nia and the Medarc. "This way! Master is here."


    Cloud neighed loudly, racing after Tasha, leading them to the home that held their Master. Alyssa weed them up the stairs into the room that held Altair, soaked in a dreadful sweat. The fever that had taken him had raised his body temp so high that if not for the wardings ced, the room might have ignited into mes.


    The Medarc frowned beside the Young Master, taking his pulse, and his lips tightened. In all his life, he had never seen a more dreadful case of Soul Exhaustion. He nced at Tasha and gulped.


    "His Soul me wanes. There is no—"


    "I am quite aware there is no cure for Soul Exhaustion," Tasha said slowly. What I require is a measure to lessen the burden on his Soul."


    "Surely a devil—" He paused, his face draining of color, but Tasha only gestured for him to continue. Surely a Devil, a Royal Devil like you who Mastered the Art of Soul Maniption, could aid him."


    "I''m no doctor," Tasha kindly informed him. I know the basics, butpared to a Medarc from the Imperium of Genisis that instilled new techniques each year into your brains, I cannot begin topare our knowledge. I am not so arrogant that I would operate on my Master without proper direction. His Soul wains, but it''s not to the degree that I need to take that risk."


    Kegan forced himself to breathe. "We''d need a powerful soul. A neutral soul. One uncorrupted by the Infernal Heart of a Devil."


    "Nox De Nier," Nia said calmly, ncing at her sisters. "We could use that, can''t we? As Masters Shadows, we could retrieve it. It''s still in aa, so there shouldn''t be any trouble if we took…" Her voice trailed off, her gaze fixed upon the Medarc.


    The secret of Nox De Nier being possessed by an outworlder hadn''t been openly stated. House Nier had hoped it was Nox, but there was nothing to confirm the truth… until now.


    Nia''s icy gaze searched the Medarc''s dark features, theyers of magic gathering around her eye to pierce the unseemed veil around the man before her. If there were malice, discontent, or hesitation, she would see it.


    "Nia, you do the honors," Tasha instructed. "Have a little faith in our Medarc. They are the best Doctors in all the Myriad Heavens, after all. Even if this one here is a failure." her lips thinned in a cold arc. "To my knowledge, Medarcs are without emotions. But you wear yours like a piece of cloth."


    Kegan frowned. "My emotional response shouldn''t be an issue."


    "We''ll see," Tasha responded. "Nia," she ordered soon after before she said, "Now, exin what you will do."


    "Despite how simple it might sound, this operation is ratherplex. But what I will be doing is channeling the will of the… Young Master so that he draws on the energy of Nox De Nier''s Soul rather than his own. That should significantly reduce the strain on his Soul, allowing it time to recover. The operation could take anywhere from a few days to a few months toplete."


    "And if I were to help?" Tasha asked. "As you just said, we Devils'' ability to manipte the Soul is unmatched—even by your standards, Medarc. Perhaps, if you''re lucky, the Soul of Nox De Nier might fully awaken with all this stimtive activity."


    Kegan didn''t have much hope for the matter. He had personally touched the Soul me of Nox De Nier, but his will was so dormant that it would take a miracle for it to awaken. Perhaps if he had the proper tools, it would have been a different case, but Allmore was far too underdeveloped.


    ''Hours rather than days, I suspect," he answered.


    "Then shall we begin?" Tasha asked, pulling her gaze to Nia with a hand over her Master''s chest. Slowly, a beautiful azure me rose from his chest, burning like a star. Seeing how easy it was to extract, Nia''s expression sank even further.


    She looked at the Lilm, offering it to her with a pleading gleam in her eyes.


    "Save him."


    ***


    "What do you mean you can''t find him?" Lord Raxtar barked, horsed with rage. The backhand that caught Talri shattered his jaw, sending him sprawling across the earth. "Nox De Nier is but a Fourth Circle! He is practically a boy! So how does a boy escape our?!"


    Jax Stormbrew snorted, redressing the gash across his shoulder. "Hold your anger, brother. You''ve already killed seven of our men."


    "He''s right," Lord Kaylor said in a sober voice.


    "The hell he''s right!!'' Raxtar scuffed. "And what the hell are you doing with the prisoner."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Skinned him alive,'' Kaylor said, his bushy brows scrunching. "But all he does isugh. Never seen anything like it. The more we cut, the harder heughs."


    "Then cut off his tongue!"


    The two transcendents sighed, ncing at their brother-in-armsnguidly. "Then he won''t be able to talk, you sted idiot," Jax spoke up. He sighed, throwing his head back. It would be nightfall soon. "Any report from El''von?"


    "The Trow?" Raxtar grimaced. "He''s got nothing. I can''t say I trust ''em, though."


    Kaylor made a face. "You''re just racist."


    Jax looked at him. "I once saw a Trow drown a man in some wine. It was a poor vintage, but I dear say they drank it all the same after his body fermented the wine."


    "That…That''s disgusting."Kaylor said.


    Raxtar sneered. "The fucker even offered me some. I had to kill him, you see. Tore his head clean off. And do you know what those bastards did? They cheered!"


    The three sighed, though for different reasons. After a while, Jax lifted his head. "We need them all the same. They''re the best killers you''d ever have."


    "I''m not arguing that!" Raxtar snapped. "I don''t care if there are bloody rapers or killers. It''s all the same. But they worship… Muardral! There are bloody child killers. They''d gut a mother with child just to watch the baby bleed out her belly!"


    "It''s called Kor''lie''vecta, and it''s a sacred ritual of Muardral, Ko''vak!" said a shadow from the forest. It culls the weak so only the strong remain. If the child lives without the mother, then it has the right to exist as one of our own.


    "Isgar, "the three Transcend whispered under their breath as he stepped through the forest. Grey skin was hidden beneath Istvon Armor, a Trow male withrge red eyes and strange runes running down one eye like a tear. Tall and hard, he sauntered before the three.


    "Ko''vak, indeed," he said, the scorn in his voice recognizable to everyone present as he stared at the Jax injury. "To call for reinforcements over two Ko''vak, have you no shame?"


    Kaylor rose. ''We were ambushed by two Transcendents!"


    "Two verses Three?" Isgar tilted his head, not understanding, before he did. ''Is your kind so weak? Istcar!" he snarled. "Retreat. We shall take over."


    "The Shadow Tower will not look kindly on this act!" Rextar raged, towering over the Trow, his golden eyes fixed.


    Hands poised behind his back, Isgar did not seem to acknowledge Rextar, though the shadows cast by the setting sun seemed to extend.


    The three seemed to notice, draining their faces of color. It wasn''t unheard of a Trow within the Ninth Circle tobat Transcendents. It''s said that even the most ordinary of Trow possessed that level of battle prowess.


    "We will be taking the prisoner. Return to the Shadow Tower. Tell them of your failure, or shall I send you to Muardral?" Isgar asked. When he heard no response, he turned the twin scimitars on his back, burning with the light of the setting sun. "You''ve got an hour to make yourself scarce lest you be hunted like cattle."


    As he vanished under the watchful eye of the three, Raxtar looked as if he''d swallowed bile. He screamed, his fist piercing through the trunk of a tree.


    ''He can''t do this!"


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    Jax expression sour. "We—"


    "NO!" Raxtar roared. "Who does he think he is? I''ll not ept this humiliation!" he lifted his eyes towards his men looking at him, the shame bing more than he could bear. ''Ready your weapons! I don''t bloody care if he is some mythical race! He''s!!!!


    RAAAA! I''m going to kill him if he gets in my way! Nox De Nier is mine!"